Friday, June 30, 2023

Will Anderson Get A Tougher Test From Martin?

It seems as though in recent weeks in the sport of Boxing, the trend has become "Homecomings." In that a fighter who has achieved notoriety in the sport coming back to their respective hometowns to compete before a crowd of enthusiastic supporters. While most of the time such scenarios are usually designed as a showcase for said fighter before a significant fight down the line, there are times when a "Homecoming Fight" turns out to be more competitive than some may have anticipated. One needs to look no further than WBC Jr. Welterweight world champion Regis Prograis' recent return to his hometown of New Orleans, LA to defend his title against Danielito Zorrilla for an example of a fight with the design of a showcase, which ultimately turned out to be a close call for the champion, who retained his title via twelve round split decision.


The next "Homecoming Fight" of significance will take place on Saturday, July 1st in Toledo, OH as undefeated Heavyweight prospect and "Knockout Artist" Jared Anderson will return to his hometown at the Huntington Center. An event that can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+. A slight wrinkle emerged however, when Anderson's scheduled opponent, the undefeated Zhan Kossobutskiy was forced to withdraw from the bout due to visa issues. While Kossobutskiy, much like Anderson, is an unbeaten "Knockout Artist," the opponent who has emerged to step in to face Anderson, one might argue now could potentially be a more significant test for the young unbeaten prospect. Charles Martin.


Martin, a one time IBF Heavyweight champion of the world, is by far the most experienced opponent that Anderson, who has scored knockouts in all fourteen of his professional fights, will have faced in addition to being the first former world champion he has been in the ring with. Although Martin has taken this fight on little more than a week's notice, he has remained a top contender for several years since losing the IBF championship to Anthony Joshua in April 2016. In thirty-three professional fights, Martin has a record of 29-3-1, with 26 Knockouts.


What this fight will come down to in this observer's eyes will obviously center on how prepared Martin is in taking this fight on a narrow timeframe. Martin does have some punching power, but he is a crafty boxer/puncher, who when he is at his best, has proven to be a difficult fighter to combat for many opponents. The red flag that some might see with Martin is there are times where he has been caught and in fact, two of his three losses did come by stoppage against Joshua and Luis Ortiz.


Some may recall that in his fight against Ortiz on New Year's Day in 2022, Martin was seemingly in control of that fight, having scored two knockdowns of Ortiz during the course of that fight before being caught and stopped by Ortiz in the sixth round. The reason yours truly brings this up is much like Ortiz, Anderson has the type of punching power that can turn a fight around and end a fight suddenly. If Charles Martin is to have success in this fight he needs to be aware at all times and be wary of getting caught as the possibility of getting caught by the explosive power of Anderson should be taken seriously.


What Martin does have going for him going into this fight is his experience. As devastating as Anderson has been throughout his career up to this point, he has yet to be extended beyond four rounds in his career. The strategy for Martin though obviously easier said than done, should be to try to extend Anderson into the middle and late rounds of this scheduled ten round Heavyweight bout. Martin must not only find a way to survive Anderson's power early, but must find a way to make him uncomfortable where he will be tested for the first time. It is something that Martin is capable of doing, but it will be interesting to see if it truly is easier said than done. Especially, if under the circumstances in which this fight was made, Anderson attempts to end the fight quickly in thinking that Martin may not be at his best with the limited time to prepare for the fight.


Nevertheless, it is often when a prospect meets a former world champion that often serves as an indicator as to whether or not the prospect is ready for either a top contender or even an opportunity at a world championship. This observer has quietly watched Anderson's progression and while he has been impressive up to this point, I am not quite ready to say that he is ready for such a fight. If however, he performs well in this fight and to be more specific, if he does so after being tested by the crafty veteran and former world champion in Martin, it might be time to think about that possibility.


"And That's The Boxing Truth."


Anderson vs. Martin takes place on Saturday, July 1st at the Huntington Center in Toledo, OH. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 6:10PM ET/3:10PM PT. For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com


*Check your local listings internationally.*


*Card and start time subject to change.*


The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.


Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 


Thursday, June 29, 2023

Smith And Maxwell Bring Spotlight To The British And Commonwealth Jr. Welterweight Championships

In the last several weeks, the spotlight of the sport of Boxing has been firmly focused on the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division with much of the attention on the two recent world championship fights that have taken place in the division. While those bouts for world titles and others that are referred to as being on the "World Level" internationally will always receive the majority of the attention in every division in Boxing, what sometimes gets overshadowed are those fighters around the world who are approaching that level, who are competing for championships on the regional level of the sport.


Two such fighters that are preparing to meet for two regional championships in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division are  Dalton Smith and Sam Maxwell, who will meet on July 1st at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England for the British and Commonwealth Jr. Welterweight championships. A scheduled twelve round bout that can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN. While often fighters competing for the British and Commonwealth championships, much like other regional championships throughout the sport  those who are approaching entering the world rankings, in this case, we have one fighter in Smith who has already won an international championship in the World Boxing Council (WBC) rankings going against a fighter in Maxwell, who has already fought for a world championship in his career. This fight also represents a unification bout as Smith holds the British Jr. Welterweight championship and Maxwell holds the Commonwealth championship.


Smith, who is currently rated in the top twenty-five in the WBC's Jr. Welterweight ratings, is unbeaten in fourteen professional fights and won the British Jr. Welterweight championship in June of last year with a sixth round knockout of Sam O'Maison and has gone on to successfully defend his title twice. A boxer/puncher who has shown thus far that he can do a little of everything, Smith is still searching for the first significant test of his career as he looks to continue making strides in the world rankings. Smith has scored knockouts in ten of his fourteen wins and is capable of getting an opponent out of there if the opportunity presents itself.


In Sam Maxwell, Smith will face a slightly more experienced opponent who has had a taste of what it is like to fight for a world championship in his career. Maxwell's challenge of then IBO Jr. Welterweight world champion Alejandro Meneses in April of last year did not go well for him as he was stopped in nine rounds in what was to date the lone loss of Maxwell's career.Maxwell, who was the Commonwealth Jr. Welterweight champion going into that fight, now prepares to resume defending his title after successfully getting back in the ring in February of this year in scoring a six round decision over Shaun Cooper. When Maxwell won the Commonwealth championship, it was in a fight similar to this where the British championship was also on the line. So, he is no stranger to the atmosphere in which this fight will be fought and, despite the loss to Meneses, Maxwell can use those experiences to his benefit as he prepares for this fight. 


Similar to his opponent, Sam Maxwell is a boxer/puncher, having scored knockouts in eleven of his seventeen career wins. Although the two fighters are similar in style, there may be some who might feel that Smith has the more punching power of the two. Maxwell does however, have more experience and that could be the one attribute people could point to as an advantage for him.


What this fight will likely come down to in this observer's eyes is who will be able to control the tempo of the combat. When two fighters who face each other are similar in both fighting style, skillset, and can do a lot of the same things inside the ring, who can control the tempo and do so for the majority of the fight is crucial because the possibility exists of potentially a close fight that might prove difficult to score if both fighters are able to have success throughout.


While many fighters out of the United Kingdom have held the British and Commonwealth championships throughout the sport and have gone on to challenge for and win world titles in their careers, the storyline of this fight is not so much about the unification of two prestigious championships in British Boxing, but rather of two fighters in Dalton Smith and Sam Maxwell who are looking to move forward in their careers and have crossed paths as a result. The winner will obviously move forward towards contending for a world championship down the line. A loss for either fighter should not be an indicator that they may have to rethink their career, but a loss will be a step back and it will likely take some time to get back to this threshold. With much on the line for both fighters, it will be interesting to see who will come out on top.


"And That's The Boxing Truth." 


Smith vs. Maxwell takes place on Saturday, July 1st at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 12PM ET/9AM PT with Before The Bell, which will feature preliminary bouts. This will be followed by the main card, which will begin at 2PM ET/11AM PT. (U.S. Times Only.)


For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com


The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.


Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 



Wednesday, June 28, 2023

MOST VALUABLE PROMOTIONS’ UNDEFEATED PHENOM ASHTON “H2O” SYLVE TO FACE LIGHTWEIGHT POWERHOUSE WILLIAM SILVA ON THE JAKE PAUL VS. NATE DIAZ PAY-PER-VIEW ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 5TH

Press Release: By DAZN and Most Valuable Promotions - DALLAS – June 28, 2023 – Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and Real Fight Inc. (Real Fight) announced that undefeated lightweight Ashton “H20” Sylve (9-0, 8KOs) will face off with the much more experienced veteran lightweight William “Baby Face” Dos Santos Silva (30-4, 18 KOs) on the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz pay-per-view card live from the American Airlines Center on August 5th in Dallas, TX. Sylve is coming off a dominating win over Adam Kipenga as the main event of MVP’s inaugural Most Valuable Prospects event, while Silva is fresh off a TKO victory over Diego Gonzalo Luque. The two will take the ring in an action packed eight-round matchup contested at 135 lbs. The Paul vs. Diaz pay-per-view will be distributed globally by DAZN PPV. In the US and Canada in addition to DAZN PPV, Paul vs. Diaz will be available on all major cable and satellite pay-per-view providers. All tickets can be purchased at https://www.ticketmaster.com/mvp-jake-paul-v-nate-diaz-dallas-texas-08-05-2023/event/0C005EA581B12549

Credit: DAZN/Most Valuable Promotions 


 


Sylve, the first prospect signed by MVP and ESPN Ringside's 2022 prospect of the year, has knocked out eight of his nine opponents and has not shied away from fighting more experienced names in the ring, leveraging his formidable pound-for-pound power and fast twitch agility to deliver decisive victories in each of his professional bouts. The Long Beach, California native was a gifted amateur who turned pro at 16 with over 100 wins and 10 national titles to his credit. Sylve first rose to fame as an eight-year-old when a training video made by his father, Ivan, went viral, leading to an invite to Floyd Mayweather’s storied gym in Las Vegas.


 


"It has always been a dream of mine to fight among legends and shine under the brightest lights," said Ashton Sylve. "MVP has continually given me the opportunity to do so, and I couldn't be more excited about stepping back into the ring in what promises to be the event of the year. "I've been grinding like crazy to get ready for this fight, and trust me, my technique and skills will be on full display on August 5th. Dallas, get ready 'cause I'm coming for you! See you soon!"


 


Silva, a Brazilian native from Sao Paolo, and current resident of St. Petersburg, FL, holds the impressive title of former WBO Latino welterweight and WBO Latino lightweight champion. In 2016, Silva put his lightweight championship on the line, but was defeated by the powerful Felix Verdejo, but has since won a regional belt for the IBO. Silva continues to fight the best in the game with only four losses in his 17 year career by Verdejo, Arnold Barboza, Cletus Seldin, and two-weight world champion Teofimo Lopez who all had a combined record of 75-1 at the time of their fight against Silva. Silva steps into the ring with Ashton Sylve coming off two straight wins, most recently a TKO against Diego Gonzalo Luque. He is training under Jim McLaughlin, a member of the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame and is promoted by Reyes Boxing and Fire Fist Promotions. 


 


“There will be fireworks during this fight,” shared William Silva. “I’m fighting for my family and country.”


 


Most Valuable Promotions, founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, and Real Fight, Inc., founded by Diaz, are partnering to bring Paul vs. Diaz to global audiences. The strategic partnership will combine the star power and international reach of both fighters to promote the year’s biggest fight. The event will be distributed globally by DAZN PPV. In the US and Canada in addition to DAZN PPV, Paul vs. Diaz will be available on all major cable and satellite pay-per-view providers.


 


“Ashton continues to impress and entertain at such a young age and will bring his unique combination of knockout power and agility to the ring on August 5th,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions. “This fight represents his toughest test to date against a battle tested and dangerous Silva, who has only lost to some of the best fighters in the game. Sylve vs Silva is just one of many thrilling bouts on this card that promises to keep fans in the arena and at home on the edge of their seats, and we are thankful to our partners Real Fight, Inc., DAZN, and the American Airlines Center for their consistent hard work as we continue to build out an unforgettable night.”


 


For more information, follow on Twitter via @MostVPromotions, @AshtonSylveh2o, @WillBabyFace, and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @ashtonsylveh2o, @willbabyface, @MostValuablePromotions, and @DAZNBoxing.


 


 


About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)


Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP has produced Jake Paul’s last four global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Fury match, which surpassed 800,000 Pay-per-view buys worldwide. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head-to-head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.


 


About Real Fight, Inc.


Founded by mixed martial arts legend Nate Diaz, in 2022, Real Fight Inc. promotes exactly what the name suggests — the fights people want to see, featuring the realest fighters from all over the world. Since his departure from the UFC, Diaz is extending his business empire with a true all-around combat experience that will focus on boxing, MMA, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The inaugural event under the Real Fight, Inc. banner is set to take place on August 5, 2023, when Diaz makes his long-awaited professional boxing debut against Jake Paul at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.  The card will also feature RFI fighters, Chris Avila, Alan Sanchez, Jose Aguayo and Luciano Ramos


 


About DAZN:


DAZN is a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US and the UK.  Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, La Liga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world - Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC. 


 


DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match through the NFL Game Pass International add-on subscription. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League, and a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F.  DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans. 



DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialize, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN. 


 


DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to a ground-breaking rights catalog and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including PlayStation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Apple TV and can find the app on their iPhone, iPad, and android mobile devices. DAZN is available as an Amazon Channel on Amazon Prime TV and can be viewed on Channel 429 on Sky in the UK and Ireland.  


 


DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries. For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit www.dazngroup.com.  


 


About American Airlines Center:


Designed by architectural wizard David M. Schwarz and Dallas based HKS, Inc., American Airlines Center is considered one of the nation's top arenas. Since opening its doors in 2001, the Center has been setting the precedent for sporting and live entertainment events. Bringing in a wide variety of big name shows as well as being home of both the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars, American Airlines Center consistently displays its unique versatility. Billboard Magazine named American Airlines Center the 6th busiest arena in the world in 2022.


 Material and Photo Courtesy of: DAZN and Most Valuable Promotions Used with permission.


For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, to subscribe, and for information on how to order Paul vs. Diaz please visit: www.DAZN.com

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

What Berlanga Can Take Away From Victory Over Quigley

The storyline prior to rising unbeaten Super-Middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga 's fight against former Middleweight world title challenger Jason Quigley on June 24th at The Theater in Madison Square Garden was whether or not Berlanga, who holds the North American Boxing Organization (NABO) championship in the Super-Middleweight division, could produce a performance that would serve as a strong argument for him as being a potential challenger for current undisputed champion of the division Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. As most know however, a slight wrinkle emerged two days before the bout when it was revealed that Alvarez had signed a three-fight deal with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters, which moves Alvarez at least for the time being away from digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN and at least for now to United States premium cable network Showtime, which for Berlanga, who recently signed with Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, who had promoted several of Alvarez' recent fights, now finding himself without what seemed like an obvious path towards facing Alvarez.


While this could obviously change given not only the state of the PBC's deal with Showtime, and the network's merger this  week with parent company's Paramount  and it's digital subscription streaming network Paramount+ as part of a major corporate restructuring, which leaves the future of Boxing programming on the soon to be renamed Paramount+ with Showtime up in the air, for the immediate, the news regarding Alvarez had to at minimum cause a distraction for Berlanga prior to what should have been viewed as a step up in his career. The elements of the business end of the sport notwithstanding, the bout between Berlanga and Quigley was one of youth versus experience.


It was the experience of Quigley that stood out early as he implemented a strategy with an emphasis on movement, giving angles, and trying to counter Berlanga as he came forward. Though such an approach is not always appreciated, particularly amongst fans that prefer more toe to toe action, it did establish, despite the belief based on his knockout loss to Demetrius Andrade in November 2021, that Quigley was not interested in cooperating with the stance of some that he was an opponent designed to give the young unbeaten rising contender Berlanga a showcase win and potentially a quick knockout after being forced to go the distance in his previous four fights. What was also noticeable about Quigley's strategy was his willingness to try to catch Berlanga in between the punches he was throwing, which seemed to be effective in spots throughout this fight.


Beelanga's pressure and harder punches when he was able to connect however, gave him an edge. Despite how effective Quigley's tactics appeared to be, what turned out to work against him were four knockdowns throughout the course of the fight. In rounds three, five, and two knockdowns in the twelfth and final round, Beelanga's punching power and pressure were able to get to Quigley and put him on the canvas. Although the knockdowns in rounds three and five appeared to be what are often referred to as "Flash Knockdowns" where Quigley did not appear to be significantly hurt, those knockdowns prove more often than not to be detrimental in terms of scoring for the fighter that is knocked down because it creates a deficit in points that without being able to score knockdowns of your own, can prove to be difficult to overcome. In this case, the knockdowns could give a false sense that this fight was one-sided in Berlanga's favor simply because they created a significant deficit in terms of scoring that Quigley could not overcome in losing a unanimous decision.


In actuality, Quigley's approach throughout this fight succeeded in keeping Berlanga from being able to dictate how it was being fought, unable at times to get into a consistent offensive rhythm, and at times appearing to make Berlanga look discouraged. While with the exception of the four knockdowns he was able to score, this probably was not the type performance Berlanga was looking for in terms of trying to make a statement as a potential challenger for Saul Alvarez down the line, sometimes a win is a win and his victory was still convincing albeit without the knockout that most were probably looking for or expecting.


Although this victory over Jason Quigley marked the fifth time Berlanga has had to go the distance after starting his career with sixteen straight knockouts, this observer does not necessarily see that as a negative. It is indeed true that if a fighter scores knockouts and can do so in devastating fashion that said fighter will almost always move up the ladder of contention quicker, receive more attention, and likely get an opportunity to fight for a world championship quicker than those who take a more measured approach. The potential drawback for those fighters who are able to carve out reputations as "Knockout Artists" is they do not necessarily get the chance to fully develop their skills, nor do they get the experience needed to learn how to adapt as a fight progresses into the middle and late rounds against fighters of varying styles, who will not always cooperate with the desired scenario of a rising star or his/her team of a quick knockout. While going the distance on a string of several fights may be seen as a red flag in the eyes of some, it is to be expected when a prospect turned contender steps up in the caliber of competition as they approach challenging for a world championship. Criticism no matter what a fighter might do or how they perform is something that will unfortunately also come with the territory, but the experience fighters gain at these stages is invaluable and no doubt will benefit Edgar Berlanga as he continues to move forward in his career.


"And That's The Boxing Truth."


The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.


Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 


Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Ebanie Bridges Interview

Press Release: June 27, 2023By Bitcoin Casinos - IBF Women's Bantamweight world champion Ebanie Bridges recently sat down with BitcoinCasinos.com for an exclusive interview where she shares her thoughts on a potential rematch between Chantelle Cameron and Katie Taylor as well as a variety of subjects including the state of Women's Boxing. A full transcript of the interview can be read below.



Question: It’s all about the hype and ramping it up to the next level – so, have you thought about what you can do next time at the weigh-in?


Ebanie Bridges: I just want to be comfortable, it’s not like I’m being big-headed or anything like that – I like to wear what I look good in and I seem to break the internet now no matter what I wear as ‘my thing’ seems to be a big deal. I wear lingerie and I think it’s classy what I wear – it’s nice, elegant and anything too trashy. It’s not about competing; it’s just about doing what’s right for me and ‘doing me’ always works. While my past as a bodybuilder and stage presence helps me being comfortable for the weigh-ins and the poses etc.


Question: Going back to boxing, women’s boxing is buzzing and in a great place at the moment – do you feel it’s finally getting the respect it deserves


Ebanie Bridges: Yeah, it’s definitely getting more of the respect it deserves and I’d say in the last 3 or 4 years more so now than ever. We are getting good matches and more girls in the sport.


Obviously, Katie Taylor was amazing for the sport, but her fights were very one-sided and wasn’t competitive enough then and people don’t want to see lob-sided fights.


One star back then wasn’t enough, but now we’ve got so many stars in women’s boxing and there’s no 2-3 years waiting for fights – we just fight.


Question: You mentioned Katie Taylor – she fought Chantelle Cameron recently – Taylor fighting above her weight and lost. Do you think if they fought again – maybe if Cameron comes down to her weight – who will win?


Ebanie Bridges: Oh, Chantelle blitzes it. Too strong – I’d always pick Chantelle anyway and I had no doubt she’d win the last fight vs Taylor. She’s just better – I think the only thing Katie Taylor has on her is speed. But other than that Chantelle Cameron’s defense is brilliant – her pressure is brilliant – her punch selection is brilliant and has great speed and is strong. I just think she’s better all-round.


Question: So, how long are you looking forward to, in terms of getting back in the ring?


Ebanie Bridges: My next fight will be in August, so pretty soon – just 2 ½ months or so. I’ll be looking to get back out there before the end of the summer.


Question: Have you got an eye on your potential opponent?


Ebanie Bridges: Not yet we are working on it at the moment but coming back off a lay-off and the injury it’s not going to be a unification fight or anything like that. It will be more to test the hand out really and make sure that’s okay.


Material Courtesy of: BitcoinCasinos.com Used with permission. 


 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Friday, June 23, 2023

OTX Announces Dozens of Fighters Participating in August Series

Press Release: By DAZN And OTX Boxing  -  BROOKLYN, NY (June 22, 2023) - OTX (Overtime Boxing) announced today the signings of more than 30 fighters that will be competing in the property’s inaugural summer series in August at OTE Arena in Atlanta. The list includes top next generation fighters in the sport across various weight classes. The remaining fighters and match-ups will be announced in the weeks leading up to the events.

Credit: OTX Boxing 


 


“I was hoping that I’d be a part of it [OTX]. I knew this was a platform that could introduce me to the world and ultimately that’s what I’ve been needing,” said Elijah Pierce, who fights out of Atlanta. “I’ve been patient. I’ve fought my way back. It’s been a long hard journey and now it’s my turn.”


 


“I watch their videos on Tik Tok of basketball, Rob Dillingham and the twins. I was like, Overtime boxing? That would be fire for me,” said middleweight fighter Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson. “I’m young like those guys.,  exciting. And it’s an amazing opportunity.”


 


In August, OTX will host a summer series with four Friday night match cards featuring the sport’s next stars at OTE Arena. DAZN will serve as OTX’s exclusive media rights partner in Year 1 and Nutrabolt, owner of the C4 Energy® brand, an industry leader in mental and performance energy, has signed on as an inaugural sponsor.


 


FIGHT NIGHTS:


Dates                                                      Location                                 Time


Friday, August 4, 2023                        OTE Arena - Atlanta, GA     7:30pm


Friday, August 11, 2023                      OTE Arena - Atlanta, GA     7:30pm


Friday, August 18, 2023                      OTE Arena - Atlanta, GA     7:30pm


Friday, August 25, 2023                      OTE Arena - Atlanta, GA     7:30pm


 


 


FIGHTERS:


Name                                                     Residence                                              W/L Record


Elijah Pierce                                          Midwest City, OK                                 17- 2


Mike Plania                                           General Santos City,  Philippines      28 -2


Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson                   Baltimore, MD                                      13-0


Vlad Hernandez                                   Stockton, CA                                         13-5


Narciso Carmona                                 Seville, Spain                                        12-0-1


Sanny Duversonne                               Avon Park, CA                                       12-5-2


Luis Garcia                                             Richmond, CA                                       13-2-1


Haven Brady Jr.                                     Albany, GA                                             9-0


Edwin Rodriguez                                  Juana Diaz, PR                                      11-6-2


Gabriel Muratalla                                Fontana, CA                                          9-0


Xavian Ramirez                                     Morrill, NE                                             4-0


Ricardo Galvan                                     Reno, NV                                               4-0


Raul Salomon                                       Long Beach, CA                                    12-1


Tyler Howard                                        Crossville, TN                                        19-1


David Navarro                                       Hemet, CA                                             5-1


D’Angelo Fuentes                                 Coconut Creek, FL                                8-1


Giovanni Marquez                               Houston, TX                                          5-0


Nicky Vitone                                         Pine Brook, NJ                                      9-2-1


Money Powell                                      Fort Mitchell, AL                                  13-1


Javon Campbell                                    Raleigh, NC                                           12-1


Leanna Cruz                                          Allentown, PA                                       5-0


Javier Zamarron                                   Sheboygan, WI                                     3-0


Andreas Katzourakis                            Los Angeles, CA                                    10-0


Raphael Igbokwe                                 Houston, TX                                          16-4


Luis Acosta                                            Houston, TX                                          13-1


Christian Barreto                                  Arecibo, PR                                           9-0


Abel Gonzalez                                       Hialeah, FL                                            5-0


Robert Magee                                      Saint Louis, MI                                      8-0-2


Paola Torres                                          San Antonio, TX                                    13-8-1


 


Matches will be held at OTE Arena in Atlanta featuring both male and female pro boxers. All fights will be streamed on DAZN with additional content distributed over Overtime’s social channels. Fans will have access to year-round content of next gen boxers as they prepare and train, as well as out of the ring storytelling fueling fandom and building the boxer’s personal brands. Overtime’s core mission is about empowering young people to chase their dreams and OTX is about providing fighters the platform to do so.


 


For more information please visit: https://otboxing.com/


 


About Overtime


Overtime builds disruptive new sports leagues aimed globally at the next generation sports fan and athlete. Overtime owns and operates, OTE in basketball and OT7 in football, and leverages digital-first content across its network of accounts engaging its community of over 90 million fans and followers. Overtime's business model is driven by sponsorships, brand relationships, e-commerce, licensing and media rights.


 


Overtime is funded by top VC firms, industry leaders, and athletes, including Liberty Media Corporation, Andreessen Horowitz, Counterpoint Global (Morgan Stanley), Sapphire Sport, Winslow Capital, Bezos Expeditions, Spark Capital, Micromanagement Ventures (the family of the late David Stern), Black Capital, Blackstone Strategic Partners, Alexis Ohanian, Drake, Quavo and 40+ NBA and NFL stars including Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Trae Young. Over 6% of active NBA players have invested in Overtime. The company is led by CEO and Co-Founder Dan Porter, an innovative thought leader with 30+ years of experience in mobile gaming, education, media and marketplaces.


 

Material and Photo Courtesy of DAZN And OTX Boxing  Used with permission.


For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: please visit: www.DAZN.com


The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Thursday, June 22, 2023

Can Berlanga Convince The Boxing World He's Ready For Alvarez?

The main goal of just about every fighter that competes in and around the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division is to secure a fight with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Not only is Alvarez one of the superstars in the sport of Boxing, which obviously means whomever he fights is most likely assured a career high payday, but in regard to the Super-Middleweight division, he remains the undisputed champion of the world. As such whenever a fight occurs in the division that does not directly involve Alvarez, the obvious question that surrounds it is whether those participating in a fight can make a convincing argument as being a potential opponent for him either in the near future or perhaps further down the road.


Undefeated Super-Middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga is one fighter that is trying to make that argument. Unbeaten in twenty professional fights with sixteen knockouts, Berlanga has quickly developed not only a fan following, but also buzz due to his punching power and ability to score knockouts almost as quickly as a fight begins, having scored all sixteen of his knockouts in the first round. Naturally, as a fighter moves up the ladder of contention, the level of opposition theoretically is supposed to get tougher for young prospects turned would be contenders.


While Berlanga had successfully worked his way to being the North American Boxing Organization (NABO), champion in the Super-Middleweight division, the streak of knockouts which began his career would ultimately come to an end in April 2021 when he scored an eight round unanimous decision over Demond Nicholson. This would begin a different streak as in his last four fights, Berlanga has been forced to go the distance.


Following his last outing in June of last year, where he scored a ten round unanimous decision over Alexis Angulo in his first fight as a main event attraction, which was broadcast on ESPN  and it's streaming network ESPN+ from Madison Square Garden's Theater in Berlanga 's home of New York, the fighter came to a  mutual agreement with his promoter Bob Arum to part ways. It is not uncommon for fighters to try and break away from promoters who help develop them as they try to progress for a hoped for shot at a world championship. Usually, such splits between fighter and promoter usually come as a result of the promoter's failure to secure a fight that would either move the fighter closer or directly to the goal of challenging for a world championship.


In essence, that appears to be what led to the split between Berlanga and Arum as the promoter described the split as a difference in opinion as to the direction of Berlanga 's career. Now one year removed from his last fight Berlanga, who is rated in the top ten in both the World Boxing Organization (WBO) per his holding the affiliated NABO and the World Boxing Council (WBC) in the Super-Middleweight division, prepares to return the the ring on Saturday, June 24th at The Theater in Madison Square Garden as he faces former world title challenger Jason Quigley in a scheduled twelve round bout that can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN


This fight not only represents Berlanga 's debut on a new network after fighting the majority of his career up to this point competing on ESPN/ESPN+, but more specifically and perhaps importantly, this will be his first fight under new promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing. What makes that significant is for the last several years, Hearn has promoted and developed what has so far been a successful relationship with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Berlanga 's decision to sign with Hearn should be viewed as the obvious path for him to try to get a shot at Alvarez.


In Jason Quigley, Berlanga will face a fighter who has challenged for a world title for the first time in his career in a fight that is one further step up. There are two questions that come to this observer's mind as this fight approaches.


Number one, what kind of Berlanga will we see in this fight? As some may recall, despite getting the victory over Alexis Angulo in his last fight, he was criticized for his performance with some fans even stating that they felt Angulo won the fight. Whether his performance was in part affected by nerves in main eventing a Boxing card for the first time and doing so in Madison Square Garden, and/or what turned out to be a pending split with his then promoter Bob Arum and his promotional company Top Rank Inc., is something that only Berlanga can answer for himself. At this stage of his career after turning professional in 2016, Berlanga should know that he is at least in theory approaching competing at the top level of the sport and therefore, should expect the competition level to increase. The second question that surrounds this fight is whether or not Jason Quigley will be able to provide resistance and be able to test Berlanga?


Despite a respectable record of 20-2, with 14 Knockouts coming into this fight and being a former North American Boxing Federation (NABF) as a 160lb. Middleweight, Quigley is most known for having been knocked out by then WBO Middleweight world champion Demetrius Andrade in two rounds in November 2021. While Quigley seemed to be caught cold by the highly skilled and dangerous Andrade before he could have an opportunity to get into a rhythm, perhaps what some might see as a possible red flag is that Quigley has been stopped in both of his career losses. The loss to Andrade led to a near two year layoff for Quigley before getting back to the ring in April of this year in scoring a ten round unanimous decision over veteran Garbor Gorbics in what was his Super-Middleweight debut.


Quigley can rely on his experience or at least try to in this fight against Berlanga, but zt thirty-two there might be some who question what he might have left as perhaps some are questioning whether the twenty-six year old Berlanga is ready to potentially challenge for a world title or at least face another top contender should he win this fight. Perhaps some might take it a step further by saying that the difference in opinion as to the direction of his career, which led to his split with Bob Arum might have been rooted in Arum possibly feeling that Berlanga needs more time to develop rather than trying to get into position to challenge Alvarez in the near future.


Whatever the case might be, Berlanga knows that Quigley has been caught cold before and it would not surprise me, despite going the distance in his previous four fights, to see him try to jump on Quigley early and attempt to end the fight quickly. If that is indeed the case, Quigley's main objective at least for the first couple of rounds should be to try and weather the storm of Berlanga's punching power and try to gradually work his way into the fight as it progresses. Quigley must however, try to be as warmed up and ready to go as possible because he will likely be pressured from the outset and Berlanga is a fighter that can hurt you with either hand. If Quigley is not ready for the pressure and attack that Berlanga will likely apply, this could indeed be a short evening.


There were some fans particularly on social media that have been critical of Berlanga and Eddie Hearn for the selection of Quigley as the opponent for this fight. Such criticism is likely based on what happened to Quigley against Andrade. Sometimes however, especially in the present time we are all living in, no matter what a fighter and promoter might do, the fan can be fickle and hard to please. Regardless of what happens when Berlanga and Quigley square off in the ring, the fan regardless of what their level of knowledge of the sport and the development of a possible future world title challenger might be, fights like this are necessary for a fighter's continued progression and if Edgar Berlanga gets through Jason Quigley and does so impressively, his next fight will likely be against a top contender, if not what would likely be considered a long shot at least at this point to get a shot at Alvarez. It is up to Edgar Berlanga to make the best argument he can that he is indeed ready for that challenge. Whether he can do that in this fight might be debatable, but nevertheless, remains to be seen.


"And That's The Boxing Truth." 


Berlanga vs. Quigley takes place on Saturday, June 24th at The Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY. The card can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 5:45PM ET/2:45PM PT with Before The Bell featuring preliminary bouts. This will be followed by the main card beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT. (U.S. Times Only.)


For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com


(*Card and start times subject to change.*)


The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.


Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

COMBAT SPORTS VETERANS CHRIS AVILA AND JEREMY STEPHENS TO FACE OFF ON JAKE PAUL VS. NATE DIAZ UNDERCARD

Press Release: By DAZN And Most Valuable Promotions - DALLAS – June 21, 2023 – Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and Real Fight Inc. (Real Fight) announced the dynamic matchup between two combat sports mainstays Chris Avila (3-1) vs. Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens (0-0-1). The bout is set to take place on the Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz pay-per-view card live from the American Airlines Center on August 5th in Dallas, TX. 

 

Avila, fresh off a dominating unanimous decision victory over 5-2 professional boxer Paul Bamba will look to keep it going against Stephens, an exciting fighter with knockout power, who is coming off an impressive majority draw against Hall of Famer Jose Aldo in his boxing debut. The seasoned combat sports veterans will take the ring in an eight-round matchup contested at 168 lbs. The Paul vs. Diaz pay-per-view will be distributed globally by DAZN PPV. In the US and Canada in addition to DAZN PPV, Paul vs. Diaz will be available on all major cable and satellite pay-per-view providers. 

 


 

A veteran of both the UFC and Bellator, Chris Avila (3-1) has made the walk for 18 professional fights and has never been stopped or hurt during his time in the cage and ring. Fighting under the Real Fight, Inc. banner, Avila is a staple at the iconic Nick Diaz Academy in Stockton, CA and a regular training partner of Ready4War headliner, Nate Diaz. After making the full time transition to boxing, Avila beat Anthony Taylor in a super middleweight boxing match in December 2021 and boasted clean sweeps against “Dr. Mike” Varshavski last October and Paul Bamba this past April. With a reputation as an aggressive fighter, Avila’s calling card is an overhand right, which landed him two first round KOs in 2021 in MMA fights as part of his five fight winning streak in combat sports.

 

“My last three fights I have settled the score with Taylor, and beat up a doctor and a dork,” said Avila. “I'm looking for the best fights and the toughest fights. Jeremy has been around a long time and fought everyone in MMA. But he hasn’t fought me so let’s see what's up over 8-rounds on August 5th in Dallas."

 

“Chris is the first fighter signed under the Real Fight, Inc. banner and his career in combat sports speaks to what the brand represents,” said Zach Rosenfield, President of Real Fight, Inc. “Jeremy has built a career on explosive fights that the fans love and matches up with Chris’s desire to fight an accomplished opponent who is willing to stand in the center of the ring and fight him.” 

 

Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens is an American professional mixed martial artist and boxer who has competed in the UFC and PFL’s lightweight division and recently made his professional boxing debut against UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo. Known as an exciting fighter with an “out of the box” style, Stephens is a 3x UFC Knockout of the Night, 6x Fight of the Night, and 1x Performance of the Night winner and has the second most knockdowns in UFC history.

 

“I am super excited to be in these times of MMA mixing with boxing - it is a huge opportunity,” said Jeremy Stephens. “And to have all the eyes in the world on this card, I plan on stealing the fucking show and giving the fans the ‘too hot for TV’ type performance that I always bring. I have a game opponent, and I’m going to highlight and leave people in memory of my performance. Knowing the world is watching me being my authentic self gets me pumped and I love it!!! This is life right now, LFG. War!”

 

Most Valuable Promotions, founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, and Real Fight, Inc., founded by Diaz, are partnering to bring Paul vs. Diaz to global audiences. The strategic partnership will combine the star power and international reach of both fighters to promote the year’s biggest fight. The event will be distributed globally by DAZN PPV. In the US and Canada in addition to DAZN PPV, Paul vs. Diaz will be available on all major cable and satellite pay-per-view providers.

 

For more information, follow on Twitter via @MostVPromotions, @LilHeathenMMA, @chrisavila209, and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @LilHeathenMMA, @chrisavila209, @MostValuablePromotions, and @DAZNBoxing.

 

 

About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)

Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP has produced Jake Paul’s last four global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Fury match, which surpassed 800,000 Pay-per-view buys worldwide. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head-to-head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.

 

About Real Fight, Inc.

Founded by mixed martial arts legend Nate Diaz, in 2022, Real Fight Inc. promotes exactly what the name suggests — the fights people want to see, featuring the realest fighters from all over the world. Since his departure from the UFC, Diaz is extending his business empire with a true all-around combat experience that will focus on boxing, MMA, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The inaugural event under the Real Fight, Inc. banner is set to take place on August 5, 2023, when Diaz makes his long-awaited professional boxing debut against Jake Paul at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The card will also feature RFI fighters, Chris Avila, Alan Sanchez, Jose Aguayo and Luciano Ramos

 

About DAZN:

DAZN is a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US and the UK.  Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, La Liga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world - Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC.  

 

DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match through the NFL Game Pass International add-on subscription. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League, and a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F.  DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans. 


DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialize, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN. 

 

DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to a ground-breaking rights catalog and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including PlayStation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Apple TV and can find the app on their iPhone, iPad, and android mobile devices. DAZN is available as an Amazon Channel on Amazon Prime TV and can be viewed on Channel 429 on Sky in the UK and Ireland.   

 

DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries. For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit www.dazngroup.com.  

 

About American Airlines Center: 

Designed by architectural wizard David M. Schwarz and Dallas based HKS, Inc., American Airlines Center is considered one of the nation's top arenas. Since opening its doors in 2001, the Center has been setting the precedent for sporting and live entertainment events. Bringing in a wide variety of big name shows as well as being home of both the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars, American Airlines Center consistently displays its unique versatility. Billboard Magazine named American Airlines Center the 6th busiest arena in the world in 2022.

Material Courtesy of DAZN And Most Valuable Promotions Used with permission.

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: please visit: www.DAZN.com

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Prograis Retains Title, But Was Zorrilla Victimized By Scoring?

With the landscape of the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division in the process of transition as well as recently crowned WBO Jr. Welterweight world champion Teofimo Lopez inexplicably retiring in the days following his championship winning victory over longtime champion Josh Taylor, subsequently relinquishing the title, the storyline for Regis Prograis' defense of the WBC world championship on June 17th at the Smoothie King Center in his native New Orleans, LA against  Danielito Zorrilla represented not only a homecoming for the two-time world champion, but in light of the recent events in the division, a chance for Prograis to make a case for himself as being the top Jr. Welterweight in the world.  If the opening of this column seems like a long-winded run-on, it is, but in fairness, it may be the best way to describe the current state of the Jr. Welterweight division that frankly has seemed like a ride on a rollercoaster in recent weeks.


The tongue and cheek attempt at humor of this observer aside, the recent events, did nevertheless make a title defense for Prograis, the first defense of his second reign as a world champion, more interesting. One could surmise that if Teofimo Lopez had not retired, something which will probably be debated as to whether it is legitimate, the storyline of this defense for Prograis might have been whether he could be headed towards a unification bout with Lopez, and as a result, this fight likely would have been viewed at least by some as an afterthought. Although this appeared to be an ideal scenario for a homecoming title defense for Programs, the actual fight itself turned out to be both competitive and anything but an ideal scenario or afterthought.


Zorrilla was able to establish himself earlier in appearing to drop the champion with a right hand in the first round where Prograis grabbed on to Zorrilla as he was falling in an attempt to hold on. Despite the appearance of a clear knockdown, confirmed via video replays, this would be incorrectly ruled a slip by Referee Ray Corona. While some cynics might try to argue that the missed call of a knockdown against Prograis was in some way influenced by where the fight was talking place, I believe Corona, who has officiated over 733 bouts as a referee and nearly 400 as a judge, many of which were world championship bouts in both capacities, simply missed the call. It does happen and it is important to keep in mind that referees and judges, like the rest of us, are all human and are as prone to human error as anyone.


The call of a slip in the first round notwithstanding, Zorrilla was nevertheless able to show that he was there to fight and not to partake in what may have been intended to be a showcase for the champion. In round three however, Prograis would respond by dropping the challenger with a flush overhand left that nearly resulted in Zorrilla flipping backward as he went down to the canvas. This was a hard knockdown that this observer briefly wondered whether Zorrilla would be able to continue upon getting to his feet. To the challenger's credit, he was able to get himself together and the fight went on.


It was from round four on where frankly the pace of the fight while still competitive slowed and neither fighter seemed able to clearly take the initiative or land many punches. This can be attributed to Zorrilla being more tactical than had been the case in some of his previous fights and looking to play the role of a strict counter puncher and Prograis not being able to land consistently. When such a scenario occurs it does not produce the most entertaining of fights from a fan's perspective, but more importantly, creates what more often than not can prove to be a conundrum for judges in terms of scoring because it will often be based on particular moments during a particular round as opposed to which fighter is able to dictate how the fight is fought. Without the benefit of potential knockdowns during rounds that are fought in this way, it can indeed be difficult to determine who is ahead.


An illustration of this from this observer's point of view was that after ten rounds, I had the champion Prograis only slightly ahead on my unofficial scorecard due largely to the official knockdown in round three. If it had not been for that knockdown, my scorecard likely would have been even. It was simply the kind of fight where plenty of punches were thrown between two fighters, but not many landed. 


At the conclusion of the twelve round world championship bout, I felt it could go either way based on what I observed and it was certainly no surprise to hear a split decision rendered. What was surprising however, was to hear the disparity in the scoring. Judge Craig Metcalf turned in the closest score of the three official judges in having Zorrilla up by a single point 114-113. This is what I felt was an accurate scorecard simply based on how close the fight appeared to be. The difference in my unofficial scorecard and that of Metcalf's is I had the same one point difference, but I ended up with Prograis as the victor on my card. Despite Craig Metcalf and I appearing to see a similar fight, though ending up split in the outcome, judges Robert Tapper and Josef Mason turned in significantly wider scorecards of ten rounds to two (118-110) and nine rounds to three (117-110) in favor of Prograis giving him the split decision victory to retain his title. Before diving into a possible explanation of why the two deciding scorecards were wide, I will point out for clarification purposes for readers who might be curious that the scorecard of judge Josef Mason 117-110, is one point wider than a standard nine rounds to three scorecard of 117-111. Mason's score being slightly wider is a direct result of the knockdown against Zorrilla in round three, which was scored 10-8 in points on all three official scorecards.


As for why the scores were wider than what appeared to be the consensus of a close fight that could go either way, only the judges themselves can say what they saw and what they based their scoring on. Although not many punches were landed between the two fighters throughout the twelve round bout, which turned out to be just 84 between Prograis and Zorrilla, setting the record for the fewest punches landed in the historical of CompuBpx, which has tracked punching statistics for thousands of fights on every level of the sport since the 1980's, an educated guess from yours truly would be that Prograis was the fighter generally coming forward and trying to force the action throughout much of the fight. While both fighters obviously did a great job in making each other miss with the vast majority of their offense, Prograis appearing to press the action more than Zorrilla could perhaps be the basis of what judges Tapper and Mason based their scoring on, but this is only an observation on my part based on decades of experience covering the sport and scoring countless fights unofficially as well as one that has a clear understanding of how Boxing on all levels of the sport, amateur, professional, and professional Bareknuckle is scored based on clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship, and defense. Though clearly the element of defense proved to be a focal point in this fight, evidently Zorrilla did not do enough in the eyes of Tapper and Mason.


Ultimately, this proved not to be the type of homecoming that Regis Prograis or his supporters were likely looking for, nor was he able to produce the type of performance in this fight that will likely put him as the top fighter in the Jr. Welterweight division. Sometimes however, styles do make fights and a win is a win. Even though I felt that Prograis did just enough to retain his title here, I do feel that Danielito Zorrilla fought well and that it was a closer fight than two official judges saw it. While this does not mean that Zorrilla was in some way victimized by how this fight was scored, nor does it means that a possible corruption took place, though some fans may point in that direction given the circumstances of the fight being held in Prograis' hometown. Perhaps Zorrilla upon getting the chance to watch the fight will be able to see what he may have been able to do more of, which may have turned many of those close rounds his way. If nothing else, Danielito Zorrilla has established himself as a player in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division. A division that as we near the end of June 2023 remains one in transition with no clear consensus as to who is the top Jr. Welterweight in the world.


"And That's The Boxing Truth."


The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 


Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 




Friday, June 16, 2023

Winwood Remains On Fast Track Towards Challenging For A World Title

Boxing is truly a unique sport in many aspects. One among them is the fact that every fighter's journey is different and the path that a fighter hopes to follow towards the goal of becoming a world champion will vary depending on the fighter. While most are likely of the point of view that a fighter should spend at least the first couple of years of their professional careers not only accumulating time in active competition in the ring in terms of building a record, but more importantly to use the time to gain valuable experience and develop their skillset. 

Credit: Tony Tolj/Dragon Fire Boxing 



For a select few however, the path to a world championship can come quickly and there are those who are able to reach a world championship fight before reaching their tenth fight as a professional. Some notable names among that select group include Vasyl Lomachenko as the most recent example of a fighter who won a world title before reaching his tenth pro fight and has subsequently gone on to win multiple world championships in several divisions, and the late Leon Spinks, who in just his eighth fight as a professional, shockingly dethroned the legendary Muhammad Ali in 1978 to win the Heavyweight championship of the world, just to name a few. 


The fighters who are able to accomplish what is truly a rarity remains a limited select group and most are probably of the opinion that most fighters that accomplish that goal of becoming a world champion with a limited number of professional fights are either fighters that are simply in the right place at the right time, or in the case of Lomachenko, prove to be a true generational talent that rarely comes along. There is however, a fighter who has quickly emerged that could well be on his way to joining that select list. Enter Alex Winwood.


Winwood, a native of Bunbury Australia, has skyrocketed on the fast track towards potentially adding his name to that list. Competing in Boxing's lowest divisions, Winwood turned pro in November of last year and in just two fighters won the WBC International championship in the 108lb. Light-Flyweight division. Although some may not understand the purpose of titles of a regional nature, the important thing for fighters is more often than not, holding a title like an international title for example, often carries with it a top fifteen ranking in a sanctioning organization's ratings. For his third professional fight, Winwood moved down in weight to the 105lb. Minimumweight division, which is also referred to as the Strawweight division.


Winwood's opponent would be the undefeated WBC international champion Reyneris Gutierrez, who was ranked number five in the world by the WBC in the Strawweight division. While that statistic should be viewed as the significant step up that it was for Winwood, who entered the fight held at Metro City Nightclub in Perth, Australia on June 16th as the main event of Dragon Fire Boxing's Thunderdome 42 card, rated number fifteen by the WBC, it is important to note that his previous international title win at Light-Flyweight came against Tibo Monabesa, a fighter that was competing in his twenty-sixth professional fight compared to Winwood's second. Given that Winwood entered this fight having knocked out both of his previous opponents, the possibility of being intimidated by a fighter in Gutierrez, who entered the fight unbeaten in nine professional fights, was likely not an issue seeing as he had just scored a knockout win over a more experienced Monabesa in his last fight.


This would nevertheless prove to be a test for Winwood. From the opening bell of the scheduled ten round bout the two fighters engaged in combat at a high pace, something that is common for bouts fought in Boxing's lowest divisions. The ebb and flow generally consisted of Gutierrez throwing hooks and trying to catch Winwood as he came forward.


While several of the rounds in this fight appeared close due to both the pace in which it was fought as well as both fighters being able to have their share of moments in many of the same rounds, there was one thing that stood out that as the fight progressed proved to be the difference. Winwood's lateral movement including his head movement throughout was stellar in being able to make Gutierrez miss, land short, compact combinations, and use his legs to evade and over time dictate how the fight was being fought. In just his third fight as a professional, Winwood was also able to show the ability to take a punch when he needed to. Something that can remain a question for fighters who have had more experience in the professional ranks than he has had up to this point. 


It was this strategy that Winwood was able to implement as well as scoring a knockdown in the fourth round by landing a perfectly timed counter left hook to the head that dropped Gutierrez, that ultimately resulted in his being able to score a convincing decision victory to move his record to 3-0, with 2 Knockouts. In addition to responding well to when he was pushed by Gutierrez, this victory also accomplished something that is also rare for a fighter with only three pro fights. He showed the stamina and ability to go ten rounds in a competitive fight, which is something that will likely benefit him as he moves forward from here.

Credit: Tony Tolj/ Dragon Fire Boxing 


Whether or not Alex Winwood does indeed add his name to the select group of fighters to have won a world championship within the first ten bouts of their professional career. After defeating a top five contender and turning in a solid performance in the process, it may be a question of what opportunities are available in either the 105lb. Minimumweight or 108lb. Light-Flyweight divisions that might decide how soon the opportunity to fight for a world championship might come. Off of this performance, the Boxing world should be keeping a keen eye on whatever the next step for Alex Winwood might be.


"And That's The Boxing Truth."


Photos Courtesy of: Tony Tolj/Dragon Fire Boxing Used with permission.


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Thursday, June 15, 2023

RISING STAR ALEX WINWOOD SET FOR WORLD NO.5 REYNERIS GUTIERREZ

Press Release: June 15, 2023 By Dragon Fire Boxing and Michael Clfton - Australia's Alex Winwood may be 2-0 but he has a world title shot in his sights. "I've got the blinders on, and I've got tunnel vision going forward"

Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing 



A 2-0 boxer headlining a major card may raise eyebrows, but it is not unheard of for talented prospects to jump into main event status shortly after turning pro. Now, if the opponent for the 2-0 fighter happens to be the No.5 in their division, expect a lot more eyebrows to be raised upon hearing that news.


 


However, when it comes to Alex "The A Rock" Winwood, who finds himself in the situation described above, defying expectations is starting to become the norm in regards to his boxing career.



On Friday, 16 June, at Thunderdome 42, the former Olympian will headline his second pay-per-view event when he takes on WBC World No.5 Reyneris Gutierrez for the WBC International Strawweight title.


 


The 25-year-old, who turned professional last November, is targeting a meteoric rise up the world rankings. In just his second pro fight, Winwood demolished former IBO World Champion Tibo Monabesa via a fourth-round TKO victory.


 


The win over Monabesa created opportunities for even more high-profile opponents for Winwood, which he has seized without hesitation. A fight against the world No.5 may seem daunting to some, but for Winwood, this is precisely how he saw his career progressing.


Instead of building up an inflated record against hand-picked opposition brought in to make him look good, Winwood wanted to continue where he left off from the amateurs, fighting at the sport's highest level.


 


"Transitioning out of my amateur career like I had that thought in my head that I didn't want to just go in and bash up some poor bastard from overseas or whatever that shouldn't really be in there, " he explains.


 


"That's the kind of mentality that [I had] going forward. I was like, look. I'm fighting the best in the world as an amateur at the moment; I don't see the need to go backwards. ' he added.



 


 


“Hopefully, in a few years [ when people look at] my record, their jaws drop, and they go 'far out, he did jump straight in there, and he beat all these blokes that had more experienced records than himself'."


 


Winwood may be blazing his own trail, but at Dragon Fire, he is surrounded by a team that knows what it takes to reach the top of the world stage. He recently spent six weeks in the United States with the Moloney twins, Jason and Andrew, as they prepared for their world title bouts against Vincent Astrolabio and Junto Nkatani, respectively.


 


"It's been an absolute honour and pleasure to be around the twins for the past year in the gym and for me to go away with them and train alongside them as they got ready for their title bouts," Winwood says.


 


"It was kind of like an inside foresight that not many boxers get to see in terms of what could be progressing in my career."


 


One of the benefits of his time in the U.S. was getting to train and spar with various fighters in the Top Rank gym. Observing some of the world's most famous fighters grinding it out brought home the reality for Winwood: once the tv cameras and spotlights have turned off, what really matters is how hard a boxer is willing to work to achieve their dream.


 


"There was just like all these big-time boxers in the one gym, and then it kind of clicked to me that we're all just boxers in a boxing gym, " he says.


 


"We all come from like a backyard shed somewhere or a street corner fighting somewhere, and we all end up in this one place. It was a privilege for me to be there and to realize that."


Winwood is fully aware of the work required to achieve his goal of becoming a world champion. He and his team want to make history by breaking Jeff Fenech's record and have Winwood become the fastest Australian to earn a world championship.


 


It is a lofty goal that brokers no distractions, not that Winwood would want it any other way.


 


" I've chucked a job in, I've moved state, packed it all up for boxing to work out, and so far, so good. So, I've got the blinders on, and I've got tunnel vision going forward, and over the next 5 to 10 years, this is what one's life is going to revolve around. I just want to get as much out of it as I can and enjoy the experience."


Material and Photo Courtesy of: Dragon Fire Boxing and Michael Clfton Used with permission. 


Thunderdome 42 takes place on Friday, June 16 at Metro City Nightclub in Perth Australia. The card can be seen globally on digital combat sports streaming network and pay-per-view platform FITE for $16.99 (U.S. Price Only.) The card will begin at 5:50AM ET/2:50AM PT (U.S.Times Only.) 


For more information about FITE including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms platforms, Smart TVs, and for instructions on how to download the FITE app please visit: www.FITE.TV


To order Thunderdome 42 Click Here


The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Lou DiBella addresses “Mongolian Mole” accusation ahead of Tsendbaatar Erdenebat Vs Mandeep Jangra

Press Release: June 14, 2023 By ProBox TV - Wednesday Night Fights returns tonight with its monthly instalment of boxing from Plant City, Florida live on ProBox TV. One fight that has caught the imagination is the international undefeated clash between Mongolia’s Tsendbaatar Erdenebat and India’s Mandeep Jangra in the super featherweight division. 
Credit: ProBox TV




Erdenebat (6-0, 3 KOs) is highly touted after an illustrious amateur career that saw him medal at the Asian Games, Asian Championships, World Championships and also competed at the 2016 Olympic Games. 



In more peculiar news, Erdenebat has been accused of being a spy for Gervonta Davis while sparring Ryan Garcia in preparation for their recent duel. It culminated in Erdenebat being labelled and slandered as the “Mongolian mole” by team Garcia. 



Erdenebat’s promoter Lou DiBella recently gave his thoughts on the whole situation.



“He’s falsely and unfairly known by some as the Mongolian mole.” DiBella said of his fighter. “Tsendbaatar was a sparring partner for Garcia. He also goes by the name Genghis Khan. He’s an Olympian for his country, one of the greatest fighters to ever come out of Mongolia, he’s a very offensively minded kind of guy. And he apparently injured Ryan Garcia in the lead up to the Davis fight. There was a little video he made after the whole thing saying sorry to Ryan after injuring him, but he wasn’t a mole in the camp, he doesn’t even speak English. He did spar with Ryan though and landed a good body shot.



“He’s going to be fighting on June 14 on ProBox TV. The kid is very hot right now, that whole story with Ryan put a big spotlight on him. He’s a very fun fighter to watch, very offensively minded, throws a lot of body shots, he probably looks for the knockout a bit too much. He’s young and still a work in progress. He is not afraid about stepping up and not too fussed about his opponents, he will fight anybody. I’m really looking forward to him developing and watching him on ProBox TV. The kid is a lot of fun and has a lot of personality even though he speaks very little English. He’s very charismatic, he has a lot of pizzazz. I’ve got him a couple of fights before and he really stole the show.``

Material and Photo Courtesy of: ProBox TV Used with permission. 

For more information about ProBox TV including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, full event archive, and additional content, and to subscribe please visit: www.ProboxTV.com. 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

ROY JONES JR. - MANDEEP JANGRA IS ENTHUSIASTIC AHEAD OF TSENDBAATAR ERDENEBAT CLASH

Press Release: June 13, 2023 By ProBox TV - Wednesday Night Fights returns to ProBox TV in just one day's time with a mouth watering all undefeated clash in the super featherweight division between Tsendbaatar Erdenebat and Mandeep Jangra. 

Credit: ProBox TV 




An intriguing match-up that sees two successful amateurs put their undefeated records on the line in Plant City, Florida. Both medalled regularly at recognised tournaments, the pair also making a successful transition, so far, in the professional circuit. Jangra (4-0, 3 KOs) won silver medals at both the Asian Championships and the Commonwealth Games. Erdenebat (6-0, 3 KOs) scored medals at the World Championships, Asian Championships, Asian Games and competed at the Olympics.




The Indian amateur standout recently signed management terms with boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. who spoke about his fighters chances on Wednesday night. 




“Mandeep looks really good in training, he is really enthusiastic about the fight. He knows the Mongol can fight, he’s an exceptional fighter. I want to see the Mongolian in person myself, but you know Mandeep is not your regular kind of guy, he’s coming to fight. 




“It’s a beautiful fight for both fighters. Both guys are a little bit older, they both have excellent experience. It will be an awesome fight to see. For Mandeep, this is the first time he is going into deep water like this. But, we got to see where he is at, so we know where to go with him. At 30 years old he gotta start pushing, you know. We will do this first fight and move on to the next one after this.”




Tsendbaatar Erdenebat and Mandeep Jangra is part of a great night of action live on ProBox TV with an all-star commentary team and analysis from Paulie Malignaggi, Chris Algieri and Mike Goldberg.

Material and Photo Courtesy of: ProBox TV Used with permission.


For more information about ProBox TV including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, full event archive, and additional content, and to subscribe please visit: www.ProboxTV.com


The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.