Arnold Barboz Jr. He defeated Jacek Cattell with a tense divided decision in Manchester in England, on Saturday at the WBO Country Libra title.
Barboza (32-0, 11 KO) snatched the victory after two judges fired 115-113 in his favor, and the third shot him 115-113 for Cattell (30-2, 13 KO).
The result means that Barboza is a mandatory contender to the WBO Teofimo Lopez champion.
“To be straightforward, I didn’t have it so close. I thought I [won] More rounds, but this is his yard, aged, “Barboza later said in the ring.
“Since I was petite, I didn’t care, I just wanted respect since I was a child. I got respect today; My father got his respect. “
Early rounds developed when Cattell often prefers, thinking about the opponent and inviting him to promotion.
In round 4, after Barboza was successful with his right hand in the third, Cattell began to build combinations, but the American still looked like a speech and imposition.
Like against Regis Prograis in October, Cattell developed more as the fight was fought, but his attack was often strangled by Barboza, which was successful, taking advantage of his growth and achievement of advantage.
It was a busy thing all the time, and Barboza was clearly frustrated when Catterall found a blow after the judge ordered them to stop the box after a low shot. It was a show of how tight margins were, and both fighters knew that every moment in the competition counts.
Both fighters landed in arrows, but they did not hurt each other. Barboza is still coming, but Cattell, an impressive contractor, more often than he did not answer.
The crowd of Manchester thought that Cattell had knocking down in the final stages of round 10, but Barboza was estimated that he had stumbled.
Knowing how tight the competition was, both men came out with a intention in the final round and tried to force the action, but it did not seem that they did not outdo the second.
Barboza jumped on the ropes when the last bell came, while Cattell raised his hands, but the American left the victory.
Despite the disappointment, Cattell had no scruples with the result.
“A tough fight, strict fight, there are no arguments. Congratulations, Barboza. I thought that I did enough there, but it wasn’t good enough, “said Catterall.
Deontay Wilder is unlikely to secure his preferred fight after taking a split decision to fellow veteran Derek Chisora earlier this month.
The two faced off in a messy battle at London’s O2 Arena, with Wilder scoring two knockdowns en route to his 12-round victory.
The 40-year-old had previously recorded just one victory, a seventh-round finish over little-known heavyweight Tyrrell Herndon, following consecutive defeats to Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker.
These two flaws emerged in 2024 and 2023, respectively, and reinforced the growing belief that the “Bronze Bomber” was on the brink of retirement.
However, Wilder has since insisted he wants to stay in the sport, particularly to secure a long-discussed clash with Anthony Joshua, who recently told the Briton to “sit down or shut up”.
The pair have been on a collision course for a century since they held all four major heavyweight titles between them.
While both fighters would likely like to fight without a title later this year, Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn expressed a slightly different desire.
I’m talking to talkSPORTJoshua’s longtime promoter has mentioned a potential appearance this summer ahead of what he hopes will be a November fight with Tyson Fury.
“If we were promoting this event [this summer]that’s exactly what I would do [making the Wilder fight].
“But this is the deal that we made with Fury against AJ as the pinnacle of that deal. There will be a lot of people who won’t want to take a fight that they think will be risky and bet on it. [the Fury fight in] danger.
“The reality is this [that] all fights are risky, especially in this division. We have no problem with fighting Wilder. [But] I don’t think it’s Wilder [on] basis of this agreement.”
This deal includes two fights with Turki Alalshikh, which will allow Joshua to enter the ring before his fight with Fury in overdue 2026.
Such an agreement would mean he would fight for the first time since then in December in the sixth round against Jake Paulwhich was preceded by a tragic car accident that killed two of his close friends.
Carlos Adames said he can beat anyone at middleweight and super middleweight, but the statement was met with immediate backlash from newly crowned IBF super middleweight champion Osleys Iglesias. After Adames announced he was ready to fight, the undefeated Cuban responded on social media, calling for the fight to go ahead.
The exchange began when Carlos Adames stated that no one at 160 or 168 pounds could beat him. The fan quickly challenged him to fight Iglesias, one of the most hazardous names in the super middleweight division.
“Who are you? What I do in the ring confirms what I say here. Whenever you want, I’m ready to prove it to you,” Adames said in X.
That was met with a direct response from Iglesias (15-0, 14 KO), who is coming off an eighth-round victory over Pavel Silyagin and gained traction at 168 pounds after winning the IBF title.
“Enough talking. Let’s get on the same page and take the fight to the next level. I’m waiting for your call. My team is ready. I’m waiting for you,” said Osleys Iglesias.
Adames holds the middleweight title while Iglesias is one division above, so any fight would require one side to advance. This alone makes it more sedate than a routine online argument.
This exchange with Iglesias bears all the hallmarks of a potential bluff by Adames. Iglesias is now viewed by many as the 168-pound boss who stopped Pavel Silyagin in the eighth round just two weeks ago.
He’s a powerful southpaw with a 93% knockout rate, which isn’t usually the type of guy a champion fights unless he’s 100% sedate or looking for a huge payday.
Fans will soon find out if this was Adames’ social media stunt if he starts demanding a catchweight fight with Iglesias or tells him to drop down to 160 pounds. If he tells IBF 168-pound champion Iglesias to back off, he will simply be looking for a way out. It will be a foregone conclusion if he stays on X and does not lead to official negotiations between Adames’ promoters at PBC and Iglesias’ team.
The southpaw Iglesias is essentially a airy heavyweight who can reach 168 pounds and would also have significant height and an advantage over Adames. If Adames is sedate, he’s taking one of the toughest routes possible to make a super middleweight debut.
Tomek Galm is a boxing journalist covering the global fight landscape since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, industry trends and fighter psychology.
Since that victory, rumors have circulated that “King Ry” would return against several different opponents, including WBO champion Devin Haney, WBA champion Rolly Romero and two-division world champion Teofimo Lopez.
For one reason or another, all of these fights fell through, and in recent weeks a recent favorite has emerged to fight Garcia, after British star Conor Benn defeated Regis Prograis at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this month.
Following the victory, Benn immediately called out “King Ry” for a world title match, and Garcia was quick to respond as a war of words began between the two fighters.
In the recent movie captured by Fight Hub TVGarcia has now ruled out fighting anyone else and says Benn is the only person he wants to face.
“I can’t wait, man. It’ll be August. [I don’t want] Nobody [else]. I just want Conor.”
Benn is ranked No. 1 in the WBC welterweight rankings, so a clash with “King Ry” seemed like a formality, although Garcia’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, revealed a potential obstacle to that fight.
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