Former super middleweight world champion Caleb Plant recovered from a knockdown to stop previously undefeated Trevor McCumby in the fight preceding the Canelo fight.
The fight ended in the ninth round at the T-Mobile Arena, where Plant won the WBA interim super middleweight title.
Plant used his speed advantage to control the first round, but McCumby rebounded well in the second round with a series of powerful left hooks that seemed to stun Plant as he retreated to his corner. McCumby used that momentum in the fourth round when he landed a left hook to the body that seemed to catch Plant’s arm but still sent him to the mat for a knockdown.
“It was a pretty tough fight, I was just getting going,” Plant said. “Today I proved I can fight on the inside and I did what I had to do to get the WBA belt.”
“He caught me as I was retreating and hit me in the arm, but that’s part of the game,” Plant said. “He came in with wild punches, and I had to focus. That’s what champions do.”
After recovering from a knockdown, Plant emerged in round five, making a key adjustment by positioning himself directly in McCumby’s chest to weaken his power. Showcasing his ability to dominate inside, Plant landed a staggering 32 body punches in a massive round five that brought the crowd to its feet with a combination of offensive skill and showmanship.
“I noticed he wanted to fight more on the inside,” McCumby said. “When I sparred, I caught a lot of guys with left hooks when I was back on the ropes. That was one of my better punches. I tried to catch him, but I couldn’t spotless him up enough. He adapted well.”
He continued his positive streak for the rest of the fight before closing the show in style, landing 37 powerful punches in the ninth round. Delayed in the round, Plant once again forced McCumby to the ropes and began landing powerful punches until referee Allen Huggins ended the fight at 2:59.
“I knew I hurt him and I had to go to work,” Plant said. “It was time for me to take the belt. Now I’m ready to go home and play with my daughter.”
Opening of the pay-per-view gala with the participation of the former super lightweight world champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) won a unanimous decision over Manuel Jaimes (16-2-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-round super lightweight bout. Romero won by a score of 99-91 on all three judges.
In his first fight since losing his world title to Isaac Cruz in March, Romero showed improved movement and defense, keeping the aggressive Jaimes from putting together an effective offense. Meanwhile, Romero was able to land pointed, powerful interior punches that caught the judges’ attention and helped secure the victory.
“I needed a tough 10-round fight with someone hungry, and that’s what I got tonight,” Romero said. “I did a lot of things tonight that I should have done in my previous fights.”
“The judges saw what they saw, I would have to watch the tape to judge for myself,” Jaimes said. “I could have been more busy, it would have helped me hit more.”
River King
Romero favored power punches all night, with 81 of his 112 landed landing power punches. His best rounds came later in the fight, when he landed 19 power punches in round eight and 16 in round nine.
“Jaimes was coming forward a lot, but I controlled the tempo,” Romero said. “The fight went the way I wanted it to. In the later rounds, I started coming forward more and landing more body shots. I hope to fight for the title next time. I have my eye on each of the champions.”
Before the introduction of pay-per-view on Prime Video on PBC, the former unified world champion topped the list Stephen Fulton Jr (22-1, 8 KO) went face to face with Carlos Castro (30-3, 14 KO) in a 10-round featherweight fight, in which Fulton defeated Castro via split decision (96-93 Fulton, 95-94 Fulton, 95-94 Castro).
In his first featherweight fight, Fulton, from Philadelphia, recovered after being knocked down by Castro’s jab in the fifth round.
“My coaches were telling me to keep my left hand up because he was trying to get his right hand over the top,” Fulton said. “I let him go through and I had to push through.”
The fight was as evenly matched on the punches as it was on the scorecards, with Castro outscoring Fulton 167 to 159, while Fulton had a 35% to 26% advantage in strikes. Fulton was able to win the final two rounds on two of the three judges’ cards, securing the victory.
“I could relax my hands a little more,” Fulton said. “I didn’t want to box too much because I felt so good, but I could box more with my legs. But I have to get back in the gym, work on my movement and get back for a world title.”
Also participating in the streaming presentation was Isaac Cruz Sr. Ricardo Salas (20-2-2, 15 KOs) knocked out Roiman Villa (26-3, 24 KOs) at 2:06 of the third round of their welterweight fight.
The broadcast began after the defeat of the super featherweight Geo Lopez (17-0, 12 KOs), trained by the acclaimed Eddy Reynoso, defeated Ricky Medina Jr. (15-3, 8 KOs) by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 80-71.
These fights were broadcast live and available for free to all fans, regardless of Prime membership or purchase of the PPV card the fight was leading up to.
Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.
Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.
The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.
Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.
The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.
“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.
“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.
“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”
Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.
“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].
Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.
“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.
Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.
“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.
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.
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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