On June 17 unified WBA/IBF/WBO light heavyweight champion of the world Andre Ward (31-0-0, 15 KOs) will have a highly anticipated rematch against former light heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs). The bout is scheduled to take place at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Maybe we should call him Anthony “Money” Joshua. That nickname is of course exclusive property of one Floyd Mayweather Junior; currently the richest, most successful prize fighter in boxing history. However, as stinking rich as he is, Mayweather never earned himself the staggering total of a $billion.
But Joshua, in speaking with GQ Magazine, says that this is now the goal he has to aspire to. Reflecting on how the status of having made it big has changed drastically in today’s world, Joshua says that becoming a millionaire is no longer the huge achievement it once was.
Josesito Lopez (35-7, 19 KOs) earned a decisive unanimous decision (100-89, 100-89, 100-89) over Saul Corral (21-9, 12 KOs) in the Ringstar Sports promoted main event of Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 & FOX Deportes from The Novo at L.A. Live.
Although Corral was able to finish the fight, Lopez controlled the action throughout, dropping Corral to the canvas in the 10th round to cement the victory.
By Paul “Paparazzi” Jones – In a division with well-known fighters and perennial pound-for-pound entrants, including Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev, up-and-coming WBA Interim Light Heavyweight ChampDmitry Bivol (9-0, 7 KOs) is intent on building his own legacy on American soil.
Bivol, 26, will be featured on his first major televised card when he steps into the ring as the favorite against Samuel “The Main Event” Clarkson (19-3, 12 KOs) on Friday at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
Manuel Charr wants a big fight. Perhaps any big fight. Today, in Cologne, Germany, at the fitness expo FIBO, “Diamond Boy” Charr had his game face firmly on as he sought out Tyson Fury. Fury was all smiles, offering his hand to the more serious looking Charr, but soon enough the duo had to be separated.
Charr, who has seen big fights fall through in the past (he was, like Fury, supposed to land a lucrative fight with David Haye a few years back) referred to Fury as a “mad man,” in a clear attempt to rile the out of shape, today easy going former world champ. There was a shove, security dived in, and the two fighters went their separate ways.
Reigning WBO super-featherweight king Vasyl Lomachenko looked utterly unstoppable in halting a brave but outclassed Jason Sosa last night. Forcing Sosa’s corner to retire their warrior after nine wholly one-sided session, “Hi-Tech” looked for all the world like an unbeaten fighter.
As we know, however, Lomachenko, 8-1(6) is not unbeaten; as hard as it may be to believe when you see such utter dominance over good fighters who are made to retire on their stool against him – Sosa being retired this time, Nicholas Walters quitting last time. One man has beaten Lomachenko as a pro, in tough Mexican warhorse Orlando Salido, but that came in the dazzling Ukraine boxer’s second pro outing.
British warrior George Groves is determined to not go down in history as one of the best fighters from these shores never to have won a world title. Groves, skilled, powerful and full of heart and guts, has failed to lift world honours on three occasions: being stopped twice by Carl Froch (controversially/prematurely in the first fight) and losing a close decision to Badou Jack.
Now, the Londoner will face Fedor Chudinov for the WBA 168 pound belt in his next fight.
In a one-sided mismatch, Vasyl Lomachenko (8-1, 6 KOs) battered and beat down Jason Sosa (20-2-4, 15 KOs) in scoring a 9th round TKO to retain his WBO super featherweight title tonight at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. The fight was stopped at the urging of Sosa’s corner at the end of the 9th.
Lomachenko had beaten Sosa badly to the point where the contest needed to be stopped. Thankfully, Sosa’s corner had the wisdom to stop the fight because it really needed to be stopped a round earlier in the 8th when he was badly hurt. Sosa’s face was swollen from the punishment that he’d absorbed in this hopeless mismatch.
In an example of very generous scoring, World Boxing Organization lightweight title holder Terry Flanagan (33-0, 13 KOs) held onto his title in defeating the much tougher than expected Petr Petrov (38-5-2, 19 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.
Tonight in Manchester, 19 year old heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois of London made his pro debut; winning a quite pathetic mismatch inside a minute of the very first round. Going up against an extremely fleshy Marcus Kelly, 1-0, the amateur standout had nothing to beat and put his debut win in the bank at the .35 second mark of the opener.
Kelly, so much the shorter man against the 6’7” Dubois, came out swinging, giving it a go of sorts, but the magnificently conditioned Dubois, known as “Dangerous,” cracked his advancing target with a tasty left hook to the chin, his follow-up shots soon sending Kelly down. Kelly beat the count, even laughing as he did so, but he was deemed to be in no shape to continue by the referee.