Klimas: Lomachenko had preexisting shoulder injury |
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ESPN spoke to Vasiliy Lomachenko's manager, Egis Klimas (pictured), and Klimas disclosed that Lomachenko entered the Teofimo Lopez fight with a preexisting shoulder injury. According to Klimas, the injury worsened during the fight, and Lomachenko has already undergone surgery to repair the shoulder. Lomachenko threw very few punches during the first six rounds of Saturday's fight, and while he rallied in the second half, he fell short, losing a decision and the world lightweight championship to Lopez. According to Klimas, Lomachenko should be able to resume training by mid-January. As for the preexisiting injury's effect on Lomachenko's training camp, Klimas said, "we lost one week of sparring."
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Klimas: Lomachenko had preexisting shoulder injury
ESPN spoke to Vasiliy Lomachenko's manager, Egis Klimas (pictured), and Klimas disclosed that Lomachenko entered the Teofimo Lopez fight with a preexisting shoulder injury. According to Klimas, the injury worsened during the fight, and Lomachenko has already undergone surgery to repair the shoulder. Lomachenko threw very few punches during the first six rounds of Saturday's fight, and while he rallied in the second half, he fell short, losing a decision and the world lightweight championship to Lopez. According to Klimas, Lomachenko should be able to resume training by mid-January. As for the preexisiting injury's effect on Lomachenko's training camp, Klimas said, "we lost one week of sparring."
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Diego Pacheco gets an opponent for Friday's bout |
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Los Angeles middleweight Diego Pacheco (9-0) now has an opponent for his tenth pro fight, which takes place in Mexico City on Friday night, live on DAZN. Pacheco turned pro in December 2018 and the rangy Mexican-American has blasted seven of his opponents away inside the distance, and boxed in Mexico, America and Saudi Arabia. The 19 year-old is now slated for six rounds against Juan Antonio Mendez (12-2-2), and tthis fight is more of a step up for Mendez than for Pacheco. Still, Pacheco says he is ready to move up a gear in 2021.
“I am in a great place right now in my career, I’m just where I want to be, I’m 9-0, soon to be 10-0, and now talking about becoming a contender,” said Pacheco. “I feel like this is a really critical time in my career but that we’re on the right path to where we want to go. I’m a lot taller than most of the fighters in my division, which makes me longer than them and I can control the distance, but when I do get in there with people that are my high and have my reach, I think my boxing skill just higher than my opponents and rivals in the division. I feel like I am ready. People would tell me that they thought I was being rushed because I was fighting every month, I was 9-0 in my first year, but they were doing that for a reason, they could see that I was ready for these fights. When the pandemic happened and gave me time off from the ring, I feel like it’s helped me to mature and learn even more, so going into my tenth fight I am ready. I trust in the process and I’m going along with it. Every fight I am getting better, there’s something new each time that I have been working on and whomever they put in front of me, I figure them out and do what works. The path I am on right now is taking me to a great place. All the guys I talk to that have more experience than me and have been in the sport longer than me, they tell me to keep going and doing what I am doing, the sky is the limit.”
Pacheco’s tenth pro outing is part of a huge night of action in Mexico City, topped by a triple header of world title action: Juan Francisco Estrada (40-3 27 KOs) will defend his WBC 115-pound title in a rematch with Carlos Cuadras (39-3-1 27 KOs)... Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (49-2 41 KOs) defends his WBA 115-pound title against Israel Gonzalez (25-3 11 KOs) – with Estrada and Chocolatito on a collision course for a rematch should they both emerge victorious ... and Julio Cesar Martinez (16-1 12 KOs) will now defend his WBC 112-pound title against Moises Calleros (33-9-1 17 KOs)... Two of Pacheco’s fellow young guns appear on the card as Austin Williams (5-0 4 KOs) making a second foray outside the States in his sixth pro fight and Otha Jones III (5-0 2 KOs) also boxes for the sixth time as a pro.
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Diego Pacheco gets an opponent for Friday's bout
Los Angeles middleweight Diego Pacheco (9-0) now has an opponent for his tenth pro fight, which takes place in Mexico City on Friday night, live on DAZN. Pacheco turned pro in December 2018 and the rangy Mexican-American has blasted seven of his opponents away inside the distance, and boxed in Mexico, America and Saudi Arabia. The 19 year-old is now slated for six rounds against Juan Antonio Mendez (12-2-2), and tthis fight is more of a step up for Mendez than for Pacheco. Still, Pacheco says he is ready to move up a gear in 2021.
“I am in a great place right now in my career, I’m just where I want to be, I’m 9-0, soon to be 10-0, and now talking about becoming a contender,” said Pacheco. “I feel like this is a really critical time in my career but that we’re on the right path to where we want to go. I’m a lot taller than most of the fighters in my division, which makes me longer than them and I can control the distance, but when I do get in there with people that are my high and have my reach, I think my boxing skill just higher than my opponents and rivals in the division. I feel like I am ready. People would tell me that they thought I was being rushed because I was fighting every month, I was 9-0 in my first year, but they were doing that for a reason, they could see that I was ready for these fights. When the pandemic happened and gave me time off from the ring, I feel like it’s helped me to mature and learn even more, so going into my tenth fight I am ready. I trust in the process and I’m going along with it. Every fight I am getting better, there’s something new each time that I have been working on and whomever they put in front of me, I figure them out and do what works. The path I am on right now is taking me to a great place. All the guys I talk to that have more experience than me and have been in the sport longer than me, they tell me to keep going and doing what I am doing, the sky is the limit.”
Pacheco’s tenth pro outing is part of a huge night of action in Mexico City, topped by a triple header of world title action: Juan Francisco Estrada (40-3 27 KOs) will defend his WBC 115-pound title in a rematch with Carlos Cuadras (39-3-1 27 KOs)... Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (49-2 41 KOs) defends his WBA 115-pound title against Israel Gonzalez (25-3 11 KOs) – with Estrada and Chocolatito on a collision course for a rematch should they both emerge victorious ... and Julio Cesar Martinez (16-1 12 KOs) will now defend his WBC 112-pound title against Moises Calleros (33-9-1 17 KOs)... Two of Pacheco’s fellow young guns appear on the card as Austin Williams (5-0 4 KOs) making a second foray outside the States in his sixth pro fight and Otha Jones III (5-0 2 KOs) also boxes for the sixth time as a pro.
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Marrero, coming off a loss, lands WBA eliminator |
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A WBA 130-pound elimination bout will be held on Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Casino, in Uncasville, Connecticut, when Xavier Martinez (15-0) steps up to face Claudio Marrero of the Dominican Republic. Marrero is 24-4 with his last fight being a stoppage loss at featherweight to Kid Galahad so it his hard to see how he is qualified for a super featherweight eliminator. Martinez is a 22 year-old native of Sacramento. Showtime will broadcast the fight.
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Marrero, coming off a loss, lands WBA eliminator
A WBA 130-pound elimination bout will be held on Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Casino, in Uncasville, Connecticut, when Xavier Martinez (15-0) steps up to face Claudio Marrero of the Dominican Republic. Marrero is 24-4 with his last fight being a stoppage loss at featherweight to Kid Galahad so it his hard to see how he is qualified for a super featherweight eliminator. Martinez is a 22 year-old native of Sacramento. Showtime will broadcast the fight.
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Belmar Preciado returns quickly following TKO loss |
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Colombia’s Belmar Preciado and Mexico’s Rodolfo Hernandez will feature in Friday’s All Star Boxing show in Kissimmee, Florida. Preciado (20-3-1) is back in action less than two months after a stoppage loss to gatekeeper Dennis Contreras. That loss was at featherweight, and Preciado is now moving down to super bantamweight. Hernandez is 30-9-1 and has been stopped twice in a row. “Fofo”, as he is nicknamed in Mexico City, has lost to good opponents such as Jonathan Guzman, Yenifel Vicente and Albert Pagara. Preciado-Hernandez will air on Telemundo.
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Belmar Preciado returns quickly following TKO loss
Colombia’s Belmar Preciado and Mexico’s Rodolfo Hernandez will feature in Friday’s All Star Boxing show in Kissimmee, Florida. Preciado (20-3-1) is back in action less than two months after a stoppage loss to gatekeeper Dennis Contreras. That loss was at featherweight, and Preciado is now moving down to super bantamweight. Hernandez is 30-9-1 and has been stopped twice in a row. “Fofo”, as he is nicknamed in Mexico City, has lost to good opponents such as Jonathan Guzman, Yenifel Vicente and Albert Pagara. Preciado-Hernandez will air on Telemundo.
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Lipinets: "I don't really care" who I'm fighting on Saturday |
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Even with a change in date and then opponent, former IBF 140-pound title holder Sergey Lipinets remains supremely confident in his training camp and overall preparations as he prepares to take on unbeaten Custio Clayton for the IBF interim welterweight title live on Showtime this Saturday, October 24 (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT). "We never missed a beat in preparation, even with the opponent change," said Lipinets. "My fight with Kudratillo Abdukhakorov [sidelined by visa issues] was on and off for so long that I already had an idea that he was going to be forced to back out, so I wasn't shocked. I don't really care, though. Whoever I have to fight I'm ready to fight, so I didn't consider backing out of fighting for even one second."
Lipinets credits his trainer, the renowned Joe Goossen, for helping his fighter mentally through the changes, in addition to the physical training they have undertook heading into the fight. "Having Joe Goossen is like having a psychiatrist as well as a trainer," said Lipinets. "He's been extremely helpful about how to approach all of this. Joe helped me stay calm and understand that something good can always come from a bad or difficult situation, and because of that, I never lost focus."
Clayton is a Canadian Olympian with an unblemished pro resume heading into this showdown. While Lipinets notes that there are differences in the fighting styles between Abdukakhorov and Clayton, none of it changes his intent on October 24th. "I know that Clayton has a great amateur background," said Lipinets. "I've checked out his style, and the main difference is that Abdukakhorov is more active and Clayton is more accurate. Abdukakhorov is also a little more aggressive and Clayton is more patient. I don't think one is tougher or easier than the other. I think that anyone fighting at this level is a difficult opponent. Abdukakhorov moves around more and can be more awkward with the different styles he uses. Both are very tough guys, but I'm ready for Clayton and focused only on him at this point."
Despite his sole focus on Clayton, Lipinets knows that this fight brings a big opportunity to make a loud proclamation to the rest of the stacked welterweight division with a big performance to capture the interim IBF title. "I'm prepared to make one statement - I belong here," said Lipinets. "I want to fight the best. I want to make my imprint on this sport and build my legacy. I've had to do it the hard way, but I'm not complaining. I fought for my first championship in just my 13th pro fight. I believe that I belong right there at the top of this sport. People need to start mentioning my name with the top guys and after this fight they'll have to. You can't look past me anymore."
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Lipinets: "I don't really care" who I'm fighting on Saturday
Even with a change in date and then opponent, former IBF 140-pound title holder Sergey Lipinets remains supremely confident in his training camp and overall preparations as he prepares to take on unbeaten Custio Clayton for the IBF interim welterweight title live on Showtime this Saturday, October 24 (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT). "We never missed a beat in preparation, even with the opponent change," said Lipinets. "My fight with Kudratillo Abdukhakorov [sidelined by visa issues] was on and off for so long that I already had an idea that he was going to be forced to back out, so I wasn't shocked. I don't really care, though. Whoever I have to fight I'm ready to fight, so I didn't consider backing out of fighting for even one second."
Lipinets credits his trainer, the renowned Joe Goossen, for helping his fighter mentally through the changes, in addition to the physical training they have undertook heading into the fight. "Having Joe Goossen is like having a psychiatrist as well as a trainer," said Lipinets. "He's been extremely helpful about how to approach all of this. Joe helped me stay calm and understand that something good can always come from a bad or difficult situation, and because of that, I never lost focus."
Clayton is a Canadian Olympian with an unblemished pro resume heading into this showdown. While Lipinets notes that there are differences in the fighting styles between Abdukakhorov and Clayton, none of it changes his intent on October 24th. "I know that Clayton has a great amateur background," said Lipinets. "I've checked out his style, and the main difference is that Abdukakhorov is more active and Clayton is more accurate. Abdukakhorov is also a little more aggressive and Clayton is more patient. I don't think one is tougher or easier than the other. I think that anyone fighting at this level is a difficult opponent. Abdukakhorov moves around more and can be more awkward with the different styles he uses. Both are very tough guys, but I'm ready for Clayton and focused only on him at this point."
Despite his sole focus on Clayton, Lipinets knows that this fight brings a big opportunity to make a loud proclamation to the rest of the stacked welterweight division with a big performance to capture the interim IBF title. "I'm prepared to make one statement - I belong here," said Lipinets. "I want to fight the best. I want to make my imprint on this sport and build my legacy. I've had to do it the hard way, but I'm not complaining. I fought for my first championship in just my 13th pro fight. I believe that I belong right there at the top of this sport. People need to start mentioning my name with the top guys and after this fight they'll have to. You can't look past me anymore."
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Leo Santa Cruz training camp report |
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Four-division title holder Leo “El Terremoto” Santa Cruz previewed his upcoming pay-per-view main event against Gervonta “Tank” Davis during a virtual media workout Tuesday as he prepares for the October 31st showdown at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Santa Cruz and Davis will fight for the WBA regular titles at 130 and 135 pounds in the rare clash in which titles in two weight classes will be at stake. Other notable instances in recent boxing history are the 1988 Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Donny Lalonde fight for the light heavyweight and super middleweight titles, and the 2014 Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana rematch for the super welterweight and welterweight championships. Here is what the workout participants had to say Tuesday in Los Angeles:
LEO SANTA CRUZ
“I’m looking forward to being the main event on pay-per-view. We’re going to lay it all out on the line and give a great show for the fans.
“Being the underdog is definitely extra motivation. People think I’m the smaller guy, but I asked for this fight for a reason. I’m ready to prove everyone wrong.
“People thought I didn’t want to fight big names or challenging opponents, so who better to fight than Gervonta Davis? He has great skills and great power. I’m going to show everyone that I’m not scared of anyone.
“This is the hardest fight of my career, so I’m training harder than ever. This is the best camp I’ve ever had and I feel strong and ready. I’ve never been in this good of shape.
“People are doubting me. So that just makes me want to go out there even more and give a great fight. I want to prove myself, compete and give it my all.
“Gervonta doesn’t have the experience that I have. I have to watch out the first few rounds and be careful, but I’m still a warrior who wants to mix it up. We’re going to do a little of both the brawling and boxing. In the end, I know that I have to do whatever I can to win the fight.
“Hearing the fans in the crowd lifts me up. It’s extra motivation. They’re the ones who have got me in this position. I’m preparing hard so that I can give everyone their money’s worth. I’m going to risk it all and come out with the victory.
“It’s very special to be in this position. I don’t have the words to express how it makes me feel. I’m very grateful. This is what I’ve dreamed of since I was a child. Now that it’s here, I just can’t believe it and I can’t wait.
“I’ve learned that you always have to be hungry in the gym. You have to be hungry even if you’re already champion. I train like it’s for my first world title every time. This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I’m going to give it my all.
“When you have a fighter on top of you throwing punches, you can’t think and you can get frustrated. I know he’s going to try to counterpunch me and I have to be smart. But I’m going to use everything in my arsenal to make sure he’s uncomfortable.
“Gervonta is dangerous until the last round. We’ve been practicing avoiding those big shots. I just have to listen to my corner and stay calm.
“I’ll be making history as a five-division world champion from Mexico if I win. I think the winner of the fight deserves to be on the pound-for-pound top 10 list, that just makes this fight even more important.”
ANTONIO SANTA CRUZ, Santa Cruz’s Brother and Co-Trainer
“Leo has put on some muscle and his power has gone up a lot. He’s looking really strong. People say that Gervonta is a monster in the ring, but I think Leo is going to be the monster on October 31.
“We always follow the advice of our father, Jose. He’s making the rules while I’m in the ring with Leo. He knows what he’s doing. He’s proven it fight after fight with Leo.
“Leo has brought his power up in weight with him. When he hits the mitts, I can feel the increased strength that he has. I think it’s going to help him in the ring because Gervonta is going to have to respect that power.
“Gervonta is a knockout artist, but I of course believe that Leo can take him. Leo is smart and so dedicated. He has the extra motivation in seeing our father still here fighting through his cancer. He sees how strong he is fighting and knows he can be strong enough to beat Gervonta.
“I think that Leo is going to throw too many punches and give too much pressure. Leo has the experience and the intelligence to get this win.”
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Leo Santa Cruz training camp report
Four-division title holder Leo “El Terremoto” Santa Cruz previewed his upcoming pay-per-view main event against Gervonta “Tank” Davis during a virtual media workout Tuesday as he prepares for the October 31st showdown at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Santa Cruz and Davis will fight for the WBA regular titles at 130 and 135 pounds in the rare clash in which titles in two weight classes will be at stake. Other notable instances in recent boxing history are the 1988 Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Donny Lalonde fight for the light heavyweight and super middleweight titles, and the 2014 Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana rematch for the super welterweight and welterweight championships. Here is what the workout participants had to say Tuesday in Los Angeles:
LEO SANTA CRUZ
“I’m looking forward to being the main event on pay-per-view. We’re going to lay it all out on the line and give a great show for the fans.
“Being the underdog is definitely extra motivation. People think I’m the smaller guy, but I asked for this fight for a reason. I’m ready to prove everyone wrong.
“People thought I didn’t want to fight big names or challenging opponents, so who better to fight than Gervonta Davis? He has great skills and great power. I’m going to show everyone that I’m not scared of anyone.
“This is the hardest fight of my career, so I’m training harder than ever. This is the best camp I’ve ever had and I feel strong and ready. I’ve never been in this good of shape.
“People are doubting me. So that just makes me want to go out there even more and give a great fight. I want to prove myself, compete and give it my all.
“Gervonta doesn’t have the experience that I have. I have to watch out the first few rounds and be careful, but I’m still a warrior who wants to mix it up. We’re going to do a little of both the brawling and boxing. In the end, I know that I have to do whatever I can to win the fight.
“Hearing the fans in the crowd lifts me up. It’s extra motivation. They’re the ones who have got me in this position. I’m preparing hard so that I can give everyone their money’s worth. I’m going to risk it all and come out with the victory.
“It’s very special to be in this position. I don’t have the words to express how it makes me feel. I’m very grateful. This is what I’ve dreamed of since I was a child. Now that it’s here, I just can’t believe it and I can’t wait.
“I’ve learned that you always have to be hungry in the gym. You have to be hungry even if you’re already champion. I train like it’s for my first world title every time. This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I’m going to give it my all.
“When you have a fighter on top of you throwing punches, you can’t think and you can get frustrated. I know he’s going to try to counterpunch me and I have to be smart. But I’m going to use everything in my arsenal to make sure he’s uncomfortable.
“Gervonta is dangerous until the last round. We’ve been practicing avoiding those big shots. I just have to listen to my corner and stay calm.
“I’ll be making history as a five-division world champion from Mexico if I win. I think the winner of the fight deserves to be on the pound-for-pound top 10 list, that just makes this fight even more important.”
ANTONIO SANTA CRUZ, Santa Cruz’s Brother and Co-Trainer
“Leo has put on some muscle and his power has gone up a lot. He’s looking really strong. People say that Gervonta is a monster in the ring, but I think Leo is going to be the monster on October 31.
“We always follow the advice of our father, Jose. He’s making the rules while I’m in the ring with Leo. He knows what he’s doing. He’s proven it fight after fight with Leo.
“Leo has brought his power up in weight with him. When he hits the mitts, I can feel the increased strength that he has. I think it’s going to help him in the ring because Gervonta is going to have to respect that power.
“Gervonta is a knockout artist, but I of course believe that Leo can take him. Leo is smart and so dedicated. He has the extra motivation in seeing our father still here fighting through his cancer. He sees how strong he is fighting and knows he can be strong enough to beat Gervonta.
“I think that Leo is going to throw too many punches and give too much pressure. Leo has the experience and the intelligence to get this win.”
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Lee McGregor says he is clicking with new trainer Ben Davison |
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Lee McGregor is well into his training camp with new coach Ben Davison, and he says he is learning plenty of new things ahead of his European title fight next month. Undefeated British and Commonwealth bamtamweight champion McGregor (9-0, 7 KOs) will challenge dangerous Frenchman Karim Guerfi (29-4, 9 KOs) for his EBU title on MTK Fight Night on Wednesday, November 11th, live in the US on ESPN+ and worldwide on IFL TV. It is McGregor’s first camp since linking up with new trainer Davison, and the Edinburgh man is loving how things are going ahead of the showdown with Guerfi.
McGregor told IFL TV: “Ben is a great coach and is technically very good. I feel I’m a good fighter and I have a lot of heart, but what I feel I can improve on as a fighter is my technical skill, and I’m trying new things under him. It’s crazy how much I’m improving every week. I feel better after every spar and I’m learning every day, so I couldn’t be happier. This will be my second fight this year, and for my fight in August I had a nutritionist on board for the first time and it made a difference performance wise. The way I was feeling was so much better, and it opened my eyes up a lot compared to what I was doing. I’m soaking everything up and enjoying training every day. If you don’t take risks, you don’t get rewards, and I’ve made that clear from the beginning of my career. I’ve progressed quickly, and I find myself in a nice position going into my 10th fight. Challenging for the European title is a big step up and one I’m confident I can pull off. I’m willing to face anybody in front of me. I won the Commonwealth title in my 5th fight. Some fighters want to build up their records. I could be sitting here 11-0 and having fought nobody, but I want to be a champion. I want to fight the best and be involved in the best fights.”
Elsewhere on next month’s MTK Fight Night event, Kazakhstan's Tursynbay Kulakhmet faces unbeaten Macaulay McGowan at junior middleweight... Sultan Zaurbek takes on Jeff Ofori... Paddy Donovan goes up against Jumanne Camero... Hassan Azim makes his professional debut... and Jack Martin faces Inder Bassi.
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Lee McGregor says he is clicking with new trainer Ben Davison
Lee McGregor is well into his training camp with new coach Ben Davison, and he says he is learning plenty of new things ahead of his European title fight next month. Undefeated British and Commonwealth bamtamweight champion McGregor (9-0, 7 KOs) will challenge dangerous Frenchman Karim Guerfi (29-4, 9 KOs) for his EBU title on MTK Fight Night on Wednesday, November 11th, live in the US on ESPN+ and worldwide on IFL TV. It is McGregor’s first camp since linking up with new trainer Davison, and the Edinburgh man is loving how things are going ahead of the showdown with Guerfi.
McGregor told IFL TV: “Ben is a great coach and is technically very good. I feel I’m a good fighter and I have a lot of heart, but what I feel I can improve on as a fighter is my technical skill, and I’m trying new things under him. It’s crazy how much I’m improving every week. I feel better after every spar and I’m learning every day, so I couldn’t be happier. This will be my second fight this year, and for my fight in August I had a nutritionist on board for the first time and it made a difference performance wise. The way I was feeling was so much better, and it opened my eyes up a lot compared to what I was doing. I’m soaking everything up and enjoying training every day. If you don’t take risks, you don’t get rewards, and I’ve made that clear from the beginning of my career. I’ve progressed quickly, and I find myself in a nice position going into my 10th fight. Challenging for the European title is a big step up and one I’m confident I can pull off. I’m willing to face anybody in front of me. I won the Commonwealth title in my 5th fight. Some fighters want to build up their records. I could be sitting here 11-0 and having fought nobody, but I want to be a champion. I want to fight the best and be involved in the best fights.”
Elsewhere on next month’s MTK Fight Night event, Kazakhstan's Tursynbay Kulakhmet faces unbeaten Macaulay McGowan at junior middleweight... Sultan Zaurbek takes on Jeff Ofori... Paddy Donovan goes up against Jumanne Camero... Hassan Azim makes his professional debut... and Jack Martin faces Inder Bassi.
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Marshall-Rankin back on for Oct. 31st |
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The vacant WBO middleweight title fight between Savannah Marshall and Hannah Rankin will now take place on October 31st. [Claressa Shields was the last title holder but she moved down in weight]. Marshall (8-0, 6 KOs) takes on Rankin (9-4, 2 KOs) on the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Derek Chisora undercard, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Box Office and DAZN. The fight was initially set to take place last Saturday before a positive test for trainer Peter Fury meant it had to be postponed, and Marshall is delighted that it has been rescheduled so soon.
Marshall said: “Honestly it has been a dream to have this fight rescheduled so quickly. After the past week I’ve just been overjoyed with the news. I couldn’t have asked for a better or bigger platform than on the Usyk vs. Chisora bill. It was frustrating that the fight fell through, but it’s one of those things. There was nothing I could have done about it. Peter is okay which was the main thing. My training won’t change and will just be like any other training routine ten days out from a fight. Nothing will change. It hasn’t got more personal for me, as me and Rankin are just two girls that can’t wait for a dust up with each other.”
Rankin said: “It is great that the fight has been rescheduled so soon, thank you to Eddie Hearn and Matchroom for sorting it all out. Nothing changes for me. I will be crowned WBO middleweight champion on October 31st.”
Adam Smith, Head of Boxing Development at Sky Sports added: “It’s fantastic news that Savannah Marshall’s world title fight with Hannah Rankin has been swiftly rescheduled for the Usyk-Chisora bill, which is fast becoming an unmissable night of action. Women’s boxing has never been stronger, with Ellie Scotney showcasing her talent last weekend, and now we can look forward to an all-British battle between Marshall and Rankin, with the WBO Middleweight belt at stake. Savannah, a former Sky Scholar, has those polished amateur skills but Rankin has greater professional experience – it’s an enthralling encounter.”
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Marshall-Rankin back on for Oct. 31st
The vacant WBO middleweight title fight between Savannah Marshall and Hannah Rankin will now take place on October 31st. [Claressa Shields was the last title holder but she moved down in weight]. Marshall (8-0, 6 KOs) takes on Rankin (9-4, 2 KOs) on the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Derek Chisora undercard, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Box Office and DAZN. The fight was initially set to take place last Saturday before a positive test for trainer Peter Fury meant it had to be postponed, and Marshall is delighted that it has been rescheduled so soon.
Marshall said: “Honestly it has been a dream to have this fight rescheduled so quickly. After the past week I’ve just been overjoyed with the news. I couldn’t have asked for a better or bigger platform than on the Usyk vs. Chisora bill. It was frustrating that the fight fell through, but it’s one of those things. There was nothing I could have done about it. Peter is okay which was the main thing. My training won’t change and will just be like any other training routine ten days out from a fight. Nothing will change. It hasn’t got more personal for me, as me and Rankin are just two girls that can’t wait for a dust up with each other.”
Rankin said: “It is great that the fight has been rescheduled so soon, thank you to Eddie Hearn and Matchroom for sorting it all out. Nothing changes for me. I will be crowned WBO middleweight champion on October 31st.”
Adam Smith, Head of Boxing Development at Sky Sports added: “It’s fantastic news that Savannah Marshall’s world title fight with Hannah Rankin has been swiftly rescheduled for the Usyk-Chisora bill, which is fast becoming an unmissable night of action. Women’s boxing has never been stronger, with Ellie Scotney showcasing her talent last weekend, and now we can look forward to an all-British battle between Marshall and Rankin, with the WBO Middleweight belt at stake. Savannah, a former Sky Scholar, has those polished amateur skills but Rankin has greater professional experience – it’s an enthralling encounter.”
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Boxingtalk's lightweight rankings as of Oct. 19, 2020 |
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This weekend saw a changing of the guard in the lightweight as Teofimo Lopez delivered on his promise of a "Takeover" against now-former champion Vasiliy Lomachenko. Here is Boxingtalk's detailed look at the 135-pound division:
1. Teofimo Lopez - The Takeover happened on October 17th, when Lopez backed up his pre-fight talk by soundly defeating Vasiliy Lomachenko. For the record, Boxingtalk gave Lopez nine of the twelve rounds. With Lopez's move to junior welterweight a question of when, not if, here's hoping he sticks around at lightweight to face Gervonta Davis next (unlikely). A fight vs. Haney would also be a fan's dream, but that could happen at 140.
2. Vasiliy Lomachenko - Lomachenko gave away the first six rounds vs. Lopez and then failed to score a knockdown. He also lost the final round to Lopez, making a decision win impossible.
3. Gervonta Davis - The former 130-pound champion has had only two fights at 135 pounds- a win over Francesco Fonseca in 2017 when he failed to make the super featherweight limit, and more recently, a solid win over the fading Yuriorkis Gamboa. The WBA lightweight title Davis holds is a secondary one, as Lopez now holds top recognition with the WBA as well as with the WBO and WBC. Next up is an October 31st fight vs. Leo Santa Cruz, and a convincing win could move Davus up to B-Talk's #2 spot.
4. Devin Haney - Undefeated Haney has beaten a couple of top twenty types, but no one who can be considered a true contender. His November 7th bout vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa is more of the same. The WBC belt he holds is purely a paper title, with even Lopez calling it an "e-mail title" because Haney never beat a real champ before the WBC awarded him the belt.
5. Javier Fortuna - (inactivity warning) Had two solid wins in 2019, but more importantly, the Dominican Fortuna deserves a top ten ranking based on a 2018 split-decision loss to then-undefeated, then-IBF lightweight champion Robert Easter.
6. Jorge Linares - former three-division titlist from Venezuela returned to lightweight in February with a dominant performance against Carlos Morales. Also holds a 2017 win over Luke Campbell.
7. Richard Commey - The loss to Lopez will follow this warrior from Ghana because it was his most publicized fight, but the second-round loss does not erase the good work Commey did earlier in 2019 (wins over Isa Chaniev and Rey Beltran). He deserves another big fight.
8. Luke Campbell - 2012 Olympic champion exceeded expectations with a reasonably competitive distance loss to Lomachenko in August 2019. Next up, a much-anticipated bout vs. #11 Ryan Garcia.
9. Lee Selby- Former IBF featherweight champion lost his title to Josh Warrington in 2018, and promptly jumped up two divisions. In 2019, Selby beat Omar Douglas and former title holder Ricky Burns. This Welshman can legitimately call himself a lightweight contender. Next: George Kambosos in an IBF eliminator.
10. Diego Magdaleno -This Mexican warrior got a big win against Austin Dulay in February, which gave him a boost in the rankings. Next: Magdaleno faces Isaac Cruz Gonzalez (19-1-1) on October 31st.
11. Ryan Garcia - Just 21 years of age, and a social media favorite, Garcia has two straight explosive first-round knockouts, but his resume is just a tad light for a top ten ranking. On December 5th, Garcia is in for a real test vs. Luke Campbell, with a win propelling him into the top ten.
12. Alberto Machado - Former WBA 130-pound title folder from Puerto Rico moved up to lightweight in December with a win, and has now announced his intention to remain in this division.
13. James Tennyson - Northern Irishman lost a 2018 title shot in the 130-pound division to Tevin Farmer but moved up with four wins in 2019, including two quality ones to close out the year. On August 1st, he stopped Gavin Gwynne for vacant British title, but already seems to have vacated it in search of something bigger.
14. Masayuki Ito - (Inactivity warning) Former WBO 130-pound champion is 2-1 in world title fights. Since losing to Jamel Herring, he moved up and has one win in this division. Has a fight booked vs undefeated Hironori Mishiro in December.
15. Yvan Mendy - The French Mendy split two fights with Luke Campbell, lost to Edis Tatli, defeated Francesco Patera and has five straight wins since the Campbell loss.
16. Denys Berinchyk - A member of the legendary Ukraine 2012 Olympic team, he beat Jeff Horn and Anthony Yigit en route to a silver medal. In October 2020, he defeated Viorel Simion to enter the B-talk top 20.
17. Emmanuel Tagoe - He is based in Ghana, where it is nearly impossible to attract top-tier opposition, but after losing his pro debut, Tagoe has beaten everyone put in front of him, so he has clearly earned a title shot, or at least an eliminator. Tagoe is 31-1 with his only pro loss coming in 2004... He falls out of the top ten due to inactivity with his last fight coming in July 2019... get this man a big fight, stat!
18. Francesco Patera - (inactivity warning) From Belgium, Patera is the reigning European champion and is on a run of four quality wins. However, he's lost to Mendy and split with Tatli. He had an interesting test scheduled for March vs. Italy’s Devis Boschiero that got cancelled.
19. Jon Fernandez - He came to the USA in 2018 from his native Spain, and lost to O'Shaquie Foster at 130 pounds, but he's been unbeaten since making the jump to lightweight, including a stay-busy win in early 2020.
20. George Kambosos - Australian up-and-comer showed he is ready to contend after a split-decision win over former title holder Mickey Bey in December. Next up is ex-IBF featherweight champ Lee Selby. A win over Selby puts Kambosos in or very near the top ten.
21. Hector Tanajara - January win over Juan Carlos Burgos elevates this Texan into the the top 25.
22. Felix Verdejo - Former heavily hyped prospect from Puerto Rico looks to be back in form following a summer manhandling of previously undefeated Wil Madera. Verdejo's now 29-1 and is 27 years old. It's surprising Top Rank didn't bring him right back.
23. Zaur Abdullaev - A Devin Haney victim, this Russian got a big win over former BT #27 Pavel Malikov in August. He's scheduled to face undefeated Roman Andreev next, with a B-Talk top 20 slot for the winner.
24. Yuriorkis Gamboa - Former featherweight champ is coming back from an achilles tendon injury in a loss to Gervonta Davis to face Devin Haney. Prediction: A Haney blowout.
25. Michel Rivera - Undefeated Dominican got on the board with a February stoppage over gatekeeper Fidel Maldonado, Jr. Will face B-Talk # 30 Ladarius Miller on Halloween for a top twenty spot. Considering his early fights were at home in the Dominican Republic, his team has done an excellent job getting high-quality opposition.
26-40: 26. Liam Walsh (inactivity warning), 27. Maxi Hughes, 28. Georgi Chelokhsaev, 29. Edis Tatli (inactivity), 30. Ladarius Miller, 31. Isa Chaniev, 32. Shuichiro Yoshino, 33. Dejean Zlaticanin (inactivity warning), 34. Gustavo Daniel Lemos, 35. Isaac Cruz Gonzalez, 36. Roberto Ramirez, 37. Ricky Burns (inactivity warning), 38. Rolando Romero, 39. Jackson Marinez, 40. Elnur Samedov
41-47: Esneiker Corera, Emiliano Marsili, Masayoshi Nakatani (inactivity), Frank Urquiaga, Roman Andreev, Pavel Malikov, Romero Duno
CHANGES SINCE JULY 29th: Lopez 2>1 (+Lomachenko); Tagoe 9>17 (Inactivity); Barthelemy 13>OUT (moved up in weight); Tennyson 21>13 (+Gwynne); Tatli 16>29 (Inactivity); Berinchyk 35>16 (+Simion); Abdullaev 37>23 (+Malikov); Malikov 27>46; Hughes IN at 27 (+Kotoshigov); Walsh IN at 26 (recognizing win over Hughes); Chelokshaev IN at 28 (+Shakhnazaryan); Yoshino 39>31 (+Hosokowa); Nakatani 33>OUT (inactivity); Ndongeni 36>OUT (-Dlomo); Romero IN at 38 (disputed win over Marinez); Marinez IN at 39.
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Boxingtalk's lightweight rankings as of Oct. 19, 2020
This weekend saw a changing of the guard in the lightweight as Teofimo Lopez delivered on his promise of a "Takeover" against now-former champion Vasiliy Lomachenko. Here is Boxingtalk's detailed look at the 135-pound division:
1. Teofimo Lopez - The Takeover happened on October 17th, when Lopez backed up his pre-fight talk by soundly defeating Vasiliy Lomachenko. For the record, Boxingtalk gave Lopez nine of the twelve rounds. With Lopez's move to junior welterweight a question of when, not if, here's hoping he sticks around at lightweight to face Gervonta Davis next (unlikely). A fight vs. Haney would also be a fan's dream, but that could happen at 140.
2. Vasiliy Lomachenko - Lomachenko gave away the first six rounds vs. Lopez and then failed to score a knockdown. He also lost the final round to Lopez, making a decision win impossible.
3. Gervonta Davis - The former 130-pound champion has had only two fights at 135 pounds- a win over Francesco Fonseca in 2017 when he failed to make the super featherweight limit, and more recently, a solid win over the fading Yuriorkis Gamboa. The WBA lightweight title Davis holds is a secondary one, as Lopez now holds top recognition with the WBA as well as with the WBO and WBC. Next up is an October 31st fight vs. Leo Santa Cruz, and a convincing win could move Davus up to B-Talk's #2 spot.
4. Devin Haney - Undefeated Haney has beaten a couple of top twenty types, but no one who can be considered a true contender. His November 7th bout vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa is more of the same. The WBC belt he holds is purely a paper title, with even Lopez calling it an "e-mail title" because Haney never beat a real champ before the WBC awarded him the belt.
5. Javier Fortuna - (inactivity warning) Had two solid wins in 2019, but more importantly, the Dominican Fortuna deserves a top ten ranking based on a 2018 split-decision loss to then-undefeated, then-IBF lightweight champion Robert Easter.
6. Jorge Linares - former three-division titlist from Venezuela returned to lightweight in February with a dominant performance against Carlos Morales. Also holds a 2017 win over Luke Campbell.
7. Richard Commey - The loss to Lopez will follow this warrior from Ghana because it was his most publicized fight, but the second-round loss does not erase the good work Commey did earlier in 2019 (wins over Isa Chaniev and Rey Beltran). He deserves another big fight.
8. Luke Campbell - 2012 Olympic champion exceeded expectations with a reasonably competitive distance loss to Lomachenko in August 2019. Next up, a much-anticipated bout vs. #11 Ryan Garcia.
9. Lee Selby- Former IBF featherweight champion lost his title to Josh Warrington in 2018, and promptly jumped up two divisions. In 2019, Selby beat Omar Douglas and former title holder Ricky Burns. This Welshman can legitimately call himself a lightweight contender. Next: George Kambosos in an IBF eliminator.
10. Diego Magdaleno -This Mexican warrior got a big win against Austin Dulay in February, which gave him a boost in the rankings. Next: Magdaleno faces Isaac Cruz Gonzalez (19-1-1) on October 31st.
11. Ryan Garcia - Just 21 years of age, and a social media favorite, Garcia has two straight explosive first-round knockouts, but his resume is just a tad light for a top ten ranking. On December 5th, Garcia is in for a real test vs. Luke Campbell, with a win propelling him into the top ten.
12. Alberto Machado - Former WBA 130-pound title folder from Puerto Rico moved up to lightweight in December with a win, and has now announced his intention to remain in this division.
13. James Tennyson - Northern Irishman lost a 2018 title shot in the 130-pound division to Tevin Farmer but moved up with four wins in 2019, including two quality ones to close out the year. On August 1st, he stopped Gavin Gwynne for vacant British title, but already seems to have vacated it in search of something bigger.
14. Masayuki Ito - (Inactivity warning) Former WBO 130-pound champion is 2-1 in world title fights. Since losing to Jamel Herring, he moved up and has one win in this division. Has a fight booked vs undefeated Hironori Mishiro in December.
15. Yvan Mendy - The French Mendy split two fights with Luke Campbell, lost to Edis Tatli, defeated Francesco Patera and has five straight wins since the Campbell loss.
16. Denys Berinchyk - A member of the legendary Ukraine 2012 Olympic team, he beat Jeff Horn and Anthony Yigit en route to a silver medal. In October 2020, he defeated Viorel Simion to enter the B-talk top 20.
17. Emmanuel Tagoe - He is based in Ghana, where it is nearly impossible to attract top-tier opposition, but after losing his pro debut, Tagoe has beaten everyone put in front of him, so he has clearly earned a title shot, or at least an eliminator. Tagoe is 31-1 with his only pro loss coming in 2004... He falls out of the top ten due to inactivity with his last fight coming in July 2019... get this man a big fight, stat!
18. Francesco Patera - (inactivity warning) From Belgium, Patera is the reigning European champion and is on a run of four quality wins. However, he's lost to Mendy and split with Tatli. He had an interesting test scheduled for March vs. Italy’s Devis Boschiero that got cancelled.
19. Jon Fernandez - He came to the USA in 2018 from his native Spain, and lost to O'Shaquie Foster at 130 pounds, but he's been unbeaten since making the jump to lightweight, including a stay-busy win in early 2020.
20. George Kambosos - Australian up-and-comer showed he is ready to contend after a split-decision win over former title holder Mickey Bey in December. Next up is ex-IBF featherweight champ Lee Selby. A win over Selby puts Kambosos in or very near the top ten.
21. Hector Tanajara - January win over Juan Carlos Burgos elevates this Texan into the the top 25.
22. Felix Verdejo - Former heavily hyped prospect from Puerto Rico looks to be back in form following a summer manhandling of previously undefeated Wil Madera. Verdejo's now 29-1 and is 27 years old. It's surprising Top Rank didn't bring him right back.
23. Zaur Abdullaev - A Devin Haney victim, this Russian got a big win over former BT #27 Pavel Malikov in August. He's scheduled to face undefeated Roman Andreev next, with a B-Talk top 20 slot for the winner.
24. Yuriorkis Gamboa - Former featherweight champ is coming back from an achilles tendon injury in a loss to Gervonta Davis to face Devin Haney. Prediction: A Haney blowout.
25. Michel Rivera - Undefeated Dominican got on the board with a February stoppage over gatekeeper Fidel Maldonado, Jr. Will face B-Talk # 30 Ladarius Miller on Halloween for a top twenty spot. Considering his early fights were at home in the Dominican Republic, his team has done an excellent job getting high-quality opposition.
26-40: 26. Liam Walsh (inactivity warning), 27. Maxi Hughes, 28. Georgi Chelokhsaev, 29. Edis Tatli (inactivity), 30. Ladarius Miller, 31. Isa Chaniev, 32. Shuichiro Yoshino, 33. Dejean Zlaticanin (inactivity warning), 34. Gustavo Daniel Lemos, 35. Isaac Cruz Gonzalez, 36. Roberto Ramirez, 37. Ricky Burns (inactivity warning), 38. Rolando Romero, 39. Jackson Marinez, 40. Elnur Samedov
41-47: Esneiker Corera, Emiliano Marsili, Masayoshi Nakatani (inactivity), Frank Urquiaga, Roman Andreev, Pavel Malikov, Romero Duno
CHANGES SINCE JULY 29th: Lopez 2>1 (+Lomachenko); Tagoe 9>17 (Inactivity); Barthelemy 13>OUT (moved up in weight); Tennyson 21>13 (+Gwynne); Tatli 16>29 (Inactivity); Berinchyk 35>16 (+Simion); Abdullaev 37>23 (+Malikov); Malikov 27>46; Hughes IN at 27 (+Kotoshigov); Walsh IN at 26 (recognizing win over Hughes); Chelokshaev IN at 28 (+Shakhnazaryan); Yoshino 39>31 (+Hosokowa); Nakatani 33>OUT (inactivity); Ndongeni 36>OUT (-Dlomo); Romero IN at 38 (disputed win over Marinez); Marinez IN at 39.
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Updated Report: Wojcicki-Volny booked as IBF middleweight eliminator |
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German promoter Sauerland Event's social media account tweeted out that an IBF middleweight final eliminator between Patrick Wojcicki and Patrice Volny is "confirmed" for November 14th. Sauerland promotes the German Wojcicki (14-0-1) who has some good wins but is not on anyone's radar as a legitimate top ten middleweight. The same can be said about Volny (15-0) who has done well on the Canadian scene. The IBF champion is Gennadiy Golovkin, whose next fight is a mandatory against Poland's Kamil Szeremeta that has not been scheduled yet. UPDATE: Volny's promoter Lee Baxter confirmed that the eliminator will take place at Congress Park in Wolfsburg, Germany. Wojcicki said the fight is an opportunity he has earned, and one he intends to take full advantage of. "I have worked for this fight. I have trained hard, taken tough fights and worked with my team around me to get into a position where I’m one step away from a world title shot. My coach, my promoters, myself, we have all really worked for this, I’m not going to let that work go to waste. Patrice is a fighter who has worked into this position as well. He will be confident and will see the opportunity that lies ahead, but I don’t believe he has what is needed to get past me. I’m ready for this, and I’m ready for what is next!.
Volny said “This is an amazing opportunity to box in a final eliminator for the IBF World Title, an opportunity like this is not one I could let pass. This is by far the biggest fight of my career, against a very talented opponent - so I’m training like I’ve never trained before. When he steps in the ring with me, he will soon understand why they call me ‘Vicious’.”
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Updated Report: Wojcicki-Volny booked as IBF middleweight eliminator
German promoter Sauerland Event's social media account tweeted out that an IBF middleweight final eliminator between Patrick Wojcicki and Patrice Volny is "confirmed" for November 14th. Sauerland promotes the German Wojcicki (14-0-1) who has some good wins but is not on anyone's radar as a legitimate top ten middleweight. The same can be said about Volny (15-0) who has done well on the Canadian scene. The IBF champion is Gennadiy Golovkin, whose next fight is a mandatory against Poland's Kamil Szeremeta that has not been scheduled yet. UPDATE: Volny's promoter Lee Baxter confirmed that the eliminator will take place at Congress Park in Wolfsburg, Germany. Wojcicki said the fight is an opportunity he has earned, and one he intends to take full advantage of. "I have worked for this fight. I have trained hard, taken tough fights and worked with my team around me to get into a position where I’m one step away from a world title shot. My coach, my promoters, myself, we have all really worked for this, I’m not going to let that work go to waste. Patrice is a fighter who has worked into this position as well. He will be confident and will see the opportunity that lies ahead, but I don’t believe he has what is needed to get past me. I’m ready for this, and I’m ready for what is next!.
Volny said “This is an amazing opportunity to box in a final eliminator for the IBF World Title, an opportunity like this is not one I could let pass. This is by far the biggest fight of my career, against a very talented opponent - so I’m training like I’ve never trained before. When he steps in the ring with me, he will soon understand why they call me ‘Vicious’.”
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Twitter Chatter: Change of plans for Shakur Stevenson? |
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Shakur Stevenson who recently vacated the WBO 126-pound title to move up to 130: "I’m back in January and should be fighting for the belt in March."
Journalist Dan Rafael: "[After losing to Teofimo Lopez,] I suspect Vasiliy Lomachenko will go back to 130 pounds, maybe challenge the Miguel Berchelt vs. Oscar Valdez winner for the WBC title." [Berchelt-Valdez has been long discussed, but there is no firm date for that fight].
Stevenson: "Nope He’s gone have to wait in line"
Rafael: "Aren’t you going for the Jamel Herring vs. Carl Frampton WBO winner?
Stevenson: "Right after I’m unifying with Berchelt"
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Twitter Chatter: Change of plans for Shakur Stevenson?
Shakur Stevenson who recently vacated the WBO 126-pound title to move up to 130: "I’m back in January and should be fighting for the belt in March."
Journalist Dan Rafael: "[After losing to Teofimo Lopez,] I suspect Vasiliy Lomachenko will go back to 130 pounds, maybe challenge the Miguel Berchelt vs. Oscar Valdez winner for the WBC title." [Berchelt-Valdez has been long discussed, but there is no firm date for that fight].
Stevenson: "Nope He’s gone have to wait in line"
Rafael: "Aren’t you going for the Jamel Herring vs. Carl Frampton WBO winner?
Stevenson: "Right after I’m unifying with Berchelt"
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Moises Calleros gets short-notice world title shot this weekend |
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Julio Cesar Martinez will now defend his WBC flyweight title against fellow Mexican Moises Calleros on Friday, October 23rd at Azteca Studios in Mexico City, live on DAZN. Martinez (16-1 12 KOs) makes the second defense of his crown and his first on home soil, having defeated Jay Harris in Dallas in February. The 25 year old was due to face Maximino Flores but the IBO champion returned a positive test for the coronavirus. Calleros (33-9-1 17 KOs) now has a golden opportunity to change his career in Flores’ place. The 31 year-old landed is best known for a failed 2018 to WBO 105-pound title shot Ryuya Yamanaka. In his next fight after that, Calleros lost a ten-round decision to former IBF 105-pound champion Jose Argumendo.
Martinez’s clash with Calleros is part of a world title triple-header in Mexico: Juan Francisco Estrada (40-3 27 KOs) will defend his WBC super flyweight championship in a rematch with Carlos Cuadras (39-3-1 27 KOs) and Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez (49-2 41 KOs) defends his WBA super flyweight title against Israel Gonzalez (25-3 11 KOs) – with Estrada and Chocolatito on a collision course for a rematch should they both emerge victorious.
Three of Eddie Hearn’s tyros make their return to action on the bill, with Diego Pacheco (9-0 7 KOs) boxing for the tenth time in the paid ranks, Austin Williams (5-0 4 KOs) making a second foray outside the States in his sixth pro fight and Otha Jones III (5-0 2 KOs) also boxing for the sixth time as a pro.
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Moises Calleros gets short-notice world title shot this weekend
Julio Cesar Martinez will now defend his WBC flyweight title against fellow Mexican Moises Calleros on Friday, October 23rd at Azteca Studios in Mexico City, live on DAZN. Martinez (16-1 12 KOs) makes the second defense of his crown and his first on home soil, having defeated Jay Harris in Dallas in February. The 25 year old was due to face Maximino Flores but the IBO champion returned a positive test for the coronavirus. Calleros (33-9-1 17 KOs) now has a golden opportunity to change his career in Flores’ place. The 31 year-old landed is best known for a failed 2018 to WBO 105-pound title shot Ryuya Yamanaka. In his next fight after that, Calleros lost a ten-round decision to former IBF 105-pound champion Jose Argumendo.
Martinez’s clash with Calleros is part of a world title triple-header in Mexico: Juan Francisco Estrada (40-3 27 KOs) will defend his WBC super flyweight championship in a rematch with Carlos Cuadras (39-3-1 27 KOs) and Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez (49-2 41 KOs) defends his WBA super flyweight title against Israel Gonzalez (25-3 11 KOs) – with Estrada and Chocolatito on a collision course for a rematch should they both emerge victorious.
Three of Eddie Hearn’s tyros make their return to action on the bill, with Diego Pacheco (9-0 7 KOs) boxing for the tenth time in the paid ranks, Austin Williams (5-0 4 KOs) making a second foray outside the States in his sixth pro fight and Otha Jones III (5-0 2 KOs) also boxing for the sixth time as a pro.
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Catching up with Australia's George Kambosos Jr. |
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Australia's George Kambosos Jr. says he has been training "like a man possessed" ahead of his crucial IBF lightweight eliminator with Lee Selby on the Usyk-Chisora undercard on Saturday October 31st, shown live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and DAZN in the US. A win for tKambosos (18-0, 10 KOs) would see him become IBF mandatory for newly-crowned world lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez, who brilliantly overcame Vasiliy Lomachenko by a unanimous points decision in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Hailing from Sydney, 27-year-old Kambosos Jr announced himself in the 135-pound division by defeating former IBF titlist Mickey Bey on away territory at Madison Square Garden in New York last time out. "Ferocious" will be aiming to make it two wins in two against former champs when he meets Wales’ former long-reigning IBF featherweight ruler Selby next weekend on an evening of Halloween fight action.
“Beating Lee Selby means everything to me,” said Kambosos. “I’m hungry, focused and have trained like a man possessed to handle business on October 31st. This is a young man’s sport and Lopez proved that against Lomachenko when he became the lightweight world champion and I will prove it once again against Lee Selby. This hungry young lion will become mandatory, that is my complete focus, this is why I have sacrificed so much and then you best believe that ‘Ferocious Kambosos’ will be primed and ready to take all the belts off another hungry, young lion in Teofimo Lopez. Let’s see who the real king of the jungle is.”
Selby vs. Kambosos Jr is part of a huge night of boxing as pound-for-pound star Oleksandr Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) faces his first real heavyweight test in Derek Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs)... heavyweight fan favorite Dave Allen (18-5-2, 15 KOs) collides with Christian Hammer (25-6 15 KOs)... Belfast’s Tommy McCarthy (16-2, 8 KOs) meets Belgium’s Bilal Laggoune (25-1-2, 14 KOs) for the vacant European cruiserweight title and Amy Timlin (4-0) faces off with Carly Skelly (3-0) for the vacant Commonwealth 122-pound title.
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Catching up with Australia's George Kambosos Jr.
Australia's George Kambosos Jr. says he has been training "like a man possessed" ahead of his crucial IBF lightweight eliminator with Lee Selby on the Usyk-Chisora undercard on Saturday October 31st, shown live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and DAZN in the US. A win for tKambosos (18-0, 10 KOs) would see him become IBF mandatory for newly-crowned world lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez, who brilliantly overcame Vasiliy Lomachenko by a unanimous points decision in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Hailing from Sydney, 27-year-old Kambosos Jr announced himself in the 135-pound division by defeating former IBF titlist Mickey Bey on away territory at Madison Square Garden in New York last time out. "Ferocious" will be aiming to make it two wins in two against former champs when he meets Wales’ former long-reigning IBF featherweight ruler Selby next weekend on an evening of Halloween fight action.
“Beating Lee Selby means everything to me,” said Kambosos. “I’m hungry, focused and have trained like a man possessed to handle business on October 31st. This is a young man’s sport and Lopez proved that against Lomachenko when he became the lightweight world champion and I will prove it once again against Lee Selby. This hungry young lion will become mandatory, that is my complete focus, this is why I have sacrificed so much and then you best believe that ‘Ferocious Kambosos’ will be primed and ready to take all the belts off another hungry, young lion in Teofimo Lopez. Let’s see who the real king of the jungle is.”
Selby vs. Kambosos Jr is part of a huge night of boxing as pound-for-pound star Oleksandr Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) faces his first real heavyweight test in Derek Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs)... heavyweight fan favorite Dave Allen (18-5-2, 15 KOs) collides with Christian Hammer (25-6 15 KOs)... Belfast’s Tommy McCarthy (16-2, 8 KOs) meets Belgium’s Bilal Laggoune (25-1-2, 14 KOs) for the vacant European cruiserweight title and Amy Timlin (4-0) faces off with Carly Skelly (3-0) for the vacant Commonwealth 122-pound title.
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Boxing finally returns to Philadelphia on Nov. 7th |
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On Saturday night, November 7th, RDR Promotions will presenting Philadelphia's first boxing show since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The promotional company will bring back boxing with a six-bout card at the 2300 Arena. In the six-round featured bout, Mark Dawson (6-0-1) of Philadelphia will take on cross-town rival Vincent Floyd (4-9-1) in a welterweight contest. Dawson, who is 23 years od and managed by Split-T Management, is coming off a six-round unanimous decision over Jordan Morales on March 29, 2019 in Philadelphia. Though his record is below 500, the 32 year-old Floyd has faced six undefeated opponents.
UNDERCARD
In four-round bouts:
Brandon Mullins (6-0, 2 KOs) of Newark, DE fights Bryant Costello (1-1,1 KO) of Liberty, NY in a super middleweight fight...
Daiyann Butt (5-0, 3 KOs) of Philadelphia will fight Dieumerci Nzau (11-12, 8 KOs) of Silver Spring, MD in a junior welterweight fight...
Nafear Charles (4-0, 4 KOs) of Philadelphia battles David Veras Pena (0-2-1) of Odenton, MD in a junior welterweight contest...
Naheem Parker (1-0) of Camden, NJ will fight Joseph Santana (0-3) of Providence, RI in a lightweight bout, and...
Dylan Price (10-0, 7 KOs) of Sicklerville, NJ takes on an opponent to be named in a super flyweight contest.
Tickets can be purchased by emailing rricereview@yahoo.com.
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Boxing finally returns to Philadelphia on Nov. 7th
On Saturday night, November 7th, RDR Promotions will presenting Philadelphia's first boxing show since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The promotional company will bring back boxing with a six-bout card at the 2300 Arena. In the six-round featured bout, Mark Dawson (6-0-1) of Philadelphia will take on cross-town rival Vincent Floyd (4-9-1) in a welterweight contest. Dawson, who is 23 years od and managed by Split-T Management, is coming off a six-round unanimous decision over Jordan Morales on March 29, 2019 in Philadelphia. Though his record is below 500, the 32 year-old Floyd has faced six undefeated opponents.
UNDERCARD
In four-round bouts:
Brandon Mullins (6-0, 2 KOs) of Newark, DE fights Bryant Costello (1-1,1 KO) of Liberty, NY in a super middleweight fight...
Daiyann Butt (5-0, 3 KOs) of Philadelphia will fight Dieumerci Nzau (11-12, 8 KOs) of Silver Spring, MD in a junior welterweight fight...
Nafear Charles (4-0, 4 KOs) of Philadelphia battles David Veras Pena (0-2-1) of Odenton, MD in a junior welterweight contest...
Naheem Parker (1-0) of Camden, NJ will fight Joseph Santana (0-3) of Providence, RI in a lightweight bout, and...
Dylan Price (10-0, 7 KOs) of Sicklerville, NJ takes on an opponent to be named in a super flyweight contest.
Tickets can be purchased by emailing rricereview@yahoo.com.
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Late results: Matchroom undercard filled with surprises |
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Marc Leach W10 Qais Ashfaq... In Peterborough, England over the weekend, Marc Leach earned a shot at British super bantamweight Champion Brad Foster as he upset former amateur star Qais Ashfaq, dropping him twice on the way to winning a unanimous points decision in their ten-round eliminator. “I’m feeling over the moon,” Leach told Matchroom afterwards. “I’ve said before in previous interviews, the underdog tag means I’ve got nothing to lose and lots to gain. I felt good in there. Our tactics worked to a T. I felt like I had had him in trouble. Nigel and Jamie know that I’ve got power behind me. We moved up a weight as well. I presume he didn’t know I had that power. I believe in myself and it worked. Even at my weight, bantamweight, I’m supposed to be next in line for the British title. Whichever one comes first, I’ll happily take. Hopefully after one or two more fights at this level I won’t have to work anymore. This is the life I have chosen. I work nights, six until two. It’s not ideal but I’ve got kids to feed and a family to look after. Hopefully this turns into more opportunities for me.”
Thomas Patrick Ward D8 Thomas Essomba... Thomas Patrick Ward survived a bad cut in his draw with Thomas Essomba (10-6-1) but lost his status as Britain’s most in-form fighter. The County Durham super bantamweight, trained by Neil Fannon alongside Lewis Ritson in Hartlepool, arrived at the East of England Arena with a perfect 29-0 record and both eyes on a world title shot in 2021. But an accidental clash of heads in round seven of the rollercoaster rumble took the fight to the cards early [round eight] and the three judges could not split the rivals. The judges scored it 88-84 (Ward), 88-85 (Essomba) and 86-86. The 88-84 card for Ward was turned in by Terry O'Connor, who is being investigated by the British Board of Boxing Control for his work on this night, including the main event which saw Lewis Ritson get a highly controversial win over Miguel Vazquez. “To be honest, the fight was close, but I knew I was better than him,” Essomba said afterwards. “We had the accident, and then the judges decided the outcome, I have to respect their decision. I didn’t see the head clash. I don’t know who’s fault it was. I’ve had a really long and good camp since my last fight against Sunny Edwards. If I would have had two or three more weeks’ notice then I could have prepared more for Tommy. I had six days’ notice. I know if we fight again the fight will be totally different. I will give him a rematch, any time and anywhere.”
Rylan Charlton KO3 Joe Laws... Joe Laws was knocked out and lost his unbeaten record in a disastrous fight against Rylan Charlton (6-0-1). The fan favorite, Laws was sent crashing to the canvas three times in a third-round wipe-out. Charlton hurt Laws (9-1) with a body shot in the earliest exchange then floored him with a left hook in the opening round. Laws never recovered – Charlton did major damage with the second knock-down then landed a massive uppercut which ended the fight in brutal fashion.The "Pint Size Powerhouse," Charlton said later, "It’s what I expected. I’ve been training my ass off for this. No disrespect to Joe, I think he’s a great guy, a great boxer, but he’s a ticket seller. He sells loads of tickets to get into the positions that he gets in. He’s a good fighter and he’s a very nice guy. I have been training my ass off. I can’t really sell that many tickets. I’m the fighter. I’m just pleased I got the opportunity to showcase my skills. I felt like it got a little bit scrappy at some point. I was trying to stay as composed as possible. I saw the opening and I stuck it up there. That’s all she wrote. I always knew that this would be the result. I trained too hard for it not to be the result. My power was too much.
Kane Baker W6 Meshech Speare... Birmingham’s Kane Baker (14-7) handed a first loss to Tony Bellew’s Meshech Speare, outpointing the Liverpudlian over six rounds. Speare’s crafty left hand twice snapped back Baker’s head inside the first 45 seconds. Baker wouldn’t take a backwards step but his come forward style played into Speare’s hands at times. Speare landed the best punch of a reckless exchange in the final seconds of the opening round. Baker’s determination to plough forwards resulted in him being caught by lead hooks. Another vicious brawl broke out in the second round and Speare had the best of it. Speare went two rounds up after a breathless start to the fight. Baker began piling on the pressure in rounds three and four, and suddenly the 30 year-old looked the most comfortable boxer in the ring. Up close, Baker banged away at the body and Speare was coming off second best. A former Midlands Area lightweight champion, Baker was by far the busier fighter in the second half of the fight and his relentless pace earned him a 59-56 points win on the referee’s scorecard. “I’m floating,” said Baker afterwards. “It’s amazing. I’ve been here a few times. That winning feeling is something else. When I fought Fiaz two weeks ago my corner was quite confident in how I was doing. Tonight, they were telling me I was losing every round! I did think I’d won, but you just don’t know. When I heard Birmingham first, I knew then and it was amazing. He caught me twice to be fair. He caught me with two good shots. He’ll be back again, he’s a strong kid. I hope it was a good fight for the fans. It was a lot tougher this time than it was two weeks ago. The two weeks off didn’t recharge me as much as I’d have liked. It was tough but I was never going to say no to being here. I bit down on the gumshield and toughed it out.”
Ellie Scotney W6 Bec Connolly... Catford’s acclaimed amateur Ellie Scotney outpointed Bec Connolly (3-8) over six rounds, dropping the tough 36-year-old in the third. Scotney’s fast left hook connected four times inside the first minute. The speed advantage for Scotney was blatant to see during the first round. An overwhelming flurry of hooks forced Connolly to sink to a knee in the third round. With 10 seconds left in the round, Scotney landed more hard shots but the bell saved Connolly. The 22 year-old Scotney tried to force the stoppage but Swindon’s Connolly bravely stood up to her best punches, despite bleeding from a cut above her right eye. Scotney was in complete control throughout her impressive debut but Connolly heard the final bell, with the referee awarding Scotney a 60-53 win on his card. “Bec is a tough person and she came to fight,” Scotney told Matchroom afterwards. “It was brilliant to share a ring with her. She gave it her all. She’s a nice woman. I feel like I’ve got a lot to work on still. I’m 22 and boxing at the weight above, so now I’ll be going down to the weight I should be at and I’m so looking forward to getting out again. I rushed it a little bit. I got a bit carried away when I landed a shot. I’ve got a lot to work on. I’m buzzing to get the first one out of the way. It’s been a long time coming. I’m going to get back in the gym on Monday if Adam lets me. I love boxing.” source for all results: matchroom
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Late results: Matchroom undercard filled with surprises
Marc Leach W10 Qais Ashfaq... In Peterborough, England over the weekend, Marc Leach earned a shot at British super bantamweight Champion Brad Foster as he upset former amateur star Qais Ashfaq, dropping him twice on the way to winning a unanimous points decision in their ten-round eliminator. “I’m feeling over the moon,” Leach told Matchroom afterwards. “I’ve said before in previous interviews, the underdog tag means I’ve got nothing to lose and lots to gain. I felt good in there. Our tactics worked to a T. I felt like I had had him in trouble. Nigel and Jamie know that I’ve got power behind me. We moved up a weight as well. I presume he didn’t know I had that power. I believe in myself and it worked. Even at my weight, bantamweight, I’m supposed to be next in line for the British title. Whichever one comes first, I’ll happily take. Hopefully after one or two more fights at this level I won’t have to work anymore. This is the life I have chosen. I work nights, six until two. It’s not ideal but I’ve got kids to feed and a family to look after. Hopefully this turns into more opportunities for me.”
Thomas Patrick Ward D8 Thomas Essomba... Thomas Patrick Ward survived a bad cut in his draw with Thomas Essomba (10-6-1) but lost his status as Britain’s most in-form fighter. The County Durham super bantamweight, trained by Neil Fannon alongside Lewis Ritson in Hartlepool, arrived at the East of England Arena with a perfect 29-0 record and both eyes on a world title shot in 2021. But an accidental clash of heads in round seven of the rollercoaster rumble took the fight to the cards early [round eight] and the three judges could not split the rivals. The judges scored it 88-84 (Ward), 88-85 (Essomba) and 86-86. The 88-84 card for Ward was turned in by Terry O'Connor, who is being investigated by the British Board of Boxing Control for his work on this night, including the main event which saw Lewis Ritson get a highly controversial win over Miguel Vazquez. “To be honest, the fight was close, but I knew I was better than him,” Essomba said afterwards. “We had the accident, and then the judges decided the outcome, I have to respect their decision. I didn’t see the head clash. I don’t know who’s fault it was. I’ve had a really long and good camp since my last fight against Sunny Edwards. If I would have had two or three more weeks’ notice then I could have prepared more for Tommy. I had six days’ notice. I know if we fight again the fight will be totally different. I will give him a rematch, any time and anywhere.”
Rylan Charlton KO3 Joe Laws... Joe Laws was knocked out and lost his unbeaten record in a disastrous fight against Rylan Charlton (6-0-1). The fan favorite, Laws was sent crashing to the canvas three times in a third-round wipe-out. Charlton hurt Laws (9-1) with a body shot in the earliest exchange then floored him with a left hook in the opening round. Laws never recovered – Charlton did major damage with the second knock-down then landed a massive uppercut which ended the fight in brutal fashion.The "Pint Size Powerhouse," Charlton said later, "It’s what I expected. I’ve been training my ass off for this. No disrespect to Joe, I think he’s a great guy, a great boxer, but he’s a ticket seller. He sells loads of tickets to get into the positions that he gets in. He’s a good fighter and he’s a very nice guy. I have been training my ass off. I can’t really sell that many tickets. I’m the fighter. I’m just pleased I got the opportunity to showcase my skills. I felt like it got a little bit scrappy at some point. I was trying to stay as composed as possible. I saw the opening and I stuck it up there. That’s all she wrote. I always knew that this would be the result. I trained too hard for it not to be the result. My power was too much.
Kane Baker W6 Meshech Speare... Birmingham’s Kane Baker (14-7) handed a first loss to Tony Bellew’s Meshech Speare, outpointing the Liverpudlian over six rounds. Speare’s crafty left hand twice snapped back Baker’s head inside the first 45 seconds. Baker wouldn’t take a backwards step but his come forward style played into Speare’s hands at times. Speare landed the best punch of a reckless exchange in the final seconds of the opening round. Baker’s determination to plough forwards resulted in him being caught by lead hooks. Another vicious brawl broke out in the second round and Speare had the best of it. Speare went two rounds up after a breathless start to the fight. Baker began piling on the pressure in rounds three and four, and suddenly the 30 year-old looked the most comfortable boxer in the ring. Up close, Baker banged away at the body and Speare was coming off second best. A former Midlands Area lightweight champion, Baker was by far the busier fighter in the second half of the fight and his relentless pace earned him a 59-56 points win on the referee’s scorecard. “I’m floating,” said Baker afterwards. “It’s amazing. I’ve been here a few times. That winning feeling is something else. When I fought Fiaz two weeks ago my corner was quite confident in how I was doing. Tonight, they were telling me I was losing every round! I did think I’d won, but you just don’t know. When I heard Birmingham first, I knew then and it was amazing. He caught me twice to be fair. He caught me with two good shots. He’ll be back again, he’s a strong kid. I hope it was a good fight for the fans. It was a lot tougher this time than it was two weeks ago. The two weeks off didn’t recharge me as much as I’d have liked. It was tough but I was never going to say no to being here. I bit down on the gumshield and toughed it out.”
Ellie Scotney W6 Bec Connolly... Catford’s acclaimed amateur Ellie Scotney outpointed Bec Connolly (3-8) over six rounds, dropping the tough 36-year-old in the third. Scotney’s fast left hook connected four times inside the first minute. The speed advantage for Scotney was blatant to see during the first round. An overwhelming flurry of hooks forced Connolly to sink to a knee in the third round. With 10 seconds left in the round, Scotney landed more hard shots but the bell saved Connolly. The 22 year-old Scotney tried to force the stoppage but Swindon’s Connolly bravely stood up to her best punches, despite bleeding from a cut above her right eye. Scotney was in complete control throughout her impressive debut but Connolly heard the final bell, with the referee awarding Scotney a 60-53 win on his card. “Bec is a tough person and she came to fight,” Scotney told Matchroom afterwards. “It was brilliant to share a ring with her. She gave it her all. She’s a nice woman. I feel like I’ve got a lot to work on still. I’m 22 and boxing at the weight above, so now I’ll be going down to the weight I should be at and I’m so looking forward to getting out again. I rushed it a little bit. I got a bit carried away when I landed a shot. I’ve got a lot to work on. I’m buzzing to get the first one out of the way. It’s been a long time coming. I’m going to get back in the gym on Monday if Adam lets me. I love boxing.” source for all results: matchroom
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The Boxingtalk Scoreboard |
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Thulani Mbenge W10 Kuvesa Katembo ... In Soweto, on the second South African boxing card since the pandemic, welterweight Thulani Mbenge returned from more than a year's absence, defeating Kuvesa Katembo (13-3-1) by scores of 100-91, 98-92 and 98-93. Mbenge began the fight cautiously but dominated with his jab. Katembo, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, bravely in tried to counter the local fighter without much success. Mbenge (16-1) has notable victories over Diego Chaves and Miguel Vázquez.
Angel Ayala KO2 Luis Castro ... Mexican flyweight Angel “Camaleon” Ayala (9-0, 5 KOs) got a second-round knockout of Luis “Chapo” Castro (18-5-2, 13 KOs) with a crunching left hook to the liver at The Jardines de Pedregal Room, in Hermosillo, Mexico on Friday night. Ayala used his considerable height and reach advantage to dominate round one, attacking from the outset, first with his jab and then with combinations from long range. The end came in the second round, when Ayala set up Castro with a hard right and then, he landed a perfect left hook to his opponent`s liver. Castro went down hard, grimacing and there was no chance of him getting up within ten seconds. He was counted out at the two minutes twenty six seconds mark. source for both results: wbc
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The Boxingtalk Scoreboard
Thulani Mbenge W10 Kuvesa Katembo ... In Soweto, on the second South African boxing card since the pandemic, welterweight Thulani Mbenge returned from more than a year's absence, defeating Kuvesa Katembo (13-3-1) by scores of 100-91, 98-92 and 98-93. Mbenge began the fight cautiously but dominated with his jab. Katembo, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, bravely in tried to counter the local fighter without much success. Mbenge (16-1) has notable victories over Diego Chaves and Miguel Vázquez.
Angel Ayala KO2 Luis Castro ... Mexican flyweight Angel “Camaleon” Ayala (9-0, 5 KOs) got a second-round knockout of Luis “Chapo” Castro (18-5-2, 13 KOs) with a crunching left hook to the liver at The Jardines de Pedregal Room, in Hermosillo, Mexico on Friday night. Ayala used his considerable height and reach advantage to dominate round one, attacking from the outset, first with his jab and then with combinations from long range. The end came in the second round, when Ayala set up Castro with a hard right and then, he landed a perfect left hook to his opponent`s liver. Castro went down hard, grimacing and there was no chance of him getting up within ten seconds. He was counted out at the two minutes twenty six seconds mark. source for both results: wbc
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Disgraced British judge Terry O'Connor awaits his fate: did he save Tyson Fury from defeat in 2010? |
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UPDATE: Disgraced British judge Terry O'Connor has been summoned to appear before the stewards of the British Boxing Board of Control following his shameful work over the weekend. O'Connor turned in two very bad scorecards, one in British junior welterweight Lewis Ritson's controversial highly controversial split-decision win over Miguel Vazquez and the other in Thomas Patrick Ward's draw vs. Thomas Essomba (two judges scored it a draw, while O'Connor had it six rounds to two for Ward). As for Ritson-Vazquez, Ritson received the win with a verdict of 117-111 and 115-113, overruling a scorecard of 116-113 for Vazquez. The 117-111 card was turned in by O'Connor, and infuriatingly, O'Connor was seen looking at what appeared to be his phone during the fight (see below). Even of the photo is misleading and that is not his phone, the scorecard is horrendous on its own merits. O'Connor's work looks even worse after Compubox released the Punchstat numbers for Ritson-Vazquez. The Mexican visitor outlanded Ritson 193 punches to 141, and threw 1,001 punches compared to Ritson’s 544. In fact, Vazquez out landed Ritson in nine of the twelve rounds, yet McConnell scored it the other way, nine rounds to three for Ritson.
Ritson's promoter Eddie Hearn was rightly offended by the photo, tweeting, "If that’s a phone (and I presume it is) then then BBBofC should immediately remove him." Hearn also told IFL TV's Kugan Cassius, "I had Vazquez winning the fight comfortably... I can't see a way that Vazquez didn't win that fight and 117-111 is an absolute disgrace, it's the only way to say it."
One important historical note... O'Connor was the referee and sole arbiter of an early Tyson Fury fight with a controversial ending that deserves re-examining in light of this scandal. Sky Sports announcers had John McDermott beating a young Tyson Fury in 2010 but O'Donnell gave Fury a lopsided win, by scores of 98-92. The television announcers were shocked: "98-92! By six points, that is extraordinary!... Does he have the names mixed up? I cannot explain that, I'm sorry." To his credit, Fury gave McDermott an immediate rematch and won by stoppage. But it seems that, absent O'Connor's favoritism, Fury would have a loss on his record.
Even Ritson admitted afterwards that he needs to improve. He said: “It just depends what you like doesn’t it. He was tapping me and running away. I was hitting him with the cleaner jabs. It was very frustrating being out the gym a year and then facing that style. It was probably more awkward than I thought it was going to be. The more the fight went on the more frustrated I got. It was a big eye opener. We’ve been mentioning the Prograis fight, tonight was a bit of an eye opener that we’re a million miles off that fight. We need a couple more fights like Vazquez, maybe not his style. That’s what you get when you step up. We had a hard job doing it. I’m improving as a fighter but I’ve got a lot more improving to do.”
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Disgraced British judge Terry O'Connor awaits his fate: did he save Tyson Fury from defeat in 2010?
UPDATE: Disgraced British judge Terry O'Connor has been summoned to appear before the stewards of the British Boxing Board of Control following his shameful work over the weekend. O'Connor turned in two very bad scorecards, one in British junior welterweight Lewis Ritson's controversial highly controversial split-decision win over Miguel Vazquez and the other in Thomas Patrick Ward's draw vs. Thomas Essomba (two judges scored it a draw, while O'Connor had it six rounds to two for Ward). As for Ritson-Vazquez, Ritson received the win with a verdict of 117-111 and 115-113, overruling a scorecard of 116-113 for Vazquez. The 117-111 card was turned in by O'Connor, and infuriatingly, O'Connor was seen looking at what appeared to be his phone during the fight (see below). Even of the photo is misleading and that is not his phone, the scorecard is horrendous on its own merits. O'Connor's work looks even worse after Compubox released the Punchstat numbers for Ritson-Vazquez. The Mexican visitor outlanded Ritson 193 punches to 141, and threw 1,001 punches compared to Ritson’s 544. In fact, Vazquez out landed Ritson in nine of the twelve rounds, yet McConnell scored it the other way, nine rounds to three for Ritson.
Ritson's promoter Eddie Hearn was rightly offended by the photo, tweeting, "If that’s a phone (and I presume it is) then then BBBofC should immediately remove him." Hearn also told IFL TV's Kugan Cassius, "I had Vazquez winning the fight comfortably... I can't see a way that Vazquez didn't win that fight and 117-111 is an absolute disgrace, it's the only way to say it."
One important historical note... O'Connor was the referee and sole arbiter of an early Tyson Fury fight with a controversial ending that deserves re-examining in light of this scandal. Sky Sports announcers had John McDermott beating a young Tyson Fury in 2010 but O'Donnell gave Fury a lopsided win, by scores of 98-92. The television announcers were shocked: "98-92! By six points, that is extraordinary!... Does he have the names mixed up? I cannot explain that, I'm sorry." To his credit, Fury gave McDermott an immediate rematch and won by stoppage. But it seems that, absent O'Connor's favoritism, Fury would have a loss on his record.
Even Ritson admitted afterwards that he needs to improve. He said: “It just depends what you like doesn’t it. He was tapping me and running away. I was hitting him with the cleaner jabs. It was very frustrating being out the gym a year and then facing that style. It was probably more awkward than I thought it was going to be. The more the fight went on the more frustrated I got. It was a big eye opener. We’ve been mentioning the Prograis fight, tonight was a bit of an eye opener that we’re a million miles off that fight. We need a couple more fights like Vazquez, maybe not his style. That’s what you get when you step up. We had a hard job doing it. I’m improving as a fighter but I’ve got a lot more improving to do.”
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McKinson pushes forward in welterweight division |
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Michael McKinson W10 Martin Harkin... In Wakefield, England, Michael McKinson dominated Martin Harkin throughout all ten rounds of their welterweight battle. It was a fast start from McKinson (19-0, 2 KOs), as he dropped Harkin (13-1, 5 KOs) in round one, before following that up with another knockdown in round two. Harkin couldn’t cope with the constant pressure he was being put under, with McKinson securing another big knockdown in round five. Harkin managed to last the distance, with the judges scoring it to give McKinson a dominant win. McKinson said: “I feel great to get the win. I’ve been out nearly a year and I was a bit rusty in there. I could have jumped in more when I made him miss, but he’s a dangerous guy. He was an unbeaten fighter, but that’s what I do for a living, I take the 0’s on their records for fun. Granted he isn’t the likes of Chris Kongo and Josh Kelly. I believe I can compete with those guys and that’s who I want next. “I’ve been in the top 10 for three or four years now, I’m beating these guys with ease, one of those judges scored that 100-88. That’s a landside. Harkin might not be a big name but he’s more dangerous than half of those guys. I believe I’m the best welterweight in the UK, and I deserve to box one of those big names. These fighters can’t ignore me forever. I’m the realest of them all and I really want the big names.” source: mtk press release
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McKinson pushes forward in welterweight division
Michael McKinson W10 Martin Harkin... In Wakefield, England, Michael McKinson dominated Martin Harkin throughout all ten rounds of their welterweight battle. It was a fast start from McKinson (19-0, 2 KOs), as he dropped Harkin (13-1, 5 KOs) in round one, before following that up with another knockdown in round two. Harkin couldn’t cope with the constant pressure he was being put under, with McKinson securing another big knockdown in round five. Harkin managed to last the distance, with the judges scoring it to give McKinson a dominant win. McKinson said: “I feel great to get the win. I’ve been out nearly a year and I was a bit rusty in there. I could have jumped in more when I made him miss, but he’s a dangerous guy. He was an unbeaten fighter, but that’s what I do for a living, I take the 0’s on their records for fun. Granted he isn’t the likes of Chris Kongo and Josh Kelly. I believe I can compete with those guys and that’s who I want next. “I’ve been in the top 10 for three or four years now, I’m beating these guys with ease, one of those judges scored that 100-88. That’s a landside. Harkin might not be a big name but he’s more dangerous than half of those guys. I believe I’m the best welterweight in the UK, and I deserve to box one of those big names. These fighters can’t ignore me forever. I’m the realest of them all and I really want the big names.” source: mtk press release
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The Boxingtalk Scoreboard: Wins for Paul Butler and Jay Harris |
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Jay Harris W10 Marcel Braithwaite... It was a superb flyweight battle between Jay Harris and Marcel Braithwaite, with Harris earning the unanimous decision victory after an entertaining ten rounds. Harris (18-1, 9 KOs) dictated the early proceedings, but things took a dramatic turn in round four when Braithwaite (9-3) rocked the Welshman with a massive left hook. Harris managed to weather the storm, with the back and forth action continuing throughout the remainder of the fight. It went the distance, with the three judges scoring it 98-92, 97-93 and 98-93 to Harris, after a tremendous showing from both men. Harris said: “It’s good to have a fight like that. I don’t think I boxed 100%. I was a bit sluggish and got caught with a lot. I got punished at times, and credit to Marcel. He was as game as they come and gave me a good fight. In round four it was was a good shot he caught me with and I felt it. It buzzed me but I managed to recover and see the round out. It was my first fight back after eight months and it was a whole new experience for me. Credit to Marcel. He did a very good job, but I know that I have to perform better than that if I want to mix it at world level.”
Paul Butler W8 Ryan Walker ... Former IBF bantamweight champion Paul Butler remained in contention for another world title shot as he defeated Ryan Walker on points after eight rounds. Butler (32-2, 15 KOs) was in control throughout the majority of the fight, landing a number of good shots against Walker (11-3, 2 KOs). Walker tried his best to make it competitive, but in the end Butler proved to be too good, with the referee scoring it 79-73 in favour of the Ellesmere Port man to hand him the win. Butler said: “It was nice to be out there against a tough opponent in Ryan. I caught him a few times to the body. We were working a lot on the right hand side as he seemed to tuck up that way, then we tried going round to his left hand side and it worked and opened up a few gaps for me. I’ve had eight good rounds there and we’ll see what happens now. I want the big fights. I might be 31 now but I still feel 24 or 25. I’m setting records in the gym and I’m looking forward to the future.”
Paul McCullagh TKO3 Ben Thomas... Paul McCullagh made a perfect start to life in the professional ranks as he earned a third-round stoppage victory over Ben Thomas. The 20 year-old light heavyweight unleashed a constant onslaught on his opponent that Thomas (2-4-3, 1 KO) struggled to cope with. It led to a knockdown in round three, and while Thomas managed to get back to his feet, McCullagh continued the barrage and earned another knockdown, with Thomas unable to recover, handing Irish star McCullagh the stoppage win. source for all results: mtk
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The Boxingtalk Scoreboard: Wins for Paul Butler and Jay Harris
Jay Harris W10 Marcel Braithwaite... It was a superb flyweight battle between Jay Harris and Marcel Braithwaite, with Harris earning the unanimous decision victory after an entertaining ten rounds. Harris (18-1, 9 KOs) dictated the early proceedings, but things took a dramatic turn in round four when Braithwaite (9-3) rocked the Welshman with a massive left hook. Harris managed to weather the storm, with the back and forth action continuing throughout the remainder of the fight. It went the distance, with the three judges scoring it 98-92, 97-93 and 98-93 to Harris, after a tremendous showing from both men. Harris said: “It’s good to have a fight like that. I don’t think I boxed 100%. I was a bit sluggish and got caught with a lot. I got punished at times, and credit to Marcel. He was as game as they come and gave me a good fight. In round four it was was a good shot he caught me with and I felt it. It buzzed me but I managed to recover and see the round out. It was my first fight back after eight months and it was a whole new experience for me. Credit to Marcel. He did a very good job, but I know that I have to perform better than that if I want to mix it at world level.”
Paul Butler W8 Ryan Walker ... Former IBF bantamweight champion Paul Butler remained in contention for another world title shot as he defeated Ryan Walker on points after eight rounds. Butler (32-2, 15 KOs) was in control throughout the majority of the fight, landing a number of good shots against Walker (11-3, 2 KOs). Walker tried his best to make it competitive, but in the end Butler proved to be too good, with the referee scoring it 79-73 in favour of the Ellesmere Port man to hand him the win. Butler said: “It was nice to be out there against a tough opponent in Ryan. I caught him a few times to the body. We were working a lot on the right hand side as he seemed to tuck up that way, then we tried going round to his left hand side and it worked and opened up a few gaps for me. I’ve had eight good rounds there and we’ll see what happens now. I want the big fights. I might be 31 now but I still feel 24 or 25. I’m setting records in the gym and I’m looking forward to the future.”
Paul McCullagh TKO3 Ben Thomas... Paul McCullagh made a perfect start to life in the professional ranks as he earned a third-round stoppage victory over Ben Thomas. The 20 year-old light heavyweight unleashed a constant onslaught on his opponent that Thomas (2-4-3, 1 KO) struggled to cope with. It led to a knockdown in round three, and while Thomas managed to get back to his feet, McCullagh continued the barrage and earned another knockdown, with Thomas unable to recover, handing Irish star McCullagh the stoppage win. source for all results: mtk
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Clayton's trainer says he is prepared for Lipinets |
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Canadian welterweight Custio Clayton (18-0) is set to clash with Russia's Sergey Lipinets (16-1-0) for the interim IBF title at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday October 24th live on Showtime. Lipinets is a former IBF 140-pound title holder, but Clayton (pictured) is also no stranger to the big stage. Dubbed "War Machine" due to his versatile, take-on-all-comers’ style, the 2012 Olympian from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, is training for his recently announced bout with Lipinets with a fury worthy of his namesake. Coach Eric Belanger, having guided Clayton through the entirety of his pro campaign, has witnessed Clayton's preparation.
“He’s a coach’s dream. Custio is professional, coachable, regimented… and moreover, he genuinely loves the process. To see his transformation from amateur to pro has been phenomenal,” said Belanger.
Pressed to extol the virtues of the undefeated Clayton, Belanger is quick to celebrate the development of his charges’ arsenal. “I believe he has one of the best jabs in the division, especially to the body. It’s devastating, and he’s now coupled it with a great inside game. Custio has the versatility it takes to go through the ranks… he can fight, he can box, he can move. He’s become a complete fighter. Training camp has been brilliant, and we look forward to the challenge.”
Although the bout was officially announced on October 15th – due to prior opponent Kudratillo Abdukakhorov having to drop out due to visa issues – Belanger doesn’t view the nine-day turnaround as a late-notice contest. “Custio has been asking for a fight of this magnitude for some time – and we’ve preparing for a challenge like Lipinets. We’ve been training hard for months… and, thanks to his work ethic and dedication, we’ll be ready on October 24th.”
Press Release Written By Brody Drew
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Clayton's trainer says he is prepared for Lipinets
Canadian welterweight Custio Clayton (18-0) is set to clash with Russia's Sergey Lipinets (16-1-0) for the interim IBF title at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday October 24th live on Showtime. Lipinets is a former IBF 140-pound title holder, but Clayton (pictured) is also no stranger to the big stage. Dubbed "War Machine" due to his versatile, take-on-all-comers’ style, the 2012 Olympian from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, is training for his recently announced bout with Lipinets with a fury worthy of his namesake. Coach Eric Belanger, having guided Clayton through the entirety of his pro campaign, has witnessed Clayton's preparation.
“He’s a coach’s dream. Custio is professional, coachable, regimented… and moreover, he genuinely loves the process. To see his transformation from amateur to pro has been phenomenal,” said Belanger.
Pressed to extol the virtues of the undefeated Clayton, Belanger is quick to celebrate the development of his charges’ arsenal. “I believe he has one of the best jabs in the division, especially to the body. It’s devastating, and he’s now coupled it with a great inside game. Custio has the versatility it takes to go through the ranks… he can fight, he can box, he can move. He’s become a complete fighter. Training camp has been brilliant, and we look forward to the challenge.”
Although the bout was officially announced on October 15th – due to prior opponent Kudratillo Abdukakhorov having to drop out due to visa issues – Belanger doesn’t view the nine-day turnaround as a late-notice contest. “Custio has been asking for a fight of this magnitude for some time – and we’ve preparing for a challenge like Lipinets. We’ve been training hard for months… and, thanks to his work ethic and dedication, we’ll be ready on October 24th.”
Press Release Written By Brody Drew
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Heraldez discusses training for Prograis fight |
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Undefeated junior welterweight Juan Heraldez is deep into training camp and shared insights into his preparations for his ambitious showdown against former WBA champion Regis Prograis on Saturday, October 31st live on a Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view event headlined by Gervonta Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz at the Alamodome in San Antonio. “It’s been a long eight-week camp preparing for Prograis” said Heraldez. “We’re fighting a different style of fighter, which is a good thing because he’s the type of fighter who comes to fight. A style like this makes it easier for me to train and prepare. Prograis has power, but you have to land it and that’s where my defense comes into play. My defense has always been a factor and it’s something we always tweak and find ways for me to be sharper. On paper his credentials are up there, but in the ring all of that goes out the door. When the bell rings, I’m not thinking about him being a former world champion. I fight and get the job done”
Heraldez has adapted to the changes produced by training during the pandemic, and has been able to keep focused throughout camp. He credits the infrastructure at the Mayweather Boxing Club, where he trains in Las Vegas, for helping keep things running smoothly as he prepares to face his toughest opponent to date. “The pandemic has had a slight effect on camp like it has with everything else” said Heraldez. “There are so many protocols and safety measures, so you can’t just rotate sparring partners as easily as you could before. Adjusting to wearing a mask in the gym and getting tested constantly are things you learn to get used to. The Mayweather Boxing Club has done a great job of keeping the gym clean and safe for all of us. A lot of my stablemates are here in Las Vegas preparing for big fights, so it’s a great feeling knowing that we can come to a gym where safety is the top priority.”
Heraldez is returning to the ring after fighting former 130-pound champion Argenis Mendez to a draw in May 2019. Heraldez had put together a run of victories dating back to a 2017 triumph over then-unbeaten Jose Miguel Borrego, and included a knockout win over Eddie Ramirez in February 2019 leading into the Mendez fight. Heraldez has continued to fine-tune his arsenal heading into the Prograis fight.
“My team and I have been working on various things such as my jab, but most importantly where I am in the ring at all times” said Heraldez. “My ring awareness has elevated this camp. My coach and I keep things old school, we don’t have a strength and conditioning coach, we work on the basics and get better at them each camp. Boxing is simple. Stick and move and don’t get hit. The training I get from Coach Otis Pimpleton covers so many things such as cardio, technique, ring IQ, etc., so my job is just to listen to my team and trust them when I’m in camp and in the ring on fight night”
While Heraldez is looking to improve on the draw in his last fight, Prograis will be seeking to bounce back from his first career defeat, a memorable 140-pound unification clash with Josh Taylor. With both fighters hungry for a win on October 31st, Heraldez expects an exciting night for fans. “On fight night, both of our styles are going to make for great action” said Heraldez. “We both bring a lot to the ring. We’re both fighting to be the best, but on October 31, everyone will see what I’m capable of.”
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Heraldez discusses training for Prograis fight
Undefeated junior welterweight Juan Heraldez is deep into training camp and shared insights into his preparations for his ambitious showdown against former WBA champion Regis Prograis on Saturday, October 31st live on a Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view event headlined by Gervonta Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz at the Alamodome in San Antonio. “It’s been a long eight-week camp preparing for Prograis” said Heraldez. “We’re fighting a different style of fighter, which is a good thing because he’s the type of fighter who comes to fight. A style like this makes it easier for me to train and prepare. Prograis has power, but you have to land it and that’s where my defense comes into play. My defense has always been a factor and it’s something we always tweak and find ways for me to be sharper. On paper his credentials are up there, but in the ring all of that goes out the door. When the bell rings, I’m not thinking about him being a former world champion. I fight and get the job done”
Heraldez has adapted to the changes produced by training during the pandemic, and has been able to keep focused throughout camp. He credits the infrastructure at the Mayweather Boxing Club, where he trains in Las Vegas, for helping keep things running smoothly as he prepares to face his toughest opponent to date. “The pandemic has had a slight effect on camp like it has with everything else” said Heraldez. “There are so many protocols and safety measures, so you can’t just rotate sparring partners as easily as you could before. Adjusting to wearing a mask in the gym and getting tested constantly are things you learn to get used to. The Mayweather Boxing Club has done a great job of keeping the gym clean and safe for all of us. A lot of my stablemates are here in Las Vegas preparing for big fights, so it’s a great feeling knowing that we can come to a gym where safety is the top priority.”
Heraldez is returning to the ring after fighting former 130-pound champion Argenis Mendez to a draw in May 2019. Heraldez had put together a run of victories dating back to a 2017 triumph over then-unbeaten Jose Miguel Borrego, and included a knockout win over Eddie Ramirez in February 2019 leading into the Mendez fight. Heraldez has continued to fine-tune his arsenal heading into the Prograis fight.
“My team and I have been working on various things such as my jab, but most importantly where I am in the ring at all times” said Heraldez. “My ring awareness has elevated this camp. My coach and I keep things old school, we don’t have a strength and conditioning coach, we work on the basics and get better at them each camp. Boxing is simple. Stick and move and don’t get hit. The training I get from Coach Otis Pimpleton covers so many things such as cardio, technique, ring IQ, etc., so my job is just to listen to my team and trust them when I’m in camp and in the ring on fight night”
While Heraldez is looking to improve on the draw in his last fight, Prograis will be seeking to bounce back from his first career defeat, a memorable 140-pound unification clash with Josh Taylor. With both fighters hungry for a win on October 31st, Heraldez expects an exciting night for fans. “On fight night, both of our styles are going to make for great action” said Heraldez. “We both bring a lot to the ring. We’re both fighting to be the best, but on October 31, everyone will see what I’m capable of.”
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Results from Germany |
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Ema Kozin W10 Chris Namus... Slovenian middleweight Ema Kozin scored what is arguably her most significant win to date, defeating former IBF world titlist Chris Namus at the CPI Box Club in Donauwoerth, Germany on Saturday, October 17th. Kozin scored a unanimous decision over Uruguay´s Namus, age 33, who at times gave the 21 year-old southpaw plenty to think about. Judges Diana Drews-Milani and Maurizio Rinaudo both scored the fight 97-93, while judge Dominic Kuhaupt had it slightly wider at 98-92, all for Kozin who improved her professional record to 20-0-1. Namus drops to 25-6.
Katelynn Phelan TKO5 Jessica Schadko... In the co-feature, previously undefeated local welterweight Jessica Schadko was upset by classy underdog Katelynn Phelan. The 20 year old from Ireland was a step ahead of Schadko from the start, and was leading on the cards by scores of 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46 when Schadko was retired before the start of round six, giving the visitor a technical knockout victory. Phelan improved her professional ledger to 4-0, and Schadko, still only nineteen and with plenty of time to rebound, sees her record dip to 8-1.
Jan Marsalek KO9 Fatih Duebues Another underdog, Jan Marsalek from the Czech Republic came from behind to wipe out previously unbeaten Fatih Duebues in a light welterweight bout. Marsalek, age 33, knocked Duebues out cold with a clean left hook at 0:33 of round nine, taking his record to 8-2. Duebues, age 26, falls to 4-1. The show, broadcast live world-wide on Youtube, was promoted by CPI Promotions. source for all results: WBF
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Results from Germany
Ema Kozin W10 Chris Namus... Slovenian middleweight Ema Kozin scored what is arguably her most significant win to date, defeating former IBF world titlist Chris Namus at the CPI Box Club in Donauwoerth, Germany on Saturday, October 17th. Kozin scored a unanimous decision over Uruguay´s Namus, age 33, who at times gave the 21 year-old southpaw plenty to think about. Judges Diana Drews-Milani and Maurizio Rinaudo both scored the fight 97-93, while judge Dominic Kuhaupt had it slightly wider at 98-92, all for Kozin who improved her professional record to 20-0-1. Namus drops to 25-6.
Katelynn Phelan TKO5 Jessica Schadko... In the co-feature, previously undefeated local welterweight Jessica Schadko was upset by classy underdog Katelynn Phelan. The 20 year old from Ireland was a step ahead of Schadko from the start, and was leading on the cards by scores of 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46 when Schadko was retired before the start of round six, giving the visitor a technical knockout victory. Phelan improved her professional ledger to 4-0, and Schadko, still only nineteen and with plenty of time to rebound, sees her record dip to 8-1.
Jan Marsalek KO9 Fatih Duebues Another underdog, Jan Marsalek from the Czech Republic came from behind to wipe out previously unbeaten Fatih Duebues in a light welterweight bout. Marsalek, age 33, knocked Duebues out cold with a clean left hook at 0:33 of round nine, taking his record to 8-2. Duebues, age 26, falls to 4-1. The show, broadcast live world-wide on Youtube, was promoted by CPI Promotions. source for all results: WBF
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Elie Konki wins in France |
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Elie Konki W10 Anuar Salas ... French bantamweight Elie Konki defeated Colombia's Anuar Salas by unanimous decision at the Palais des sports Marcel Cerdan in Levallois-Perret, France. The home boxer carried the official scorecards by tallies of 97-93 and 98-92 (twice). Having a technical boxing style and an ability to dominate the ring, Konki used all his tools and left few opportunitiesto Salas, who tried to make a good fight but was overcome by the host. Konki is 28 years old and has already been the French champion. Konki is now 10-1 including the World Series of Boxing. Salas is now 20-8-1, including 0-5-1 in his last six. source: wba
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Elie Konki wins in France
Elie Konki W10 Anuar Salas ... French bantamweight Elie Konki defeated Colombia's Anuar Salas by unanimous decision at the Palais des sports Marcel Cerdan in Levallois-Perret, France. The home boxer carried the official scorecards by tallies of 97-93 and 98-92 (twice). Having a technical boxing style and an ability to dominate the ring, Konki used all his tools and left few opportunitiesto Salas, who tried to make a good fight but was overcome by the host. Konki is 28 years old and has already been the French champion. Konki is now 10-1 including the World Series of Boxing. Salas is now 20-8-1, including 0-5-1 in his last six. source: wba
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Lopez conquers reluctant Lomachenko to become world lightweight champion |
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Teofimo Lopez W12 Vasiliy Lomachenko... Twenty-three year old Teofimo Lopez is the new lightweight champion of the world, soundly defeating boxing legend Vasiliy Lomachenko in Las Vegas to collect all four major titles. Unable to figure out a way to counter Lopez's power and speed, Lomachenko gave away the first half of the fight through a near-total absence of offense. While Lomachenko rallied in the second half, Lopez had a commanding lead going into round twelve and then clearly won the final three minutes. Lomachenko said afterwards, "In the first half of the fight he (Lopez) won more rounds, but in the second half, I took it over and I was much better. I want to go home and review the fight. Right now I don't agree with the scorecards." Very few people will agree with that assessment. The official scorecards accurately judged the action, coming in at 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112. Boxingtalk scored it 117-111 for Lopez, giving Lomachenko only rounds nine, ten and eleven. Compubox credited Lopez with 183 punches landed to 141 for Lomachenko. ESPN commentator Andre Ward incomprehensibly scored it 114-114. The controversial Teofimo Lopez Sr., who never boxed, is now, stunningly, the leading contender for trainer of the year. The elder Lopez now joins Enzo Calzaghe, father of Joe Calzaghe, as men who trained their sons to world championships despite having never laced up the gloves themselves. Lomachenko completely gave away the first half of the fight. He moved around and exhibited defensive proficiency but his offense was nonexistent. Nonexistent means about ten punches thrown per round, with none of the offensive angles that made Lomachenko famous. Lopez ended round six with a hard body shot-uppercut combination. In round seven, Lomachenko finally began to throw more punches, and by the eighth round, he landed some meaningful ones, but it was still hard to give him either round. The tide began to turn in the ninth round, as Lomachenko finally was emboldened to come forward. Lomachenko seemed to finally find a rhthym, and got the first round on Boxingtalk's scorecard. The tenth remained competitive, with Lopez holding his hands too low and Lomachenko taking advantage of the opening with some solid jabs. The ESPN announcers thought the fight was close going into the last round, but Lopez clearly won the last round. Just when it looked like he had Lomachenko in danger of a potential knockdown, the two men clashed heads, and Lopez got a bad cut over his left eye. There were only ten seconds left in the fight, so the cut was not a factor. source: espn
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Lopez conquers reluctant Lomachenko to become world lightweight champion
Teofimo Lopez W12 Vasiliy Lomachenko... Twenty-three year old Teofimo Lopez is the new lightweight champion of the world, soundly defeating boxing legend Vasiliy Lomachenko in Las Vegas to collect all four major titles. Unable to figure out a way to counter Lopez's power and speed, Lomachenko gave away the first half of the fight through a near-total absence of offense. While Lomachenko rallied in the second half, Lopez had a commanding lead going into round twelve and then clearly won the final three minutes. Lomachenko said afterwards, "In the first half of the fight he (Lopez) won more rounds, but in the second half, I took it over and I was much better. I want to go home and review the fight. Right now I don't agree with the scorecards." Very few people will agree with that assessment. The official scorecards accurately judged the action, coming in at 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112. Boxingtalk scored it 117-111 for Lopez, giving Lomachenko only rounds nine, ten and eleven. Compubox credited Lopez with 183 punches landed to 141 for Lomachenko. ESPN commentator Andre Ward incomprehensibly scored it 114-114. The controversial Teofimo Lopez Sr., who never boxed, is now, stunningly, the leading contender for trainer of the year. The elder Lopez now joins Enzo Calzaghe, father of Joe Calzaghe, as men who trained their sons to world championships despite having never laced up the gloves themselves. Lomachenko completely gave away the first half of the fight. He moved around and exhibited defensive proficiency but his offense was nonexistent. Nonexistent means about ten punches thrown per round, with none of the offensive angles that made Lomachenko famous. Lopez ended round six with a hard body shot-uppercut combination. In round seven, Lomachenko finally began to throw more punches, and by the eighth round, he landed some meaningful ones, but it was still hard to give him either round. The tide began to turn in the ninth round, as Lomachenko finally was emboldened to come forward. Lomachenko seemed to finally find a rhthym, and got the first round on Boxingtalk's scorecard. The tenth remained competitive, with Lopez holding his hands too low and Lomachenko taking advantage of the opening with some solid jabs. The ESPN announcers thought the fight was close going into the last round, but Lopez clearly won the last round. Just when it looked like he had Lomachenko in danger of a potential knockdown, the two men clashed heads, and Lopez got a bad cut over his left eye. There were only ten seconds left in the fight, so the cut was not a factor. source: espn
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Results from England: Judging scandal taints Ritson split decision win |
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Lewis Ritson W12 Miguel Vazquez.... British junior welterweight Lewis Ritson [barely] came out on top against former IBF lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez. Ritson, fighting in his home country, got a split decision verdict over the Mexican visitor. Ritson (21-1, 12 KOs) went up against Vazquez (42-10, 16 KOs) on a Matchroom Boxing show live on Sky Sports and DAZN, with the fight going the full twelve rounds. The Newcastle boxer got the nod, with the judges scoring it 117-111, 115-113 for Ritson and 116-113 for Vazquez. The judge who scored it 117-111 for Ritson is Terry O'Connor who was photographed looking at his cell phone during the fight. Ritson's promoter Eddie Hearn was rightly offended by the photo. Hearn tweeted, "If that’s a phone (and I presume it is) then then BBBofC should immediately remove him." Hearn also told IFL TV's Kugan Cassius, "I had Vazquez winning the fight comfortably... I can't see a way that Vazquez didn't win that fight and 117-111 is an absolute disgrace, it's the only way to say it."
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