Los Angeles, CA (March 11, 2024) Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions continues their reign with Hollywood Fight Nights, Boxing’s Best Series, at the Commerce Casino Events Center in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, April 20  headlined by Undefeated Super Lightweight Rising Star, ‘Sugar’ Cain Sandoval, (12-0, 11 KOs), of Sacramento, CA in a ten-round battle against

Angel ‘Sharky’ Rebollar, (8-3, 3 KOs). The main event tops the UFC FIGHT PASS worldwide broadcast card.

Advance tickets priced at $200, $150, $100 and $80 are Now On-Sale and can be purchased online at www.360Promotions.us. The Commerce Casino, ‘The World’s Largest Card Room and Site of the LA Poker Classic’, is located at 6131 Telegraph Road, Commerce, CA 90040. For more information and directions visit their website.

Said Tom Loeffler, “Even before our last show on January 27 at the Commerce Casino was over, fans were asking when we would be back. The atmosphere is incredible for our shows in the Events Center and we look forward to returning on Saturday, April 20.”

“When we signed Cain Sandoval last year I promised him ‘we will keep you active’ and he’s done his part with five knockout victories in 2023 and a tremendous ten-round unanimous decision win over Javier Molina just three weeks ago.”

“This is Angel Rebollar’s first time fighting at Hollywood Fight Nights but he just defeated an 11-0 fighter in November so we know he’s confident and is coming to win.”

The 21-year-old Cain Sandoval collected his first eleven victories by knockout, building his proven reputation as a rising star in the super lightweight division. Fighting over ten rounds on February 23, 2024, the hard-hitting Northern California native further validated his reputation, winning a shutout unanimous decision over U.S. Olympian and veteran contender Javier Molina.

Just 19-years-old, Angel Rebollar already has a wealth of experience against numerous top young fighters. Most recently he won an eight-round decision over highly regarded and undefeated Omar Rosario in Stateline, NV.

Additional fights for this event will be announced shortly.

                                                ————————————————–

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Charlie Edwards will launch his bid to become a two-weight world champion when he headlines a Wasserman Boxing event at York Hall on Friday April 12, live and free on Channel 5.

And on the same crunch night of action, Lerrone Richards looks to accelerate his pursuit of second world super middleweight title, when he fights in the co-main event.

Edwards, the former world flyweight king, is now targeting bantamweight gold and takes on former European champion Georges Ory for the WBC Silver International title over 10 rounds.

Richards, meanwhile, is laser-focused on reclaiming the super middle crown and knows he must get past the tough Steed Woodall over 10 rounds, to keep his dream alive, with the WBO Intercontinental Super Middleweight title up for grabs.

Wasserman Boxing, in association with Ladbrokes, Numan and Infinitum, returns to the spiritual home of British boxing with Don’t Call It A Comeback, its second blockbuster show of 2024, as two of Britain’s former world champions set out on the road back to the top.

Ladbrokes Odds
 
Edwards – 1/12 | Ory – 7/1 | Draw – 20/1

Richards – 1/8 | Woodall – 5/1 | Draw – 20/1

UNDERCARD•    Jordan Dujon and Kingsley Egbunike collide for the vacant Southern Area Super Welterweight title.
•    One of British boxing’s brightest prospects Tom Welland, fresh from a thumping stoppage win in Telford, has a fourth contest of his pro career.
•    The Mikkel Kessler-trained Oliver Zaren boxes in front of a UK audience for the fourth time in a row, in an eight-round contest.
•    The exciting Jesse Brandon returns for a first outing of 2024.

QUOTES
Charlie Edwards said: “This has been a long time coming but, finally, I can confirm that the road to becoming a two-weight world champion starts now.
“The past couple of years have been extremely challenging but I never lost sight of the fact that there would always be light at the end of the tunnel, and on April 12, at the famous York Hall, I put on a performance to make the bantamweight title holders sit up and take note.
“Thank-you to Wasserman Boxing and Channel 5 for believing in me and giving me the platform from which to begin my charge at a second world title.
“I can’t wait to bring world title fights to his huge audience on terrestrial TV, it’s my time, it’s Resurgence season.”

Lerrone Richards said: “Being known as a two-time champion of the world, and further etching my name into the history of British boxing, is what drives me every day.
“And what will make that extra special is that the whole country, who will be watching at home on Channel 5, are able to come on this journey with me.
“It felt good to make my Wasserman Boxing debut late last year, but in 2024 I’m putting my foot to the floor and reclaiming what is rightfully mine – the super middleweight championship of the world.
“It all starts on April 12 at York Hall.  Don’t miss it.”

Kalle Sauerland, Global Head of Boxing at Wasserman, said: “One historic venue, two of British boxing’s former world champions and a potential audience of millions on Channel 5, means April 12 has all the ingredients to be yet another special night for Wasserman Boxing.
“Charlie Edwards and Lerrone Richards have been straining at the leash and, next month at York Hall, we let them loose on the rivals who stand between them and making world title history.
“For Edwards, the dream is to become a two-weight champion, while Richards is set on reclaiming the title he didn’t lose in the ring.
“But don’t call it a comeback, Edwards and Richards have been at the top of their game for years, and on April 12 they put the world champions on notice.”

Alex Apetai of Ladbrokes said: “Channel 5 viewers are once again being treated to some of the best in the business next month and, as always, we’re delighted to play a part in proceedings.

“Lerrone Richards will no doubt have one eye on a big British bout later this year,  and will comfortably take to the ring as heavy favourite to beat Steed Woodall, while the future is just as bright for Charlie Edwards.

“Both Richards and Edwards head into their respective fights with 18 wins to their name, each with four at the iconic York Hall. With so many similarities in their careers up to this point, we can’t wait to see who steals the show on April 12.”

SAN FRANCISCO (March 10, 2024) –  Undefeated super middleweight prospect Tommy “The Governor” Hyde (7-0, 4 KOs) will be fighting for this first title as a professional boxer this Saturday on St. Patrick’s Day weekend, outside of San Francisco at Fox Theater in Redwood City, California.

The 24-year-old Hyde, fighting out of Cork, will challenge fellow Irishman, Craig “BTL” McCarthy (10-1-1, 2 KOs), the defending Boxing Union of Ireland Celtic Super Middleweight Champion, in the eight-round main event on a card presented by Westside Promotions.

“He’s (McCarthy) is a southpaw, fit and always in top shape, and he always comes to fight. He won his title at home on a show I was on in my fourth pro fight,” Hyde commented. “I was watching his fight with my coach, and he said, ‘We’ll get him next year,’ and here we are. I’m a boxer but if we get in the center of the ring, I’ll go toe-to-toe with him, and that will really get the Irish fans into it. It’s going to be a good night on St. Patrick’s Day Eve, the parade is on the same day as the show but in the afternoon.”

Like so many Irish boxers in the past – Wayne McCollough, Steve Collins, John Duddy, Kevin McBride, Patrick Hyland to name a few – the 2023 Irish Prospect of the Year, Hyde is now training in the United State. Tommy has had a six-week training camp preparing for this Saturday’s fight in Santa Monica (CA), under the direction of head trainer Pedro Nemes.

“Every camp has been different,” Hyde said. ”I’m obsessed with learning every day and it’s been that way here. I’m getting on great with my trainer, Pedro Neme.”

A celebrated Irish amateur boxer, Hyde participated in more than 100 amateur matches, reached the quarterfinals of the prestigious World Junior Championships in 2015, in addition to capturing three Irish National Championships, three Celtic Cup titles and the 2019 Haringey Box Cup.

Hyde’s pro career is right on track.

“Brilliant,” Hyde explained the plan. “It’s exactly what we set out to do. We wanted seven six-rounders in my first year and got it. Then, the step-up this year to fight for a title in eight-rounders, and 10 by the end of this year. The plan is to collect titles and names and stay busy this year, fighting at my second home in Boston, San Francisco again, and back home in Cork, Ireland.

ABOUT NOWHERETOHYDE: Founded in 2007 by Gary Hyde in Cork, Ireland, NoWhere2Hyde  offers full services for professional boxers around the world. Hyde has managed numerous world-class boxers during his career including world champions Guillermo Rigondeaux, Youri Kalenga, Nassam N’Dam and Simpiwe Vetyeaka. In addition to his son, Gary presently manages Dominican Olympian Rohan Polanco (12-0, 7 KOs).

INFORMATION:

Facebook: /nowhere2hyde, /tommyhyde

Twitter: @nowhere2hyde, @tommyhyde99

Instagram: @gary_nowhere2hyde, @tommyhyde1

Las Vegas – UFC^® today announced that former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s ‘Modern Wing’ as a member of the Class of 2024. Joanna will enter the Hall of Fame as the second female inductee in UFC history and first from the strawweight division.

The 2024 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place as part of the 12^th Annual UFC International Fight Week^Ô, on Thursday, June 27, at T-Mobile Arena, and will be streamed live exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS^®.

“Joanna is one of the greatest athletes in combat sports history,” UFC CEO Dana White said. “Joanna is an amazing person who has been an incredible champion, ambassador, and role model for women’s MMA, as well as an absolute killer inside the Octagon. She fought the best of the best in her division and never backed down from an opponent. Joanna is one of the toughest athletes we’ve ever seen, and it will be an honor to induct her into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer during International Fight Week.”

Joanna will enter the UFC Hall of Fame as the 13^th member of the Modern Wing, joining former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar as part of this year’s class. The “Modern Era” category includes athletes who turned pro on or after November 17, 2000 (when the first UFC event under the unified rules of MMA was held), are a minimum age of 35, or who have been retired for one year or more.A veteran of 21 fights during her 10-year professional MMA career, Joanna compiled a record of 16-5 (10-5 UFC), securing victories over former UFC strawweight champions Carla Esparza and Jessica Andrade. 

Joanna made her professional MMA debut on May 19, 2021, winning her first fight via unanimous decision. She would win her next five fights across five MMA promotions for the next two years before joining UFC with a 6-0 record.

Joanna made her UFC debut on the FIGHT PASS prelims of UFC^® ON FOX: LAWLER vs. BROWN, which took place on July 26, 2014, at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. Joanna defeated Juliana Lima via unanimous decision to continue her winning streak.

She returned to the Octagon^® five months later in December to face Claudia Gadelha on the prelims of UFC^® ON FOX: DOS SANTOS vs. MIOCIC in a strawweight title elimination bout.

Joanna defeated Gadelha via split decision to become the number-one contender of the division and face then-champion Carla Esparza at UFC^® 185: PETTIS vs. DOS ANJOS.

UFC^® 185: PETTIS vs. DOS ANJOS took place on March 14, 2015, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Tex. Joanna took control of the fight early and scored TKO in the second round to become UFC’s first Polish-born champion and first female European UFC champion. She would defend the strawweight championship five times over the next two years, setting a record for most title defenses in the division and decisively winning each fight.

Joanna would lose her next two fights against former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas in the co-main events of UFC^® 217 and UFC^® 223, ending a streak of 14 consecutive victories as a professional MMA athlete.

Joanna returned to the Octagon on July 28, 2018, to face Tecia Torres on the main card of UFC^® ON FOX: ALVAREZ vs. POIRIER 2. She would defeat Torres via a unanimous decision and move to flyweight to vie for the vacant title against Valentina Shevchenko.

Joanna would lose to Shevchenko and return to strawweight to face Michelle Waterson-Gomez, headlining UFC^® FIGHT NIGHT: JOANNA vs. WATERSON on October 19, 2019, at Amalie Arena in Orlando. Fla. She would win via unanimous decision and earn a title shot against then-UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili in the co-main event at UFC^® 248: ADESANYA vs. ROMERO.

UFC^® 248: ADESANYA vs. ROMERO took place on March 7, 2020, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Both athletes consistently traded punches back and forth for five rounds, with Zhang winning via split decision in what is widely considered to be one of the greatest fights in UFC history. During the fight, Joanna landed 186 significant strikes on Zhang, which marks the third-most in UFC strawweight history. She retired in June 2022 after losing her rematch to Weili at UFC^® 275: TEIXEIRA vs. PROCHAZKA.

Joanna enters the UFC Hall of Fame with an impressive resume that includes:

UFC:

• Most significant strikes landed in UFC women’s history – 1,754

• Most title fight wins in UFC strawweight history – 6

• Highest rate of significant strikes per minute in UFC strawweight history – 6.59

• Highest significant strike differential per minute in UFC strawweight history – +3.37

• Longest winning streak in UFC strawweight history – 8

• Tied for most wins in UFC strawweight history – 10

• Recorded six of the top 10 most significant strikes landed in a fight in UFC strawweight history

• 225 vs. Andrade (UFC 211)
• 220 vs. Letourneau (UFC 193)
• 186 vs. Zhang (UFC 248)
• 180 vs. Waterson – Gomez (UFC FN: Joanna vs. Waterson)
• 176 vs. Gadelha (TUF Finale: Joanna vs. Claudia 2)
• 171 vs. Kowalkiewicz (UFC 205)

Outside the Octagon, Joanna has been honored with numerous awards throughout her career, receiving Female Fighter of the Year in 2015 by MMA Junkie. Joanna’s unforgettable 2020 fight against then-UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili during UFC 248 won Fight of the Year honors from MMA Junkie, MMA Fighting, BT Sport, The Athletic, and the Fighters Only World MMA Awards.

A native of Olsztyn, Poland, Joanna began competing in Muay Thai at the age of 16. She competed in 40 amateur Muay Thai fights, compiling a 37-3 record before turning pro. Her only three losses were to future UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. As an amateur, she captured four consecutive gold medals (2009-13) and a silver medal (2008) during the IFMA World Championships. As a professional Muay Thai and kickboxer, she fought in 31 matches, registering a 27-3 record with one draw, and became the World Kickboxing Federation’s European champion in 2010.

A philanthropist in her native Poland, Joanna is an ambassador for several children’s hospitals and food banks, raising funds and awareness for families in need.

To view Joanna’s UFC FIGHT PASS collection please visit: https://ufcfightpass.com/playlist/20540

To see a complete list of UFC athletes and fights enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame and details regarding the UFC Hall of Fame format, please visit UFCHOF. For additional information, please visit UFC.com.

Las Vegas – UFC today announced that The Ultimate Fighter^® is returning for an historic 32^nd season and will feature UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso coaching opposite former champion and No. 1 contender Valentina Shevchenko. Following the series, which exclusively debuts Tuesday, June 4 on ESPN, the two coaches will prepare to square off for the third time at a future date.

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Grasso vs. Team Shevchenko will feature the most international cast ever assembled for the show, with 14 nations being represented by the 16 rising prospects in the men’s featherweight (145 lbs.) and middleweight (185 lbs.) divisions, who have put everything else in their lives aside to pursue their UFC dreams.

The entire 12-episode season of TUF 32 will be available exclusively on ESPN, with one episode dropping each Tuesday beginning June 4at 10pm ET/7pm PT. Episodes will be available to stream on demand on ESPN+. In addition, UFC fans can re-watch all 31 previous seasons of TUF on ESPN+.

Produced by Lionsgate Alternative Television’s Pilgrim Media Group, The Ultimate Fighter is the iconic reality television series that has introduced millions of new and die-hard fans to future UFC champions and top contenders. Those whose careers have been shaped by their participation in The Ultimate Fighter include: Julianna Peña, Kamaru Usman, Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Rose Namajunas, Michael Bisping, Robert Whittaker, Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson, T.J. Dillashaw, Amanda Nunes, Matt Serra, Michael Chiesa, Al Iaquinta, Kelvin Gastelum, Uriah Hall and many others.

No. 1 ranked women’s pound-for-pound fighter Grasso (16-3-1, fighting out of Guadalajara, Mexico) intends to make a statement in her coaching debut. She will look to pass on the skills and experience that have earned her notable victories over Shevchenko, Maycee Barber and Joanne Wood. Grasso now has her sights set on shutting out Shevchenko as coach and building momentum towards their inevitable rematch later this year.

Former UFC flyweight champion Shevchenko (23-4-1, fighting out of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) is considered by many to be one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. A Master of Sport in taekwondo, boxing, kickboxing, and Muay Thai, Shevchenko has claimed highlight-reel victories over Lauren Murphy, Jéssica Andrade, and Katlyn Chookagian. She now plans on adding a successful TUF coaching season to her impressive resume on the way to reclaiming her belt from Grasso.  

Coaches and athletes participating in The Ultimate Fighter^® Season 32: Grasso vs. Shevchenko will appear in an invite-only media day on Monday, March 11 at UFC APEX.

WHO:            Alexa Grasso, UFC^® flyweight champion,

                        Valentina Shevchenko, No. 1 ranked UFC^® flyweight,

MEN’S FEATHERWEIGHTS (145)

Edwin Cooper Jr | 31 | 6-1 | Albuquerque, N.M.

Nathan Fletcher | 26 | 8-1 | Liverpool, England

Zygimantas Ramaska | 27 | 9-2 | Ukmerg?, Lithuania

Roedie Roets | 27 | 7-1 | Polokwane, South Africa

Bekhzod Usmonov | 28 | 12-4 | Tajikistan

Guillermo Torres | 37 | 7-1 | Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

Kaan Ofli | 30 | 11-2-1 | Melbourne, Australia

Mairon Santos | 23 | 13-1 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

MEN’S MIDDLEWEIGHTS (185)

Omran Chaaban | 23 | 6-1 | Finland

Shamidkhan Magomedov | 29 | 8-1 | Gubkinsky, Russia

Robert Valentin | 28 | 10-3 | Switzerland

Mark Hulme | 29 | 12-3 | Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Ryan Loder | 31 | 6-1 | Sacramento, Calif.

Giannis Bachar | 33 | 9-2 | Athens, Greece

Thomas Theocharis | 30 | 9-5 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Paddy McCorry | 26 | 4-1 | West Belfast, Ireland

WHEN:          Monday, March 11 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. PT

WHERE:       UFC APEX

                        6650 El Camino Rd.

                        Las Vegas, NV 89118

RSVP for this event is mandatory. Please respond as soon as possible to Gabriella Bain gbain@ufc.com

*All athletes are subject to change

Visit UFC.com for additional information and content to support your UFC coverage.

About UFC^®

UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and 259 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 over 975 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS^®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.

About ESPN+?? ??

ESPN+ is the No. 1 sports streaming platform, serving fans in the U.S. with exclusive access to more than 32,000 live sports events each year, an unmatched library of on-demand replays and acclaimed original content, and premium written articles by the top reporters and analysts from ESPN.com. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $10.99 a month (or $109.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or in the ESPN App on mobile and connected devices. For more visit the ESPN+ Press Kit

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.

About Lionsgate

Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) encompasses world-class motion picture and television studio operations aligned with the STARZ premium global subscription platform to bring a unique and varied portfolio of entertainment to consumers around the world. The Company’s film, television, subscription and location-based entertainment businesses are backed by an 20,000-title library and a valuable collection of iconic film and television franchises. A digital age company driven by its entrepreneurial culture and commitment to innovation, the Lionsgate brand is synonymous with bold, original, relatable entertainment for audiences worldwide.

PHOENIX – March 8, 2024 – Undefeated rising middleweight Elijah Garcia held a media workout in his native Phoenix on Thursday as he prepares to take on veteran contender Kyrone “Shut It Down” Davis topping PBC on Prime Video action beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on Saturday, March 30 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

One of boxing’s breakout stars in 2023, the 20-year-old Garcia kicked off his big year last March with a knockout of the previously unbeaten Amilcar Vidal. He followed that up with a pair of performances on the undercards of two of the biggest events of the year, first defeating Kevin Salgado on the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia pay-per-view in April before knocking out Armando Resendiz on the Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo pay-per-view in September. He’ll continue to raise his level of competition, and look to put himself in world title contention, against the talented and durable Davis on March 30.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are available now through AXS.com. The main event is promoted in association with No Limit Boxing.

Here is what Garcia had to say Thursday from F1 Boxing Gym in Phoenix:

ELIJAH GARCIA

“I feel strong and I’m preparing really well for this fight, because I know how tough an opponent Kyrone Davis is. I’m not taking anyone lightly. He’s very experienced and he believes in his skills.

“It’s a blessing to be fighting on Amazon Prime. It’s a new generation and I get to be a part of it. It’s very exciting and it’s an opportunity I’m coming to take advantage of.

“I want everyone to see that I’m more than just a puncher. I know that I can go toe-to-toe with anybody. I have to look really good in this fight. I have to show the world that I’m talented and ready for the title shot.

“I want to achieve my goals and Kyrone is standing in my way. He knows that this is a fight that he needs to win to continue fighting at this level. He’s got a lot of good experience, but I’m hungry too. I train really hard to win. 

“I’m proud of where I’m from. I wear 602 on the beltline of my trunks and that’s because I’m proud to represent Phoenix.”

JORGE GARCIA, Elijah’s Father and Trainer

“We’re excited to keep being in big fights and performing well. It’s important for us to stay humble. We want to entertain the fans, that’s the most important thing.

“It’s great to see Elijah’s support, especially here in Arizona. There’s a lot of great fans here who love boxing. It’s motivating to have your people behind you.”

#         #         #

ABOUT THURMAN VS. TSZYU & ROLLY VS. PITBULL

The stacked inaugural four-fight PBC Pay-Per-View available on Prime Video is topped by two-time world champion Keith “One Time” Thurman dueling rising star and reigning world champion Tim Tszyu in the main event plus 140-pound world champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero and Mexican star Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz meeting in the co-main event on Saturday, March 30 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The pay-per-view will also see Cuban star and reigning WBA Middleweight World Champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara defend his belt against No. 1 rated mandatory challenger Michael Zerafa, plus all-action super welterweight sensation Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora will meet fast-charging contender Serhii Bohachuk for the vacant WBC Super Welterweight World Championship in the pay-per-view opener.

The card marks the debut event for PBC Pay-Per-View available through Prime Video since the parties announced a landmark, multiyear rights agreement in December. In addition to the PPV being available for purchase on Prime Video, regardless of Prime membership, fans will also be able to continue to access the telecast through traditional cable and satellite outlets.

For more information visit www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow #ThurmanTszyu and #RollyPitbull, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotions, on Instagram @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotionss or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions

Follow all the action as Antony Joshua takes on Francis Ngannou in a heavyweight slugfest. The packed undercard includes a heavyweight tussle between Zhieli Zhang and Joseph Parker. Plus two world title bouts Rey Vargas vs Nick Ball for the WBA Featherweight Title and Israil Madrimov and Magomed Kurbanov for the WBA Super Welterweight title

THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATCIALLY. NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED

Round 1:Jab from Nagannou..jab from Joshua..Right from Nagannou..HUGE RIGHT AND DOWN GOES NAGANNOU..Left from Nagannou
Round 2 Solid right from Joshua..HUGEN RIGHT THAT PUT NGANNOU DOWN AGAIN…ANOTHER PERFECT RIGHT AND NGANNOU IS KNOCKED OUT COLD

ROUND 1 Right hand from Parker…Left to the body..Left from Zhang…

ROUND 2 Overhand right from Parker…Left From Zhang…

ROUND 3 Right to body from Parker…Right..Left From Zhang..Jab to body from Parker..BIG LEFT AND DOWN GOES PARKER..Big Left 

ROUND 4 Right drives Zhang back

ROUND 5 Right to the body from Parker..Right from Zhang…Right from Parker

ROUND 6 Left to body from Parker

ROUND 7 Nice short left uppercut from Zhang…Big left..

ROUND 8 Perfect right to the head from Parker..LITTLE RIGHT HOOK ON THE INSIDE AND DOWN GOES PARKER

ROUND 9 Body shot from Zhang..Right from Parker..Jab..

ROUND 10 1-2 from Parker…

ROUND 11 Right hook from Zhang…Right from Parker

ROUND 12 Right from Parker..

113-113….114-112…115-111 FOR PARKER

ROUND 1: Right to body from Vargas..Right..

ROUND 2: Jab from Vargas..Body shot..Right to body..

ROUND 3: Ball throws Vargas to canvas..Right from Ball..right to body from Varhas..Left to body..Good uppercut..Left

ROUND 4 Jab and uppercut from Vargas

ROUND 5 Left hook from Ball..Right

ROUND 6 Good right from Vargas..Left from Vargas..

ROUND 7 Right from Ball..Right…Big right rocks Vargas..Left hook buckles Vargas..Right…Right

ROUND 8 Ball flinged Vargas and THEN LANDS A LEFT AND DOWN GOES VARGAS

ROUND 9 Vargas lands a body shot..Right…Left from Ball

ROUND 10 Left hook stuns Vargas..Body shot..Jab from Ball

ROUND 11 Left from Ball..Counter right..BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES VARGAS 

ROUND 12 Right from Ball..Nice jab

114-112 VARGAS….116-110 BALL…113-113

ROUND 1 Jab to body from Madrimov…right..Right..

ROUND 2 Straight fright from Madrimov..Jab to body..Left hook..

ROUND 3  2 Rights from Madrimov..Overhand right…

ROUND 4 Left hook from Madrimov…Good left from Kurbanov…Madrimov lands a right…Jabs to the body..Good right from Kurbanov..Right from Madrimov

ROUND 5Right from Kurbanov..Right from Madrinov..Right from Kurbanov..Good right from Madrimov that drives Kurbanov back to the ropes…HUGE RIGHT HURTS KURBANOV…2 MORE RIGHTS AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

Round 1: Good left from Chamberlain…Gwynne has some swelling around right eye…
Round 2 Good counter left from Chamberlain…
Round 3 Doctor looks at Gwynne’s eye..Big combination from Chamberlain..Doctor looking at eye again, which is rapidly shutting…Straight left from Chamberlain…
Round 4 Counter left from Chamberlain…Big lead right hook, follow up flurry and THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

Round 1 Left from Lerena…Straight left..Jab to the body..Right from Huni…
Round 2 Nice uppercut from Lerena…Left wobbles Huni..Huni Holds on..Body shot and uppercut from Huni..Right..
Round 3 Good right from Huni…
Round 4 Right to body by Huni…Good left to body and jab from Lerena…
Round 5 Good straight right from Huni…Combination from Lerena…
Round 6 Right from Huni…Right
Round 7 Big left from Lerena
Round 8 Straight left from Lerena…Right to body from Huni..
Round 9 Big Left from Huni..Lead right from Lerena..Straight left buckles knees of Lerena
Round 10  Straight right from Huni…Left rocks Huni..Huge flurry and Huni has no legs left…

98-92 AND 96-94 TWICE FOR HUNI

Round 1:

Former unified Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua scored a brutal second round stoppage over former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in a scheduled 10-round bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

In round one, Joshua landed a perfect right to the jaw that put Ngannou on the deck. In round two, Joshua landed a perfect counter right that put Ngannou in the canvas aagain. Ngannou was clearly clearly hurt with a bloody lip and then ate a humongous right hand that bent him over his right leg and out cold at 2:31.

Joshua, 252.4 lbs of London is 28-3 with 25 knockouts. Ngannou, 272.6 lbs of Cameroon is 0-2.

Parker Decisions Zhang; Captures WBO Interim Heavyweight Title

Joseph Parker survived two knockdowns and won the WBO Interim Heavyweight totle with a 12-round majority decision ovr Zhilei Zhang.

In round three, Zhang landed a little left hand that put Parker on the seat of his pants.

In round eight, Zhang landed a little right hook on the inside that put Parker down for a second time.

Zhang did not capitalize on the knockdowns and Parker did a little more to win by scores of 115-111, 114-112 and 113-113.

Parker, 247.6 lbs of South Auckland, NZ is 35-3. Zhang, 291.6 lbs of China is 26-2-1.

Vargas and Ball Battle to Draw in Featherweight Title Bout

Rey Vargas built up a nice lead, and he needed it as Nick Ball scored two knockdowns in the second half of their fight and battle to a split draw. Vargas keeps his WBC Featherweight title.

Vargas dominated the first half of the fight as he landed hard body shots. The fight started turning in the second half of fight.

In round seven, Ball rocked and buckled Vargas on two occasions. In round eight, Ball was able to register a knockdown when he was off balance and Ball landed a left hook. Ball continued to sure forward in the ensuing rounds. In round 11, Vargas was dropped again as Ball landed a hard right on the chin.

Vargas landed 118 of 536 punches. Ball was 111 of 472.

Scores were 114-112 for Vargas, 116-112 for Ball and 113-113.

Vragas, 125 lbs of Mexico is 36-1-1. Ball, 125 lbs of Liverpool is 19-0-1.

Madrimov Stops Kurbanov in 5 to win Super Welterweight Title

Israil Madrimov won the WBA Super Welterweight title with a fifth round stoppage over Magomed Kurbanov.

Madrimov dominated the action by landing some hard right hands over the first four frames. Kurbanov showed some life but that was short lived as in round five, Madrimov landed a hard right that rocked Kurbanov to the ropes. Madrimov followed up and landed two more hard overhand rights that forced a stoppage at 2:20

Madrimov, 153.6 lbs of Uzbekistan is 10-0-1 with seven knockouts. Kurbanov, 153.6 lbs of Ekatinberg, RUS is 25-1.

Mark Chamberlain stops Gavin Gwynne in 4

Mark Chamberlain stopped Gavin Gwynne in round four of their 10-round lightweight bout.

In round one, Gwynne started to swell around his right eye. In round three, Gwynne’s eye was shutting rapidly. Chamberlain continued to pour on the offense and in round four, landed a hard right hook that drove Gwynne to the ropes. Chamberlain followed up with a flurry and the fight was stopped at 2:46.

Chamberlain, 134.6 lbs of Portsmouth, ENG is 15-0 with 11 knockouts. Gwynne, 134 lbs or Treharris, WAL is 17-3-1.

Huni Hangs on and Decisions Lerena

Justis Huni was hurt bad in the 10th and final round but was able to hang on and defeat Kevin Lerena via 10-round unanimous decision in a heavyweight bout.

The bout was close throughout. In round 10, Lerena landed a huge left that rocked Huni across the ring on bad legs. Lerena followed up but was not able to put him down.

Huni, 243.2 lbs of Brisbane, AUS won by scores of 98-92 and 96-94 twice and is now 9-0. Lerena, 232.4 lbs of Johannesburg, SA is 30-3.

Louis Greene scored an emphatic first-round stoppage over Jack McGann in a 10-round super welterweight bout.

Greene landed a booming right hand that put McGann hard on his back. McGann got to his feet, but the fight was waved off at 1:29.

Greene, 153.2 lbs of Kent, ENG is 17-4 with 11 knockouts. McGann, 153.4 lbs of Liverpool, ENG is 9-1-1.

In a battle of undefeated heavyweights, Roman Fury won a four-round decision over Martin Svarc.

Fury, 224 lbs of Manchester, ENG won by a 39-37 score and is 4-0. Svarc, 225 lbs of CZE is 2-1.

Fury is the brother of WBC Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who was ringside.

Ziyad Almaayouf remained undefeated with a six-round decision over Christian Lopes Flores in a super lightweight contest.

Almaayouf, 144.4 lbs of Riyadh, SA won by a 60-54 score and is now 6-0. Flores, 142 lbs is 14-36-2.

Andrii Novytskiy scored a third-round stoppage over Juan Torres in a eight-round heavyweight bout.

Novytskiy, 239.4 lbs is now 10-0 with nine knockouts. Torres, 255.6 is 11-6-1.

Raymond Ford will be more invested than most when he watches Nick Ball challenge Rey Vargas for the WBC World Featherweight title tonight, live worldwide on DAZN PPV – and told Matchroom’s ‘Flash Knockdown’ Podcast that he’ll be rooting for a Ball win to set up a unification battle.

Ford became WBA champion in stunning fashion last weekend, stopping Otabek Kholmatov with just seven seconds left in the fight to claim the title and become Matchroom’s first World champion from debut in the States.

‘Savage’ had stated before the fight that a tough weight-cut for the bout would see him move up for his next outing, but the 24 year old has adjusted his thoughts and believes he can still make 126lbs – for the right fight and money.

Enter Nick Ball. The Briton takes on the rangy Vargas in Riyadh tonight, part of the stacked bill for ‘Knockout Chaos’, headlined by former two-time Heavyweight ruler Anthony Joshua taking on UFC legend Joshua Ngannou, with the Liverpudlian in his first World title tilt against the Mexican two-weight king.

Boxing is abuzz with talk of the ‘5 v 5’ tournament between the stables of Hearn and Warren on June 1 in Saudi Arabia, and Ford told Matchroom’s ‘Flash Knockdown’ Podcast that a unification clash with Ball is exactly the type of occasion that could see him make the Featherweight limit one more time.

“The stage I am at right now is just thinking ‘what’s next?’ said Ford. “I’m not one of these guys that wins a World title and that’s it, I’m not satisfied with that. I want more belts, more big fights, more money – I’m not content, I’m destined for greatness and I’m chasing greatness. Saturday night was just the beginning, the start of it, I’m chasing legacy, big fights, entertaining fights, and I’ll be back real soon.

“I know Eddie was thinking about me fighting Nick Ball if he wins, that can be a big money unification. I read that there hasn’t been a unification bout at Featherweight between two champions since 2003 or something like that, so that could be another historic night to go and unify. 

“So I don’t know, it’s not going to be a long lay off where I have to get down to the weight, I’m still in shape, I’ll get right back into the gym, so it might be a little easier making the weigh one more time to unify with Nick, so hopefully he gets the job done and I can get down to the weight to make that happen.

“I know that a lot of guys are going to Saudi because there’s a lot of money over there and I want big money. It would make sense for me to unify in the division and make the most money at this time in my career and moving up in weight then making less money if i just move up right away, I out a little more respect on my name and be able to call more of the shots. 

“I haven’t really watched either guy but I’ll be tuned in and I’m pulling for Nick so we can make that big fight and unify.”

After a keenly fought first World title battle for both young men at Turning Stone in Verona, New York, Ford went into the final round with a nasty cut under his left eye, but the Camden talent came on strong in the 12th and with 30 seconds left in the fight, a huge uppercut had Kholmatov in all sorts of trouble. The Uzbek’s fall to the canvas was ruled accidental, but Ford smelt blood and went in for the kill, rocking Kholmatov, pursuing him around the ring and landing blows that the 25 year old couldn’t handle, with the referee stepping in to crown Ford as the new champion of the world. 

In the middle rounds, Ford was heard on TV saying he felt he would stop Kholmatov, and while his backers in the arena were urging him to step on the gas, he told Matchroom’s ‘Flash Knockdown’ Podcast that he always felt in control of the fight and his emotions, right until the moment he realized he had achieved his dream.

“I’ve watched it back twice,” said Ford. “I got emotional again the first time. I’ve been getting a lot of messages from people that got emotional watching it, shedding tears when I won the title because it was such a crazy moment. And when I watched it back, I was feeling the same way that they were, even though it’s me, because it’s a crazy story and it kind of made me want to root for me after seeing what i had to go through, not just in the fight but in life, how everything played out in the end, being emotional and falling to the ground, it makes you want to root for me.

“Seeing my mom crying in the crowd, I said that was going to happen in the interview before the fight. She has been through everything with me my whole life, she’s seen me at my lowest, she’s seen the highs, was there when it looked like I was going down the wrong path, she’s proud of me and I’ve come a long way so I understand where her tears come from, and to make her proud is the best thing in the world.

“It’s a better feeling than I could have ever thought it would be. I didn’t think I would be that emotional after winning the belt. The whole time before the fight I was like ‘I’m going to win this belt and I’ll just feel normal’. I’m not a person that shows a lot of emotion, so I just thought that I would be thinking ‘what’s next’, like I feel now, but in the moment, it was so different. A part of it was what I had to go through in the fight, it was a big moment, a tough one, and then all the things I had to go through in my life, so once I got the belt it’s like, I’ve come a long way and finally, the relief. 

“In the moment I was just fighting, I wasn’t thinking about scorecards or nothing like that. When I am in the ring, it’s just me locked in the moment. My team, Eddie, my management, the crowd; I could hear them panicking a little bit and I could hear everything they were saying but I’m in there fighting, I have to focus on this guy fighting me and making sure I get the job done any way possible. I said in the fifth or sixth round that I was going to stop him, I felt I was breaking him down. I said there was no need to panic, I was going to get it done and that’s what I did, I was being patient the whole time, a lot of times he was throwing a lot of punches but a lot of them weren’t connecting. I was allowing him to tire himself out, and waiting on the opportunity to get the right shot in so i could eventually get him out of there.

“I’m always happy to be part of history so I feel great to be the first from the US that Matchroom has built from the ground up to be a World champion. It means a lot, and it’s making me want to accomplish more.”

By Norm Frauenheim –

Outrage is boxing’s oxygen. So, take a deep breath, because there’s plenty of it in the hours since Netflix announced Mike Tyson-versus-Jake Paul.

Give Netflix some credit. It didn’t call it a fight, which of course it is not.  Netflix is calling it a boxing event. It’s not exactly that either.

Tyson-Paul has about as much to do with boxing as Boxing Day does in the Commonwealth countries, where people box up food and other leftovers for the poor the day after Christmas.

That’s an act of mercy. But there’s none of that in what Netflix, Tyson and Paul are planning for July 20 at Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ big top in Arlington, Tex.

There’s only money.

They’ll grab what they can and move on, leaving only the usual outrage and absolutely no mercy for the crowd that always buys into these events. It’s happening because there’s a market for it and there always will be.

There are reasonable questions, of course. By now, most of them have already been posted on outrage media.

Will Texas regulators call it an exhibition or sanction it? Will Texas drug-test Tyson, a pot farmer and user, after suspending Keyshawn Davis for a positive test in October?

Then, there’s the age debate. Tyson will be 58, if in fact he doesn’t come up lame in the gym before the scheduled date.

Fifty-eight doesn’t exactly make him a senior citizen. He’s still seven years from qualifying for Medicare, which he might need after he subjects his aging, battered body to a workout regimen. But it’s his choice, his life. His payday.

Besides, the last I checked, two guys, one 81 and the other 77, are running for President. Maybe, the loser can face the winner, although I’m guessing only Netflix wins this one.

At the opposite end of the age scale, there’s the 27-year-old Paul. He wasn’t even around for Tyson’s memorable days as a feared heavyweight.

More than 11 years before Paul was born, Tyson, then 20, became history’s youngest heavyweight champ ever with a second-round stoppage of Trevor Berbick in November 1986.

On the street or in the ring, there’d be something unseemly about a young man against an aging one. If it were real, it’d be really wrong. But it’s really not. It’s a made-for-social-media event.

As a boxing writer and fan, I suppose I could join the outrage mob. But anger at Tyson-Paul would be as phony as calling it a fight. Prizefighting’s historical canvas includes lots of scars, yet not one draws a line between right and wrong.

George Foreman once fought five guys, all in one night. Ali once fought a Japanese wrestler to a draw in Tokyo.

Truth is, it happens throughout sports.

Jesse Owens once raced a horse. In the early 1970s, Evel Knievel rode his motorcycle in a jump over an Idaho Canyon, appropriately named Snake River. Bob Arum helped promote that one. ABC’s Wide World of Sports didn’t televise it, but it did televise Knievel jumping over 13 London buses before a crowd of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium in 1975.

Just last month, the East scored 211 points in an NBA All-Star Game devoid of anything resembling defense. In terms of competitive drama, it was about as real as Tyson-Paul will be.

I didn’t watch that.

I won’t watch Tyson-Paul, either. 

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 7, 2024) – WBA Cruiserweight Super World Champion Arsen “Feroz” Goulamirian (27-0, 19 KOs) of Yerevan, Armenia and former super middleweight world champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (45-1, 30 KOs) of Mazatlan, Mexico, hosted a press conference today to promote their 12-round cruiserweight clash for Goulamirian’s world title. The event is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Y12 Boxing and will take place at YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood and broadcast live on DAZN.

Here is what today’s participants said:
ARSEN “FEROZ” GOULAMIRIAN, WBA CRUISERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION:
“I am excited to fight for the first time in the U.S. and partner with Abel Sanchez once again. It’s a great opportunity because this division is not very popular in the United States, and we get to draw attention to it. I want to thank Golden Boy for the opportunity. It is going to be a great fight. I am not like Bivol, and I will stop him.”
GILBERTO “ZURDO” RAMIREZ, FORMER WORLD CHAMPION:
“First of all, I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity. Thank you to Golden Boy and my team for getting me here. It is an honor to be able to be the main event at YouTube Theater, and make a statement and potentially become a legend. This is my motivation. Thank you to team Arsen for taking this fight and giving me opportunity to fight for a title.”
ALEXIS “LEX” ROCHA, WELTERWEIGHT CONTENDER:
“First of all, I want to thank God. I want to thank my entire team; Hector Lopez and Abraham Perez. I want to thank Golden Boy and all of Golden Boy’s staff. Yeah, I know I took a loss my last fight, but I refuse to let that define who I am. I refuse to let that crush my spirit and my dreams. A true warrior doesn’t just avoid losses, but it’s about how they get back and hold their head up and keep moving forward. And to all the young fighters, let your setbacks fuel you. Let your failures be the stepping stone to success. I refuse to lose sight of my dreams. And I urge you all to the same. Thank you.”
RICARDO SANDOVAL, FLYWEIGHT CONTENDER:
“I want to thank Oscar De La Hoya and the Golden Boy team for signing me, and for believing in me and I’m just very excited for the future. I just want to get in the ring again and just throw hands. We’re going for all the belts.”
OSCAR DE LA HOYA, CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF GOLDEN BOY:
“For the last year, Zurdo has put in a ton of work to come back from the sole blemish on his impressive resume. He made history as the first Mexican to become a super middleweight champion, and we expect him to continue to build his legacy as the first Mexican to become a cruiserweight world titlist. He will face the tough, current champion, Arsen Goulamirian, who will be making their U.S. debut. You won’t want to miss this match up.”

#

Goulamirian vs. Ramirez is a 12-round fight for the WBA Cruiserweight Super Middleweight Championship presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The fight night will take place on Saturday, March 30, live from YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, CA and will be broadcast on DAZN worldwide.

Media interested in credentials can apply at https://forms.gle/Yz1fqk2kGN3hJh539. Media applications are due EOD Friday March 22, 2024.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #GoulamirianZurdo

About YouTube Theater
YouTube Theater is a 6,000-seat performance venue located at Hollywood Park, a near 300-acre sports and entertainment destination in Inglewood Calif., being developed by Los Angeles Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke. The state-of-the-art theater is a 227,000 square foot, three-story indoor venue situated under the same roof canopy as SoFi Stadium and American Airlines Plaza. The venue can be configured to house three different crowd capacities, including intimate settings with minimum capacities of 3,400 and 4,400. Equipped with premium finishes throughout, the venue ranked among the Top 10 venues in the world for top-grossing concert and live event ticket sales in 2023. Opened in August 2021, YouTube Theater is equipped to host a variety of events, including concerts, awards shows, boxing, esports competitions, community gatherings, conferences and more.

Steven Butler scored an explosive first round stoppage over Steve Rolls in a scheduled 10-round middleweight bout at Casino Montreal in Montreal, Canada.

Butler landed a huge right to the head froze Rolls defenseless on the ropes. Butler landed two more left hooks as the referee stopped the fight at 1:05.

Butler, 160 lbs of Montreal is 34-4-1 with 28 knockouts. Rolls, 159 lbs of Toronto is 22-4.

Iglesias Destroys Coceres in 1

Osleys Iglesias took out former world title challenger Marcelo Coceres in the opening round of their 10-round super middleweight bout.

Iglesias landed one shot to the temple that put Coceres down. Coceres tried to get to his feet, but could not and the fight was over at 2:06.

Iglesias, 168.9 lbs of Berlin, GER is 10-0 with nine knockouts. Coceres, 166.5 lbs of Buenos Aries, ARG is 32-7-1.

Lepage-Joanisse wins WBC Heavyweight Title

In a slugfest, Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse won the vacant WBC Heavyweight title with a 10-round split decision over Abril Vidal.

In round three, Lepage- Joanisse began to bleed from her nose. The two traded heavy shots throughout the entertaining scrap.

Lepage-Joanisse, 173.3 lbs of Saint Andre-Auccin, QUE won by scores of 97-93 twice while Vidall took a card 96-94.

LePage-Joanisse is now 7-1. Vidal, 170.7 lbs of Centenario, ARG is 10-2.

Arthur Biyarslanov stopped Cristian Palma in round three of their eight-round junior welterweight fight.

At the end of round two, Biyarslanov dropped Palma with a right hook to the body. In round three, it was another right hook to the body that put Palma down and the fight was stopped at 3:00.

Biyarslanov, 142 lbs of Toronto is 14-0 with 12 knockouts. Palma, 141 lbs of Lautato, CHL is 33-14-2

Luis Santana stopped Emiliano Garcia in round two of the eight-round lightweight battle.

In round one, Santana dropped Garcia with a left hook to the head. At the end of the round, Santana put Garcia down again, but was ruled a low blow after the bell. In round two, Santana dumped Garcia on the canvas with a powerful left for the 10-count at 1:31.

Santana, 136.9 lbs of Montreal is 11-0 with five knockouts. Garcia, 135.3 lbs of Buenos Aries, ARG is 19-10-1.

Mehmet Unal remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Facundo Galovar in a light heavyweight contest.

Unal, 17.7 lbs of Montreal won by tallies of 80-72 twice and 79-73 and is now 9-0. Galovar, 176.9 lbs of Yabo Buena, ARG is 15-11-2.

Jhon Orobio stopped Cristian Gonzalez in round two of their six-round lightweight fight.

In round two, Orobio dropped Gonzalez with a jab to the body. Gonzalez was sent to the canvas for a second time with a right to the body and the fight was stopped at 2:51.

Orobio, 134.3 lbs of Montreal is 7-0 with seven knockouts. Gonzalez, 133.9 lbs of Buenos Aires, ARG is 12-20-1.

Wilkens Mathieu remained undefeated with a second round stoppage over Patrick Fiala in a super middleweight bout.

In round two, Mathieu dropped Fiala with a left hook. Mathieu finished off Fiala with a barrage of punches and the bout was stopped at 1:57.

Mathieu, 171.2 lbs of Quebec City, CAN us 8-0 with five knockouts. Fiala, 171.1 lbs of CZE is 8-5-2.

LAS VEGAS – March 7, 2024 – Two-time world champion Keith “One Time” Thurman and unbeaten rising star and reigning world champion Tim Tszyu previewed their 12-round showdown during a virtual press conference Thursday before they headline a PBC Pay-Per-View available on Prime Video on Saturday, March 30 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.  

The always out-spoken Thurman gushed about his excitement for what a victory on March 30 will do for his already accolade-filled career, while Tszyu expressed confidence that his Las Vegas debut would end in emphatic fashion in his favor and propel him to the status he’s sought for years.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are available now through AXS.com. The main event is promoted in association with No Limit Boxing.

Here is what the fighters had to say Thursday:

KEITH THURMAN

“When I got the phone call to fight Tszyu, it just woke up the warrior in me. I have so much to gain in this fight. That’s what this fight is all about.

“This is gonna be a beautiful night of boxing. This is a stacked night with so many great fighters getting in the ring together. It’s a throwback card.

“Tszyu is trying to make this his era, but I’ve done great things in boxing. I’m coming to make a big splash against this Aussie shark and take him into deep waters on March 30.

“This is gonna be a great fight. That’s what the fans want. We’re two imperfect, perfect fighters stepping into the ring. We both have our own styles that make this fight so intriguing.  

“When you’re at a certain caliber, you don’t think about the risk in a fight because of your confidence. I had other fights I could have taken, but I feel like a victory over Tim Tszyu, with all the work he’s put in to build his name, is the perfect statement.

“Tim has a very unique style with the way he throws his right hand. He’s gonna be knocking at the door all fight trying to have the highlight of the night, so we’re paying attention to that.  

“I’ve been working very hard for a very tough fight in my career. Just like I have for every other world-class fighter that I’ve faced. My whole team knows we have the skills to win this fight.

“It’s my job to turn this into my story on March 30. I want to represent my greatness in the ring and show what I’ve done in the world of boxing.”

TIM TSZYU

“It’s been a big dream of mine to be fighting on this stage, on this platform and I’m going to make the most of every opportunity that’s given. This is my time, this is my moment and this is my era. This is the passing of the torch. I can’t wait to get in there.

“The way I’m feeling right now, I feel like a train that’s about to steamroll everyone. It’s not just Keith. No disrespect to him, but I’m ready to go through everyone.

“When you get in the ring, it doesn’t matter where you are. Boxing is universal. It’s just you and your opponent. It doesn’t matter if everyone hates you, or loves you, it’s just about the two of us.

“There’s always gonna be doubt in the minds of some of the public. I like that people are taking sides. That makes the fight more interesting. It’s all part of boxing. Because all the questions will be answered on fight night.  

“If you’re not dreaming about the big stage in boxing, then you’re not in the right sport. If you make it here in Las Vegas, you make it worldwide. It’s quite simple. My dreams are through the roof and I’m chasing them.

“I had to keep taking tough fights last year or I wasn’t going to make it to this stage. I couldn’t wait for Jermell Charlo. I wanted to prove to everyone in the division that I am the man. It’s all about being the man at 154-pounds.”

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ABOUT THURMAN VS. TSZYU & ROLLY VS. PITBULL

The stacked inaugural four-fight PBC Pay-Per-View available on Prime Video is topped by two-time world champion Keith “One Time” Thurman dueling rising star and reigning world champion Tim Tszyu in the main event plus 140-pound world champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero and Mexican star Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz meeting in the co-main event on Saturday, March 30 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The pay-per-view will also see Cuban star and reigning WBA Middleweight World Champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara defend his belt against No. 1 rated mandatory challenger Michael Zerafa, plus all-action super welterweight sensation Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora will meet fast-charging contender Serhii Bohachuk for the vacant WBC Super Welterweight World Championship in the pay-per-view opener.

The card marks the debut event for PBC Pay-Per-View available through Prime Video since the parties announced a landmark, multiyear rights agreement in December. In addition to the PPV being available for purchase on Prime Video, regardless of Prime membership, fans will also be able to continue to access the telecast through traditional cable and satellite outlets.

For more information visit www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow #ThurmanTszyu and #RollyPitbull, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotions, on Instagram @PremierBoxing and @TGBPromotionss or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions

The weights, in reverse fight order (ie Novytskyi vs Torres is first fight):

10 X 3 Minute Rounds International Heavyweight Contest
Anthony Joshua – 252.4lbs
Francis Ngannou – 272.6lbs

WBO Interim Heavyweight World Championship
Zhilei Zhang – 291.6lbs
Joseph Parker – 247.6lbs

WBC Featherweight World Championship
Rey Vargas – 125lbs
Nick Ball – 126lbs

Vacant WBA Super-Welterweight World Championship
Israil Madrimov – 153.6lbs
Magomed Kurbanov – 153.6lbs

Vacant WBA International Lightweight contest 10×3 minute rounds
Mark Chamberlain – 134.6lbs
Gavin Gwynne –  134.6lbs

Eliminator for WBC Silver Super-Welterweight Championship, 10×3 minute rounds
Jack McGann – 153.4lbs
Louis Greene – 153.2lbs

WBO Global & WBC Special Event Heavyweight Contest, 10×3 Minute Rounds
Justis Huni – 243.2lbs
Kevin Lerena – 232.4 lbs

4 X 3 Minute Rounds International Heavyweight Contest
Roman Fury – 224lbs
Martin Svarc – 225lbs

6 X 3 Minute Rounds International Super-Lightweight Contest
Ziyad Almaayouf – 144.4lbs
Christian Lopes Flores – 142lbs

8 X 3 Minute Heavyweight Contest
Andrii Novytskyi – 239.4lbs
Juan Torres – 255.6lbs

# # #?

About Riyadh Season:
Saudi Arabia’s capital embraces one of the world’s biggest entertainment events every year during winter. Since the launch of the Riyadh Season in 2019, the festival has welcomed visitors from all over the world to experience thousands of concerts, sporting events, dining experiences and other unique cultural events. Riyadh Season 2023 commenced on Saturday, 28 October with a spectacular opening ceremony and an historic boxing match between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou.

Las Vegas (March 7, 2024) – Two-Time world champion Shawn Porter has confirmed that he will appear at the Seventh Annual Box Fan Expo on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at the Las Vegas Convention Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Expo will also coincide with a mega fight that will take place later that evening in Las Vegas, featuring boxing star Canelo Alvarez.

Porter will hold a Meet & Greet with his fans at his booth during the fan event held over the Cinco De Mayo weekend

The Box Fan Expo is an annual fan event that coincides with some of the sports’ legendary, classic fights in Las Vegas, including Mayweather vs. Maidana II, Mayweather vs. Berto, Canelo vs. Chavez Jr., Canelo vs. GGG II, Canelo vs. Jacobs and Canelo vs. GGG III. 

Centered in boxing’s longtime home – Las Vegas – this year’s Expo is a must-do for fight fans coming in for this legendary weekend, with dozens of professional fighters, promoters, and companies involved in the boxing industry. The Expo is the largest and only Boxing Fan Expo held in the United States. http://boxfanexpo.com – @BoxFanExpo

Tickets to the Box Fan Expo are available at Eventbrite –https://bit.ly/BOXFANEXPO2024

Porter will make his seventh appearance at this years’ Expo and will showcase his LIVE Streaming show “The PorterWay Podcast”. Porter will be signing gloves, photos, personal items and memorabilia. He will also have merchandise on sale at his booth, and fans will have an opportunity to take pictures with this boxing star also known as “Showtime”. @theporterwaypod @ShowtimeShawnP

Porter joins Fernando Vargas, Juan Manuel Marquez, Michael Spinks, Claressa Shields and Marco Antonio Barrera as an early commitment to this year’s Box Fan Expo, with more Boxing stars to be announced. 

About Shawn Porter

Porter is a retired American professional boxer who competed from 2008 to 2021. He is a Two-time former welterweight world champion, having held the IBF title from 2013 to 2014 and the WBC title from 2018 to 2019. He is particularly known for his aggressive pressure fighting style, physical strength and high work rate. Some of his most noticeable fights came against Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, Errol Spence Jr., Adrien Broner, Paulie Malignaggi, Andre Berto and Kell Brook to name a few. He currently runs a popular streaming show “The PorterWay Podcast” which allow boxing enthusiast to watch great interviews with some of their favorite boxing celebrities. Porter is also known as a great commentator on many boxing platforms.

?About Box Fan Expo

Box Fan Expo is the ultimate boxing fan experience event, which allows fans to meet the stars of boxing that represent the past, present and future of the sport. With hosted autograph signings, meet-and-greets with current and former boxing world champions, limited edition merchandise for sale, giveaways and more, this is the ultimate event for fans of the sport.

Past boxing stars that have participated include: Floyd Mayweather, Mike Tyson, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio Cesar Chavez, Juan Manuel Marquez, Tommy Hearns, Roy Jones Jr, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, David Benavidez, Teofimo Lopez, Andre Ward, Ryan Garcia, Marcos Maidana, Devin Haney, Mikey Garcia, Errol Spence Jr, Fernando Vargas, Rolando Romero, Sergio Martinez, Tim Bradley, Jose Ramirez, Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Deontay Wilder, Amir Khan, Abner Mares, James Toney, Jessie Vargas, Floyd Mayweather sr., Claressa Shields, Vinny Paz, Mia St.John, Franchón Crews-Dezurn, Seniesa Estrada, Jorge Linares, Leo Santa Cruz, Badou Jack, Terry Norris, Riddick Bowe, Earnie Shavers, Michael & Leon Spinks, Brandon Rios, Anthony Dirrell, Danny Jacobs, and many more.

Exhibitors include boxing promoters, gear, apparel, equipment, energy drinks, supplement products, broadcasting media, sanctioning bodies, and other companies who showcase their brand to fans and the boxing industry as a whole.

Throughout the next few months leading up to the Event, there will be weekly updates on the many stars that will commit their appearance at the Boxing Expo.

Tickets to the Box Fan Expo are available at Eventbrite –

https://bit.ly/BOXFANEXPO2024

To request information on exhibiting and sponsorship at the Expo:

For media credentials:

Contact us:

Telephone number: (702) 997-1927 or (514) 572-7222

For any inquiries please email: boxfanexpo@gmail.com

More information on Box Fan Expo visit: http://www.boxfanexpo.com

Follow Box Fan Expo on Twitter and Instagram at: @BoxFanExpo

Follow Box Fan Expo on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/BoxFanExpo

LAS VEGAS (March 7, 2024) — Undefeated junior lightweight southpaw Jalen “Sky” Walker (12-0-1, 10 KOs) has signed a long-term promotional contract with Top Rank.
 
Walker will make his Top Rank debut in an eight-rounder against Alejandro Guerrero (12-4, 9 KOs) on Saturday, April 13 at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. Walker-Guerrero will be part of the ESPN+-streamed undercard of the Jared Anderson-Ryad Merhy heavyweight main event.
 
“Jalen Walker is a sensational talent who I believe will soon be among the top 130-pound contenders,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum.
  
Walker said, “I am very excited and looking forward to working with Top Rank, a company that promoted Muhammad Ali and guided the careers of fighters such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, and many more. With hard work, dedication, and the Top Rank team behind me, I will be amongst those names!”
 
“As a team, we are delighted to be working with Top Rank,” said Charlie Sims of Huge Project Management. “Jalen is an amazing talent and now he has the platform in Top Rank to showcase his ability. It’s time to show the world what he can achieve.”

A Los Angeles native, Walker began boxing when he was seven and compiled an impressive 108-13 amateur record. After capturing three national PAL titles, he made his pro debut in November 2019 and stopped his first six opponents. In December 2020, he vanquished durable Mexican veteran Diuhl Olguin via six-round unanimous decision, which was followed by a TKO victory against Julian Evaristo Aristule the following March. After being saddled with a draw in April 2021, he has gone 4-0 with three knockouts. Walker last fought in November, when he iced Jorge Villegas with a furious flurry in the second round.

BoxingInsider is Live Tonight(Thursday, Mar. 7) with a 7:30 PM/ET start time from NYC’s Sony Hall for an action-packed night of club boxing

Bout Order and Official Weights:

Ariel Lopez ( 20-1-1 11 KO)  122lbs vs Gregorio Lebron (24-6 18 KO)  121.8lbs

Chiara Ditrui (7-0 3 KO) 127.6 lbs vs Jaica Pavlus (3-6 1KO) 127 lbs

Emmet Brennan (2-1 1 KO) 171.6 lbs vs Devaun Lee (11-10-1 6 KO) 169.2 lbs

Pryce Taylor (2-0 2 KO) 266.8 lbs vs Antonio Terres (4-1 4 KO) 247 lbs

Jason Castanon (pro debut) 138.6 lbs vs Luis Rivera-Reyes ( pro debut) 135 lbs

Kijonti Davis ( 1-2 1 KO) 163.6 lbs vs Beni Beguy (0-1) 156.8 lbs 

Free Live Stream – Sign Up at : https://videos.boxinginsider.com/home 

Limited Tickets Still on Sale: https://www.ticketweb.com/event/boxing-insider-live-professional-boxing-sony-hall-tickets/13430053

PHILADELPHIA, PA (March 7, 2024) – Undefeated cruiserweight “The Muslim Boxer” Muhsin Cason (12-0, 9 KOs) is set to step back into the ring on April, 2024, at the iconic Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA, for what promises to be a gritty battle against DeShon Webster (12-7-3, 6 KOs). The scheduled 6-round bout is being promoted by Teflon Promotions.

Cason, who is advised by recognized manager Amer Abdallah, has been making waves in the cruiserweight division by remaining unbeaten. His upcoming bout against Webster presents another opportunity for Cason to showcase his skills and solidify his position as one of the most promising talents in the cruiserweight division.

“My journey to becoming a world champion continues on April 27th” said Cason.  “I’m looking forward to stepping back into the ring and under those lights where I feel most comfortable”

With a stable of great fighters that includes 3-division world champion Badou Jack, rising prospect Bryce Mills, and unbeaten bantamweight Khalid Twaiti, Abdallah feels Cason is ready to step up in competition in 2024.

“This is a big year for Muhsin as we plan to increase his level of competition and activity. He’s been working diligently in the gym awaiting the next call to go out…he’s always ready,” stated Abdallah, emphasizing the significance of this bout in Cason’s career. “This fight is a critical steppingstone for him, as it’s in his backyard and against a tough opponent. I typically don’t like fighters holding camp during Ramadan, but Muhsin was adamant about getting back in the ring as soon as he could. This is what he lives for.”

The Liacouras Center is located at 1776 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19121. Doors will open at 6:00 pm, with the first fight scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm.

By Norm Frauenheim –

Francis Ngannou is no ordinary novice.

He’s been called one simply because of the numbers in his resume. They don’t add up to anything that would suggest he’s a champion, contender or journeyman

He’s a one-time heavyweight boxer. His heavyweight career is 10 rounds long. It’s the equivalent of a postage stamp on other heavyweight resumes.

Yet, it delivered a message, one that has made the top of boxing’s old flagship division very uncomfortable. Ngannou crashed the party in October, sending its lineal king tumbling onto the canvas like some eroding edifice.

Tyson Fury won a split decision in Saudi Arabia, but the scorecards’ inherent controversy has lingered with questions about the state of today’s heavyweight game.

It’s a question, one of many, seeking an answer Friday (main event at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT/DAZN PPV) when Ngannou enters the ring for the second time in his heavyweight boxing career against former champion and presumed Fury rival Anthony Joshua, also in Riyadh.

From personal reputations to promotional plans, the stakes are enormous, unprecedented for anything attached to a so-called novice.

Let’s start with the promotional plans. It was announced Wednesday that Queensberry Promotions wants the winner of Ngannou-Joshua to fight the winner of the rescheduled bout on May 18 between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

“There’s a lot on the line,’’ Fury said, stating the obvious.

The heavyweights, at least on the UK side of the division, have been waiting for a decisive Fury-Joshua confrontation for years. Few even knew Ngannou’s name when that wait began.

But here he is, a 37-year-old boxing novice and a Mixed Martial Arts veteran with the power to make everyone wonder why – why-oh-why — they waited.

“if in the coming months both Fury and Joshua win, it is on to the dream matchup in Wembley Stadium British boxing fans have dreamed of for years,” says Jim Lampley, HBO’s former ringside journalist who will co-host, real time, a live-stream chat for PPV.COM Friday. “If Usyk and Ngannou win, that is forgotten, and we keep moving into the brave new combat world.’’

The idea, at least from the UK perspective, is for Joshua to prove that Ngannou was simply an aberration last October.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Joshua looks as if he has restored his confidence. That was evident in his solid fifth-round TKO of Otto Wallin in December. Wallin is skillful, but don’t confuse him with Ngannou. He’s imposing, dangerous. This novice is a Goliath.

The guess is that Ngannou doesn’t have the endurance or the skillset to endure 10 rounds.  Joshua has an Olympic pedigree and a gold medal. But he also has a history of retreating after he gets hit by bigtime power.

That’s been the story line since he was knocked down by a huge shot from Wladimir Klitchsko in April 2017. Joshua went on to win an 11^th-round TKO. But the Klitschko knockdown seemed to replace the confidence with over abundant caution. He became beatable.

Ngannou is nothing if not powerful. Here’s another question: What happens to Joshua if he gets rocked by the kind of Ngannou shot that dropped Fury?

A Joshua advantage is that he knows all about Ngannou’s head-turning power. Against Fury, Ngannou delivered a timely alert, says Lampley in a pre-fight analysis.

“With his very near miss against Fury, Ngannou has supplied Joshua with a potentially vital wake-up call, a useful scouting report, and massive motivation to gain public-relations ground by indirectly embarrassing Fury.’’

Lampley has some advice for each corner.

For Joshua: “Make sure the boxing match is a BOXING match. Use your jab, stay out of clinches, don’t get into a wrestling match against the rarity of a larger, stronger man,’’ Lampley says to an ex-champ with plenty to lose

For Ngannou: “Shoot the moon. Take risks, swing big when you see the target, maybe this time the knockdown will stick,’’ he says to a novice with little to lose.

Novices never do

LOS ANGELES (MARCH 6, 2024)–On Thursday night, June 6, Wise Owl Boxing will present the Butterfly Brawl. The Butterfly Brawl is an extension of the popular fundraising event Butterfly Ball, which has drawn powerhouses and A-Listers for several years. The event has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Warrior Of the Light Foundation and City of Hope.

The event will take place at Academy LA in Hollywood. (6021 Hollywood BLVD, Los Angeles, 90028)

This year, in addition to presenting a major musical act, the event will feature a professional boxing card.

“I have been involved with this incredible evening since the inception and now to add a professional boxing event will only enhance the evening and bring out more and more people on June 6th,” said Mark Habibi of Wise Owl Boxing.

The Butterfly Ball was created to honor the life of music executive, Yassy Hosseini, who passed away from Breast Cancer in 2016 at the age of 39.

Besides music and boxing, the event will also hold an auction of items. If interested in donating an item to be included in the auction please email info@wiseowlboxing.com

Past artists that have appeared have been the Blackeyed Peas, Snoop-Dogg , Too Short and Anderson Paak.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE – Please email info@wiseowlboxing.com

News and updates will be forthcoming in the upcoming weeks.

NEW YORK, NY – March 6, 2024 – Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced that its Most Valuable Prospects series will return with its sixth installment on Friday, April 26th at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, FL available globally on DAZN subscription. Most Valuable Prospects VI will be headlined by #10-ranked WBA super welterweight Yoenis Tellez (7-0, 6 KOs) vs. Joseph Jackson (19-0, 15 KOs) for the WBA Latin America Continental Championship and will be presented by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy. The co-main event will feature Benigno Aguilar (11-0-1, 4 KOs) vs. Alexander Rios (8-1, 3 KOs) in a rematch of their undercard thriller on MVP’s historic Serrano vs. Ramos and Most Valuable Prospects III card. Tickets will go on sale on Monday, March 11th at 10am ET on Ticketmaster.com.

Making his second appearance on the Most Valuable Prospects series is the 23-year-old star prospect Yoenis Tellez (7-0, 6 KOs), who will take on the more experienced and fellow undefeated knockout machine Joseph Jackson in a highly-anticipated 10-round super welterweight headliner in defense of the WBA Continental Latin Americas title. Tellez, from Stafford, Texas by way of Santiago, Cuba, initially made a name for himself in the opening PPV bout of the Terrence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. welterweight championship unification showdown, in which Tellez took on the far more experienced Sergio Ramos and dealt Ramos a brutal 3rd round knockout, the seasoned Garcia’s third loss in 37 professional matches – and his first loss by TKO. Tellez spent most of his youth in Cuba as an amateur boxer, winning national youth titles in 2017 and 2018 before moving to Russia in 2020 to make his pro debut. Tellez eventually moved to Texas in 2022 to begin training with Ronnie Shields. In his most recent appearance in the ring on the Jake Paul vs. Andre August & Most Valuable Prospects IV main card, Tellez secured the WBA Continental Latin Americas title with his jaw-dropping knockout of Livan Navarro in the 10th round. He is promoted by BoxLab Promotions and Warrior’s Boxing. 

Joseph Jackson (19-0, 15 KOs), Tellez’s 35-year-old challenger for the WBA Continental Latin Americas title, comes to the ring by way of Greensboro, North Carolina off three straight knockout wins, adding to his already impressive undefeated resume. Jackson’s biggest win to date was over Derrick Colemon Jr., which resulted in a unanimous decision for Jackson as he handed Colemon his first and only loss to date on Showtime’s Shobox series in February 2020. 

In the co-main feature on MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects VI will be the thrilling 8-round lightweight rematch of Mexico vs. Puerto Rico between fan favorites Benigno Aguilar (11-0-1, 4 KOs) vs. Alexander Rios (8-1, 3 KOs). Each fighter is making their third appearance on Most Valuable Prospects following top-performance moments in the series, including Rios’s first round knockout of Javier Ailla on Most Valuable Prospects II. In their last matchup on the historic card of Amanda Serrano vs. Danila Ramos and Most Valuable Prospects III in October 2023, the two each put their undefeated records on the line, with Aguilar fighting to a nail-biting split decision victory over Rios. Aguilar solidified his victory as he scored a major knockdown of Rios down in the fifth round as the two traded a thundering series of body and face shots across the bout. Rios most recently notched another win in March, and now seeks to settle the score against Aguilar. 

Also on the main card will be a 6-round battle between featherweights Jan Paul Rivera (8-0, 5 KOs) and David Perez (9-0, 2 KOs). Rivera, the 22-year-old prospect from Salinas, Puerto Rico, was a decorated member of the Puerto Rican national boxing team as an amateur, competing in over 200 bouts. His amateur accolades include winning two straight Puerto Rico Elite National Championships in 2020 and 2021, as well as the Puerto Rico Youth National Championships in 2018 and 2019. He also earned a silver medal at the AIBA Youth World Championships in Budapest, Hungary in 2018. Across his 8-fight professional career to date, Rivera has competed across the USA, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Colombia, furthering his aspirations to become a global star in the sport. David Perez, the 26-year-old talent from Tulsa, Oklahoma, recently bested then-6-0 William Green in September 2023, and looks to take his first major step up in competition to test his undefeated record against Rivera on Friday, April 26.  

“Coming off MVP’s latest record-breaking event in Puerto Rico, we are excited to return to Orlando for our next Most Valuable Prospects event on Friday, April 26,” said MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul. “Continuing to shine the spotlight on boxing’s best young talents is a core tenant of MVP, and we look forward to welcoming back Yoenis Tellez, Benigno Aguilar, and Alexander Rios to the series’ sixth installment following their sensational performances on previous Most Valuable Prospects iterations over the last year. Thank you to DAZN, CELSIUS, Boxlab Promotions, and Caribe Royale for their ongoing partnership to make this series the best up-and-coming talent feature in boxing.”

“On behalf of Caribe Royale and Boxlab Promotions we’re excited to be partnering with MVP on another dynamic boxing card. The card is stacked with fast rising prospects in various weight classes,” said Amaury Piedra, Managing Director of Caribe Royale Resort and President of Boxlab Promotions. “This is just another example of how the team has made Orlando the focal point for boxing in Florida. These action packed events give both Caribe Royale guests and locals another reason to visit Orlando’s only 4 diamond all suite resort.”

Additional bouts for Most Valuable Prospects VI will be announced in the coming weeks. 

The Most Valuable Prospects series is produced and marketed by MVP with Boxlab Promotions serving as the official licensed promoter and is distributed globally by DAZN. The sixth event in the series will continue the commitment from MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian to highlight the world’s best up-and-coming boxing talent. All events within Most Valuable Prospects will take place on Friday nights in 2024. CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy, maker of lifestyle energy drink, is the exclusive energy drink sponsor of Most Valuable Promotions and the Most Valuable Prospects series. 

For more information, follow on X via @MostVPromotions and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @MostValuablePromotions and @DAZNBoxing.

About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)

Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP have produced Jake Paul’s last five global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Diaz match. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.

About DAZN

DAZN is a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US and the UK.? Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LaLiga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world – Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC.? 

DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match through the NFL Game Pass International add-on subscription. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League, and a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F.? DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans.?

DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialize, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN.?

DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to a ground-breaking rights catalog and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including PlayStation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Apple TV and can find the app on their iPhone, iPad, and android mobile devices. DAZN is available as an Amazon Channel on Amazon Prime TV and can be viewed on Channel 429 on Sky in the UK and Ireland.   

DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries. For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit?www.dazngroup.com.??

About Caribe Royale Orlando Resort

Located just minutes from the Walt Disney World® Resort in the nation’s number one convention and tourist destination, Caribe Royale Orlando is the only AAA Four Diamond all-suite meetings resort in Orlando. A TripAdvisor 2022 Travelers’ Choice Award winner – among just 10 percent of hotels worldwide to receive the distinction – the upscale Caribe Royale is emerging from a $140 million renovation that includes fully remodeling all of its one-bedroom suites, an all-new 50,000-square-foot grand ballroom (bringing the total meeting space to 220,000 square feet), and an inviting new lobby. Being privately-owned, Caribe Royale offers meeting planners faster approval cycles and more flexibility to create stand-out events. To learn more or to book a visit, event or meeting, visit www.cariberoyale.com. Follow the all-suite convention hotel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(@cariberoyale), LinkedIn and Pinterest. #cariberoyaleorlando

QUINCY, Mass. (March 6, 2024)  – The newest member of Granite Chin Promotions’ (GCP) growing stable of fighters, Dorchester (MA) lightweight prospect Jonathan de Pina (12-2, 5 KOs), will make his GCP debut March 23^rd on the “Pandemonium at the Palladium 3” card, presented on Granite Chin Promotions (GCP), at the famed Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts.

“Pandemonium at the Palladium 3” will be streamed live on BXNGTV.com.

“Right Now,” de Pina explained, “I’ve been fighting six years as a pro, but I’ve only had 14 fights. Other guys have been fighting for only two years and they’re catching up with me. It’s hard being by yourself. I’ve dealt with other promoters, fighting on their shows, and I feel that (promoter) Chris (Traietti) is the most honest and reasonable. And he’s a former boxer who knows both sides of boxing, and he really cares about fighters. I need to be busy, and he can do that for me.”

“Jonathan is a high-level fighter who, in my opinion, really hasn’t had a promoter consistent and serious about bringing him to the next level,” GCP president Chri Traietti commented. “That is different now; he is part of the Granite Chin family, and getting our guys under the lights at big arenas is what this company is all about. We plan on getting Jonathan in the ring a bunch in 2024, then in 2025, I have ZERO doubt that you will be seeing him fight on a major network.”

A 2018 New England Golden Gloves and 2017 Ringside (novice) champion, de Pina started boxing at the age of 16, and had a 55-9 amateur record. Jonathan used to throw on gloves and put fights on YouTube, at least until his father found out about it, telling his son that if he was going to box he should do it the right way. He brought Jonathan to Peter Welch’s Gym in South Boston.

“I loved it right away,” de Pina said. “We always were fond of boxing at home. We had a punching bag in our house and my father taught me. My mother wasn’t a fan, though.”

Not only will de Pina make his GCP debut on March 23^rd, but he will also be fighting in Worcester for the first time, when he faces Michael “Titan” Taylor in a four-round match. Jonathan moved up to the 140-pound division for his last fight, but he’s back fighting at his natural weight, 135, confident that he will not have problems making weight. Jonathan is a big 135 but he quickly realized that fighting at 140 was too much.

When he first started watching boxing, he was a huge Yuriorkis Gamboa fan, until Jonathan watched Terence Crawford knockout Gamboa. “That was the first time I saw Crawford fight and he’s been my favorite fighter ever since then. He’s the reason why I switch around (orthodox and southpaw stances) and got so serious about boxing. I also liked Roy Jones, Jr and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

“I want to fight a lot in 2024. I want Nick Molina next, then Gabby Morales, and bigger names by the end of the year.” 

In the 10-round main event, Junior North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Welterweight Champion Denzel “Double Impact” Whitley (13-0, 7 KOs), of Holyoke (MA),  will make his first title defense in a rematch with Salem (MA) challenger Kenny “Lionheart” Larson (7-1-1, 5 KOs) in the 10-round main event.  

Former New England Welterweight Champion Mike “Bad Man” Ohan, Jr. (19-2, 9 KOs), of Holbrook (MA), faces Whitley’s brother, junior welterweight Derrick Whitley, Jr. (7-4-1, 0 KOs), in the 10-round, co-featured event.

Also fighting on this loaded card are the Sumpter brothers from Pittsfield (MA), undefeated IBA Americas Super Middleweight Champion Steve “The Savage” Sumpter (9-0, 7 KOs) and his older brother, heavyweight Quintin Sumpter (6-2, 4 KOs). Sumpter takes on veteran Antonio Louis “Tony The Best” Hernandez (7-18-2, 4 KOs) in an eight-round, non-title fight, while Quintin  throws-down with Zach Calmus (3-2, 2 KOs), of Gloucester (MA), in a four-round bout.

Card subject to change.

Tickets are priced at $45.00 (standing room), $50.00 (balcony), $90.00 (mezzanine), $125.00 (floor) and $650.00 (booth of 4) and available for purchase online at www.ThePalladium.net.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. ET, first bout at 7 p.m. ET.

INFORMATION:  

Facebook.com/GraniteChin

INGLEWOOD, CA (March 6, 2024): The pride of Santa Ana, Alexis “Lex” Rocha (23-2, 15 KOs) will co-headline the cruiserweight clash between WBA Cruiserweight Super World Champion Arsen “Feroz” Goulamirian (27-0, 19 KOs) of Yerevan, Armenia against former World Champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (45-1, 30 KOs). Rocha will participate in a 10-round welterweight fight against Fredrick “General Okunka” Lawson (30-4, 22 KOs). Rocha will return to YouTube Theater after being the main event last January 2023 for the first-ever boxing event in the venue’s history. The fight night is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Y12 Boxing and will take place at YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood and broadcast live on DAZN.

“First and foremost, I want to thank Golden Boy Promotions, my fans, and my entire team for their constant support,” said Alexis Rocha. “My last fight did not go the way that I expected it to. I let a lot of people down, including myself. This next stage of my career is my revenge tour. This is when I become everything I know I was meant to be in this sport. The pain I feel from my last loss will be the pain every opponent feels moving forward.”

“I would like to personally thank the Golden Boy himself, Oscar De La Hoya, for this great opportunity of redemption,” said Fredrick Lawson. “Also, I would like to thank DAZN, the number 1 outlet in the world, for watching boxing. I know that Alexis is a top fighter, but so am I, and I will prove it to everyone on March 30. My manager Jacob Zwennes is very confident that I will beat Rocha.”

Also on the DAZN broadcast, Rialto’s Ricardo Sandoval (23-2, 16 KOs) and Queretaro, Mexico’s Luis “Zari” Hernandez (13-6-1, 8 KOs) will battle it out in a 10-round flyweight bout. Opening the broadcast, Fort Worth, Texas’ Santiago “Somer” Dominguez (26-0, 20 KOs) will make his U.S. Golden Boy debut against Jose Sanchez (14-3-1, 4 KOs) of Albuquerque, New Mexico in a 10-round welterweight fight. Dominguez was last seen on the undercard of the Yokasta Valle vs. Anabel Ortiz world championship fight in Costa Rica.

On the preliminary card, in a 10-round light heavyweight fight, Kareem Hackett (12-0, 6 KOs) of Toronto, Canada will defend his newly-minted WBA Intercontinental Title against Victorville’s Rowdy Montgomery (10-5-1, 7 KOs). Also in the preliminaries, Jonathan “Sugarcane” Cañas (3-0, 2 KOs) will participate in a four-round lightweight fight. Making his professional debut, Ronaldo Mancilla of Big Bear will participate in a four-round light heavyweight fight. In a four-round welterweight fight, Deni Davtian of Kharkiv, Ukraine will also make their professional debut. Opponents for each will be announced soon.

Tickets for Goulamirian vs. Zurdo are on sale and are priced at $150, $100, $75, $50 and $30 plus applicable fees. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or GoldenBoy.com.

Media interested in credentials can apply at https://forms.gle/Yz1fqk2kGN3hJh539. Media applications are due EOD Friday March 22, 2024.

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Goulamirian vs. Ramirez is a 12-round fight for the WBA Cruiserweight Super Middleweight Championship presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The fight night will take place on Saturday, March 30, live from YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, CA and will be broadcast on DAZN worldwide.

Media interested in credentials can apply at https://forms.gle/Yz1fqk2kGN3hJh539. Media applications are due EOD Friday March 22, 2024.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and www.DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing. Follow the conversation using #GoulamirianZurdo

About YouTube Theater
YouTube Theater is a 6,000-seat performance venue located at Hollywood Park, a near 300-acre sports and entertainment destination in Inglewood Calif., being developed by Los Angeles Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke. The state-of-the-art theater is a 227,000 square foot, three-story indoor venue situated under the same roof canopy as SoFi Stadium and American Airlines Plaza. The venue can be configured to house three different crowd capacities, including intimate settings with minimum capacities of 3,400 and 4,400. Equipped with premium finishes throughout, the venue ranked among the Top 10 venues in the world for top-grossing concert and live event ticket sales in 2023. Opened in August 2021, YouTube Theater is equipped to host a variety of events, including concerts, awards shows, boxing, esports competitions, community gatherings, conferences and more.

DETROIT – March 6, 2024 – “Big Time Boxing USA”, the new series presented by Salita Promotions, will return for its second installment with a pair of matchups featuring top contenders in their respective divisions entering the ring on Thursday, March 28 streamed live on DAZN from Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit.

The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and is topped by 2016 Colombian Olympian Juan Carrillo putting his unbeaten record on the line against veteran Quinton Rankin in a 10-round light heavyweight bout, plus IBF No. 2 super middleweight contender Vladimir Shishkin returns to battle the always tough Mike Guy in the 10-round co-main event.

Tickets for the live event are on sale now and can be purchased online HERE or in-person at the Wayne State Fieldhouse Box Office. This will be the second boxing event at Wayne State Fieldhouse, the home to the Detroit Pistons’ G-League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, after “Big Time Boxing USA” debuted at the venue in February.  Watch former world champion and “Big Time Boxing USA” analyst Raul Marquez break down the first card HERE.

“March 28 is going to feature two fighters on their way to a world title in talent packed exciting divisions,” said Dmitriy Salita, President of Salita Promotions. “Juan Carillo, with an outstanding amateur career, is coming off a career best win and is ready to put the division on notice. Vladimir Shishkin has been gunning for Canelo Alvarez and with all the happenings in the division, that time is coming soon.”

Representing his native Barranquilla, Colombia, Carillo (11-0, 8 KOs) has impressed since turning pro in 2019, quickly working his way up the light heavyweight ladder. His most recent outing saw the 31-year-old earn a victory over previously unbeaten Richard Vansiclen to take home the WBO Inter-Continental belt, putting him on the path to facing Dmitriy Bivol. Accumulating a record of 388-23, he was among Colombia’s most decorated amateurs and advanced to the second round at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. He also won gold medals at the 2012 Colombian National Games, 2012 Pacific Cup Tournament, 2011 Colombian National Championships, 2010 Colombian Youth National Championships, and silver at the 2014 Central American & Caribbean Games.

Rankin (21-8-2, 16 KOs) has faced a slew of big names throughout a pro career that dates back to 2011. A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Rankin challenged reigning titleholder David Morrell Jr. and former longtime champion Chad Dawson in 2019 alone. Following the Morrell fight, Rankin put together an impressive six-fight winning streak, stopping four of those opponents. He most recently dropped a decision to contender Deon Nicholson in September 2023.  

In addition to his IBF ranking, Shishkin (15-0, 9 KOs) has earned acclaim as the Ring Magazine’s #6 super middleweight and If he continues his winning ways, he’ll look to earn a world title fight against current undisputed super middleweight world champion Canelo Alvarez. Now fighting out of the resurgent Detroit boxing scene under the guidance of the renowned SugarHill Steward, Shishkin turned pro in 2016 following a prolific amateur career. The 32-year-old earned an impressive victory in December 2022, besting former world champion Jose Uzcategui via a unanimous decision in December in a nationally televised bout. Most recently, Shishkin knocked out Ramon Ayala in round two last September.

He will be opposed by Los Angeles’ Guy (12-7-1, 5 KOs), who owns notable victories over Denis Douglin and Marco Delgado. Guy has faced a who’s who of top contenders throughout his career, including Sergiy Derevyanchenko, John Ryder, Jesse Hart, Demond Nicholson, Ali Akhmedov and Junior Younan. Despite that resume, Guy has only been stopped once in his career, and that came in the final round of the bout.   

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ABOUT SALITA PROMOTIONS

Salita Promotions was founded in 2010 by Dmitriy Salita, a professional boxer and world-title challenger who saw the need for a promotional entity to feature boxing’s best young prospects and established contenders in North America and around the world. Viewers watching fighters on worldwide television networks including SHOWTIME, HBO, ESPN, Spike TV, Universal Sports Network, UFC Fight Pass, DAZN, ESPN+ and MSG have enjoyed Salita Promotions fight action in recent years. We pride ourselves on offering our fighters opportunities inside and outside the ring. Salita Promotions looks forward to continuing to grow and serve the needs of fight fans around the globe.

Check the Salita Promotions YOUTUBE CHANNEL for regular updates of the modern world’s greatest fighters, contenders and prospects in action. 

This Wednesday was announced that World Boxing Association (WBA) flyweight champion Seigo Yuri Akui will defend his belt for the first time on May 6 against Taku Kawuhara at the Tokyo Dome, in the Japanese capital.

Yuri Akui comes from winning the title last January 23 when he defeated Artem Dalakian by unanimous decision in Osaka. Now, he will have the opportunity to have his first exhibition in this great stage and intends to leave a great impression in front of his people. 

The 28-year-old fighter has already become a champion, but now comes the time to prove that he can hold his own and for that he needs to take the first step, which is to defend the belt. 

Kawuhara is also Japanese and is 28 years old. The Osaka native has been professional since 2018 and has fought to earn this opportunity for a title. He comes from defeating Wulan Tuolehazi in his most recent fight last July 11 and will now face the biggest challenge of his career. 

Yuri Akui has a record of 19 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw, with 11 knockouts. Kawuhara has 13 wins, 1 loss and 8 knockouts.

The WBA Championships Committee named the super champion of the. super welterweight division Jermell Charlo as champion in recess on Tuesday, March 5, in an effort to get the division moving after his long lapse without defending the crown. 

The vacant belt will be contested by Israil Madrimov and Mogamed Kurbanov, ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, this Friday in Saudi Arabia. 

Charlo has been champion since September 26, 2020 when he defeated Jaison Rosario to win the title. In May 2022 he became the undisputed champion when he defeated Brian Castaño. In September last year he fought at super middleweight against Saul Alvarez after requesting a leave of absence. 

Given that he has not defended the belt since May 2022 for different medical and personal reasons and that there is no news of a defense in the short term, the WBA made the decision to designate him as champion in recess. 

The internal rules of the organization do not allow a champion in recess to be more than six months in that situation. In due time, the WBA will request information from Charlo’s team as to whether he will defend the title in the near future or move up a division. 

On the other hand, the winner of Madrimov vs Kurbanov will be required to fight a WBA certified ranked contender in his next fight.

Israil Madrimov and Magomed Kurbanov will contest the World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight world title on Friday at the Kingdom Arena in Ryad, Saudi Arabia. 

Madrimov is ranked No. 1 at 154 pounds, while Kurbanov is No. 2 and they will fight for the vacant belt once Jermell Charlo was placed as champion in recess by the championships committee. 

Uzbek Madrimov comes from defeating Raphael Igbokwe in his most recent fight held last April 8, 2023. Now he will have the big opportunity he has been waiting for to win the belt this Friday. 

Kurbanov has proven himself against good opponents such as Johan Gonzalez or Michel Soro and has shown his power. Now he will have a bigger challenge and believes he has the formula to face it in the best way and come out with the belt in his hands 

Madrimov has a record of 9 wins, 1 draw and 6 knockouts, while Kurbanov has 25 wins, no losses and 13 knockouts.

Skye Nicolson will face Sarah Mahfoud for the vacant WBC World Featherweight title at BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Saturday April 6, live worldwide on DAZN.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW VIA TICKETMASTER

Nicolson (9-0 1 KO) lands her first World title shot in Sin City, just over two years since making her professional debut in San Diego. The Australian has raced to #1 in the WBC rankings at 126lbs, and landed her first KO win in her last outing, stopping Lucy Wildheart in Dublin in November in the first defense of the interim title the 28 year old won in Mexico in September against Sabrina Perez.

Mahfoud (14-1 3 KOs) is looking to spoil the party and in turn become a two-time ruler at Featherweight. The Dane held the IBF title after being elevated from interim champion, and successfully defended it against Nina Meinke in April 2022, before losing to Amanda Serrano in Manchester, England in September 2022. The 34 year old is on a three-fight winning streak on home turf since that loss, picking up the WBC Silver title in March 2023 and successfully defending it in October, with an eight-round win in between.

“This means everything to me,” said Nicolson. “To fight for my first World title in the iconic boxing city of Las Vegas is truly special. It will be a proud moment for my family and my team – and on April 6, my lifelong dream of becoming a World Champion will finally become a reality. 

“Ever since the first time I put on a pair of boxing gloves, I’ve worked tirelessly towards this moment. Capturing the prestigious green and gold WBC belt will be the first major step towards becoming the Undisputed champion. And the new!”

“It is a dream of mine to become a two-time World champion,” said Mahfoud. “And it is also a dream of mine to box in Las Vegas on the biggest stage. Skye Nicolson is a good fighter, but she’s not proven at world-level like me. I will teach her a lesson and show her the levels on April 6.”

Two more fights added to the card are led by Briton’s Olympic gold medal man Galal Yafai defending his WBC International Flyweight title against Agustin Mauro.

Yafai (6-0 4 KOs) is hunting the World champions at the weight, and the 2020 games king is sitting pretty in the rankings, most pertinently at #6 with the WBC as he defends the belt he won on debut in February 2022 for the fifth time in Las Vegas. The 31 year old will be looking to put the belt holders on notice on April 6, but that’s exactly what Mauro (21-1 15 KOs) is looking to do too. The Argentine has won three of his last four fights inside the distance, and the 26 year old is planning to derail Yafai’s journey to a World title.

“It’s great to be fighting in Las Vegas for the first time in my career, which is something all Brits dream of,” said Yafai. “I know that Agustin is confident and that’s perfect for me, I want someone that believes they can win, as that will bring the best out of me.

“I like my positioning in the rankings, and I really think that 2024 is the year that I can get my shot at a World title.”

“I’m really excited about this opportunity,” said Mauro. “I’m going to destroy Galal Yafai. This is my time. I’d like to thank Matchroom Boxing for giving me such a huge opportunity for my career. I’ve been working extremely hard alongside my trainer, Rodrigo Calabrese, to get a great victory in the United States.

“We’ve been studying Galal. He is a great boxer, but I have what it takes to win the WBC International title on April 6. This will be my first time in Las Vegas. I always dreamed about fighting in this great city and I’m not going to waste my opportunity.

“I want to make history for Argentinean boxing, and this is a great opportunity to do just that. The fight comes at a great time in my career. I’ve had 22 professional fights. The last one was in Argentina in January, and I again displayed my knockout power. This is what I want to show in Las Vegas. On April 6, the boxing world will know who ‘Avión’ Gauto is.”

The third fight added to the bill sees Marc Castro fight over ten rounds for the second time, as he meets Abraham Montoya at Super-Featherweight. Castro (11-0 8 KOs) boxed over the ten round distance for the first time in November in Los Angeles, but only needed seven of them to record an eighth win inside the distance. Montoya (22-5-1 14 KOs) is a vastly experienced operator, with 99 more rounds in the bank than his young foe, and the 29 year old Mexican will provide the toughest test to date for the Fresno talent.

Nicolson, Yafai and Castro are part of a big night of action in Las Vegas, topped by a double-header featuring two of Matchroom’s brightest stars. Richardson Hitchins (17-0 7 KOs) tops the bill as he takes on Gustavo Lemos (29-0 19 KOs) in a final elimination for the IBF World Super-Lightweight title, while Diego Pacheco (20-0 17 KOs) continues his assault on the Super-Middleweight division as he defends his WBC USA and WBO International titles against Shawn McCalman (15-0 7 KOs).

THE LAST WORDS were spoken this afternoon in Riyadh at the press conference ahead of Knockout Chaos on Friday evening at the Kingdom Arena. All the fighters assembled at Boulevard World to give their final thoughts and below is a brief recap from the main media activity featuring the headline fighters.

PHOTOS FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE

Anthony Joshua
“I had about 10 days off then got back to the grind. God is good and we are happy. All will be revealed,  straight out war, relentlessness, a good fight, That is what everyone is here for, a good fight. We are not looking past this fight, the incentives and all that stuff, it is just about a win. I’ve got to focus on my game plan and what I’ve got to do. His first dream was to be a boxer, which people forget. He had been doing it from a young age so I know what I am up against because I look at all these small details. I spar, I do my film study and keep it professional, but what happens on the night is different and all that textbook stuff goes out of the window and you’ve just got to be relentless. It is already written in the stars what is going to happen, I am just going to follow my destiny. It is our duty to do what we’ve got to do for these people out here to give them the fights they want to see. It is our duty to entertain them. This is the life and it is what I signed up to do. The best man will always win, it is not rocket science and one of the main things I am looking forward to is showing how good I am. Friday will soon come, Friday will soon go and I am looking forward to the occasion.”

Francis Ngannou
“I really think I haven’t shocked the world. I am still in the factory, building, training, learning and when I really get it, that is when the world is going to be shocked. I am just working and learning about the sport I have loved my entire life. Now I am getting the opportunity to really do it, get some experience and now I can do something really nice. I trust the process, I trust my team and the work we are putting in. It is going to pay off. Everything is a clue, every space where there is an opening, I am going to hit. I am not going to leave any stone unturned or any opportunity unexplored. It was a flawless performance, a great performance [by AJ in December] and I watched the fight closely. For me it doesn’t mean anything because I know I am no Wallin. It is a different opponent and it will be a different feeling. When we get in the ring, that is when we know the fight. I do struggle to do 10 rounds and, if you don’t, then you are not human. Everybody gets tired after 10 rounds and I have no problem with it because it is a learning process and I am here to learn. This will be the best so far, but I am only just getting started. I am really looking to get the victory on Friday night but I don’t think this will be any statement on my career because the road is still long. The reason I am here is because I always believe in myself, I do my best, but I cannot control the outcome. I believe in my determination, my dedication and the work I put in in order to have what I want.”

Frank Warren
“We couldn’t wish for any more, we are in boxing heaven. Fabulous shows, fabulous undercards and it doesn’t get any better than this. What you can expect [from Nick Ball] is non-stop action. He has got a fantastic opportunity here and I can’t tell you how highly I think of him. Whatever he has had to do he has done in absolute style. We call him the Wrecking Ball and that is exactly what he is. I’m sure he will take this opportunity with both hands against I guy I think is the best featherweight in the division. I think we are going to get something special and I do think if anybody can pull this off, It’s Nick. I do think there will be a knockout [in Zhang v Parker], they are both absolute quality fighters and there is a common denominator in Joe Joyce and it is funny how styles make fights and so forth. Somebody is going to win on May 18 – I believe it will be Tyson – and all these guys are jockeying for position to be at that big table, to get a shot at the No.1 guy. So these are all important fights, exciting fights and they are all really well-matched fights.”

Eddie Hearn
“Every fight is important in this process to regain the world heavyweight championship. This is a fight that came out of nowhere. Francis, through his achievements in MMA, earned the chance to step up on the big stage, I thought he performed excellently against Tyson Fury and earned the right to fight any heavyweight. It is quite remarkable that on his professional debut he fought Tyson Fury and now he is fighting Anthony Joshua. It is a remarkable run and it is a real challenge. I can’t see any aspect that Francis is better than Anthony in. However, he is strong, he is powerful and he’s dangerous. AJ will do what he does and that is perform. This is the best Anthony Joshua we have ever seen in his career. He is the best heavyweight on the planet.

Zhilei Zhang
“By sitting here I am getting the recognition I deserve, everybody saw what I did to Joe Joyce, back to back. Joseph Parker is a helluva fighter, he is young, hungry and here for the belt. I am the tiger here, I am here to hunt and, if you want to take the food out of my mouth, you are going to pay the price.

Joseph Parker
“Zhang says he wants to bang me. I want to say to Zhang, ‘I want to bang you’. Zhang did an excellent job in beating Joe Joyce twice and I am a totally different fighter now to when I fought Joe Joyce, physically and mentally. I am up for the challenge, I am always up for the challenge. He is the favourite going into this fight, but I will show you what I can do come fight night. I have a great team that I fully trust and believe in. When everything is going good in camp, you feel great and you are seeing results, I feel dangerous, I really do. Zhang is going to feel that danger. I am going to go in there and bang him!”

Nick Ball
“It is massive and you only have to look around to see what’s happening and I am made up to be here. I’ve got my opportunity and I am going to take it with both hands. I respect all fighters and he is a world champion so he is No.1, for now. Come Friday night, that is going to change. It is always the goal to remain focused and that is what I am doing now, taking each day as it comes and enjoying this experience. I am ready to get the job done. No-one knows what’s going to happen until you get in the ring and I am definitely coming in explosive, so we will soon find out. It will mean everything to me because this is a life-changing fight.”

Rey Vargas
“This fight I take pretty seriously, it is a mandatory fight and I am ready to defend my title and talk with my fists, not with words. I understand that every promoter is happy to see his fighter in the ring, but there are only two people in the ring. I am ready to fight. We can fight today, tomorrow or any time – I am ready to fight. I am a true champion and my record speaks for itself. On Friday I will prove myself as I have throughout my career. You will see Rey Vargas giving everything in the ring.”

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About Riyadh Season:
Saudi Arabia’s capital embraces one of the world’s biggest entertainment events every year during winter. Since the launch of the Riyadh Season in 2019, the festival has welcomed visitors from all over the world to experience thousands of concerts, sporting events, dining experiences and other unique cultural events. Riyadh Season 2023 commenced on Saturday, 28 October with a spectacular opening ceremony and an historic boxing match between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou.