Jean Pascal in a 2018 title fight...really scraping the bottom of the barrel. However, I suppose the first option, Joe Smith Jr, isn't much better. Jean Pascal can look good for a few rounds but Bivol's constant work is going to take Pascal into waters where his age will show. Can't see a world Pascal wins.
Both Stevenson and Gvozdyk have some notable advantages over each other, I think Stevenson will win but I may pick Gvozdyk to pull the upset. Sometimes guys just age overnight and Stevenson is due for that.
Beterbiev vs. Smith Jr seems like it will be a good scrap while it lasts, it might be a repeat of Beterbiev vs Johnson. Beterbiev doesn't have good head movement, he can be hit. He brawled versus Johnson and he almost paid for it. Smith Jr has a huge punch, but if Beterbiev boxes him to start with I think he'll wear Smith down and beat Smith Jr easy.
Alvarez vs. Kovalev theoretically should be more one sided than the first where Kovalev got off to a good start. However, a big problem with Kovalev is his motivation. If he comes in more motivated with better training, I don't think it is impossible for him to KO Alvarez. I definitely think Alvarez will win though.
Pretty disappointing we can't get a title unification. There were talks at one point about Bivol vs. Jack, that would have been a really good fight for Bivol but now he's stuck with Pascal.
As far as I can tell it is that Canelo/Golden Boy is working with DAZN directly and not with Matchroom, like how Top Rank and Golden Boy were both on HBO but didn't have any direct affiliation with each other. The main influence for this I think was that Golden Boy didn't really have a lot of other options given that Oscar hates Al Haymon. This means we likely won't be seeing Canelo vs. Charlo, but we'll likely get Canelo vs. Andrade/Jacobs assuming they win. I was hoping Canelo would go to Showtime because Canelo vs. Charlo is a better quality fight than Canelo vs. Andrade in my opinion, but Canelo vs. Jacobs would be good if Jacobs wins.
Both of those unification fights would be good. If Rungvisai beat Ancajas and then beat Estrada to defend his mandatory he'd be deserving of a high pound for pound rating. Ramirez has to get through Hart first and he may not do that, but either way Ramirez or Hart vs. Uzcategui would be good.
True, but Hearn does handle all boxing business and signing deals for DAZN. DLH requested to work with DAZN head directly on this deal, but it still benefits Matchroom & Hearn. Canelo brings many more subs which will be good for all other content on DAZN that includes Hearn & Matchroom whether the haters will admit it or not.
Oscar did the deal with John Skipper who is the executive chairman of DAZN, if you think Oscar is going to run his business through Eddie, you'll be sorely mistaken. It is great for DAZN, it legitimizes their service. They paid a hell of a lot for that though, essentially paying Canelo 35 million to fight Rocky Fielding is insane. Only 15k watched Joshua vs. Povetkin in the US on DAZN despite there being a free trial, with Matchroom they didn't really have any big name US fighters. They were hoping to grow it. With Canelo/Golden Boy they'll be bringing over an established fan base plus they will have more cards to fill with Golden Boy's stable. I like parts of DAZN's service, specifically that they put up the VOD of the event in full very quickly and keep them up longterm, but if they are making this big of an investment they need to upgrade the commentary team badly. With SRL and Kenny there is zero hype or feeling that you are watching something significant. The one man broadcast of the WBSS is significantly better quality in my opinion.
For comparison, Joshua did 483k viewers on Showtime versus Parker, which is not good either considering Spence did 683k to fight a completely unknown fighter in Ocampo.
First Dazn has been downloaded over 1 million times before the Canelo deal, 15,000 new people might have singed up for the Joshua card. Hearn has already stated Joshua vs Povetkin did slightly under the numbers Joshua did on Showtime. Second https://youtu.be/-M_FrpOUAdo here's the video, Hearn has been apart of the negotiations with Golden Boy and Canelo he explains it all here to fighthype. Again 15,000 new subs signed up for the free trial for Joshua vs Povetkin, but DAZN did slightly under the numbers Joshua did on Showtime.
Totally agree on the commentary team they are ass, although the team they had for the Riston card was much better. Sergio Mora, Brian Kenny & Ray Leonard are just awful.
DAZN is offered for loads of stuff in other markets, so speaking on it in broad terms doesn't tell us anything about how boxing is doing. Hearn straight up lied when he said that which is pretty funny, that was before the numbers actually came out. It's fine that it did low numbers because they are trying to build it from scratch, but people shouldn't act like Joshua is a name at all in the US. The video doesn't conflict with what I said, Oscar dealt with the DAZN execs directly and he's running Golden Boy through DAZN as a broadcaster. Oscar has the #1 draw in the sport, zero chance he is going to co-promote or work through anyone. Being on DAZN doesn't help Matchroom directly but of course being on the same platform, they'll end up working more in the future which helps them.
The numbers done on DAZN for Joshua vs Povetkin were just under what Joshua did on Showtime for Joshua vs Parker. Hearn is not going to make a statement like that if he knows a real number as low as 15,000 viewers is going to be released to the public. Use some commonsense here. Again, someone took that 15K of new subscribers that signed up for that fight and tried to spin it like that was all the views it did. 1.1+ million people have downloaded the app, I myself don't even use it, I watch from their website so who knows how many people have done the same thing. The LDBC would be all over a number like that making vid after vid slamming such a low number if it was legit. But you are only the second person I've seen try to pass this number off as number of views done. I've seen two LDBC videos of it one said 15K the other 300 to 2400 views. Completely made up by haters that don't want to see Hearn & Matchroom do well in America, slightly under AJ vs Parker views is probably something like 400K maybe more, not 15K. If it was the case don't you think news of such a flop would be a little more widespread than a couple LDBC haters on Youtube?
I did some more looking and you are right, there is no good source that says it is 15k, I'm not sure where I saw that. On the other hand, DAZN didn't release the numbers themselves, Joshua vs. Parker did not do good numbers on Showtime, so whatever Joshua vs. Povetkin must not have been good. If the number was good, you best believe Eddie would be running to the media to share it, but its a project that still needs work. Joshua is not a draw in the US, him and the Matchroom fighters are not a good enough draw in the US to justify most casual fans buying a DAZN subscription, so it is a good thing for Matchroom that Canelo and Golden Boy signed with DAZN.
I also saw that Rigondeaux signed with Al Haymon. Al is good at managing older fighters, but I'm not sure who he plans on matching Rigo against, he doesn't have a Super Bantamweight titleist. Maybe he is attempting to get Doheny to fight Rigo or try to set Rigo up to become a mandatory.
Fres Oquendo’s overdue WBA world heavyweight title shot has been delayed yet again.
According to an ESPN.com report Wednesday night, the inactive, 45-year-old contender turned down a fight for what will be a vacant version of the WBA’s heavyweight title. Oquendo reportedly was offered $500,000 to fight unbeaten Jarrell Miller on November 17 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but he declined that bout because Oquendo doesn’t think there’s enough time to properly implement Voluntary Anti-Doping Association testing for performance-enhancing drugs.
ESPN.com also reported Miller now likely will box Bogdan Dinu at Boardwalk Hall three weeks from Saturday night. Romania’s Dinu has accepted promoter Eddie Hearn’s offer to meet Miller, whose approval was needed as of Wednesday night to finalize the deal.
The 30-year-old Miller (22-0-1, 19 KOs) is less than three weeks removed from knocking out 41-year-old former contender Tomasz Adamek (53-6, 31 KOs) in the second round of their scheduled 12-rounder October 6 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The 32-year-old Dinu (18-0, 14 KOs) is scheduled to battle England’s Tom Little (10-6, 3 KOs) in a 10-rounder Saturday night in Sofia, Bulgaria, but assuming Miller agrees to terms, Dinu won’t proceed with that bout.
Hearn hopes to announce the bout between Miller, who’s ranked No. 2 by the WBA, and the ninth-ranked Dinu at a press conference scheduled for Saturday afternoon in New York to promote the November 17 card in Atlantic City.
Oquendo understandably wants VADA testing for what would be his first fight since losing a 12-round majority decision to Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Chagaev (34-3-1, 21 KOs) in their WBA title fight in July 2014 in Grozny, Russia. The WBA is legally obligated to afford Oquendo another title shot because he successfully sued the WBA to enforce a rematch clause in his contract for his loss to Chagaev, who has since retired.
The WBA’s first two attempts to meet its obligation to Oquendo were scrapped because his proposed opponents, Shannon Briggs and later Manuel Charr, failed PED tests.
Chicago’s Oquendo (37-8, 24 KOs) was supposed to challenge Charr (31-4, 17 KOs) for the WBA world heavyweight title September 29 in Cologne, Germany.
That fight was canceled on short notice because Charr tested positive for two anabolic steroids, drostanolone and trenbolone. The WBA is expected to strip him of a championship Charr won last November 25, when he defeated Russia’s Alexander Ustinov (34-2, 25 KOs) by 12-round unanimous decision in Oberhausen, Germany.
The Charr cancelation marked the second time in 16 months Oquendo’s overdue title shot was postponed due to a PED ordeal. He was supposed to box Brooklyn’s Shannon Briggs for that title in June 2017, but that bout was canceled on short notice once VADA determined Briggs (60-6-1, 53 KOs, 1 NC) had dramatically elevated levels of testosterone in his system.
This whole situation is such a clown show, Miller has to fight someone who is even more of a bum because Oquendo pulls out and Oquendo will still be mandated to get a shot at the "title" at 45 years old, so we will be seeing Miller vs. Oquendo unless Miller drops the title in the future. I would be shocked if Miller fought a single top 10 Heavyweight before he fights Joshua in 1-2 years.
Yeah, I may be going to that card, because we just don’t get fights around here that often, but I agree. He just can’t find a way to fight a legit contender.
With that being said, just because it is a mismatch doesn't mean it won't be fun to see in person. If you are going hopefully it is entertaining and Eddie puts some good fights on the undercard.
That's my hope, too. Nico Hernandez is supposed to be on this card, and he is a local kid who was an Olympian, and holds the IBA Flyweight title, which he won in his 5th fight(for what that is worth, lol), so that alone should be worth it. We were thinking of making the drive to OKC for the Saucedo-Hooker card, but with this one coming up and closer to us, plus a bit cheaper for tickets I'm guessing, it should be a fun little trip. This will be the first major card I've been to since about 95 or so, when I was 9. I was young and don't remember much of the entire card, but we got to see Morrison-Ruddock, and an old Duran, so that was a fun time. We don't get as many fights around here as we should, as KC is a big city with a number of venues.
The PBC Welterweight landscape is such a trainwreck right now, Thurman still does not have a fight scheduled, still has not faced a WBA mandatory in three and a half years of holding the title. Porter is supposed to be facing Thurman as a mandatory because of the WBC's stupid two mandatory rule for vacant title winners, but would Thurman really take that fight as his first coming back? I don't think so. Danny Garcia doesn't want anything to do with Spence. So now instead of Mikey fighting a good mandatory in Commey, he's going up two weight classes to fight Spence because he's the only one willing to do it. Sad state of affairs. I just hope Mikey doesn't get beat up like Brook did or brutally stopped like Khan did when they went up two weights. Mikey is considerably more skilled than Spence in my opinion, but I can't see Mikey even winning rounds without getting in range of Spence and taking damage just because the size difference is so extreme. Since Mikey is going to drop his IBF Lightweight title it makes me think he doesn't really have faith that the Loma fight will happen anytime soon which is unfortunate.
Hearing rumors, that for his next fight, GGG may fight...Callum Smith! I know there are a lot of fans of both guys on here, so not going to take a stance and rile feathers, lol. I'll just say, if it happens, I'll be excited to watch, as I think it would be a good scrap!
Adam Kownacki will continue his pursuit of a heavyweight title shot against Gerald Washington on January 26 in Brooklyn.
BoxingScene.com has confirmed that Kownacki-Washington will be part of a FOX broadcast that night at Barclays Center. Kownacki-Washington was first reported early Tuesday morning by ringpolska.pl.
The Kownacki-Washington bout will be officially announced Tuesday afternoon at a press conference in Los Angeles. During that expansive event, Premier Boxing Champions is expected to unveil at least its main events for FOX and FS1 broadcasts through March as part of the network’s new deal with Al Haymon’s organization.
Kownacki-Washington won’t be the main event January 26.
It’ll open a telecast that could feature the long-awaited return of Keith Thurman (28-0, 22 KOs, 1 NC). The unbeaten WBA welterweight champion is expected to fight Josesito Lopez (36-7, 19 KOs) in what would be the injury-plagued Thurman’s first fight since he defeated Danny Garcia by split decision in their welterweight title unification fight in March 2017 at Barclays Center.
Kownacki (18-0, 14 KOs) will make his third straight appearance and eighth overall at Barclays Center. The Polish-born, Brooklyn-bred Kownacki is 7-0, including four knockouts, at his hometown venue, including an impressive win against Charles Martin (25-2-1, 23 KOs) in his last fight.
The 6-feet-3 Kownacki, 29, defeated the former IBF heavyweight champion by unanimous decision in a 10-round, all-action brawl September 8.
The 6-feet-6 Washington (19-2-1, 12 KOs) won his last fight following back-to-back technical-knockout losses to WBC champ Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) and contender Jarrell Miller (22-0-1, 19 KOs) in 2017.
In that 10-round bout, the 36-year-old Washington beat another 6-feet-6 boxer, John Nofire (20-2, 16 KOs), by unanimous decision June 10 in Lancaster, California. A U.S. Navy veteran and former USC football player who began boxing at the late age of 30, Washington was 18-0-1 (12 KOs) entering his loss to Wilder in February 2017.
Washington out-boxed Wilder early and was even on two of the three official scorecards after four rounds before “The Bronze Bomber” dropped him once in advance of that fifth-round stoppage in Birmingham, Alabama.
Kownacki’s run of four straight stoppages ended against Martin.
In July 2017, Kownacki scored a fourth-round KO of another Polish contender, Artur Szpilka, in Uniondale, New York. That fight also was broadcast by FOX from Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Super bantamweight Diego De La Hoya will not be in action on Saturday night in his native Mexicali.
According to ESPN Deportes, the young Mexican fighter fainted while training for Saturday's fight, which is scheduled to take place at the Plaza de Toros Calafia against Edixon Pérez. More than likely Seniesa Estrada will replace him as the headliner of the card.
Sources are indicated that De La Hoya was training to take off the five pounds he had remaining to make the weight limit of 122-pounds for Friday, but halfway through his training session he fainted - which forced his team to call emergency services and immediately transferred him to the hospital to stabilize him.
Once in the hospital, it was announced that he was not going to be at the final press conference and that the fight was still in play.
However, his coach Joel Díaz, his father Pablo de la Hoya, and his manager Joel de la Hoya, decided that the most important thing was to take care of the health of the fighter and a unified decision was made to cancel their fight.
This is the second time that a Deigo De La Hoya fight got canceled - although not because of dehydration. In December of last year he was going to fight with José Salgado in California, and the lt was canceled because he could not make 122-pounds - making 126 on his last attempt.
On the possibility of being the new headliner, Seniesa Estrada said that she hoped to win the hearts of the Mexican fans and demonstrate, against Débora Rengifo, that she is ready to go in search of a world championship in 2019.
"I am very happy because people in Mexicali have been very nice these last few days around here and I hope that with my spectacular style we can please them and show that we are ready to go for the world championship next year," said Estrada (14 -0, 4 KOs) told ESPN Deportes.
A couple new fight announcement, per ESPN and Fat Dan:
"Former lightweight titlist Raymundo Beltran (35-8-1, 21 KOs), 37, of Phoenix, who lost his belt to in his first defense to Jose Pedraza on Aug. 25, will return Feb. 10 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, where he'll move up to junior welterweight on the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card headlined by junior welterweight titlist Jose Ramirez’s defense against Jose Zepeda, sources with knowledge of the plans, which haven’t been announced yet, told ESPN. Beltran is due to face Hiroki Okada (19-0, 13 KOs), 29, of Japan, who won his first fight since signing with Top Rank on Sept. 14 on the undercard of Ramirez’s last fight, also at the Save Mart Center. The card is also supposed to include featherweight contender Genesis Servania (32-1, 15 KOs) versus Carlos Castro (21-0, 9 KOs) and lightweight contender Bryan Vasquez (37-3, 20 KOs) against Enrique Tinoco (17-5-4, 12 KOs) in 10-rounders."
"When Rob Brant, who upset Ryota Murata to win a secondary middleweight world title by lopsided decision on Oct. 20 in Las Vegas, returns to headline the Feb. 15 Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card, he will do so in his home state at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota, where he has had 11 fights, sources told ESPN about the event, which has not been formally announced. According to the sources, Brant (24-1, 16 KOs), 28, a Saint Paul, Minnesota, native, will make his first defense against Khasan Baysangurov (17-0, 7 KOs), 21, of Ukraine. He is the younger brother of former junior middleweight world titlist Zaurbek Baysangurov (29-1, 21 KOs), who retired in 2014."
Cuban southpaw Erislandy Lara has “a must-win fight” with Argentina’s WBA “regular” 154-pound champion Brian Carlos Castano, a hammer-fisted 29-year-old brawler he could meet in an early spring bout confirmed to be in the works by their respective mangers, Sebastian Contursi and Luis DeCubas Jr.
The 35-year-old Lara (25-3-2, 14 KOs) lost a 154-pound unification against Jarrett Hurd (23-0, 16 KOs) in his last fight April at Barclays Center in New York, being floored in the final round of a split-decision that added Lara’s WBA “super” world championship to the IBF version Hurd already owned.
Lara will try to regain a version of his crown from Castano (15-0, 11 KOs), who is coming off a 12th-round TKO of southpaw Cedric Vitu for his second defense in March.
“I would have to say this is a must-win fight for me, but I’m confident in my abilities and preparation going in to this fight,” said Lara, who lost his status as the junior middleweight division’s longest reigning champion.
“A win against a younger fighter like Castano will let everyone in boxing know that I’m still an elite fighter, one who will regain his world champion status in the near future.”
Prior to Hurd, Lara contended he still should have been unbeaten. Lara’s disputed majority decision loss to left-handed former two-division world champion Paul Williams in July 2011 came under such scrutiny that the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board indefinitely suspended all three judges.
“The American Dream” outworked and out-landed Canelo Alvarez during a split-decision loss in July 2014, and draws with former champion Carlos Molina in March 2011 and title contender Vanes Martirosyan in November 2012 are the only other blemishes on Lara’s record.
Lara unanimously decisioned Martirosyan in May 2016, owns a one-knockdown unanimous decision over left-handed former champion Austin Trout (December 2013) and has another unanimous decision over former titleholder Ishe Smith (December 2014).
Lara’s also stopped former champions Jan Zaveck (November 2015), Yuri Foreman (January 2017) and Alfredo Angulo (June 2013) in the third, fourth and 10th rounds, rising from fourth- and ninth-round knockdowns to defeat Angulo.
“I’ve fought some very talented fighters during my career, and, to be honest, some say I should be undefeated. But a few bad decisions didn’t go my way, and here I am,” said Lara.
“I’ve been in some of the biggest fights in boxing to go along with my extensive amateur career. I’ve been here and done that already, and when it’s all said and done, my resume speaks for itself, so all of the pressure is on [Castano.]”
Castano went 181-5-5 as an amateur, along the way defeating current 147-pound champion Errol Spence, 2012 Olympic silver medalist Esquiva Falcao, and, in the World Series of Boxing, Sergey Derevyanchenko, October's split-decision loser to Daniel Jacobs in a clash for the IBF’s vacant 160-pound world title.
“This won’t be an easy fight. Castano is a very talented fighter who is very big for the division, and yes, he’s dangerous. He’s never tasted defeat, so he doesn’t know what it’s like to lose,” said Lara.
“He’s got some power and he’s fought some of the best fighters while in the amateurs, but he’s never been in the ring with a fighter like me. I feel I have at least three to five more years left in me. I still feel young.”
Two world title fights will head to the Coachella Valley in February as Golden Boy Promotions presents another exciting night of boxing on DAZN. In the main event, Alberto "Explosivo" Machado (21-0, 17 KOs) will defend his WBA Super Featherweight World Title against Andrew "El Chango" Cancio (19-4-2, 14 KOs) in a 12-round clash. In the co-main event, Rey Vargas (32-0, 22 KOs) will put his WBC Super Bantamweight World Championship on the line against Franklin Manzanilla (18-4, 17 KOs) in a 12-round battle. The event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. and will be streamed live on DAZN.
"Golden Boy Promotions has promised to bring exciting fights every month on DAZN," said Oscar De La Hoya, CEO and Chairman of Golden Boy Promotions. "We're keeping our promise by bringing two world title fights featuring a world champion from Puerto Rico in Alberto Machado and one from Mexico in Rey Vargas. The best talent from these two countries, which have a rich history in the sport of boxing, will be on display for fans to watch at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino or from home on DAZN."
Machado, a 28-year-old of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a big man for his division and boasts explosive power in both hands. After unifying two regional titles with a dominant unanimous decision victory against Carlos "The Solution" Morales, Machado defeated Jezreel "El Invisible" Corrales by way of eighth-round knockout to capture WBA Super Featherweight World Title in Oct. 2017. The hard-hitting southpaw has retained his title against the likes of Rafael "Sweet Pea" Mensah and Yuandale "Money Shot" Evans and will look to make a third defense against Cancio.
"I am very hungry to go to Los Angeles and start camp for Andrew Cancio," said Alberto Machado."Cancio is a great warrior with good experience and will come very hungry, but I will prepare myself responsibly as he is a great challenge for my career. A victory over him will take me further to what I want to achieve in this sport. This will be the third defense of my title, and now I am going in with more experience. I look forward to retaining my championship and returning to Puerto Rico as a world champion."
Cancio is a 30-year-old contender who recently re-signed with Golden Boy Promotions after scoring a sensational technical knockout victory against then-undefeated prospect Aida Sharibayev. The native of Blythe, Calif. has victories against the likes of Rocky Juarez, Jerry "The Corpus Christi Kid" Belmontes and Rene "Gemelo" Alvarado, and he's also been in tough fights against Joseph "JoJo" Diaz Jr. and Ronny Rios in a professional career that started over 12 years ago. Needless to say, Cancio has worked hard for his title shot.
"I'm very excited and grateful for this opportunity to fight for a world title," said Andrew Cancio. "Thanks very much to my manager Ray Chaparro and the Golden Boy Promotions Team, along with DAZN. I've watched many of Alberto Machado's fights and know how great of a fighter he is. However, I've already started training and will be well prepared on February 9 to win the world title in front of my fans at Fantasy Springs who have always been so very supportive."
"We are excited to start 2019 with a great fight for Alberto Machado on DAZN," said Miguel Cotto, President of Miguel Cotto Promotions."We are committed together with Golden Boy Promotions to bringing the best fights with the best fighters in the world. We know what Machado he is capable of doing. He will enter the ring as a champion and leave the ring as a champion on February 9."
As mentioned above, Rey Vargas will defend his 122-pound title against Franklin Manzanilla in the 12-round co-main event. Vargas is a 28-year-old world champion who brings a considerable height and reach advantage to every fight, which he has used to defend his titles against the likes of Ronny Rios, Oscar "El Jaguar" Negrete and Azat "Crazy A" Hovhannisyan.
"Franklin Manzanilla is a complete fighter," said Rey Vargas. "He's tough and goes forward, but he also knows how to box. He's a strong fighter, and he showed that by defeating Julio Ceja in four rounds to earn the right to fight for a world title. Manzanilla also hits hard. I've seen this, and his record indicates that as well. However, I also believe he has some deficiencies in his defense, and that's what we're going to try to take advantage of in this fight. Lastly, I invite all the people to watch this fight because it's going to be a war, and God willing I will walk away with my hand raised high."
Manzanilla is a 30-year-old native of Caracas, Venezuela who will fight in the United States for the first time. Manzanilla is coming off a victory against Julio Ceja for the WBC Silver Super Bantamweight Title, earning him a shot at Vargas in February.
"I'm training very hard to be well prepared," said Franklin Manznilla. "However, we still haven't even begun the hard stages of preparation that will have us in excellent condition to give everything in the ring. Rey Vargas is a great fighter who is always well prepared for his fights. He throws a lot of punches, which means we have to be double prepared for this bout. It's going to be a great fight, and I invite everyone to watch it because they will witness a great upset and will get to know Franklin Manzanilla, a fighter who is preparing physically and mentally to become the new world champion."
"Rey Vargas is the best super bantamweight in the world," said Oswaldo Kuchle, President of Promociones del Pueblo. "He will put on a great show on Feb. 9 with his excellent boxing skills. Without a doubt, I think it will be a great and explosive fight that will delight fans in the arena."
The undercard of this event will be filled with contenders and prospects from the exclusive Golden Boy Promotions stable.
Joseph "JoJo" Diaz Jr. (27-1, 14 KOs) of South El Monte, Calif. will return in a 10-round super featherweight battle against Charles Huerta (20-5, 12 KOs) of Paramount, Calif.
Genaro "El Conde" Gamez (8-0, 5 KOs) will battle against Ivan "Striker" Delgado (13-1-2, 6 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight battle between a current Golden Boy prospect and an ex-Golden Boy fighter.
Oscar Duarte (15-0-1, 10 KOs) of Parral, Mexico will participate in a 10-round fight in the lightweight division.
Azat "Crazy A" Hovhannisyan (15-3, 12 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif. will compete in a 10-round super bantamweight fight.
Ferdinand "Lucky Boy" Kerobyan (11-0, 6 KOs) of North Hollywood, Calif. will return in an eight-round super welterweight battle.
Hometown hero Rommel Caballero (4-0, 3 KOs) of Coachella, Calif. will open the night of action in a six-round super featherweight battle.
Not even the allure of more money and a major domestic fight at Wembley Stadium could convince Amir Khan to face Kell Brook next.
Multiple sources have told BoxingScene.com that Khan has decided to instead challenge Terence Crawford for Crawford’s WBO welterweight title.
England’s Khan, 32, has informed promoter Eddie Hearn of his decision. Crawford’s promoters at Top Rank Inc. also have been made aware of Khan’s choice.
Crawford (34-0, 25 KOs) and Khan (33-4, 20 KOs) are expected to fight April 20 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Their 12-round, 147-pound championship match will headline an ESPN Pay-Per-View show.
An official announcement of Crawford-Khan is not expected until later this month.
The target date for Crawford’s next fight had been March 23, but that would’ve meant scheduling another pay-per-view show the Saturday night after Errol Spence Jr. and Mikey Garcia will square off in a FOX Pay-Per-View main event March 16 at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Bob Arum’s Top Rank initially offered the Crawford fight to former WBA welterweight champ Luis Collazo. Brooklyn’s Collazo, 37, accepted Top Rank’s offer, but Crawford was bothered by the public backlash to facing Collazo (38-7, 20 KOs).
Khan has lost by knockout or technical knockout three times, but the British star dropped Collazo three times on his way to a 12-round, unanimous-decision win over Collazo in May 2014 in Las Vegas.
Top Rank had tried to secure Danny Garcia as Crawford’s opponent prior to reaching out to Collazo.
Philadelphia’s Garcia (34-2, 20 KOs) was offered a $3 million guarantee to challenge Crawford. Angel Garcia, Danny’s father/trainer, never responded to Top Rank’s offer, however, which made Arum’s team explore other opponents.
They later offered Khan a $5 million guarantee to face one of the best boxers in the sport.
Hearn wanted Khan to box Brook because that was the third bout they targeted when the former IBF/WBA 140-pound champion came to terms a year ago on a three-fight contract with Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. Hearn even explored the possibility of staging Khan-Brook at Wembley Stadium in London on April 13, the date that has been reserved for several months for heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua’s next fight.
Ultimately, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist’s intense dislike for Sheffield’s Brook (38-2, 26 KOs), coupled with his desire to try to upset Crawford, made him choose Crawford.
Khan could’ve earned eight figures for facing Brook in what would’ve been a lucrative pay-per-view fight in the United Kingdom.
Bolton’s Khan could make up at least some of the difference by keeping much or all of the British pay-per-view revenue from the Crawford fight. He would’ve had to split that money with Brook had they fought.
The Crawford fight will mark the end of Khan’s three-bout deal with Matchroom Boxing.
The 31-year-old Crawford, of Omaha, Nebraska, will make the second defense of his WBO welterweight title against Khan. The three-division champion most recently stopped previously unbeaten Jose Benavidez Jr. (27-1, 18 KOs) by 12th-round technical knockout October 13 at CHI Health Center in Omaha.
I think this was the logical choice for Khan all along. He has less of a shot of beating Crawford than beating Brook and won't make as much money fighting Crawford as he would versus Brook, but most importantly, it is low risk for Khan's ego and it screws over Brook whos most lucrative option left would be being beat up by Hurd. In addition, if Khan wants, the Brook fight will still likely be there for Khan win or lose regardless of what Eddie says.
What do you think of that Lara-Castano fight. I remember us talking about it a few months ago when it was first rumored, and we weren’t sure it wold actually happen. You think it’s the right path for Lara going after the WBA regular to better position himself?
At the time I think that was before it was known Hurd's shoulder injury would take as long as it did to heal which ended up derailing the Hurd vs. Lara immediate rematch. It is a good idea to fight Castano because Lara isn't going to get Hurd, Harrison, or Charlo next. Lara is at the age where he can't really afford to sit on the shelf, and fighting Castano is a decent fight for him given his potential opportunities. I don't really know how good Castano is, he has a good amateur background but hasn't fought anyone as a pro. Hurd, Charlo, and Lara are all with the same promoter so I don't know how much his position can really be bettered. If Uncle Al wants Lara to fight Hurd, Harrison, or Charlo he'll just make the fight, and I'm sure he'll fight one of them in the next year or so.
Great fight in my opinion. My first reaction is a late stoppage for Canelo but that's a risky prediction, I wouldn't be surprised if it went the distance. What do you think of the fight?
Danny can be dropped, but unless it’s a body shot, I don’t think Canelo has more power than GGG, I’d argue he has less, but either way, I don’t see Jacobs being knocked out with a head shot. I think Canelo should win, but Danny uses his height and reach very well, and should be able to implement a game plan to stay out of the trenches with Canelo. He should attempt, to the best of his abilities, to fight this fight the way Lara fought Canelo. Movement, pacing, distance, etc. Wonder what that means for GGG? And also, I wonder if Andrade is going to try to hold that belt hostage, as it seems like he should have been in the discussion for that fight, but there were never serious talks of it as far as I know.
Canelo won't fight as Golovkin did versus Jacobs, Jacobs was dropped by Mora because he was too reckless and had a defensive lapse and he was hittable by a smaller fighter in Derevyanchenko for the same reason. I agree that Jacobs should use that strategy but I don't think it will work, Canelo is better than he was when he fought Lara and even versus a very polished defensive fighter in Lara, Canelo's bodywork began to wear Lara down. If Golovkin signs with DAZN to get the trilogy in September, I wonder if he will fight Andrade who I think will finally face a top opponent given his age and the financial incentives it brings.
Colombian Olympian Juan Carlos Carrillo to an exclusive promotional contract. The 26-year-old Carrillo advanced to the second round at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. He was among Colombia's most decorated amateurs, with over 400 bouts experience, and winning gold at the 2012 Colombian National Games, 2012 Pacific Cup Tournament, 2011 Colombian National Championships, 2010 Colombian Youth National Championships
DiBella Entertainment has announced the signing of 2016 , and silver at the 2014 Central American & Caribbean Games. Carrillo comes from a boxing family and, at age nine, followed his father and older brother into the sport. His brother, Leonard Carrillo, is an active junior middleweight.
Now living in Queens, NY, Carrillo is trained by Martin Gonzalez and Juan Carlos Gonzalez out of Brooklyn's Gleason's Gym and will compete in the light heavyweight division as a professional.
"The light heavyweight division just got a little more crowded," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "Colombia's Juan Carlos Carrillo was a spectacular amateur with a record of 388-23 and will have the tools and maturity to progress through the pro ranks at a quick pace. I am happy to work with his manager Felipe Gomez and look forward to providing Carrillo with the opportunities necessary for him to achieve his dream of becoming a world champion."
"I've always dreamed fighting in the United States and I thank God for making my dream come true," said Carrillo. "I want to thank Lou DiBella for signing me and giving me this opportunity and my manager Felipe Gomez for helping to make this happen. I am very grateful and happy with the direction that my career will be heading now that I am with one of the best promoters in boxing and have a good manager by my side."
"I am extremely happy to be part of Carrillo's team," said Carrillo's manager Felipe Gomez. "He is a fighter that had a huge amateur background and will be bringing that experience into the pro ranks. I have big plans for him and I will work relentlessly with Lou DiBella to help Carrillo become a World Champion."
Details on Carrillo's professional debut will be announced shortly.
Navarrete vs Dogboe II to be announced soon for the Spring
Also hearing Mares has pulled out of the fight with Tank, and that, Jaime Munguia’s next fight will be s voluntary defense, followed by his mandatory later in the year against Hogan.
“Vasyl Lomachenko's promoters Top Rank say they expect to be given a WBA exception which would allow Loma to unify with the Richard Commey vs Isa Chaniev winner next, rather than face mandatory Anthony Crolla.”
“BREAKING: Junior welterweight world titlist Ivan Baranchyk has pulled out of the World Boxing Super Series due to frustrations over financial issues, a semifinal round that was supposed to take place between January and March and has still not been scheduled and lack of communication from tournament organizers, manger David McWater told ESPN. More to come.”
I heard there was some issues with the WBSS, is this going to cause any other problems with the other weights, or the tournament in general? I'd hate to see such a good idea go to waste.
He's going to get matched up with one of the guys signed to Top Rank and I can't see him beating any of them or really pushing any of them. Bad move unless he really couldn't make the weight, the belt was his big check.
Jean Pascal in a 2018 title fight...really scraping the bottom of the barrel. However, I suppose the first option, Joe Smith Jr, isn't much better. Jean Pascal can look good for a few rounds but Bivol's constant work is going to take Pascal into waters where his age will show. Can't see a world Pascal wins.
Both Stevenson and Gvozdyk have some notable advantages over each other, I think Stevenson will win but I may pick Gvozdyk to pull the upset. Sometimes guys just age overnight and Stevenson is due for that.
Beterbiev vs. Smith Jr seems like it will be a good scrap while it lasts, it might be a repeat of Beterbiev vs Johnson. Beterbiev doesn't have good head movement, he can be hit. He brawled versus Johnson and he almost paid for it. Smith Jr has a huge punch, but if Beterbiev boxes him to start with I think he'll wear Smith down and beat Smith Jr easy.
Alvarez vs. Kovalev theoretically should be more one sided than the first where Kovalev got off to a good start. However, a big problem with Kovalev is his motivation. If he comes in more motivated with better training, I don't think it is impossible for him to KO Alvarez. I definitely think Alvarez will win though.
Pretty disappointing we can't get a title unification. There were talks at one point about Bivol vs. Jack, that would have been a really good fight for Bivol but now he's stuck with Pascal.
2 big pieces of news that I just came across. Canelo likely signing to DAZN and Eddie Hearn for a multi-fight deal.
Also, Ancajas vs Sor Rungvisai and Uzcategui vs Gilberto Ramirez being targeted for 2019.
As far as I can tell it is that Canelo/Golden Boy is working with DAZN directly and not with Matchroom, like how Top Rank and Golden Boy were both on HBO but didn't have any direct affiliation with each other. The main influence for this I think was that Golden Boy didn't really have a lot of other options given that Oscar hates Al Haymon. This means we likely won't be seeing Canelo vs. Charlo, but we'll likely get Canelo vs. Andrade/Jacobs assuming they win. I was hoping Canelo would go to Showtime because Canelo vs. Charlo is a better quality fight than Canelo vs. Andrade in my opinion, but Canelo vs. Jacobs would be good if Jacobs wins.
Both of those unification fights would be good. If Rungvisai beat Ancajas and then beat Estrada to defend his mandatory he'd be deserving of a high pound for pound rating. Ramirez has to get through Hart first and he may not do that, but either way Ramirez or Hart vs. Uzcategui would be good.
True, but Hearn does handle all boxing business and signing deals for DAZN. DLH requested to work with DAZN head directly on this deal, but it still benefits Matchroom & Hearn. Canelo brings many more subs which will be good for all other content on DAZN that includes Hearn & Matchroom whether the haters will admit it or not.
Oscar did the deal with John Skipper who is the executive chairman of DAZN, if you think Oscar is going to run his business through Eddie, you'll be sorely mistaken. It is great for DAZN, it legitimizes their service. They paid a hell of a lot for that though, essentially paying Canelo 35 million to fight Rocky Fielding is insane. Only 15k watched Joshua vs. Povetkin in the US on DAZN despite there being a free trial, with Matchroom they didn't really have any big name US fighters. They were hoping to grow it. With Canelo/Golden Boy they'll be bringing over an established fan base plus they will have more cards to fill with Golden Boy's stable. I like parts of DAZN's service, specifically that they put up the VOD of the event in full very quickly and keep them up longterm, but if they are making this big of an investment they need to upgrade the commentary team badly. With SRL and Kenny there is zero hype or feeling that you are watching something significant. The one man broadcast of the WBSS is significantly better quality in my opinion.
For comparison, Joshua did 483k viewers on Showtime versus Parker, which is not good either considering Spence did 683k to fight a completely unknown fighter in Ocampo.
First Dazn has been downloaded over 1 million times before the Canelo deal, 15,000 new people might have singed up for the Joshua card. Hearn has already stated Joshua vs Povetkin did slightly under the numbers Joshua did on Showtime. Second https://youtu.be/-M_FrpOUAdo here's the video, Hearn has been apart of the negotiations with Golden Boy and Canelo he explains it all here to fighthype. Again 15,000 new subs signed up for the free trial for Joshua vs Povetkin, but DAZN did slightly under the numbers Joshua did on Showtime.
Totally agree on the commentary team they are ass, although the team they had for the Riston card was much better. Sergio Mora, Brian Kenny & Ray Leonard are just awful.
DAZN is offered for loads of stuff in other markets, so speaking on it in broad terms doesn't tell us anything about how boxing is doing. Hearn straight up lied when he said that which is pretty funny, that was before the numbers actually came out. It's fine that it did low numbers because they are trying to build it from scratch, but people shouldn't act like Joshua is a name at all in the US. The video doesn't conflict with what I said, Oscar dealt with the DAZN execs directly and he's running Golden Boy through DAZN as a broadcaster. Oscar has the #1 draw in the sport, zero chance he is going to co-promote or work through anyone. Being on DAZN doesn't help Matchroom directly but of course being on the same platform, they'll end up working more in the future which helps them.
The numbers done on DAZN for Joshua vs Povetkin were just under what Joshua did on Showtime for Joshua vs Parker. Hearn is not going to make a statement like that if he knows a real number as low as 15,000 viewers is going to be released to the public. Use some commonsense here. Again, someone took that 15K of new subscribers that signed up for that fight and tried to spin it like that was all the views it did. 1.1+ million people have downloaded the app, I myself don't even use it, I watch from their website so who knows how many people have done the same thing. The LDBC would be all over a number like that making vid after vid slamming such a low number if it was legit. But you are only the second person I've seen try to pass this number off as number of views done. I've seen two LDBC videos of it one said 15K the other 300 to 2400 views. Completely made up by haters that don't want to see Hearn & Matchroom do well in America, slightly under AJ vs Parker views is probably something like 400K maybe more, not 15K. If it was the case don't you think news of such a flop would be a little more widespread than a couple LDBC haters on Youtube?
I did some more looking and you are right, there is no good source that says it is 15k, I'm not sure where I saw that. On the other hand, DAZN didn't release the numbers themselves, Joshua vs. Parker did not do good numbers on Showtime, so whatever Joshua vs. Povetkin must not have been good. If the number was good, you best believe Eddie would be running to the media to share it, but its a project that still needs work. Joshua is not a draw in the US, him and the Matchroom fighters are not a good enough draw in the US to justify most casual fans buying a DAZN subscription, so it is a good thing for Matchroom that Canelo and Golden Boy signed with DAZN.
I also saw that Rigondeaux signed with Al Haymon. Al is good at managing older fighters, but I'm not sure who he plans on matching Rigo against, he doesn't have a Super Bantamweight titleist. Maybe he is attempting to get Doheny to fight Rigo or try to set Rigo up to become a mandatory.
Looks like Pac Man vs Broner in January. I still think Manny has enough in the tank to win this fight.
https://www.boxingscene.com/oquendo-turns-down-miller-wba-title-shot-ove...
Fres Oquendo’s overdue WBA world heavyweight title shot has been delayed yet again.
According to an ESPN.com report Wednesday night, the inactive, 45-year-old contender turned down a fight for what will be a vacant version of the WBA’s heavyweight title. Oquendo reportedly was offered $500,000 to fight unbeaten Jarrell Miller on November 17 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but he declined that bout because Oquendo doesn’t think there’s enough time to properly implement Voluntary Anti-Doping Association testing for performance-enhancing drugs.
ESPN.com also reported Miller now likely will box Bogdan Dinu at Boardwalk Hall three weeks from Saturday night. Romania’s Dinu has accepted promoter Eddie Hearn’s offer to meet Miller, whose approval was needed as of Wednesday night to finalize the deal.
The 30-year-old Miller (22-0-1, 19 KOs) is less than three weeks removed from knocking out 41-year-old former contender Tomasz Adamek (53-6, 31 KOs) in the second round of their scheduled 12-rounder October 6 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The 32-year-old Dinu (18-0, 14 KOs) is scheduled to battle England’s Tom Little (10-6, 3 KOs) in a 10-rounder Saturday night in Sofia, Bulgaria, but assuming Miller agrees to terms, Dinu won’t proceed with that bout.
Hearn hopes to announce the bout between Miller, who’s ranked No. 2 by the WBA, and the ninth-ranked Dinu at a press conference scheduled for Saturday afternoon in New York to promote the November 17 card in Atlantic City.
Oquendo understandably wants VADA testing for what would be his first fight since losing a 12-round majority decision to Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Chagaev (34-3-1, 21 KOs) in their WBA title fight in July 2014 in Grozny, Russia. The WBA is legally obligated to afford Oquendo another title shot because he successfully sued the WBA to enforce a rematch clause in his contract for his loss to Chagaev, who has since retired.
The WBA’s first two attempts to meet its obligation to Oquendo were scrapped because his proposed opponents, Shannon Briggs and later Manuel Charr, failed PED tests.
Chicago’s Oquendo (37-8, 24 KOs) was supposed to challenge Charr (31-4, 17 KOs) for the WBA world heavyweight title September 29 in Cologne, Germany.
That fight was canceled on short notice because Charr tested positive for two anabolic steroids, drostanolone and trenbolone. The WBA is expected to strip him of a championship Charr won last November 25, when he defeated Russia’s Alexander Ustinov (34-2, 25 KOs) by 12-round unanimous decision in Oberhausen, Germany.
The Charr cancelation marked the second time in 16 months Oquendo’s overdue title shot was postponed due to a PED ordeal. He was supposed to box Brooklyn’s Shannon Briggs for that title in June 2017, but that bout was canceled on short notice once VADA determined Briggs (60-6-1, 53 KOs, 1 NC) had dramatically elevated levels of testosterone in his system.
This whole situation is such a clown show, Miller has to fight someone who is even more of a bum because Oquendo pulls out and Oquendo will still be mandated to get a shot at the "title" at 45 years old, so we will be seeing Miller vs. Oquendo unless Miller drops the title in the future. I would be shocked if Miller fought a single top 10 Heavyweight before he fights Joshua in 1-2 years.
Yeah, I may be going to that card, because we just don’t get fights around here that often, but I agree. He just can’t find a way to fight a legit contender.
With that being said, just because it is a mismatch doesn't mean it won't be fun to see in person. If you are going hopefully it is entertaining and Eddie puts some good fights on the undercard.
That's my hope, too. Nico Hernandez is supposed to be on this card, and he is a local kid who was an Olympian, and holds the IBA Flyweight title, which he won in his 5th fight(for what that is worth, lol), so that alone should be worth it. We were thinking of making the drive to OKC for the Saucedo-Hooker card, but with this one coming up and closer to us, plus a bit cheaper for tickets I'm guessing, it should be a fun little trip. This will be the first major card I've been to since about 95 or so, when I was 9. I was young and don't remember much of the entire card, but we got to see Morrison-Ruddock, and an old Duran, so that was a fun time. We don't get as many fights around here as we should, as KC is a big city with a number of venues.
2 quick things I heard today.
Spence Jr, Mikey Garcia deal close, and would be for Feb 19.
Gary O'Sullivan likely returning 1-2 times this year, but moving down to Junior Middleweight.
The PBC Welterweight landscape is such a trainwreck right now, Thurman still does not have a fight scheduled, still has not faced a WBA mandatory in three and a half years of holding the title. Porter is supposed to be facing Thurman as a mandatory because of the WBC's stupid two mandatory rule for vacant title winners, but would Thurman really take that fight as his first coming back? I don't think so. Danny Garcia doesn't want anything to do with Spence. So now instead of Mikey fighting a good mandatory in Commey, he's going up two weight classes to fight Spence because he's the only one willing to do it. Sad state of affairs. I just hope Mikey doesn't get beat up like Brook did or brutally stopped like Khan did when they went up two weights. Mikey is considerably more skilled than Spence in my opinion, but I can't see Mikey even winning rounds without getting in range of Spence and taking damage just because the size difference is so extreme. Since Mikey is going to drop his IBF Lightweight title it makes me think he doesn't really have faith that the Loma fight will happen anytime soon which is unfortunate.
Hearing rumors, that for his next fight, GGG may fight...Callum Smith! I know there are a lot of fans of both guys on here, so not going to take a stance and rile feathers, lol. I'll just say, if it happens, I'll be excited to watch, as I think it would be a good scrap!
https://www.boxingscene.com/kownacki-washington-set-126-fox-show-from-ba...
Adam Kownacki will continue his pursuit of a heavyweight title shot against Gerald Washington on January 26 in Brooklyn.
BoxingScene.com has confirmed that Kownacki-Washington will be part of a FOX broadcast that night at Barclays Center. Kownacki-Washington was first reported early Tuesday morning by ringpolska.pl.
The Kownacki-Washington bout will be officially announced Tuesday afternoon at a press conference in Los Angeles. During that expansive event, Premier Boxing Champions is expected to unveil at least its main events for FOX and FS1 broadcasts through March as part of the network’s new deal with Al Haymon’s organization.
Kownacki-Washington won’t be the main event January 26.
It’ll open a telecast that could feature the long-awaited return of Keith Thurman (28-0, 22 KOs, 1 NC). The unbeaten WBA welterweight champion is expected to fight Josesito Lopez (36-7, 19 KOs) in what would be the injury-plagued Thurman’s first fight since he defeated Danny Garcia by split decision in their welterweight title unification fight in March 2017 at Barclays Center.
Kownacki (18-0, 14 KOs) will make his third straight appearance and eighth overall at Barclays Center. The Polish-born, Brooklyn-bred Kownacki is 7-0, including four knockouts, at his hometown venue, including an impressive win against Charles Martin (25-2-1, 23 KOs) in his last fight.
The 6-feet-3 Kownacki, 29, defeated the former IBF heavyweight champion by unanimous decision in a 10-round, all-action brawl September 8.
The 6-feet-6 Washington (19-2-1, 12 KOs) won his last fight following back-to-back technical-knockout losses to WBC champ Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) and contender Jarrell Miller (22-0-1, 19 KOs) in 2017.
In that 10-round bout, the 36-year-old Washington beat another 6-feet-6 boxer, John Nofire (20-2, 16 KOs), by unanimous decision June 10 in Lancaster, California. A U.S. Navy veteran and former USC football player who began boxing at the late age of 30, Washington was 18-0-1 (12 KOs) entering his loss to Wilder in February 2017.
Washington out-boxed Wilder early and was even on two of the three official scorecards after four rounds before “The Bronze Bomber” dropped him once in advance of that fifth-round stoppage in Birmingham, Alabama.
Kownacki’s run of four straight stoppages ended against Martin.
In July 2017, Kownacki scored a fourth-round KO of another Polish contender, Artur Szpilka, in Uniondale, New York. That fight also was broadcast by FOX from Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
https://www.boxingscene.com/diego-de-la-hoya-faints-training-make-weight...
Super bantamweight Diego De La Hoya will not be in action on Saturday night in his native Mexicali.
According to ESPN Deportes, the young Mexican fighter fainted while training for Saturday's fight, which is scheduled to take place at the Plaza de Toros Calafia against Edixon Pérez. More than likely Seniesa Estrada will replace him as the headliner of the card.
Sources are indicated that De La Hoya was training to take off the five pounds he had remaining to make the weight limit of 122-pounds for Friday, but halfway through his training session he fainted - which forced his team to call emergency services and immediately transferred him to the hospital to stabilize him.
Once in the hospital, it was announced that he was not going to be at the final press conference and that the fight was still in play.
However, his coach Joel Díaz, his father Pablo de la Hoya, and his manager Joel de la Hoya, decided that the most important thing was to take care of the health of the fighter and a unified decision was made to cancel their fight.
This is the second time that a Deigo De La Hoya fight got canceled - although not because of dehydration. In December of last year he was going to fight with José Salgado in California, and the lt was canceled because he could not make 122-pounds - making 126 on his last attempt.
On the possibility of being the new headliner, Seniesa Estrada said that she hoped to win the hearts of the Mexican fans and demonstrate, against Débora Rengifo, that she is ready to go in search of a world championship in 2019.
"I am very happy because people in Mexicali have been very nice these last few days around here and I hope that with my spectacular style we can please them and show that we are ready to go for the world championship next year," said Estrada (14 -0, 4 KOs) told ESPN Deportes.
A couple new fight announcement, per ESPN and Fat Dan:
"Former lightweight titlist Raymundo Beltran (35-8-1, 21 KOs), 37, of Phoenix, who lost his belt to in his first defense to Jose Pedraza on Aug. 25, will return Feb. 10 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, where he'll move up to junior welterweight on the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card headlined by junior welterweight titlist Jose Ramirez’s defense against Jose Zepeda, sources with knowledge of the plans, which haven’t been announced yet, told ESPN. Beltran is due to face Hiroki Okada (19-0, 13 KOs), 29, of Japan, who won his first fight since signing with Top Rank on Sept. 14 on the undercard of Ramirez’s last fight, also at the Save Mart Center. The card is also supposed to include featherweight contender Genesis Servania (32-1, 15 KOs) versus Carlos Castro (21-0, 9 KOs) and lightweight contender Bryan Vasquez (37-3, 20 KOs) against Enrique Tinoco (17-5-4, 12 KOs) in 10-rounders."
"When Rob Brant, who upset Ryota Murata to win a secondary middleweight world title by lopsided decision on Oct. 20 in Las Vegas, returns to headline the Feb. 15 Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card, he will do so in his home state at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota, where he has had 11 fights, sources told ESPN about the event, which has not been formally announced. According to the sources, Brant (24-1, 16 KOs), 28, a Saint Paul, Minnesota, native, will make his first defense against Khasan Baysangurov (17-0, 7 KOs), 21, of Ukraine. He is the younger brother of former junior middleweight world titlist Zaurbek Baysangurov (29-1, 21 KOs), who retired in 2014."
Added those fights
https://www.boxingscene.com/erislandy-lara-brian-castano-win-fight-me--1...
Cuban southpaw Erislandy Lara has “a must-win fight” with Argentina’s WBA “regular” 154-pound champion Brian Carlos Castano, a hammer-fisted 29-year-old brawler he could meet in an early spring bout confirmed to be in the works by their respective mangers, Sebastian Contursi and Luis DeCubas Jr.
The 35-year-old Lara (25-3-2, 14 KOs) lost a 154-pound unification against Jarrett Hurd (23-0, 16 KOs) in his last fight April at Barclays Center in New York, being floored in the final round of a split-decision that added Lara’s WBA “super” world championship to the IBF version Hurd already owned.
Lara will try to regain a version of his crown from Castano (15-0, 11 KOs), who is coming off a 12th-round TKO of southpaw Cedric Vitu for his second defense in March.
“I would have to say this is a must-win fight for me, but I’m confident in my abilities and preparation going in to this fight,” said Lara, who lost his status as the junior middleweight division’s longest reigning champion.
“A win against a younger fighter like Castano will let everyone in boxing know that I’m still an elite fighter, one who will regain his world champion status in the near future.”
Prior to Hurd, Lara contended he still should have been unbeaten. Lara’s disputed majority decision loss to left-handed former two-division world champion Paul Williams in July 2011 came under such scrutiny that the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board indefinitely suspended all three judges.
“The American Dream” outworked and out-landed Canelo Alvarez during a split-decision loss in July 2014, and draws with former champion Carlos Molina in March 2011 and title contender Vanes Martirosyan in November 2012 are the only other blemishes on Lara’s record.
Lara unanimously decisioned Martirosyan in May 2016, owns a one-knockdown unanimous decision over left-handed former champion Austin Trout (December 2013) and has another unanimous decision over former titleholder Ishe Smith (December 2014).
Lara’s also stopped former champions Jan Zaveck (November 2015), Yuri Foreman (January 2017) and Alfredo Angulo (June 2013) in the third, fourth and 10th rounds, rising from fourth- and ninth-round knockdowns to defeat Angulo.
“I’ve fought some very talented fighters during my career, and, to be honest, some say I should be undefeated. But a few bad decisions didn’t go my way, and here I am,” said Lara.
“I’ve been in some of the biggest fights in boxing to go along with my extensive amateur career. I’ve been here and done that already, and when it’s all said and done, my resume speaks for itself, so all of the pressure is on [Castano.]”
Castano went 181-5-5 as an amateur, along the way defeating current 147-pound champion Errol Spence, 2012 Olympic silver medalist Esquiva Falcao, and, in the World Series of Boxing, Sergey Derevyanchenko, October's split-decision loser to Daniel Jacobs in a clash for the IBF’s vacant 160-pound world title.
“This won’t be an easy fight. Castano is a very talented fighter who is very big for the division, and yes, he’s dangerous. He’s never tasted defeat, so he doesn’t know what it’s like to lose,” said Lara.
“He’s got some power and he’s fought some of the best fighters while in the amateurs, but he’s never been in the ring with a fighter like me. I feel I have at least three to five more years left in me. I still feel young.”
https://www.boxingscene.com/machado-vs-cancio-vargas-vs-manzanilla-set-f...
Two world title fights will head to the Coachella Valley in February as Golden Boy Promotions presents another exciting night of boxing on DAZN. In the main event, Alberto "Explosivo" Machado (21-0, 17 KOs) will defend his WBA Super Featherweight World Title against Andrew "El Chango" Cancio (19-4-2, 14 KOs) in a 12-round clash. In the co-main event, Rey Vargas (32-0, 22 KOs) will put his WBC Super Bantamweight World Championship on the line against Franklin Manzanilla (18-4, 17 KOs) in a 12-round battle. The event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. and will be streamed live on DAZN.
"Golden Boy Promotions has promised to bring exciting fights every month on DAZN," said Oscar De La Hoya, CEO and Chairman of Golden Boy Promotions. "We're keeping our promise by bringing two world title fights featuring a world champion from Puerto Rico in Alberto Machado and one from Mexico in Rey Vargas. The best talent from these two countries, which have a rich history in the sport of boxing, will be on display for fans to watch at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino or from home on DAZN."
Machado, a 28-year-old of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a big man for his division and boasts explosive power in both hands. After unifying two regional titles with a dominant unanimous decision victory against Carlos "The Solution" Morales, Machado defeated Jezreel "El Invisible" Corrales by way of eighth-round knockout to capture WBA Super Featherweight World Title in Oct. 2017. The hard-hitting southpaw has retained his title against the likes of Rafael "Sweet Pea" Mensah and Yuandale "Money Shot" Evans and will look to make a third defense against Cancio.
"I am very hungry to go to Los Angeles and start camp for Andrew Cancio," said Alberto Machado."Cancio is a great warrior with good experience and will come very hungry, but I will prepare myself responsibly as he is a great challenge for my career. A victory over him will take me further to what I want to achieve in this sport. This will be the third defense of my title, and now I am going in with more experience. I look forward to retaining my championship and returning to Puerto Rico as a world champion."
Cancio is a 30-year-old contender who recently re-signed with Golden Boy Promotions after scoring a sensational technical knockout victory against then-undefeated prospect Aida Sharibayev. The native of Blythe, Calif. has victories against the likes of Rocky Juarez, Jerry "The Corpus Christi Kid" Belmontes and Rene "Gemelo" Alvarado, and he's also been in tough fights against Joseph "JoJo" Diaz Jr. and Ronny Rios in a professional career that started over 12 years ago. Needless to say, Cancio has worked hard for his title shot.
"I'm very excited and grateful for this opportunity to fight for a world title," said Andrew Cancio. "Thanks very much to my manager Ray Chaparro and the Golden Boy Promotions Team, along with DAZN. I've watched many of Alberto Machado's fights and know how great of a fighter he is. However, I've already started training and will be well prepared on February 9 to win the world title in front of my fans at Fantasy Springs who have always been so very supportive."
"We are excited to start 2019 with a great fight for Alberto Machado on DAZN," said Miguel Cotto, President of Miguel Cotto Promotions."We are committed together with Golden Boy Promotions to bringing the best fights with the best fighters in the world. We know what Machado he is capable of doing. He will enter the ring as a champion and leave the ring as a champion on February 9."
As mentioned above, Rey Vargas will defend his 122-pound title against Franklin Manzanilla in the 12-round co-main event. Vargas is a 28-year-old world champion who brings a considerable height and reach advantage to every fight, which he has used to defend his titles against the likes of Ronny Rios, Oscar "El Jaguar" Negrete and Azat "Crazy A" Hovhannisyan.
"Franklin Manzanilla is a complete fighter," said Rey Vargas. "He's tough and goes forward, but he also knows how to box. He's a strong fighter, and he showed that by defeating Julio Ceja in four rounds to earn the right to fight for a world title. Manzanilla also hits hard. I've seen this, and his record indicates that as well. However, I also believe he has some deficiencies in his defense, and that's what we're going to try to take advantage of in this fight. Lastly, I invite all the people to watch this fight because it's going to be a war, and God willing I will walk away with my hand raised high."
Manzanilla is a 30-year-old native of Caracas, Venezuela who will fight in the United States for the first time. Manzanilla is coming off a victory against Julio Ceja for the WBC Silver Super Bantamweight Title, earning him a shot at Vargas in February.
"I'm training very hard to be well prepared," said Franklin Manznilla. "However, we still haven't even begun the hard stages of preparation that will have us in excellent condition to give everything in the ring. Rey Vargas is a great fighter who is always well prepared for his fights. He throws a lot of punches, which means we have to be double prepared for this bout. It's going to be a great fight, and I invite everyone to watch it because they will witness a great upset and will get to know Franklin Manzanilla, a fighter who is preparing physically and mentally to become the new world champion."
"Rey Vargas is the best super bantamweight in the world," said Oswaldo Kuchle, President of Promociones del Pueblo. "He will put on a great show on Feb. 9 with his excellent boxing skills. Without a doubt, I think it will be a great and explosive fight that will delight fans in the arena."
The undercard of this event will be filled with contenders and prospects from the exclusive Golden Boy Promotions stable.
Joseph "JoJo" Diaz Jr. (27-1, 14 KOs) of South El Monte, Calif. will return in a 10-round super featherweight battle against Charles Huerta (20-5, 12 KOs) of Paramount, Calif.
Genaro "El Conde" Gamez (8-0, 5 KOs) will battle against Ivan "Striker" Delgado (13-1-2, 6 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight battle between a current Golden Boy prospect and an ex-Golden Boy fighter.
Oscar Duarte (15-0-1, 10 KOs) of Parral, Mexico will participate in a 10-round fight in the lightweight division.
Azat "Crazy A" Hovhannisyan (15-3, 12 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif. will compete in a 10-round super bantamweight fight.
Ferdinand "Lucky Boy" Kerobyan (11-0, 6 KOs) of North Hollywood, Calif. will return in an eight-round super welterweight battle.
Hometown hero Rommel Caballero (4-0, 3 KOs) of Coachella, Calif. will open the night of action in a six-round super featherweight battle.
https://www.boxingscene.com/amir-khan-decided-fight-crawford-likely-apri...
Not even the allure of more money and a major domestic fight at Wembley Stadium could convince Amir Khan to face Kell Brook next.
Multiple sources have told BoxingScene.com that Khan has decided to instead challenge Terence Crawford for Crawford’s WBO welterweight title.
England’s Khan, 32, has informed promoter Eddie Hearn of his decision. Crawford’s promoters at Top Rank Inc. also have been made aware of Khan’s choice.
Crawford (34-0, 25 KOs) and Khan (33-4, 20 KOs) are expected to fight April 20 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Their 12-round, 147-pound championship match will headline an ESPN Pay-Per-View show.
An official announcement of Crawford-Khan is not expected until later this month.
The target date for Crawford’s next fight had been March 23, but that would’ve meant scheduling another pay-per-view show the Saturday night after Errol Spence Jr. and Mikey Garcia will square off in a FOX Pay-Per-View main event March 16 at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Bob Arum’s Top Rank initially offered the Crawford fight to former WBA welterweight champ Luis Collazo. Brooklyn’s Collazo, 37, accepted Top Rank’s offer, but Crawford was bothered by the public backlash to facing Collazo (38-7, 20 KOs).
Khan has lost by knockout or technical knockout three times, but the British star dropped Collazo three times on his way to a 12-round, unanimous-decision win over Collazo in May 2014 in Las Vegas.
Top Rank had tried to secure Danny Garcia as Crawford’s opponent prior to reaching out to Collazo.
Philadelphia’s Garcia (34-2, 20 KOs) was offered a $3 million guarantee to challenge Crawford. Angel Garcia, Danny’s father/trainer, never responded to Top Rank’s offer, however, which made Arum’s team explore other opponents.
They later offered Khan a $5 million guarantee to face one of the best boxers in the sport.
Hearn wanted Khan to box Brook because that was the third bout they targeted when the former IBF/WBA 140-pound champion came to terms a year ago on a three-fight contract with Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. Hearn even explored the possibility of staging Khan-Brook at Wembley Stadium in London on April 13, the date that has been reserved for several months for heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua’s next fight.
Ultimately, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist’s intense dislike for Sheffield’s Brook (38-2, 26 KOs), coupled with his desire to try to upset Crawford, made him choose Crawford.
Khan could’ve earned eight figures for facing Brook in what would’ve been a lucrative pay-per-view fight in the United Kingdom.
Bolton’s Khan could make up at least some of the difference by keeping much or all of the British pay-per-view revenue from the Crawford fight. He would’ve had to split that money with Brook had they fought.
The Crawford fight will mark the end of Khan’s three-bout deal with Matchroom Boxing.
The 31-year-old Crawford, of Omaha, Nebraska, will make the second defense of his WBO welterweight title against Khan. The three-division champion most recently stopped previously unbeaten Jose Benavidez Jr. (27-1, 18 KOs) by 12th-round technical knockout October 13 at CHI Health Center in Omaha.
I think this was the logical choice for Khan all along. He has less of a shot of beating Crawford than beating Brook and won't make as much money fighting Crawford as he would versus Brook, but most importantly, it is low risk for Khan's ego and it screws over Brook whos most lucrative option left would be being beat up by Hurd. In addition, if Khan wants, the Brook fight will still likely be there for Khan win or lose regardless of what Eddie says.
What do you think of that Lara-Castano fight. I remember us talking about it a few months ago when it was first rumored, and we weren’t sure it wold actually happen. You think it’s the right path for Lara going after the WBA regular to better position himself?
At the time I think that was before it was known Hurd's shoulder injury would take as long as it did to heal which ended up derailing the Hurd vs. Lara immediate rematch. It is a good idea to fight Castano because Lara isn't going to get Hurd, Harrison, or Charlo next. Lara is at the age where he can't really afford to sit on the shelf, and fighting Castano is a decent fight for him given his potential opportunities. I don't really know how good Castano is, he has a good amateur background but hasn't fought anyone as a pro. Hurd, Charlo, and Lara are all with the same promoter so I don't know how much his position can really be bettered. If Uncle Al wants Lara to fight Hurd, Harrison, or Charlo he'll just make the fight, and I'm sure he'll fight one of them in the next year or so.
Hearing Canelo v Jacobs a done deal for May 4.
Great fight in my opinion. My first reaction is a late stoppage for Canelo but that's a risky prediction, I wouldn't be surprised if it went the distance. What do you think of the fight?
Danny can be dropped, but unless it’s a body shot, I don’t think Canelo has more power than GGG, I’d argue he has less, but either way, I don’t see Jacobs being knocked out with a head shot. I think Canelo should win, but Danny uses his height and reach very well, and should be able to implement a game plan to stay out of the trenches with Canelo. He should attempt, to the best of his abilities, to fight this fight the way Lara fought Canelo. Movement, pacing, distance, etc. Wonder what that means for GGG? And also, I wonder if Andrade is going to try to hold that belt hostage, as it seems like he should have been in the discussion for that fight, but there were never serious talks of it as far as I know.
Canelo won't fight as Golovkin did versus Jacobs, Jacobs was dropped by Mora because he was too reckless and had a defensive lapse and he was hittable by a smaller fighter in Derevyanchenko for the same reason. I agree that Jacobs should use that strategy but I don't think it will work, Canelo is better than he was when he fought Lara and even versus a very polished defensive fighter in Lara, Canelo's bodywork began to wear Lara down. If Golovkin signs with DAZN to get the trilogy in September, I wonder if he will fight Andrade who I think will finally face a top opponent given his age and the financial incentives it brings.
Hearing Joe Joyce vs Bermane Stiverne coming on the Eubank undercard.
Ajagba vs Mansour and Oquendo vs Charr upcoming.
https://www.boxingscene.com/juan-carlos-carrillo-inks-promotional-with-l...
Colombian Olympian Juan Carlos Carrillo to an exclusive promotional contract. The 26-year-old Carrillo advanced to the second round at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. He was among Colombia's most decorated amateurs, with over 400 bouts experience, and winning gold at the 2012 Colombian National Games, 2012 Pacific Cup Tournament, 2011 Colombian National Championships, 2010 Colombian Youth National Championships
DiBella Entertainment has announced the signing of 2016 , and silver at the 2014 Central American & Caribbean Games. Carrillo comes from a boxing family and, at age nine, followed his father and older brother into the sport. His brother, Leonard Carrillo, is an active junior middleweight.
Now living in Queens, NY, Carrillo is trained by Martin Gonzalez and Juan Carlos Gonzalez out of Brooklyn's Gleason's Gym and will compete in the light heavyweight division as a professional.
"The light heavyweight division just got a little more crowded," said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "Colombia's Juan Carlos Carrillo was a spectacular amateur with a record of 388-23 and will have the tools and maturity to progress through the pro ranks at a quick pace. I am happy to work with his manager Felipe Gomez and look forward to providing Carrillo with the opportunities necessary for him to achieve his dream of becoming a world champion."
"I've always dreamed fighting in the United States and I thank God for making my dream come true," said Carrillo. "I want to thank Lou DiBella for signing me and giving me this opportunity and my manager Felipe Gomez for helping to make this happen. I am very grateful and happy with the direction that my career will be heading now that I am with one of the best promoters in boxing and have a good manager by my side."
"I am extremely happy to be part of Carrillo's team," said Carrillo's manager Felipe Gomez. "He is a fighter that had a huge amateur background and will be bringing that experience into the pro ranks. I have big plans for him and I will work relentlessly with Lou DiBella to help Carrillo become a World Champion."
Details on Carrillo's professional debut will be announced shortly.
Navarrete vs Dogboe II to be announced soon for the Spring
Also hearing Mares has pulled out of the fight with Tank, and that, Jaime Munguia’s next fight will be s voluntary defense, followed by his mandatory later in the year against Hogan.
Per Michael Benson on Twitter
“Vasyl Lomachenko's promoters Top Rank say they expect to be given a WBA exception which would allow Loma to unify with the Richard Commey vs Isa Chaniev winner next, rather than face mandatory Anthony Crolla.”
And Hugo Ruiz is Tank’s new opponent
what happend to Mares?
I believe it was an arm injury suffered sometime in the last few days during sparring.
thanks
Per Fat Dan
“BREAKING: Junior welterweight world titlist Ivan Baranchyk has pulled out of the World Boxing Super Series due to frustrations over financial issues, a semifinal round that was supposed to take place between January and March and has still not been scheduled and lack of communication from tournament organizers, manger David McWater told ESPN. More to come.”
I heard there was some issues with the WBSS, is this going to cause any other problems with the other weights, or the tournament in general? I'd hate to see such a good idea go to waste.
Pulev vs helenius march 23 what do you think of this of this?
It will be terribly boring but Pulev should be a large favorite to win on points.
Big Baby and AJ at MSG in June.
Per Fat Dan
Gilberto Ramirez moving up to Light Heavyweight, likely vacating his title at 168.
it's great
He's going to get matched up with one of the guys signed to Top Rank and I can't see him beating any of them or really pushing any of them. Bad move unless he really couldn't make the weight, the belt was his big check.
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