Boxing
John Riel Casimero stops Saul Sanchez in the first round, a day after cutting weight
Published
3 months agoon
John Riel Casimero had it much easier in the ring than on the scales.
The former three-division champion salvaged a near-disastrous weekend with a first-round knockout of Saul Sanchez. Casimero scored two knockdowns before forcing a finish at 2:41 in Saturday’s opening round at the Yokohama Budokan in Yokohama, Japan.
Sedate concerns were expressed about how the main event would proceed after Casimero made the scales twice. At the official weigh-in ceremony on Saturday, Casimero initially weighed more than two pounds more than his contracted limit of 122 pounds. Only after one last attempt did he manage to get down to 123 ¼ pounds.
Sanchez’s team conditionally agreed to continue the fight. Casimero had to attend two further weigh-ins on the day of the fight – once in the morning and again after arriving at the fight venue. Each time, the visiting Filipino confirmed that the entire show went according to plan.
From there there was one-way traffic.
Casimero injured Sanchez with the first punch he landed in the fight. Sanchez was in trouble and was forced to touch the canvas with his gloves within the first 20 seconds of the fight. Referee Yuji Fukuchi rightly ruled this sequence a knockdown and ordered a mandatory count of eight.
Sanchez unsuccessfully tried to counterattack and landed a left hook midway through the round. This only enraged Casimero, who came roaring back. He missed with a left hook, but managed to counterattack to the right. Casimero made Sanchez pay with another left hook and knocked the California native onto his back.
By some miracle, Sanchez recovered in time and defeated the count. Casimero was adamant about shutting down the program. Every punch was delivered with the intention of knocking out. The last right hand caused Sanchez to stagger and the referee intervened.
Casimero (34-4-1, 23 knockouts) is currently undefeated in his last 15 starts. However, the run also includes a draw in his previous fight and missing his WBO 118-pound weight in England after failing to follow weight management rules during fight week.
Sanchez (21-4, 12 KO) is currently 3-3 in his last six fights and is 1-2 on the year. He opened 2024 with a majority fight-of-the-year loss to then-WBO bantamweight champion Jason Moloney. Sanchez bounced back with an eight-round decision over Arthur Villanueva in July, also at bantamweight. His weight gain took a disastrous turn.
Casimero already held major titles at junior flyweight, flyweight and bantamweight.
At junior featherweight, he will need to show more commitment before he can prove he can fight for the crown. Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 KO) is the champion of The Ring and holds all four major titles at the weight. The two were supposed to meet in April 2020 in a fight to unify the three bantamweight belts, but the pandemic thwarted these plans.
There is loose talk of the fight returning to the schedule in 2025 if Inoue stays at 122 pounds.
The massive question surrounding Casimero is whether any promoter is willing to take a chance on the troubled 35-year-old. Former 130-pound champion Masayuki Ito brought Casimero on board with his TB Promotions team, but he was discouraged by the events leading up to this weekend’s fight. Inoue’s team has previously expressed interest in revisiting the fight, but they also demand the utmost professionalism during its events.
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Boxing
Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
1 week agoon
January 13, 2025The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
The next move is Badou Jack’s.
Boxing
Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years
Published
1 week agoon
January 12, 2025Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
Boxing
Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios
Published
2 weeks agoon
January 6, 2025WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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