Erik Skoglund (24-0, 11 KOs) continues his World title charge following an impressive performance against Derek Edwards (27-6-1, 14 KOs) tonight in Nyköping, Sweden.
The 24 year-old Swede used his height and reach advantage to good effect, keeping Edwards at range throughout the ten-round contest. Despite trailing on points, Edwards remained a threat as he looked to land his big overhand right.
England’s Billy Joe Saunders (23-0, 12 KOs) won what some boxing fans are calling a robbery in beating WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee (34-3-1, 24 KOs) by a 12 round majority decision tonight in their mega-fight at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, UK. The win for Saunders boiled down to him knocking Lee down twice in the 3rd.
Saunders seemed to lose focus after the 3rd round, and I had him losing every round from then on. The judges scored the fight 113-113, 114-112 and 115-111. The last score by judge Dave Parris was an interesting one because he seemed to give Lee very little credit despite the fact that he totally controlled the fight after the 2nd round.
Yo @MarkdeMori u think us English suck so much, say that when I detonate my Hayemaker off ur chin! 29Days2 #HayeDay pic.twitter.com/s1tGxoH4m6
— David Haye (@mrdavidhaye) December 18, 2015
The Hayemaker has responded to the threat as follows: “Yo Mark De Mori – I heard you said England suck at rugby, cricket and football well, believe me, you play all those sports. With boxing you don’t play you fight and the only chance you’ve got of winning this fight is to have the whole rugby team in the ring with you. You are getting knocked out – trust me.”
With Christmas fast approaching, many boxing fans were recently disappointed by the recent news that middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez and fellow champion Gennady Golovkin have apparently agreed to terms that allow each man a voluntary defense of his respective version of the WBC middleweight title. Originally the WBC had promised Golovkin an immediate shot at the winner of the recent Canelo-Cotto “middleweight” showdown. However, the WBC didn’t seem to want to force the issue, instead stating that they would prefer a double-header featuring both boxers in order to “build up” a would-be future clash between the two. Note that this is not the first time that the WBC has promised Gennady a title shot that never came to fruition, and if history is any indication, it may still yet be a long while before Golovkin is afforded his chance to become the legitimate middleweight champion.
LOS ANGELES (Dec. 18) – Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz Jr. (19-0, 11 KOs) retained his undefeated status and was crowned the new NABF featherweight champion after a stunning second round technical knockout of Mexico City, Mexico’s Hugo “Olimpico” Partida (20-7-2, 15 KOs) in front of nearly 1,500 fans at a jam-packed Fantasy Springs Resort Casino tonight, televised live on Boxeo Estelar on Estrella TV.
Lou DiBella – Happy Holidays everybody, and thanks for joining us on the Deontay Wilder versus Artur Szpilka WBC heavyweight world championship conference call. This great event will be on SHOWTIME January 16, 2016 from Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York. Wilder-Szpilka will be the first heavyweight world championship bout to take place in Brooklyn in 115 years. The last one occurred on May 11, 1900 when champion James Jeffries knocked out former champion, James J. Corbett in the 23rd round of what was his third title defense.
Saturday’s HBO Boxing After Dark doubleheader telecast begins at 10:15 p.m. (ET/PT).
Opening up the telecast from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY is a 10-round junior lightweight rumble that showcases Nicholas Walters in a matchup against Jason Sosa.
Springfield, New Jersey: Today the IBF held a purse bid for the upcoming battle between Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov (21-0-1, 13 KOs) and Charles Martin (22-0-1, 20 KOs) for the vacant IBF Heavyweight World Title at their offices in Springfield, NJ, which Warriors Boxing won. The much-anticipated fight will take place on January 16, 2016 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The winning bid was $1,238,000 and the IBF has ordered that the split will be 65-35 in favor of Glazkov.
Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury is expecting a gruelling war when Andy Lee and Billy Joe Saunders share the ring this Saturday night. The newly crowned unified champion, who dethroned long time king Wladimir Klitschko last month, believes both men will leave no stone unturned after their background has made them ‘bred to fight’.
Ireland’s Lee (34-2-1, 24 KOs) will make the first defense of his 160-pound title against England’s Saunders (22-0, 12 KOs), the WBO’s No. 1 middleweight contender, this Saturday, Dec. 19, live on SHO EXTREME (5 p.m. ET/PT) from Manchester Arena.