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Coach Jay Najar Wants Vasiliy Lomachenko, Tank Davis for William Zepeda

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Coach Jay “Panda” Najar is aiming for the biggest and best fights for his fighter, William Zepeda.

Najar believes that fights with Vasiliy Lomachenko and Gervonta “Tank” Davis could catapult Zepeda’s career. The Mexican coach says his priority would be to face Lomachenko of Ukraine, a three-time lightweight champion who currently holds the IBF lightweight title.

“I would probably like Lomachenko just because of his name, just because of what he did in boxing history,” Najar told BoxingScene.

The currently undefeated Zepeda, 28, 31-0 (27 KOs), will have to settle for former IBF junior lightweight titleholder Tevin Farmer when he faces him in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Nov. 16. The fight with Farmer will be Zepeda’s third this year, following knockout victories over Maxim Hughes and Giovanni Cabrera in March and July, respectively.

Before Farmer’s announcement, Team Zepeda had been negotiating a potential fight with undefeated WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson. However, Zepeda wanted to wait until at least November to fight, as he expected to become a father before then. Stevenson had decided to fight Joe Cordina on October 12 with the prospect of fighting Zepeda early next year. The fight with Cordina was canceled because Stevenson injured his right hand during a sparring session. It is possible that Stevenson would step directly into the fight with Zepeda next year, provided the latter wins on November 16.

Another fight Najar would welcome is against undefeated WBA boss Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Davis, a three-division champion widely regarded as one of the best fighters in the world, is Najar’s holy grail.

“We’re interested in all the fights. We’re interested in every opportunity that comes our way. Gervonta Davis is a large name in this weight class. So we just expect him to give us a chance,” Najar said.

Najar praised Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) for his devastating performances over the years and warned that Zepeda will need a great game plan to beat him.

“It’s a very tough fight. It’s a tough fight where we have to be very careful against a fighter who gives away rounds and finishes his opponents in a devastating way. So we have to be very careful. We have to create a great game plan, have great sparring. But I think it’s a very tough fight for both fighters.”

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Nelson Oliva defeated Alfonso Olvera by unanimous decision in Long Beach

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by Francisco Salazar |

Nelson Oliva’s first fight at 154 pounds was a success.

Oliva defeated Alfonso Olvera on Saturday night at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, Calif. The scores were 79-73, 79-73 and 78-74 for Oliva, who improved to 12-0 with 8 knockouts.

Olvera was in form and won the first round, but Oliva was the more effective and right fighter for the rest of the fight. The left-handed Oliva outboxed Olvera from range or from the interior, landing left hooks or counters to the head many times.

Every time the taller Olvera tried to launch an attack, Oliva reversed the momentum back toward him, putting him on the defensive with a two-punch combination. Oliva clearly won the fight, but trainer Henry Ramirez felt Oliva could have fought a more fluid and complete fight.

“(Nelson) was very torpid today, but (he gained) a lot of experience,” Ramirez said after the fight.

In his previous fight on March 30, Oliva, who grew up in Los Angeles, defeated Franyerson Puerta by unanimous decision. On November 4, Oliva scored a one-sided victory over Dario Guerrero-Meneses.

All three of Oliva’s fights over the past year have taken place at Thunder Studios. Oliva has fought under the Thompson Boxing Promotions and CBN Promotions banners since making his professional debut in February 2021.

The 28-year-old is trained by Henry Ramirez.

Olvera, who is from Nogales, Mexico, and currently resides in Tucson, Arizona, is coming off a 13-9-3, 5 KO loss. In his previous fight on May 13 of last year, Olvera knocked out Ousmane Sylla.

Prior to his win over Sylla, the 34-year-old had lost two consecutive fights in an 11-month span to Quinton Randall and Delonte Johnson.

In a clash of undefeated junior featherweights, Hector Lopez defeated Noah Contreras via majority decision. One judge scored the fight 57-57, while the other two judges scored it 60-54 and 58-56 for Lopez, who improved to 6-0, 4 KOs.

After two solid exchanges in the first two rounds, Lopez began to take control of the ring, outboxing Contreras in the middle rounds. Contreras switched to a left-handed style, which played to Lopez’s advantage, stunning Contreras on several occasions.

Even from a distance, Lopez landed the more effective combinations as Contreras landed the punches in the final two rounds.

Contreras, who lives in Fort Mohave, Arizona, is coming off a 9-1, 4 KO loss.

In the junior flyweight bout, amateur standout Terry Washington of San Bernardino made his pro debut by knocking out Ezequiel Robles (1-2) of Tepic, Mexico in the first round.

Halfway through the first round, Robles attempted a two-punch combination that missed. Washington responded with a left-right combination followed by a left hook that knocked Robles down. Referee Raul Caiz Jr. counted Robles out at 1:55.

Washington was recently named the “Most Outstanding Boxer” at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials.

In lightweight action, Eric Mondragon improved to 11-1, 4 KOs by defeating veteran Jose Valenzuela (3-16-1, 2 KOs) of Puebla, Mexico, by unanimous decision. The scores were 59-55, 59-55, and 58-56 for Mondragon, who lives in nearby Maywood.

Middleweight contender Blazen Rocili won by second-round knockout after Selim Martinez (6-8, 2 KOs) of Matamoros, Mexico, opted not to continue. Rocili, who hails from Waipahu, Hawaii, and currently trains in Las Vegas, improved to 7-0, 6 KOs.

In the first fight of the CBN Promotions card, featherweight Kenario Davidson stopped Gurjant Singh (2-1, 1 KO) of India in the third round to earn a decision victory. The scores were 38-37, 38-37, and 39-36 for Davidson, who was making his pro debut.

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Anthony Joshua is expected to exercise his rematch clause in his fight with Daniel Dubois

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Anthony Joshua suffered the fourth defeat of his 11-year career on Saturday night in a British showdown at Wembley Stadium in London, with Joshua knocked down four times and knocked out in the fifth round.

However, if history is any indication, Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) will be looking to rematch IBF heavyweight titleholder Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) in hopes of getting revenge. especially since he has already put an end to any talk of retirement.

After suffering his first career loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019, Joshua exacted revenge on Ruiz in December 2019 with a crushing unanimous decision victory. After a unanimous decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua was given another chance against the Ukrainian in 2022 but lost via split decision.

Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, the 35-year-old Joshua’s promoter, suggested AJ would be keen to fight Dubois again despite the one-sided defeat.

“I think so [Joshua] “He’s going to need some rest, and it’s a risky fight. This guy is gaining confidence all the time.

“He’ll believe he can hurt Dubois. He’ll believe he can beat him. But full credit to Daniel Dubois. He deserves all the credit. It was a great performance.

“We have another fight with Riyadh in the season and Alalshikh Türkiye, [chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia], Daniel Dubois is part of that plan, but it could just as easily be Tyson Fury or another heavyweight.

“I think 2025 is going to be an captivating year for Anthony Joshua, either way, but he’s definitely going to come back and whether he’s fighting Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury or whoever, you’re going to have a good time.”

Former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua was knocked down in rounds one, three, four and five and never recovered from his first-round assault.

“That was the first round. Then he fought with heart and desire,” Hearn said. “I’m so proud because he never gave up. His legs were cheating him, but he kept trying.

“When you’re in there with a huge puncher, that’s what can happen. He never stopped trying to get up, even when he couldn’t get up at the end.

“Daniel deserves recognition, he is a true world champion. Congratulations to him.”

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Anthony Joshua vows to continue boxing despite defeat to Daniel Dubois

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Promoter Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua will want another “massive fight” after the former two-time heavyweight champion vowed to continue despite shocking defeat to Daniel Dubois on Saturday in London.

Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) repeatedly knocked Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) down at Wembley Stadium before finally landing a powerful right hook in the fifth round that sent his English rival to the mat, handing him the fourth loss of his career. Dubois defended his IBF belt.

Joshua appeared at the post-fight press conference and assured that he will continue fighting.

“You’re probably asking, ‘Do I still want to fight?’ Of course I want to keep fighting,” Joshua said.

“That’s what I said, that we tried to succeed and we failed. What does that mean now? Are we going to run away? [Or] Will we live to fight another day?

Dubois charged forward and caught his opponent off guard, landing a powerful left hook that dropped Joshua for the first time slow in Round 1, capping a near-perfect opening that stunned the Wembley crowd – and Joshua.

“We also have to give credit to our opponent, Daniel. Congratulations to him and his team, and thanks to my team for the way they prepared for me. There were a few mistakes there, but that’s the nature of the game,” Joshua said. “Tiny margins can cost you a lot at the highest level.”

Hearn stated in the ring that the rematch clause would likely be activated, but explained at the post-fight press conference that Joshua had signed a deal to fight next season in Riyadh and would likely want a rematch.

Hearn said Joshua is keen to take part in critical fights to finish his career and that another pre-fight fight is unlikely.

“We have another fight with Riyadh Season and Turki Alalshikh and Daniel Dubois are part of that plan, but it could easily be Tyson Fury or another heavyweight,” Hearn said. “I don’t think it’s a career-ending fight for him, but he’s in the final chapters of his career and it was a massive blow because we wanted to win tonight and fight the winner of Fury and [Oleksandr] Usyk.

“I know he’s going to want a massive fight, I don’t think he’s going to want to come back in February or March for a round, Helenius or Franklin or those types of fights. I feel like we’ve done that and the next decision is going to be very critical.”

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