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Olympic boxing draw complete; gold medalists Jalolov, La Cruz and Lopez return to action

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Bakhodir Jalolov, seen here in his 2022 KO victory over Jack Mulowayi, will be gunning for his second consecutive super heavyweight gold. Photo: Stephanie Trapp/Showtime

Team USA will begin its 2024 Olympic gold-medal campaign on Saturday with the first bout in the women’s 60-kilogram weight class, while Cubans Arlen Lopez and Julio Cesar La Cruz will begin their quest for a third gold.

Jajaira Gonzalez, a 27-year-old from Glendora, California, will be the first American boxer to step into the ring in Paris when she faces French 2016 gold medalist Estelle Mossely in the round of 32.

On Sunday, July 28, Team USA will have a second boxer in action when Roscoe Hill, 29, of Spring, Texas, takes on Omid Ahmadisafa, a 31-year-old Iranian kickboxer who represents the Refugee Olympic team, in the men’s 51-kilogram weight class. On Monday, July 29, the USA will have another boxer in action when super heavyweight Joshua Edwards takes on Italian Diego Lenzi in the men’s round of 16, and 57-kilogram boxer Alyssa Mendoza takes on Mijgona Samadova of Tajikistan in the round of 16 on Tuesday, July 30.

On Wednesday, July 31, two more Americans will compete: Omari Jones (21) of Orlando, Florida, will face Kan Chia Wei of China from Tapei in the round of 16 in the 71 kg weight class, and Jahmal Harvey (21) of Oxon Hill, Maryland, will face Luiz Gabriel Oliveira, the 2023 Pan American Games bronze medalist from Brazil, with whom he has a 3-2 record, in the round of 16 in the men’s 57 kg weight class.

The final Americans scheduled to fight for their first time are Jennifer Lozano and Morelle McCane, who will begin their fights on Thursday, Aug. 1. Lozano, a 110-pound boxer from Laredo, Texas, who received a first-round bye and will face the winner of Sunday’s round-of-32 bout between Pihla Kaivo Oja of Finland and Margaret Tembo of Zambia, while McCane, 29, of Cleveland, will face Uzbekistan’s Navbakhor Khamidova in the women’s 150-pound round-of-16.

The U.S. men’s team hasn’t won a boxing gold medal since 2016, when Claressa Shields won two consecutive golds, while the American men have had a much longer absence, not winning gold since 2004. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the United States won three silver medals and one bronze.

Lozano told The Ring she believes Team USA will turn a lot of heads at the Olympics in Paris.

“All I can say is that the U.S. has not only worked tough, but sacrificed and become a family,” said Lozano, who won silver at the 2023 Pan American Games. “This year, Team USA Boxing will be the most history-making team in boxing in terms of gold medals. And that includes the men. The U.S. men have a good chance to end that streak.”

Arlen Lopez and Julio Cesar La Cruz will be looking to join Laszlo Papp, Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon in a distinguished group of boxers who have won three Olympic gold medals.

Lopez, now 31, will be back in action next Friday, August 2 in the men’s 80-kilogram quarterfinals when he faces the winner between Eumir Marcial of the Philippines, the 2020 bronze medalist, and Turabek Khabibullaev of Uzbekistan, who will meet on Tuesday. Lopez won gold at middleweight in 2016 and moved up to the heavier weight for 2020 to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

La Cruz, who won lithe heavyweight gold at the 2016 Rio Games and heavyweight gold in Tokyo in 2020, will face another Cuban in the 92kg round of 16 on Sunday when he takes on Loren Alfonso, who currently represents Azerbaijan. The two previously fought in 2019, with La Cruz winning by unanimous decision in the Czech Republic.

Despite lifting the ban on women’s boxing last year, Cuba has failed to qualify any women for the Olympics. As a result, the amateur boxing powerhouse will have just five boxers in Paris, including Erislandy Álvarez (63.5 kg), Alejandro Claro (51 kg) and Saidel Horta (57 kg).

In other action, 57kg Filipino boxer Carlo Paalam will begin his bid to improve on his silver medal in Tokyo when he faces Ireland’s Jude Gallagher in the round of 16 next Wednesday. Paalam, 26, was sidelined from the first round of the world championships in March by a shoulder injury but came back mighty to win the quota fight in the last chance round in June, securing his place at the Olympics.

Paalam will be joined by fellow Filipino silver medalist Nesthy Petecio, who will begin his tournament on July 30 in the round of 32 of the women’s 57 kg against Jaismine Lamboria of India. The winner of that bout will face Frenchwoman Amina Zidani, who won gold at the 2023 European Games.

Hasanboy Dusmatov, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist from Uzbekistan, will return to the Paris Olympics, where he will face Juanma Lopez de Jesus of Puerto Rico in the men’s 51-kilogram round of 16 on July 30. His teammate, super heavyweight Bakhodir Jalolov, will once again take a break from his 14-0 (14 knockouts) professional career as he attempts to repeat his gold medal from the 2020 Games. The 30-year-old left-hander, who stands 6-foot-7, will face Omar Shiha on Monday, July 29 in the round of 16.

The first gold medal match is scheduled for August 6 in the women’s 60 kg weight class, while the last four finals will be held on August 10.

Olympic boxing will be broadcast live in the United States on Peacock. The full schedule is below, courtesy of Peacock.

Saturday, July 27
9:30am EST: Women’s Bantam (R32), Men’s Airy (R32) and others
2:00 PM EST: Women’s lithe (R32), men’s medium (R32) and others

Sunday, July 28
5:00 AM EST: Men’s heavyweight (R16), women’s flyweight and welterweight (R32) and others
9:30am EST: Men’s pen (R32), Women’s welter (R32) and others
2:00 PM EST: Men’s heavyweight (R16), women’s flyweight and welterweight (R32) and others

Monday, July 29
5:00 AM EST: Men’s Super Heavyweight (R16)
9:30am EST: Men’s and women’s lightweight (R16), men’s super bulky (R16) and others
2:00 PM EST: Lightweight women’s (R16), super heavyweight men’s (R16) and others

Tuesday, July 30
5:00 AM EST: Men’s Fly & Middle (R16), women’s Feather (R32) and more
9:30am EST: Men’s bow tie and medium (R16), bantam bow tie (R16) and others
2:00 PM EST: Men’s Medium (R16), Bantam Bantam (R16) and others

Wednesday, July 31
5:00 AM EST: Women’s Medium (R16), Men’s Pen (R16) and others
9:20 EST: Women’s Lightweight (QF), Men’s Welterweight (R16) and others
2:00 PM EST: Women’s lightweight (QF), men’s featherweight (R16) and others

Thursday, August 1st
5:00 AM EST: Women’s Welterweight (R16), Men’s Heavyweight (QF) and more
9:30am EST: Women’s Bantamweight (QF), Men’s Lightweight (QF) and more
2:00 PM EST: Massive male (QF), bantam female (QF) and others

Friday, August 2nd
9:30am EST: Men’s Super Massive (QF), Women’s Feather (R16) and more
2:00 PM EST: Super Massive Men’s (QF), Fly Men’s (QF) and others

Saturday, August 3
9:30am EST: Men’s Feather (QF), Women’s Airy (SF) and others
2:00 PM EST: Women’s Lightweight (SF), Men’s Welterweight (QF) and others

Sunday, August 4th
5:00 AM EST: Medium Male (SF), Female Bantam (SF) and others
9:30am EST: Massive Male (SF), Bantam Female (SF) and others

Tuesday, August 6
3:30 PM EST: Women’s Lightweight (Final), Men’s Welterweight (SF) and more

Wednesday, August 7
3:30 PM EST: Men, Middleweight, Lightweight (Finals) and Others

Thursday, August 8
3:30 PM EST: Men’s fly, women’s bantam (finals) and others

Friday, August 9
3:30 PM EST: Men’s and women’s Welter, men’s heavyweight, women’s flyweight (finals)

Saturday, August 10
3:30 PM EST: Men’s and Women’s Featherweight, Women’s Middleweight, Men’s Super Heavyweight (Final)

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Boxing

The fight between Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel will take place on December 14 at the Toyota Arena

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Rocha vs Curiel

In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).

The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.

“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”

Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00

“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”

Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.

“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.

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George Kambosos moves up to 140, adds Eddie Hearn to team

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George Kambosos beats Teofimo

Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.

Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.

The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.

Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.

The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.

“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.

“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.

“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”

Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.

“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].

Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.

“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.

Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.

“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.

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Boxing

Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul

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Mike Tyson comeback black

One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.

WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.

Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.

“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.

“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.

“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.

He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”

Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.

Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.

Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.

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