Results
Vergil Ortiz Jr vs. Michael McKinson
Vergil Ortiz Jr. continued his 100% knockout streak and on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas, he clinched his welterweight world title fight by knocking out Michael McKinson in the ninth round.
Ortiz Jr (19-0, 19 KO) made the decisive breakthrough in the eighth round, defeating previously undefeated McKinson (22-1, 2 KO) with a brutal body shot.
Although the Briton survived the round, another body blow in the ninth throw knocked him to the ground again and despite valiantly beating the count, the Briton’s rousing challenge came to an end moments later as his father and coach had a towel in hand, calling for a halt to the contest.
Both welterweight pairs were undefeated heading into their clash at Dickies Arena and five months after they were first set to fight, with Ortiz Jr pulling out of fight week due to illness.
McKinson defeated replacement Alex Martin on points to take the biggest step forward in his career to date.
The American showed no signs of resting in the ring despite a year off since his last fight, an eighth-round victory over Egidijus Kavaliauskas, and looked to consolidate his position in a dominant opener, landing a flurry of punches and giving his opponent a reminder of his devastating power.
However, the 24-year-old returned to the corner with blood streaming down the left side of his face after suffering a nasty cut following an accidental head collision.
McKinson, who was expected to cause problems for the home favorites with his deft style of play, had a better second round and managed to limit Ortiz’s success.
The Texan was in near-complete control by the middle of the match, though, constantly firing to the body to snail-paced McKinson and alternating his attacks up top, although the guy’s chin held up under relentless attack.
RESPECT between these two warriors after a tough fought war by both.#OrtizMcKinson pic.twitter.com/bxJdL4jTGb
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) August 7, 2022
The visitors struggled to make any real impact on Ortiz Jr., although he began to establish himself in the seventh round and was causing his opponent to miss more often than many before, with his elusive moves causing problems.
However, Ortiz Jr.’s pressure was unrelenting and it was noticeable in the eighth round.
A wicked body threw McKinson to the canvas for the first time in his career.
The 28-year-old southpaw got up and circled Ortiz Jr, signaling the end of the round.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. knocks down Michael McKinson with a perfectly placed body shot 👊#OrtizMcKinson pic.twitter.com/GHcfqxv3k7
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 7, 2022
Ortiz Jr, who was in unfamiliar territory after eight rounds, first threw himself at his opponent early in the ninth, and with McKinson still clearly feeling the effects of the knockdown, another body shot ripped through him and dropped him.
His race appeared to be over and as Ortiz Jr applied the pressure, McKinson’s father and trainer, Michael Ballingall, had the towel in hand and the fight was over, with the Portsmouth fighter wincing in pain from what appeared to be a hip injury.
The fight was a WBA world title eliminator, and Ortiz Jr was the number one contender behind “super” champion Errol Spence Jr and “regular” titleholder Eimantas Stanionis.
Ortiz Jr was asked after the fight about fighting WBO holder Terence Crawford, who was watching from ringside, although a fight between Spence and Crawford seems unlikely considering the pair are in negotiations to fight in a highly anticipated undisputed title fight later . year.
“He’s a little tied up right now” Ortiz Jr. he told DAZN’s Chris Mannix.
“But if the opportunity arises, I will be more than content to fight him.”
In McKinson’s case, his stock will only rise in defeat. “The Problem” put in a solid performance on the biggest stage of his career so far against a world-class cameraman who has come further in the pro game than he’s ever come before.
The Esparza flows from Guzman
Marlen Esparza defended her WBC and WBA flyweight world titles by unanimous decision against Eva Guzman.
In an action-packed match, Guzman (19-2-1, 11 KO) put on a rousing display and had some inspiring moments, although the cleaner and more consistent shots came from the unified champion.
These two are moving forward 🧨#OrtizMcKinson pic.twitter.com/o5LktNuC9y
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 7, 2022
Esparza (13-1, 1 KO) secured a clear victory, as reflected in two scores of 98-92 and another of 99-91.
Cobbs too robust for Hooker
Blair Cobbs returned to his winning ways, dropping Maurice Hooker three times en route to a well-deserved unanimous decision victory.
Cobbs, who recovered from a knockout loss to Alexis Rocha in March, looked the sharper of the two from the very beginning and defeated Hooker (27-3-3, 18 KO) in the first round.
An uppercut followed by a right jab from above left the hometown man shaking on his legs, and a follow-up attack dropped him on the seat of his pants.
THREE GOOD LUCK IN TWO ROUNDS FOR BLAIR COBBS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/HYoOzDIVx6
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 7, 2022
Cobbs (16-1-1, 10 KO) upped the ante even further in the second round, and in his most dominant round, he dropped Hooker twice with straight left hands.
Hooker, fighting for the first time since a seventh-round knockout loss to Ortiz in March 2021, was urged to boost his performance by trainer Brian “BoMac” McIntyre and Crawford, but was unable to significantly disrupt “The Flair,” who boxed his way to victory in the final few rounds after suffering a nasty cut following an accidental head collision in the sixth round.
Two scores of 97-90 and another of 96-91 confirmed Cobbs’ victory.
Melikuziev overtook Janjanin
Bektemir Melikuziev continued his career resurgence after stopping the underdog Slandan Janjanin in three rounds.
Melikuziew (10-1, 8 KO) outweighed Janjanin (32-12, 24 KO) in the first 30 seconds of the fight, defeating the Bosnian with a vicious body shot.
After 3 knockdowns of Melikuziew, the referee ends this one 😤#OrtizMcKinson pic.twitter.com/I5tYT0EccE
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 7, 2022
The 2016 Olympic silver medalist dished out more punishment in the second round, with the 31-year-old knocking down with a pair of hooks.
The end seemed inevitable and Janjanin bravely rose from the canvas after taking another brutal shot in the third round, referee Neal Juvenile stepped in.
Melikuziev is currently undefeated in three fights since his only professional loss to Gabe Rosado.
Remaining Undercard
The aforementioned Alex Martin (18-4, 6 KO) bounced back from a loss to McKinson in his last fight and rose to the top, defeating veteran operator Hank Lundy (31-11-1, 14 KO) with a dominant performance in the super lightweight match.
The 33-year-old was forced to get up from the floor in the first round, but he won with scores of 97-92 (x2) and 98-91.
Elsewhere, Floyd Schofield (11-0, 9 KOs) extended his undefeated lightweight record with a fifth-round stoppage of retired Rodrigo Guerrero (26-15-2, 16 KOs).
In the other two super lightweight fights, Rohan Polanco (8-0, 5 KOs) knocked out Dedrick Bell (31-33-1, 17 KOs) in the second round, while Carlos Nava (9-0, 6 KOs) stopped Rodolfo Hernandez Montoya (30-11-1, 28 KOs) in the fourth.
Figo Ramirez Gonzalez (2-0, 1 KO) picked up his second professional victory, defeating Francisco Bonilla Zambrano (6-14-3, 3 KO) by unanimous decision.
According to Frank Warren, Oleksandr Usyk is looking forward to the world heavyweight title clash between Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker on February 22.
Usyk was present with Dubois and Parker at the Ring Awards in London on Saturday, where he allegedly revealed his plans to Warren.
The Ukrainian defended his WBA superweight, WBO and WBC heavyweight world titles with a second consecutive points victory over Tyson Fury in December, almost seven months after defeating “The Gypsy King” to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.
And now the two-time world heavyweight champion looks to continue his legacy and become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion.
“Oleksandr told me over the weekend that he would fight the winner of Daniel v Joseph Parker for a second shot at becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion,” Warren said. Daily mail.
The 37-year-old vacated the IBF belt shortly after defeating Fury in May against Dubois, whom he retained in August 2023, advancing to full champion on the interim title list.
Dubois crushed Anthony Joshua in five rounds in his first defense in September and stormed the ring to call on Usyk for a rematch after his second victory over Fury.
The Londoner’s argument for wanting a rematch is based on a controversial low blow in the fifth round of the fight against the Ukrainian, which he believed was a legal shot.
“Usyk, I want to take revenge,” said the 27-year-old.
“Good job tonight.
“I want revenge for the last robbery.
“Let’s sort this out. Let’s go.
After back-to-back defeats to Usyk, Fury announced on Monday that he was retiring with immediate effect, ending hopes of a long-awaited showdown with Joshua.
“Hi everyone, I’ll keep it brief and sweet,” the 36-year-old said on Instagram.
“I would like to announce that I am leaving boxing.
“It was great fun.
“I loved every minute of it.
“Let me end this, Dick Turpin wore a mask.
“God bless everyone, see you on the other side.”
Ben Shalom insists Conor Benn’s financial demands were a key obstacle to finalizing his fight with Chris Eubank Jr.
Shalom, Eubank Jr’s promoter, is in negotiations with Benn’s promoter Eddie Hearn to secure a realigned showdown between the British rivals.
The pair were scheduled to meet in October 2022, but the catchweight bout was postponed until fight week after Benn failed a drug test.
“The Destroyer” was released by National Anti-Doping Panelwho lifted the suspension, after which negotiations resumed for a pointed fight with Eubank Jr, as a result of which Benn jumped two weight classes to middleweight.
The main point of contention apparently was the financial demands of both players, with Benn’s team demanding a 50-50 split.
Shalom said last month that he convinced Eubank Jr. to accept a 55-45 split in his favor, and the BOXXER promoter claims that Benn is demanding whatever amount Anthony Joshua will be able to make.
“Getting Conor to understand that he is not Anthony Joshua,” Shalom said The boxing scene.
“I think Conor needs to be talked into some sense.
“If it was Chris Eubank Jr three or four years ago, probably when he was more hotheaded, he actually took a pretty reasonable, mature approach to this whole thing.
“I really believe in it. It’s just about getting the other side to do it too. I think it will be implemented.”
Shalom said Professional boxing fans on Wednesday that the two sides are close to reaching an agreement, and if an agreement is reached, the fight is expected to take place in April.
A fight with WBA middleweight Erislandy Lara has been lined up for Eubank Jr in case a deal falls through, while his Essex counterpart is likely to aim for a meeting with WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios if he is unable to face the fighter from Brighton.
“I think it will happen as long as no one does something stupid,” Shalom told professional boxing fans.
“We are now in the home phase.
“It’s like the last 100m, unless someone does something crazy, they should cross the finish line, but it has to be now because Lara is in line.
“All conditions have been described. Nobody wants to wait and everyone is ready to act.
“We know where the event will take place. We know it will take place in the UK.
“The framework is already in place and now it’s just a matter of finishing it.”
The 2025 British Boxing Championships will be held at the Park Community Arena in Sheffield on Saturday evening, with the main event being the defense of Callum Simpson, from nearby Barnsley, in the British and Commonwealth super middleweight title against Steed Woodall.
Ben Shalom’s BOXXER promotes the Simpson vs. Woodall fight and Heavenly sports was broadcast live on television in the UK and the fight was available on Peacock in the US.
Simpson (15-0, 10 KO) flourished under the BOXXER banner, and points scored over ten rounds against Boris Crighton and Jose de Jesus Macias opened the way to a shot at the British and Commonwealth belts.
The 28-year-old got this chance at the stadium of his beloved Barnsley football club.
Simpson proved too good for Zak Chelli and scored massive to win the pair of titles on offer last August.
Now his opponent will be Woodall (19-2-1, 12 KO), “The Stallion”, who comes from Birmingham.
The 30-year-old took part in campaigns in America and Panama at the beginning of his career, and after beating the aforementioned Crighton over eight rounds in April 2023, he gave Padraig McCrory a decent argument before losing on points over ten rounds four months later.
Woodall picked up the best win of his career when he stopped Lerrone Richards in six rounds in an upset in Bolton to claim the WBO Intercontinental super middleweight crown last June.
Prediction: Simpson is a viable prospect to watch this year and I think he will outperform Woodall, but most likely based on the scorecards.
Dubois defends his world title for the first time
On the card, Caroline Dubois defends her WBC lightweight title for the first time against Canadian Jessica Camara.
Dubois (10-0, 5 KO) was already an IBO champion and added the WBC interim belt to her collection last August, winning every round over Maira Moneo.
She was then elevated to full champion after leaving Katie Taylor.
Camara (14-4, 3 KO) is a former world title contender, and last April she won a split decision over undefeated former world champion Hyun Mi Choi.
Prediction: Dubois will be looking to showcase her talents here, and considering Camara has had three stoppages in four losses, Dubois could make her presence felt with a win on schedule.
Undercard remaining
Cruiserweight prospect Scott Forrest (6-0, 3 KO) can stop Deevorn Miller (8-2, 6 KO).
The only fighter in the eighth round is in the featherlight heavyweight division, and Billy Deniz (12-0, 5 KO) will probably need the distance to win against Mickey Ellison (15-7, 5 KO).
In the six-round middleweight division, Sam Hickey (1-0) should score against Lewis Howells (3-1), and Mauro Silva (6-0, 3 KO) could do the same against Emmanuel Zion (6-2, 3) KO).
Ellis Price (1-0) should secure a four-round points victory over lightweight debutant Liam Fitzmauric.
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