Indholdsfortegnelse for 23 October 2025 i Boxing News

THERE was something of a feelgood vibe about Guido Vianello’s win over Alexis Barriere the other week. Not that I have anything against Barriere, but Vianellohas always seemed to me to be a bit of a hard-luck fighter. His first defeat came when he was cut over the eye against Jonathan Rice. It was a fight Vianello was winning comfortably. Most cuts come from a clash of heads. Vianello’s cut was caused by a right hand. I wouldn’t call it a freak punch, but if a head clash had caused the cut, it would have been a technical decision win for Vianello. Then Vianello had Efe Ajagba out on his feet from a right hand in the second round – the big Nigerian was so far gone that he walked…

RICKY HATTON took his own life, an inquest has concluded. The former two-weight world champion, one of Britain’s most beloved sporting figures, was found dead at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, on September 14. His cause of death had not been revealed prior to the inquest’s findings, though police had stated there were no suspicious circumstances involved. The inquest’s findings offer heartbreaking confirmation of what was already widely suspected, given Hatton’s well-documented struggles with mental health. Even so, news of his death at 46 came as a shock, given Hatton was preparing to fight again in December and had, according to his manager Paul Speak – who found the unresponsive Hatton when arriving to pick him up for a lift to Manchester Airport – booked holidays to Thailand and…

★★★★★ 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 WHERE The O2, Greenwich, London WHEN Saturday, October 25 WATCH DAZN PPV from 6.30pm EVERYTHING about boxing involves risk – the physical risk of the fight itself, the risk of a defeat and its repercussions inherent in every match, and the financial risks involved at the business end of the sport. That much is understood. It is also understood that those risks are taken because of the potential rewards. Every decision made in boxing – whether inside the ring or out – is done so with that risk/reward ratio in mind. Logically, you should…

LIVERPOOL OCTOBER 18 WHOLE SHOW IN ARGUABLY his best performance to date, and certainly a higher energy-one, Liverpool’s Nathan Quarless (14-2-0, 198lbs 15oz) edged an always-engaging contest against Peckham’s Ross McGuigan (7-4-0, 1 KO, 199lbs 6oz) 77-75. Both had moments inside BoxPark, but the busier the local was, the better he looked. Andy Kremner refereed and Darren Sarginson scored. Fast hands and movement from popular local Lewis Mullinex (7-0, 1 KO, 145lbs 15oz) was more than enough to win every round against Southampton’s Matthew King (8-11-2, 1 KO, 148lbs 9oz). Mark Lyson scored it 60-54. In a hard-fought and entertaining contest that looked closer than the final score suggested, Liverpool southpaw David Thompson (8-0, 2 KOs, 158lbs 3oz) returned after more than two years out with a deserved win over…

NEW YORK OCTOBER 18 WHOLE SHOW DANNY GARCIA returned to the ring after 13 months away by posting a fourth-round knockout win over Daniel Gonzalez, much to the delight of his Barclays Center faithful. Last seen losing inside the distance to Erislandy Lara in an ill-fated move up to middleweight, Garcia was back down at a familiar weight (153½lbs here), in front of a familiar crowd, finishing matters in familiar fashion. Danny trudged forward for the first three sessions, closing down space, using his solid jab to get a measure on ‘El Gallo’ Gonzalez, a carefully chosen New York opponent. Gonzalez was correctly wary of Garcia’s power, using plenty of lateral movement in the first, circling away from the hurtful hands. ‘Swift’ landed a couple of solid shots to the…

THE 1930S are best remembered today for the Great Depression. There was mass unemployment throughout the country, and times were exceptionally hard. The decade became known as the ‘Hungry Thirties’ and, with so few options available to young men, many of them turned to boxing and the decade spawned tens of thousands of fighters. It was by far the busiest decade in the history of UK professional boxing. I have traced 484,305 contests within the UK in the 20th century, and 170,856 of these took place during this single decade. That is more than a third. Since 2000, it has been quite normal for there to be between 250 and 300 boxing tournaments each year within the UK. Between 1931 and 1933 there were more than 5,000 each year. On…

NOT SURPRISINGLY, the current Manchester EBA newsletter goes big on the late Ricky Hatton, with a two-page tribute by newsletter editor Ian Harrison. Ian goes into Ricky’s career – amateur and pro – in detail, and finishes by saying: “Those who followed Ricky throughout his career can still hear the chant that echoed around the MEN Arena and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. “There is and there always will be – There’s only one Ricky Hatton.” On a happier note, the newsletter reports that Manchester former pro welterweight Mickey Flynn has been tracked down – he’s alive and well and living in Failsworth. Mickey was delighted to be found, and promises to attend future MEBA meetings. An awkward southpaw, Mickey boxed professionally from 1967 to 1977, with 23 wins…

GREETINGS from Thailand, where things are a little more relaxed. I don’t mean for me personally. I’m still working as usual, just taking advantage of this modern connected world by doing so from sunnier climes for a few weeks. No, what I mean is that Thailand takes a rather less robust approach to rules and regulations than a lot of countries do. That’s why it’s not unusual to see things like a 13-year-old riding a motorbike on the wrong side of the road, with no helmet on. Or a police officer sitting in a pub, in full uniform, drinking a beer. Or a lady of the night openly soliciting in front of a McDonalds. Or a lady of the day, for that matter. It’s an approach to life summed up…

UNDERCARD AN INJURY to British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion Lewis Edmondson curtailed his tantalising defence against Ezra Taylor on the Monday of fight week; a blow to the undercard of Fabio Wardley vs Joseph Parker that was already relatively weak by pay-per-view standards. At the time of writing, it appears former British super-middleweight title challenger Steed Woodall has been drafted in as a last-minute opponent for Taylor, (12-0, 8 KOs). While a solid piece of improvisation, especially at such short notice, it is hardly the mouthwatering chief support Queensberry were hoping to deliver. Taylor certainly has his detractors, and is perhaps far from the elite contender many might think he could yet become, but even so, there is no denying his naturally imposing frame puts Woodall (20-3-1, 12 KOs) at…

★★★★★ 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 BETHNAL GREEN OCTOBER 17 MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD ATMOSPHERE GEORGE LIDDARD needed a career-best performance to dethrone Kieron Conway, and he delivered exactly that, all while showing just the right amount of maturity and class to overpower his seasoned foe. Prior to their encounter, reigning champion Conway (23-4-1, 7 KOs, 159½lbd) made no secret of his suspicion that, against the unproven 23-year-old, he would have too many tricks up his sleeve. But it was Liddard (13-0, 8 KOs, 159¼lbs) who, perhaps unexpectedly, got off to a much faster start, keeping his jab firing while maintaining a tidy defensive shape, with Conway…

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND OCTOBER 18 MAIN EVENT LOURDES JUAREZ retained her WBC light-flyweight title after a fierce phonebooth battle with former champion Yesica Nery Plata. Heading in to this MVP card at the Convention Center, the narrative centred on Nery Plata, who was returning from a two-year layoff in an attempt to reclaim the belt she never lost in the ring. Juarez (39-4, 5 KOs) edged a majority decision, though a draw – or even a Nery Plata victory – would not have been out of place. Little separated them over 10 rounds fought almost entirely at close range, with both landing eyecatching shots in sustained exchanges. Switch-hitter Juarez looked the more confident and composed, at one point attempting a mini-Ali shuffle in round seven – though it ended with…

RIYADH OCTOBER 19 WHOLE SHOW THERE was late drama when heavyweight surprise packages Ahmed Krnjic and Keaton Gomes met in the best fight of the WBC Grand Prix semi-finals. Krnjic went through on a 3-1-1 split to improve to 7-0, 4 KOs – and may have snatched victory with the very last punch of the gruelling six rounder. The fight between the Bosnian kickboxer and South African bridgerweight was in the balance after four rounds, with three of the five judges having them level. Gomes had reached the semis with three straight knockouts, but the punches thrown by the 221½lbs South African didn’t have the same effect on the 275lbs Krnjic – until the dying seconds of the fifth. The Bosnian southpaw dominated the round until he walked into the…

THE MIDLANDS featherweight belt changed hands on Bulkington ABC’s show at The Weston Hall Hotel. Liam Harper defended the title in front of his home crowd, but Tom Jones (Lions) took it off with him a split points win. Jones was rewarded for a strong finish. Harper is a hot-and-cold talent who was good enough to be named Best Boxer at the Hull Box Cup in July. The 22-year-old looked to be on course for another good night – but it only lasted for two minutes. Harper started off smoothly, boxing around Jones, landing jabs and walking him onto lefts. Jones connected with a right after Harper held his feet in the last minute of the round, and that encouraged him to quicken his feet and let his hands go.…

Oct 23 JOSHUA JAMES PAGAN vs MALIEK MONTGOMERY Coliseito Pedrin Zorilla, San Juan, Puerto Rico DAZN Oct 25 JOSEPH PARKER vs FABIO WARDLEY The O2, London DAZN Danny Quartermaine vs Royston Barney-Smith Ezra Taylor vs Steed Woodall Juergen Uldedaj vs Rolly Lambert Mitchell Smith vs Arnold Dawson RYAN ROZICKI vs AKANI PHUZI Centre 00, Sydney, Canada HASANBOY DUSMATOV vs RENE CALIXTO BIBIANO Bishkek Arena Johnriel Casimero vs Kyonosuke Kameda Oct 26 PEDRO TADURAN vs CHRISTIAN BALUNAN San Andres Sports Complex, Manila (IBF strawweight title) Rex Tso vs Sagar Chouhan LUIS NERY vs SATHAPORN SA-ART Bishkek Arena Kenneth Llover vs Luciano Francisco Baldor Oct 29 MELVIN JERUSALEM vs SIYAKHOLWA KUSE Araneta Coliseum, Manila (WBC strawweight title) Mark Magsayo vs Michael Magnesi Marlon Tapales vs Nadir Baloch Carl Martin vs Aran Dipaen Nico Ali Walsh vs…

AT HULYA’S CAFE they were getting ready for the fights and serving a steady stream of Board officials, boxers, trainers, cameramen and regulars. It was Friday night at Bethnal Green, a fight Friday. Two fried eggs and chips, two slices, before you ask. It felt like it was going to be one of the special York Hall nights, a night when a local fighter is a challenger for a real title and up against it. The bar was soon ten-deep and the pub across the road had not even started to empty. It was just gone seven and it was an event. After about three rounds of the British title fight, Barry Hearn showed up. Yeah, Barry is not a regular at York Hall any longer but, slipping into a…

OLDHAM OCTOBER 18 WHOLE SHOW JOSH HOLMES put 11 months of inactivity behind him by banking a solid six-round victory over Peru’s Cesar Ignacio Paredes at the Oldham Leisure Centre. Late last year, the unbeaten Earby man (17-0, 6 KOs, 134lbs 6oz) grabbed the English super-featherweight crown with a blistering stoppage of Lewis Wood. And it looked like he might be heading towards another inside-the-distance job on this Frank Duffin/Kevin Maree card as he set a fast pace in the opening session and found the target several times. Paredes (18-27-1, 5 KOs, 133½lbs) gritted his teeth and weathered the storm and, by the third, Holmes’ attacks had become more tempered as he went about his work in a steady fashion. Thoroughly on top, though, Holmes cruised to a shutout 60-54…

HAMBURG OCTOBER 18 WHOLE SHOW SARAH BORMANN can count herself extremely fortunate to now be the unified WBO and WBA minimumweight champion following an ugly affair inside the Wandsbeker Sporthalle. The styles did not gel at all in this southpaw-versus-orthodox clash. After 10 rounds, fleet-footed Yuko Kuroki appeared to be a clear winner. One judge agreed, scoring it 97-93 in favour of the Japanese woman, but this interpretation was overruled by a 96-95 and an unappetising 97-93 in Bormann’s favour. The latter total is hard to fathom. The fight started off clean until Kuroki appeared to gesture towards her right shoulder at the close of the second round, indicating a potential problem. That didn’t stop her from launching more leather in the following rounds, although the third descended into a…

E VEN THOSE who don’t follow Thailand’s boxing scene especially closely will surely recognise the name of one of the most spectacularly monikered fighters of all: Knockout CP Freshmart. In no other country would a serious, world-level athlete go by a name that is one part comic book, one part convenience store. But in no other country are athletes compelled to adopt as their surnames the titles of their sponsors, or promoters, or gyms. That’s why the likes of Sirimongkol and Chaloemporn Singwancha share a name despite not being related, while the etymology of the likes of Tepparith Kokietgym and Veerapol Nakornluangpromotion is self-evident. And even if you didn’t know how these things worked, you’d probably make a good guess as to how certain boxers ended up with second names…

DANNY McFARLANE is the only amateur referee in history to be the third man in an Olympic, Commonwealth, World Championship and Pan-American Games final. His Olympic final came in 2016 when, at the Rio Games, he took control of the bantamweight contest that saw Robeisy Ramirez defeat Shakur Stevenson. Today, Danny is making his presence felt in the professional ring, having recently taken out a professional licence as referee. He also is the brains behind the BODiBOX pads, a revolutionary concept that has recently been advertised within BN, and the name that he has chosen for his company, Richwood1881, pays homage to two fighting members of his family. His great-grandfather, Tom Richwood, was an exponent of the gloved game during the early years of boxing in Sunderland, and his great-uncle…