A deal has been struck for Matt Korobov to fight Andy Lee in Ireland for the vacant WBO middleweight title.

By Wil Esco –

Bob Arum announced a deal has been agreed to for Korobov and Lee to fight for the vacant WBO middleweight belt, in a bout promoted by Frank Warren, taking place in Dublin, Ireland. The fight will determine the ultimate replacement for Peter Quillin, who vacated the WBO title rather than fight Korobov. I think it’s probably fair to assume that “Irish” Andy Lee will be the crowd favorite on fight night.

“We have confirmation from last week from Frank Warren that we’re going forward with that fight. The fight will be in Dublin, Ireland, on Dec. 13,” said Arum. “We have an agreement through e-mail, and our lawyers are drawing up a provision of services agreement to send to Frank to sign. I think that it’s a very good fight and a very interesting fight.”

Andy Lee (33-2, 23 KOs) was the protege of the late Emanuel Steward, and was a rising force in the middleweight division until Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. put a tremdous beating on him. Andy hasn’t seemed quite the same since then, or perhaps he was just exposed on that night. Either way, Andy was getting beaten up again, pretty comprehensively, by young prospect John Jackson this past June, when in a moment of despair and retreat, Lee managed to land a picture perfect right hook on the button that ended Jackson’s night. It was a great punch and an exciting ending, but it hardly restored any legitimate faith in Lee as a top middleweight in my view.

So here comes Matt Korobov (24-0, 14 KOs), who doesn’t have any flashy names on his resume but appears to be fairly competent in the ring nonetheless. Solely based on Lee’s recent outings, I would be inclined to favor Korobov, but in no way would be surprised if Lee were able to take this one. I guess that makes this a fair and intriguing fight!

http://www.badlefthook.com/2014/10/7/6934815/matt-korobov-andy-lee-scheduled-for-dec-13th

Photo credit:  Stephanie Keith for NY Daily News –

Buboy Fernandez, the assistant coach for WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs), says Pacquiao is training to attack challenger Chris Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs) with nonstop punches in their fight on November 22nd at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort, Macao, Macao S.A.R., China.

Pacquiao will be looking to wash over Algieri like a Tsunami next month in their HBO pay-per-view televised fight on Championship Boxing.

Buboy figures that the all-out attacking style of fighting for the 35-year-old Pacquiao could produce a knockout early if the slender Algieri chooses to slug with him. Why Algieri would do that is unknown, because if he watched his last fight against Ruslan Provodnikov, you can see that Algieri was moving constantly and not mixing it up.

“We are training him for more head movements, more punching combinations and a non-stop assault,” Buboy said to Philboxing.com. “We expect a bigger and taller Algieri to run around the ring. We should be ready for that. But, just in case, Algieri decides to mix it up then much better. The fight would end earlier.”

Pacquiao always fights the same pretty much. If Buboy’s plan for Pacquiao to beat Algieri is for him to go and throw nonstop combinations then he’d better come up with a good plan-B, because that’s a style that is more suited towards stationary fighters like Brandon Rios rather than movers like Algieri.

You’d hate to think that Pacquiao will be spending 7 weeks working on trying to storm a stationary foe by throwing 100 punches per round. What Buboy and Pacquiao need to be work on is trying to cut off the ring against movers like Algieri. Pacquiao looked horrible each time Tim Bradley used any kind of movement in their fight last April, as he showed no improvement in cutting off the ring from their first fight. Pacquiao was able to beat Bradley only because he chose to stand and trade instead of using movement like he did in their first fight.

“We will employ non-stop pressure. Our fighting congressman will chase him wherever he goes. Then try to throw three to five punching combinations to the head and body,” Fernandez said.

Pacquiao’s ability to cut off the ring could be hampered by his tendency to cramp up when he moves a lot. If he gets a case of cramps against Algieri on November 22nd then it’s quite possible that Algieri is going to box circles around him.

I’m not sure that the judges will give Algieri a decision no matter how good he looks, but he sure will make Pacquiao look every bit the loser if he can’t cut off the ring. It almost doesn’t matter if Algieri gets robbed. If he can make Pacquiao fight like he has two left feet like Bradley did in 2012 then the boxing public will ignore any decision handed down by the judges and see Algieri as the winner.
http://www.boxing247.com/boxing-news/buboy-pacquiao-will-be-attacking-algieri-with-a-non-stop-assault/34609#JF9VMSDrZsKg1udK.99

WBO Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey Kovalev (Center) speaks wtih members of the media on October 2, 2014 in Big Bear City, California at his media day for his November 8, 2014 world title unification fight against WBA & IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Bernard Hopkins at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey which will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®. Photos by Sergey Kovalev/Hoganphotos.

http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-sergey-kovalev-holds-media-day-big-bear–82781

Photo by:  Sergey Kovalev/Hoganphotos –

Big Bear City, CA – As current WBO Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev prepares for the fight of his life against Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins next month, he is on the precipice of a life-altering event as his wife, Natalya, is moments away from giving birth to their first child.

The Kovalevs are expecting their son any day now, with the official due date scheduled for October 17. Despite the stress and distractions that come with expectant-parenthood, the 31-year-old Kovalev assured everyone at his media day at Wolf Total Fitness in Big Bear City, Calif. yesterday that his focus is still fixated 100 percent on Hopkins, “I’m living for this fight. Only for this fight. I’m leaving for Florida when my [first] baby is due. I’ll be in training camp in Florida because this is the most important thing in my life right now.”

Sergey is scheduled to conclude his strength and conditioning training in Big Bear on October 9, then he will return to Ft. Lauderdale, FL to begin the sparring portion of his training with his trainer two-division world champion John David Jackson. With this schedule, there is a very good chance he will not be with his wife in Los Angeles when she goes into labor.

“The doctor says my baby is due October 17, but also said that we can plan one week early because in the last week the baby will be one pound more so for my wife it will be harder,” explained Kovalev.

“Right now she’s very afraid she will stay alone in LA. She’s most worried that I won’t see him after [he is born] for one month. She says that for her it’s very important. I said, why? I will see a picture,” joked Kovalev. “I don’t understand yet, but maybe she is 100 percent right that I will see him Thursday and after that I will crush Hopkins. I need to see him first before I give him a name.”

Despite potentially missing out on the birth of his son, Kovalev feels training for this fight is the most important thing he can do for his new family, “I have in my body, I have in my face, I have in my mind, the motivation that I need to get this win because it’s my future.” He added, “My goal still is to be undisputed in this division. This fight is two more titles, it’s my goal. I want all four.”

Sergey knows he is facing no small feat in the 49-year old Hopkins, “Our styles are different. American and Russian boxers are from different boxing schools. Hopkins’ style is old school. He’s doing some things that nobody does. Nobody does it how he does it,” explained ‘The Krusher.’ “This fight for me will be a big test. Hopkins is very good fighter. He is a very tough fighter and very smart. It will be a very good fight. His defense is incredible too. We’re working on everything. I have prepared for twelve rounds because I understand his strategy, what he wants to do and we’ll be prepared for anything.”

Training camp always begins for Kovalev with strength and conditioning in Big Bear. “In Big Bear everything is close. Nobody can touch you, nobody can call you, nobody can disturb you – just you and your mind and your focus on the fight,” said Kovalev. “Big Bear helped me to be focused on my workout, on my job. Florida is boxing training camp. Only boxing, only sparring, not for physical training. Here [in Big Bear] is for strength and condition to be stronger in the ring.”

When asked about his strategy for Hopkins, Sergey said, “I don’t have any strategy. I just go into the fight. What will happen, will happen. I’m not scared to lose, I’m not scared to win. This is a sport. But Hopkins is a legend. He’s a professor of boxing. He’s a very proud man as a boxer. He’s very smart, he’s very technical. It will be very difficult to fight him and for me it will be very big test. I’m ready for any test in my life. I have prepared for this test.”

Sergey is known as “The Krusher” because of his uncanny ability to secure the knockout; 92 percent (23 of 25) of his victories have come via the stoppage. However, according to Kovalev, that is not his game plan going into each fight, “I don’t have a goal to knockout anybody. I just go into the ring and make a fight. When it happens, it’s good for me. Less work, less job in the ring, more happy and more happy for my fans. I don’t have a goal that I need to knock him out.” He added, “When you want to knockout somebody, you can’t do it because your opponent can see your punch. I just go in to do boxing.”

http://www.boxingscene.com/kovalev-not-focused-on-ko-aims-crush-hopkins–82812

Lem Satterfield –

Talks are ongoing for a middleweight clash of southpaws in December between Matt Korobov and Andy Lee for the vacant WBO belt, their respective promoters, Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions and Lou DiBella informed RingTV.com on Thursday.

“We’re working on the details right now,” said DiBella. “It would look like we’re aiming for December. The venue would be uncertain but it could be in England.”

The promoters’ request was also tweeted by WBO President Paco Valcarcel on Thursday.

“Their letter has been received by the WBO World Championship Committee,” said Jose Izquierdo, general secretary of the WBO, “so the championship committee will decide whether or not to sanction the fight for the vacant title.”

The negotiations for Korobov-Lee are part of recent developments in the wake of Peter Quillin’s having vacated the title last month rather than face Korobov.

“We’re trying to put it together,” said Arum of Korobov-Lee. “We’re looking at Dec. 13.”

Korobov (24-0, 14 knockouts) was subsequently ordered  to fight WBO junior middleweight beltholder Demetrius Andrade before Andrade chose to remain at 154 pounds and defend his belt in December.

Andrade was given the shot against Korobov over the Puerto Rico-based  WBO’s No. 2-rated 160-pounder Billy Joe Saunders in accordance with a petition from Andrade’s promoters, Artie Pelullo of Banner Promotions and and Joe DeGuardia of Star Boxing. The WBO, in part, ruled that Andrade was more deserving as an organization titleholder given that Saunders had not fought a top-rated boxer in more than a year.

In his last fight in June, Korobov, 31, scored a unanimous decision over Jose Uzcategui. Lee (33-2, 23 KOs), 30, earned a come-from-behind, fifth round knockout of John Jackson in June.

The win over Jackson represented Lee’s fifth straight victory, third by stoppage, since falling by seventh round knockout to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June 2012.

“Andy Lee had the knockout of the year against John Jackson. I think that Andy Lee’s a very good fighter. I think that he can fight at either 154 or 160,” said DiBella. “I think that he has an excellent chance to beat Korobov and to become the middleweight champion. He’s well-traveled and he’s fought top competition. He’s been through the fire and he’s a guy who has shown that he’s resilient. He’s a very popular fighter and a very deserving fighter.”

Izquierdo said the WBO is also aware that Saunders could now face Chris Eubank Jr. in an all-English clash in November.

“I don’t know that there has been a formal request for that fight but that fight must also be approved. It seems that would be for a WBO International title,” said Izquierdo, “but we are aware that there are ongoing negotiations on that fight. In that case, it would have to be approved by the executive director of the WBO International [committee].”

Saunders, 25, was last in action for an eighth round knockout of Emanuele Blandamura in July and Eubank Jr., 25, for a first round knockout of Ivan Jukic in July, representing his ninth consecutive stoppage win.

http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/358471-matt-korobov-andy-lee-in-the-works

By Dan Rafael –

When Peter Quillin gave up his middleweight world title in early September at the behest of manager Al Haymon rather than face Matt Korobov for a career-high payday (by far) of $1,428,630 — because Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports swooped in and won a purse bid to grab control of the fight from Haymon — it set things in motion for how the vacancy would be filled.

And what a roller coaster that has been.

Originally, the vacancy was to be filled by Korobov taking on Billy Joe Saunders. Korobov promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank and Saunders promoter Frank Warren quickly made a deal for Korobov to travel to England for the fight, which was ticketed for the Tyson Fury-Dereck Chisora undercard on Nov. 29 in London.

But then Banner Promotions’ Artie Pelullo, the co-promoter of junior middleweight titlist Demetrius Andrade, petitioned the WBO to give Andrade the shot at Korobov for the vacant title. It is commonplace for the WBO to allow a titleholder from one division to get an immediate shot at the title in the weight class above where they hold the title.

So it came as no surprise when the WBO ruled in Pelullo’s favor, causing Arum to rip Pelullo because Arum claimed they had worked out a deal for Andrade to step aside.

But a funny thing happened on the way to Korobov-Andrade: Andrade’s camp rejected the fight this week, instead electing to remain at junior middleweight to defend his title, even though he has no specific date or opponent lined up just yet while Pelullo battles it out with HBO over his next bout.

So that set things back in motion for a possible Korobov-Saunders fight right? Sort of. Saunders is supposed to meet Chris Eubank Jr. on Dec. 13 in a fight that was agreed to when it looked like Saunders wouldn’t get the world title shot.

Arum said he got a call this week from Warren saying that it looked as though Saunders-Eubank — which has had trouble of its own getting finalized — would indeed take place. If that actually happens, it means that Korobov could instead face perennial contender Andy Lee for the vacant belt on Dec. 13 on the HBO undercard of Timothy Bradley Jr.’s next fight or in the United Kingdom.

“The deal would be the winner of Korobov-Andy Lee could fight Saunders if he beats Eubank,” Arum said.

Arum was still steamed that Pelullo went to so much trouble to get Andrade the shot at the vacant belt only to back out of the position and mess up the plans for Korobov-Saunders.

“I’m pissed off,” Arum said. “I’m not against a promoter doing the best he can for his fighter but to go off on a tangent and disturb everything that was planned and not even have the fighter on board is amateur night. You get your ducks in order before you make that move [with the WBO]. If Andrade really wanted to fight for the middleweight title then I would have understood it. I wouldn’t have liked it but I would have understood it. This I don’t understand. Why make such a production out of getting the kid the fight for the vacant title and then you don’t take the fight?”

Korobov is going to fight for the vacant belt against whomever the WBO approves for the fight. As for Lee, promoter Lou DiBella said, “It’s a possibility. Andy would definitely be interested in fighting Korobov for the title.”

The WBO is considering a request to approve Korobov-Lee for the belt.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dan-rafael/post/_/id/10573/korobov-lee-for-vacant-160-belt

Undefeated WBO Bantamweight World Champion Tomoki “El Mexicanito” Kameda will make the third defense of his title against interim titlist and mandatory challenger Alejandro Hernandez on Saturday, Nov. 1, in the co-feature of a Showtime Boxing: Special Edition.
In the main event of the tripleheader, popular light heavyweight contender Andrzej “Chicago’s Polish Prince” Fonfara will return to his adopted hometown against experienced veteran Doudou Ngumbu in a 10-round light heavyweight showdown from UIC Pavilion at University of Illinois in Chicago.

In the opening bout of the telecast, undefeated super featherweight contender and former Interim WBA Featherweight World Champion Javier Fortuna will take on twice-beaten Puerto Rican Abner Cotto in a 10-round super featherweight bout. The event, titled “The Homecoming,” is promoted by Warriors Boxing.

Chicago’s Fonfara, 26, a native of Warsaw, Poland, had won 13 in a row before a hard-fought loss to WBC Light Heavyweight World Champion Adonis Stevenson this past May in a thrilling battle on SHOWTIME. A heavy underdog, Fonfara floored the champion in his hometown of Montreal in the ninth round in a showdown that was closer than most experts anticipated.

Fonfara (25-3, 15 KOs) is now 15-1 with one no-contest since July 2008. The WBC No. 6 contender at 175 pounds, Fonfara has defeated three former world title holders -Byron Mitchell (TKO 3), Glen Johnson (a clear 10-round decision in perhaps a career-best victory) and Gabriel Campillo (TKO 9) -in his last six starts.

Fonfara, who campaigned for much of his career at 168 pounds and below, has only lost once at light heavyweight, and that loss was to Stevenson, widely considered as the top fighter in the world at 175 pounds. The 6-foot-2 Fonfara, who turns 27 three days after the showdown with Ngumbu, will return to Chicago for his eighth fight in his last nine starts.

A boxer with superb stamina and surprising power, Fonfara’s iron chin allows him to outlast his opponents and come on in the later rounds of his fights.

The 32-year old Ngumbu, of Toulouse, France by way of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, will make his U.S. and North American debut. Originally a soccer player, Ngumbu found boxing at age 18 and turned professional at 25. The former African champion (33-5, 12 KOs) is vastly experienced, having fought 247 rounds to Fonfara’s 129.

The 5-foot-11 Ngumbu is coming off a 10-round unanimous decision over Johnny Muller in June in Monte Carlo, Monaco, and has gone the 12-round distance six times since 2009.

Ngumbu holds a 2013 win over former world title challenger Vyacheslav Uzelkov, who lost in 2010 to then-WBA Light Heavyweight Champ Beibut Shumenov. Ngumbu also has a 12-round unanimous decision win over Aleksy Kuziemski, who challenged Nathan Cleverly for the WBO Light Heavyweight World Title in 2011.

Ngumbu’s long arms and fast hands allow him to come forward with an unorthodox but aggressive attack from unpredictable angles. His tendency to keep his hands at his sides makes all of his fights exciting affairs.

Kameda (30-0, 19 KOs), of Tokyo, Japan, is coming off a brutal 7th round knockout victory of former WBO Bantamweight Champ Pungluang Singyu in his U.S. debut on July 12.

The victory over Singyu was the biggest win of the 23-year-old’s career. Singyu had formerly held the same championship belt until losing it to Paulus Ambunda in March 2013. Ambunda lost his belt to Kameda in his first and only defense of the title last August via unanimous decision.

Kameda and his two brothers, Koki and Daiki are among the most famous fighters in the history of Japanese boxing, and all three recently held world titles at the same time. While Tomoki held the WBO Bantamweight Championship, Koki was the WBA Bantamweight Champion until he voluntarily relinquished the title in December in order to move down to flyweight, and Daiki was the IBF Junior Bantamweight Champion until he lost by decision last December.

Kameda moved to Mexico when he was 15 years old to learn an aggressive fighting style and quickly earned the Spanish nickname “El Mexicanito” (The Little Mexican). A true boxer-puncher with extremely fast hands, Kameda continues to train in Mexico, but has since moved back to Japan where his family enjoys celebrity status.

Hernandez (28-10-2, 15 KOs), of Mexico City, won the vacant Interim WBO Bantamweight World Championship with a unanimous decision over countryman Daniel Rosas on June 14.

The 28-year-old Hernandez has won three fights in a row at bantamweight and is a former world title challenger at 115 and 112 pounds. Hernandez fought to a draw for the vacant WBO Super Flyweight Championship to then-undefeated Marvin Sonsona in 2009 and lost a unanimous decision to then-WBO Flyweight Champion and current WBO Super Flyweight kingpin Omar Andres Narvaez in 2008.

A fearless “do or die” slugger from the classic Mexican warrior mold, Hernandez comes forward relentlessly behind powerful combinations to the head and body.

Fortuna (25-0-1, 18 KOs), of Dominican Republic, is a former Interim WBA Featherweight World Champion – he won the vacant belt against previously undefeated Patrick Hyland in 2012. The southpaw was set to defend his crown in April of 2013 against Miguel Zamudio but lost the title on the scales after failing to make weight. He knocked Zamudio down twice en route to a devastating first round knockout and then gradually settled into the 130-pound division.

Fortuna, 25, is coming off a 10-round unanimous decision over Juan Antonio Rodriguez on May 31 in Las Vegas and is just one fight removed from a knockout of former world title challenger Francisco Lorenzo.

Fortuna, who is known for his explosive speed and highlight reel knockouts, only has one blemish on his record – a controversial draw against Luis Franco in August of 2013.

Cotto (18-2, 8 KOs), a relative of future Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto, was a top amateur in Puerto Rico – he won a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games and compiled a record of 235-20 before turning pro.

The 27-year-old Cotto is coming off a split-decision victory of Jerry Belmontes in August and his only two losses have come against top competition. He lost to undefeated WBC 135-pound champ Omar Figueroa in a non-title bout in 2013 and to top 130-pound contender Francisco Vargas this past March.

Additional bouts and the undercard will be announced shortly.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/kameda-fonfara-fortuna-headline-nov-1-263306#more-263306

Photos: Chris Farina/Top Rank –

WBO World Featherweight champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Vasyl Lomachenko works out in Oxnard,Ca. for his upcoming title fight against Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo of Thailand.

Promoted by Top Rank and Sands China Ltd., in association with MP Promotions, Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing, Banner Promotions and Tecate, Lomachenko fights on the undercard of the Pacquiao vs. Algieri world welterweight championship event that will take place Saturday, November 22, at the Cotai Arena in The Venetian Macao Resort in Macau,China. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/lomachenko-looks-sharp-in-workout-263340

General Santos City, Philippines – WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao is already training hard for his upcoming bout with undefeated challenger Chris Algieri, who holds the WBO’s championship at junior welterweight, which is scheduled for November 8th at the Venetian in Macau, China. Pacquiao has resurrected his career in wake of back to back defeats in 2012, and is now looking to get his third consecutive victory against the up and coming Algieri.

http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-pacquiao-putting-work-algieri-clash–82758

OMAHA, NEB — Undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight champion TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD, Omaha’s favorite son, will make an encore hometown title defense on the heels of his wildly successful victory over previously undefeated world champion and Cuban sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa.  Crawford will defend his title against No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger RAY BELTRAN on Thanksgiving weekend, Saturday, November 29, at the CenturyLink Center.  The fight will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. Photos by Chris Farina/Top Rank.

Crawford successfully defended his title on June 28, at the CenturyLink Center, knocking out previously undefeated world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa in front of an energized crowd. The fight, a candidate for Fight of the Year honors, was televised live on HBO®, and according to Nielsen Media Research, garnered an average audience of 1.208 million viewers to the live, first-time airing, making it the second most-watched fight of the year so far.  Crawford vs. Gamboa was the first world championship fight the city of Omaha had hosted in 42 years when Joe Frazier defended his World Heavyweight Championship crown against Ron Stander in 1972.

“It’s an honor to fight in my hometown during the holiday season in front of my fans and family who will be traveling to Omaha,” said Crawford.  “It’s great that Top Rank and HBO are coming back into town to promote another show on one of the biggest weekends of the year.  Beltran feels I have something – a world title belt – which belongs to him.  He thought he beat Ricky Burns and I thought Beltran won too.  But he didn’t and I did. Beltran can fight. We know that.  I am going to fight him like a bad dog, fight fire with fire. Let’s see if he really has a will to win in Omaha. My will to win is off the charts. He won’t be coming straight at me the way he did against Ricky Burns.  My team and I are training hard to put on a good show for everyone. No one will be disappointed.”

“Crawford has shown to be a talented fighter, someone I respect,” said Beltran.  “But I see this fight as an opportunity for me to achieve the recognition in the boxing world and the public’s eye.  This fight is Champion vs. Champion. It’s not about the belts. It’s about us.  Crawford is talented, has skill, but I have the ability to adapt and will be ready for what he brings.  The situation against Burns made me stronger, I felt the love of the crowd and all of their respect that night.  I feel blessed with my family and friends.  All of that will be with me when I fight Crawford in Omaha. I am the No.  2 fighter in the world. Crawford is No. 1. That is what this is all about.  I believe in me.  This is my moment.”

“This fight between Crawford and Beltran could very well be the fight of the year. The styles and skills of both fighters guarantee as much,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum.

“When Terence Crawford fought in front of his Omaha hometown crowd last June, the atmosphere produced one of the most spectacular fights of 2014 on HBO,” said Peter Nelson, vice president, programming, HBO Sports.  “The spotlight returns to the American heartland November 29, as the undefeated champ faces Ray Beltran, a challenger who has earned more opportunities than he’s been given and always gives the fans his all.”

“CenturyLink Center Omaha is honored to have the opportunity once again to host this world championship boxing event,” said Roger Dixon, President and CEO of the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority.  “The atmosphere was electric in June and we expect even more excitement this time around”

Crawford (24-0, 17 KOs), of Omaha, returns to the ring fresh from his dramatic and critically-acclaimed knockout victory of Gamboa.  Not only did Crawford retain his title, he also made himself a contender for Fighter of the Year.  He is only the second Nebraska native to be recognized as a boxing world champion.  Perry “Kid” Graves, from Rock Bluff, captured the welterweight crown, knocking out Johnny Alberts in Brooklyn, in 1914, according to the Omaha World-Herald.  After a short but impressive amateur career, which included victories over future world champions Danny Garcia, Mikey Garcia and one-time world title challenger Diego Magdaleno, Crawford made his professional debut on March 14, 2008 – a first-round knockout victory of Brian Cummings.  On March 1, 2014 – just 13 days short of the sixth anniversary of his pro debut, Crawford captured the WBO lightweight title, dethroning defending champion Ricky Burns on Burns’ home turf of Glasgow, Scotland. Scoring a powerful and unanimous decision, Burns put the boxing world on notice that with his virtuoso performance.  Crawford pulled out all stops in dismantling Burns as he rocked the defending champion throughout the fight, while switching back and forth between orthodox and southpaw stances.

Beltran (29-6-1, 17 KOs), a native of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, who now lives in North Hollywood, Calif.,  is one of the lightweight division’s toughest and most experienced fighters.  A former NABF and USBA lightweight champion,  Beltran enters this fight riding a two-year five-bout winning streak, which includes a disputed draw against defending WBO lightweight champion hometown favorite Ricky Burns in Glasgow, Scotland last year.  In that fight, Beltran fractured Burns’ jaw in the first two rounds and dominated the fight, consistently landing the harder punches.  Beltran scored a knockdown in the eighth round and finished the fight strongly.  Ringside observers and television viewers alike screamed “home cooking!” when the fight was declared a draw.  Beyond his professional fight, Beltran has had the benefit of being a main sparring partner for Fighter of the Decade Manny Pacquiao for several years before becoming a top-rated contender in his own right.  In his last fight, on April 12,  he claimed the NABO lightweight title, winning  a 12-round unanimous decision against once-beaten Arash Usmanee on the undercard of the Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley Jr world welterweight championship rematch.

http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-terence-crawford-ray-beltran-go-face-face–82695

Date:  Saturday, September 27, 2014

WBO SUP. MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location:  Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Promoter:  Sauerland Events / Wilfried Sauerland

Supervisor:   István Kovács

Referee:   Robert Byrd

Judges:   Waleska Roldan (117-110); Fernando Laguna (119-109); Zoltan Enyedi (117-111)

Results:   The Champion Arthur Abraham retained the WBO Sup. Middleweight Title against Paul Smith by Unanimous Decision.

TV:  Germany ARD, Hungary Sport 1

Athur Abraham (40-4, 28KOs) and Paul Smith (35-3, 20KOs), and other fighters from the undercard, were training hard for the fans and press. This coming Saturday night in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany – Abraham will defend his his WBO super middleweight championship for the second time against Smith, who hopes to claim the title and bring it back to the UK. Abraham’s career is back on track after recapturing the title in March with a trilogy win over Robert Stieglitz.

http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-arthur-abraham-paul-smith-working-battle–82480

Undefeated WBO junior welterweight champion Chris Algieri may be in training camp learning how to beat boxing superstar Manny “Pacman” Pcquiao, but this weekend it will be his alma mater that takes him to school.  Stony Brook University, where Algieri graduated with Honors, in 2007, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Management (Algieri also has a Masters degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York Institute of Technology), will host Chris as the “Alumni Fan of the Game” at Saturday’s annual Wolfstock Homecoming celebration among 11,000 fans and present to him a proclamation from Suffolk County Supervisor Steven Ballone declaring September 27th “Chris Algieri Day.”

“This is an incredible honor.  Stony Brook has played such an important part in my life personally and professionally, “said Algieri.  “I am confident my Seawolves can do to William & Mary on Saturday what I did to Ruslan Provodnikov last June — PULL OFF A BIG WIN.”

Algieri is scheduled to arrive on campus (100 Nicolls Rd., Stony Brook, NY 11790).at 3:30 p.m.

Here is a summary of his activities:

– Welcomed at LaValle Stadium by Stony Brook President Dr. Samuel L Stanley

– Interview on Stony Brook University’s School of Journalism “Wolfstock Live” student broadcast

– Pregame on-field presentations and ceremonies before the Seawolves vs. William & Mary football game

– Watching the game from the President’s Suite with Dr. Stanley and Dexter Bailey, Senior Vice President for University Advancement

– End of First Quarter on-field recognition as the Alumnus of the Game

– Second Quarter participation in Alumni/Student Contest

– Special Halftime Presentation from Algieri to President Stanley

Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs), from Huntington, NY on Long Island, has become one of boxing’s top stories, as well as being hailed as the 21st century real-life Rocky.  Over the last 22 months Algieri, a former kickboxing champion, has elevated himself from a prospect to a world-class contender to a world champion. After accumulating significant victories over top prospect Jose Alejo, former USBA champion Mike Arnaoutis, and highly-rated contender Emmanuel Taylor,  Algieri, stepped up in his HBO debut and challenged WBO junior welterweight champion “The Siberian Rocky”  Ruslan Provodnikov  on June 14   Despite suffering two knockdowns in the first round which closed his swollen right eye, Algieri who entered the fight as a 5-1 underdog, eschewed the natural instinct to panic and resolutely stuck to his game plan, expertly using his jab and supreme athletic ability to pick apart the defending champion to claim a split decision victory and the world title. The live, first-time airing of the fight averaged over 1.1 million viewers placing among the five most-viewed fights on cable this year.  In what could be a first for any professional boxer, Algieri used his purse from the Provodnikov bout to pay off his student loans.  He aspires to attend medical school after he concludes his boxing career.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/algieri-to-be-honored-by-alma-mater-262289#more-262289

Jakarta, Indonesia –

Once again, the World Boxing Organization extended the Kids Drug Free Program (WBO-KDFP) and reached the children of Indonesia.  After three years of successful campaign, the WBO once again had lengthen its 4th annual program in the Central city of Jakarta’s commercial and recreational area of Blok M Bulungan Gym. This time the program was focused in an Amateur Boxing League of children that were qualified to participate in the forthcoming National Amateur boxing meet to be held at the end of this month in a nearby Tangerang district.

It must be recalled that the first program in January 2011 was held in the 2^nd biggest City of Surabaya, the second program ceremony was held on April 2012 in the central City of Jakarta at the government’s TVRI studio following a WBO Asia-Pacific championship and the 3^rd was held in East Jakarta Taman Mini Football stadium were an all youth amateur football participated the ceremony in coordination with IGN. Slamet Riyadi Football Club.

With the blessings of the Honorable WBO President Francisco Paco Valcarcel, Esq. and thru the directives and guidance of the WBO Asia-Pacific Vice President & Chairman Leon Panoncillo, Jr to the WBO Asia-Pacific Board Member Antonio M. Comia who leads the gift-giving program with gracious participation and support of the Secretary General Martinez Dos Santos of the Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association (Pertina), received huge gratitude  from the youth amateur boxing community.

In the process of promoting sports, it has been the campaign of the WBO to use sports to prevent the youth from using drugs. The WBO utilize its rich pool of personnel all over the world to organize these charitable activities. The KDFP has been going on for several years now in this part of the world such as Philippines, Australia, Thailand, Tanzania, Indonesia, among others.

By Felipe Leon –

Date:  Saturday, September 20, 2014

WBO INTERIM JR.  LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location:  Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico

Promoter:  Promociones Zanfer / Fernando Beltran

Supervisor:   Luis Perez

Referee:  Eddie Claudio

Judges:  Patricia Morse Harman, Robert Hoyle, John Madfis

Results:   Orlando “Siri” Salido obtained the WBO Interim Jr. Lightweight Title against Terdsak Kokietgym by TKO in round 11.

TV:  USA belN Sports en español

Date:  Saturday, September 20, 2014

WBO JR. BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location:  Argentina

Promoter:  O.R. Promotions / Osvaldo Rivero

Supervisor:   Jorge Molina

Referee:  Celestino Ruiz

Judges:  Patt Russell 114-114 | Dennis Nelson 116-112 | Robert Hecko 116-112

Results:  The Champion Omar Andres Narvaez retained the WBO Jr. Bantamweight title against Felipe Orucuta by Majority Decision.

TV:  Argentina T y C Sports

Boxing history was made in Copenhagen, Denmark Saturday night. Norwegian star Cecilia Brækhus (26-0, 7 KOs) became the first female boxer to unify a division by holding all four major titles simultaneously. The WBC, WBA & WBO Champion scored a unanimous decision victory over IBF Champion Ivana Habazin (13-2, 5 KOs) to become the undisputed welterweight queen. Cheered on by her loyal army of travelling Norwegian fans, Brækhus once again proved why she is the pound-for-pound female number one with a classy performance against the tenacious Habazin. All three judges scored the fight 100-90 in favour of ‘The First Lady.’

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment for a long time,” said Braekhus. “To become the first female boxer to unify a division is a huge achievement and something that I am extremely proud of. I would like to thank all the fans that travelled to Copenhagen to support me and Ivana for the part she played in this historic fight.”

Promoter Nisse Sauerland added “Cecilia is a phenomenal athlete. Not only will she go down in history as the first female unified champion but it is our belief that she will be remembered as the greatest female boxer of all time.”

http://cdn.fightnews.com/Boxing/undisputed-champion-braekhus-ive-been-dreaming-of-this-moment-for-a-long-time-261129