The Boxing Truth®

  In an update to the preview that was released here on the website  this morning , it has been announced by promoter Bob Arum and his promotional company Top Rank, Inc. that Light-Heavyweight contender Maxim Vlasov has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and his scheduled bout with Joe Smith Jr. on Saturday, February 13 th  has been postponed in accordance with COVID-19 protocols set forth by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). The bout, which was for the vacant WBO Light-Heavyweight world championship was to serve as the main event for Top Rank’s scheduled card televised here in the United States on sports cable network ESPN and its digital subscription streaming network ESPN+ taking place without spectators at the MGM Grand Conference Center.   Although the Smith-Vlasov bout will no longer take place on Saturday night, the remainder of the card as of this writing will proceed as scheduled with the new headline bout being a ten round Lightweight bout be...

  Much of the last decade in the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division was largely dominated by former three-time Light-Heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev, who ultimately served as a central figure for the division over that period of time. In recent times however, Kovalev has been more known for what he has been involved in outside the ring including recently testing positive for a banned substance, which forced the cancellation of his scheduled January 30 th bout with Bek Melkuziev. With the future of Kovalev very much uncertain, the Light-Heavyweight division appears to be embarking on a new era as top contenders Joe Smith Jr. and Maxim Vlasov will meet on February 13 th at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, NV for the vacant WBO Light-Heavyweight world championship. A crown, which Kovalev held three times and one that has been vacant since his loss to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in November 2019. With Alvarez choosing to relinquish the championship to focus on opportu...

  After a relatively quiet month of January for the sport of Boxing, the month of February began with a steady flow of Boxing action across both the professional Bareknuckled and traditional forms of the sport. The beginning of what is also Super Bowl weekend for the National Football League (NFL) here in the United States saw the return of the Bareknuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), who began their 2021 schedule with an eleven bout card dubbed “KnuckleMania.”   While this card, which took place at the BP Funding Center in Lakeland, FL was notable for the professional Bareknuckle Boxing debut of former UFC star Page VanZant, who competed in the main event in a Featherweight bout against Britain Hart, the card featured no shortage of highlights, some of which will be covered and discussed in this portion of this column. While it would be difficult to give each individual bout the time it deserves in a full-length feature that will cross the bareknuckled and traditional realms...

  Press Release: February 8, 2021 By Dragon Fire Boxing –  The Super Bantamweights are back again, one of boxings hottest divisions delivers again as  Feb 13  on DAZN as Fantasy Springs Resort Casino lights up in Indio, Calif as the co feature of Diaz vs Rakhimov as WBA Gold Champion Ronny Rios (32-3, 16 KOs) and Oscar “El Jaguar” Negrete (19-2-2, 7 KOs) face off.  Credit: Getty Images The stacked event will take place  Saturday, Feb. 13  and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN in more than 200 countries and territories, including the US, Australia, Mexico, Russia, Tajikistan, Brazil and Argentina. Rios is a 30-year-old contender of Santa Ana, California who is coming off three consecutive stoppage wins, including a dominant knockout victory of then-undefeated Diego De La Hoya in 2019. Rios plans to capitalize on this opportunity in convincing fashion in order to accelerate his path to another world title shot. “COVID-19 robbe...

  We would like to let our readers know that new material discussing some of the events in Boxing over February 5th-6th is currently in the works and will be released here on the website on Tuesday, February 9th.  On Thursday, February 11th, a preview for the upcoming WBO Light-Heavyweight world championship bout between Joe Smith Jr. and Maxin Vlasov will be also be released. Stay tuned. “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

  The official weigh-in for Friday’s Bareknuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) “KnuckleMania “ Bareknuckle Boxing event took place earlier today in Florida. Official weights for the entire card, which can be seen on the BKFC’s own digital subscription streaming network  Bareknuckle.TV , and on digital pay-per-view via  FITE.TV  are as follows .   Main Event: Women’s Featherweight – 5Rds.   Paige Van Zant 126lbs. vs. Britain Hart 124 1/4lbs.   Heavyweight – 5Rds.   Haim Gozali 204lbs. vs. John McAllister 201 3/4lbs.   Heavyweight – 5Rds.   Chris Leben 204 1/2lbs. vs. Quentin Henry 205 1/2lbs.   Light-Heavyweight 5Rds.   Jeff Bailey 186 3/4lbs. vs. Andrew Lipton 183 1/2lbs.   Heavyweight – 5Rds.   Lorenzo Hunt 206 3/4lbs. vs. Robert Morrow 204 1/4lbs.   Heavyweight – 5Rds.   Chris Jensen 262 3/4lbs. vs. Dillon Clecker 248lbs.   Women’s Featherweight – 5Rds.   Taylor Starling 125 1/2lbs. vs. Charisa Si...

  It is really not an arguable point that one of if not the biggest story in the sport of Boxing as 2021 begins continues to be the career plans of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, the current unified WBA/WBC Super Middleweight world champion. As most know, Alvarez scored a unanimous decision over previously unbeaten WBA world champion Callum Smith in December and along with winning the WBA crown also earned unified world champion status as the vacated WBC crown was also at stake. As Alvarez continues to ply his craft under a new promotional agreement with promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing at least in terms of the immediate future and remains in a continuing working relationship with digital subscription-based sports streaming network DAZN , one fighter who has been left out of the equation for the time being is undefeated IBF Super-Middleweight world champion Caleb Plant. Plant, who entered his bout on January 30th against former IBF Super-Middleweight world champion Caleb Truax ...

As the Boxing world continues to cope with the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic, the first month of 2021 has largely been a quiet one for the sport in terms of action inside the ring. Sometimes however, what takes place outside the ring can be just as intriguing as watching two fighters engage in combat. A story that took up a significant amount of attention during the month of January concerned the scheduled Heavyweight encounter between top contender and former world title challenger Manuel Charr and unbeaten contender Trevor Bryan, which was scheduled to take place on January 29 th  at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL.   Like many fights in the recent history of the sport, the encounter between Charr, who held interim/regular champion status in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) ratings and Bryan, a fighter that also held an interim designation in the organization’s Heavyweight rankings, was delayed by the ongoing epidemic and subsequent pause the ...

  Press Release: February 2, 2021 By Dragon Fire Boxing –  A domestic 3 way dance is in the works down under with an all-Australian grudge match between former world champion Billy Dib and Kye MacKenzie looming in March with Australias most avoided fighter Francis Chua.  Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing  Their fight could feature on the undercard of Tim Tszyu’s bout against Dennis Hogan  on March 31 , and may even be for an interim world title at lightweight. Billy Dib (47-6) fresh off a round 7 TKO victory over Joey Baylon has been called out by WBA Oceania Lightweight Champion Mackenzie 21-2 "All respect to Billy Dib (2x World champion) on the challenge!  I’m the young warrior in this clash & I’m burning to take the crown & make a statement to the World" Waiting in the wings is "The Removalist" Francis Chua (7-1-1), his lone loss being a highly controversial points decision to Australian boxer Kye MacKenzie. Chua had previously upset MacKenzie’s ti...

  Press Release: February 1, 2021 By Dragon Fire Boxing –  Australias Jason "Mayhem" Moloney 21-2 was last in the ring on Halloween night against Japan's Naoya Inoue the Pound for Pound King. The fight earned the pair the (JBC) Japanese Boxing Commision fight of year.  Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing  Moloney was taking a second shot at the WBA and IBF world titles after losing by a very controversial split decision to Puerto Rico’s Emmanuel Rodriguez in 2018, his only previous career defeat. Naoya Inoue gave his thoughts on fighting the tough Australian. “As you go through fights, you learn things from previous fights and I think I’m getting wiser and better.” “Moloney has a great defence and it was very difficult to get through, he is one of the best boxers I have ever faced” the champion said." Moloney is ready to get straight back into the title hunt possibly with a familiar foe.  Moloney gave his thoughts on Rodriguez Gaballo and his fight prediction on their WB...