The Boxing Truth®

Originally, the premise of this column was to concern the fallout of the anticipated clash for the vacant WBO Light-Heavyweight world championship between top contenders Joe Smith Jr. and Maxim Vlasov, which was to take place on February 13 th  at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, NV. As we seem to be reminded on a daily basis however, the sport of Boxing is one that is truly unpredictable. A statement that carries even more significance in the midst of the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic. Unfortunately, it was revealed as covered here on The Boxing Truth®️  last week , that Maxim Vlasov had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus just days before the scheduled twelve round world championship bout and that would subsequently force the fight between he and Smith to be postponed.    While this subsequently took the main event of the scheduled card out of the equation, the fight that stepped into the main event position also carried an interesting storyline....

  In a battle for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) World Jr. Lightweight championship, former champion Joseph Diaz and undefeated contender Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov fought to a highly competitive twelve round majority draw on Saturday night at the Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino in Indio, CA. Diaz, who was the IBF world champion prior to the bout, lost his crown on the weight scale  on the day prior to the fight due to coming in nearly four pounds over the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight limit. This created a scenario where the championship was only on the line for Rakhimov, who came in under the Jr. Lightweight limit.    For twelve rounds, the two fighters engaged in a tactical, but entertaining battle that saw the ebb and flow of the combat shift several times throughout. Diaz was most effective during periods where he took the initiative and got his punches off first. This was not a consistent pattern throughout the fight however, as Rakhimov had severa...

  In a stunner Featherweight contender  Mauricio Lara scored a devastating ninth round stoppage over previously undefeated former IBF Featherweight world champion Josh Warrington on Saturday night at the Wembley Arena in London, England. Lara, who was viewed as a significant underdog against Warrington, who only recently relinquished his world championship, found that he was the stronger of the two fighters early as he frequently found openings to land hard thudding hooks to the head on Warrington. In round four, Lara nearly ended the fight when he dropped the former world champion hard with a combination highlighted by a left hook to the head. Warrington was able to beat the count on very unsteady legs, but was allowed to continue and miraculously made it out of the round, despite appearing to be out on his feet.   From this point in the fight on, Warrington did not appear to be recovered and continued to take vicious punishment. Although the former champion showed treme...

    The official weigh-in for Saturday’s Boxing card promoted by Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing took place earlier today in London, England . Weights for the entire card taking place at the Wembley Arena, which will be headlined by a twelve round Featherweight bout between Josh Warrington and Mauricio Lara and will be televised globally by digital subscription sports streaming network  DAZN  are as follows .   Main Event: Featherweight – 12Rds.   Josh Warrington 125 1/2lbs. vs. Mauricio Lara 125lbs.   Vacant British Featherweight championship – 12Rds.    Leigh Wood 125 1/4lbs. vs. Reece Mould 125 3/4lbs.   Featherweight – 6Rds.   Ibrahim Nadim 123 1/4lbs. vs. Jonny Phillips 123 3/4lbs.   Jr. Lightweight – 12Rds.    Zelfa Barrett 128 3/4lbs. vs. Kiko Martinez 128 1/4lbs.   Jr. Welterweight – 10Rds.    Dalton Smith 142 1/2lbs. vs. Ishmael Ellis 138 1/2lbs.   Jr. Featherweight – 6Rds.    Iv...

  In an update to the preview that was released here on the website  this morning , it has been announced by promoter Bob Arum and his promotional company Top Rank, Inc. that Light-Heavyweight contender Maxim Vlasov has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and his scheduled bout with Joe Smith Jr. on Saturday, February 13 th  has been postponed in accordance with COVID-19 protocols set forth by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). The bout, which was for the vacant WBO Light-Heavyweight world championship was to serve as the main event for Top Rank’s scheduled card televised here in the United States on sports cable network ESPN and its digital subscription streaming network ESPN+ taking place without spectators at the MGM Grand Conference Center.   Although the Smith-Vlasov bout will no longer take place on Saturday night, the remainder of the card as of this writing will proceed as scheduled with the new headline bout being a ten round Lightweight bout be...

  Much of the last decade in the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division was largely dominated by former three-time Light-Heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev, who ultimately served as a central figure for the division over that period of time. In recent times however, Kovalev has been more known for what he has been involved in outside the ring including recently testing positive for a banned substance, which forced the cancellation of his scheduled January 30 th bout with Bek Melkuziev. With the future of Kovalev very much uncertain, the Light-Heavyweight division appears to be embarking on a new era as top contenders Joe Smith Jr. and Maxim Vlasov will meet on February 13 th at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, NV for the vacant WBO Light-Heavyweight world championship. A crown, which Kovalev held three times and one that has been vacant since his loss to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in November 2019. With Alvarez choosing to relinquish the championship to focus on opportu...

  After a relatively quiet month of January for the sport of Boxing, the month of February began with a steady flow of Boxing action across both the professional Bareknuckled and traditional forms of the sport. The beginning of what is also Super Bowl weekend for the National Football League (NFL) here in the United States saw the return of the Bareknuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), who began their 2021 schedule with an eleven bout card dubbed “KnuckleMania.”   While this card, which took place at the BP Funding Center in Lakeland, FL was notable for the professional Bareknuckle Boxing debut of former UFC star Page VanZant, who competed in the main event in a Featherweight bout against Britain Hart, the card featured no shortage of highlights, some of which will be covered and discussed in this portion of this column. While it would be difficult to give each individual bout the time it deserves in a full-length feature that will cross the bareknuckled and traditional realms...