Michael Zerafa has accused Kell Brook of overlooking him and says he’ll thrive off the underdog status when they clash at the FlyDSA Arena in Sheffield this Saturday, live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US.

Zerafa, 26, is a former Commonwealth Super-Welterweight Champion and has secured 14 of his 25 wins via knockout. He has lost just two of his 27 professional fights, including a stoppage loss to former WBO Middleweight ruler Peter Quillin in 2015.

The Melbourne fighter admits that former IBF World Champion Brook is another step up in class but says he is ready for whatever the Sheffield star throws at him.

“I’m really up for this fight, I’m in the best condition of my life,” said Zerafa. “Halfway through the first round Brook and his team will realise they’ve underestimated me.

“I’ve got two losses on my record but that was years ago. I was a kid back then and very inexperienced. Now I’m a more complete fighter, more power, more speed & more boxing IQ.

“I respect Kell Brook, he’s a great fighter and he’s been at a higher level than me for longer, but that’s exactly why he’s looking past me. I’m going to make a lot of people eat their words.

“This is the biggest opportunity of my career, I’m taking it with both hands and I’m definitely going to put on a show in Sheffield. I’m going into this fight with absolutely nothing to lose.”

Brook’s clash with Zerafa tops a huge night of boxing in the Steel City.

Unbeaten Irish star Jono Carroll faces French former European Champion Guillaume Frenois in a final eliminator to become mandatory challenger to IBF Super-Featherweight World Champion Tevin Farmer.

Rising Welterweight star Josh Kelly steps up in class as he takes on former WBA World Champion David Avanesyan in his ninth professional contest.

Explosive Liverpool Super-Welterweight Anthony Fowler is in title action as he targets a showdown with newly-crowned British Champion Ted Cheeseman in 2019 and IBF no.1 Featherweight contender Kid Galahad stays busy with an eye on the winner of Josh Warrington vs. Carl Frampton.

Sheffield is well represented on the undercard with Welterweight Anthony Tomlinson, Super-Middleweight Callum Hancock and Middleweight Shakiel Thompson all in action, while Leeds Super-Bantamweight Qais Ashfaq and Denaby Lightweight Terri Harper also feature.

Tickets for Brook vs. Zerafa priced at £40, £60, £100 and £200 (Inner Ring VIP) are available to purchase via StubHub (www.stubhub.co.uk) FlyDSA Arena (www.flydsaarena.co.uk) and Matchroom Boxing (www.matchroomboxing.com)

THE WELL USED label of ‘crossroads fight’ is one that is familiar to Martin Murray, more than most.

The particular piece of boxing terminology was again being bandied about in his direction when his potential barnstormer against Hassan N’Dam was announced for the Manchester Arena on December 22 in support of his stablemate, Carl Frampton, challenging for the IBF world featherweight title held by Josh Warrington.

Middleweight Murray now uses the mere mention of retirement as motivation to keep on winning. He is not having one last one for the road because the 36-year-old still firmly believes he has got a world title win in him.

However, if he were to lose another fight, he will call it quits and that has been the case since he suffered a points reverse to George Groves in June 2016.

“I know how important it is to win anyway, but I think people want to see me retire!” quipped the four-time world title challenger.

“The stakes are high and I think people do want to see me retire more than I do because it gets thrown in my face all the time.

“I’m a survivor. I’ve just been surviving and surviving and it always seems to be one loss and I will be retired. I’ve had that, well, since the Groves fight and I’ve not lost since.”

Despite being one loss away from collecting his punching pension, the force of Murray is showing no signs of diminishing and he demonstrated that he remains in the belt collecting business with the hard-fought victory over Roberto Garcia for the WBC Silver title last time out in June.

“I’m feeling great, you know, really good. I am one loss away from retirement, although I don’t want to retire, I know it is one loss away. So I am focusing, training hard and really enjoying the work at the minute.

“I keep getting the crossroads fight thing thrown at me by people. A really good mate of mine, a couple of months ago, said to me that after the Groves loss he never thought I would still be here.
“Everybody wrote me off after Groves, but I have just survived, scrapped and scraped – and I am still here.

“I am in a tough fight now, a meaningful fight and I am just focused on getting a win against a good live opponent.”

IBF world featherweight champion Josh Warrington takes on former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton at the Manchester Arena on December 22nd live on BT Sport Box Office. Mark Heffron and Liam Williams contest the vacant British middleweight title and Belfast’s blue chip featherweight prospect Michael Conlan (9-0) takes on former commonwealth champion Jason Cunningham (24-5). In a step up, Nathan Gorman puts his undefeated record and WBC International Silver Heavyweight Title on the line against former World Title challenger Alex Leapai. Tyson Fury’s younger brother Tommy Fury also makes his professional debut.

Elsewhere on the bill. World flyweight title challenger Paddy Barnes (5-1) and unbeaten Light Heavyweight contender Steven Ward (9-0) return to action. Manchester’s 12-0 Light Heavyweight Lyndon Arthur and 7-0 Darlington middleweight Troy Williamson also return.

Tickets are priced at £50 Upper Tier, £80 Tier, £100 Tier, £150 Tier, £200 Floor/Tier, £300 Floor, £400 Floor, £600 Inner Ring VIP Hospitality and are available.

Tickets available via Manchester Arena.

By Bart Barry-

Saturday in Los Angeles two heavyweights battled for a significant part of the world championship and surpassed expectations en route to a split-decision draw likely won by Brit Tyson Fury, “The Gypsy King”, over American Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder. Fury jittered and juked and cuffed and holstered Wilder for all but 25 or 30 seconds of their match, but those seconds were important ones, so important th’t had Fury not landed on his shoulder before his head in round 12 he’d not have afforded sundry pundits a chance to do their misanthropic best while appraising the scorekeepers’ produce.

Boxing won Saturday in the same sense its combatants emerged victorious from their scrum: Both guys to the occasion rose and proved much better than earlier versions of themselves. But these are not great fighters, and while their match was far better than it might have been, to put Fury-Wilder on any fight-of-the-year lists is to consign heavyweights to the soft sizeism of low expectations. Expectations honestly arrived at, albeit.

In his second career championship prizefight Fury was indeed much better than in his first, and if Wilder did not quite finish Fury he at least felled him twice with punches you might in good conscience teach a youngster to throw. As promised the match was often insipid but never unsuspenseful. Both men, too, did their best; they presented great versions of themselves to one another and took honest shots. Neither man awoke Sunday with regrets.

In their ways Tyson and Deontay are evenly matched talents. Were fights still to go till one man got disabled from toeing the line Wilder would win every time, much as Fury’d do were championship prizefights reduced from 12 rounds to 10. Pursuing the feat continually Wilder should expect to knock Fury to the bluemat once every 27 minutes, on average, for the next five years, and Fury should expect to enjoy striking Wilder 60 times flush before his each horizontaling. Conditioning and what pronouncedly variable rates of dissipation affect conditioning being held equal, of course, which it’s safe to imagine they’ll not be; if Wilder looked partially chastened at the closing bell Fury looked elated, vindicated, ready to spend another extended sabbatical traveling and writing.

Whatever the eternally lamenting masses opine of the decision, fact remains in a fight with Tyson Fury, Wilder could win decisively by landing only two punches in any second less than 36 minutes and win controversially by landing just 10 punches in a match settled by official judging. Life is unfair all over but particularly so in prizefighting and magnificently so in heavyweight prizefighting.

If there’s no desire here to play scorekeeper-apologist there’s some desire, indeed, to impart a thought that came along about the time Saturday’s decision did: In a round, such as the first, when combatants land an aggregate of six punches in 180 seconds, a punch every half-minute of threatening the feat, a judge’s position on the mat actually might affect his card honestly. Were you judging three minutes of mutual belligerence you might intuit from what glimpses you caught a general sense of what happened even while being blocked by either of the combatants or the referee or even a camera flash in the background for a few of the decisive moments. But tasked with catching the one punch either man might land every halfminute you might could fail at the sight of a ref’s back obstructing your eyes or the hulking surface area of one of the two giants blocking fully your view of his opponent’s purchasing fist.

Were we more interested in truth than decisiveness we’d petition sanctioners round the world encourage their scorekeepers to mark 10-10 frequently as they mark 10-9, to say, effectively, “I don’t know who won that round so it was even.” What boxing judges I’ve known are decent, average folks empowered disproportionately for a few hours every year. The obviously corrupt ones are not local but imported from jurisdictions renowned for their corruption. If such a person wished to rig his card and withstand subsequent commission scrutiny he might give every early round to his designated man, and in the absence of clean punching cite subjective factors like ring generalship.

Two-point rounds, in this scheme, bring unwanted attention; if gentlemen can agree to disagree about 115-113 tallies, either way, 115-111, to pull an example out of thin air, makes sparkly what probably wishes be occult. (Fortunately for one Las Vegas judge who attempted a similar sort of legerdemain for Pacquiao-Marquez 3, scoring rounds 8-12 geometrically opposite what happened, Pacquiao did not fell Marquez in round 12, for that would’ve made an evidently excusable 116-112 card into an investigatable 117-110.)

But haven’t you written an aficionado should prize knockouts so highly he caren’t a whit who wins a decision, no matter its corruption? Indeed, and that mostly holds, with the conceivable exception of a stylist so negative he mustn’t stutterstep even once along a tightrope spanning 2,160 seconds – for him alone one might justifiably endure the suspense of official scorecards’ unveiling. There’s irony, yes, such a tightroper find himself bequeathed a frame so absurdly imposing as Fury’s. If there’s something aesthetically dissonant about any 200-pound man in flight Fury’s beating a nimble retreat at 6-foot-9 and 257 pounds is ridiculous to the point of beautiful.

In the general range of consciousness prizefighters and aficionados roam nothing worse might be said of a man than others laugh at him. A few bands higher, though, comes this possibility: Causing the world to greet you always with a chuckle and shake of the head, as Tyson Fury does, is a trait wonderful as it is uncommon. Long live the Gypsy King!

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Former light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson was upgraded to stable condition, but is in a medically induced coma in Quebec City, Canada, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“The state of Adonis has gone from critical towards stable from (Saturday) to (Sunday), which is relatively good news. He is in controlled sedation to facilitate his recuperation,” promoter Yvon Michel wrote on Twitter. “His family, his (fiancée) Simone and Groupe Yvon Michel would like to thank the many people who have taken the time to send comforting messages. New information will be published as we get it. No other comments will be made until then.”

SAN ANTONIO, TX (December 1, 2018) – Last night at the Scottish Rite Theatre in San Antonio, TX, TMB & PRB Entertainment and Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Promotions, presented, “Whose ‘0’ Will Go 2”, where Kendo Castaneda (15-0, 7 KOs) captured the NABA super lightweight title with a unanimous decision victory Gilbert Venegas Jr. (10-1, 6 KOs), handing him his first loss as a professional.

In the early rounds, both fighters were having their moments, landing hard shots, but as the fight progressed, Castaneda started to get in a grove by going to the body. Venegas held his own but couldn’t get his punches off like he wanted too, and Castaneda started to take over the fight. In the later rounds, Castaneda was landing three punch combinations, while boxing from a distance, finishing the fight strong. At the end of the ten-round fight, Kendo was up big on the judge’s cards. Scorecards read 98-92, 99-91,100-90, all in favor of Castaneda.

6-Round Co-Main Event for Vacant ABF Middleweight Title
Local hero, Luey Villareal (4-0-1, 1 KO) captured the ABF middleweight title with a stunning TKO against Michael Klekotta (2-4, 1 KO). Villareal broke down Klekotta for the first three rounds before stopping him with a barrage of punches in the fourth round. The time was at the 1:20 mark.

4-Round Super Featherweight
18-year old sensation, Ricky Medina (2-0, 2 KOs), scored a second-round KO over Jorge De Leon (0-5). Medina landed a powerful uppercut in the middle of round two, sending De Leon to the canvas. He then followed with a devastating right hook to the temple, knocking out De Leon at the 2:58 mark.

4-Round Super Featherweight Bout
Xavier Wilson (9-0, 1 KO) remained undefeated with a unanimous decision victory against vs Gelacio Cruz (2-4-3, 1 KOs). Wilson used lateral movement to land his punches off angles. Scorecards read 40-36 twice and 39-36 for Wilson.

4-Round Middleweight Bout
In a battle of hometown fighters, George Ramos (2-0, 1 KO) defeated Steven Ramos (4-1, 1 KO) by way of unanimous decision. George Ramos landed the cleaner shots and was the aggressor. Scorecards read 40-36 twice and 39-36 all in favor for George Ramos.

4-Round Middleweight Bout
Local native, Dagoberto Navarez (5-0, 1 KOs) scored a fourth-round majority decision over Stetson Horne (0-3). Navarez was the aggressor, coming right at Horne from the opening bell, landing overhand rights. Horne had his moments but didn’t do enough to keep Navarez off him. Scorecards read 39-36 twice, and 38-38 for Navarez.

4-Round Middleweight
In a battle of middleweight prospects, Washington Luiz (1-0, 1 KO), who was making his pro debut, scored a fourth round TKO against David Godley (1-1). Luiz was circling to his right, landing accurate counter punches throughout the fight. A right hook, straight left combo hurt Godly, knocking him out on his feet, forcing the referee to stop the bout at the .45 mark of round four.

4-Round Heavyweight
In his pro debut, Christopher Martinez (1-0, 1 KO) scored a second round TKO over Mathew Glover (1-1), ending the bout at the 2:59 mark. A flurry of right hands sent Glover to the canvas and the referee waved off the bout after Glover was on wobbly legs.

According to promoter Yvon Michel’s Twitter account, former light heavyweight world champion Adonis Stevenson is in critical condition following his title losing stoppage defeat to Olkesandr Gvozdyk in Quebec, Center.

Stevenson was dropped and stopped in the 11th frame.

news about the condition of Adonis
“The family of @ AdonisSuperman and the leaders of Groupe Yvon Michel are currently with Adonis Stevenson. They wish to inform friends and supporters that Adonis is currently in a critical condition in intensive care at the hospital, following his fight against Oleksander Gvozdyk. They appreciate the concern and support of all. There will be no other comments for the moment and they respectfully ask for your understanding in their desire to stay in private,” said Michel on the Twitter account.

CHRIS ALGIERI (22-3 8KO’s) returned to the Star Boxing’s acclaimed venue, The Paramount in Huntington, NY for the first time in over four years as the former WBO Super Lightweight champion looked spectacular in dismantling a game and rugged
ANGEL HERNANDEZ (14-12-2 9KO’s) from McAllen, TX over the 10 round distance of a Jr Welterweight contest in the main event of Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing Rockin Fights 33 before a frenzied sold-out standing room only crowd last night.

Algieri took control from the outset as he displayed the superb boxing skills he is known for but under new head trainer Andre Rozier, Chris has added another dimension to his already potent offense. Chris worked at a very high rate and threw numerous impressive multi punch combinations to both the body and head of Hernandez. Algieri displayed tremendous hand speed and his usual impeccable conditioning. Hernandez for his part tried the best he could and moved forward the entire fast paced fight but was no match in skills of the former world champion and in the end Algieri came away with the unanimous decision, 100-90, 100-90, and 99-91 improving to 22-3 8KO’s while Hernandez dropped to 14-12-2 9KO’s.

The semi-final 8 round Welterweight bout pitted Elmont’s TYRONE “PRETTY BOY” JAMES (9-0 6KO’s) and LEONARDO CARRIZALES (5-6-1 2KO’s), Tampico, MX. They certainly didn’t disappoint the sold out crowd as they put on a wild bout which saw James score a sensational 8th round TKO after a series of eye opening uppercuts. James started out boxing beautifully over the first 5 rounds landing vicious shots to the ever charging Carriales who also landed his fair share of blows. In the 6th round the fight took a dramatic turn as Carrizales landed a blistering right hand to the jaw of James dropping “Pretty Boy” for the first time in his career. James arose on very wobbly legs but hung in there to finish the round. The final 2 rounds saw wild action between these two fighters as they stood toe to toe trading bombs with each other, much to the delight of the crowd. The end came as James cornered Carrizales and landed 5 straight vicious uppercuts which had Carrizales’ head moving like a Jack N Box and forcing the ref to call a halt to the bout at the 42 second mark of the final frame. James improves to 9-0 6KO’s while Carrizales drops to 5-6-1 2KO’s.

Undefeated Lightweights OMAR BORDOY (7-0 2KO’s) and TEREL BOSTIC (3-1 1KO), put on a fight to remember over the 6 round distance. Danbury, CT’s Bordoy took the fight right to the local Wynadanch fighter, Bostic, as they went back and forth in a high paced, skillful match. Bordoy dropped Bostic with a monstrous right hand in the 3rd round and tried his best to finish Bostic but was unable to do so. Bostic came out for round 4 and took the fight right to Bordoy getting the best of the action. The final 2 rounds had the crowd going wild as the 2 young fighters traded freely and in the end Bordoy came away with a split decision winning 58-55 on two card while Bostic prevailed on the 3rd card 57-56.

ALEX VARGAS (2-0) won a hard fout 4 round decision over Rochester’s JARRILL HAADI (0-1), getting off the deck in the first round to do so by scores of 38-37 across the board and Jr. Welterweight DASHAUN JOHNS made his pro debut a successful one taking out late sub DEVON GRANT in the first round.

Promoter JOE DEGUARDIA had this to say about the fights: “What a spectacular night of fights. The Paramount was electric and Chris Algieri confirmed that he wants to regain his world championship belt. We plan on providing Chris with another world title opportunity in 2019. He is a skilled and dedicated boxer and will give any title holder at 140 lbs. an exciting and tough challenge. Congratulations to all of Friday nights fighters on a exciting and action-packed night of fights, and thank you to our great fans”

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LOS ANGELES –Forget Anthony Joshua. Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury still have some unfinished business.

A Wilder-Fury draw in a terrific fight Saturday night at Staples Center made a rematch a lot more likely than a big money date with Joshua for either heavyweight.

Both Fury and Wilder showed great resilience, power and – in the end – guts in a bout that was close most of the time.

In the final three minutes, both fighters fought their way out of trouble and defeat.

Wilder needed at least a knockdown. He got it with a concussive right-left combo. For a fleeting second, it looked as if Fury would not get up. Wilder went to a neutral corner, rolled his shoulders and smiled.

But the celebration was premature. He, like everybody else, had underestimated Fury, who about a year ago was about 150 pounds heavier than he was at opening bell for Showtime pay-per-view bout.

Fury got up, avoided the loss, survived for another day, another shot at Wilder. Judge Alejandro Rochin of Mexico scored it 115-111 for Wilder. Robert Tapper of Canada scored it 114-112 for Fury on a card initially announced at 114-110 and then corrected. The third card announced was from judge Phil Edwards, who scored it 113-113. Edwards is from the UK, Fury’s home country. UK fans filled Staples Center. They probably wanted to give Edwards his Brexit papers. But they, too, probably want a rematch

“Let’s do it,’’ said Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs), who kept his World Boxing Council belt. “In the UK, wherever. Wherever there’s the most money.’’

If the Staples crowd reaction was any indication, both Fury and Wilder can expect raise. Wilder was guaranteed $4 million, according to the California Commission. Fury collected a $3 million guarantee. The crowd screamed for more, especially through the six final rounds.

In the early going, Fury appeared to be in control. Wilder missed and missed with his big wind-up shots. But in the ninth, Wilder’s feared power touched Fury just enough to knock down the Manchester City fighter for the first of two times.

“With two knockdowns, I thought won the fight,’’ Wilder said.

But the clever Fury made Wilder looked awkward with agile footwork. It often left Wilder looking like a windmill, swinging his arms aimlessly, above and short of Fury. All the while, Fury mocked him.

“Listen, I got knocked down twice,’’ Fury said. “But I got up twice and won the fight.’’

The argument will continue. The only answer rests in a rematch.

Hurd’s body shot ends Welborn’s upset bid

Jarrett Hurd calls himself Swift. Make that Swift To Respond.

Just as it looked as if Hurd (23-0, 16 KOs) might lose his junior-middleweight belts in a significant upset, he rallied, throwing a wicked body shot that finished the UK’s Jason Welborn (24-7, 7 KOs) at 1:55 of the fourth round.

The aggressive Welborn had been rocking Hurd with repeated shots from head to body through three-plus rounds. Then, Hurd, of Accokeek, MD, decided to go to work. He got it done with one punch.

Luis Ortiz ends dull fight with 10th-round stoppage

The Staples crowd booed. But Luis Ortiz didn’t hear their impatience until the end. Finally, however, the Cuban heavyweight did what could have been done five rounds earlier. He stopped Travis Kauffman of Reading, Penn., midway though the 10th and final round with a succession of punches.

Ortiz (29-1, 25 KOs) also knocked down Kauffman (32-3, 23 KOs) in sixth, eighth and earlier in the 10th. For Ortiz, there’s been talk of a rematch with Deontay Wilder, who was waiting in his dressing room waiting to defend his WBC title against Tyson Fury. Wilder got up from a knockdown and stopped Ortiz in the Cuban’s only loss.

UK heavyweight Joe Joyce opens pay-per-view card with first-round stoppage

Joe Joyce opened the Showtime pay-per-view part of the Fury-Wilder card at Staples with a UK accent. Joyce (7-0, 7 KOs) also kept it short and sweet, scoring a first-round stoppage of Newark heavyweight Joe Hanks (23-3, 15 KOs).

Joyce landed a right that forced Hanks to hold on to the ropes. Without those ropes, he would have been on the canvas. It should have been scored a knockdown. It wasn’t, but it didn’t matter. Seconds later, Joyce landed left, dropping Hanks, who was flat on the floor with no chance of continuing in a that ended at 2:25 of the first.

Guerrero wins comeback bout in a swift stoppage

It didn’t take long for Robert Guerrero to start his comeback. To be exact, he got it done within two rounds against overmatched Hungarian Adam Mate (28-13, 21 KOs). In winning a second-round stoppage, the 35-year-old Guerrero (34-6-1, 19 KOs) scored a knockdown in the first and two more in the second, unleashing three reasons to think his comeback has a real chance at succeeding.

Wilder family stays unbeaten with a Marcellos victory

The Wilders kept the 0 in the family midway through a card Saturday that would end with Deontay Wilder’s heavyweight title defense against Tyson Fury in a Showtime -pay-per-view bout.

Marcellos Wilder, Deontay’s little brother and a big cruiserweight, went to 3-0 (2 KOs) with a unanimous decision of David Damore (1-4-3) of Bakersfield, Calif. Marcellus, whose record includes two KOs, flashed some of Deontay’s power, knocking Damore through the ropes in the second round.

Light-flyweight Jessie Rodriquez stays unbeaten, wins unanimous decision

Jessie Rodriquez, a San Antonio light-flyweight trained by Robert Garcia, was quick and accurate, an overwhelming combination in a one-sided decision over Josue Morales (8-9-3) in the second bout on a card featured by the Wilder-Fury heavyweight title fight.

Philadelphia light-middle weight Julian Williams scores quick stoppage

It was never a question of if, just when. The when was early. A stronger Julian Williams (25-2, 16 KOs), a Philadelphia light-middleweight, sent Mexican Francisco Javier Castro (28-9, 23 KOs) crashing into the ropes. Seconds later, Castro was unable to defend himself in a bout stopped at 2:40 of the second round.

First Bell: UK featherweight Isaac Lowe wins fifth-round stoppage in opener to Fury-Wilder card

UK fans were still singing outside Staples Center when a UK fighter struck an opening key that they hope to hear throughout Saturday.

UK featherweight Isaac Lowe (16-0-3, 6 KOs) opened the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder show with a matinee victory, landing undefended strikes to the head and body that floored Argentine Lucas Rafael Baez (33-17-5, 17 KOs) twice in the fifth round. At 2:11 of the fifth, the non-televised bout was over in a stoppage that left a dazed and slumped over on a stool for a couple of minutes before he could leave the ring under his own power.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 3, 2018)–This past Saturday night, Tori Nelson pounded out a 10-round unanimous decision over Sanna Turnunen to retain the UBF Middleweight title in the main event of the first ever fight card at The Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.

The eight-bout card was promoted by Tricky Entertainment and DCFightNight.

Nelson controlled the action against Turunen by out working her. Turunen was gritty in defeat, but Nelson took the fight in shutout fashion to the tune of 100-90 on all cards.

Nelson of Ashburn, Virginia is 19-2-3. Turunen of Finland is 4-2-1.

Tori Nelson talks about win over Sanna Turunen
Tori Nelson talks about win over Sanna Turunen

Sam Crossed was fortunate to gain a split decision over Twon Smith in a cruiserweight bout.

At the end of round two, Smith dropped Crossed with a hard right hand. Crossed came back to land some solid shots, but was rocked again in round four. The fight was a close fight, but some in the crowd showed their disapproval when the scores were read 57-56 twice for Crossed and 57-56 for Smith.

Crossed, 189.6 lbs of Greenbelt, MD is 8-0. Smith, 187.6 lbs of Oklahoma City is 3-2.

Kareem Martin won a six-round unanimous decision over Andrew Rodgers in a welterweight bout.

Scores were 59-55 on all cards for Martin, 148 lbs of Washington, DC, who is now 11-2. Rodgers, 149 lbs of Elkhart, IN is 4-5-1.

Jordan White stopped Ndira Spearman in round one of their scheduled four-round featherweight bout.

White landed a body punch that was followed by a left to the shoulder area, and Spearman went down for the count at 2:02.

White, 128 lbs of Washington, DC is 7-1 with five knockouts. Spearman, 128.2 lbs of Lavergne, TN is 1-4.

In a surprising result, Matt Murphy and undefeated Antonio Magruder battled to an entertaining draw in a welterweight bout.

Murphy rocked Magruder several times in round’s two and three, but Magruder came back to salvage the draw with a strong 4th frame.

Scores were 39-37 Magruder, and 38-38 twice.

Magruder, 147 lbs of Washington, DC is 5-0-1. Murphy 144.8 lbs of St. Louis is 3-30-4.

Alexander Johnson won a six-round unanimous decision over Mengistu Zarzar in a light heavyweight bout.

Johnson, 177.8 lbs of Washington, D.C. won by scores of 59-55 twice and 58-56 and is now 17-4-1. Zarzar, 182.2 lbs of Palmer Park, MD is 6-6-1.

Good looking prospect Kiante Irving stopped George Sheppard in round two of their scheduled four-round super middleweight fight.

In round two, Irving dropped Sheppard with a long right hand. Sheppard staggered to his feet, but the fight was called off at 1:06.

Irving, 163.4 lbs of Beaver Falls, PA is 3-0 with three knockouts. Sheppard, 163.8 lbs of Virginia is 1-5-1.

George Harris remained undefeated by stopping Lamar Lewis in round three of their scheduled four-round heavyweight bout.

In round three, Harris dropped Lewis with a hard combination. Harris finished Lewis off by rocking him several more times, and the bout was stopped at 2:00.

Harris, 218 lbs of Silver Spring, MD is 2-0 with two knockouts. Lewis, 235.2 lbs of Arkansas is 0-4.

Tricky Entertainment has been promoting music, entertainment and lifestyle events in D.C. for the past ten years, and is run by Erwin Pendergrast.

DCFightNight is run by Sean Magruder, and this will be his second boxing show in DC.

The Matchmaker was Chris Middendorf.

By Norm Frauenheim-

LOS ANGELES – Deontay Wilder wore a mask. It covered his mouth and nose in menacing black. Tyson Fury laughed at the costume, in part because he thinks nothing can hide Wilder’s true character.

“He’s a fraud,’’ Fury said Friday beneath a bright Southern California sun while standing on a stage within a block from Staples Center and the ring where Fury promises to prove just how fraudulent he believes Wilder’s championship credentials are.

Delivering on that promise Saturday in a Showtime pay-per-view bout (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT), however, might not last beyond the first right hand that Wilder lands. That’s a prevailing theory.

At some point, the guess is that Wilder will exercise that one-punch power like a paralyzing laser from Darth Vader. Just like that, it’ll be over and Fury will be headed back to Manchester City’s pints and pizzas that a year ago had turned the former heavyweight champ into a sumo-sized mess. The sumo size is gone, however.

If not exactly slim, Fury was a scaled-down 265.5 pounds at a weigh-in that did not include the ritual face-to-face pose for the cameras. It was eliminated because of fears that tension between the two camps might escalate into a fracas, or worse.

It’s notable, perhaps, to know that it is the lightest Fury been since he was at 247 for his 2015 upset of Wladimir Klitschko, then the heavyweight’s undisputed champion. But a reported loss of 150 pounds over the last 12 months continues to generate skepticism about Fury. To wit: Was more than just cellulite lost in Fury’s battle to regain a heavyweight belt?

He’s confident he can take Wilder’s WBC belt, mostly because he sees the same limited skillset others have detected in one of the few athletes from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, not in shoulder pads. But Luis Ortiz saw the same limitation and yet could do nothing about it. Wilder got up from a knockdown and soon followed with right that knocked out of the Cuban.

“I’m going to knock him out, too,’’ Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) said Friday at Fury behind a mask still in place and not there because of the Los Angeles smog.

It was gesture of intimidation, an ominous promise that Wilder’s right will land no matter what Fury does.

Yet, there were questions about just how much leverage Wilder would have behind that feared right in a title defense that could put the winner in line for very rich payday against Anthony Joshua. According to contracts filed with the California Commission, Wilder is guaranteed $4 million and Fury $3 million.

If Fury was a scaled-down version of his former self, Wilder was simply skinny. In a surprise, Wilder was at 212.5 pounds Friday. It’s the second lightest he’s ever been. He was at 207.25 in his pro debut a decade ago.

Perhaps, Wilder hopes fewer pounds will augment his quickness and allow him to move away from Fury in a cat-and-mouse game. If Fury’s astonishing weight loss has in fact left him depleted, it’ll become evident in the later rounds. Fatigue in Fury could set him up for the right, which is feared as much as it dismissed as Wilder’s only weapon.

It all depends on who shows up Saturday. There’s the man who was wearing a mask Friday. And there’s man who wore a cellulite costume a year ago. One or both is about to be exposed.

Ricardo “Hindo” Espinoza 22-2 (19 KOs) knocked Colombian Yeison Vargas 17-1 (12 KOs) down three times in round two retaining the WBO-NABO strap live on Telemundo. In what was sure to be a slugfest with the hard-hitting Espinoza and undefeated Vargas, the two stayed on script and came out firing at the bell in round one. Hindo pushed forward with conviction while Vargas did all he could not to take a backward step, Hindo won this chess match and landed the heavier shots and started to wear Vargas down early. Hindo knocked Vargas down twice early in round two with two heavy left hooks and then a third and final time at 1:19 of round one. Espinoza went from an unknown fighter to a legitimate world ranked contender overnight. He’s coming off an impressive second-round stoppage of then #3 WBO ranked bantamweight Daniel “El Alacran” Lozano during the Telemundo summer series.

Promoter Kris Lawrence and The Heavyweight Factory, in association with All Star Boxing, returned to the Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla with “Rumble at the Rock III.” and was live on Telemundo with former world champion Abner Mares 31-3-1 (15 KO) calling the action ringside. According to ESPN a matchup between 130-pound titleholder Gervonta Davis and Mares could happen in February on Showtime

In the 10-round welterweight co-main event, Derrieck Cuevas (19-0-1, 14 KOs) knocked Breidis “Khanqueror” Prescott (31-15, 22 KOs) down in round one with a big chopping left hook. Prescott was on unsteady legs, barely made the count and was saved by the bell. Where it looked like it could be an early night for Prescott, the veteran and well-known Miami via Barranquilla, Colombia, he came back strong in the mid rounds with volume head and body punching. Cuevas of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico was sharp with his attack, firing blistering shots down the line and creating a fun technical clean fight. Cuevas is impressive and beats the gatekeeper with a unanimous decision victory.

Light Heavyweight Ulysses Diaz 8-0(7KO) stopped Fabian Valdez 3-5 at :49 of round number two in a fight Valdez was never in. Diaz overpowered Valdez from the opening bell.

Lightweight Manuel Correa 3-0 (2KO) took the unanimous decision win over Dustin Arnold 6-2(1KO) with all the cards reading 40-36.

In the opening bout of the evening heavyweight Hector “Ready for War” Hodge 3-3 (1KO) was too much for Jairus Gladney 1-1 as he put the Philly fighter down twice in round two. Officially a TKO for Hodge at 1:43 of round number two.

Puerto Rican amateur standout featherweight Luis “El Chucho” Melendez 3-1(3KO) destroyed Jonathan Conde 0-1 fighting out of Miami. El Chucho first dropped Conde with a huge left hook, Conde got up, then a devastating right hand, Conde got up, and yet another big right hand, Conde did not get up. Officially TKO 2:13 of round number two.

Super Middleweight Irosvani Duvergel 4-0(3KO) made quick work of Yendris Rodriguez Valdez 2-4(2KO). Duvergal, a Cuban youth Amateur standout, wasted no time and came right after Valdez, knocking him down twice in round one with the final call a TKO win at 1:46 of the first stanza.

Crowd favorite and local brawler Jessy Cruz 15-7-1 (6KO) opened strong against

A fleet-footed Isaias Martin Cardona 25-14(17KO) who did all he could to keep distance from the hard-charging southpaw Cruz, including several Ali Shuffles, which was by far his most effective tactic. A right hand in round three from Cruz dropped Cardona in again in the fourth with Cruz starting to close distance only to be saved by the bell, and saved yet again by referee Frank Gentile who stepped into the corner of the Mexican fighter and waved the fight off, officially a TKO win at :01 of round number five.

In a bizarre matchup between Super Featherweights Hairon Socarras 20-0-3(13KO) and Mike Oliver 26-10(8KO) the end came quickly as Oliver went down twice and visibly unwilling to continue as he was rendered his second count, officially KO win for Socarras at :50 of round one. It was clear Oliver did not want to fight.

In a spirited slugfest Cuban amateur star Livan Navarro “Machine Gun Kid”10-0(7KO) outpunched and dropped Colombian Wilfrido Buelvas 19-11(13KO) twice in round three and twice in round four earning himself a TKO win at :54 of round number four.

Tori Nelson 155.8 – Sanna Turunen 158.2
(UBF World Middleweight Championship)

Kareem Martin 148 – Andrew Rodgers 149
Alexander Johnson 177.8 – Mengistu Zarzar 182.2
Sam Crossed 189.6 – Twon Smith 187.6
Antonio Magruder 147 – Matt Murphy 144.8
George Harris 218 – Lamar Lewis 235.2
Jordan White 128 – Ndira Spearman 128.2
Kiante Irving 163.4 – George Sheppard 163.8

1st Bell: 7 PM ET

Tricky Entertainment has been promoting music, entertainment and lifestyle events in D.C. for the past ten years, and is run by Erwin Pendergrast.

DCFightNight is run by Sean Magruder, and this will be his second boxing show in DC.

The Matchmaker is Chris Middendorf.

Ticket Prices begin at $45 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.

Marc Abrams at 856 287 7611 or phillyboxing@gmail.com

TORONTO, ON—Just one fight into his professional career and welterweight prospect Lee Reeves is already catching the eyes of the right people. In this case, the eyes of the person the world will be watching this weekend.

The Irish standout, who recently signed a promotional deal with Lee Baxter Promotions in Canada, caught the eye of lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury with his scintillating third round knockout victory over Benito Aburto on November 17 in Toronto.

“Looks like Ireland has a new boxing star,” said Fury, who has also made stops in Canada throughout his career, defeating Zack Page in 2010 in Quebec City, and holding his training camp for his breakout victory over Steve Cunningham in the nation’s capital of Ottawa.

Reeves is unquestionably one of the best Irish amateurs of his era, having collected eight Limerick championships and eight Munster championships to go along with his pair of Irish national titles. During his years as a competitive boxer, campaigning mostly as a light welterweight, he never failed to appear in the national final at year’s end.

In his first professional contest, he made a seamless transition, looking like the accurate, powerful counterpuncher the scouting report promised he would be. A laser accurate left hand eventually mounted enough punishment for the referee to stop the contest in the third frame, to the delight of the raucous Irish contingent present in Toronto.

“He’s fast, talented and super sexy. Actually He reminds me of someone–me,” he said. “I’ll definitely be following his career and tuning in to his next fight December 15th in Toronto.”

Reeves will return on the 15th on the LBP event at the Coca-Cola Coliseum, headlined by Samuel Vargas vs. Gabriel Pereiro.

ABOUT THIS EVENT:

Lee Baxter Promotions, in association with Athlete Development and Management (A.D.A.M.) will present “Risky Business,” live championship professional boxing at the newly renamed Coca-Cola Colisseum in downtown Toronto, Ontario.

The Coca Cola Coliseum is the home of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, and a spot for some of the city’s biggest concerts and attractions, including WWE wrestling.

In the main event, Samuel Vargas will return home to face the undefeated Adrian Gabriel Pereiro, as he begins a new campaign at light welterweight. Vargas is fresh off a thrilling bout with former world champion Amir Khan. Despite coming up short on the scorecards, Vargas not only gained fans, but proved to have plenty of them already. The Colombian-Canadian banger dropped Khan early in the bout, and had him hurt later on in the contest as well. In the end, the fight was the most-watched in the history of U.K. subscription television.

Vargas is now honing his craft in training camp in Spain alongside former welterweight champion Kell Brook, as he is determined to return to Canada an improved fighter.

In the co-feature of the night, an old fashioned local rivalry comes to a boil, as Patrice Volny battles Ryan Young.

Volny scored the biggest win of his career in September, as he dominated veteran Albert Onolunose to capture both the WBA-NABA and WBO-NABO middleweight crowns. The victory situates him in a prime spot within the world rankings in two major sanctioning bodies, remarkably, just twelve fights into his professional career.

Another one of Canada’s top middleweights, Steve Rolls, will be in tough against KeAndrae Leatherwood. Both men have enjoyed significant national television exposure, having graduated from the esteemed ShoBox series on Showtime.

The card will also feature local favorite Nick Fantauzzi against Marco Parente in a light heavyweight contest, Bollywood star Neeraj Goyat, heavyweight sensation Kristian Prenga, the professional debut of Iranian amateur standout Salar Gholami, and the remarkable return Moncef “Buddy” Askri after an 11-year hiatus from the sport of boxing.

Tickets for “Risky Business” are available through Ticketmaster. VIP tables can be purchased by emailing sales@leebaxterpromotions.com. Doors open at 6:00 PM ET, with the first bout starting at 7:00 PM ET.

Kendo Castaneda 139.5 vs Gilbert Venegas 143.5
Xavier Wilson 133 vs Gelacio Cruz 127.5
Luis Villareal 153.5 vs Michael Klekotta 155
Richard Medina 126.5 vs Jorge De Leon 126
David Godley 161.5 vs Washington Luiz 165
George Ramos 159 vs Steven Ramos 164
Dagoberto Navarez 165.5 vs Stetson Horne 166
Mathew Glover 286 vs Christopher Martinez 218

In the 10-round main event, undefeated super lightweights Kendo Castaneda (14-0, 7 KOs) and Gilbert Venegas Jr. (10-0, 6 KOs), will battle for the vacant WBA-NABA title. The entire card will be streamed via Facebook’s FIGHTNIGHT LIVE channel, which has already served more than three million fight fans since May 2017.

Tickets priced $35 General Admission $40 at the door, and $100 Ringside, are on sale now, and can be purchased by calling (210) 449-5599 or (210) 322-9974. The Scottish Rite Theatre is located at 308 Ave E, San Antonio, TX 78205. Doors open at 4:00 PM, first bell at 5:30 PM.

WBC HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – 12 Rounds

Deontay Wilder – 212 ½ lbs.

Tyson Fury – 256 ½ lbs.

Referee: Jack Reiss (Calif.); Judges: Phil Edwards (United Kingdom), Alejandro Rochin (Mexico), Robert Tapper (Canada)

WBA/IBF 154-POUND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – 12 Rounds

Jarrett Hurd – 152 ½ lbs.

Jason Welborn – 152 ½ lbs.

Referee: Dr. Lou Moret (Calif.). Judges: Sergio Caiz (Calif.), David Sutherland (Oklahoma), Patrick Russell (Calif.)

HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT – 10 Rounds

Luis Ortiz – 241 lbs.

Travis Kauffman – 229 lbs.

Referee: Thomas Taylor (Calif.). Judges: Max DeLuca (Calif.), Esther Lopez (New Mexico), Zachary Young (Calif.)

HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT – 10 Rounds

Joe Joyce – 262 lbs.

Joe Hanks – 247 ½ lbs.

Referee Jerry Cantu (Calif.). Judges: Edward Hernandez Sr. (Calif.), Alejandro Rochin (Mexico), Danny Sandoval (Calif.).

LOS ANGELES (November 30, 2018) – One day before the most significant heavyweight event in the U.S. in over 15 years, heavyweight legends have descended on Los Angeles to discuss the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury showdown that will be live on SHOWTIME PPV® Saturday night from STAPLES Center in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

A media roundtable featured heavyweight greats Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe, Gerry Cooney, Earnie Shavers, Buster Douglas and Michael Spinks as they broke down Saturday’s battle of unbeaten giants.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by BombZquad Enterprises and Queensberry Promotions, in association with TGB Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, are on sale now and are available via AXS.com. Wilder vs. Fury will be produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV. The suggested retail price (SRP) for the pay-per-view telecast is $64.99 for standard definition.

The roundtable was hosted by SHOWTIME Sports award-winning reporter Jim Gray from the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Los Angeles. Here is what the heavyweight legends had to say Friday:

EVANDER HOLYFIELD

“I feel that Deontay Wilder will win because eventually he’ll land that right hand. He’s very patient. He’s a thinker, but he can also take chances. When people take chances, they win.

“Deontay might not have as much experience as we did in our day, but he’s got the power. That’s what the people want to see and I think they’re going to be happy when they see it.

“There was a point in time where every great heavyweight was from the United States. We had a very good amateur program. I was the last true heavyweight champion from the U.S. before Wilder and until I lost the decision against Lennox.

“To be the heavyweight champion of the world, and to say you’re the best, you have to fight any man.”

LENNOX LEWIS

“I think it’s going to be a great fight. Deontay Wilder has a terrific right hand and when it lands, not too many people can stand up to it. I also think that you can’t hurt what you can’t hit. Tyson Fury is not an easy person to hit. He has great ability and movement. I’m going with Deontay early or Fury late.

“We all know how it feels to lose the heavyweight championship. We know how hard it is to gain it back. Fury has lost it, and now he wants it back. I can see now that he’s sacrificing and saying to himself that he shouldn’t have lost it, and now he has to regain it.

“I think the view in the U.K. is that Tyson Fury is the man that stepped up. The gauntlet was thrown out there and he stood up for Britain. Deontay came to England to challenge Anthony Joshua, but it was Tyson Fury who answered the call.

“I would say that there are a couple of meccas in boxing that are places where everyone wants to fight. Las Vegas, New York and of course, Los Angeles. My fight against Vitali Klitschko at STAPLES Center was a great fight. My plan that night was not to box to go the distance, I boxed to go a short distance and it did.”

RIDDICK BOWE

“I’m going with Deontay Wilder tomorrow night. He’s going to put on a great show for everyone and get another knockout.

“Tyson Fury is skilled and tall, but to me, he doesn’t do enough on offense. He moves but he doesn’t move his hands enough.”

GERRY COONEY

“I think it’s a great fight tomorrow night. We know that Fury is coming back motivated. If Wilder finds a home for that right, he’s going to take Fury out. I think he’s going to connect at some point during the fight.

“I think Tyson Fury is a great man for how far he’s come back in his life and for standing up to Deontay Wilder. Fury called him out, so maybe he knows something we don’t know.

“I’m so glad to be up here. Look at all these great heavyweights and great guys. It’s special and they’re all here to watch this fight tomorrow night.”

EARNIE SHAVERS

“Me and Deontay are both from Alabama. I’ll be inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame soon and Deontay will be there one day as well. Deontay is a great puncher and I’m pulling for him tomorrow night.

“I fought in a great era. If you fight guys on the same level, you’ll get good fights. These guys today could get in there in our day and put on a good show.”

BUSTER DOUGLAS

“I think this is going to be a good competitive fight. If I had to pick, I’d take Deontay Wilder by knockout in the eighth round.

“I feel like Tyson Fury has already won by battling back and getting into great shape and being in this position. I’m sure many people thought they’d never see him back here. That’s a victory in itself.

“My victory over Mike Tyson changed my life in a great way. I was now the heavyweight champion of the world. My dream had come true. Seeing my two youngest kids being born was the only thing that could top it.”

MICHAEL SPINKS

“May the best man win. I don’t know who’s in the best of shape but I think Fury being out of the ring makes me lean toward Deontay Wilder. If Fury is as big in person as they say he is, he’s got a great chance.

“If you’re the underdog, you just have to go on what you know and what you’ve worked on. You can’t pay attention to the doubters. You focus on what you’ve prepared yourself for and give it your all. I always saw myself winning. It’s the greatest feeling to come out of the ring victorious.”

# # #

ABOUT WILDER vs. FURY
Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury pits the WBC Heavyweight World Champion Wilder against the lineal heavyweight champion Fury on SHOWTIME PPV® Saturday, December 1 from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and presented by Premier Boxing Champions. The PPV undercard begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will feature unbeaten unified super welterweight world champion Jarrett Hurd returning to take on Jason Welborn, Cuban heavyweight slugger Luis Ortiz facing-off against Travis Kauffman and rising undefeated heavyweight Joe Joyce battling Joe Hanks.

For more information visit www.SHO.com/Sports, www.premierboxingchampions.com and www.staplescenter.com follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @SHOSports, @PremierBoxing @BronzeBomber, @Tyson_Fury, @TGBPromotions, @STAPLESCenter and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports, www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions and www.facebook.com/STAPLESCenter.

QUEBEC CITY (November 30, 2018) – Boxing’s longest reigning world champion, Adonis Stevenson, and undefeated, mandatory challenger Oleksandr Gvozdyk made weight Friday just one day ahead of Stevenson’s 10th defense of his WBC Light Heavyweight Title in a SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION telecast Saturday, December 1 from Videotron Center in Quebec City.

SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION will air live on SHOWTIME and stream for free on the SHO Sports YouTube channel and the SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook Page beginning at 7:45 p.m. ET/4:45 p.m. PT, immediately preceding the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury SHOWTIME PPV. Wilder vs. Fury begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and also features unified 154-pound world champion Jarrett Hurd returning to take on Jason Welborn, Cuban heavyweight slugger Luis Ortiz facing off against Travis Kauffman and rising heavyweight Joe Joyce battling Joe Hanks.

FINAL WEIGHTS

WBC Light Heavyweight World Championship Bout – 12 Rounds

Adonis Stevenson – 174 ¼ pounds

Oleksandr Gvozdyk – 174 ½ pounds

Referee: Michael Griffin (Canada); Judges: Guido Cavalleri (Italy), Mike Ross (USA), Jack Woodburn (Canada)

FLASH QUOTES:

ADONIS STEVENSON:

“I know that Gvozdyk is a good boxer, he was a bronze medalist at the Olympics and he has a European style. His movement is good and he has good technique but there are definitely weaknesses that I plan to exploit.

“I don’t care at all that the bookmakers think I’m going to lose this fight. I’ve been the champion since 2013 and so many people have doubted me in all of my defenses. If I let that affect me, I would have lost my belt a long time ago.

“I’m very hungry. I want to win this fight by knockout. My hometown fans don’t come here to watch me fight 12 rounds, they want to see a body on the canvas. They’re always looking for the knockout and so am I. I know that all I have to do is touch him once and it’s check mate.”

OLEKSANDR GVOZDYK:

“I believe I’m ready physically to do what I have to do. I have to be quicker, smarter, more concentrated and always one step ahead of Stevenson. His left hand is the stronger one but I can’t forget about his right hand either.

“Working with Teddy [Atlas] has been a great experience. He’s been a mentor for me. He’s a very demanding guy who won’t let me get away with a single mistake. That’s exactly what I need. He can help me tactically and even physically, we rebuilt our regular training pattern and I believe it will pay off.

“Despite Stevenson’s age, he’s still a very strong fighter. I know what he’s going to try to do. Like he said at the press conference, he’s going to wait for me to make a mistake to try to catch me. I have to be patient and 100 percent concentrated the entire fight. No blinking.”

Nathan Gorman insists there is no bias in his assessment of huge heavyweight showdown on Saturday night when he forecasts Deontay Wilder barely being able to lay a glove on the elusive force that is Tyson Fury.

The 22-year-old Gorman – who fights Alex Leapai on the bumper Warrington-Frampton pre-Christmas boxing bonanza on December 22 at the Manchester Arena – is a distant relative of the Furys and the pair also share a UK training base at Ricky Hatton’s gym in Hyde.

The 14-0 WBC International Silver title holder, however, states that his fight predictions are not based on any loyalties, just personal experience of seeing Tyson up close and personal.

“I would say truthfully and without bias at all, whatever I thought,” explained the Nantwich-based heavy. “I have never sparred with Wilder, but from sharing a ring with Tyson I just can’t see Wilder beating him, I really can’t.

“I just think Wilder will get frustrated with Tyson when he can’t hit him, he will load up big swings and Tyson will make him miss and make him pay.

“He is too clever, he has got too much in the arsenal for him and he is a big 6ft 9″ switch-hitter – and he is really, really awkward,” added Gorman, who admitted to being shocked by the stealth of Tyson when he first got in the ring with him.

“Definitely, I’ve also seen him take the p*ss out of world class sparring partners.”

One thing, Gorman acknowledges, that cannot be legislated for is if Wilder manages to land the lottery punch.

“Obviously, getting onto that, it is 36 minutes and Wilder only needs one punch because he is the most dangerous heavyweight out there, isn’t he? He is more dangerous than Joshua in my opinion and if he hits you, you are going out.

“But, I just can’t see Tyson letting him do that. It is heavyweight
boxing though, so you never know.”

Watch Wilder-Fury live on BT Sport Box Office on Saturday night.

IBF world featherweight champion Josh Warrington takes on former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton at the Manchester Arena on December 22nd live on BT Sport Box Office. Mark Heffron and Liam Williams contest the vacant British middleweight title and Belfast’s blue chip featherweight prospect Michael Conlan (9-0) takes on former commonwealth champion Jason Cunningham (24-5). In a step up, Nathan Gorman puts his undefeated record and WBC International Silver Heavyweight Title on the line against former World Title challenger Alex Leapai.

Elsewhere on the bill. World flyweight title challenger Paddy Barnes (5-1) and unbeaten Light Heavyweight contender Steven Ward (9-0) return to action. Manchester’s 12-0 Light Heavyweight Lyndon Arthur and 7-0 Darlington middleweight Troy Williamson also return.

Tickets are priced at £50 Upper Tier, £80 Tier, £100 Tier, £150 Tier, £200 Floor/Tier, £300 Floor, £400 Floor, £600 Inner Ring VIP Hospitality and are available.

Tickets available via Manchester Arena.

MANILA (November 30, 2018) — With speaking engagements to the students of the Oxford Union and the Cambridge Union and a whirlwind U.S. media tour to announce his WBA welterweight world title defense against former four-division world champion Adrien Broner behind him, boxer laureate Senator MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO is back in Manila, working three shifts and two jobs daily. For Pacquiao, it’s just another day in the office. Make that offices — his gym and the Philippine Senate.

Boxing’s only eight-division world champion and the BWAA’s reigning Fighter of the Decade, Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs), is putting in 14 to 16-hour days training for his upcoming fight against Cincinnati’s Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs) and serving his constituents. Until the current Senate session ends, on December 12, Pacquiao’s typical work day begins at 6:30 a.m. with a 5.2-mile run followed by strength and conditioning work. After that it is breakfast and Senate work, followed by a two-hour gym session. Following a quick lunch, Pacquiao is off to the Senate where his second work day begins around 1:30 p.m. and usually ends no earlier than 8:30 p.m., where he heads home to dinner with his family.

On Monday, Pacquiao, one of the few senators to take on the cigarette/tobacco lobby, gave a speech to the plenary making another push for his Senate Bill 1599, which he first introduced in 2017, seeking to raise the excise tax on tobacco products.

Citing the benefits of “The Sin Tax Reform Act,” which was passed in 2012, and resulted in a significant decrease in the number of smokers, Pacquiao said, in a privilege speech, “The main objective for the proposal of this bill is to save lives. This goes to show that increasing tobacco tax works. However, because of increasing incomes and population, it is expected that, without any increase in the tobacco tax, we can expect one million new smokers by year 2022.” Additionally, Pacquiao said that the number of Filipino smokers would decrease by one million while generating 30 to 40 billion pesos in incremental revenues. Pacquiao’s entire text of his speech can be accessed via this link: https://senate.gov.ph/press_release/2018/1126_pacquiao1.asp.

Once the Philippine Senate session concludes, Manny will return to his home in General Santos City where he will continue training. There will be one interruption — his fortieth birthday celebration on December 17. Pacquiao and his team will depart for the U.S., on December 22, and begin phase two of his training at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, Calif.

Regarding Pacquiao’s first week of training camp, here is what the team had to say.

“It is good to be back home in the Philippines. It is time to get to work. I have to really focus and train hard for this fight,” said Pacquiao. “I am excited for January 19. Excited to be facing Adrien Broner. Excited to be back at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, my second home, fighting in front of my fans.”

“Training has been good so far. It is great to be back to training. After two weeks, we will be in very good condition. Manny is still very aggressive and still hungry. I have to make sure that we do our best as trainers to prepare Manny for Adrien Broner just like we did for the Lucas Matthysse fight,” said Buboy Fernandez, Pacquiao’s trainer.

Added Justin Fortune, Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach, “We have had good training sessions. We started the week off slowly with light training , but it has become stronger as the week progressed because Manny came into camp in great shape. He is very fresh and very strong.”

A three-time Fighter of the Year, Pacquiao, who hails from Sarangani Province in the Philippines, is the only sitting Congressman and Senator to win a world title. After serving two terms as Congressman, Pacquiao was elected to a Philippine Senate seat in May 2016, capturing over 16 million votes nationally. Pacquiao’s boxing resume features victories over at least seven current and future Hall of Famers, including Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, and Juan Manuel Marquez. In his last fight, with Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in attendance (the first time two heads of state attended a championship boxing event), Pacquaio, 39, regained the welterweight title for a fourth time with a vintage performance on July 15 at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, by knocking out defending WBA champion Lucas Matthyssee in the seventh round.

The Pacquiao vs. Broner world championship event will take place Saturday, January 19 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Pacquiao vs. Broner and its co-main event fights will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV® and presented by Premier Boxing Champions beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Promoted by MP Promotions, Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions in association with About Billions Promotions, remaining tickets to the Pacquiao vs. Broner welterweight world championship event are priced at $1,500, $1,000, $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, not including applicable service charges, and can be purchased online throughAXS.com, charge by phone at 866-740-7711 or in person at any MGM Resorts International box office.

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About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Apple®, Roku®, Amazon, Google and Samsung. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Hulu, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Sony PlayStation® Vue and Amazon Channels. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™, and offers Smithsonian Earth™ through SN Digital LLC. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com

About Premier Boxing Champions

The Premier Boxing Champions series was created and is produced by Haymon Sports, LLC. It features the most accomplished and decorated array of international professional boxing talent across the most popular weight divisions.

About MGM Grand Garden Arena

The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena offers comfortable seating for as many as 16,800 with excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound. Prominent events to date have included world championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquaio; and concerts by The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, George Strait, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, U2, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jimmy Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM Grand Garden Arena also has been home to annual events including the Academy of Country Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, iHeartRadio Music Festival, Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Championship and Frozen Fury NHL pre-season games hosted by the Los Angeles Kings.

Josh Warrington and Carl Frampton took five minutes out from preparations for their upcoming IBF world featherweight contest on December 22nd to share their thoughts on this weekend’s heavyweight blockbuster showdown between WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and the lineal heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury.

Carl Frampton – “When it was first made I strongly fancied Wilder. As the fight has got closer, I’ve been changing my mind. Looking at Fury’s shape and he is in good shape. In the pics I have seen he looks better than he ever has before.

“There are loads of questions to be asked. Has Fury lost too much weight? Is his inactivity going to cost him? How’s he going to be able to deal with Wilder’s punching power? Difficult one to call, but right now I’m leaning very slightly towards Deontay Wilder.”

Josh Warrington- “I said Fury when the fight first got made and I haven’t changed my mind, got to go for Tyson Fury for the win!

“Of course, you can’t rule out Wilder as he has some serious power in those fists and has proved it time and time again, but Fury’s size and ring IQ will prove crucial. I can honestly see him out-boxing and frustrating Wilder for 12 rounds.”

Watch Wilder-Fury live on BT Sport Box Office on Saturday night.

IBF world featherweight champion Josh Warrington takes on former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton at the Manchester Arena on December 22nd live on BT Sport Box Office. Mark Heffron and Liam Williams contest the vacant British middleweight title and Belfast’s blue chip featherweight prospect Michael Conlan (9-0) takes on former commonwealth champion Jason Cunningham (24-5). In a step up, Nathan Gorman puts his undefeated record and WBC International Silver Heavyweight Title on the line against former World Title challenger Alex Leapai.

Elsewhere on the bill. World flyweight title challenger Paddy Barnes (5-1) and unbeaten Light Heavyweight contender Steven Ward (9-0) return to action. Manchester’s 12-0 Light Heavyweight Lyndon Arthur and 7-0 Darlington middleweight Troy Williamson also return.

Tickets are priced at £50 Upper Tier, £80 Tier, £100 Tier, £150 Tier, £200 Floor/Tier, £300 Floor, £400 Floor, £600 Inner Ring VIP Hospitality and are available.

David Price and Tom Little meet on the undercard of the crunch Heavyweight rematch between Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora at The O2 in London on December 22, live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and DAZN in the US.

Liverpool puncher Price has suffered back-to-back stoppage defeats, each time on Anthony Joshua’s undercards, and admits he will be fighting for his career when he meets Hatfield’s Little next month.

He was stopped by Alexander Povetkin after initially flooring the Russian last March. Then a fight against Sergey Kuzmin in September was cut short when Price suffered an injury.

The 35-year-old is determined to prove that he can still mix it with the top Heavyweights and is aiming to end 2018 on a high as he bids to return to title contention.

Little, 31, has previously shared the ring with Rio 2016 Olympic Bronze medallist Filip Hrgovic and fast-rising Heavyweight talent Daniel Dubois, who he took five rounds before being stopped in June.

“This is a real fight,” said Price. “He’s well schooled now and he’s also as tough and game as they come. I can’t go from fighting the likes of Alexander Povetkin and Sergiy Kuzmin to fighting knock-over jobs because I need the threat in front of me.

“I know Tom Little really well and he knows me. We’ve done lots of rounds of sparring and I’ve seen him improve a lot during that time. He’s certainly closed the gap that was between us when we first started sparring.

“With the Heavyweight division, there are big fights everywhere. There are so many big names around and they all need dance partners. There are massive opportunities for the winner of this fight on offer.

“What awaits the victor is part of what will make this a cracking fight. Tom has a couple of losses in his last couple of fights and so do I, so we’re both fighting for our careers in this one.”

“I’m delighted and privileged to be fighting on such a great card,” said Little. “This is a massive PPV show on a massive platform in Sky Sports. I’m fighting a huge name and it’s a dream come true to be honest.

“Not to discredit David but I think his last couple of losses have taken a lot out of him and that will be the difference on the night. I think I’m mentally stronger than David, he’s going to let his last couple of defeats get to him whereas I’m just eager to put them behind me and move on.

“I’m willing to go to them deep and dark places to get the win. I’m expecting a very rough fight, it’s going to steal the show. One way or the other, this fight won’t be going the distance.”

Price vs. Little is part of a huge night of boxing in the capital.

Main event sees fierce Heavyweight rivals Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora rematch after their Fight of the Year contender in December 2016.

Charlie Edwards gets a second shot at a World title when he challenges Cristofer Rosales for the WBC Flyweight World title and British Featherweight Champion Ryan Walsh puts his Lonsdale belt on the line against Watford’s Reece Bellotti, with further exciting fights to be announced soon.

Tickets for Whyte vs. Chisora 2 are priced £40, £60, £80, £100, £150, £200, £300 and £600 (Inner Ring VIP)

General Sale tickets are available to purchase from StubHub (www.stubhub.co.uk), The O2 (www.theo2.co.uk) and Matchroom Boxing (www.matchroomboxing.com)

Filip Hrgovi? has offered his prediction for the WBC World Heavyweight title fight between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury on Saturday night.

The Croatian boxing sensation will be watching with interest as fellow Olympic Bronze Medallist Deontay Wilder puts his title on the line against the lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Hrgovi? is the current WBC International Champion, having claimed the title with a spectacular knockout win over Amir Mansour, and is set to make his first defence against Ytalo Perea on December 8 at the KC Drazen Petrovic in Zagreb.

“I believe Wilder will get the better of Fury in the end, even if it’s a close fight,” says Hrgovi?. “Wilder is strong and his right hand could destabilise Fury as soon as he’s able to reach the target. However, it’s not an easy fight to predict.”

Since joining the professional ranks, Hrgovi? has made no secret of his desire to win World titles, and after only six fights, he is already ranked with the WBC, WBA and WBO. The 26 year-old wagers he will only need five more fights before he is ready to challenge the likes of Wilder, Fury and Anthony Joshua.

“As people are aware, I haven’t hidden from anyone since starting my professional career,” said Hrgovi?. “And I believe I will be ready to challenge for the World title in five fights. Obviously, it is not just my call, I must speak with my promoter, manager and coach, but soon, I will be coming for all the belts!”

The WBC International Heavyweight Championship contest between Filip Hrgovi? and Ytalo Perea will top an action-packed fight card at the KC Dražen Petrovi? on December 8.

Tickets start from 150 KN and are available online via www.eventim.hr. All the action will be broadcast live and exclusive on RTL in Croatia.

Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury will be broadcast live by RTL Croatia on December 2 at 3:30 with a recorded version shown later at 14:30.

By Norm Frauenheim-

LOS ANGELES – There aren’t many hints. Just the taunts, trash talk and everything else expected in the parade of hyperbole before any opening bell. Deontay Wilder glares and issues ominous threats like a preacher promising Armageddon. The bearded Tyson Fury smiles knowingly, then maliciously.

It’s been a show without a clue, a crap shoot, which is a label with one word that has often been used to describe the heavyweight division.

This week’s build-up to Saturday’s bout for Wilder’s World Boxing Council belt in a Showtime pay-per-view bout even included a little strip tease a couple of days before Friday’s formal weigh-in.

Fury stripped off his designer shirt, a step in the marketing dance that looked to be spontaneous. It also exposed the first real sign of what might happen after opening bell, although even that tea leaf can be interpreted a couple ways.

Fury, whose turbulent career has often been more Tyson-like in lifestyle than furious in the ring, appears to be in great shape. The look suggests he is in the kind of condition he will need to be if he intends to elude singular power Wilder possesses in a right hand that has fashioned 39 stoppages in 40 victories. That big right is the reason Wilder is a slight favorite.

Stay away from its wrecking ball impact for 12 rounds and Fury wins. That, at least, is the conventional wisdom. The theory is that Fury’s skillset is more thorough and effective efficient than else Wilder can throw at him.

Fatigue in the later rounds, however, has appeared to be Fury’s fatal flaw. That’s the moment when the narrow odds suggest that Wilder’s game-ender lands, putting a tired Fury onto the canvas and Wilder in line for a shot at Anthony Joshua.

But a conditioned Fury is a different kind of fury altogether. It’s how he frustrated and beat Wladimir Klitschko before Joshua sent the great Ukrainian into retirement. Freddie Roach, who will be in Fury’s corner along with Ricky Hatton and lead trainer Ben Davison, says that if he can beat the accomplished Klitschko he can beat a one-dimensional Wilder.

Hard to argue with that thinking.

Then again, it hard to imagine how difficult it was for Fury to regain his conditioning and what that might mean on Saturday (9 pm ET/6 pm PT).

According to reports in the UK media, Fury was at about 400 pounds a year ago. There are photos of him shirtless, alongside Hatton. A sagging beach ball has more muscle definition. A year later, he is shirtless again, looking fit and perhaps renewed. He reportedly lost between 130 and 150 pounds, give or take a few pints. In other words, he shed about a welterweight to get ready for a title bout, a decisive moment on what he is calling his Road to Redemption.

By now, Fury’s crazy lifestyle is no secret. After Klitschko, The Gypsy King and son of a bare-knuckled Irish Traveller drank and drugged his way into obesity and out of the ring. He served a long suspension. Now he’s back with an upper body that looks good. Yet, the transformation in diet and conditioning could not have been easy.

Did a radical restoration come with a price? Could the toll be an erosion in the resources Fury figures to need in the later rounds if he hopes to elude Wilder’s wild power for what some believe could be a scorecard victory?

Maybe.

But, maybe, Wilder’s one-punch power, delivered with an 83-inch reach from awkward stance, has run its course. For the last couple of years, the prediction is that somebody with a more versatile skillset will eventually beat Wilder. There’s even talk that Fury will win by a stoppage with a well-executed combination that Wilder will never see.

Maybe.

At least, a shirtless moment this week seemed to say so.