Lomachenko Continues To Make His Claim As The Best Lightweight In The World

It would be hard to for one to dispute that unified WBO/WBA Lightweight world champion Vasyl Lomachenko hasn’t been one of the fastest rising stars in the sport of Boxing since his professional debut in October 2013. This of course, is understandable when talking about a fighter who is regarded as one of, if not the best amateur boxers of all-time. Prior to his first professional bout, Lomachenko registered an incredible amateur record of 396-1 finishing his amateur career by winning Olympic gold for the second consecutive time at the 2012 Olympics in London, England after previously winning gold in 2008.

From his second professional fight in March 2014 on Lomachenko has competed exclusively in world championship fights with the lone defeat on his pro record coming in that first world championship fight in losing a decision to former world champion Orlando Salido. Although it is tempting to discuss Lomachenko’s rise in greater detail and also note that his quick rise to professional world champion in only three professional fights, what is also remarkable is he has won three world championships in three separate weight classes, becoming the fastest to accomplish that feat in just twelve professional fights when he stopped WBA Lightweight world champion Jorge Linares in February of last year after previously winning world titles in the Featherweight and Jr. Lightweight divisions.

After defeating WBO Lightweight world champion Jose Pedraza to become a unified world champion in December of last year, Lomachenko was sidelined with an injured right shoulder, which required surgery. Despite wanting to continue to unify the Lightweight division by setting his sights on a unification bout against IBF world champion Richard Commey, the potential fight did not take place as Commey had suffered an injury to his right hand in his last fight in February of this year.

Rather than sitting out for what would be a more lucrative fight, Lomachenko instead chose to fulfill his obligation by facing his mandatory challenger and former WBA Lightweight world champion Anthony Crolla on Friday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. Although Crolla, who reigned as a world champion in the Lightweight division from 2015-2016 entered the fight as a significant underdog, the former world champion entered with a respectable record of 34-6-3, with 13 Knockouts and had won his previous three fights prior to challenging Lomachenko.

What has bedeviled several of Lomachenko’s previous opponents is his ability to use angles to throw and land combinations. Despite being a heavy favorite over the challenger, I felt Crolla may have been able to provide the champion with a test. After all, despite losing his championship to Jorge Linares in September 2016 and failing to avenge that loss in a rematch in March 2017, Crolla is still one of the best Lightweights in the world and was not someone to take lightly.

Despite winning thirty-four of forty-three previous bouts, Crolla was simply no match for the fighter affectionately referred to by Boxing fans as “Loma.” Lomachenko consistently pressed the action and frankly dominated the former world champion before a devastating right hook that appeared to land on the temple sent Crolla down and out at :58 of the fourth round. While some fans might be critical of Crolla for not being able to provide much resistance for Lomachenko despite being the top contender in the WBA’s Lightweight ratings, it is important to remember that before this fight Crolla had only been stopped once in his career and that stoppage came in his bout against Derry Mathews in a bout for the British Lightweight championship in April 2012.

Sometimes a fight can be summed up by saying one fighter was superior to the other. In this observer’s eyes, this was one of those fights. Vasyl Lomachenko has established himself as an elite level fighter, who could well be at the top of some fans and observers’ respective pound for pound lists. Anthony Crolla is a world class fighter and former world champion who simply come up against a superior fighter who is highly skilled.

Even though there wasn’t much to talk about regarding this fight, what might be interesting is what may be ahead for Lomachenko coming off of this victory.  Obviously, when a fighter scores a knockout as Lomachenko did in this fight it will generate both buzz and interest in what might be next.  With his WBA mandatory obligation out of the way for the time being, yours truly would like to see Lomachenko face Richard Commey next in a bout to further unify the Lightweight division.

Perhaps the biggest fight that can be made currently in the division could be an encounter between Lomachenko and current WBC world champion Mikey Garcia. Garcia as most Boxing fans know recently lost his undefeated record in a failed attempt to win the IBF Welterweight world championship in losing a twelve round unanimous decision to undefeated world champion Errol Spence last month at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX. It is unclear as of this writing as to whether or not Garcia, who moved up two weight classes to challenge Spence will return to the 135lb Lightweight division.

In terms of the current landscape of the Lightweight division, with the world championship of the International Boxing Organization (IBO) currently vacant, it leaves Lomachenko, the World Boxing Association (WBA)/World Boxing Organization (WBO) world champion, Richard Commey the International Boxing Federation (IBF) world champion, and Mikey Garcia the World Boxing Council (WBC) world champion atop of the division. While an obvious obstacle that exists, which may prevent full unification of the division from taking place in rival promoters not being keen on working together to make significant fights like unification bouts a reality, if there is enough demand from the public it will lead to fights taking place.

Whether or not the Boxing world might see Lomachenko against Commey or Garcia later in 2019 remains to be seen. Vasyl Lomachenko however, has provided Boxing fans and experts alike with not only a memorable performance in his victory over Anthony Crolla, but also a strong argument as being the best of the best that the Lightweight division has to offer. Of course, Richard Commey, Mikey Garcia, and/or a contenders and prospects who have yet to emerge as players in the division might have something to say to dispute Lomachenko’s claim as being the number one Lightweight in the world. In this observer’s eyes however, until that time comes Vasyl Lomachenko is the top fighter in the division.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

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Hammer-Shields: Women’s Boxing’s First “Super Fight”

While the sport of Women’s Boxing has been around for decades, the sport didn’t first begin to receive mainstream recognition until the mid-1990’s when fighters like Christy Martin, Lucia Rijker, and Mia St. John each established themselves as stars of Women’s Boxing. Most Boxing aficionados probably remember the Lightweight encounter between Christy Martin and Deirdre Gogarty in March 1996, which was one of the best fights of the 1990’s not just in Women’s Boxing, but in the entire sport. Despite the recognition both fighters earned for themselves and Women’s Boxing in that fight, Women’s Boxing struggled for long-term television exposure and recognition here in the United States for years, despite the sport receiving more recognition internationally where Women’s fights have headlined cards that have also featured men’s bouts.

In recent years however, the sport of Women’s Boxing along with the sport of Women’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) have garnered overdue mainstream recognition. After all, it wasn’t too far in the past where female boxers were not able to compete in the Olympics. This of course all changed at the 2012 Olympics in London, England where for the first time Women’s Boxing took its place in what is regarded as the biggest stage Amateur Boxing has to offer. Among the competitors at the 2012 London games was American standout Claressa Shields. As most Boxing fans know, Shields emerged from the 2012 games as the lone gold medalist on the United States Boxing team. While most medalists opt to focus on turning professional after competing in the Olympics, Shields would instead set her sights on the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and make history as the only American boxer to win consecutive Olympic gold medals. After amassing an amateur record of 77-1, Shields embarked on her professional career.

Since turning pro in November 2016, Shields has gone unbeaten in eight professional bouts, scoring knockouts in two of those fights and has won world titles in the Middleweight and Super-Middleweight divisions. While some might question how a fighter with eight professional fights could have already accomplish what Shields has in being a two-division world champion, it is important to remember that much like other Olympians throughout Boxing history, Shields was able to benefit from the exposure that being in the Olympics provides and was able to capitalize on valuable television exposure immediately upon turning professional. It is also important to remember that Women’s Boxing is still growing and the path to a world championship is not necessarily the same as compared to what men face in the professional ranks. There is no dispute that in the nearly three years since turning pro Shields has established herself as one of the best fighters in the entire sport female or male.

Much like other unbeaten fighters however, the question of who might be able to provide Shields a test does exist. We are likely to get the answer to that question when the WBC/IBF/WBA Middleweight world champion attempts to become undisputed world champion when she meets undefeated WBO world champion Christina Hammer on Saturday night at the historic Boardwalk hall in Atlantic City, NJ.

Hammer is also a two-division world champion having won world championships in the Middleweight and Super-Middleweight divisions as Shields has done. The main storyline as this fight approaches in this observer’s mind centers on experience. While Shields arguably has more notoriety due to both the exposure she was able to have in two Olympic tournaments as well as the exposure she was able to have on television out of the gate as a professional, Hammer has more professional experience than Shields has professional fights and will enter this encounter with a record of 24-0, with 11 Knockouts.

Some may recall a scuffle between the two that took place following Shields’ victory over Jr. Middleweight world champion Hannah Gabriels in June 2018, in which Shields won the then vacant IBF/WBA Middleweight world championships. Although the scuffle that took place between Shields and Hammer did not result in the two world champions exchanging punches, it did not make either of them appear in a good light or the sport of Women’s Boxing. The incident however, as has been the case in Men’s Boxing through the years in similar circumstances, while giving the appearance of trying to generate publicity for the at that point potential encounter between the two, did nevertheless suggest a genuine dislike between the two fighters.

This fight was signed and was supposed to take place in November of last year. The much-anticipated showdown between the two was postponed however, due to an undisclosed medical condition suffered by Hammer. Hammer returned to the ring in February of this year with a second round stoppage of Elene Sikmashvilli in a non-title bout fought in the Super-Middleweight division. Shields meanwhile will come into this fight off of a ten round unanimous decision over Femke Hermans in December of last year.

It is logical to assume based not only on the fast-paced nature of Women’s Boxing where rounds are only two minutes in duration, but more importantly the styles of the two fighters in being boxer/punchers who each know how to win rounds that this fight might go the full ten round distance. What could be the determining factor in this fight is which fighter can dictate the combat.

The Hammer-Shields fight represents the first time in the sport of Women’s Boxing where the term “Super Fight” is appropriate. After all, you have two undefeated world champions who are two of the top fighters in the sport putting their respective records and world championships on the line against each other to determine who is the best. When you throw in the apparent dislike between the two and the notion that the encounter has become one of the most anticipated fights in all of Boxing in 2019, the term “Super Fight” is certainly appropriate.

What this fight also represents for Women’s Boxing is only the second time in the sport’s history where a fight will determine an Undisputed world champion following undefeated undisputed Women’s World Welterweight champion Cecilia Braekus. It should not go unnoticed that after years and years of sporadic television exposure where several top female boxers have either retired or have gone into other combat sports, we are now at a time where Women’s Boxing is finally getting the recognition and spotlight it truly deserves as in 2019 there are arguably more Women’s bouts being televised across both traditional television and digital streaming networks than at any point in the sport’s history.

One can only hope following great fighters like Christy Martin, Lucia Rijker, Mia St. John, Holly Holm, Ann Wolfe, Laila Ali, and others who fought during times where Women’s Boxing was not getting the exposure and recognition that it deserved that no matter what happens on Saturday night when Hammer and Shields meet for the Undisputed World Middleweight championship, Women’s Boxing will continue to benefit and grow from the exposure and more importantly respect that in this observer’s eyes is long overdue. The sport of Women’s Boxing deserves it.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Hammer vs. Shields takes place on Saturday, April 13^th at the historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. The fight can be seen on Showtime Sports beginning at 9:10PM EST/6:10PM PT across cable and satellite providers as well as on the Showtime and Showtime Anytime apps on mobile, tablets, and connected streaming devices. For more information about Showtime, Showtime Boxing, Showtime Sports, and the Showtime and Showtime Anytime apps please visit: www.sho.com.  In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the fight can be seen on BoxNation beginning at 1:30AM (Sunday, April 14^th Local UK Time.) For more information about BoxNation as well as availability in your area please visit: www.boxnation.com. Check your local listings internationally.

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Lemieux Moves Up To Super-Middleweight To Face Ryder

Credit: Golden Boy Promotions

Press Release:  By DAZN – LAS VEGAS (April 10, 2019): David Lemieux (40-4, 34 KOs) will make his 168-pound debut when he takes on John “The Gorilla” Ryder (27-4, 15 KOs) in the scheduled 12-round co-main event of Canelo vs. Jacobs. The card will also feature the returns of Vergil Ortiz Jr., Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano, Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr., Sadam “World Kid” Ali and Lamont Roach Jr., in separate bouts. The event will take place Saturday, May 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN.

“There comes a time when every fighter must move up in weight, and now is that time for David Lemieux,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “Lemieux was the hardest-hitting puncher in the 160-pound division, and I’m absolutely certain he will be the biggest puncher at 168 pounds. John Ryder will be in for a tough fight on May 4. Also, this undercard will feature some of our brightest stars, including Vergil Ortiz Jr., who with only 12 fights will face a tough veteran in Mauricio Herrera. Golden Boy and DAZN have crafted an excellent night of action, so don’t miss out on this one!”

Lemieux, 30, was last seen on the televised pay-per-view undercard of Canelo vs. GGG 2 when he scored a first-round knockout victory against Gary “Spike” O'Sullivan. The native of Montreal, Canada promises to be stronger than even in his super middleweight debut.

“I've seen [John] Ryder fight,” said David Lemieux. “He’s a credible rival, but I’m going to make a statement out of what I’m going to do with him. At 168, I’m going to be the strongest that I’ve ever been.”

Ryder is a 30-year-old native of London who is the No. 1 contender for the WBA Super Middleweight Title. Ryder has faced tough opposition, including a close fight against Rocky Fielding and a tough battle against Billy Joe Saunders. The “Gorilla” is coming off a seventh-round technical knockout win against previously undefeated Andrey Sirotkin, and he’ll look to retain his shot at the title with a win against Lemieux.

“I’m fully focused on the fight with David Lemieux, but obviously there’s a massive pot of gold for the winner,” said John Ryder. “There’s the potential for a fight with Canelo or a fight with Callum Smith, which are both huge. Lemieux is a big puncher if you stand in front of him. I’m a boxer-fighter. I’ll box him at times and fight him at other times when it suits me. Our fighting styles are sure to gel for a great fight. I’m expecting to win and to win well. I’m there to keep my mandatory position.”

“We can’t wait for David to show that he can be a powerhouse in the super middleweight division. What better way to demonstrate this than by fighting the No. 1 contender in John Ryder!,” said Camille Estephan, President of Eye of the Tiger Management.

“This is a great fight on a great night of boxing,” said Eddie Hearn, Managing Director of Matchroom Sport. “John Ryder has been on a tremendous run, and now takes to the big stage in Las Vegas with the dangerous David Lemieux. It’s a huge fight for both with the winner being mandatory challenger for Callum Smith, and I fully expect that to be John Ryder.”

The undercard for this explosive co-main event will be filled with Golden Boy’s current and future stars.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. (12-0, 12 KOs) will face the biggest test of his career when he takes on Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera (24-8, 7 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight battle. Ortiz Jr. is moving to welterweight for this fight only, and if he’s successful in this tough challenge, he’ll be on the fast track to a world title at 140 pounds.

Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano (32-7-1, 22 KOs) will defend his WBC International Silver Super Lightweight Title against Michael “The Artist” Perez (25-3-2, 11 KOs) in a 10-round fight. Cano will return after his dominant knockout victory against former three-division world champion Jorge “El Niño de Oro” Linares.

Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. (28-1, 14 KOs) of South El Monte, Calif. will fight against a soon-to-be-announced opponent in a 12-round battle for the vacant WBA Gold Super Featherweight Title. Diaz Jr. will return after a dominant victory against rugged warrior Charles Huerta.

Sadam “World Kid” Ali (27-2, 14 KOs) will return in a 10-round clash for the vacant USNBC Silver Welterweight Title against Anthony Young (20-2, 7 KOs) of Atlantic City, N.J.

Lamont Roach Jr. (18-0-1, 7 KOs) of Washington, D.C., will unify his WBO International Super Featherweight Title in a 10-round battle against NABO Super Featherweight Champion Jonathan Oquendo (30-5, 19 KOs) of Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The winner of this bout will earn the No. 1 spot for the WBO Super Featherweight World Title.

Alexis Espino (1-0, 1 KO) of Las Vegas, Nevada will participate in a four-round super middleweight fight against a soon-to-be announced opponent.

Canelo vs. Jacobs is a 12-round fight for the WBC, WBA, Lineal, Ring Magazine and IBF Middleweight World Titles presented by Golden Boy in association with Matchroom Boxing. Lemieux vs. Ryder is a 12-round super middleweight battle presented by Golden Boy in association with Eye of the Tiger Management and Matchroom Boxing. The event is sponsored by Tecate, "THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING" and Hennessy "Never Stop. Never Settle." The event will take place Saturday, May 4, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN.

Tickets for Canelo vs. Jacobs are on sale now and are priced at $2,505, $1,505, $1,205, $805, $605, $405, $305, and not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of 10 per person at the $2,505, $1,505, $1,205, $805, $605, $405, and $305 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

For more information,visit  www.goldenboypromotions.com, 

http://www.matchroomboxing.com, and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @DanielJacobsTKO, @MatchRoomBoxing, and @DAZN_USA. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, 

www.facebook.com/SaulCaneloAlvarez, www.facebook.com/MatchroomBoxing 

and https://www.facebook.com/DAZNUSA/.  Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy, 

@Canelo, @DanielJacobsTKO, @MatchroomBoxing and @DAZN_USA. Follow the conversation using #CaneloJacobs.

Material Courtesy of : DAZN/ Photo Courtesy of : Golden Boy Promotions Used with permission.

To subscribe to DAZN, availability around the world, list of connected streaming devices, and to start your free 30-day trial please visit: www.DAZN.com.

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

Upcoming Schedule: April 2019

We would like to let our readers know some of the upcoming content that will be released here on the website during the month of April. On Thursday, April 11th a preview for the upcoming Women's Middleweight World championship unification bout between Claressa Shields and Christina Hammer will be released.

Coverage of the April 12th World Lightweight championship fight between champion Vasyl Lomachenko and former Lightweight world champion Anthony Corolla will be on the website on Saturday, April 13th.

On Friday, April 19th a preview of the April 20th WBO World Welterweight championship fight between undefeated champion Terence Crawford and former Jr. Welterweight world champion Amir Khan will be released here on the website. This will follow with post material on Wednesday, April 24th.

We would also like to inform readers that a feature discussing the continued revival and expansion of Bareknuckle Boxing is also in the works. An announcement regarding when the feature will be released will be made later in the month. 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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Update

We would like to let our readers know that new material will be released on Monday, April 8th. 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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Smith-Eggington Weights

The official weigh-in for Saturday’s Jr. Middleweight encounter between former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Liam Smith and rising prospect Sam Eggington took place earlier today in Liverpool, England. The official weights for the entire card are as follows.

Main Event: Jr. Middleweight- 12Rds.

Liam Smith 153 1/4lbs. vs. Sam Eggington 153lbs.

Heavyweight- 10Rds.

David Price 252lbs. vs. Kash Ali 243lbs.

Light-Heavyweight- 4Rds.*

Thomas Hart 178 1/4lbs. vs. Przemyslaw Biniends

(* Hart will be making his pro debut on this card.)

Women’s Lightweight – 6Rds.

Natasha Jonos 137lbs. vs. Feriche Mashauri 134 1/4lbs.

Jr. Middleweight- 10Rds. *

Anthony Fowler 153 ½lbs. vs. Scott Fitzgerald 154 1/2lbs.

(*Fitzgerald weighed in a half pound over the 154l. Jr. Middleweight limit. Fight to take place as scheduled as of this writing.)

Commonwealth Jr. Welterweight championship- 12Rds.

Phillip Bowes (Champion) 139 1/4lbs. vs. Tom Farrell 139 1/4lbs.

Jr. Featherweight- 6Rds.


Fadhili Majiha 119lbs. vs. Pat Butler 123 1/4lbs.


Lightweight- 6Rds.


Des Newton 137 1/4lbs. vs. Gerard Carroll 136 1/4lbx.

British/European Jr. Welterweight championship Unification Bout: 12Rds.


Robbie Davies (British champion) 138 1/2lbs. vs. Joe Hughes (European champion) 138 1/2lbs.
Cruiserweight – 6Rds.

Craig Glover 202lbs. vs.  Vaclav Pejsar 198 1/4lbs.

Smith vs. Eggington takes place tomorrow (Saturday, March 30th) at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. The card can be seen on digital streaming network DAZN in the United States and around the world beginning at 3PMET/12PM PT U.S. Time.  To subscribe to DAZN, availability around the world, list of connected streaming devices, and to start your free 30-day trial please visit: www.DAZN.com.

In the United Kingdom and Ireland the card can be seen on Sky Sports Main Event (Formerly Sky Sports 1) beginning at 8PM. (Local UK time.) For more information about Sky Sports, channel listings, and availability in your area, please visit: www.skysports.com. 

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

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Andrew Moloney Discusses World Title Eliminator Victory In Chile

Credit: Camilo BA

Press Release: March 27, 2019 by Team Moloney – Andrew Moloney produced a stunning knockout against the tough Chilian Miguel Gonzalez on Gonzelez' home turf of Santiago, Chile, implementing himself at the top of the World Boxing Association's world rankings.

In a fight that was toe to toe action from the offset, Moloney, who was controversially down on the scorecards, delivered a crushing left hook to Gonzalez' chin in the eighth round, sending his South American counterpart to the canvas, in a fashion that prohibited the game Chilean from meeting the referee's count.

Moloney opened up on his performance and how stoppage victory, "Gonzalez was a good fighter, he was better than I thought in honesty and produced a career-best display and I want to thank his team for giving me the opportunity to come to Chile and fight him, as well as thanking my manager Tony Tolj who had worked tirelessly since AUgust of 2017 to make this fight happen as well as my training team led by Angelo for getting me in top shape for it.

"I thought I was going to stop him to the body going in but the shot that stopped him was the shot we had been working on in the gym and it paid off in great style. After a knockdown was scored against me for slipping, I knew I had to take it out of the judges' hands so I did and I was delighted with the victory."

2014 Commonwealth Gold Medalist Moloney now prospectively sits at number 2 in the WBA world rankings, with Kal Yafai and WBA number 1 Norbelto Jiminez possibly potentially clashing on the undercard of Anthony Joshua's IBO, IBF, WBA & WBO title defence at Madison Square Garden against Jarrell Miller. 

The 2 weight WBA Oceania belt holder discussed Yafai, Jiminez and his plans for the immediate future, "I think both Yafai and Jiminez are good fighters and when they clash it will be a close fight. I feel Yafai has a bit more class and will win the fight, but it will be a really close fight and I definitely want to fight the winner for the world title.

"If the winner unifies or doesn't want to fight me I will possibly look to fight in the interim but I will leave that up to the team and I am going to have a few weeks rest and then get back in the gym and continue improving for what big opportunities could be on the horizon."

The slightly bigger Moloney brother, Jason, fights this Saturday against Cris Paulino at the Seagulls Rugby League Club in Tweets Head, New South Wales for the WBA Oceania Bantamweight title in his first fight since his controversial loss to Emmanuel Rodriguez for the IBF World Bantamweight title. 

Andrew gave his take on brother Jason's chances this coming Saturday evening, "Jason will be looking back to get to winning and I'm fully confident that he will look better than ever against a good fighter in Paulino. He's been working hard in the gym and he's had great sparring with the likes of Billel Dib who is also fighting on the card and has been in good form. It's going to be a good night of boxing and I fully expect explosive performances from Jason and Billel.

"Jason still has a high world ranking, so hopefully we will both be competing for world titles in 2019 and both of us will be world champions and I believe this is a very realistic goal that will come fruition sooner rather than later." 

Material Courtesy of: Team Moloney/Photo Courtesy of: Camilo BA Used with permission.

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

Schedule Update

We would like to briefly remind readers that we will be resuming the regular schedule for material beginning on Wednesday, March 27th. We apologize for the delay. 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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"The Master of Disaster" Bruno Vifuavili reacts to 'shock' victory over Joel Brunker

Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing

Press Release: March 14, 2019 By Dragon Fire Boxing – Tanzania's Bruno Vifuavili pulled off what many saw as a massive upset last Friday evening, as he overcame the challenge of the experienced Joel Brunker.

Brunker was the heavy favourite going into their IBF Pan Pacific Super Featherweight title fight at the Windsor Function Centre, but Wifuavili pulled off the shock upset, as he controlled the fight from the offset, and many neutral observers saw Wifuavili as the clear winner. The judges agreed as Vifuavili, who was awarded the unanimous decision victory, joined an elite class that includes former IBF World Champion Lee Selby and current IBF World Champion Josh Warrington.

The Tony Tolj guided Vifuavili opened up on his feelings at beating the highly rated Brunker and what this means for his career going forward.

The Tanzanian native said, "Winning this title was a dream come true for me, but let me know it is just the start of a special journey.

“Joel Brunker is a world class fighter, and I believe I have proved that I am on that level now, as I felt I dominated the fight. I boxed when I wanted to box and had a war when I wanted to have a war. Joel is a great man, and I want to thank him for the opportunity.”

Manager Tony Tolj opened up on his charges Vifualivi options now going forward and reflects on his excellent performance.

Tolj said, “I thought Bruno was exceptional. It was a dominant but excellent win against a top fighter in Joel Brunker. My friend Cicillio Flores from Oxnard says iron sharpens iron. Bruno spars with the likes of the Moloney twins, Billel Dib and Furkan Demirkaya and this work is what has upped his level and it showed against Joel.”

Tolj continued, outlining his plans for Vifualivi going forward, “Bruno is in his early twenties and after that performance, he should enter the IBF ratings. We want to fight the best and if anybody who is rated above us in the ratings wants the fight, we will take it with open arms.

“We would love to fight the winner of Farmer vs Carroll, but anybody who is rated above Bruno we will come to your backyard and get the win.”

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

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

Farmer vs. Carroll Press Conference Quotes

Credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USA

Press Release: By DAZN/Matchroom Boxing USA – PHILADELPHIA, March 13, 2019 – Two days before an exciting night of boxing at the Liacouras Center at Temple University, the media gathered for the official press conference of a stacked card headlined by IBF World Super Featherweight Titlist Tevin Farmer defending his belt in his hometown against undefeated Jono Carroll of Ireland. The action-packed event will also feature IBF & WBA World Female Lightweight Titlist Katie Taylor in a unification bout against the WBO World Female Lightweight Titlist Rose Volante, Philly’s Gabriel Rosado will go up against Maciej Sulecki in a middleweight tilt, and two Philadelphia natives, Hank Lundy and Avery Sparrow, will face off in a lightweight bout in front of their hometown crowd. The fighters took the stage to discuss their preparation and predictions before entering the ring on Friday night, live on DAZN.

Friday’s event will be broadcasted live on DAZN with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET and main card starting at 9 p.m. ET.

Tevin Farmer

“Making weight is not easy so apologies for being late. I am looking forward to Friday. I am coming to get it popping. This is my third defense in five months. We prepared very well, as always. It’s a blessing to be here in Philadelphia after 16 years without a champion defending their belts here. For me to be the one to bring it back, it’s amazing. I have been fighting on the road a lot lately. Thank you to everyone believing in me. Jono will be ready, I know that. But I work hard and he knows these things too. I am tired of rolling over these guys easy so I hope he brings it.”

Jono Carroll

“I want to say a thank you to Philadelphia for having me here. Thanks to Matchroom and DAZN. This is a real Rocky story. I have been steadily climbing up the ranks thanks to everyone in my career. This is many people helping me but at the same time, I have dedicated my life to the sport. From 15 on, it’s been boxing. I truly enjoy every minute. Sometimes I look arrogant or cocky, but it’s just me enjoying myself. I have really enjoyed my time in Philadelphia. I went to the Rocky steps and I have been taking it all in. I had an amazing camp, great sparring and no injuries thankfully. Tevin has defended his title a couple of times in a row and I know he is going to be sharp. It’s a tough mountain to climb but I think I can do it. I said I was going to win the title off an American and now I hope I can go back to Ireland with Katie Taylor, with both of us as champions.”

Katie Taylor

“Thank you so much everyone for the opportunity. It’s great to be in Philadelphia and part of this rich history. I had a great training camp and I am looking forward to a big challenge. You will see the best of women’s boxing on Friday night.”

Rose Volante

“I would like to thank you for the opportunity to be here in Philadelphia. I am looking forward to accomplishing my dream of unifying the titles on Friday night. We will finally see who the best lightweight in the female division is.”

Maciej Sulecki 

“Thank you to Matchroom and DAZN. I promise I won’t let you down. I had a great ten week camp. I am ready and I hope you will be ready too. I am ready for a crazy fight and I can’t wait.”

Gabriel Rosado 

“We had a great camp. I think you will see the best of Gabe Rosado on Friday. We have a lot of momentum from that first training camp in November. There’s nothing I haven’t seen. I have fought the best. The experience will kick in for me. But thing is, this fight is in Philadelphia and I am going to turn up extra hard. I want to stop him. I want to knock this man out. It’s going to a war and it’s going to be real nasty. Like Eddie said, call out sick, call out from work. Let’s go Philly.”

For more information, fans can follow DAZN’s U.S. social channels: @DAZNUSA on Facebook, @DAZN_USA for Twitter, and DAZN_USA for Instagram.

About DAZN:

Globally, DAZN is a live and on-demand sports streaming service created by fans, for fans, that is leading the charge to provide access to sports anytime, anywhere. DAZN guarantees no long-term contract, no bundles, just one affordable price for access to all the service's sports on connected devices including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, games consoles and PCs. DAZN is currently available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Canada, Italy and the U.S. - where it is a must-have service for sports fans, with a daily show featuring live look-ins to Major League Baseball games beginning in 2019 and more than 100 fight nights already lined up from Matchroom Boxing, Bellator MMA, Golden Boy Promotions, the World Boxing Super Series, and Combate Americas.

Material Courtesy of: DAZN/Matchroom Boxing USA/ Photo Courtesy of: Ed Mulholland/ Matchroom Boxing USA Used with permission.

To subscribe to DAZN, availability around the world, list of connected streaming devices, and to start your free 30-day trial please visit: www.DAZN.com.

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

Update

We would like to let our readers know that we are between rounds and will  resume our regular schedule on Wednesday, March 27th. 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

Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin-DAZN Partnership Press Conference Quotes

Credit: Amanda Westcott/DAZN USA

Press Release: LOS ANGELES, March 11, 2019 – The boxing media gathered on Monday afternoon at The Conga Room at LA Live to formally announce that Gennady ‘GGG” Golovkin will fight the rest of his career on DAZN, the world’s largest sports streaming platform. DAZN Executive Chairman John Skipper and former unified middleweight champion discussed the six-fight global partnership between GGG promotions and DAZN that will see Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin fight twice a year on the platform for the next three years. DAZN broadcaster Chris Mannix moderated the conversation.

Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin

On signing with DAZN: “I was a free agent and I thought DAZN gave me the best platform. I also think DAZN will be the best home for all boxers in the future.”

On why it took so long to make decision: “It’s no secret I had others offers from other companies. Right now I have the best partner that will let me know promote fighters on GGG Promotions and me as a fighter.”

On agreeing to six fights: “I hope I can do six fights. I feel great! After six fights I’ll see what I can do, but have to focus on these six fights.”

On what you want to gain in the rest of  you career: “I’ve gained a lot of experience in the last years of my career. I want to share that with fighters who will be working with me on GGG promotions and I think with DAZN we have the right partner to put on the best fights.”

On unifying the division: “People understand a lot of politics about all the belts. The idea is not to have all belts possible, but it’s to be best boxer and sometimes people with belts are not the best boxers.”

Importance of third fight with Canelo: “Of course it was important for me. Right we want to have the most important fights in boxing, many important fights. That’s what I want to do right now.”

On physical condition: “I can’t really answer that. In my normal life I feel great. I’ll go to training camp in April and I’ll be able to answer this question better.”

DAZN Group Executive Chairman John Skipper

On signing GGG: “We have a clear agenda at DAZN to bring fans the best fights for affordable subscription price. We’re are not going to be able to bring fans the fights without Gennady Golovkin. He was a key element of what we’re going to be which is to be the premiere destination for fight fans. There was very little question in my mind that this is a signing we needed to make. Happy to hear Gennady expects six times and happy to hear that more than six times if he’s still fighting at a high level. We’re thrilled, this is a great deal for us, and we’re very excited.

Chris asked me before why this took so long - I had a chance to meet his wife and had a chance to see  his new son. This took a long because this is a lifetime decision. This is a moment in boxing where I think things are changing and what I think we will be able to do is bring the best fights back to fans and Gennady wanted to be part of that. It was complicated and it’s decision he’s making on his life.”

On Canelo/GGG third fight: “Our intentions is to bring fans the best fights and the fights they most want to see. A third fight between Gennady and Canelo is what fans want to see. We’re focused right now on May 4 with Canelo and Daniel Jacobs. Jacobs happens to be a DAZN fighter and we’re focused on the fight Gennady will have in June, which we also expect to be a difficult fight. He’s only interested in fighting appropriate opponents. So we’re going to focus on those fights and see what happens.”

On DAZN having a shelf life: “It’s wrong, we’re committed to this, we’re well capitalized. We’re going to see the results, and we already saw the result from the December fight, which we only had a couple weeks to promote. It did very well for us and if we can follow that up with the fights we’re going to have in May and June and later this fall. We have a very viable financial proposition, so they’re wrong.”

On how you feel 1-10 on number of subscriptions (1 miserable, 10 ecstatic): “I will be at a ten, but I don’t know when exactly, but I will be at a ten. We have had good success and one landmark event and that’s the Canelo fight. I expect to have four to five landmark events this year and to move to from my current three or four, which means I’m satisfied with where I need to be towards knowing what we need to accomplish in the long run and that’s when I’ll be at a ten.”

On Deontay Wilder rumors: “I will not characterize them all, or even confirm them. We have discussions with people and until we announce I rarely comment on them until we announce, so I don’t have anything to announce so no comment. Other than we’re interested in having the best fights on DAZN and we will put the fights on that people want to see. It’s pretty clear that one fight people want to see is Joshua and Wilder.”

Head Trainer Abel Sanchez

On how GGG has grown: “Youthful and exuberant back then, now more experienced, more stealth. He’s thinking more about the things he does. Great thing about him and he always has been is he’s very professional. He’s probably 10-12 pounds over his weight now, so when he comes into camp he’s not abusing his body, and we can focus on working on other things.”

Any erosion with GGG in the ring: “I can only gauge in the fight. There’s not anyone that has dominated him or in the gym. He’s fighting at his top level. I imagine there’s but until someone proves it to me in the ring I have to say no.”

About DAZN:

Globally, DAZN is a live and on-demand sports streaming service created by fans, for fans, that is leading the charge to provide access to sports anytime, anywhere. DAZN guarantees no long-term contract, no bundles, just one affordable price for access to all the service's sports on connected devices including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, games consoles and PCs. DAZN is currently available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Canada, Italy and now the U.S. where it is becoming a must-have service for sports fans, with a daily show featuring live look-ins to Major League Baseball games beginning in 2019 and more than 100 fight nights already lined up from Matchroom Boxing, Golden Boy Promotions, Bellator MMA, the World Boxing Super Series and Combate Americas.

For more information, fans can follow DAZN’s U.S. social channels: @DAZNUSA on Facebook, @DAZN_USA for Twitter, and DAZN_USA for Instagram.

Material Courtesy of: DAZN/ Photo Courtesy of Amanda Westcott/DAZN USA Used with permission.

To subscribe to DAZN, availability around the world, list of connected streaming devices, and to start your free 30-day trial please visit: www.DAZN.com.