Featherweight prospect Ruben Villa remained perfect, but went the distance for the first time as he scored a four round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Aaron Lopez.

Villa, 125.9 lbs of Salinas, CA won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 3-0. Lopez, 125 lbs of Guadalajara, MX is 4-1.

WBA number-two lightweight contender Xolisani Ndongeni made a successful American debut with a ten round unanimous decision over Juan Garcia Mendez.

Ndongeni, 136 lbs of East Cape, South Africa won by scores of 99-91, 98-92 and 98-93 and is now 22-0. Mendez, 136.5 lbs of Mexicali, MX is 19-2-1.

In a back and forth bloody slugfest, Saul Sanchez won a six-round unanimous decision over Danny Andujo in a battle of undefeated super flyweights.

Andujo was bleeding from his nose from the fourth round on.

Sanchez, 125 lbs of Indio, CA won by scores of 59-55 twice and 58-56 and is now 2-0. Andujo, 115.4.8 lbs of Temecula, CA is 2-1.

Jerry Larios made a successful pro debut with a 4-round unanimous decision over Jose Gonzalez in a welterweight bout.

Larios, 143.8 lbs of Victorville, CA won by scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37 and is now 1-0. Gonzalez, 142.9 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is 1-2.

Manny Pacquiao 144.8 – Jessie Vargas 146.5
(WBO Welterweight title)
Oscar Valdez 125.3 – Hiroshige Osawa 125.3
(WBO World featherweight title)
Nonito Donaire 121.8 – Jessie Magdaleno 121.25
(WBO Jr. Featherweight title)
Zou Shiming 111 – Prasitsak Phaprom 111.5
(WBO Flyweight title)
Robson Conceicao 129.6 – Clay Burns 129
Teofimo Lopez 133 – Ishwar Siqueiros 133.75
Alexander Besputin 149.75 – Azael Cosio 150
Que Xu 125.5 – Fernando Fuentes 124.5

German promoter Sauerland Events has inked a new television deal with ProSiebenSat1, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We have been working hard in developing new talents in German boxing,” Team Sauerland managing director Freddy Ness said. “This year we saw [former] amateur world champion Jack Culcay win the WBA [junior middleweight] championship. This weekend, 24-year-old Tyron Zeuge challenges for the WBA super middleweight world championship. Next year this deal will give the youngsters a massive platform and keep the momentum going in the search for the new stars whilst also giving a chance for [former light heavyweight titleholder] Juergen Braehmer and [former super middleweight titleholder] Arthur Abraham to win back their world titles in 2017.”

Top ranked has signed 16 year-old amateur star Gabriel Flores Jr. to a promotional contract, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Why did we sign a 16½-year-old — I think is because the younger we sign fighters the longer the guys in Top Rank feel they’ll have me around,” the 84-year-old Bob Arum joked at the final news conference for the Manny Pacquiao-Jessie Vargas undercard at the Wynn resort.

“I think he’s the youngest fighter Top Rank has ever signed. He’s a tremendous prospect, ranked No. 1 in his weight division in the amateur ranks. He has great natural skills and ability. Our matchmakers believe that will make him a star.”

“I know a lot of people have high expectations of me and I plan on exceeding all of them,” said Flores, who started boxing at age 7. “It wasn’t easy getting to this point. I lost my mother at the age of 12. It was gang-violence-related. It took my mother away from me. She got shot in the back. They said if she would have made it she would have been paralyzed. She didn’t make it, but right now, today, she’s looking down on me and she’s smiling right now.”

“I could have just gave up on my dreams but giving up on my dreams would have been giving up on my mother,” Flores said. “I’m just grateful to be in this position and want to make her proud.”

“My mom wasn’t the only one I lost in my family,” said Flores, one of six children. “I lost my uncle to gang violence. That’s why I look forward to fighting in my hometown so I can promote anti-gang-violence. I want the kids to know right from wrong and the consequences. I want to stop the violence in the city I was born in and the city I love.”

“I’d say I’m a pure boxer. I like to keep my distance and use my jab and my straight punches, but if it comes down to it, I can fight on the inside,” Flores said. “I can do anything it takes to win. My favorite boxer of all time is Roy Jones Jr. Sometimes I’ll do a little showboating like he does, and sometimes I do that little jump-in hook.”

Wladimir Klitschko has been forced to pull out of a potential bout with Anthony Joshua in December after the Ukrainian picked up a minor injury in training.Both parties are still keen to sign a deal though with the date now likely to be in spring with the venue yet to be determined.

Klitschko has not fought in the ring since he lost his WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts to Tyson Fury last November in Dusseldorf. A rematch was set to take place between the two men this month, however, Fury was forced to pull out of that fight and subsequently has vacated his belts in the division.

With Klitschko without an opponent, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport has been working hard to try and make the mega-fight with his IBF champion happen. It is unclear at this stage if the WBA belt will be on the line as the sanctioning body have yet to reveal their plans. The WBO title won’t be fought for however, as Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz are set to meet for that belt in December.

Bookmakers have already opened up betting on the spring fight in which Joshua is 8/11 in the Bet365 boxing betting, while Klitschko is 11/10 to become a world champion again at the age of 40.

Joshua is still set to defend his IBF title in December in Manchester but his opponent has yet to be named. European champion Kubrat Pulev, David Price and American Eric Molina have all been linked with the card. Pulev won his European title with a victory over Britain’s Dereck Chisora back in May in a split decision for the vacant belt. The Bulgarian has one loss on his record which came against Klitschko in 2014 when the Ukrainian knocked him out in the fifth round.

Price, a former British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion, has been on the road to recovery ever since his two losses to Tony Thompson. He’s won six of his last seven bouts, with his only loss coming against Erkan Teper for the European title in Germany.

The Liverpudlian claims he has sparred with Joshua in the gym and has knocked the former Olympic gold medallist out before during those sessions. If Price gets a shot at Joshua for the IBF crown, it will be his first fight for a world title.

Molina, on the other hand, has challenged for a world title before. He was the challenger for Deontay Wilder’s WBC belt in June 2015 where he was stopped in the ninth round by the champion. Since then, he has had two wins, his latest coming over Tomasz Adamek to put himself in the reckoning for another world title shot.
Whoever Hearn chooses as Joshua’s next opponent, the team will be very confident their man can come through the test and keep alive a mega fight with Klitschko in the spring for the IBF crown and still possibly the WBA title, if the latter’s sanctioning body are happy enough to wait until 2017 for their belt to be fought for.

Although not signed yet, WBC/WBO 140 pound champion and John Molina have agreed to a fight that will take place on December 10th in Omaha, Nebraska and live on HBO, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We cleared out the basketball game and Molina has agreed to the fight,” Crawford’s promoter Bob Arum said. “We’ve sent the contract. Everything is agreed to. Molina is a tough dude as he proved in the [Ruslan] Provodnikov fight [in June]. He’s a quality opponent.”

The nuts and bolts of the deal were negotiated by Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti and Tom Brown of TGB Promotions, but Arum and Haymon had to first sign off.

“I have absolutely no problem making fights with Haymon now. I respect him as a very smart guy, and I would do business with my fighters on his cards and I have no problem offering his fighters opportunities to fight my fighters on my cards,” Arum said. “That wasn’t true when we were in litigation, but the litigation is over now.”

Molina was one of four opponents HBO approved for Crawford. There was also interest in a unification fight with Eduard Troyanovsky (25-0, 22 KOs), 36, of Russia; Antonio Orozco (25-0, 16 KOs), 28, of San Diego; and 2008 Dominican Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz (18-1, 8 KOs), 32, a top contender. Arum said they tried to get Troyanovsky but there was not enough time to get it done with the fight so close. Orozco and promoter Golden Boy turned down the fight. Diaz, who very much wanted the fight and was seen by many as the most worthy available opponent, was never offered the bout.

“My [matchmakers] said Diaz is a stinker and that it would not be a good fight to watch,” Arum said.

Warriors Boxing won a purse bid has been set up by the IBF for an IBF Elimination lightweight bout, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Warriors bid on behalf of Ural Boxing. Ural Boxing Promotions plans to stage the fight on Dec. 7 at a location to be determined in Russia, Shafikov’s home country.

Arthur Abraham hurt his elbow as he was training for his November 12th fight with Martin Murray and now the fight is off, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We’ll keep our cards open for the next [few] days to see what will be next,” said Abraham’s promoter Kalle Sauerland.

“My rematch with Abraham is off due to him being injured,” Murray said. “Just in the process of sorting another opponent now.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Premier Boxing champions announced that they will have over 60 dates over 9 networks in 2017.

PBC announced it would continue to have fights on ESPN/ESPN Deportes, Fox, Fox Sports 1/Fox Deportes, NBC, Spike, Bounce TV and Showtime, as well as potential bouts on CBS, Showtime’s sister network.

ESPN’s 12-card slate, which is simulcast on ESPN Deportes in Spanish, will run from April to August with the season debut taking place on April 14. That is a modified schedule from when PBC and ESPN announced their partnership in 2015 under which monthly cards were initially scheduled.

EDITOR’S PICKS

Showtime gets back in ring with five fight cards
Showtime announced five fight cards that will be televised over the next five months, including two world title unification bouts.
“We are thrilled to welcome Premier Boxing Champions back on ESPN in 2017,” said Burke Magnus, executive vice president, programming and scheduling for ESPN. “The PBC series has delivered exciting boxing events that have garnered solid boxing viewership for ESPN. We are looking forward to showcasing a new season of fights next year.”

Fox once again will air three prime-time network shows, the first of which will take place Feb. 25. Sister network FS1 will televise 25 cards between February and October. Those cards are simulcast on Fox Deportes.

“We’re excited for the 2017 PBC series on Fox, FS1 and Fox Deportes with a robust schedule of outstanding matches at all levels of boxing, including exciting champions, contenders and prospects,” said David Nathanson, Fox Sports head of business operations. “We’ve enjoyed our thrilling Tuesday night series on FS1 and Fox Deportes and had several major title fights on the Fox broadcast network, including the heavyweight championship of the world [with Deontay Wilder]. We’re looking for more great fights in the coming year.”

NBC was due to televise several cards on broadcast network and cable network NBC Sports Net in the second half of 2016, but they were canceled.

However, NBC will televise three prime-time network shows in the second half of 2017, beginning with the first show on Sept. 23. It is unclear if there will be PBC fights returning to NBC Sports Net, which televised the series regularly during its first two years of operation.

Spike, which typically puts on one PBC show per month, will continue to run Friday night cards in 2017, beginning on Jan. 13. It still has a Nov. 12 card and possibly a December card remaining this year. Spike featured many of the top fighters on the PBC roster this year, including Daniel Jacobs, Adrien Broner and Adonis Stevenson.

Bounce TV, a network aimed primarily at African-American viewers, will feature quarterly cards with the first scheduled for March 31.

Former unified heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko will sit out the rest of 2016, according to Dan Rafael.

There had been rumblings of a fight with IBF champion Anthiny Joshua or a fight with Lucas Browne for the WBA title on December 10th, but Klitschko has a calf injury.

“Wladimir pulled a muscle in the calf last week,” Kilitschko’s manager Bernd Boente said. “It’s nothing that bad that we couldn’t go through with a fight if we had something set up, but we discussed things over the weekend. Regardless of the injury, we decided that if we get good news from the WBA that Wladimir can fight for that title against Joshua, we would do it in the spring because we need more time to market and promote such a big fight. We only have five weeks until [Dec. 10]. We still hope the WBA will sanction the fight.

“From the beginning, it was Wladimir’s wish and Joshua’s that we could do the fight. Both sides want it. There is no fight at this moment that is bigger than this fight without any doubt. So why rush it?”

“Let’s say we have someone else Wladimir was going to fight in Germany on Dec. 10, we still have not even announced the fight,” Boente said. “We have a lot to do. We have to fill an arena. There is just not enough time. And if he was fighting Joshua, we need to do more than just a press conference. We need to do a tour, go to Germany also. We decided with Eddie a fight this big needs more time to market than five weeks.”

“I’m healthy and will be ready to fight Joshua or whoever else, hopefully for multiple titles, sometime soon,” Klitschko said.

Promoter Richard Schafer will make his return to promoting as he will co-promote this December 10 championship doubleheader that will feature junior middleweight tittlist Jermall Charlo taking on Julian Williams, while featherweight Jesus Cuellar defends against Abner Mares at the Galen Center on the USC Campus, according to to Dan Rafael of espn.com

These are two 50-50 fights and they not only are stylistically great fights, but you can’t imagine either being a boring fight,” Schaefer said on Sunday night. “Both of them are important in their respective weight classes.”

“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” Schaefer said. “I’m happy to come back with an event like this. I’m excited to be putting [together] great events again. I like to create events, big cards, big events, stacked pay-per-views. Fight fans and fight freaks can look forward to more to come.

“I’m excited to have this kind of card for Ringstar and looking forward to co-promoting it with Tom Brown (of TGB Promotions). It’s my first time working with him on a card.”

“I wanted to make sure Abner is OK, and I sat down with him and his wife and wanted to hear directly from him that he was fit to fight,” Schaefer said. “I wanted to hear from his own mouth there is no issues with his eyes. But I think if you ask a fighter if they’re OK, more often than not they’ll tell you they are, so I also wanted to talk to his doctor.”

“I talked to him and he made it clear to me Abner is clear to fight,” Schaefer said. “I talked to fighter and the doctor and the commission and Abner is clear to fight, and not only clear to fight but safe to fight, so we made the fight. I’m very excited to see the fight because they are both entertainers, and I know they’ll give us a great show.”

Charlo (24-0, 18 KOs), 26, of Houston, whose twin brother Jermell also holds a 154-pound world title, will be making his third defense since winning it in September 2015.

Williams (22-0-1, 14 KOs), 26, of Philadelphia, became the mandatory challenger by virtue of a seventh-round knockout of Italy’s Marcello Matano in a title eliminator in March.

“It’s a fight which has been asked for by fight fans,” Schaefer said. “It’s one of the best fights you can make in the division. I expect fireworks. Sometimes with mandatories you are stuck with a fight nobody wants to see, but in this case, it’s a fight everyone wants to see.”

“I wanted to do my first event as a meaningful event where it’s a great card to be proud of, and I really wanted it to be in Los Angeles,” he said. “When this card was shaping up, I threw my hat in the ring and talked to Al (Haymon, adviser to all four featured fighters). I said this is an event I’d like to be involved with, and that’s how it happened. I’m especially excited to be doing the card on the USC campus because that’s where two of my (three) boys go to college.”

WBC number-2 bantamweight Luis Nery destroyed 3-time world title challenger Richie Mepranum in the 2nd round of their scheduled 10-round bout at Auditorio Municipal Fausto Gutiérrez Moreno in Tijuana, Mexico.

In round two, Nery landed a fkurry of punches that was finished up by a left hand that dropped Mepranum. Seconds later, Nery dumped Mepranum with a hard straight left and the fight was stopped at 41 seconds.

Nery, 118 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 21-0 with 15 knockouts. Mepranum, 118.5 lbs of Sarangani, PHL is now 31-6-1.

Arely Mucino won a 10-round unanimous decision over Judith Rodriguez in a super flyweight bout.

Mucino won by scores of 100-90 and 99-91 twice to raise her record to 22-3-2. Rodriguez is now 8-11.

Jose Quirino won a 6-round unanimous decision over Adan Osuna in a bantamweight bout.

Quirino won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 14-2-1.  Osuna is 9-10-4.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBO/WBC Super Lightweight champion Terence Crawford will return to the ring on December 10th in Omaha, Nebraska.

“We’re hoping to get it done and hoping to get a good opponent,” Crawford’s promoter Bob Arum said. “We’re working on Dec. 10 for Crawford, but we and HBO only want to do it if it’s a significant fight.”

“We had a date on HBO in January, and they asked us if Crawford could move to December once they lost the Golovkin fight, and Crawford was OK with that,” Arum said.

“We’ll see what happens. We’re talking to them about trying to clear the date,” Arum said. “If they can’t do it, we’ll have to look to see where else we can go, but Terence is a great draw in Omaha.”

“He wants to fight,” Dunkin said. “He down (in San Juan, Puerto Rico) for the WBO convention and he ran into (Top Rank vice president) Carl Moretti and said he is ready to go. So he wants to fight. Right now it’s about getting an opponent and working out the money with everyone. Terence has never been a guy who doesn’t want to fight.”

After Tyson Fury gave up his heavyweight titleas, the WBO ruled that Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz will fight for the vacant title on December 10th, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The bout will take place on December 10th in New Zealand.

Arum told ESPN that he and Lonergan met this week in Los Angeles and made a deal for the fight to take place in New Zealand, Parker’s home country, because that is where it would generate the most money. Arum said he has assurances there will be a neutral referee and judges.

Arum said the fight will be televised in the United States on tape delay on his “Solo Boxeo” series on Spanish-language network UniMas.

Arum said the deal he made with Lonergan was contingent on the WBO ordering the fight for the title, because they were unsure if it would be sanctioned when they met this week.

“We have worked a deal out with Parker’s people and Andy signed the contract earlier this week, but it was all subject to the sanction,” Arum said. “We got the sanction and it’s a done deal. I met with Dean on Monday. He was in California before he went on to the Puerto Rico for the convention.

“My (matchmakers) think Andy has a hell of a shot. The kid is pumped because apparently he’s sparred with Parker and more than held his own. I’ve seen some of Parker’s fights on YouTube clips. He’s a tremendous puncher but he doesn’t look to me to be particularly fast and Andy is a very fast heavyweight.”
“We checked with Abel about the date,” Arum said. “Andy is up there training with him now and Abel is absolutely free to do the fight on Dec. 10.”

“I see Ruiz as a fighter who has a lot of experience and will take this opportunity very serious,” Parker recently told ESPN when the prospect of the fight was raised. “He’s a dangerous fighter. With fighting good fighters it brings out the best in me.

“If we do fight for a world title and hold it in New Zealand it’ll be historic moment for myself, family and country. Exciting times ahead and I’m really looking forward to it. Also, fighting for a world title has always been a dream of mine. Dream come true to fight for it and win it.”

“If he wins the title Andy will be a very valuable fighter,” Arum said.

Arum even said he had an idea for who he could match Ruiz with if he wins the title. “I’ll put him in with (Julio Cesar) Chavez Jr.,” sad Arum, laughing about the former middleweight titleholder he used to promote and who has a notorious history of problems making weight.

“We have had several conversations with Roc Nation about where Miguel is at and what he wants to do. Everything is good but with different circumstances he decided not to fight in 2016,” Bryan Perez, a Miguel Cotto Promotions executive and Cotto’s close friend, told ESPN. “We had different conversations about fighting in December but we decided not to fight and do it in the first part of 2017, between February or March.”

“The next fight is the last fight on the agreement we signed in 2015 but Miguel feels healthy and good and wants to continue fighting,” Perez said. “He has the last word and will decide what to do and what his plan will be but he says he wants to continue to fight and to explore facing the best names out there and getting the best guarantee (in terms of money). He will fight twice in 2017.”

“He will be comfortable fighting below 160, but whatever opportunities pop up and whatever fight is the best guarantee and benefits his career he will consider,” Perez said. “We will wait to see.

“Lamont Peterson is a former world champion, a great fighter and it would be a great fight but not a pay-per-view fight. But I think it’s a fight that could get done,” Perez said, adding that even though Peterson is aligned with adviser Al Haymon it would not prevent a deal being made with Roc Nation Sports, which is owned by music star Jay Z, a longtime rival of Haymon’s.

“That’s one of the fights Tim would like before he is done with his career,” Monica Bradley, his wife and manager told ESPN in August when he re-signed with promoter Top Rank.

Said Perez: “Bradley is a huge fight, a great fight to make. It’s a great fight for the fans, a good style fight. Miguel is always willing to fight the best and if Bradley is there and available and we can agree on terms, we are more than happy to put them in the ring.”

“We ended our business relationship with Top Rank but if there’s a fight we can work on together we will work together, no problem,” Perez said. “We had a great relationship with Top Rank and we like and respect Bob [Arum] and Todd. I think Bradley would be a huge fight and a great fight.”

“If it’s a fight that Tim Bradley and Monica want, I would discuss it,” duBoef said.

“This is the first time he had a layoff like this,” Perez said. “But at this point in his career it’s good for him. He’s been moving around in the gym to maintain his condition but it’s good for him to get the rest. But he is ready to fight again.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, a bout between IBF Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and Wladmir Klitschko appears to be close to fruiyion provided the WBA will sanction the bout.

“We will go with the WBA ruling,” Klitschko manager Bernd Boente said. “We hope they rule quickly because Dec. 10 is not far away.”

“For Wladimir it is very important to have the WBA title in a fight with Joshua,” Boente said. “We made a deal with Eddie easily. We tried to find an agreement and we made a deal. If the fight doesn’t happen now and Wladimir and Joshua both win their next fight, we can do the fight under the same deal next year and it would be even bigger. The framework is there.”

“For Wladimir, it’s also about the WBA title. For him, this is important,” Boente said. “It is his mission. He is serious when he says it is not only about the money.”

“The WBO wants a tournament, which is up to them,” Boente said. “We love the WBO. Wladimir held the WBO title for a long time and it was the first world title he won. He respects the WBO, but if they do a tournament Wladimir would not participate. At this stage of his career it makes no sense.”

“Once the WBA made their ruling to uphold their standard split, it became just a matter of still talking to Al and trying to finalize a deal, but it’s just too late now for the fight to be on Dec. 10,” Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler said. “We had Madison Square Garden on hold, and they’ve been a good partner to us, so I don’t like having to leave them with an open Saturday night. HBO also was ready to go, but we are going to push it back into early 2017.”

“As soon as we can get the deal agreed to we’ll figure out a date and location,” he said. “But first we have to make the fight. Optimally, it will stay at Madison Square Garden. Our goal is to not go to a purse bid because a promotion is more effective when both sides are happy with the deal.”

“By the time contracts are signed and fighters are in training camp, it just wasn’t realistic to keep the December date, unfortunately,” Loeffler said. “If we had the contracts signed today, OK, maybe we could do it. But we’re not there yet. The contract isn’t signed and there’s no telling when it would be signed.”

“It’s not by our choice,” Loeffler said.

Welterweight contender Felix Diaz will return on December 10th in his native Dominican Republic, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Felix Diaz wants a big fight and he wants to stay on people’s radar, and you can’t do that if you don’t fight,” promoter DiBella said. “He wants to fight [unified junior welterweight world champion] Terence Crawford, but he has to stay active and keep making a name for himself to get those kinds of fights. The win against Sammy Vasquez was a start. I look forward to seeing him back in the ring.”

We want to get him back in the ring this year, no matter what kind of fight it is,” DiBella said. “There isn’t a big fight for him right now, but Felix Diaz is unlike a lot of fighters. He is willing to fight for the money that is there for the level of fight this will be. But he is extremely popular in the Dominican Republic, so he is going to fight on the island in sort of a homecoming fight.”

“We’ll publicize the fight as much as we can and keep the pressure on everybody and try to force the issue that Felix Diaz deserves a big fight,” DiBella said. “He’s an Olympic gold medalist, extremely talented; he was crowd-pleasing against Sammy Vasquez, and the only loss of his career is a loss you can easily argue wasn’t really a loss to Lamont Peterson. Felix Diaz is a beast in the ring, but he has to earn his shot and that’s what he is doing. Credit to him. He’s going to stay active and force his way into a big fight.”

Tomoki Kameda scored an explosive 1st round stoppage over Edgar Martinez in a scheduled 10-round featherweight bout in Mexico City.

Kameda hurt Martinez with a right hand. Kameda followed uo with a 6 punch barrage that capped off by a huge left hook that dropped Martinez and the fight was stopped at 1:17.

Kameda of Osaka, JAP is 32-2 with 20 knockouts. Martinez is 18-14-1.

WBA Super Featherweight champion Jezreel Corrales will make the 1st defense of his title against the man he won it from, Takashi Uchiyama on December 31st in Japan.

“I am eager to regain my belt since I was careless in the first encounter,” said Uchiyama, who would become the oldest Japanese fighter to win a world title if he regains the belt.

Ricardo Rodriguez won a 10-round unanimous decision over David Quinjaro in a super flyweight bout at the Tony Rosa Community Center in Palm Bay, Florida.

Rodriguez, 115 lbs of Ciudad. MX won by scores of 99-91 and 98-92 twice and is now 15-3. Quinjaro, 114 lbs of Caguas, PR is 16-7-1.

Andre Byrd won a 4-round unanimous decision over Javier Garcia in a welterweight bout.

Byrd, 146 lbs won by scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37 and is niw 4-2-1. Garcia, 148 lbs is 8-13-1.

Joshua Pagan remained undefeated with a 4-round unanimous decision over Tom Mills in a welterweight bout.

Pagan scored a knockdown in round three from a body shot. Pagan scored another knockdown in round four from a right hand.

Pagan, 138 lbs won by scores of 40-34 on all cards and is now 4-0. Mills, 142 lbs is 1-6.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the September 17th Canelo Alvarez – Liam Smith Pay-Per-View card generated close to 300,000 buys.

“We’re going to wind up doing close to 300,000 homes, which is great when you combine that with almost 52,000 fans we had in the crowd,” Oscar De La Hoya said. “We’re very happy, extremely happy with the numbers.”

“Obviously, nobody had ever heard of Liam Smith, and when you have to try and sell a pay-per-view fight with somebody that nobody has ever heard of, you have a tough job ahead of you,” De La Hoya said. “We were able to attract the fans who love boxing, and they were treated to a special fight. When it was all said and done it was a terrific fight, a lot of action.”

“I’m sure when Canelo decides to fight at 160 next year there will be plenty of name fighters and opponents who will bring excitement and great fights and the fans will acknowledge that and, once again, he will do even bigger pay-per-view numbers,” De La Hoya said.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Top Rank has signed Honduran Olympian Teofimo Lopez.

Lopez will make his professional debut in a four-round bout against an opponent to be determined on the Manny Pacquiao-Jessie Vargas undercard on Nov. 5 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

“He’s one of my homies,” Arum joked, because they are both originally from Brooklyn. “I think this kid is a real talent. The [matchmakers] are really high on him. He’s a real strong kid and has a really big future as a professional. He can fight. He’s a good fighter. If he wasn’t we wouldn’t have signed him, but it’s a shame he wasn’t part of the U.S. Olympic team. There’s amateur boxing politics.”

“I’ve sparred with a lot of pros,” Lopez said. “Sometimes they would invite me to go to their training camps, sometimes they were here in my area [in Florida]. I’ve been in training camp with Shawn Porter at the time he was fighting Keith Thurman, and Brad Solomon, helping them get ready for their fights, and they were both 20 pounds bigger than me.

“I also sparred with Guillermo Rigondeaux and Luke Campbell, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist. I’ve sparred with many, many, many professionals since I was 13 years old. I’m an entertainer — got to entertain! My style — I’m technical, very technical. I’m very smart when I’m in the ring, like Albert Einstein. I’m like a Sugar Ray [Leonard], Floyd Mayweather. I’m a boxer, but if the knockout comes, it comes.”

Arum said he might not be done yet signing 2016 Olympians.

“We may do a deal with one or two others but we’re not actively looking,” Arum said.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, undefeated Jose Ramrez will battle Gabriel Bracero on December 2nd on Unimas in Fresno, California.

“As Jose moves up the ladder to a world championship fight, his opponents will be getting better and the fights will be more difficult,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. “But Top Rank believes Jose Ramirez will win a world title and bring it home to the Central Valley. To do that, he first has to get past Gabriel Bracero.”

“Gabe’s a much better fighter than a lot of people give him credit for,” said Lou DiBella, his promoter. “He has failed when he’s stepped up but he had his moments against Diaz and Malignaggi. He’s a tough guy. Ramirez is a good fighter but he’s untested. This is a test for the kid. It’s going to be a good scrap. It’s a good opportunity for Gabe and for the kid to test himself against a real opponent.”

“I’m happy that Bob and I were able to do things together,” DiBella said. “Bob and I talk regularly again and I think it’s good we can do some smaller stuff together, and I hope it’s a precursor to doing some bigger stuff together.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former junior welterweight world champion Aaron Pryor passed away this morning at the age of 60 in Cincinnati.

“We are heartbroken and sad to announce that our beloved Aaron passed away at home surrounded by his family at 5:57 a.m.,” Frankie Pryor, his widow, said in a statement. “He was known around the world as ‘The Hawk’ but to our family he was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. We appreciate the outpouring of condolences and sympathy and ask that our family be allowed time to grieve and mourn his loss. We will announce plans for a public memorial shortly.”

Pryor is survived by his wife, Frankie, sons Aaron Jr. and Antwan Harris, daughter, Elizabeth and grandsons Adam, Austin and Aaron Pryor III.

Former world flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada won a 10-round unanimous decision over Raymond Tabugon in a super flyweight bout at Estadio Francisco León García in Sonora, Mexico.

Estrada, 116 lbs of Sonora, MX won by scores of 100-90 on all cards and is now 34-2. Tabugin, 116 1/2 lbs of General Santos City, PHL is 18-6-1.

Emanuel Navarrete won a 10-round split decision over Martin Casillas in a super bantamweight bout,

Casillas, 123 lbs of Zumpango, MX won by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 99-90 is now 17-1. Casillas, 122 lbs of Ciudad, MX is 15-9-1.

Yuri Alcantara made Brad Pickett tap at of the 1st round of their bantamweight bout

Alcantara rocked Pickett with hard strikes that bloodied his nose and then Alcantara got Pickett in an armbar and made Pickett tap at 1:59.

Alcantara, 136 lbs of Soure, BRA is now 33-7-1. Pickett, 136 lbs of London is 26-12.

Damian Stasiak submitted Davey Grant with an armbar in the 3rd round of their bantamweight bout.

The time of the tapout was 3:56 of round three, for Stasiak, 135 lbs of Lodz, POL and is now 10-3. Grant, 135 lbs of Bishop Auckland, UK is 10-3.

Leon Edwards submitted Albert Tumenov in the 3rd round of their welterweight bout.

In round three, Edwards got Tumenov on the ground and got around him into a rear naked choke and Tumenov tapped at 3:01.

Edwards, 169 lbs of Birmingham, UK is now 12-3. Tumenov, 169 lbs of Fairfield, NJ is 17-4

Mark Diakiese thrilled the hometown fans as he stopped Lukasz Sajewaky in the 2nd round of their lightweight fight.

Diakiese landed 7 hard shots on the cage that finally dropped Sajewsky and the fight was stopped at 4:20 of round two.

Diakiese, 156 lbs of Manchester, UK is 10-0. Sajewsky, 156 lbs of Gdnasnk, POL is 13-3,

Former world title challenger Orlando Cruz stopped Gabino Cota in round seven of their scheduled 10-round super featherweight bout.

Cruz dropped Cota with a straight left in round two.

In round seven, Cruz landed a hard left hand that was followed by a vicious combination that sent Cota to the canvas.

Cruz 130 lbs of Quintana, PR is now 25-4-1 with 13 knockouts. Cota of Mexico is 19-7-1.

Sammy Valentin, Jr. stopped Joaquin De La Rosa in round four of their scheduled 6-round welterweight bout.

In round four, Valentin landed a left to the body that was followed up by 2 head shots that sent De La Rosa on his back and the fight was stopped.

valentin, 145 lbs is now 9-0. De La Rosa, 144 lbs is 6-1-1.

Diego Magdaleno won a 10-round unanimous decision over Art Hovhannisyan in a super lightweight bout at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles.

Both guys were cut over their eyes. Magdaleno, 137 lbs of Las Vegas won on all cards by a tallies of 99-91 and is now 29-2. Hovhannisyan, 137 lbs of Glendale, CA is 17-3-3.

“Entering the ring, every boxer has a chance to get the knockout-and that’s what I came for. However, I’m satisfied with the unanimous decision that I received tonight,” said Magdaleno. “Hovhannisyan was a tough opponent, but I was able to outbox him. The energy at LA FIGHT CLUB was one I have never seen before, and that definitely propelled me to put my all in to this fight, especially after taking a year off. I’m more ready than ever, and I’m looking forward to the new opportunities after winning this fight.”

“I knew what to expect from my opponent, but I feel like I didn’t fight as well as I should have. However, I did fight with my whole heart,” said Hovhannisyan. “Going forward, I’ll be looking over the tape with my coach to go over my mistakes and what I should work on. I want to thank Golden Boy for tonight’s event and this opportunity. The next steps are getting rest and healing my hand which was hurt in the fight.”

Damon Allen and Luis Arceo fought to a draw in a eight-round super lightweight bout.

Allen was bleeding from the nose in round five.

All three judges saw the fight 78-78. Allen, 136 lbs of Philadelphia is 10-0-1. Arceo, 137 lbs of Auguascalientes. MX is 28-15-5.

“I knew it was going to be a tough fight because Arceo had a ton of experience under his belt,” spoke Damon Allen. “I made the fight harder than it had to be. It was a learning experience, and we are definitely going back to the drawing board after this. I want a rematch.”

“I honestly feel like I was robbed,” said Luis Arceo. “Each time I would unleash my punches, he would run away. I was the tougher fighter, and I am glad that the judges saw that. I entered the ring as the underdog, and with this draw I feel like I was vindicated.”

Maricela Cornejo won a six-round unanimous decision over Eliza Olson in a female super middleweight bout.

Cornejo, 166.6 lbs of Los Angeles, CA won by scores of 59-55 twice and 58-56 and is now 5-2. Olson, 167 lbs of Sam Bruno, CA is 9-7-3

.”I used my jab, and kept my distance because Olson is known as an unpredictable fighter,” said Maricela Cornejo. “I wasn’t pleased with the outcome-we all want to win via knock out-but I love the fact that I got to demonstrate good footwork and skills that will continue to empower women’s boxing. I’m excited to be a part of LA FIGHT CLUB, and I know that I’ll be back.”

Joseph Aguirre stopped Roberto Rivera in round five of their scheduled six-round super lightweight bout.

Aguirre dropped Rivera in the 5th with a body and shot and was stopped just seconds after getting to his feet at 1:45.

Aguirre, 136.8 lbs of Cancun, MX is 15-0 with nine knockouts. Rivera, 136.8 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 6-3.

“He had a tough punch, and his uppercuts were a wall that kept me from going in,” said Aguirre after his knock-out win. “I wanted to finish him off earlier, and I knew that I had to work him by starting with the body and working myself up. It was a tough match, but I got the knock out for being the better fighte

David Mijares stopped Jason Gavino in the 1st round of their scheduled 4-round welterweight bout.

The time of the stoppage was 2:22 for Mijares, 139.4 lbs of Santa Monica, CA and is now 4-0 with 3 knockouts. Gavino, 140.6 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 3-4.

“I knew entering the ring I had to take him seriously, especially after one of his jabs to my lead hand,” said David Mijares. “I knew that my punch to the body had hurt him because I felt him shake. I am excited to go eat some food, and then hit the gym again to train.”

Opening up the night, Mexico City’s Marvin Cabrera (1-0, 1 KO) won his first fight in afour-round welterweight bout against Jose Caro (0-4) of Tuscon, AZ with a left hook to the face leaving Caro unstable and leading the referee to stop the fight at 1:17 within the first round, landing Cabrera the technical knockout of the fight.

“It feels great to get my first win here at the Belasco,” spoke Cabrera. “I have made many sacrifices, especially leaving my entire family in Mexico, and this first win has proven it is worth it, and those sacrifices are paying off. It’s only the beginning.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Super Welterweight champion Canelo Alavrez does not need surgery on his injured right thumb.

“Canelo came up to Los Angeles [on Wednesday], and we took him to see the doctor, who took off the cast he had on from the doctor in Mexico,” Golden Boy president Eric Gomez told ESPN on Thursday. “The doctor did another MRI and came to the same conclusion as the doctor in Mexico, which is that Canelo doesn’t need surgery. He needs to rest the hand.

“He put another on and will take it off on Nov. 10, and then Canelo can start using the hand. If he has any more discomfort, he needs more rest. If he doesn’t feel any discomfort or pain, then he’s ready go.”

“He’s open to a fight in the first quarter, assuming there’s no discomfort with his hand, but we’ll have to play it by ear,” Gomez said. “We’ll have to make a determination if we want to do a fight then or if Canelo wants to rest it until fighting in May.”