OMB brinda su aporte a La Posada de Belén en Costa Rica

La Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB) continuó este miércoles con su programa de ayuda y donaciones en distintos países latinoamericanos, al hacer un importante donativo a La Posada de Belén, un hogar que rescta a niñas de 11 a 18 años en riesgo social, que se ubica en San José, Costa Rica.

El acto de donación se llevó a cabo este miércoles en el Fight Club Gym de San José, con la presencia del puertorriqueño Luis Batista Salas, Presidente Fundador de la OMB y Presidente del Comité de Campeonatos Mundiales, junto a Joe Hernández y Rubén De Jesús, cercanos colaboradores de la Organización, y la señora Silva Vindas, en representación de la Posada de Belén.

También estuvo en el acto Marco Molina, Presidente de la Comisión de Boxeo de Costa Rica, el entrenador y asesor boxístico Ezequiel Obando, muy conocido a nivel internacional; el representante de peleadores Ernesto Sandoval, el excampeón mundial Bryan “Tiquito” Vázquez, y especialmente la costarricense Hanna Gabriels, campeona mundial superwelter de la OMB y una de las máximas representantes del pugilismo profesional en el país centroamericano.

En la página de Facebook de “La Posada de Belén”, se explica claramente cuál es el objetivo de este centro de atención a jóvenes madres: “Somos una organización sin ánimos de lucro, dedicada a la atención integral de adolescentes madres y sus bebés”.

“Nuestro objetivo es darles una adecuada preparación psicosocial, humana, académica y laboral para que tengan una exitosa reinserción en la sociedad al lado de su hijo o hija y evitar así la reproducción de patrones negativos de crianza. Creemos fielmente en que educar a una madre adolescente es abrirle las puertas para que construya un nuevo futuro para ella, su bebé y todas las generaciones que están por venir. Nuestra organización es avalada por la Conferencia Episcopal y fue declarada de utilidad pública por el Ministerio de Justicia”.

http://notifight.com/omb-brinda-su-aporte-la-posada-de-belen-en-costa-rica/

 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

    Amanda Serrano, right, won on all cards to retain the WBO junior featherweight title in front of her hometown crowd in Brooklyn, N.Y. Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment

NEW YORK — Amanda Serrano defeated Yazmin Rivas by unanimous decision to retain the WBO junior featherweight title Saturday night in the first nationally televised English-language women’s world title bout in the United States since 2007.

The judges scored the fight 97-93, 98-92, 99-91 to give Serrano the victory at Barclays Center in her hometown of Brooklyn.

The Puerto Rico-born Serrano (31-1-1, 23 KOs) landed 33 percent of her punches while Rivas (35-10-1, 10 KOs) landed just 20 percent, according to CompuBox, as the two women went the distance in the 10-round bout.

“We wanted the knockout, but I was ready for 10 rounds,” Serrano said. “People who think I’m just a brawler saw that I’m a great boxer today.”

Rivas, who took home $15,000 for the fight, still has yet to be knocked out in her professional career, while Serrano, who took home $17,500, carried a knockout percentage of 72 heading into the matchup — a rate unrivaled among the top women fighting in the junior featherweight division.

Still, Serrano went after Rivas aggressively throughout the fight, throwing 431 power punches and landing 177 (44 percent), while Rivas threw nearly 100 fewer and landed only 29 percent (97 of 332).

“She hit hard, but I hit her harder,” Serrano said. “I could hear her breathing in between rounds and I knew I had her.

“It was a great night for women’s boxing, and I hope it keeps getting bigger and bigger.”

The three judges scored all 10 rounds within a one-point margin, with their scorecards reflecting Serrano’s dominance in the middle rounds and strong performance in the final round to close it out.

“It was an excellent fight,” Rivas said. “I knew everything was against me and to win I had to knock her out. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen today.”

Serrano’s victory aired on Showtime Extreme, a subnetwork of Showtime, on the undercard of the network’s doubleheader headlined by the Badou Jack-James DeGale super middleweight world title unification bout.

The last women’s world title fight on English-language television in the U.S. was Mary Jo Sanders’ defeat of Valerie Mahfood by unanimous decision to retain her International Boxing Association female middleweight title on March 30, 2007, on ESPN2.

A week before that fight, Fox Sports Net televised Holly Holm defeating Ann Saccurato to win the IBA female world welterweight title, the WBC female world welterweight title, the WBA world female welterweight title and the International Female Boxers Association world welterweight title.

Serrano-Rivas also was the first women’s fight on a Showtime network (non-pay-per-view) since 2000.

www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/18476836/amanda-serrano-defeats-yazmin-rivas-first-english-language-women-title-bout-us-national-television-2007

Date:  Saturday, January 28, 2017

WBO Female Welterweight Championship Title Bout

Location: The Spectrum, Oslo

Promoter: FIRST LADY PROMOTION AS/MORTEN ANDREASSEN

Supervisor: MARION PALATIN

Referee: MASSIMO BARROVECCHIO (WBC)

Judges:FABIAN GUGGENHEIM (WBC), PREDRAG ALEKSIC (WBC), ROBIN DOLPIERRE  (WBC)

Results:

TV:

By Cliff Rold

After she won her second gold medal last summer, big questions hovered over American Claressa Shields. Would she turn pro? If she did, would it be the boost for her sport her talent merits?

To say that women’s boxing in the US has struggled for attention would be a gross understatement. Since the retirement of Laila Ali, it’s barely registered outside of a tight niche circle inside of a niche sport. The women’s game has done better in other countries with popular fighters in Germany and more regular air in places like Mexico.

In the US, its lack of market presence sent Holly Holm to MMA.

Holm ended up okay.

What of those who want to ply their trade in their initial trade?

Shields represented a figure that could perhaps galvanize the market. Her debut, on the HBO pay-per-view undercard of Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward, was a positive sign. Still, Shields is yet a professional novice. What about someone already at the top of their professional game?

Showtime is answering that call this Saturday. Headlining the Showtime Extreme broadcast (7 PM EST) of the James DeGale-Badou Jack undercard, Brooklyn’s Amanda Serrano (30-1-1, 23 KO) is getting a chance to shine. She’s been on US television before but this is her best platform to date. A win could garner consideration for a spot on a regular Showtime broadcast down the road.

If she does, it will be a positive for her and for the sport.

How good is Serrano?

She’s a four-division titlist who currently holds belts at both featherweight and Jr. featherweight. Her road to four titles has seen her take an unusual road, jumping all over the scale. Typically, we see fighters conquer a weight class and then move up to the next until they find their ceiling. The 28-year old Serrano’s path saw her win an IBF 130 lb. title in 2011 before losing at attempt at the WBC crown in the weight in 2012, her only professional loss.

In 2014, she won a WBO title at 135 lbs. and then gradually move all the way back to 126 for another WBO strap. She defended it once and then moved down another four pounds for the WBO belt at 122 in her last fight, part of a 4-0 campaign in 2016.

Her accomplishments are only one element. She also has a TV friendly style. An aggressive southpaw with power and a ferocious body attack, the Puerto Rican born Serrano has real star quality. Now all she has to do is win.

Across the ring, she has a capable opponent. Mexico’s 28-year old Yazmin Rivas (35-9-1, 10 KO) is no stranger to accolades or tough competition. Rivas has been the WBA champion at Jr. bantamweight and held IBF and WBC titlist at bantamweight with nine successful defenses between the two reigns. Her record is misleading. Since July 2014, she is 14-2-1 with her losses coming via split and technical decision.

This isn’t just a chance for Serrano to shine. It’s a chance for a real fight to break out and elevate two names unfamiliar to large parts of the regular US boxing audience.

It’s a fitting place for this fight to air. Showtime was a big part of popularizing women’s boxing a generation ago. Christy Martin became a star fighting on the undercards of Mike Tyson. That stardom never burned as bright as male counterparts but it got her the cover of Sports Illustrated and ultimately made plenty of the women around her more money than they would have otherwise.

This is an interesting time in boxing. The sport’s popularity in the US is down overall but it has more shows available to fans than at any time in its history. Between English and Spanish language networks and promoter driven streams domestically and overseas, there is a ton of boxing available. That makes for a crowded marketplace and puts a premium on something that uniquely delivers. Showtime is making a smart gamble on a fighter who might fit that mold.

If there is a parallel in the current boxing market, it is HBO’s foray lower on the scale than is their norm. After years of hardcore clamoring, HBO found a place for thrilling Nicaraguan flyweight Roman Gonzalez in 2015. Gonzalez is now preparing for his fifth HBO or HBO PPV appearance in a row and headlined his own show in 2016.

They could have maintained the status quo and few would have noticed. They took a chance on something different and have delivered quality to their viewers. The same can happen here. Gonzalez hasn’t meant a wave of flyweight shows on HBO and Serrano probably won’t lead to the men being pushed off the air on Showtime. Shields won’t either. That doesn’t mean there can’t be a stronger place for women with the right stars to build around and there might not be a better time to make this move.

Combat audiences, male and female alike, have proven they’ll tune in.

We’ve all seen the rise of women’s MMA. Professional wrestling fans have seen performers in that genre rise to be able to headline shows over men in the last year. Those fan bases were happy to see it and have come back for more.

Boxing, wrestling, and MMA are all distinct from each other (two as legitimate sports, one as athletic theatre) but they share common roots and act as kissing cousins of a sort. What can be done in one can often be mimicked in another.

The most recent issue of Ring Magazine featured our Tom Gerbasi’s list of the top ten women boxers in the world, pound for pound. He lists Serrano only tenth. After Saturday night, wouldn’t it be nice if fans were so impressed that they were left asking, “Wow, so who are the nine fighters better than her?”

It’s a start.

www.boxingscene.com/amanda-serrano-showtime-widens-its-reach–112573?print_friendly=1

Date:  Saturday, January 14, 2017

WBO Junior Featherweight Championship Title Bout

Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, Nueva York.

Promoter:  DiBella  Entertainment

Supervisor:WBO Second Vice President Erno Labega,

Referee:Sparkle Lee (New York)

Judges:Robin Taylor (New York), Kevin Morgan (New York) and Ron McNair (New York)

Results:The WBO Junior Featheweight Championship Title was won bySerrano Wins by Unanimous Decision

TV:Showtime

Amateur Career

• 2012 World Youth Championships Quarter-finalist in Jerevan, Armenia as a Light Flyweight.
  • Defeated Almambet Alibekov (Kyrgyzstan) 14-10
  • Defeated Anton Chernamaz (Belarus) 19-8
  • Lost to Lalitha Prasad Polipalli (India) 11-12
• 2013 Asian Youth Championships Silver medalist in Subic Bay, Philippines as a Light Flyweight.
  • Defeated M.Roshan Sandaruwan (Sri Lanka) RSC 3
  • Defeated Erdenbaat Tsendbaatar (Mongolia) 23-10
  • Defeated Jong Hyok-Nam (North Korea) 20-9
  • Defeated Lalitha Prasad Polipalli (India) 17-10
  • Lost to Jade Bornea (Philippines) 13-15

• Asianboxing Profile of Kosei Tanaka

BARRANQUITAS, PR- (1/7/17)- Repletos de alegría, la Organización Mundial de Boxeo y su exitoso programa mundial ‘WBO Kids Drug Free’, llegaron en la tarde de hoy al pueblo de Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, para celebrar el tradicional Día de Reyes junto a decenas de niños y niñas.

“Esta actividad en Barranquitas la realizamos por primera vez el año pasado”, indicó el Presidente de la OMB, Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcárcel. “(Christopher Díaz) Pitufo es nuestro Campeón Juvenil de las 126 libras, un modelo para la juventud y una persona bien querida por todos. Nosotros venimos en apoyo a Pitufo, trayéndole este incentivo a los niños para que ellos se vean reflejados en lo que representa Pitufo. Ver a una figura como Pitufo, que es un joven limpio, que se ha superado, ha estudiado y es muy dedicado a su deporte, ayuda a estos jóvenes a quererse superar en la vida para ser en el futuro ciudadanos de bien”.

Entre tanto, el Primer Vicepresidente de la OMB, John Duggan, se mostró emocionado al poder ser parte de las festividades diciendo que “estoy muy contento de estar en Puerto Rico y disfrutar de esta actividad del ‘WBO Kids Drug Free’. Es un placer aportar y ver tantos rostros de niños felices en esta fiesta del Día de Reyes”.

Decenas de niños y niñas recibieron mochilas con artículos escolares, juguetes y participaron del sorteo de 10 bicicletas y 10 escúteres.

“Estoy muy agradecido con Paco Valcárcel y la OMB por estar un año más aportando y trayendo alegría a nuestros niños de Barranquitas”, manifestó el Campeón Mundial Juvenil Pluma de la OMB y quinto clasificado mundial, Christopher ‘Pitufo’ Díaz. “Gracias a Dios le estamos dando a estos niños un regalito, ya que muchos no pudieron recibir nada en el Día de Reyes. Mi compromiso es real con ellos. Es una bendición poder ser un ejemplo para ellos y seguiré trabajando para que puedan sentirse orgulloso de mí”.

La actividad contó con la presencia del ex Campeón Mundial Samuel ‘Torbellino’ Serrano, el Campeón Latino Ligero y primer clasificado mundial Félix ‘El Diamante’ Verdejo, el Campeón Latino Jr. Mosca y cuarto clasificado mundial Angel ‘Tito’ Acosta, los contendores Alberto ‘El Explosivo’ Machado y Víctor Bisbal, el prospecto Roberto Cruz y los integrantes de la Selección de Boxeo Aficionado de Puerto Rico Henry Lebrón y Yankiel Rivera.

También compartieron con los presentes el entrenador Ricky Márquez, el manejador Margaro Cruz, el promotor Peter Rivera, los jueces Idalia Parra, Nelson Vázquez, César Ramos y Jerry Martínez, los árbitros Melva Santos, Luis Pabón y José Hiram Rivera.

Adicional a Valcárcel y Duggan, por parte de la OMB estuvo en la actividad el Vicepresidente del Comité de Campeonatos Lcdo. Edgardo López Sasso, el Asesor Administrativo Manuel Marrero Hueca y el colaborador Lcdo. Jorge Luis Rivera.

Fotos: Víctor Planas/WBO

By Maloney L. Samaco –Manny Pacquiao won two times the past year 2016, the first one on a trilogy and the second one coming out of brief retirement. Those two impressive wins make the fighting senator a candidate for the Fighter of the Year honors.

Ranked No. 7 pound-for-pound by The Ring, Pacquiao knocked No. 9 P4P Bradley down twice in Rounds 7 and 9 and outpointed him in practically the twelve rounds of the fight.

Pacquiao landed 28% (122 of 439) punches thrown, and 46% of power punches (92 of 201) compared to Bradley’s 33% (99 of 302) punches landed and 40% (87 of 218) of power punches thrown according to CompuBox.

Pacquiao won the WBO international welterweight title fight by unanimous decision with a score of 116-110 from all three judges.

In his comeback fight, Pacquiao defeated Jessie Vargas by 114-113, 118-109, 118-109 unanimous decision becoming the new WBO welterweight champion. The 37-year-old aging warrior knocked the 27-year-old champion down in the second round with a sharp counter punch and dominated the American all night.

Pacquiao landed 36% (147 of 408) punches thrown, and 48% of power punches (101 of 212) compared to Vargas’ 19% (104 of 561) punches landed and 23% (70 of 305) of power punches thrown according to CompuBox.

In its Fighter of the Year ranking, CompuBox placed Pacqiuao 5th behind its 1st placer Terence Crawford with 49 points, 2nd placer Vasyl Lomachenko with 44, 3rd placer Andre Ward with 39, and 4th placer Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez with 31. Pacquiao got 27 points ahead of 6th placer Carl Frampton with 20.

Point Totals were based on each listed six fighter’s 2016 fights with 6 pts. awarded for the leader in each of the 10 listed categories, 5 pts. for No. 2, 4 pts. for No. 3, 3 pts. for No. 4, 2 pts. for No. 5 and 1 pt. for No. 6.

The categories are Total Landed/Round, Total Thrown/Round, Total Connected %, Jabs Landed/Round, Power Landed/Round, Power Connected %, Opponents’ Total Connected %, Opponents’ Power Connected % and Opponents’ Total Landed/Round.

Pacquiao placed No. 2 in the Power Connected % category.

Even if he is a darkhorse for the FOTY, Pacquiao still showed the world that he is still one of the top fighters of the world in 2016.

www.philboxing.com/news/story-124895.html

By Joe Koizumi
Photos: Sumio Yamada

Unbeaten Japanese speedster Kosei Tanaka acquired his second world belt of the WBO 108-pound championship when he whipped Mexican veteran Moises Fuentes from the outset and caught him with a flurry of punches to badly drop him and score a fine TKO victory at 2:52 of the fifth round on Saturday in Gifu, Japan.

Tanaka, an enfant terrible at 21, seized his second belt in the eighth pro bout, and tied the Japanese record of Naoya Inoue.

Promoter: Hatanaka Promotions.

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/live-now-fuentes-vs-tanaka-386860

 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

Yaegashi defends light flyweight crown for third time

WBO super flyweight champion and Japanese phenom Naoya Inoue had no problem safely extending his title defense streak to four, defeating ex-WBA champ and compatriot Kohei Kono with a sixth-round technical knockout in a year-end boxing show at Ariake Colosseum on Friday.

The 36-year-old Kono, who lost his title to Luis Concepcion of Panama in August, fought aggressively from the beginning. But Inoue kept his poise throughout the match with a hit-and-away strategy.

The champion landed a counter left about 40 seconds into the sixth round, from which Kono barely stood up. But Inoue finished it moments later as he rushed to Kono raining blows.

The stoppage time was 1 minute, 59 seconds remaining in the round.

“I felt good on that one,” said Inoue, who stayed unbeaten with a 12-0-0 record in his professional career, of his counter left that delivered the fight’s first knockdown of Kono.

Inoue said that his game plan was to capitalize on Kono’s aggressive style of fighting, letting him come forward and then land counter blows.

“We thought that he wouldn’t come against me in different ways,” the 23-year-old said of Kono’s fighting style. “I had patterns to attack on him from myself as well, but we stuck to our game plan to let him attack on me and it worked that way tonight. I thought I was able to watch my opponent well, instead of keep swinging my punches.”

Kono, dubbed “Tough Boy,” had said that retirement crossed his mind after his WBA belt slipped out of his hands during the summer, yet didn’t offer specific details about his future after Friday’s bout by saying, “I’ll take some rest, and think of what I’ll do.”

There’s been speculation that Inoue will have a fight against WBC super flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez, who’s arguably the world’s best pound-for-pound boxer with a 46-0-0 record, in the near future.

Inoue said that he wants to have the potential big match against the Nicaraguan, though he and his gym president Hideyuki Ohashi said that it’s getting harder for the Japanese boxer to stay in the weight class.

“It’ll be a matter of my weight and the timing (of the fight),” Inoue said.

In the other world title match at Ariake Colosseum, three-division champion Akira Yaegashi struggled but managed to post a 12th-round TKO win over Thailand’s Samartlek Kokietgym, defending his IBF light flyweight belt for the third time.

“I could’ve finished it earlier, but I had hard times fighting against (Samartlek),” Yaegashi, 33, said. “My corner gave me the green light (in the 12th round), so I did go, and I feel relieved I was able to knock him out.”

Meanwhile, London Olympic middleweight gold medalist Ryota Murata dropped Mexican opponent Bruno Sandoval to the canvas with a right in the third round to post a KO victory.

“My opponent today was the strongest (among the four I faced this year), so it gave me confidence,” said Murata, who improved his pro record to 12-0.

Asked if he’d like to challenge for a world title soon, he quickly responded, saying, “I want to do it next.”

Murata debuted as a pro at Ariake in 2013, but he said that he wasn’t in a position to say he’d aim for a world championship at that time. Three years later, however, he feels he’s finally reached a point he can say so.

Akihiko Honda, Murata’s gym boss at Teiken Gym, said that the boxer would have a legitimate chance of challenging WBO middleweight champ Billy Joe Saunders. Honda added that if a speculated Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. bout happens, it means Alvarez won’t fight against Saunders and Saunders could meet Murata instead.

Also on Friday’s undercard, London Olympic bantamweight bronze medalist Satoshi Shimizu landed a perfect right to earn a third-round KO over the Philippines’ Carlo Pepito Demecillo in his second pro bout.

“I perfectly hit his chin with my right between my index and middle fingers,” Shimizu said. “I’m pleased I was able to entertain the fans a little bit, though I wanted to fight a little longer.”

www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2016/12/30/more-sports/boxing-2/super-flyweight-inoue-retains-world-title-sixth-round-tko-kono/#.WGaf63eZMgo

By Gabriel F. Cordero –

Sad to report that WBO Ratings Chairman Luis Perez passed away tonight in Puerto Rico due to complications caused by cancer. He was just 68 years old. Sporting his trademark goatee, Perez was for many years a fixture in Puerto Rican boxing and a longtime top WBO executive. He will be missed.

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/wbo-ratings-chairman-luis-perez-passes-386015

By Vadim Pushkin – WBO cruiserweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk (11-0, 9 KOs) arrived at the International airport Borispol of Kiev, Ukraine to a hero’s welcome. After his arrival, Usyk held press conference with the local media to discuss the future of his career.

Last Saturday night at The Forum in Los Angeles, Usyk made his American debut with a ninth round stoppage of Thabiso Mchunu (17-3, 11 KOs). It was Usyk introduction to the American audience as the fight was televised by HBO.

Usyk will make his return on March 18th at Madison Square Garden in New York City. That evening will be headlined by the highly anticipated middleweight fight between Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs. Both Golovkin and Usyk are promoted by K2 Promotions.

The fight will be the second defense for Usyk and his second appearance in the United States.

Usyk had some issues at the start of his first run on American soil, but eventually adjusted and then put Mchunu away.

“I’m very happy with my performance, he was awkward but I’m glad I was able to win by knockout,” said Oleksander Usyk. “Once I was able to find my range and throw combinations my power was too much for him.”

K2 Promotions head and former WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko was sitting at ringside and watched the contest unfold. He was pleased with Usyk performance despite his issues in the early rounds.

“In these types of fights you gain experience. They are uncomfortable for a couple of rounds, but its the type of experience that makes you even better. I was very pleased with the fight. There were a lot of mistakes, but this is the kind of fight that raises you to another level,” Vitali Klitschko said.

www.boxingscene.com/photos-oleksandr-usyk-arrives-home-heros-welcome–111972?print_friendly=1

Date:   Saturday, December 17, 2016

WBO JR. HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location:   Forum, Inglewood, California, USA

Promoter:   K-2 Promotions  – Tom Loeffler  / Main Events – Kathy Duva

Supervisor:  Genaro Rodriguez

Referee: Lou Morel

Judges: Jonathan Davis 79-72, Kermit Bayless 79-72 and Levi Martinez 77-74

Results: Oleksandr Usyk Won by KO round 9 of 12, time 1:53

TV: USA HBO, Panama Cable Onda Sports, Latin America: Canal Space

OMAHA, Neb. — Unbeaten world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford stopped John Molina in the eighth round to end a dominating performance Saturday night.

Crawford retained his WBO and WBC junior welterweight titles. Molina didn’t make the 140-pound weight Friday, and if Crawford had been upset, the titles would have been vacated.

Crawford was in control all the way and finished off Molina moments after Molina raised his hands, as if to ask for more as the champion landed a flurry of punches. A shot to Molina’s midsection backed him into the corner, and Crawford then unloaded repeated shots to the head and body, causing Molina to go down. Referee Mark Nelson stepped in to stop the fight at the 2:32 mark.

The 29-year-old Crawford (30-0, 21 knockouts) came out in an orthodox stance but quickly switched to southpaw. Molina was on defense early, with Crawford landing a left to the head and then a right that staggered him. Molina walked into a right to the head in the second.

Crawford went mostly untouched, but Molina did land a hard right to the head in the third. From there, Crawford mixed in his jab while connecting often with punches to the head and body.

Crawford beat previously undefeated Viktor Postol by unanimous decision in July in Las Vegas to unify the 140-pound titles, and Crawford continues to hold out hope that he gets a shot at Manny Pacquiao before the Philippine boxer retires.

 Terence Crawford retained his WBO and WBC junior welterweight titles Saturday night. AP Photo/Nati Harnik 

The 33-year-old Molina (29-7, 23 knockouts) upset Ruslan Provodnikov in his last fight but had been just 5-5 in his previous 10.

The fight against Crawford lost much of its luster when Molina weighed in at 143.4 pounds on Friday, disqualifying him from winning the titles.

In the co-main event, former world title contender Ray Beltran knocked out Mason Menard 51 seconds into the seventh round to win a pair of regional lightweight titles.

Beltran (32-7-1, 20 knockouts) began asserting himself after the second round. Beltran left Menard (32-2, 24 knockouts) woozy with a flurry at the end of the sixth. His left to the right cheek laid out Menard, and Nelson stopped the fight.

Menard, who had won 30 straight fights, stepped in for the injured Juan Diaz on the card. Beltran had won twice since stopping Takahiro Ao in May 2015, but that fight was changed to a no-decision after Beltran failed a post-fight drug test.

www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/18252767/terence-crawford-stops-john-molina-eighth-round

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

By Ryan Burton –

Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, NV – Shortly after Vasyl Lomachenko’s seven round thrashing of Nicholas Walters in a HBO televised main event, elite trainer Robert Garcia spoke to BoxingScene.com about the 28-year-old phenomenon.

Prior to the fight, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez and Andre Ward had been considered the top two fighters in the world. In their most recent fights both men won close decision victories that some observers felt could have been scored draws or even gone the other way.

Given the dominant fashion of Lomachenko’s victory, Garcia believes an argument could be made that he is the top fighter in the world pound for pound.

“I think so [that Lomachenko is pound for pound number one]. I would say that. Skills wise ain’t nobody better than him honestly. He’s the real deal skills wise. I think Walters should have tested him a little more but to me he didn’t even try,” Garcia told BoxingScene.com.

Lomachenko compiled an amateur record of 396-1 with Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012. He is now 7-1 as a professional with 5 knockouts.

Lomachenko captured his first world title in June of 2014, dominating former US Olympian Gary Russell to win his in his third pro bout. He matched Saensak Muangsurin’s record for fewest fights needed to win a world championship.

The only blemish on his pro record was a loss to Mexico’s Orlando Salido in Lomachenko’s second professional fight — when the vacant WBO featherweight title on the line.

It was an embarrassing first defeat for Walters as his decision to quit in the middle of the fight dropped his record to 26-1-1 with 21 knockouts.

Lomachenko said after the bout that he next wants to fight WBC super featherweight champion Francisco Vargas.

www.boxingscene.com/robert-garcia-lomachenko-pound-pound-number-one–111175?print_friendly=1

Photos: Sumio Yamada-

Unbeaten WBO lightweight champion “Turbo Terry” Flanagan (32-0, 13 KOs) scored a one-sided eighth round TKO over lackluster challenger Orlando “El Fenomeno” Cruz (25-5-1, 13 KOs).on Saturday night at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales. Flanagan pressed the action, while the much smaller Cruz was pretty much in survival mode from the get-go. Flanagan finally dropped Cruz twice in round eight to end the non-competitive contest. Time was :43.

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/flanagan-stops-cruz-eight-retain-wbo-lightweight-title-360718/nggallery/page/3

Date:   Saturday, November 26, 2016

WBO JR. LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location:   Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Promoter:  Top Rank / Bob Arum

Supervisor:   Richard De Cuir

Referee:  Tony Weeks

Judges:   Adalaide Byrd; Glenn Trowbridge; Burt A. Clements

Results:  WBO Jr. Lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (7-1, 5 KOs) retained his title with a 7th round TKO victory over Nicholas “Axe Man” Walters.

TV:  USA HBO

Date:   Saturday, November 26, 2016

WBO LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location:   Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

Promoter:  Queensberry Promotions / Frank Warren

Supervisor:  Istvan Kovacs

Referee:  Steve Gray

Judges:  Marcus McDonnell; Lynne Carter; Leu Mihai

Results: Unbeaten WBO lightweight champion “Turbo Terry” Flanagan (32-0, 13 KOs) scored a one-sided eighth round TKO over Orlando “El Fenomeno” Cruz (25-5-1, 13 KOs).

TV: Panama RPC Channel 4

Two-division world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Vasyl Lomachenko (6-1, 4 KOs) and unbeaten former world champion Nicholas “Axe Man” Walters (26-0-1, 21 KOs) spoke to the press on Monday about their HBO clash this Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Vasyl Lomachenko: I think it is going to be very, very hard for me in the first four rounds, then after that I will be trying to terminate the bout.

Nicholas Walters: I don’t think this is a different Lomachenko from the guy that lost to Salido – he is the same Lomachenko. They say a leopard cannot change his spots right? Since he did lose to Salido, he can be as technical all he wants, but I am in the hurt business – this is a gladiator sport and I fight all of my fights like that, I fight like a gladiator. He can come in with his technical fight on Saturday and I am going to be up for it and put on a helluva show on Saturday night.

Lomachenko-Walters Q@A Transcript

BOB ARUM: This is my 2000th event and this fight is worthy of being my 2,000th event. Nicholas Walters is the hardest puncher in these divisions — they don’t call him the “Axe Man” for nothing and he always give 100%. And Vasyl Lomachenko is an unbelievable technician who has done really the impossible, winning world titles in two divisions in a record-few seven professional fights. So I look for a Fight of the Year candidate on Saturday night at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and everybody can watch it live on HBO in addition to the replay of the controversial fight from Saturday between Kovalev and Ward. And what I think is the Fight of the Year candidate Lomachenko vs. Walters. I’m a big fan of both guys. I think Walters is a tremendous fighter and I enjoy the way he fights.

LOMACHENKO: I would like to congratulate Bob Arum on his 2000th event and I am proud to be on his 2000th fight card. I wish him very good health and I hope he can make a 2,500th card so I can be on that also.

Why the interest in fighting Walters now when there were trepidations before?

LOMACHENKO: This is a very important bout for me because many boxing experts and many people in boxing rank Walters as the highest-rated fighter in our division. He is a very hard puncher and a very good boxer and for me it’s a very important thing to me to fight the best and it’s very important for me because everyone says he is a very good fighter.

How do you think this fight will go with Walters since he is a bigger boxer?

LOMACHENKO: I don’t know. I cannot answer that question. I can’t tell you exactly how it’s going to go or tell you what is going to happen in the ring. That will depend on how it begins in the ring. It is boxing and everything is going to happen very fast.

Where did you learn your creativity? Were there any boxers you watch while younger that you learned from?

LOMACHENKO: First of all, I would like you to know that everything that I have is what my father created in me and my father put everything together into me. Secondly I am a workaholic – I work hard. I do not cheat myself in training, I work very hard and somehow God has given me great balance that helps me put everything together.

There is a video on You Tube that compares Vasyl to The Matrix. Have you seen the video? What is your reaction? There are many people outside of boxing that have seen this video…

LOMACHENKO: This is exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to let different people know, people outside of boxing, to know me. I think the boxing game is one that people have forgotten about and they are not enjoying it as much. I want to bring back and show how interesting boxing can be. I am the motherboard.

Do you have a plan for the future? What do you see as the endgame?

LOMACHENKO: For sure I was thinking about that, and my contract is over in six or seven months and that’s when I am thinking about finishing my career (laughing at his joke).

BOB ARUM: I would like to say this; that Vasyl Lomachenko is technically the best fighter that I have seen since the early Muhammad Ali. There is nobody that I have seen, and there have been a lot of great technical fighters that I have seen – Alexis Arguello was one, Floyd Mayweather certainly, Manny Pacquiao – but there has been nobody with the skills that Vasyl Lomachenko has.

You have fought a lot of amateurs – when you fight a fighter like Walters who sometimes swings for the fences, what typically has happened in those type fights?

LOMACHENKO: If we are talking about the amateurs – the punchers never got anywhere in their careers. Usually three rounds was not enough time to get ready for the fight. The punchers are professional boxers not amateur boxers.

How do you see this fight playing out?

LOMACHENKO: I think it is going to be very, very hard for me in the first four rounds, then after that I will be trying to terminate the bout.

This is a big fight, but how do you see Lomachenko in the bigger fights in the larger arenas?

BOB ARUM: Lomachenko has a huge upside. This is the second world title in as many divisions in seven professional fights – that has never happened before, and he is going to win more world titles as he goes up in weight and there are going to be very interesting guys for him to fight. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that he and Manny [Pacquiao] could fight sometime next year. Lomachenko wants challenges and he is a tremendous talent. His upside is enormous and a lot of people are watching him — not just boxing fans — because he is an unbelievable talent. They see him on You Tube and on HBO and have said what an unbelievable talent he is.

Do you want to fight Manny Pacquiao?

LOMACHENKO: Yes, of course I would like to fight Pacquiao, but not in the next fight.

What makes this a can’t-miss fight?

BOB ARUM: They call Walters the Axe Man for a reason — he searches and destroys. He is a tremendous puncher and he is in with a technician who has enormous talent in boxing not only defensively but offensively, so this is a can’t-miss fight and I want the people to realize that not only do I believe that it will be a Fight of the Year candidate, I believe that if Vasyl Lomachenko is successful, he should be right up there for consideration for Fighter of the Year.

Do you feel like you may want to slow Lomachenko down a little bit?

BOB ARUM: From the first day I met him, when he sat down with me and we discussed his future, I was concerned because people were offering him large signing bonuses, he told me that he didn’t want a signing bonus; he wanted to earn his own money. All he wanted was challenges that I would present to him. That’s what I am going to do. He doesn’t want any gimmes – he wants every fight to be a challenge. So at 130-pounds, who is more of a challenge than Nicholas Walters? I am not going to slow him down. He knows his ability a lot more than I do. And you have to give his father credit – his father is probably the best trainer in boxing today and I say that without any question, because look what the father produced from the Ukrainian Olympic team in London. Oleksandr Usuyk who is now a cruiserweight champion, Alexandr Gvozdyk, a light heavyweight who you saw last week on the Ward-Kovalev pay-per-view, who is a future champion – they are all Ukrainians and they were all trained by Vasyl’s father. So he has a lot going for him.

How will you deal with the reach advantage that Walters has?

LOMACHENKO: Boxers always have an advantage over another, whether it is a longer reach or more weight or a taller guy. How I will use his reach advantage to my advantage, you will find out on Saturday.

What do you think when someone of Bob’s stature speaks so highly of you?

LOMACHENKO: It will give me another motivation because a lot of people may look at that or hear that and think that maybe it’s not true. When I hear that it gives me a lot of motivation to make me work harder in my training to prove that what Bob is saying. I don’t have the chance to make any mistakes. I have to prove that Bob is right.

——–  ———

Do you think the layoff will affect you?

WALTERS: The layoff? I am in the motivation business, so the layoff is definitely part of the boxing business. As a fighter I have always been in the gym working out and everything so the layoff wouldn’t even bother me and I wouldn’t take the fight if I thought I wasn’t going to be ready for the fight. I don’t even think for a minute that I only want to please Nicholas. I want to please the fans and my country, both Panama and Jamaica and all of my fans in Mexico and all over the world. I am not just taking the fight for Nicholas. I am taking the fight for everybody and come Saturday I am going to be ready for the fight – just like all of the other fights.

How do you feel about taking on this fighter that is a two-division world champion in only seven pro fights and that everyone is saying is so great?

WALTERS: The achievement is good for him. And Bob knows what he is talking about since he has been in the business for 50 years. Even Muhammad Ali lost fights. I don’t think this is a different Lomachenko from the guy that lost to Salido – he is the same Lomachenko. They say a leopard cannot change his spots right? Since he did lose to Salido, he can be as technical all he wants, but I am in the hurt business – this is a gladiator sport and I fight all of my fights like that, I fight like a gladiator. He can come in with his technical fight on Saturday and I am going to be up for it and put on a helluva show on Saturday night.

You don’t see much development in Lomachenko and feel he is ripe for the taking with your power punching?

WALTERS: Each fight is different and I am not going to tell you that I am going to fight Lomachenko the same way that Salido fought him. Of course, only a fool doesn’t learn from his mistakes, doesn’t learn from his mistakes in the ring. He has been training and working out so I know he is a more complete fighter than his first fight. I am not even worried, so to speak, but I know that he has learned and is a better fighter from that loss. But it is still a blemish on his record that he lost. With that in mind he has tasted defeat and I have never tasted defeat. We have stayed undefeated and we are going to keep it that way this Saturday.

What would this victory mean to you and your career?

WALTERS: I don’t know. This fight for me is just as important as my last fight. Each fight I have I fight hard and I fight tough. In each fight for me I defend my undefeated record. Each fight for me I am defending my pride. This victory would be a big victory because we know that this guy is no easy fight. We are not saying that Lomachenko is an easy opponent. We know he is a top fighter and a tough fighter. We are just saying that this Saturday and this victory is going to put the Axe Man to where I want to be and hopefully next year I start making over $1 million per fight. That’s what we are aiming at. So we win Saturday then move on to other opponents.

In Closing…

WALTERS: I don’t have a lot to say, just that the Axe Man is going to show that he is the real Krusher on Saturday night. Not some softee, but the real Axe Man the real Krusher will be in the ring on Saturday night.

BOB ARUM: I am absolutely thrilled that this fight between Lomachenko and Walters will be my 2000th boxing event and will definitely be a candidate for Fight of the Year with two great fighters. The HBO telecast will begin at 10:35 p.m. ET / 10:30 p.m. PT. The Kovalev-Ward replay will also be part of the HBO telecast. That fight’s scoring was very controversial so if you haven’t seen it this is your chance. Then watch the Fight of the Year, I believe, between Lomachenko and Walters. There were only 60 tickets left this morning at The Cosmopolitan and it will probably be sold out by the end of today so the best way to see the fight, if you don’t have a ticket, is on HBO.

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/lomachenko-walters-talk-upcoming-collision-360558

Photo: Top Rank –

Former world champion Nicholas Walters was mobbed by the media at Top Rank Gym. Walters is preparing for his fight against Vasyl Lomachenko on Saturday. The fight is for the WBO World super featherweight title and will be at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

www..fightnews.com/Boxing/photo-of-the-day-25-360572

  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.

  Unbeaten Saunders will be aiming to take his record to 24-0