Boxing
Shakur Stevenson returns on July 6 and O’Shaquie Foster will star
Published
7 months agoon
By
J. HumzaKing of the three divisions, Newark is ready to defend its crown on its home pitch. Shakur Stevenson will make the inaugural defense of the WBC lightweight world title against Armenian-born German Olympian Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday, July 6 at the Prudential Center in Newark, Novel Jersey.
The second film will see O’Shaquie Foster defend his WBC junior lightweight world title against Brazilian Olympic gold medalist and three-time world title challenger Robson Conceição.
Keyshawn Davis will face Mexican veteran Miguel Madueño in a televised 10-round lightweight opening bout.
The Stevenson-Harutyunyan, Foster-Conceição and Davis-Madueño games will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Sports and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Tickets promoted by Top Rank in cooperation with Universum Boxing will go on sale on Wednesday, May 22 at 2:00 PM EST on Ticketmaster.com.
“There is a special bond between Shakur and the city of Newark, and we are thrilled that he will return to once again compete in his hometown against a tough opponent in Artem Harutyunyan,” said Bob Arum, senior chairman. “O’Shaquie Foster is not afraid of the best opponents and I know that Robson Conceição is motivated to face the misfortune. And with Keyshawn Davis up against a tough opponent in Madueño, it’s quite the triple threat we have in store for the Brick City.”
“Welcoming back Top Rank, ESPN and Shakur Stevenson for the third time in two years is a great honor for the Prudential Center and the entire city of Newark,” said Dylan Wanagiel, vice president of sports facilities and special events at the Prudential Center. “We look forward to hosting an unforgettable evening filled with historic moments in the heart of Novel Jersey as Shakur faces a formidable opponent in Artem Harutyunyan for the WBC lightweight title. After back-to-back record-breaking events with Shakur as the headliner, we are thrilled to present the sweet science at our world-class facility, further cementing Newark’s reputation for marquee events around the world.
Stevenson (21-0, 10 KO) won world champion titles in three weight categories during his seven-year career. After winning a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics, he made his professional debut in 2017 and quickly rose through the ranks. He won his first world title by defeating Joet Gonzalez to capture the WBO featherweight belt in October 2019. Two years later, he defeated Jamel Herring in 10 rounds to win the WBO 130-pound title. The 26-year-old southpaw unified the world titles by handing then-WBC champion Oscar Valdez his first defeat in April 2022. Stevenson then rattled off two straight victories at the Prudential Center, defeating Conceição in September and stopping Japanese challenger Shuichiro Yoshino in six last April. Last November, Hee overtook Dominican boxer Edwin De Los Santos to become the WBC lightweight champion.
Stevenson said: “It’s good to come home to Newark where they appreciate a juvenile legend and defend the 135-pound title for the first time. July 6 Down Goes Artem!”
Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KO) won an Olympic bronze medal for Germany in 2016. He began his professional career a year later and went 12-0 in his adopted country, defeating Samuel Molina in September 2021 and Humberto Galindo in June 2022. In July last year, he made his debut in the USA in a competition with Frank Martin. The 33-year-old found success with his aggression and right hand, although Martin rallied overdue in the match to win by a narrow unanimous decision. Harutyunyan will win his first world title against his second consecutive southpaw opponent.
Harutyunyan said: “I respect Shakur Stevenson as a champion, but I’m coming to shock the fans in his hometown and win the WBC lightweight championship. This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I will take full advantage of it. This will be my second fight in the US and I have learned and improved since losing to Frank Martin.”
Foster (22-2, 12 KO) had an illustrious amateur career with over 100 fights and an alternate spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team before breaking into the paid ranks later that year. He faced two setbacks early in his career, including a split decision loss to Rolando Chinea in July 2016. He returned over a year later under renowned trainer Bobby Benton and has since gone 12-0. Last February, he won the WBC world title by defeating two-division world champion Rey Vargas, before dramatically defeating Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez by 12th-round knockout in October. The following month, Foster signed a long-term promotional contract with Top Rank. He returns from a well-deserved split decision over Abraham Nova in February.
Foster said: “I am excited to be back for my third title defense. Conceição is a great opponent who has been in the ring with many top fighters, but on July 6 we will be ready. I will continue to prove that I am one of the best players in the world.”
Conceição (18-2-1, 9 KO), Brazil’s inaugural Olympic boxing gold medalist, turned professional in November 2016. His only losses came against undefeated world champions, including a close decision to then-WBC champion Valdez in September 2021. defeat to Stevenson, Conceição’s clash with Nicolas Polanco in June 2022 ended in a no contest. Then last November he challenged three-division world champion Emanuel Navarrete, getting out of the ring twice and fighting to a majority draw. In April, he recorded a seventh-round TKO against Jose Guardado.
Conceição said: “I’m really looking forward to this fight with O’Shaquie Foster. This title is something I have been aiming for for a long time and I have no intention of passing up this opportunity. I can guarantee that I will give my best; I’ll leave everything in the ring. Blood, sweat and sacrifice – everything will be invested in this title fight. I am ready to face any challenge that comes my way. Let’s all move towards victory! Brazil!”
Davis (10-0, 7 KO), of Norfolk, Virginia, quickly changed his perspective to a contender. After winning 3-0 as a professional, he won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. In November 2021, he signed a long-term promotional pact with Top Rank and has since accumulated seven wins. In 2023, he stopped Anthony Yigit in nine rounds in April and defeated Francesco Patera by 10-round decision in July. After his October victory over Nahir Albright was ruled a no contest due to a positive marijuana test, Davis returned in February with renewed energy, defeating former two-division world champion Jose Pedraza in a six-weight bout. Madueño (31-2, 28 KO) recorded three winning fights after losing by decision to Jezreel Corrales in March 2022. The streak was interrupted by a points loss to Canadian challenger Steve Claggett last November, but he quickly bounced back with a decision to Justin Pauldo in February.
Davis said: “Madueño is a tough fighter with over 30 professional fights under his belt, and I have a lot of respect for what he brings to the table. I love fighting in Newark. The fans there are special and I’m going to feed their energy and put on a show.
The Undercard action – streaming live and exclusively on ESPN+ – features the return of 20-year-old lightweight wunderkind Abdullah Mason and undefeated heavyweight prospect Damian “Polish Hussar” Knyba.
Mason (13-0, 11 KO) will appear for the third time in 2024 in an eight-round match against Puerto Rican veteran Luis Lebron. The Cleveland native went 5-0 with four knockouts last year and defeated Benjamin Gurment in two in February. In April, he defeated Ronal Ron by TKO in the fourth round. Lebron (20-5-1, 13 KO) put Prince Ragan and Henry Lebron through tough tests and stopped Giovanni Gutierrez in February.
Knyba (13-0, 7 KO), a 6-foot-8 colossus with an 86-inch reach, returns in an eight-round fight with Richard Lartey (16-6, 13 KO). He joined the Top Rank stable in January 2023 and scored a TKO victory over Curtis Harper in April, followed by decisions over Helaman Olguin in June and Michael Coffie in December.
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Boxing
Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor is looking forward to 2025
Published
59 minutes agoon
December 18, 2024Fighting for the first time with the full support of his promoter, Salita Promotions, undefeated Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor later said he was confident and confident he could do well in boxing.
Taylor (5-0, 3 KO), 28, defeated KeShawn Jackson last Thursday night in Flint, Michigan, fighting in an exhibition put on by his promoter in which he recorded an impressive third-round stoppage to finish his 2024 campaign on a high. year note.
“It was good to fight on a bigger stage, in a compact arena, in a nice atmosphere,” Taylor said about his first fight with a promotional contract. “My manager, Keith Sullivan, supported me by agreeing to sign with Salita Promotions. He talked to several promoters, but we felt that Dimitri Salita would be the right candidate for me.
“I felt like I had succeeded; I felt essential, but that was just the beginning. It was the same on fight night, I felt respect and appreciation from the entire Salita promotional company. My goal is to be a more recognizable player and be recognized by the fans. I’m hungry to perform in the coming year.”
“Four knockdowns were counted. I really hurt him with a body shot and when he felt my power he was done. I threw a barrage of punches into the corner (ss photo below) and he tried to hit me with a windmill punch. Then I hit him with a check hook, which ended the fight. He (Jackson) didn’t want to get knocked out, so he tried to show he was still fighting.”
“Of course,” Sullivan commented, “I’m joyful with the victory. This was another developmental fight and Pryce is learning and developing as a fighter. We had a busy year with 8 fights scheduled and 5 that actually crossed the line, so it was a very good first year for him as a pro. Right after that, I talked to Dimitri to arrange the next fight. We hope to have it scheduled in the coming weeks.”
Looking ahead to 2025, Taylor wants his next fight to be a six-rounder scheduled for his next outing, then move up to eight to fight for the junior title.
“I will now train to play 10 rounds,” Taylor concluded, “so that I will be ready when it comes time to play 12 rounds.”
Boxing
AI referee ‘free from bias and human error’ during audit of Usyk vs. Fury 2 match
Published
18 hours agoon
December 17, 2024Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury on Saturday night will go down in history for several reasons, but now there are more of them than any other.
Turki Alalshikh has confirmed that the Usyk vs. Fury 2 fight will be supervised by an AI referee in a first-of-its-kind boxing event. Artificial intelligence statistics are nothing recent in sports and have been developed for years by companies such as JABBR, which claim that “technological progress eliminates elements of human error from sports.”
AI referee overseeing the Usyk vs Fury 2 fight
Riyad’s season leader, Alalshikh, has taken the first step to ensure the future of the sport where all boxers who deserve to win receive their reward. The fourth scorer will only be present this time to check the score, but if he proves successful, he may become a indefinite player in the sport.
Explaining his intentions, Alalshikh said: “For the first time in history, the fight will be monitored by an artificial intelligence referee. [The judge will be] Free from bias and human error, which The Ring offers you [his recently purchased magazine].
“This groundbreaking experiment, which will have no impact on official results, will debut during the biggest fight of the century, Usyk vs. Fury 2, on December 21. Don’t miss the history in the making,” he added.
The news came during the Grand Arrivals event, which featured a monumental clash that will see Usyk and Fury fight for a unified heavyweight crown at the Kingdom Arena. Usyk [20-0, 13 KOs] puts his WBC, WBA and WBO belts on the line against former two-time heavyweight champion Fury [33-1-1, 24 KOs]. The highly anticipated rematch will take place on Saturday, December 21, worldwide on DAZN PPV at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Usyk vs Fury card information updated
Former interim WBC 154-pound titleholder Serhii Bohachuk [24-2, 23 KOs] Now he will face British boxer Ishmael Davis [13-1, 6 KOs] in a 12-round super welterweight fight after Israil Madrimov was forced to withdraw due to illness.
Rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma [22-0, 10 KOs] and his opponent, Australian Demsey McKean (22-1, 14 KO), are ready to fight. Undefeated Johnny Fisher [12-0, 11 KOs[ squares off against former Commonwealth title challenger Dave Allen [23-6, 18 KOs].
Meanwhile, former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Peter McGrail [10-1, 6 KOs] takes over from Rhys Edwards at the last minute [16-0, 4 KOs] in a super featherweight fight. Isaac Lowe is also on the bill [25-2-3, 8 KOs[ will face Lee McGregor [14-1-1, 11 KOs] in a featherweight fight.
Daniel Lapin completes the card [10-0, 4 KOs]in which he will face another undefeated lightweight champion prospect, Dylan Colin [14-0, 4 KOs]and heavyweight knockout artist Andrii Novytskyi [14-0, 10 KOs] will face Edgar Ramirez [10-1-1, 4 KOs].
As is the tradition of the season, Riyad will feature local talent as Mohammed Alakel looks for a 2-0 win over Joshua Ocampo [8-33-5, 6 KOs].
Boxing
Billy Dib wins the final battle after a successful battle with cancer
Published
2 days agoon
December 16, 2024Former two-time world champion and cancer survivor Billy Dib won an eight-round super lightweight farewell bout against Game, the brave but outclassed Atilla Kayabasi.
The Z’s, aka all-time greats Carlos Zarate and Alfonso Zamora, brought “Billy The Kid” to the ring accompanied by the sweet tones of Frank Sinatra singing My…what else? Adolescent Bridger Walker performed Round Card duties between rounds.
Billy gave us a virtuoso performance, making Atilla’s face turn red with every strike on the book. The gulf of experience and a cascade of blows would have defeated a weaker man, Atilla survived it. Billy raised his hand moments before the bell rang to end the eighth and final round.
By winning his last fight, the WBC Champion of Hope achieved the impossible. He and Atilla embraced, and WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman entered the ring to say: “This is an extraordinary dream come true. Now we welcome Billy outside the ring.”
Dib said, “Alhamdulillah, I won and left on my own terms. There’s no better way to close this chapter. Thank you to Mauricio Sulaiman, my wife, my son Laith, my family and my amazing fans for all the love. I dedicate this victory to Israel Vázquez, every cancer warrior, and to my brother Vames.”
Billy brave. Billy the fearless one who fought against the darkest and most pressing adversities. Our tears of joy and admiration for the Hero who always smiles, even in the darkest hour, before the dawn.
The results of the glorious fight night organized at the 62nd World Boxing Council Convention at the Grand Elysee Hotel saw several hard-fought fights for the WBC championship from nuclear to heavyweight.
In the main fight of the evening, WBC super flyweight champion Asley González successfully defended her title against Mary Romero.
The more compact and harder-hitting Asley pursued a longer-armed, short-haired opponent who was constantly spinning in retreat.
There was some heated exchanges when they came together, but the lasting combinations came from Asley, who actually got caught with some tough, but single, solitary rights. Her level of work, more precise, concise beam punches and high-pressure fighting forcing Mary to constantly retreat won UD over.
Tough-hitting southpaw striker Mourad Aliev defended his WBC International Silver heavyweight title with a sixth-round KO victory over Davide Brito. Physically more imposing, Mourad made contact and often.
In the third round, David suffered a nosebleed and his mouthguard was broken, causing him to fall from one side of the ring to the other. He tried to fight back sporadically, but in round six he was trapped on the ropes and dropped by a massive right hand. Everything is over.
Serkay Comert won the WBC International silver title by defeating Yassin Hermi via UD. In the third round, it turned into an all-out war, which continued into the next round.
Serkay often struggled against the ropes and landed frequently. Yassin’s face swelled and in the sixth round a series of punches landed on him, and before the eighth round the ring doctor looked at him for a long time. He fought tough but got hit, especially down the stretch.
Ermal Hadribeaj won the MD title by defeating Eddy Colnenares to win the WBC International super welterweight belt. The lanky, much taller Eddy, who has the reach of an albatross, was shaky for the first three rounds. He then came to life and there was a lively exchange of words.
Southpaw Ermal was constantly jumping and weaving to avoid those long ramrod arms. He was more concerned with getting the win.
Benjamin Gavazi defeated Branimir Malencia in the tenth and final round to win the WBC international silver featherlight heavyweight title. Ben was catching Bran with right hands and various uppercuts. While Bran tried to crowd him and deal damage from head to toe. Two left-right headshot combinations in round ten convinced Bran to throw in the red towel at 1.41. So… TKO.
Esneidy Rodriguez defeated Sana Hazuki via UD for the WBC Silver Atomweight belt. The taller Suri tried to keep him at bay, but was relentlessly pursued by the more compact and powerful and grimly determined Esneidy, who landed several piercing combos and uppercuts. Suri had some success with long straight rights, but paid the price when Esneidy negated the range.
Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor is looking forward to 2025
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