Darrelle Valsaint Credits Curiosity Of Floyd Mayweather For Boxing Career

 

Press Release July 26, 2023 By ProBox TV - Darrelle Valsaint (8-0, 6 KOs), also known as "Blast," is a middleweight boxing prospect from Orlando, Florida, who fought in the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021) for Haiti, and will return July 26th, on the televised portion of ProBoxTV.com's 'Wednesday Night Fights', as he faces Daniel Aduku (15-3-1, 11 KOs).

Credit: ProBox TV

Valsaint, who currently boasts a record of 8-0, with 6 knockouts, will face the toughest opponent of his career. It also signals his first 8 round contest having been a mainstay on the various ProBox TV undercards. The 6′ 1″ southpaw from Orlando, Florida, has no problem switching to orthodox and his known for keeping his opponents thinking. He continues his undefeated march as a prospect on way to becoming a contender if he can get past the more experienced Aduku, as he attempts to announce himself as one of the future stars of the middleweight division. 

Valsaint, who was once a troubled student that led to his expulsion from ten schools, has seen boxing have a transformative effect on his life. As Valsaint watched Floyd Mayweather fight when he stumbled across it on television, he began to have a curiosity toward boxing. That curiosity led to a passion, which gave him a purpose for his life. A common trope in boxing is that often fighters from hard-luck circumstances stemming from poverty and despair often shudder to think where they'd be without boxing - that is the case for Valsaint. As boxing has been his saving grace. Now it appears Valsaint wants to say thank you to the sport that saved him by one day winning a world title.

His nickname "Blast" comes from his explosive and fast style, mirroring a blast of dynamite. As the youngest fighter to compete at the 2020 Olympics, and the man who served as the flag-bearer for Haiti, his goals and expectations are high. 

Valsaint looks to take the next step forward in his already promising and exciting career on Wednesday evening. 

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

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

"The Monster" Inoue Becomes Four-Division World Champion By Knocking Out Fulton In 8

 The final week of July 2023 may be a week that will go on to be known as one that changed some of the norms or what are perceived as norms in the sport of Boxing. Perhaps the most significant among them, the best fighters fighting the best without worry of promoter interests or television/streaming network allegiances. While the final week of July 2023 will be headlined by undefeated Welterweight world champions Errol Spence and Terrence Crawford meeting to determine the Undisputed Welterweight championship of the world on July 29th, what could prove to be a landmark week in Boxing history began on Tuesday evening in Japan, Tuesday morning here in the United States as undefeated former three-division world champion Naoya Inoue moved up in weight to challenge undefeated WBO/WBC Jr. Featherweight world champion Stephen Fulton at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Despite being the naturally shorter fighter, who was moving up in weight, Inoue dictated how the fight was fought from the opening bell. To the surprise of many however, the noted "Knockout Artist" showed the immaculate ability to be a highly skilled, but also extremely disciplined boxer. What made it particularly surprising to see Inoue implement this strategy was that he did it against one of the best pure boxers in the entire sport in Fulton.

From the opening bell, Inoue established his jab, but did so at varying levels, mixing it to the body and head, while maintaining distance where the champion had difficulty in both getting his punches off and landing consistently. This along with outstanding footwork and timing made it extremely difficult for Fulton, who is normally an elusive boxer that uses lateral movement and consistent offense, to move unless Inoue allowed it. This was the pattern for several rounds as Inoue kept jabbing with consistency, but swarming with short and explosive three and four punch combinations before maintaining distance. 

The challenger put round after round in the bank with this strategy and was seemingly winning every round of the scheduled twelve round world championship bout. As it appeared Inoue was Boxing his way to what would be a convincing unanimous decision victory and perhaps a shutout on the scorecards, the challenger as he has done throughout his career, brought the fight to a sudden and devastating conclusion. In round eight, in the blink of an eye, Inoue connected with a flush overhand right followed by a left hook to the head that knocked Fulton down on his back on the canvas. A clearly hurt world champion, Fulton showed his mettle by getting up from the knockdown, but the seasoned finisher in Inoue, known to his fans as "The Monster" went in for the kill, mercilessly attacking Fulton with a barrage of punches that knocked the champion down into a neutral corner as the fight was being stopped at 1:11 of the eighth round. 

Although Naoya Inoue will forever be known in the eyes of most fans by the knockouts he has been able to compile throughout his career, this was a fight that introduced a new wrinkle to his fight game that arguably makes him even more dangerous. The ability to box tactically, remain disciplined for the entire fight, and just when it seemed as though he was content to get the decision win, he explodes suddenly and ends the fight. Inoue also established himself firmly in the sport’s mythical pound for pound debates.

Prior to this fight, this observer questioned whether or not Inoue, who began his career at 108lbs. would find out that moving up to the 122lb. Jr. Featherweight division would be the moment that he found that he reached the ceiling in terms of how far up he could go up the weight scale and be at his competitive best. Having moved up after conquering the 118lb. Bantamweight division to face the unbeaten Stephen Fulton in his first fight as a Jr. Featherweight and dominating arguably the top fighter in the division before ending the fight via another statement-making knockout, the question now becomes is there a fighter either at Jr. Featherweight or even the 126 lb. Featherweight division that can challenge Inoue in a way where we find out where the ceiling for him might be. Whatever might happen in the future, Naoya Inoue’s status as a future Hall of Famer is more than secure as well as his status as one of the greatest Japanese fighters of all-time. Having become only the twenty-second fighter in Boxing history to win four world championships in four different weight divisions, the Boxing world now waits to see what the next chapter in Inoue’s career might be.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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Kambosos Benefits From Questionable Scoring To Win IBO World Lightweight Championship

The storyline going into the IBO Lightweight world championship bout between defending champion Maxi Hughes and former Undisputed Lightweight champion George Kambosos was whether Kambosos could find a way to bounce back after losing his crown to Devin Haney and suffering a second loss to Haney in an immediate rematch. Two fights where Kambosos was out boxed by the superiorly skilled Haney.

While at the moment that Kambosos' challenge of Hughes on July 22nd in Shawnee, OK, the four world championship that comprise the undisputed championship in the 135lb. Lightweight division remain unified and in Haney's procession, there was also the wrinkle of Hughes, who was making the third defense of the one world championship not in the undisputed Lightweight crown, being treated as an opponent rather than a world champion from the broadcasters broadcasting the bout for sports cable network ESPN and it's streaming network ESPN+ to him being announced first during ring introductions prior to the bout, despite being the defending champion. The latter, while done previously in Boxing history, defies the traditions of the sport where a world champion is normally introduced last prior to a bout beginning. 

What could be seen as disrespectful and perhaps rooted in bias by both the network broadcasting the bout and maybe even Kambosos' new promoter Bob Arum's Top Rank Inc., something that has also been done by television networks and promoters who have vested interests involved previously in the history of the sport, it did not take long for Hughes to show that he was not a mere opponent and that his being a world champion should have been taken seriously. For the majority of the twelve round world championship bout, it was Hughes that dictated how the fight was fought.

Boxing out of the southpaw stance, the pure boxer Hughes used angles, timing, and discipline to manage distance to tactically pick his spots. Hughes was able to do this by taking advantage of openings Kambosos would leave to land short combinations, counterpunch, and evade Kambosos as he came forward. Although this may not have been the most entertaining of fights to watch for those who may have expected more action, for Boxing purists who understand the tactical aspects of the martial art, Hughes put forth a superb performance that should be appreciated because after all, the concept of the sport is to hit and not be hit. While it is difficult to completely avoid being hit over the duration of a fight, and Hughes did take his share of punches including suffering a deep gash as a result of an accidental clash of heads midway through the fight after being able to open a cut over the right eye in the fifth round, the dynamic of the fight never changed with Hughes dictating the combat and getting the better of the action.

At the conclusion of the twelve round world championship bout, this observer did not feel the fight was close as I felt Hughes won ten of the twelve rounds and had him winning 118-110 in points. As clear as this fight appeared to be in terms of scoring, I have covered combat sports long enough to know to never be surprised. One of the three official judges, Judge David Sutherland scored the fight even at six rounds a piece or 114-114 in points. While I obviously did not see things the same way, it was the scorecards of Judges Gerald Ritter and Josef Mason that I really disagreed with. Ritter, who is also a very respected referee in the sport and in particular officiates many bouts held in the state of Oklahoma, turned in a scorecard of 115-113 or seven rounds to five in favor of Kambosos. Mason however, turned in a scorecard of 117-111 or nine rounds to three for Kambosos making him the winner and new world champion via majority decision.

It is important for me to state as a proud Boxing lifer who has covered the sport for most of his life that I am used to seeing controversial decisions on every level the sport has to offer including Amateur, traditional Professional Boxing, and Professional Bareknuckle Boxing. I will go a step further when I say that out of all the Boxing cards/events I might cover in a given calendar year, there will be a healthy portion of bouts that I will feel could have gone the other way in terms of how a fight was scored. This is definitely not the most controversial decision I have ever seen, but I do feel the three judges who scored this fight got it wrong. 

In the interest of objectivity, it is also important to point out that all three of these judges have each judged hundreds of bouts on every level of the sport with judge David Sutherland being the most experienced of the three having judged over eight hundred bouts. As experienced as judges might be, all judges are human beings like the rest of us and not every judge will get it right 100% of the time. While it may be tempting for the Boxing fan to make accusations of corruption, an all too common occurrence seemingly after every significant fight regardless of either the outcome or any perceived credibility of such claims in the age of social media, it is possible that the three judges here simply had a bad night at the office. To put it simply, it happens.

Nevertheless, this was not the type of bounce back victory for the now two-time world champion George Kambosos and before he sets his sights on any other fight, he should do the right thing and give the former champion who proved his credibility, a rematch. It would also be a positive thing for the sport if the network and perhaps even the promoter gave the rematch the respect it deserves as the world championship fight it would be regardless of whatever their vested interests might be.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

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

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Can Fulton Slay "The Monster" Inoue?

One of the biggest fights of 2023 will take place on Tuesday, July 25th in Tokyo, Japan as undefeated unified WBO/WBC Jr. Featherweight world champion Stephen Fulton will defend his crown against undefeated former Undisputed Bantamweight champion of the world Naoya Inoue. The bout, which can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ not only brings together two of the top stars in Boxing's lower weight divisions, but also presents an interesting clash of styles.

Fulton, who will enter the bout unbeaten in twenty-one professional bouts is a slick boxer/puncher that has thus far has proven to be elusive and a difficult puzzle for opponents to solve. The unified world champion in the 122lb. Jr. Featherweight division likely has an eye towards further unification of the division towards the eventual goal of becoming an undisputed world champion. Fulton's opponent on July 25th is a fighter that has already accomplished that goal as a 118lb. Bantamweight. This observer is referring to Naoya Inoue, a fighter simply known as "The Monster."

In his last fight, Inoue successfully unified the Bantamweight division  by scoring an eleventh round knockout of IBF world champion Paul Butler in December of last year. Inoue now sets his sights on attempting to become a three-division world champion after previously holding world titles as a 115lb. Jr. Bantamweight and Bantamweight.

There are a few things of interest beyond the stylistic differences between these two fighters. First among them is the location where the bout will be taking place. The Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. A site that will be hosting a Naoya Inoue fight for the second consecutive time as the venue also played host to Inoue's undisputed championship unification bout against Paul Butler last December. This in addition to Inoue's star status and ability to draw significant crowds in his native Japan, gives him a unique position to be in, in being able to essentially dictate where the fight would take place, despite now being a challenger. Second, despite the champion's ties to the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters and manager/advisor Al Haymon, Fulton is essentially being treated as a challenger in facing Inoue on his terms, in the challenger's home country, and also under circumstances where there is little to no involvement from the PBC in terms of a promotional standpoint, even going as far as who will be broadcasting the bout in the United States as ESPN has an exclusive agreement with Inoue's United States promoter Bob Arum and his promotional company Top Rank, Inc.

While this may be something that some will interpret as an indication of the current state of where things are with the PBC as Fulton is the latest fighter to fight outside of the PBC umbrella, it does nevertheless indicate that these are less than favorable circumstances for the champion in having to defend his crown in unfamiliar surroundings and being treated as though he were the challenger as opposed to a defending unified world champion. The business elements of the sport, which often do not favor fighters, aside, how can Fulton get the job done against "The Monster?"

It is important to note that Inoue is referred to as "The Monster" because of his reputation as a "Knockout Artist" and his ability to score sudden and often brutal knockouts having scored knockouts in twenty-one of his twenty-four career wins registering a career knockout percentage of nearly 88%. Inoue has the clear advantage in this aspect as Fulton has only scored knockouts in eight of his twenty-one career wins. Fulton does have the Boxing skills to not only make things difficult for Inoue, but perhaps more importantly, the ability to go into the middle and late rounds of a fight, which if he can manage to build a lead on the scorecards, could prove crucial as the fight progresses. The champion must be elusive from the outset, look to land short combinations and move before Inoue can get close.

Although Fulton certainly has the skillet to accomplish this, it is something that could prove to be easier said than done as Inoue is a fighter that comes forward, applies constant pressure, and has knockout intention with almost every punch he throws. Naoya Inoue does have knockout power in either hand, but the challenger will have to answer two questions in addition to whether he can get to and break Fulton down as he has done to many of his previous opponents. How will he respond to getting hit by a naturally bigger fighter, who is a natural Jr. Featherweight?

Perhaps the question that most knowledgeable Boxing fans are likely asking is whether Inoue's punching power, which has been devastating in lower weight classes will carry with the same impact now as a Jr. Featherweight. It is indeed true that fighters throughout the history of the sport have been able to move up and at times, down the weight scale without a significant negative impact to their punching power or negative effects physically by adding or reducing weight. For some fighters, particularly those who compete in the lightest weight divisions Boxing has to offer, it can become an issue both in regard to a fighter's punching power as well as their ability to take a punch. Inoue began his career as a 108lb. Jr. Flyweight in October 2012. Although it is something that remains to be seen, it is not out of the realm of possibility that now fourteen pounds up the scale from where he made his pro debut over the course of an eleven year career, that this could be a fight that at the very least, might serve as an indicator as to whether Naoya Inoue has reached the ceiling as to how far he can go up in weight and be at his competitive best.

No matter what happens when Fulton defends his world championship against Inoue, the slightly wrinkle involving the business elements of the sport aside, this fight should serve as an example of what can happen when Boxing is treated with the respect it deserves. Two undefeated fighters, one a former two-division world champion, just coming off becoming an undisputed world champion in his previous division going against an undefeated unified world champion. It is a high stakes gamble for both fighters, but one that will benefit the sport in the long-term as it will show what can happen when the politics that be in Boxing does not get in the way of fights like this being made and fighters are allowed to do what they do best. Fight.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

Fulton vs. Inoue takes place on Tuesday, July 25th at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The fight can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 4:30AM ET/1:30AM PT and will be available for on-demand viewing shortly after the event concludes. ESPN+ is available through the ESPN app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs.

For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com. 

*Card and start time subject to change.*

*Check your local listings internationally.*

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

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Larucia v Kori Headlines Thunderdome 43 Sept 1

Press Release July 21, 2023 By Dragon Fire Boxing - Thunderdome returns September 1st with its Forty Third installment of the popular bi-monthly promotions at the home of Western Australian boxing Metro City on September 1st. 

Credit: Victor Lin

 

The main event will see Jordan Laruccia (5-0, 3 KOs) take on Fano Kori (8-6-1, 5 KOs) in the popular Super Welterweight division over 8 rounds in a Western Australian Civil war match for the Australian National Boxing Federations Australasian Championship. Laruccia touted by many boxing insiders as the future of the Super Welterweight division is coming off an impressive 23 seconds knock out over Captain Jack Dolo in June 16’s Thunderdome 42 co feature. Fano Kori has been in the ring with the whos who of the Super Welterweight division down under and will be a litmus test for Laruccia who has been eyeing out a prize fight with Nikita Tszyu. This will mark Laruccia’s inaugural Thunderdome Main Event while Kori will be involved in his 3rd with a record of 1-1-1 in Main Events.

 

The co-feature event will see Australian resident by way of Nigeria Kazeem “The African Dream” Soyoye (6-1, 4 KOs) lock horns with Indonesia’s’s Rivo “The Renegade” Kundimang (9-5, 5 KOs) in a 6 round lightweight contest. Soyoye was last in action on Dragon Fire Boxings: Thunderdome 42 June 16 with an emphatic victory over “Big Daddy” Deddy Imprax stopping his opponent in 2 rounds extending his win streak to 3 wins from fights

 

Returning to the Thunderdome is Millad “The Monster” Farzad (4-0, 3 KOs) and puts his undefeated record on the line with fellow undefeated Butahan Boral (3-0, 3 Kos) in what expected to be a war of attriction as both former come forward, toe to toe elite Kickboxing World Champions have promised that this fight wont go the distance.

 

Three state titles are also on line, highly touted Super Welterweight contender Jude Grant (3-0, 1 KO) challenges Turkish Boxer Bahtiyar Sonyol for the WA State Championship.

 

W.A Super Bantamweight Champion Richard Lockett takes on Emmanuel Micaleff for the State Featherweight Championship.

 

Also on the line will be the Womens State Lightweight Championship with Katelyn Stack challenging Tara Enoka.

 

“Pocket Rocket” Sarah Higginson will take on Filipina Renz Dacquel over 6 Rounds.

 

Former first grade cricketer Ryan Daye will return also against durable international challenger Bima Prekosa.

 

Kicking off the televised card will be Joel Lewis taking on war horse Habib Kherikah.

 

The show will be hosted by esteemed broadcaster CJ Rose and will be joined as always by Brett Bonetti and Paul Morison.

 

Promoter Tony Tolj discusses the upcoming card:

“Im pumped for this show, I thrive on seeing the next generation of fighters coming through and Laruccia vs Kori is going to tremendous match as trajectory test for both competitors.

 

The return of Millad (Fazrad) is exciting, he refused any discussion of an “easy” fight and is taking on a tough undefeated Turkish Warrior that has based himself in Thailand in preparation for this war.

 

Jude Grant has another great fight, Joel Lewis will have his first Thunderdome appearance against Habib who is always in a war. Ryan Daye coming back, add 3 State Championships on top and what you have is another great night of fights and im sure it will be a September to remember.”

 

Fights will be live on FITE.TV

 Material Courtesy of: Dragon Fire Boxing Photo Courtesy of: Victor Lin Used with permission.

 

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

NOONGAR BOXER ALEX WINWOOD SOLIDIFIES "UNHEARD OF" RISE WITH NO.2 RANKING IN HIS CLASS

Press Release July 20, 2023 By Dragon Fire Boxing and Jarred Cross- Noongar boxer Alex Winwood has climbed to no.2 in the World Boxing Council's strawweight ratings, earmarking a push to get his hands on a world title in the division.

Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing 

 

WBC's ratings released this week places Winwood behind only Mexican fighter Luis Castillo on the list of challengers to interim champion Yudai Shigeoka and world champion Panya Pradabsri.

 

"This is very special and brings me so much closer to my dream of being a world champion," Winwood wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.

 

This time last year the 26-year-old was yet to enter the ring as a professional.

 

Just three fights in, Winwood's manager Tony Tolj said it's an "unheard of" trajectory into the elite.

 

The International Boxing Federation has Winwood at no.8 and World Boxing Organization at just outside the top ten at no.11 in their latest ratings.

 

"To be honest, his rise is unheard of. There's no other boxer really on this planet, apart from Lomachenko (Ukrainian multi-time, multi-weight class world champion and two-time unified lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomanchenko), that's had three fights and is number two in the world. It's just unbelievable," Tolj told National Indigenous Times on Tuesday.

 

"But it's a testament to him. He only wants to fight the best - and in boxing you can't always fight the best but we've managed to get the highest rated fighters in front of him"

 

His manager said the stratospheric rise comes in large-part to taking on, and moving past, much more experienced opponents.

After bursting onto the scene, Tolj said the WBC quickly wound back any of their concerns about giving an unknown fighter chances at big fights when they realised, as he put it, "this guy is the real deal".

 

In his pro career so far, Winwood has wrapped the Western Australian light flyweight, WBC International Light Fly and WBC International minimum weight belts around his waist.

 

The latest came after shedding off a couple of kilos from his already slight frame - a decision Tolj sees as a thoughtful approach towards he and trainer Angelo Hyder's aim to produce a world champion within six fights in Winwood.

 

Should he get there, Winwood would be the fastest Australian man to do so.

 

In a sport of fine margins, light fly see's a lot of bigger builds cutting down to the class with an inch of two extra of height and reach.

 

That variance might have contributed to Winwood's less dominant amateur record.

 

Tolj said his man is now "licking his lips" at minimum weight.

 

Winwood has said he has no intentions of taking on "taxi drivers" in the ring, with his management's eyes also on climbing up the ladder again for his next bout.

 

"We're looking at everyone above us and now that's Castillo. We've instructed Alex just yesterday to 'mate, start looking at footage of him,'" Tolj said.

 

"Ideally we plan to stick with the WBC as they've looked after us, but we've got an eye on every single champion out there with the IBF, WBA and the WBO."

 

A mild-mannered man, Winwood defied the brash convention's often associated with someone in his job and at his level.

Tolj said he identified something in him from early on. Not just in professionalism and intent, but as something well worth putting time into and for others to keep an eye on.

 

"The sky is the limit with him (Winwood)," Tolj said.

 

"He's got a very good personality, and he's actually enjoyable to spend time with. And the way that he's always looking out for other people, not just himself is a breath of fresh air into boxing."

 Material Courtesy of: Jarred Cross Photo Courtesy of: Dragon Fire Boxing Used with permission.

 

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

McGregor-Robles Vacant IBO Jr. Featherweight World Championship Bout To Air On DAZN

Press Release July 13, 2023 By DAZN - Hometown hero Lee McGregor tackles dangerous Mexican Erik Robles on Friday night for the vacant IBO world super bantamweight title – live around the world on DAZN.

Credit: DAZN 

 

The action comes live from Edinburgh’s Meadowbank Sports Centre from 7pm local time with McGregor being roared on by a capacity crowd on a night that he says could be “life changing”.

 

A British, Commonwealth and European bantamweight champion in only 10 fights, ‘Lightning’ is now rebuilding with Wasserman Boxing and starts the second chapter of his pro career with a shot at the IBO world belt.

 

Supporting McGregor’s huge homecoming will be a packed card in the Scottish capital, including the UK’s most fearsome heavyweight prospect Matty Harris and rising super lightweight star Harlem Eubank.

 

The hard-hitting Kazak, Sultan Zaurbek takes on former European champion John Cater and Isaac Lowe returns to the ring looking to get back in the featherweight mix.

 

Heavyweight puncher Kash Ali looks to make a statement while Great Britain amateur Ben Andrews makes his professional debut.

 

McGregor vs Robles, live on DAZN (excluding UK and Ireland) from 7pm on Friday.

Material and Photo Courtesy of: DAZN 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: www.DAZN.com. 

 

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

Usyk-Dubois To Air On ESPN+ On August 26th From Wroclaw, Poland

It has been announced that the August 26th World Heavyweight championship bout between undefeated unified WBO/IBO/IBF/WBA Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk and current WBA number one Heavyweight contender Daniel Dubois will be available in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+. Details regarding the undercard are not available as of this writing, but the bout, which will take place at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland will be available throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland on the recently renamed TNT Sports (Formerly BT Sports) pay-per-view platform. We will keep readers updated on developments as they become available. Stay tuned.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

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

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Kambosos To Challenge Hughes Meet For IBO World Championship

The recent history of Boxing's 135lb. Lightweight division has been dominated by current undisputed world champion Devin Haney. Haney as most know emerged as the Undisputed Lightweight champion of the world by scoring a lopsided twelve round unanimous decision over previously undefeated undisputed champion George Kambosos in June 2022 and then repeated the victory in his first title defense against Kambosos in a rematch in October of last year. While Haney has remained undisputed champion, most recently scoring a decision win over Vasyl Lomachenko in May, Haney's future appears to be heading above and beyond the Lightweight division.  Although as of this writing Haney remains regarded as the undisputed champion of the division, if he should choose to move up in weight to possibly challenge WBC Jr. Welterweight world champion Regis Prograis, it will open up an opportunity for contenders and former world champions in the Lightweight division to maneuver towards fighting for a world championship.

One such fighter is George Kambosos, who will meet top Lightweight world champion Maxi Hughes on Saturday, July 22nd at the Firelake Arena in Shawnee, OK. The fight, which can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+, will be for a  world championship in the Lightweight division. It just so happens that the world championship that will be on the line will be the one world championship that has not been part of Devin Haney's undisputed crown. The world championship of the International Boxing Organization (IBO)

Although some in the sport do not recognize the IBO as a legitimate sanctioning organization, the world championship is a legitimate one. It just happens to be the case where the organization is on the outside, looking in with regard to the current undisputed championship in the Lightweight division. While it is certainly not the first time that an organization has been on the outside of a unified world championship or even an undisputed world championship due to among other things, the politics that be in the sport, it does not make a world championship any less legitimate nor does it minimize the opportunity for the fighters involved in a world championship bout. The subject of legitimacy of world titles will be a subject that will for better or worse, always be one to discuss and debate throughout the entire sport. It is a subject that with regard to the Lightweight division may indeed prove to be moot as if Haney does move up in weight, the four world championships that currently comprise the undisputed championship at 135lbs. the championships of the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO will all become vacant.

Nevertheless, the politics that be in Boxing aside, it does not diminish what will likely be an interesting fight between two of the best the Lightweight division currently has to offer. In what will be his first fight since his losses to Haney, the story going into this fight for Kambosos is obvious. Was Kambosos winning the Undisputed Lightweight world championship over then champion Teofimo Lopez a case of a fighter simply being in the right place at the right time to be able to take advantage and win the championship, or was his two losses to Kambosos a case of him simply being bested by a superiorly skilled fighter and not an accurate assessment of Kambosos' own skill level or standing in the sport?

Obviously that is a question that this observer cannot answer outright because by its very structure it is one that the answer will depend on one's perspective as opposed to a clear cut definitive yes or no. What should be said is prior to winning the championship by defeating Lopez, Kambosos was unbeaten and worked his way to a mandatory challenger position to challenge Lopez. What can be said for Kambosos is he has handled those setbacks to Haney with the utmost grace and he was not disgraced in either of those two fights. 

While it remains to be seen what effect, if any, those losses to Haney have had on Kambosos in terms of his approach to a fight, as a Boxing lifer who has spent most of his life covering the sport in addition to other combat sports, I tend to feel that no matter how great a fighter might be, there are times that for whatever reason they will come across someone that is a bad match up in terms of style and that can at times lead to defeat. While I can personally spend all day and night going through various examples of such scenarios, I will simply say that from a style standpoint, Devin Haney might just have the perfect mix of both style and skillset that will always give George Kambosos, a world-class boxer in his own right, with his own impressive skillset, difficulty no matter how many times they might compete against each other. 

The task ahead going into this fight against Maxi Hughes for the former world champion is to remove the setbacks against Haney from his mind, but at the same time, use the experience he gained in those two encounters to improve. There is indeed a mental aspect to the sport of Boxing that means as much, if not more than the physical aspects of it and in order to bounce back, Kambosos will have to put those losses behind him to the best of his ability. 

In Maxi Hughes, Kambosos will face a veteran of thirty-three professional fights, who has won his last seven fights and will be making the third defense of the IBO crown he won in September 2021 with a twelve round unanimous decision over Jovanni Straffon. While recent history has put Kambosos in the position of having the bigger name recognition of the two fighters, particularly here in the United States, the champion Hughes does have all of the momentum in his favor going into this fight. There are however, similarities between the two that make this a difficult fight for both men. Both Hughes and Kambosos are boxer/punchers with each having a good mix of hand speed, deceptive power, and counter punching ability.

What this fight may come down to could depend on which fighter is able to establish the tempo of combat and whether or not they can maintain control of the ebb and flow for however long it lasts. Although the possibility of a knockout can never be dismissed, both Hughes and Kambosos are distance fighters in that they are used to going deep into fights and neither of them had many knockouts in their career with Hughes registering five knockout wins in his twenty-six career wins and Kambosos having ten knockout wins in his twenty career victories.

Perhaps what might be more important than the world championship that Maxi Hughes holds in terms of the overall picture might be which of these two fighters might be able to make a statement as the Lightweight division appears to be heading towards a period of transition with many of the fighters who have served as focal points in the division for the last several years now moving up the weight scale. While this fight will likely not determine the next number one Lightweight in the world, it will certainly at the very least indicate which fighter is likely to be included in the discussion as the subject of who the top Lightweight in the world might be in the post-Devin Haney era will be debated if those debates have not already begun.

"And That's The Boxing Truth." 

Hughes vs. Kambosos takes place on Saturday, July 22nd at the Firelake Arena in Shawnee, OK. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 5:40PM ET/2:40PM PT.  For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com. 

*Card and Start time subject to change.*

*Check your local listings internationally.*

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

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

NESTOR BRAVO AND WILL MADERA FACEOFF FOR WBA FEDELATIN TITLE IN MOST VALUABLE PROMOTIONS’ SECOND INSTALLMENT OF MOST VALUABLE PROSPECTS

Press Release July 13, 2023 By DAZN and Most Valuable Promotions - NEW YORK, NY – On Wednesday, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced their main event for its second Most Valuable Prospects event on Friday, August 18 in Orlando, Florida. The WBA Fedelatin title bout will feature super-lightweight Puerto Rican-American talent Nestor “El Mas Bravo” Bravo (21-0, 15 KOs) and Will “Ill Will” Madera (17-2-3, 10 KOs). The 10-round bout is contested at 140 lbs and will be taking place at the Caribe Royale Resort.

 

The Most Valuable Prospects series is produced and promoted by MVP, with Boxlab Promotions serving as the official licensed promoter and is distributed by DAZN. The second event in the series continues the commitment from MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian to highlight the world’s best up-and-coming boxing talent. All events within Most Valuable Prospects will take place on Friday nights in 2023 and will be hosted by the series’ official title sponsor, Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, FL. DAZN will air the series across its platforms as a part of its subscription package which will include the entire main card lineup and prelims. Tickets are now on sale at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/22005EEADB50BF76

 

Bravo, the undefeated fighter out of Orlando, FL, by way of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, is ranked seventh in the world by the World Boxing Association as a super lightweight. The cross-weight talent also holds the WBO-NABO junior welterweight title, which he won in October 2022 by stopping Adrian Yung in seven rounds and becoming the second fighter ever to do so. Bravo hopes to return to his winning streak after facing a disappointing no-contest against WBC Latino Champion Jair Valtierra in February 2023 when Valtierra clashed heads with Bravo in the fourth round. He is trained by Bob Santos, who was named Ring Magazine’s 2022 Trainer of the Year.

 

Madera, the Puerto Rican super lightweight out of Albany, NY, comes to the ring following a series of high-octane matchups. The orthodox fighter handed Brandun Lee the first knockdown of his career via a vicious overhand right in August 2022, ending in a narrow loss after Lee got up at the 11th second and won the bout. Previously, Madera stopped Jamshidbek Najmitdinov (20-1) in the 5th round of their faceoff at the Barclays Arena in October 2021 and defeated Thomas "Gunna Man" Mattice (13-0-1) by a unanimous decision in February 2019. Madera, a father to six, is trained by Ty Goldston.

 

“Our first Most Valuable Prospects event was incredibly successful and we are thrilled to announce the lineup for Most Valuable Prospects II,” said Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions. “Our commitment to cultivating the next generation of great boxers is evident in the work that we do, and we want to thank each of our partners for sharing that same mission. The matchups on this card will serve our audiences with nothing less than an exciting night as we all witness these young athletes work towards becoming tomorrow’s must-watch names in boxing. We appreciate Caribe Royale Resort’s hospitality and partnership and want to thank our distribution partner, DAZN for their dedication to bringing the action to global audiences at home.”

 

Viewers can expect to see nine total fights on the 18th, with some of the world’s most promising prospects in boxing. The full undercard and broadcast team will be announced in the coming weeks.

 

“We are excited to be working with the team of Most Valuable Promotions on our second Most Valuable Prospects event. The main event is a great one for the fans in attendance and those watching on DAZN. Two top talents will be vying for the WBA Fedelatin Title in what will be an action packed bout,” said Amaury Piedra, Managing Director of Caribe Royale Resort and President of Boxlab Promotions. “In addition the list of up and coming prospects on the co-main and remainder of the card is exceptional. We will feature some of the top rising stars in boxing from around the world. Caribe Royale and Boxlab Promotions are proud to be a part of bringing this event to Orlando. This is part of Caribe Royale’s strategy of being the top All Suite hotel in Orlando for both locals and visitors alike.”

   

For more information, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @MostVPromotions, @DAZNBoxing, @Boxlab_AP, and @cariberoyale or on Instagram via @JakePaul, @MostValuablePromotions, @DAZNBoxing, and @cariberoyaleorlando.

 

 

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 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, LaLiga, 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 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 Caribe Royale Orlando Resort

Located just minutes from the Walt Disney World® Resort in the nation’s number one convention and tourist destination, Caribe Royale Orlando is the only AAA Four Diamond all-suite meetings resort in Orlando. A TripAdvisor 2022 Travelers’ Choice Award winner – among just 10 percent of hotels worldwide to receive the distinction – the upscale Caribe Royale is emerging from a $140 million renovation that includes fully remodeling all of its one-bedroom suites, an all-new 50,000-square-foot grand ballroom (bringing the total meeting space to 220,000 square feet), and an inviting new lobby. Being privately-owned, Caribe Royale offers meeting planners faster approval cycles and more flexibility to create stand-out events. To learn more or to book a visit, event or meeting, visit www.cariberoyale.com. Follow the all-suite convention hotel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(@cariberoyale), LinkedIn and Pinterest. #cariberoyaleorlando

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