Fowler Defeats Rose

Rising Middleweight prospect Anthony Fowler scored a hard-fought ten round decision over former British Jr. Middleweight champion and former world title challenger Brian Rose in the main event of the latest edition of Matchroom Boxing’s NXTGEN Boxing series on Friday night at the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool, England. In what was an entertaining fight throughout, It was Fowler’s quick hands and harder punches that were the story of the fight. Rose was able to have his moments throughout the bout and hard success in landing his right hand to the head of Fowler. The pattern of Rose’s success in the fight however, was whenever he would land solidly with his punches, Fowler would almost immediately return offense with combinations that consistently pushed Rose back. It was this along with Fowler’s ability to bring the fight to his opponent that resulted in a convincing decision victory.

Anthony Fowler advances to 10-1, with 8 Knockouts. Brian Rose falls to 31-6-1, with 6 Knockouts.

Also on this card:

Jr. Welterweight Lewis Ritson scored a third round stoppage of Marek Jedrzejewski. A left hook to the body of Jedrzejewski sent Jedrzejewski down in round three. Although Jedrzejewski was able to beat the count, he was unable to keep Ritson off of him and the bout was stopped at 2:50 of the round.Lewis Ritson advances to 19-1, with 10 Knockouts. Marek Jedrzejewski falls to 14-3, with 13 Knockouts.


In a battle for the English Middleweight championship, Jack Cullen scored an impressive eighth round stoppage of previously undefeated John Harding in the first defense of his title. Cullen dominated the fight almost from the start landing jabs, straight, right hands, and left hooks on a very “Game” Harding. Cullen scored a technical knockdown of Harding in round five with what appeared to be a left hook that caused Harding’s glove to touch the canvas. In round eight, a body shot from Cullen staggered Harding and forced him against the ropes. A follow-up barrage subsequently forced a stoppage of the fight at 2:07 of round eight. Jack Cullen advances to 17-1, with 8 Knockouts. John Harding falls to 7-1-1, with 1 Knockout.

In the Bantamweight division veteran Thomas Essomba scored a hard-fought ten round decision over previously undefeated Sean McGoldrick. Several of the rounds in this fight were fought in close where both fighters engaged in exchanges. As the fight progressed, Essomba’s greater activity and sharp counter punches became the story as he earned what will likely be viewed as an upset victory. Thomas Essomba advances to 9-5, with 3 Knockouts. Sean McGoldrick falls to 9-1, with 2 Knockouts.

Undefeated Jr. Lightweight Qais Ashfaq scored an eight round decision over Sean Davis. Qais Ashfaq advances to 7-0, with 3 Knockouts. Sean Davis falls to 14-4, with 0 Knockouts.

Heavyweight Martin IIunga scored a first round knockout over Ytalo Perea. Martin IIunga advances to 13-1, with 10 Knockouts. Ytalo Perea falls to 11-5-2, with 11 Knockouts.

Undefeated Super-Middleweight John Docherty scored a four round decision over Darryl Sharp. John Docherty advances to 6-0, with 5 Knockouts. Darryl Sharp falls to 5-57-1, with 0 Knockouts.

In the Welterweight division Robbie Davies scored a third round stoppage of Michel Dufek. Robbie Davies advances to 19-1, with 13 Knockouts. Michel Dufek falls to 25-22-2, with 18 Knockouts.


Unbeaten Light-Heavyweight Thomas Hart scored a four round decision over Ivo Krastev. Thomas Hart advances to 2-0, with 1 Knockout. Ivo Krastev falls to 2-11, with 1 Knockout.

Undefeated Lightweight Dylan Evans scored a four round decision over Aleksandrs Birkenbergs. Dylan Evans advances to 3-0, with 0 Knockouts. Alekandrs Birkenbergs falls to 5-24, with 3 Knockouts.

The victory for Anthony Fowler over Brian Rose was a convincing bounce back win for the native of Liverpool, England, who suffered his first professional loss in his last fight in losing a ten round split decision to Scott Fitzgerald in March of this year.

As had been the norm, Matchroom Boxing’s NXTGEN series offered an interesting look at some of the rising prospects on the UK Boxing scene. While some fighters who were featured on this card appear to be closer to taking another step towards potential British, Commonwealth, and perhaps even world title opportunities, the fighters will likely benefit from the global exposure the series offers as they look to continue progressing in their respective careers.

“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 Heavyweight Picture As August 2019 Begins, Plus Mini-Preview Of Kownacki-Arreola

Boxing’s Heavyweight division continues to be a hot topic of discussion throughout the entire sport amongst both fans and experts. One of the contributing factors to that, of course, was Andy Ruiz’ recent upset of previously undefeated unified IBF/WBA/WBO/IBO Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua in June. While what goes on atop the division will always generate significant interest among any Boxing enthusiast, one of the perks of being a fan of the sport is to see how the landscape of a division changes over time as fighters look to improve their position in their respective weight class with the goal of hoping to challenge for a world championship down the line.

In recent weeks this process has been taking place in the Heavyweight division. Some may recall a recent tripleheader of Heavyweight bouts that was featured on digital sports streaming network DAZN on July 20th in London, England. As readers might remember in this observer’s preview of that card, I stated that it was one that featured a mix of top contenders, former world title challengers, and veterans who were looking to get into world title contention.

Due to both the length of time between when that preview was released and the release of this column, yours truly will summarize each of these three bouts in a condensed manner in an effort to both inform the reader and cover as much ground as possible. The first of these fights featured a battle between former world title challengers Dereck Chisora and Artur Szpika. What interested me about this fight was the fact that it was a well-matched bout as was the other two Heavyweight fights on this card.

This was an encounter between one fighter in Chisora who was looking to continue his rebuilding process after suffering a knockout loss against Dillian Whyte last December. Coincidentally, Artur Szpilka was also looking to continue to rebuild after suffering a knockout loss at the hands of Adam Kownacki in July 2017. Thus, this pitted two fighters who were at a similar stage in their respective careers against each other.

As can happen in Boxing, the fight concluded before it really began. A right hand from Chisora badly staggered Szpilka in the second round and a follow-up barrage put him down and out on the canvas as the fight was quickly stopped. Sometimes there is not much one can say about the outcome of a fight other than to summarize it as one fighter taking full advantage of an opening that was available and finishing their opponent as a result. For Dereck Chisora this knockout should be viewed as one of the best performances of his career and will likely earn him an opportunity to face former world champion Joseph Parker at some point in the near future. If Chisora continues to win it is not difficult to envision him once again being in line to once again challenge for a world title at some point in the future.

One Heavyweight that many thought of the idea of him being able to work his way back into the world rankings as being perhaps a “Long Shot” was former British Heavyweight champion David Price. Price as some recall was once touted as a potential future world champion by several experts including Yours truly as he established himself as a rising prospect in the division several years ago. As most Boxing fans know however, Price was pushed into fights against world-class opposition too quickly and it resulted in a promising career becoming a roller coaster.

Despite the setbacks Price has suffered throughout his career, he has fought on. On this particular card, Price was looking to continue building momentum against veteran David Allen. In what was at times not the prettiest fight to watch, Price outlasted Allen over ten rounds before Allen retired from the fight prior to the beginning of the eleventh round. Although there wasn’t much in the way of excitement in this fight, for Price his third straight win since his last loss to Sergey Kuzmin last September did result in him being able to work his way back into the world rankings as he earned a rating in the World Boxing Association (WBA) Heavyweight ratings with his victory over Allen.

This brings us to what was the main event of this card between top Heavyweight contenders Dillian Whyte and Oscar Rivas. In what was billed as a fight to determine interim championship status in the WBC’s Heavyweight ratings, Whyte overcame a knockdown in the ninth round to score a twelve round unanimous decision over Rivas. Despite the knockdown, Whyte produced w workmanlike performance, which was highlighted by the success he was able to have working behind his jab throughout.

A victory for Whyte however, now has controversy surrounding it as it was revealed that Whyte had tested positive in a pre-fight test conducted by the United Kingdom Anti-Doping agency (UKAD). Despite this, the fight was allowed to go on as scheduled even though it was also revealed that Rivas and his camp were not informed of the positive test until after the fight. As a result of this, the World Boxing Council (WBC) has withheld their interim designation of Whyte as its mandatory challenger for current WBC world champion Deontay Wilder and has suspended him pending the outcome of an investigation. What is also unclear as of this writing is whether or not there will be any action taken by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) in regard to suspending Whyte and/or possibly changing the result of the fight from a unanimous decision win for Whyte to a no contest.

While the circumstances surrounding Dillian Whyte’s situation is something that will likely play out over a period of time, it does leave some potential room to maneuver in the division. The month of August will feature two Heavyweight bouts that one could argue falls right in a similar category as the three bouts that took place in the division on July 20^th. The first of these bouts will take place on August 3^rd in Brooklyn, NY as undefeated contender Adam Kownacki will square off against former world title challenger Chris Arreola in a fight scheduled for ten rounds.

Kownacki has established himself as one of the division’s rising contenders and will enter the fight unbeaten in nineteen professional fights having scored knockouts in fifteen of those bouts registering a career knockout percentage of nearly 80%. In his last fight in January of this year, Kownacki stopped former world title challenger Gerald Washington in three rounds. Kownacki now prepares to face another former world title challenger Chris Arreola.

A longtime contender, Arreola has fought for the WBC world championship on three occasions coming up short against Vitali Klitschko, Bermane Stiverne, and Deontay Wilder. Despite those setbacks, Arreola has fought on and will come into the fight having won his last two fights since losing in his last title shot to Deontay Wilder in July 2016.

This fight in my eyes will come down to which Chris Arreola shows up. There have been times throughout Arreola’s career that he might have been the best Heavyweight in the division and others where he has looked sluggish and underprepared. One might argue that at thirty-eight years old Arreola could be running out of chances at the upper level of the division. The beauty about combat sports however, is that sometimes all a fighter needs is an impressive performance to revitalize their career. At his best, Arreola does have the type of punching power to be a threat to anyone in the division.

As fighters like Dereck Chisora and David Price have shown a fighter can bounce back and if Arreola can win this fight it is not hard to envision him being back in the discussion of potential challengers for the current champions of the division. If Arreola is at his best in this fight, it will be the first significant test for Kownacki who has only had to go as far as ten rounds once in his career thus far. In terms of overall experience, Arreola does have an advantage over his unbeaten opponent.

A further development that has been announced was the announcement earlier this week that former world title challengers Alexander Povetkin and Hughie Fury will meet on August 31^st in London, England. Much like the three bouts that took place on July 20^th, the Kownacki-Arreola and the announced Povetkin-Fury bouts are each about the respective fighters looking to improve their position among the various contenders and prospects all looking for an opportunity to fight for a world championship. With the world champions of the division Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz each potentially defending their portions of the World Heavyweight championship in separate bouts later this year, there remains plenty of room for potential challengers down the line to maneuver.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

PBC: Kownacki vs. Arreola takes place on Saturday, August 3^rd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The fight can be seen in the United States on Fox beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT. For more information about the card and Premier Boxing Champions please visit: www.PremierBoxingChampions.com. 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

Matchroom NXTGEN Weights From Liverpool, England

The official weigh-in for Friday’s latest edition of  Matchroom Boxing’s NXTGEN series headlined by a ten round Middleweight bout between Anthony Fowler and Brian Rose took place earlier today in Liverpool, England. Official weights for the entire card are as follows.

Main Event: Middleweight – 10Rds.

Anthony Fowler 156 1/2lbs. vs. Brian Rose 155 1/4lbs.

English Middleweight championship – 10Rds.

Jack Cullen (Champion) 158 3/4lbs. vs. John Harding 159 1/2lbs.

Jr. Welterweight – 10Rds.

Lewis Ritson 139 1/2lbs. vs. Marek Jedrzejewski 136 1/2lbs.

Heavyweight – 8Rds.

Martin IIunga 262 1/4lbs. vs. Ytalo Pera 256 3/4lbs.

Bantamweight – 10Rds.

Sean McGoldrick 117 1/4lbs. vs. Thomas Essomba 117 1/2lbs.

Jr. Lightweight – 8Rds.

Qais Ashfaq 129lbs. vs. Sean Davis 131lbs.

Welterweight – 8Rds.

Michel Dufek 145 1/2lbs. vs. Robbie Davies 145 3/4lbs.

Light-Heavyweight – 6Rds.

John Docherty 172lbs. vs. Darryl Sharp 176 1/4lbs.

Light-Heavyweight – 4Rds.

Ivo Krastev 175 3/4lbs. vs. Thomas Hart 179 1/2lbs.

Fowler vs. Rose takes place tomorrow (Friday, August 2^nd) at the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool, England. The card can be seen in the United States and several international countries on digital sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 2PM ET/11AM PT (U.S. Time). For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of available streaming device and platforms, availability around the world, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com.  

In the United Kingdom and Ireland the card can be seen on Sky Sports Action beginning at 7PM (Local UK Time.) For more information about Sky Sports including schedules and availability in your area please visit: www.skysports.com.

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

Brief Update

We would like to let our readers know that we will begin our schedule for August 2019 with a special Heavyweight feature on Friday, August 2nd. 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

Thoughts On Hooker-Ramirez

The theme leading up to the Jr. Welterweight encounter between undefeated world champions Maurice Hooker and Jose Ramirez was the beginning of a re-unification process for the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division. It is true that whenever there is a unification bout in the sport that it accomplishes two important things. Number one, it creates interest. Interest from both the Boxing enthusiast, who watches the sport closely as well as the interest of the casual fan who may more appropriately be categorized as a general sports fan,

Number two and perhaps, more importantly, it benefits the sport when two world champions put their respective claims to a world championship on the line against each other. When the politics that be in the sport do not serve as an obstacle to a potential fight like a unification bout from being made. A scenario that can simply be summed up as when the best fighters in a given weight class and by extension the entire sport face the best competition available or to say it more simply, “The Best Fighting The Best.”

When such a scenario takes shape and you have the added element of two unbeaten fighters who are each in their respective physical primes, more often than not the ingredients produce classic fights. On July 27th, Hooker and Ramirez that at the College Park Center in Arlington, TX to unify the WBO and WBC Jr. Welterweight crowns. There was a slight element of controversy in the opening round as Ramirez was credited with a knockdown of Hooker when he landed a jab, but stepped on Hooker’s foot in the process resulting in the knockdown. While the knockdown was incorrectly ruled by Referee Mark Nelson, it did not appear that it would have a lasting impact on the fight.

Although this was as Yours truly stated in previewing this fight an encounter between two boxer/punchers, the tempo of the combat from the outset was high paced and it appeared that neither fighter was interested in pacing themselves to go twelve rounds if need be. When it comes to fights like this, it will often boil down to which fighter lands first with their power punches. In this fight however, both fighters had success in landing power shots. One thing that stuck out to me as the fight progressed was how Ramirez was able to consistently close distance between himself and Hooker. Despite Hooker having a near eight-inch reach advantage, he was unable to keep Ramirez at a distance where theoretically the physics of the fight would be more in his favor.

It was nevertheless a back and forth battle in what turned out to be one of the best fights of 2019. The conclusion of the fight was both sudden and brutal as a left hook to the head from Ramirez in round six staggered Hooker and sent him back along the ropes. Quickly sensing that he had his opponent in trouble, Ramirez followed up with a brutal barrage of punches that forced Referee Mark Nelson to stop the fight.

Even though the ending of this fight was both quick and brutal, I felt that the stoppage of the fight was the appropriate call to make as Hooker appeared to be out on his feet and had his head snapped back several times by Ramirez in that follow-up barrage. While some fans under circumstances like the one where this fight was stopped are quick to criticize the stoppage and rule it “Bad”, it cannot and will not be overlooked by this observer that the sport has suffered two deaths within the last week related to traumatic brain injury as a result of injuries suffered while competing in the ring. Jr. Welterweights Hugo Santillan and Maxim Dadashev each succumbed to injuries sustained in separate bouts within the last week.

Although this observer did not cover either of those fights, I have been very vocal on social media platforms since the news of both men’s deaths became public with regard to the need for further regulation in the sport as well as sharing my opinion that all fighters who compete in combat sports should be and need to be respected by fans as each time a fighter competes they are risking their lives.

While by all accounts, the protocols that could be taken were in the aftermath of Maxim Dadashev’s fight against Subriel Matias in Oxon Hill. MD and there have been no reports indicating that similar protocols were not taken in regard to the aftermath of Hugo Santillan’s fight against Eduardo Abreu in San Nicolas, Argentina, it underscores both the dangers/risk associated with all combat sports and how sometimes split-second decisions need to be made, which unfortunately at times can be a matter of life and death.

Although when similar circumstances have befallen the sport in the past it is not uncommon to see both referees and athletic commissions be more cautious and at times be willing to stop fights earlier than what some believed should be the case, I believe in the case of Hooker-Ramirez the stoppage by Referee Mark Nelson was the correct call. As the sport deals with the circumstances of the deaths of both Dadashev and Santillin, it was refreshing to see both Hooker and Ramirez showing respect to one another both before and after the fight. A lesson in “Class” that everyone in the sport, fans, media, and the fighters who compete in it can learn from.

“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

Tony Tolj Tells The Tale Of Thunderdome 31 And Gives Update On Moloney Brothers

Credit: Hitman Photography 

Press Release: July 30, 2019 By Dragon Fire Boxing – The Dragon Fire Boxing Thunderdome series have been ever-present in Australian boxing for decades, with numerous fighters emerges from boxing so-called developmental regions to become world level fighters. The most notable recent emergences come in the shape of the Moloney twins, who both await their own respective cracks at the world title. 

The Thunderdome shows always produce crazy levels of action, and the thirty-first edition of the series failed to disappoint and Australian Boxing mainstay Tony Tolj gave his take on their latest show.

The Australian boxing tycoon stated, "We kicked off the show with an impressive debut from Wazza Michael Warren. Adam Milnes a true warrior will be back I'm sure, just got caught cold by a great shot. The Winter Soldier Dylan Winter in the fight of the year to that point on the night. Jed Bolton always comes to fight and that was an absolute beauty.

"The Removalist Francis Chua impressively stopped the Renegade who was a willing competitor but he could not handle the power of Chua. 

Kazeem The African Dream stopped Pino Geracitano in a fight that saw Kazeem box very for his pro debut. An absolute war ensued between 

The Man Mountain Shayne Smith and Hayden wright went to war. Smith an absolute warrior who unfortunately was hospitalised post-fight."

Tolj continued as he described the title action that ensued at the top of the card, "Floyd Masson turned what we thought was going to be a technical fight into a brawl which saw him emerge as Western Australian Cruiserweight Champion. This was followed by a Gatti Ward style fight of the year contender between Nigel Groves and Troy Humberston. It was a fight for the ages and congratulations to Troy on becoming the new W.A State Heavyweight Champion.

"We finished with Jesse White and Brice Roullo closing the show in style who didn't disappoint as Jesse was made to dig in to become W.A. Middleweight Champion. It was a fitting end to a fantastic night of action. 

"I would also like to say thank you to

WBA World 15 Michael Bullet Kaplan and IBF Pan Pacific Champion Steve Gago Vittorio Agostino Donna Sadler and Kylie Hutt. I have so much respect to the fighters who come to the shows and support when they aren't fighting. They are an example to the industry." 

As aforementioned, Tolj guides the careers of the hottest set of brothers in world boxing at the moment in the Moloney twins. The Perth native gave an update on the twins' next move. 

He said, "The Moloney's are keeping active in the gym and we look to have some concrete news on them in the next week or so, but we are awaiting that final confirmation from Top Rank and when we do we will announce it immediately."

Material Courtesy of: Dragon Fire Boxing/Photo Courtesy of: Hitman Photography Used with permission.

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

Hooker-Ramirez Weights

Credit: Ed Mulholland/ Matchroom Boxing USA

Press Release: By DAZN – DALLAS, July 26, 2019 – The fighters tipped the scales at the Hall of State a day ahead of the stacked fight card, headlined by WBO World Super Lightweight Titlist Maurice Hooker facing off against WBC World Super Lightweight Titlist Jose Ramirez. Saturday night will also feature the sport’s most active champion, IBF World Super Featherweight Titlist Tevin Farmer who will take on mandatory featherweight challenger Guilluame Frenois, and undefeated Tremaine Williams challenges Yenifel Vicente in a featherweight bout.

12-Round Super Lightweight Championship Bout @ 140 lbs.

Maurice Hooker: 139.5 lbs.

Jose Ramirez: 139.5 lbs.

12-Round Super Featherweight Championship Bout @ 130 lbs.

Tevin Farmer: 129.75 lbs.

Guillaume Frenois: 129.5 lbs.

10-Round Featherweight Bout @ 122 lbs.

Tramaine Williams: 121.75

Yenifel Vicente: 121.75

About DAZN:

DAZN is the largest global sports streaming platform in the world. Since launching in 2016, DAZN had expanded across four continents with the service available in the United States, Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Japan and Brazil. DAZN guarantees no long-term contract, no bundles, just affordable access to all the service's sports on connected devices including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, games consoles and PCs. In the U.S., DAZN has made its mark as an attractive alternative to pay-per-view within the combat sports industry. The platform features more than 100 fight nights per year from Matchroom Boxing, Golden Boy Promotions, GGG Promotions, Bellator MMA, the World Boxing Super Series and Combate Americas. DAZN also features live MLB action each day of the season with its new daily show, ChangeUp.

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

Hooker vs. Ramirez takes place on Saturday, July 27^th at the College Park Center in Arlington, TX. The card can be seen in the United States and several international countries on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 7PM ET/4PM PT (U.S. Time). For more information about DAZN including schedules, availability around the world, list of compatible streaming devices, and to subscribe 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 2AM Sunday, July 27^th (Local UK Time.) For more information about Sky Sports, schedules, and availability in your area please visit: www.SkySports.com. Check your local listings internationally.

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

The Jr. Welterweight Division Begins The Process Of Re-Unification

A familiar story that most Boxing fans can relate to hearing, especially in today’s era is one where multiple fighters each can hold claim to being a world champion in a given weight class. The subject of unifying a world championship becomes a complicated one when one factors in all the various political elements in the sport, which more often than not can stand in the way of such a goal from being accomplished. There are times however, where all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place where the goal of determining one undisputed world champion is realized.

In regard to the storied 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division, the last time one undisputed champion was determined was nearly two years ago when Terence Crawford successfully completed the unification process by knocking out Julius Indongo to become the one and only champion in the division. As most Boxing fans know, after fully unifying the division, Crawford immediately set his sights on the 147lb. Welterweight division where he currently reigns as the WBO world champion. Crawford’s exit from the Jr. Welterweights quickly set in motion a reset atop the division.

In the time since then four world champions have emerged representing the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO respectively. Coincidentally, all four current champions will be facing each other in the near future. For the purposes of this column, we will be focusing on the first of the two bouts, which will take place on July 27^th as undefeated world champions Maurice Hooker and Jose Ramirez will put their respective claims to the Jr. Welterweight championship of the world and undefeated records on the line.

Maurice Hooker will enter as the World Boxing Organization (WBO) world champion. Unbeaten with a record of 26-0-3, with 17 Knockouts, Hooker won the vacant WBO crown in June of last year with a twelve round split decision over former WBO Lightweight world champion Terry Flanagan. Since winning the championship, Hooker has successfully defended his title twice including a twelve round unanimous decision over Mikkel LesPierre in March of this year.

Jose Ramirez will enter as the World Boxing Council (WBC) world champion. Undefeated with a record of 24-0, with 16 Knockouts, Ramirez won the vacant WBC crown in March of last year. Similarly to his opponent, Ramirez has been active since winning the championship and has defended his WBC title successfully including a twelve round majority decision victory in his last fight over Jose Zepeda in February of this year.

On paper, this appears to be a well-matched encounter between two boxer/punchers. Although both men have shown that they can get an opponent out of there if an opportunity presents itself, it is logical to assume that this fight could go the full twelve round distance. In terms of style, both fighters are similar in my view and it will probably boil down to which fighter is able to dictate the pace and execute their fight plan more than their opponent.

What this fight means for the division in the overall picture is the start of an unofficial tournament at 140lbs. as all four champions Maurice Hooker, Jose Ramirez, Regis Prograis, and Josh Taylor will do battle over the coming months in separate unification bouts. With Hooker-Ramirez to unify the WBO and WBC crowns this weekend, it leaves Prograis the WBA champion and Taylor the IBF champion to meet later this year in a fight that will also coincidentally determine a winner in the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) season two Jr. Welterweight tournament.

It should also not be overlooked that Hooker-Ramirez also represents a step in the right direction for the sport as Hooker’s promoter Matchroom Boxing and Ramirez’ promoter Top Rank, Inc. are working together to make this fight happen. The landscape of how the sport of Boxing is broadcast and consumed by fans has changed significantly over the last year and it is no secret that both Matchroom Boxing and Top Rank have separate multi-year broadcast deals with competing platforms. Matchroom Boxing with digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN in the United States and several international countries as well as Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, and Top Rank with ESPN in the United States including it’s digital streaming platform ESPN+ and BoxNation in the United Kingdom.

While the main goal for any promoter is to draw the most interest in their cards as possible and to please their respective television partners, it is important not just for the fans who support the sport in both good times and bad, not just for the fighters that compete in the sport, but for the benefit of the sport overall that promoters work together. Not only does collaboration between promoters serve the purpose of unification bouts like Hooker-Ramirez from taking place, which is a benefit to fans who want to see marquee fights, but it also benefits the fighters and the sport overall.

How often have we seen a fighter earn a title shot in a respective sanctioning organization, but either not get the opportunity they earned to face the world champion in a reasonable timeframe or, be forced to agree to terms that may not be to a fighter’s long-term benefit all in the name of Boxing politics? The same question can be asked with regard to unification bouts and how a world championship in a division for one reason or another never seems to stay unified long-term because of the various political elements that surround the sport.

It is indeed true that politics will be remain part of Boxing, but if promoters can show that they can work together with the goal of benefiting the fans, the sport, the fighters, and the additional benefit of helping to grow the sport by doing so, it should be considered a win for Boxing. This of course, is easier said than done because of the various elements of politics involved, but at least it is a step in the right direction.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Hooker vs. Ramirez takes place on Saturday, July 27^th at the College Park Center in Arlington, TX. The card can be seen in the United States and several international countries on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 7PM ET/4PM PT (U.S. Time). For more information about DAZN including schedules, availability around the world, list of compatible streaming devices, and to subscribe 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 2AM Sunday, July 27^th (Local UK Time.) For more information about Sky Sports, schedules, and availability in your area please visit: www.SkySports.com. 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

MAURICE HOOKER VS. JOSE RAMIREZ FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

Credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USA

Press Release: By DAZN – DALLAS, July 25, 2019 – Fans gathered on Thursday afternoon in anticipation for the showdown on Saturday night at the College Park Center featuring WBO World Super Lightweight Titlist Maurice Hooker facing off against WBC World Super Lightweight Titlist Jose Ramirez. Also on the card, IBF World Super Featherweight Titlist Tevin Farmer, who continues to be the most active champion will match up against mandatory featherweight challenger Guilluame Frenois, undefeated Tremaine Williams challenges Yenifel Vicente in a featherweight bout, and hometown fighter Austin “Ammo” Williams battles Jabrandon Harris in a middleweight fight.

On Saturday night, DAZN’s coverage of the preliminary fights begins at 7 p.m. ET, with the main card starting at 9 p.m. ET.

Maurice Hooker

“This fight means everything for me. I hope Jose is ready. I will be the champion. I don’t want to bet on eating Whataburger. Let’s bet on breakfast in the morning with my belts. I’m pumped about this fight being home in Dallas. Jose is good fighter and he’s come ready to fight. I’m ready to go one round, I’m ready to go two rounds, I’m ready to go 12. But the way Jose fights, he will run into my right hand.”

Jose Ramirez

“I am looking forward to showing my skills to the people of Texas. Going to new places is part of being a superstar and that’s what I want to become. In order to make a unification fight, I had to come to Maurice’s backyard but I am looking forward to using this opportunity. I want to make you all proud. My team knows I am ready, I know I am ready.” 

Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Managing Director

“We have had an amazing first eight or nine months with DAZN. All of these great fighters have been active, most especially Tevin Farmer who continues to get in the ring to defend his belt and this weekend has a tough mandatory fight in front of him. 

“I am desperate to see Maurice Hooker win this fight on Saturday night. He is a great man. But overall, this is why we called this show ‘All or Nothing’ because each guy comes in with a belt and will leave with both titles. It’s going to be a tremendous fight and I cannot wait for this.”

Tevin Farmer

“I had an amazing training camp. I know a lot of fighters say this but this was really my best camp. No cheating. Eight weeks. Six days a week, three times a day. I think this will be my best performance ever. As you can see, I am skinny as hell right now but I am not dry. I feel great. I feel motivated again, I want to take this thing to a new level. Saturday on DAZN, you will see me take it to that new level. I want Gervonta Davis, I want JoJo Diaz. I want unifications. But God willing, you will see on Saturday night and then we will be there for a big fight. JoJo Diaz, you next!”

Guilluame Frenois

“Since my draw against Jono Carroll last year, I have been waiting to get this shot. I am looking forward to Saturday night and bringing the belt back to France.”

Tremaine Williams

“I finally get to showcase who I really am. Come Saturday night I’ll show what I can do.”

Austin “Ammo” Williams

“Without you guys I wouldn’t be myself without the support that Eddie has given me I wouldn’t be here. I constantly get great opportunities to showcase my skills. I’m super dedicated to this sport, I do the work on it everyday day. It really is a blessing for me. I’m here to change the world and this is my way to do it. Eddie and my team is helping me do that. I love everybody, thank you for your time.”

About DAZN:

DAZN is the largest global sports streaming platform in the world. Since launching in 2016, DAZN had expanded across four continents with the service available in the United States, Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Japan and Brazil. DAZN guarantees no long-term contract, no bundles, just affordable access to all the service's sports on connected devices including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, games consoles and PCs. In the U.S., DAZN has made its mark as an attractive alternative to pay-per-view within the combat sports industry. The platform features more than 100 fight nights per year from Matchroom Boxing, Golden Boy Promotions, GGG Promotions, Bellator MMA, the World Boxing Super Series and Combate Americas. DAZN also features live MLB action each day of the season with its new daily show, ChangeUp.

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

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of available streaming devices, availability around the world, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com.

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

Examining Thurman-Pacquiao

The fight between undefeated WBA Welterweight champion Keith Thurman and future Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao on July 20th was one of the most anticipated encounters of 2019. While some may say that any fight that features a fighter of Pacquiao’s stature in the sport, particularly at this stage of his career, the bout did have an added element of intrigue attached to it. In previewing this fight, this observer referred to the encounter as a classic scenario of youth versus experience. Despite having considerably more experience than his opponent, the intriguing question in the build-up to this fight was whether or not Pacquiao at forty years old still had the skills, timing, and reflexes necessary to compete with a younger and unbeaten world champion in his prime. It did not take long for Pacquiao to answer that question.

When the fight began Pacquiao made it immediately apparent that his hand speed and timing were still among the best in the sport as he knocked the champion Thurman down with a short right hook to the head. Although this was in reality a flash knockdown, it did send the message that Pacquiao had come to fight. What impressed me about Pacquiao’s approach in this fight was not only his hand speed, but also his footwork and lateral movement. As has been the case throughout his career, the combination of effective footwork, lateral movement, timing, and hand speed worked to Pacquiao’s advantage.

While there were several moments throughout this fight where one might argue the rounds were close due to Pacquiao choosing to pick his spots rather than stand and trade punches with Thurman, the champion’s most effective moments throughout the fight were periods where he was able to back Pacquiao up. In particular, moments where he was able to get Pacquiao on the ropes. Thurman however, never seemed to be able to break the rhythm that Pacquiao was able to establish early in the fight and could not neutralize Pacquiao’s movement for a sustained period of time.

Although Thurman was able to out land Pacquiao according to CompuBox statistics 210 of 571 total punches to Pacquiao’s 195 of 686, it was Pacquiao who was overall the more effective fighter throughout in this observer’s eyes. What appeared to be a clear win for Pacquiao from my perspective as I scored the fight 119-109 in his favor, turned into somewhat of a controversial decision when the official decision, a split decision in Pacquaio’s favor was announced, with one judge scoring the fight in Thurman’s favor by a margin of 114-113.

The scorecard in question rendered by Judge Glenn Feldman did not appear to be an accurate assessment of what took place in the fight. While this is strictly the opinion of yours truly, it is important to note that Feldman has served as a judge in over one thousand professional fights in his career and it goes without saying that not everyone is going to agree with a judge’s score every time out. It did however, bring back memories for this observer of Manny Pacquiao’s first fight against Tim Bradley. A fight many, including yours truly felt Pacquiao won convincingly, but one that he ultimately came out on the losing end of a controversial split decision.

The scorecard of Glenn Feldman was overruled by Judges Dave Moretti and Tim Cheatham, who each scored the fight 115-112 for Pacquiao. Although the scorecards of Moretti and Cheatham were closer in margin compared to that of this observer, the result was the same. With Pacquaio once again a Welterweight world champion, the natural question to ask is what’s next? For the time being, Pacquiao will be inactive as the Philippine. Senator must fulfill those commitments before resuming his career as a boxer. This could mean that Pacquiao will be inactive for the remainder of 2019 as he suggested shortly after his victory over Keith Thurman.

The question then becomes who could Pacquiao face in 2020? While it’s not out of the realm of possibility to think that Pacquiao could face Keith Thurman again in a rematch as Thurman was a longtime champion prior to losing to Pacquiao, the most logical option in this observer’s eyes is for Pacquiao to face the winner of the upcoming IBF/WBC Welterweight world championship unification bout between undefeated IBF champion Errol Spence and two-time world champion Shawn Porter, who currently holds the WBC crown.

The 147lb. Welterweight division has historically been one of Boxing’s most storied and talent-deep divisions. There is no doubt in my mind that not only will this continue well into the future, but with Manny Pacquiao now once again one of the world champions in the division, there will be no shortage of intriguing fights that could be made and there will obviously be plenty of money to be made.

“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

Francis Chua Discusses Kye MacKenzie Win And Ring Return This Weekend

Press Release: July 24, 2019 By Dragon Fire Boxing - Undefeated Western Australian Francis Chua returns to action this weekend as he looks to ride on the crest of a wave created by his last victory against then WBO number 2 Kye MacKenzie on the undercard of Jeff Horn vs Anthony Mundine.

Chua fights this weekend at the latest instalment of Dragon Fire Boxing's Thunderdome series which has been operating for over 25 years. Chua opened up about his experience against MacKenzie and previewed this weekends event.

The Western Australian said, "Beating MacKenzie was a fantastic experience on such a massive event too. It was perfect and it is something that will live with me for the rest of my career. 

"If he wanted a rematch I would be up for taking it, but for now I want to continue to rise up the ranks and reach the very top in the lightweight division. My career is going places with or without the MacKenzie rematch.

"I believe I won the fight and won it well. It was close but I did enough and I showed that I am on that level with fighters who are rising up to world level. I'm only 7 fights into my professional career but I believe I can reach the very top." 

Chua's features this coming weekend in Metro City, Perth, on the latest edition of Dragon Fire Boxing's Thunderdome events. Dragon Fire head honcho comes in the form of Australian boxing supremo Tony Tolj, who gave his take on Chua and this weekends action as a whole.

He said, "Francis was absolutely excellent last time out and we're looking to guide him through the ranks and really build him as a fighter and help him showcase his ever-improving skills. He is an all-action fighter and I'm really excited to see him perform this weekend.

"The show at the weekend will be what Thunderdome shows are always about. Good competitive well-matched fights packed with non-stop action. We feel we have to put on the most competitive fights to keep Australian boxing growing, so that's what we do with the Thunderdome events."

Material Courtesy of: Dragon Fire Boxing Used with permission.

For more information about Dragon Fire Boxing please visit Dragon Fire Boxing’s official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DragonFireBoxing 

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

Update

We would like to let our readers know that three features are currently in the works for the next week here on the website. The first feature, which will concern tonight's Thurman-Pacquiao World Welterweight championship fight will be released on Wednesday, July 24th.

A feature previewing the upcoming WBO/WBC Jr. Welterweight world championship unification bout between undefeated world champions Maurice Hooker and Jose Ramirez will be released on Friday, July 26th. 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