“It’s big news for me. I am very excited,” Golovkin said. “I think it’s a very big fight and great fight for you guys to watch. Danny is an amazing fighter. He is a tough opponent and No. 2 in the middleweight division. He is my toughest opponent. Hopefully, I fight three times next year. There are big plans for 2017 (but) right now I am focused on Jacobs and I am here to fight.

“I’m excited about facing GGG and proving I’m the best middleweight in the world,” Jacobs said in a statement to ESPN. “On March 18 I’m bringing all the belts back to Brooklyn with me.”

Mickey Gall stopped Sage Northcutt in the 2nd round of their welterweight bout.

Gall sent Northcutt to the canvas with a right hand, He was able to get behind and make Northcutt tap with a rear naked choke at 1:40.

Gall, 170 lbs of Green Brook, NJ is 4-0. Northcutt, 170 lbs of Katy, TX is 8-2.

Urijah Faber wrapped up his certain Hall of Fame career with a unanimous decision over Brad Pickett in a featherweight bout.

Faber, 136 lbs of Sacramento, CA won all cars 30-26 and will end his career with a record of 34-10. Pickett, 136 lbs of East London, England is 26-13.

Alan Jouban won a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Mike Perry in a welterweight bout.

In round three, a welt started to form on Perry’s left leg from the continuous leg kicks of Jouban.

Jouban, 170.5 lbs of Los Angeles won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 and, now is 15-4. Perry, 170 lbs of Orlando, FL is 9-1.

Joe Smith Jr ended the legendary career of Bernard Hopkins when he knocked Hopkins out of the ring in the 8th of their scheduled 12-round light heavyweight bout at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

In round one, Smith wobbled Hopkins with a right to the top of head.  In round two, Smith was cut inside his left eyebrow from an accidental headbutt.  Hopkins fought his way back into the fight as he occasionally landed his trademark right hand and some nice uppercuts on the inside.

Smith was bombing away with his right hand and startled but never had Hopkins in much trouble.  That changed in the 8th round, when Smith rocked Hopkins with a right hand.  A follow up combination drilled Hopkins out of the ring.  Hopkins fell on the back of his head, and could not beat the 20 count of referee Jack Reiss and Hopkins was stopped for the 1st time in his illustrious 28 year career.

Smith 174 lbs of Long Island, NY is now 23-1 with 19 knockouts.  Hopkins, 174 lbs of Philadelphia will wind up his career with a record of 55-8-2.

Joseph Diaz, Jr. remained perfect by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Horacio Garcia in a featherweight contest.

Diaz used superior handspeed and body work to control the action and outland Garcia by a 266-116 mark.

Diaz, 126 lbs of South El Monte, CA won by scores of 100-90 on all cards,  and is now 23-0.  Garcia, 125.8 lbs of Guadalajara, MX is 30-2-1.

Oleksandr Usyk retained the WBO Cruiserweight title with a 9th round stoppage over Thabiso Mchunu

Usyk started to open up in round five and in round six, dropped Mchunu with a hard combination.  Usyk continued to build his lead and then in round nine, he landed a hard straight left that sent Mchunu to the canvas.  Mchunu was able to continue, but not for much longer as a left to the top of the head put Mchunu down for a 3rd and final time.  Referee Lou Moret stopped the bout at 1:53.

Usyk, 199.6 lbs of Kiev, UKR is now 11-0 with 10 knockouts.  Mchunu, 198.6 lbs of Cato Ridge, SA is 17-3.

Jason Quigley remained undefeated by stopping Jorge Melendez in the 1st round of their scheduled 10-middleweight bout.

Quigley dropped Melendez with a short right in the 1st round. Quigley dropped Melendez a short time later with a five punch combination. Melendez went down for a 3rd time in the round from a right. Melendez was able to continue, but just for a brief time as he landed a big flurry that forced the corner to stop the fight at 2:42.

Quigley, 159.6 lbs of Donegal, IRE is 12-0 with 10 knockouts. Melendez, 158.6 lbs of Manati, PR is 28-8-1.

Ryan Garcia remained undefeated by scoring a 2nd round stoppage over Antonio Martinez in a scheduled 6-round lightweight bout.

Martinez was cut over his left eye in the 1st round from a huge flurry of punches by Garcia. Garcia scored a knockdown at the end of the round from a right hand. In round two, Garcia dropped Martinez with a left hand. Garcia continued the onslaught and landed a bug right hand that forced the referee to stop the bout at 2:00

Garcia, 131.4 lbs of Victorville, CA is 7-0 with 6 knockouts. Martinez, 131.4 lbs of Durango, MX is 6-8.

Bernard Hopkins 174 – Joe Smith, Jr. 174
Joseph Diaz Jr. 126 – Horacio Garcia 125.8
Oleksandr Usyk 199.6 – Thabiso Mchunu 198.6
(WBO Cruiserweight title)
Jason Quigley 159.6 – Jorge Melendez 158.6
Ryan Garcia 131.4 – Antonio Martinez 131.4
Carlos Morales 130 – Charles Huerta 130
Cristian Gonzalez 134.6 – Jonathan Perez
Roberto Rivera 133 – Ivan Delgado 131.4

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, there has been some talks about a possible fight between Mexican superstars Canelo Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. for a fight next May.

“We’re in talks, we’ve been talking for about a month,” Eric Gomez, president of Golden Boy Promotions, Alvarez’s promoter, said. “There’s interest on both sides.”

The biggest obstacle is the weight. If a deal is hammered out the weight would probably 164 or 165 pounds. Alvarez has never boxed above 155 pounds. Chavez has been 167½ or heavier for his past five fights dating to 2013.

“The catchweight is being negotiated,” Gomez said. “Canelo has a limit he wants, they have a limit Chavez wants, so it’s being negotiated.”

“It would be a good fight. The Mexican fans would really get behind it,” Gomez said. “It’s two really big names. We’re far apart, but we’re in talks. Hopefully, we can make it.”

He had some bad people in his life making bad decisions and giving him bad advice,” said Sean Gibbons, Chavez’s longtime matchmaker. “Julio was derailed from the path that he needed to be on. He’s back on the right path. He made weight comfortably for Britsch. He made the weight so easy. The contract was 169 but he said, ‘I’m coming in under to show that I’m back and serious.’ He proved to the people he’s serious and that he’s for real. The time is right and he can make the weight. The fight with Britsch was to prove to the public that he is ready for Canelo or (Gennady) Golovkin.”

“Due to dehydration, Antonio was taken to the hospital as a precaution (Thursday) morning,” Golden Boy Promotions spokesman Stefan Friedman told ESPN. “He is doing well and we look forward to his returning to action in the near future.”

“His blood sugar was a little high at 240,” Frank Espinoza, Orozco’s manager, told ESPN. “His heart rate was amazing at 39 beats per minute, so he was released and (we were) told to monitor him with fluids.”

2016 U.S. Olympian Antonio Vargas has sigbed with Top Rank, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We had a lot of offers from promoters from all over the world and we were considering several of them when Top Rank made their offer,” Vargas said. “It’s a dream come true to be signed by Top Rank.”

“My first couple of fights as a pro, if I can, I want to fight at 115 [pounds], get a little title shot, then move up to 118,” Vargas said. “But I’m growing. I remember in the amateurs, at the Olympics, making 114 was really hard for me. But if I can’t make 115, I’ll fight at 118 for my first couple of fights.”

“I like to bring the fight,” Vargas said of his style. “I can box — I can be nice — but I just love to throw punches and let the fans see a good fight. I’ve been working with my trainer, Tito Ocasio, the last couple of months now, since I came back from the Olympics. He’s more of a professional-style coach. He’s trained several world champions. I decided to train with him because he’s one of the best professional coaches in Florida right now.”

“Antonio is an extremely gifted amateur who will flourish in the pro ranks,” Top Rank’s Carl Moretti said. “Combine that with his popularity in the Central Florida region, where Top Rank will be promoting numerous shows with our partners All-Star Boxing, [and it] should catapult Antonio quickly as an attraction.”

“I’m extremely happy for Antonio to have this opportunity with Top Rank,” said Vargas’ manager, Dave McWater of Split T Management. “He’s worked his whole life to be the best, and in signing with Top Rank he is now with the best.”

The state of New York has found an insurance carrier to help underwrite policies for bigger events, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The reason is because of new insurance regulations for combat sports in the state that went into effect on Sept. 1, as part of the law that legalized mixed martial arts in New York. When the law was implemented, boxing promoters were left without any available insurance policy to buy to cover the events, leaving the sport dead in New York since the last card took place on Coney Island in Brooklyn on Aug. 21.

New York’s Department of Financial Services, the state agency that worked with the insurance industry, has approved a policy that the United States Fire Insurance Co. is getting set to make available to promoters. It is expected to be in place in time for the first card on the commission’s schedule to take place. That is the card co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Mayweather Promotions and headlined by the Badou Jack-James DeGale super middleweight title unification bout on Jan. 14 (Showtime) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“It is our understanding that a combat sports insurance policy has been approved with an insurance carrier [United States Fire Insurance Co.] and will soon be made available to promoters,” NYSAC spokesman Laz Benitez told ESPN on Tuesday.

“There will be insurance for the Jan. 14 card at Barclays Center, but this is not solving the long-term problem,” promoter Lou

DiBella said. “It’s potentially phenomenally expensive. I don’t have all the final details, but my understanding of the insurance is that it would be available for the Jan. 14 card and will allow the highest-level fights to take place, but it does nothing to help the club shows or any grassroots New York boxing to take place. This is a temporary fix. I’m looking for a permanent fix.”

“This policy will allow the biggest fights to take place, but it does nothing to address the more serious problem of club shows or small regional television cards,” DiBella said. “You’re not going to see a ‘ShoBox’ card in New York with this insurance policy. I’d say 90 percent of the shows that normally happen in New York won’t be possible to take place under this policy because of the cost.

“Why would a promoter come to New York for that cost when they can go elsewhere for a lot less money?”

Abner Mares won the WBA Featherweight title with a 12-round split decision over defending champion Jesus Cuellar at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California.

Mares was the more active fighter and he floored Cuellar with a hard right in round 11.

Mares won by scores of 117-110 and 116-111. Cuellar took a card 115-112.

Mares of Guadalajara, MX is 30-2-1. Cuellar of Bueno Airies, Argentina 28-2.

Jermall Charlo retained the IBF Junior Middleweight title with an emphatic 5th round stoppage over previously undefeated Julian Williams.

In round two, Charlo scored a knockdown from a jab that put Williams on the seat of his pants. In round five, it was a perfect counter right uppercut that dropped Williams face first. Williams got to his feet, but it was only for a few seconds as a big combination dropped him for a 3rd and final time at 2:06.

Charlo of Houston, Texas is 25-0 with 19 knockouts. Williams of Philadelphia is 22-1-1-1.

Lando Vannata scored vicious 1st round knockout via a roundhouse kick over John Makdessi.

The time of the stoppage was 1:40.

Misha Cirkunov submitted Nikita Krylov in the 1st round of their light heavyweight bout.

Cirkunov dropped Krylov with a left hand then was able to get Krylov in a Guillotine and he tapped at 4:38.

Cirkuonv, 205 lbs of Toronto, ONT, CAN is 13-2. Krylov, 206 lbs of Donetks, UKR is 21-5.

Oliver Abin-Mercier submitted Drew Dobert in the 2nd round of a lightweight fight.

Mercier had Dober on the back and got his under the chin for the rear naked choke at 2:57.

Mercier, 156 lbs of Montreal, QUE, CAN is 10-2. Dober, 156 lbs of Denver, CO is 17-8-1.

Viviane Pereira won a split decision over Valerie Latourneau in a strawweight bout.

Pererira won two cards by s29-28 tallies while Latourneal took a card 29-28.

Pereira, 114 lbs of Brazil is 12-0. Latourneau, 117.5 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL is 8-6.

Matthew Lopez won a unanimous decision over Mitch Gagnon in a bantamweight bout.

Lopez, 136 lbs of Lake Forest, CA won by scores of 29-28 and 29-27 twice and is now 9-1. Gagnon, 135.5 lbs of Sudbury, ONT, CAN is 12-4.

Anthony Joshua retained the IBF Heavyweight title with a 3rd round stoppage over Eric Molina at a sold out crowd at the Manchester Arena in Mancherster, England.

Joshua floored Molina with a powerful right in the 3rd round. Molina was hurt and ate a huge combination and the fight was stopped at

Joshua will now fight Wladimir Klitschko in Wembley Stadium, and now has a record of 18-0 with 18 knockouts. Molina is now 25-4.

The bid would be on December 19th.

“Still planning to have a deal done with Jacobs before the bid deadline,”said Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler, who was traveling in Germany, told ESPN by email after the purse bid order was announced.

The bout will take place at the Dallas Cowboys training facility in a venue that holds around 12,000 fans.

“Miguel is back in the ring and we are all excited,” said Cotto Promotions Bryan Perez. “Like he always does, Miguel wants to go in the ring and put on a great show.”

“We tried to do other fights, but you know how the business is,” Perez said. “Kirkland was there, he was willing to fight Miguel, he makes good fights, and we made the fight. Miguel will do his best to give a great show and an exciting fight.”

“Miguel can’t wait to start training with Freddie,” Perez said. “I think the year off was good for Miguel, but he is ready to fight again.”

“It’s a beautiful place,” Perez said. “We’re excited to be the first big sports event there other than football.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Richard Scahefer’s Ringstar Sports has signed Olympic Bronze Medal winner Misael Rodriguez.

“After I came back from the Olympics, I knew that it was time to start my professional career,” Rodriguez said. “I am excited to have signed with Ringstar Sports. I have always appreciated Richard Schaefer’s approach on developing talent into boxing stars. When the time came, picking my promoter was easy. I knew that this is where I wanted to be.”

“He’s very exciting,” Schaefer said. “He’s not as polished or advanced as Carlos Balderas, but he is exciting and he comes to fight, and that is what I like. While I appreciate the sweet science, fans like to see toe-to-toe action, and that is his style.

“He’s going to be the ultimate entertainer and will follow in the footsteps of some of the great Mexican warriors who go and thrill the fans. We are going to take it slow, but he has that ‘it’ factor. He knows how to entertain. His personality, his laugh, his smile — absolutely incredible and that is what really attracted me. He’s a nice, polite, kind young man who loves to entertain fans.”

Schaefer said Rodriguez likely will fight professionally either in the 160-pound middleweight division or 154-pound junior middleweight division. His pro debut, Schaefer said, probably will take place in February in Los Angeles on the same card on which the Balderas brothers will have their pro debuts.

“I’m thrilled to be adding another promising young potential superstar in Misael Rodriguez to the Ringstar lineup,” Schaefer said. “This is a young man who has overcome every obstacle thrown his way. He is mentally strong, has great skills and I expect him to have a very long, successful career. I’m looking forward to helping Misael and his family achieve their goals, and I hope to make him a household name in the sport.”

“I look forward to showing the world the passion and heart I have for the sport I love,” Rodriguez said. “Becoming a world champion has always been a childhood dream, and now it is my No. 1 goal.”

The WBA has ordered Fedor Chudinov to fight George Groves for the vacant Super Middleweight title, accrding to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Lightweight contender Felix Verdejo will return to the ring following a motorcycle accident earlier this year, on February 3rd in San Juan, Puerto Rico and televised on UniMas.

“Thank God I am 100 percent recovered and well,” Verdejo announced Tuesday. “[I am] pleased to announce that I will return to the ring on Feb. 3.”

“He’s been doing conditioning work. He went for a run over the weekend and a pit bull chased him and almost caught him. He needs to find a new place to run,” Moretti said with a laugh. “But he’s been medically cleared to fight. He’s been doing conditioning for a few weeks and he’ll start sparring in another week or so. He’ll train through the holidays.”

“I think he’s been humbled by the whole situation,” Moretti said. “He’s still young and young people make mistakes. But I think he realizes that when you’re an athlete and have a promising career, you don’t do things like ride motorcycles and jump off cliffs. Overall it was a humbling experience. Forget about losing your career. He almost lost his life and that’s what hits home.

“We think it may be a motivating factor for him. He knows life is short and he has to do everything he can in and out of the ring to achieve his goals.”

2016 Olympic Silver Medal winner Shakur Stevenson signed a managerial contract with James Prince and Andre Ward, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I know I have a great team behind me with J. Prince as the head of it, working with Josh Dubin and Andre Ward,” Stevenson said. “I know that these guys can get me where I want to be, and I feel very comfortable with them behind me. I’m so focused, and I promise to put 110 percent into making sure we become great as a team, and I plan on becoming one of the best boxers on the planet, which is my main goal.

“Now it’s on me to prove to the world that I can be just as great as the legends before me, and trust me, I’m up to the task.”

“It is an honor and a privilege to represent this young man,” Prince said. “Andre, Josh and I know we have the next superstar in the sport. Shakur is not only a gifted fighter but someone that has the ability to be an icon. Our first goal is to sign him with the right promoter. Then, we will be with him every step of the journey toward greatness.”

“I want to give a big thank-you to my grandfather — big time — for getting me where I want to be as far as boxing and becoming the boxer I am today,” Stevenson said. “I want to thank Coach Kay for taking me in and coaching me and keeping me in the boxing environment when I moved away from Jersey. I’m excited for this journey ahead of me, and my main goal is to be great.”

47 year old Roy Jones, Jr. will square off against journeyman, 42 year old Bobby Gunn, on February 17, 2017 at the Chase Center in Wilmington, DE. The fight is being promoted by David Feldman Promotions and will be for the WBF Cruiserweight Championship. While Jones has more knock-outs than Gunn has fights, it could be an entertaining fight as Jones is in the very late stage of his career and Gunn is hungry for that one signature victory on his resume.

Gunn’s most recent fight was in 2013 against Roy Jones conquerer, Glen Smith. Gunn lost a unanimous decision but showed much courage and heart while lasting 12 rounds against a very tough fighter. Gunn is also the current Bare Knuckles Boxing Heavyweight Champion. Jones has won two straight over lower-tiered fighters since suffering a brutal knock-out loss to Enzo Maccarinelli roughly one year ago in Moscow.

The fight is being billed as “Skill vs Will”, Jones versus Gunn, respectively. While the title may be true, the question remains, “How much skill does Roy Jones, Jr. have left?” Father Time defeats all fighters eventually if they stay around too long, and Roy Jones, Superman himself, is no exception to the rule. Will Bobby Gunn’s will and heart are enough to break down and wear down a 2017 version of Roy Jones, Jr.? My gut tells me that this one will bring enough action to make it a fun fight. We’ll find out in February.
Tickets range from $75 – $300 and can be purchased by calling (484) 935-3378

According to Dan Rafael, Top will co-promoted undefeated heavyweight Joseph Parker with Duco Ecents going forward, which includes his WBO title bout this Saturday night with Andy Ruiz in Auckland, New Zealand.

“Listen, having been in this business 50-plus years, I don’t expect anybody to win a fight, particularly when it’s as close on paper as this one is,” Top Rank’s Bob Arum said. “I really think that the winner of this fight probably has the best chance to be the pre-eminent heavyweight, I really believe that.

“Parker has natural skills. He’s so big and he punches so hard, and Andy has the fastest hands that I’ve seen on a heavyweight since Muhammad Ali.”

“But no promoter can make a fighter a star,” Arum said. “A fighter has to make himself a star. A promoter can only help by getting the right fights, getting the right publicity, but the idea that the promoter makes the star, as flattering as that is, is just not the case.

“If Parker does defeat Andy Ruiz then we will, together with Duco, perhaps have Parker fight in the United States, then come back here and then fight in China. Believe me, this [is] just the start.

“We have massive global ambitions for Joseph and for a number of other fighters,” said Duco’s Dean Lonergan, whose company will still control any fights and revenue in New Zealand and Australia. “Just because we come from New Zealand doesn’t mean to say that we can’t do it overseas. In fact, it encourages us to go overseas because our market is so small.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, undefeated welterweight prospect Ed Brown passed away from a Gunshot wound in Chicago over the weekend.

Brown was 20-0 with 16 knockouts.

“He lost his life at 25 years old for nothing.” said Brown’s manager Cameron Dunkin.. “Those people in Chicago shoot you for no reason. It’d be different if he was out there gang banging or running around or dealing drugs. He wasn’t doing any of those things. He was such a quiet kid. He was so bashful. You’d never know how tough he was in the ring talking to him outside the ring.”

“He had a lot of ability, and everybody who was around him who worked with him was amazed how good he was,” Dunkin said. “When I got him a little over a year-and-half ago, I was very excited to sign him. He was ready to go fast and we were moving him fast. Everybody in boxing who knew him liked Ed Brown. All the guys at the gym loved him.

“He was so excited about being 20-0 and so excited about being so close to breaking through. He was excited about what he was going to do. He believed and I believed he was going to be a world champion. It’s just such a shame, just such a waste of a life.”

“I told him he had to get out of Chicago. I begged him to get out of Chicago,” Dunkin said. “And every time I had him ready to go, (trainer) George (Hernandez) would call me and say he’s not going to leave. It’s sad they can’t leave that environment.”

This reporter interviewed Brown just 4 weeks ago.

Joseph Benavidez won a split decision over Henry Cejudo in a battle of former world title challengers.

In round one, Cejudo was docked a point for a low blow.

Benavidez won two cards 30-26 and 29-27 while Cejudo won a card 29-27.

Benavidez, 125.5 lbs of Las Cruces, NM is 25-4. Cejudo, 125.5 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is 10-2.

Jorge Masvidal stopped Jake Ellenberger in the 1st round when Ellenberger’s toe got stuck in the fence and could not defend himself.

The time of the stoppage was 4:05 of round one for Masvidal, 171 lbs of Miami and is now 31-11. Ellenberger, 170.5 lbs of Lake Forrest, CA is 31-12.

Jaren Cannoier won a unanimous decision over Ion Cutelaba in a light heavyweight bout.

In round two, Cannoier landed a right that made Cutelaba’s nose to bleed.

Cannoier, 204 lbs of Anchorage,AK won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 9-1. Cutelaba, 205.5 lbs of Moldivia is 12-3-1.

Sara McMann submitted Alexis Davis in the 2nd round of their bantamweight bout.

McMann was able to get Davis to the ground and make her tap from a arm-trainagle choke at 2:52.

McMann, 135.5 lbs of Gaffney, SC is 10-3. Davis, 135 lbs of San Jose, CA is 17-7.

Brandon Moreno won a split decision over Ryan Benoit in a flyweight bout.

Moreno won two cards 29-28, while Benoit took a card 29-28.

Moreno, 126 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 13-3. Benoit, 125.5 lbs of Dallas, TX is now 9-5.

Ryan Hall won a unanimous decision over Gray Mayanard in a featherweight bout.

Hall, 145 lbs of Falls Church, VA won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 and is now 6-1.  Maynard, 145.5 lbs of Las Vegas is 13-7-1.

Rob Font stopped Matt Schnell in the 1st round of their bantamweight bout.

Font hurt Schnell with a front kick.  Font landed punched that led to a ground and pound stoppage at 3:47

Font, 135.5 lbs of Woburn. MA is 13-2.  Schnell, 135.5 lbs of Shreveport, LA is 10-3.

Dong Hyun Kim won a unanimous decision over Brendan O’Reilly in a lightweight bout.

Kim, 155.5 lbs of Busan, South Korea won on all cards 29-28 and is now 14-8-3.  O’Reilly, 155 lbs of Brisbane, AUS is 6-3-1.

Jamie Moyle won a unanimous decision over Kailen Curren in a strawweight bout.

Curren was cut over her right eye in round one. Moyle was cut over her left eye in round three from a knee to the head.

Moyle, 115 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 4-1. Curren, 116 lbs of Ewa Beach, HI us 4-4.

Super Middleweight Eduard Gutknecht was moved to a hospital in Germany after falling into a coma following his loss to George Groves on November 18 in London, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“The entire Wiking-Boxteam fights and hopes for Eddy,” the company said in a statement on Saturday. “The condition of Eddy is currently stable. He is in a coma but is no longer in the acute ICU. His family is always at his side in the hospital. Eddy is currently being moved to Germany. Our thoughts are with him and wish him a full recovery.”

Wiking-Boxteam said doctors said Gutknecht’s “organs are working normally.”

“We have to be patient. Forecasts and assumptions can go in all directions,” the statement said. “It is very difficult for the family with this situation. The entire Wiking-Boxteam suffers with Eddy and is affected. But we also know that we are talking about boxing and like all high-performance sports, in addition to the joy of competition and the ceremony at the victory, unfortunately, always the risk of injury is present.

“Eddy has his dream of boxing against George Groves and again to reach for the world champion crown. Now he has to wake up [and have] a full recovery, so he can be there for his family again. Eddy you can do it! Eddy you’re strong!”

“He’s a husband and a father and the money raised will go towards helping his family be with him at this difficult time,” Groves said in a statement.

While Anthony Joshua is in the dressing room on December 10 preparing for his IBF World Heavyweight title defence against Eric Molina, two more British boxers will be dreaming of also becoming a World Champion. British Heavyweight Champion Dillian Whyte defends his belt against former title holder Dereck Chisora with the winner in line for a shot at Deontay Wilder (below).

“Deontay Wilder” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by laytondudley

You wouldn’t excuse Whyte if he looked at the all the hype for Joshua’s second defence of his title with envious eyes. His only professional loss was to Joshua almost exactly a year ago but now he has the chance to further rebuild his career.

Many will rightfully say that Whyte gave Joshua the toughest fight of his career and there were times when it looked as he could have ended the future IBF Champion’s unbeaten record. Since that loss, Whyte has had to dust himself off and start all over again while watching Joshua’s star rise and rise. He’s been extremely vocal about wanting a return bout with Joshua but he still has a few steps up the ladder to climb before it could become a possibility, it all depends how long Joshua has to wait for Wladimir Klitschko to sign a contract.

Whyte waited six months before making his in-ring comeback, by which time Joshua had become World Champion. He returned with an inside the distance win over Ivica Bacurin and a month later outpointed David Allen to become WBC International Heavyweight Champion.

Title Glory
October saw him defeat Ian Lewison in a fight for the vacant British Heavyweight title. The last two holders of that title have gone on to become World Heavyweight Champion, can he make it a hat-trick? It would be easy for him to go down the route of trying to get a rematch with Joshua for the IBF belt and perhaps if he’d had some more high profile wins, he could have been considered to be taking on Joshua for a second December in a row rather than Molina.

Instead, Whyte has his sights set on WBC title holder Deontay Wilder, but first he must get past former British Champion Dereck Chisora at the Manchester Arena. It’s a good test for the current title holder and at the time of writing he’s 4/9 at Betway.be to keep his title. A win over Chisora won’t do his world title hopes any harm at all. Whyte knows how to get his fights in the news and has already stirred up his opponent by calling him a bully.

Last Chance Saloon for Chisora

Chisora last won this title in 2010 and a lot of water and controversy has gone under the bridge since then, that is for sure. It’s two years since he lost a terrible fight against Tyson Fury. He went into that fight as European Champion and the vacant British title (it does get vacated a fair bit, doesn’t it?) was also on the line.

With a poor performance that night, many questioned whether he could get back into world title contention again. He returned seven months later and squeezed in four wins against average opposition before the end of the year to keep his career alive. One more win followed before challenging Kubrat Pulev for the European title he once held and lost a split decision.
He’s not one to give up though is Chisora. The globetrotter headed to Sweden to knock out Drazan Janjan in a couple of rounds and now he has another chance to get back into the world title picture four years after that controversial weekend in Germany when he lost on points to Vitali Klitschko.

Whyte is obviously the boxer on the up even though he still lacks a win over a highly ranked opponent. He showed against Joshua last year that he has got a chance of success against most heavyweights. Whether he can step up to world class and get a title isn’t known yet. Chisora is a decent name to get on his record and perhaps a European title challenge would further boost his hopes of getting Wilder or even Joshua in the ring sometime in 2017.

Source: Wikimedia, photo by Darren Meacher

The action inside the ring may not always be thrilling but that can never be said about the build-up and aftermath of a Dereck Chisora fight. On December 10, he challenges Dillian Whyte for the British Heavyweight title and already the pair are having a battle of words.

Chisora has held the British and European Heavyweight titles in the past and took Vitali Klitschko the distance in a challenge for the World title. But it’s what he gets up to before and after his fights that often makes the headlines. This latest title challenge is already proving controversial and it’s not just Chisora who is being outspoken.

Whyte recently won the British title and knows that the last two holders of the Lonsdale belt, Fury and Joshua, have gone on to win a World Heavyweight title. It was almost a year ago that the British champion lost his unbeaten record to Joshua (as you can see in the video below) and now he’s on the supporting bill to Joshua’s World title defence against Eric Molina, At the time of writing, he’s 11/25 at 32red.com to retain his title and push for a World title shot.

Chisora has been involved in some unsavoury scenes before fights. Only he could spit water in the face of Wladimir Klitschko just minutes before taking on his brother for the World title. Now the British Boxing Board of Control are suggesting that Whyte and Chisora be kept apart from each other in the build-up to this title bout, which is also a WBC eliminator and could lead to a title clash with Deontay Wilder.

“Deontay Wilder” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by laytondudley

Why the concern? Well, the pair traded insults galore when appearing on Sky Sports’ The Gloves Are Off. Security guards had to be called in to separate the two boxers after a series of increasingly insulting comments were traded between the two. All good hype for Sky but not good news for boxing and this kind of behaviour really shouldn’t be tolerated from serial offenders.

Promoter Eddie Hearn still wants another showdown between the two before they meet in the ring and is sorting security out, but should it come to this? Perhaps we’ll see a return of the steel fence that was used to keep Chisora and possible future opponent David Haye apart when they met in 2012.

This could well be last-chance saloon for Dereck Chisora who already has six losses on his record including a European title loss this year. He is 9/5 with 32Red to regain his British title and pump life into a fading career. If Chisora wants to do that though he has to be a lot more positive than when he lost that European title challenge to Kubrat Pulev earlier this summer. It was the same story when he was defeated by Tyson Fury, with fans leaving the arena long before the end of the turgid bout. This could well be another of those fights that promise a lot and fail to deliver on the night.

The champion is promising to “put a stop” to his opponent’s career of after beating him in December. He wants an inside-the-distance win and told reporters that Chisora has been “nicking a living out of boxing and I think a lot of people want to see an end to him now. I’m looking forward to seeing him down on Thursday, collecting the bins in my neighbourhood after I put the beat down on him.”

Of course, Chisora isn’t having any of that or any of Whyte’s claims that he had the upper hand when sparring with him in the past. Always prepared to come out with a headline-catching statement, the former champion has been typically unpleasant in the build-up to this bout. This might just be his last chance to get back into title contention and perhaps get a shot against WBC Champion Deontay Wilder in the new year. Chisora seems convinced he can knock Whyte out and doesn’t feel his opponent has a “power punch”.

Other bookmakers also have Chisora as the underdog in this bout with Betway offering 7/4 and 888sport giving you 9/5 on the former champion causing a big upset. Chisora often disappoints when push comes to shove (excluding pre-match rows) and this card looks like seeing the careers of Joshua and Whyte continuing to blossom while Chisora fades out of title contention.

Vasyl Lomachenko stopped Nicholas Walters after the 7th round to retain the WBO Super Featherweight title at the Cosmopoliton in Las Vegas.

Lomachenko was dominant as he won every round by landing quick cmbinations, showing off his superior boxing skills.  Walters was never hurt, but never seemed to get a rhythm against the ultra talaneted Lomachenko and shockingly decided he did not want to go on after the 7th round.

Lomachenko of Ukraine is now 7-1 with 5 knockouts.  Walters of Jamaica is 26-1-1.

I had my plan. I knew it would take four rounds and then I went to work on him,” said Lomachenko. “Walters said he would do this and that he would do that throughout training camp, and in the end, he just quit. I would like to fight [WBC super featherweight champion] Francisco Vargas next. My goal is to be the No. 1 pound for pound fighter.”

Konstantin Ponomarev remained undefeated by winning an 8-round unanimous decision over Silverio Ortiz in a welterweight bout.

Ponomarev, 148 1/2 lbs of Russia won by scores of 80-72 on all cards and is now 31-0.  Ortiz of Mexico is 35-19.

Trevor McCumby stopped Donovan George in the 1st round of their scheduled 8-round light heavyweight bout.

McCumby dropped George with a hard overhand right to the head. George was hurt but continued, only to eat a barrage of punches and another hard right hand on the ropes dropped George for a 2nd time, and referee Robert Byrd stopped the bout at 1:48.

McCumby, 172 1/4 lbs is now 24-0 with 19 knockouts. George, 175 lbs of Chicago, IL is 25-7-2.

Maxim Dadashev stopped Efrain Cruz in the 2nd round of their scheduled 6-round junior welterweight bout.

Dadashev pounded Cruz around in the 2nd round until a crushg left hook forced referee Kenny Bayless to stop the bout at 1:57 of round two.

Dadashev, 140 1/4 lbs of St. Petursburg, RUS is 5-0 with 5 knockouts. Cruz, 140 1/4 lbs of Puerto Rico is 4-3-1.

Juan Ruiz stopped Fernando Carcamo in the 1st round of their scheduled 8-round welterweight bout.

In round one, Ruiz dropped Carcamo with a hard right hand. Towards the end of the round, Ruiz landed another left-right combination that put Caracamo down again and the fight was stopped at 2:43.

Ruiz, 146 3/4 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 18-0-1 with 11 knockouts. Carcamo, 146 1/2 lbs of Ciudad, MX is 21-8.

Thomas Almeida stopped Albert Moraes in the 1st round of their bantamweight fight.

Almeida landed 15 successive and the bout was stopped at

Almeida, 135 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 22-1. Moraes, 136 lbs of Reseda, CA is 6-1-1.

Claudia Gadelha won a unanimous decision over Cortney Casey in a strawweight fight.

Gadelha, 116 lbs of Rio de Janeiro, BRA won y scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 14-2. Casey, 116 lbs of Maui, HA is 6-4.

Krysztof Jotko won a unanimous decision over Thales Leites in a middleweight fight.

Jotko, 185 lbs of Oreta, POL won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-27 and is now 19-1. Leites, 186 lbs of Rio de Janeiro, BRA is 26-7.

Kamru Usman won a three round unanimous decision over Warley Alves in a welterweight bout.

Usman, 169 lbs of Boca Raton, FL won by scores 30-26, 30-27 and 29-27 and is now 9-1. Alves, 171 lbs of Rio de Janeiro is 11-2.

Sergio Moraes won a split decision over Zak Ottow in a welterweight bout.

Moraes, 171 lbs of Cubita, BRA won by scores of 30-27 twice while Ottow took a card 29-28.

Moraes is now 11-3-1. Ottow, 171 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is 14-4.

Cezar Ferreira made Jack Hermansson tap in the 2nd round of their middleweight bout.

Ferrerira made Hermansson tap with a an arm triangle at 2:11 of round two.

Ferrerira, 185 lbs of Miami is 12-5. Hermansson, 186 lbs of Oslo, NOR is 14-3.

Ead Zahmurad Antigulov choked out Marcos Rogerio de Lima.

The time of the front choke was 1:07.

Antigulov, 203 lbs of Russia is 19-4. De Lima of Sao Paulo, BRA is 14-5-1.

Johnny Eduardo stopped Manval Gamburyan in the 2nd round of their bantamweight bout.

Eduardo took control of the fight early, and in round two, he knocked Ganburyan down with a jab, and then jumped on Gamburyan with relenteless punching and the bout was stopped at 46 seconds of round two.

Gamburyan announced his retirement after the fight.

Eduardo, 136 lbs of Rio de Jineiro, BRA is 28-10. Gamburyan, 136 lbs of Hollywood, CA is 18-11-1.

Luis Henrique submitted Christian Colombo in the 3rd round of their heavyweight fight.

Henrique made Colombo tape out from a front choke at 2:12 of round three.

Henrique, 252 lbs of Rio de Jinairo, BRA is 10-2-1. Colombo, 251 lbs of Copenhagen, DEN is 8-2-1.

Pedro Munhoz made Justin Scoggins tap at 1:55 of the 2nd round from a guillotine of their flyweight bout.

LAS VEGAS — Andre Ward delivered. He got stung by punches early. He was down early, on all fours and only canvas looking back up into his dazed eye. But he got up. He adjusted. And, in the end, he did what he has done for just about as long as anybody can recall.

Ward-Kovalev undercard finally ends with a dull draw

A forgettable undercard finally came to an end with a result that summed up everything that came before it.

Gvozdyk punishes Chilemba for a TKO victory

Ukrainian light-heavyweight Oleksandr Gvozdyk calls himself The Nail. It’s an appropriate nickname. At least, it was on HBO’s pay-per-view undercard before the Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward main event.

Stevens retains minor middleweight title with a unanimous decision

Curtis Stevens retained his role as a fringe middleweight contender with a 96-92, 98-90, 96-92 decision over James De La Rosa for a minor 160-pound title in the first pay-per-view bout on a card featuring Kovalev and Ward Saturday.

Claressa Shields wins pro debut

There’s more than Olympic gold in Claressa Shields’ possession. There some pro power, too. Shields, a two-time gold medalist from Flint, Mich. used it repeatedly in a head-rocking debut for a unanimous decision over Franchon Crews, a Baltimore super-middleweight who also was making her debut on the Kovalev-Ward undercard.

A sparse crowd booed. Only Tyler McCreary cheered. The Toledo featherweight had good reason to. McCreary (12-0, 6 KOs) won a controversial majority decision over Vincent Jennings (5-3-1, 4 KOs) of Grand Rapids, Mich., in a dreary eight-rounder in the fourth bout on the pay-per-view card featuring Kovalev-Ward

Toledo junior-welterweight Sonny Frederickson (15-0, 9 KOs) employed quicker hands and superior reach to score a unanimous decision over Gabriel Duluc (11-2, 2 KOs), a Boston fighter who was left with nasty over his left eye midway through an eight-rounder on the non-televised portion of the Kovalev-Ward card.

Rock rock solid in winning one-sided decision

Philadelphia heavyweight Darmani Rock stayed unbeaten (6-0, 4 KOs) with a one-sided decision — a four-round shutout on all three scorecards — over Brice Ritani-Coe of San Pedro, Calif., (4-5-1, 3 KOs) in the last bout before HBO’s pay-per-view telecast of the Kovalev-Ward card.

Russian middleweight scores Kovalev-like stoppage

Russian middleweight Bakhraim Murtazaliev (7-0, 5 KOs) came into the ring wearing trunks with Sergey Kovalev’s last name on the belt line. It didn’t take long for the Robert Garcia-trained Murtazaliev to do what the guy with the familiar name does in the second bout on Kovalev-Ward card. He crushed Bortirsher Obidov (6-1-1, 2 KOs), knocking down the Uzbekistan fighter three times in the second for a stoppage at 2:52 of the round.

First Bell: Kovalev-Ward card underway with middleweights in opening bout
In an empty NHL arena seven hours before the main event, a couple of unknown middleweights opened a card that would end later Saturday night with Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward.

Meiirim Nursulatnov and Henry Beckford stayed upright. Nobody got iced. But heavy-handed Nursulatnov (1-0) of Kazakhstan emerged with an easy victory in his pro debut, winning a unanimous decision with a shutout on all three scorecards over Beckford (5-5, 1 KO) of Hempstead, N.Y

Christopher Diaz remained undefeated by scoring a 8-round unanimous decision over Fernando Vargas at the Osceola Heritage Center in Kissimmee, Florida.

Diaz, 128 1/2 lbs of Barranquitas, PR won by scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75 and is now 19-0. Vargas, 126 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 31-13-3.

Julian Rodriguez won an 8-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Jerry Belmontes in a super lightweight bout.

In round one, Rodriguez landed a left that that buckled Belmontes into the ropes, which was ruled a knockdown. At the end of round two, Rodriguez dropped Belmontes with a left hook on the ropes.

Rodriguez, 141 1/2 lbs of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ won by scores of 80-70 twice and 78-72 and is now 15-0. Belmontes, 141 1/4 lbs of Corpus Christi, TX is 21-10.

Gadwin Rosa won a 4-round unanimous decision over Jonathan Irizarry in a battle of undefeated junior lightweights.

Scores were 40-36 and 39-37 twice for Rosa, 129 3/4 lbs of Vieques, PR and is now 2-0. Irizarry, 130.5 lbs of Puerto Rico is 3-1.

Despite two point deductions, Pablo Cesar Cano won a 10-round split decision over Mauricio herrera in a an ction filled welterweight bout at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California

In round three, Herrera was cut over his left eye. In round four, Cano was deducted a point for a low blow. Later in the round, Cano started to swell around his right eye.

In round eight, Cano was deducted another point for a low blow.

The fight had a lot of action, especially in round seven, where the two had several heated toe-to-toe exchanges with the younger Cano getting the better of the action.

Cano, 142.6 lbs of Tlainnepantia, MEX won by scores of 97-91 twice while Herrera took a 95-93 card/

Cano is now 30-5-1. Herrera, 143.4 lbs of Riverside, CA is 22-7.

“He had a distinct style that I had to adjust to,” Cano said. “I am satisfied with the result, and this is exactly what we wanted to get the next big fight. My team has been training for years, and we have come together cohesively to pull off this fight.”

“Cano had a length that we were not expecting,” Herrera said. “We had similar fighting styles, and we have a similar career trajectory. I could have done more to get in and break him down, but his reach really prevented me from doing that. He’s a great fighter, and I wish him the best.”

KeAndre Gibson won a 8-round unanimous decision over Mahonri Montes in a welterweight bout.

Gibson, 146.2 lbs of St. Louis, MO won by scores of 79-72, 78-73 and 77-74 and is now 16-0-1. Montes, 146.2 lbs of Los Mochis, MEX is 30-6-1.

“I’ve fought a lot of Mexican fighters in my career, but Montes was the toughest I have faced by far,” Gibson said. “I had to adjust to his head movement, and his way to maneuver through the ring. I felt like my hands were a lot looser, and I felt that my speed with my combinations were doing the work to break him down.”

Morgan Fitch win a 6-round majority decision over Travis Scott in a super middleweight bout.

Scott started to have swelling under his left eye in round four. Later in the round he started to bleed from the nose.

Fitch, 163.6 lbs of Pittsburgh, PA won by scores of 59-55, 58-56 and 57-57 and is now 18-0-1. Scott, 163.6 lbs of Baton Rouge, LA is 19-2.

“It was cool to fight this time around with someone who is from my hometown backwoods in Louisiana,” said Fitch. “I would have come forward as much as I did in my last couple of rounds compared to when I started and I wish I could have had more rounds to fight. Nonetheless, we got what we needed, which was this win.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, The November 5th ppv fight between Manny Pacquiao and Jessie Vargas generated around 300,00 Pay Per View buys.

This week, Bob Arum told ESPN that his decision to have Top Rank produce and distribute the event on its own was successful. The Pacquiao-Vargas fight sold “around 300,000, probably a little more” pay-per-view buys, he said.

“It did about the same as Pacquiao-[Timothy] Bradley,” Arum said of the third fight between the rivals that took place in April and was produced and distributed by HBO.
“So if it did about the same as that fight, why do I need HBO to be involved? Why do I have to pay them a percentage when we can do the same thing on our own?”

Arum said he did not have precise numbers yet for the Pacquiao-Vargas pay-per-view sales because “one thing we can’t do is get a handle on all the numbers as quickly as HBO can. They have that down pat, but we’ll learn. That said, the numbers are still coming in and we’re pleased. We had a good show, we put on some entertaining fights, and we made money, the fighters made money, so that’s good.”

Although Vargas was not a well-known opponent and nobody expected Pacquiao to generate the seven-figure pay-per-view sales he did during his heyday a few years ago, Arum said he thought one reason the fight would wind up doing about 300,000 sales is because consumers knew that without HBO’s involvement that there would be no delayed broadcast on the network a week later. Arum also said he was aware that because fans can easily find live streams on social media, it likely robbed the event of hundreds of thousands of buys.

“It’s always been a problem, but it’s gotten worse,” Arum said. “It’s stealing, and it’s not just a Pacquiao fight. It’s Canelo [Alvarez] fights. It’s UFC pay-per-views. We have our attorneys working on things.”