Results
Artur Beterbiew vs. Callum Smith fight
Artur Beterbiev defended his unified delicate heavyweight world titles with a brutal seventh-round victory over Callum Smith in Canada on Saturday.
Beterbiev dropped Smith twice in the seventh round, ahead of the Briton’s trainer Buddy McGirt signaled referee Michael Griffin to end the fight WBC, WBO and IBF champion, extending his perfect record to 20 straight wins, all by knockout.
Question marks surrounded Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KO) during fight week after it was revealed that the Russian-born Canadian returned an unusual result from a VADA test returned on December 6, but it was not considered a violation and he was cleared to fight after passing all further VADA tests.
The 38-year-old, who stopped Anthony Yarde in the eighth round last January, sharply warns the guy about his strength from the very beginning, stalking Smith (29-2, 21 KO) and forcing him to land a punch on the back of the foot, while unleashing powerful combos.
The former super middleweight world champion responded with a much better second round, landing punches to the body in an attempt to snail-paced down the home favorite, but a left hand snapped his head back and kept him in check.
The challenger was recognized after a challenging third round, and Beterbiev kicked into high gear in the fourth round, stopping the hefty blows of the 33-year-old, who was forced to bravely take punishment on the ropes.
‘Mundo’, who has recorded two victories since moving up to delicate heavyweight, was forced to let his hands go, but his shots didn’t seem to hurt Beterbiev enough to discourage him and he continued to march forward despite sending in some solid body shots in the fifth .
Smith’s face was bloody and the pressure Beterbiev was putting on finally took its toll in the seventh round.
A huge right hand signaled the beginning of Smith, who stumbled in the ring as the champion unleashed a barrage of punches for the first time in his 31-fight professional career that sent him to the canvas.
The Liverpudlian bravely got up at the count of eight and went bust, trading with Beterbiev in a desperate attempt to fend off the attacking knockout artist, but moments later he went down a second time after landing more devastating blows.
Smith’s trainer, McGirt, stood on the ring apron and even entered the ring himself to signal that he wanted the charges dropped and the referee properly committed.
Beterbiev improved his perfect record and set his sights on a long-awaited undisputed title clash with WBA champion Dmitry Bivol, with his promoter Bob Arum suggesting the fight could end in Saudi Arabia this summer.
“Of course, [I want to fight Bivol]– said Beterbiev ESPN after the fight.
“I need a fourth belt. This would mean that I have succeeded in this category.
“It means a lot to me. This is the top.”
Smith suffered his second professional loss and first by stoppage, with his last loss coming in December 2020 to Canelo Alvarez.
“He had good momentum, good pressure, kept me from getting into a rhythm,” he told ESPN after the fight.
“The better man won tonight. He caught me with a good shot, it happens. Fair game.
“No excuses, the better man won today.”
Mbilli calls out Canelo after Murdock’s retirement
Christian Mbilli came close to winning the super middleweight world title after forcing Rohan Murdock to withdraw from the fight after six grueling rounds.
Mbilli (26-0, 22 KO) was relentless from the opening bell and forced Murdock (27-3, 19 KO) to fight on the defensive for much of the fight.
The undefeated Frenchman dragged his opponent to the ropes in the fifth round, and the Australian did well to survive the attack.
The 31-year-old had a better sixth round, but continued to eat hefty punches and was withdrawn from his corner at the end of the round.
MBILLA’S BAD INTENTIONS 🍿 pic.twitter.com/4BOVA52Ooa
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) January 14, 2024
Mbilli, who defended his WBC title in mainland America, is the number one contender in both the WBC and WBA behind undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez and has called for a fight with the Mexican.
“Everyone knows Canelo is the best” The 28-year-old told ESPN after the fight.
“Now I want to show that I am the best in the division.
“That’s why my goal is to fight Canelo.
“I will do everything in my power to fight Canelo.”
Moloney defended his world title
Jason Moloney successfully defended his WBO bantamweight title for the first time, defeating Saul Sanchez by majority decision.
Moloney, who clinched the vacant title with a majority decision victory over Vincent Astrolabio in May, had to dig deep in a thrilling fight that saw both sides evenly matched.
The fight intensified and seemed fierce heading into a pulsating final round that saw both fighters on the run until the final bell.
Two scores of 116-112 erased the drawn score of 114-114 and ensured Moloney (27-2, 19 KO) defended his title despite a valiant effort from Sanchez (20-3, 12 KO), who was fighting in his first world title fight.
Khataev stops Ludwiczak
Imam Khataev continued his knockout streak after the second stoppage over Michał Ludwiczak (17-3-1, 9 KO).
Khataev (6-0, 6 KO), the 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, captured the vacant NABF delicate heavyweight title with his sixth straight victory.
A bullet destroying man 😳
Imam Khataev makes it look too effortless. pic.twitter.com/ugye7Ljgca
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) January 14, 2024
Undercard remaining
Elsewhere in the delicate heavyweight division, Memhet Unal (8-0, 7 KO) secured a first-round victory over Dragan Lepei (22-7-2, 10 KO).
Canadian welterweight prospect Christopher Guerrero (10-0, 5 KO) secured his tenth consecutive victory in his professional career with a unanimous decision over Sergio Garcia Herrera (7-4, 4 KO).
Leila Beuadoin got revenge on Elizabeth Chavez Espinoza in a super featherweight rematch.
Leila Beaudoin takes revenge 😈 pic.twitter.com/RP3b4IgiZg
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) January 14, 2024
Mexican Espinoza (4-6-3, 1 KO) won her first match by unanimous decision in her home country, but suffered the opposite result against Beuadoin (11-1, 1 KO), this time in her hometown.
Moreno Fendero (3-0, 2 KO) knocked out Victor Hugo Flores (7-3, 3 KO) in the first round of their super middleweight bout, while Quebec native Wilkens Mathieu (6-0, 3 KO) extended his winning streak undefeated record after winning by unanimous decision over Jose Arias Alvarez (3-2, 1 KO).
This Saturday, Latino Night will take place in Riyad, and the main event will be the fight for the WBA cruiserweight title from Mexico, Gilberto Ramirez, against the head of the WBO, Chris Billam-Smith.
DAZN is broadcasting the Ramirez vs Billam-Smith fight live.
Despite great potential and a reign as the WBO super middleweight champion, Ramirez (46-1, 30 KO) has largely won against an unnamed opponent.
He ultimately lost the team’s undefeated record in November 2022. clearly defeated by Dmitry Bivol in the fight for the WBA (Super) featherlight heavyweight title.
The move to the cruiserweight division saw some of his best performances, and a wide-scoring victory over Joe Smith Jr paved the way for a world title fight in which he won the WBA belt by defeating Arsen Goulamirian ten rounds to two in March.
After a career-opening loss to Richard Riakporhe, Billam-Smith (20-1, 13 KO) rose through the ranks, eventually winning the WBO belt with a majority decision victory over Lawrence Okolie, with Okolie losing a total of three times.
The Bournemouth man then forced Mateusz Masternak to retire after eight rounds, with Billam-Smith trailing on two scorecards, and last defended in June, taking revenge on Riakporhe by scoring points at Selhurst Park.
Prediction: Ramirez is always huge no matter what weight he fights at, and will be the biggest test of Billam-Smith’s career. I think this may be a bridge too far for the Englishman and Ramirez may score in the later rounds.
Chris Billam-Smith is confident he will get the job done on Saturday 😤#RiyadSeason | #LatinNight | Live November 16 | FREE on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/ZOY1wHshgj
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) November 12, 2024
Ramirez and Barboza go to war
A massive clash with world title implications awaits us at the last minute as former unified super lightweight world champion Jose Carlos Ramirez (29-1, 18 KO) meets Arnold Barboza Jr (30-0, 11 KO) within twelve rounds.
Since his only loss to Josh Taylor to clear the division in 2021, Ramirez has fought once a year, defeating Jose Pedraza (UD12), Richard Commey (KO11) and Rances Barthelemy (UD12) to be the number one contender for the WBC title.
Barboza is long undefeated and has boxed twice in 2024, which included an eighth-round retirement victory over Xolisani Ndongeni, followed by a split decision victory over Sean McComb last time out. This is his first scheduled appearance in twelve innings, after eight innings played in ten innings.
Prediction: I’m leaning towards the more experienced Ramirez who will get the job done on points.
There is no better place than the season in Riyad #LatinNight for the fight he’s been waiting for‼️ Jose Ramirez 🆚 Arnold Barboza Jr. it will be totally 𝐖 𝐀 𝐑 ⚔️#LatinNight | #RiyadSeason | LIVE November 16 | FREE on DAZN pic.twitter.com/6njPFoF05D
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) November 13, 2024
The farmer has everything to do with Zepeda
The WBC interim lightweight title is up for grabs and the talented William Zepeda (31-0, 27 KO) will face Tevin Farmer (33-6-1, 8 KO).
Zepeda is worth watching, as he has been at a championship level in his last five fights. All of his last four fights ended early, and after forcing Maxie Hughes to retire after four rounds in March, he knocked out Giovanni Cabrera in three in July.
Former IBF featherweight champion Farmer is coming off a hard-fought points loss to Raymond Muratalla. Zepeda should be too heated for Farmer here and could win early.
Minimum weight world champion titles up for grabs
The next fight for the world title will take place in the minimum weight class, where Oscar Collazo (10-0, 7 KO) should defend the WBO belt for the fourth time by defeating Thammanoon Niyomtrong (25-0, 9 KO).
The return of Duarte and Ziyad
Oscar Duarte (27-2-1, 22 KO) can ensure his twelve-round super lightweight fighter scores points against Botirzhon Akhmedov (10-3, 9 KO), and welterweight contender Ziyad Almaayouf (6-0, 1 KO) should win at this gala. cards over six against Juan Carlos Ramirez Garcia (5-6, 0 KO).
Oscar De La Hoya admits he is excited about the possibility of pitting WBA cruiserweight world champion Zurdo Ramirez against unified heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk in the future.
Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion, has previously spoken about his desire back to the division after fighting Tyson Fury in a rematch on December 21 in Saudi Arabia and De La Hoya believes Ramirez would be the perfect opponent for him.
“I think maybe after the rematch I will go down to cruiserweight,” said the 37-year-old Rule of 3 knockdowns podcast.
“I want tomorrow [fights at] cruiser weight.
“Maybe I’ll be undisputed in the cruiserweight division for a second time, that’s my plan.
“When I start preparing for training camp [as a heavyweight]I have to eat constantly. It’s demanding for me, I don’t like it.”
“Zurdo” secured the WBA belt with a unanimous decision victory over Arsene Goulamirian in March, making him a two-weight world champion.
The Mexican, who is preparing for a unification clash with WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith on November 16 in Riyad, recently spoke about his desire to move up to heavyweight to face the Ukrainian.
“Usyk is a diminutive heavyweight, but he’s right,” the 33-year-old said No seconds.
“I think it would be a good match.
“I watched him and followed him a lot and that’s one of my goals, to be undisputed at cruiserweight and then at heavyweight and I would probably fight him at heavyweight.”
Golden Boy founder and CEO De La Hoya admits he is intrigued by the prospect of his protégé fighting a two-weight world champion.
“I’m excited not because of his reunion,” the 51-year-old said DAZN.
“Yes, it’s quite exhilarating because it doesn’t happen often.
“But the fact that Zurdo is talking about Usyk.
“And Usyk returns to cruiserweight.
– It’s quite exhilarating.
Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez defended his unified super middleweight title with a major unanimous decision over Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas.
PBC promoted the Canelo vs Berlanga fight, with DAZN and Amazon Prime sharing broadcast rights.
The 27-year-old Puerto Rican entered the contest as a clear underdog and it seemed like he had a chance early on. He was immediately pushed onto his back leg by Alvarez, refused to let go of his hands and bit challenging at the champion’s feints.
In the third round, Canelo absolutely floored him with a left hook and passed Berlanga’s defender at a speed so quick it bordered on cartoonish. To his credit, “The Chosen One” didn’t look seriously hurt and survived the rest of the round well.
Getting him on the canvas seemed to somehow solidify Berlanga’s position in the contest, and he gradually gained confidence from there. While he didn’t win many rounds, the Brooklyn boxer had moments of success later in his career and showed impressive defense on the ropes—not to mention a forceful chin.
The left hook that dropped Berlanga was felt in San Juan 🇵🇷. #CaneloBerlanga pic.twitter.com/QP94bYobdc
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) September 15, 2024
There were some violent moments, most notably when Canelo landed a pristine right hand after the referee called a stoppage, though it was somewhat of a justified response to the blatant utilize of the head by his youthful opponent.
However, at the end of the incredibly emotional final round, the pair immediately hugged, with Berlanga thanking the Guadalajara star for the opportunity before admitting that he is his idol.
Nothing beats boxing in Vegas during Mexican Independence weekend. 🇲🇽 RESPECT 🇵🇷#CaneloBerlanga pic.twitter.com/TxOiFmOp8i
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) September 15, 2024
To the surprise of no one at T-Mobile Arena, Alvarez won by unanimous decision and marches on with his three-word titles. Berlanga, though well beaten, answered several long-standing questions that cast a shadow over him and proved he has plenty of substance to back up his fervor.
Lara defends herself against Garcia
In the veterans’ fight, Cuban Erislandy Lara (31-3-3, 19 KO) defended his WBA middleweight world title by defeating Danny Garcia (37-4, 21 KO).
Garcia looked a shadow of his former self and retired after nine rounds. Lara, 41, is still enjoying the Indian summer and has won six matches in a row.
Shipping plants or McCumby
Former super middleweight world champion Caleb Plant (23-2, 14 KOs) made his first fight since losing to David Benavidez last year with a ninth-round stoppage of unannounced Trevor McCumby (28-1, 21 KOs).
Plant, who survived an early knockdown, currently holds the interim belt at 168 pounds and could be in line for another world title fight in 2025.
IT’S OVER!! REVENGE TOURISM CONTINUES WITH ANOTHER KO BY @SweetHandsPlant! #PlantMcCumby
Order #CaneloBerlanga Now: https://t.co/TTL3b5uHde pic.twitter.com/thEITuxwpq
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) September 15, 2024
Romero is back in form
Polarizing super lightweight Rolando Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) returned to action at T-Mobile following a loss to Isaac Cruz in March.
Manuel Jaimes (16-2, 11 KO), who had previously only fought in compact gyms, was forceful and powerful but found himself on the wrong side of a unanimous decision win over “Rolly,” who had been earmarked as a potential opponent for Ryan Garcia’s comeback.
Fulton squeaks fit for Castro
In his first fight at 126 pounds, former super bantamweight world champion Stephen Fulton (22-1, 8 KOs) found himself in a tougher fight than advertised against the rugged Carlos Castro (30-3, 14 KOs).
“Scooter” was clamorous on several stages and even fell challenging, but managed to clinch the victory by a split decision on the scorecards.
Lots of action in #FultonCastro with 💣s landed by both players and Castro gets the KD. How did you score that?
Order #CaneloBerlanga Now: https://t.co/TTL3b5uHde pic.twitter.com/lM78e5gis0
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) September 15, 2024
Villa surprised by Salas
It was a night to remember for Jaron Ennis’ former opponent, Romain Villa (26-3, 24 KOs), who suffered a shock third-round defeat to Ricardo Salas Rodriguez (20-2-2, 15 KOs).
Villa came out on the attack as usual but unleashed a devastating right hand that ended the contest.
Ricardo Salas makes his US debut with a KO finish over Romain Villa in RD3. #WillaSalas
Order #CaneloBerlanga Now: https://t.co/TTL3b5uHde pic.twitter.com/3FKD4ldCmw
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) September 14, 2024
Further Undercard Recap
In eight rounds, both Yoenli Hernandez (5-0, 5 KOs) and Laurence King (17-1, 14 KOs) scored second-round KO victories over Jose Sanchez Charles (21-6-1, 12 KOs) and Vaughn Williams (12-2, 8 KOs), while Jonathan Lopez (17-0, 12 KOs) had to settle for a decision victory over Richard Medina (15-3, 8 KOs).
Undefeated Kazakhstan’s Bek Nurmaganbet (12-0, 10 KOs) needed just two of six to dispatch Joshua Conley (17-7-1, 11 KOs) in the first set.
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