No surgery for Oscar Valdez but return unknown after jaw wired shut

 WBO Featherweight titleholder Oscar Valdez fought most of his bout against Scott Quigg with a broken jaw. Photo provided by Mikey Williams/Top Rank

As featherweight world titleholder Oscar Valdez was loaded into an ambulance on Saturday night following his epic slugfest with Scott Quigg, he flashed a big smile and gave a thumbs up to his team.

Valdez had suffered a broken jaw in the fifth round and spit blood for much of the rest of the extremely violent fight with Quigg, who walked away with his own issues, including a broken nose, cuts, black eyes and swelling on his forehead that made him look like a Klingon from Star Trek.

But Valdez won by unanimous decision — 118-110, 117-111 and 117-111 — at the soggy StubHub Center in Carson, California, where the nonstop rain made it an eerie night with just a few thousand fans willing to brave the elements for the Top Rank ESPN card.

On Monday, Valdez visited oral surgeon Dr. Douglas Galen in Beverly Hills, where he had his jaw wired shut. It will stay that way for the next five or six weeks, Frank Espinoza, Valdez’s manager, told ESPN.

Espinoza said Valdez did not require surgery but was put under anesthesia so the doctor could reset his jaw, which had been hanging to the side after the injury, and wire it closed. Valdez was released later Monday from the outpatient procedure and was resting at a rented home in Southern California, Espinoza said.

“Right now, Oscar just needs to rest,” Espinoza said. “He has a follow-up appointment on Friday. I’m very proud of Oscar. He showed a lot of grit. He went seven rounds with a broken jaw. He’s got a big heart. I’ve always said he had that warrior spirit and he showed it against Quigg. There’s no quit in Oscar. But now it’s time for him to relax and get better. I don’t even want him to think about boxing.”

As for how long Valdez will be out of action, Espinoza said neither he nor Valdez even asked the doctor about it, though it seems to be a good possibility he might not fight for the rest of the year. When Quigg suffered a broken jaw in his a split-decision loss to Carl Frampton in their 2016 junior featherweight world title unification fight, he was out of action for 10 months.

“I think we’ll see how he recovers and that [conversation with the doctor] will come later,” Espinoza said. “I can’t judge when he’ll be back, but no time soon. Right now he’s just going to follow the doctor’s orders. When the doctor gives him the green light, then we’ll talk about it. Right now we just want him to rest and we want to thank all the well wishers. They’ve been flowing in, and Oscar really appreciates them.”

Valdez (24-0, 19 KOs), 27, a two-time Olympian from Mexico, retained his title for the fourth time with the kind of gutsy and exciting performance that harkened back to so many fights put on by fan-favorite warriors from his country, such as Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, Valdez’s idol.

It was not lost on Top Rank president Todd duBoef, Valdez’s promoter.

“Those memorable nights and memorable performances make fans want to see someone come back right away,” duBoef said. “It was a breakthrough night for Oscar, so it’s unfortunate that he has an injury that will keep him on the sideline for a bit. We don’t know how long he’ll be sidelined, but his star power and the awareness of him to fight fans and sports fans dramatically increased as a result of his brave performance on Saturday night.”

The fight almost didn’t come off because England’s Quigg (34-2-2, 25 KOs), 29, came in overweight at Friday’s weigh-in. He was 128.8 pounds, well over the 126-pound limit and ineligible to win the title, while Valdez was 125.8. Top Rank and Espinoza wanted Quigg to agree to a Saturday morning weight check at which he couldn’t weigh more than 136 pounds, but Quigg refused to go along with it.

At that point, Espinoza said he advised Valdez not to go through with the fight, but Valdez had trained hard for two months and wanted to fight and earn his nearly $500,000 purse that was increased with money from Quigg’s purse due to a fine from the California State Athletic Commission, plus additional cash from a side deal between the camps.

“I told Top Rank that I was requesting a second-day weigh-in. My guy sweated and made weight and I wanted Oscar to have a fair playing field,” Espinoza said. “I wanted 136 pounds max and Quigg wouldn’t do it. Absolutely no. It pissed me off. He didn’t make weight, so at least try to oblige us on the second-day weigh-in so he’s not so much bigger.

“They didn’t show professionalism, Quigg and [trainer] Freddie [Roach]. I went back and told Oscar they wouldn’t do it, that they wouldn’t agree to the second-day weigh-in. So my advice to Oscar was not to take the fight. But it was Oscar’s decision. He took the fight. He wanted the fight — and he won.”

http://www.espn.co.uk/boxing/story/_/id/22739756/oscar-valdez-jaw-wired-shut-days-bloody-slugfest-scott-quigg

In the 89-year history of THE RING’s Fighter of the Year award, no boxer has ever earned the honor with as few fights under his belt as Vasyl Lomachenko has. Then again, few have achieved as much as the Ukrainian amateur star did after only 11 pro bouts.

Lomachenko (10-1, 8 knockouts) was selected as THE RING’s Prospect of the Year in 2013 after only one fight – his Oct. 12 pro debut against Jose Ramirez. Eight months after that impressive fourth-round KO, the wizardly southpaw won his first world title, the vacant WBO featherweight belt, by taking Gary Russell Jr. to school over 12 rounds. (Lomachenko’s boxing clinic against the highly touted unbeaten U.S. Olympian was performed in his third pro bout, just three months after he received his own education in gritty pro tactics via 12-round split-decision loss to grizzled veteran Orlando Salido.)

Two years and three title defenses later, he won his second world title in a second weight class, the WBO 130-pound belt, with a fifth-round KO of Roman Martinez. His first defense – an embarrassingly one-sided mastery of Nicholas Walters that forced the unbeaten former featherweight titleholder to pull a “No Mas” after seven rounds – was so impressive that he instantly jumped into the top half of most pound-for-pound lists by the end of 2016.

So, what made Lomachenko’s 2017 so special? Why was he selected as THE RING’s Fighter of the Year over worthy candidates such as Terence Crawford, Anthony Joshua, Mikey Garcia and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai?

For starters, he fought more than the other standouts in 2017 – three times – continuing to outclass and bewilder opposition to between-rounds retirements, but he also made large strides toward transitioning from a boxing-world phenom to the kind of general sports standout recognized by casual fans and mainstream media.

Lomachenko (left) tags Jason Sosa. Photo courtesy of HBO

Lomachenko’s humiliating brand of dominance was expected against his first two opponents of 2017, Jason Sosa and Miguel Marriaga, both solid contenders that will give any other world-class featherweight or junior lightweight a grueling night. Lomachenko forced the battle-tested scrappers to remain on their stools after nine and seven rounds, respectively, and he didn’t mind showboating as he gradually picked them apart from every conceivable angle.

Although Lomachenko was favored to beat his third opponent of 2017, fellow two-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux, he wasn’t expected to have his way with the counter-punching master.

Rigondeaux, who carried a 17-0 pro record into their anticipated showdown at The Theater inside Madison Square Garden, was the older of the two savvy left-handers (37 to 29) and moving up from the 122-pound division, but the Cuban also brought with him a style that many believed was impossible to dominate or look good against.

Lomachenko did both en route to Rigondeaux’s inglorious retirement after six rounds.

Lomachenko downplayed the victory during his post-fight interviews, basically stating that he did what he was supposed to do, but there can be no downplaying of his boxing ability or his rising stature in the sports world.

Lomachenko appears to be on his way to becoming a bona-fide attraction. It was literally standing room only inside the 5,000-seat Theater (with no space for comps or auxiliary media and tickets rumored to be going for three times face value on the secondary market prior to the ESPN-televised card). Promoter Bob Arum says the two-division titleholder will fight at least three times next year, perhaps once in the “big room” of Madison Square Garden. Lomachenko is clearly done with small venues and fighting in front of limited TV audiences.

Lomachenko (right) took Guillermo Rigondeaux apart. Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Lomachenko-Rigondeaux was watched by 1.73 million on ESPN (twice the number of viewers that tuned into a UFC offering on FS1 that was broadcast during the same time slot). It was ESPN’s highest-rated show on December 9, exceeding viewers for the Heisman Trophy presentation and the MLS Cup.

Lomachenko’s future fights will be televised on Top Rank’s new network partner, ESPN, which contributed to his crossover appeal in 2017 and will undoubtedly enhance his popularity in the U.S. in coming years.

For now, he’s the toast of the boxing world, where hardcore fans use his name as an adjective or verb when expounding on their favorite sport via social media. A talented prospect like Josh Kelly might be described as having “Lomachenko-esque” moves. A fighter who is bewildered into submission might be said to have been “Lomachenko’d.”

Lomachenko’s reputation has been established enough in 2017 that boxing geeks now argue how he would fare in a mythical matchup with a prime Floyd Mayweather Jr. at 130 pounds.

However, Lomachenko isn’t interested in the future hall of famer, but rather one of the standouts of Mayweather Promotions, former IBF 130-pound beltholder Gervonta Davis. His “call out” to Davis, which was directed at Mayweather’s official Twitter account, attracted a lot of attention and eventually pulled Mikey Garcia into the social media conversation.

Lomachenko eventually Tweeted a poll of four potential opponents – Miguel Berchelt, Garcia, Davis and Jorge Linares – which has garnered more than 40,000 votes. Garcia and Davis received the most votes, but if he can get any two of the four in the ring in 2018 he’ll likely be a strong candidate for back-to-back Fighter of the Year honors.

RUNNERS UP:
Anthony Joshua
Terence Crawford
Mikey Garcia
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai

Following “Fighter of the Year” tradition, Vasyl Lomachenko will feature as cover star in the next issue of RING Magazine.

Vasyl Lomachenko named 2017 RING Magazine Fighter of the Year

Former WBO welterweight Super Champion Manny Pacquiao has made the rank of full Colonel in the Philippines Army.

Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 KOs) lost his WBO title in defeat to the Australian Jeff Horn in July 2017, and while the Philippines fighter is hoping for a rematch, he took to social media to announce he made the step up from Lieutenant Colonel.

11 years after joining the armed forces, he posed with members of the army on Wednesday to celebrate the occasion.

By Robert Hough

Light welterweights Terence Crawford and Julius Indongo are set to fight Saturday in an ultra-rare, four-belt unification bout. The match, in Lincoln, Nebraska, will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET and streamed live via the ESPN app.

Here’s what they had to say today:

Terence Crawford: “(Indongo) is at the end of his career. He doesn’t have a lot of choices. He can’t wait around for a long time…He has good legs. It seems like he can punch a bit. He doesn’t let his opponent get inside.”

Julius Indongo: “It’s something huge. It’s very big. It’s very meaningful…I am a humble guy but I don’t fear anybody. My focus, my game-plan, everything is in position…Although people never knew me, this is the right time to show the world.”

Top Rank President Todd duBoef: “This is a global sport. In America, we’re relatively isolated to a small pool of fighters. What Indongo did was, the door of opportunity opened and he stepped through it. This goes back to what makes boxing so special. People take advantage of those opportunities and a diamond in the rough is discovered.”

Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

2012 Australian Olympian Jeff Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs) is very eager to get in the ring with Manny Pacquiao for a second time.

Last week, Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank confirmed to BoxingScene.com that his fighter had exercised an immediate rematch clause to meet Horn in the ring before the year is out.

Last month, Horn pulled off a major upset when he secured the WBO welterweight world title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Pacquiao before a crowd of 51,000 fans at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.

The decision was deemed controversial by a lot of observers, who felt Pacquiao had done enough to win. But nobody disagrees with the fact that Pacquiao’s performance was flat and his activity was lacking.

Horn wants to prove that his victory was no fluke.

“I’m happy for a rematch, especially after all the flak I received before the second scoring came out. Now it’s out, I still receive people saying I didn’t win. I’m willing to prove it again and beat him for the second time,” Horn said to the Sydney Morning Herald.

“I’m still proving a point. I’ve got to make sure I train just as hard. I never say I want a knockout but it’s always easier if the fight ends before the 12th round. I can improve a lot more from where I have been in the past. I think I did well in the last fight, I’ll do better the second time,” he said. “I’ve done it before, I know what I have to do to try hard and do it again. I know I can push through to more levels.”

The rematch, like the first, will take place in Horn’s backyard of Australia, likely on a date in November. Because of the winter weather, the rematch will have to take place indoors. The paper notes that the Queensland government has first and last rights but their entertainment centre only holds 13,000 fans. Melbourne has Etihad Stadium with a roof while Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena holds 21,000.

www.boxingscene.com/jeff-horn-t-wait-prove-point-by-beating-pacquiao-again–119266

By Miguel Rivera

At the negotiating table is the potential showdown between World Boxing Organization Junior Featherweight champion Jessie Magdaleno and mandatory challenger Cesar ‘Corazón’ Juarez of Mexico, tentatively scheduled for October 31.

Luis Zápari, promoter of Juarez, reveals that an agreement is in place, but some details are missing, such as the television network and the venue, which is why Juárez is already preparing in Mexico City for his second championship fight.

Juarez has previously challenged for a title against Nonito Donaire in Puerto Rico and that resulted in tough defeat for him – in one of the better fights of the year.

Magdaleno (25-0, 18 KO’s), who is managed by Frank Espinoza and promoted by Top Rank, won the WBO Junior Featherweight title from Donaire in an exciting fight that he fought with a touch of intelligence and boxing ability.

“The fight is almost done, we spoke to the promoter, the fighters have agreed and only the signatures are missing. There are details to solve but it seems that the most important thing is already done,” Zápari said to ESPN Deportes. “The fight will take place in the United States, but that’s no problem because Cesar will go anywhere to fight for the championship.”

Magdaleno’s first defense was made in April when he knocked out Adeilson Dos Santos of Brazil at the Stub Hub in Carson, California, in two rounds, and now it is now time for him to satisfy the mandatory fight against the highest ranked challenger as ordered by the WBO.

Juarez, meanwhile, is 20-5 with 15 KOs, and would arrive with a three-win streak after being beaten by Donaire in December 2015 and then by Giovanni Delgado unexpectedly in March 2016.

However, he recovered by knocking out top rated Filipino Albert Pagara.

If a deal is reached, there is a big possibility that the fight will be broadcast on ESPN, thanks to the agreement reached by the legendary promoter Bob Arum and the international sports channel.

www.boxingscene.com/jessie-magdaleno-vs-cesar-juarez-clash-close-october–118775?print_friendly=1

Top Rank Vice President Carl Moretti believes the scorecard of 117-111, issued as part of Jeff Horn’s upset win over Manny Pacquiao earlier this win, created the bulk of the issues with the fans and critics who were angered by the outcome.

Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs), who was a tremendous underdog, won a twelve round unanimous decision over Pacquiao before a crowd of 51,000 fans at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.

The three judges scored it 115-113, 115-113 and 117-111.

Moretti believes if all three judges had scored it 115-113 – there may not have been such a big outcry over Horn’s victory.

“I think whenever you do a fight and you are there in person as opposed to sitting in front of a television, you can have different opinions on who won the fight. I think the one thing everybody can agree on was that it was a close fight. I think the biggest problem of it was that the first score announced that Waleska Roldan came in with 117-111, and it just wasn’t that type of fight, so that sort of set the tone for controversy and people going crazy over the decision,” Moretti said to On The Ropes Boxing Radio.

“If all three judges would have had it 115-113, I’m not so sure that you would have seen the outcry that you did, but when the first score announced is 117-111, people were ‘Oh this is crazy, it wasn’t that type of a fight,’ and it wasn’t, it was a close fight either way. I think that sort of set the tone and the language for people to go and complain about it. I think it was a close fight and Jeff Horn got it, so people thought at ring side that Jeff Horn legitimately won it, and a lot of people thought that Manny won it.”

There is a rematch clause in the contract. Pacquiao has yet to exercise that option. The Filipino superstar is currently a senator in the Philippines and some members of his team believe the boxer’s successful political career has created some issues when it comes to having a well run training camp.

“I think Manny should take some time with what his decision is going to be. I think he has to try and figure a way to balance out being a senator and still being a professional fighter. Once he can figure that out, then he’ll have a clearer path for us to see what he wants to do. But it’s his decision and we will wait to see what he wants to do,” Moretti said.

www.boxingscene.com/top-rank-vp-pacquiao-horn-close-117-111-created-issue–118740

By Steve Kim

While WBO super featherweight titlist, Vasyl Lomachenko, has an August 5th assignment against Miguel Marriaga at the Microsoft Theater at LA Live on ESPN, promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank says it wont be the last time we see ‘Hi-Tech’ in 2017.

“He’s going to fight again this year and I think Lomachenko is the one guy that could really deal with fighting four times a year,” said the veteran promoter, who says that under their new partnership with ESPN that all of their boxers will be afforded the opportunity to fight more often than in the past.

Lomachenko (8-1, 6 KO’s) last fought more than twice in a calendar year in 2014.

Back on April 8th, Lomachenko out-classed Jason Sosa in nine rounds in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Arum plans to keep the two-time Olympic gold medalist as active as possible.

“It’ll be a minimum of three (fights) but I would hope to do four and I would hope to get a hold of some opponents that we could then promote and make big pay-per-view fights down the road for Lomachenko next year,” Arum said.

But this wont just apply to the gifted Ukrainian, Arum noted to BoxingScene.com – “We’re re-doing all our contracts to guarantee our fighters three fights a year – minimum. And use our best best efforts to give them four.”

There used to be a time when all boxers – even the ones at the championship level – performed much more often. So what happened?

“It was like the Garden of Eden, ‘when the premium cable (networks) floated more money than the over-the-air networks were paying and we all bit into the apple because it was juicy and good, we ended up poisoning ourselves,” Arum explained last week at a press conference for Lomachenko-Marriaga.

www.boxingscene.com/top-rank-keep-lomachenko-others-more-active–118650

Two weeks ago, Australian Jeff Horn pulled off a shock welterweight title victory over Manny Pacquiao – but there was a lot of controversy over the scorecards [115-113, 115-113, 117-111] and there were many who felt Pacquiao should have been the victor.

As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, the World Boxing Organization reviewed the fight with five independent judges and they declared Horn the clear winner.

The WBO — which does not have the power to reverse a decision unless fraud or law violations are proven — set up a panel of independent and anonymous judges who were asked to watch the bout without sound and determine who won each round.

The results were tabulated to show clearly the rounds each fighter won using an average scale based on 60, 80 and 100 percent, with three of the five officials needing to be in agreement.

A similar method has been used to review WBO title fights before.

“Upon the analysis, the findings stated that Pacquiao won the 3rd, the 8th and 9th by 100 percent; the 5th round was won by 80 percent; and the 11th round by 60 percent,” the WBO said in a statement.

“Horn won the 1st, 6th and 12th rounds by 100 percent; rounds 2, 4, and 7 by 80 percent; and then, the 10th round by 60 percent. From the results, it can be established that Pacquiao won five rounds while Horn won seven rounds. Based on this analysis, Jeff Horn was the winner of the bout.”

The loss sparked calls in the Philippines for the 38-year-old Pacquiao, a national icon after rising from poverty to be considered one of the greatest fighters of his generation, to retire and concentrate on politics.

Pacquiao briefly quit boxing last year to pursue his long-held political ambitions and was elected senator. But he quickly made a successful comeback against Jessie Vargas in November, saying he still felt like a youngster.

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum said the result of the World Boxing Organization’s review “doesn’t settle anything.”

“First of all they didn’t [rule] that Jeff Horn clearly won the fight. They (WBO) had five judges scoring the fight: three had Horn winning narrowly, one had it at draw, one had Pacquiao winning,” Arum told News To Go in an interview.

“Well it doesn’t settle anything. It was a very close fight. It could have been scored either way. I had Manny winning the fight by one point, but you know when it gets that close, the fight can go either way.”

“Manny has to decide what he wants to do in the future and we’ll take it from there. I will see whether he really wants to do a rematch, whether he wants to continue boxing, or whether because of his senatorial duty, he is unable to continue.”

Photo Credit:  Getty Images

www.boxingscene.com/arum-reacts-wbo-backing-horn-shocker-over-pacquiao–118387?print_friendly=1

Michael Koncz, the long-time adviser to eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao, agrees with the opinion of Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum – who felt Pacquiao’s corner was overconfident and unprepared for last weekend’s world title defense against 2012 Australian Olympian Jeff Horn.

Pacquiao’s head trainer, Freddie Roach, and other members of the corner, admit they very surprised with the toughness and the durability of Horn. Prior to the contest, they were giving Horn zero chance of wining.

Horn upset the odds, winning a twelve round unanimous decision to capture Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title before a crowd of over 51,000 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia. The three judges were in agreement, scoring the contest 115-113, 115-113 and 117-111 for Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs).

The veteran promoter believes the entire corner dropped the ball in what was a very winnable fight for the eight division world champion. And Arum says the entire corner should be on point here – including head trainer Freddie Roach, assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez, conditioning coach Justin Fortune and cut man Miguel Diaz.

“What the hell is wrong with that corner? Why wasn’t Freddie Roach out in the ring between rounds yelling at the referee? It’s his job, and there’s confusion in the corner with the languages, with Buboy and Miguel Diaz yelling and screaming like a maniac,” said Arum to The Los Angeles Times.

“And Freddie has to stay close to Manny to give him some advice … to me, they were so overconfident going in — Justin Fortune tells the press that the only way Horn can win is if Manny trips going into the ring. I had seen the kid. I told everybody he was a big, tough kid who could take a punch. I didn’t think he’d beat Manny, but it wasn’t the same Manny.”

Koncz, also felt the corner was lacking.

“The corner didn’t have a strategy. They were all amazed Jeff Horn was such a tough, rugged fighter and they didn’t adapt to it. There’s a lot of blame to go around, but the bottom line is the kid had a lot of heart and came to win and did everything he could to get it, and the referee let him do more than he should have,” Koncz said.

“If we go back to Australia, I’ll be more involved with the promotion and the selection of the judges and referee. I relied heavily on the WBO. Everybody can be blamed for everything for this. If we do have a rematch, there’s got to be a lot of changes. We’re not sure he’s ever going to fight again. I told Manny before the fight that if things didn’t happen, we would sit down and make decisions on what we need to do.”

www.boxingscene.com/koncz-backs-arum-pacquiao-corner-strategy–118194?print_friendly=1

Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum felt Manny Pacquiao was overconfident when he entered the ring last Saturday night against Jeff Horn at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.

Horn, a 2012 Australian Olympian, pulled off a shocking upset with a twelve round unanimous decision over Pacquiao to capture the WBO welterweight championship – before a crowd of over 50,000 fans at the venue.

The judges scored it 115-113, 115-113 and 117-111 – with all three backing Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs).

Pacquiao admitted afterwards that he didn’t realize how tough Horn was.

Arum was angered by some of the pre-fight comments that were being made by Pacquiao’s handlers – who were calling Horn a “tuneup” opponent and gave him zero chance of winning.  

Arum had warned them over and over that Horn was not a walkover opponent.

“As what happens when you go in overconfident and you know you have the morons in his corner saying that the only way Horn could win the fight is Manny trips his way to the ring. What kind of sh*t is that? I mean I saw the kid fight in New Zealand. I knew he was a competent fighter. I knew it would be a tough fight,” Arum said to News To Go.

Pacquiao intends to exercise a rematch clause. Arum is not going to force the issue on him.

“If Manny wants a rematch, I would do it. But I am not advocating a rematch. That’s up to Manny,” Arum said.

There were many observers who felt the outcome was controversial, with Pacquiao being robbed of a win.

Arum disagrees with the public outcry. He felt the contest was very close and far from a robbery.

“It was a close fight. It could have gone either way. A couple of close rounds, but you can’t argue with the result,” Arum said.

www.boxingscene.com/arum-pacquiao-overconfident-his-corner-said-stupid-things–118167?print_friendly=1

By Keith Idec Promoter

http://www.boxingscene.com/lomachenko-marriaga-on-85-crawford-indongo-on-819-espn–118044

Top Rank announced its next two main events late Thursday night in its new partnership with ESPN.

The basic-cable network will air a super featherweight title bout between champion Vasyl Lomachenko and Miguel Marriaga on August 5. Two weeks later, ESPN will broadcast a full 140-pound championship unification fight that’ll match Terence Crawford against Julius Indongo.

Ukraine’s Lomachenko (8-1, 6 KOs), who owns the WBO 130-pound championship, and Colombia’s Marriaga (25-2, 21 KOs) will square off at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Crawford (31-0, 22 KOs), the WBC/WBO super lightweight champion, will encounter Namibia’s Indongo (22-0, 11 KOs), the IBF/IBO/WBA 140-pound champion, at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, about a one-hour drive from Crawford’s hometown of Omaha.

Lomachenko and Crawford are generally regarded as two of the top five boxers, pound-for-pound, in the sport.

While facing Indongo represents a shot a full unification for the highly skilled Crawford, Lomachenko’s opponent is coming off a loss. Mexico’s Oscar Valdez (22-0, 19 KOs), the WBO featherweight champion, defeated Marriaga by unanimous decision in their 12-round fight April 22 at StubHub Center in Carson, California.

“Pound for pound, no one can match the talent of Vasyl Lomachenko and Terence Crawford,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef told ESPN.com. “They drew the best ratings on premium cable this year [HBO], and now everyone will be able to see them when they defend their world titles in all-action fights in August, live on ESPN.

” Crawford and Lomachenko have become two of the most-watched fighters in bouts broadcast by HBO over the past couple years, but ESPN is available in millions more homes than HBO.

ESPN’s partnership with Bob Arum’s Top Rank will officially begin Saturday night, when the network will televise the Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn welterweight title fight from Brisbane, Australia, Horn’s hometown.

Their scheduled 12-round fight for Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title will take place Sunday afternoon in Brisbane, where a crowd of 60,000 is expected at Suncorp Stadium, but it will air Saturday night in the United States at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

By Victor Salazar

New York – WBC/WBO world champion Terence Crawford (31-2, 22 KO’s) did what he normally does on Saturday night; take a formidable opponent and make him look like he doesn’t belong in the same ring. Felix Diaz (19-2, 9 KO’s) is an Olympic gold medalist and a very credible junior welterweight who many felt had defeated Lamont Peterson in a controversial decision loss.

But against Crawford, Diaz might have not won a single round. Crawford even fought Diaz south paw the whole fight. This was something his promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, Inc. has expected ever since his first showing on HBO.

“Ever since his first fight on HBO, I thought he was going to be the best of the best,” Arum told reporters ringside after the fight this Saturday. “I thought tonight, he fought a really tough guy and he handled with him with ease. He just gets better and better.”

The plan is to make a fight with Julius Indongo (22-0, 9 KO’s) for all of the 140 pound-titles this summer and then likely go after a mega fight after.

“We want to unify with (Julius) Indongo and get all four belts, once we get all the belts this summer, he’s going to fight Pacquiao and we’re going to set it up with my new partner Warren Buffet,” joked Arum.

In the history of boxing there is somewhat of a changing of the guard or passing of the torch when a once famed superstar fights an up and coming fighter. In victory, the up and coming star makes his name off that fight.

Arum sees a fight between Manny Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KO’s) and Terence Crawford differently, not as a changing of the guard but a competitive fight that people will pay to see.

“No changing of the guard, it’s a fight that people want to see and pay for or a fight, they won’t pay for,” Arum explained about a potential fight between Pacquiao and Crawford.

“The changing of the guard is bullsh*t fake news like you guys say. It’s fake news. If people want to see the fight and it economically will do justice to both guys. I think it would be a terrific fight and I’d make the fight.”

www.boxingscene.com/arum-on-crawford-plans-indongo-fight-first-then-pacquiao–116892?print_friendly=1

By Tamas Pradarics

It seems the possibility of a Terence Crawford vs Julius Indongo junior-welterweight super fight has got a second wind. The idea of such a match-up was born in the minds of boxing fans when IBF/IBO 140-pound champ Indongo (21-0, 8 KO’s) travelled to Glasgow, Scotland to unifiy with WBA titlist Ricky Burns (41-6-1, 14 KO’s) this last April.

With Crawford having the rest of the titles in the division and all-belt unifications are an absolute rarity in pugilism, at least in the last couple of decades, expectations were through the roof after Namibian Indongo’s masterful performance over the more accomplished Burns in a one-sided twelve-round unanimous decision win.

Unfortunately the International Boxing Federation announced shortly after the bout that Indongo has to face his mandatory, Sergey Lipinets next.

Talks about a potential Crawford-Indongo showdown cooled off by the statement and the match-up was believed a no-go until this last Saturday night. Fans at the legendary Madison Square Garden and in front of television sets watching HBO World Championship Boxing recognized the Namibian fighter in the crowd during WBC/WBO champ Crawford’s recent title defense against Dominican Felix Diaz.

Later in the telecast Jim Lampley, blow-by-blow commentator of HBO did mention Indongo’s name more then once as a possible future opponent for Terence Crawford.

The undefeated Omaha-native himself told during his post-fight interview following his win over Diaz that he is willing to face Indongo next.

BoxingScene.com reached out to the Namibian fighter’s response regarding such a super fight.

”Firstly, I would like to congratulate Crawford for an amazing victory over Diaz. He is a real champion and worthy of my praise. He showed real character and skill and that is what brings out the best in me against any opponent in the ring. My team and I flew 20 hours from Namibia just to come and watch his fight and I am ready to face him,” told Indongo.

Namibian promoter Nestor Tobias, who also serves as the trainer of his world champion protegee, believes that a showdown between Crawford and Indongo is really what the fans want to see.

”We are willing to make [that bout] happen provided the Crawford camp feels the same,” stated Tobias, who added they have a number of plan B’s if negotiations with Top Rank would fall through on Crawford-Indongo.

”Another likely option [for Julius] is Adrien Broner among others, but we will keep our options open and go for the most competitive fight for ourselves and the fans.”

The winner of a potential Crawford-Indongo super fight would only be the third fighter since the founding of the World Boxing Organizations in 1988 to hold all four belts at the same time in any division.

Boxing aficionados all over the world are dreaming about this fight. Let’s hope it comes true.

www.boxingscene.com/julius-indongo-ready-fight-terence-crawford-broner-too–116890?print_friendly=1

By Miguel Maravilla
Photos: Sumio Yamada

WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez (22-0, 19 KOs), of Nogales, México, won a hard fought unanimous decision against mandatory contender Miguel “Escorpión” Marriaga (25-2, 21 KOs), of Colombia Saturday night in defending his WBO featherweight title at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, California headlining the Top Rank Pay Per View card. Oscar Valdez did not make the post fight press conference but spoke to us briefly

“It was a tough fight and it was my first time going 12 rounds. I knew he was going to be a tough fighter. It was nothing easy much respect to Marriaga. We did good thank god,” Oscar Valdez told Fightnews.com

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/full-report-valdez-defeats-marriaga-401932/nggallery/page/3

Photos: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Oscar Valdez 125.6 vs. Miguel Marriaga 125.4
(WBO featherweight title)

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez 167.8 vs. Max Bursak 167.4
(WBO super middleweight title)

Jessie Magdaleno 121.8 vs. Adeilson Dos Santos 121.2
(WBO junior featherweight title)

Shakur Stevenson 124.8 vs. Edgar Brito 125
Fazlidden Gaibnazarov 138 vs. Victor Vazquez 137.4
Alexander Besputin 147.2 vs. Breides Prescott 147.4
Mahonri Montes 149 vs. Francisco Santana 148
Maxim Dadashev 143.2 vs. Bilal Mahasin 143.6

Venue: StubHub Center, Carson, California
Promoter: Top Rank
TV: PPV

 Photos: Mikey Williams/Top Rank –

Undefeated champions and 2012 Ukrainian Olympic medalists Vasyl Lomachenko, Oleksandr Usyk and Oleksandr Gvozdyk hosted a media workout at World Boxing Gymnasium in Oxnard, Calif. on Tuesday. All three are in deep training for their title defenses, which will take place Saturday, April 8, at The Theater at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD.

Lomachenko (7-1, 5 KOs) will be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior lightweight world title against former World Boxing Association (WBA) super featherweight world champion Jason “El Canito” Sosa (20-1-4, 15 KOs). 2012 Olympic gold medalist Usyk (11-0, 10 KOs) will be defending his WBO cruiserweight world title against Top-10 contender Mike Hunter (12-0, 8 KOs). 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Gvozdyk (12-0, 10 KOs) will be defending his NABF light heavyweight title against Yuniesky Gonzalez (18-2, 14 KOs). 

Vasyl Lomachenko: “Jason Sosa is very strong, is motivated, wants to win and he can fight all of the twelve rounds. It will be a hard fight. That I know.

“My top 3 pound for pound list is GGG, Kovalev and Crawford. I don’t want to be number one until I deserve it. That means fighting and winning against two or three world champions. After that I may be Number One but for sure not now.

“I like the weight division I am in. I have no problems making weight. I am not that anxious to leave my division and not sure I will ever fight at 140. It’s hard to look ahead but right now I am comfortable in my division where I have plenty of champions to fight against.”

Oleksandr Gvozdyk: “I am going into a serious fight against Yuniesky Gonzalez. He is strong, experienced, puts pressure on you, tries to drive you into the ropes. He’s a tough guy and I have to deal with him. I work hard every single day trying to be the best in my division.”

Alexsandr Usyk: “I have watched video of Michael Hunter and have a good idea of what he is all about. It’s going to be a great fight. As an amateur I was trained by the best – Anatoly Lomachenko – just look at who he has produced as great professional fighters.”

Lomachenko, Usyk and Gvozdyk were joined at their media workout by two-time Lithuanian Olympian “Mean Machine” Egidijus Kavaliauskas, who will be on the April 8 non-televised undercard in a six-round welterweight bout.

“Mean Machine” Egidijus Kavaliauskas: “I do get real mean the moment I leave the locker room, walk up the ring steps and get onto the canvas. And this is going to a big year for me. I am getting closer to my goal, a world title fight.”

The event has been sold out for weeks. Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Peltz Boxing Promotions, K2 Promotions, K2 Promotions Ukraine, Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and Kiddar, the three title fights will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/lomachenko-usyk-gvozdyk-workout-398592/nggallery/page/2

 Photos: Mikey Williams / Top Rank –

By:  Miguel Maravilla –

Undefeated WBO world champions featherweight Óscar Valdez (22-0, 19 KOs), from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, Mazatlan, Mexico’s super middleweight Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (34-0, 24 KOs), and super bantamweight champ Jessie Magdaleno (24-0, 17 KOs) of Las Vegas held an L.A. press conference Tuesday morning at the Manhattan Beach, Marriott to officially announce their upcoming title defenses taking place Saturday April 22, at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, California live on Pay Per View. Also present at the press conference was 2016 U.S Olympic Silver medalist Shakur Stevenson of New Jersey.

Opening up the press conference was Hall of Fame Promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank.

“The fighters we will be showcasing on April 22nd are the brightest of Stars,” Arum said. 

Oscar Valdez and his team introduced by manager Frank Espinoza

“Headlining this event means a lot to me. We put in the time and working hard for this fight. Miguel Marriaga is a tough fighter. We will do whatever it is to come out on top. Whatever I have to do to win, I will do that night,” Valdez said.

“My boys will be ready on April 22nd. They said Oscar hasn’t fought a hard puncher but I don’t think they have faced a fighter like Oscar before,” Trainer Manny Robles said.

“April 22nd, Valdez defends his title against Marriaga. Oscar welcomes him and is up for the challenge. On April 22nd you don’t want to miss this fight,” Manger Frank Espinoza

Valdez will be making his second defense of his title against NABO champion and number one contender Miguel Marriaga (25-1, 21 KOs) of Columbia. Marriaga and his team were also present.

“We have been working and now the time has come. I am well prepared for this fight and will come in 100 percent for this fight,” Marriaga said.

“Valdez and Marriaga will be a fight to remember. Stub Hub Center has always had great fights and this will live up to that. We are looking forward to it,” Manager Ruben Zavala said.

Gilberto Ramirez will be making the first defense of his WBO super middleweight title against Maksim Bursak (33-4-1, 15 KOs), of Kiev, Ukraine.

“I am really happy to be back. I have been training really hard. This will be a good fight. Max Bursak is a good fighter and this will be a good fight,” Ramirez said speaking English

“We have a lot of confidence in Gilberto that this will be a good year. April 22nd, he will comeback to please the fans. This will be his year,” Manager Jesus Zappari said.

Jessie Magdaleno will defend his title against Brazil’s Adeilson Dos Santos (18-2, 14 KOs).

“It feels good to be back and defend my title. April 22nd you will see another great Magdaleno. We are here to give everyone what they want to see, a great night of boxing,” Magdaleno said.

“Jessie Magdaleno will defend his title for the first time in a matchup you want to see. He will step in the ring to showcase and you will witness Magdaleno defend for the first time,” Co-Manager Frank Espinoza Jr. said.

Shakur Stevenson will be making his pro debut on the April 22 card at Stub Hub as he was introduced by Arum and also spoke at the press conference

“Let me introduce you to a young man that will be a superstar the way Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya were,” Bob Arum said in introducing Stevenson to the local media.

“I am excited to be making my debut and I cant wait to entertain my fans,” Shakur Stevenson said.

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/top-rank-ppv-press-conference-396690#more-396690

 Photo by:  Dan Istitene/Getty Images) –

Koncz has also confirmed that a Pacquiao-Khan deal was reached, despite an earlier announcement by promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank that the Filipino’s next bout would be against Australia’s Jeff Horn in Brisbane.

The announcement of the date adds further intrigue. April 23 falls on a Sunday. For a fight to appeal to the mass pay-per-view television markets of the United States, a fight in the UAE would most likely have to take place at around 7am or 8am in the morning, and on a Sunday, which is a work day in the country.

According to Arum, a group in the Middle East has offered a huge sum of $38 million to bring Pacquiao-Khan to UAE – an offer which caused a potential deal against Horn to fall apart.

Khan has been out of the ring since May of 2016, when he moved up to a catch-weight of 155-pounds to challenge Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. He was knocked out in six rounds.

Pacquiao continues to be trained by Hall of Fame coach Freddie Roach, who previously trained Khan for several years. Khan left Roach in 2012 and is now under the tutelage of Virgil Hunter.

www.boxingscene.com/pacquiao-vs-khan-on-april-23-fighters-announce-deal-reached–113992

By Miguel Rivera

World Boxing Organization super middleweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez will make his first championship defense on April 22 in California, according to the information that Top Rank’s Bob Arum disclosed to Mexican promoter Jesus Zapari.

Based on the information given to Zapari, the opponent of ‘Zurdo’ will be Ukrainian contender Max Bursak, who has a record of 33-4-1 and 15 knockouts. In addition, the European is 32 years old and he’s lost fights to top opponents like Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam, Zac Dunn and Martín Murray.

Zápari, who along with promoter Arum leads the career of Ramirez, was advised of the details on Monday and told that his boxer would fight in Los Angeles, California.

Zapari was under the impression that Ramirez would join the undercard of WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, who is also fighting on that day – and the Filipino star’s return will happen in either Australia or the United Arab Emirates. But Ramirez will appear on a separate presentation in California.

“The date Arum gave us was April 22nd in California against the Ukrainian. At the beginning we thought there was a chance of having a role in Pacquiao’s undercard, but they have not decided on that, so what we have been told is that he’s goes to fight Bursak in California, which is good because we wanted to stage a fight in this area,” Zápari said to ESPN Deportes.

Ramirez became the first Mexican fighter to win a world super middleweight championship (168 pounds) last April, after he dethroned the dangerous German veteran Arthur Abraham in Las Vegas. However, he could not fight for the rest of 2016 due to an injury to the knuckle of his right hand.

The first defense was scheduled for July 23, but after the injury he withdrew from that opportunity. He was forced to undergo surgery, which left him on the shelf for the rest of the year.

www.boxingscene.com/gilberto-ramirez-vs-max-bursak-play-april-22–113584?print_friendly=1

With just ten weeks before the Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn fight, it appears that there may be a snag as conflicting reports have come in regarding the location of the fight. Although both Duco Events and Top Rank have indicated that the fight was to take place at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane Australia, Pacquiao’s advisor and marriage counselor Michael Koncz threw a curveball yesterday when he announced from Abu Dhabi that the fight would “100%” be held in the United Arab Emirates.

Shortly thereafter Manny Pacquiao Tweeted “See you in UAE for my next fight. #TeamPacquiao”.

The announcement came as a surprise to many fight fans in Australia, but Duco Events head Dean Lonergan still believes the fight will go forward in Australia.

“Duco have been working with Top Rank over the past three months to have the fight in Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.” Lonergan told Fightnews.

“We are nearing completion of the deal, and as far as I’m concerned Top Rank is the exclusive promoter of Manny Pacquiao and until Top Rank tells me otherwise we shall continue to try and get this deal done.”

Lonergan is hopeful to finalize the deal in the coming week.

“We had discussions today with the team of Top Rank that we continue on. I like to think that if we get a deal done it will be in the next week.”

Lonergan also told Fightnews that he “would be very surprised” if any other city or state could be ready to host April’s Pacquiao-Horn fight in “such a short space of time.”

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/pacquiao-horn-headed-u-e-393640

SAN JUAN, P.R. – Undefeated Puerto Rican contenders Felix ‘El Diamante’ Verdejo and Christopher ‘Pitufo’ Díaz have promised to put on a big show to the Puerto Rican fans on Friday February 3 as part of the ‘Solo Boxeo’ event at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente of the borinqueña capital.

Verdejo (22-0, 15 KO’s), who will return to the clinic after recovering completely from the abrasions he suffered last August in a motorcycle accident, will face Nicaraguan Oliver Flores (27-2-2, 17 KO’s) and defend for the sixth time his Latin lightweight title of the World Boxing Organization (WBO).  ‘El Diamante’ of Puerto Rico will attempt to prove that he is prepared to challenge Terry Flanagan of the UK for the WBO lightweight world title.

“This is just the beginning. I’m now more focused. I’m coming in here very hungry and very eager to succeed.This is how you will see it on February 3. Felix is ??back!” said ‘El Diamante’ Verdejo when he spoke at the podium.

Meanwhile, ‘Pitufo’ Diaz (19-0, 11 KO’s), currently the WBOYouth featherweight world champion, will face American Efrain Esquivias (17-5-1, 10 KO’s). In 2016, Diaz achieved important victories and has positioned himself as one of the highest ranked contenders of the featherweight division.

“On February 3 you can expect a great fight from me, from my brother Felix Verdejo and the whole El Diamante team,” said Diaz. “I will continue to develop as a fighter to be able to provide a new champion to Puerto Rico,” guaranteed Diaz.

“On February 3 you can expect a great fight from me, from my brother Felix Verdejo and the whole El Diamante team,” said Diaz. “I will continue to develop as a fighter to be able to provide a new champion to Puerto Rico,” guaranteed Diaz.

Tickets remaining for the card, presented by Top Rank in association with Diamante Promotions, are priced at $ 150 (Red Carpet), $ 100 (Ring Side), $ 75 (Stage Center), $ 35 (Stage), and $ 20 Applicable charges, are already on sale and can be purchased at www.Ticketera.in or by calling (787) 305-3600.

The card will be televised from coast to coast in the United States on Friday, February 3 at 11 p.m. ET / PT on the likes of ‘Solo Boxeo’ in a simultaneous transmission of the UniMás and Univision Deportes Network networks.

www.boxingscene.com/photos-felix-verdejo-christopher-diaz-san-juan-presser–112552?print_friendly=1

    WORLD   BOXING ORGANIZATION

Luis Batista Salas, Esq.

Chairman

WBO Championship Committee 

January 24, 2017

Re:     WBO HEAVYWEIGHT PURSE BID

Joseph Parker vs. Hughie Fury

Gentlemen:

As per Section 11 through 14 of the WBO Regulations for World Championship Contest (www.wboboxing.com), please be advised that a purse bid will be held at 11:00 am AST on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at the:

WBO Headquarters

1056 Muñoz Rivera Avenue

Suite 711-714

San Juan, PR 00927

+1 (787) 765-4444

The minimum acceptable bid for the Heavyweight Title is $1,000,000.00 (One Million Dollars). The Purse division for Champion Parker will be 60% and for the Challenger 40%, as accorded during the 2016 WBO Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

President Francisco Valcarcel will be presiding.

Cc:      All Bona Fide Promoters

 Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing
Photo: Farax Photography

WBO light flyweight champion Louisa “Bang Bang Lulu” Hawton (7-0, 3 KOs) talked to Fightnews and said she is looking forward to her boxing idol WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao’s (59-6-2, 38 KOs) title defense against Jeff Horn (16-0, 11 KOs). The card will be in Australia, though the venue where the fight will be contested hasn’t been finalized.

“The Manny Pacquiao vs Jeff Horn is the biggest news for Australian boxing and will go down in history as this country’s biggest fight,” said Hawton. “Id love to be on that card fighting alongside Manny in my country of Australia and it would truly be a dream come true. I am dubbed the female Pacquiao and I am Australian-Filipino defending the same WBO organisation title. Also I’m Australia’s only current WBO World Champ. I need that break to be seen around the world. I hope Top Rank and Duco Events will give me that opportunity.” 

Hawton resides in Perth, Western Australian and is proud that her mother was born in the Philippines and lived in the same city as Manny Pacquiao. Louisa Hawton captured the WBO light flyweight title by outscoring Kei Takenaka (11-1-0) over ten rounds in Japan last August. Hawton is trained by former world light middleweight contender Mark Janssen.

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/wbo-champ-hawton-wants-fight-pacquiao-vs-horn-show-389187#more-389187

 Photo: Dave Cameron

By Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing –

WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker will likely be ringside on April 29 at the Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko IBF, WBA heavyweight title bout in London to call out the winner and unify the titles. “That’s what we want – to unify the belts and we are willing to lose trying,” said David Higgins of Duco Events. “If the other belt holders shared our views it would fix the heavyweight division. Any heavyweight worth their salt should be looking to unify the division and hold all the belts. When the belts aren’t unified, the public are confused about who is the champion.”
Parker, who is promoted by Duco Events and Top Rank, captured the WBO championship on December 10 in Auckland, New Zealand, with a twelve round majority decision over Andy Ruiz.

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/parker-planning-to-call-out-joshua-klitschko-winner-385880