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It looks like Ryosuke Nishida is going to an all-Japan tournament to be crowned the bantam king

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The Japanese takeover of the bantamweight division is over after two sanctioning belts changed hands in the last few days.

On Monday, former kickboxer Yoshiki Takei (9-0, 8 KO) fought for Jason Moloney’s (27-3, 19 KO) WBO belt after a surprise unanimous decision victory at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. Two days earlier, Ryosuke Nishida (9-0, 1 KO) took the IBF belt from Emmanuel Rodriguez (22-3, 13 KO) at the EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan.

Southpaws Takei and Nishida, 27, join compatriots Junto Nakatani (27-0, 20 KO) and Takuma Inoue (20-1, 5 KO) as 118-pound titleholders. Nakatani, another lefty, holds the WBC belt, while Inoue successfully defended his WBA bombshell with a unanimous decision against veteran Sho Ishida (34-3, 17 KO) at the Tokyo Dome.

It looks like the stripes are here to stay in the Land of the Rising Sun for a while.

Takei put up a clever fight against Moloney, proving that there was more to his game than just raw power. Deducting points at the beginning of the match for a bad streak did not ruin his ambitions, because he comprehensively defeated the 33-year-old Australian and won twice with the scores 117-110 and 116-111.

Nishida, ranked No. 9 by The Ring in the bantamweight division, was equally impressive against 31-year-old Rodriguez of Puerto Rico. The light-hitting Nishida elected to stay in the pocket and trade for most of the fight, a decision that left him with both the IBF belt and a disfigured face at the final bell. In the fourth round, Rodriguez fell after a powerful left wing to the body and for a moment it seemed that he would not be able to continue playing. The fight was ultimately close, with Nishida twice securing victory by unanimous decision 117-110 and 115-112.

With the victory, Nishida becomes the second world champion of promoter and manager Takashi Edagawa, who led Nobuo Nashiro to the WBA junior bantamweight title 18 years ago.

Mike Altamura, who was a matchmaker and adviser for Muto Boxing Gym in Edagawa during the fight, said he didn’t expect the fighting style Nishida delivered.

“Man, he even surprised me with how much trench warfare he was doing,” the Australian told The Ring the day after his victory. “It’s good to know he has it in reserve. I thought it was over in the fourth minute when Manny went to the canvas with a body shot. Full credit to him for coming back stronger.”

The only thing that didn’t surprise Altamura was Nishida’s precise punching power.

“A shot to the body at the right moment hits differently, regardless of the assumed power. Nishida also knocked out solid players in the head with well-timed shots,” Altamura said.

“I knew there were moments where Nishida would have to stay on his feet and make trades because Rodriguez is hard and deceptively long, and Nishida would have to be prepared for those moments. But I expected him to take advantage of the jab and hold it longer. The team assured me a few weeks ago that tactically Ryo could wage trench warfare and keep Rodriguez on time between his punches, but it was amazing to watch him do it for almost 12 rounds. The true spirit of the samurai.

“Attacking the body was certainly part of the strategy. Nishida has great timing, so it’s no surprise to us that he landed such a punch. Full credit to Manny for getting back up and coming back stronger. He is a true champion and ring fighter.

“Before the fight, the expectation was that Rodriguez was a great fighter and would not come to Osaka to casually relinquish the belt. We knew he was a well-rounded, gutsy fighter and that his strongest rounds would likely come tardy in the fight. He won a couple of the middle rounds, but he also worked tirelessly, so there was never any panic considering the lead Nishida had gained early on.

Photos of Nishida’s face posted on social media after the fight proved that he was involved in the brawl. His right eye was black and almost swollen, and his right cheek was bulging as if he had a immense plug of chewing tobacco stuck in his gum. A well-deserved rest is on the agenda before a potential unification fight.

“You know that currently three-quarters of the 118-pound belts are in Japanese hands and if Takei beat Moloney, it would be a Japanese hit,” Altamura explained. “We have heard whispers about a Japanese super tournament that would crown an undisputed champion. But let’s see. Nishida fought such a pretty, emotional battle and deserves time to bask in the glory and refill his tank.”

It looks like the golden era of Japanese boxing will continue for some time to come.

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Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor is looking forward to 2025

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Heavyweight Pryce Taylor

Fighting for the first time with the full support of his promoter, Salita Promotions, undefeated Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor later said he was confident and confident he could do well in boxing.

Taylor (5-0, 3 KO), 28, defeated KeShawn Jackson last Thursday night in Flint, Michigan, fighting in an exhibition put on by his promoter in which he recorded an impressive third-round stoppage to finish his 2024 campaign on a high. year note.

“It was good to fight on a bigger stage, in a compact arena, in a nice atmosphere,” Taylor said about his first fight with a promotional contract. “My manager, Keith Sullivan, supported me by agreeing to sign with Salita Promotions. He talked to several promoters, but we felt that Dimitri Salita would be the right candidate for me.

“I felt like I had succeeded; I felt essential, but that was just the beginning. It was the same on fight night, I felt respect and appreciation from the entire Salita promotional company. My goal is to be a more recognizable player and be recognized by the fans. I’m hungry to perform in the coming year.”

“Four knockdowns were counted. I really hurt him with a body shot and when he felt my power he was done. I threw a barrage of punches into the corner (ss photo below) and he tried to hit me with a windmill punch. Then I hit him with a check hook, which ended the fight. He (Jackson) didn’t want to get knocked out, so he tried to show he was still fighting.”

“Of course,” Sullivan commented, “I’m joyful with the victory. This was another developmental fight and Pryce is learning and developing as a fighter. We had a busy year with 8 fights scheduled and 5 that actually crossed the line, so it was a very good first year for him as a pro. Right after that, I talked to Dimitri to arrange the next fight. We hope to have it scheduled in the coming weeks.”

Looking ahead to 2025, Taylor wants his next fight to be a six-rounder scheduled for his next outing, then move up to eight to fight for the junior title.

“I will now train to play 10 rounds,” Taylor concluded, “so that I will be ready when it comes time to play 12 rounds.”

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AI referee ‘free from bias and human error’ during audit of Usyk vs. Fury 2 match

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Usyk vs Fury 2 full size poster

Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury on Saturday night will go down in history for several reasons, but now there are more of them than any other.

Turki Alalshikh has confirmed that the Usyk vs. Fury 2 fight will be supervised by an AI referee in a first-of-its-kind boxing event. Artificial intelligence statistics are nothing recent in sports and have been developed for years by companies such as JABBR, which claim that “technological progress eliminates elements of human error from sports.”

AI referee overseeing the Usyk vs Fury 2 fight

Riyad’s season leader, Alalshikh, has taken the first step to ensure the future of the sport where all boxers who deserve to win receive their reward. The fourth scorer will only be present this time to check the score, but if he proves successful, he may become a indefinite player in the sport.

Explaining his intentions, Alalshikh said: “For the first time in history, the fight will be monitored by an artificial intelligence referee. [The judge will be] Free from bias and human error, which The Ring offers you [his recently purchased magazine].

“This groundbreaking experiment, which will have no impact on official results, will debut during the biggest fight of the century, Usyk vs. Fury 2, on December 21. Don’t miss the history in the making,” he added.

The news came during the Grand Arrivals event, which featured a monumental clash that will see Usyk and Fury fight for a unified heavyweight crown at the Kingdom Arena. Usyk [20-0, 13 KOs] puts his WBC, WBA and WBO belts on the line against former two-time heavyweight champion Fury [33-1-1, 24 KOs]. The highly anticipated rematch will take place on Saturday, December 21, worldwide on DAZN PPV at 11:00 a.m. ET.

Usyk vs Fury card information updated

Former interim WBC 154-pound titleholder Serhii Bohachuk [24-2, 23 KOs] Now he will face British boxer Ishmael Davis [13-1, 6 KOs] in a 12-round super welterweight fight after Israil Madrimov was forced to withdraw due to illness.

Rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma [22-0, 10 KOs] and his opponent, Australian Demsey McKean (22-1, 14 KO), are ready to fight. Undefeated Johnny Fisher [12-0, 11 KOs[ squares off against former Commonwealth title challenger Dave Allen [23-6, 18 KOs].

Meanwhile, former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Peter McGrail [10-1, 6 KOs] takes over from Rhys Edwards at the last minute [16-0, 4 KOs] in a super featherweight fight. Isaac Lowe is also on the bill [25-2-3, 8 KOs[ will face Lee McGregor [14-1-1, 11 KOs] in a featherweight fight.

Daniel Lapin completes the card [10-0, 4 KOs]in which he will face another undefeated lightweight champion prospect, Dylan Colin [14-0, 4 KOs]and heavyweight knockout artist Andrii Novytskyi [14-0, 10 KOs] will face Edgar Ramirez [10-1-1, 4 KOs].

As is the tradition of the season, Riyad will feature local talent as Mohammed Alakel looks for a 2-0 win over Joshua Ocampo [8-33-5, 6 KOs].

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Billy Dib wins the final battle after a successful battle with cancer

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Billy Dib final fight

Former two-time world champion and cancer survivor Billy Dib won an eight-round super lightweight farewell bout against Game, the brave but outclassed Atilla Kayabasi.

The Z’s, aka all-time greats Carlos Zarate and Alfonso Zamora, brought “Billy The Kid” to the ring accompanied by the sweet tones of Frank Sinatra singing My…what else? Adolescent Bridger Walker performed Round Card duties between rounds.

Billy gave us a virtuoso performance, making Atilla’s face turn red with every strike on the book. The gulf of experience and a cascade of blows would have defeated a weaker man, Atilla survived it. Billy raised his hand moments before the bell rang to end the eighth and final round.

By winning his last fight, the WBC Champion of Hope achieved the impossible. He and Atilla embraced, and WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman entered the ring to say: “This is an extraordinary dream come true. Now we welcome Billy outside the ring.”

Dib said, “Alhamdulillah, I won and left on my own terms. There’s no better way to close this chapter. Thank you to Mauricio Sulaiman, my wife, my son Laith, my family and my amazing fans for all the love. I dedicate this victory to Israel Vázquez, every cancer warrior, and to my brother Vames.”

Billy brave. Billy the fearless one who fought against the darkest and most pressing adversities. Our tears of joy and admiration for the Hero who always smiles, even in the darkest hour, before the dawn.

The results of the glorious fight night organized at the 62nd World Boxing Council Convention at the Grand Elysee Hotel saw several hard-fought fights for the WBC championship from nuclear to heavyweight.

In the main fight of the evening, WBC super flyweight champion Asley González successfully defended her title against Mary Romero.

The more compact and harder-hitting Asley pursued a longer-armed, short-haired opponent who was constantly spinning in retreat.

There was some heated exchanges when they came together, but the lasting combinations came from Asley, who actually got caught with some tough, but single, solitary rights. Her level of work, more precise, concise beam punches and high-pressure fighting forcing Mary to constantly retreat won UD over.

Tough-hitting southpaw striker Mourad Aliev defended his WBC International Silver heavyweight title with a sixth-round KO victory over Davide Brito. Physically more imposing, Mourad made contact and often.

In the third round, David suffered a nosebleed and his mouthguard was broken, causing him to fall from one side of the ring to the other. He tried to fight back sporadically, but in round six he was trapped on the ropes and dropped by a massive right hand. Everything is over.

Serkay Comert won the WBC International silver title by defeating Yassin Hermi via UD. In the third round, it turned into an all-out war, which continued into the next round.

Serkay often struggled against the ropes and landed frequently. Yassin’s face swelled and in the sixth round a series of punches landed on him, and before the eighth round the ring doctor looked at him for a long time. He fought tough but got hit, especially down the stretch.

Ermal Hadribeaj won the MD title by defeating Eddy Colnenares to win the WBC International super welterweight belt. The lanky, much taller Eddy, who has the reach of an albatross, was shaky for the first three rounds. He then came to life and there was a lively exchange of words.

Southpaw Ermal was constantly jumping and weaving to avoid those long ramrod arms. He was more concerned with getting the win.

Benjamin Gavazi defeated Branimir Malencia in the tenth and final round to win the WBC international silver featherlight heavyweight title. Ben was catching Bran with right hands and various uppercuts. While Bran tried to crowd him and deal damage from head to toe. Two left-right headshot combinations in round ten convinced Bran to throw in the red towel at 1.41. So… TKO.

Esneidy Rodriguez defeated Sana Hazuki via UD for the WBC Silver Atomweight belt. The taller Suri tried to keep him at bay, but was relentlessly pursued by the more compact and powerful and grimly determined Esneidy, who landed several piercing combos and uppercuts. Suri had some success with long straight rights, but paid the price when Esneidy negated the range.

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