By Jake Donovan –

Demetrius Andrade and Artur Akavov are locked and loaded for DAZN USA’s first offering of the new year.

Both boxers easily made weight ahead of their scheduled 12-round middleweight title clash, which takes place Friday evening at Hulu Theatre in New York City.

Andrade tipped the scales at a fighting fit 159.8 pounds for his first title defense; Akavov came in right at the 160-pound middleweight limit his second title fight opportunity.

The bout will headline a nine-fight card—including three title fights—which will air live on sports streaming service DAZN USA.

For Andrade (26-0, 16KOs), it’s a welcomed interruption to an old schedule where the unbeaten Providence native would experience massive gaps of inactivity in his career. The 2008 U.S. Olympian and two-division titlist now fights for the second time in three months, claiming his 160-pind title in a shutout win over Walter Kautondokwa last October in Boston.

Akavov (19-2, 8KOs) enters the fight having won five straight since a narrow points loss to then-middleweight titlist Billy Joe Saunders in Dec. ’16.

The evening’s chief support was among the show’s latest additions, with TJ Doheny set to make the first defense of his super bantamweight title versus Japan’s Ryohei Takahashi.

Ireland’s Doheny—who traveled to Japan for a 12-round title winning effort over Ryosuke Iwasa—clocked in at 121.75 pounds. Takahashi (22-3-1, 16KOs) weighed 121.8 pounds for his first title fight, which also comes in his U.S. debut.

In the third title fight of the night, history-making Amanda Serrano (35-1-1, 26KOs) moves down an unheard-of SIX weight divisions for her 115-pound vacant title tilt versus Austria’s Eva Voraberger.

Serrano checked in at a chiseled 114.2 pounds, just four months after winning a title at the 140-pound super lightweight division. The win netted her a title in a record-breaking sixth weight division, with a victory on Friday putting her in exclusive company with Manny Pacquiao as the only boxers ever to claim major titles in seven or more weight divisions (Pacquiao has done so in eight).

Voraberger (24-5, 11KOs) hopes to disrupt those plans. The 28-year old also had to move down in weight, dropping one division from bantamweight—where she holds an interim title—to weigh 114.8 pounds for Friday’s tall order.

Two more bouts on the show could very well provide the respective winners with title fights of their own in the very near future.

Former three-division titlist Jorge Linares weighed 139.4 pounds for his second fight at super lightweight, following his title-losing effort to pound-for-pound entrant Vasiliy Lomachenko last May. His opponent, veteran contender Pablo Cesar Cano clocked in at 139.6 pounds for their 12-round bout.

The winner is being teased as a potential future option for unbeaten 140-pound titlist Maurice Hooker. Interestingly the same promise has been made to whomever prevails in a 10-round battle between New Yorkers Chris Algieri and Daniel Gonzalez

Algeiri, a former 140-pound titlist who returned last November filing more than two years away from the ring—weighed 140 pounds. His opponent and longtime sparring partner, Queens’ Gonzalez weighed 139.4 pounds.

FULL WEIGHTS

Demetrius Andrade , lbs. vs. Artur Akavov , lbs.—12 rds, middleweight

Jorge Linares, 139.4 lbs. vs. Pablo Cesar Cano, 139.6 lbs.—12 rds, super lightweight

TJ Doheny, 121.75 lbs. vs. Ryohei Takahashi, 121.8 lbs.—12 rds, super bantamweight

Amanda Serrano, 114.2 lbs. vs. Eva Voraberger, 114.8 lbs.–10 rds, super flyweight

Chris Algieri, 140 lbs. vs. Daniel Gonzalez, 139.4 lbs.—10 rds, super lightweight

Julian Sosa, 147.8 lbs. vs. Dieumerci Nzau, 146 lbs.—6 rds, welterweight

Nkosi Solomon, 227.2 , lbs. vs. Rodriguez Cade, 293.2 lbs.—4 rds, heavyweight

Reshat Mati, 145.4 lbs. vs. Benjamin Borteye, 143.6 lbs.—4 rds, welterweight

http://www.boxingscene.com/weights-from-new-york-city-andrade-1598-akavov-160–135467?print_friendly=1

 

Demetrius Andrade has vowed to dominate the Middleweight division in 2019 – starting with the first defense of his WBO World title against Artur Akavov on Friday January 18 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FROM WWW.MSG.COM – TICKETS START AT $46!

Andrade (26-0 16KOs) puts his WBO 160lb crown on the line for the first time against the Russian in New York, and the two-weight World ruler is eager to kick off 2019 with a bang having returned to the ring in style in 2018.

The Rhode Island star picked up the WBO crown with a commanding win over Walter Kautondokwa in Boston in October, flooring the undefeated African dangerman four times in the opening four rounds in his first fight in a year and his first title bout at 160lbs.

Andrade steps straight back into action and face-to-face with the ‘Wolverine’ Akavov (19-2 8KOs), who fights for the strap for the second time having ran previous incumbent Billy Joe Saunders close for the belt December 2016 in Glasgow.

‘Boo Boo’ knows that Akavov will put it all on the line in the Big Apple, but the champion wants to lay down a marker as the first of the Middleweight World champions to fight in 2019 – and he plans to prove that he will emerge as the top dog in a talent-heavy division with Canelo Alvarez, Daniel Jacobs, Gennady Golovkin, Jermall Charlo and Saunders amongst the huge names there for big fights.

“I’m out there trying to fight the undefeated guys, the champions, that’s what I want,” said Andrade. “I get in there with anyone at 160lbs – and I beat them all. It’s the time for the elite to fight each in 2019, people want to see me fight the big names and I want them.

“It’s going to happen, I am here, I’ve got the World title and I want the best. Akavov is coming to New York to take that title from me so I know that I have to be on my game as he’s a dangerous man, but trust me, when I shine on January 18, we’re going for all the big names next.

“My first fight was meant to be Saunders – an undefeated champion – and then I beat another undefeated fighter to win the title. That’s what I am about and that’s what I want my year to be, champion vs. champion, Demetrius Andrade vs. the best out there.”

Andrade clashes with Akavov on a huge night of action in New York, with a second World title bout on the card sees Amanda Serrano (35-1-1 26KOs) gunning for history as she looks to land World honors in an extraordinary seventh weight class as she meets WBC and IBF World Super-Flyweight champion Eva Voraberger (24-5 11KOs) – the Austrian tasked with stopping Serrano’s bid for glory.

Date:   Saturday, December 3, 2016

WBO MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location:   Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

Promoter:  Queensberry Promotions / Frank Warren

Supervisor:  Istvan Kovacs

Referee:  Marcus McDonnell

Judges:  Dave Parris (116-113); Lynne Carter (116-112); Jose Ignacio Antunez (115-113)

Results:   The WBO Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders retained the title by Unanimous Decision against Artur Akavov.

TV: Panama RPC Channel 4

billy-joe-saunders-wbo-champion-boxing_3762903  Billy Joe Saunders must wait slightly longer to defend his world title

Billy Joe Saunders’ world title defence against Artur Akavov has been postponed by a week to December 3.

Saunders had been due to make the first defence of his WBO middleweight strap on Saturday night in Cardiff, but the fight will now take place in Paisley a week later.

Problems with the translation of medical paperwork supplied by the Russian’s team have forced an unavoidable delay, with the bout having already been delayed once after Saunders suffered an injury in training.

“It’s extremely frustrating for all parties and especially Billy who has been itching to get back into the ring following a frustrating 2016,” said promoter Frank Warren.

“The medicals were sent late and mostly in Russian and once translated it then became apparent they were not complete. Ultimately, it would be too late to find a suitable replacement so postponing it was our only option.

“I feel for Billy Joe as he was ready to make the first defence of his world title and for all of the fans who wanted to watch him.”

Alex Vaysfeld, from Akavov’s team, said: “This is no more than a translation problem and will be easily rectified upon Akavov’s arrival in the UK and I’m glad Frank was able to postpone for just a week.”

Saunders, who seized the title from Ireland’s Andy Lee 11 months ago, admitted his frustration at the postponement.

He said: “I was ready to put on a big performance and defend my title in style in Cardiff but unfortunately this latest issue was totally out of our control.

 billy-joe-saunders-boxing-sport_3770602 Unbeaten Saunders will be aiming to take his record to 24-0

“The fight is still on, that’s the main thing and I’ll be fully prepared to defend my title in Scotland next week before moving on to a blockbuster fight in 2017.”

The Cardiff event is still set to feature four big title fights as Terry Flanagan defends his WBO world lightweight championship against Puerto Rico’s Orlando Cruz, while Welshman Liam Williams challenges Gabor Gorbics for the vacant WBO European super-welterweight title.

Tommy Langford faces Sam Sheedy for the vacant British middleweight title and Tom Stalker and Craig Evans do battle for the third time for the WBO European lightweight championship after two hard-fought draws.

www..skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/10669017/billy-joe-saunders-vs-artur-akavov-delayed-until-december-3

image Billy Joe Saunders on his way to the WBO world middleweight title against Andy Lee

Billy Joe Saunders doesn’t believe he’ll be at his ‘career best’ when he makes his maiden WBO world middleweight title defence against Russian Artur Akavov but he is hoping to ‘blow the cobwebs off’ en route to a successful first victory as champion.

The Hatfield fighter steps back into the ring on Saturday, October 22, for the first time since snatching the belt from Irishman Andy Lee in Manchester almost 10 months ago.

Saunders has been added to the ‘Little Less Conversation’ show at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena.

The 27-year-old has been hampered by a combination of injuries and fruitless negotiations leading up to his first defence and he’s not taking the prospect of European WBO middleweight champion Akavov, who is on an 11-match winning streak, lightly.

Speaking at a pre-fight press conference in London on Monday, Saunders said: “There was the hand injury which stopped me fighting [Max] Bursak [in April] and from then onwards it’s been very frustrating for me.

“I’ve got a new date now and I’m not overlooking him [Akavov].

“He went to the World Championships with Russia so he has some pedigree, has only lost once and I’ve been out of the ring for nearly 10 months.

“I personally don’t think this will be my career best, I need to blow some of the cobwebs off but I know I’ve got to look good doing it and then we’ll look at a big fight in the new year.”

Should his first defence go to plan, Saunders is open to getting back into the ring in December but says he is aiming for a date in February or March next year – against either feared unified WBA, WBC, IBF and IBO middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin or WBO light middleweight king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

He continued: “I’m not overlooking anyone but the next big fight I want after this is one of Canelo or Golovkin. My goal is Golovkin in February or March.

“Am I good enough for Golovkin? There’s only one way to find out.

“I’m 27 now, in my prime. If I can’t beat Golovkin now I’ll never beat him.

“If I don’t rise to the occasion I’ll get sharply found out. I believe I can beat him.”

He added: “He’s not invincible. If he wants to fight in December I’m ready. A unification overrules a mandatory so he can do it if he wants to. I’ll go to America and fight him. Canelo? I’ll beat him seven days a week and twice on a Sunday.”

Promoter Frank Warren added: “We’re not looking past this fight against Akavov.

“Everyone just thinks he’ll turn up on the night and that’s it.

“Providing Bill comes through this fight and comes through it well, doesn’t sustain any hand injuries and nothing goes wrong then we’ll look at either Golovkin or Canelo.”

www.whtimes.co.uk/sport/boxing/billy_joe_saunders_focussed_on_wbo_title_defence_against_the_wolverine_1_4726181