JIMMY KELLY THROWS HIS NAME INTO THE HAT FOR GOLOVKIN HOMECOMING

Press Release: July 6,, 2023 By ProBox TV -  England’s Jimmy Kelly has somewhat reinvented himself in recent years. The Manchester based middleweight has ventured to American shores since his collaboration with ProBox TV last year. 

Kelly (27-3, 10 KOs) upset the odds defeating Kazakhstan’s Kanat Islam last year in Plant City. He has since tasted defeat at the hand of Jaime Munguia but got back to winning ways with a victory over Edward Ulloa Diaz in February.

Credit: ProBox TV 

With a 100 percent win record against Kazakh fighters, Kelly has thrown his name into the hat for a potential homecoming fight with Gennadiy Golovkin.

“I think my name should be in the hat for that fight.” Kelly said. “I beat Kanat Islam, a popular fighter from Kazakhstan. From what I can gather my name is well known over there due to that fight, and I just think I’m in the conversation. It excites me.

“He is arguably one of the best ever 160 pound fighters. He has had so many title defenses. If you were going to fight Golovkin, now probably would be the right time but it is still an incredible task to defeat a man like him. If it made sense and he wanted to have a homecoming fight over there, what an honour it would be to share the ring with him. I wouldn’t be going over there in awe of him, I’ve shown before that I’m willing to go anywhere in the world and give it a good go. I’ve upset the odds before, no reason why I can’t do it again. I was winning against Munguia until I got caught. I’ve boxed in Australia, I’ve boxed in California, boxed in Florida and even Kuwait. I’ve been all around the world, and I can’t find my baby.”

Kelly has been campaigning around the middleweight limit in recent fights, but was in no mood to worry over significant details in a proposed bout with Golovkin. 

“I’ll leave the weight to him.” Kelly added. “I think he has earned the right to do it at 160 or 168, completely up to him. It doesn’t make that much difference in my head. I boxed at 165 against Munguia and I only had four weeks notice. I believe I have the character to go and win on the road, a lot of people don’t."

 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 archives and additional programming, and to subscribe please visit: www.ProBoxTV.com 

 

 

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

Joshua -Whyte To Meet In Highly Appreciated Rematch August 12th In London, England On DAZN

Press Release: July 6,, 2023 By DAZN - British Heavyweight rivals Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte will meet in an explosive rematch at The O2 in London on Saturday August 12, shown exclusively live on DAZN around the world and on DAZN PPV in the UK and Ireland.

Credit: DAZN 

 

Two-time unified Heavyweight World Champion Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) and former World Title challenger Whyte (29-3, 19 KOs) lock horns again nearly eight years on from their wild British Title clash in Greenwich, which Joshua won by a huge seventh-round stoppage to end a thrilling war. 

 

Brixton’s Whyte has a long-running rivalry with Joshua, having beaten the Watford man on points as an amateur back in 2009 before Joshua won an Olympic gold medal at London 2012 which kick-started his meteoric rise to global stardom. 

 

‘AJ’ went on to unify the Heavyweight division, winning the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO crowns as he became one of the biggest athletes on the planet with a string of wins against the likes on Charles Martin, Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, Alexander Povetkin, Andy Ruiz and Kubrat Pulev. 

 

The 33-year-old convincingly outpointed Jermaine Franklin at The O2 earlier this year as he returned to winning ways under new trainer Derrick James following back-to-back defeats to Ukrainian pound-for-pound great Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022.

 

Whyte, whose last win also came via a points decision against the USA’s Franklin last year, fell short in his record-breaking World Title challenge against undefeated WBC ruler Tyson Fury at Wembley Stadium in April 2022, succumbing to a sixth-round TKO loss.

 

The Jamaican-born warrior, 36, has aspirations of fighting for another World Title and knows that a win over his old foe Joshua next month will put him in prime position for another mega-fight against one of the division’s other glamour names later this year. 

 

In the UK and Ireland the PPV will cost £26.99 via DAZN.com. Prices may vary on other providers.

 

“I’ve been clear that my plan is to be active this year," said Joshua. "August 12 is the date, I’ll be ready to fight. I look forward to dealing with business."

 

“I’m looking forward to returning to the London O2 on August 12 and going to war,” said Whyte. “It's 1-1 so this is the decider!”

 

"I can’t quite believe this fight is happening and there was absolutely no stopping either man," said Matchroom Sport Chairman Eddie Hearn. "The rivalry runs deep and there is something about these two where they will never back down from each other. At times it may have looked like a game of bluff but now we are set and with everything that’s on the line this is an absolute must win for both. Just like the first time at The O2, get ready for fireworks August 12 and a huge night of boxing live on DAZN."

 

“It is great to have Anthony Joshua back fighting on the platform so soon after his fight in April," said Joseph Markowski, CEO North America, DAZN Group. "We want ‘AJ’ in the biggest fights and in Dillian Whyte this is a massive one - reigniting a feud that has bubbled away for well over a decade. August 12 promises to be fireworks. Watch a night of all out action, live and exclusive on DAZN around the world and on DAZN PPV in the UK and Ireland.”

 

Tickets for Joshua vs. Whyte 2 are priced £40, £60, £80, £100, £150, £200, £300, £400 and £800 (VIP).

Tickets are available to O2 and Virgin Media customers via Priority from 10.00am on Friday July 7. 

Tickets are available via The O2 venue presale and AXS presale from 10.00am on Saturday July 8.

Matchroom Fight Pass members will also be able to purchase tickets from 10.00am on Saturday July 8. Priority ticket info will be emailed directly to eligible members ahead of the on-sale time. 

General Sale tickets can be purchased via Stage Front and AXS from 9.00am on Monday July 10.

 

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 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. 

JORDAN LARUCCIA RETURNS SEPTEMBER 1 FOR TITLE CHALLENGE IN MAIN EVENT OF THUNDERDOME 43

Press Release: July 6,, 2023 By Dragon Fire Boxing - September 1st will be the return of the iconic Thunderdome boxing series, based out of Metro City in Perth, Western Australia.

Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing 

 

Headlining the Thunderdome 43 bill will highly touted prospect Jordan Laruccia who will look to go 6-0 as he challenges Fano Kori 8-5 for the Australian National Boxing Federations Australasian Super Welterweight Challenge over 8 rounds. The Event will be shown live on Fite.TV

 

Laruccia last hit out last a mere 23 seconds over Indonesian Jack Dolo, rather poetic for somename named “Jordan”.

 

Fano Kori has been in the ring with all the top challengers in Australia, such as Mateo Tapia, Wes Capper, Jesse White, Koen Mazouider, Sherwyn Watkins to name a few.

 

The unbeaten Italian Australian prospect Jordan hasn’t had an amateur career and has gone straight through the pro ranks and is making some noise after racking up Five wins from as many starts.

 

The Australian super-welterweight prospect trained at Juventus in Italy as a goalkeeper before heading back to Australia to pursue a career in pugilism.

 

Laruccia discussed the fight: “I love this fight, I just want to fight the best, I have full respect to Fano (Kori) he had a very decorated amateur background and had 14 professional fights, so he is well experienced. It’s the step up fight I need at this point in my career.

 

I need these opportunities and I will always rise to the occasion, I have the best team behind me, my trainer Big Rig (Dayle Phillips), Tony Tolj hes literally the Mr Boxing of Australia, these people bend of backwards to give us the opportunities in our career. I train like an animal so I’m always ready for anything.

 

All I do is ask, when am I fighting and who Im fighting. I leave the rest to my team. September 1st two men enter one man leaves, welcome to the Thunderdome. 

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

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

Happy 4th Of July 2023

We would like to wish all of our readers a very Happy and safe 4th of July. We would also like to inform readers that we are between rounds and will resume our regular schedule on Monday, July 10th with a feature discussing some of the events that took place over the July 7th and 8th period in the sport of Boxing.

In the interim, if there is any content that has been sent in or if there is any developing news, it will be made available for readers here on the website as normal. Stay tuned.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

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

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

July 4th Weekend 2023 Thoughts

The July 4th holiday here in the United States is a celebration of the nation's birthday. Along with fireworks shows throughout the country, Major League Baseball games, and family barbecues, there are always many things happening in, around, and on the holiday. One of those things that always seems to precede the holiday in some form or fashion is a healthy dose of Boxing action. This July 4th weekend was no exception though unlike in some previous years, the 2023 edition had a bit of an international flavor with a British and Commonwealth Jr. Welterweight championship fight kicking off the action followed by a fast rising Heavyweight prospect returning to his hometown of Toledo, OH to face what was the first significant test of his career.

What should be referred to as "Boxing Saturday" of the holiday weekend on July 1st did begin with a unification of the British and Commonwealth Jr. Welterweight championships as British champion Dalton Smith faced Commonwealth champion and former world title challenger Sam Maxwell in Sheffield, England. As expected, this was a tactical fight where what stood out early on was the compact, yet explosive offensive spurts from the undefeated Smith, particularly in landing his right hand on Maxwell. What became clear beyond Smith seeming to be the quicker of the two fighters was, he was also the harder hitter of the two. 

The compact way in which Smith set up his attacks in picking his spots is something that also stood out. While this fight was competitive, Maxwell seemed to be a step behind in terms of his timing and attempts to counter Smith, particularly in the midst of exchanges. This created a scenario where there was one consistent theme. Smith dictating the tempo of the combat, picking his spots, executing his offense, and Maxwell gradually becoming hesitant to let his hands go and seemingly on defense, despite periodically being able to land solidly with his punches.

As the fight progressed, I felt as though I was looking at a bout that would ultimately go the twelve round distance. When it comes to two fighters with a similar style as Smith and Maxwell, two boxer/punchers, you can never dismiss the possibility of a knockout, but seeing the tempo in which a fight is being fought, you can just get the feeling that you’re seeing a bout that will go to the scorecards. For several rounds in this bout, I had that feeling. Not so much because of the styles of the two fighters being similar, but because of the tactical and measured pace in which the combat was being fought. 

Despite this observer’s gut feeling based on decades of experience covering and watching the sport, sometimes things do not turn out quite as they appear they might. In round seven, Smith following a suffering a deep cut as a result of an accidental clash of heads in the fifth round over his right eye, would bring the fight to a sudden and dramatic conclusion. A single overhand right to the head ended Maxwell’s night sending him down and out on the canvas. The shot that ended this fight, which came behind a jab, landed on the temple of Maxwell, which in a way reminded me somewhat of Mike Tyson’s first round knockout of Henry Tillman in June 1990. 

In a scenario similar to this in terms of where the knockout punch landed, Tyson connected with a high left hook that landed on the temple of Tillman, the 1984 Olympic Gold mendalist, who had previously defeated Tyson twice prior to the 1984 Olympics in the amateur ranks. Why that fight, over thirty-three years ago came to mind when I saw this knockout Dalton Smith was able to score, I cannot say because, while like Tyson-Tillman, this fight ended on one punch, it was not an identical scenario and unlike Tyson’s knockout of Tillman, Smith’s knockout of Maxwell, was a result of an overhand right. The only thing I can assume as to why my memory was automatically triggered might be that while a knockout as a result of a fighter being struck in the temple is possible and obviously does happen, it does not seem to happen as often as one might think.

Nevertheless, the knockout win for Smith was a statement-making moment that will likely get people talking and taking notice. While this solidifies Smith’s position atop the British Boxing scene in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division, this victory over Sam Maxwell will likely result in him testing the waters on the world level of the division moving forward. It remains to be seen how Smith will fare against world rated competition, but with now with his fifteenth win and eleventh knockout behind him, he does have momentum to at least try and test those waters.

One undefeated prospect that found himself testing the waters during July 4th weekend was “Knockout Artist” Jared Anderson. Anderson, who had scored knockouts in all fourteen of his professional fights, found himself testing the waters against a former world champion in a fight that was designed to be a homecoming for him in his hometown of Toledo, OH. Despite taking the fight on eleven days notice, former IBF Heavyweight champion of the world Charles Martin was able to give Anderson the first significant test of his career.

 Before an enthusiastic crowd of supporters, Anderson immediately applied pressure on Martin from the outset. He did this by using his jab and trying to walk Martin down. While this was not something unexpected based both on Anderson’s punching power as well as the fact that Martin had taken the fight on short notice, what was a bit surprising was the tactical approach of Anderson. Even though he was looking to land power shots as all fighters with a reputation of being power punchers do, the thing that stood out was the patience he showed throughout this fight, even though prior to this encounter Anderson had never been beyond six rounds in his career.

Despite being put under pressure from the outset, Martin used his experience to his advantage and seemed to take Anderson’s power shots well. This changed slightly in the third round when Anderson was able to score a knockdown of Martin with a counter right hand. Martin did not appear to be hurt and attempted to contend that the knockdown was caused by the fighters legs being tangled. Video replays at the conclusion of the round however, that Martin's claim was not valid and the call of a knockdown being scored cleanly was in fact the correct call. At this point in the fight, I felt that it was competitive, but the addition of a knockdown to what seemed to be a reluctance by Martin to let his hands go, created a hole in terms of the scoring of the fight that would be difficult for the former world champion to overcome. I also had a sense that perhaps what appeared to be a strictly counter punching approach by Martin was an attempt to extend Anderson as far into the fight as possible while trying to make the young unbeaten prospect exert his energy, which in theory would allow Martin to step up his pace and offensive output in the middle and late rounds.

If that was indeed the strategy Martin was looking to execute, it would be what one would likely expect of a seasoned veteran. In round five, Martin would make his presence known when he stunned Anderson with a counter left hand from the southpaw stance. This proved to be the first time that Anderson would have his ability to take a punch tested as it was the first time he was significantly stunned in a fight.To Anderson's credit, he was able to regroup and maintain control of the fight.

What was impressive beyond the poise and calm that Anderson showed in being able to keep his composure after being hurt for the first time in his career, but he also showed the ability to use defense to his advantage as he was able to make Martin miss with much of his offense both before and after being stunned. Martin would nevertheless periodically land with more solid left hands throughout the remainder of the ten round bout, but it would be Anderson's greater activity in addition to the knockdown he scored in the third round that resulted in him being able to score a wide and convincing ten rounds unanimous decision victory to remain unbeaten.

While this fight marked the end of Anderson's knockout streak of fourteen consecutive knockouts, the decision victory did knock a few questions off the check list that are often asked if unbeaten prospects that have the reputation as a "Knockout Artist." 

Can the fighter go into the middle and late rounds of a fight?✔️

Will the fighter respond well to adversity when challenged?✔️

Will the fighter be able to survive being hurt when an opponent is able to land punches solidly?✔️

And, 

Can the fighter continue to perform well when matched against an opponent with more experience?✔️

Jared Anderson was indeed able to at least for this fight answer those questions favorably and check them off the list. It goes without saying however, that the level of competition will only continue to increase from here and this victory over a former world champion should be viewed as a step forward in Anderson's overall development. Where he goes from here, against whom, and how he will use what he learned in this fight with Charles Martin remains to be seen.

"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 

Will Anderson Get A Tougher Test From Martin?

It seems as though in recent weeks in the sport of Boxing, the trend has become "Homecomings." In that a fighter who has achieved notoriety in the sport coming back to their respective hometowns to compete before a crowd of enthusiastic supporters. While most of the time such scenarios are usually designed as a showcase for said fighter before a significant fight down the line, there are times when a "Homecoming Fight" turns out to be more competitive than some may have anticipated. One needs to look no further than WBC Jr. Welterweight world champion Regis Prograis' recent return to his hometown of New Orleans, LA to defend his title against Danielito Zorrilla for an example of a fight with the design of a showcase, which ultimately turned out to be a close call for the champion, who retained his title via twelve round split decision.

The next "Homecoming Fight" of significance will take place on Saturday, July 1st in Toledo, OH as undefeated Heavyweight prospect and "Knockout Artist" Jared Anderson will return to his hometown at the Huntington Center. An event that can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+. A slight wrinkle emerged however, when Anderson's scheduled opponent, the undefeated Zhan Kossobutskiy was forced to withdraw from the bout due to visa issues. While Kossobutskiy, much like Anderson, is an unbeaten "Knockout Artist," the opponent who has emerged to step in to face Anderson, one might argue now could potentially be a more significant test for the young unbeaten prospect. Charles Martin.

Martin, a one time IBF Heavyweight champion of the world, is by far the most experienced opponent that Anderson, who has scored knockouts in all fourteen of his professional fights, will have faced in addition to being the first former world champion he has been in the ring with. Although Martin has taken this fight on little more than a week's notice, he has remained a top contender for several years since losing the IBF championship to Anthony Joshua in April 2016. In thirty-three professional fights, Martin has a record of 29-3-1, with 26 Knockouts.

What this fight will come down to in this observer's eyes will obviously center on how prepared Martin is in taking this fight on a narrow timeframe. Martin does have some punching power, but he is a crafty boxer/puncher, who when he is at his best, has proven to be a difficult fighter to combat for many opponents. The red flag that some might see with Martin is there are times where he has been caught and in fact, two of his three losses did come by stoppage against Joshua and Luis Ortiz.

Some may recall that in his fight against Ortiz on New Year's Day in 2022, Martin was seemingly in control of that fight, having scored two knockdowns of Ortiz during the course of that fight before being caught and stopped by Ortiz in the sixth round. The reason yours truly brings this up is much like Ortiz, Anderson has the type of punching power that can turn a fight around and end a fight suddenly. If Charles Martin is to have success in this fight he needs to be aware at all times and be wary of getting caught as the possibility of getting caught by the explosive power of Anderson should be taken seriously.

What Martin does have going for him going into this fight is his experience. As devastating as Anderson has been throughout his career up to this point, he has yet to be extended beyond four rounds in his career. The strategy for Martin though obviously easier said than done, should be to try to extend Anderson into the middle and late rounds of this scheduled ten round Heavyweight bout. Martin must not only find a way to survive Anderson's power early, but must find a way to make him uncomfortable where he will be tested for the first time. It is something that Martin is capable of doing, but it will be interesting to see if it truly is easier said than done. Especially, if under the circumstances in which this fight was made, Anderson attempts to end the fight quickly in thinking that Martin may not be at his best with the limited time to prepare for the fight.

Nevertheless, it is often when a prospect meets a former world champion that often serves as an indicator as to whether or not the prospect is ready for either a top contender or even an opportunity at a world championship. This observer has quietly watched Anderson's progression and while he has been impressive up to this point, I am not quite ready to say that he is ready for such a fight. If however, he performs well in this fight and to be more specific, if he does so after being tested by the crafty veteran and former world champion in Martin, it might be time to think about that possibility.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

Anderson vs. Martin takes place on Saturday, July 1st at the Huntington Center in Toledo, OH. 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. For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com. 

*Check your local listings internationally.*

*Card and start time subject to change.*

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

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

Smith And Maxwell Bring Spotlight To The British And Commonwealth Jr. Welterweight Championships

In the last several weeks, the spotlight of the sport of Boxing has been firmly focused on the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division with much of the attention on the two recent world championship fights that have taken place in the division. While those bouts for world titles and others that are referred to as being on the "World Level" internationally will always receive the majority of the attention in every division in Boxing, what sometimes gets overshadowed are those fighters around the world who are approaching that level, who are competing for championships on the regional level of the sport.

Two such fighters that are preparing to meet for two regional championships in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division are  Dalton Smith and Sam Maxwell, who will meet on July 1st at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England for the British and Commonwealth Jr. Welterweight championships. A scheduled twelve round bout that can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN. While often fighters competing for the British and Commonwealth championships, much like other regional championships throughout the sport  those who are approaching entering the world rankings, in this case, we have one fighter in Smith who has already won an international championship in the World Boxing Council (WBC) rankings going against a fighter in Maxwell, who has already fought for a world championship in his career. This fight also represents a unification bout as Smith holds the British Jr. Welterweight championship and Maxwell holds the Commonwealth championship.

Smith, who is currently rated in the top twenty-five in the WBC's Jr. Welterweight ratings, is unbeaten in fourteen professional fights and won the British Jr. Welterweight championship in June of last year with a sixth round knockout of Sam O'Maison and has gone on to successfully defend his title twice. A boxer/puncher who has shown thus far that he can do a little of everything, Smith is still searching for the first significant test of his career as he looks to continue making strides in the world rankings. Smith has scored knockouts in ten of his fourteen wins and is capable of getting an opponent out of there if the opportunity presents itself.

In Sam Maxwell, Smith will face a slightly more experienced opponent who has had a taste of what it is like to fight for a world championship in his career. Maxwell's challenge of then IBO Jr. Welterweight world champion Alejandro Meneses in April of last year did not go well for him as he was stopped in nine rounds in what was to date the lone loss of Maxwell's career.Maxwell, who was the Commonwealth Jr. Welterweight champion going into that fight, now prepares to resume defending his title after successfully getting back in the ring in February of this year in scoring a six round decision over Shaun Cooper. When Maxwell won the Commonwealth championship, it was in a fight similar to this where the British championship was also on the line. So, he is no stranger to the atmosphere in which this fight will be fought and, despite the loss to Meneses, Maxwell can use those experiences to his benefit as he prepares for this fight. 

Similar to his opponent, Sam Maxwell is a boxer/puncher, having scored knockouts in eleven of his seventeen career wins. Although the two fighters are similar in style, there may be some who might feel that Smith has the more punching power of the two. Maxwell does however, have more experience and that could be the one attribute people could point to as an advantage for him.

What this fight will likely come down to in this observer's eyes is who will be able to control the tempo of the combat. When two fighters who face each other are similar in both fighting style, skillset, and can do a lot of the same things inside the ring, who can control the tempo and do so for the majority of the fight is crucial because the possibility exists of potentially a close fight that might prove difficult to score if both fighters are able to have success throughout.

While many fighters out of the United Kingdom have held the British and Commonwealth championships throughout the sport and have gone on to challenge for and win world titles in their careers, the storyline of this fight is not so much about the unification of two prestigious championships in British Boxing, but rather of two fighters in Dalton Smith and Sam Maxwell who are looking to move forward in their careers and have crossed paths as a result. The winner will obviously move forward towards contending for a world championship down the line. A loss for either fighter should not be an indicator that they may have to rethink their career, but a loss will be a step back and it will likely take some time to get back to this threshold. With much on the line for both fighters, it will be interesting to see who will come out on top.

"And That's The Boxing Truth." 

Smith vs. Maxwell takes place on Saturday, July 1st at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 12PM ET/9AM PT with Before The Bell, which will feature preliminary bouts. This will be followed by the main card, which will begin at 2PM ET/11AM PT. (U.S. Times Only.)

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.

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

MOST VALUABLE PROMOTIONS’ UNDEFEATED PHENOM ASHTON “H2O” SYLVE TO FACE LIGHTWEIGHT POWERHOUSE WILLIAM SILVA ON THE JAKE PAUL VS. NATE DIAZ PAY-PER-VIEW ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 5TH

Press Release: By DAZN and Most Valuable Promotions - DALLAS – June 28, 2023 – Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and Real Fight Inc. (Real Fight) announced that undefeated lightweight Ashton “H20” Sylve (9-0, 8KOs) will face off with the much more experienced veteran lightweight William “Baby Face” Dos Santos Silva (30-4, 18 KOs) on the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz pay-per-view card live from the American Airlines Center on August 5th in Dallas, TX. Sylve is coming off a dominating win over Adam Kipenga as the main event of MVP’s inaugural Most Valuable Prospects event, while Silva is fresh off a TKO victory over Diego Gonzalo Luque. The two will take the ring in an action packed eight-round matchup contested at 135 lbs. The Paul vs. Diaz pay-per-view will be distributed globally by DAZN PPV. In the US and Canada in addition to DAZN PPV, Paul vs. Diaz will be available on all major cable and satellite pay-per-view providers. All tickets can be purchased at https://www.ticketmaster.com/mvp-jake-paul-v-nate-diaz-dallas-texas-08-05-2023/event/0C005EA581B12549

Credit: DAZN/Most Valuable Promotions 

 

Sylve, the first prospect signed by MVP and ESPN Ringside's 2022 prospect of the year, has knocked out eight of his nine opponents and has not shied away from fighting more experienced names in the ring, leveraging his formidable pound-for-pound power and fast twitch agility to deliver decisive victories in each of his professional bouts. The Long Beach, California native was a gifted amateur who turned pro at 16 with over 100 wins and 10 national titles to his credit. Sylve first rose to fame as an eight-year-old when a training video made by his father, Ivan, went viral, leading to an invite to Floyd Mayweather’s storied gym in Las Vegas.

 

"It has always been a dream of mine to fight among legends and shine under the brightest lights," said Ashton Sylve. "MVP has continually given me the opportunity to do so, and I couldn't be more excited about stepping back into the ring in what promises to be the event of the year. "I've been grinding like crazy to get ready for this fight, and trust me, my technique and skills will be on full display on August 5th. Dallas, get ready 'cause I'm coming for you! See you soon!"

 

Silva, a Brazilian native from Sao Paolo, and current resident of St. Petersburg, FL, holds the impressive title of former WBO Latino welterweight and WBO Latino lightweight champion. In 2016, Silva put his lightweight championship on the line, but was defeated by the powerful Felix Verdejo, but has since won a regional belt for the IBO. Silva continues to fight the best in the game with only four losses in his 17 year career by Verdejo, Arnold Barboza, Cletus Seldin, and two-weight world champion Teofimo Lopez who all had a combined record of 75-1 at the time of their fight against Silva. Silva steps into the ring with Ashton Sylve coming off two straight wins, most recently a TKO against Diego Gonzalo Luque. He is training under Jim McLaughlin, a member of the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame and is promoted by Reyes Boxing and Fire Fist Promotions. 

 

“There will be fireworks during this fight,” shared William Silva. “I’m fighting for my family and country.”

 

Most Valuable Promotions, founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, and Real Fight, Inc., founded by Diaz, are partnering to bring Paul vs. Diaz to global audiences. The strategic partnership will combine the star power and international reach of both fighters to promote the year’s biggest fight. The event will be distributed globally by DAZN PPV. In the US and Canada in addition to DAZN PPV, Paul vs. Diaz will be available on all major cable and satellite pay-per-view providers.

 

“Ashton continues to impress and entertain at such a young age and will bring his unique combination of knockout power and agility to the ring on August 5th,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions. “This fight represents his toughest test to date against a battle tested and dangerous Silva, who has only lost to some of the best fighters in the game. Sylve vs Silva is just one of many thrilling bouts on this card that promises to keep fans in the arena and at home on the edge of their seats, and we are thankful to our partners Real Fight, Inc., DAZN, and the American Airlines Center for their consistent hard work as we continue to build out an unforgettable night.”

 

For more information, follow on Twitter via @MostVPromotions, @AshtonSylveh2o, @WillBabyFace, and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @ashtonsylveh2o, @willbabyface, @MostValuablePromotions, and @DAZNBoxing.

 

 

About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)

Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP has produced Jake Paul’s last four global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Fury match, which surpassed 800,000 Pay-per-view buys worldwide. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head-to-head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.

 

About Real Fight, Inc.

Founded by mixed martial arts legend Nate Diaz, in 2022, Real Fight Inc. promotes exactly what the name suggests — the fights people want to see, featuring the realest fighters from all over the world. Since his departure from the UFC, Diaz is extending his business empire with a true all-around combat experience that will focus on boxing, MMA, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The inaugural event under the Real Fight, Inc. banner is set to take place on August 5, 2023, when Diaz makes his long-awaited professional boxing debut against Jake Paul at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.  The card will also feature RFI fighters, Chris Avila, Alan Sanchez, Jose Aguayo and Luciano Ramos

 

About DAZN:

DAZN is a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US and the UK.  Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, La Liga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world - Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC. 

 

DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match through the NFL Game Pass International add-on subscription. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League, and a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F.  DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans. 

 

DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialize, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN. 

 

DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to a ground-breaking rights catalog and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including PlayStation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Apple TV and can find the app on their iPhone, iPad, and android mobile devices. DAZN is available as an Amazon Channel on Amazon Prime TV and can be viewed on Channel 429 on Sky in the UK and Ireland.  

 

DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries. For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit www.dazngroup.com.  

 

About American Airlines Center:

Designed by architectural wizard David M. Schwarz and Dallas based HKS, Inc., American Airlines Center is considered one of the nation's top arenas. Since opening its doors in 2001, the Center has been setting the precedent for sporting and live entertainment events. Bringing in a wide variety of big name shows as well as being home of both the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars, American Airlines Center consistently displays its unique versatility. Billboard Magazine named American Airlines Center the 6th busiest arena in the world in 2022.

 Material and Photo Courtesy of: DAZN and Most Valuable Promotions 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, to subscribe, and for information on how to order Paul vs. Diaz please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

 

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

What Berlanga Can Take Away From Victory Over Quigley

The storyline prior to rising unbeaten Super-Middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga 's fight against former Middleweight world title challenger Jason Quigley on June 24th at The Theater in Madison Square Garden was whether or not Berlanga, who holds the North American Boxing Organization (NABO) championship in the Super-Middleweight division, could produce a performance that would serve as a strong argument for him as being a potential challenger for current undisputed champion of the division Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. As most know however, a slight wrinkle emerged two days before the bout when it was revealed that Alvarez had signed a three-fight deal with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters, which moves Alvarez at least for the time being away from digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN and at least for now to United States premium cable network Showtime, which for Berlanga, who recently signed with Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, who had promoted several of Alvarez' recent fights, now finding himself without what seemed like an obvious path towards facing Alvarez.

While this could obviously change given not only the state of the PBC's deal with Showtime, and the network's merger this  week with parent company's Paramount  and it's digital subscription streaming network Paramount+ as part of a major corporate restructuring, which leaves the future of Boxing programming on the soon to be renamed Paramount+ with Showtime up in the air, for the immediate, the news regarding Alvarez had to at minimum cause a distraction for Berlanga prior to what should have been viewed as a step up in his career. The elements of the business end of the sport notwithstanding, the bout between Berlanga and Quigley was one of youth versus experience.

It was the experience of Quigley that stood out early as he implemented a strategy with an emphasis on movement, giving angles, and trying to counter Berlanga as he came forward. Though such an approach is not always appreciated, particularly amongst fans that prefer more toe to toe action, it did establish, despite the belief based on his knockout loss to Demetrius Andrade in November 2021, that Quigley was not interested in cooperating with the stance of some that he was an opponent designed to give the young unbeaten rising contender Berlanga a showcase win and potentially a quick knockout after being forced to go the distance in his previous four fights. What was also noticeable about Quigley's strategy was his willingness to try to catch Berlanga in between the punches he was throwing, which seemed to be effective in spots throughout this fight.

Beelanga's pressure and harder punches when he was able to connect however, gave him an edge. Despite how effective Quigley's tactics appeared to be, what turned out to work against him were four knockdowns throughout the course of the fight. In rounds three, five, and two knockdowns in the twelfth and final round, Beelanga's punching power and pressure were able to get to Quigley and put him on the canvas. Although the knockdowns in rounds three and five appeared to be what are often referred to as "Flash Knockdowns" where Quigley did not appear to be significantly hurt, those knockdowns prove more often than not to be detrimental in terms of scoring for the fighter that is knocked down because it creates a deficit in points that without being able to score knockdowns of your own, can prove to be difficult to overcome. In this case, the knockdowns could give a false sense that this fight was one-sided in Berlanga's favor simply because they created a significant deficit in terms of scoring that Quigley could not overcome in losing a unanimous decision.

In actuality, Quigley's approach throughout this fight succeeded in keeping Berlanga from being able to dictate how it was being fought, unable at times to get into a consistent offensive rhythm, and at times appearing to make Berlanga look discouraged. While with the exception of the four knockdowns he was able to score, this probably was not the type performance Berlanga was looking for in terms of trying to make a statement as a potential challenger for Saul Alvarez down the line, sometimes a win is a win and his victory was still convincing albeit without the knockout that most were probably looking for or expecting.

Although this victory over Jason Quigley marked the fifth time Berlanga has had to go the distance after starting his career with sixteen straight knockouts, this observer does not necessarily see that as a negative. It is indeed true that if a fighter scores knockouts and can do so in devastating fashion that said fighter will almost always move up the ladder of contention quicker, receive more attention, and likely get an opportunity to fight for a world championship quicker than those who take a more measured approach. The potential drawback for those fighters who are able to carve out reputations as "Knockout Artists" is they do not necessarily get the chance to fully develop their skills, nor do they get the experience needed to learn how to adapt as a fight progresses into the middle and late rounds against fighters of varying styles, who will not always cooperate with the desired scenario of a rising star or his/her team of a quick knockout. While going the distance on a string of several fights may be seen as a red flag in the eyes of some, it is to be expected when a prospect turned contender steps up in the caliber of competition as they approach challenging for a world championship. Criticism no matter what a fighter might do or how they perform is something that will unfortunately also come with the territory, but the experience fighters gain at these stages is invaluable and no doubt will benefit Edgar Berlanga as he continues to move forward in his career.

"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 

Ebanie Bridges Interview

Press Release: June 27, 2023By Bitcoin Casinos - IBF Women's Bantamweight world champion Ebanie Bridges recently sat down with BitcoinCasinos.com for an exclusive interview where she shares her thoughts on a potential rematch between Chantelle Cameron and Katie Taylor as well as a variety of subjects including the state of Women's Boxing. A full transcript of the interview can be read below.

Question: It’s all about the hype and ramping it up to the next level – so, have you thought about what you can do next time at the weigh-in?

Ebanie Bridges: I just want to be comfortable, it’s not like I’m being big-headed or anything like that – I like to wear what I look good in and I seem to break the internet now no matter what I wear as ‘my thing’ seems to be a big deal. I wear lingerie and I think it’s classy what I wear – it’s nice, elegant and anything too trashy. It’s not about competing; it’s just about doing what’s right for me and ‘doing me’ always works. While my past as a bodybuilder and stage presence helps me being comfortable for the weigh-ins and the poses etc.

Question: Going back to boxing, women’s boxing is buzzing and in a great place at the moment – do you feel it’s finally getting the respect it deserves

Ebanie Bridges: Yeah, it’s definitely getting more of the respect it deserves and I’d say in the last 3 or 4 years more so now than ever. We are getting good matches and more girls in the sport.

Obviously, Katie Taylor was amazing for the sport, but her fights were very one-sided and wasn’t competitive enough then and people don’t want to see lob-sided fights.

One star back then wasn’t enough, but now we’ve got so many stars in women’s boxing and there’s no 2-3 years waiting for fights – we just fight.

Question: You mentioned Katie Taylor – she fought Chantelle Cameron recently – Taylor fighting above her weight and lost. Do you think if they fought again – maybe if Cameron comes down to her weight – who will win?

Ebanie Bridges: Oh, Chantelle blitzes it. Too strong – I’d always pick Chantelle anyway and I had no doubt she’d win the last fight vs Taylor. She’s just better – I think the only thing Katie Taylor has on her is speed. But other than that Chantelle Cameron’s defense is brilliant – her pressure is brilliant – her punch selection is brilliant and has great speed and is strong. I just think she’s better all-round.

Question: So, how long are you looking forward to, in terms of getting back in the ring?

Ebanie Bridges: My next fight will be in August, so pretty soon – just 2 ½ months or so. I’ll be looking to get back out there before the end of the summer.

Question: Have you got an eye on your potential opponent?

Ebanie Bridges: Not yet we are working on it at the moment but coming back off a lay-off and the injury it’s not going to be a unification fight or anything like that. It will be more to test the hand out really and make sure that’s okay.

Material Courtesy of: BitcoinCasinos.com Used with permission. 

 

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

OTX Announces Dozens of Fighters Participating in August Series

Press Release: By DAZN And OTX Boxing  -  BROOKLYN, NY (June 22, 2023) - OTX (Overtime Boxing) announced today the signings of more than 30 fighters that will be competing in the property’s inaugural summer series in August at OTE Arena in Atlanta. The list includes top next generation fighters in the sport across various weight classes. The remaining fighters and match-ups will be announced in the weeks leading up to the events.

Credit: OTX Boxing 

 

“I was hoping that I’d be a part of it [OTX]. I knew this was a platform that could introduce me to the world and ultimately that’s what I’ve been needing,” said Elijah Pierce, who fights out of Atlanta. “I’ve been patient. I’ve fought my way back. It’s been a long hard journey and now it’s my turn.”

 

“I watch their videos on Tik Tok of basketball, Rob Dillingham and the twins. I was like, Overtime boxing? That would be fire for me,” said middleweight fighter Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson. “I’m young like those guys.,  exciting. And it’s an amazing opportunity.”

 

In August, OTX will host a summer series with four Friday night match cards featuring the sport’s next stars at OTE Arena. DAZN will serve as OTX’s exclusive media rights partner in Year 1 and Nutrabolt, owner of the C4 Energy® brand, an industry leader in mental and performance energy, has signed on as an inaugural sponsor.

 

FIGHT NIGHTS:

Dates                                                      Location                                 Time

Friday, August 4, 2023                        OTE Arena - Atlanta, GA     7:30pm

Friday, August 11, 2023                      OTE Arena - Atlanta, GA     7:30pm

Friday, August 18, 2023                      OTE Arena - Atlanta, GA     7:30pm

Friday, August 25, 2023                      OTE Arena - Atlanta, GA     7:30pm

 

 

FIGHTERS:

Name                                                     Residence                                              W/L Record

Elijah Pierce                                          Midwest City, OK                                 17- 2

Mike Plania                                           General Santos City,  Philippines      28 -2

Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson                   Baltimore, MD                                      13-0

Vlad Hernandez                                   Stockton, CA                                         13-5

Narciso Carmona                                 Seville, Spain                                        12-0-1

Sanny Duversonne                               Avon Park, CA                                       12-5-2

Luis Garcia                                             Richmond, CA                                       13-2-1

Haven Brady Jr.                                     Albany, GA                                             9-0

Edwin Rodriguez                                  Juana Diaz, PR                                      11-6-2

Gabriel Muratalla                                Fontana, CA                                          9-0

Xavian Ramirez                                     Morrill, NE                                             4-0

Ricardo Galvan                                     Reno, NV                                               4-0

Raul Salomon                                       Long Beach, CA                                    12-1

Tyler Howard                                        Crossville, TN                                        19-1

David Navarro                                       Hemet, CA                                             5-1

D’Angelo Fuentes                                 Coconut Creek, FL                                8-1

Giovanni Marquez                               Houston, TX                                          5-0

Nicky Vitone                                         Pine Brook, NJ                                      9-2-1

Money Powell                                      Fort Mitchell, AL                                  13-1

Javon Campbell                                    Raleigh, NC                                           12-1

Leanna Cruz                                          Allentown, PA                                       5-0

Javier Zamarron                                   Sheboygan, WI                                     3-0

Andreas Katzourakis                            Los Angeles, CA                                    10-0

Raphael Igbokwe                                 Houston, TX                                          16-4

Luis Acosta                                            Houston, TX                                          13-1

Christian Barreto                                  Arecibo, PR                                           9-0

Abel Gonzalez                                       Hialeah, FL                                            5-0

Robert Magee                                      Saint Louis, MI                                      8-0-2

Paola Torres                                          San Antonio, TX                                    13-8-1

 

Matches will be held at OTE Arena in Atlanta featuring both male and female pro boxers. All fights will be streamed on DAZN with additional content distributed over Overtime’s social channels. Fans will have access to year-round content of next gen boxers as they prepare and train, as well as out of the ring storytelling fueling fandom and building the boxer’s personal brands. Overtime’s core mission is about empowering young people to chase their dreams and OTX is about providing fighters the platform to do so.

 

For more information please visit: https://otboxing.com/

 

About Overtime

Overtime builds disruptive new sports leagues aimed globally at the next generation sports fan and athlete. Overtime owns and operates, OTE in basketball and OT7 in football, and leverages digital-first content across its network of accounts engaging its community of over 90 million fans and followers. Overtime's business model is driven by sponsorships, brand relationships, e-commerce, licensing and media rights.

 

Overtime is funded by top VC firms, industry leaders, and athletes, including Liberty Media Corporation, Andreessen Horowitz, Counterpoint Global (Morgan Stanley), Sapphire Sport, Winslow Capital, Bezos Expeditions, Spark Capital, Micromanagement Ventures (the family of the late David Stern), Black Capital, Blackstone Strategic Partners, Alexis Ohanian, Drake, Quavo and 40+ NBA and NFL stars including Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Trae Young. Over 6% of active NBA players have invested in Overtime. The company is led by CEO and Co-Founder Dan Porter, an innovative thought leader with 30+ years of experience in mobile gaming, education, media and marketplaces.

 

Material and Photo Courtesy of DAZN And OTX Boxing  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: please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

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

Can Berlanga Convince The Boxing World He's Ready For Alvarez?

The main goal of just about every fighter that competes in and around the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division is to secure a fight with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Not only is Alvarez one of the superstars in the sport of Boxing, which obviously means whomever he fights is most likely assured a career high payday, but in regard to the Super-Middleweight division, he remains the undisputed champion of the world. As such whenever a fight occurs in the division that does not directly involve Alvarez, the obvious question that surrounds it is whether those participating in a fight can make a convincing argument as being a potential opponent for him either in the near future or perhaps further down the road.

Undefeated Super-Middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga is one fighter that is trying to make that argument. Unbeaten in twenty professional fights with sixteen knockouts, Berlanga has quickly developed not only a fan following, but also buzz due to his punching power and ability to score knockouts almost as quickly as a fight begins, having scored all sixteen of his knockouts in the first round. Naturally, as a fighter moves up the ladder of contention, the level of opposition theoretically is supposed to get tougher for young prospects turned would be contenders.

While Berlanga had successfully worked his way to being the North American Boxing Organization (NABO), champion in the Super-Middleweight division, the streak of knockouts which began his career would ultimately come to an end in April 2021 when he scored an eight round unanimous decision over Demond Nicholson. This would begin a different streak as in his last four fights, Berlanga has been forced to go the distance.

Following his last outing in June of last year, where he scored a ten round unanimous decision over Alexis Angulo in his first fight as a main event attraction, which was broadcast on ESPN  and it's streaming network ESPN+ from Madison Square Garden's Theater in Berlanga 's home of New York, the fighter came to a  mutual agreement with his promoter Bob Arum to part ways. It is not uncommon for fighters to try and break away from promoters who help develop them as they try to progress for a hoped for shot at a world championship. Usually, such splits between fighter and promoter usually come as a result of the promoter's failure to secure a fight that would either move the fighter closer or directly to the goal of challenging for a world championship.

In essence, that appears to be what led to the split between Berlanga and Arum as the promoter described the split as a difference in opinion as to the direction of Berlanga 's career. Now one year removed from his last fight Berlanga, who is rated in the top ten in both the World Boxing Organization (WBO) per his holding the affiliated NABO and the World Boxing Council (WBC) in the Super-Middleweight division, prepares to return the the ring on Saturday, June 24th at The Theater in Madison Square Garden as he faces former world title challenger Jason Quigley in a scheduled twelve round bout that can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN. 

This fight not only represents Berlanga 's debut on a new network after fighting the majority of his career up to this point competing on ESPN/ESPN+, but more specifically and perhaps importantly, this will be his first fight under new promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing. What makes that significant is for the last several years, Hearn has promoted and developed what has so far been a successful relationship with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Berlanga 's decision to sign with Hearn should be viewed as the obvious path for him to try to get a shot at Alvarez.

In Jason Quigley, Berlanga will face a fighter who has challenged for a world title for the first time in his career in a fight that is one further step up. There are two questions that come to this observer's mind as this fight approaches.

Number one, what kind of Berlanga will we see in this fight? As some may recall, despite getting the victory over Alexis Angulo in his last fight, he was criticized for his performance with some fans even stating that they felt Angulo won the fight. Whether his performance was in part affected by nerves in main eventing a Boxing card for the first time and doing so in Madison Square Garden, and/or what turned out to be a pending split with his then promoter Bob Arum and his promotional company Top Rank Inc., is something that only Berlanga can answer for himself. At this stage of his career after turning professional in 2016, Berlanga should know that he is at least in theory approaching competing at the top level of the sport and therefore, should expect the competition level to increase. The second question that surrounds this fight is whether or not Jason Quigley will be able to provide resistance and be able to test Berlanga?

Despite a respectable record of 20-2, with 14 Knockouts coming into this fight and being a former North American Boxing Federation (NABF) as a 160lb. Middleweight, Quigley is most known for having been knocked out by then WBO Middleweight world champion Demetrius Andrade in two rounds in November 2021. While Quigley seemed to be caught cold by the highly skilled and dangerous Andrade before he could have an opportunity to get into a rhythm, perhaps what some might see as a possible red flag is that Quigley has been stopped in both of his career losses. The loss to Andrade led to a near two year layoff for Quigley before getting back to the ring in April of this year in scoring a ten round unanimous decision over veteran Garbor Gorbics in what was his Super-Middleweight debut.

Quigley can rely on his experience or at least try to in this fight against Berlanga, but zt thirty-two there might be some who question what he might have left as perhaps some are questioning whether the twenty-six year old Berlanga is ready to potentially challenge for a world title or at least face another top contender should he win this fight. Perhaps some might take it a step further by saying that the difference in opinion as to the direction of his career, which led to his split with Bob Arum might have been rooted in Arum possibly feeling that Berlanga needs more time to develop rather than trying to get into position to challenge Alvarez in the near future.

Whatever the case might be, Berlanga knows that Quigley has been caught cold before and it would not surprise me, despite going the distance in his previous four fights, to see him try to jump on Quigley early and attempt to end the fight quickly. If that is indeed the case, Quigley's main objective at least for the first couple of rounds should be to try and weather the storm of Berlanga's punching power and try to gradually work his way into the fight as it progresses. Quigley must however, try to be as warmed up and ready to go as possible because he will likely be pressured from the outset and Berlanga is a fighter that can hurt you with either hand. If Quigley is not ready for the pressure and attack that Berlanga will likely apply, this could indeed be a short evening.

There were some fans particularly on social media that have been critical of Berlanga and Eddie Hearn for the selection of Quigley as the opponent for this fight. Such criticism is likely based on what happened to Quigley against Andrade. Sometimes however, especially in the present time we are all living in, no matter what a fighter and promoter might do, the fan can be fickle and hard to please. Regardless of what happens when Berlanga and Quigley square off in the ring, the fan regardless of what their level of knowledge of the sport and the development of a possible future world title challenger might be, fights like this are necessary for a fighter's continued progression and if Edgar Berlanga gets through Jason Quigley and does so impressively, his next fight will likely be against a top contender, if not what would likely be considered a long shot at least at this point to get a shot at Alvarez. It is up to Edgar Berlanga to make the best argument he can that he is indeed ready for that challenge. Whether he can do that in this fight might be debatable, but nevertheless, remains to be seen.

"And That's The Boxing Truth." 

Berlanga vs. Quigley takes place on Saturday, June 24th at The Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY. The card can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 5:45PM ET/2:45PM PT with Before The Bell featuring preliminary bouts. This will be followed by the main card beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT. (U.S. Times Only.)

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. 

(*Card and start times subject to change.*)

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

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