PLANT CITY, Florida (November 3, 2022):  $50,000 cash is on the line in ProBox TV’s 140 lb. “Last Chance” Tournament Championship. The tourney final will take place this Friday, November 4, at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida and will be streamed live at PROBOXTV.com and the ProBox TV app beginning at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT

In the co-featured bout, WBO Latino Lightweight Champion Juan Huertas will defend his title against Miguel Madueno (ten-rounds).

Tickets, starting at $50, are on sale and available at EventBrite.com – click HERE

The Last Chance Tournament kicked off on May 20 with eight combatants who were chosen based on having a top amateur trajectory, where fate had not been on the side of their once promising professional careers.  On August 4 was whittled to the two who battle for the title THIS FRIDAY November 4:

ProBox TV Last Chance 140 lb. Championship – 10 Rounds

Kendo Castañeda 140 lbs. (19-5, 9 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas vs. 

Antonio “Toño” Moran 140.2 lbs. (28-5-1, 19 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico

The rest of the card

WBO Latino Lightweight Championship – 10 rounds

Juan “El Olympico” Huertas 134.6 lbs. (16-3, 12 KOs) from 24 de Diciembre, Panama

Miguel. “Explosivo” Madueno 135 lbs. (27-0, 25 KOs) originally from Guasave, Sinaloa, MX

Super Featherweights – 6 Rounds

Carlos Rosario 133.6 lbs. (5-0, 3 KOs) Fajardo, Puerto Rico   vs.

Ezequiel Borrero 136 lbs. (5-0, 2 KOs) Las Vegas, NV

Super Featherweights – 6 rounds

Dominic Valle 129.2 lbs. (4-0, 4 KOs) Lutz, FL   vs.

Jose Meza 130.4 lbs. (8-7, 2 KOs) Durango, Mexico

“Being in the tournament has been a good opportunity to rise as a fighter,” said Moran. “Being able to qualify and win to reach the final has been an awesome experience and it has kept me training practically all year. I have been preparing very well and that has made me ready for any moment. I think that Castaneda is a fighter who comes forward and is aggressive, so you must box him. He’s going to come in with his same fighting style and he’s going to try and pick me up at close range, but I’ll handle it. In the first four rounds I will look for the knockout, but if I don’t get it, I will box him because there is no other way. I’m going to do the fight my way, connecting with quick combinations and moving around the ring.

“I’m always ready to fight, so I actually do not vision this as my last chance,” said Castaneda regarding being in the tournament. “There has been some pressure to win to move on, but it’s been so much fun more than anything.  Moran thinks he will knock me out in 5?    I think nothing of Moran, esta pendejo, but it will be a Mexican war for as long as it lasts, and I am ready for 32 rounds. Moran will be running into a brick wall and eventually he falls. The referee stops it, or his corner stops it.”

Juan “El Olympico” Huertas (16-3, 12 KOs) from 24 de Diciembre, Panama, won the WBO Latino title on June 17, 2022 via first round TKO. Miguel. “Explosivo” Madueno (27-0, 25 KOs) originally from Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, has gone the distance only three times (two decision wins and one decision loss) and has never fought for a title of any kind, until Friday.

For more info on this tournament, click here https://proboxtv.com/140-lbs-tournament/en

Get the ProBox TV App HERE

Follow ProBox TV at https://twitter.com/ProBox_TV and https://www.youtube.com/c/ProBoxTV

For more ProBox TV info click here https://proboxtv.com/what-is-probox-tv/en

PLANT CITY, Florida (November 3, 2022):  A $50,000 bonus check will be on the line in ProBox TV’s 140 lb. “Last Chance Tournament Championship. The tourney final will take place this Friday, November 4, at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida (Tampa suburb) and will be streamed live at PROBOXTV.com and the ProBox TV app beginning at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT

Tickets, starting at $50, are on sale and available at EventBrite.com – click HERE

The Last Chance Tournament kicked off on May 20 with eight combatants who were chosen based on having a top amateur trajectory, where fate had not been on the side of their once promising professional careers.  On August 4 was whittled to the two who battle for the title THIS FRIDAY November 4:

• Kendo Castañeda (19-5, 9 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas vs. 
• Antonio “Toño” Moran (28-5-1, 19 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico

In the August 4 semi-finals, Kendo “Tremendous” Castaneda beat Joseph Fernandez in what Paulie Malignaggi called a Fight of the Year candidate; and Antonio Moran won by virtual shutout against Michael Dutchover.

“Being in the tournament has been a good opportunity to rise as a fighter,” said Moran. “Being able to qualify and win to reach the final has been an awesome experience. It has kept me training practically all year. I have been preparing very well and that has made me ready for any moment. I think that Castaneda is a fighter who comes forward and is aggressive, so you must box him. He’s going to come in with his same fighting style and he’s going to try and pick me up at close range, but I’ll handle it. In the first four rounds I will look for the knockout, but if I don’t get it, I will outbox him. I’m going to do the fight my way, connecting with quick combinations and moving around the ring.

“I’m always ready to fight, so I actually do not vision this as my last chance,” said Castaneda regarding being in the tournament. “There has been some pressure to win to move on, but it’s been so much fun more than anything.  Moran thinks he will knock me out in 5?    I think nothing of Moran, esta pendejo, but it will be a Mexican war for as long as it lasts, and I am ready for 32 rounds. Moran will be running into a brick wall and eventually he falls. The referee stops it, or his corner stops it.”

In the May 20 quarters, former WBO Latino and WBA Fedecentro Welterweight Champion Moran beat Jeffrey Torres (10-2, 6 KOs) via unanimous decision, while “West Texas Warrior” Dutchover defeated Clarence Booth (21-5, 13 KOs) by split decision. In the other quarters, Castañeda scored a first-round knockout victory over Sonny Frederickson (21-6, 14 KOs), while Fernandez upset Zhiming Wang (11-4, 3 KOs) via unanimous decision.

A ProBox TV monthly subscription is $1.99.

ProBox TV was founded by Roy Jones Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez, Antonio Tarver, Paulie Malignaggi and Garry Jonas. Miguel Cotto recently joined the team.  As always, the ‘Big 4’ will be calling the action from ringside. 

For more info on this tournament, click here https://proboxtv.com/140-lbs-tournament/en

Get the ProBox TV App HERE

Follow ProBox TV at https://twitter.com/ProBox_TV and https://www.youtube.com/c/ProBoxTV

For more ProBox TV info click here https://proboxtv.com/what-is-probox-tv/en

LOS ANGELES, CA (November 2, 2022) – Thompson Boxing’s undefeated lightweight star, Ruben “Ace” Torres (19-0, 16 KOs), from South Central, Los Angeles, is back in action on November 26, 2022, when he steps in the ring with Eduardo Estela (13-1, 9 KOs), of Montevideo, Uruguay. The fight is presented by MarvNation and produced by Legendz Entertainment live on Pay-Per-View. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased HERE.

Torres vs. Estela, a scheduled 8-round bout, will take place at ‘The War Grounds’, Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA. The main event will showcase Jose ‘Chon’ Zepeda (35-2, 27 KO’s) of LaPuente, CA vs. #2 ranked, former World Champion Regis ‘Rougarou’ Prograis (27-1, 23 KOs) of New Orleans, for the vacant WBC Super Lightweight world title.

“This is a big fight for me, and I plan to take full advantage of the opportunity,” said Torres. “I know Estela is hungry to make a name for himself so I’m well aware of the task at hand, I must dictate the action from the opening bell. At this point in my career, every fight is life or death. This will be my first time fighting outside of my Thompson Boxing family, and I’m going to represent my promoter with a great performance.”

Torres’ knockout of Cristian Baez (18-2, 17 KOs) in his last fight went viral, and he hopes to build on that momentum. Torres has knocked out 9 of his last 10 opponents.

“I feel my power has improved with each fight as I’m getting more comfortable sitting on my punches,” continued Torres. “Every day I train, I’m working on some aspect of throwing a power punch. All the hard work will be on display on November 26th.”

Making his U.S.A. debut, Eduardo Estela has nothing to lose and promises to bring forth an entertaining fight. He believes Torres is not on his level and plans to upset him in his hometown.

“I saw a lot of weaknesses in Torres when he fought Baez,” stated Estela. “I have confidence in my ability to execute the game plan my trainer and I put together. This will be the first time I’ll be fighting in the United States, so this is my chance to prove to the world that I’m an elite fighter. A victory will catapult me to bigger fights down the road. I will not let this opportunity pass me by. I’m fighting for all my countrymen back home. Torres is in for a rude awakening.”

“We believe Ruben Torres has all the ingredients to become a world champion,” said Alex Camponovo, General Manager for Thompson Boxing. “This is a very dangerous opponent, and a win against Estela will certainly help Torres climb the rankings.” 

STOCKTON, Calif. (Nov. 2, 2022): Toscano Boxing Promotions returns on December 17 as middleweight warrior Quilisto Madera (13-3, 9 KOs) takes on Hector Manuel Zepeda (21-5, 7 KOs) in an eight-round main event at the Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium in Stockton, California. 

The fight will headline a full card of action that will be streamed live on FightHype. 

“We’re ready to close the year with an action-packed show,” said Jorge Toscano, CEO and Founder of Toscano Boxing Promotions. “Quilisto Madera is a hometown favorite who has developed a reputation for delivering exciting, action-packed fights. We’ll also have local favorites Manuel Jaimes, Ector Madera, Irving Xilohua and many more. We expect a packed house at the Civic Auditorium.” 

Madera is a 30-year-old native of Stockton, California who has fought as a professional since October of 2014. In his last nationally televised fight, he faced Jose Armando Resendiz in a back-and-forth brawl that saw him lose via a controversial split decision in April of 2021. Madera then returned later that year to stop Roberto Vazquez via third-round technical knockout and is now ready to headline in front of a hometown crowd. 

Zepeda is a 25-year-old native of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico who has been in the ring with fighters such as Sebastian Fundora, Carlos Molina and Steven Butler. Despite being younger than Madera, Zepeda is very experienced and the style matchup promises to make this fight a toe-to-toe war.

In the co-main event, Manuel Jaimes (12-1-1, 10 KOs) of Stockton, California looks to bounce back from his only loss in an eight-round lightweight battle against Ricardo Lopez Torres (16-5-3, 11 KOs). Jaimes is a slick boxer who has also been able to show knockout power. He’ll look to regain momentum in this fight as he begins to climb the rankings in a very stacked division. 

The following undercard bouts are also scheduled to take place:

·      Arturo Popoca (5-0-1, 4 KOs) of Riverside, California will take on Alexis De Luna (10-0, 5 KOs) of Bakersfield, California in a six-round battle between undefeated prospects. 

·      Giovannie Gonzalez (15-6-1, 12 KOs) of Stockton, California will clash against Marco Cardenas (8-7-1, 4 KOs) in a six-round lightweight bout.

·      Ector Madera (10-0, 6 KOs) of Stockton, California will put his undefeated record on the line in a six-round welterweight battle.

·      Kenneth Lopez (6-0, 3 KOs) of Ceres, California returns in a four-round super middleweight tilt.

·      Felix Soria (4-0, 2 KOs) of Riverside, California will participate in a four-rounder in the welterweight division. 

·      Irving Xilohua (3-0, 2 KOs) of Stockton, California faces of against Jesus Arturo Guzman (8-8, 5 KOs) in a four-round super bantamweight fight.

Opponents for Madera, Lopez and Soria will be announced shortly.

# # #

Madera vs. Zepeda is an eight-round middleweight fight presented by Toscano Boxing Promotions. The event will take place on Saturday, December 17 at the Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium in Stockton, California. The event will be streamed live on FightHype.

Tickets for Madera vs. Zepeda are on sale now and start at $50, excluding applicable services charges. Tickets are available for purchase at Ticketon.com or by clicking here.

Credentials: Media interested in attending Madera vs. Zepeda must be pre-approved for media credentials. The credential application is available HERE. The deadline for submitting the media application is Monday, December 12 at 5:00 p.m. PT.

About Toscano Boxing Promotions  

Toscano Boxing Promotions is a promotional company based out of Stockton, California that was founded by Jorge Toscano in 2018. The company has hosted events both in the United States and in Mexico, including the 2021 battle between Anderson Silva and Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. The Toscano Boxing stable includes rising stars Damian Sosa, Manuel Jaimes, Jose Alvarado, Jose Carrillo and more. 

NEW YORK (November 1, 2022) -Seven Split-T Management fighters had their hand raised in fights throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.

Wednesday night in Puerto Rico, Willito Ortiz stopped Bryan Rodriguez in the opening round of their super lightweight bout. Ortiz landed some hard shots that put Rodriguez to the canvas. Rodriguez had enough as he sat on his knee and took the full count of 10 at 2;05.

Ortiz of Bayamon, Puerto Rico is 1-0 with one knockout.

Photo By Golden Boy / Tom Hogan

Saturday in San Diego, Asa Stevens remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous over Mychaquel Shields in a super bantamweight bout.

Stevens of Waianae, Hawaii won by scores of 40-35 on all cards, and is now 3-0. Shields was making his pro debut.

Stevens is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

Saturday in New York, two Split-T prospects remained undefeated with impressive victories.

Photo By Mikey Williams / Top Rank

Haven Brady Jr. moved up to eight-rounds and won a unanimous decision over Eric Mondragon in a junior lightweight contest.

Brady of Albany, Georgia won by tallies of 79-73 twice and 8-74 to raise his record to 8-0. Mondragon of Maywood, California is 8-1-1,

Photo By Mikey Williams / Top Rank

On the same card at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden and streamed on ESPN+, 2021 United States Olympian, Tiger Johnson pitched a shutout and won a six-round unanimous decision over Esteban Garcia in a junior welterweight bout,

Johnson of Cleveland, Ohio won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 6-0. Garcia of Brawley, California is 15-2.

Photo By Darryl Cobb Jr.

In Philadelphia, heavyweight Sonny Conto remained undefeated with a second round stoppage in a scheduled six-round main event at the 2300 Arena.

Bryant shot right out of his corner, and went after Conto. The Philadelphia native engaged in a back and forth brawl and dropped Bryant with a hard left hand just before the bell sounded to end the opening frame. In round two, Conto continued to pound away until Bryant was weary, and the fight was stopped by the corner at 2:13.

Conto of Philadelphia is now 11-0 with nine knockouts. Bryant of Pittsburgh is 6-2.

Brady, Johnson and Conto are promoted by Top Rank.

In Milwaukee, two more Split-T fighters got victories on a card at The Tripoli Shrine Center.

Rolando Vargas of Milwaukee moved to 8-1 with a split decision win over Charles Garner (6-2) in a junior welterweight bout.

Javier Zamarron made an explosive pro debut with an opening round knockout of Ahmond Rayshaun Oates in a featherweight bout.

Zamarron of Sheboygan, Wisconsin dropped Oates three times before the fight was finally halted in the opening frame.

SACRAMENTO, CA (November 1, 2022) – Luis Fernando Saavedra (9-7, 3 KOs) of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, has big plans to upset Eros Correa (12-1, 8 KOs), of San Jose, Ca, when the two meet this Saturday in the 10-round bantamweight main event on Thompson Boxing’s “New Blood” card.

“New Blood” will take place at Omega Products International in Sacramento, CA. Doors open at 5:30 pm PT with the first fight starting at 7:00 pm PT. Tickets are priced $50, $75, $100, and $125 are available for purchase by calling 714-935-0900 or online at www.thompsonboxing.com. Fight fans will be able to watch all Thompson Boxing fights, weigh-ins, and behind-the-scenes content, via their new Mobile App downloadable on Apple and Google.

Here is what Saavedra had to say about his recent training camp, his matchup with Correa, fighting in California, and more.

On his recent training camp:

“I’ve had a full training camp, which in my career has not been all that often, so given the amount of time and preparation I have had, I know I am ready. I trained so hard that I know I’ll be able to go the full twelve rounds with ease. My plan is to get the stoppage before the final bell rings.” 

On his matchup with Correa:

“He is a good boxer and very respectful. I think he knows that he is in for a tough fight and that since 2018, no one has had an easy fight with me. I think he will look to box, but I have trained hard to maintain a fast, explosive pace that will force him to fight me or fatigue. Either way, I know the fans are in for a good show based on this match-up. I won’t let him make this a boring fight, as I’ll be coming at him with a ton of pressure.”

On what a win will do for his career:

“My record doesn’t look great, but I have some big wins against some good fighters. Beating a top guy like Eros Correa gives me a chance to lands some bigger fights. I feel with the proper training I can compete with the best fighters in the world. I’m looking to win this fight and move on to bigger and better bouts.”

On fighting in Northern California:

“This will be my first time fighting north of Los Angeles so I’m hoping the fans are just a loud as they are in Southern California. I am sure he will have a lot of fans in attendance but fighting at home can create a lot of pressure. I intend to stress him out and make him uncomfortable in front of his friends and family. If he underestimates me, his in trouble.”

This event is sponsored by HUSTLER Casino, LA’s only luxury casino; Thompson Building Materials, Transforming spaces into beautiful places; Omega Products International, The leading stucco manufacturer in the United States; Belgard, Paves the way; and Makita, Rule the outdoors.

“New Blood” will stream live for free on the Thompson Boxing Promotions website (www.thompsonboxing.com), as well as their Facebook and

 YouTube pages.

For more information, and regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please visit ThompsonBoxing.com. You can also follow the conversation on social media, please use #ThompsonBoxing.

The Boxing world is mourning the passing of manager Rich Masini. Masini of Holmdel, New Jersey passed away on Sunday after battling an illness.

Masini was 56 years-old and was a fixture on the New Jersey / Pennsylvania boxing circuit. He managed fighters such as heavyweight John Lennox, super middleweight Gabriel Pham, cruiserweight Jaywon Woods, junior welterweight’s Anthony “Juice” Young and Danny Murray.

Masini also helped a lot of local promoters put on shows.

“I was introduced to Rich Masini through a mutual friend Paul Pape in 2011 at the Paul Williams vs Erislandy Lara fight at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, his Heavyweight Boxer John “The Breed” Lennox was fighting on the undercard. I had Anthony “Juice” Young attending with me that night. Rich and I spoke about me training John Lennox and Rich managing Anthony Young’s career. From there we began a friendship as well as a partnership working together to develop and guide the careers of “The Breed” John Lennox, Anthony “Juice” Young, Jaywon Woods, Gabriel Pham and Dan Murray. Rich Masini was a hard working and passionate manager that believed wholeheartedly in his fighters and would go the extra mile to help them in and out of the ring. His presence and voice will be dearly missed in our boxing community. My prayers and condolences go out to his wife Joanne and his son Richie and his entire family during this time of great loss.,” said Ray McCline, President of The Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame and confidant to Masini

“Rich was one of a kind and a great friend and mentor. He will be deeply missed around the boxing world,” said middleweight contender / promoter Thomas LaManna.

There will be a public viewing for Masini which will take place this Friday at the Paul Ippolito Berkely Memorial (646 Springfield Ave, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922) between 4 PM and 8 PM.

Masini is survived by his wife Joanne and five children

MINNEAPOLIS – November 1, 2022 – A jam-packed three-bout lineup of exciting undercard attractions featuring a longtime contender, a former unified world champion and a pair of unbeatens will stream live on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page this Saturday, November 5 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from The Armory in Minneapolis preceding SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.

The SHOWTIME Boxing COUNTDOWN show, hosted by award-winning MORNING KOMBAT podcast hosts, Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell, starts at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT and is topped by longtime contender Andre Dirrell matched tough in a 10-round light heavyweight clash against hard-hitting Yunieski Gonzalez. The action also includes former unified champion Julian “J-Rock” Williams taking on Argentina’s Rolando Mansilla in an eight-round middleweight affair, plus unbeatens Kent Cruz and Enriko Gogokhia will duel in an eight-round super lightweight rematch of their split-draw in February kicking off the streaming presentation.

The streaming fights lead into SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT headlined by WBA Super Middleweight Champion and Minneapolis fan-favorite David Morrell Jr. looking to thrill his hometown crowd against unbeaten mandatory challenger Aidos Yerbossynuly.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Warriors Boxing, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Armory at http://ArmoryMN.com/ and through Ticketmaster.

A bronze medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games, Dirrell (28-3, 18 KOs) rose to the top of the super middleweight division during an impressive run in his career that included a victory over  then-unbeaten Arthur Abraham and decision defeats to Carl Froch and James DeGale. The Flint, Michigan-native has won back-to-back fights via knockout since moving up to light heavyweight, stopping Christopher Brooker most recently in July 2021. He takes on Cuba’s Gonzalez (21-4, 17 KOs), who has challenged top light heavyweights including Gilberto Ramirez, Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Jean Pascal. Now fighting out of Miami, Gonzalez won three-straight bouts before losing to Ramirez in a December 2021 slugfest.

Philadelphia’s Williams (27-3-1, 16 KOs) became a unified world champion at 154-pounds in May 2019 when he upset Jarrett Hurd in one of the year’s best fights, winning a close-quarters brawl by unanimous decision. The 32-year-old dropped the titles in his first defense, losing to Jeison Rosario in January 2020, before coming up on the short end of a narrow decision to Vladimir Hernandez in October 2021. He will take on Mansilla of Parana, Entre Rios, Argentina, Mansilla , who looks to rebound from back-to-back defeats against Cesar Mateo Tapia in May and Derrick Colemon Jr. in September. Mansilla (18-11-1, 8 KOs) has fought professionally since 2013 and was unbeaten in his first 11 fights.

The 29-year-old Cruz (16-0-2, 10 KOs) and 31-year-old Gogokhia (13-0-1, 8 KOs) fought to a split draw in their February clash, with Cruz hitting the canvas twice, as they both look to leave no doubt in the rematch. The St. Louis-native Cruz had bounced back from a 2018 draw to Carlos Mohamed Rodriguez with triumphs over Travis Hartman and Erik Humberto Castillo before the Gogokhia fight. A former kickboxing pro, Gogokhia is a native of Georgia but now resides stateside in Woodland Hills, California and had stopped five consecutive opponents before facing Cruz.

The non-televised undercard will also include unbeaten super featherweight Demler Zamora (9-0, 8 KOs) battling Texas-native Clay Burns (10-13-2, 4 KOs) in a six-round fight and unbeaten Cuban prospect Yoenis Tellez (2-0, 2 KOs) in a six-round super welterweight attraction against California’s Dario Guerrero-Meneses (1-2-1).

Rounding out the lineup is Kazakhstan’s Ablaikhan Zhussupov (2-0, 1 KO) facing Arkansas-native Demarcus Layton (8-3-1, 5 KOs) in a six-round welterweight bout, a four-round super featherweight duel between Jose Perez (10-1-2, 4 KOs) and Angel Luna (15-11-1, 8 KOs) and welterweight prospect Maximus Garland (2-0, 2 KOs) in a four-round contest taking on Alex Cortez.

#         #        #

ABOUT MORRELL JR. VS. YERBOSSYNULY

Morrell Jr. vs. Yerbossynuly will see unbeaten WBA Super Middleweight Champion and Minneapolis fan-favorite David Morrell Jr. return to action against undefeated mandatory challenger Aidos Yerbossynuly in a 12-round duel that headlines live on SHOWTIME Saturday, November 5 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from The Armory in Minneapolis.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will begin at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features former unified champion Jeison Rosario taking on veteran contender Brian Mendoza in a 10-round middleweight attraction in the co-main event, plus unbeaten middleweight Fiodor Czerkaszyn battles the hard-hitting Nathaniel Gallimore in the 10-round telecast opener.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow #MorrellYerbossynuly, follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotions, on Instagram @ShowtimeBoxing, @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotionss or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ShowtimeBoxing.

LAVAL, Quebec, Canada – November 1, 2022 — We are exactly one month away from the great IRRESISTIBLE II boxing evening which will be presented at Place Bell in Laval on December 1. We know that the main fight will feature two world champions who will try to unify their belts while Quebecer and WBC world champion Kim Clavel (16-0, 3 KOs) will face the WBA champion of Mexico City Yesica Nery Plata (28-2, 3 KOs).

It has already been announced that WBC Continental Americas champion Mazlum Akdeniz (17-0, 8 KOs) will face Philadelphia American Samuel “Tsunami” Teah (18-4-1, 8 KOs). .) in a semi-final that promises a lot.

A fight that is likely to steal the show is that of Marie-Pier Houle (7-0-1, 2 K.-O.) from Terrebonne against Olivia “The Predator” Gerula (19-19-3, 3 K.- O.) of Winnipeg. It’s a first 8 career rounds for the Quebecer against the former WBC world champion. Indeed, Gerula was world champion from 2009 to 2010 and she has experience of 10 world championship fights (3-7). Among her opponents, we find the great champions Jelena Mrdjenovich and Amanda Serrano. In her last fight, last October, she upset world contender Logan Holler (9-2-1, 3 KOs) by unanimous decision. Marie-Pier is very excited by this confrontation: “This fight comes at the right time in my career. I just cracked the world rankings and a win could get me a lot closer to a possible world championship fight at welterweight. You can be sure that I will be motivated and ready when the bell rings! »

The three other fights on the program will allow three future great stars of professional boxing from home to fight their first career 6-round fight. Brilliant Olympian Caroline Veyre (1-0) will meet Puerto Vallarta’s Estefania Gonzalez Franco (3-5) in featherweight. This will be Franco’s second fight in Quebec.

Montreal’s skillful Derek Pomerleau (3-0, 2 KOs) will face Guadalajara’s Gustavo Magana Rodriguez (3-1-1, 1 KOs) in middleweight and the talented and former member of Canada’s national team Eric Basran (2-0, 1 KO) of Vancouver will face Juan Carlos Ramirez Garcia (4-2) of Mexico City.

Tickets will be available on www.evenko.ca and for groups info@groupeyvonmichel.ca

You can get a ticket for the modest sum of $40, taxes included or VIP tables on the floor for six people including a gourmet meal and wine for $3,500 and $4,500 plus taxes, the number is limited. The event is therefore accessible to all!

Los Angeles, CA (November 1, 2022) An outstanding Pay-Per-View undercard has been announced for ‘Battle of the Best’ headlined by the highly anticipated WBC Super Lightweight Championship between #1 Ranked Jose ‘Chon’ Zepeda (35-2, 27 KOs) and #2 Ranked Regis ‘Rougarou’ Prograis (27-1, 23 KO’s), set for Saturday, November 26 and emanating from ‘The War Grounds’, Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA, just outside of Los Angeles, CA.

Presented and produced by Legendz Entertainment in association with Marv Nation, tickets for ‘Battle of the Best’, starting at $39 for the live event can be purchased online at AXS.com. Dignity Health Sports Park is located at 18400 Avalon Blvd, Carson, CA 90746.

Zepeda vs. Prograis can be seen live on cable, satellite, telco and streaming PPV outlets on Saturday, November 26 beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT. Fans can order the PPV stream on FITE TV at https://www.fite.tv/watch/zepeda-vs-prograis/2pc6z/ or on PPV.COM at https://www.ppv.com.

With the international boxing world witnessing extraordinary women’s world championship bouts throughout this year, the tremendous momentum continues as fast-rising female superstar Yokasta ‘Yoka’ Valle, (26-2, 9 KO’s), of San Jose, Costa Rica battles undefeated world champion Evelyn ‘La Princesita’ Bermudez, (17-0-1, 6 KOs), of Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina for the WBC and WBO Super Flyweight World Titles over ten scheduled rounds.

Fighting in the junior middleweight division, undefeated contender, 2016 U.S. Olympian Charles ‘Bad News’ Conwell, (17-0, 13 KOs), of Cleveland, OH, who many experts believe will soon be the division’s upcoming king, faces his toughest opposition against upset minded, Dominican Juan Carlos Abreu, (25-6-1, 23 KOs) in a ten-round fight.

2020 Olympic Gold Medalist Bakhodir ‘The Big Uzbek’ Jalolov, (11-0, 11 KOs), standing 6’7”and considered the dominant heavyweight of the future, faces off against veteran Curtis Harper, (14-8, 9 KOs), of Jacksonville, FL over ten rounds.

In a special attraction super welterweight six rounder, boxing fans will see the ‘Son of a Legend’, sure-fire prospect Fernando Vargas Jr. (6-0, 6 KOs), open the Pay-Per-View against an opponent to be announced. The heavy-handed southpaw makes his return following a devastating first round knockout of Terrance Jarmon on May 14, 2022 at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles, CA.

The charismatic Yokasta Valle first achieved championship level success with a victory over Ana Victoria Polo in 2016 earning the IBF Atomweight World Title. Most recently she triumphantly returned home to San Jose, Costa Rica, defeating Thi Thu Nhi Nguyen and adding the WBO Minimumweight World Title to her collection. Fighting for the fourth time in 2022, Evelin Bermudez defended her IBF and WBO Junior Flyweight Titles successfully against Yairineth Altuve on July 23, 2022 in San Lorenzo, Argentina.

The 24-year-old all-action Charles Conwell hits The War Grounds ring on November 26 following a third-round knockout of Abraham Juarez Ramirez on June 2, 2022. Battle-tested veteran Juan Carlos Abreu is back in action following a second-round knockout of Emilio Julio on August 12, 2022. On October 29, 2021, Abreu traveled to the United Kingdom knocking out highly touted and undefeated Kazak prospect Tursynbay Kulakhmet in the seventh round.

Bakhodir Jalolov’s reputation as a future heavyweight champion has been strongly validated through his first eleven professional bouts all ending in knockout fashion. In his last start on June 10, 2022, he stopped Jack Mulowayi in the eighth round. This followed up a fifth-round stoppage of Kamil Sokolowski on March 18, 2022 in Dubai. At the 2020 Olympic Games, Jalolov defeated Richard Torrez in the final round to earn the Gold Medal in the Super Heavyweight Division. The confident Curtis Harper enters the battle with Jalolov following a dominant victory over previously unbeaten Christian Thun on July 9, 2022.

QUINCY, Mass. (November 1, 2022) – Located on the scenic shores of the Connecticut River, Springfield (MA) is known as home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as well as birthplace of the famed author Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss).

Boxing promoter Chris Traietti, president of Granite Chin Promotions, believes the Western Massachusetts city has the potential to be much more, particularly when it concerns professional boxing as a  relatively untapped market for prospects, because it is loaded with top-notch gyms, coaches and, of course, athletes.

Traietti is so sure that his company’s first promotion there November 19^th -“Springfield Championship Boxing” – is a sure signal for the immediate future as opposed to simply a one-and-done event in a new market.

A pair of 8-round title fights for vacant Massachusetts State Championships, both featuring local favorites, will certainly draw the spotlight. Undefeated Holyoke welterweight prospect Denzel “Double Impact” Whitley (9-0, 5 KOs) takes on Kris Jacobs (5-2-1, 2 KOs), of Fall River (MA), while unbeaten Pittsfield’ light heavyweight Steve Sumpter (6-0, 6 KOs) throws-down with Edet “Papito” Mkpanam (8-0, 7 KOs), of New Bedford (MA).

Completing the Western Mass. talent tripleheader is Pittsfield super welterweight Carlos Castillo (5-0, 3 KOs), 24,  who will be in action versus Travis “Gambi” Gambardella (7-2-2, 3 KOs), of Revere (MA), in a 6-round super welterweight bout.

“The Springfield area is loaded with talent and passionate boxing fans,” Traietti said.” I am excited to be finally putting on a huge event in the area. It took a little longer than I wanted to, but I had to make sure all the pieces were in place and now they are. This card is going to be loaded with both professional and amateur talent from the area in tough matchups. There’s no ‘fluff’ on this card. From top to bottom, amateur to professional, all of these fights are tough match ups. I can’t wait to come back to do more events, so far this show has been a blast putting together. The plan is by the end of 2023, I want Granite Chin to be in the forefront of the boxing scene in Western Massachusetts.”

Also fighting on the undercard in 4-rounders is Springfield super featherweight Isiah Cruz (4-0, 2 KOs) vs. Mexican challenger Pablo Batres (10-22-1, 3 KOs), in addition to Springfield lightweight Carlos Gonzalez (2-0, 2 KOs) vs. pro-debuting Mathew McGee, of Fairfield, Maine.

Card is subject to change.

Tickets range between $203.00 and $48.00 and are available to purchase online at https://www.massmutualcenter.com/events/detail/springfield-championship-boxing

Doors open at 6 p.m. ET, first bout at 7 p.m. ET.

Tampa, FL (October 31, 2022) – Fire Fist Boxing Promotions’ Yamaguchi “The Problem” Falcao and Willian “Babyface” Silva scored impressive victories Saturday, October 29 in Lowell, MA.

The card was promoted by Reyes Boxing Promotions as part of their “Down and Dirty” fight series. Falcao and Silva are promoted by Fire Fist Boxing Promotions.

Falcao retained his NABA Gold, WBC Latino and WBC Feconsur super middleweight titles with a dominant ten round decision victory over veteran Alex Tehran. Falcao, a native of Brazil who resides in Florida, battered the game Tehran from bell to bell.

Scores were 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 for Falcao, who improved to 23-1-1 with 9 wins by knockout.

Lightweight Willian “Babyface” Silva returned with a bang, scoring three knockdowns in the first round before unleashing a perfect straight right hand to knock out Carlos Gaston Suarez at the end of round two. In 2018, Suarez went four rounds against future unified champion and top 10 pound for pound fighter Murodjon “MJ” Akhmadaliev.

Silva, 29-4 (17 KO’s), looked like a brand-new fighter as he reentered the lightweight division.

“Yama and Willian looked great,” said Jody Caliguire of Fire Fist Boxing Promotions. “Yama really laid a beating on Tehran and I thought he was going to retire on his stool but I give him credit for going the full ten rounds. Willian and (head trainer) Jim McLaughlin focused this camp on fighting more aggressively. He’s a completely different fighter than the one many fight fans remember seeing in some high profile fights at 135 and 140.”

Falcao and Silva’s next fights will be announced shortly.

For more information on Fire Fist Boxing Promotions, visit Firefistboxing.net 

LOS ANGELES, CA – Harlan J. Werner, longtime sports agent of the late Muhammad Ali, today announced he has decided to part ways with his entire personal collection of incredible Ali memorabilia. The impressive collection will be available through his new venture, The Memorabilia Network, currently for auction at www.tmnauctions.com.  In addition to Werner’s collection, also included will be numerous Ali items from friends and colleagues of Ali who have collaborated to offer an incredible array of articles from one of the most celebrated and one of the most beloved icons of the 21^st Century.

Over 300 items will be available for sale with some of the highlights including a set of four art prints of Ali, generated from original artwork by Andy Warhol. Both Warhol and Ali signed the prints, with the set being one of only six known in existence from the icons. The auction will include personal writings of Ali, a 1970s era training-worn robe, numerous awards, and several personal items that have never been seen before.  This will be the first opportunity for fans and collectors to have a chance at acquiring items accumulated by Werner over his 25-year personal friendship with Ali. 

Additional highlights of the Ali collection will include over 30 pieces of artwork and sketches done by Muhammad himself.  Also included is a unique collection of 30 hand-written notes and letters with incredible subject matter. There will be artwork created by Stephen Holland, LeRoy Neiman, and other acclaimed artists.  Signed tickets, rare and unique programs, signed images and trading cards will also be available.

Werner has called upon his friends who have worked with him over the past decades, to share fun and inspirational stories about Ali in a special video that will be part of the auction process.  Also participating will be those who also have acquired and collected items through the years. The collection will give fans of Ali a real treat, getting to see items and to hear about special insights of the man that Harlan refers to as his “special friend.” When asked what the value of the collection is worth, Werner replied “priceless.”

Werner, who spent over twenty years traveling with Ali, created The Memorabilia Network as a place for people to share their unique stories, much like his intention to share his stories about their working relationship and friendship.  It will allow fans and collectors to view and hear some truly amazing and inspirational stories, in addition to providing an opportunity to secure items Werner and his friends acquired through decades of working for, and with, The Greatest himself.

PHILADELPHIA (OCTOBER 31, 2022)–Heavyweight Sonny Conto remained undefeated with a second round stoppage in a scheduled six-round main event at the 2300 Arena.

The fight card, which drew an enthusiastic crowd, was promoted by Joe Hand Promotions,

Bryant shot right out of his corner, and went after Conto. The Philadelphia native engaged in a back and forth brawl and dropped Bryant with a hard left hand just before the bell sounded to end the opening frame. In round two, Conto continued to pound away until Bryant was weary, and the fight was stopped by the corner at 2:13.

Conto of Philadelphia is now 11-0 with nine knockouts. Bryant of Pittsburgh is 6-2.

In the co-feature, rising 21 year-old prospect Bryce Mills won a six-round unanimous decision over Larry Fryers in a junior welterweight bout.

Mills of Liverpool, New York won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 10-1. Fryers of Yonkers, New York is 11-6-1.

Everlon Still took a four-round unanimous decision over Tariq Green in a super middleweight fight.

Still of Voorhees, New Jersey won by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 twice and is now 3-2. Green of Philadelphia is 2-2.

Carlos Marrero won a four-round unanimous decision over Tyree Arnold in a junior welterweight bout.

Marrero of Bridgeport, Connecticut won by scores of 39-37 on all cards and is now 4-8-3. Arnold of Philadelphia is 1-5/

Shane Slocumb made a successful pro debut with a second round stoppage over Jonathan Wiles in a scheduled four-round heavyweight bout.

The time of the stoppage was 2:58 for the Philadelphia native Slocumb, who is now 1-0 with one knockout. Wiles of Philadelphia is 0-2.

James White stopped Kenyan Williams in round three of their four-round light heavyweight contest.

The time of the stoppage was 2:39 for the debuting White of Warwick, Pennsylvania. Williams of Winchester, Virginia is 0-3.

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ABOUT JOE HAND PROMOTIONS

Founded in 1971, Joe Hand Promotions is the nation’s oldest and largest television distributor of pay-per-view and closed circuit sports and entertainment events, such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), championship boxing, and concerts. JHP’s event consultants provide their marketing knowledge and promotional expertise to help commercial establishments grow their business through the use of live sports and entertainment programming. Additionally, JHP hosts 4-6 live boxing events per year in the Philadelphia area. These events have held sold-out crowds at various venues and arenas.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Problem Child had a problem.

Had a solution, too.

Jake Paul found his power at a moment when it looked as if defeat was imminent, knocking down MMA legend Anderson Silva Saturday night in the final round of a closely-contested cruiserweight fight on Showtime pay-per-view at Desert Diamond Arena.

The knockdown, scored by  short right hand, was timely and critical to a Paul victory that is sure to generate some controversy. Paul (6-0, 4 KOs) was awarded a unanimous decision. 

Judge PaulCalderon scored it 77-74. Chris Wilson and Dennis O’Connell both had 78-73, all for Paul, the celebrity fighter, who is more of social-media phenomenon than he is proven prospect. 

The scorecard margins were big enough that Paul would have won even without the knockdown. But the first seven rounds appeared to favor Silva (3-2, 2 KOs), a 47-year-old Brazilian who was fighting as a boxer for only fifth time in his storied career.

“They’re going to find something to say,” Paul said. ” ‘Fight a real boxer.’ I tried. If I were walking on water, people would say that I can’t swim. There’s always going to be haters. There’s always going to be critics. It’s an everyday part of life if you’re doing something and being successful. I don’t worry about it.”

The argument with this decision will start with Silva’s hands. They were quicker. They were more precise. According to a ringside computer, Silva’s landed 31 percent of his punches. Paul landed 25 percent. Yet, Silva didn;t argue with the decision

“That’s the game,” Silva said. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But nothing will change in my life. I’ll continue training hard because I’m born for this. Now, I go back home, continue training and see the next challenge.

“I think the judges got it right. Listen, it’s tough to come inside here and fight a young kid. I tried to do my best. I trained hard every day. Jake is better than me today. I don’t have anything bad to say about my opponent. I think everybody needs to respect this kid because he’s doing the best job.

The fight began with Paul doing what he does best. First he mugged for the cameras. Then, he stuck out his tongue. The show was underway. It’s what he didn’t do that suggested he might be in for a tough night. He kept his hands low and himself in peril.

Silva noticed. So, too, did just about everybody in a roaring crowd of 14,430 patrons. Paul was there, his face a moving target. It was an invitation to attack and Silva did. He rocked Paul with a left hook in the first round. He rocked him again in the second. Paul’s face began to show redness near both eyes. He looked surprised.

In the third, he began to look for a single knockout punch. Mostly, he would lunge and miss. But there were signs that the middle-aged Silva had begun to slow down. Paul was getting closer with every lunge, although Silva repeatedly mounted an assault during the closing seconds of every round.

In the eighth, however, he slowed down just enough for Paul to land a critical shot. It didn’t win the fight. On the scorecards, Paul had already won. But it gave him an argument in a scorecard controversy sure to continue.

Paul knows that. For him, there’s always another controversy.So, he moved on to the next one.

“This is just the start,” Paul said. “I want Nate Diaz. Canelo (Alvarez), you too. You guys said, ‘You can’t beat a striker, you can’t beat a legend like Anderson Silva.’ I just did it. 

“So, why can’t I beat Canelo?”
Trying to explain why he can’t is, well, just another Problem.

Ashton Sylve scores first-round stoppage

Ashton Sylve calls himself H2O. Maybe that’s because water has its own force. Once it starts moving, it can’t be stopped.

So far, neither can Sylve (8-0, 8 KOs).

It took the 18-year-old lightweight from Long Beach Calif. exactly 61 seconds to stop Braulio Rodriguez (20-5, 17 KOs), of the Dominican Republic, Saturday in the last fight before Jake Paul and Anderson Silva took center stage at Desert Diamond Arena .

One Sylve punch hit Rodriguez. A sudden left hit put Rodriguez down. Rodriguez slammed hs fist onto the canvas in frustration. Then, he tried to get up. But his sense of balance was gone. He stumbled one way and then another. It was over, Sylve a stoppage winner at 1:01 of the first round

Santiago wins rematch, Nieves quits after seventh round

It was dull. Decisive, too.

Mexican bantamweight Alejandro Santiago fought deliberately and did what he said would, forcing Antonio Nieves to quit after seven rounds in a rematch of their 2016 draw Saturday night at Desert Diamond Arena.

Santiago (27-3-5, 14 KOs) threw body shots while moving in and out tirelessly. Nieves (20-4-2, 11 KOs) never seemed to counter in any way. He simply wore out in a fight that Santiago promised would not go to the scorecards.

Le’Veon Bell runs into debut defeat

Former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell said a few days before his pro debut that boxing was tougher than football.

“In the ring, you’ve got no teammates,” he said.

Moments into his first pro fight Saturday at Desert Diamond Casino, Bel looked around as though he missed those teammates. Retired UFC star Uriah Hall, making his boxing debut at heavyweight, rocked him around like a linebacker. He landed jabs and body shots. At the end of the third, Bell looked stunned. He looked as if he needed a back-up.

But this is boxing. No backups and no breathers. For Bell, there was only a tough loss by unanimous decision, 40-36 on all three cards. 

Dr. Mike loses pro debut

Diagnosis: Mismatch

Dr. Mike Varshavski quickly discovered that the sweet science isn’t the medical science.

The practicing physician from New York got rocked repeatedly by a tough Chris Avila, who staggered  the good doctor with  right hooks and then stinging left hands Saturday on the first pay-per-view fight on Jake Paul-Anderson Silva card at Dester Diamond Casino..

Repeatedly, Avila (2-1), a cruiserweight from Stockton Calif., flashed menacing smiles at Varshavski. Every smile seemed to say: Welcome to my world.

In the end, Avila won a unanimous decision, 40-36 on all three cards. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Dr. Varshavski would fight again as a pro. He donated his entire purse, $175,000, to the Harlem Boys and Girl Club 

Jeremiah Milton silences the boos 

A stoppage was the only way to silence the boos.

Jeremiah Milton (7-0, 6 KOs) delivered it, a multi-punch silencer that turned boos into cheers with a fifth-round stoppage Quintin Sumpter (5-1, 4 KOs) in a heavyweight fight, the final bout Saturday before Showtime’s pay-per-view telecast of a card featuring Jake Paul-Anderson Silva at Desert Diamond Arena.

A growing crowd grew increasingly restless with Sumpter’s early tactics. Sumpter, of Pittsfield MA, would dance, mix in an occasional punch and then dance away. By the fourth, the crowd lost its patience. Boos filled the arena. In the fifth, Milton, of Las Vegas, finished it with successive punches to the temple that put Sumpter on the canvas. When got back onto his feet, he stumbled. At 39 seconds of the round, it was over — Milton a TKO winner. 

Shadasia Green marches on to an 11-0 record

Shadasia Green, tireless and powerful, continued on her march forward.

This time, Ogleidis Suarez was in her way. But not for long. 

Green (11-0, 10 KOs), a feared super-middleweight from Paterson NJ, walked her down and was about to walk all over her Venezuelan opponent until Suarez corner was left with only one reasonable option: Surrender.

Green was declared the winner after Suarez (3–5-1, 14 KOs) decided not to come out of her corner for the fifth round of a fight on the non-televised part of the Paul-Silva card.

Glendale’s Danny Flores wins sixth-round stoppage

It was a cross-town battle, Glendale’s Danny Flores against Phoenix rival Edgar Ortiz Jr..

Score one for Glendale.

Actually, the aggressive Flores (11-0, 3 KOs) scored often, rocking Ortiz (8-4-2, 4 KOs) repeatedly late in the third round and again in fourth and fifth of junior-featherweight bout on the non-televised portion of the Paul-Silva card. Early in the sixth, the unbeaten Flores applied the finisher, overwhelming a tiring Ortiz with a wave of punches. It was over, Flores a TKO winner, at 30 seconds of the sixth

Glendale junior-featherweight wins unanimous decision 

Adrian Rodriguez grew up within a couple miles of Desert Diamond Arena. He has walked around it. He’s done road work around it.

Saturday, he won in it.

Rodriguez (3-0), a young-junior featherweight, employed quick feet and quicker hands, scoring a one-side decision over Dominique Griffin (4-3-1, 2 KOs) of Irving,TX in a four rounder, the second bout on the Jake Paul-Anderson featured card. It was a shutout, 40-36,  on all three scorecards.

First Bell: Eliezer Silva opens Paul-Silva show with quick stoppage

It began with only echoes.

Los Angeles junior-middleweight Eliezer Silva (2-0, 1 KO) stated it off, landing a big punch that created a lot of echoes in an empty Desert Diamond Arena Saturday afternoon on the non-televised part of the Showtime pay-per-view card featuring Jake–Anderson Silva.

Silva caught Anthony Hannah, who had dropped his hands, leaving himself wide open for the shot that ended the matinee bout. Hannah (3-5, 2 KOs), of Augusta GA, crashed onto the canvas, prompting the referee to end it at 1:57 of the second round. 

William Zepeda won a 12-round unanimous decision over Joseph Diaz Jr. in a super lightweight bout at The Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California,

Zepeda, 137 lbs of San Mateo Atenco, MEX won by scores of 119-109 twice and 118-110 and is now 27-0. Diaz, 137.6 lbs of South El Monte, CA is 20-2.

Alexis Rocha pounded out a 10-round unanimous decision over Jesus Perez in a welterweight fight.

Rocha, 146.7 lbs of Santa Ana, CA won by scores of 100-89, 100-90 and 99-91 and is now 21-1. Perez, 146.8 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 24-4.

Arely Mucino won the IBF Flyweight world title with a 10-round split decision over defending undefeated champion Leonelo Yudica.

In round four, Yudica had some swelling on her forehead.

Mucino won by scores of 97-93 and 96-94, while Yudica took a card a 96-94.

Mucino, 112 lbs of Monterrey, MEX is 32-3-2. Yudica, 111.4 lbs of Chomba, ARG is 17-1-3.

In a battle of undefeated super bantamweights, Hector Valdez Jr. won a controversial 10-round split decision over Max Ornelas.

Valdez, 121.4 lbs of Dallas, TX won by scores of 97-93 on two cards, while Ornelas won a card 97-93.

Valdez is 16-0. Ornelas, 120.6 lbs of Las Vegas is 15-1-1.

Jorge Chavez remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Adrian Leyva in a super featherweight bout.

30 seconds into the fight, Leyva dropped Chavez with a hard right hand. Later in the round, Chavez evened up the round by sending Leyva to the canvas with a big right of his own.

Chavez, 127.2 lbs of San Diego won by scores of 60-57, 59-55 and 58-56 and is now 4-0. Leyva, 127.4 lbs of Houston is 3-4-1.

Japhetlee Llamido stopped Pablo Cruz in the opening round of their eight-round super featherweight bout.

Llamido jumped on Cruz and landed a big flurry of punches on the ropes and the bout was stopped at 1:36,128 lbs of Houston, TX is 22-6-1.

Llamido, 126.2 lbs of Long Beach, CA is 10-0 with four knockouts. Cruz,

Jan Salvatierra won a four-round unanimous decision over Robert Ledesma in a flyweight bout.

Salvatierra, 111.4 lbs of Los Cabos, MEX won by scores of 38-37 on all cards and is now 9-2. Ledesma, 111 lbs of San Antonio, TX is 3-9/

Asa Stevens remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Mychaquell Shields in a featherweight bout.

In round two, Stevens dropped Shields with a straight left.

Stevens, 122.6 lbs of Waimae, HI won by scores of 40-35 on all cards and is now 3-0. Shields, 122.8 lbs of San Diego was making his pro debut.

Vasiliy Lomachenko won a 12-round unanimous decision over Jamaine Ortiz in a lightweight bout that headlined a Top Rank show at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

In round six, Lomanchenko had swelling under his right eye. Ortiz had swelling over his left eye.

Lomachenko landed 125 of 571 punches. Ortiz landed 122.

Lomachenko, 134.6 lbs of Akkerman, UKR won by scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 and is now 17-2. Ortiz, 134 lbs of Worcester, MA is 16-1-1.

Robeisy Ramirez stopped Jose Matias Romero in round five of a 10-round featherweight bout.

In round one, Ramirez dropped Romero with a straight left, In round nine, Ramirez turned up that pressure and landed a vicious flurry of punches that was capped off by a hard straight left and the fight was stopped at

Ramirez, 125.4 lbs of Cindhegos, CUB is 11-1 with seven knockouts. Romero, 127.4 lbs of Cordoba, ARG is 26-3.

Richard Torrez Jr. remained undefeated with a third round stoppage over Ahmed Hefny in a scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

In round one, Torrez landed a chopping left that sent Hefny to the canvas. In round two, Torrez dropped Hefny with a right hook to the body. In round three, Torrez continued to land power shots, and then landed a another right to the body that put Hefny down again, and the fight was stopped at 2:32,

Torrez, 229.4 lbs Tulac, CA is 4-0 with four knockouts. Hefny, 218 lbs of Egypt is 13-3.

Duke Ragan remained undefeated with a eight-round unanimous decision over Luis Lebron in a featherweight bout.

Ragan, 128 lbs of Cincinnati, OH won by scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75 and is now 8-0. Lebron, 128 lbs of Manuel Aprens, PR is 18-5-1.

Nico Ali Walsh remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Billy Wagner in a middleweight fight.

Walsh, 159 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 59-55 and 58-56 twice and is now 7-0. Wagner, 159 lbs of Browning, MT is 5-3.

Tiger Johnson remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Esteban Garcia in a junior welterweigt bout.

Johnson, 141.4 lbs of Cleveland won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 6-0. Garcia, 139.2 lbs of El Comino, CA is 15-2.

Troy Isley pounded out an eight-round unanimous decision over Quincy Levallais in a middleweight bout.

Isley, 159 lbs of from Alexandra, VA won by scores of 80-72 and 79-73 twice and is now 8-0. Levallais, 157,4 lbs of Panama City, FL is 14-4-1.

Good-looking prospect Abdullah Mason scored a fourth round stoppage over Angel Barrera in a scheduled six-round lightweight bout.

In round three, Mason dropped Barrera with a straight left. Seconds later, Mason landed a short left on the inside that put Barrera down again. The onslaught bloodied the left side of Barrera’s face.

In round four, Mason landed shots that had Barrera bouncing all over the ring and the out was stopped at 21 seonds.

Mason, 135.6 lbs of Cleveland is 5-0 with four knockouts. Barrera, 135 lbs of Chicago, IL is 4-1.

Haven Brady Jr. remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Eric Mondragon in a junior lightweight bout.

Brady, 131 lbs of Albany, GA won by scores of 79-73 twice and 78-74 and is now 8-0. Mondragon, 130.6 lbs of Maywood, CA is 7-1-1.

NEW YORK (October 28, 2022) -TONIGHT will see six of Split-T Management’s prospects in action over four cards throughout the United Sates.

Credit: Mikey Williams (Top Rank via Getty Images)

In New York City at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, a pair of undefeated fighters in featherweight Haven Brady Jr. will take on Eric Mondragon in an eight-round fight, and junior welterweight Tiger Johnson will see action in a six-round bout against Esteban Garcia.

Brady of Albany, Georgia, recently moved his training to Philadelphia under the esteemed Derek “Bozy” Ennis, and has a record of 7-0 with four knockouts. The 20 year-old Brady has wins over Roberto Negrete (3-0), Jose Argel (8-2) and his last outing when won a unanimous decision over Aaron Echeveste on July 23rd in Hinckley, Minnesota.

Mondragon of Maywood, California is 8-0-1 with four knockouts. The 24 year-old Mondragon is coming off a fourth round stoppage over Mario Aguirre on August 6th in Los Angeles.

Brady weighed 131 lbs. Aguirre was 130.6 lbs.

Credit: Mikey Williams (Top Rank via Getty Images)

Johnson will take on Esteban Garcia in a six-round bout. The 23 year-old Cleveland native is 5-0 with four knockouts. The 2021 United States Olympian has a win over previously undefeated Xavier Madrid (3-0). In Johnson;s last bout, he took out Harry Gigliotti in five rounds on August 27th in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Garcia of Brawley, California is 15-1 with seven stoppages. The 32 year-old Garcia has fought 15 of his 16 fights in Mexico. He has a win over Omar Molano (6-1-3) & Juan Ramon Guzman (12-1-1). Garcia is coming off a first round stoppage over Jonathan Delgado Martinez on July 9, 2021 in Tijuana, Mexico.

Johnson weighed 141.4 lbs. Garcia was 139,2

Brady and Johnson are promoted by Top Rank. Their fights can be seen live on ESPN+ beginning at 6:15 PM ET.

Photo credit: Golden Boy Promotions / Tom Hogan

In San Diego, undefeated super bantamweight, Asa Stevens will take on Mychaqual Shields in a bout scheduled for four-rounds.

Stevens of Waianae, Hawaii is 2-0 with one knockout. Stevens, 21 is coming off a First round stoppage over Felix Vazquez on November 11th in Anaheim, California. Stevens is a former National Golden Gloves champion and World Amateur champion.

Shields will be making his pro debut.

Stevens weighed 122.6 lbs. Shields was 122.8 lbs.

The fight can be seen live on Golden Boy Promotions social media pages.

Stevens is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

In Philadelphia at the 2300 Arena, undefeated heavyweight Sonny Conto fights in front of his hometown fans when he takes on James Bryant in a six-round bout.

Conto has a record of 10-0 with eight knockouts, and the 26 year-old will be making his third start of the year as in his last bout, he stopped Justim Rolfe in three rounds on May 13th in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

Bryant of Pittsburgh, has a record of 6-1 with four knockouts. The 37 year-old Bryan is on a three fight winning streak as in his last bout he won a unanimous decision over Thomas Hawkins on March 7th in Pittsburgh.

Conto weighed 225.5 lbs. Bryant was 242 lbs.

Conto is promoted by Top Rank.

In Milwaukee, at The Tripoli Shrine Center, two Split-T Management fighters from the Badger state will see action.

Javier Zamarron will make his pro debut against Ahmond Rayshaun Oates in a four-round featherweight bout.

Zamarron of Sheboygan, Wisconsin was 127.6 lbs. Oates was 124 lbs.

Rolando Vargas will take on Charles Garner in an eight-round junior welterweight bout. Vargas, 23, of Milwaukee is 7-1 with seven knockouts. He has stoppage wins over Nathaniel Lee Davis (1-0). Vargas has stopped his last two opponents, which includes first-round stoppage over Jerrell Hodge on March 4th in Columbus, Ohio.

Garner of Buffalo, New York is 6-1 with five knockouts. Garner is coming off a second round knockout over Juhvari Artis on March 26th in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Vargas was 143.3 lbs. Garner was 139 lbs.

Katie Taylor retained the Undispted Lightweight world title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Karen Elizabeth Carabajal at The OVO Arena in London.

Taylor, 134.5 lbs of Bray, IRE won by scores of 99-91 and 97-93 and is now 22-0. Carabajal, 134.2 lbs of Buenis Aires, ARG is 19-1.

Former world champion Kiko Martinez upset Jordan Gill via fourth round stoppage in their scheduled 10-round featherweight contest.

In round three, Martinez dropped Gill with a right hand. Later in the round, Martinez sent Gill to the canvas with a right uppercut. In round four, Martinez dumped Gill with a perfect right to the head. Martinez ended things by landing a big left hook that put Gill down for a fourth and final time at 2:44.

Martinez, 124.8 lbs of Alicante, SPA is 44-11-2 with 31 knockouts. Gill, 125.8 lbs of Chatteris, ENG is now 27-2-1.

Johnny Fisher remained undefeated as he obliterated Dominik Musil inside of a round in their six-round heavyweight bout.

In round one, Fisher dropped Musil with a overhand right. Fisher then ran after Musil and dropped him again with a two punch combination. Fisher then landed a plethora of right hands that forced a referee stoppage at 2:03.

Fisher, 233.4 lbs of Romford, ENG has a rabid fan base and they went home happy as Fisher upped his mark to 7-0 with six knockouts. Musil, 262.7 lbs of the Czech Republic is 7-5.

Ellie Scotney remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Mary Romero in a super bantamweight fight.

Scotney, 121.5 lbs of Catford, ENG won by scores of 97-93, 97-94 and 96-94 and is now 6-0, Romero, 120.5 lbs of Murcia, SPA is 8-3.

In a battle of undefeated lightweights, Gary Cully destroyed Jaouad Balmedhi in a scheduled 10-round bout.

Cully landed one left to the chin that dropped and stopped Belmedhi at 35 seconds.

Cully, 135.5 lbs of Naas, IRE is 15-0 with nine knockouts. Belmedhi, 136.3 lbs of France is 16-1-3.

Mickey Ellison won a 10-round light heavyweight bout with a decision over previously undefeated Thomas Whittaker Hart.

Ellison, 174.9 lbs of Darwen, ENG won by a 96-95 score and is now 14-4. Hart, 174.8 lbs of Liverpool, ENG is 7-1.

Jordan Reynolds remained undefeated with a six-round decision over Jose Manuel Lopez Clavero in a middleweight fight.

Reynolds, 163.1 lbs of Luton, ENG won by a 60-55 score, and is now 4-0. Clavero, 161.3 lbs of Granda, SPA is 16-19-1.

John Hedges remained undefeated with a six-round decision over Ales Makovec in a light heavyweight contest.

In round one, Hedges dropped Makovec with a body shot.

Hedges, 181.6 bs of Takeley, ENG won by a 60-53 score and is now 7-0. Makeovec, 180.2 lbs of Tabor, CZR is 3-1.

Maiseyrose Courtney made a successful pro debut with a four-round decision over Judit Hachbold in a flyweight bout.

Courtney, 113.5 lbs of Ektham, ENG won by a 40-36 score.

Las Vegas – UFC^® continues its run of events at UFC APEX with an intriguing strawweight bout that will see No. 3 ranked contender Marina Rodriguez battle No. 7 Amanda Lemos. The co-main event will feature Top 15 welterweights, as No. 13 ranked contender Neil Magny locks horns with No. 14 Daniel Rodriguez.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT^®: RODRIGUEZ vs. LEMOS will take place Saturday, November 5 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The entire card will be available on ESPN+ in English and Spanish, with the main card starting at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT and the prelims at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT.

Surging Marina Rodriguez (16-1-2, fighting out of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil) aims to stake her claim for a title shot with another impressive performance. Currently riding a five-fight unbeaten streak, she holds wins over Yan Xiaonan, Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas. Rodriguez now looks to stop Lemos and defend her spot on the strawweight ladder.

Exciting finisher Lemos (12-2-1, fighting out of Pará, Brazil) plans to shine in her second UFC main event opportunity. Victorious in six of her last seven outings, she has secured memorable wins against Michelle Waterson, Angela Hill and Montserrat Conejo. Lemos now intends to crack the strawweight Top 5 by stopping Marina Rodriguez in emphatic fashion.

Perennial contender Magny (26-10, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) has his sights set on breaking the UFC record for most welterweight victories. Currently tied with all-time great Georges St-Pierre at 19, he holds notable wins over former champions Robbie Lawler, Carlos Condit and Johny Hendricks. Magny now hopes to halt Rodriguez’s momentum and prove he is still among the best at 170 pounds.

Rising star Daniel Rodriguez (17-2, fighting out of Alhambra, Calif.) plans to continue his momentum by securing the biggest win of his career. Currently on a four-fight win streak, he has netted impressive victories against Li Jingliang, Kevin Lee and Mike Perry. Rodriguez now aims to finish Magny to continue his ascent up the welterweight rankings.

Additional bouts on the card include:

• Gritty heavyweights collide when Chase Sherman (16-10, fighting out of D’Iberville, Miss.) takes on Josh Parisian (15-5, fighting out of Escanaba, Mich.)
• Tagir Ulanbekov (14-2, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) squares off with Nate Maness (14-2, fighting out of Morganfield, Ken.) at flyweight
• Grant Dawson (18-1-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) aims to hand Mark O. Madsen (12-0, fighting out of Maribo, Denmark by way of Nykøbing Falster, Denmark) his first professional loss in an exciting lightweight tilt
• Jailton Almeida (17-2, fighting out of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil) squares off with Maxim Grishin (32-9-2, fighting out of Grozny, Chechen Republic, Russia) in a 220-pound catchweight bout
• Darrick Minner (26-13, fighting out of Nebraska City, Neb.) meets Shayilan Nuerdanbieke (38-10, fighting out of Beijing, China) at featherweight
• Miranda Maverick (12-4, fighting out of Denver, Colo. by way of Buffalo, Mo.) faces Shanna Young (9-5, fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn.) in a flyweight contest
• Mario Bautista (10-2, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.) goes for his third consecutive win when he meets Benito Lopez (10-1, fighting out of Oroville, Calif.) in an exciting bantamweight bout
• Polyana Viana (12-5, fighting out of São Geraldo do Araguaia, Pará, Brazil) takes on Jinh Yu Frey (11-7, fighting out of Arlington, Texas) at strawweight
• The Ultimate Fighter season 29 alum Liudvik Sholinian (9-3-1, fighting out of Kiev, Ukraine) locks horns with Johnny Munoz (11-2, fighting out of Norco, Calif.) in a bantamweight tilt
• Dana White’s Contender Series veteran Carlos Candelario (8-2, fighting out of Springfield, Mass.) faces Jake Hadley (8-1, fighting out of Oldbury, Sandwell, England) at flyweight
• Tamires Vidal (6-1, fighting out of Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) debuts against Ramona Pascual (6-4, fighting out of Hong Kong) in a bantamweight bout

Visit the UFC.com for information and content to support your UFC coverage. Please click here to apply for the event.

###

About UFC^®

UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 688 million fans and 207 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to nearly 900 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 75 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS^®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is owned by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 22.8 million subscribers. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). 

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features eight U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

By Norm Frauenheim –

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Jake Paul jumped off the scale, flexed, screamed and then did what he does best.

He weighed in.

He’s been weighing in all week with an unvarnished rip of a business known for what it doesn’t do any more. It fails to deliver fights that matter. It stumbles, from week-to-week, from one round of exasperating news to another.

Terence Crawford won’t be fighting Errol Spence. Canelo Alvarez won’t fight David Benavidez. Anthony Joshua won’t fight Tyson Fury. Who knows about Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis?  Never-Never Land isn’t fiction. It’s boxing.

But the oft-criticized Paul (5-0, 4 KOs), dismissed as a YouTuber, is about to do what so many others in the waiting game won’t. He’ll fight Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena, facing 47-year-old mixed-martial arts legend Anderson Silva (3-1, 2 KOs as a boxer) in a Showtime Pay-Per View bout (6 pm PT, 9 pm ET/ $59.95) that’s another easy target for old-school critics.

It’s a gimmick, they say. It’s also a fight that doesn’t matter, they say, arguing that it doesn’t belong on a decent undercard. Maybe, it doesn’t. But there aren’t many decent undercards anywhere these days.

Paul thinks he knows why. And he’s not shy about saying why. He counters the criticism with plenty of his own. His featured fight against Silva on a hybrid card that includes boxers, MMA fighters, a former NFL running back and a practicing physician is a lot of things. Mostly, it’s a forum, another platform, for Paul. He’s using it to say what a lot of frustrated fans are thinking. He has turned it into his bully pulpit.

“Get these fights done,” Paul said at a news conference before making the contracted weight Friday morning at 186.5, a fraction of a pound heavier than Silva, who came in at 186.1 “Stop shooting yourself in the foot. Stop being greedy. Give people what they want. Don’t look at every term in the contract and try to change it.

“Just effing fight. You spar every day. Why not get paid effing tens of millions of dollars to do it in front of people? They’re very scared to risk their undefeated records, but boxing needs these big fights. Don’t let your manager stop you. Don’t let your promoter stop you.

“You gotta be in control.”

Today’s state of the boxing business is the flip side of control. It’s chaos. Paul also knows that movers-and-shakers, both in boxing and the UFC, don’t like what he’s saying. In effect, he’s telling the fighters to do more than take punches. He’s telling them to take control.

“It sucks for the fans,” Paul said exactly one week after the business was pushed to another breaking point with news that Crawford-Spence would not happen in 2022. 

“The fans are the ones that get hurt. And it’s bad. This is why the sport has gone to bad places before.

“It’s gone to scary moments where you think the sport’s going to wind up dying out, because big fights like this aren’t happening. Why didn’t we get Fury-Joshua? There’s so many instances where big fights could be made, and they’re just not.

“I don’t know what it is. No one will ever know, and that’s what’s frustrating.’’

The fighters staged a weigh-in for fans Friday afternoon. Here are the officlal weights from Friday morning for fighters on the PPV part of the card:

Lightweights Ashton Sylve (7-0, 7 KOs), Long Beach, California, 132.4 pounds versus Braulio Rodriguez (20-4, 17 KOs), Dominican Republic, 132.5 pounds.

Cruiserweight debuts: Uriah Hall, New York, 198.6 pounds versus former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell, Columbus, Ohio, 197.6 pounds.

Cruiserweight debut of Dr. Mike Varshavski (pro debut), New York,182.6 pounds, versus Chris Avila (1-1), Stockton, California, 183.3 pounds.

The non-televised part of the card is scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm (PT). It includes three Arizona fighters – Glendale junior featherweight Danny Barrios Flores (10-0, 2 KOs) against Edgar Ortiz Jr. (8-3-2, 4 KOs) of Phoenix and Glendale featherweight Adrian Rodriguez (2-0, 2 KOs) against Dominique Griffin (4-2-1, 2 KOs) of Irving, Texas.

Cruiserweight Bout – 8 Rounds

Jake Paul – 186 ½ lbs.

Anderson Silva – 186 lbs.

Referee: Wes Melton; Judges: Paul Calderon (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.)

Lightweight Bout – 8 Rounds

Ashton Sylve – 132 ½ lbs.

Braulio Rodriguez – 132 ½ lbs.

Referee: Tony Zaino; Judges: Eric Curcio (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.).

Bantamweight Bout – 10 Rounds

Alexandro Santiago – 118 lbs.

Antonio Nieves – 117 ¾ lbs.

Referee: Wes Melton; Judges: Eric Curcio (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.)

Cruiserweight Bout – 4 Rounds

Uriah Hall – 198 ½ lbs.

Le’Veon Bell – 197 ½ lbs.

Referee: Tony Zaino; Judges: Eric Curcio (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.)

Cruiserweight Bout – 4 Rounds

Chris Avila – 183 ¼ lbs.

Dr. Mike Varshavski – 182 ½ lbs.

Referee: Joey Chavez; Judges: Paul Calderon (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.)

SHOWTIME PPV COUNTDOWN

Stream Live at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

on the SHOWTIME SPORTS^® YouTube Channel

Heavyweight Bout – 6 Rounds

Jeremiah Milton – 248 ¼ lbs.

Quintin Sumpter – 219 ½ lbs.

Referee: Wes Melton; Judges: Paul Calderon (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.)

Super Middleweight Bout – 8 Rounds

Ogleidis Suarez – 169 lbs.

Shadasia Green – 169 ¼ lbs.

Referee: Joey Chavez; Judges: Paul Calderon (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.)

Contracted weight: 169 pounds

Super Bantamweight Bout – 6 Rounds

Danny Barrios Flores – 122 ½ lbs.

Edgar Ortiz, Jr. – 120 ¼ lbs.

Referee: Tony Zaino; Judges: Eric Curcio (Ariz.), Dennis O’Connell (Ariz.), Chris Wilson (Ariz.)

Veteran sportscaster Brian Custer will host Saturday night’s SHOWTIME PPV telecast with MMA legend Georges St-Pierre serving as co-host. St.-Pierre was a two-division UFC champion and three-time UFC welterweight champion. They join the most versatile voice in combat sports Mauro Ranallo, along with International Boxing Hall of Famer Al Bernstein and leading mixed martial arts journalist Ariel Helwani in calling the action from ringside.Helwani will also handle pre-and-post-fight interviews and serve as the ringside reporter. Three more Hall of Famers round out the SHOWTIME telecast team – unofficial scorer and boxing historian Steve Farhood will score the fights, world-renowned ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. will emcee the proceedings, and Barry Tompkins will call the international feed with former junior middleweight world champion and SHOBOX^® commentator Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez providing analysis. The executive producer is four-time Emmy award winner David Dinkins, Jr. with Bob Dunphy directing. Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell, whose podcast MORNING KOMBAT was recently named Best Sports Podcast of the Year at the People’s Choice Podcast Awards, will host the SHOWTIME PPV COUNTDOWN show streaming live on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page.

#          #          #

ABOUT PAUL VS. SILVA

International superstar and serial risk-taker Jake “The Problem Child” Paul will face the biggest challenge of his career when he takes on UFC legend and accomplished boxer Anderson “The Spider” Silva in an eight-round bout at a catchweight of 187 pounds on Saturday, October 29 in a Most Valuable Promotions event live on SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Desert Diamond Arena, just outside of Phoenix, Ariz. In undercard action, teenage sensation Ashton Sylve will put his knockout streak on the line against Braulio Rodriguez in an eight-round lightweight bout contested at 133 pounds. Top 118-pound contenders and former world title challengers Alexandro “El Peque” Santiago and Antonio “Carita” Nieves will meet again in a 10-round rematch of their exciting 2016 showdown. Elite UFC striker Uriah Hall and former NFL star running back Le’Veon Bell will make their pro debuts in a four-round cruiserweight bout contracted at 195 pounds. In addition, Chris Avila, a disciple of UFC superstar Nate Diaz, will square off against “Doctor Mike” Varshavski, a board-certified family physician and social media influencer, in a four-round cruiserweight bout contracted at 185 pounds

PHILADELPHIA (October 28, 2022)–Weight’s for Saturday night’s Joe Hand Promotions card at The 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

Sonny Conto 225.5 – James Bryant 242

Bryce Mills 144.5 – Larry Fryers 144.5

Shane Slocumb 208.5 – Johnathan Wiles 226

Tyree Arnold 143 – Carlos Marrero 142

James White 177.5 – Keynan Williams 181

Tariq Green 168.5 – Everlon Still 168

Promoter: Joe Hand Promotions

Venue: 2300 Arena

1st Bell: 7 PM ET

Note Both Game 2 of the World Series plus the Jake Paul – Anderson Silva PPV card will be shown on the many TV Monitors throughout the 2300 Arena.

Tickets at $55, $75, $100 and $150 are on sale: https://2300arena.showare.com/orderticketsvenue.asp?p=436

•  Vasiliy Lomachenko 134.6 lbs  vs. Jamaine Ortiz 134 lbs

(Ortiz’s NABF Lightweight Title — 12 Rounds)

•   Robeisy Ramirez 125.6 lbs vs. Jose Matias Romero 127.4 lbs 
(Featherweight — 10 Rounds)

(ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET / 3:15 p.m. PT)

   •   Richard Torrez Jr. 229.4 lbs vs. Ahmed Hefny 218 lbs
 (Heavyweight — 6 Rounds)

   •   Duke Ragan 128  lbs vs. Luis Lebron 128 lbs
 (Featherweight — 8 Rounds)

•    Nico Ali Walsh 159 lbs vs. Billy Wagner 159 lbs 
(Middleweight — 6 Rounds)

   •   Tiger Johnson 141.4 lbs vs. Esteban Garcia 139.2 lbs
 (Junior Welterweight — 6 Rounds)

   •    Troy Isley 159 lbs vs. Quincy Lavallais 157.4 lbs
 (Middleweight — 8 Rounds)

   •    Abdullah Mason 135.6 lbs vs. Angel Barrera 135 lbs
 (Lightweight — 6 Rounds)

   •    Haven Brady Jr. 131 lbs vs. Eric Mondragon 130.6 lbs
 (Junior Lightweight — 8 Rounds)

###

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 22.8 million subscribers. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices).  

Atlantic City, New Jersey (October 28, 2022)–Weight’s for Saturday’s R&B Promotions card at The Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City

Anthony “Juice” Young 146.1 – Jose Zaragoza 143.2

Sydney Maccow 138.9 – Brandon Idrogo 137.5

Leonidas Soprandis 140.9 – Michael Crain 141.1

Kenyon Sessions 111.4 – Brett Yuschok 113.8 

Aaron Newmones 146.7 – Anthony Dill 150

Elijah Lynah 194.3 – Tunde Fatiregun 190.6 

Deyshawn Williams 144.8 – Kevin Schmidt 146

Promoter: R&B Promotions

Venue: Showboat Hotel

1st Bell: 7:00 PM ET

Stream:  BXNGTV.com

Tickets for this outstanding evening of boxing are 175 VIP Ringside

120 Premium

75 Reserved

55 General Admission

and can be purchased at 

https://randbpromo.ticketleap.com/acfn/

The fight card will be streamed live on BXNGTV.com

By Norm Frauenheim

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission quickly cleared Anderson Silva to fight Jake Paul Thursday night, citing a review of recent medical tests and comments provided by Silva and his representatives.

It took the Commission less than 10 minutes to reach the decision at a meeting that was suddenly scheduled Wednesday amid questions about whether the 47-year-old Silva had been knocked out twice in training for a Showtime pay-per-view bout Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena.

“A fighter’s safety is always our priority,’’ Commission Chairman Scott Fletcher said. “But we peeled back the onion and determined that Anderson Silva is in shape and ready to fight.’’

Silva was granted an Arizona license in September. That’s when he reportedly was knocked out, according to quotes that appeared in MMA Weekly. However, Silva said in a statement Wednesday that he had been misunderstood.

Silva, a Brazilian whose first language is Portuguese, said he told the publication he had been knocked down, not out.

The Commission decided to schedule what it called a Special Meeting late Thursday after it was notified of the discrepancy this week before a public workout in front of Desert Diamond Arena Wednesday.

Commissioners Joe Pennington and Dr. Ara Feinstein both said they were initially concerned when they first learned about the discrepancy in quotes from Silva, a mixed-martial arts legend.

“I was extremely concerned,’’ Pennington said. ”But after reviewing all the medicals and other accounts, I’m confident he’s ready to fight.’’

Silva underwent an MRI this week, according to the Commission.

“The result was pristine,’’ said Fletcher, who watched and spoke to Silva at a news conference Thursday at Desert Diamond Arena before the Commission met.

MVP, Paul’s promotional company, and Showtime were confident that Silva would be cleared for the cruiserweight fight.

“Fighter safety is paramount to us as a network and hopefully to everybody who’s a principle in this sport,’’ Stephen Espinoza, president of Showtime Sports, said.  “The commission has a job to do and we respect their responsibilities. We certainly didn’t begrudge them their request for additional information.

“They had heard some things in the interview, which gave them concerns. They asked for additional medical information and exams. Thankfully, those came out clean and everyone has concluded, both the medical experts and the commission, that it’s fine to move forward with the fight. So, we’re happy that the process worked in all senses.

“They had a concern, we addressed it, medical experts weighed in and the fight is on.’’

Matchroom Boxing have completed the double signing of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Silver Medallist Pat McCormack and decorated former Team GB Podium Squad member Mark Dickinson. 

McCormack (2-0, 2 KOs) enjoyed a glittering amateur career, culminating in Olympic silver in the Welterweight division. Before that, the 27-year-old from Sunderland won a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast and a gold medal at the 2019 European Games in Minsk. The former Team GB ace has two knockout wins from two fights since turning professional with Ben Davison earlier this year. 

Durham’s Dickinson (3-0, 1 KO) made waves in the amateurs, representing Team GB on a number of occasions and earning gold at the European and Commonwealth Youth Games. The 23-year-old has made a perfect start to life in the paid ranks since turning over in October 2021, picking up three wins from three fights in the Middleweight division under the tutelage of Davison.

“I believe with the backing of Matchroom Boxing and DAZN I’m in the perfect place to be able to fulfil my potential,” said McCormack. “I’m looking forward to this exciting journey and truly believe I have what it takes to become a World Champion. There is nobody better to work alongside in boxing and I know that Matchroom and Eddie will promote me to the very top.”

“I am excited to get things moving with the backing of Matchroom Boxing and DAZN,” said Dickinson. “I believe there are some huge nights ahead for me and I’m excited and motivated to showcase myself and what I am capable of. With Ben, Matchroom and DAZN behind me I know I can go on to achieve big things in this sport.”

“I’m really excited for both of these journeys to push on,” said BenDavison. “Eddie, Matchroom Boxing and DAZN were keen on Pat and Mark and I believe this is the perfect place for them to be. They will be given the opportunities necessary to develop and fulfil their potentials. There’s no doubt about it, these lads are special talents and fans across the world are going to love watching them in person and live on DAZN.”

“I’m delighted to add two of Britain’s brightest stars in the North East Pat McCormack and Mark Dickinson to the Matchroom stable,” said Matchroom Sport Chairman Eddie Hearn. “Pat’s achievements in the amateurs speak for themselves. Silver medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast and a gold medal at the 2019 European Games in Minsk and many more. He’s one of the very best amateurs we’ve seen on these shores in recent times and I’m incredibly excited to guide his professional career moving forwards.

“Mark is one of the most exciting prospects in British boxing and another product of the famous Birtley Boxing Club. He had an outstanding amateur career, representing Team GB numerous times, whilst earning  gold medals at the Youth Commonwealth Games and the European Youth Championships. He’s made a perfect start to life in the pro ranks and there’s some big nights ahead for him. We’ve enjoyed some brilliant nights up in the North East over the years and both Pat and Mark are keen to bring big shows and World Titles back home.”

Follow McCormack’s journey on Instagram: patmccormack14 and Twitter: @PatMcCormack14

Follow Dickinson’s journey on Instagram: mark_dickinson and Twitter: @mark_dickinson1

By Norm Frauenheim-

GLENDALE, Ariz. – He rode in on a horse.

Maybe, it was a nod toward Arizona’s wild-west past. Or, maybe, it was his way of saying he was the cavalry, riding to the rescue in an attempt to save a battered game from a head-long gallop to its own demise. Or, maybe, an elephant wasn’t available.

Whatever it was, Jake Paul, an unconventional boxer, enlivened a traditional media event Wednesday with an unconventional entrance for a public workout a few days before his cruiserweight bout with UFC icon Anderson Silva Saturday night on Showtime pay-per-view.

Paul had fun and a crowd of fans on a pavilion outside of the renamed Desert Diamond Arena west of Phoenix had some fun with him.

That’s not to say that Paul also didn’t do some business. He doesn’t just ride horses. He also has some horse sense. If his entrance was an acknowledgement of AZ history, his presence at the Glendale arena was also an acknowledgment of the state’s best-known fighter.

Paul mentioned David Benavidez, telling the DAZN Boxing Show he’d like to be his promoter. Why not? He’s in the neighborhood after all, talking, training and talking at an arena where Benavidez blew out David Lemieux in his last bout on May 21.

Benavidez grew up a few miles east of the arena, formerly known as Gila River. Metro Phoenix is the heart-beat of Benavidez’ emerging fan base. You could hear it, loud and clear, in his three-round demolition of Lemieux.

“David Benavidez,’’ said Paul, who promotes Amanda Serrano. “I think he’s big in the boxing world and he’s a superstar, he’s my favorite boxer, but he needs that push just like Amanda did into the mainstream.

“The kid needs to be on billboards, he needs to be on podcasts, he needs to be collaborating with influencers. He needs help making some content and getting some big sponsorships to get his name out there even more.”

Benavidez already has a promoter/manager in Sampson Lewkowicz. He’s also aligned with PBC. But that doesn’t stop Paul, whose opinions are part of the fun. Both are inexhaustible, always part of the show.

Paul’s tireless self-promotional skill has created a huge virtual universe. Not even Canelo Alvarez can ignore the reported social-media number – 20 million-plus You Tube subscribers. That’s enough to add a zero to even Canelo’s paycheck.

Thus far, however, Canelo has ignored, or at least eluded Benavidez, who is reportedly close to a deal for a fight with Jose Uzcategui in January,

Canelo said after his super-middleweight decision over Gennadiy Golovkin in a third fight in September that Benavidez’ resume doesn’t measure up.

“What has he done?’’ Canelo asked angrily.

He’s done more than Paul, at least he has in boxing terms narrowly defined by an unbeaten record, including a World Boxing Council title that was lost twice — first for a positive drug test and then on the scale.

Yet, Paul has an answer. He proposes to promote Benavidez  the way he promotes himself.

Put it his way: It’d be a wild ride. 

By Norm Frauenheim–

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission scheduled a meeting for late Thursday in the wake of conflicting reports about whether Anderson Silva was knocked out in training for his scheduled fight Saturday against Jake Paul.

The Commission scheduled the meeting Wednesday after news of the controversy broke during a public workout featuring both Silva and Paul on a pavilion outside of Desert Diamond Arena, site of the Showtime pay-per-view bout.

The meeting was announced by Commission Executive Director Danny A. Vella in a letter signed and posted on the Commission’s web site. It is scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm PT/9:30 pm ET.

The executive director is prohibited from commenting on the regulatory agency’s business. Comments to the media are handled by a public information officer assigned by the state’s Department of Gaming.

Silva, a UFC legend, is 47 years-old. His age means he is subject to additional vigilance by Arizona. Fighters older than 36 are required to disclose the last time they’ve been knocked out.

Silva, a Brazilian whose native language is Portuguese, denied in a statement Wednesday that he had been knocked out at all. He was quoted in MMA Weekly as saying he had been knocked out twice.  

“After seeing the reports and concern for me, I’d like to clarify two important things,’’ Silva said in the statement, “One, I was NEVER knocked out in sparring. I misspoke in that interview as I sometimes do when interviewing in English and exaggerated the normal back-and-forth action that occurs in sparring.

“Second, this sparring session I referenced was in early September. The interview with MMA Weekly was done on Sept. 13 and, for some reason, just released this week. So, it wasn’t recent.”