Indholdsfortegnelse for 17 July 2025 i Boxing News

Na quiet boxing week, I found myself watching a card from Ekaterinburg, Russia, the weekend before last. The show seems to have gone largely under the radar. It was a solid show, too, with an ‘interim’ WBA title fight and two 12-round WBA title eliminators, one of which ended in a spectacular upset. But the scant international coverage really wasn’t surprising in view of international condemnation of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In the world of sport, Russia now finds itself in a similar situation to that of South Africa in the final years of Apartheid. There was the case of Brian Mitchell, who was obliged to travel outside his native South Africa for title defences due to boxing’s governing bodies refusing to sanction championship bouts in Mitchell’s homeland. The…

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 USYK VS DUBOIS MANY REMATCHES have been made because of one punch – but not many because of one punch that didn’t win a fight. Daniel Dubois landed more punches on Oleksandr Usyk than he’d been expected to first time round, but it was one punch above all others that provided the abiding storyline coming out of that Wroclaw ring on August 26, 2023. It was a punch that put Usyk on the floor – a remarkable and unprecedented sight, regardless of the circumstances. But those circumstances only added to the drama and the subsequent discussion and, eventually, to the rematch, which…

MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD THE STAKES for Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez’s unification showdown are terrifically high, not least because of an inviting carrot that has suddenly emerged in the distance. Before anything else, the WBC world super-flyweight champion must first take care of business against Phumelela Cafu, his WBO counterpart, this Saturday. With Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs) claiming a home advantage, the pair will square off at The Ford Center in Frisco, Texas, headlining a Matchroom Boxing show that competes with the controversial, yet nonetheless hype-worthy, return of Manny Pacquiao. Among this weekend’s unusually generous offering of dustups, though, it could be said that Rodriguez vs Cafu is, albeit more from a hardcore fan’s perspective, the most appealing. For starters, ‘Bam’ has established himself as a must-see performer; his dazzling footwork and…

NEW YORK JULY 11 UNDERCARD SHOULD Katie Taylor elect to continue her illustrious career, there remains only one obvious challenge yet to complete. She could, of course, walk away now, satisfied with her achievements and the distinction of having beaten every woman she has faced in a professional ring. But knowing what a ferociously competitive individual Taylor is, she might not be content even with this, because while she has indeed earned revenge over her sole conqueror, that leaves her two-fight rivalry with Chantelle Cameon tied at one win apiece. Taylor may well be tempted by a decider with the Northampton woman. Cameron, for her part, has chased her own trilogy fight with Taylor ever since their second meeting, in November 2023, ended in a close and contentious defeat to…

WHEN THE War finally ended on November 11, 1918, people were heartily sick of it and just wanted to get back to normal. League football and County cricket did not resume properly until 1919, but boxing was quicker off the mark. In late November er it was announced that a major boxing tournament was to be organised to celebrate the end of the War, with the contribution made by the soldiers and sailors of Britain, the Empire and the United States to be especially recognised. The event was to take the form of an international competition, and it was to take place at the Royal Albert Hall on December 11-12. The best boxers from each of the services were to take part in a series of three-round contests, at each…

THE oldest amateur boxing club in Hereford has a new name. Hereford Boxing Academy is now Bulls Boxing Academy and they got off to a winning start on Hi-Tech ABC’s show in Birmingham. Veteran bantamweight Tom Beech took the West Midlands belt off Ayaan Pasha (Hi Tech). The 36-year-old soaked up a lot of body shots and then opened a cut over Pasha’s eye with a punch. The referee waved the bout off in the second. Coach Ian Stephens said: “I think Tom is going to carry on until he’s 40. The engine is still there.” Ben O’Malley was another Bulls winner. The 24-year-old made it four wins from five contests with a split decision win over Haroon Khan (Hi-Tech). The bout went to the cards in the second and O’Malley…

Jul 17 MOUSSA GHOLAM vs MAXIMILIANO JESUS VERON Teatro Las Vegas, Madrid Arlen Lopez vs Paul Valenzuela Cuesta Bujar Tahiri vs Jonathan Wilson Sanchez Jul 18 GURGEN HOVHANNISYAN vs CHRIS THOMAS Caribe Royale, Orlando Angel Barrientes vs Jorge De Jesus Romero Jul 19 OLEKSANDR USYK vs DANIEL DUBOIS II Wembley Stadium, London DAZN PPV (WBC, WBA Super, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles) Lawrence Okolie vs Kevin Lerena Daniel Lapin vs Lewis Edmondson Vladyslav Sirenko vs Solomon Dacres Aadam Hamed vs Ezequiel Gregores Lasha Guruli vs James Francis MARIE CONNAN vs NICOLA HOPEWELL Skate Central, Sheffield FightZone JESSE RODRIGUEZ vs PHUMELELA CAFU The Ford Center, Frisco DAZN  (WBC and WBO super-flyweight titles) Diego Pacheco vs Trevor McCumby Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams vs Etinosa Oliha Omari Jones vs Alfredo Rodolfo Blanco MARIO BARRIOS…

IT’S the latest in a long line of heavyweight title rematches on Saturday, when Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois meet again. I thought it might be interesting to look back at previous examples through the ages. Some heavyweight title rematches simply had to happen. This might have been because of controversy in the initial meeting. It could have been because the result first time around was so surprising that an encore was essential. Or simply because the first fight was so good that the boxing public wanted to see a sequel. Then there are heavyweight title return bouts that really weren’t necessary, and those that happened too late. Some lived up to expectations, others were disappointing. I’d put Usyk vs Dubois in the “had to happen” category. The first fight…

MUCH LIKE it would in a retro Batman comic, the word ‘Bam’ – in relation to the career of Jesse Rodriguez, that is – leaves very little to the imagination. While he was initially nicknamed ‘Bambino,’ only for it to then be shortened, the 25-year-old’s moniker has, quite naturally, evolved into a more apt reflection of his style. Delivered with aggression, his performances will typically remove the need for any preamble and skip straight to the meat and gravy, often culminating in an explosive finish. But while Rodriguez’s approach in the ring remains as alluring as it is violent, it is important not to forget, either, that such athletic mastery is never crafted overnight. Rather, it is only through years of sacrifice and hardship that a fighter is able to…

NEW YORK JULY 12 MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD “IF YOU come at the king, you best not miss.” A line immortalised by Omar Little in The Wire, and far more convincing than Edgar Berlanga’s proclamation that he was the “King of New York” in the build-up to his fight against Hamzah Sheeraz, staged in the gladiatorial tennis setting of Louis Armstrong Stadium. Florida-born Berlanga (23-2, 18 KOs, 167½lbs) never anticipated Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs, 167½lbs) tearing through the ‘King’ and landing with bludgeoning shots that battered a man also nicknamed ‘The Chosen One’. After this main event, Berlanga’s crown has slipped badly, and the 28-year-old is edging towards irrelevance in the super-middleweight division. Sheeraz, meanwhile, has secured a WBC title shot, and boxing’s current kingmaker, Turki Alalshikh, will ensure the Essex…

SEND us your club’s news, results or upcoming events to submissions@boxingnewsonline.net CHANTELLE REID is back on course for the Los Angeles Olympics – after a telling-off from her schoolteacher! Reid was set to turn professional after competing at last year’s Paris Olympics, where she was beaten on a desperately tight 3-2 split by 2023 World Champion Khadija Mardi in the last 16 at 75kgs. She had a rethink after a visit to her old primary school. “I was invited to be a part of their assembly [at Stenson Fields Primary School in Derby] and tell my story, which was really special, especially because it was with my Year Four teacher, Mrs Faulkner,” said Reid. “She asked the children if anyone has a dream and 99% of their hands raised. “It…

DURING 1967, ITV broadcast a current affairs programme called This England, and one of its episodes featured an in-depth look at Bootle middleweight Harry Scott during his preparation for a contest that July at Liverpool Stadium against the Uruguayan, Ruben Orrico. It is one of the best documentaries I have seen on a boxer from that – or any other – period and it can be seen on YouTube. I would strongly recommend it. Scott was one of three leading welterweights and middleweights to come from the Liverpool area at that time, the other two being Johnny Cooke and Pat Dwyer. He was jointly managed by Tony Vairo and Arthur Boggis, both of whom spent a lifetime in the game and who both feature strongly in the programme. Tony’s brother,…

IT WAS a long, lonely and painful night in Las Vegas for Ricky Hatton when he met Manny Pacquiao in 2009. They left the ring by separate exits at the end of a night of harsh contrasts: Hatton was finished, Pacquiao still had nearly 20 hard fights left in him. They left behind in that bloodstained ring some very unhappy memories and images. Well, that was then, and this is now, and they are both back looking for whatever it is that the very best go in search of at the end of their careers. The best fighters have more to lose when they near the end of their careers. Hatton’s motivation is harder to understand, but Pacquiao has been given a very real chance to win a major world…

MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD WHILE many fans might not be comfortable with Manny Pacquiao coming back at 46, it’s happening and, in terms of the betting odds, he is not a huge underdog in his WBC welterweight title challenge against Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, on Saturday. At last look, Barrios was a tad over 1/3. Perhaps people are betting on Pacquiao because they remember him how he was and ignoring the realities of this contest. Barrios is 30 years old – 16 years younger than the Filipino legend. He is the bigger man, standing 6ft to Pacquiao’s 5ft 6ins. Also, Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) boxed as recently as November, when he drew with Abel Ramos, whereas Pacquiao’s last fight was his 12-round decision loss to Yordenis Ugas…

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  JULY 11 MAIN EVENT IN THE city that never sleeps, Katie Taylor finally put to bed her immense rivalry with Amanda Serrano. It ended where it had all started in 2022; a trilogy playing out to a natural conclusion inside the hallowed setting, with the better fighter definitively decided. The fabled Madison Square Garden yet again played host to another iconic night. The Netflix platform and its many millions of subscribers were treated to a beyond-deep all-female card that featured some of the finest talent on the planet, headlined by two of the best of their generation. The third incarnation didn’t reach anywhere near…

WAKEFIELD JULY 12 WHOLE SHOW ATMOSPHERE LOCAL favourite Dom Hunt (17-1-2, 3 KOs, 153lbs 6oz) got the better of old foe James Moorcroft (20-5-2, 8 KOs, 153lbs) at the third time of asking on a scorching hot afternoon out on the pitch at the Wakefield Trinity stadium, taking a unanimous decision after two previous encounters over the same 10-round distance had finished all square. While I thought the Wigan man might just have nicked the opener, the advantage quickly swung in the direction of the ‘Hurricane’ and, on the back of a couple of productive sessions, southpaw Hunt, with a bit more snap to his work, began to open what would prove an unassailable lead. Trailing going into the fifth, things were about to get worse for Moorcroft who, cut to…

BIRMINGHAM JULY 5 SCOTLAND were 6-3 winners over England in a junior international. The match at Bishop Challoner Catholic College was decided by the eighth bout. After seven of nine contests, Scotland were 4-3 ahead. That made the match between 2023 European Schools rep Megan Woods (England) and Ava Allinson decisive. Allinson returned from a career-threatening injury to win Tri Nations gold in May and had another memorable day here, edging a 3-2 split decision over Woods at 63kgs to win the match for Scotland. Taller by an inch or so, Allinson did a good job of keeping the bout long in the opener, before the solid and heavy-handed Woods got closer to her in the second and landed more punches. Allinson was able to put more room between her…

I WAS DELIGHTED to hear from Manchester EBA Public Relations Officer Steve Connellan that the recent Northern Boxing Federation Gala was, once again, a tremendous success. More than 90 people attended, including members of Manchester, Merseyside, Leeds, Hastings, Brighton, Essex, London and Croydon EBAs MEBA Secretary Ian Harrison gives a glowing report in their latest newsletter, from which I’ll quote some extracts: “Firstly, there was a wonderful three-course meal, then Eddie Copeland started the proceedings with his jokes and anecdotes, “Dave Harris gave an inspiring talk on the progress and hurdles around the Ringside Rest and Care, and where they are now. “Vince Campbell (NBF Chairman) presented our Guest of Honour, Allan Richardson, with a Lonsdale Belt which he never received when he became British featherweight champion. It was great…