In moving back down to middleweight, Martin Murray (35-4-1, 16 KOs) kept his career alive on Saturday night with a 12 round majority decision win over high level journeyman Gabriel Rosado (23-11, 13 KOs) on Saturday night at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. Murray used his precise punching to win rounds over the 31-year-old Rosado, who got off to a bad start in the first 7 rounds.
Results: Avtandil Khurtsidze destroys Tommy Langford
Avtandil Khurtsidze (33-2-2, 22 KOs) pulled off a minor upset on Saturday night in defeating #3 WBO Tommy Langford (18-1, 6 KOs) by a 5th round knockout to win the interim World Boxing Organization middleweight title at the Leicester Arena, Leicester, Leicestershire, United Kingdom.
Khurtsidze was losing the fight until connecting with a hard left to the head of Langford that put him down on the canvas. Langford sprang back to his feet only to have referee Phil Edward stop the fight. Langford was none too happy about the fight being stopped. He wanted to continue fight, and for good reason, he was winning.
Results: Arthur Abraham defeats Robin Krasniqi
Arthur Abraham (46-5, 30 KOs) showed that he still has a little left in the tank in defeating Robin Krasniqi (46-5, 17 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision on Saturday night in their WBO 168 pound title eliminator in Erfurt, Germany. Abraham buzzed Krasniqi with a big power shot in round 6, and then never looked back in dominating the remainder of the fight against timid opponent.
Red-Hot British heavyweight prospect Daniel Dubois improves to 2-0 (2) tonight in Leicester
Just two weeks after his embarrassingly easy pro debut (an easy win that came well inside a minute), red-hot 19 year old heavyweight “Dynamite” Daniel Dubois made it 2-0(2) tonight in Leicester.
The exciting prospect was, thankfully, matched significantly tougher tonight, facing Cameroonian 2012 Olympian Blaise Mendouo, who was 3-1(0) coming in, but the result was never in any doubt. Possessing power, speed and youthful aggression, Dubois hurt his man in the opening round, landing two stiff right hands to the head. The much smaller Mendouo (who had boxed as a cruiserweight in his own early pro career) did manage to tag the 6’5” giant with a counter shot, briefly getting the attention of Dubois, and for a fleeting moment it seemed we just might have a fight on our hands.
Vitali Klitschko will be at Wembley, supporting his brother in Joshua showdown
There really could be quite a throng of heavyweight greatness, either past, present or future, at Wembley on April 29 (a week today as if any heavyweight fan needed reminding!). Wladimir Klitschko, himself a future Hall of Famer, will of course fight Anthony Joshua, the next heavyweight great in the opinion of quite a few people, and two WBC heavyweight rulers, one past one current, have confirmed their attendance.
Deontay Wilder will be there, scouting his possible next opponent, and Vitali Klitschko – for some people the superior fighting Klitschko brother – will also be in the house, assisting his younger brother. Vitali, taking a break from his political duties in Kyiv, will be close to his brother as “Dr. Steel Hammer” attempts to take both the IBF and the WBA belts next week.
Joseph Parker arrives in New Zealand ahead of Fury defence, wonders where Hughie is
A smiling, confident and upbeat Joseph Parker arrived in New Zealand earlier today, two full weeks ahead of his WBO heavyweight title defence against Britain’s Hughie Fury. Aside from telling the media how much he is looking forward to showing his stuff in the ring on May 6, the unbeaten champion spoke of his slight concern over the fact that Fury has not yet arrived in New Zealand.
It seems a little odd to both Parker and his trainer Kevin Barry, that Fury has not arrived well ahead of fight time so as to fully recover from the inevitable jet lag the flight from the UK to New Zealand causes.
Can Charles Martin possibly make it back to the top? Comeback begins next week Vs. Byron Polley
It is just over a year ago that “Prince” Charles Martin, looking anything but regal, capitulated in quite disappointing fashion against Anthony Joshua. Martin was attempting to make the first retention of the IBF heavyweight belt he had won in fluke-like fashion – Vyacheslav Glazkov’s knee blowing during their January 2016 fight that contested the belt that had just been stripped from new world ruler Tyson Fury – and he failed miserably.
Busy Boxing Weekend Stateside & Across the Pond
The upcoming fight schedule for this weekend is filled to the rim with action-packed fights and if we’re lucky we may even get a fight of the year candidate. Events being staged in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Liverpool, and Leicester involve different levels of meaning from stern challenges to stay-busy.
Let’s start in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center on leading network in the United States Showtime. Shawn Porter and Andre Berto face off in a fun welterweight matchup with a mandatory slot on the line for Keith Thurman’s WBC’s strap.
Win or lose against Klitschko, Joshua may not be able to keep both IBF and WBA belts
If he manages to defeat Wladimir Klitschko a week tomorrow, Anthony Joshua will add the WBA belt to the IBF crown he already holds – but he might find it impossible to keep hold of both belts for long. As his promoter Eddie Hearn explained to The Star, a victorious Joshua is extremely likely to be ordered to defend the IBF belt against Kubrat Pulev, and the WBA belt against Luis Ortiz.
So, unless “a deal can be done,” Hearn says Joshua is going to lose one of the belts he will exit a rocking Wembley Stadium with if he’s victorious on April 29. More alphabet soup madness, or two good fighters getting what they have worked for and fully deserve? Take your pick, but it really does seem next to impossible for any heavyweight to become undisputed king these days.
Face Off With Max Kellerman: Canelo/Chavez Jr. – Premieres Saturday, April 29 on HBO
Fight fans eager for a revealing inside look at the eagerly anticipated May 6 HBO Pay-Per-View® mega-fight between “Canelo” Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., should mark their calendars to catch an all-new edition of “Face Off,” starring the two prizefighters. “Face Off With Max Kellerman: Canelo/Chavez Jr.” debuts Saturday, April 29 at approximately 12:15 a.m. (ET/PT).
Moderated by Max Kellerman, “Face Off” is an insightful and often gripping interview session in which the two fighters sit down and square off to answer Kellerman’s questions. This marks Alvarez’s third visit to “Face Off,” and the second appearance for Chavez Jr. on the series.