Indholdsfortegnelse for 4 September 2025 i Boxing News

THE FIRST defeat for an up-and-coming fighter is by no means the end of the road. It’s how the fighter comes back that counts. I was thinking of this after Abass Baraou ended Yoenis Tellez’ unbeaten run last weekend. Big things were expected of Tellez, a Cuban based in Texas. He’d won 10 fights in a row and he looked the real deal. But Baraou clearly outfought him. Tellez is only 25. It did seem that he fought the wrong fight against Baraou; that he stayed on the ropes too much and didn’t use his speed and movement to the fullest extent. But the other fighter has a say in what’s happening. Baraou stayed on top of Tellez for much of the fight. It was Baraou who, to a large…

CANELO ALVAREZ vs Terence Crawford was always going to be the biggest boxing bonanza of the calendar. Now, a world title contest has been added to the ‘bill’ – but it will take place on the Thursday of fight week. The full Canelo-Crawford September 13 undercard was officially confirmed last week, with a host of intriguing fights, even without the almost-standard offerings of world title fights prior to the main-event. A solid free-to-view six-fight YouTube preliminary card adds to the build-up, but it always seemed as though Dana White and Turki Alalshikh were not done yet, with rumours swirling that further fights would be scheduled for fight week. WBO flyweight champion Anthony Olascuaga (9-1, 6 KOs) has now confirmed he will be fighting at the Fontainebleau, Las Vegas, on Thursday,…

MAIN EVENT THE STORY of Craig Derbyshire is one of persistence and growth; two traits he demonstrated after evolving, quite remarkably, from a journeyman to a Commonwealth champion. Yet the 34-year-old light-flyweight’s character arc saw a drastic spike several years before his crowning moment arrived. As if to emphatically abandon his previously unglamorous, but no less important, identity, Derbyshire (11-29-4, 3 KOs) chalked up a fifth-round stoppage victory over Lee Clayton in 2018. In doing so, the Yorkshireman became a two-division Central Area champion; only this time around, he would not allow a seven-fight losing streak to kill his momentum. From there, Derbyshire would lose only to Marcel Braithwaite and Connor Butler – two solid British-level operators – while also holding Tommy Frank to a hard-fought draw. His real purple patch,…

CONTINUING OUR SERIES DOCUMENTING THE HISTORY OF BRITISH BOXING, WE LOOK AT HOW THE UK’S MINING COMMUNITIES PRODUCED A STEADY STREAM OF FIGHTERS AND A PRESTIGIOUS TITLE FOR THEM TO CONTEST ON SEPTEMBER 13, 1895, The Sporting Life published the following announcement: “A sum of £2 10s a side has been made good at Newcastle for a glove contest between Ritson, of Windy Nook, and Turnbull, of Pelton Fell, who have arranged to box under Queensberry Rules, at 9st 10lbs, for the Pitmen’s Championship and a stake of £25 a side. The second deposit is due at Newfield Inn, Pelton Hell, on September 30. The match will, it is expected, take place in seven weeks’ time at a place to be mutually agreed upon”. As well as providing an insight…

SIXTO SORIA (CUBA) v TADIJA KACAR (YUGOLSLAVIA) 1978 LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT FINAL THESE Olympic silver medalists bounced bombs off each other for nine minutes. Soria was known to the world after the 1976 Olympics. The Cuban blasted through to the light-heavyweight final with three wins inside two rounds before Leon Spinks denied him gold with a third-round stoppage. Also in Montreal, Kacar won light-middleweight silver. The Yugoslav was up at light-heavy in Belgrade two years later – and willing to stand his ground and swap blows with Soria in the final. They went power punch for power punch until Soria landed a couple of heavy blows in the second. Kacar looked disappointed the referee gave him a count and once the bout resumed, he met Soria in the centre of the ring…

THERE has perhaps been no British sporting moment as heartwarming as the events of September 2, 1995. That was the night when Frank Bruno, arguably the most beloved of all British boxers, was finally – finally – crowned heavyweight champion of the world. It was achieved at the fourth, and almost certainly final, attempt. Bruno, at the age of 34, and after 13 years spent square in the spotlight of one of the most fervently followed of sporting careers, scaled the mountain top that many thought he never would – and which, by then, in all honesty, many simply assumed he wouldn’t. Of course, we all wanted him to. But the feeling was that if he hadn’t done it by now, he never would. This was seen more as a…

Highlighting the best of the week’s stories WWW.BOXINGNEWSONLINE.NET WBC SUPER-WELTERWEIGHT champion Sebastian Fundora has announced he will make his next defence, against veteran Keith Thurman – just as boxing’s bewildering alphabet machinations muddied the 154lbs mandatory contender picture. The WBC decided to rank Jaron Ennis, the former unified welterweight champion, as their No.1 rated contender at 154lbs, despite him not yet having competed in the latter division. The ranking overrode the sanctioning body’s own prior ruling that Serhii Bohachuk was their No.1 contender, as well as ignoring the fact that Vergil Ortiz Jr is their ‘interim’ champion. This means, in effect, that the WBC at one stage had three mandatory contenders in one division. Adding further confusion was that Ennis’ 154lbs debut, against Uisma Lima on October 11 in Philadelphia,…

MAIN EVENT OSLEYS IGLESIAS is no average super-middleweight contender. Rather, he possesses a level of ring IQ, and dynamite in both fists, that makes him a bona fide boogieman of the entire boxing landscape. Vladimir Shishkin, on the other hand, is what some might call a steady campaigner – or rather, someone who boasts a strong grasp of the fundamentals but offers very little by way of creative attacks and sharp defensive angles. Based on that, it is tempting to assume that their IBF final elimination bout this Saturday in the Montreal Casino in Canada, where Iglesias has based himself since early last year, is destined for one outcome, particularly given the utterly ruthless surge that Iglesias (13-0, 12 KOs) has cultivated in recent years. While flying below the radar…

THE LIST of British male medalists at the World Amateur Championships shows 14 names. Only one has struck gold. That came in Chicago in November 2007, where Frankie Gavin was one of 55 entries at 60kgs. There weren’t any Cubans on the list, but the fighter rated the pound-for-pound best in the world was there, Alexey Tishchenko. To win gold, the Russian would have to get past a ballet dancer from Birmingham. Tom Chaney taught Gavin to box at Hall Green Amateur Boxing Club and remembered a disgruntled coach telling him, “that’s not boxing, it’s ballet dancing” after his boxer struggled to lay a glove on Gavin. Chaney replied: “You wait and see how far ballet dancing takes him.” Chaney knew what he was doing. He was putting together a…

MUHAMMAD ALI had his shuffle, Billy Joe Saunders looked into the crowd to see where his opponents’ missed punches landed – and Alice Pumphrey has her bow and arrow! At 19 years old, Pumphrey is the youngest member of the Great Britain and England teams that compete at the World Championships in Liverpool – and surely the most mischievous as well. Pumphrey is looking to win her second World Championship in the space of 10 months, having won the World Under-19 Championship last November. She went on to make her senior debut for GB in the Boxam tournament in February – and pulled off a move that has since had 40,000-plus views on social media and left club coach Mohammed Amin Patel open-mouthed. Patel described to Boxing News what Pumphrey…

WHEN REGGIE MEEN became a professional boxer in 1927, his first six contests ended by clean knockout, with Reggie failing to beat the count four times, and two of these defeats coming in the first round. Meen was a heavyweight and when he was around, fighters, and especially heavyweights, were chucked in with anyone. Very few were given the sort of careful career progression that you see today. If you weren’t that good, you soon got found out. But Reggie learned from his poor start and within four years he had become the British heavyweight champion. Meen is among the least known of our heavyweight champions and he was also one of the poorest, but that does not mean that he should be forgotten, for he was an exceptionally game…

Note: Up to and including August 31, 2025. Only includes boxers licensed by the British Boxing Board of Control HEAVYWEIGHT No weight limit 1. Daniel Dubois | Greenwich 2. Lawrence Okolie | Hackney 3. Fabio Wardley | Ipswich COMMONWEALTH CHAMPION 4. Anthony Joshua | Watford) 5. Dereck Chisora | Finchley 6. Martin Bakole | Airdrie 7. Richard Riakporhe | Walworth 8. Moses Itauma | Chatham 9. Joe Joyce | Putney 10. Hughie Fury | Manchester CRUISERWEIGHT 200lbs/14st 4lbs 1. Chris Billam-Smith | B’mouth 2. Jack Massey | High Peak 3. Viddal Riley | Tottenham BRITISH CHAMPION 4. Aloys Youmbi | Penge COMMONWEALTH CHAMPION 5. Cheavon Clarke | Gravesend 6. Callum Johnson | Boston 7. John Hedges | Takeley  ENGLISH CHAMPION 8. Aurel Ignat | Wembley 9. Ellis Zorro | Bromley…

JOE BUGNER was one of the best heavyweights during the greatest decade of heavyweights. Bugner was just 21 and three days old when he beat Henry Cooper at Wembley to win the British title; it was 1971 and it was his 35th contest. No British heavyweight going forward will ever come close to those statistics. During the next six years he went the full distance twice with Muhammad Ali, pushed Joe Frazier in a classic over 12 rounds and dropped a split decision in a savage brawl with Ron Lyle in Las Vegas. He beat the best in Britain and the rest of Europe and only lost to the greatest fighters of his decade – in the ’70s, Bugner was truly memorable. He was the only non-American in the heavyweight…

Highlighting the best of the week’s stories WWW.BOXINGNEWSONLINE.NET DONCASTER trainer Stefy Bull recently made headlines after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine, and had all the while maintained his innocence – until now, that is. At Sheffield Crown Court last week, Bull admitted his involvement, but claimed that the Covid-19 pandemic was the cause behind his actions. Forty-eight-year-old Bull – real name Andrew Bulcroft – most notably guided fellow Doncaster pugilist Terri Harper to world titles in three weight classes, and has also worked the corners of championship-level boxers Maxi Hughes, Jamie McDonnell and Jason Cunningham, among others. Yet, in February, it was alleged that Bull had attempted to purchase “significant amounts” of cocaine through an encrypted phone network, with Bull remaining in custody ever since. Then, in…

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 WHOLE SHOW WE HEAR about “must win” fights all the time but, for Michael Conlan, winning really is the only option when he meets Jack Bateson. Conlan (19-3, 9 KOs) has expressed time and again that his goal is to win a world title. It might seem like an impossible dream, but the 33-year-old believes it is one he can bring to reality. But to get within touching distance of a title fight, he must get past Bateson (20-1-1, 6 KOs). Lose at Dublin’s 3Arena on Friday, and there is nowhere to go, but a win would earn Conlan a WBC…

WHOLE SHOW PAT McCORMACK insists he is ready for “another step up” when he boxes for just the eighth time as a professional since clinching an Olympic silver medal in Tokyo. Washington’s unbeaten welterweight headlines on home Co Durham turf on Saturday when he faces dangerous Mexican Miguel Parra over 10 rounds at Houghton-le-Spring. In an interview with Boxing News, last week, McCormack (7-0, 5KOs) spoke of his desire to take a throwback path to the top as a pro by picking up the British, Commonwealth and European titles en route to a shot at a world championship. Last time out, the former world amateur silver medallist produced a clinical performance to take apart Robbie Davies Jnr in a British title eliminator in Manchester in February. It is therefore ironic…

The very best action, previews and news from Olympic-style boxing SEND us your club’s news, results or upcoming events to submissions@boxingnewsonline.net SUPER-HEAVYWEIGHT (90+kgs) AS ONE 6ft 7ins Uzbek southpaw decides to focus on the pro ranks after conquering the amateurs, another steps up. Bakhodir Jalolov moved on after back-to-back Olympic golds, leaving Jakhongir Zorkirov his country’s No.1. The 22-year-old doesn’t look to be as light on his feet as Jalolov, but has won 2021 World Youth gold and this year he has reversed a points loss to Aybek Oralbay (Kazakhstan) and beat Damar Thomas, rivals for gold in Liverpool. Thomas, the 20-year-old London lefty, pushed Zorkirov to a split in April and also has a win over US pick Kelvin Watts. HEAVYWEIGHT (90kgs) EXPECT Loren Alfonso to contend for a medal. Born…

CUBAN great Julio Cesar La Cruz is coming to Liverpool targeting the record books. Only Felix Savon has won more world golds in men’s boxing than La Cruz’s five. And Savon can also equal Adolfo Horta’s record of winning world titles at three weights. The Cuban won at bantamweight (1978), featherweight (1982) and lightweight (1986) and La Cruz has won gilds at light-heavyweight (2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017) and heavyweight (2021). Now 36, he is up at super-heavyweight at the M&S Bank Arena. La Cruz, who beat Ireland’s Joe Ward in the 2015 and 2017 light-heavyweight finals, also has a pro career and weighed 212¾lbs and 213lbs for his past two fights. He was dropped in his last pro outing, against Dilan Prasovic in April. The 20-6 Montenegrin undid the Cuban…

MANCHESTER EBA have a new Chairman, Gavin Stirrup. He takes over from long-serving Chairman Jimmy Lewis, who has been made Honorary President. On the MEBA website, Gavin is quoted as saying: “After being nominated to be the Chairman of Manchester Ex-Boxers Association, I feel so proud, as it’s such an honour. Especially following such illustrious names as Jimmy Lewis and Jack Edwards, two of Manchester’s finest. “I accept this position with great pride and commitment and I’d like to thank you all for considering me for this role. I’m so grateful. Thank you.” Gavin began boxing as a Schoolboy. As an amateur, he represented the North West Counties team and reached the National semi-finals of the Schoolboys and Boys Clubs championships. He turned pro in 1983, aged 19, and had…

Sep 04 OSLEYS IGLESIAS vs VLADIMIR SHISHKIN Montreal Casino Sep 05 MICHAEL CONLAN vs JACK BATESON 3Arena, Dublin Channel 5 Charlie Edwards vs Salvador Juarez JAMES METCALF vs DAVID MARTINEZ Coliseo Carlos Teo Cruz, Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep Triller JORDAN WHITE vs RENE TELLEZ GIRON Entertainment and Sports Arena, Washington DC ProBox TV ILUNGA MAKABU vs DODZI KEMEH Stade Des Martyrs, Kinshasa Sep 06 CRAIG DERBYSHIRE vs LIAM DRING Leisure Centre, Alfreton (Commonwealth light-flyweight titles) PAT McCORMACK vs MIGUEL PARRA Rainton Meadows Arena, Houghton DAZN Mark Dickinson vs Troy Williamson Sandy Ryan vs Jade Grierson Leo Atang vs Cristian Uwaka Cameron Vuong vs TBA Tiah Mai Ayton vs Lydie Bialic EDUARDO NUNEZ vs CHRISTOPHER DIAZ-VELEZ Los Mochis, Sinaloa (IBF super-featherweight title) OSCAR VALDEZ vs RICKY MEDINA Domo Binacional, Nogales, Mexico Sep 07 ZACHARY PHEE…