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Atlantic City Boxing Notebook: Regular AC Fights Return

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By Boxing Insider promotions

Tropicana Atlantic City, the longtime epicenter of boxing on the East Coast, returns with a bang in 2026. On Saturday, March 7, Boxing Insider Promotions returns to the Tropicana showroom with a stack of cards featuring female boxing and regional talent – representing one of the city’s busiest fight weekends in years, with Ring of Combat MMA packing into the same venue the night before on Friday.

March 7 Main attractions at Tropicana

“Mr. Atlantic City” Justin Figueroa, NABF junior welterweight champion, will claim his 15th professional victory in a soon-to-be-announced professional bout.

John Leonardo, who headlined Boxing Insider’s first professional event in May 2024 in Manalapan Township, Recent Jersey, makes his highly anticipated return to the ring on March 7 against veteran Edgar Joe Cortes of Millville, Recent Jersey.

Women’s boxing takes center stage as Lia Lewandowski clashes with Indeya Smith in a fight that has already caused quite a stir as one of the biggest women’s fights of the start of the year.

Bredwinners Boxing’s Josh Popper returns after a crowd-pleasing debut in Atlantic City in November, chasing victory number six with his trademark charisma and knockout power.

Local favorite Julio Sanchez (3-1) is targeting 4-1 against tough veteran Bababooey, encouraging the city of Pleasantville to root for this one-time soccer hero and second-generation boxer.

The rest of this loaded club card will be revealed soon – full breakdowns will appear in the next Notebook.

Tickets sell quickly. Get your copy at Ticketmaster.com and join us on Saturday, March 7 at Tropicana Atlantic City. Doors at 6:00 p.m., first bell at 7:00 p.m.

Quick hits from the boardwalk

  • Just last night (January 23, 2026), Mike Tyson concluded his “Return of the Mike” tour with an energy-packed solo performance at Demanding Rock Live at Etess Arena. The boxing icon delivered raw stories, humor and reflections on his legendary career to a captivated audience – further proof that Atlantic City remains forever linked to Iron Mike’s heavyweight dominance.
  • The 10th Annual Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame Awards Gala and Induction Weekend will be held September 25-27, 2026 at the Demanding Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
  • Promoted by Matchroom, the Jaron “Boots” Ennis vs. Eimantas Stanionis welterweight bout last April at Boardwalk Hall generated an economic impact of $1.59 million for the city, according to calculations by Visit Atlantic City and the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame.
  • Jackie Atkins presents the second annual East Coast Women’s Championship, February 7-8 at Showboat. Sanctioned by USA Boxing, the two-day women’s amateur tournament aims to develop and promote women’s boxing on the East Coast by offering championship belts, “best female boxer” awards and valuable experience for boxers, coaches and officials.
  • The Team Boxing League (formerly Team Combat League) hosted the official national qualifiers for Season IV on January 16-18 at the Traymore Ballroom in Bally’s Atlantic City. The three-day event was attended by elite amateurs and professionals from across the country.
  • Philadelphia promoter Rodney Rice has a Feb. 21 event at Showboat headlined by Atlantic City’s Francisco “Cisco” Rodriguez.
  • Christian “Spazz” Figueroa – the younger brother of “Mr. Atlantic City” Justin Figueroa – makes his second professional walk Feb. 7 at Demanding Rock after a first-round knockout in his debut.

Remember when: Tyson destroys Holmes – January 22, 1988

On a frosty January night in 1988, one of the most crucial heavyweight fights of the era took place at the Atlantic City Convention Center (known as Trump Plaza): undefeated Mike Tyson versus former champion Larry Holmes.

Tyson, the youngest heavyweight king in history, put his WBA, WBC and IBF titles on the line against the 38-year-old Holmes, who was trying to make a comeback. The fight, dubbed “heavyweight history,” lasted four brutal rounds as Tyson’s speed and power overwhelmed Holmes, knocking him down three times in the fourth round before the break at 2:55. The hall was filled with over 20,000 fans.

Last call

The March 7 event will be Boxing Insider Promotions’ 20th showcase since October 2002 and seventh in Atlantic City since May 2024. We hosted six professional events in 2025 (three in AC, three in Recent York) and a PAL charity event in November, which earned us an Excellence Award from the Atlantic City Police Department and AC PAL.

Atlantic City Police Chief Sarkos praised promoter Larry Goldberg for taking action that makes a real difference in the lives of local children.

“Larry Goldberg showed what true community leadership looks like,” said Chief Sarkos. “His commitment to our PAL boxing program goes far beyond generosity – he invests his time, energy and heart to facilitate our youthful people realize their potential. Larry doesn’t just support these kids; he believes in them. And that belief creates opportunities that can change the course of their lives.”

We are especially proud to carry on the legacy of the delayed Don Elbaum, who made Tropicana the center of boxing on the East Coast in the 1980s with a legendary series of 196 fight cards – many on Tuesday nights in front of sold-out crowds. We honored him here last year, shortly before his death, and each time Boxing Insider is held here, we keep that tradition alive.

See you in the ring.

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Eddie Hearn fights for Katie Taylor in Croke Park

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Image: Eddie Hearn pushing for Katie Taylor retirement fight at Croke Park

“I just want to fight in Dublin to finish my career. Of course we’re still hoping for Croke Park, holding on to a little bit of hope that it will happen,” Taylor told RTE.

“Fighting my last fight in our most iconic arena. How special would that be? I think it would be absolutely extraordinary if I was able to do it. I’m not sure if it will happen or not. Either way, I will end my career here and I’m very excited about that.”

Taylor has only fought twice in Ireland as a professional, both fights will take place in 2023 against Chantelle Cameron at the 3Arena in Dublin. Cameron won her first fight by majority decision, handing Taylor the only defeat of her career, before Taylor regained the undisputed junior welterweight championship six months later in a rematch.

The 38-year-old Irish star remains one of the greatest fighters in women’s boxing history. Taylor won Olympic gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics before turning professional and quickly winning world titles in two categories. In 2019, she became the undisputed lightweight champion and later repeated the feat at 140 pounds.

Much of Taylor’s recent profile has been built on her rivalry with Amanda Serrano. Their first fight at Madison Square Garden in 2022 was widely celebrated and helped augment the visibility of women’s boxing. Taylor later completed the trilogy by majority vote in July, increasing her record to 25-1 (6 KO).

The possibility of saying goodbye to the stadium became the subject of interest for its long-time promoter. Hearn admitted it would take significant work to turn the idea into reality, but he believes this moment will be historic for Irish sport.

“It’s a hell of a lot of work to make sure one of the greatest athletes of all time fulfills her biggest dream. And I have to deliver Croke Park. I have to,” Hearn said on The Ariel Helwani Show.

“If I don’t give it my all, if I don’t put in every effort to make it happen, I won’t do justice to Katie and I won’t do it to myself. Because it would be the biggest sporting event in Irish history.”

Hearn said talks with Croke Park officials had taken place previously and had resumed as Taylor’s career came to an end.

“There is more momentum this time,” he said.

No opponent has been determined for Taylor’s last fight. Hearn said the focus remains on determining whether the stadium plan can be secured before making any player selections.

“Obviously you want to have an opponent who is compelling, competitive and has a story behind it,” Hearn said. “Nothing has really been discussed or said about the opponent. We are really trying to ensure that discussions with Croke Park allow for that possibility before we pursue it further.”

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Gervonta Davis is close to returning to action, according to her opponent’s name

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Gervonta Davis close to securing comeback fight as opponent named

It looks like Gervonta Davis is one step away from confirming her return to the ring.

Davis last fought in March 2025, when he earned a majority draw with Lamont Roach to defend his WBA lightweight title.

It was a controversial result, with many feeling that Roach had done enough to get the nod, especially after a knockdown was not awarded in his favor after “Tank” voluntarily chose to take a knee in round nine.

The next 12 months left many in doubt as to whether Davis would return to play at all. A planned exhibition with Jake Paul in November has been canceled over the Baltimore man’s naming in a civil lawsuit over domestic allegations, the latest in a string of issues going beyond the ropes.

Another drama occurred after an arrest warrant was issued for “Tank”, citing similar accusations, which led to him being stripped of his WBA lightweight title.

Regardless, it looks like Davis is ready to make a comeback after this happened Reported by Mike Coppinger that he is in advanced talks about a fight with Isaac Cruz, the man whom “Tank” considered his number one target at the end of last year.

Davis has already secured a victory over Cruz, who last fought in December when he fought to a majority draw against former foe “Tank” Roach – a fighter he believes should be given a chance to face him again.

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Boxing

The fight between Luis Nery and John Riel Casimero will take place on April 18 in Kyrgyzstan

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Image: Luis Nery vs John Riel Casimero set for April 18 in Kyrgyzstan

Neither player holds a title and neither has been part of any real championship talk in recent seasons. Nery has already held the bantamweight and junior featherweight belts, although his recent appearances at featherweight have shown that the path up is confined. At 126 pounds, he looked undersized and unable to apply the same pressure that once carried him through lighter divisions, which makes a return to 122 pounds a more practical move.

Saikou x Lush Boxing will promote the event as part of a three-day boxing show in the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The gala will be held at the Gazprom Sports Convoluted, an extraordinary setting for two players who regularly appeared on larger international stages at the beginning of their careers.

Nery (37-2, 28 KO) will fight in Kyrgyzstan for the second time in a row after appearing there in October last year. The 31-year-old Mexican southpaw defeated Sathaporn Saart by technical decision in the eighth round after an accidental head collision put the fight on the scorecards.

The win was his second in a row since Naoya Inoue stopped him in the sixth round in May 2024. Nery made a comeback earlier in 2025, stopping Kyonosuke Kameda in the seventh round before extending his rebound stretch with a victory over Saart.

Casimero (35-5-1, 24 KOs), now 37, built his reputation by winning junior flyweight, flyweight and bantamweight titles early in his career. Activity has been confined and results inconsistent over the past few seasons, leading to him being 2-1-1 in his last four fights.

His last fight was in December, when he defeated Tom Mizokoshi in the fifth round in Japan. Two months earlier, he appeared at the same October gala in Kyrgyzstan, where Nery fought Saart and lost to Kameda by unanimous decision of ten rounds.

The April meeting brings together two former champions who once operated at the forefront of the sport’s lighter divisions. At this stage, it could be read as more of a veteran clash between recognizable names rather than a fight expected to impact the junior featherweight championship race.

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