Mairis Briedis

Hearn says three names in the mix for Bellew’s Oct. 15 defence: Wlodarczyk, Flores, Briedis

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Mairis Briedis - WBC cruiserweight king Tony Bellew is all set for his first title defence. His promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports today how the defence will top a Liverpool show on October 15, with an official announcement of the opponent and other details next week. For now, Hearn says there are three names in the mix: former WBC and IBF champ Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, former WBA title challenger B.J Flores and unbeaten WBC mandatory challenger Mairis Briedis.

WBC cruiserweight king Tony Bellew is all set for his first title defence. His promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports today how the defence will top a Liverpool show on October 15, with an official announcement of the opponent and other details next week. For now, Hearn says there are three names in the mix: former WBC and IBF champ Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, former WBA title challenger B.J Flores and unbeaten WBC mandatory challenger Mairis Briedis.

“It’s a full division, we have Wlodarczyk, B.J Flores, who has been calling Tony out; that’s a fun fight,” Hearn said. “And we have a mandatory, Mairis Briedis. Hopefully we’ll have an announcement next week.”

Read moreHearn says three names in the mix for Bellew’s Oct. 15 defence: Wlodarczyk, Flores, Briedis

Cruiserweight Wars: Dorticos stops Kalenga

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This week’s schedule is packed so tight with cruiserweight bouts that some good ones will probably be overlooked. Tonight’s card in Moscow which was supposed to be headlined by the heavyweight showdown between Deontay Wilder and Alexander Povetkin will go on with three cruiserweight bouts now headlined by Denis Lebedev. Beibut Shumenov will fight Junior Wright in Las Vegas with the WBA title at stake. There were two other interesting fights in the same weight class preceding the mainstream shows that deserve to be mentioned and were well worth watching.

Read moreCruiserweight Wars: Dorticos stops Kalenga

Briedis destroys Charr

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In a surprising upset, the well-known heavyweight Manuel Charr (28-4, 16 KOs) was stopped in the 5th round by little known undefeated Mairis Briedis (17-0, 14 KOs) on Saturday night at the Akhmat Arena, in Grozny, Russia. Charr was knocked out cold from a left-right combination from Briedis that deposited Charr face down on the canvas.

It was similar to the way Juan Manuel Marquez knocked Manny Pacquiao out three years ago in 2012. The only difference was Briedis split Charr’s guard with a right uppercut to the chin and followed it up with a parting left hook to the head that sent the 245 pound Charr face down on the canvas. Charr’s arms were to his sides when he hit the canvas and he didn’t even attempt to brace his fall because he was literally knocked unconscious. Referee Irakly Malazonia stopped the fight officially at 2:55 of the round.

Read moreBriedis destroys Charr