Indholdsfortegnelse for 17 April 2025 i Boxing News

CONTROVERSIAL rulings by referees have long been a part of boxing. And here we go again, with Jeamie Tshikeva’s camp claiming their man was hit on the break by David Adeleye in last week’s British heavyweight title fight. On the Adeleye side, the argument is that Tshikeva had been warned for hitting on the break a round earlier and that fighters are routinely advised to protect themselves at all times. But the fact is that Tshikeva got hit by a left hook that essentially took him out of the fight. And, yes, referee Ron Kearney did indeed call “break” when the fighters were in a clinch. He even tapped Tshikeva’s glove. So, Jeamie couldn’t be blamed for thinking that it was safe for him to lower his guard and take…

FABIO WARDLEY’S next fight was confirmed last week, as the heavyweight’s dream date at Portman Road, home of Ipswich Town FC, was announced for June 7. An announcement of a rumoured bout between Wardley and Bulgarian veteran Kubrat Pulev for ‘The Cobra’’s WBA ‘regular’ bauble had been anticipated, but instead, reports broke on April 6 of a surprise change in opponent. Enter New York’s biochemical behemoth, Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller. “The long short of it is: Pulev was scared and greedy,” Wardley tells Boxing News. “He had no interest whatsoever in fighting me, and if he was to get within 100 yards of me, he wanted a tremendous amount of money – way above his pay grade, way above what he’s worth and way above anything he’s ever been paid…

LUCA INGLE expects to hear some stories about his grandfather in Birmingham on Sunday night. He gets it everywhere he goes. “It gets to the point where you think: ‘Here we go again, another story,’” said the 19-year-old, “but I’m proud to be an Ingle and of what he did.” The late Brendan Ingle is Luca’s grandfather, and Luca has joined the family business. He runs the Ingle Boxing Academy amateur gym and helps train five professionals, alongside uncle Dominic. “I didn’t realise everything he did,” said Ingle of his grandfather, who died in 2018 aged 77. “I was too young. I was in the first year of secondary school when he died. I was more bothered with video games at the time. Looking back, I didn’t spend as much…

Reporters’ star ratings for main events and undercards are based on in-ring entertainment, competitiveness and whether overall expectation was met OUTSTANDING GOOD FAIR DISAPPOINTING RUBBISH ATLANTIC CITY APRIL 12 MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD ATMOSPHERE IF Jaron “Boots” Ennis is to have the career long expected of him – and predicted with even more confidence since Saturday night – the day will come when his convincing victory over Eimantas Stanionis, at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, is reflected on as the start of his prime. Their IBF and WBA welterweight title fight represented a contest between the division’s recognised number one and two, and concluded with Ennis, having produced the finest performance of his exciting career, demonstrating the gulf in class that exists between he and every other fighter competing at 147lbs. Stanionis,…

LIVERPOOL FEBRUARY 12 WHOLE SHOW AS is often the case, late withdrawals proved something of a curse and come fight night just a quartet of bouts remained on this dual VIP/Trinity promotion at the Grand Central Hall. Popular Rhodes puncher Efstathios Antonas (9-3-2, 3 KOs, 140lbs), in no mood for hanging around, got the evening off to a flyer, needing just a little over five minutes of a scheduled eight-round contest to put paid to the hopes of Argentinean Ezequiel Gregores (3-22, 142lbs). Having taken the first behind a busy jab, Antonas [inset] knocked it up a gear in the next, slamming home a right through the middle to send Gregores over backwards. Soon after the resumption, when Ezequiel touched down again, having been tagged by a glancing right, referee…

FRAZER CLARKE is no stranger to the highs and lows of boxing. His knockout loss to Fabio Wardley last year – a brutal right hand that fractured his cheekbone and dimmed his lights – tested his resolve again. Now, as he prepares to face Ghana’s Ebenezer Tetteh in Birmingham on Sunday, Clarke is driven by a potent mix of stubborn pride, familial love and an unquenchable desire to prove he’s still a force. The Wardley saga began on March 31, 2024. Fight one was a barnburner, ending in a draw. The rematch, however, provided a very different conclusion. That defeat wasn’t just a professional setback – it cut deeper, piercing a feeling of invincibility which was felt at home. “The impact the second fight had on my family was devastating,” Clarke…

IT’S hard to imagine it was almost 12 years ago when a relatively unknown Russian waltzed into Cardiff to remove Nathan Cleverly’s WBO light-heavyweight title by brute force. While time flies, it certainly waits for no boxer. When Sergey Kovalev enters the ring on Saturday against German-based Kazakh Artur Mann, it will be his final outing. Of course, in a sport filled with broken promises, the IBA Champions Night swansong may not be the last time we actually see Kovalev, 42. But this Chelyabinsk homecoming feels like it should be the end for a fighter who burned brightly, yet burned out fast as a lack of discipline overcame talent, leading to a snowballed decline. Last seen boxing Robin Sirwan Safar in Riyadh, the once-apt ‘Krusher’ nickname has drifted away. Kovalev…

WHOLE SHOW DALTON SMITH aims to cement his status as the WBC’s leading super-lightweight contender when he takes on Mathieu Germain on Saturday. There is no denying that this matchup, headlining a Matchroom card at the Park Community Arena in Sheffield, is far from the most appealing. More than anything, it looks a stepping stone – another brick in the wall, perhaps ps – that should take Smith (17-0, 13 KOs) closer towards his first world title shot. The 28-year-old is, after all, sitting pretty as the mandatory challenger for Alberto Puello’s green and gold strap at 140lbs. Even so, there are a plethora of worthy opponents – Jack Catterall, for instance – who would likely provide the Sheffield man with a far greater test than Germain, 26-2-1 (11 KOs), ahead…

VARADERO, CUBA APRIL 11 WHOLE SHOW ATMOSPHERE BOXING’S iron curtain was finally lifted as Cuba staged its first professional show in 64 years. While most of the Caribbean island’s communist peers had long since relaxed their own bans on pro sports, Cuba had remained resolute in insisting its boxers stay in the unpaid ranks. This has, of course, ensured the country remained top of the Olympic and amateur world championships podiums over the decades, but several of its highest-profile boxers defected in search of professional glory – and money. In a bid to keep its best fighters at home, the Cuban Boxing Federation licensed its first pros in 2022, allowing them to box abroad, ad, and has now given them a chance to compete at home, in partnership with German-based…

TODAY, British rings are full of boxers from Eastern Europe, with many of them fulfilling the role of the ‘away’ fighter. They are the unsung heroes of the sport and without them the sport would struggle to survive. In the 1950s and 1960s, their equivalent were the very many black fighters that came to this country, usually from the West Indies or West Africa, due to the relaxation of the immigration rules after World War II. These lads were also unsung heroes, and very many of them did not get the opportunities, or the purses, that were available to the homegrown fighters on the left side of the bill. At a time when there were only a few hundred active professionals and fewer shows than there are today, it was…

WAITING outside the medical room for Joe Joyce, surrounded by his family and friends, was a grim reminder of how quickly a chosen boxer can become old news. It was close to midnight and elsewhere in the tunnels and corridors at the new venue on the edge of Manchester city centre, Daniel Dubois was promising destruction, Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller was swearing his way to a headline fight, and too many people had buried Joe’s career. Joyce was no longer hot; the microphones were not being pushed at him. It took a few days to process and take in what had happened in the ring against Filip Hrgovic, and to listen to the unified cries and screams condemning Joyce and pleading with him to quit. I guess the truth is…

FOR more than a decade, Sam Eggington has gladly gone toe to toe with anyone who’s fancied it. With one exception. “I was glad when Cello Renda retired,” he says. “He could really punch.” Renda laughs at the memory of his sparring sessions with Eggington at the Eastside gym in Birmingham. “We had some right old wars,” he says. More than six years on from his last fight, Renda gives the impression he would do it all again tomorrow. “I was watching one of my fights with my wife [Nicola] the other night and she was saying: ‘I’m glad you don’t do it anymore,’” says Renda. “Nicola said she didn’t think she could stand it anymore, now we’ve got children. “I said to her: ‘You never know. Never say never.’…

OUTSTANDING GOOD FAIR DISAPPOINTING RUBBISH The star ratings indicate how well the writer believes the fighters match up, the fight(s)’ contextual significance, and how good the fight(s) will be MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD BEN WHITTAKER faces a career-shaping moment on Easter Sunday, and one that could make or break his boxing future. The Resorts World Arena in Birmingham hosts the rematch between Whittaker and Liam Cameron, which has been brewing since their bizarre first encounter six months ago. The stakes are sky-high, reputations are on the line and questions left unanswered demand resolution. Whittaker’s talent and potential has promised much but so far failed to deliver the performance we’ve been waiting for. Sunday is the perfect opportunity, but can Cameron pick up from where he left off and prove his underdog…

UNDISPUTED flyweight queen Gabriela Fundora looks to extend her scintillating run this Saturday. Utilising every inch of her spindly frame, the American garnered all four major titles at 112lbs with a destructive seventh-round stoppage of Gabriela Alaniz last November. In doing so, she not only achieved her remarkable feat at the age of 22 but also showcased a comprehensive grasp of the sweet science. That, of course, is what leading challenger Marilyn Badillo will have to contend with when they square off at the Frontwave Arena, California. Often gliding around the ring with a low guard, the 19-0-1, 3 KOs, Mexican typically invites pressure while, at the same time, pumping out her lead hand to control the distance. Similarly, Fundora, 15-0, 7 KOs, has little interest in trading up close…

DUBLIN APRIL 12 WHOLE SHOW THE National Stadium in Dublin played host to its biggest card in many a year on Saturday night as the DAZN cameras came to town for the JB Promotions ‘A Night of Champions’ show. Four title fights took place on the bill which was headlined by an Irish welterweight title showdown between Senan Kelly (10-0, 2 KOs, 146lbs) and Declan Geraghty (27-6, 5 KOs, 145.8lbs). In the ten-round main event, refereed by David Irving, it was Leixlip’s Kelly who retained his belt, squeezing out a split-decision with scores of 96-94x2 and 94-96. The vacant eight-round BUI super-welterweight title chief support saw Glenn Byrne (6-0-1, 1 KO, 154lbs) and Charly Lopez (7-1-1, 1 KO, 152lbs) unable to be separated. Loughlinstown’s Byrne’s long shots and endless grit…

THE best match in the Welsh Championships this weekend looks to be at cruiserweight, where defending champion Louie Walters faces Dan Pitt in the quarter-finals in Cardiff Pitt, crowned World Under-19 Champion in Colorado last October, is having his first crack at the Welsh seniors at Sofia Gardens. The 19-year-old southpaw from Brecon Phoenix ABC has been troubled by a hand injury suffered during his split points loss to seasoned Ukrainian Danylo Zhasan at the Boxam Tournament in Spain in February. That was only Pitt’s second defeat in 26 bouts. The other was on an injury in the final of the Junior Three Nations in June 2022. Pitt has since won six gold medals for Wales. In Walters, he faces a 6ft 3ins boxer who is a real success story…

PICTURED on the front of the current Punch Lines – Essex EBA’s monthly newsletter – is Canning Town’s Johnny Claydon, a crowd-pleasing lightweight from the 1970s. He had 25 bouts, winning 15 and drawing one. He wasn’t a massive puncher, with just four inside-schedule wins, but his aggressive style guaranteed action and entertainment. Eighteen of his bouts took place in London – small-hall shows, Sporting Club dinner-shows and major events alike. I was at the Albert Hall ringside for his debut, on October 2, 1973. In the main event, Joe Bugner kept his European heavyweight title, clearly outscoring Italy’s Bepi Ross – and Claydon forced Ken Singlewood (a very late sub) to retire after two sessions. After that, I saw Johnny box several times – including his three-bout series with…

Apr 18 SERGEY KOVALEV vs ARTUR MANN Yunost Arena, Chelyabinsk Boxing News Apr 19 DALTON SMITH vs MATHIEU GERMAIN Park Community Arena, Sheffield DAZN Josh Warrington vs Asad Asif Khan GABRIELA FUNDORA vs MARILYN BADILLO Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California DAZN (WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF flyweight title) Charles Conwell vs Jorge Garcia Apr 20 LIAM CAMERON vs BEN WHITTAKER II BP Pulse Live Arena, Birmingham SKY SPORTS Lee Cutler vs Sam Eggington Frazer Clarke vs Ebenezer Tetteh Apr 26 CONOR BENN vs CHRIS EUBANK JR Tottenham Hotspur Stadium DAZN PPV/SKY SPORTS PPV Liam Smith vs Aaron McKenna Viddal Riley vs Cheavon Clarke Anthony Yarde vs Lyndon Arthur III Chris Billam-Smith vs Brandon Glanton May 02 TEOFIMO LOPEZ vs ARNOLD BARBOZA Times Square, New York (WBO super-lightweight title) Ryan Garcia vs…