Can Prograis Shine In Homecoming Title Defense?

The 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division remains in the spotlight in the month of June as two-time Jr. Welterweight world champion Regis Prograis will begin his second reign as world champion in the division when he puts his WBC world title on the line against Danielito Zorrilla on Saturday, June 17th in the champion's hometown of New Orleans, LA.

The fight, which can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN from the Smoothie King Center represents not only the beginning of Prograis' second reign atop the Jr. Welterweight division after previously holding the World Boxing Association (WBA) crown, but also his first fight under his new promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing. Prograis became a two-time world champion in November of last year when he scored an eleventh round stoppage of Jose Zepeda to win the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) crown. In what was an exciting back and forth fight, Prograis had his ability to take a punch tested before ultimately breaking Zepeda down and stopping him.

As Prograis' second reign begins, the Jr. Welterweight division might be heading towards a period of transition. At the time of this writing, it was only days ago when the former undisputed world champion of the division Jodh Taylor, the only man to defeat Prograis, suffered the first loss of his career in losing his WBO world championship to Teofimo Lopez. Two days after the fight however, Lopez announced his retirement from the sport. While that announcement should be taken with a grain of salt given Lopez' ongoing personal problems outside the ring as well as his well-publicized disgruntlement with his promoter Bob Arum, it has nevertheless not only kept interest in the division high, but also created a scenario where it now gives Prograis the opportunity to try and make a statement as to being the number one fighter in the division. 

What will the WBC champion be facing in his first title defense? In Danielito Zorrilla, Prograis will face a fighter who like himself, has only been defeated once in his career, and one that has scored thirteen knockouts in his seventeen career wins. Much like the champion, Zorrilla does have punching power, but perhaps a red flag that some might see is that the challenger will enter this fight rated number twenty in the world in the WBC's Jr. Welterweight ratings. While it is appropriate to ask why a fighter who is rated in the top twenty has been given thr opportunity to fight for a world championship, we obviously will not know if Zorrilla's ranking is misleading and perhaps a case of at best, questionable ranking practices by the sanctioning organization until the fight is underway.

Regis Prograis is a fighter with a Boxing style that this observer would liken to a sniper. In that he has hand speed, punching power, the ability to attack at varying angles, and finally the ability to set traps that thus far many fighters, including Josh Taylor, who got the nod over him by a razor thin decison in October 2019, have had difficulty trying to combat. The story of this fight in terms of what happens in the ring all centers on whether Zorrilla has a way to solve Prograis' puzzle. Zorrilla must find a way to cut the ring off from Prograis early to attempt to limit the champion's ability to move and set angles. He must however, be defensively aware at all times because Prograis is a precision counter puncher if given the opportunity and it is possible that Zorrilla could walk into punches he does not see if he is not strategic in applying pressure and is overly aggressive.

As for Prograis, this fight in some ways is an ideal set up for him. Defending his title in his hometown with what will likely be an enthusiastic crowd of supporters on hand. It is a scenario however, where other fighters have felt added pressure to perform above expectations as well as the added obligations that often come with fighting in your hometown. If Prograis is somehow not on his fight game with an eye towards potential bigger fights that might be ahead of him, the possibility of an upset does exist.

The bottom line is Prograis must get through this fight before any discussion xan be had regarding more lucrative paydays. If he can however, produce a solid performance and retain his world championship convincingly, he might provide a strong argument as being the top fighter the Jr. Welterweight division has to offer.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

Prograis vs Zorrilla takes place on Saturday, June 17th at the Smoothie King Center in Nee Orleans, LA. The fight as well as it's full undercard can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 6:05PM ET/3:05PM PT with Before the Bell, which will feature preliminary bouts with the main card beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT. ("U.S. Times Only.*)

(*Card and Start times Subject to change.*)

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

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

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Taylor-Lopez Thoughts

 The fight between Josh Taylor and Teofimo Lopez, while being an encounter between two recent undisputed world champions in the sport for Taylor's WBO Jr. Welterweight world championship at the Theater in Madison Square Garden on June 10th, was one that was overshadowed by comments made in the days that preceded the fight as both fighters made references to the possibility of inflicting serious injury on the other. Although this observer made his feelings clear in previewing this fight as to such comments and conduct, which I stand by, it unfortunately did overshadow what was a compelling bout between two of the sport's top stars and one that was regarded as one of the most anticipated encounters of 2023.

Despite my feelings regarding the conduct that preceded this fight, it was one that I was nevertheless looking forward to because of both the interesting clash of styles between the two fighters as well as the respective scenarios that each fighter found himself in, in coming into this bout off of performances in their respective last outings that the consensus was that both fighters had lost. As it would turn out, this would be another example of Teofimo Lopez' ability to go against the type of strategy that one would expect of a fighter known for his punching power and using a surprising tactical Boxing style and approach that proved to be effective. An approach similar in execution to the one that Lopez used in his unification bout with Vasyl Lomachenko in October 2020 where he fully unified the Lightweight division.

By using faints, lateral movement, and attacking in spurts at varying angles, Lopez was able to dictate how the fight was fought by keeping the champion Taylor off balance and unable to find a consistent rhythm. While the early rounds of this twelve round world championship bout were competitive and Taylor did have success periodically, Lopez' ability to time his attacks, be elusive, often attack in short combinations that Taylor had trouble defending against, and overall ring generalship was the story of this fight. Although likely not the most entertaining of bouts of you were one expecting Lopez to be throwing punches with knockout intention, Teofimo Lopez once again was able to show in this fight that he has more wrinkles to his Boxing strategies than only merely relying on the punching power he has demonstrated throughout his career.

A subplot going into this fight was the fact that this was Josh Taylor's first fight in over sixteen months as he had dealt with both injuries as well as elements of the politics that be in the sport, which ultimately led to him vacating three portions of what was the Undisputed Jr. Welterweight championship of the world before fulfilling his obligation to the World Boxing Organization (WBO) by facing Lopez, who came into this fight as the WBO's mandatory challenger in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division. It is hard to say whether any of the aforementioned factors, specifically the issue of inactivity ended up working against Taylor in this fight, but from this observer's view, he seemed lethargic and a few steps behind Lopez throughout the entire fight. This does not take away anything from the performance that Teofimo Lopez put forth here in ultimately winning a convincing twelve round unanimous decision to win the title and hand Taylor the first loss of his career, but perhaps the possibility of Taylor being overtrained and possibly struggling to get down to the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight limit might explain why there just seemed to be something off about Taylor's performance here. The possibility of him being unprepared for the approach that Lopez implemented is something to also consider.

Lopez now as a two-division world champion has thrown the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division a curveball as some considered him an underdog to dethrone Taylor. While Lopez does deserve credit not only for his performance, but also his apologizing to Taylor after the fight for the remarks he made in wanting to kill him, it is hard to say where he goes from here. Lopez is going through some issues related to his personal life outside of the ring and even though this observer will not comment on those issues, it will likely take some of the focus and time away from potential fights that could be made including a potential unification bout with current WBC world champion Regis Prograis, who coincidentally has a title defense on June 17th in his hometown of New Orleans against Danielito Zorrilla, or a potential rematch with Taylor. 

Although Lopez did apologize for his remarks prior to the fight and Taylor accepted the apology calling it ‘Fun and Games,” this observer does not feel that way in that those comments do not belong in any sport, even one as flawed as Boxing tends to be at times. Going forward regardless of what might be going on outside of the ring in a fighter’s life, Lopez, Taylor and any fighter on every level of the sport needs to understand that the sport needs to be respected at all times including the obvious dangers that are associated with it. It is the responsibility of the fighters, especially those who are in the position as being fortunate to be at the top level of the sport, to represent it with the dignity and class that it deserves. While emotions tend to be high prior to any fight and no one knows what a fighter might be dealing with in their private lives outside of Boxing, it might be a good idea for those around fighters to advise them on conduct, what to say, and how to say it. Thankfully, there were no tragedies inside of Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2023, but when you look at the long list of tragedies that have occured on every level of the sport, it is far from “Fun and Games,” and the sport needs to be treated with the respect it deserves.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

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Broner Dominates Determined Hutchinson In Return To The Ring

The ten round Welterweight bout between former four-division world champion Adrien Broner and largely unknown contender Bill Hutchinson on June 9th at Casino Miami in Miami, FL was not one with the type of anticipation leading up to it that there was suspense in not knowing who would emerge victorious. This was due largely to how little was known about Hutchinson, who is also a practicing attorney when not competing in the Boxing ring, but how little if any footage existed of him competing. This observer noted in previewing this bout that even I, a proud Boxing lifer who studies fight films on a daily basis as also a noted historian in addition to covering the sport, could not find any footage of Hutchinson's previous bouts in his career.

What Hutchinson did have going for him beyond being more active than Broner, who was coming off of a two and a half year layoff, was a respectable record of 20-2-4, with 9 Knockouts, but against opposition that could be described as lightly regarded. Nevertheless, the elements of both the unknown of what Hutchinson would bring with him into this fight, as well as questions of how Broner would look after a lengthy absence from active competition made this fight interesting.

While every statistical metric that one could use from the experience of Broner, to the caliber of opposition, to the overall difference in total fights between the two, pointed firmly in the direction that Broner would likely have the advantage, often when covering a fight where not much is known about one of the combatants, I approach things with an open mind. After all, when you have never seen a fighter compete before, you do not know what you might see once a fight is taking place and as such, you want to observe what said fighter has in his/her arsenal before forming an idea as to how the fight might be fought.

Despite a blueprint of sorts existing on how to attempt to fight Adrien Broner by applying pressure and keeping him in a defensive shell and unable to throw punches with consistency, Hutchinson began this fight by trying to box with a high caliber boxer and rather than sitting back in a defensive shell, it was Broner coming forward and bringing the fight to Hutchinson. A flush left hook to the body of Hutchinson in the first round had him badly hurt and against the ropes. 

Although it appeared that Hutchinson was on the verge of being knocked down, to his credit, he battled through and survived the round. It became clear rather quickly that Hutchinson had tremendous heart and the will of a lion, but did not have the fight plan or the ability to time Broner with counter punches. Despite occasionally landing flush punches on Broner, particularly with his right hand, the consistent ebb and flow of the fight was Broner coming forward, pushing Hutchinson back, and landing hard thudding punches to the head and body as he did so, round after round.

While no one can take anything away from the very "Game" Hutchinson, who displayed nothing but confidence in the weeks prior to this fight, after seeing four rounds of the scheduled ten round bout, I felt the fight should have been stopped. There is no disputing the heart Bill Hutchinson showed in this fight, but as it increasingly became clear that he was suffering a beating in a fight that he was numerically behind on the scorecards and keeping in mind that even though he was able to catch Broner flush occasionally, Broner kept coming forward, a clear indication that he did not have the punching power to suddenly turn the fight in his favor. Because of this, I felt the fight should have been stopped, if nothing else to protect Hutchinson for his future both in and out of the ring. The opinion of yours truly notwithstanding, Hutchinson continued to show his mettle until the final bell in dropping a ten round unanimous decision to Broner. 

In previewing this bout, I stated that this should be viewed as a fresh start for Adrien Broner after spending the last two and a half years having fights fall through and a well publicized split between himself, his former manager Al Haymon, and the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters that had handled most of Broner 's career. This fight, which was the first for Broner under Hall of Fame promoter Don King did serve its purpose in getting Broner back in active competition again and he did get ten rounds of solid work against a determined opponent that can always say he went the distance with the former four-division world champion. As for what we saw from Broner inside the ring, he was more aggressive than has been the case previously in his career, was coming forward, and appeared to be more focused.

Whether or not the new aggression from Broner was a by-product of facing an opponent that due to his limited resume inside the ring, was a few levels below him, remains to be seen. While there is at least some talk of Broner possibly fighting the likes of Ryan Garcia or WBC Jr. Welterweight world champion Regis Prograis, each in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division, in the near future, the most important thing for Broner is to be as active as possible as it will only benefit him in the long run. As for the Boxing attorney Bill Hutchinson, this loss to a fight of the caliber of Adrien Broner should be a valuable learning experience for him as he moves on with his career in the Boxing ring and he can hold his head high in going ten hard rounds to the distance with a former world champion. Perhaps a move he might want to make would be to add a trainer to his team perhaps like a Freddie Roach, who specializes in training offensive-minded fighters. With the proper time to develop with the addition of a trainer like Roach who can teach fighters elements of technique and strategy at all stages of their career, Hutchinson might get another chance against a world ranked opponent. For now, Bill Hutchinson has earned the respect of the Boxing world for his performance in defeat to Adrien Broner and it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

"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 

Taylor-Lopez Preview

 

On Saturday, June 10th, one of the biggest fights of 2023 will take place in the Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY as undefeated WBO Jr. Welterweight world champion Josh Taylor will defend his title against former Undisputed Lightweight champion of the world Teofimo Lopez. While this fight, which can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ is for the WBO version of the Jr. Welterweight championship of the world, the interesting sub-plot is this is an encounter between two former undisputed world champions. One, Lopez having lost his title in the ring in the same venue where this fight coincidentally will take place, the other having relinquished portions of the undisputed championship in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division both due to injuries as well as the politics that be in the sport. 

While Lopez has been unbeaten since moving up from Lightweight following losing the Lightweight championship to George Kambosos in November 2021, there are questions regarding how effective a fighter he is now as a Jr. Welterweight. In his last fight, Lopez earned a controversial ten round split decision over top contender Sandor Martin in December of last year. An irony that is also a coincidence is the champion Taylor is coming off a controversial split decision victory in defense of what was then the Undisputed Jr. Welterweight championship of the world against Jack Catterall in February of last year. The commonality between the two fights, many believe that both Taylor and Lopez lost those bouts.

While this observer will save any debates for those who will partake in them regarding those fights, it does nevertheless create a unique situation where two fighters are meeting each other for a world championship with the opinion of some fans and experts alike being that each are coming off fights they might have lost. Opinion and debates aside, what those two fights did do for both Taylor and Lopez is create a scenario where both fighters likely feel that they have something to prove. The fight itself also provides an interesting clash of styles. 

 

Both fighters have shown in recent fights that they can do a little of everything. Most would likely say however, that this will be more of a classic scenario of a boxer in Taylor against a power puncher in Lopez. Teofimo Lopez is a fighter with knockout power in both hands that has throughout his career scored several highlight reel knockouts that seemed to come suddenly. Although the possibility of Lopez being able to do that should not be dismissed, we have yet to see that type of explosive power from him at 140lbs. Obviously, something else to keep in mind is Taylor is at the top of the division and this will likely be a significant test for Lopez in his third fight as a Jr. Welterweight. 

Taylor meanwhile is a solid boxer/puncher, but can take a few rounds to find his rhythm. If Lopez begins this fight by looking to apply pressure on the champion, Taylor will not be able to dictate how the fight is fought. While it is logical to think that this will be the approach Lopez will try to implement early on, Taylor will need to find a way to be active with his offense, but try to be elusive at the same time.

Unfortunately, a part of the story of this fight has also involved some less than sportsman-like comments between the two fighters with each alluding to the possibility of wanting to inflict serious injury upon the other. Although some may dismiss this as hype tactics to draw interest in the bout, this observer should not have to remind either the fighters themselves, or the readers of this column as to the dangers that exist in Boxing and by extension all combat sports.

 It may be the view of some that yours truly is possibly reading too much into comments prior to a fight and possibly taking it too seriously. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, I will always defend the sport of Boxing and in an already dangerous sport, comments alluding to wanting to seriously injure an opponent if not God forbid worse, hype tactic or not, should not be viewed as acceptable in any way, shape, or form. Whether fighters know it or not, they do represent the sport both in and out of the ring and comments like that not only do not belong, but more importantly give the wrong impression to those who are new to the sport and far too much credibility to Boxing's detractors.

When one has covered the sport for as long as I have, things like seeing serious injuries and, yes, even death occur is something that unfortunately comes with the territory. If any fighter however, thinks that using the possibility of something like that happening in an attempt to hype interest in their bout is acceptable, I suggest reaching out to the people who have been affected by one of the sport's numerous tragedies and ask them if they feel such rhetoric is acceptable. I would feel safe betting money I do not have that the fighters or anyone else for that matter that think such conduct is acceptable will have a change of heart once they hear what those who have been impacted by a tragedy that occurred due to injuries suffered in a Boxing ring, have to say. Bottom line, it is not something that should be used as a hype tactic, is not something to make light of, and is not something to joke about. The fighters who have given their lives to the sport and their families deserve better and so does Boxing.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

Taylor vs. Lopez takes place on Saturday, June 10th at The Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 6:10PM ET/3:10PM PT. ESPN+ is available through the ESPN app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs. For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com. 

(*Card and Start time subject to change *)

(*Check your local listings internationally.)

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

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

Franklin Gonzalez collides with Saul Sanchez in ProBox TV Main Event - Florida, June 14

 

Press Release: June 8, 2023 By ProBox TV - ProBox TV proudly returns next week with its monthly instalment of Wednesday Night Fights from ProBox headquarters in Plant City, Florida. 

Credit: ProBox TV

The evening’s headline act will see Franklin Gonzalez (25-2-2, 25 KOs) lock horns with Saul Sanchez (18-2, 11 KOs) in the super bantamweight over 10 rounds. Venezuelan knockout artist, Gonzalez comes off back-to-back dubious points defeats finding his luck tough outside his native South America. His only two defeats come against Jorge Orozco in Guadalajara, Mexico, and most recently against Manuel Flores losing via split decision in California. Other than the previous two marks on his record, Gonzalez has knocked out every single one of his opponents inside the distance. Californian Sanchez also comes off a contentious defeat at the hands of Eros Correa last year. Previous to only his second career defeat, the 25 year old went six fights unbeaten winning WBA regional titles in two weight classes. 

The chief support from the Sunshine State brings fight fans Oscar Alvarez (9-0, 7 KOs) Vs Jonhatan Cardoso (15-1, 14 KOs) in the super featherweight division scheduled for 8 rounds. 6ft 3in Mexican Alvarez has been in fine form performing on ProBox TV with an unblemished record with a 77+ percentage knockout ratio. Cardoso fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil was also last in action on ProBox TV with a unanimous decision victory over the undefeated Jose Arellano in Florida in January.

ProBox TV’s very own Dominic Valle (5-0, 4 KOs) will square off with Carlos Rosario (6-1, 3 KOs) at 130 pounds over 6 rounds. Valle has been a mainstay on the channel with an almost perfect start to his professional career. The 22 year Florida native boasts a knockout percentage of 80 percent, he comes off a points victory over Jose Antonia Meza last November. Puerto Rico’s Rosario comes off a split decision victory over the undefeated Joshafat Ortiz this past April in Philadelphia. His only defeat came on ProBox TV where many said that he was unlucky to lose the decision over Ezequiel Borrero last November.

The televised card begins with Mongolia’s Tsendbaatar Erdenebat (6-0, 3 KOs) going toe-to-toe with India’s Sandeep Jangra (4-0, 3 KOs). The pair put their undefeated records on the line over 6 rounds in the super featherweight division. Erdenebat was a decorated amateur for his country, he won gold at two Asian Championships, a gold medal at the Asian Games, a Bronze World Championship medal and also competed at the Olympics. Signed with Lou DiBella, he comes off a points victory over Edy Valencia Mercado in New York. Jangra is managed by boxing legend Roy Jones Jr, the Indian also comes off a good amateur career with silver medals at both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Championships.

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

For more information about ProBox TV including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, full event archive, and additional content, and to subscribe please visit: www.ProboxTV.com. 

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

The Next Chapter In The Career Of Adrien Broner

 

Former four-division world champion Adrien Broner's career can be described a couple of different ways. The one that this observer has used when asked about Broner over the years has been too much, too soon. It seemed as though when Broner emerged on the scene in the early 2010's after turning professional in 2008, that he began collecting world titles in multiple divisions during a period of time where many fighters are still developing as professionals. While this is a testament to Broner's skills and talent as a fighter, his rise to stardom might be viewed by some as one that was too quick.

By now, Broner's career and issues outside of the ring have been chronicled by many in Boxing media including yours truly, so for the purposes of the constraints of one column, I will summarize where we are now. After some setbacks in the ring, troubles outside the ring,  failed attempts to return to the ring, a highly publicized split with his longtime manager Al Haymon and the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), a failed deal with relative newcomer to the sport BLK Prime, and more than two years removed from his last fight, the now thirty-three year old former world champion prepares to return to the ring against relative unknown Welterweight contender Bill Hutchinson on Saturday, June 9th at Casino Miami in Miami, FL. The bout, which will headline a pay-per-view card available globally on digital combat sports streaming network and pay-per-view platform FITE TV, not only signals Broner's return to competition after a long absence, but also his first fight after forming an alliance in a multi-fight deal with Hall of Fame promoter Don King.

This fight has a clear storyline going into it. It represents the next chapter and what is likely a fresh start for Broner. In terms of the opposition that Broner will face on June 9th, Bill Hutchinson is a fighter, but he is also a practicing lawyer, which is a rarity in the sport. As a fighter, Hutchinson does have a respectable record of 20-2-4, with 9 Knockouts. The level of his opposition however, has been limited up to this point and this is a significant step up in caliber of opposition for him against the former world champion Broner. What Hutchinson does have going for him going into this fight is he has been the more active of the two, having fought as recently as 2022 and has won his last ten bouts.

The obvious question here is does Hutchinson have the skills to make it competitive against Broner and to potentially pull off an upset. Unfortunately, as a consequence that does not happen too often these days as compared to many years ago thanks to the advent of streaming video, but this is a rare instance where this observer, a noted and proud Boxing lifer, journalist, historian, and one who studies fight films on a daily basis, has not been able to find any footage of Hutchinson in action as this will be my first opportunity to cover him. It is important however, to keep in mind that Adrien Broner is coming off of a two year layoff and has had to deal with distractions outside of the ring in that time, which has contributed to his inactivity. Often the biggest enemy of fighters in any combat sport is inactivity. So, as there are questions as to what Bill Hutchinson will bring to the table, there should be questions as to what kind of Adrien Broner we will see in this fight. As inactivity should be viewed as an enemy, with that the possibility of “Ring Rust” is definitely possible for a fighter coming off of a lengthy absence such as Broner. 

While we do not know what Hutchinson will bring with him into this fight, there is a blueprint of sorts on how to fight Broner that perhaps he might try to use to his advantage. Adrien Broner is one of the most accurate fighters with his offense when he is actively competing, but often opponents have been able to make fights close and out work Broner by being more active and keeping Broner in a defensive shell where he does not get his punches off consistently. Obviously, we are not likely to get an idea of what Hutchinson might do until the fight is actually occurring in the ring. It would be wise of this largely unknown fighter/lawyer to have spent time studying Broner’s previous fights and to try and implement an approach for success in this fight. 

Hutchinson must keep in mind that Broner does have hand speed and punching power, but he needs to try and force the issue in this fight by making Broner fight. The one advantage that Hutchinson might have here is the fact that he has been more active than his opponent and as such, he needs to make it difficult for Broner to work off that “Ring Rust, even though he is at a significant disadvantage in terms of experience and caliber of previous opposition. This will also be the first time that Hutchinson will be in a scheduled ten round bout in his career and it will be interesting to see how he will look in the middle and late rounds of this fight, should it get that far and if the bout proves to be a competitive bout.

Outside of the significant layoff for Broner, seemingly this has all the appearance at least on paper of a fight that he should be favored to win. It will nevertheless be interesting to see if this chapter in Broner’s career is truly a fresh start where no matter what happens win, lose, or draw, and how he performs, will be one that sees him being more active inside the ring to try and work his way back into world title contention rather than dealing with issues outside of the ring.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Broner vs. Hutchinson takes place on Friday, June 9th at Casino Miami in Miami, FL. The fight can be seen globally on digital combat sports streaming network and pay-per-view platform FITE TV for $24.99. The broadcast will begin at 6:50PM ET/3:30PM PT (U.S. Times only.) For more information about FITE TV including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to learn how to download the FITE app, please visit: www.FITE.TV. To order Broner vs. Hutchinson from your web browser Click Here.

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

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With Little Buzz: BLK Prime Finally Debuts Tuesday Night Fights Series

In December of last year, digital subscription general entertainment network BLK Prime entered the sport of Boxing by being the broadcaster and promoter for WBO Welterweight world champion Terence Crawford's title defense against David Avanesyan in the champion's hometown of Omaha, NE. The event, which was broadcast on the BLK Prime app on pay-per-view as well as carried by traditional cable/satellite providers, was generally considered a success as it signaled the arrival of potentially another major broadcast platform for the sport. 

Credit: Beau Denison 

As some may remember however, since that event, things have been touch and go as far as the network's involvement in the sport. Some may recall the highly publicized signing of former four-division world champion Adrien Broner, who was to return to the ring under the BLK Prime platform earlier this year. Unfortunately for both Broner and BLK Prime, struggles with securing an opponent for the former world champion ultimately resulting in a third scheduled opponent being forced to withdraw from the bout due to suffering a broken jaw in sparring, led to the disillusion of the agreement between Broner and the network. Adrien Broner will finally return to the ring this coming Friday after a two year absence in the main event of a Don King promoted pay-per-view card.

Following the fall out between Broner and the network, BLK Prime aired one Boxing card on its platform from Costa Rica that was barely promoted and subsequently received little coverage from those of us in Boxing media. The network seemed to change its focus as it was announced in March that thry would debut a weekly Tuesday night Boxing series on it's platform for subscribers. For me this stirred memories of my youth.

Those of a certain age likely remember the weekly Tuesday night Boxing series on the USA cable network here in the United States. This observer can remember that the series actually bounced around different days of the week, primarily on Thursday and Friday nights before finally settling into the Tuesday night time slot at 9PM ET in the late 1980's  that the series would ultimately become known. To take it a step further, the ESPN sports network, which remains a major player in the sport to this day, often aired Boxing cards on Thursday nights on a weekly basis during the same time period.

The idea of a weekly Boxing series in the new age of subscription-based streaming frankly excites me. Not only because it obviously, gives an opportunity for me to further cover the sport I love, but along with another digital streaming network Probox TV, which airs Boxing cards on a bi-weekly basis, probides vital opportunity for young fighters seeking exposure as they begin their careers. As someone who is always looking out for what is in the best interest of Boxing as s sport, this was something I viewed as a win for Boxing.

Unlike Probox TV's series, the BLK Prime series, which was to debut in May got postponed twice, each time with no announcement or statement to those of us in the media as to why. Given the lack of promotion from the network, it was hard not to become skeptical that the series would eventually get off the ground. As the weeks went by with still no communication from the network and as the premiere date for what supposedly will be a weekly series, I became doubtful even as BLK Prime's app displayed a countdown clock for an event scheduled for June 6th, but wilth no information about the card beyond the simple clock that similar to the latter weeks of May seemed as though it would be reset for yet another date.

Despite not receiving any communication from the network, nor seeing any other media outlet offering any coverage of said event, I kept a close eye on the BLK Prime app and the countdown clock to see if there were any changes or any information that frankly would have helped as someone who would have covered the event. Despite also not seeing any upcoming events advertised on the Boxing record book databases, which again would have been helpful to yours truly, I was surprised to see wn actual feed of an event somewhere in Costa Rica go live when the countdown clock struck zero.

Even though I feel the term "Somewhere in Costa Rica"  is vague, non-descriptive,  and borderline unprofessional, unfortunately it is all I have to go on, but I do apologize to readers who expect more detail as this is something that I would not consider to be normal circumstances. Equally as unfortunate, the broadcast of this event had several technical problems and I was unable to get any information that instead of covering the event as I would have wanted to do, has subsequently resulted in my writing this column.

While it is important to remember that BLK Prime is still a newcomer in the sport, there are two obvious questions that come to mind here. One, why was there no promotion for this event from the network and why was no information made available on the respective Boxing record databases including BoxRec for example that regularly list upcoming events for every level of the sport on a daily basis throughout the world? Perhaps the more crucial question is what now for BLK Prime and their Tuesday night Boxing series? 

This observer obviously cannot answer that question, but any Boxing event needs promotion and information to be made available to the public if it hopes to be successful. Although it is not my intention to attack BLK Prime as any platform involved or wanting to be involved in Boxing should be viewed as an asset especially if they have the interest of the Boxing fan in mind and are not overly reliant on the outdated, overpriced, and undervalued model that is pay-per-view, if there is no promotion for your events and no communication with those who will gladly cover them if they have the appropriate information to do so, I cannot see how any series can be successful if it is done in anonymity, even if the concept of a weekly series does bring back fond memories of a great time for Boxing.

"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 

DAZN SPONSORS HARINGEY BOX CUP 2023

Press Release: By DAZN - 

 

“WHERE CHAMPIONS ARE BORN”:

DAZN SPONSORS HARINGEY BOX CUP 2023

 

Dazn sponsors Europe’s leading amateur boxing tournament

Competition takes place at Alexandra Palace, London, 16-18 June 2023 and tickets can be purchased for £18 per day or £40 for a weekend pass

Famous for identifying future stars, previous winners include Anthony Joshua, Katie Taylor, Nicola Adams, Chris Eubank Jr, Cheavon Clarke and Anthony Yarde

 

LONDON, 6 June 2022 – Dazn Group, the world’s leading sports streaming platform, is sponsoring the Haringey Box Cup, which will take place in London at Alexandra Palace on 16-18 June 2023.

 

Credit: DAZN 

The Haringey Box Cup is the biggest amateur boxing tournament in Europe. Started in 2008 by the Haringey Police & Community Amateur Boxing Club, a youth development project in London, it has become an annual event that attracts elite amateur boxers from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

 

In 2022, it received 5000 spectators over the course of the event. This year, Dazn will be filming all three days of the competition, collating highlights for a DAZN Boxing Show special that will be streamed around the world to maximise the event and the fighters’ exposure.

 

Since its inception 15 years ago, the Haringey Box Cup has become famous for identifying future boxing champions. Previous winners include Anthony Joshua, Katie Taylor, Nicola Adams, Chris Eubank Jr, Cheavon Clarke and Anthony Yarde; four went on to win Olympic Gold medals.

 

Anthony Joshua, two-time former unified world heavyweight champion, said of the event: “The Haringey Box Cup is the must-do event for aspiring professionals as an amateur I was lucky enough to win it twice”.

 

The 2023 Haringey Box Cup takes place at Alexandra Palace, London from June 16-18 and will comprise over bouts of top-class boxing with four champions looking to be crowned. The competition categories are: best male, best female, best youth male, best youth female.

 

Joseph Markowski, DAZN US CEO, said: “DAZN believes in the power of boxing and that community boxing gyms play a vital role in society. We have always looked upon the Box Cup as a celebration of the amazing work that these community gyms do and are pleased to sponsor such an important event in the sport. We wish all the participants the best of luck”.

 

 

Event Details

 

Spectators are welcome and tickets can be purchase here: https://www.alexandrapalace.com/whats-on/haringey-box-cup-9/

 

Timings:

 

DATE

DOORS

OPEN

START

TIME

END

TIME

16 JUN 2023

15:00

16:00

23:00

17 JUN 2023

11:00

12:00

22:00

18 JUN 2023

11:00

12:00

20:00

 

Location:

Alexandra Palace

Alexandra Palace Way

London

N22 7AY

 

Tube: Wood Green

Railway: Alexandra Palace Rail

Bus: W3 or Shuttle Bus

 

About Dazn Group

 

Dazn is a leading sports streaming service in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, the US and UK.  Its wide range of content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LaLiga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world - Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC.  DAZN is the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match outside North America. 

 

Dazn is building the ultimate sports entertainment business where fans from across the globe can watch, read, bet, play, share, socialise, buy tickets and merchandise, all in one place, with one account, one wallet and on one app. 

 

For more information on Dazn, our products, people, and performance, visit dazngroup.com.  

 

Material Courtesy and Photo Courtesy of: DAZN Used with permission.

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com

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

Audley Harrison Interview Part 2

Press Release: June 6, 2023  

By Liam Solomon/Bettingsites.co.uk -  Liam Solomon recently sat down for an interview with former Olympic Gold medalist and former world title challenger Audley Harrison.  In part two of the interview Harrison continues to share his thoughts on the Heavyweight division and how he feels in his prime he would go through any Heavyweight today as well as thoughts on his own career.

AH: “Even though you saw me coming back it was never the same, but a prime Audley Harrison, I would have gone through anybody. It would have gone through anybody because I was there. I was licking my lips at the opportunity of fighting Wladimir Klitschko. That was my goal because I looked at his style. He lost to Corrie Sanders early on in the fight and he was a southpaw, a South African southpaw. I was like, oh my God, he's going to be so perfect for me in 2006 - it was all geared for me. But my thing was I wanted to do it on my own. A-Force promotions under my banner. And that's why it capitulated. But the stuff that I was doing, looking at me now, this is why I get very frustrated looking at the fights now, because of my tutelage training. I had Thell Torrence with me. Thell Torrence and Eddie Futch were together 40 years, and their tutelage was another 100 years. So it's like the history of boxing, the science of boxing, especially heavyweights. And from Thell Torrence I went to Buddy McGirt.”

Wilder would beat Joshua 

AH: “Deontay Wilder has got a dangerous right hand, he’s very explosive and mentally, even though he’s lost to Fury, he seems like he’s got a rejuvenation fire. We’re not seeing that in Joshua in terms of his spirit, and sometimes that’s what you need in a fight. That confidence that he had, that swagger that he had, in terms of momentum right now, you’d have to go with Wilder. Deontay is trying to find himself. Malik Scott is in a good place with Deontay and they clearly have something good they’re building on.

“Joshua tried Robert Garcia, now he’s changed trainers again, obviously with a great trainer (Derrick James), but it will take time to gel and for the trainer to implement the stuff that he’s been working on. I think right now if they fight it would be a very exciting fight, but I’d probably go with Wilder. You can’t count AJ out, he’s always in great shape. Style wise if Joshua is coming forward in this fight and he doesn’t back up as much, but obviously you have a guy throwing big right hands, so it’s a tough assignment for Joshua but it’s definitely one that if he could find that fire, have a great training camp, he’d definitely be in the fight. You can’t rule him out. But right now I’d say Wilder would start as the favourite. He would start as the favourite in that fight.”

Wilder should fight Parker or Whyte, if Joshua doesn’t happen

AH: “The Joshua fight is the fight that we want to see. That’s the one. Outside of that, Joseph Parker just had a good win, names like that. I know he [Wilder] isn’t going to go lower than that. Even Dillian Whyte could be someone to consider because he needs a mark-in-time fight. Even Usyk, try and get the Usyk fight! He’s [Wilder] had his one warm-up fight so he’s ready to go back into the big stages. Obviously it doesn’t really make sense for him to fight Fury again, so really Joshua, Joe Parker, Dillain Whyte - that kind of level. There are some up and coming guys in America but that doesn’t really make sense for Wilder. He needs a big name to come back to. I would say a Parker or Whyte fight would make sense for him.”

Biggest regret not winning a major world title / I could’ve beaten Wladimir Klitschko

AH: “Ultimately, I would have loved to have won a world title, a legitimate version of a world title. I won the WBF, a legitimate version of a world title, under my own auspices, A-Force. It's a regret that I didn't get that done. But when I look back on my career, I know in the end I did it my way. I fought the system, which I always wanted to do, and the system didn't let me go through the way I wanted to go through, and it was okay. So I kind of got rejected, being my own promoter coming up, like, doing it on my own. And that kind of hurts me when I think about it. But it's for the right reasons. Unfortunately, I left the country as a result. I live in America now. 2004, when I lost that BBC deal, I left the country. I couldn't be here. Mentally I couldn't deal with it. But all good. When I look back now, all good. I feel like I could have dominated, I could have beaten Wladimir Klitschko, but not to be.”

Chris Eubank Sr helped me get back to ‘Prime Harrison’

AH: "When I lost to Danny Williams in my first fight, Chris Eubank Sr came and found me. I was in a fancy hotel in the West End. He came and found me, got my number. I didn't even know Chris Eubank Sr personally, but he got my number. He said, ‘oh, they want to talk to you because the Danny Williams loss was so bad’. That fight was so bad for me. He just wanted to come and fight me, beat me and just find out, ‘Audley, what the hell happened there?’ And he was like ‘I know you like you’re living in silk pyjamas now so it's hard for you to be motivated, so you earn money and you're living a good life, but where is that guy? He talked about his warrior code and it was just a great conversation. I'll never forget that talk. He came out of his own way and reached out to me and gave me some tips. And I took that into my rematch with Danny Williams. I went to Big Bear and you saw what happened in the rematch, almost destroyed him. I primed that version, so you talk about a prime Audley, Danny Williams 2, that night, I would have beaten anybody. Didn't matter who I was facing that night. That night, you saw the best of Audley Harrison, and I would have destroyed anybody on that night."

Frank Warren destroyed my career

AH: “But that fight there, I signed the contract because now I'm tied to Frank Warren and he has me for my whole career. And it's kind of bittersweet because now I've just won that fight and I have just given up control, signed to the man that I didn't want to sign with. So now it was a climax and an anticlimax. He's tough on me mentally, but that's the way it went. I was never able to reach those heights again and kind of just went into no man's land. Got injured, had a bad car crash in 2007. I kind of was just off in the wilderness till I bumped into Eddie [Hearn] in Vegas at a poker tournament. Yeah. And Eddie said, ‘hey, Audley, what are you doing? Come back!’. Then we did the Prize Fighter.”

Fury needs to be professional & fight Parker if he has to

AH: “In boxing, it’s always hard to fight people you know, people that you're connected with. It's very hard to get mad about them, but you have to be professional and do the job. But I had it with Julius Francis in my 16th fight. When I came back to England and the BBC wanted to start controlling my opponents. I had a guy who was unbeaten from Europe and they said, ‘no, nobody knows him. We don't want to box him. At least Julius Francis we know.’ I'm like, ‘Julius? He's going to be a stinking fight. He's going to be horrible because I know him, I've partied with him, I boxed him in the amateurs’. Those are the only saving graces. Ok, I can beat him in a rematch and avenge my loss to him from the amateur days. But it's a pointless fight because we know each other and can't get up for the fight. So we boxed him, we've done twelve rounds and it was horrible in terms of a spectacle. Okay, I got twelve rounds out of it, boxing. But it was very hard to get motivated, fired up, for somebody that you've been out with.”

“So I understand what Tyson Fury is saying, but ultimately you still got to go in and do the job. Ultimately, you'll fight your guy, but it's just hard to get motivated for that fight.”

Material Courtesy of Liam Solomon/ Bettingsites.co.uk  Used with permission.

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

Shields Shines In Homecoming

Initially, undefeated Undisputed Women's Middleweight champion Claressa Shields was to defend her title on June 3rd against Hannah Gabriels in a rematch of their bout in 2018, which was won by Shields, but one where Gabriels scored a knockdown of the woman regarded by many as the best pound for pound fighter in Women's Boxing. The planned rematch however, would not come to fruition as Gabriels would test positive for a banned substance resulting in her being removed from the bout on a week's notice. In stepped the number one contender of three of the four sanctioning organizations which comprises Shields' undisputed crown, Maricela Cornejo who took the opportunity to fight the champion in Shields' home state of Michigan meeting her at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

For all intents and purposes, this was a homecoming for Shields, who is from nearby Flint, MI. While a fighter having to adapt to a change of opponent on short notice is not new in combat sports, circumstances such as that as well as competing in essentially your hometown before a sizable crowd of supporters is something that can add pressure on a fighter. This would turn out to not be an issue for Shields. 

Claressa Shields has made a career on her ability to dominate her opponents often by throwing punches in volume and outworking her opposition with compact combination punching. This time however, Shields attempted to show that she has punching power. The champion did this by looking to add more power on her punches, but more specifically, in how she placed her punches. The primary weapon for the champion on this occasion would be her right hand, which she threw from the outset and was able to land frequently throughout the scheduled ten round world championship bout. 

It did not take long for the champion to establish that she was the stronger of the two fighters as she was able to keep Maricela Cornejo on the defensive consistently throughout the fight. Although Shields did not throw much in spurts, otherwise known as volume punching in this fight, she was nevertheless effective in landing her combinations and rarely missing the target with her right hand.  Cornejo was able to periodically catch Shields with left hooks and right hands off her own, but simply could not find a way to break the ebb and flow of the fight, which consisted of Shields coming forward, forcing her backwards, and landing hard, thudding punches, often with the right hand.

As this fight progressed, two thoughts came to this observer's mind. Number one, the heart that Maricela Cornejo showed throughout as she was taking punches that would have ended the night for most fighters, and two, whether either the referee or her corner would end up stopping the fight to prevent her from further punishment. This was particularly what ran through my mind in the seventh round when Shields connected with a flush right hand to the head as Cornejo was against the ropes that snapped her head back in a violent fashion. While no one should take anything away from the mettle and heart Maricela Cornejo showed in this fight as she ended up going the distance, if there was a moment where a fight probably should have been stopped, that would have been the time to do it. 

Ultimately, this fight, much like many others in Shields' career, ended in a wide and convincing ten round unanimous decision to retain her Undisputed Middleweight world championship. As Shields has been an undisputed world champion in three different weight classes, this latest successful defense reinforces the view of some that she has not been put through a significant test as of yet and thus it creates a scenario where she can either stay in the 160lb. Middleweight division or possibly move down to the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division or up to the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division where she's become undisputed world champion in those weight classes before vacating those titles. 

While such a predicament is something that is truly rare in Boxing for both men and women, it is important to note that Women's Boxing is still very much growing and Shields bringing long overdue exposure to the sport is something that she can take credit for as there is little doubt that Women's Boxing has thrived since she won two gold medals in back to back Olympics and subsequently turned professional. Her dominance however, reflects both just how good and skilled she is as a fighter, but also shows, despite the significant progress the sport for women has made in recent years, it is still something that is in it's growing stages.

For now, Claressa Shields maintains her position as the Undisputed Middleweight champion of the world and the pound for pound best in the sport. The question does however, remain as to whether there is a fighter currently out there or perhaps one on the horizon that can give Shields the competitive test she is clearly seeking.

"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 

Audley Harrison: :Fury Would Beat Joshua

Press Release: June 2, 2023  

By Liam Solomon/LegalSportsBooks.com -  Liam Solomon recently sat down for an interview with former Olympic Gold medalist and former world title challenger Audley Harrison. Giving his heavyweight prediction on what would be the fight of the decade, Harrison said;

“Tyson Fury isn’t a big puncher, so he’s someone that would wear you down. Now he’s with SugarHill Steward. Tyson Fury has always been a good boxer, even from the amateurs he’s been a quality boxer. But what they have done now as a pro, going to SugarHill, he’s taught him about going forward. Now he’s using his weight and he’s able to go forward. He’s not a big puncher but over time, with his mental strength as well, you’d have to make him the favourite against Joshua. But you definitely cannot rule Joshua out. He’s going to come in in great shape and he’s got to go forward and put that pressure on.”

Fury is all hype & games - sending contract to Joshua

Reacting to the news that Joshua ‘laughed’ at Fury’s recent contract proposal, Harrison said; 

“I think Tyson Fury is the vehicle, he's the voice, and he's the one making the noise, but ultimately, as a team behind him, you've got Frank Warren behind him, you've got Bob Arum behind him, so he has the team behind him. It isn’t just Tyson Fury going out on his own and they're obviously having the talks. For them to send out a contract, you imagine that they've had a conversation, it's like, ‘hey, let's send out a contract’, but I don't know if it's games or what.

“Typically what will happen is that, ‘want to make this fight?’ You've talked the terms, then a heads of agreement will come out with the terms that you've spoken. But they haven't even spoken. It’s pointless just sending an agreement without having discussed it first because you don't know what the other people are going to agree to or not. The negotiation process, it may be a bit of hype if you just say, ‘oh, I'm just going to send you a contract.’ It's not typically how it works.”

I can get Anthony Joshua’s swagger back

Harrison urges Anthony Joshua to take the retired heavyweights advice; 

“When you keep your ‘0’, it gives you that aura. I know when I was undefeated I had that swagger. Once you lose that ‘0’, you’re going to have to rebuild. That’s where he [Joshua] is right now. He’s in a rebuilding process. The Usyk fights didn’t go his way but I think he’s got one more run in him, he’s just got to get it right. 

“Joshua - sit with me, we'll watch your take together. We’ll just watch your last fight together and then I'll just pick up on some stuff. Then we could talk it through in a gym, maybe work it through, that's not offered to you. And I'm guaranteeing you it'd be a good time for your investment. I know it'd be a great time of mine, but great time on your investment.”

Joe Joyce needs to ditch his coaching team for me!

After Joyce’s shock loss to Zhilei, Harrison gives some hard truths about Joyce’s current coaching team; 

“Another guy {Joyce}, who got it all wrong on the night and Zhang took advantage. When he looks at what went wrong, he can't go back with the same team, no adjustments, because that's the definition of madness. You can't get a different result if you do the same thing. So when they look at what went wrong, they should be doing that with an outside audit. You can't audit yourself. Let me audit you in a good way, not a bad way. It can only help you. It cannot be a negative. Trust me, I know a lot. What I know is too much to go to waste. I'm someone that can teach you, external to your system to the training teams, but they {coaching teams} look at me as a threat. There's fear, there's fear.”

I’ve reached out to Dubois, I can help him beat Usyk

Ahead of Dubois’ megafight with Usyk in August, Harrison believe he has the key to beating the Ukrainian;

“Dubois, Joe Joyce, even Lawrence Okolie losing the other day. All those guys I've reached out to. Talking about Dubois and Usyk. Obviously, Usyk has the big advantage. Dubois is a big puncher, but as we've seen in his last couple of last fights, even though he got the win, technically there's some stuff that he can do. I'd love to sit down with Dubois and give him some stuff. If you get an opportunity like that, you can't turn it down. Usyk is a big favourite and he's [Dubois] got to try and make the most of it and get as much advice as he can.

Material Courtesy of Liam Solomon/ LegalSportsBooks.com  Used with permission.

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

MOLONEY NAMES TARGETS FOR BUMPER AUSSIE TITLE DEFENSE

Press Release: June 2, 2023  By Dragon Fire Boxing and Murray Wenzel/AAP -  A couple of free breakfasts and a family holiday to Yamba.

Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing 

It's been a typically low-key homecoming for Australia's newest boxing world champion Jason Moloney.

But the 32-year-old WBO bantamweight belt holder expects that to change with legendary promoter Bob Arum backing the Australian's dream to defend his title - or win some more - in a blockbuster event on home soil.

"Some congratulations and a couple of free breakfasts at the cafe, but I haven't felt it hugely since getting back home," he told AAP of the fanfare while en route to his mini-vacation.

"I've been on the road for years in America and have been surprised by my profile in Japan.

"But it's only just beginning here and now I've got the belt ... I knew I had to achieve something big first.

"I grew up idolising Danny Green and saw how much the country loved him and that's something I'd love.

"I want to get the whole country excited about when I'm fighting next and filling stadiums."

Moloney (26-2) avoided a suspected fractured hand in his calculated majority points decision victory over Vincent Astrolabio in California last month.

Twin brother Andrew lost his own world title fight a week later in Las Vegas, brutally knocked out in the final seconds of the 12th round of his WBO super-flyweight world title bout by the formidable Junto Nakatani.

Andrew suffered a perforated eardrum but has returned to Australia without lingering injuries and keen to get back in the ring.

Top Rank boss Arum was ringside when Jeff Horn beat Manny Pacquiao at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium in 2017.

While only one of the brothers has returned as world champion, Arum still has designs on a Moloney double-header later this year with Melbourne and Gold Coast the early front-runners.

"Bob's all for it," Jason said.

"We sat down with him and he was the one that brought it up.

"If I'm looking to fight in September or October that'll work with Andrew."

Undisputed bantamweight king Naoya Inoue's move up a weight class has thrown Moloney's division wide open, with the Australian now rated No.1 ahead of Emmanuel Rodriguez by The Ring Magazine.

One round was the difference when the Puerto Rican beat Moloney for the IBF belt in 2018, with Rodriguez set to fight for that belt again in July.

Nonito Donaire is ranked third and has switched management since negotiations to fight Moloney for the WBC belt fell down earlier this year.

"If it was up to me I'd say Emmanuel Rodriguez," Moloney said of his desired next opponent.

"To get revenge and have three belts (WBO, The Ring, IBF) on the line, that's the most exciting fight for me at the minute.

"But we've been after Donaire too. I'll fight anyone in my division."

Shattered for his twin, Moloney is confident he still has at least five years left in his career to realise their shared dream.

"It just shows you what boxing is like at the top," he said.

"One week the highest of highs, the very next week the lowest of lows.

"But I plan on holding the belt for a long time and I'm still confident we can be champions at the same time."

 

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

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