Richar Abril has been stripped of his WBA Lightweight title after pulling out of a fight with Derry Matthews for a 2nd time.

The move by the WBA also cleared the way for Derry Mathews (37-9-2, 20 KOs) to face southpaw Ismael Barroso (17-0-2, 16 KOs) for the now-vacant interim belt on April 18 at the Echo Arena in Mathews’ hometown of Liverpool, England. Mathews was due to challenge Abril on that card before Abril withdrew.

“I’ve been in this sport for over 10 years,” Mathews said. “I’ve had more knockouts than he’s had fights — (more than) twice as many fights as him. In terms of experience he’s not on my level and I can use all of my experience to my advantage,”

BROOKLYN–In a battle of 140-pound titleholders, Danny Garcia got off to an early lead and had to grind out a 12-round majority decision over Lamont Peterson in an over the weight-limit bout at Barclays Center.

Garcia came forward and landed a few good right hands in each round. That was a feat in itself as Peterson continually circled around the rings in an attempt to stay out of harms way.

After not doing much of anything over the first seven rounds, Peterson started to sit in the pocket and land some solid shots in round eight. The evidence of his work was shown on Garcia’s face as some swelling started to form around his right eye. Garcia came back to have solid round’s in ten and eleven. Garcia had to hold on over the leat four minutes as a desperate Peterson came forward and landed some hard combinations on a reeling Garcia. One could only think if Peterson would have started a round or two earlier, he may have been able to squeak out the fight for himself as the scores read 115-113 twice for Garcia and 114-114.

Garcia, 142.2 lbs of Philadelphia, PA is now 30-0. Peterson, 143 lbs of Washington, DC is 33-3-1.

Peter Quillin scored two knockdowns and had to get off the deck himself yet had to settle for a 12-round split draw with WBO Middleweight champion Andy Lee

In round one, Qullin landed a perfect right hand that sent lee to the canvas. He finished up the round by landing a flush left hook. In round three, they came out throwing hard shots then Qullin landed a hard right while stepping on Lee’s foot that sent the Irishman down for a 2nd knockdown. Lee started to bleed from his left eye in the round.

In round seven, Lee landed his big right hook that sent Quillin to the deck.

Down the stretch both guys tried to land big shots and were successful in spots.

Each guy won a scorecard by 113-112 and a 3rd card read even at 113-113. Quillin, 160.6 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 32-0-1. Lee, 159.6 lbs of Limerick, IRE is now 34-2-1.

Quillin could not win the title as he came over the 160 pound limit at Friday’s weigh in.

Errol Spence Jr. remained perfect by scoring a 4th round stoppage over Samuel Vargas in a scheduled 10-round Welterweight bout.

Spence dropped Vargas with a right hook in round two. Spence continued to pound away at Vargas until the bout was stopped at 1:45 of round four.

Spence, 146 1/2 lbs of Dallas, TX is now 16-0 with 13 knockouts. Vargas, 146 lbs of Toronto, CA is now 20-2-1.

Marcus Browne stopped Aaron Pryor after round six of their scheduled 10-round Light Heavyweight bout

In round three, Pryor began to bleed from the nose. Phryor continued to punish Pryor and outlanded 76-18.

Browne of Staten Island, NY is now 14-0 with 11 knockouts. Pryor of Cincinnati, OH is now 19-8-1.

Number-one ranked contender Viktor Postol remained perfect by scoring a 8-round unanimous decision over Jake Giuriceo in a Welterweight bout.

Postol, 143.8 lbs of Kiev, UKR won by scores of 80-72 twice and 79-73 and is now 27-0. Giuriceo, 142.8 lbs of Youngstown, OH is now 17-3-1.

Prichard Colon remained undefeated by stopping Daniel Calzada at 1:38 of round nine of their scheduled 10-round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Colon was getting the better of the action throughout the bout when the fight was stopped.

Colon, 148 lbs of Orocovis, PR is now 14-0 with 11 knockouts. Clazada, 148 lbs of Denver, CO is now 11-14-2.

Former world champion Luis Collazo returned to score a 2nd round stoppage over Chris Degollado in a scheduled 8-round Welterweight bout.

Collazo floored Degollado in round three with a perfect right hook and then finessed it off with a flurry at 1:46 of round three.

Collazo, 147.8 lbs of Brooklyn is now 36-6 with 19 knockouts. Degollado, 149 lbs of Monterrey, MX is now 10-5.

Heather Hardy and Renata Domsodi had their scheduled 8-round Jr. Featherweight bout cut shor when Domsodi suffered a cut due to an accidental headbutt at 1:57 of round three.

Hardy, 122 lbs of Brooklyn is 12-0 with 1 no-contest. Domsodi, 120.6 lbs of Budapest, HUN is 11-6, 1 No-contest.

Ryan Burnett remained undefeated by scoring a 1st round stoppage over Stephon Mcintyre in a scheduled six-round Jr. Featherweight bout.

In round one Burnett dropped Mcintyre from a body shot for the 10 count at 2:59 of round one.

Burnett, 118.8 lbs of Belfast, Northern Ireland is now 8-0 with 7 knockouts. Mcintyre, 121.8 lbs of Atlanta, GA is now 2-8-2.

Spence dropped Vargas in round two from a straight left.

Frank Galarza remained undefeated by scoring a 3rd round stoppage over Sheldon Moore in a scheduled 8-round Jr. Middleweight bout at the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn, New York.

In round three, Galarza landed a left hook that he followed up with a combination that was capped off by a right to the body that sent Moore down for the ten count at 1:41 of round three.

Galarza, 154 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 17-0-2 with 11 knockouts. Moore, 153 1/4 lbs of Belgium is now 13-3-1.

Ievgen Khytrov won a 8-round unanimous decision over Aaron Coley in a battle of undefeated Middleweights.

Khytov of Ukraine won by scores of 79-73 twice and 78-74 and is now 10-0. Coley of Hayward, CA is now 9-1-1.

Sergiy Dervyanchenko scored a 4th round stoppage over Alan Campa in a scheduled eight round Super Middleweight bout.

In round two, Dervyanchenko dropped Campa from a right hand. In round four, Dervyananchenko dropped campa again with a hard combination. Campa was clearly hurt and Dervyanchenko jumped all over Campa and the fight was stopped at 1:17 of round four.

Dervyanchenko, 163 1/2 lbs from the Ukraine is now 5-0 with 4 knockouts. Campa, 165 lbs from Sonora, MX is now 13-2-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBO Super Middleweight champion Arthur Abraham will meet Robert Stieglitz for a 4th time most likely in July.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA Lightweight champion Richar Abril will not fight Englishman Derry Matthews on April 18 in the United Kingdom.

“We have been made aware of Abril’s withdrawal and are in discussions with the World Boxing Association and representatives of Richar Abril as to the current position of the world title as this is the second time he has withdrawn from this fight with less than two weeks before fight night,” Warren’s Queensberry Promotions said in a statement. “We expect to hear from the WBA shortly and will make an announcement through this office. However, we fully expect Mathews to contest a version of the WBA world championship on Saturday, April 18.”

Adonis Stevenson retained his Light Heavyweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Sakia Bika at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Canada.

In round six, Stevenson dropped Bika with a straight left. In round nine, Stevenson scored a 2nd knockdown with a lead left to the head.

Stevenson, 175 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 116-110, 115-110 and 115-111 and is now 26-1. Bika, 174 1/2 lbs of New South Wales, AUS is now 32-7-3.

Artur Beterbiev remained perfect by scoring a crunching 4th round stoppage over former world champion Gabriel Campillo in round four of a scheduled 10-round Light Heavyweight bout.

Beterbiev scored a knockdown in round one from a hard right that was follwed up by a combination, In round four, Beterbiev landed a booming right on the ropes that snapped Campillos head back as he crumbled to the canvas and the fight was over at

Beterbiev, 175 lbs is now 8-0 with 8 knockouts. Campillo, 174 1/2 lbs of Madrid, Spain is now 25-7-1.

Julian Ramirez remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous over Raul Hidalgo in a 10-round Featherweight bout at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles.

In round nine, Hidalgo began to bleed from his nose.

Ramirez, 126 lbs of East Los Angeles won by scores of 100-90 on all cards and is now 14-0. Hidalgo, 125 lbs of Nueva, MX is 23-13.

Former Brazilian Bronze medal winner Yamaguchi Falcao won a 6-round unanimous decision over DeArtie Tucker in a Middleweight bout.

In round three a point was deducted from Falcao for holding.

In round four, Ticker began to bleed from his nose and mouth

Falcao, 161 1/2 lbs of Victiria, BRA won by scores of 59-54 twice and 59-55 and is now 5-0. Tucker, 158 lbs of Fort Smith, ARK is 2-1.

Everton Lopes scored a first round stoppage over Robert Seyam in a scheduled four-round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Lopes dropped Seyam with a body shot and he was not able to beat the ten count at 1:24.

Lopez, 139 1/4 lbs of Brazil is now 5-1 with three knockouts. Seyam, 139 1/2 lbs of Wichita, KS is now 2-3.

Joet Gonzalez scored a 2nd round stoppage over Ali Gonzalez in a scheduled 4-round Featherweight bout.

Joet landed a hard left body shot that sent Ali to the canvas for the ten count.

Joet Gonzalez, 124 lbs of Glendora, CA is now 9-0 with 4 knockouts. Ali Gonzalez, 123 3/4 lbs is 6-6-1

Elias Araujo scored a 4-round unanimous decision over Jonatahn Pereyra in a Super Lightweight bout.

Araujo, 135 1/2 lbs won by scores of 40-38, 40-37, 40-36 and is now 2-0. Pereyra, 135 1/2 lbs is 0-3.

Chris Eubank Jr and Billy Joe Saunders will compete in separate bout on May 9 in London that may be the prelude to a rematch, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

While Saunders won a split decision against Eubank to retain his British, Commonwealth and European titles, it was Eubank who went on to stop Dimitry Chudinov in the 12th round in his next fight Feb. 28 to win an interim 160-pound title.

“Then I’ll see what Eubank Jr. has been up to and if he’s worthy of a shot at the world title. I did say I’d give him a rematch, but it will be completely on my terms. I’ve shut him up once and embarrassed him in front of the British public. Next time I’ll knock him out and leave him desperate. First thing for me is to get back in the ring and show that I’m ready to fight Lee or Quillin. I want that world title next, so whoever I face on May 9 is in for a lot of pain.”

“I’ll fight Average Joe anytime, anywhere, but he has to realize that I actually hold the WBA interim world title belt so that puts me above him, regardless of his close points decision over me,” Eubank said. “The judges believed that he won last time and that’s how they scored it, but look at how he did it. He chose to run and steal the rounds rather than stand and fight. I challenge him next time to stand toe to toe and fight, and let’s see how he fares in the center of the ring rather than running around it.

“I am the [interim] champion now, and I will look at him after I’ve defended my title against Sherrington, who I will not be overlooking. I will do my research on him and a plan to defeat him. Chudinov was dismantled from the opening round, and I will do the same to Sherrington.”

Despite reports to the contrary, legendary Muhammad Ali has yet to make a pick for the mega showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“It was reported that Muhammad Ali picked a favorite in the upcoming Mayweather-Pacquiao fight on May 2. Muhammad Ali would like to wish both Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao well in their upcoming fight,” Ali family spokesman Bob Gunnell said in a statement given to ESPN.com on Thursday.

“Muhammad never offered to anyone his prediction, and information that was published earlier this week and picked up by other media is either a misquote or someone else’s personal opinion. The stories saying that Muhammad Ali has chosen a favorite in the fight are false.”

Earlier this week, TMZ quoted Rasheda Ali, one of the heavyweight great’s daughters, as saying, “My dad is Team Pacquiao all the way!”

“Muhammad has the utmost respect for both fighters, who will undoubtedly give boxing fans an incredible match,” Gunnell said. “He believes the significance of this fight will rival other historic matches. Muhammad Ali will join the rest of the world on May 2 to watch this matchup.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Super Middleweight champion Andre Ward will make his debut under the Roc Nation Banner on June 20 in Oakland, California that will end a 19-month ring hiatus.

“I’m excited to be back. We finally have a date,” Ward told ESPN.com. “It’s going to be June 20 at Oracle Arena in Oakland. I wanted to fight at home as a thank-you to my fans for being patient, because I know it’s been a long wait. The fight is not far away and I feel like I’m in great shape already. I’ve stayed dedicated to the sport. I’ve stayed motivated in the gym and I’m just really excited to get back. I can’t wait.”

“Andre’s opponent and the TV coverage for the fight will be announced shortly,” Roc Nation Sports spokesman Ron Berkowitz told ESPN.com.

“Some people are trying to see if I’ve slipped during this layoff or if I still have it, but my true fans are just ready to see me back in action,” Ward said. “We get to answer those questions on June 20 at Oracle Arena. Let’s get it.”

Gary Russell Jr. won the WBC Featherweight title with a fourth round stoppage over Jhonny Gonzalez at the Palms in Las Vegas.

Russell dropped Gonzalez in the closing seconds of round two from a perfect right hook to the jaw. Russell scored a second knockdown in round four with a right hook to the head. Russell finished thins as he landed a huge flurry that put Gonzalez on the deck for a third and final time and the fight was called at 37 seconds of round four.

Russell, 125 3/4 lbs of Capitol Heights, MD is now 26-1 with 15 knockouts. Gonzalez, 125 lbs of Mexico City, MX is now 57-9.

Jermell Charlo remained undefeated by scoring a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Vanes Martirosyan in a jr. middleweight bout.

In round eight, Martirsyan was cut above the left eye from a headbutt.

Charlo, 154 3/4 lbs of Houston, TX won by scores of 97-93 and 96-94 twice and is now 26-0. Martirosyan, 153 lbs of Glendale, CA is now 35-2-1,

Javier Prieto won a 10-round unanimous decsision over Jorge Silva in a Welterweight bout at Domo Deportivo in Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

Prieto, 147 lbs won by scores of 98-93, 97-92 and 96-03 and is now 25-8-2. Silva, 146 1/2 lbs is 20-8-2.

Gilberto Gonzalez scored a 2nd round stoppage over David Rangel in a scheduled 10-round Super Lightweight bout.

Gonzalez dropped Rangel in round two from a body shot. He dropped Rangel again with a similar punch but Rangel could not beat the count at 2:59 of round two.

Gonzalez, 140 lbs of Mexico City is now 24-3 with 20 knockouts. Rangel 145 1/2 lbs of Oaxca, MX is now 10-2.

Roberto Manzanarez won a 10-round unanimous decision over Edgar Ramirez in a Super Lightweight bout.

Manzanarez is now 30-1. Ramirez is 14-10.

Fernando Aqua and Yoni Tuyub in a 4-round Super Bantamweight bout.

Aqua is now 0-2-1. Tuyub is 0-0-1.

Kell Brook made the 1st defense with a a stoppage after round four over mandatory challenger Jo Jo Dan in Sheffield, England.

In round two, Brook dropped Dan with a hard right uppercut. Seconds later, Brook sent Dan to the canvas a again from another right hand. In round three, Dan’s nose began to bleed. In round four, Brook dropped Dan again from a right to the head. Brook scored his fourth knockdown at the bell to end round four when he landed a perfectly timed left hook. After the round, Dan’s corner had seen enough and the fight was stopped.

Brook, 145.9 lbs of Sheffield, UK is now 34-0 with 23 knockouts. Dan, 146.4 lbs of Montreal is now 34-3.

David Carmona won a 10-round unanimous decision over Daniel Lazano in a Super Flyweight bout at the Turner Agri-Civic Center in Arcadia, Florida

Carmona dropped Lozano in round nine from a left hook which helped him win by scores of 97-92, 96-93 and 95-94.

Carmona, 115 lbs is now 19-2-1. Lozano, 115 lbs is now 13-2.

A vivacious crowd accented a special Thursday night edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, that was headlined by a 10-rounder featuring a battle royal to top off the appropriately named “Noche De Combates”. Fredrick “General Okunka” Lawson 24-0, (20 KOs) of Ghana earned a hard fought 10 round split decision over Colombian Breidis “El Khanqueror” Prescott (27-7, 20 KOs) of Colombia. With great give and take action througout the entire fight with Prescott hitting the floor in round three but to come back in round four with a great overhand right that backed Lawson up to help even the tide. Round six was a great round with an almost a Gatti-Ward feel. Relax I said almost. This was a great fight for a great crowd. The finals cards read 95-94 twice for Lawson with the final card coming in at 96-93 for the Colombian Prescott.

In the co-main event former IBF Super-Featherweight champion Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy, who is 22-0(13KO) made easy quick work of Angino Perez (18-7, 6 KOs) in his first fight as a lightweight after vacating his IBF strap for bigger purses at lightweight. As Teddy Atlas called it, a total mismatch. Early in round two Barthelemy unloaded on Perez with a quick end at 15 seconds into round two.

In a slugfest Egyptian bomber Ahmed Elbiali 10-0(9KO) was taken the distance for the first time by Michael Stafford 13-3(3KO). In Elbiali’s last fight, a bout that was shown live on ESPN “Friday Night Fights”, Elbiali, scored an impressive 2nd round knockout against former undefeated foe Dustin Echard (10-1, 7 KOs).

For the undercard of the ESPN Friday Night Fights heavyweight Robert Alfonso improved to 5-0 with a sharp shooting target practice TKO win over Raymundo Lopez 4-12(2KO) to get the night started at Hialeah Park Rachin and Casino.

Antonio Tarver Jr. 2-0(2KO) resembled his father while boxing in his southpaw stance and stalking Bruce Lutchmedial with a commanding jab setting up slick combinations. With no amateur career Tarver was blessed with natural ability in the ring, moving like a seasoned pro. The end came after a final assault by the second generation boxer to the bell ending round three and by advisement of his corner.

Michael Seals 19-0(14KO) dropped Carlos Reyes 7-6-1(5KO) in round five with a straight right hand which looked like it came all the way from his home in Atlanta Georgia. Reyes who normally fights at a heavier weight gave Seals a test with good movement and tough give and take. Seals mentioned after the fight Reyes was slick and a tough challenge. The final cards read 60-53 twice and 59-54.

Jr Middleweight Daquan Arnett 13-1(9KO) kept on the comeback trail as he dismantled journeyman and too-tough-for-his-own-good Travis Hartman 13-22-1(10KO). Hartman hit the canvas a number of times by result of well placed blistering body shots throughout the fight. The crowd patiently awaited the eminent end for the Orlando boxer. This is the second consecutive win for Arnett since dropping a heartbreaking decision to Eddie Gomez in January of 2014.

Undefeated Cuban heavyweight Yasmany “El Tiburon” Consuegra improved to 15-1(14KO). Consuegra has a record of 16-0 with 14 knockouts, most in the early rounds. Consuegra has not had to wait for the scorecards to be tallied since winning a four-round bout 5 years ago in only his third lifetime.

Super welterweight “Silky” Wilky Campfort 20-1(11KO) from Tampa stopped Jamaican Devon Moncrieff 10-4(4KO) after five rounds to earn his twentieth with as a pro.

Super featherweight Kamil Laszczyk 20-0(8KO) had his hands full with Jose Luis Araiza 31-11(22KO) and had to come off the canvas twice and saved by the bell to come back and stop Araiza with a willful non stop effort. A cut over the left eye of Araiza and a headbutt in round 5 followed by an onslaught by the determined Polish pugilist. Araiza was saved by the bell and by his corner whom advised the fight stopped after 5.

Polish Super middleweight Patryk Szymanski improved his mark to 13-0(8KO) with a TKO victory over a very game Yoryi Estrella 11-10(8KO). The Polish Szmanski picked apart his opponent with heavy shots at all angles, while touching his body and head often. Referee Sam Burgoes wisely stopped the bout at the end of two.

Mickey Bey will defend his IBF Lightweight title against Denis Shafikov in Las Vegas just two nights before the mega showdown between Floyd Mayweather – Manny Pacquiao card according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The fight will take place at the Palms Casino and will be televised by ESPN 2.

“We’re not making Pacquiao-Mayweather again, we were making Bey-Shafikov,” Top Rank’s Carl Moretti said of working with Mayweather Promotions. “They have the champion, they have the date (on ESPN2). We were professional, we made a deal and we move forward to the fight, and it’s a good fight, especially during fight week (for Mayweather-Pacquiao).

“It’s classic style match. Shafikov is an aggressive kind of fighter who walks you down while Bey is a slick counter puncher. Whoever can impose their style on the other guy will win. It’s almost a miniature version of what’s probably going to happen on May 2.”

Emanuel Lopez scored a 9th round stoppage over Carlos Padillas in a scheduled 12-round Super Featherweight bout at Palenque de la Feria Mesoamericana in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico.

Lopez scored a knockdown in round seven. Lopez scored a knockdown in round nine from a wicked right to the body. Lopez was all over Padilla and landed a huge flurry and the bout was stopped at 2:24.

Lopez is now 18-4-1 with 7 knockouts. Padilla is 15-2-1.

In an exciting 10-round Super Welterweight bout, Alfonso Gomez scored a unanimous decision over Yoshihro Kamegai at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

Gomez boxed well over the first seven rounds until Kamegai turned the fight into a toe to toe battle over the last three rounds that saw each guy landed many thudding shots over the last nine minutes. It was too little, too late for Kamegai as Gomez won by scores 98-92 on all cards.

Gomez, 149.2 lbs of Guadaljara, MX is now 25-6-1. Kamegai, 149.6 lbs of Tokyo, Japan is now 25-3-1.

Ronny Rios scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Sergio Frias in a Featherweight bout.

Rios, 127 lbs of Santa Ana, CA won by scores of 99-91 twice and 98-92 and is now 24-1. Frias, 125.8 lbs of Guadalajara, MX is now 16-5-2.

Rios outlanded Frias 161-117.

Jamie Kavanagh scored a stoppage after round five of his scheduled 8-round Lightweight bout with Miguel Zamudio

In round one, Zamudio already had swelling under his left eye. Kavanagh showed scars as well as he had some blood from the left side of his forehead. At the end of round two, Zamudio landed a right to the body that sent Kavanagh to a knee for a knockdown. In round three, Kavanagh was cut on his right eye from a punch.

Kavanagh turned it on and landed some hard right hands and mixed im some good body work and after round five, Zamudio had enough and the fight was stopped.

Kavanagh, 135.6 lbs of Indio, CA is now 18-1-1 with 9 knockouts. Zamudio, 135.6 lbs of Gusave, MX is now 29-7-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Floyd Mayweather has rejected a potential $5 million penalty if either fighter fails a drug test.

“Today we were informed that Mayweather turned down the request,” said Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz. “Manny had requested that there would be a reciprocal fine of $5 million for a failed drug test.”

“Michael Koncz is an idiot, and Manny Pacquiao should be ashamed to have him as his representative, in my opinion,” Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe told ESPN.com. “It’s obvious he didn’t read the contract. Why would he have his fighter sign something he was not happy with? The deal was negotiated up and down by his promoter [Bob Arum of Top Rank] on behalf of Manny with Floyd and Mayweather Promotions, and it’s been well documented in the media for quite some time.

“If this moron didn’t convey his fighter’s wishes when the negotiation was going on, that’s their problem. This is a lame-ass attempt to generate publicity.”

“They have made derogatory statements for years about Manny [supposedly using PEDs], and now we challenged them by asking for the $5 million fine, and they refused to do it. It’s disheartening,” Koncz said.

“We were still discussing the penalty. We’ve been going back and forth about it for the past three or four weeks. We hoped that we could sign that agreement around the same time as the agreement with USADA,” Koncz said. “[The Mayweather camp] is saying, ‘Why wasn’t it brought up for the main contract?’ Why does it have to be brought up for the main contract? Everything in the main contract pertains to the co-promotion and the promoters. You can argue all day if [a penalty agreement] should be with the USADA contract or the main contract. What do you have to lose or gain in that argument? It’s a simple thing — if you fail, you pay the other guy $5 million. The issue is simple — are you willing to agree to a penalty of $5 million? The drug-testing terms and any penalty, that’s between the fighters not the promoters.

“We have no recourse. We can’t force Floyd into something. But we gave them an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is and they wouldn’t. I won’t speculate why. To me there is no legitimate argument. We know we’re clean. That’s why Manny said he would pay $5 million if he tested dirty. Manny was surprised [Mayweather refused]. He can’t figure out why they wouldn’t agree to it when Floyd is always talking about cleaning up the sport of boxing.”

Added Ellerbe: “If Manny Pacquiao tested positive, it is going to cost him a whole lot more than $5 million. All parties signed a contract agreeing to every term. Where has this idiot Koncz been? It sounds like he didn’t read the documents they signed. No wonder why his fighter is always confused. It sounds like that idiot is suggesting there’s a $5 million price tag if Manny comes up positive. That sounds suspicious. All I know is we welcome random testing as we always have.”

Lightweight title holder Jorge Linares will defend his title against Kevin Mitchell on May 30 in London according to Dab Rafael of espn.com.

In another world title bout on the card, revealed Thursday by Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, featherweight titleholder Evgeny Gradovich will make his mandatory defense against Lee Selby as well as a fight between 2012 Olympic Gold medal winner Anthony Joshua taking on Kevin Johnson.

“This is a huge night for British boxing, and today’s announcement is just the beginning,” said Matchroom Sport Eddie Hearn. “I’m delighted to deliver shots for Kevin and Lee in the U.K. and they have every chance of becoming world champions on May 30.

“Linares is an incredible fighter, a three-weight world ruler, but Kevin has been exceptional with us and I truly believe he is going to do it,” said Hearn, who made a deal for the fight with Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Linares, and avoided a purse bid.

“Lee has been virtually punch-perfect over the last few years, but now it’s his moment against one of the best fighters in the division in Gradovich,” Hearn said.

“Kevin is a big step for Anthony Joshua and signifies his first real challenge in the pro ranks,” Hearn said. “He brings personality and attitude as well as plenty of ring craft. I’m buzzing for this show already, and fans can expect plenty of other major announcements for the card.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Al Haymon’s Premiere Boxing Champions was debut on ESPN on July 11.

The monthly PBC series, which will feature many of the elite fighters from Haymon’s star-studded stable of nearly 200 boxers, will debut on ESPN and ESPN Deportes on July 11 (9 p.m. ET) with a card that is to be announced.

“ESPN has a long history of carrying world-class boxing events and the new ‘Premier Boxing Champions’ series continues our commitment to the sport with premier-level prime-time fights previously only available on premium cable networks,” ESPN president John Skipper said.

“It’s bittersweet because ‘Friday Night Fights’ has been an integral part of boxing for 17 years at ESPN, but this opportunity to bring bigger and better fights to the network has been a long time coming,” said ESPN’s Brian Kweder, an ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions, who is responsible for boxing at the network.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, undefeated Flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez will take on Edgar Sosa in the co-feature on a HBO World Championship boxing double header that will feature Gennady Golovkin’s middleweight title defense against Willie Monroe Jr. at the Forum in Inglewood, California on May 16.

“For a long time we’ve had our eye on bringing ‘Chocolatito’ to our subscribers as we do with any of the fighters considered to be the best in the world,” HBO Sports vice president Peter Nelson told ESPN.com before Tuesday’s news conference at the Forum to announce the card. “Architecting a plan to achieve this came to fruition finally with the vision of Tom Loeffler and Mr. Honda, who saw this opportunity to bring two of the sport’s planetary forces together on one show.”

“My philosophy is to try to provide the best fights for the fans that we can make whether or not the fighters are with K2,” said K2’s Tom Loeffler. “We showed that when he worked with Top Rank to put Nonito Donaire against Nicholas Walters on Gennady’s card [in October]. The opportunity arose to put on Roman Gonzalez and have him in the U.S. on HBO. It is the perfect complement to having Gennady in the main event.

“I think Roman Gonzalez is in the exact same position we were in before Gennady fought on HBO in 2012. He was a hard-core fight fan favorite. A lot of people had seen the Internet videos of him, but nobody had really seen him live. Then he made his HBO debut and he has grown tremendously in popularity. Roman Gonzalez is in the same position now. Once he is able to show the American television audience on HBO what he can do, he is going to become a fan favorite as well.”

“I’m very, very excited about this,” Nelson said. “I think it’s a great fight, which is the linchpin to all of this. But in addition to the quality of the fight there is quality to the card in having both Gennady Golovkin and ‘Chocolatito’ on the same show. It was something that immediately brought lights to the eyes to those we revealed this plan to.”

Former lightweight title holder Juan Diaz tore his rotator cuff in his left shoulder and had to pull out of his May 1 title bout with Takahiro Ao that was set to take place at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas and according to Dan Rafael of espn,.com, Raymundo Beltran will replace Diaz.

“Juan was sparring with a southpaw and he threw the shot and winced in pain,” said Diaz manager Brian Caldwell. “He kept going for the rest of the round but when he came back to the corner he said he hurt his shoulder.

“We did conditioning work the next day and the shoulder was still giving him problems, so he went to the doctor the next day. He ended up seeing three doctors and all three concluded that, after looking at the MRI, he needs surgery. They said his rotator cuff is attached by a thread so it was inevitable that he would have had a complete tear if he continued to use it without getting surgery.”

“I feel bad for Juan because of the effort and time he has put into his comeback. Everything was on track for him to get another world title,” said Carl Moretti, vice president of Diaz promoter Top Rank. “He had really put in the work to get back to the level of being able to fight for a world title again.”

Said Caldwell, “Juan is pretty bummed out but he’s really optimistic. His thoughts are, ‘Let’s have the surgery and recover and get back on track.’ He is definitely not giving up the dream of getting another world title.

“So he’ll be out for about six months. It’s too bad because the fight [with Ao] was a winnable fight. Tell Beltran and Ao that in six to eight months we’re coming for that title.”

Toka Kahn Clary won an 8-round unanimous decision over Edwin Solis in a Super Featherweight bout.

Clary, 127 lbs of Providence, RI won by scores of 78-64 twice and 78-73 and is now 15-0. Solis, 127 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 6-3-3.

Jonathan Barros scored a 6th round stoppage over Sergio Gonzalez in a scheduled 10 round Super Featherweight bout at Club Sportivo Las Parejas, Las Parejas in Santa Fe, Argentina

Barros registered a knockdown in round one, two and six. aIn round six Barros landed a huge flurry and Gonzalez corner threw in the towel at 35 seconds of round six.

Barros, 129 3/4 lbs is now 39-4-4 wuth 22 knockouts. Gonzalez, 129 3/4 lbs is now 27-18-4

Mateo Veron won a 6-round unanimous decision over Guillermo Suarez in a Middleweight bout.

Veron was administered a standing eight count in the first round but came back to win by scores of 57.5 – 56.5, 58-55.5 and 59-57.5.

Veron, 157 lbs is 20-15-2. Suarez, 158 1/2 lbs is 17-4.

Former world champion Fernando Montiel won a 10 round unanimous decision over Rogelio Doliguez in a Featherweight bout at Auditorio Municipal Fausto Gutiérrez Moreno in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.

Montiel scored two knockdowns in round one and another in the next round. Doliguez was also deducted a point in round seven from a headbutt.

Montiel, 126 lbs won by scores of 99-88 on all cards and is now 54-4-2. Doliguez, 126 lbs is now 19-3-2.

Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr. scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Luis Melendez in a Super Bantamweight bout.

Sanchez, 122 lbs won by scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91 and is now 20-3-1. Melendez, 122 1/2 lbs is now 41-10-1.

Sergey Kovalev retained the IBF/WBA/WBO Light Heavyweight titles with an exciting 8th round stoppage over former champion Jean Pascal at Bell Centre in Montreal.

After Pascal landed two hard right hands in round three, Kovalev landed a big left hook that rocked Pascal. At the end of the round, Kovalev landed a huge right that slumped Pascal in between the ropes for a knockdown. It was the first time Pascal has been down as a pro.

In round eight, Kovalev rocked Pascal with a right hand but the two became tangled up and Kovalev tripped to the canvas. While referee Luis Pabon was tending to Kovalev, Pascal wobbled into the corner. When the fight resumed, Kovalev drilled Pascal with two hard right hands and the fight was stopped at 1:03.

Kovalev, 174 1/2 lbs of Russia is now 27-0-1 with 24 knockouts. Pascal, 175 lbs of Montreal is now 29-3-1.

Vyacheslav Glazkov won a controversial unanimous decision over Steve Cunningham in an IBF Heavyweight elimination bout.

Cunningham threw and and landed more punches but somehow the judges saw Glazkov as the winner by scores of 116-112 twice and 115-113.

Glazkov, 219 1/2 lbs of Ukraine is now 20-0-1. Cunningham, 209 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia is now 28-7.

Isaac Chilemba won a 10-round unanimous decision over Vasily Lepikhin in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Chilemba, 175 lbs of South Africa won by scores of 100-90 and 99-91 twice and is now 24-1-1. Lepikhin, 175 lbs of Russia is now 17-1.

Ricardo Rodriguez scored a 7th round stoppage over Jonathan Vidal in a scheduled 10-round Bantamweight bout at the A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa, Florida.

Rodriguez scored a knockdown in round five and continued to pressure and land on Vidal until the bout was stopped at 3:00 of round seven.

Rodriguez, 118 lbs of Mexico is now 11-2 with 4 knockouts. Vidal, 118 lbs of Puerto Rico is now 18-4.

Daniel Rosario scored a 3rd round stoppage over Alphonso Black in a scheduled 6-round Super Welterweight bout

Black dropped Rosario in round one from a right hand. Rosario came back to rock Black at the end of round two. Rosario ended things after a huge flurry on the ropes had Black on the ropes and the bout was stopped at 2:56 of round two.

Rosario, 152 3/4 lbs is now 10-1 with 9 knockouts. Black, 151 lbs is 8-2-1.

Sergey Lipinets stopped veteran Cosme Rivera in round nine of their scheduled 10-round Super Lightweight bout.

Lipinets dropped Rivera with a booming right hand and the bout was stopped at 2:59 of round nine.

Lipinets, 139 3/4 lbs is 6-0 with 5 knockouts. Rivera, 139 1/4 lbs is 37-20-3.

Andre Berto scored a 6th round stoppage over Josesito Lopez in a scheduled 12-round Welterweight bout.

Berto scored a knockdown in round six from a hard right hand. Bert finished the fight a moment later when he jumped on Lopez and landed a flurry that sent Lopez down for a second time and the fight was immediately stopped at 1:03 of round six. Lopez boxed well and was ahead on all three judges scorecards.

Berto, 146 lbs of Winter Haven, FL is 30-3. Lopez, 146 1/4 lbs of Riverside, CA is 33-7.

Chris Arreola won an entertaining 8-round unanimous decision in a Heavyweight bout over Curtis Harper

Arreola dropped Harper in round one with a hard three-punch combo.

Arreola, 262.3 lbs won by scores of 78-73, 77-74 and 76-75 and is now 36-4. Harper, 265.2 lbs of Jacksonville, FLA is 12-4.

Shawn Porter stopped late replacement Erick Bone in round five of a scheduled 10-round Welterweight bout.

It was a tough and close fight for the first four rounds until Porter blooded the nose of Bone and preceded to drop Bone three times in round five. The final blow coming from a left hook that sent Bone down for referee Jack Reiss’s 10 count at 2:30 of round five.

Porter, 146.7 lbs of Akron, OH is 25-1-1 with 16 knockouts. Bone, 149 lbs of Ecuador is 16-2.