Indholdsfortegnelse for 30 October 2025 i Boxing News

THIS FRIDAY is the last day of voting for International Boxing Hall of Fame electors, and the matter of ring greatness and IBHOF eligibility itself has cropped up in social media and broadcast conversations. Let’s look at greatness first. We all know that Oleksandr Usyk will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when his eligibility comes up (three years after retirement). Usyk’s credentials are impeccable: Olympic gold medallist, undisputed cruiser champion, undisputed at heavyweight. However, veteran pundit Max Kellerman, heading a DAZN discussion group, acknowledged Usyk as a pound-for-pound great but suggested that, as a heavyweight, “the resume – while it’s excellent at the top – is a little thin. He hasn’t beaten 10 top heavyweights, right? Something like that?” Well, I’m not so sure about Max’s reasoning. Max brings…

FORMER IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook will return to the ring in February – four years after his last fight. The 39-year-old will face the ‘Arabian Warrior’ Al Dah on February 13 in Dubai, in a bout which will serve as his personal tribute to the late Ricky Hatton. Hatton had originally been scheduled to fight Dah but tragically passed away on September 14. The February show, held at the 15,000-capacity Dubai Media City, will now be a night dedicated to honouring Hatton’s life and legacy. Tributes are planned throughout the event, with all proceeds going to the newly formed Ricky Hatton Foundation – a charity set up to support those struggling with mental health issues. Two days after Hatton’s death, Brook spoke of his “connection and understanding of Ricky”…

BETHNAL GREEN OCTOBER 25 WHOLE SHOW OUT SINCE December 2022, Harlesden’s Adrian Redman showed no sign of ring rust, and looked unlucky to get only a draw with Grimsby’s Tom Ramsden after six watchable rounds at York Hall. Redman (8-0-1, 168¼lbs) pressed forward throughout, and was more on target. Even when trapped momentarily on the ropes in the fourth, he came back strongly to take the play away. But, to his credit, Ramsden (8-20-3, 169¾lbs), hit back grimly when he could, and his efforts earned him a share of the spoils for the only person who mattered, referee Kieran McCann scoring 57-57. The one quick ending on this Neilson Boxing promotion came when Cambridge southpaw Shona Whitwell (2-0, 1 KO, 130¼lbs) halted Grimsby’s Alisha Lewis (0-3, 129¼lbs) in just 1-59…

“I'll never do that climb again. If you take one wrong staep, you won't get injured - you'll die” EVERY fighter has a routine; a process they follow after performing under the bright lights. Many will choose to go on holiday, as either a treat or a distraction, depending on the result of their last outing. Either way, they tend to be in desperate need of some R&R, the last thing on their minds being another treacherous mission. For Joshua Buatsi, though, a desire to throw himself into the deep end – this time in something completely unrelated to his craft – was an itch that had become practically impossible not to scratch. It was shortly after his defeat to Callum Smith this past February that the 32-year-old climbed up…

MAIN EVENT LUMBERING heavyweight prospect Lenier Pero will crawl out of the woodwork on Saturday to tackle Britain’s Jordan Thompson in Orlando. Sharing the spotlight with fellow Olympians Omari Jones and Pat Brown of Manchester, the Florida-based Camaguey native needs to be tracked faster by new co-promoter Matchroom Boxing. While Pero believes he’s on course to become the first Cuban professional heavyweight champion, the 32-year-old’s career has been moving at a glacial pace – an average rate of just two fights a year since he turned pro in 2019. Pero now gets the chance to make a statement against a Mancunian who has also been on the missing list lately. The last time Thompson was in the ring came way back in September 2023, when he was knocked out in…

SEND us your club’s news, results or upcoming events to submissions@boxingnewsonline.net THE RETIREMENT of Olympic legend Kellie Harrington is over. Harrington declared her decision to quit boxing after outpointing China’s Yang Wenlu in the 60kgs final in Paris last August. That followed her success in Tokyo three years earlier and looked to have put the finishing touch to an extraordinary career. As she left the ring at the Roland Garros Stadium, Harrington told Carl Frampton: “That’s me done” – but she’s had a rethink. Last week, 35-year-old Harrington announced her intention to enter next year’s Irish Elite Championships, where she will target a 12th title. To prepare for that, she will face Italian Rebecca Nicoli, who she beat in her opening contest in Tokyo on her way to her first…

THE 1940s and 1950s were a time when the United States seemed to produce an endless supply of high-quality Italian-American boxers. Rocky Graziano, Jake LaMotta, Marty Servo, Tony DeMarco and Paddy DeMarco all won world titles during this period, and there were countless others filling up the rankings. Making his way up these rankings in the late 1950s was another, Joey Giardello, born in Brooklyn but mainly based in Philadelphia and a man who will be remembered for his exploits against Gene Fullmer, Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter and Dick Tiger. Joey boxed Dick Tiger four times with two wins apiece. The latter two were for the world middleweight title, with Giardello winning the first in 1963 and losing the second in 1965. In 1964 he successfully defended his world title against…

THAILAND offers the middle-aged foreign man ample opportunity to reinvent himself. Separated from his homeland by thousands of miles, he may feel he can falsely present himself as a wildly successful figure in whatever profession he claims to inhabit. Commonly, he will take advantage of the disparity in incomes between this country and his to suddenly become desirable to women decades younger and levels more attractive. And in the case of Pattaya-based Italian Alessio Bisutti, thanks to Thailand’s cultural acceptance of a backhander and warm welcome to any form of sanctioning body, he can become a “heavyweight world champion boxer” at 48. Most of the time, the delusions of the ageing expat are self-evident and harmless. His bored business peers have heard it all before and forget it soon enough.…

EXECUTIVE director Andy Foster has attempted to justify the California State Athletic Commission’s vote in favour of the proposed Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act. The initial 1996 Professional Boxing Safety Act, which later became the 2000 Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, is a piece of US legislation designed to ensure greater protection of fighters. In short, the bill requires full financial transparency from promoters and sanctioning bodies, meaning that fighters are given the freedom to see how their purses measure up against the money that is generated from an event. Not only that, but it also prevents promoters from acting as managers (even though Al Haymon has effectively been doing that for years), which, in turn, makes it harder for a person or organisation to rule over the sport…

Reporters’ star ratings for main events and undercards are based on in-ring entertainment, competitiveness and whether overall expectation was met GREENWICH OCTOBER 25 MAIN EVENT ATMOSPHERE DESPITE its brutality, boxing is a sport designed for highly skilled competitors; those who, above all else, have a nous for finding a way to win. To the untrained eye, it may seem little more than an uncouth skirmish between two warring foes, both of them seeing red as they charge at one another with fierce aggression in their eyes. From that angle, the sport offers a perfect picture of violence and mayhem, often defined by the amount of punishment a fighter can absorb and dish out. At the same time, though, there is clearly a far deeper thought process behind each attack, and…

MAIN EVENT MARY SPENCER hopes to break out of the shadows when she defends her WBA super-welterweight title against two-division world champion Mikaela Mayer tonight. It is most definitely a fight that is going under the radar, but for both Spencer (10-2, 6 KOs) and Mayer (21-2, 5 KOs), it is of the utmost importance. Spencer hopes a win will push her towards a showdown with Claressa Shields, who holds wins over the Canadian in the amateur ranks. Victory for Mayer, meanwhile, will see her begin a third world title reign (the WBC and WBO title recently won and then relinquished by the retiring Cecilia Braekhus will also be up for grabs) and move her a step closer to potential blockbusters with Lauren Price and Chantelle Cameron. Mayer, not surprisingly,…

GENNADY GOLOVKIN will go toe-to-toe with Mariolis Charilaos for the presidency of World Boxing. The position became vacant following Boris van der Voorst’s decision to stand down following the culmination of the World Championship in Liverpool in September. Van der Voorst worked tirelessly to keep boxing in the Los Angeles Olympics after the sport was initially left off the programme. Members will vote on whether Golovkin or Charilaos will succeed him when the World Boxing Congress is held in Rome on November 23. There will also be elections to decide the vice-presidency and two board of directors positions at World Boxing. The list of candidates was revealed 30 days before the congress. Golovkin was in Liverpool in his role as President of Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee and also Chair of…

AS WAS noted in the recently published BN World Rankings, the big change in the British heavyweight division, due to inactivity, is the exit of Anthony Joshua, it now being more than 13 months since his mauling at the hands of Daniel Dubois. AJ’s absence, however, is likely only a temporary one as he is reportedly back in training camp and eyeing a return, if not in a rust-shedding exercise late this year then more likely a new year return in February. Either way, Joshua’s removal from the rankings makes room for ‘Big Fraze’, Frazer Clarke, to enter at No.10 – in time for his vacant British title clash against Tottenham’s Jeamie Tshikeva, scheduled for less than a month away, in Derby, in what will headline the BBC’s return to…

IT’S NICE to be able to open with some really good news. Every EBA has received a letter from BBBofC General Secretary Robert Smith, saying in part: “Following discussion with the Stewards of the Board, I am pleased to advise you that it has been agreed to donate the sum of £500.00 to each Ex-Boxers Association in recognition of the great work you all do in supporting ex-boxers and others throughout the country.” That’s a wonderful gesture, and very much appreciated. The phrase “and others” is significant – EBAs not only look after their members, but are always ready and willing to support a good cause. The generosity of EBAs, and boxing people generally, is well-known. Brighton EBA stalwart (and regular correspondent) Rob Benson contacted me to say BEBA’s October…

BIG BOBBY WELLS started the British Olympic heavyweight run of medals and then cleaned up at the London Olympics. In 1984, at the Los Angeles Olympics, Wells lost in the semi-finals to Francesco Damiani – he had won his quarter in the first round. He returned with a bronze, a tradition at six of the seven Olympics between the Chris Finnegan gold in 1968 and Audley Harrison’s gold in Sydney in 2000. At London 2012, Big Bob would get in the ring between the sessions and expertly vacuum the canvas. He was the boss volunteer, reunited one afternoon with Lennox Lewis. They had been at the same Olympics in 1984; Lewis lost to Tyrell Biggs before the medals. They did meet in the ring in late 1984, at the Bletchley…

GREENWICH OCTOBER 25 UNDERCARD AS UNDERCARDS go, Saturday’s O2 offering was not quite scraping the bottom of the barrel but, still, never in a million years could it be worthy of its PPV tag. In any case, let us start with Ezra Taylor who, despite originally being set to face the injured British and Commonwealth champion Lewis Edmondson, produced an assertive performance to halt Steed Woodall in the ninth session. The first two rounds saw late replacement Woodall (20-4-1, 12 KOs, 175lbs, Birmingham) march forward with plenty of ambition – and work particularly well off the jab – before Taylor (13-0, 9 KOs, 173lbs) began to take control, establishing himself as the far more physically imposing operator. Bringing his muscular frame into range, it just seemed that an extra degree…

WOLVERHAMPTION OCTOBER 25 MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD ATMOSPHERE AFTER staging a particularly successful promotion here at Aldersley Leisure Village as recently as June, BCB Promotions returned with this Friday evening offering, top of the bill being a Midlands Area featherweight title rematch between Dudley’s Ryan Griffiths and Walsall’s Lewis Morris. Champion Griffith (7-1-3, 125lbs 10oz), who had emerged a 96-94 winner at The Hangar when the two first exchanged pleasantries in a cracker 19 months previously, had since held on to his title by virtue of a 95-95 draw against Clay Cross puncher Jack Dillingham, and at the conclusion of a bout which proved something of a slow boiler early but which finished at a furious pace and which merited the applause and cheers it received, that was the case once…

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 T’S DOMESTIC light-heavies on parade I in Manchester this Saturday, with the Queensberry chief support offering a European title bout between champion Bradley Rea and Lyndon Arthur. In the main event, Joshua Buatsi meets Zach Parker, while Liam Cameron faces Troy Jones, with both bouts listed as 10-rounders. First things first, though, and Rea vs Arthur is one of those all-British, virtually even-money fights that aficionados appreciate. It’s also what you might call a Manchester derby; with Rea from Stretford in Greater Manchester and Arthur from the city itself. ‘Sting’ Rea (21-1, 10 KOs) is making the first defence of the European title that…

BOXING is a sport built on sacrifices. You lose your time, your friends and, in the worst cases, your health. All for a dream. Lenier Pero, sacrificed everything for what he believes is his destiny: unified heavyweight champion of the world. Pero found himself in a different country, alone, with nothing more than a pair of gloves and a desire to fight. The 32-year-old made his professional debut on May 25, 2019, flooring Maksym Pedyura twice before claiming a first-round, technical knockout win – the first victory of 12 in as many bouts. It was the infamous Cuban amateur system that shaped the man we see today – all 6ft 3½in of him. “I came up through Cuba’s legendary amateur system, which has produced some of the greatest fighters in…

THE WELSH finals of the National Association of Boys and Girls Club Championship are on this Sunday. Bulldogs gym in Port Talbot is the venue, where Terry Mullane aims to win a fourth Welsh title – and book a home date in the Great Britain quarter-finals. They take place seven days later at Caldicot Leisure Centre, a short walk from the Working Men’s Club where Chepstow ABC hold their home shows. Mullane reached the 66kgs final with a clear points win over Deon Jones (Cardigan) in the semi-final to continue an impressive spell. To reach the final of the Barum Box Cup, he outpointed 2024 Junior Champion Freddie Norman (Sturminister Newton) to set up a final against William Loveridge, the 2023 European Schools champion from Sporting Ring ABC. “The first…

Note: Up to and including October 26, 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. Dereck Chisora | Finchley 5. Martin Bakole | Airdrie 6. Richard Riakporhe | Walworth 7. Moses Itauma | Chatham 8. Joe Joyce | Putney 9. Hughie Fury | Manchester 10. Frazer Clarke | Burton CRUISERWEIGHT 200lbs/14st 4lbs 1. Chris Billam-Smith | B’mouth 2. Viddal Riley | Tottenham BRITISH CHAMPION 3. Aloys Youmbi | Penge COMMONWEALTH CHAMPION 4. Cheavon Clarke | Gravesend 5. John Hedges | Takeley ENGLISH CHAMPION 6. Aurel Ignat | Wembley 7. Ellis Zorro | Bromley 8. David Jamieson | East Kilbride 9. Pat Brown | Manchester…

Oct 30 MARY SPENCER vs MIKAELA MAYER Casino de Montreal (WBA super-welterweight title) Arthur Biyarslanov vs Sergey Lipinets Wilkens Mathieu vs Shakeel Phinn ILUNGA MAKABU vs TBA Stade Des Martyrs, Kinshasa Yves Ngabu vs TBA Estelle Mossely vs Ellen Simwaka Oct 31 ANDREW TABITI vs TBA Multi Purpose Center, Tunica Nov 01 JOSHUA BUATSI vs ZACH PARKER Co-Op Live, Manchester DAZN Bradley Rea vs Lyndon Arthur (European light-heavyweight title) Liam Cameron vs Troy Jones Khalil Majid vs David Ryan Billy Deniz vs Eworitse Ezra Arenyeka LENIER PERO vs JORDAN THOMPSON Caribe Royale, Orlando DAZN Yoelvis Gomez vs Antraveous Ingram Omari Jones vs Yusuph Metu Pat Brown vs Felix Valera RASHIDI ELLIS vs JAVIER FORTUNA Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville KENICHI OGAWA vs TBA Korakuen Hall, Tokyo Nov 07 OTTO WALLIN vs CHRIS…