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Anthony Garnica defeats Adan Ochoa in the first round on Saturday in Long Beach, California

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Rising star Anthony Garnica. Photo credit: Peter Politanoff

by Francisco Salazar |

Anthony Garnica made a statement in a fight he must win to revive his pro career.

The undefeated featherweight is coming off a first-round knockout victory over former contender Adan Ochoa. Garnica floored Ochoa, eventually earning a stoppage at 2:59 of the first round Saturday night at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California.

From the opening bell, Garnica threw left hooks and countered them. Ochoa spent most of the fight trying to force Garnica down. Garnica feinted as both fighters tried to utilize their jabs to establish range.

Behind schedule in the round, Ochoa moved in on Garnica, who responded with a right cross and a left hook. This sequence produced the only knockdown of the fight as Ochoa landed challenging. He beat the count but favored his left leg, forcing himself to grab the top rope to maintain balance. Referee Raul Caiz Jr. noticed that Ochoa could not put weight on his leg and stopped the fight.

After the fight, it was revealed that Ochoa most likely broke his left ankle.

The Garnica-Ochoa clash was a heavyweight clash between featherweights who needed a win to have a chance at competing in the weight class.

Garnica (12-0-1, 7 knockouts), who lives in Oakland, hopes a win over Ochoa will give him a boost in his career. The 24-year-old hasn’t fought since a first-round knockout of Oscar Negrete on April 14.

His previous fight took place in September 2022. Garnica defeated Juan Antonio Lopez via majority decision in the main event of the fight between Andy Ruiz and Luis Ortiz at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Ochoa, who lives in nearby Compton, lost 13-5 (6 KOs) to 1 No Contest. He has now lost three of his last four fights.

In the co-main event, featherweight Malakai Johnson of Sacramento defeated Aidyn Yelzhanov by decision in eight one-sided rounds. All three judges scored the fight 80-72 in favor of Johnson (13-0-1, 8 KOs), who improved to 13-0-1, 8 KOs.

Midway through the first round, a left hook to the head briefly wobbled Yelzhanov (6-3-1, 4 KOs). Johnson continued but was unable to get him down. Johnson was in form for most of the fight, outboxing Yelzhanov in the middle during exchanges or from range.

As the fight progressed, feeling he was losing on points, Yelzhanov became the aggressor and initiated exchanges. Johnson effectively countered Yelzhanov with jabs and straight rights to the head.

Yelzhanov, 31, originally from Kazakhstan and currently living in San Francisco, California, lost with a balance of 6-3-1, 4 KO.

Before Saturday, Johnson had stopped four of his five opponents.

In a surprising lightweight, Victor Lopez Gala of Ciudad Obregon, Mexico defeated marginal candidate Victor Betancourt by unanimous decision. The scores were 80-72, 79-73, and 77-75 for Lopez, who improved to 6-1, 3 KOs.

The taller Lopez was busier, out-punching Betancourt for most of the fight. As the fight progressed, the 19-year-old Lopez used lateral movement and ranged fighting to outbox Betancourt. Lopez’s reach advantage also helped him connect with his jabs and kept Betancourt from continuing to attack consistently.

Betancourt, who hails from Mexicali, Mexico, and now lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, drops to 30-6-1 with 17 KOs. The 33-year-old was undefeated in his previous four fights and had fought on several Premier Boxing Champion (PBC) and All Star Boxing cards.

Fringe welterweight contender Vlad Panin overcame a knockdown to earn a third-round knockout victory over Victoriano Santillan. The Belarusian-born, Los Angeles-based Panin improved to 20-1, 12 KOs.

About a minute into the first round, a left hook to the chin sent Panin to the mat. The taller Panin beat the count and moments later in the round floored Santillan with a right-left combination to the head.

Both had their moments in the second round, but Panin landed the more telling and effective punches. Another left hook early in the third wobbled Santillan. Panin continued, landing a series of combinations as Santillan tried to defend himself. A combination to the head prompted referee Thomas Taylor to intervene as Santillan slumped to the mat.

Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Santillan dropped to 12-7-2 with 8 KOs.

Heavyweight contender Federico Pacheco Jr. knocked down Michael Coronado (4-8-1, 1 KO) of San Marcos, Texas twice en route to a knockout victory at 1:22 of round five. Pacheco knocked Coronado down once in round three and again in round five, both with body blows, prompting referee Ivan Guillermo to stop the fight after the final knockdown.

Pacheco is the younger brother of undefeated super middleweight title challenger Diego Pacheco.

Middleweight contender Martin Sollano defeated Jonathan Ramirez (4-1-1, 2 KOs) of Cheverly, Maryland, via split decision. Ramirez, who was fighting for the first time in over six years, won 39-37 on one judge’s scorecard, but the other two judges scored the fight 39-37 for Sollano, who improved to 5-0, 2 KOs.

Sollano grew up in Cuautla, Mexico, and is now a teacher in Amarillo, Texas.

In the first fight of the Showtime Boxing Promotions card, super middleweight Jaivion Cardinal of Long Beach defeated Trevon Smith (2-2, 1 KO) of Houston via majority decision. One judge scored the fight 38-38, while the other two judges scored it 40-36 and 39-37 for Cardinal, who improved to 6-0, 4 KO.

Saturday was Cardinal’s first fight in more than two and a half years.

Follow @FSalazarBoxing

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Boxing

Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul

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Mike Tyson comeback black

One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.

WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.

Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.

“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.

“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.

“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.

He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”

Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.

Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.

Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.

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Lauren Price looks to win Jonas vs Habazin with an undercard victory

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Lauren Price

Lauren Price MBE will defend her world title for the first time on Saturday, December 14 at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool, while the Welsh champion plans to stage an all-British unification clash with welterweight rival Natasha Jonas, which will headline the Collision Course that night.

Price defends her WBA welterweight title against undefeated Colombian challenger Bexcy Mateus on the same night as Jonas attempts to unify the IBF and WBC titles with Ivana Habazin as part of BOXXER’s ‘Collision Course’ fight night, which can be seen live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK UK and Ireland and Peacock in the US.

Price MBE (7-0, 1 KO) made history with an excellent performance, defeating former undisputed welterweight world ruler Jessica McCaskill in front of her fans in Cardiff in May.

Price, the first Welsh boxer to win Olympic gold, once again entered the record books by becoming the country’s first world champion in just her seventh professional fight. The 30-year-old from Ystrad Mynach, who has yet to lose a round as a professional, will now defend her world titles for the first time as she focuses on dominating the welterweight division.

Mateus (7-0, 6 KO), ranked No. 5 in the WBA rankings, is undefeated in the professional ranks and has won all but one of her seven fights by knockout. The 29-year-old from Bogota, fighting outside her native Colombia for the first time, will now have her first chance at global fame, with her goal to dethrone Price and take the top spot in the welterweight division.

Lauren Price said: “I’m excited to defend my belts and complete what has been an crucial year for me. I have full respect for Mateusz. I will prove that I am the best in the division and I will not let anything or anyone stand in my way of being undisputed.”

BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “It’s a massive night for the women’s welterweight division with three world champions competing. Natasha Jonas returns to her hometown for a mandatory unification fight against Ivana Habazin, and Lauren Price defends her world titles against undefeated challenger Bexcy Mateus. The fight for the undisputed continues. If Natasha and Lauren win on December 14, it will set the stage for a massive “Battle Of Britain” world title unification fight next year.

There’s reason to celebrate as BOXXER delivers a Christmas cracker to end the year. In addition to the world championship fights between Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price, fight fans can expect a gala full of drama and entertainment.

Undefeated Irishman Stephen McKenna (15-0, 14 KO) will face English champion Lee Cutler (14-1, 7 KO) in an invigorating super welterweight fight for the silver WBC International title.

McKenna impressed fans in his three-round fight against Joe Laws last August at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley. The two struck out in the first round, then McKenna began to apply the pressure, losing Laws three more times and maintaining his undefeated record after a third-round stoppage.

English cruiserweight champion Viddal Riley (11-0, 6 KO) returns to action from a rib injury that has kept him out of the ring since a career-best victory over Mikael Lawal in March. Riley will be looking to shake off the ring rust as he takes on high-profile opponents in the recent year.

Undefeated Chorley super middleweight Mark Jeffers (18-0, 5 KO) scored an explosive fifth-round knockout victory over Darren Johnston in May and will be looking to bring more drama to Liverpool’s Exhibition Center as he goes in search of his 19th professional win.

Mason Cartwright (20-4-1, 8 KO) from Cheshire, a former two-time British title challenger from Ellesmere Port, will be counting on local support as he returns to the title track.

After signing a promotional contract with BOXXER, local star Frankie Stringer (8-0, 1 KO) can achieve his third victory in 2024, when he returns in front of his fans in Liverpool. The 23-year-old lightweight fighter is a player of the notable city team Rotunda ABC, and his manager is former world champion Liam Smith.

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Heavyweight who knocked out Lewis to break Tyson’s record days after the feat

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Heavyweight Oliver McCall returns 2024

Mike Tyson will miss his final record-breaking days after becoming the oldest former heavyweight champion to walk through the ring.

“The Baddest Man on the Planet” reached an all-time high in Texas on Friday night, returning from a two-decade absence. However, Tyson gave the achievement five days later to former Lennox Lewis conqueror Oliver McCall.

On Tuesday night at The Troubadour in Nashville, Tennessee, the former WBC heavyweight champion returns to action and will face veteran Stacy Frazier in a fight scheduled for four rounds. At age 59, McCall will set the record for a sanctioned fight, beating Tyson by fourteen months.

McCall was born in April 1965, and Tyson’s mother gave birth to him in June 1966. “The Atomic Bull” hopes to score his 60th career victory tonight. He enters the fight with a record of 59-14, including 38 knockouts.

The Chicago native believes his continued activity over the last 19 years will be what separates his performance on Tuesday night from what Tyson looked like on Friday.

“I’m ready. I’ve been training here in Nashville for a few weeks now, but I’m always in shape,” McCall said. “It will be a completely different match than what the fans saw on Friday.

“I think being lively has a lot to do with it. I haven’t fought in five years because of the pandemic and a few things that didn’t work out.

“If you look at my record, since 2005 I have fought 25 times, of which I have won 19-6 times against quality fighters and won various regional titles.

McCall fights without financial motivation. He sees his fighting days approaching and is already planning his post-retirement plans.

“I want to do this for another year. This means I will be 40 years into my career as a professional boxer. Then I want to train and become a manager. I want to return the favor and assist the next generation of players try to become world champions.

“I came here to Nashville and contacted the manager who took me to the title [Country Box] promoter Jimmy Adams. I’m learning a lot about this aspect of the sport. I love the players here and everything that happens with Country Box.”

The Country Box 25 gala will also feature eight-round fights between super bantamweight Elon DeJesus (8-1-2, 7 KO) and Dominique Griffin (5-7-2, 2 KO), as well as super middleweight fighters. Sean Hemphill (16-2, 10 KO) fights Bryant McClain (6-5-2, 1 KO).

Airy heavyweight Isaac Carbonell (8-0, 5 KO) will face Antonio Louis Hernandez (7-19-4, 4 KO) in six-round fights; Joel Mutombo (6-0, 4 KO) vs. Kevin Torian (3-2, 3 KO) in a cruiserweight fight.

In a four-round fight, Ryan Zempoaltecatl (2-0, 1 KO) will face Raymond Chacon (10-64-1, 2 KO).

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