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Stephen Fulton is a mandatory WBA fighter for Nick Ball

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Image: Stephen Fulton is Nick Ball's WBA mandatory

WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball (21-0-1, 12 KOs) has a tough mandatory challenger in Stephen Fulton next for him after a grueling tenth-round knockout victory Saturday night over Ronny Rios (34-5, 17 KO) at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.

Former WBC and WBO super bantamweight champion Fulton’s boxing skills will be a gigantic problem for the 5’2″ Ball if this fight comes next, as he has skills the 27-year-old has not seen before.

It was Ball’s first defense of his newly won WBA 126-pound title, but he may have to face the mandatory Fulton (22-1, 8 KO) next if the World Boxing Association orders the fight. Ball said tonight that he wants to have a unification fight with one of the 126-pound champions next, but we’ll see if the WBA allows it.

Fulton lost to Naoya Inoue last July by eighth-round knockout in Tokyo, Japan. It was too much firepower for Fulton at the time, and he fought too cautiously against the Japanese star in front of his fans at the Ariake Arena. Against Ball, Fulton would be able to handle the style much easier because he’s not a marksman with Inoue’s speed and power.

WBA No. 1 Fulton looked spectacular last month, defeating Carlos Castro with a breathtaking 10-round split decision victory on the Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga on September 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

If the WBA allows Ball to place Fulton in a fight against one of the other featherweight champions, the logical fight would be against WBO champion Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KO).

“I always want to eliminate them, no matter what. If I feel the pace, they will feel the pace ten times worse. Keep going until the bell rings and the fight is over,” Nick Ball said Social boxing.

“In boxing, it all comes down to who wants it the most. When you’re there, it’s just you and him. He is the one who wants it the most.”

Last update: 10/05/2024

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Sebastian Fundora is the fighter to beat at 154, says Tim Tszyu

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Seven months after losing to Sebastian Fundora, Tim Tszyu described the unified WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion as a man he can beat at 154.

Twenty-nine-year-old Tszyu from Australia lost a split decision to replacement Fundora at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, surrendering his WBO belt in the process. The 26-year-old Fundora took advantage of Tszyu’s devastating second-round injury to claim a 115-113, 116-112 and 116-112 split decision victory.

Talking about his wealth of talent at the age of 154, Tszyu refused to acknowledge Fundora as the best junior middleweight, but believes he currently holds the titles needed to be considered the best.

“Man, the 154-pound division is heated right now,” Tszyu said in an interview with BoxingScene. “Names are popping up everywhere. There are belts all over the place, so it’s good to be in this division now.”

In addition to Tszyu, the junior middleweight division is currently loaded with plenty of talent, including Terence Crawford, Fundora, Israil Madrimov, Vergil Ortiz, Serhii Bohachuk, Brian Mendoza and Erickson Lubin, among others.

When asked who in the talent pool he wanted to face, Tszyu said he was open to fighting anyone at 154 pounds, but chose Fundora as the first option on his list. Tszyu also has plans to gain weight in the future.

“If everything presents itself and everything falls into place, then yes, of course. Why not? It all depends on the current situation. Changes in boxing. It’s like a fighter losing and then being next in line. That’s all. You can’t really predict the future much. It’s arduous.

“It’s very heated at 154 at the moment, so I’ll stay here. Fundora already has the belts at the moment, but no, I don’t think he’s the best.”

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Tyson Fury enters his rematch with Usyk in destruction mode

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TYSON Fury says he approaches fights no differently now than when he was a youthful, rising boxer. He is currently training for the biggest moment of his life, after losing his undefeated record to Oleksandr Usyk in a May thriller, and as he approaches the age of 40, the self-proclaimed “Gypsy King” believes that a change of plans will lead him to revenge on December 21.

“I’m going to go into destroy mode now. The last time I went to box with him, I was careful and boxed [the] head straight for it. Let’s talk about the facts,” Fury buzzed.

“Anyone can get caught, which we see in a lot of heavyweight fights. But this time I won’t decide on points. I’m going to knock the motherfucker out.

Taking time during camp to chat in the TNT Sports studio, Tyson agreed with boxing specialist Steve Bunce that he is now fit, in good shape and willing to perform where it counts, even though the fight is almost three months away.

“I’m ready to rock and roll. Look, I don’t need a 12-week camp. I’ve been boxing all my life. I’m ready to leave tonight, tomorrow, next weekend, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday. It doesn’t really matter. I can get into the ring with 30 stones and do 15 rounds.

“I’m a natural at it. All I need is five or six weeks of sparring, this time good sparring, where I don’t have a wound that’s going to open up. We were very worried about the cut at camp because that cut came with a huge payout. And the cut didn’t even matter in the fight.”

That same week, he admitted his corner team would likely remain unchanged for the return leg in Riyad. The 36-year-old Tyson comprehensively addressed the issue of the laceration that caused initial confusion in the Usyks’ first fight, and the recovery became a race against time.

“Just three months, 12 weeks earlier, I had a 16-inch cut on my left eye that needed to heal. I’m not sure how long it takes for the wound to heal. I mean, how long? Fury asked Anthony Crolla for answers.

“It took maybe seven or eight weeks for the wound to heal and then another six or seven weeks of training. But there is always a risk that it will open and then you will lose your large fortune, you know what I mean?

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Noel Mikaeljan-Ryan Rozicki’s WBC title fight postponed to December 7 in Sydney, Nova Scotia

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It wasn’t a great afternoon for #PurseBidHeads, but it was a great afternoon for Ryan Rozicki and his team.

The Ring has confirmed that an eleven-hour agreement has been reached regarding Rozicki’s rescheduled bout with WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaeljan. Their oft-delayed title fight is now set for December 7 at Center 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Don King Productions and Three Lions Promotions, promoters of Mikaeljan and Rozicki respectively, reached an agreement on Friday afternoon. Minutes before the scheduled bidding hearing, which was subsequently canceled, an agreement was reached.

Mikaejan (27-2, 12 knockouts) will now have to travel to Rozicki’s hometown for his first title defense.

“We managed to get a deal done with Don King minutes before the deadline, Three Lions Promotions president Daniel Otter told The Ring. “We are very excited to bring the world title to Canada.

“Ryan is ready to become a world champion and can’t wait to get in the ring.”

This enthusiasm could not be appreciated enough.

Mikaeljan-Rozicki has already been postponed four times. Problems have arisen since a cut Mikaeljan suffered during training camp wiped out their planned June 7 fight date.

The last attempt to reschedule occurred on September 28 during Don King’s performance at Casino Miami Jai Alai in Miami, Florida. However, the program was immediately canceled without any explanation from King’s office.

This resulted in insolvency in the eyes of the WBC, which re-ordered the title fight and sent the matter to a bidding hearing. For now, the sanctioning authority is satisfied with the latest result.

“It’s going to be an unbelievable fight,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told The Ring. “I am delighted that the WBC cruiserweight title fight will take place in the ring before the end of this year.”

The fight venue is a real home match for Rozicki (20-1, 19 KO).

The building’s primary residents are the Cape Breton Eagles of the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League.

Rozicki (20-1, 19 KO) also regularly appears at the stadium. He headlined or featured prominently in all six boxing events that took place at this location in the 21st century. The last time he scored a first-round knockout was Mario Aguilar (23-9, 19 KO) in December 2022.

Rozicki’s impressive record as he emerged as mandatory challenger to the WBC cruiserweight title was added to by four consecutive knockout victories. Several delays in the title fight have kept him out of the ring since he knocked out Olanrewaju Durodola (46-10, 41 KO) in the first round on December 3 last year in Sydney.

All told, the 29-year-old has won seven straight matches since losing to Oscar Rivas in October 2021. Their fierce fight was the inaugural fight for the WBC bridgeweight title.

His previously scheduled challenge for Mikaeljan’s title would be the first fight of Rozicki’s career outside Canada.

Now it’s Mikaeljan who goes on tour and fights in another promoter’s program.

Mikaeljan, rated No. 2 out of 200 by The Ring, won the belt with a third-round knockout of former champion Ilunga Makabu in his adopted hometown of Miami. The 33-year-old Armenian remains the only busy player in King’s current promotional lineup.

Rozicki is number 8 in the rankings of The Ring organization.

Follow @JakeNDaBox

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