Andrade Defeats Williams To Retain WBO Middleweight World Championship

 

WBO Middleweight world champion Demetrius Andrade scored a twelve round unanimous decision over WBO number one Middleweight contender Liam Williams on Saturday afternoon at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL. The difference in speed between the fighters was immediately apparent as the champion started fast landing combinations on a pressuring Williams. A short three-punch combination to the head wobbled the challenger in the first round, but Williams was able to stay on his feet.

 

This would change in round two when Andrade knocked Williams down with a perfectly timed one-two combination to the head. Despite looking badly hurt and under circumstances where he might have been on the verge of being stopped, Williams survived.

 

Despite being at a disadvantage in terms of hand speed, Williams was able to gradually close the distance as the fight progressed and had more than occasional success landing punches on Andrade, who is regarded as one of the most elusive fighters in the entire sport. A testament to Williams’ success in making this a rough fight continued to show in the middle and late rounds including landing a hard right hand that stunned Andrade in the late rounds.

 

Although Williams was able to make up ground, Andrade’s ability to generally get his punches off first as well as the knockdown and the early lead he was able to build ultimately led to Andrade scoring a unanimous decision to retain his WBO Middleweight world championship. Demetrius Andrade advances to 30-0, with 18 Knockouts. Liam Williams falls to 23-3-1, with 18 Knockouts.

 

Also on this card:

 

Undefeated IBO Super-Middleweight world champion Carlos Gongora scored an eighth round knockout over Christopher Pearson. In what was his first title defense of the world championship he won at the same Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in December of last year, Gongora did not face much resistance in a largely uneventful bout. The end came when the champion landed a short left hook from the southpaw stance that landed flush on the right eye of Pearson that sent him down. Although Pearson initially beat the count and got up from the knockdown , he was clearly bothered by the blow to his eye and kneeled back down and took the remainder of the ten count. Official time of the stoppage was 2:17 of round eight. Carlos Gongora advances to 20-0, with 15 Knockouts. Christopher Pearson falls to 17-3, with 12 Knockouts.

 

Also in the Super-Middleweight division, Alexis Espino scored a dominant six round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Ty McLeod. Espino used his hand speed and combination punching to dictate the combat from the outset and appeared at times that he might have gotten a stoppage, but McLeod was able to hang in there till the final bell. Official scores were 60-54, and 59-55 (On two scorecards) for Espino. Alexis Espino advances to 8-0 with 5 Knockouts. Ty McLeod falls to 6-1, with 6 Knockouts.

 

Heavyweight Andrey Fedosov scored a first round knockout over previously undefeated Mahammadrasul Majidov. Fedosov connected with an overhand right to the head that sent Majidov down. Majidov appeared to suffer a broken right ankle during the knockdown, but attempted to continue before going down a second time and taking the full ten count. Majidov was taken from the ring on a stretcher. There is no word as of this writing as to the severity of the break of Majidov’s ankle. Official time was 1:24 of round one. Andrey Fedosov advances to 32-3, with 26 Knockouts. Mahammadrasul Majidov falls to 3-1, with 3 Knockouts.

In a battle of undefeated Jr.Welterweights Movladdin Biyarslanov scored an eight round majority decision over previously unbeaten Israel Mercado. A very competitive bout that saw several shifts in momentum, Biyarslanov’s effectiveness in the early rounds proved to be the difference as he earned the nod from two of three official judges to score the victory. Official scores were: 76-76, (Even) and 78-74, 77-75 in favor of Biyarslanov. Movladdin Biyarslanov advances to 8-0, with 6 Knockouts. Israel Mercado falls to 9-1, with 7 Knockouts.

 

Lightweight Jorge Castaneda scored an eight round majority decision over Otha Jones. Official scores were: 76-76, (Even) and 76-75, 77-75 in favor of Castaneda. Jorge Castaneda advances to 14-1, with 11 Knockouts. Otha Jones falls to 5-1-1, with 2 Knockouts.

 

In a Jr. Welterweight bout, undefeated Aaron Aponte

scored a four round unanimous decision over Javier Martinez. Official scores were 40-36 (On all three scorecards for Aponte. Aaron Aponte advances to 3-0, with 1 Knockout. Javier Martinez falls to 4-8, with 3 Knockouts.

 

Demetrius Andrade has been cast in the role of the odd world champion out in the Middleweight division as despite being an unbeaten two-division world champion, he has struggled to secure lucrative opportunities against the other marquee attractions in and around the 160lb. Middleweight division. This can be attributed to both his overall skillset as well as not having a Boxing style that is universally appealing. Andrade’s title defense against Liam Williams was the first time that he was not allowed to coast his way to either a stoppage or a shut out decision.

 

 While a win is still a win and Andrade did indeed do what he needed to do to retain his portion of the World Middleweight championship, the fact that he was hit more than occasionally and was given a difficult fight by w determined challenger might give the other world champions in the Middleweight division and perhaps even current WBC/WBA Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez the evidence that fighting Andrade is a viable option. Quite frankly, Andrade is long overdue for a lucrative payday that a fighter of his skillset and accomplishments has earned. It remains to be seen whether the politics of the sport will allow him to get the opportunity he deserves.

 

“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

 

Macedonian Prodigy Trajche Ilioski Wins By 1st Round TKO In Pro Debut

 Press Release April 17, 2021 By Dragon Fire Boxing – “The Macedonian Machine” Trajche Ilioski made his presence known to the professional boxing community by destroying 13 fight veteran Ramiz Dzafic of Bosnia i Herzegovina in under 1 minute into the first stanza at the famed Sport Hall in Tetovo Macedonia.  

Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing 

Ilioski started with intent and delivered an impressive a series of crisp jabs followed by a overhand right to set the tone very in the opening stanza and was more if the same and an over hand right ended the contest. 

Ilioski opened up about his pro debut and what's in store in the future.
"I'm pleased with my debut, I really wanted to make a statement and it was good to get the stoppage. Darko (Catleski) and I have worked very hard in this pandemic and I very greatfull just to get in the ring, I have really missed it. 

Now I will get straight back to the gym and keep working. My manager Tony Tolj and Darko will work out my next fight and we will keep climbing and show the world what Macedonia can do!" 

Manager Tony Tolj discussed his clients debut. 

"I'm very happy with his debut, he showed real class and maturity for an 18 year old, he was a bit wild at times but he's just starting. It was very difficult with so many fight cancellations but he finally debuted and I couldn't be more prouder. Macedonia have qualified for the European Cup in soccer for the first time, there are some many diamonds in the rough in that region and I truly believe this will usher in the start of a Golden age of Macedonian boxing."

 

Material and Photo 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.

 

 

Turchi Wins European Championship

 Fabio Turchi scored a hard fought twelve round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Dylan Bregeon to win the vacant European Cruiserweight championship on Friday night at the Allianz Cloud in Milan Italy. Bregeon, who entered the bout as the French Cruiserweight champion, did a masterful job through the first five rounds of the fight by using his height and reach to control the distance between himself and Turchi by landing straight left hands and right jabs from the southpaw stance as Turchi came forward and moving to maintain distance where he had the advantage. The ebb and flow began to change in round six when Turchi was able to close the gap between himself and Bregeon. 

 

It was during these sequences that Turchi appeared to get the better of the combat when he was able to get on the inside and land more than occasionally. Although the tide had clearly turned in Turchi’s favor in the middle rounds, Bregeon remained very competitive and was able to counter Turchi effectively in spots even when the combat was fought on the inside. This dynamic continued until the final bell where Turchi earned a unanimous decision as all three judges scored the bout by the narrow margin of seven rounds to five or 115-113 in points in his favor. Fabio Turchi advances to 19-1, with 13 Knockouts. Dylan Bregeon falls to 11-1-1, with 3 Knockouts.

 

Also on this card:

 

In a battle for the vacant Italian Super-Middleweight championship undefeated Ivan Zucco scored a sixth round stoppage over previously unbeaten Luca Capuano. Zucco applied steady pressure on Capuano from the outset. A bout that quickly developed into a contrast between a puncher in Zucco and a boxer in Capuano, both men had sucvess, but as the fight progressed Zucco’s power became the distance in landing some heavy body shots and forcing Capuano backward. In round three Zucco stunned Capuano with a left hook behind a right jab from the southpaw stance. This set off a barrage of offense for a period of time, but Capuano was able to survive. In rounds four and five, Capuano was able to slow the pace slightly, but did not land anything to discourage Zucco from coming forward. 

 

Zucco was able to land another flush left hook behind a right jab late in round six. Essentially, the same sequence that had Capuano hurt in round three, this would have a similar result as Capuano was able to survive the round, but quit in his corner at the conclusion of round six giving Zucco the victory and the Italian Super-Middleweight championship. Ivan Zucco advances to 13-0, with 11 Knockouts. Luca Capuano falls to 11-1, with 2 Knockouts.

 

Former European Lightweight champion Francesco Patera scored a hard fought eight round unanimous decision over late substitute opponent Nicola Henchiri. In his first bout since a bout with COVID-19 in December, Patera had to contend with a difficult opponent that came to fight, held his own throughout, and left an impression that he may have gotten the better of the action at the conclusion of a very competitive eight round bout. Patera however, was able to do enough in spots, was more accurate with his offense, and was able to earn the unanimous decision as a result. Official scores were: 79-74, and 78-74 (On two scorecards) in favor of Patera. Francesco Patera advances to 24-3, with 8 Knockouts. Nicola Henchiri falls to 9-4-2, with 0 Knockouts.

 

 

Jr. Middleweight Samuel Nmomah remained unbeaten by scoring an eight round unanimous decision over Kassimou Mouhamadou. A very tactical bout where both fighters had periods of success early in the fight, Nmomah was able to pick up his pace over the second half of the fight and landed several hooks and right hands that seemed to give him the edge. Nmomah’s surge in the second half of the bout proved to be the difference that allowed him to earn the decision victory. Official scores were: 79-73 (On two scorecards) and 77-75 in favor of Nmomah. Samuel Nmomah advances to 15-0, with 4 Knockouts. Kassimou Mouhamadou falls to 7-3, with 3 Knockouts.

 

 

Undefeated Jr. Welterweight Armando Casamonica pounded out a one-sided six round decision over a “Game” veteran Matija Petrinic. Casamonica had Petrinic on the defensive from the outset and kept him from being able to get off consistently. At the conclusion of the six round bout all three judges scored every round in favor of Casamonica 60-54. Armando Casamonica advances to 2-0, with 0 Knockouts. Matija Petrinic falls to 1-6, with 0 Knockouts.

 

Undefeated Featherweight Mauro Forte in a non-televised preliminary bout by scoring a six round unanimous decision over Cristian Narvaez. Mauro Forte advances to 15-0-1, with 5 Knockouts. Cristian Narvaez falls to 16-25-6, with 1 Knockout.

 

Former European Flyweight champion Mohammed Obbadi now competing in the Jr. Bantamweight division began the evening by scoring a six round decision over Joel Sanchez. Mohammed Obbadi advances to 22-1, with 13 Knockouts. Joel Sanchez falls to 4-16-1, with 2 Knockouts. 

 

Fabio Turchi’s victory over Dylan Bregeon now opens the door to a potential rematch with the only man to defeat him Tommy McCarthy, who scored a twelve round split decision over him in October 2019. McCarthy is scheduled to face Alexandur Jur of Romania on May 15^th in Manchester, England. What makes this interesting and a bit confusing is McCarthy is also recognized by the European Boxing Union (EBU) as its Cruiserweight champion and McCarthy’s bout with Jur is scheduled to be a title defense. 

 

While unclear as of this writing as to whether Fabio Turchi did in fact win the European championship with his victory over Bregeon or if it gave him some sort of interim status for the title that McCarthy holds, if McCarthy is successful against Jur next month a rematch between himself and Turchi is one of the more attractive bouts that could be made in the Cruiserweight division outside of the world championship picture. Although the Cruiserweight division has long struggled for consistent exposure and mainstream appeal here in the United States for the last thirty-five years outside of the era when Evander Holyfield was the division’s central figure before moving onto Heavyweight, the division has thrived internationally. Fighters such as Fabio Turchi and Tommy McCarthy could well be the next focal points of the division in time and while there is a quiet depth of world champions and top contenders, a rematch of a very close fight could be the second chapter in a great rivalry that will elevate both fighters as well as the Cruiserweight division.

 

“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

 

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENT: JAIME MUNGUIA TO NOW RETURN ON JUNE 19 LIVE ON DAZN

 

Press Release: By DAZN – LOS ANGELES (April 15, 2021) – Middleweight contender Jaime Munguia (36-0, 29 KOs) will now make his highly anticipated return to the ring on June 19 live on DAZN at The University of Texas at El Paso’s Don Haskins Center. His initial return date of April 23 has been rescheduled following an elbow injury suffered by D’Mitrius Ballard (20-0-1, 13 KOs).

 

Additional details for the event, including his opponent, will be announced shortly.

 

Tickets for the event will be honored for the rescheduled date. For more information, please call the UTEP Box Office at(915)-747-5234.

 

Material 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, and to subscribe please visit:www.DAZN.com.

 

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

 

 

Turchi-Bregeon Weights From Milan, Italy

  Official weights for Friday’s Matchroom Boxing Italy / OPI Since 82 promoted card at the Allianz Cloud, took place earlier today in Milan, Italy. The weights for the entire card, which will be headlined by a battle between Fabio Turchi and Dylan Bregeon for the vacant European Cruiserweight championship, and will all be televised globally by digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN are as follows.

 

Main Event: Vacant European Cruiserweight championship – 12Rds.

 

Fabio Turchi 199lbs. vs. Dylan Bregeon 197lbs. 

 

Vacant Italian Super-Middleweight championship – 10Rds.

 

Ivan Zucco 167 1/2lbs. vs. Luca Capuano 167lbs.

 

 Lightweight – 8Rds.

 

Francesco Patera 137 1/4lbs. vs.  Nicola Henchiri 137 1/4lbs.

 

*Featherweight – 6Rds.

 

Mauro Forte 126 1/4lbs. vs. Cristian Narvaez 128lbs.*

 

(* Narvaez two pounds over the 126lb. Featherweight limit. Fight will go on as scheduled as of this writing.) 

 

*Jr. Middleweight – 8Rds. 

 

Samuel Nmomah  156lbs. vs. Kassimou Mouhamadou 157lbs.

 

(*Both fighters over the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight limit. Fight will go on as scheduled as of this writing.)

 

*Jr. Welterweight – 6Rds.

 

Armando Casamonica 140 1/4lbs. vs. Matija Petrinic 142 1/4lbs.

(* Petrinic two pounds over the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight limit. Fight will go on as scheduled as of this writing.)

 

*Jr. Bantamweight – 6Rds. 

 

Mohammed Obbadi 116 1/4lbs. vs. Joel Sanchez 121 3/4lbs.

 

(*Both fighters over the 115lb. Jr. Bantamweight limit. Fight will go on as scheduled as of this writing.)

 

 

Turchi vs. Bregeon takes place tomorrow night (Friday, April 16^th) at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, Italy. The entire card can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 1:30PM ET/10:30AM PT (U.S. Time.) For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices/platforms/Smart TVs, availability around the world, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com. Check listings for local start times internationally.

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smith-Vlasov Thoughts

The battle for the vacant WBO Light-Heavyweight world championship between top contenders Joe Smith Jr. and Maxim Vlasov was one that like many saw complications and subsequent delays due to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic. In this case, there was a delay of eight weeks from the original date of February 14^th in Las Vegas and the rescheduled date of April 14^th in Tulsa, OK.

 

Beyond the obvious question that follows a fight that has been delayed under the circumstances of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis of how will the delay impact the fighters involved, the delay also allowed the fight to be moved from the closed confines of the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas to the Osage Casino in Tulsa where a crowd of around five-hundred spectators following COVID-19 protocols, which included temperature checks, as well as a mandate of wearing face masks were allowed to attend. 

 

The limited number of spectators were treated to one of the best fights in what has been deemed the “COVID-era” by some. For twelve rounds, Smith and Vlasov engaged in a grueling battle fought at an extremely high pace from the opening bell that was frankly exhausting to watch.  A pace that was established and maintained throughout the entire twelve round world championship bout by Vlasov.

 

Although it is very rare to see a twelve round bout fought at such a high pace all the way through, some might say it was more surprising under these circumstances due to Vlasov’s testing positive for COVID-19 during the week of the originally scheduled bout in February, which led to the postponement. For his part, Vlasov claimed in the days leading up to this fight eight weeks after the postponement that he had experienced no symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 virus and that he believed the instance of his testing positive for the virus was a case of s false positive. 

 

Whatever the case might be in regard to what led to the initial postponement, it certainly appeared to this observer that Vlasov did not seem to have any problems that would give the impression that he were coming off of a bout with COVID-19. Nevertheless, it was a testament to his conditioning that he could set and maintain such a pace.

 

Many of the rounds in this fight were extremely close. The dynamic of the combat was Vlasov pressing the action, seemingly throwing more punches, but Smith landing the harder punches of the two fighters. As this observer has often said over the years when it comes to close fights it will often boil down to what a judge prefers in their own individual criteria based on clean punching, effective aggression, ring generalship, and defense.

 

While when discussing close fights I almost always reference the aforementioned criteria, this was a fight where all the above was clearly illustrated between the two boxers and enough criteria/evidence exists where one could make an argument for either fighter as having won this fight.

 

For Maxim Vlasov, beyond his greater activity and bringing the fight to Smith, he used an unorthodox style, which he used a lot of lateral movement specifically in his upper body as well as throwing punches at every conceivable angle. It was this approach that disrupted Smith from getting into a consistent rhythm and that I felt gave him a slight edge over the first half of the fight.

 

The difference that gradually began to emerge as the bout progressed was the harder punches Smith was able to land as well as the effective work he was able to execute to Vlasov’s body. At the conclusion of the twelve round world championship bout, I felt a sense that it could go either way, the usual feeling that follows a close fights in every sense of the word.

 

In all honesty if one were to ask my opinion as to who I felt won this bout, this is an instance where I could not provide a solid answer one way or another based on the arguments that can be made for both men. This had all the appearance of a fight that could be determined by a round either way, or one that could have ended up being scored a draw. Simply put, it was that close.

 

The official scoring of a majority decision was one that was adequate in this observer’s view based on what took place when the two fighters were in the midst of combat. While this is not always the case when three official judges render scores that make up a majority decision, this was the type of bout where frankly no other ruling would have been appropriate. Although I personally couldn’t distinguish a clear winner as I ended up with an even scorecard 114-114, two judges turning in scores of 115-112 and 115-113 or seven rounds to five is about as narrow a margin as it gets. If one of those scores had a round scored in favor of Vlasov, you arrive essentially at the same 114-114 score as I and the third official judge David Sutherland saw the bout. The exception one could point to is the scorecard of Judge Gerald Ritter, who turned in the 115-112 scorecard. The one difference between his scorecard and the 115-113 scorecard of Judge Pat Russell was that he scored the eleventh round 10-8 in favor of Smith, resulting in the one point difference in an otherwise seven rounds to five scorecard.

 

In that round, Smith did get the better of the action and Vlasov appeared to be fatigued in what was a grueling bout. While I did not feel a 10-8 score was warranted in that round, Smith did win the round and Ritter’s scoring of that round is likely a case of one’s discretion. No matter how one saw that round, it does not change that it was a close bout that certainly deserves a rematch.

 

In previewing this bout back in February, I questioned whether or not this bout would signal the beginning of a new era for the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division. While I would not necessarily suggest that the question was answered as the division looks for it’s next central figure, fights that are fought in the way that Smith-Vlasov was does indicate that whomever emerges atop the Light-Heavyweights in an emerging post-Sergey Kovalev era, the division will be in good hands. 

 

“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

 

 

TrillerNet Acquires Premier Live Event and PPV, SVOD, AVOD and Streaming Platform FITE, Taking Major Next Step in Building Global Content Ecosystem

 

Credit: FITE 

Credit: FITE 

TrillerNet Acquires Premier Live Event and PPV, SVOD, AVOD and Streaming Platform FITE, Taking Major Next Step in Building Global Content Ecosystem

 

Will Use FITE’s Worldwide Platform to Expand Triller Fight Club and Develop 

Premium Four-Quadrant Entertainment and Lifestyle Content

 

Press Release: By FITE – LOS ANGELES (April 14, 2021) ------ TrillerNet (aka Triller Hold Co LLC), parent company of the global AI-driven short video social app Triller, today announced it has acquired FITE, the premier global live-event and Pay-Per-View, SVOD and AVOD and streaming platform for sports and entertainment.

 

The deal gives Triller a major foothold in the live-event PPV and streaming space, greatly expanding the reach of Triller’s fast-growing AI-powered content and distribution ecosystem and allowing the company to continue to invest in new lifestyle and entertainment programming. 

 

“FITE has been a fantastic partner, and the synergy between the two businesses and teams was clear from day one,” said Bobby Sarnevesht, Chairman and Co-owner of Triller, and Ryan Kavanaugh, Co-owner of Triller, jointly. “With our acquisition of FITE, we bring into TrillerNET their stellar technology, valuable customer and content partner base, and one of the most experienced executive teams in this space. The deal represents our ambitions to not only expand Triller Fight Club and grow FITE’s distribution relationships, but also to reimagine what, how and when premium music, sports and entertainment is delivered to today’s audiences.”

 

“Triller has an exceptionally visionary executive team that is revolutionizing the world of sports and entertainment. We are very excited to be a part of and play a role in this process,” said Kosta Jordanov, FITE Co-Founder and CEO. “As part of the TrillerNet, FITE will become the exclusive global digital distributor of all Triller Fight Club events going forward, and this content relationship is planned to expand in exciting new ways. We will continue to work with and serve all our content partners, and we look forward to bringing Triller’s significant user base and promotional clout to all the major events we carry on the FITE platform.”

 

Triller is used by musicians, athletes, digital talent and other culture-setters and serves hundreds of millions of fans worldwide while also providing specialized opportunities for major brands across music, sports, entertainment, fashion and pop culture. The addition of FITE is a key strategic addition as Triller seeks to capture the burgeoning ‘culture graph,’ the next generation of creators and users leading the move to Internet 3.0.

 

“With over 10 million users, FITE is the perfect long-form platform for Triller to continue releasing its cultural content spanning fighting, sports, fashion, music and pop culture,” added Ryan Kavanaugh. “We have officially completed our 360-degree content engine with this acquisition.”

 

The FITE acquisition is the latest major move for TrillerNet, which on March 9 acquired leading live-music streaming platform Verzuz, the popular live streaming music platform founded by music stars Swizz Beats and Timbaland. TrillerNet also owns Triller Flight Club, a live-event platform in partnership with Snoop Dogg that reimagines boxing as four-quadrant entertainment, and TrillerTV, a long-form content streaming platform with more than 65 original half-hour digital series from trendsetters such as Jennifer Lopez, The D’Amelio Family, 2 Chainz, Jake Paul, Perez Hilton and others.

 

With over 10 million users and 4 million registered sports and entertainment fans, FITE has streamed over 5,000 live events over the past 5 years. FITE’s partners include the most elite combat sports brands including Top Rank, AEW, PBC, ONE Championship, WWE, Impact, Golden Boy Promotions, and Matchroom Boxing. FITE has one of the industry’s most scalable and reliable live digital streaming capabilities, a large loyal audience for premium events, and content relationships with over 300 sports rights holders across 5 continents. In collaboration with its partners, FITE has already streamed the biggest names in combat sports, including Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Mike Tyson, Tyson Fury, Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin, Roy Jones Jr., Deontay Wilder, Terance Crawford, Errol Spence Jr., Teofimo Lopez and Vasyl Lomachenko among hundreds of others as well as the boxing matches of YouTube celebrities KSI, Logan Paul, and Jake Paul. The investors in FITE include Earlybird Digital East, LAUNCHub Ventures, Tim Draper, and BrightCap who have now joined the list of investors in Triller.  

 

Alantra acted as a financial adviser to FITE for the transaction. 

 

Next up for Triller and FITE is the highly anticipated 2021 debut of Triller Fight Club, featuring the headline fight Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren in Atlanta on April 17^th, and live performances by some of the music industry’s top talent, including Justin Bieber and hip hop supergroup Mt. Westmore (Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Too $hort and E-40), as well as The Black Keys, Doja Cat, Saweetie, Diplo and Major Lazer. The two companies will announce next month several more four-quadrant events of this magnitude, including the highly-anticipated, post-retirement return of Oscar De La Hoya to the boxing ring at Triller Fight Club’s upcoming July 3 event.

 

ABOUT TRILLERNET

TrillerNet is a first of its kind company consolidating technology and content platforms to lead the move to Internet 3.0. TrillerNet pairs the culture of music with sports, fashion, entertainment and influencers through a 360-degree view of content and technology. TrillerNet—which owns the globally popular Triller app used by musicians, celebrities, athletes, and overall culture setters—has more than 300 million users worldwide. The Triller app—unlike other popular short-video apps it is often compared to, encourages its users to post the content created on the app across other social media platforms and websites. The app uses proprietary AI and Machine Learning technology, which is uniquely tied to the content rather than the user. By tracking the content, Triller empowers its tastemakers and users to push their content virally to affiliated and non-affiliated sites and networks reaching hundreds of millions of additional users. Data and insights gleaned from the Triller network, its creators, artists and users (from the app and off network) are used to program longer-form content, connect users across the web with the content, and provide unprecedented opportunities for engagement and monetization. TrillerNet has developed highly successful campaigns that begin with the app and continue throughout the entire content and technology ecosystem with some of the biggest brands in the world, including Pepsi, McDonalds, Weedmaps, DraftKings, L’Oreal, and many others. TrillerNet offers brands a unique content and technology solution, including direct deals with the influencers and celebrities. This branded content journey starts with short-form video and can easily expand into valuable long-form content distributed through the Triller Network, such as live-event boxing and music PPVs, fashion shows, and episodic reality content on TrillerTV. Some of the more than 65 original half-hour TrillerTV shows include The D’Amelios Family’s “Ask a DAM Question,” Jennifer Lopez In The Morning, Jake Paul: Staying On Top, 2 Chainz Let’s Do It, DJ Khaled’s Spreading Love, Hype House's Thomas Petrou's Coffee Talks, Josh Richards’ Josh Pong, Ur Lov’d: the Noah Beck Show, Fat Joe’s Masterclass, The Perez Hilton Show, and Violet Benson’s Too Tired To Be Crazy, among others. TrillerNet additionally owns Verzuz, the massive live-stream music platform launched by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, and Triller Fight Club (www.TrillerFightClub.com) which launched last year with the highly successful Tyson-Jones Fight which shattered digital PPV records.

 

 

Material and Photos Courtesy of FITE Used with permission.

 

For more information about about FITE including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices/platforms/Smart TVs, and to download the FITE App please visit: www.FITE.TV. 

 

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

RYAN GARCIA TO DEFEND INTERIM WBC LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE AGAINST DANGEROUS CONTENDER JAVIER ‘EL ABEJON’ FORTUNA

 

Press Release: By DAZN – LOS ANGELES, CA (April 13, 2021) – Rising lightweight star Ryan Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) will defend his interim WBC Lightweight Championship against experienced southpaw contender Javier “El Abejon” Fortuna (36-2-1, 25 KOs) in a 12-round battle. The fight will take place on Friday, July 9 and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN worldwide, including the United States, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. 

Credit: DAZN 

 

Information regarding the venue and the undercard will be announced shortly.

 

“Little by little, Ryan Garcia is silencing all of the skeptics,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “And the only way to keep doing that is by continually facing tougher challenges. Javier Fortuna is an experienced southpaw who can be very slippery when he wants to avoid punches. It’s a dangerous fight for Ryan, but I expect him to show newer elements in his arsenal before ending matters by knockout.”

 

Garcia is a 22-year-old contender who has become one of boxing’s most popular young athletes. Since joining the Golden Boy stable in 2016, he steadily made his case for a world title opportunity by defeating the likes of “Ruthless” Romero Duno, Francisco Fonseca, Carlos “The Solution” Morales and Jason “La Maravilla” Velez. Since joining forces with renowned trainer Eddy Reynoso, the native of Victorville, Calif. has looked better than ever, improving his technical abilities and scoring knockout wins in his last six fights, including one against “Cool Hand” Luke Campbell to capture the interim WBC Lightweight Championship. On July 9, he is once again taking a big step forward in his career by facing a tough challenge in Fortuna

 

“Fortuna is eager and will be ready, but so will I,” said Ryan Garcia. “No one can beat me in the lightweight division, period. I'm going to show the world who I am.” 

 

Fortuna is a 31-year-old southpaw who is currently ranked No. 2 by the WBC in the lightweight division. The native of the Dominican Republic is a proven veteran who captured the interim WBA Featherweight Title against then-undefeated Patrick “The Punisher” Hyland in 2012, while in 2015, he defeated once-beaten Bryan “El Tiquito” Vazquez to capture the WBA Super Featherweight Title. In his last shot at a world title, Fortuna lost via close split decision to Robert Easter Jr., and in his last outing, he dominated Antonio Lozada Torres in November 2020.

 

“Ryan Garcia should take this fight very seriously and train properly because he will be facing, by far, the best fighter of his career,” said Javier Fortuna. “Hopefully on fight night, there will be no excuses for his loss. I expect this fight to be a war while it lasts, but I have too much of everything for Ryan Garcia. His last fight showed how easy he is to hit. And his power won’t mean anything to me. But mine will put him to sleep.”

 

“I’ve had a good relationship with Golden Boy Promotions for 20 years and that made these negotiations very easy,” said Sampson Lewkowicz, President of Sampson Boxing. “I commend Oscar De La Hoya and Eric Gomez for their professionalism and for letting one of their big names take such a huge risk against Javier Fortuna. Here is my prediction. Fortuna will win the fight against Garcia, and then he will become the full WBC world champion because Devin Haney’s team will vacate and run to 140 pounds to avoid fighting him.”

 

 

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, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com.

 

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

#1 Challenger, Aussie "Shotgun"O'Connell gunning for newly crowned WBA Champion Shannon Courtenay

 

Press Release: April 12, 2021 By Dragon Fire Boxing – Shannon Courtenay was crowned as the new WBA champion after defeating Ebanie Bridges on points following a punishing battle at the Copper Box Arena.  

Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing 

Courtenay was embroiled in a bitter war of words with Bridges ahead of their world title fight, but Britain's bantamweight had the final word, securing a unanimous decision with scores of 97-94, 98-92 and 98-92. 

Shannon Courtney reacts to becoming
world champion 

"I have genuinely turned my life around," Courtenay said. 

"I boxed nicer, I have cuter shots, I landed the jab every time. She just tried to knock me out. My jab won me the fight. Her eye shows that. 

"I want Rachel Ball next!" 

Promoter Eddie Hearn said: "I would love to see the Rachel Ball rematch. Shannon wants to put that right." 

Waiting in the wings is the #1 WBA Contender "Shotgun" Shannon O'Connell who has been outspoken about getting her own opportunity at the newly crowned champion opens up about her thoughts on the fight and the new champion. 

"It was a better fight than I expected to see but I still think that’s because both girls are on that same level as each other. I’m at a different level so it’ll be a step up for Courtenay and I think she will still make it a good fight but I’ll definitely be too much for her. 

"If she (Courtenay) wants to call herself the WBA world champ she should really fight the top of the table and that’s me."

 

Material and Photo 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.

Artjoms and Deniss Savdons Sign Management Deal with Tony Tolj

Press Release: April 11, 2021 By Dragon Fire Boxing – Australian boxing manager and promoter Tony Tolj has recently expanded his European boxing stable signing twin brothers, Artjoms and Deniss Savdons of Riga, Latvia. 

Credit: Jurijs Gucāns 

Coincidentally it is the second pair of twins Tolj now manages, the Savdons brothers joining Andrew and Jason Moloney at Dragon Fire Boxing. 

Both 24 years old and competing in the light heavyweight division, the pair stand with identical records of 5-0. The Savdons brothers join an ever-growing pool of talented fighters in Latvia, with the likes of Ricards Bolotniks and Mairis Briedis leading the pack. 

“I believe ‘The Savage’ Savdons brothers have the hunger, desire and ability to go all the way in this sport. I’m looking forward to adding the boys to our growing European stable and am excited about working in the Baltic region. If you look at the work we have done in Chile with Andres Campos and Junior Cruzat, I am looking to replicate what we have done in South America.

“I have a soft spot for European Boxing, my father is Croatian and my mother is Macedonian. We have big plans for Europe and I’m delighted to sign Deniss and Artjoms Savdons.” Said Tony Tolj on his latest acquisitions. 

Deniss and Artjoms gave a joint statement on signing with Tolj, who has achieved great success with decade long world champion, Chris John.

“We are very excited to be working with Tony and his team. He has done some great work with fighters from all over the world and we are very excited by this opportunity to work with him. We are looking forward to fighting soon and showing the world what we can do. Tony has far reaching contacts and the future of our careers now look very bright indeed. 

 

Material Courtesy of Dragon Fire Boxing/ Photo Courtesy of: Jurijs Gucāns 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.