Dubois withdraws from IBF elimination process |
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Boxingtalk has learned that heavyweight contender Daniel Dubois (pictured) has withdrawn his name from consideration for an IBF final eliminator against Frank Sanchez of CUba. The news broke just a couple of hours before the IBF was to conduct a purse bid for the promotional rights to a bout between the two big men. Dubois, a former IBF titlist who lost his belt in a unification bout with the true world champion, Oleksandr Usyk, was invited into the IBF elimination process after Efe Ajagba backed out of a fight vs. Sanchez. With Dubois now out of the IBF picture, the next elimination bout subject to negotiation will likely be Sanchez vs. Jared Anderson of the United States.
PRIOR BOXINGTALK COVERAGE:
NOV. 13, 2025: The IBF has postponed a Frank Sanchez vs. Daniel Dubois purse for one week. It was scheduled for today (November 13th) but has been postponed to November 20th. If the bout occurs, it will be a heavyweight elimination bout. The e-mail stated, "the IBF is continuing in its efforts to schedule a heavyweight elimination bout."
NOV. 4, 2025: In August, a purse bid was held for a fight between Frank Sanchez and Efe Ajagba, but the bids were not high enough to entice the boxers to accept, particularly Ajagba. The IBF moved on to a fromer champion, ordering Sanchez to begin negotiations with Daniel Dubois on October 7th. Dubois' last fight was a KO loss in a unification fight vs. the true world champion Oleksandr Usyk. Normally, the IBF does not invite a boxer coming off a knockout loss to take part in an eliminator, but apparently an exception was made for Dubois. In any event, no agreement was reached between Sanchez and Dubois so the IBF has scheduled a purse bid for November 13th. It remains to be seen whether Dubois will be interested in a fight vs. the Cuban Sanchez. After a 2024 loss to Agit Kabayel, Sanchez had one very low-level fight in 2025, beating a man with a losing record in February.
AUG 26, 2025: Sampson Boxing won a purse bid today and now has the right to promote an IBF heavyweight elimination bout between Cuba's Frank Sanchez and Nigeria's Efe Ajagba. Sampson's winning bid was $302,000, which will be split 60% for Ajagba and 40% for Sanchez, assuming both men accept the fight. A decision from the boxers to accept or decline is due in fifteen days. Top Rank, Ajagba's promoter, put up a losing bid for $210,000. Under IBF rules, Sampson must schedule the bout to take place within 28 and 90 days and not more than 90 days from today, which is Monday, November 24th. This will be a rematch of a ten-round fight in 2021 that Sanchez won by unanimous decision. The winner becomes the IBF mandatory contender for undefeated world champion Oleksandr Usyk, but the path to an actual title shot is unclear because Usyk owns all four major heavyweight titles which puts him in a position to pick and choose his fights. Sanchez (25-1 with 18 KOs) last fought in February, when he bounced back from his first career loss with a third-round knockout of Ramon Olivas Echeverria (18-25 with 12 KOs). Echeverria was once on the losing end of a fixed fight. Sanchez was fighting for the first time since his seventh-round knockout loss to Agit Kabayel in May of 2024. Though the win was hardly a challenge for Sanchez, it got him back into position for the IBF eliminator. Ajagba (20-1-1) last fought in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia against 299-pound Martin Bakole. After ten rounds, Bakole was fortunate to come away with a draw against Efe Ajagba (pictured). After ten rounds, the judges adjudicated the bout 96-94 for Ajagba, 95-95 and 95-95, making it a majority draw. It wasn't a robbery, but Ajagba was more active, had superior ring generalship and seemed to land more punches. Bakole landed a few harder punches, and that was enough to convince two judges to award a stalemate. AUG. 19, 2025: A purse bid for an IBF heavyweight eliminator is back on the books after a few previous postponements.. The promotional rights to a potential Frank Sanchez vs. Efe Ajagba rematch is scheduled to be auctioned off on Tuesday, August 26, 2025 at 12 noon. Sanchez defeated Ajagba by unanimous decision in 2021, but with heavyweight contenders Filip Hrgovic and Derek Chisora jockeying for bigger fights, Sanchez and Ajagba are the two highest ranked fighters in the IBF ratings to enter the elimination process. Undefeated world champion Oleksandr Usyk owns all four major heavyweight titles, including the IBF version. AUG. 11, 2025: The IBF announced that the Efe Ajagba vs. Frank Sanchez purse bid has been postponed until further notice. AUG. 4, 2025: When Filip Hrgovic pulled out of the IBF heavyweight elimination process, on July 24th, the IBF ordered #3 ranked Efe Ajagba and #4 ranked Frank Sanchez to begin negotiations for an eliminator for the vacant #1 position. Derek Chisora sits at #2. Carl Moretti of Top Rank, representing Ajagba, confirmed that Ajagba would like to proceed straight to a purse bid, which is permitted under IBF rules. The IBF initially scheduled a purse for Tuesday, August 5th but that has now been pushed back one week until August 12th. Oleksandr Usyk owns all four major heavyweight titles, including the IBF version. MAY 19, 2024: In a WBC heavyweight eliminator held on the big Riyadh, Saudi Arabia show, Agit Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs) made a huge career move forward, stopping the favored and previously undefeated Frank Sanchez (24-1, 17 KOs) in round seven. Kabayel defeated Sanchez with a strong body attack. The normally mobile Sanchez fought with a brace on his right knee. Kabayel is Kurdish but lives in Germany. OCT. 10, 2021: Cuban heavyweight Frank Sanchez (19-0, 13 KOs) scored one knockdown on his way to a comfortable, ten-round unanimous decision win over Efe Ajagba. Sanchez used his superior boxing skills to keep the hard-hitting Ajagba (15-1, 12 KOs) off-balance for the entire fight. The “Cuban Flash” displayed his power as well, flooring Ajagba with a hard right in the seventh. A follow-up left hook which landed a tick after Ajagba’s knee hit the canvas Ajagba made it to his feet and survived the round but never seriously threatened on his way to the first defeat of his career. Sanchez said afterwards, "I knew I was going to win all the rounds because I’m much better than him technically. I knew that if I connected, he would fall and he did fall. My game plan was always to frustrate him and go in for the attack."
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Dubois withdraws from IBF elimination process
Boxingtalk has learned that heavyweight contender Daniel Dubois (pictured) has withdrawn his name from consideration for an IBF final eliminator against Frank Sanchez of CUba. The news broke just a couple of hours before the IBF was to conduct a purse bid for the promotional rights to a bout between the two big men. Dubois, a former IBF titlist who lost his belt in a unification bout with the true world champion, Oleksandr Usyk, was invited into the IBF elimination process after Efe Ajagba backed out of a fight vs. Sanchez. With Dubois now out of the IBF picture, the next elimination bout subject to negotiation will likely be Sanchez vs. Jared Anderson of the United States.
PRIOR BOXINGTALK COVERAGE:
NOV. 13, 2025: The IBF has postponed a Frank Sanchez vs. Daniel Dubois purse for one week. It was scheduled for today (November 13th) but has been postponed to November 20th. If the bout occurs, it will be a heavyweight elimination bout. The e-mail stated, "the IBF is continuing in its efforts to schedule a heavyweight elimination bout."
NOV. 4, 2025: In August, a purse bid was held for a fight between Frank Sanchez and Efe Ajagba, but the bids were not high enough to entice the boxers to accept, particularly Ajagba. The IBF moved on to a fromer champion, ordering Sanchez to begin negotiations with Daniel Dubois on October 7th. Dubois' last fight was a KO loss in a unification fight vs. the true world champion Oleksandr Usyk. Normally, the IBF does not invite a boxer coming off a knockout loss to take part in an eliminator, but apparently an exception was made for Dubois. In any event, no agreement was reached between Sanchez and Dubois so the IBF has scheduled a purse bid for November 13th. It remains to be seen whether Dubois will be interested in a fight vs. the Cuban Sanchez. After a 2024 loss to Agit Kabayel, Sanchez had one very low-level fight in 2025, beating a man with a losing record in February.
AUG 26, 2025: Sampson Boxing won a purse bid today and now has the right to promote an IBF heavyweight elimination bout between Cuba's Frank Sanchez and Nigeria's Efe Ajagba. Sampson's winning bid was $302,000, which will be split 60% for Ajagba and 40% for Sanchez, assuming both men accept the fight. A decision from the boxers to accept or decline is due in fifteen days. Top Rank, Ajagba's promoter, put up a losing bid for $210,000. Under IBF rules, Sampson must schedule the bout to take place within 28 and 90 days and not more than 90 days from today, which is Monday, November 24th. This will be a rematch of a ten-round fight in 2021 that Sanchez won by unanimous decision. The winner becomes the IBF mandatory contender for undefeated world champion Oleksandr Usyk, but the path to an actual title shot is unclear because Usyk owns all four major heavyweight titles which puts him in a position to pick and choose his fights. Sanchez (25-1 with 18 KOs) last fought in February, when he bounced back from his first career loss with a third-round knockout of Ramon Olivas Echeverria (18-25 with 12 KOs). Echeverria was once on the losing end of a fixed fight. Sanchez was fighting for the first time since his seventh-round knockout loss to Agit Kabayel in May of 2024. Though the win was hardly a challenge for Sanchez, it got him back into position for the IBF eliminator. Ajagba (20-1-1) last fought in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia against 299-pound Martin Bakole. After ten rounds, Bakole was fortunate to come away with a draw against Efe Ajagba (pictured). After ten rounds, the judges adjudicated the bout 96-94 for Ajagba, 95-95 and 95-95, making it a majority draw. It wasn't a robbery, but Ajagba was more active, had superior ring generalship and seemed to land more punches. Bakole landed a few harder punches, and that was enough to convince two judges to award a stalemate. AUG. 19, 2025: A purse bid for an IBF heavyweight eliminator is back on the books after a few previous postponements.. The promotional rights to a potential Frank Sanchez vs. Efe Ajagba rematch is scheduled to be auctioned off on Tuesday, August 26, 2025 at 12 noon. Sanchez defeated Ajagba by unanimous decision in 2021, but with heavyweight contenders Filip Hrgovic and Derek Chisora jockeying for bigger fights, Sanchez and Ajagba are the two highest ranked fighters in the IBF ratings to enter the elimination process. Undefeated world champion Oleksandr Usyk owns all four major heavyweight titles, including the IBF version. AUG. 11, 2025: The IBF announced that the Efe Ajagba vs. Frank Sanchez purse bid has been postponed until further notice. AUG. 4, 2025: When Filip Hrgovic pulled out of the IBF heavyweight elimination process, on July 24th, the IBF ordered #3 ranked Efe Ajagba and #4 ranked Frank Sanchez to begin negotiations for an eliminator for the vacant #1 position. Derek Chisora sits at #2. Carl Moretti of Top Rank, representing Ajagba, confirmed that Ajagba would like to proceed straight to a purse bid, which is permitted under IBF rules. The IBF initially scheduled a purse for Tuesday, August 5th but that has now been pushed back one week until August 12th. Oleksandr Usyk owns all four major heavyweight titles, including the IBF version. MAY 19, 2024: In a WBC heavyweight eliminator held on the big Riyadh, Saudi Arabia show, Agit Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs) made a huge career move forward, stopping the favored and previously undefeated Frank Sanchez (24-1, 17 KOs) in round seven. Kabayel defeated Sanchez with a strong body attack. The normally mobile Sanchez fought with a brace on his right knee. Kabayel is Kurdish but lives in Germany. OCT. 10, 2021: Cuban heavyweight Frank Sanchez (19-0, 13 KOs) scored one knockdown on his way to a comfortable, ten-round unanimous decision win over Efe Ajagba. Sanchez used his superior boxing skills to keep the hard-hitting Ajagba (15-1, 12 KOs) off-balance for the entire fight. The “Cuban Flash” displayed his power as well, flooring Ajagba with a hard right in the seventh. A follow-up left hook which landed a tick after Ajagba’s knee hit the canvas Ajagba made it to his feet and survived the round but never seriously threatened on his way to the first defeat of his career. Sanchez said afterwards, "I knew I was going to win all the rounds because I’m much better than him technically. I knew that if I connected, he would fall and he did fall. My game plan was always to frustrate him and go in for the attack."
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Saturday: Benavidez faces Yarde in 175-pound thriller |
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David “The Mexican Monster” Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) is set to face Britain’s Anthony “The Beast from the East” Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) on Saturday, November 22nd, at Riyadh’s ANB Arena. The bout will headline the Riyadh Season card “Ring IV – Night of Champions,” a stacked event bringing multiple world title fights under one roof. Benavidez (pictured) is the WBC light heavyweight champion and also holds the WBA regular title, beneath the WBA super championship of Dmitry Bivol, generally considered the division's true world champion. Now age 28, Benavdez made the jump to light heavyweight after twice reigning as the WBC super middleweight champion. He turned back top contenders like Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade. In his 175-pound debut, he outgunned Oleksandr Gvozdyk, and then David Morrell, proving that his trademark pressure and high-octane punch output translate seamlessly to a heavier division. Now holding the WBA world title, he looks to cement himself as the man to beat — and potentially pave the road toward a blockbuster fight with former champion Artur Beterbiev or Bivol.
Yarde, age 34, enters the fight with the bitter experience of two previous failed world title attempts — a dramatic knockout loss to Sergey Kovalev in 2019 and a war with Beterbiev in 2023 that ended in the eighth round. With 24 knockouts in 27 wins, the Londoner remains one of the most dangerous mid-range punchers in the division. His mission will be to stamp his authority early and capitalize on any lapse from the champion as he seeks a monumental upset on neutral ground.
Coming in, Benavidez rides the momentum of a commanding unanimous decision over Morrell in February 2025 in Las Vegas, his second outing at light heavyweight. Before that, he had closed his super middleweight chapter in dominant fashion — a TKO over Andrade in November 2023 and a points win over Caleb Plant in March of the same year.
Yarde, meanwhile, is fresh off a unanimous decision over Lyndon Arthur this past April, though his last major world title appearance remains the hard-fought 2023 battle with Beterbiev — a brutal contest that showcased his firepower but also exposed defensive vulnerabilities against elite opposition.
Benavidez vs. Yarde promises fireworks: the champion aims to drown Yarde under relentless pressure and volume, while the challenger will look for that one fight-changing shot that could flip the script. The winner stands to reshape the immediate future of the light heavyweight landscape — and possibly set the stage for a historic unification.
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Saturday: Benavidez faces Yarde in 175-pound thriller
David “The Mexican Monster” Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) is set to face Britain’s Anthony “The Beast from the East” Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) on Saturday, November 22nd, at Riyadh’s ANB Arena. The bout will headline the Riyadh Season card “Ring IV – Night of Champions,” a stacked event bringing multiple world title fights under one roof. Benavidez (pictured) is the WBC light heavyweight champion and also holds the WBA regular title, beneath the WBA super championship of Dmitry Bivol, generally considered the division's true world champion. Now age 28, Benavdez made the jump to light heavyweight after twice reigning as the WBC super middleweight champion. He turned back top contenders like Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade. In his 175-pound debut, he outgunned Oleksandr Gvozdyk, and then David Morrell, proving that his trademark pressure and high-octane punch output translate seamlessly to a heavier division. Now holding the WBA world title, he looks to cement himself as the man to beat — and potentially pave the road toward a blockbuster fight with former champion Artur Beterbiev or Bivol.
Yarde, age 34, enters the fight with the bitter experience of two previous failed world title attempts — a dramatic knockout loss to Sergey Kovalev in 2019 and a war with Beterbiev in 2023 that ended in the eighth round. With 24 knockouts in 27 wins, the Londoner remains one of the most dangerous mid-range punchers in the division. His mission will be to stamp his authority early and capitalize on any lapse from the champion as he seeks a monumental upset on neutral ground.
Coming in, Benavidez rides the momentum of a commanding unanimous decision over Morrell in February 2025 in Las Vegas, his second outing at light heavyweight. Before that, he had closed his super middleweight chapter in dominant fashion — a TKO over Andrade in November 2023 and a points win over Caleb Plant in March of the same year.
Yarde, meanwhile, is fresh off a unanimous decision over Lyndon Arthur this past April, though his last major world title appearance remains the hard-fought 2023 battle with Beterbiev — a brutal contest that showcased his firepower but also exposed defensive vulnerabilities against elite opposition.
Benavidez vs. Yarde promises fireworks: the champion aims to drown Yarde under relentless pressure and volume, while the challenger will look for that one fight-changing shot that could flip the script. The winner stands to reshape the immediate future of the light heavyweight landscape — and possibly set the stage for a historic unification.
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Frank Martin training camp report |
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Frank “The Ghost” Martin returns to the ring on December 6th and will begin his campaign at 140 pounds. He will be opposed by former two-division champion Rances Barthelemy on a three-fight PBC on Prime Video free livestream from Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. “At 140 I’m going to be stronger, faster and basically back where I’m supposed to be at,” said Martin, who had a successful run at 135 pounds before losing a title fight to Gervonta Davis in June 2024. “I stack up with anyone in the division. I’m just going to show it all on fight night and again and again every time I get into the ring. The loss didn’t make me lose my confidence. I just gotta get back there and punch on someone to let people see where I’m supposed to be.”
Martin (18-1, 12 KOs) will enter this next chapter of his career with a new head trainer leading his corner, as he’s teamed up with accomplished ex-champ Buddy McGirt. Martin felt a quick connection to McGirt when the two originally connected in Miami, and have continued to build momentum throughout this training camp in Dallas. “Buddy and I clicked right away,” said Martin, who credits another former champion, Maurice Hooker, with providing elite level sparring for this fight. “Everything has been so good so far. The key thing that Buddy and I have been working on is me being comfortable being me in the ring. We’re working on a lot of little things that are gonna help me get far, and we’re seeing the results in sparring.
“I’ve been letting my hands go, not throwing just one or two shots, but four and five punch combinations. My hands have been flying and I’m sitting on those shots. They’re crisp combinations. This is our first fight together, but I feel like a lot is going to show.”
The 30 year-old Martin’s run in the lightweight division saw him take down contenders Michel Rivera, Artem Harutyunyan and Romero Duno to earn the world title showdown against Davis. While he came up short in his title chalenge, Martin plans to take everything he learned from that experience into this next phase.
“I learned so much from the Gervonta Davis fight,” said Martin. “For starters, be you. Be comfortable. When they say the bright lights can affect you, I’d say it’s more than just the lights. It’s everything. There were a lot of other little things going on, and it all can play with your mental. At that level, you just have to be prepared for everything. I’m going to take everything I learned and I know I’ll be better for it.”
On December 6th, Martin will again face a former two-division world champion in Cuba’s Barthelemy. While he’s had an eye on Barthelemy throughout his career, Martin believes that he can put an end to Barthelemy’s career and stop the crafty veteran. “I’ve always seen Barthelemy as an awkward fighter,” said Martin. “He’s long, he’s tough and he’s tricky. He’s been a world champion in multiple divisions, so I know he’s not a walkthrough. I have to go out there and put on a demonstration.
“I’m going to show him that it’s over with for him. Now that they’ve matched me up with him, I’m gonna show him that Father Time has caught up to him. I’m seeing a stoppage win for me in this one. I’m not going to force anything. I just want the stoppage to come to me and come from the work that I put in.”
If Martin is able to handle business on December 6th, he plans to watch the evening’s main event, which will see 140-pound star Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and Lamont Roach duel for the WBC interim belt. Martin hopes to face the winner of that fight as soon as possible. “This is a great card on December 6th, but my favorite fight is definitely that main event with Pitbull vs. Roach,” said Martin. “I’m looking at the winner of that fight, so I’m going to be watching them real close.”
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Frank Martin training camp report
Frank “The Ghost” Martin returns to the ring on December 6th and will begin his campaign at 140 pounds. He will be opposed by former two-division champion Rances Barthelemy on a three-fight PBC on Prime Video free livestream from Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. “At 140 I’m going to be stronger, faster and basically back where I’m supposed to be at,” said Martin, who had a successful run at 135 pounds before losing a title fight to Gervonta Davis in June 2024. “I stack up with anyone in the division. I’m just going to show it all on fight night and again and again every time I get into the ring. The loss didn’t make me lose my confidence. I just gotta get back there and punch on someone to let people see where I’m supposed to be.”
Martin (18-1, 12 KOs) will enter this next chapter of his career with a new head trainer leading his corner, as he’s teamed up with accomplished ex-champ Buddy McGirt. Martin felt a quick connection to McGirt when the two originally connected in Miami, and have continued to build momentum throughout this training camp in Dallas. “Buddy and I clicked right away,” said Martin, who credits another former champion, Maurice Hooker, with providing elite level sparring for this fight. “Everything has been so good so far. The key thing that Buddy and I have been working on is me being comfortable being me in the ring. We’re working on a lot of little things that are gonna help me get far, and we’re seeing the results in sparring.
“I’ve been letting my hands go, not throwing just one or two shots, but four and five punch combinations. My hands have been flying and I’m sitting on those shots. They’re crisp combinations. This is our first fight together, but I feel like a lot is going to show.”
The 30 year-old Martin’s run in the lightweight division saw him take down contenders Michel Rivera, Artem Harutyunyan and Romero Duno to earn the world title showdown against Davis. While he came up short in his title chalenge, Martin plans to take everything he learned from that experience into this next phase.
“I learned so much from the Gervonta Davis fight,” said Martin. “For starters, be you. Be comfortable. When they say the bright lights can affect you, I’d say it’s more than just the lights. It’s everything. There were a lot of other little things going on, and it all can play with your mental. At that level, you just have to be prepared for everything. I’m going to take everything I learned and I know I’ll be better for it.”
On December 6th, Martin will again face a former two-division world champion in Cuba’s Barthelemy. While he’s had an eye on Barthelemy throughout his career, Martin believes that he can put an end to Barthelemy’s career and stop the crafty veteran. “I’ve always seen Barthelemy as an awkward fighter,” said Martin. “He’s long, he’s tough and he’s tricky. He’s been a world champion in multiple divisions, so I know he’s not a walkthrough. I have to go out there and put on a demonstration.
“I’m going to show him that it’s over with for him. Now that they’ve matched me up with him, I’m gonna show him that Father Time has caught up to him. I’m seeing a stoppage win for me in this one. I’m not going to force anything. I just want the stoppage to come to me and come from the work that I put in.”
If Martin is able to handle business on December 6th, he plans to watch the evening’s main event, which will see 140-pound star Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and Lamont Roach duel for the WBC interim belt. Martin hopes to face the winner of that fight as soon as possible. “This is a great card on December 6th, but my favorite fight is definitely that main event with Pitbull vs. Roach,” said Martin. “I’m looking at the winner of that fight, so I’m going to be watching them real close.”
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Chavez Jr. books ring return for early 2026 |
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Julio César Chávez Jr. has confirmed his return to the ring in Mexico, where he will face Argentine fighter Ángel Julián Sacco on January 24, 2026, in San Luis Potosí. The announcement was made by the state governor, Ricardo Gallardo Cardona, who described the event as “international-level” and encouraged fans to save the date. The fight marks a new chapter for “Junior,” who resumes his boxing career after dealing with legal issues in the United States (see below). His father, the legendary Julio César Chávez, stated that his son is ready to get back on track and that this bout will be the first step in a new cycle that could include two or three more fights before pursuing another world title opportunity. Chavez Jr., a former middleweight title holder, enters the ring coming off a loss to Jake Paul in the cruiserweight division earlier this year. He holds a record of 54-7-1. His opponent, Ángel Julián Sacco, arrives with a 10-1-1 record and 4 KOs.
In July, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained Chavez Jr., and processed him for expedited removal from the United States. The New York Times ran a story in which Mexican president Claudia Scheinbaum confirmed that the younger Chavez was indeed a wanted man in Mexico. The story credited Scheinbaum with saying that Mexican prosecutors had begun investigating the boxer in 2019 and had issued an arrest warrant in March 2023. She said Mexico had been unable to detain Mr. Chávez because “he lived most of the time in the United States.” Here is the official United States government press release from July 3, 2025: Chavez is a Mexican citizen who has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives. In August 2023, he entered the country legally with a B2 tourist visa that was valid until February 2024. Chavez is also believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. ICE arrested Chavez in Studio City, California on July 2nd.
On April 2, 2024, Chavez filed application for Lawful Permanent Resident status. Chavez’s application was based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, who is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. On December 17, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services made a referral to ICE that Chavez is an egregious public safety threat. However, an entry in a DHS law enforcement system under the Biden administration indicated Chavez was not an immigration enforcement priority. On January 4, 2025, the Biden administration allowed Chavez to reenter the country and paroled him into the country at the San Ysidro port of entry. Following multiple fraudulent statements on his application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident, he was determined to be in the country illegally and removable on June 27, 2025.
“This Sinaloa Cartel affiliate with an active arrest warrant for trafficking guns, ammunition, and explosives was arrested by ICE. It is shocking the previous administration flagged this criminal illegal alien as a public safety threat, but chose to not prioritize his removal and let him leave and COME BACK into our country,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Under President Trump, no one is above the law—including world-famous athletes. Our message to any cartel affiliates in the U.S. is clear: We will find you and you will face consequences. The days of unchecked cartel violence are over.”
[Chavez's] rap sheet is below:
On January 22, 2012, California Highway Patrol arrested Chavez and charged him with DUI alcohol/drugs and Driving Without a License.
On June 23, 2012, the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, convicted Chavez for the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol and sentenced him to 13 days in jail and 36 months’ probation.
On January 14, 2023, a District Judge issued an arrest warrant for Chavez, for the offense of organized crime for the purpose of committing crimes of weapons trafficking and manufacturing crimes, in the modality of those who participate in clandestinely bringing weapons, ammunition, cartridges, explosives into the country; and those who manufacture weapons, ammunition, cartridges, and explosives without the corresponding permit.
On January 7, 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Chavez and charged him with Illegal Possession of Any Assault Weapon and Manufacture or Import Short Barreled Rifle. The court convicted Chavez of these charges.
On his first day in office, President Donald J. Trump designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The Sinaloa Cartel targeted and viciously murdered U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Nicholas Quets, and has kidnapped, tortured and killed many other Americans. The Sinaloa Cartel has also played a major role in the trafficking of fentanyl across the U.S.-Mexico border. President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow vicious cartels to operate on American soil.
PRIOR BOXINGTALK COVERAGE JUNE 29, 2025... In Anaheim, California, Jake Paul got in ten rounds of good work but was never seriously challenged by Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. Paul won nearly every round but failed to hurt Chavez, a former champion from 2011-2012 who hasn't taken boxing seriously for years. Paul tired over the last two rounds, allowing Chavez to save some face after a generally dismal performance. Still, Paul won a deserved lopsided unanimous decision by scores of 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 and is likely to enter the world rankings of at least one of the major sanctioning bodies. Compubox credited Paul with a 141-60 edge in punches landed. For the first three rounds, Chavez's offense was virtually nonexistent. With the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. screamimng from ringside in frustration, his son finally landed a punch just before the end of round three. Things heated up a bit in the fourth as Chavez began to come forward a little more, but Paul still won the round. Chavez simply would not let his hands go with any regularity, and the couple of times that he did when he was in punching range, Paul wisely tied Chavez up.The packed, pro-Mexican crowd tried to will Chavez forward over the second half of the fight, but Chavez lacked the energy to throw extended combinations. It should be remembered that Chavez is 39 years old and as a former middleweight champion now fighting at cruiserweight, he is 40 pounds over his best weight. The momentum turned in round nine as Paul tired and Chavez landed several good blows. The tenth round featured the best exchanges of the contest, as a tired Paul fought back against a surging, suddenly aggressive Chavez. The late rally was not enough to overcome the first eight rounds.
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Chavez Jr. books ring return for early 2026
Julio César Chávez Jr. has confirmed his return to the ring in Mexico, where he will face Argentine fighter Ángel Julián Sacco on January 24, 2026, in San Luis Potosí. The announcement was made by the state governor, Ricardo Gallardo Cardona, who described the event as “international-level” and encouraged fans to save the date. The fight marks a new chapter for “Junior,” who resumes his boxing career after dealing with legal issues in the United States (see below). His father, the legendary Julio César Chávez, stated that his son is ready to get back on track and that this bout will be the first step in a new cycle that could include two or three more fights before pursuing another world title opportunity. Chavez Jr., a former middleweight title holder, enters the ring coming off a loss to Jake Paul in the cruiserweight division earlier this year. He holds a record of 54-7-1. His opponent, Ángel Julián Sacco, arrives with a 10-1-1 record and 4 KOs.
In July, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained Chavez Jr., and processed him for expedited removal from the United States. The New York Times ran a story in which Mexican president Claudia Scheinbaum confirmed that the younger Chavez was indeed a wanted man in Mexico. The story credited Scheinbaum with saying that Mexican prosecutors had begun investigating the boxer in 2019 and had issued an arrest warrant in March 2023. She said Mexico had been unable to detain Mr. Chávez because “he lived most of the time in the United States.” Here is the official United States government press release from July 3, 2025: Chavez is a Mexican citizen who has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives. In August 2023, he entered the country legally with a B2 tourist visa that was valid until February 2024. Chavez is also believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. ICE arrested Chavez in Studio City, California on July 2nd.
On April 2, 2024, Chavez filed application for Lawful Permanent Resident status. Chavez’s application was based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, who is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. On December 17, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services made a referral to ICE that Chavez is an egregious public safety threat. However, an entry in a DHS law enforcement system under the Biden administration indicated Chavez was not an immigration enforcement priority. On January 4, 2025, the Biden administration allowed Chavez to reenter the country and paroled him into the country at the San Ysidro port of entry. Following multiple fraudulent statements on his application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident, he was determined to be in the country illegally and removable on June 27, 2025.
“This Sinaloa Cartel affiliate with an active arrest warrant for trafficking guns, ammunition, and explosives was arrested by ICE. It is shocking the previous administration flagged this criminal illegal alien as a public safety threat, but chose to not prioritize his removal and let him leave and COME BACK into our country,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Under President Trump, no one is above the law—including world-famous athletes. Our message to any cartel affiliates in the U.S. is clear: We will find you and you will face consequences. The days of unchecked cartel violence are over.”
[Chavez's] rap sheet is below:
On January 22, 2012, California Highway Patrol arrested Chavez and charged him with DUI alcohol/drugs and Driving Without a License.
On June 23, 2012, the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, convicted Chavez for the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol and sentenced him to 13 days in jail and 36 months’ probation.
On January 14, 2023, a District Judge issued an arrest warrant for Chavez, for the offense of organized crime for the purpose of committing crimes of weapons trafficking and manufacturing crimes, in the modality of those who participate in clandestinely bringing weapons, ammunition, cartridges, explosives into the country; and those who manufacture weapons, ammunition, cartridges, and explosives without the corresponding permit.
On January 7, 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Chavez and charged him with Illegal Possession of Any Assault Weapon and Manufacture or Import Short Barreled Rifle. The court convicted Chavez of these charges.
On his first day in office, President Donald J. Trump designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The Sinaloa Cartel targeted and viciously murdered U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Nicholas Quets, and has kidnapped, tortured and killed many other Americans. The Sinaloa Cartel has also played a major role in the trafficking of fentanyl across the U.S.-Mexico border. President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow vicious cartels to operate on American soil.
PRIOR BOXINGTALK COVERAGE JUNE 29, 2025... In Anaheim, California, Jake Paul got in ten rounds of good work but was never seriously challenged by Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. Paul won nearly every round but failed to hurt Chavez, a former champion from 2011-2012 who hasn't taken boxing seriously for years. Paul tired over the last two rounds, allowing Chavez to save some face after a generally dismal performance. Still, Paul won a deserved lopsided unanimous decision by scores of 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 and is likely to enter the world rankings of at least one of the major sanctioning bodies. Compubox credited Paul with a 141-60 edge in punches landed. For the first three rounds, Chavez's offense was virtually nonexistent. With the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. screamimng from ringside in frustration, his son finally landed a punch just before the end of round three. Things heated up a bit in the fourth as Chavez began to come forward a little more, but Paul still won the round. Chavez simply would not let his hands go with any regularity, and the couple of times that he did when he was in punching range, Paul wisely tied Chavez up.The packed, pro-Mexican crowd tried to will Chavez forward over the second half of the fight, but Chavez lacked the energy to throw extended combinations. It should be remembered that Chavez is 39 years old and as a former middleweight champion now fighting at cruiserweight, he is 40 pounds over his best weight. The momentum turned in round nine as Paul tired and Chavez landed several good blows. The tenth round featured the best exchanges of the contest, as a tired Paul fought back against a surging, suddenly aggressive Chavez. The late rally was not enough to overcome the first eight rounds.
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Orlando undercard revealed |
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A boxing show is set for Saturday, December 13th at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida, airing live on Boxlab’s YouTube channel. The main event is an unforgivable interim title bout: Cuba's Kevin “Alfa” Brown (8-0, 3 KOs) faces Cletus “Hebrew Hammer” Seldin (29-1, 23 KOs) for the WBA interim junior middleweight title. According to Wikipedia, "On April 6, 2017, Seldin tested positive for anabolic steroid use for a second time showing an increased level of testosterone and anabolic steroid Stanozolol also known as Winstrol, which forced his June 15 fight to be canceled. His testosterone to epitestosterone ratio (T/E) was 21.02 to 1, which far exceeded the allowable threshold of 4 to 1 under World Anti-Doping Agency standards."
In the co-feature, Ariel “Golden Hulk” Perez (8-0, 4 KOs) squares off against Deion Pruitt (9-0, 7 KOs) over eight light heavyweight rounds in a battle of undefeateds. “Deion’s undefeated for a reason, but so am I. I respect his power, but I’m not here to play it safe, I’m here to win,” said Perez. “I’m going to show the world why they call me the Golden Hulk.” Pruitt confident himself stated, “This is the kind of fight that brings out the best in me. Ariel’s tough, but he’s never faced anyone like me. I’m coming to dominate and leave no doubt about who the next big thing at light heavyweight is.”
Also, on the main portion of the card, WBA 115-pound champion Jasmine Artiga (14-0, 7 KOs) from Tampa, FL, will defend her belt against Stephanie Silva (10-1) from Rome. “Every fight is personal, but defending my title in front of the world is something I’ve dreamed about since day one," said Artiga. "I respect Silva, but she’s stepping into my ring. I’ve worked too hard, sacrificed too much, and I’m not giving up this belt. Not now, not ever.” Silva, not a loss for words stated, "This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. I’m coming to the U.S. with one goal—to bring that world title back to Italy. Jasmine is a strong champion, but I’m here to shock the world. I didn’t come this far to fall short.”
ADDITIONAL BOUTS
Jordan Orozco (14-0, 13 KOs) vs. Karlo Rodriguez (9-0-1, 6 KOs) – bantamweights, ten rounds;
Yoenis “El Bandolero” Tellez (10-1, 7 KOs) vs. Kendo Castaneda (21-10, 9 KOs) – junior middleweights, eight rounds;
Amos “2 Smooth” Cowart (13-2-1, 10 KOs) vs. Isidro Curiel (11-6-1, 6 KOs) – junior welterweights, six rounds;
Roberto Rivera Gomez (8-0, 3 KOs) vs. Alexander Taylor – featherweights, six rounds;
Jusiyah Shirly (8-1, 7 KOs) vs. TBA - junior welterweights, six rounds;
Damazion “Mazi” Vanhouter (9-0, 6 KOs) vs. Jose Mario Tamez (4-4, 1 KO) – heavyweights, six rounds;
Jeremy “Magic Hands” Adorno vs. TBA – junior lightweights, six rounds;
Tony Aguilar (13-2-1, 4 KOs) vs. Jorge Villegas (14-7, 13 KOs) – lightweights, six rounds;
Dominican Olympic Bronze Medalist Junior Alcantara Reyes (Pro Debut) vs. TBA - bantamweights, four rounds; and
Yize Jiang (5-1, 4 KOs) vs. Siupeli Anau (3-1, 2 KOs) – heavyweights, six rounds.
"We’re thrilled to unveil one of the most exciting undercards we've ever put together for Night of Champions XIII," said Amaury Piedra, President of Boxlab Promotions. "From Jasmine Artiga defending her world title, to the clash of undefeated rising stars like Ariel Perez and Deion Pruitt, this card is stacked with talent, power, and high-stakes matchups. Fans tuning in on December 13 can expect nonstop action and future world champions on full display at the Caribe Royale Resort."
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Orlando undercard revealed
A boxing show is set for Saturday, December 13th at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida, airing live on Boxlab’s YouTube channel. The main event is an unforgivable interim title bout: Cuba's Kevin “Alfa” Brown (8-0, 3 KOs) faces Cletus “Hebrew Hammer” Seldin (29-1, 23 KOs) for the WBA interim junior middleweight title. According to Wikipedia, "On April 6, 2017, Seldin tested positive for anabolic steroid use for a second time showing an increased level of testosterone and anabolic steroid Stanozolol also known as Winstrol, which forced his June 15 fight to be canceled. His testosterone to epitestosterone ratio (T/E) was 21.02 to 1, which far exceeded the allowable threshold of 4 to 1 under World Anti-Doping Agency standards."
In the co-feature, Ariel “Golden Hulk” Perez (8-0, 4 KOs) squares off against Deion Pruitt (9-0, 7 KOs) over eight light heavyweight rounds in a battle of undefeateds. “Deion’s undefeated for a reason, but so am I. I respect his power, but I’m not here to play it safe, I’m here to win,” said Perez. “I’m going to show the world why they call me the Golden Hulk.” Pruitt confident himself stated, “This is the kind of fight that brings out the best in me. Ariel’s tough, but he’s never faced anyone like me. I’m coming to dominate and leave no doubt about who the next big thing at light heavyweight is.”
Also, on the main portion of the card, WBA 115-pound champion Jasmine Artiga (14-0, 7 KOs) from Tampa, FL, will defend her belt against Stephanie Silva (10-1) from Rome. “Every fight is personal, but defending my title in front of the world is something I’ve dreamed about since day one," said Artiga. "I respect Silva, but she’s stepping into my ring. I’ve worked too hard, sacrificed too much, and I’m not giving up this belt. Not now, not ever.” Silva, not a loss for words stated, "This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. I’m coming to the U.S. with one goal—to bring that world title back to Italy. Jasmine is a strong champion, but I’m here to shock the world. I didn’t come this far to fall short.”
ADDITIONAL BOUTS
Jordan Orozco (14-0, 13 KOs) vs. Karlo Rodriguez (9-0-1, 6 KOs) – bantamweights, ten rounds;
Yoenis “El Bandolero” Tellez (10-1, 7 KOs) vs. Kendo Castaneda (21-10, 9 KOs) – junior middleweights, eight rounds;
Amos “2 Smooth” Cowart (13-2-1, 10 KOs) vs. Isidro Curiel (11-6-1, 6 KOs) – junior welterweights, six rounds;
Roberto Rivera Gomez (8-0, 3 KOs) vs. Alexander Taylor – featherweights, six rounds;
Jusiyah Shirly (8-1, 7 KOs) vs. TBA - junior welterweights, six rounds;
Damazion “Mazi” Vanhouter (9-0, 6 KOs) vs. Jose Mario Tamez (4-4, 1 KO) – heavyweights, six rounds;
Jeremy “Magic Hands” Adorno vs. TBA – junior lightweights, six rounds;
Tony Aguilar (13-2-1, 4 KOs) vs. Jorge Villegas (14-7, 13 KOs) – lightweights, six rounds;
Dominican Olympic Bronze Medalist Junior Alcantara Reyes (Pro Debut) vs. TBA - bantamweights, four rounds; and
Yize Jiang (5-1, 4 KOs) vs. Siupeli Anau (3-1, 2 KOs) – heavyweights, six rounds.
"We’re thrilled to unveil one of the most exciting undercards we've ever put together for Night of Champions XIII," said Amaury Piedra, President of Boxlab Promotions. "From Jasmine Artiga defending her world title, to the clash of undefeated rising stars like Ariel Perez and Deion Pruitt, this card is stacked with talent, power, and high-stakes matchups. Fans tuning in on December 13 can expect nonstop action and future world champions on full display at the Caribe Royale Resort."
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Harlem Eubank faces Josh Wagner on Friday |
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A reminder to British boxing fans that on Friday night at 9pm, live of 5, Harlem Eubank and Josh Wagner will do battle in Brighton, England. Eubank (21-1) returns to action following his a contentious loss to Jack Catterall in July. Both Eubank and Caterall were cut in that bout, with the fight beoing stopped after seven rounds of action with Caterall ruled unable to continue. Caterall won by technical decision. Wagner, from Canada, is 19-1 and won his only fight of 2025 after a 2024 stoppage loss to David Papot.
In other news about this card, Niall Brown will now face Pierre Rosadini after injury to Brown's original opponent Darren Johnstone... The Matty Harris vs. Franklin Ignatius heavyweight fight will no longer be taking place on this card, after Harris withdrew from the contest due to illness.
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Harlem Eubank faces Josh Wagner on Friday
A reminder to British boxing fans that on Friday night at 9pm, live of 5, Harlem Eubank and Josh Wagner will do battle in Brighton, England. Eubank (21-1) returns to action following his a contentious loss to Jack Catterall in July. Both Eubank and Caterall were cut in that bout, with the fight beoing stopped after seven rounds of action with Caterall ruled unable to continue. Caterall won by technical decision. Wagner, from Canada, is 19-1 and won his only fight of 2025 after a 2024 stoppage loss to David Papot.
In other news about this card, Niall Brown will now face Pierre Rosadini after injury to Brown's original opponent Darren Johnstone... The Matty Harris vs. Franklin Ignatius heavyweight fight will no longer be taking place on this card, after Harris withdrew from the contest due to illness.
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Montoya faces Erdenebat in attractive, last-minute co-feature |
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Junior lightweight Tsendy “Chinggis Khaan” Erdenebat (14-0, 6 KOs including the World Series of Boxing) will now face veteran Abraham “Fily” Montoya (23-6-1, 14 KOs) of Baja California, Mexico, in the new co-feature on ProBoxTV’s Friday Night Fights event at the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this Friday, November 21st. With an injury to Luis Lopez forcing the cancellation of his originally scheduled co-feature against undefeated Ruben Eduardo Aguilar, Erdenebat and Montoya have agreed to a potentially explosive rumble on one week’s notice. Headlined by a ten-round “do or die” junior middleweight matchup between former Olympian Francisco Daniel “Bebu” Veron (15-1-1, 10 KOs) of Fort Lauderdale and Venezuelan slugger Roiman “Flaco de Oro” Villa (27-3, 25 KOs), the live broadcast on ProBoxTV starts at 7:00 pm ET. Tickets to attend in person are available from the ProBoxTV website or directly from Seat Geek.
Now living in Paramount, California, but originally hailing from Tsetserleg, Mongolia, Erdenebat competed for Mongolia in the 2021 and 2016 Olympics and won a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games before turning professional in 2018. Erdenebat is a ProBoxTV veteran competitor, having already passed several important tests in the proving grounds of the Future Stars and The Contender Series. He scored a dominant eight-round decision over (then 14-2) Mohamed Soumaoro in February 2024 and then returned to stop (then 17-6-1) Alberto Mercado in May of the same year. Erdenebat made his third appearance on ProBoxTV while capturing a ten-round victory over (then 15-1) Frency Fortunato Saya.
Then in February of this year, the 29-year-old southpaw scored a TKO victory over Mexico’s (then 15-1-2) Pedro Bernal in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, marking his first time fighting on home soil and fulfilling a homecoming dream. In July 2025, Erdenebat made his fourth appearance on ProBoxTV, a unanimous ten-round decision win over (then 14-3-3) Humberto Galindo.
Montoya, age 31, is an eleven-year pro with a knack for pulling upsets and pushing favorties to their limits in exciting fights. A punching machine who always keeps a high guard, Montoya comes forward with controlled aggression, utilizing an effective jab while looking to land the left hook inside. In March 2018, he bested Luis Alberto Lopez (12-0 at the time) by split decision. In February 2021, he fired off 1000 total punches en route to defeating formerly undefeated Alejandro Guerrero by majority decision. In his most recent fight, Montoya defeated former 130-pound champion JoJo Diaz by split decision on ProBoxTV in November of last year.
ADDITIONAL BOUTS
The night’s televised undercard will include an eight-round light heavyweight bout between Cleveland’s Dante Benjamin (12-0-1, 9 KOs) and Alabama’s Money Powell IV (13-2, 8 KOs). In an eight-round junior lightweight battle, Maryland’s Francois Scarboro Jr (11-0, 8 KOs) will take on Puerto Rican slugger Onyx Sanchez-Medina (8-0-1, 8 KOs).
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Montoya faces Erdenebat in attractive, last-minute co-feature
Junior lightweight Tsendy “Chinggis Khaan” Erdenebat (14-0, 6 KOs including the World Series of Boxing) will now face veteran Abraham “Fily” Montoya (23-6-1, 14 KOs) of Baja California, Mexico, in the new co-feature on ProBoxTV’s Friday Night Fights event at the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this Friday, November 21st. With an injury to Luis Lopez forcing the cancellation of his originally scheduled co-feature against undefeated Ruben Eduardo Aguilar, Erdenebat and Montoya have agreed to a potentially explosive rumble on one week’s notice. Headlined by a ten-round “do or die” junior middleweight matchup between former Olympian Francisco Daniel “Bebu” Veron (15-1-1, 10 KOs) of Fort Lauderdale and Venezuelan slugger Roiman “Flaco de Oro” Villa (27-3, 25 KOs), the live broadcast on ProBoxTV starts at 7:00 pm ET. Tickets to attend in person are available from the ProBoxTV website or directly from Seat Geek.
Now living in Paramount, California, but originally hailing from Tsetserleg, Mongolia, Erdenebat competed for Mongolia in the 2021 and 2016 Olympics and won a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games before turning professional in 2018. Erdenebat is a ProBoxTV veteran competitor, having already passed several important tests in the proving grounds of the Future Stars and The Contender Series. He scored a dominant eight-round decision over (then 14-2) Mohamed Soumaoro in February 2024 and then returned to stop (then 17-6-1) Alberto Mercado in May of the same year. Erdenebat made his third appearance on ProBoxTV while capturing a ten-round victory over (then 15-1) Frency Fortunato Saya.
Then in February of this year, the 29-year-old southpaw scored a TKO victory over Mexico’s (then 15-1-2) Pedro Bernal in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, marking his first time fighting on home soil and fulfilling a homecoming dream. In July 2025, Erdenebat made his fourth appearance on ProBoxTV, a unanimous ten-round decision win over (then 14-3-3) Humberto Galindo.
Montoya, age 31, is an eleven-year pro with a knack for pulling upsets and pushing favorties to their limits in exciting fights. A punching machine who always keeps a high guard, Montoya comes forward with controlled aggression, utilizing an effective jab while looking to land the left hook inside. In March 2018, he bested Luis Alberto Lopez (12-0 at the time) by split decision. In February 2021, he fired off 1000 total punches en route to defeating formerly undefeated Alejandro Guerrero by majority decision. In his most recent fight, Montoya defeated former 130-pound champion JoJo Diaz by split decision on ProBoxTV in November of last year.
ADDITIONAL BOUTS
The night’s televised undercard will include an eight-round light heavyweight bout between Cleveland’s Dante Benjamin (12-0-1, 9 KOs) and Alabama’s Money Powell IV (13-2, 8 KOs). In an eight-round junior lightweight battle, Maryland’s Francois Scarboro Jr (11-0, 8 KOs) will take on Puerto Rican slugger Onyx Sanchez-Medina (8-0-1, 8 KOs).
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Roach: "I'll be in the kill zone on Dec. 6th" |
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Reigning WBA 130-pound champion Lamont Roach (pictured) and former 140-pound champion Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz previewed their showdown for the WBC interim 140-pound title during a virtual press conference on Tuesday before they headline a PBC pay-per-view event on Prime Video taking place Saturday, December 6th at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. Cruz and Roach will square off as each seeks to add another signature victory to their resume and separate themselves from the rest of the stacked junior welterweight division. The four-fight pay-per-view broadcast will also see WBA middleweight champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara take on unified WBO and IBF middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly in the high-stakes co-feature. Plus, two-division champion Stephen Fulton Jr. challenges WBC 130-pound champion O’Shaquie Foster and Jesus “Mono” Ramos Jr. duels Shane Mosley Jr. for the WBC interim middleweight title opening the pay-per-view at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. Tickets for the live event are on sale now through Ticketmaster.com.
Here is what Cruz and Roach had to say Tuesday:
LAMONT ROACH
“We’ve brought in guys that are tough and straight up relentless. We’ve been looking good against them in sparring. The fight is different than sparring, but it’s just about getting myself into that mentality and into the kill zone. I’ll be stepping into it for sure on December 6th.
“I’m here to show that my last fight wasn’t just one good night in the office. That’s what I’m gonna do every single time. I want to put on a show for the fans and prove that I’m of the caliber to headline events like this.
“Fans can expect a hell of a show. There’s a great undercard leading up to a banger of a main event. I promise it won’t be anything less than a spectacular fight.
“Every time I get in the ring my goal is to show everyone that I’m gonna go down in history as one of the best fighters of all time.
“We’re gonna see what opportunities open up in the ring. There are going to be a lot of aspects of my game that you’re gonna see. That’s gonna be the beauty of the night.
“I feel great to be headlining on pay-per-view for the second time. After this performance I look forward to doing many more.
“I know what I’m capable of and I know what I can do. I’ve proved that to myself my entire career.
“My goal has always been the same and that’s to fight the best fighters. I was always going to reach this level, it was just a matter of time.
“There’s definitely a chance I stay at 140 pounds. It depends what presents itself. Ultimately I want to go back to 135 and be a champion there, because I feel I was shorted out of a title in that division. I won’t hesitate to take a world title opportunity at 140 though.
“I don’t pay attention to the fans in the arena at all. Once I get into the ring there are minimal distractions for me. All I hear are the two corners and the ref. I’ve been in this situation before and I know how to handle it.”
ISAAC “PITBULL” CRUZ
“We’re really looking forward to going out there on December 6 and giving the fans in San Antonio and all over the world the great show that they deserve.
“We’ve had a tough training camp from the get-go because we know Roach is a great opponent. But we’ve stayed determined with victory as our only goal in mind. We’re coming to win, no matter what.
“My activity this year will be a big advantage. I’ve just had to make adjustments. I didn’t have to gear up for training camp. We’ve been able to prepare exactly how we want to going into December 6th.
“I’m going to fight my heart out in the ring. I’m going to go after it round after round no matter how hard it gets. It’s all about giving the fans what they deserve.
“Gervonta Davis, Roach and I are three completely different fighters. I hope Roach comes ready to fight, because it will be very different from what he saw in March against Gervonta. Lamont says he’s gonna knock me out, so I’m gonna come after him with whatever it takes.
“The fans are everything to me. If you make the time investment to watch me fight, it’s incredibly valuable to me. Not every fighter gets it and I know that it helps me to hear them during the fight.
“I’ve gotten stronger and stronger in recent years. And during that time I’ve gotten more and more confident. Those are the biggest ways that I’ve improved.
“The legacy talk is not my main focus. My main focus is on winning December 6th. Of course, at some point, Canelo will be passing the torch, and when it comes I’ll be ready mentally and physically. In the end, it will be up to the fans to decide who they want to be the next face of Mexican boxing. If they decide it’s me, I’ll be proud to carry that legacy forward.
“My power has always been there and I’ve showcased it in every fight that I’ve had. Let’s see if Roach can go in there and withstand my power on December 6.
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Roach: "I'll be in the kill zone on Dec. 6th"
Reigning WBA 130-pound champion Lamont Roach (pictured) and former 140-pound champion Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz previewed their showdown for the WBC interim 140-pound title during a virtual press conference on Tuesday before they headline a PBC pay-per-view event on Prime Video taking place Saturday, December 6th at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. Cruz and Roach will square off as each seeks to add another signature victory to their resume and separate themselves from the rest of the stacked junior welterweight division. The four-fight pay-per-view broadcast will also see WBA middleweight champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara take on unified WBO and IBF middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly in the high-stakes co-feature. Plus, two-division champion Stephen Fulton Jr. challenges WBC 130-pound champion O’Shaquie Foster and Jesus “Mono” Ramos Jr. duels Shane Mosley Jr. for the WBC interim middleweight title opening the pay-per-view at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. Tickets for the live event are on sale now through Ticketmaster.com.
Here is what Cruz and Roach had to say Tuesday:
LAMONT ROACH
“We’ve brought in guys that are tough and straight up relentless. We’ve been looking good against them in sparring. The fight is different than sparring, but it’s just about getting myself into that mentality and into the kill zone. I’ll be stepping into it for sure on December 6th.
“I’m here to show that my last fight wasn’t just one good night in the office. That’s what I’m gonna do every single time. I want to put on a show for the fans and prove that I’m of the caliber to headline events like this.
“Fans can expect a hell of a show. There’s a great undercard leading up to a banger of a main event. I promise it won’t be anything less than a spectacular fight.
“Every time I get in the ring my goal is to show everyone that I’m gonna go down in history as one of the best fighters of all time.
“We’re gonna see what opportunities open up in the ring. There are going to be a lot of aspects of my game that you’re gonna see. That’s gonna be the beauty of the night.
“I feel great to be headlining on pay-per-view for the second time. After this performance I look forward to doing many more.
“I know what I’m capable of and I know what I can do. I’ve proved that to myself my entire career.
“My goal has always been the same and that’s to fight the best fighters. I was always going to reach this level, it was just a matter of time.
“There’s definitely a chance I stay at 140 pounds. It depends what presents itself. Ultimately I want to go back to 135 and be a champion there, because I feel I was shorted out of a title in that division. I won’t hesitate to take a world title opportunity at 140 though.
“I don’t pay attention to the fans in the arena at all. Once I get into the ring there are minimal distractions for me. All I hear are the two corners and the ref. I’ve been in this situation before and I know how to handle it.”
ISAAC “PITBULL” CRUZ
“We’re really looking forward to going out there on December 6 and giving the fans in San Antonio and all over the world the great show that they deserve.
“We’ve had a tough training camp from the get-go because we know Roach is a great opponent. But we’ve stayed determined with victory as our only goal in mind. We’re coming to win, no matter what.
“My activity this year will be a big advantage. I’ve just had to make adjustments. I didn’t have to gear up for training camp. We’ve been able to prepare exactly how we want to going into December 6th.
“I’m going to fight my heart out in the ring. I’m going to go after it round after round no matter how hard it gets. It’s all about giving the fans what they deserve.
“Gervonta Davis, Roach and I are three completely different fighters. I hope Roach comes ready to fight, because it will be very different from what he saw in March against Gervonta. Lamont says he’s gonna knock me out, so I’m gonna come after him with whatever it takes.
“The fans are everything to me. If you make the time investment to watch me fight, it’s incredibly valuable to me. Not every fighter gets it and I know that it helps me to hear them during the fight.
“I’ve gotten stronger and stronger in recent years. And during that time I’ve gotten more and more confident. Those are the biggest ways that I’ve improved.
“The legacy talk is not my main focus. My main focus is on winning December 6th. Of course, at some point, Canelo will be passing the torch, and when it comes I’ll be ready mentally and physically. In the end, it will be up to the fans to decide who they want to be the next face of Mexican boxing. If they decide it’s me, I’ll be proud to carry that legacy forward.
“My power has always been there and I’ve showcased it in every fight that I’ve had. Let’s see if Roach can go in there and withstand my power on December 6.
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Jake Paul calls someone "Daddy's little boy" |
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Now that Jake Paul is signed to fight ex-heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on December 19th, he took a swipe at an unnamed opponent who apparently declined the option to face Paul in the window when Paul was looking for a replacement for the disgraced Gervonta "Tank" Davis. Was Paul taunting Ryan Garcia, Tommie Fury or someone else when he tweeted, "Respect due to all the fighters that said yes. We had to put all options on the table and make a decision. Guess who didn’t say yes even for $15M. Bitch made you and your father are, who controls everything you do. You are not a man. You are a boy. Daddy’s little boy"?
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Jake Paul calls someone "Daddy's little boy"
Now that Jake Paul is signed to fight ex-heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on December 19th, he took a swipe at an unnamed opponent who apparently declined the option to face Paul in the window when Paul was looking for a replacement for the disgraced Gervonta "Tank" Davis. Was Paul taunting Ryan Garcia, Tommie Fury or someone else when he tweeted, "Respect due to all the fighters that said yes. We had to put all options on the table and make a decision. Guess who didn’t say yes even for $15M. Bitch made you and your father are, who controls everything you do. You are not a man. You are a boy. Daddy’s little boy"?
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Golden Boy reveals its first show of 2026 |
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Golden Boy Promotions will kick off its 2026 fight calendar on Friday, January 16th at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Californiawith a slate of rematches. Headlining the card, welterweights Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-1, 16 KOs) and Raul “El Cugár” Curiel (16-0-1, 13 KOs) will settle the score after their heated first meeting ended in a draw. The twelve-round showdown between the two contenders will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN. On the undercard, Coachella Valley’s Manuel “Gucci Manny” Flores (20-1-1, 16 KOs) and Tijuana’s Jorge “El Niño Dorado” Chávez (14-0-1, 8 KOs) will meet in a rematch that could define the next phase of their careers. The super bantamweight clash is scheduled for ten rounds.
“January 16th isn’t a new fight, it’s Round 13,” said Rocha. “Curiel and I left something unfinished, and this time I’m not stopping until there’s no doubt left in anyone’s mind. He’s going to feel everything I’ve carried since that night. At Acrisure Arena, I’m ending this story — permanently.”
“I am very excited to continue to build my legacy, be able to fight and continue this boxing saga,” said Curiel. “I am filled with emotions knowing that I will represent Mexico and my hometown of Tampico.”
“We’re kicking off our 2026 fight calendar with the kind of high-impact, high-stakes rematches fans demanded we run back,” said Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “January 16th will bring classic Golden Boy excitement and showcase the Coachella Valley’s next generation of stars we’ve been shaping from the ground up.” Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.
“I feel blessed to be making an appearance in this new arena,” said Flores. “I am ready to showcase in this rematch that we are on different levels.”
“Everyone knows I won our last fight,” said Jorge Chavez. “Manuel knows this, the fans know this, his team knows this and more importantly I know this. Now it’s my job to take this out of the judges’ hands and to show Manuel once and for all who the real winner is between us.”
Fresh off a majority draw in a Southern California showdown in December 2024, Rocha remains one of the welterweight division’s most exciting and resilient fighters. His headlining duel with Curiel at Toyota Arena delivered nonstop action and further cemented Rocha’s reputation for grit and entertainment. Rocha entered that bout after a July 2024 victory over Santiago Dominguez. That win marked a strong rebound from his October 2023 loss to Giovani Santillan.
Before that setback, Rocha had built momentum with a win over Luis Alberto Veron in July 2022. That triumph followed a run that included three consecutive knockout victories, highlighted by a dominant performance against Blair Cobbs. Rocha met his first defeat in October 2020 against Rashidi Ellis. He began his professional career with Golden Boy in early 2016, making a statement with a knockout debut against Jordan Rosario. That launch came on the heels of an exceptional amateur run in which Rocha became a six-time national champion and, at just 14 years old, the youngest fighter ever to win Junior Olympics gold in 2012. Now at 28, the southpaw keeps advancing through the division, powered by determination, resilience and a reputation for delivering action.
In his latest outing, Curiel made a powerful statement in a WBA title eliminator on the Jake Paul vs. Julio César Chávez Jr. undercard, overwhelming previously unbeaten Victor Rodriguez at the Honda Center. A precise right uppercut in the fourth round changed the fight dramatically, leading to a stoppage win and marking an impressive debut under trainer Robert Garcia. That performance followed Curiel’s breakthrough moment in December 2024, when he battled Rocha to a thrilling twelve-round majority draw. The action-packed fight elevated his profile and helped cement his standing among the welterweights, while maintaining an undefeated professional record of 16 wins, one draw, and 14 knockouts.
Curiel turned professional in February 2017 under manager Frank Espinoza and Golden Boy, rising through the ranks on the strength of his power and steady dominance. Before turning professional, Curiel built an outstanding amateur resume representing Tamaulipas, Mexico. Beginning at just 15 years old, he quickly emerged as a force on the international stage, capturing gold at the 2012 AIBA World Championships, the 2013 Olympic Cup Championships, and Washington D.C. ‘s 2013 Golden Gloves Tournament. His strong run in the 2015 World Series of Boxing earned him a place on Mexico’s 2016 Olympic team, where he competed in the light welterweight division at the Rio de Janeiro Games. With his sights now set on a world title, “El Cugar” remains a serious threat in the welterweight division.
In his most recent performance, Flores battled to a majority draw in a headline showdown against San Diego’s Jorge Chavez at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. The ten-round clash between two of Golden Boy’s brightest rising stars delivered nonstop action and lived up to the hype. Representing Coachella, CA, Flores has become a standout in the super bantamweight division. After debuting in June 2017, he quickly made a name for himself with an aggressive style and explosive power. Despite a setback in June 2023 with a unanimous decision loss to Walter Santibanes, Flores has bounced back spectacularly, winning five consecutive fights by knockout. Training under Joel and Antonio Diaz at Diaz Training Camp alongside world-class talent like Israil Madrimov, Murodjon Akhmadaliev, and Bektemir Melikuziev, Flores continues to refine his skills. With his current momentum and determination, he is on track for bigger opportunities in the super bantamweight division.
Facing Flores in one of the toughest challenges of his career in enemy territory, Chavez remained composed and confident, mixing technical skill with power, and leaving fans and fighters alike eager for an immediate rematch. Many observers felt he had done enough to claim victory. Hailing from Tijuana and based in San Diego, Jorge Chavez has rapidly established himself as one of Golden Boy Promotions’ top rising stars. He turned professional in November 2021 and, after making a strong impression in his early fights, signed with Golden Boy in November 2023. In April 2025, Chavez thrilled fans with a dynamic performance against hard-hitting Brandon Douglas on the Gabriela Fundora vs. Marilyn Badillo undercard at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, CA. The eight-round contest reminded fans why ‘El Niño Dorado’ has become a must-watch every time he fights. Boasting a 60-7 amateur record, Chavez overcame the challenges of being an immigrant fighter with fewer opportunities to develop an extensive amateur background than many of his peers. Known for his sharp technical skills and power, he trains under Hector Lopez in Santa Ana alongside top talents like Alexis Rocha.
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Golden Boy reveals its first show of 2026
Golden Boy Promotions will kick off its 2026 fight calendar on Friday, January 16th at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Californiawith a slate of rematches. Headlining the card, welterweights Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-1, 16 KOs) and Raul “El Cugár” Curiel (16-0-1, 13 KOs) will settle the score after their heated first meeting ended in a draw. The twelve-round showdown between the two contenders will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN. On the undercard, Coachella Valley’s Manuel “Gucci Manny” Flores (20-1-1, 16 KOs) and Tijuana’s Jorge “El Niño Dorado” Chávez (14-0-1, 8 KOs) will meet in a rematch that could define the next phase of their careers. The super bantamweight clash is scheduled for ten rounds.
“January 16th isn’t a new fight, it’s Round 13,” said Rocha. “Curiel and I left something unfinished, and this time I’m not stopping until there’s no doubt left in anyone’s mind. He’s going to feel everything I’ve carried since that night. At Acrisure Arena, I’m ending this story — permanently.”
“I am very excited to continue to build my legacy, be able to fight and continue this boxing saga,” said Curiel. “I am filled with emotions knowing that I will represent Mexico and my hometown of Tampico.”
“We’re kicking off our 2026 fight calendar with the kind of high-impact, high-stakes rematches fans demanded we run back,” said Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “January 16th will bring classic Golden Boy excitement and showcase the Coachella Valley’s next generation of stars we’ve been shaping from the ground up.” Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.
“I feel blessed to be making an appearance in this new arena,” said Flores. “I am ready to showcase in this rematch that we are on different levels.”
“Everyone knows I won our last fight,” said Jorge Chavez. “Manuel knows this, the fans know this, his team knows this and more importantly I know this. Now it’s my job to take this out of the judges’ hands and to show Manuel once and for all who the real winner is between us.”
Fresh off a majority draw in a Southern California showdown in December 2024, Rocha remains one of the welterweight division’s most exciting and resilient fighters. His headlining duel with Curiel at Toyota Arena delivered nonstop action and further cemented Rocha’s reputation for grit and entertainment. Rocha entered that bout after a July 2024 victory over Santiago Dominguez. That win marked a strong rebound from his October 2023 loss to Giovani Santillan.
Before that setback, Rocha had built momentum with a win over Luis Alberto Veron in July 2022. That triumph followed a run that included three consecutive knockout victories, highlighted by a dominant performance against Blair Cobbs. Rocha met his first defeat in October 2020 against Rashidi Ellis. He began his professional career with Golden Boy in early 2016, making a statement with a knockout debut against Jordan Rosario. That launch came on the heels of an exceptional amateur run in which Rocha became a six-time national champion and, at just 14 years old, the youngest fighter ever to win Junior Olympics gold in 2012. Now at 28, the southpaw keeps advancing through the division, powered by determination, resilience and a reputation for delivering action.
In his latest outing, Curiel made a powerful statement in a WBA title eliminator on the Jake Paul vs. Julio César Chávez Jr. undercard, overwhelming previously unbeaten Victor Rodriguez at the Honda Center. A precise right uppercut in the fourth round changed the fight dramatically, leading to a stoppage win and marking an impressive debut under trainer Robert Garcia. That performance followed Curiel’s breakthrough moment in December 2024, when he battled Rocha to a thrilling twelve-round majority draw. The action-packed fight elevated his profile and helped cement his standing among the welterweights, while maintaining an undefeated professional record of 16 wins, one draw, and 14 knockouts.
Curiel turned professional in February 2017 under manager Frank Espinoza and Golden Boy, rising through the ranks on the strength of his power and steady dominance. Before turning professional, Curiel built an outstanding amateur resume representing Tamaulipas, Mexico. Beginning at just 15 years old, he quickly emerged as a force on the international stage, capturing gold at the 2012 AIBA World Championships, the 2013 Olympic Cup Championships, and Washington D.C. ‘s 2013 Golden Gloves Tournament. His strong run in the 2015 World Series of Boxing earned him a place on Mexico’s 2016 Olympic team, where he competed in the light welterweight division at the Rio de Janeiro Games. With his sights now set on a world title, “El Cugar” remains a serious threat in the welterweight division.
In his most recent performance, Flores battled to a majority draw in a headline showdown against San Diego’s Jorge Chavez at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. The ten-round clash between two of Golden Boy’s brightest rising stars delivered nonstop action and lived up to the hype. Representing Coachella, CA, Flores has become a standout in the super bantamweight division. After debuting in June 2017, he quickly made a name for himself with an aggressive style and explosive power. Despite a setback in June 2023 with a unanimous decision loss to Walter Santibanes, Flores has bounced back spectacularly, winning five consecutive fights by knockout. Training under Joel and Antonio Diaz at Diaz Training Camp alongside world-class talent like Israil Madrimov, Murodjon Akhmadaliev, and Bektemir Melikuziev, Flores continues to refine his skills. With his current momentum and determination, he is on track for bigger opportunities in the super bantamweight division.
Facing Flores in one of the toughest challenges of his career in enemy territory, Chavez remained composed and confident, mixing technical skill with power, and leaving fans and fighters alike eager for an immediate rematch. Many observers felt he had done enough to claim victory. Hailing from Tijuana and based in San Diego, Jorge Chavez has rapidly established himself as one of Golden Boy Promotions’ top rising stars. He turned professional in November 2021 and, after making a strong impression in his early fights, signed with Golden Boy in November 2023. In April 2025, Chavez thrilled fans with a dynamic performance against hard-hitting Brandon Douglas on the Gabriela Fundora vs. Marilyn Badillo undercard at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, CA. The eight-round contest reminded fans why ‘El Niño Dorado’ has become a must-watch every time he fights. Boasting a 60-7 amateur record, Chavez overcame the challenges of being an immigrant fighter with fewer opportunities to develop an extensive amateur background than many of his peers. Known for his sharp technical skills and power, he trains under Hector Lopez in Santa Ana alongside top talents like Alexis Rocha.
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Orange County, CA fights return on Dec. 11th |
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The Thursday, December 11th Fight Club OC show in The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California will feature featuring Juan Higuera (7-1) vs. Anthony De La Cruz (4-0) in a six-round cruiserweight bout. Golden Boy Promotions will display their Hawaiian Connection with both Asa Stevens and Dalis Kaleiopu bringing their 7-0 records into the ring. And after a KO win on the October 23rd show, 6-0 Stanford grad Dante Kirkman will return as another undefeated boxer on Dec. 11th. Tag on two solid MMA bouts plus two more boxing bouts and a chance to win $1,000 in our Hustler Knockout Promotion and this is a show you do not want to miss! Tickets are still available online at www.socafights.com.
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Orange County, CA fights return on Dec. 11th
The Thursday, December 11th Fight Club OC show in The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California will feature featuring Juan Higuera (7-1) vs. Anthony De La Cruz (4-0) in a six-round cruiserweight bout. Golden Boy Promotions will display their Hawaiian Connection with both Asa Stevens and Dalis Kaleiopu bringing their 7-0 records into the ring. And after a KO win on the October 23rd show, 6-0 Stanford grad Dante Kirkman will return as another undefeated boxer on Dec. 11th. Tag on two solid MMA bouts plus two more boxing bouts and a chance to win $1,000 in our Hustler Knockout Promotion and this is a show you do not want to miss! Tickets are still available online at www.socafights.com.
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Boxing world shifts back to Saudi Arabia this weekend |
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The boxing world shifts back to Saudi Arabia this Saturday, November 22nd as Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez returns to the ring to face fellow champion Fernando Martinez in a 115-pound unification bout. Rodriguez, the current WBC and WBO super flyweight champion, hopes to take the WBA strap from Martinez, but will face a tough challenge to dethrone him. Also on the show will be a light heavyweight boout in which David Benavidez faces Anthony Yarde with the WBC title at stake. In between those two bouts, Devin Haney attempts to bewcome the three-division champion as he moves up in weight to chellenge Brian Norman Jr. for the WBO weltrerweight title. DAZN will air the show on a pay-per-view basis for about $60. Rodriguez and Martinez are due to fight at at 4:03pm PT / 7:03pm ET / 12:03am (Sun) GMT, while Benavidez and Yarde's ringwalks are expected to happen at 6:04pm PT / 9:04pm ET / 2:04am (Sun) GMT / 5:04am (Sun) KSA.
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Boxing world shifts back to Saudi Arabia this weekend
The boxing world shifts back to Saudi Arabia this Saturday, November 22nd as Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez returns to the ring to face fellow champion Fernando Martinez in a 115-pound unification bout. Rodriguez, the current WBC and WBO super flyweight champion, hopes to take the WBA strap from Martinez, but will face a tough challenge to dethrone him. Also on the show will be a light heavyweight boout in which David Benavidez faces Anthony Yarde with the WBC title at stake. In between those two bouts, Devin Haney attempts to bewcome the three-division champion as he moves up in weight to chellenge Brian Norman Jr. for the WBO weltrerweight title. DAZN will air the show on a pay-per-view basis for about $60. Rodriguez and Martinez are due to fight at at 4:03pm PT / 7:03pm ET / 12:03am (Sun) GMT, while Benavidez and Yarde's ringwalks are expected to happen at 6:04pm PT / 9:04pm ET / 2:04am (Sun) GMT / 5:04am (Sun) KSA.
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Wardley to inherit vacant WBO heavyweight title |
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Although Oleksandr Usyk remains the lineal and consensus world heavyweight ruler, Fabio Wardley is on the brink of inheriting the WBO version of the championship after Usyk vacated the title today. The WBO wrote: "Consistent with established procedure, the [WBO Championship] Committee will evaluate and act upon the status of the current WBO interim heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley. As such, the committee will proceed without delay to elevate him to full champion status, subject to ratification and issuance of the corresponding championship resolution. The committee will also deliberate on the next relevant step regarding Wardley's first mandatory defense, including timelines, challenger designation and any additional measures required pursuant to the WBO regulations." In light of the WBO's statement, it is considered a formality that Wardley will be named the new WBO heavyweight champion. His promoter, Queensberry Promotions has already started to celebrate, tweeting: "Fabio Wardley is the new WBO heavyweight champion of the world! Massive congratulations Fabio and team." Earlier in the day, the WBO announced it had received a formal communication Usyk's team stating that after thoughtful consideration, Usyk has elected to relinquish the WBO title. [He also holds the three other major titles and there is no indication he relinquished any of those]. The WBO said that it honors Usyk's historic career and calls this a respectful pause, not a farewell to the great Ukrainian champion.
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Wardley to inherit vacant WBO heavyweight title
Although Oleksandr Usyk remains the lineal and consensus world heavyweight ruler, Fabio Wardley is on the brink of inheriting the WBO version of the championship after Usyk vacated the title today. The WBO wrote: "Consistent with established procedure, the [WBO Championship] Committee will evaluate and act upon the status of the current WBO interim heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley. As such, the committee will proceed without delay to elevate him to full champion status, subject to ratification and issuance of the corresponding championship resolution. The committee will also deliberate on the next relevant step regarding Wardley's first mandatory defense, including timelines, challenger designation and any additional measures required pursuant to the WBO regulations." In light of the WBO's statement, it is considered a formality that Wardley will be named the new WBO heavyweight champion. His promoter, Queensberry Promotions has already started to celebrate, tweeting: "Fabio Wardley is the new WBO heavyweight champion of the world! Massive congratulations Fabio and team." Earlier in the day, the WBO announced it had received a formal communication Usyk's team stating that after thoughtful consideration, Usyk has elected to relinquish the WBO title. [He also holds the three other major titles and there is no indication he relinquished any of those]. The WBO said that it honors Usyk's historic career and calls this a respectful pause, not a farewell to the great Ukrainian champion.
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White Paper Report: Regulatory and Structural Review of the Proposed Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act |
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Boxingtalk is proud to present the following white paper analysis from industry insder Charles Muniz. With Zuffa entering the boxing business in 2026 and making a concerted effort to amend the Muhammad Ali Act amended so that it can award its own championships and rank only its own boxers, what might the near future hold for the traditional boxing power players? Read on:
Professional boxing is entering a period of structural uncertainty. The proposed Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act (H.R. 4624) -- championed by the UFC-related venture that is going to ramp up its boxing activities in 2026- introduces a new entity type— the Unified Boxing Organizations (UBO), which would combine promotion, sanctioning and ranking under one roof. Supporters present the bill as modernization aimed at improving fighter welfare through higher minimum purses, medical insurance, and pension opportunities. Opponents caution that these provisions are undefined and could effectively consolidate control of the sport in the hands of a few corporate and financial actors, namely the UFC's Zuffa Boxing.
This report examines the proposed legislation from a regulatory and organizational perspective. It identifies potential overlaps and conflicts between H.R. 4624 and the existing Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act (2000); evaluates the market-structure implications of promoter-sanctioning integration; and analyzes relevant case studies, including current antitrust and integrity investigations involving mixed-martial-arts governance. It also reviews recent developments among U.S. state commissions and international promoters to illustrate how the measure could influence global boxing operations.
This report is NOT written as advocacy. Its purpose is to provide a factual foundation for discussion among fighters, promoters, sanctioning bodies, regulators, and policymakers who share a professional interest in maintaining transparent and competitive standards within combat sports.
I. Background of the Ali Act
The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act was enacted on May 26, 2000, amending the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996. Congress introduced it to counter conflicts of interest that had developed between promoters, managers, and sanctioning organizations during the 1980s and 1990s. Its core objectives were to:
● Maintain independence between promoters and sanctioning bodies.
● Require disclosure of event revenues, contractual terms, and financial arrangements to fighters and regulators.
● Ensure transparency in ranking criteria and title eligibility.
● Empower state athletic commissions to license, oversee, and discipline industry participants.
These provisions created a firewall separating the commercial promotion of events from the regulatory functions that determine championship recognition and athlete ranking. Although enforcement has varied by jurisdiction, the Act remains the principal federal safeguard preserving competitive balance and fighter autonomy.
II. Overview of the proposed legislation, H.R. 4624 — The “Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act”
Introduced in July 2025, H.R. 4624 seeks to “modernize and revitalize” professional boxing through the creation of Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs). The measure assigns these new entities the combined responsibilities of promotion, ranking, and sanctioning, subject to federal registration and periodic reporting.
Key Features
1. Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs)-- Authorizes the establishment of corporate bodies empowered to stage events, issue rankings, and crown champions within a single administrative framework.
2. Minimum-Compensation and Insurance Provisions-- Sets baseline payments (e.g., $150 per round) and medical-insurance thresholds (e.g., $25,000). These amounts are symbolic compared with existing market averages and may serve more as public-relations benchmarks than as functional protections.
3. Parallel System Clause-- Permits existing sanctioning bodies (WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO) to operate alongside UBOs but provides no mechanism to prevent promoters from migrating entirely to the new structure.
4. Federal Pre-Emption and Oversight-- Establishes a federal registry that could limit the authority of state commissions and potentially supersede sections of the 2000 Act.
Procedural Status
As of November 2025, H.R. 4624 remains before the House Committees on Education & Workforce and Energy & Commerce. The bill has drawn support from some state regulators and industry executives while prompting concern from independent sanctioning organizations and fighter-rights groups.
Initial Assessment
The legislation’s text presents an ambitious restructuring of boxing’s governance. By integrating promotion, ranking, and sanctioning functions, it would replace the current multi-body system with a consolidated model. Whether this represents efficiency or concentration depends on how UBOs are licensed, funded, and monitored. Further analysis is required to determine how the model would affect competition, fighter representation, and international alignment.
III. How H.R. 4624 Changes Boxing’s Regulatory Architecture
1. Integration of Commercial and Regulatory Power
H.R. 4624 would dissolve the separation between commercial promotion and regulatory oversight that has defined boxing since 2000. Under the proposed UBO framework, a single corporate entity could stage events, issue rankings, and award championships. Such consolidation would eliminate the checks-and-balances system that currently exists between promoters, sanctioning bodies, and athletic commissions. The bill also introduces a narrative of “fighter welfare”—minimum purses, insurance coverage, and pension discussions—measures that are attractive to lawmakers unfamiliar with boxing economics. These provisions, however, are voluntary and undefined. They do not establish funding mechanisms or administrative oversight. The apparent humanitarian emphasis thus functions primarily as a legislative selling point rather than a binding reform. In practice, the proposed model transfers decision-making authority from independent organizations to a small group of private operators.
2. How the Proposal Is Being Marketed to Congress
Supporters of H.R. 4624 present the bill as a long-overdue modernization effort. They highlight hypothetical benefits—higher earnings for entry-level fighters, access to health insurance, and potential retirement programs—without specifying implementation details. This messaging has proved persuasive in early briefings, particularly for members of Congress who view the sport through the lens of worker protection. Because few legislators are versed in the Ali Act or its history, the proposal’s structural implications have not received rigorous scrutiny. The result is a bill that appears protective on paper yet grants unprecedented consolidation authority to the entities positioned to form the first UBOs. Stakeholders should therefore distinguish between legislative intent and operational effect when evaluating the measure.
IV. Corporate Dynamics and Emerging Fault Lines: Zuffa, Dana White, TKO Group Holdings, and Turki Al Shaikh
1. Origins of the Initiative
The current legislative push stems primarily from the alliance between Zuffa LLC, Dana White, and TKO Group Holdings (Endeavor)—the corporate structure that controls the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). This partnership seeks to adapt the UFC’s integrated business model to boxing. The 2000 Ali Act’s separation of roles has long prevented such integration; H.R. 4624 would effectively remove that barrier. When initial efforts to fund a new boxing league through private investment stalled, TKO Group turned to Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), led by Turki Alalshikh. The GEA’s capacity to underwrite large-scale events provided the financial leverage necessary to advance the project. Because TKO Group is publicly traded, it cannot easily justify major expenditures without clear shareholder benefit. External state financing therefore allows TKO to expand while keeping its own balance sheet lean—a structure that aligns commercial ambition with foreign capital support.
2. The “Soft Entry” Strategy
Analysts describe the current stage as a “soft entry” phase: establishing credibility through co-promotions and selectively funded mega-events before launching a full-scale unified system. By positioning H.R. 4624 as reform legislation rather than market consolidation, proponents can frame the UBO concept as both patriotic and philanthropic. This strategy mirrors earlier tactics used in other entertainment sectors where public narratives of modernization preceded vertical integration.
3. International Ripple Effects — Turki’s Role and the UK Promoters
While the bill is U.S.-based, its implications are global. Matchroom Boxing, Queensberry Promotions, and Boxxer—key pillars of the UK boxing ecosystem—are currently cooperating with Turki Alalshikh on high-profile events and the proposed Ring Magazine championship platform. In the short term, their involvement provides stability and access to funding. In the long term, it positions them within a hierarchy that may eventually be centralized under the UBO framework. Boxxer, whose broadcast arrangement with Sky Sports recently ended, faces additional vulnerability as it seeks new partners. Should H.R. 4624 be enacted, any international promotion seeking U.S. broadcast distribution may need to align contractually with a UBO-recognized partner—effectively extending U.S. corporate standards abroad.
For Matchroom and Queensberry, the risk is subtler: continued reliance on Saudi financing and event hosting may erode negotiating independence once the UBO model consolidates its regulatory legitimacy in Washington. The GEA’s capital strength provides leverage that transcends geography.
4. Internal Tensions and Operational Risks
Industry reports indicate recurring disagreements between Dana White and Turki Al Shaikh regarding event control and brand presentation, most notably surrounding the Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford spectacle. Such disputes reveal competing priorities—corporate branding versus sovereign-sponsored visibility. While collaboration continues, the relationship remains transactional and potentially unstable. This instability may create short-term openings for independent promoters or sanctioning bodies to maintain relevance through selective partnerships or alternative championship models.
5. Potential Legal and Regulatory Exposure
Adopting a single-entity model raises antitrust and disclosure concerns for any publicly traded company. The 2023 UFC antitrust verdict established that Zuffa’s previous contracting practices could constitute a monopsony—a dominant buyer of fighter services that suppresses competition. Replicating that framework under new branding could invite renewed scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice Antitrust Division, especially if foreign state funding is intertwined. Shareholders may also question fiduciary risk if federal agencies later classify the structure as anti-competitive.
V. Strategic Opportunities for Independent Stakeholders
Consolidation appears likely if H.R. 4624 advances, due in part to Dana White’s relationship with President Donald Trump and the fact the the GOP majority in the House of Representatives has abdicated its responsibility to become Trump's rubber-stamp regardless of the impact on the American public. However, traditional participants retain strategic options if they can present a unified front, which would be wise. Here is how the tradional players in the boxing industry could react:
● Sanctioning Bodies: Highlight their historical role in maintaining competitive plurality and propose joint transparency reforms to demonstrate continued relevance.
● Fighters: Engage legal counsel early to ensure new contracts retain audit and sponsorship rights equivalent to those guaranteed under the Ali Act.
● Promoters: Collaborate on cross-promotional events that reinforce market diversity before regulatory consolidation occurs.
● Regulators: Coordinate interstate and international dialogue on how to preserve jurisdictional oversight should federal pre-emption take effect.
But the transition window is narrow. Once UBOs receive formal recognition, the economic and branding momentum will favor consolidation over collaboration. Stakeholders who act collectively before that point can still influence the regulatory shape of the sport.
VI. Legal and Integrity Precedents in Combat Sports
1. Antitrust Litigation Against Zuffa LLC
In 2023, the United States District Court for the District of Nevada issued a landmark ruling in the long-standing antitrust litigation against Zuffa LLC, parent company of UFC. The court found that Zuffa’s contracting practices had created a monopsony, enabling it to suppress fighter compensation and limit market entry by rival promoters. The class of affected athletes was awarded approximately $335 million in damages, with a second class action pending for subsequent years. The decision affirmed that the UFC’s business model (characterized by centralized control over athlete contracts, rankings, and broadcast distribution) constitutes an unreasonable restraint of trade under the Sherman Antitrust Act.
This legal precedent is directly relevant to H.R. 4624. The bill’s UBO model would allow the replication of the same structure for boxing that has servied Zuffa and the UFC in mixed martial arts: a single entity controlling athlete participation, ranking eligibility, and event promotion. Should Congress authorize such integration, it would effectively codify a model already adjudicated as anti-competitive.
2. Integrity Risks and the FBI Investigation
In 2025, multiple media outlets reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and federal prosecutors had launched an inquiry into allegations of fight manipulation and betting
irregularities involving at least one UFC-affiliated fighter. Although no formal charges have been filed, the investigation highlights systemic vulnerabilities in a structure where one company controls both the competitive and commercial sides of the sport.
Key issues under examination include:
● The absence of independent oversight separating matchmaking from betting markets.
● The influence of promotional contracts on fight outcomes and event scheduling.
● The lack of third-party auditing for fighter purses and discretionary bonuses.
The ongoing investigation underscores the need for clear boundaries between promotion, regulation, and wagering oversight—boundaries that the original Ali Act explicitly preserved and that H.R. 4624 would dissolve. It also raises broader reputational risks for any organization seeking to extend such a model into boxing, a sport already sensitive to perceptions of corruption and manipulation.
VII. Regulatory Oversight and Case Study: California State Athletic Commission
1. Background
The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) is among the most influential state regulators in U.S. combat sports. Its Executive Officer, Andy Foster, has long been regarded as a leading figure in athletic regulation. Historically, Foster expressed skepticism toward any model that blurs the distinction between promoters and sanctioning bodies, emphasizing that transparency and separation of functions are essential for public confidence. In mid-2025, however, Foster publicly endorsed H.R. 4624, citing its potential to improve baseline compensation and health benefits for fighters. The CSAC subsequently issued a unanimous vote of support without conducting formal public hearings or releasing an independent economic-impact report. Such endorsement by Mr. Foster should be viewed with skepticism given his sudden reversal behind closed doors.
2. The Reversal
The sudden reversal surprised many within the industry. Internal commission documents referenced expected economic benefits for California through an increase in event activity, yet
provided limited data to substantiate those projections. Industry observers noted that major corporate stakeholders and event promoters maintain significant operations within the state,
creating potential economic and political pressure to align with the emerging federal narrative of “modernization.” Foster’s change of stance illustrates the concept of regulatory capture—a process whereby agencies or officials tasked with oversight begin to adopt the priorities of the industries they regulate. While there is no evidence of misconduct, the optics of alignment without transparency have raised questions about the CSAC's philosophical independence.
3. Governance Implications
If state commissions follow California’s example, the system of decentralized regulation envisioned by the Ali Act may erode quickly. Consolidation of authority under a federally recognized UBO would leave state bodies with limited jurisdiction beyond licensing and medical safety. Such a shift could diminish local accountability while increasing the influence of federally recognized private organizations. For fighters and promoters operating under current state systems, this represents a fundamental change in oversight—from locally accountable commissions to federally registered corporate entities. The implications for contract enforcement, arbitration, and appeal rights are significant and warrant comprehensive review before any enactment of H.R. 4624.
VIII. Oversight and Transparency Recommendations
To preserve confidence and integrity across professional boxing and related sports, the following principles should guide any structural reform:
1. Independent Ranking and Sanctioning Panels Rankings and championship determinations should remain separate from commercial promoters to avoid conflicts of interest.
2. Mandatory Disclosure of Financial and Ownership Interests Any entity seeking UBO recognition should be required to disclose ownership stakes, including foreign investors and state-affiliated partners, to relevant U.S. oversight agencies.
3. Integrity and Betting Safeguards Establish a national integrity unit or contract an independent agency to monitor betting patterns, fight outcomes, and contractual incentives that could affect competitive fairness.
4. Public Consultation and Economic Impact Review Require that state commissions hold public hearings and release economic analyses before endorsing any legislation that changes the governance structure of combat sports.
5. These measures would not preclude reform but would ensure that modernization proceeds transparently and with the participation of all affected parties.
IX. Strategic Outlook for Sanctioning Bodies and Promoters
1. Coordinated Industry Response
The proposed UBO structure under H.R. 4624 would shift the balance of power in professional boxing toward a small coalition of corporate and financial entities. Sanctioning bodies and promoters currently operate under a pluralistic model, which allows competition, regional autonomy, and independent brand development. If UBOs are formalized, this pluralism will
diminish.
The four major sanctioning organizations—WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO—should prioritize immediate dialogue to develop a joint transparency charter reaffirming their shared governance principles. This collective initiative would demonstrate a proactive commitment to modernization while maintaining institutional independence. The same cooperative approach applies to promoters, who may otherwise find themselves negotiating under uniform UBO terms rather than competitive market conditions.
2. International Considerations
For global promoters such as Matchroom, Queensberry, and Boxxer, short-term opportunities under Saudi-backed financing may obscure longer-term risks. Once a U.S.-based UBO framework gains legitimacy, similar integration pressures are likely to extend internationally. The more dependent promoters become on centralized financing, the less leverage they retain in negotiations concerning titles, scheduling, and distribution. Maintaining international diversity in sanctioning and event management helps preserve the sport’s cultural and competitive identity. Coordination among U.S. and UK stakeholders may prove essential to ensuring that any modernization of boxing’s business model respects the independence of existing governing institutions.
3. Regulatory and Investor Relations
For TKO Group Holdings and associated partners, the success of any new structure depends on regulatory perception. Publicly traded companies face fiduciary duties and disclosure obligations
that differ from those of private promoters. If the UBO model proceeds without clear separation between commercial and regulatory functions, investor and regulator scrutiny will likely
intensify. Long-term stability requires transparent governance frameworks that withstand legal, ethical, and antitrust examination.
X. A Final Advisory for Stakeholders
1. The Narrow Window for Collective Action
The professional boxing community has a limited timeframe to evaluate and respond to H.R. 4624 before it advances through committee review. Once codified, any subsequent attempt to restore the current multi-body framework would face significant legal and financial barriers. The transition to a UBO-based structure would effectively centralize control of rankings,
championships, and media rights, leaving existing entities with symbolic roles. Sanctioning bodies, promoters, and fighters should therefore treat the legislative process not as a
distant policy discussion but as an imminent operational decision. Whether they support or oppose the concept, proactive participation in hearings, position papers, and collaborative reform
proposals is essential.
2. Institutional Continuity and Reputation
The integrity of professional boxing depends on transparent governance. Even incremental changes to regulatory architecture must be evaluated for unintended consequences. Public
confidence—among fans, athletes, and sponsors—rests on the belief that athletic results and championship designations are determined in fair competition, free from undue influence, which
has created this opening for Zuffa/TKO and the UBO. Industry leaders who engage constructively and transparently in this process will shape not only the legislative outcome but also the future credibility of the sport.
XI. Conclusion
The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act of 2000 established a system designed to protect athletes from exploitative conflicts of interest and to ensure fair competition. The proposed Muhammad
Ali American Boxing Revival Act (H.R. 4624) seeks to replace that system with a unified, federally recognized structure that merges promotion, sanctioning, and ranking. Whether viewed as reform or consolidation, the measure represents a fundamental redefinition of how professional boxing is governed. The stakes are not limited to business efficiency; they concern the sport’s independence, its regulatory integrity, and its international reputation. For fighters, promoters, and sanctioning organizations, the responsibility is shared: evaluate the implications, contribute constructively to the dialogue, and preserve the balance between innovation and integrity that has defined the sport for over a century.
At the same time, discussions among sanctioning bodies and major promoters appear limited or fragmented. Without a coordinated response and active engagement in the legislative process, industry stakeholders risk allowing the amendment of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act to proceed by default. If enacted without meaningful input from those directly affected, the resulting changes could alter long-standing athlete-protection mechanisms and reshape the competitive structure of professional boxing.
But the window to voice concerns to this proposed amendment to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act is narrow indeed. Following recent election results, some Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives who hold seats in competitive districts face heightened electoral pressure heading into 2026. Analysts note that these members may seek to demonstrate greater independence from President Donald Trump or the party’s national leadership as they adjust their political positioning for re-election.
About This White Paper
Title: Independent Regulatory and Structural Review of the Proposed “Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act” (H.R. 4624)
Prepared by: Charles Muniz
Date of Publication: November 17, 2025
This White Paper was developed as an independent review of H.R. 4624 and its potential regulatory, legal, and structural impact on professional boxing. It consolidates legislative material, judicial precedents, and industry developments to present a factual overview for use by fighters, promoters, sanctioning bodies, regulators, and journalists. The report does not advocate a policy position. Its purpose is to provide a clear, organized framework for evaluating how proposed reforms may alter the relationships among athletes, governing bodies, and commercial stakeholders.
If you would like to share your views on this White Paper, send email: boxingratings@yahoo.com -- we’d like to hear your thoughts.
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White Paper Report: Regulatory and Structural Review of the Proposed Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act
Boxingtalk is proud to present the following white paper analysis from industry insder Charles Muniz. With Zuffa entering the boxing business in 2026 and making a concerted effort to amend the Muhammad Ali Act amended so that it can award its own championships and rank only its own boxers, what might the near future hold for the traditional boxing power players? Read on:
Professional boxing is entering a period of structural uncertainty. The proposed Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act (H.R. 4624) -- championed by the UFC-related venture that is going to ramp up its boxing activities in 2026- introduces a new entity type— the Unified Boxing Organizations (UBO), which would combine promotion, sanctioning and ranking under one roof. Supporters present the bill as modernization aimed at improving fighter welfare through higher minimum purses, medical insurance, and pension opportunities. Opponents caution that these provisions are undefined and could effectively consolidate control of the sport in the hands of a few corporate and financial actors, namely the UFC's Zuffa Boxing.
This report examines the proposed legislation from a regulatory and organizational perspective. It identifies potential overlaps and conflicts between H.R. 4624 and the existing Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act (2000); evaluates the market-structure implications of promoter-sanctioning integration; and analyzes relevant case studies, including current antitrust and integrity investigations involving mixed-martial-arts governance. It also reviews recent developments among U.S. state commissions and international promoters to illustrate how the measure could influence global boxing operations.
This report is NOT written as advocacy. Its purpose is to provide a factual foundation for discussion among fighters, promoters, sanctioning bodies, regulators, and policymakers who share a professional interest in maintaining transparent and competitive standards within combat sports.
I. Background of the Ali Act
The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act was enacted on May 26, 2000, amending the Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996. Congress introduced it to counter conflicts of interest that had developed between promoters, managers, and sanctioning organizations during the 1980s and 1990s. Its core objectives were to:
● Maintain independence between promoters and sanctioning bodies.
● Require disclosure of event revenues, contractual terms, and financial arrangements to fighters and regulators.
● Ensure transparency in ranking criteria and title eligibility.
● Empower state athletic commissions to license, oversee, and discipline industry participants.
These provisions created a firewall separating the commercial promotion of events from the regulatory functions that determine championship recognition and athlete ranking. Although enforcement has varied by jurisdiction, the Act remains the principal federal safeguard preserving competitive balance and fighter autonomy.
II. Overview of the proposed legislation, H.R. 4624 — The “Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act”
Introduced in July 2025, H.R. 4624 seeks to “modernize and revitalize” professional boxing through the creation of Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs). The measure assigns these new entities the combined responsibilities of promotion, ranking, and sanctioning, subject to federal registration and periodic reporting.
Key Features
1. Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs)-- Authorizes the establishment of corporate bodies empowered to stage events, issue rankings, and crown champions within a single administrative framework.
2. Minimum-Compensation and Insurance Provisions-- Sets baseline payments (e.g., $150 per round) and medical-insurance thresholds (e.g., $25,000). These amounts are symbolic compared with existing market averages and may serve more as public-relations benchmarks than as functional protections.
3. Parallel System Clause-- Permits existing sanctioning bodies (WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO) to operate alongside UBOs but provides no mechanism to prevent promoters from migrating entirely to the new structure.
4. Federal Pre-Emption and Oversight-- Establishes a federal registry that could limit the authority of state commissions and potentially supersede sections of the 2000 Act.
Procedural Status
As of November 2025, H.R. 4624 remains before the House Committees on Education & Workforce and Energy & Commerce. The bill has drawn support from some state regulators and industry executives while prompting concern from independent sanctioning organizations and fighter-rights groups.
Initial Assessment
The legislation’s text presents an ambitious restructuring of boxing’s governance. By integrating promotion, ranking, and sanctioning functions, it would replace the current multi-body system with a consolidated model. Whether this represents efficiency or concentration depends on how UBOs are licensed, funded, and monitored. Further analysis is required to determine how the model would affect competition, fighter representation, and international alignment.
III. How H.R. 4624 Changes Boxing’s Regulatory Architecture
1. Integration of Commercial and Regulatory Power
H.R. 4624 would dissolve the separation between commercial promotion and regulatory oversight that has defined boxing since 2000. Under the proposed UBO framework, a single corporate entity could stage events, issue rankings, and award championships. Such consolidation would eliminate the checks-and-balances system that currently exists between promoters, sanctioning bodies, and athletic commissions. The bill also introduces a narrative of “fighter welfare”—minimum purses, insurance coverage, and pension discussions—measures that are attractive to lawmakers unfamiliar with boxing economics. These provisions, however, are voluntary and undefined. They do not establish funding mechanisms or administrative oversight. The apparent humanitarian emphasis thus functions primarily as a legislative selling point rather than a binding reform. In practice, the proposed model transfers decision-making authority from independent organizations to a small group of private operators.
2. How the Proposal Is Being Marketed to Congress
Supporters of H.R. 4624 present the bill as a long-overdue modernization effort. They highlight hypothetical benefits—higher earnings for entry-level fighters, access to health insurance, and potential retirement programs—without specifying implementation details. This messaging has proved persuasive in early briefings, particularly for members of Congress who view the sport through the lens of worker protection. Because few legislators are versed in the Ali Act or its history, the proposal’s structural implications have not received rigorous scrutiny. The result is a bill that appears protective on paper yet grants unprecedented consolidation authority to the entities positioned to form the first UBOs. Stakeholders should therefore distinguish between legislative intent and operational effect when evaluating the measure.
IV. Corporate Dynamics and Emerging Fault Lines: Zuffa, Dana White, TKO Group Holdings, and Turki Al Shaikh
1. Origins of the Initiative
The current legislative push stems primarily from the alliance between Zuffa LLC, Dana White, and TKO Group Holdings (Endeavor)—the corporate structure that controls the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). This partnership seeks to adapt the UFC’s integrated business model to boxing. The 2000 Ali Act’s separation of roles has long prevented such integration; H.R. 4624 would effectively remove that barrier. When initial efforts to fund a new boxing league through private investment stalled, TKO Group turned to Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), led by Turki Alalshikh. The GEA’s capacity to underwrite large-scale events provided the financial leverage necessary to advance the project. Because TKO Group is publicly traded, it cannot easily justify major expenditures without clear shareholder benefit. External state financing therefore allows TKO to expand while keeping its own balance sheet lean—a structure that aligns commercial ambition with foreign capital support.
2. The “Soft Entry” Strategy
Analysts describe the current stage as a “soft entry” phase: establishing credibility through co-promotions and selectively funded mega-events before launching a full-scale unified system. By positioning H.R. 4624 as reform legislation rather than market consolidation, proponents can frame the UBO concept as both patriotic and philanthropic. This strategy mirrors earlier tactics used in other entertainment sectors where public narratives of modernization preceded vertical integration.
3. International Ripple Effects — Turki’s Role and the UK Promoters
While the bill is U.S.-based, its implications are global. Matchroom Boxing, Queensberry Promotions, and Boxxer—key pillars of the UK boxing ecosystem—are currently cooperating with Turki Alalshikh on high-profile events and the proposed Ring Magazine championship platform. In the short term, their involvement provides stability and access to funding. In the long term, it positions them within a hierarchy that may eventually be centralized under the UBO framework. Boxxer, whose broadcast arrangement with Sky Sports recently ended, faces additional vulnerability as it seeks new partners. Should H.R. 4624 be enacted, any international promotion seeking U.S. broadcast distribution may need to align contractually with a UBO-recognized partner—effectively extending U.S. corporate standards abroad.
For Matchroom and Queensberry, the risk is subtler: continued reliance on Saudi financing and event hosting may erode negotiating independence once the UBO model consolidates its regulatory legitimacy in Washington. The GEA’s capital strength provides leverage that transcends geography.
4. Internal Tensions and Operational Risks
Industry reports indicate recurring disagreements between Dana White and Turki Al Shaikh regarding event control and brand presentation, most notably surrounding the Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford spectacle. Such disputes reveal competing priorities—corporate branding versus sovereign-sponsored visibility. While collaboration continues, the relationship remains transactional and potentially unstable. This instability may create short-term openings for independent promoters or sanctioning bodies to maintain relevance through selective partnerships or alternative championship models.
5. Potential Legal and Regulatory Exposure
Adopting a single-entity model raises antitrust and disclosure concerns for any publicly traded company. The 2023 UFC antitrust verdict established that Zuffa’s previous contracting practices could constitute a monopsony—a dominant buyer of fighter services that suppresses competition. Replicating that framework under new branding could invite renewed scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice Antitrust Division, especially if foreign state funding is intertwined. Shareholders may also question fiduciary risk if federal agencies later classify the structure as anti-competitive.
V. Strategic Opportunities for Independent Stakeholders
Consolidation appears likely if H.R. 4624 advances, due in part to Dana White’s relationship with President Donald Trump and the fact the the GOP majority in the House of Representatives has abdicated its responsibility to become Trump's rubber-stamp regardless of the impact on the American public. However, traditional participants retain strategic options if they can present a unified front, which would be wise. Here is how the tradional players in the boxing industry could react:
● Sanctioning Bodies: Highlight their historical role in maintaining competitive plurality and propose joint transparency reforms to demonstrate continued relevance.
● Fighters: Engage legal counsel early to ensure new contracts retain audit and sponsorship rights equivalent to those guaranteed under the Ali Act.
● Promoters: Collaborate on cross-promotional events that reinforce market diversity before regulatory consolidation occurs.
● Regulators: Coordinate interstate and international dialogue on how to preserve jurisdictional oversight should federal pre-emption take effect.
But the transition window is narrow. Once UBOs receive formal recognition, the economic and branding momentum will favor consolidation over collaboration. Stakeholders who act collectively before that point can still influence the regulatory shape of the sport.
VI. Legal and Integrity Precedents in Combat Sports
1. Antitrust Litigation Against Zuffa LLC
In 2023, the United States District Court for the District of Nevada issued a landmark ruling in the long-standing antitrust litigation against Zuffa LLC, parent company of UFC. The court found that Zuffa’s contracting practices had created a monopsony, enabling it to suppress fighter compensation and limit market entry by rival promoters. The class of affected athletes was awarded approximately $335 million in damages, with a second class action pending for subsequent years. The decision affirmed that the UFC’s business model (characterized by centralized control over athlete contracts, rankings, and broadcast distribution) constitutes an unreasonable restraint of trade under the Sherman Antitrust Act.
This legal precedent is directly relevant to H.R. 4624. The bill’s UBO model would allow the replication of the same structure for boxing that has servied Zuffa and the UFC in mixed martial arts: a single entity controlling athlete participation, ranking eligibility, and event promotion. Should Congress authorize such integration, it would effectively codify a model already adjudicated as anti-competitive.
2. Integrity Risks and the FBI Investigation
In 2025, multiple media outlets reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and federal prosecutors had launched an inquiry into allegations of fight manipulation and betting
irregularities involving at least one UFC-affiliated fighter. Although no formal charges have been filed, the investigation highlights systemic vulnerabilities in a structure where one company controls both the competitive and commercial sides of the sport.
Key issues under examination include:
● The absence of independent oversight separating matchmaking from betting markets.
● The influence of promotional contracts on fight outcomes and event scheduling.
● The lack of third-party auditing for fighter purses and discretionary bonuses.
The ongoing investigation underscores the need for clear boundaries between promotion, regulation, and wagering oversight—boundaries that the original Ali Act explicitly preserved and that H.R. 4624 would dissolve. It also raises broader reputational risks for any organization seeking to extend such a model into boxing, a sport already sensitive to perceptions of corruption and manipulation.
VII. Regulatory Oversight and Case Study: California State Athletic Commission
1. Background
The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) is among the most influential state regulators in U.S. combat sports. Its Executive Officer, Andy Foster, has long been regarded as a leading figure in athletic regulation. Historically, Foster expressed skepticism toward any model that blurs the distinction between promoters and sanctioning bodies, emphasizing that transparency and separation of functions are essential for public confidence. In mid-2025, however, Foster publicly endorsed H.R. 4624, citing its potential to improve baseline compensation and health benefits for fighters. The CSAC subsequently issued a unanimous vote of support without conducting formal public hearings or releasing an independent economic-impact report. Such endorsement by Mr. Foster should be viewed with skepticism given his sudden reversal behind closed doors.
2. The Reversal
The sudden reversal surprised many within the industry. Internal commission documents referenced expected economic benefits for California through an increase in event activity, yet
provided limited data to substantiate those projections. Industry observers noted that major corporate stakeholders and event promoters maintain significant operations within the state,
creating potential economic and political pressure to align with the emerging federal narrative of “modernization.” Foster’s change of stance illustrates the concept of regulatory capture—a process whereby agencies or officials tasked with oversight begin to adopt the priorities of the industries they regulate. While there is no evidence of misconduct, the optics of alignment without transparency have raised questions about the CSAC's philosophical independence.
3. Governance Implications
If state commissions follow California’s example, the system of decentralized regulation envisioned by the Ali Act may erode quickly. Consolidation of authority under a federally recognized UBO would leave state bodies with limited jurisdiction beyond licensing and medical safety. Such a shift could diminish local accountability while increasing the influence of federally recognized private organizations. For fighters and promoters operating under current state systems, this represents a fundamental change in oversight—from locally accountable commissions to federally registered corporate entities. The implications for contract enforcement, arbitration, and appeal rights are significant and warrant comprehensive review before any enactment of H.R. 4624.
VIII. Oversight and Transparency Recommendations
To preserve confidence and integrity across professional boxing and related sports, the following principles should guide any structural reform:
1. Independent Ranking and Sanctioning Panels Rankings and championship determinations should remain separate from commercial promoters to avoid conflicts of interest.
2. Mandatory Disclosure of Financial and Ownership Interests Any entity seeking UBO recognition should be required to disclose ownership stakes, including foreign investors and state-affiliated partners, to relevant U.S. oversight agencies.
3. Integrity and Betting Safeguards Establish a national integrity unit or contract an independent agency to monitor betting patterns, fight outcomes, and contractual incentives that could affect competitive fairness.
4. Public Consultation and Economic Impact Review Require that state commissions hold public hearings and release economic analyses before endorsing any legislation that changes the governance structure of combat sports.
5. These measures would not preclude reform but would ensure that modernization proceeds transparently and with the participation of all affected parties.
IX. Strategic Outlook for Sanctioning Bodies and Promoters
1. Coordinated Industry Response
The proposed UBO structure under H.R. 4624 would shift the balance of power in professional boxing toward a small coalition of corporate and financial entities. Sanctioning bodies and promoters currently operate under a pluralistic model, which allows competition, regional autonomy, and independent brand development. If UBOs are formalized, this pluralism will
diminish.
The four major sanctioning organizations—WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO—should prioritize immediate dialogue to develop a joint transparency charter reaffirming their shared governance principles. This collective initiative would demonstrate a proactive commitment to modernization while maintaining institutional independence. The same cooperative approach applies to promoters, who may otherwise find themselves negotiating under uniform UBO terms rather than competitive market conditions.
2. International Considerations
For global promoters such as Matchroom, Queensberry, and Boxxer, short-term opportunities under Saudi-backed financing may obscure longer-term risks. Once a U.S.-based UBO framework gains legitimacy, similar integration pressures are likely to extend internationally. The more dependent promoters become on centralized financing, the less leverage they retain in negotiations concerning titles, scheduling, and distribution. Maintaining international diversity in sanctioning and event management helps preserve the sport’s cultural and competitive identity. Coordination among U.S. and UK stakeholders may prove essential to ensuring that any modernization of boxing’s business model respects the independence of existing governing institutions.
3. Regulatory and Investor Relations
For TKO Group Holdings and associated partners, the success of any new structure depends on regulatory perception. Publicly traded companies face fiduciary duties and disclosure obligations
that differ from those of private promoters. If the UBO model proceeds without clear separation between commercial and regulatory functions, investor and regulator scrutiny will likely
intensify. Long-term stability requires transparent governance frameworks that withstand legal, ethical, and antitrust examination.
X. A Final Advisory for Stakeholders
1. The Narrow Window for Collective Action
The professional boxing community has a limited timeframe to evaluate and respond to H.R. 4624 before it advances through committee review. Once codified, any subsequent attempt to restore the current multi-body framework would face significant legal and financial barriers. The transition to a UBO-based structure would effectively centralize control of rankings,
championships, and media rights, leaving existing entities with symbolic roles. Sanctioning bodies, promoters, and fighters should therefore treat the legislative process not as a
distant policy discussion but as an imminent operational decision. Whether they support or oppose the concept, proactive participation in hearings, position papers, and collaborative reform
proposals is essential.
2. Institutional Continuity and Reputation
The integrity of professional boxing depends on transparent governance. Even incremental changes to regulatory architecture must be evaluated for unintended consequences. Public
confidence—among fans, athletes, and sponsors—rests on the belief that athletic results and championship designations are determined in fair competition, free from undue influence, which
has created this opening for Zuffa/TKO and the UBO. Industry leaders who engage constructively and transparently in this process will shape not only the legislative outcome but also the future credibility of the sport.
XI. Conclusion
The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act of 2000 established a system designed to protect athletes from exploitative conflicts of interest and to ensure fair competition. The proposed Muhammad
Ali American Boxing Revival Act (H.R. 4624) seeks to replace that system with a unified, federally recognized structure that merges promotion, sanctioning, and ranking. Whether viewed as reform or consolidation, the measure represents a fundamental redefinition of how professional boxing is governed. The stakes are not limited to business efficiency; they concern the sport’s independence, its regulatory integrity, and its international reputation. For fighters, promoters, and sanctioning organizations, the responsibility is shared: evaluate the implications, contribute constructively to the dialogue, and preserve the balance between innovation and integrity that has defined the sport for over a century.
At the same time, discussions among sanctioning bodies and major promoters appear limited or fragmented. Without a coordinated response and active engagement in the legislative process, industry stakeholders risk allowing the amendment of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act to proceed by default. If enacted without meaningful input from those directly affected, the resulting changes could alter long-standing athlete-protection mechanisms and reshape the competitive structure of professional boxing.
But the window to voice concerns to this proposed amendment to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act is narrow indeed. Following recent election results, some Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives who hold seats in competitive districts face heightened electoral pressure heading into 2026. Analysts note that these members may seek to demonstrate greater independence from President Donald Trump or the party’s national leadership as they adjust their political positioning for re-election.
About This White Paper
Title: Independent Regulatory and Structural Review of the Proposed “Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act” (H.R. 4624)
Prepared by: Charles Muniz
Date of Publication: November 17, 2025
This White Paper was developed as an independent review of H.R. 4624 and its potential regulatory, legal, and structural impact on professional boxing. It consolidates legislative material, judicial precedents, and industry developments to present a factual overview for use by fighters, promoters, sanctioning bodies, regulators, and journalists. The report does not advocate a policy position. Its purpose is to provide a clear, organized framework for evaluating how proposed reforms may alter the relationships among athletes, governing bodies, and commercial stakeholders.
If you would like to share your views on this White Paper, send email: boxingratings@yahoo.com -- we’d like to hear your thoughts.
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Jake Paul: "On 12/19, Goliath gets put to sleep" |
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On Dec. 19th, Youtuber turend cruiserweight Jake Paul will step into the ring with Anthony Joshua, the former two-time unified heavyweight world champion and Olympic gold medalist for an eight-round professional heavyweight bout. It will stream live globally at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT only on Netflix.. Paul's only heavyweight experience came against then-58 year-old Mike Tyson last year, but Paul will retain his unshakeable confidence going into what appears to be an insurmpuntable challenge for him. “This isn’t an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day,” Paul told Netflix. “A professional heavyweight fight against an elite [former] world champion in his prime. When I beat Anthony Joshua, every doubt disappears, and no one can deny me the opportunity to fight for a world title. To all my haters, this is what you wanted. To the people of the United Kingdom, I am sorry. On Friday, December 19, under the lights in Miami, live globally only on Netflix, the torch gets passed and Britain’s Goliath gets put to sleep."
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Jake Paul: "On 12/19, Goliath gets put to sleep"
On Dec. 19th, Youtuber turend cruiserweight Jake Paul will step into the ring with Anthony Joshua, the former two-time unified heavyweight world champion and Olympic gold medalist for an eight-round professional heavyweight bout. It will stream live globally at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT only on Netflix.. Paul's only heavyweight experience came against then-58 year-old Mike Tyson last year, but Paul will retain his unshakeable confidence going into what appears to be an insurmpuntable challenge for him. “This isn’t an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day,” Paul told Netflix. “A professional heavyweight fight against an elite [former] world champion in his prime. When I beat Anthony Joshua, every doubt disappears, and no one can deny me the opportunity to fight for a world title. To all my haters, this is what you wanted. To the people of the United Kingdom, I am sorry. On Friday, December 19, under the lights in Miami, live globally only on Netflix, the torch gets passed and Britain’s Goliath gets put to sleep."
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IBF orders Irma Garcia to defend vs. Emma Dolan |
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On October 15th, the IBF ordered super flyweight champion Irma Garcia and Emma Dolan to begin negotiations for the mandatory defense of Garcia's title. An agreement was not be reached in the time frame set forth in the IBF's letter, so the IBF has scheduled a purse bid for December 2nd. Garcia, from Mexico City, is 44 years old with a 25-5-1 record. She won a very low-level non-title fight earlier this year and last defended her title in late 2024 with a win over Gloria Gallardo. Dolan is the reigning British champion and moved to 8-0 earlier this year with a domestic title defense against Lauren Parker.
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IBF orders Irma Garcia to defend vs. Emma Dolan
On October 15th, the IBF ordered super flyweight champion Irma Garcia and Emma Dolan to begin negotiations for the mandatory defense of Garcia's title. An agreement was not be reached in the time frame set forth in the IBF's letter, so the IBF has scheduled a purse bid for December 2nd. Garcia, from Mexico City, is 44 years old with a 25-5-1 record. She won a very low-level non-title fight earlier this year and last defended her title in late 2024 with a win over Gloria Gallardo. Dolan is the reigning British champion and moved to 8-0 earlier this year with a domestic title defense against Lauren Parker.
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Guatemala's Trujillo Brothers share Dec. 6th show |
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On December 6th in Guatemala City, Remsey Trujillo (9-0-1 with 7 KOs) will fight Kevin Guerrero (4-0, 0 KOs) from Costa Rica in a junior middleweight bout. Remsey Trujillo is the younger brother of Wyatt Trujillo, a 13-0 super middleweight. Remsey is just twenty years old, , two years younger than his brother but he is already the reigning Guatemala domestic junior middleweight champion, a title he won this past August and successfully defended on November 15th. As for Guerrero, he is age 28 and will be fighting outside his native country for the first time. The visitor is naturally the underdog, but he is confident he will remain undefeated. The clash of undefeateds headlines a card promoted by Trujillo Promotions at the Salon Del Mercado Nuevo De Villa Nueva. Wyatt is also scheduled to fight on the show.
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Guatemala's Trujillo Brothers share Dec. 6th show
On December 6th in Guatemala City, Remsey Trujillo (9-0-1 with 7 KOs) will fight Kevin Guerrero (4-0, 0 KOs) from Costa Rica in a junior middleweight bout. Remsey Trujillo is the younger brother of Wyatt Trujillo, a 13-0 super middleweight. Remsey is just twenty years old, , two years younger than his brother but he is already the reigning Guatemala domestic junior middleweight champion, a title he won this past August and successfully defended on November 15th. As for Guerrero, he is age 28 and will be fighting outside his native country for the first time. The visitor is naturally the underdog, but he is confident he will remain undefeated. The clash of undefeateds headlines a card promoted by Trujillo Promotions at the Salon Del Mercado Nuevo De Villa Nueva. Wyatt is also scheduled to fight on the show.
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Usyk vacates WBO heavyweight championship |
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The WBO announced today that it has received formal communication from Team Oleksandr Usyk stating that after thoughtful consideration, Oleksandr Usyk (pictured) has elected to relinquish the title. [He also holds the three other major titles]. The WBO said that it honors Usyk's historic career and calls this a respectful pause, not a farewell to the great Ukrainian champion. Presumably, WBO interim champion Fabio Wardley has been elevated to become the new WBO heavyweight champion, and that is exactly what Wardley's promoter, Queensberry Promotions tweeted: "Fabio Wardley is the new WBO heavyweight champion of the world! Massive congratulations Fabio and team."
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Usyk vacates WBO heavyweight championship
The WBO announced today that it has received formal communication from Team Oleksandr Usyk stating that after thoughtful consideration, Oleksandr Usyk (pictured) has elected to relinquish the title. [He also holds the three other major titles]. The WBO said that it honors Usyk's historic career and calls this a respectful pause, not a farewell to the great Ukrainian champion. Presumably, WBO interim champion Fabio Wardley has been elevated to become the new WBO heavyweight champion, and that is exactly what Wardley's promoter, Queensberry Promotions tweeted: "Fabio Wardley is the new WBO heavyweight champion of the world! Massive congratulations Fabio and team."
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Joshua agrees to fight Paul on Dec. 19th |
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Yes, it’s real. Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (pictured) vs. Youtuber turned boxer Jake Paul is now on the boxing schedule. It will be a legacy-defining [eight-round] fight for Paul. It will be shown live on Netflix on Friday, December 19th from the Casey Center in Miami. Here is the Netflix announcement:
Paul has spent years saying he wanted to test himself against one of the sport’s biggest punchers — the kind of fighter most pros spend a lifetime avoiding. Now he’s getting exactly what he asked for. On Dec. 19th, Paul will step into the ring with Joshua, the former two-time unified heavyweight world champion, Olympic gold medalist, and one of the most devastating finishers of the modern era. The eight-round professional heavyweight bout will stream live globally at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT — only on Netflix and included in all plans.
The matchup unites Paul, the sport’s most-watched fighter whose showmanship has redefined modern boxing and shattered records at every turn, with Joshua, one of boxing’s most accomplished, respected, and feared punchers — a global icon who twice unified the heavyweight division and has headlined sold-out stadiums across the UK and beyond.
But this didn’t come out of nowhere. In a previous interview with Netflix ahead of a since-canceled fight against Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Paul floated Joshua’s name as the kind of test he eventually wanted. “Anthony Joshua,” Paul said when asked what fight he was manifesting next. “100%. I want a challenge. I want challenges always.”
Paul has spent the last five years transforming from a viral disruptor to a genuinely dangerous contender. The American pride of Puerto Rico has picked off names like Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz on his way up, stacking knockouts, shaking up expectations, and drawing some of the largest audiences the sport has ever seen.
Paul’s leap into the heavyweight ranks last year, with a win over [58 year-old] Mike Tyson, was a global spectacle that shattered viewership records with 108 million people tuning in. In June 2025, Paul followed that momentum with a unanimous-decision victory over former world champion Julio César Chávez Jr.
Joshua has spent the last decade building one of the most accomplished heavyweight résumés in modern boxing. After winning Olympic gold for Great Britain at London 2012, Joshua rocketed through the pro ranks, claiming his first world title in 2016 with a dominant stoppage of Charles Martin. A year later, he delivered the kind of career-defining moment fighters dream about: an unforgettable war with Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium that unified the division and cemented his place as the sport’s newest superstar.
Joshua went on to collect and defend the WBO, WBA, and IBF titles, turning Wembley into his personal home arena and racking up victories over Joseph Parker and Alexander Povetkin. His unbeaten streak ended in his 2019 US debut against Andy Ruiz Jr. at Madison Square Garden, but Joshua returned six months later in Saudi Arabia to win the rematch and become a two-time unified heavyweight champion.
Even after setbacks, Joshua never shied away from elite competition. He scored a knockout of Kubrat Pulev, went 24 rounds with pound-for-pound great Oleksandr Usyk, and rebuilt under trainer Derrick James in Dallas. Then he returned to London for a wide points win over Jermaine Franklin. He followed that with a short-notice knockout of Robert Helenius, a dominant performance against Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia, and a ferocious second-round knockout of Francis Ngannou — a finish that many considered 2024’s Knockout of the Year.
In September 2024, Joshua fought for the IBF title again, losing to fellow Brit Daniel Dubois. Now, still chasing his goal of becoming a three-time heavyweight world champion, he meets Jake Paul in Miami, bringing with him one of the most explosive knockout records of his era.
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Joshua agrees to fight Paul on Dec. 19th
Yes, it’s real. Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (pictured) vs. Youtuber turned boxer Jake Paul is now on the boxing schedule. It will be a legacy-defining [eight-round] fight for Paul. It will be shown live on Netflix on Friday, December 19th from the Casey Center in Miami. Here is the Netflix announcement:
Paul has spent years saying he wanted to test himself against one of the sport’s biggest punchers — the kind of fighter most pros spend a lifetime avoiding. Now he’s getting exactly what he asked for. On Dec. 19th, Paul will step into the ring with Joshua, the former two-time unified heavyweight world champion, Olympic gold medalist, and one of the most devastating finishers of the modern era. The eight-round professional heavyweight bout will stream live globally at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT — only on Netflix and included in all plans.
The matchup unites Paul, the sport’s most-watched fighter whose showmanship has redefined modern boxing and shattered records at every turn, with Joshua, one of boxing’s most accomplished, respected, and feared punchers — a global icon who twice unified the heavyweight division and has headlined sold-out stadiums across the UK and beyond.
But this didn’t come out of nowhere. In a previous interview with Netflix ahead of a since-canceled fight against Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Paul floated Joshua’s name as the kind of test he eventually wanted. “Anthony Joshua,” Paul said when asked what fight he was manifesting next. “100%. I want a challenge. I want challenges always.”
Paul has spent the last five years transforming from a viral disruptor to a genuinely dangerous contender. The American pride of Puerto Rico has picked off names like Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz on his way up, stacking knockouts, shaking up expectations, and drawing some of the largest audiences the sport has ever seen.
Paul’s leap into the heavyweight ranks last year, with a win over [58 year-old] Mike Tyson, was a global spectacle that shattered viewership records with 108 million people tuning in. In June 2025, Paul followed that momentum with a unanimous-decision victory over former world champion Julio César Chávez Jr.
Joshua has spent the last decade building one of the most accomplished heavyweight résumés in modern boxing. After winning Olympic gold for Great Britain at London 2012, Joshua rocketed through the pro ranks, claiming his first world title in 2016 with a dominant stoppage of Charles Martin. A year later, he delivered the kind of career-defining moment fighters dream about: an unforgettable war with Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium that unified the division and cemented his place as the sport’s newest superstar.
Joshua went on to collect and defend the WBO, WBA, and IBF titles, turning Wembley into his personal home arena and racking up victories over Joseph Parker and Alexander Povetkin. His unbeaten streak ended in his 2019 US debut against Andy Ruiz Jr. at Madison Square Garden, but Joshua returned six months later in Saudi Arabia to win the rematch and become a two-time unified heavyweight champion.
Even after setbacks, Joshua never shied away from elite competition. He scored a knockout of Kubrat Pulev, went 24 rounds with pound-for-pound great Oleksandr Usyk, and rebuilt under trainer Derrick James in Dallas. Then he returned to London for a wide points win over Jermaine Franklin. He followed that with a short-notice knockout of Robert Helenius, a dominant performance against Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia, and a ferocious second-round knockout of Francis Ngannou — a finish that many considered 2024’s Knockout of the Year.
In September 2024, Joshua fought for the IBF title again, losing to fellow Brit Daniel Dubois. Now, still chasing his goal of becoming a three-time heavyweight world champion, he meets Jake Paul in Miami, bringing with him one of the most explosive knockout records of his era.
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Introducing Kacie Wheeler |
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Recent Jeter Promotions signee Kacie Wheeler will be in action on Saturday, November 22nd at The Hall at Live! Casino Hotel Maryland. Wheeler, from Fairfax, Virginia is 3-0 with all wins coming via knockout. She will be back in action against welterweight Jacelyn Shalaya Shade (1-1). "I think Kacie will become the first world champion for Jeter Promotions and we are happy to have her signed with us," said Tony Jeter. The 29 year-old Wheeler was a Division 1 sprinter for the University of William & Mary and held school records for the 400 meters and the four-by-400 relay.
The competitive Wheeler then started training in boxing out of spite for an ex-boyfriend,"I had no idea what to do after college. My boyfriend broke up with me and then the Pandemic hit. His sister used to braid my hair like I would see some of the women fighters, and then I saw an ad for round card girls on Barstool," said Wheeler. "They have this series called Rough-and-Rowdy, so I won the round card girl contest while competing in the fights. I fought eight-times in that and I had five amateur fights. I have an athletic background and I am a strength and conditioning coach for professional athletes."
Wheeler, who is promoted by Jeter Promotions, signed a managerial contract with the top female boxing manager Brian Cohen of Split-T Management. "Something about Brian is genuine and authentic and it is important that he has managed a lot of female fighters and he gave me the confidence to sign with Jeter Promotions. Signing with Jeter is a great fit as I will be fighting close to home and I know he will help me with securing the big opportunities."
Wheeler turned pro November 2, 2024 with a second round stoppage over Sarah Cunningham,. Wheeler followed that up with consecutive first round stoppages over Natali Fagan (1-0) and her most recent outing when she took out Shamiah Jones on September 20th in Fort Washington, Maryland.
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Introducing Kacie Wheeler
Recent Jeter Promotions signee Kacie Wheeler will be in action on Saturday, November 22nd at The Hall at Live! Casino Hotel Maryland. Wheeler, from Fairfax, Virginia is 3-0 with all wins coming via knockout. She will be back in action against welterweight Jacelyn Shalaya Shade (1-1). "I think Kacie will become the first world champion for Jeter Promotions and we are happy to have her signed with us," said Tony Jeter. The 29 year-old Wheeler was a Division 1 sprinter for the University of William & Mary and held school records for the 400 meters and the four-by-400 relay.
The competitive Wheeler then started training in boxing out of spite for an ex-boyfriend,"I had no idea what to do after college. My boyfriend broke up with me and then the Pandemic hit. His sister used to braid my hair like I would see some of the women fighters, and then I saw an ad for round card girls on Barstool," said Wheeler. "They have this series called Rough-and-Rowdy, so I won the round card girl contest while competing in the fights. I fought eight-times in that and I had five amateur fights. I have an athletic background and I am a strength and conditioning coach for professional athletes."
Wheeler, who is promoted by Jeter Promotions, signed a managerial contract with the top female boxing manager Brian Cohen of Split-T Management. "Something about Brian is genuine and authentic and it is important that he has managed a lot of female fighters and he gave me the confidence to sign with Jeter Promotions. Signing with Jeter is a great fit as I will be fighting close to home and I know he will help me with securing the big opportunities."
Wheeler turned pro November 2, 2024 with a second round stoppage over Sarah Cunningham,. Wheeler followed that up with consecutive first round stoppages over Natali Fagan (1-0) and her most recent outing when she took out Shamiah Jones on September 20th in Fort Washington, Maryland.
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South African update |
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On November 29th, two separate shows in South Africa will feature women's bouts. In Gqeberha, also known as Port Elizabeth, two undefeated South Africans will collide in the light flyweight division. Sibulele Soboois (4-0, 1 KO) faces Sibabalwe Gwebityala (4-0, 1 KO) in a rare fight between non-debuting boxers with identical records. On paper it doesn't get more fifty-fifty than that! Further south, in KwaZulu Natal, local girl Nomusa Ngeme is set to take on Malawian Adidya Mimu in the super bantamweight category. Ngeme enters the fight at (7-1 with 1 KO) while Mimu is 5-3 with 1 KO. This is a rematch, as Ngeme defeated Mimu on points in a good fight in October of 2024.
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South African update
On November 29th, two separate shows in South Africa will feature women's bouts. In Gqeberha, also known as Port Elizabeth, two undefeated South Africans will collide in the light flyweight division. Sibulele Soboois (4-0, 1 KO) faces Sibabalwe Gwebityala (4-0, 1 KO) in a rare fight between non-debuting boxers with identical records. On paper it doesn't get more fifty-fifty than that! Further south, in KwaZulu Natal, local girl Nomusa Ngeme is set to take on Malawian Adidya Mimu in the super bantamweight category. Ngeme enters the fight at (7-1 with 1 KO) while Mimu is 5-3 with 1 KO. This is a rematch, as Ngeme defeated Mimu on points in a good fight in October of 2024.
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Espinoza batters Khegai to retain title |
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Rafael Espinoza TKO11 Arnold Khegai. ... Rafael Espinoza bruised, bloodied, and battered Arnold Khegai. It was mostly one-way traffic, as the Mexican star defended his WBO featherweight title with an eleventh-round TKO on Saturday at Arena Potosi in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Khegai's corner mercifully ended the fight following the tenth round, with the official time of the stoppage coming at 10 seconds of round eleven. Espinoza (28-0, 24 KOs), who at 6-foot-1 is the tallest featherweight champion ever, became the first man to stop Khegai (23-3-1, 14 KOs), a ten-year pro who previously contended at junior featherweight. Khegai hung in tough, dipping low and having occasional success with overhand rights. Espinoza, however, was not deterred.
In the seventh, an accidental headbutt opened a cut around Khegai's left eye, which was also already showing signs of swelling. The swelling only got worse as Espinoza continued pouring in uppercuts at a distance. Nearly two years after winning the title with an upset over Robeisy Ramirez, Espinoza has tallied four title defenses, all by knockout.
Espinoza said, "I’m happy because I got the result that I expected, which is a victory. I also wanted to put on a show for the people. I could’ve kept my distance all night, but I wanted to give a show as always. "I know that nobody has ever stopped him before, and I’m the first to do that. He’s a powerful fighter, but tonight I showed that I’m better. I still feel good at this weight. But before I make any decision, I want to see what offers are on the table.”
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Espinoza batters Khegai to retain title
Rafael Espinoza TKO11 Arnold Khegai. ... Rafael Espinoza bruised, bloodied, and battered Arnold Khegai. It was mostly one-way traffic, as the Mexican star defended his WBO featherweight title with an eleventh-round TKO on Saturday at Arena Potosi in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Khegai's corner mercifully ended the fight following the tenth round, with the official time of the stoppage coming at 10 seconds of round eleven. Espinoza (28-0, 24 KOs), who at 6-foot-1 is the tallest featherweight champion ever, became the first man to stop Khegai (23-3-1, 14 KOs), a ten-year pro who previously contended at junior featherweight. Khegai hung in tough, dipping low and having occasional success with overhand rights. Espinoza, however, was not deterred.
In the seventh, an accidental headbutt opened a cut around Khegai's left eye, which was also already showing signs of swelling. The swelling only got worse as Espinoza continued pouring in uppercuts at a distance. Nearly two years after winning the title with an upset over Robeisy Ramirez, Espinoza has tallied four title defenses, all by knockout.
Espinoza said, "I’m happy because I got the result that I expected, which is a victory. I also wanted to put on a show for the people. I could’ve kept my distance all night, but I wanted to give a show as always. "I know that nobody has ever stopped him before, and I’m the first to do that. He’s a powerful fighter, but tonight I showed that I’m better. I still feel good at this weight. But before I make any decision, I want to see what offers are on the table.”
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Benn gains revenge, defeating Eubank in the rematch |
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Conor Benn W12 Chris Eubank Jr. ... Conor Benn delivered the last word on a three-decade, two-generation rivalry as he obtaied revenge against Chris Eubank Jr. in their rematch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Benn avenged a first career loss in April's original grudge match as he knocked down his rival in the final round en route to a 119-107, 118-108, 116-110 unanimous decision victory. It marks a first win for the Benn family in four attempts against their biggest foes, as 'The Destroyer' managed what father Nigel could not do against Eubank Jr.'s father Chris Sr. (the two fights between the fathers resulted in a 1990 win for Eubank Sr. and a 1993 draw). More than six months after the sons shared the ring in an enthralling encounter, there were plenty who wondered if the pair's second dance could match a modern British classic. This follow-up did not live up to the back-and-forth duel of the original, but it nevertheless proved a worthy successor as it helped draw a definitive line under their story.
For Benn, who plans a return to his natural welterweight after vaulting two divisions for this challenge, it marks the sweetest triumph of his career as he goes in pursuit of titles. Conversely, at thirty-six, it leaves Eubank Jr. with serious questions over his future, with the star visibly exhausted in the closing stages and surely to face questions on retirement.
Eubank Jr. responded after a taut first round with a clinched shove that sent the younger man for a tumble in the second, with stern words for both men from referee Kevin Parker. That set the template for a scrappy third and fourth, where Benn sought to work the head and body diligently, but too often walked into the counter-traps laid in his path. With the superior reach, Eubank Jr. sought to establish a more successful range in the fifth but took his own slip to the canvas in the sixth, ruled too as accidental inside the ring.
That seemed to further inflame Benn, who turned his fury into cold aggression with crunching jabs in the seventh round, before he dislodged his rival's mouthpiece in the eighth. Perhaps aware of the bout slipping away from him, Eubank Jr. sought to up the work rate in the ninth, but seemed to struggle in a straightforward pursuit throughout the tenth. Sensing victory was near, Benn upped the ante and finally secured his knockdown in the closing round, to the roars of the crowd, before the final bell confirmed a famous triumph.
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Benn gains revenge, defeating Eubank in the rematch
Conor Benn W12 Chris Eubank Jr. ... Conor Benn delivered the last word on a three-decade, two-generation rivalry as he obtaied revenge against Chris Eubank Jr. in their rematch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Benn avenged a first career loss in April's original grudge match as he knocked down his rival in the final round en route to a 119-107, 118-108, 116-110 unanimous decision victory. It marks a first win for the Benn family in four attempts against their biggest foes, as 'The Destroyer' managed what father Nigel could not do against Eubank Jr.'s father Chris Sr. (the two fights between the fathers resulted in a 1990 win for Eubank Sr. and a 1993 draw). More than six months after the sons shared the ring in an enthralling encounter, there were plenty who wondered if the pair's second dance could match a modern British classic. This follow-up did not live up to the back-and-forth duel of the original, but it nevertheless proved a worthy successor as it helped draw a definitive line under their story.
For Benn, who plans a return to his natural welterweight after vaulting two divisions for this challenge, it marks the sweetest triumph of his career as he goes in pursuit of titles. Conversely, at thirty-six, it leaves Eubank Jr. with serious questions over his future, with the star visibly exhausted in the closing stages and surely to face questions on retirement.
Eubank Jr. responded after a taut first round with a clinched shove that sent the younger man for a tumble in the second, with stern words for both men from referee Kevin Parker. That set the template for a scrappy third and fourth, where Benn sought to work the head and body diligently, but too often walked into the counter-traps laid in his path. With the superior reach, Eubank Jr. sought to establish a more successful range in the fifth but took his own slip to the canvas in the sixth, ruled too as accidental inside the ring.
That seemed to further inflame Benn, who turned his fury into cold aggression with crunching jabs in the seventh round, before he dislodged his rival's mouthpiece in the eighth. Perhaps aware of the bout slipping away from him, Eubank Jr. sought to up the work rate in the ninth, but seemed to struggle in a straightforward pursuit throughout the tenth. Sensing victory was near, Benn upped the ante and finally secured his knockdown in the closing round, to the roars of the crowd, before the final bell confirmed a famous triumph.
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Results from Mexico: Delgado wins IBF eliminator |
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Emiliano Vargas W10 Jonathan Montrel... On the undercard in San Luis Potosi, Emiliano Vargas, cruised past Jonathan Montrel by ten-round unanimous decision. Official scores were 100-89 and 99-90 (twice). Vargas (16-0, 14 KOs), the son of former world champion Fernando Vargas, almost ended matters early. He hurt Montrel (19-4, 13 KOs) with multiple left hooks to the body in the first round before putting him on the deck courtesy of a right hand. Vargas pressed the action but was unable to finish the crafty New Orleans native. The 21-year-old had to settle for a decision after winning his previous six fights by stoppage. "I knew he was a tough fighter,” Vargas said. “I didn’t want to get too crazy. I just wanted to take my time. I’m glad I got this experience, and we’re on to the next challenge.”
Lindo Delgado W12 Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela... In an IBF junior welterweight eliminator, Lindolfo Delgado kept his undefeated record with a split decision over Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela. All three judges scored the fight 114-113, with two judges favoring the native of Linares, Mexico. Delgado (24-0, 16 KOs), a 2016 Olympian, built an early lead on the scorecards before Valenzuela (31-5-1, 17 KOs) rebounded to tighten things up in the middle rounds. Delgado did some damage with his laser right hand, which caused some swelling around Valenzuela's left eye. In the 12th, Valenzuela put Delgado on the canvas with a left hook and thought he'd done enough to win once the final bell sounded. But it was Delgado who prevailed in the nip-and-tuck affair. "This was not an easy fight. Valenzuela is a good fighter," Delgado said. "He shocked me with a knockdown, but I had a strong desire to get back in there and really win. There were some rounds that he may have won by a little bit, but I won the majority of the rounds."
Richard Torrez TKO1 Tomas Salek... American heavyweight hopeful Richard Torrez Jr. continued his march up the heavyweight rankings with a first-round stoppage over Czech veteran Tomas Salek. Torrez (14-0, 12 KOs), who earned Olympic silver for Team USA in 2021, blitzed Salek (23-8, 14 KOs) from the opening bell. He landed a clean right hook that bloodied Salek's nose and ended the brief battle of big men. "The quick result was because our camp went well," Torrez said. "We love to give the people a good show. I’m thankful that we had a good camp. A win is a win, and we’ll be back in the gym tomorrow."
ADDITIONAL RESULTS
Seventeen year-old junior lightweight Julian Montalvo (5-0, 4 KOs) wasted no time, notching a first-round knockout over Nicolas Patron (3-3, 1 KO). He knocked down Patron with a two-punch combination in the opening minute and put him down for the 10-count with a left hook to the body. Time of stoppage: 2:02.
San Luis Potosi native Jorge Ascanio (15-1-1, 9 KOs) captured a junior featherweight victory with a ten-round split decision over Jose Amaro (12-1-1, 4 KOs). Scores: 95-94 Ascanio (twice) and 96-93 Amaro.
Lindo Delgado
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Results from Mexico: Delgado wins IBF eliminator
Emiliano Vargas W10 Jonathan Montrel... On the undercard in San Luis Potosi, Emiliano Vargas, cruised past Jonathan Montrel by ten-round unanimous decision. Official scores were 100-89 and 99-90 (twice). Vargas (16-0, 14 KOs), the son of former world champion Fernando Vargas, almost ended matters early. He hurt Montrel (19-4, 13 KOs) with multiple left hooks to the body in the first round before putting him on the deck courtesy of a right hand. Vargas pressed the action but was unable to finish the crafty New Orleans native. The 21-year-old had to settle for a decision after winning his previous six fights by stoppage. "I knew he was a tough fighter,” Vargas said. “I didn’t want to get too crazy. I just wanted to take my time. I’m glad I got this experience, and we’re on to the next challenge.”
Lindo Delgado W12 Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela... In an IBF junior welterweight eliminator, Lindolfo Delgado kept his undefeated record with a split decision over Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela. All three judges scored the fight 114-113, with two judges favoring the native of Linares, Mexico. Delgado (24-0, 16 KOs), a 2016 Olympian, built an early lead on the scorecards before Valenzuela (31-5-1, 17 KOs) rebounded to tighten things up in the middle rounds. Delgado did some damage with his laser right hand, which caused some swelling around Valenzuela's left eye. In the 12th, Valenzuela put Delgado on the canvas with a left hook and thought he'd done enough to win once the final bell sounded. But it was Delgado who prevailed in the nip-and-tuck affair. "This was not an easy fight. Valenzuela is a good fighter," Delgado said. "He shocked me with a knockdown, but I had a strong desire to get back in there and really win. There were some rounds that he may have won by a little bit, but I won the majority of the rounds."
Richard Torrez TKO1 Tomas Salek... American heavyweight hopeful Richard Torrez Jr. continued his march up the heavyweight rankings with a first-round stoppage over Czech veteran Tomas Salek. Torrez (14-0, 12 KOs), who earned Olympic silver for Team USA in 2021, blitzed Salek (23-8, 14 KOs) from the opening bell. He landed a clean right hook that bloodied Salek's nose and ended the brief battle of big men. "The quick result was because our camp went well," Torrez said. "We love to give the people a good show. I’m thankful that we had a good camp. A win is a win, and we’ll be back in the gym tomorrow."
ADDITIONAL RESULTS
Seventeen year-old junior lightweight Julian Montalvo (5-0, 4 KOs) wasted no time, notching a first-round knockout over Nicolas Patron (3-3, 1 KO). He knocked down Patron with a two-punch combination in the opening minute and put him down for the 10-count with a left hook to the body. Time of stoppage: 2:02.
San Luis Potosi native Jorge Ascanio (15-1-1, 9 KOs) captured a junior featherweight victory with a ten-round split decision over Jose Amaro (12-1-1, 4 KOs). Scores: 95-94 Ascanio (twice) and 96-93 Amaro.
Lindo Delgado
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R&B has Atlantic City show ready for Nov. 22nd |
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Ths Saturday, November 22nd, R&B Promotions brings a pro boxing show to Etess Arena, marking the promotion’s fourth event inside Atlantic City, New Jersey’s premier fight venue.R&B’s partnership with Hard Rock continues to elevate Atlantic City’s fight scene, delivering high-energy production, strong regional support, and a card designed to showcase the next wave of rising talent. Here is the schedule of bouts:
Eight Rounds (Super Bantamweight)
Carlos Jackson (20-3) — Atlanta vs. Conner Adaway (9-2-1) — United Kingdom;
Six Rounds (Junior Middleweight)
Richard Johnson (7-0) — Philadelphia vs. Jose Esquivel (10-10) — Mexico;
Eight Rounds (Junior Welterweight)
Juan Rivera V (8-0) — Philadelphia vs. Jonathan Eniz (37-23-1) — Argentina;
Six-Round Bouts
Joshua Jones (9-0-1) vs. Danny Gonzalez (6-1-1) — Junior Welterweights;
Francisco Rodriguez (7-0) vs. Ivan Monroy (11-9) — Lightweights;
Justin Penaranda (3-0-1) vs. Shawn Rall (4-6) — Lightweights; and
Christian Ortiz (6-0) vs. Daniel Olea (13-13-3) — Junior Lightweight.
Four-Round Bouts
Christian Figueroa (Pro Debut) vs. Lisandro Perez (0-2) — Cruiserweights;
Jose Soto (3-0) vs. Julio Dos Santos (2-1) — Heavyweights;
Rodney Brooks (4-0) vs. Anthony Woodson III (1-3) — Heavyweights;
Omayki Torres (1-0) vs. Karl Wylie (1-2) — Junior Welterweights;
Amillihon Lovera (1-0) vs. Angel Ibarra (1-4) — Super Flyweights;
Avonte Barr (1-2) vs. DeJon Farrell-Francis (3-3) — Cruiserweights; and
Tyreem Haywood (6-0) vs. Agustin Banos (3-2-2) — Welterweights.
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R&B has Atlantic City show ready for Nov. 22nd
Ths Saturday, November 22nd, R&B Promotions brings a pro boxing show to Etess Arena, marking the promotion’s fourth event inside Atlantic City, New Jersey’s premier fight venue.R&B’s partnership with Hard Rock continues to elevate Atlantic City’s fight scene, delivering high-energy production, strong regional support, and a card designed to showcase the next wave of rising talent. Here is the schedule of bouts:
Eight Rounds (Super Bantamweight)
Carlos Jackson (20-3) — Atlanta vs. Conner Adaway (9-2-1) — United Kingdom;
Six Rounds (Junior Middleweight)
Richard Johnson (7-0) — Philadelphia vs. Jose Esquivel (10-10) — Mexico;
Eight Rounds (Junior Welterweight)
Juan Rivera V (8-0) — Philadelphia vs. Jonathan Eniz (37-23-1) — Argentina;
Six-Round Bouts
Joshua Jones (9-0-1) vs. Danny Gonzalez (6-1-1) — Junior Welterweights;
Francisco Rodriguez (7-0) vs. Ivan Monroy (11-9) — Lightweights;
Justin Penaranda (3-0-1) vs. Shawn Rall (4-6) — Lightweights; and
Christian Ortiz (6-0) vs. Daniel Olea (13-13-3) — Junior Lightweight.
Four-Round Bouts
Christian Figueroa (Pro Debut) vs. Lisandro Perez (0-2) — Cruiserweights;
Jose Soto (3-0) vs. Julio Dos Santos (2-1) — Heavyweights;
Rodney Brooks (4-0) vs. Anthony Woodson III (1-3) — Heavyweights;
Omayki Torres (1-0) vs. Karl Wylie (1-2) — Junior Welterweights;
Amillihon Lovera (1-0) vs. Angel Ibarra (1-4) — Super Flyweights;
Avonte Barr (1-2) vs. DeJon Farrell-Francis (3-3) — Cruiserweights; and
Tyreem Haywood (6-0) vs. Agustin Banos (3-2-2) — Welterweights.
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Parker denies taking cocaine |
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Amid the shocking news that he tested positive for cocaine on the day he lost to Fabio Wardley last month, former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker issued the following statement on his Instagram account: "I want to address today’s news. Before my recent fight, I took a voluntary test and have now been informed that it returned and adverse result. This came as a real surprise to me. I did not take any prohibited substance, I do not use performance and handing drugs and do not support their use. I am cooperating fully with the process now underway, and I am confident investigation clear my name. Thank you to everyone who has sent messages of Support. It means a great deal to me and my family. When the investigation is complete, I will speak openly and answer questions." PRIOR BOXINGTALK COVERAGE NOV. 14, 2025: The Sun, BBC and other outlets are reporting some shocking news about heavyweight contender Joseph Parker. On October 25th, a VADA drug test was administered to Parker. The following day, Parker lost his WBO interim championship to Fabio Wardley via eleventh-round technical knockout in a thrilling battle held in London. It has now been reported that Parker had traces of cocaine in his system for that final pre-fight drug test. Parker could face a suspension from boxing. As the fight took place in London, the matter is under the jurisdiction of UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC). Parker must decide whether to have the B-sample tested to see if the positive test is confirmed. Assuming there was legitimately cocaine in Parker's system, that does not necessarily make him a cheater because cocaine is generally classified as a substance of abuse, not a performance enhancer.
OCT. 26, 2025: Fabio Wardley seems to have landed himself a shot at world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk with a stunning finish against Joseph Parker after once again being well behind on the scorecards at London's O2 Arena. Wardley now has both the WBA and WBO interim titles. A relentless attack from Wardley in round eleven had Parker, a former WBO champion, in trouble, and as he sagged on the ropes looking to recover, and even though he was avoiding some of Wardley’s attacks, referee Howard Foster decided that he had seen enough and halted the contest. Many are criticizing the stoppage as premature. Wardley made a good start in the contest and had Parker buzzed in round two, but that was as good as it got for him in the early stages as Parker began to dominate the middle rounds and was pulling ahead with the judges.
With the fight seemingly Parker’s to lose, he went on the front foot in round ten seeking a knockout, but hurting Wardley was his major mistake as he galvanized his opponent. Wardley shook off whatever Parker had to throw at him and came back with assaults of his own as he finished the round with a furious rally despite looking hurt and exhausted just seconds earlier. Coming out for the penultimate round, Wardley carried on where he left off in the tenth stanza as he went after Parker with all he had. Some shots landed, plenty missed, but with Parker on the ropes and looking shook, Foster decided to call the fight off. In the post-fight interview, Wardley made it clear that he wanted to face Usyk next.
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Parker denies taking cocaine
Amid the shocking news that he tested positive for cocaine on the day he lost to Fabio Wardley last month, former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker issued the following statement on his Instagram account: "I want to address today’s news. Before my recent fight, I took a voluntary test and have now been informed that it returned and adverse result. This came as a real surprise to me. I did not take any prohibited substance, I do not use performance and handing drugs and do not support their use. I am cooperating fully with the process now underway, and I am confident investigation clear my name. Thank you to everyone who has sent messages of Support. It means a great deal to me and my family. When the investigation is complete, I will speak openly and answer questions." PRIOR BOXINGTALK COVERAGE NOV. 14, 2025: The Sun, BBC and other outlets are reporting some shocking news about heavyweight contender Joseph Parker. On October 25th, a VADA drug test was administered to Parker. The following day, Parker lost his WBO interim championship to Fabio Wardley via eleventh-round technical knockout in a thrilling battle held in London. It has now been reported that Parker had traces of cocaine in his system for that final pre-fight drug test. Parker could face a suspension from boxing. As the fight took place in London, the matter is under the jurisdiction of UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC). Parker must decide whether to have the B-sample tested to see if the positive test is confirmed. Assuming there was legitimately cocaine in Parker's system, that does not necessarily make him a cheater because cocaine is generally classified as a substance of abuse, not a performance enhancer.
OCT. 26, 2025: Fabio Wardley seems to have landed himself a shot at world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk with a stunning finish against Joseph Parker after once again being well behind on the scorecards at London's O2 Arena. Wardley now has both the WBA and WBO interim titles. A relentless attack from Wardley in round eleven had Parker, a former WBO champion, in trouble, and as he sagged on the ropes looking to recover, and even though he was avoiding some of Wardley’s attacks, referee Howard Foster decided that he had seen enough and halted the contest. Many are criticizing the stoppage as premature. Wardley made a good start in the contest and had Parker buzzed in round two, but that was as good as it got for him in the early stages as Parker began to dominate the middle rounds and was pulling ahead with the judges.
With the fight seemingly Parker’s to lose, he went on the front foot in round ten seeking a knockout, but hurting Wardley was his major mistake as he galvanized his opponent. Wardley shook off whatever Parker had to throw at him and came back with assaults of his own as he finished the round with a furious rally despite looking hurt and exhausted just seconds earlier. Coming out for the penultimate round, Wardley carried on where he left off in the tenth stanza as he went after Parker with all he had. Some shots landed, plenty missed, but with Parker on the ropes and looking shook, Foster decided to call the fight off. In the post-fight interview, Wardley made it clear that he wanted to face Usyk next.
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Colombia's Orobio experiencing success in Montreal |
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Jhon Orobio KO2 Xolisani Ndongeni... On a boxing show at the Montreal Casino presented by Eye of the Tiger Management, junior welterweight Jhon Orobio knocked out the experienced South African Xolisani Ndongeni, dropping him twice in the second round. Orobio, originally from Cali, Colombia, and currently based in Montreal, dominated Ndongeni (33-8, 19 KOs) with right hands and short hooks, handing the 35 year-old veteran the earliest defeat of his fifteen-year professional career. Orobio improved his undefeated record to 16-0, with 14 victories by way of knockout.
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Colombia's Orobio experiencing success in Montreal
Jhon Orobio KO2 Xolisani Ndongeni... On a boxing show at the Montreal Casino presented by Eye of the Tiger Management, junior welterweight Jhon Orobio knocked out the experienced South African Xolisani Ndongeni, dropping him twice in the second round. Orobio, originally from Cali, Colombia, and currently based in Montreal, dominated Ndongeni (33-8, 19 KOs) with right hands and short hooks, handing the 35 year-old veteran the earliest defeat of his fifteen-year professional career. Orobio improved his undefeated record to 16-0, with 14 victories by way of knockout.
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Rest In Peace Roland Jankelson |
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The WBC and its president, Mauricio Sulaimán Saldívar join the international boxing community in expressing their deepest sorrow over announced the passing of Roland Jankelson, a highly respected manager and promoter with a significant and distinguished history in boxing. A dedicated and hardworking man, primarily based in Lakewood, Washington, USA, Jankelson guided the careers of several renowned fighters including former WBC heavyweight champion Pinklon Thomas, heavyweight contender Joe Hipp, and cruiserweight contender Olanrewaju Durodola.
According to the WBC, Jankelson "built a reputation for tenacity and perseverance throughout his decades-long career. His inspiration and dedication enabled him to shape the careers of his fighters from their beginnings, providing a comprehensive support system throughout. Roland’s career was a testament to his passion for the sport, as he dedicated his life to the challenging task of developing and promoting talent. Boxing has lost a veteran figure whose impact resonated deeply among the boxers he represented. They admired and respected him."
Boxingtalk joins the WBC in sending its sympathies to the friends and family of Roland Jankelson.
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Rest In Peace Roland Jankelson
The WBC and its president, Mauricio Sulaimán Saldívar join the international boxing community in expressing their deepest sorrow over announced the passing of Roland Jankelson, a highly respected manager and promoter with a significant and distinguished history in boxing. A dedicated and hardworking man, primarily based in Lakewood, Washington, USA, Jankelson guided the careers of several renowned fighters including former WBC heavyweight champion Pinklon Thomas, heavyweight contender Joe Hipp, and cruiserweight contender Olanrewaju Durodola.
According to the WBC, Jankelson "built a reputation for tenacity and perseverance throughout his decades-long career. His inspiration and dedication enabled him to shape the careers of his fighters from their beginnings, providing a comprehensive support system throughout. Roland’s career was a testament to his passion for the sport, as he dedicated his life to the challenging task of developing and promoting talent. Boxing has lost a veteran figure whose impact resonated deeply among the boxers he represented. They admired and respected him."
Boxingtalk joins the WBC in sending its sympathies to the friends and family of Roland Jankelson.
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Weigh-in report from Boston |
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The talking is done and the weights are in at Encore Boston Harbor, where CES Boxing and Granite Chin Promotions present Boston Harbor Fight Night on Saturday, an eight-fight card featuring unbeaten Bostonian Francis "Frank the Tank" Hogan (20-0, 18 KOs) facing upset specialist Antonio "Primo" Todd (17-13, 9 KOs). Here are the boxers' weights:
Francis Hogan 159 vs. Antonio Todd 159 – middleweights;
Jonathan DePina 134 vs. Elijah Peixoto 133 – lightweights;
Eric Goff 147 vs. Derrick Whitley Jr. 153* – welterweights;
Jaydell Pazmino 152 vs. Daniel Sostre 153 – junior middleweights;
Jennifer Perella 121 vs. Brittany Duke 116 – super bantamweights;
James Perkins 167 vs. Ryan Clark 166 – super middleweights;
Charlie LoGrasso 177 vs. Juan Zapata 177 – light heavyweights; and
Christian Moura 119 vs. Michael Thornton 118 – bantamweights.
* Failed to make weight limit.
Limited Tickets remain - grab yours now on Ticketree.us.
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Weigh-in report from Boston
The talking is done and the weights are in at Encore Boston Harbor, where CES Boxing and Granite Chin Promotions present Boston Harbor Fight Night on Saturday, an eight-fight card featuring unbeaten Bostonian Francis "Frank the Tank" Hogan (20-0, 18 KOs) facing upset specialist Antonio "Primo" Todd (17-13, 9 KOs). Here are the boxers' weights:
Francis Hogan 159 vs. Antonio Todd 159 – middleweights;
Jonathan DePina 134 vs. Elijah Peixoto 133 – lightweights;
Eric Goff 147 vs. Derrick Whitley Jr. 153* – welterweights;
Jaydell Pazmino 152 vs. Daniel Sostre 153 – junior middleweights;
Jennifer Perella 121 vs. Brittany Duke 116 – super bantamweights;
James Perkins 167 vs. Ryan Clark 166 – super middleweights;
Charlie LoGrasso 177 vs. Juan Zapata 177 – light heavyweights; and
Christian Moura 119 vs. Michael Thornton 118 – bantamweights.
* Failed to make weight limit.
Limited Tickets remain - grab yours now on Ticketree.us.
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Usyk to attend WBC convention |
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Undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has confirmed his attendance at the WBC's Annual Convention, which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from November 30th to December 5th. Usyk does not currently have a fight scheduled.
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Usyk to attend WBC convention
Undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has confirmed his attendance at the WBC's Annual Convention, which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from November 30th to December 5th. Usyk does not currently have a fight scheduled.
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Shocking report: Parker had cocaine in his system for Wardley fight |
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The Sun, BBC and other outlets are reporting some shocking news about heavyweight contender Joseph Parker. On October 25th, a VADA drug test was administered to Parker. The following day, Parker lost his WBO interim championship to Fabio Wardley via eleventh-round technical knockout in a thrilling battle held in London. It has now been reported that Parker had traces of cocaine in his system for that final pre-fight drug test. The report does not square with Parker's image as a solid family man.
Parker could face a suspension from boxing. As the fight took place in London, the matter is under the jurisdiction of UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC). Parker must decide whether to have the B-sample tested to see if the positive test is confirmed. Assuming there was legitimately cocaine in Parker's system, that does not necessarily make him a cheater because cocaine is generally classified as a substance of abuse, but not as a performance enhancer.
Parker issued the following statement on his Instagram account: "I want to address today’s news. Before my recent fight, I took a voluntary test and have now been informed that it returned and adverse result. This came as a real surprise to me. I did not take any prohibited substance, I do not use performance and handing drugs and do not support their use. I am cooperating fully with the process now underway, and I am confident investigation clear my name. Thank you to everyone who has sent messages of Support. It means a great deal to me and my family. When the investigation is complete, I will speak openly and answer questions."
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Shocking report: Parker had cocaine in his system for Wardley fight
The Sun, BBC and other outlets are reporting some shocking news about heavyweight contender Joseph Parker. On October 25th, a VADA drug test was administered to Parker. The following day, Parker lost his WBO interim championship to Fabio Wardley via eleventh-round technical knockout in a thrilling battle held in London. It has now been reported that Parker had traces of cocaine in his system for that final pre-fight drug test. The report does not square with Parker's image as a solid family man.
Parker could face a suspension from boxing. As the fight took place in London, the matter is under the jurisdiction of UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC). Parker must decide whether to have the B-sample tested to see if the positive test is confirmed. Assuming there was legitimately cocaine in Parker's system, that does not necessarily make him a cheater because cocaine is generally classified as a substance of abuse, but not as a performance enhancer.
Parker issued the following statement on his Instagram account: "I want to address today’s news. Before my recent fight, I took a voluntary test and have now been informed that it returned and adverse result. This came as a real surprise to me. I did not take any prohibited substance, I do not use performance and handing drugs and do not support their use. I am cooperating fully with the process now underway, and I am confident investigation clear my name. Thank you to everyone who has sent messages of Support. It means a great deal to me and my family. When the investigation is complete, I will speak openly and answer questions."
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Eubank and Benn make weight for their rematch |
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Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn have both made weight ahead of their grudge rematch on Saturday night - live on DAZN pay-per-view. For their first fight in April, Eubank missed the middleweight limit by 0.05 of a pound and was fined £375,000, but he avoided any issues this time. Eubank was undaunted in April and at the end of twelve thrilling rounds, he emerged as the victor, finishing strong to take the verdict on all three scorecards. Benn, a natural 147 pounder, was only 156 pounds earlier in the year, but this time he actually came in heavier than Eubank after tipping the scales at a career-biggest 159.4. The weigh-in took place behind closed doors in London, while there will be a ceremonial weigh-in, which will be open to the public, at York Hall in Bethnal Green on Friday evening. Both fighters are bound by a rehydration clause that prohibits them from weighing more than 169 pounds on Saturday morning. Here are the official weights ahead of Saturday's show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:
Chris Eubank Jr (159.1 pounds) vs Conor Benn (159.3);
Sam Gilley (154) vs. Ishmael Davis (152)
British & Commonwealth junior middleweight titles;
Richard Riakporhe (236.7) vs. Tommy Welch (233);
Adam Azim (139.4) vs. Kurt Scoby (139.8);
Jack Catterall (146.7) vs. Ekow Essuman (146.5); and
Mikie Tallon (111.8) vs. Fezan Shahid (112).
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Eubank and Benn make weight for their rematch
Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn have both made weight ahead of their grudge rematch on Saturday night - live on DAZN pay-per-view. For their first fight in April, Eubank missed the middleweight limit by 0.05 of a pound and was fined £375,000, but he avoided any issues this time. Eubank was undaunted in April and at the end of twelve thrilling rounds, he emerged as the victor, finishing strong to take the verdict on all three scorecards. Benn, a natural 147 pounder, was only 156 pounds earlier in the year, but this time he actually came in heavier than Eubank after tipping the scales at a career-biggest 159.4. The weigh-in took place behind closed doors in London, while there will be a ceremonial weigh-in, which will be open to the public, at York Hall in Bethnal Green on Friday evening. Both fighters are bound by a rehydration clause that prohibits them from weighing more than 169 pounds on Saturday morning. Here are the official weights ahead of Saturday's show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:
Chris Eubank Jr (159.1 pounds) vs Conor Benn (159.3);
Sam Gilley (154) vs. Ishmael Davis (152)
British & Commonwealth junior middleweight titles;
Richard Riakporhe (236.7) vs. Tommy Welch (233);
Adam Azim (139.4) vs. Kurt Scoby (139.8);
Jack Catterall (146.7) vs. Ekow Essuman (146.5); and
Mikie Tallon (111.8) vs. Fezan Shahid (112).
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Women's boxing in Egypt today |
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Angelina Lukas and Katherine Renee Lindenmuth successfully made weight ahead of their Friday night showdown in Cairo, where they’ll battle in the super flyweight division. Both fighters stepped onto the scale on Thursday and came in under the 115-pound limit—Lukas weighed 114.9 pounds, while Lindenmuth registered 114.8— clearing the final hurdle before their upcoming bout. Kazakhstan’s Lukas, age 28, hasn’t lost since 2023 and has racked up ten straight victories since then, including a recent revenge win over Daniela Asenjo—the only fighter to have ever beaten her. Lindenmuth, age 36, from the United States, is known for her grit and willingness to take on tough opponents. She’s shared the ring with solid names like Kim Clavel and Guadalupe Medina and will be looking to pull off the upset despite being the underdog on paper. Lukas holds a record of 15 wins, 1 loss, and 8 knockouts, while Lindenmuth brings a mark of 7 wins, 5 losses, and 3 knockouts into the contest.
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Women's boxing in Egypt today
Angelina Lukas and Katherine Renee Lindenmuth successfully made weight ahead of their Friday night showdown in Cairo, where they’ll battle in the super flyweight division. Both fighters stepped onto the scale on Thursday and came in under the 115-pound limit—Lukas weighed 114.9 pounds, while Lindenmuth registered 114.8— clearing the final hurdle before their upcoming bout. Kazakhstan’s Lukas, age 28, hasn’t lost since 2023 and has racked up ten straight victories since then, including a recent revenge win over Daniela Asenjo—the only fighter to have ever beaten her. Lindenmuth, age 36, from the United States, is known for her grit and willingness to take on tough opponents. She’s shared the ring with solid names like Kim Clavel and Guadalupe Medina and will be looking to pull off the upset despite being the underdog on paper. Lukas holds a record of 15 wins, 1 loss, and 8 knockouts, while Lindenmuth brings a mark of 7 wins, 5 losses, and 3 knockouts into the contest.
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Tickets for Zayas vs. Baraou on sale now |
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For the first time in more than fifteen years, a title unification bout is set for Puerto Rico. Tickets for the junior middleweight title showdown between WBO champion Xander Zayas and WBA king Abass Baraou are on sale now and can be purchased via Ticketera.com. The 154-pound unification bout is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 31st at Coliseo de Puerto in San Juan. Zayas (22-0, 13 KOs), who hails from San Juan, is making only his second professional appearance on the island after signing with Top Rank as a sixteen-year old in 2019. Baraou (17-1, 9 KOs) is an experienced road warrior who has won eight straight since a split decision loss to Jack Culcay. Like Zayas, he'll be making the maiden defense of his title. The Coliseo de Puerto Rico opened in 2004. Top Rank promoted the first boxing event at the venue that September, when Miguel Cotto knocked out Kelson Pinto to win the vacant WBO junior welterweight world title. It will now host the second unification bout on Puerto Rican shores. The first was the 2010 Fight of the Year between Mexico's Giovani Segura and Puerto Rican icon Ivan Calderon.
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Tickets for Zayas vs. Baraou on sale now
For the first time in more than fifteen years, a title unification bout is set for Puerto Rico. Tickets for the junior middleweight title showdown between WBO champion Xander Zayas and WBA king Abass Baraou are on sale now and can be purchased via Ticketera.com. The 154-pound unification bout is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 31st at Coliseo de Puerto in San Juan. Zayas (22-0, 13 KOs), who hails from San Juan, is making only his second professional appearance on the island after signing with Top Rank as a sixteen-year old in 2019. Baraou (17-1, 9 KOs) is an experienced road warrior who has won eight straight since a split decision loss to Jack Culcay. Like Zayas, he'll be making the maiden defense of his title. The Coliseo de Puerto Rico opened in 2004. Top Rank promoted the first boxing event at the venue that September, when Miguel Cotto knocked out Kelson Pinto to win the vacant WBO junior welterweight world title. It will now host the second unification bout on Puerto Rican shores. The first was the 2010 Fight of the Year between Mexico's Giovani Segura and Puerto Rican icon Ivan Calderon.
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Khegai unfazed by title challenge in champ's territory |
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WBO featherweight king Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza is ready to defend his home turf. The 6-foot-1 Guadalajara, Mexico native — and tallest featherweight champion in boxing history — will risk his against Ukrainian contender Arnold Khegai (pictured) this Saturday, Nov. 15th in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Espinoza (27-0, 23 KOs) captured the championship in December 2023 with a majority decision over two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez. Since then, he has made three successful defenses, including a sixth-round TKO over Ramirez in their December 2024 rematch. Khegai (23-2-1, 14 KOs), a two-time Muay Thai world champion and former Ukrainian national amateur champion, has won seven of eight since moving to featherweight. He bested former champion Liborio Solis via eight-round decision in September. The co-feature will showcase unbeaten Mexican Olympian Lindolfo Delgado (23-0, 16 KOs) against countryman Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela (31-4-1, 17 KOs) in an IBF junior welterweight title eliminator.
Mexican-American heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. (13-0, 11 KOs) meets Czech veteran Tomas Salek (23-7, 14 KOs) in a ten-rounder, while rising junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (15-0, 13 KOs) takes on Jonathan Montrel (19-3, 13 KOs) in a ten-round feature that will take place just before the main event. Promoted by Top Rank and Zanfer Boxing, Espinoza-Khegai, Delgado-Valenzuela, Torrez-Salek, and Vargas-Montrel will stream live on the Top Rank Classics FAST channel in the U.S. beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Top Rank Classics will replay the card on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. To watch on mobile or desktop, visit trboxing.co/TopRankClassics. To watch on your smart TV, check the availability of FAST channel apps and look for Top Rank Classics on The Roku Channel, Tubi, or Vizio.
This is what the fighters had to say at Thursday's press conference:
Rafael Espinoza
"I’m pleased to be fighting again in Mexico and coming back here as a world champion."
"I know what it’s like to fight for a world title. When you fight for a world title, you come with everything and more. So, I know he’s going to come with everything. I expect that from him, and I trained for that."
"For the fans out there, I want you to know that you cannot miss this fight. I'm going to continue working hard and striving to get better with each fight."
"I’m able to continue making this weight because I’m used to the process. And I respect it as well. I know the responsibilities that come with being a world champion."
Arnold Khegai
"I’m very happy because this is the biggest fight of my career so far. I’ve been waiting forever for this kind of fight, and Saturday will be a defining moment in my career."
"The fact that I’m in Mexico doesn’t matter to me. It doesn’t matter that I’m in enemy territory. There will only be two fighters in the ring."
My head trainer, Abel Khachatryan, could not be here due to visa issues. However, Marvin Somodio will be assisting, as well as Charlie Edwards, who has been helping me in camp."
"Everything went well in camp. We made sure to cover all bases. Charlie was there to help with speed, but we also have others who can help with height and other aspects. We made sure to cover everything."
Lindolfo Delgado
"I feel happy to be fighting in Mexico again. It’s been a long time since I fought here, so it feels good to be back. People have been asking me for a long time when I am going to fight in Mexico. Not many people can go to the United States to see me. Now that it’s happening, I’m very excited. And San Luis Potosí is very close to Linares, Nuevo Leon, which is where I’m from."
"Valenzuela is a fighter with a lot of experience, and he’s been in a lot of good fights."
"I’ve been waiting for a world title shot for a long time, and we’re just one step away. So, I hope it happens next."
Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela
"I know it’s going to be a great fight. Every time there are two Mexicans, it’s guaranteed to be a war."
"I’ve been on big stages and have had a lot of great experiences, so I’m ready for whatever this fight brings."
Richard Torrez Jr.
"I'm a proud Mexican-American, and I'm going to show that 'Mexican Style' translates to the heavyweight division. This is my first time fighting in Mexico. I've been here once or twice before, but I'm excited to come here and show everyone what I'm about."
"The win over Guido Vianello gave me a newfound confidence. I'm currently ranked No. 4 by the IBF. That gives me the confidence and the drive to move forward and prove to everyone back home watching that their cheers aren't in vain."
"My opponent is a veteran. He's been here before. I'm excited to show what I have to offer. I've trained really hard. I haven't fought since April. It's been my biggest layoff as a pro, and I'm pumped to get back into the ring. I'm eager, and come Saturday night, you're going to see a lot of punches thrown."
Emiliano Vargas
"I had the opportunity to come down here and have my training camp in Mexico City. The elevation brought a whole new element to my training. My opponent is going to drown in this elevation. We checked off every box and got out of our comfort zone by getting down here early. It's going to show on Saturday night."
"I feel a lot of love in Mexico. Even while walking the streets of Mexico City, people were stopping us and taking photos. It's humbling. I am happy to represent my roots."
"We'll see what presents itself on Saturday during the fight and go from there."
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Khegai unfazed by title challenge in champ's territory
WBO featherweight king Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza is ready to defend his home turf. The 6-foot-1 Guadalajara, Mexico native — and tallest featherweight champion in boxing history — will risk his against Ukrainian contender Arnold Khegai (pictured) this Saturday, Nov. 15th in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Espinoza (27-0, 23 KOs) captured the championship in December 2023 with a majority decision over two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez. Since then, he has made three successful defenses, including a sixth-round TKO over Ramirez in their December 2024 rematch. Khegai (23-2-1, 14 KOs), a two-time Muay Thai world champion and former Ukrainian national amateur champion, has won seven of eight since moving to featherweight. He bested former champion Liborio Solis via eight-round decision in September. The co-feature will showcase unbeaten Mexican Olympian Lindolfo Delgado (23-0, 16 KOs) against countryman Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela (31-4-1, 17 KOs) in an IBF junior welterweight title eliminator.
Mexican-American heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. (13-0, 11 KOs) meets Czech veteran Tomas Salek (23-7, 14 KOs) in a ten-rounder, while rising junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (15-0, 13 KOs) takes on Jonathan Montrel (19-3, 13 KOs) in a ten-round feature that will take place just before the main event. Promoted by Top Rank and Zanfer Boxing, Espinoza-Khegai, Delgado-Valenzuela, Torrez-Salek, and Vargas-Montrel will stream live on the Top Rank Classics FAST channel in the U.S. beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Top Rank Classics will replay the card on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. To watch on mobile or desktop, visit trboxing.co/TopRankClassics. To watch on your smart TV, check the availability of FAST channel apps and look for Top Rank Classics on The Roku Channel, Tubi, or Vizio.
This is what the fighters had to say at Thursday's press conference:
Rafael Espinoza
"I’m pleased to be fighting again in Mexico and coming back here as a world champion."
"I know what it’s like to fight for a world title. When you fight for a world title, you come with everything and more. So, I know he’s going to come with everything. I expect that from him, and I trained for that."
"For the fans out there, I want you to know that you cannot miss this fight. I'm going to continue working hard and striving to get better with each fight."
"I’m able to continue making this weight because I’m used to the process. And I respect it as well. I know the responsibilities that come with being a world champion."
Arnold Khegai
"I’m very happy because this is the biggest fight of my career so far. I’ve been waiting forever for this kind of fight, and Saturday will be a defining moment in my career."
"The fact that I’m in Mexico doesn’t matter to me. It doesn’t matter that I’m in enemy territory. There will only be two fighters in the ring."
My head trainer, Abel Khachatryan, could not be here due to visa issues. However, Marvin Somodio will be assisting, as well as Charlie Edwards, who has been helping me in camp."
"Everything went well in camp. We made sure to cover all bases. Charlie was there to help with speed, but we also have others who can help with height and other aspects. We made sure to cover everything."
Lindolfo Delgado
"I feel happy to be fighting in Mexico again. It’s been a long time since I fought here, so it feels good to be back. People have been asking me for a long time when I am going to fight in Mexico. Not many people can go to the United States to see me. Now that it’s happening, I’m very excited. And San Luis Potosí is very close to Linares, Nuevo Leon, which is where I’m from."
"Valenzuela is a fighter with a lot of experience, and he’s been in a lot of good fights."
"I’ve been waiting for a world title shot for a long time, and we’re just one step away. So, I hope it happens next."
Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela
"I know it’s going to be a great fight. Every time there are two Mexicans, it’s guaranteed to be a war."
"I’ve been on big stages and have had a lot of great experiences, so I’m ready for whatever this fight brings."
Richard Torrez Jr.
"I'm a proud Mexican-American, and I'm going to show that 'Mexican Style' translates to the heavyweight division. This is my first time fighting in Mexico. I've been here once or twice before, but I'm excited to come here and show everyone what I'm about."
"The win over Guido Vianello gave me a newfound confidence. I'm currently ranked No. 4 by the IBF. That gives me the confidence and the drive to move forward and prove to everyone back home watching that their cheers aren't in vain."
"My opponent is a veteran. He's been here before. I'm excited to show what I have to offer. I've trained really hard. I haven't fought since April. It's been my biggest layoff as a pro, and I'm pumped to get back into the ring. I'm eager, and come Saturday night, you're going to see a lot of punches thrown."
Emiliano Vargas
"I had the opportunity to come down here and have my training camp in Mexico City. The elevation brought a whole new element to my training. My opponent is going to drown in this elevation. We checked off every box and got out of our comfort zone by getting down here early. It's going to show on Saturday night."
"I feel a lot of love in Mexico. Even while walking the streets of Mexico City, people were stopping us and taking photos. It's humbling. I am happy to represent my roots."
"We'll see what presents itself on Saturday during the fight and go from there."
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Cruz determined to win "no matter what it costs” |
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Former 140-pound title holder Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz plans to dominate reigning WBA 130-poubd champion Lamont Roach in the main event of a PBC pay-per-view on Saturday, December 6th at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. Tickets for the live event are on sale now through Ticketmaster.com. “Winning is the only option on December 6th,” said Cruz (28-3-1, 18 KOs). “Whether it’s by knockout or it goes to the judges, it must be decisive. I know that there’s no margin for error. We must prevail and we will do one round at a time. Everyone on my team is focused on the same goal, and that’s winning no matter what it costs.”
The 27 year-old Cruz will be opposed by the fast-rising Roach, who jumped up to the upper echelon of the sport earlier this year in giving two division champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis the toughest test of his career before leaving the ring with an unfairly officiated draw. While Cruz has his own history with Davis, and with much being made about the winner of this fight rematching Davis in the future, Cruz is only focused on the opponent who’ll be in his way on December 6th.
“We know we have a great opponent in front of us and we know that we can’t underestimate his boxing ability,” said Cruz. “We’re studying all of his past fights and making sure we know all the good and the bad. We’re getting stronger every day and that just makes me more and more confident that we’ll have our hand raised on December 6th.”
The Mexico City native has seen his popularity continue to rise in recent years, with the passionate Mexican fanbase showing their support for Cruz’s crowd-pleasing style and willingness to face the best. Cruz’s last fight in San Antonio came in 2020 as he delivered his breakout performance by knocking out Diego Magdaleno in round one in front of the city’s rabid boxing-loving population. Having won a world title and competed in high profile bouts since then, Cruz hopes to give an even bigger audience another memorable performance.
“There are going to be a lot of Mexican fans in San Antonio,” said Cruz. “Coming back to an area where you can see and feel the support of your people, even though you’re far from home, is a great feeling. Now that we’re back, we hope that the energy and enthusiasm from the fans is still there and has grown since I was last in the ring.”
While Cruz steps into the ring for the main event, the entire four-fight pay-per-view card is filled with high-stakes, 50-50 matchups that should leave fans on the edge of their seat throughout the night. For Cruz, he says he’s most looking forward to a fellow fighter who displays Mexican pride stepping into the ring.
“All of the undercard fights are very good, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be Jesus Ramos Jr. vs. Shane Mosley Jr. I think that’s going to be a very entertaining fight. Ramos and I are two Mexican warriors and we represent our people humbly and with dignity.”
With an opening in the sport for who will be the next Mexican superstar to take the mantle from Canelo Alvarez, Cruz knows that his name is often one of the first brought up. While he insists on taking his career one fight at a time, the idea of stepping into that historic position is something that motivates him every day leading up to December 6th.
“Being talked about as the next face of Mexican boxing when Canelo passes the torch motivates me in the best way,” said Cruz. “It makes me want to strive for perfection, but it doesn’t change my goal. As always, I want to make sure that the fans are the true winners on December 6th.”
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Cruz determined to win "no matter what it costs”
Former 140-pound title holder Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz plans to dominate reigning WBA 130-poubd champion Lamont Roach in the main event of a PBC pay-per-view on Saturday, December 6th at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. Tickets for the live event are on sale now through Ticketmaster.com. “Winning is the only option on December 6th,” said Cruz (28-3-1, 18 KOs). “Whether it’s by knockout or it goes to the judges, it must be decisive. I know that there’s no margin for error. We must prevail and we will do one round at a time. Everyone on my team is focused on the same goal, and that’s winning no matter what it costs.”
The 27 year-old Cruz will be opposed by the fast-rising Roach, who jumped up to the upper echelon of the sport earlier this year in giving two division champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis the toughest test of his career before leaving the ring with an unfairly officiated draw. While Cruz has his own history with Davis, and with much being made about the winner of this fight rematching Davis in the future, Cruz is only focused on the opponent who’ll be in his way on December 6th.
“We know we have a great opponent in front of us and we know that we can’t underestimate his boxing ability,” said Cruz. “We’re studying all of his past fights and making sure we know all the good and the bad. We’re getting stronger every day and that just makes me more and more confident that we’ll have our hand raised on December 6th.”
The Mexico City native has seen his popularity continue to rise in recent years, with the passionate Mexican fanbase showing their support for Cruz’s crowd-pleasing style and willingness to face the best. Cruz’s last fight in San Antonio came in 2020 as he delivered his breakout performance by knocking out Diego Magdaleno in round one in front of the city’s rabid boxing-loving population. Having won a world title and competed in high profile bouts since then, Cruz hopes to give an even bigger audience another memorable performance.
“There are going to be a lot of Mexican fans in San Antonio,” said Cruz. “Coming back to an area where you can see and feel the support of your people, even though you’re far from home, is a great feeling. Now that we’re back, we hope that the energy and enthusiasm from the fans is still there and has grown since I was last in the ring.”
While Cruz steps into the ring for the main event, the entire four-fight pay-per-view card is filled with high-stakes, 50-50 matchups that should leave fans on the edge of their seat throughout the night. For Cruz, he says he’s most looking forward to a fellow fighter who displays Mexican pride stepping into the ring.
“All of the undercard fights are very good, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be Jesus Ramos Jr. vs. Shane Mosley Jr. I think that’s going to be a very entertaining fight. Ramos and I are two Mexican warriors and we represent our people humbly and with dignity.”
With an opening in the sport for who will be the next Mexican superstar to take the mantle from Canelo Alvarez, Cruz knows that his name is often one of the first brought up. While he insists on taking his career one fight at a time, the idea of stepping into that historic position is something that motivates him every day leading up to December 6th.
“Being talked about as the next face of Mexican boxing when Canelo passes the torch motivates me in the best way,” said Cruz. “It makes me want to strive for perfection, but it doesn’t change my goal. As always, I want to make sure that the fans are the true winners on December 6th.”
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Pacquiao promotes his first U.S. show on Nov. 29th |
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The U.S. debut event for Manny Pacquiao Promotions is set for Nov. 29th at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California. The night of fights features former champion Lorenzo Parra (23-1-1, 17 KOs) against Elijah Pierce (21-2, 17 KOs), in what promises to be a clash of experience and power. The event will also mark the professional debut of Manny Pacquiao Jr., who looks to follow in his father’s legendary footsteps as he begins his own boxing journey against fellow debutant Brendan Lally.
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Pacquiao promotes his first U.S. show on Nov. 29th
The U.S. debut event for Manny Pacquiao Promotions is set for Nov. 29th at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California. The night of fights features former champion Lorenzo Parra (23-1-1, 17 KOs) against Elijah Pierce (21-2, 17 KOs), in what promises to be a clash of experience and power. The event will also mark the professional debut of Manny Pacquiao Jr., who looks to follow in his father’s legendary footsteps as he begins his own boxing journey against fellow debutant Brendan Lally.
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WBO wants Smith to defend interim title vs. Morrell |
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With true world 175-pound champion Dmitry Bivol taking his time on his next fight, the WBO wants its interim light heavyweight champion, Callum Smith (pictured), to defend against David Morrell. According to WBO president Gustavo Olivieri, the WBO will grant the parties until tomorrow to reach terms. Failure to do so will result in the shecduling of purse bid proceedings. Smith (31-2) won the title in a grueling battle against Joshua Buatsi in February. Morrell got a split-decision win over Iman Khataev in July.
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WBO wants Smith to defend interim title vs. Morrell
With true world 175-pound champion Dmitry Bivol taking his time on his next fight, the WBO wants its interim light heavyweight champion, Callum Smith (pictured), to defend against David Morrell. According to WBO president Gustavo Olivieri, the WBO will grant the parties until tomorrow to reach terms. Failure to do so will result in the shecduling of purse bid proceedings. Smith (31-2) won the title in a grueling battle against Joshua Buatsi in February. Morrell got a split-decision win over Iman Khataev in July.
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WBA reverses course; sanctions Pulev vs. Gassiev with winner to face Itauma |
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The WBA has officially sanctioned the heavyweight clash between its regular champion, Kubrat Pulev, and Russian fringe contender Murat Gassiev. The fight was already set to take place on December 12th. [Oleksandr Usyk remains the WBA super champion and true world champion of the heavyweight division]. The WBA's decision follows a special permit request submitted by Pulev’s team after a previous WBA resolution had ordered Pulev to make a mandatory defense against Britain’s Moses Itauma, the current WBA #1 contender in the heavyweight rankings. According to the WBA's ruling, Itauma retains his mandatory status and will face the winner of Pulev–Gassiev (or Pulev, in case of a draw or no-decision). The British prospect has also been cleared to take an optional bout against Jermaine Franklin on January 24, 2026.
The victor of Pulev–Gassiev (or Pulev, in case of a draw or no-decision) will be required to defend the WBA regular title against Itauma. The negotiation period will open on January 25, 2026 and close on February 9th. If no agreement is reached within that time frame, the WBA will call for a purse bid, with a 50-50 split between both boxers. Finally, the WBA emphasized that no further special permits will be granted until Itauma exercises his rights as the mandatory challenger, in accordance with the organization’s championship regulations.
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WBA reverses course; sanctions Pulev vs. Gassiev with winner to face Itauma
The WBA has officially sanctioned the heavyweight clash between its regular champion, Kubrat Pulev, and Russian fringe contender Murat Gassiev. The fight was already set to take place on December 12th. [Oleksandr Usyk remains the WBA super champion and true world champion of the heavyweight division]. The WBA's decision follows a special permit request submitted by Pulev’s team after a previous WBA resolution had ordered Pulev to make a mandatory defense against Britain’s Moses Itauma, the current WBA #1 contender in the heavyweight rankings. According to the WBA's ruling, Itauma retains his mandatory status and will face the winner of Pulev–Gassiev (or Pulev, in case of a draw or no-decision). The British prospect has also been cleared to take an optional bout against Jermaine Franklin on January 24, 2026.
The victor of Pulev–Gassiev (or Pulev, in case of a draw or no-decision) will be required to defend the WBA regular title against Itauma. The negotiation period will open on January 25, 2026 and close on February 9th. If no agreement is reached within that time frame, the WBA will call for a purse bid, with a 50-50 split between both boxers. Finally, the WBA emphasized that no further special permits will be granted until Itauma exercises his rights as the mandatory challenger, in accordance with the organization’s championship regulations.
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IBF delays purse bid for Dubois vs. Sanchez |
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UPDATE: The IBF has postponed a Frank Sanchez vs. Daniel Dubois purse for one week. It was scheduled for today (November 13th) but has been postponed to November 20th. If the bout occurs, it will be a heavyweight elimination bout. The e-mail stated, "the IBF is continuing in its efforts to schedule a heavyweight elimination bout."
PRIOR BOXINGTALK COVERAGE: NOV. 4, 2025: In August, a purse bid was held for a fight between Frank Sanchez and Efe Ajagba, but the bids were not high enough to entice the boxers to accept, particularly Ajagba. The IBF moved on to a fromer champion, ordering Sanchez to begin negotiations with Daniel Dubois on October 7th. Dubois' last fight was a KO loss in a unification fight vs. the true world champion Oleksandr Usyk. Normally, the IBF does not invite a boxer coming off a knockout loss to take part in an eliminator, but apparently an exception was made for Dubois. In any event, no agreement was reached between Sanchez and Dubois so the IBF has scheduled a purse bid for November 13th. It remains to be seen whether Dubois will be interested in a fight vs. the Cuban Sanchez. After a 2024 loss to Agit Kabayel, Sanchez had one very low-level fight in 2025, beating a man with a losing record in February.
AUG 26, 2025: Sampson Boxing won a purse bid today and now has the right to promote an IBF heavyweight elimination bout between Cuba's Frank Sanchez and Nigeria's Efe Ajagba. Sampson's winning bid was $302,000, which will be split 60% for Ajagba and 40% for Sanchez, assuming both men accept the fight. A decision from the boxers to accept or decline is due in fifteen days. Top Rank, Ajagba's promoter, put up a losing bid for $210,000. Under IBF rules, Sampson must schedule the bout to take place within 28 and 90 days and not more than 90 days from today, which is Monday, November 24th. This will be a rematch of a ten-round fight in 2021 that Sanchez won by unanimous decision. The winner becomes the IBF mandatory contender for undefeated world champion Oleksandr Usyk, but the path to an actual title shot is unclear because Usyk owns all four major heavyweight titles which puts him in a position to pick and choose his fights. Sanchez (25-1 with 18 KOs) last fought in February, when he bounced back from his first career loss with a third-round knockout of Ramon Olivas Echeverria (18-25 with 12 KOs). Echeverria was once on the losing end of a fixed fight. Sanchez was fighting for the first time since his seventh-round knockout loss to Agit Kabayel in May of 2024. Though the win was hardly a challenge for Sanchez, it got him back into position for the IBF eliminator. Ajagba (20-1-1) last fought in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia against 299-pound Martin Bakole. After ten rounds, Bakole was fortunate to come away with a draw against Efe Ajagba (pictured). After ten rounds, the judges adjudicated the bout 96-94 for Ajagba, 95-95 and 95-95, making it a majority draw. It wasn't a robbery, but Ajagba was more active, had superior ring generalship and seemed to land more punches. Bakole landed a few harder punches, and that was enough to convince two judges to award a stalemate. AUG. 19, 2025: A purse bid for an IBF heavyweight eliminator is back on the books after a few previous postponements.. The promotional rights to a potential Frank Sanchez vs. Efe Ajagba rematch is scheduled to be auctioned off on Tuesday, August 26, 2025 at 12 noon. Sanchez defeated Ajagba by unanimous decision in 2021, but with heavyweight contenders Filip Hrgovic and Derek Chisora jockeying for bigger fights, Sanchez and Ajagba are the two highest ranked fighters in the IBF ratings to enter the elimination process. Undefeated world champion Oleksandr Usyk owns all four major heavyweight titles, including the IBF version. AUG. 11, 2025: The IBF announced that the Efe Ajagba vs. Frank Sanchez purse bid has been postponed until further notice. AUG. 4, 2025: When Filip Hrgovic pulled out of the IBF heavyweight elimination process, on July 24th, the IBF ordered #3 ranked Efe Ajagba and #4 ranked Frank Sanchez to begin negotiations for an eliminator for the vacant #1 position. Derek Chisora sits at #2. Carl Moretti of Top Rank, representing Ajagba, confirmed that Ajagba would like to proceed straight to a purse bid, which is permitted under IBF rules. The IBF initially scheduled a purse for Tuesday, August 5th but that has now been pushed back one week until August 12th. Oleksandr Usyk owns all four major heavyweight titles, including the IBF version. MAY 19, 2024: In a WBC heavyweight eliminator held on the big Riyadh, Saudi Arabia show, Agit Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs) made a huge career move forward, stopping the favored and previously undefeated Frank Sanchez (24-1, 17 KOs) in round seven. Kabayel defeated Sanchez with a strong body attack. The normally mobile Sanchez fought with a brace on his right knee. Kabayel is Kurdish but lives in Germany. OCT. 10, 2021: Cuban heavyweight Frank Sanchez (19-0, 13 KOs) scored one knockdown on his way to a comfortable, ten-round unanimous decision win over Efe Ajagba. Sanchez used his superior boxing skills to keep the hard-hitting Ajagba (15-1, 12 KOs) off-balance for the entire fight. The “Cuban Flash” displayed his power as well, flooring Ajagba with a hard right in the seventh. A follow-up left hook which landed a tick after Ajagba’s knee hit the canvas Ajagba made it to his feet and survived the round but never seriously threatened on his way to the first defeat of his career. Sanchez said afterwards, "I knew I was going to win all the rounds because I’m much better than him technically. I knew that if I connected, he would fall and he did fall. My game plan was always to frustrate him and go in for the attack."
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IBF delays purse bid for Dubois vs. Sanchez
UPDATE: The IBF has postponed a Frank Sanchez vs. Daniel Dubois purse for one week. It was scheduled for today (November 13th) but has been postponed to November 20th. If the bout occurs, it will be a heavyweight elimination bout. The e-mail stated, "the IBF is continuing in its efforts to schedule a heavyweight elimination bout."
PRIOR BOXINGTALK COVERAGE: NOV. 4, 2025: In August, a purse bid was held for a fight between Frank Sanchez and Efe Ajagba, but the bids were not high enough to entice the boxers to accept, particularly Ajagba. The IBF moved on to a fromer champion, ordering Sanchez to begin negotiations with Daniel Dubois on October 7th. Dubois' last fight was a KO loss in a unification fight vs. the true world champion Oleksandr Usyk. Normally, the IBF does not invite a boxer coming off a knockout loss to take part in an eliminator, but apparently an exception was made for Dubois. In any event, no agreement was reached between Sanchez and Dubois so the IBF has scheduled a purse bid for November 13th. It remains to be seen whether Dubois will be interested in a fight vs. the Cuban Sanchez. After a 2024 loss to Agit Kabayel, Sanchez had one very low-level fight in 2025, beating a man with a losing record in February.
AUG 26, 2025: Sampson Boxing won a purse bid today and now has the right to promote an IBF heavyweight elimination bout between Cuba's Frank Sanchez and Nigeria's Efe Ajagba. Sampson's winning bid was $302,000, which will be split 60% for Ajagba and 40% for Sanchez, assuming both men accept the fight. A decision from the boxers to accept or decline is due in fifteen days. Top Rank, Ajagba's promoter, put up a losing bid for $210,000. Under IBF rules, Sampson must schedule the bout to take place within 28 and 90 days and not more than 90 days from today, which is Monday, November 24th. This will be a rematch of a ten-round fight in 2021 that Sanchez won by unanimous decision. The winner becomes the IBF mandatory contender for undefeated world champion Oleksandr Usyk, but the path to an actual title shot is unclear because Usyk owns all four major heavyweight titles which puts him in a position to pick and choose his fights. Sanchez (25-1 with 18 KOs) last fought in February, when he bounced back from his first career loss with a third-round knockout of Ramon Olivas Echeverria (18-25 with 12 KOs). Echeverria was once on the losing end of a fixed fight. Sanchez was fighting for the first time since his seventh-round knockout loss to Agit Kabayel in May of 2024. Though the win was hardly a challenge for Sanchez, it got him back into position for the IBF eliminator. Ajagba (20-1-1) last fought in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia against 299-pound Martin Bakole. After ten rounds, Bakole was fortunate to come away with a draw against Efe Ajagba (pictured). After ten rounds, the judges adjudicated the bout 96-94 for Ajagba, 95-95 and 95-95, making it a majority draw. It wasn't a robbery, but Ajagba was more active, had superior ring generalship and seemed to land more punches. Bakole landed a few harder punches, and that was enough to convince two judges to award a stalemate. AUG. 19, 2025: A purse bid for an IBF heavyweight eliminator is back on the books after a few previous postponements.. The promotional rights to a potential Frank Sanchez vs. Efe Ajagba rematch is scheduled to be auctioned off on Tuesday, August 26, 2025 at 12 noon. Sanchez defeated Ajagba by unanimous decision in 2021, but with heavyweight contenders Filip Hrgovic and Derek Chisora jockeying for bigger fights, Sanchez and Ajagba are the two highest ranked fighters in the IBF ratings to enter the elimination process. Undefeated world champion Oleksandr Usyk owns all four major heavyweight titles, including the IBF version. AUG. 11, 2025: The IBF announced that the Efe Ajagba vs. Frank Sanchez purse bid has been postponed until further notice. AUG. 4, 2025: When Filip Hrgovic pulled out of the IBF heavyweight elimination process, on July 24th, the IBF ordered #3 ranked Efe Ajagba and #4 ranked Frank Sanchez to begin negotiations for an eliminator for the vacant #1 position. Derek Chisora sits at #2. Carl Moretti of Top Rank, representing Ajagba, confirmed that Ajagba would like to proceed straight to a purse bid, which is permitted under IBF rules. The IBF initially scheduled a purse for Tuesday, August 5th but that has now been pushed back one week until August 12th. Oleksandr Usyk owns all four major heavyweight titles, including the IBF version. MAY 19, 2024: In a WBC heavyweight eliminator held on the big Riyadh, Saudi Arabia show, Agit Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs) made a huge career move forward, stopping the favored and previously undefeated Frank Sanchez (24-1, 17 KOs) in round seven. Kabayel defeated Sanchez with a strong body attack. The normally mobile Sanchez fought with a brace on his right knee. Kabayel is Kurdish but lives in Germany. OCT. 10, 2021: Cuban heavyweight Frank Sanchez (19-0, 13 KOs) scored one knockdown on his way to a comfortable, ten-round unanimous decision win over Efe Ajagba. Sanchez used his superior boxing skills to keep the hard-hitting Ajagba (15-1, 12 KOs) off-balance for the entire fight. The “Cuban Flash” displayed his power as well, flooring Ajagba with a hard right in the seventh. A follow-up left hook which landed a tick after Ajagba’s knee hit the canvas Ajagba made it to his feet and survived the round but never seriously threatened on his way to the first defeat of his career. Sanchez said afterwards, "I knew I was going to win all the rounds because I’m much better than him technically. I knew that if I connected, he would fall and he did fall. My game plan was always to frustrate him and go in for the attack."
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