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Skye Nicolson Embarrasses Dyana Vargas While Whitewashing Wells Fargo Center

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PHILADELPHIA – Skye Nicolson is not the answer for boxing fans looking for ultraviolence. But she can deliver basic lessons of sweet science in two-minute doses with great skill, as she demonstrated Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center by defending her women’s featherweight title against one-dimensional boxer Dyana Vargas.

Nicolson, an Australian 2020 Olympian, won all 10 rounds on all three scorecards, often frustrating her opponent with movement and true striking. The left-handed Nicolson controlled the fight from the start with footwork, feints and right jabs, and while “La Maquina” Vargas offered aggression, it was rarely effective.

Nicolson enjoyed her best round — and the closest thing fans could get to a power punch — in the fifth, when she landed a left jab to the jaw that forced Vargas to nod in approval. But Nicolson, with only one professional knockout to her name, is not a particularly good boxer, and Vargas didn’t seem particularly hurt.

Then monotony set in – “More of the same, 10-9 Nicolson” was the main thrust of the reporter’s notes for each of the next three rounds.

Vargas (18-2, 12 KOs) seemed downright furious in the final two rounds with the way Nicolson boxed her, but she only had herself to blame for her strategy of aimlessly pushing forward, remaining predictable and straightforward to beat.

“I loved the atmosphere, I had a great time there,” Nicolson (11-0, 1 KO) said afterward. “I’m getting better with every camp, every fight.”

DAZN’s Chris Mannix pointed out to Nicolson that Amanda Serrano holds all the other alphabet belts in her division and is currently busy with something else. (Serrano fights next Saturday and has a rematch with Katie Taylor scheduled for November.) Nicolson noted that she has “absolutely no interest” in pursuing Serrano — which is probably the right level of interest if Nicolson wants to remain undefeated for a while longer.

In a scheduled 10-round airy heavyweight fight, “Large Steppa” Khalil Coe stomped on Kwame Ritter, scoring a TKO just five minutes into the fight. Coe (9-0-1, 7 KOs) wobbled Ritter (11-2, 9 KOs) with a right hook early in the second round and knocked him down with another left hook. Ritter got back up when referee Ricky Gonzalez counted 8, but Coe quickly pounced on him, repeatedly rocking him on the ropes until Gonzalez stopped him at 1:59 of the round, handing Coe his fifth straight KO victory.

“We’re going to keep working, keep moving forward,” Coe said, before calling undefeated 175-pound Briton Joshua Buatsi onto the stage.

Former featherweight title contender Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz (29-4, 19 KOs) made tiny work of Derlyn “El Coyote” Hernandez (12-2-1, 10 KOs) in an eight-round junior lightweight bout that ended at 2:36 of the second round after a flurry of left hooks that sent Hernandez to the ropes. Another tidy punch sent his mouthpiece flying, and referee Ricky Gonzalez stepped in while Hernandez was still on his feet.

To the delight of a supportive, early-arriving local crowd, Philadelphia featherweight Christian Carto (23-1, 16 KOs) dominated veteran Carlos Buitrago (38-14-1, 22 KOs) for three rounds, including a lightning-fast knockdown in the third when Buitrago’s glove touched the canvas. Buitrago’s corner stopped the fight before the fourth round could begin.

Undefeated Ismail “The Chef” Muhammad nearly got cooked in the first round of his six-round fight, landing a challenging right hook — combined with a clash of heads, it turned out — early in his junior welterweight fight with Frank “Bloodhound” Brown (3-5-2, 1 KO). But Muhammad, a left-handed fighter from Philadelphia, recovered, scoring a fourth-round knockdown of his own with a left-right combination, stunning Brown with a left hook slow in the sixth and earning unanimous decisions by 57-55 and 58-54 twice to improve to 5-0 (4 KOs).

Philadelphia bantamweight Dennis Thompson opened the card by scoring a four-round unanimous decision over Argentine Fernando Valdez (1-8) in his pro debut. In a fast-paced fight, Thompson used steady body attack to tardy Valdez, stunned him with a left hook in the fourth, but was unable to knock Valdez down and settled for triple scores of 40-36.

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Boxing

Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC

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Badou Jack Rozicki Mikaelian WBC

The 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.

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Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years

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Floyd Mayweather 50-0

Floyd 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.

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Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios

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Manny Pacquiao vs Barrios

WBN 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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