Indholdsfortegnelse for 8 May 2025 i Boxing News

WITH a rematch between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn mooted for September, there are weighty matters to address. One of them is the match weight itself. Another is the rehydration clause. A third is fighter safety. As we understand it, a rematch Graham would be at the Houston middleweight limit of 160lbs, with the same rehydration clause as last time – that is to say, Eubank contractually bound to weigh no more than 10lbs above the middleweight limit on the morning of the fight. Rehydration clauses are nothing new, of course. The IBF has a rehydration clause for its title fights, with boxers required to undertake a second weigh-in between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. on the morning of the fight. Depending on the weight class, boxers can be…

★★★★★ OUTSTANDING ★★★★ GOOD ★★★ FAIR ★★ DISAPPOINTING ★ RUBBISH Reporters’ star ratings for main events and undercards are based on in-ring entertainment, competitiveness and whether overall expectation was met NEW YORK, NY MAY 2 MAIN EVENT ATMOSPHERE IF THERE is a lesson to be learned from Ryan Garcia’s shock loss to Rolly Romero, it is that in this era, boxers don’t fight often enough for us to know how good they really are. In other words, they are only as good as their last fight. For Garcia, that does not bode well. Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs, 1 NC, 146¾lbs), from Los Angeles, looked like a sure thing entering this contest. It was not seen as a question of if he would win, but in what fashion. Romero, who was…

May 10 ANTHONY CACACE vs LEIGH WOOD Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham DAZN Liam Davies vs Kurt Walker Ezra Taylor vs Troy Jones Owen Cooper vs Chris Kongo Sam Noakes vs Patrik Balaz Lewis Williams vs Viktar Chvarkou EMANUEL NAVARRETE vs CHARLY SUAREZ Pechanga Arena, San Diego Sky Sports/ESPN (WBO super-featherweight title) Raymond Muratalla vs Zaur Abdullaev SOULEYMANE CISSOKHO vs EGIDIJUS KAVALIAUSKAS Centre de Conference de Sipopo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea ERICKSON LUBIN vs ARDREAL HOLMES Silver Spurs Arena, Kissimmee NINA MEINKE vs DANIELA ROMINA BERMUDEZ Stadthalle, Rostock MUHAMMAD WASEEM vs WISTON ORONO Quetta Polo Club, Quetta, Pakistan May 11 FERNANDO MARTINEZ vs KAZUTO IOKA Ota City, Tokyo (WBA super-flyweight title) May 14 SAM GOODMAN vs CESAR VACA ESPINOZA Hordern Pavilion, Sydney May 17 JOHNNY FISHER vs DAVE ALLEN II Copper Box Arena, Hackney DAZN…

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA MAY 3 MAIN EVENT ATMOSPHERE CINCO DE MAYO weekend in Riyadh was always going to be a curious affair and Canelo vs Scull proved to be just that. It was a mixed bag of boxing with an overall fun Mexican theme in terms of fighters and vibes. It provided a fairly subdued bookend to a packed seven days of Fatal Fury-branded fighting, staged by Riyadh Season and beginning with Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn in London on April 26 and continuing with the Times Square spectacle six days later. The former delivered and then some. Yet, while the ambition and scope of the New York card is to be applauded, unfortunately two of the three headlining fights themselves fell somewhat flat. Therein set the scene for…

LIVERPOOL APRIL 27 MAIN EVENT HAVING already exchanged pleasantries with two Nicaraguans and a Honduran, unbeaten local favourite Jamie Devine (7-0, 2 KOs, 131lbs 13oz) found himself in against a Mexican, Luis Ricardo Ramirez Garcia (3-2-1, 3 KOs, 127½lbs) who recently arrived in Barnsley and, having made his UK debut, will doubtless now feature regularly. It looked like this one at Grand Central Hall might just be over in the embers of the opener when a weighty left, hot on the heels of a clubbing right, sent the visitor over backwards. But, he rose, nose badly bloodied, and dug in, making it as far as the fifth and penultimate session when Jamie’s dominance was finally rewarded, trialist referee and ex-pro Andy Kremner halting proceedings 58 seconds in after Garcia was caught…

★★★★★ 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 AFTER the dizzying dramatics and stirring storyline of the Eubank-Benn occasion, British boxing offers a main event on, shall we say, more traditional lines when Belfast’s Anthony Cacace meets hometown favourite Leigh Wood in Nottingham on Saturday. Eubank-Benn delivered action on a massive stage; Cacace vs Wood is the sort of British main event that would not have been out of place at one of the nation’s big arenas back in the 1950s. That is to say, it is simply an excellent match-up between two very good fighters. It’s a compelling contest and…

HILMER KENTY was just built different. From becoming Emanuel Steward’s first world champion while fighting out of the iconic Kronk Gym in Detroit, to leaving the sport with still plenty to give at the age of 29, few did it quite like he did. But if you need more proof, consider Kenty went 15 rounds with Sean O’Grady in 1981. With pneumonia. “I wanted to keep that championship so bad going into that fight,” says Kenty. “I remember telling Emanuel, ‘I just don’t know if I can make this.’ And he told me, ‘Well, they may strip you of your title if you don’t.’ And, of course, that was motivation for me to go in and continue to fight.” So, the Texas native laced up his gloves, put in his…

CARDIFF APRIL 25 SEVEN defending Welsh Elite champs stepped between the ropes at the Sport Wales National Centre, and six left having reinforced their status as the leading lights in their divisions, with selectors looking towards next year’s Commonwealth Games. The standout performer was Newport middleweight Orlando Holley Sotomi, who blew away the inexperienced Joe Burns inside four minutes. The St Joseph’s man had almost sleepwalked through his semi-final, but moved up several gears against Burns, from Robinson’s ABC, run by former world titleholder Steve. Gradually increasing the pace, Orlando forced a standing count on his man before flooring him with a left hook. Joe, in only his eighth contest, just beat the call of 10 and was allowed to continue, only for the bell to sound before another punch…

ON July 22, 1932, the Port Talbot Guardian reported that “The death of Bill Beynon, the famous Welsh ex-bantamweight champion, under such tragic circumstances at Bryn Navigation Colliery, came as a shock to the boxing world. Bill was just leaving his work at about noon when a huge stone fell upon him, partially burying him. He was extricated but lived only a few minutes afterwards”. Beynon, whose son was with him at the time, not only left a wife and 13 children, but he also left some wonderful memories of a gallant ring career. Beynon was one of only a few British champions who lost more contests than they won, and, with 104 defeats on his record, he lost more than any other. That said, he had a great career,…

ONE night in 1998 in Atlantic City, 8,138 people paid to watch Naseem Hamed, Wayne McCullough, Marco Antonio Barrera, Ricky Hatton, Anthony Farnell, Omar Sheika, Robert McCracken, Vuyani Bungu and Danny Romero at the Convention Centre. A lot of names, but it was the Naz show. Hamed arrived late and angry. McCullough had been goading him for about five years. Barrera had started to avoid him. It was a tense week in Atlantic City. The cracks were starting to show; the mayhem was on the horizon for Hamed. Barrera was watching and waiting for the right time; the Barrera faithful hate to hear that, but it is true, and I don’t blame him. McCullough walked around all week, smiling, shaking hands and dismissing Hamed. “I’ve studied him up close and…

LAS VEGAS MAY 4 MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD ATMOSPHERE NAOYA INOUE is one of the world’s most compelling boxers to watch because he has all the tools capable to dominate bouts on the scorecards, but instead he chooses to fight. “Everyone is well aware that I like to brawl,” he said through a translator, after getting up from the deck in round two to put Ramon Cardenas down in the seventh, before forcing a referee’s stoppage in the eighth to cap a thrilling Top Rank fight card on Sunday, May 4 in Las Vegas. Inoue, a joy to watch, is at the peak of his powers. The lines he uses to dart inside, throw powerful punches, and return to safety are on point. He has expert distance management. He’s aggressive. Each of the…

LIFE after boxing represents unfamiliar territory and, for that reason, a largely intimidating prospect for any active competitor. Many will choose not to consider a future beyond the ropes, as with a degree of euphoria and structure attached to their craft, the process of adjusting to civilian life can be far more complex. At least with boxing, there is often a belief, even at the bleakest of times, that a career-defining opportunity could be just around the corner. But that belief – or perhaps blind faith, in some cases – is suddenly removed once a fighter hangs up the gloves. More than anything else, though, it is the ramifications of their unforgiving sport that will ultimately define a fighter’s retirement, either sending them down a path of pleasure or into a…

WHOLE SHOW EVERYTHING about WBO world super-featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete screams “average” when it comes to the Sweet Science. Whenever he fights, his almost painfully slow body mechanics enhancing an apparent lack of balance, he looks not like an athlete but rather a man that has just peeled himself off the couch, perhaps after enjoying one or two beers. And yet, for the most part, Navarette (39-2-1, 32 KOs) has found a way to close the show in emphatic fashion. The 30-year-old’s relaxed approach will lull his opponents into a false sense of security until, just at the right moment, his potent repertoire is swiftly revealed. Navarette is, after all, a tremendous puncher. Even when he is trailing, his deceptively well-oiled engine allows him to find an extra gear to…

JIT IS QUITE remarkable that the first three boxers to be awarded the Lonsdale Belt were all Welshmen. While the game was growing within the Principality throughout the first decade of the 20th century, it wasn’t taking off at quite the pace seen elsewhere, especially when compared with the English regions. Cardiff held shows fairly regularly, mainly at the Badminton Club and at the Queen Street Hall. The National Athletic Club in Merthyr was a lively place from 1907 onwards, and the Pavilion at Mountain Ash held some big shows during 1909 and 1910, but there was nowhere that ran regular weekly shows throughout the year, as was the case in places like Newcastle, Liverpool, Plymouth or Birmingham. There were, however, very many boxing booths that toured the mining communities up…

CROYDON EBA were delighted to welcome a large party from Brighton to their monthly meeting on April 27. There was a terrific atmosphere, and the raffle raised a magnificent £130. Barry Noonan – Brighton’s Vice-President and Treasurer – told me, “We’re now going to visit more Associations,” and that’s good to hear. Visiting one another, and attending one another’s functions, has always been an important part of what EBAs do. Croydon Chairman Barry Penny recalled some “great” weekends at Bournemouth and Torquay, and came up with an interesting suggestion – could representatives of different EBAs get together to discuss different things that can be done to keep the Associations going? It’s an idea – and with Zoom it shouldn’t be too difficult to arrange. Katie Ballard gave the great news…