Murata Stops Brant In 2 In Rematch

Middleweight Ryota Murata got revenge for his loss to Rob Brant last October in Las Vegas, NV, by scoring a second round stoppage of Brant in their rematch on Friday night at the Edion Arena in Osaka, Japan. There was no feeling out process as both fighters were willing to stand and exchange punches from the opening bell. The fast pace of the combat resulted in both fighters having some success in the opening round as each tried to immediately return offense when hit by their opponent. A right hand to the head staggered Brant in the second round, which set of an assault that resulted in a knockdown. Although Brant, who had dominated the first fight with overall activity was able to get up from the knockdown, it was Murata this time who was relentless with his offense as he continued his battering of Brant until Referee Luis Pabon finally stepped in and stopped the fight at 2:34 of round two. Ryota Murata advances to 15-2, with 12 Knockouts. Rob Brant falls to 25-2, with 17 Knockouts.


Also on this card, undefeated WBC Light- Flyweight world champion Ken Shiro scored a fourth round stoppage of WBC number one Light-Flyweight contender Jonathan Taconing. Shiro appeared to have some difficulty early on due to the bobbing and weaving pressure style of Taconing. Taconing consistently forced the combat from the opening bell,  but suffered a cut over the right eye in round three due to an accidental clash of heads. Shiro dropped Toconing with a short counter right hand to the jaw in round four. The challenger got up from the knockdown on unsteady legs, but the fight was stopped by Referee Frank Garza, who determined Toconing was in no condition to continue at 1:00 of the fourth round. Ken Shiro advances to 16-0, with 9 Knockouts. Jonathan Toconing falls to 28-4-1, with 22 Knockouts.

In the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division Joe Noynay successfully retained his WBO Asia Pacific Jr. Lightweight championship with a sixth round stoppage of previously undefeated Satoshi Shimizu. Official time of the stoppage was 2:18 of round six. Joe Noynay advances to 18-2-1, with 7 Knockouts. Satoshi Shimizu falls to 8-1, with 8 Knockouts.

The main story of this card was of course the rematch between Rob Brant and Ryota Murata. In terms of what the result of this rematch could mean for the rest of the Middleweight division, no one knows. For now, Ryota Murata has retaken the interim/regular champion designation in the WBA’s Middleweight ratings, which in layman’s terms means he is once again the number one contender in the WBA ratings for current unified Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Although this observer looks forward to examining the full and perhaps changing landscape of the 160lb. Middleweight division in the month of August here on The Boxing Truth®️, the type of statement-making performance Murata was able to make in avenging his loss to Rob Brant is surely going to stir up interest in several lucrative bouts among the upper echelon of the Middleweight division. While Rob Brant was stopped by Murata in this rematch one loss against any top Middleweight in what is a talent-deep division does not necessarily mean that Brant cannot regroup. It is now simply a matter of taking some time to evaluate things and then begin the rebuilding process that will determine how long it will be before Brant is again in the discussion of the top Middleweights. For now, he needs time to figure out what went wrong for him in this fight and to recover from the punishment he sustained.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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Morrison KO’s Blandamura In 9 In Rome

Middleweight Marcus Morrison scored a come from behind, one punch ninth round knockout over Emanuele Blandamura on Thursday night at Nicola Pietrangeli Stadium in Rome, Italy. It was a fight that left plenty open to interpretation depending on one’s perspective as to who may have been getting the better of the action throughout the fight.

Morrison was able to find a home for his right hand throughout the fight as he frequently landed overhead rights to the head of Blandamura. Blandamura found his own success when he was able to make Morrison miss and counter with his own offense. As the fight progressed, it seemed Blandamura was starting to pull ahead in the fight when Morrison dropped Blandamura suddenly with a flush right hand to the head in round nine. Blandamura gamely tried to get to his feet, but was unable to continue and the fight was stopped at 2:44 of the round. Marcus Morrison advances to 21-3, with 15 Knockouts. Emanuele Blandamura falls to 29-4, with 5 Knockouts.

In a battle for the vacant European Light-Heavyweight championship, a toe to to war between Serhiy Demchenko and Hakim Zoulikha took place. A battle where both men had their share of moments was nearly halted when Demchenko landed a flush overhead right to the head of  Zoulikha that sent him down hard on the canvas. Despite this, Zoulikha was able to survive and the fight continued. In round seven a barrage of punches that began with a right hand by Demchenko staggered Zoulikha again forcing Referee John Latham to stop the fight at 1:27 of the round. Serhiy Demchenko advances to 22-14-1, with 15 Knockouts. Hakim Zoulikha falls to 26-11, with 11 Knockouts.

In the Cruiserweight division, Tommy McCarthy scored an impressive third round stoppage of Francesco Cataldo. McCarthy dropped Cataldo with a right, left combination to the head early in round two. McCarthy followed that with a combination that sent Cataldo down for a second time. Although Cataldo managed to stagger to his feet and even showed his frustration by kicking the corner pad in his corner at the conclusion of the round, his corner would not allow him to continue at the start of round three. Official time of the stoppage was :01 of round three. Tommy McCarthy advances to 15-2, with 8 Knockouts. Francesco Cataldo falls to 7-6, with 2 Knockouts.

Light-Heavyweight Valentino Manfredonia successfully made his professional debut with a four round unanimous decision over Sokol Arsic. This was w case of a fighter in  Manfredonia using his first professional fight as a learning experience to get used to the professional side pf the sport as he outworked Arsic to earn the decision victory. Valentino Manfredonia advances to 1-0, with 0 Knockouts. Sokol Arsic falls to 1-3-2, with 0 Knockouts.

In the Lightweight division, former European Lightweight champion Emiliano Marsili scored an underwhelming six round unanimous decision over journeyman Brayan Mairena. At times this fight frankly resembled a sparring session with the unbeaten Marsili putting on a display of effective lateral movement and crisp punches that kept Mairena on the defensive and unable to land cleanly with the majority of his punches. Emiliano Marsili advances to 38-0-1, with 15 Knockouts. Brayan Mairena falls to 10-12-1, with 4 Knockouts.

Undefeated Jr. Middleweight Mirko Natalizi battered a very determined Antonio Gomez over six rounds to earn a unanimous decision. The fight generally consisted of Natalizi throwing wide hooks with both hands and landing on Gomez. Although Gomez would periodically catch Natalizi with a counter hook as he came forward, he was unable to land something significant to turn the ebb and flow in his favor. Mirko Natalizi advances to 6-0, with 3 Knockouts. Antonio Gomez falls to 4-4-2, with 2 Knockouts.

Also in the Jr. Middleweight division, undefeated prospect Vincenzo Bevilacqua scored a workmanlike six round unanimous decision over a “Game “ Novak Radulovic. Bevilacqua consistently forced the action throughout throwing combinations and pushing Radulovic back. Vincenzo Bevilacqua advances to 16-0, with 0 Knockouts. Novak Radulovic falls to 9-4-1, with 4 Knockouts.

As with several previous cards promoted by Matchroom Boxing’s Italian promotional branch, this card featured a look at the ever growing Matchroom stable, not just in terms of fighters fighting out of Italy, but on a global scale. For Matchroom Boxing Italy, this card did mark the first time that they have staged a card in a stadium setting. Something that should be viewed as both a sign of the branch’s success thus far, but more importantly the overall growth of Matchroom Boxing globally. While it is not common to talk about the promoter of a card after an event like this in closing, if Matchroom can continue putting on events like this, wherever they choose to promote and remain committed to developing their stable, which is the lifeblood of any successful promotional entity and by extension the sport itself, not only will the fighters benefit, but so too will the Boxing fans.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

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Brant-Murata 2 Mini-Preview And Weights

The official weigh-in for Friday’s Middleweight rematch between Rob Brant and Ryota Murata took place earlier today. In their first encounter in October of last year in Las Vegas, NV, Brant out boxed Murata over twelve rounds to earn an impressive twelve round unanimous decision.

Now the rematch, which will take place in Murata’s home country of Japan will have interim/regular champion status in the WBA’s Middleweight ratings at stake. A designation, which was also on the line in the first first. 

What this means essentially is that the winner of the fight will be the WBA’s mandatory challenger for current unified world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Whether or not the winner of this rematch will in fact face Alvarez in the near future remains to be seen. The winner however, will be one step closer to a shot at a world championship.

The story of this fight will center on Murata and whether he will be able to make any adjustments as compared to the first fight. Im that fight, Brant was able to consistently bring the fight to Murata and produced a solid offensive output landing 356 of 1262 total punches thrown compared to Murata’s 180 of 774 total punches thrown according to CompuBox statistics.

Although mere statistics may not always tell the story of what goes on in a fight, what the statistics show is this was an encounter between two offensive-minded fighters. It is logical to expect that this could be a similar fight based not only on what occurred in the first encounter, but more specifically the styles of the two fighters.

It will be crucial in this observer’s view that Murata find a way to take the initiative in this rematch and must make Brant fight his type of fight. While Brant won the first encounter convincingly, he will be in unfamiliar territory facing Murata in his home country where it may not necessarily be an easy task to win over the crowd and depending on the pace of the fight, get the benefit of the doubt from the three official judges.

Brant must not attempt to duplicate his performance from the first fight, but should take a slightly different and more measured approach in the second fight. Murata could likely be prepared for Brant to throw near non-stop punches as was the case in the first fight. This is why Brant should take a more tactical approach in an attempt to throw Murata off of his fight plan. At the weigh-in earlier today, there was nothing out of the ordinary as both boxers came in just under the 160lb. Middleweight limit weighing an identical 159 1/4lbs.

The rematch, which will be televised here in the United States by digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ will pit two of the top Middleweights in the world against each other in what is a talent-deep division at 160lbs. We will see if Brant or Murata can get any closer to the upper echelon of the division.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Brant vs. Murata 2 takes place tomorrow (Friday, July 12th) at the Edion Arena in Osaka, Japan. The fight can be seen in the United States on digital sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 7AM ET/4AM PT. ESPN+ is available throughout the ESPN app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices such as Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV for $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. For more information about ESPN+ and to subscribe please visit: watch.espnplus.com/watch/ESPN+ Check your local listings internationally.

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

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“Bullet” Michael Kaplan Hits World Top 15 As He Eyes Progression Through The World Ratings

Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing 

Press Release: July 10, 2019 By Dragon Fire Boxing – Perth's “Bullet” Michael Kaplan has landed himself a place in the WBA's world top 15. 

Kaplan doesn't herald from a traditional boxing background, having competed at an elite level of Taekwando. The Australian light flyweight sensation opened up about his past in combat sports.

Kaplan said, "I was a world-level competitor in two different forms of Taekwando, and I really took to the kickboxing style of it and won numerous tournaments at that style which is the more similar style to traditional boxing.

"I had a couple of amateur fights and then decided to turn professional with Tony Tolj who has been a godsend to me. I am so grateful for what he has done for me so far and I believe I am improving all the time and I will get better and better as time goes on."

Kaplan has entered the world top 15 at light flyweight for the first time and a world title fight may not be out of the realms of possibilities for the Perth native. Kaplan gave his take on breaking into the world top 15 and his plans going forward.

He said, "It's an amazing feat to become a world-ranked fighter and I am so grateful to my team for making it happen. I couldn't have done it without them and I believe this is just the start of an amazing journey.

"I want to keep progressing. Of course, I would love to become world champion one day, but I am happy to continue to learn my craft and I trust my manager Tony to make the right decisions for me when the time is correct to step me up into title fights. In the meantime, I will continue to train hard and fight anyone who is put in front of me."

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

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

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

Weights From Rome, Italy

The official weigh-in for Thursday’s Boxing card at Nicola Pietrangeli Stadium in Rome, Italy featuring a battle for the vacant European Light-Heavyweight championship between Serhiy Demchenko and Hakim Zoulikha and a Middleweight bout between Emanuele Blandamura and Marcus Morrison took place earlier today. The weights for the entire card are listed below.

Main Event: Vacant WBC International Silver Middleweight championship – 12 Rds.

Emanuele Blandamura 160lbs. vs. Marcus Morrison 159 3/4lbs.

Vacant European Light-Heavyweight championship – 12Rds.

Serhiy Demchenko 170 1/4lbs. vs. Hakim Zoulikha 174 1/2lbs.

Heavyweight – 8Rds.

Francesco Cataldo 203 1/4lbs. vs. Tommy McCarthy 199 3/4lbs.

Jr. Welterweight – 6Rds.

Brayan Mairena 136 3/4lbs. vs. Emiliano Marsili 138 3/4lbs.

Light-Heavyweight – 4Rds.

Sokol Arsic 173 1/4lbs. vs. Valentino Manfredonia 174 1/2lbs.

Jr. Middleweight – 6Rds.

Antonio Gomez 155 3/4lbs. vs. Mirko Natalizi 155 3/4lbs.

Jr. Middleweight – 6Rds.

Vincenzo Bevilacqua 156 3/4lbs. vs. Novak Radulovic 156 1/2lbs.

*Also Scheduled to take place on this card: Weights for these bouts are unavailable as of this writing. Fights to go on as scheduled as of this writing.

Heavyweight – 6Rds.

Lazar Stojanovic vs. Alen Babic

Jr. Welterweight – 6Rds.

Sebastian Mendizabal vs. Sebastian Saciri

 Blandamura vs. Morrison takes place tomorrow afternoon (Thursday, July 11^th) at Nicola Pietrangeli Stadium in Rome, Italy. The card can be seen in the United States and several international countries on digital sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 1:30PM ET/10:30AM PT. (U.S. Times)

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

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the card can be seen on Sky Sports Action beginning at 8PM (Local UK Time.) For more information about Sky Sports including schedules, availability in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.SkySports.com. Check your local listings internationally.

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FITE TV Appoints Media Veteran Kim Hurwitz Chief Marketing Officer

Press Release: By Fite TV - NEW YORK (July 9, 2019)—FITE, the leading digital combat sports platform, announced today that Kim Hurwitz will be joining the company as Chief Marketing Officer. In her new role, Hurwitz will lead all marketing and branding for FITE, the premier global platform for viewing Boxing, Bare Knuckle Fighting, Wrestling, MMA, Martial Arts, and combat sports via Pay Per View, subscription and free viewing options.

Hurwitz has broad experience serving as an entertainment executive at companies including DirecTV, FOTV Media Networks, The Tube Music Network and TCI. Most recently, she held the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Karate Combat, playing an integral role in growing the full contact karate league.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be joining such a fast-growing, innovative and knowledgeable group as FITE,” said Hurwitz. “It’s clear to me that FITE has the industry experience and drive to truly succeed in this space. I’m incredibly passionate about the ever-evolving digital content landscape, and I look forward to rolling my sleeves up and contributing alongside this great team.”

This news comes on the heels of significant momentum for the company, including reaching several key milestones. In addition to achieving profitability in a short time, FITE currently has 1.5MM registered users, having streamed more than 1,000 live events this year and secured 350+ content partnerships. In recent months, FITE has announced content partnerships with some of the biggest names in sports and broadcast, including All Elite Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling and iTV, among others.

“We’ve had a tremendous year so far – April marked our biggest month-to-date with 100 live shows – and I know that our efforts will be strengthened by adding someone as ambitious and seasoned as Kim to the team,” said Kosta Jordanov, CEO of FITE TV. “The experience that she has gained during her illustrious career makes her exceptionally well-suited for our fast-paced business, and we can’t wait to see what we accomplish together.”

To learn more about FITE, download the mobile app, or view the upcoming fight schedule, visit www.FITE.tv. 

About FITE

FITE is the leading independent digital streaming platform for combat sports featuring over 1,000 pay per view events per year available a-la-carte. FITE is free to join through its downloadable apps for iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Android TV, ROKU and Amazon Fire or at www.FITE.tv. FITE streams live events from the MMA, Boxing and Pro Wrestling world to its community of 1.5 million registered viewers.  For more information go to www.FITE.tv

Material Courtesy of: FiteTV Used with permission. For more information about Fite TV please visit: www.Fite.TV.

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

WBA Pan African Champion Sibusiso Zingange eyes Billel Dib scalp as he targets Andrew Cancio

Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing 

Press Release: July 9, 2019 By Dragon Fire Boxing – Current WBA Pan African Champion & WBA World #14 Sibusiso Zingange has targetted a clash with Australia's Billel Dib who also sits in a lofty position in the WBA ratings, with Dib clocking in at number 5 in the latest ratings issued by the World Boxing Association. Dib has openly targetted a clash with current WBA world champion Andrew Cancio, who recently repeated his stoppage victory of Alberto Machado last month, however, Zingange is looking to scupper Dib's world title plans by creating some of his own.

The South African gave his thoughts ahead of a potential clash with Australian Dib, "Dib is a good fighter and I take nothing away from him. He has been a champion so he has my respect definitely but I believe that I can beat Dib in good style. "A fight with Billel Dib would mean the world to me as it would put me in line to face a world champion after I beat him. It will give me a great opportunity that I will grab with both hands."

Zingange has won back to back titles in his last two contests, picking up the ABU and WBA Pan African titles at 130 pounds. The South African discussed his feelings about winning both of these titles. He said, "Being WBA Pan African champion is fantastic as it got me ranked in the world top 15 and it gives me the opportunity to get big fights and get closer to becoming a world champion which I believe I am going to be. "I will beat Dib as I am coming to fight and I want to wish him good luck if we do fight as I think it will be a fun fight for everyone to watch. After Dib I am coming for Cancio and I will be ready to beat him and become world champion."

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

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

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

3 SANMAN BOXERS FIGHT TOP PROSPECTS IN CHINA

Press Release: July 9, 2019 By Sanman Promotions – It is another chance to shine for the Sanman boxers are they are given the chance to fight top upcoming boxing stars in China. 

Ernie Sanchez will face undefeated lightweight sensation Yongqiang Yang of China. Sanchez has been in a losing streak and will have a chance at redemption in this match. Yang has been undefeated in 11 fight boasting 8 KOs in his record. This will be tough but an upset will place Sanchez in good ratings.

Sanman prospect Rimar Metuda will face undefeated Lei Wang who has only fought three matches but has shown good potential in the ring. Wang will be the heavy favorite but Metuda can use his experience as an advantage to pull off an upset.

Filipino welterweight Adam Diu Abdulhamid will engage in a rematch against popular Chinese fighter Youli Dong whom he last defeated via majority decision. Now it will be Dong’s chance at redemption.

For Sanman CEO Jim Claude Manangquil, “every invitation to fight is a big opportunity for our boxers. These boys are very dedicated in training and are hungry for bringing home the win.” Abdulhamid will fight on July 19 while Sanchez and Mtuda will see action n on July 20.

Material Courtesy of: Sanman Promotions Used with permission.

For more information about Sanman Promotions and to watch the Sanman Live Boxing series please visit Sanman Promotions’ official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/SanmanPromotions

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

Happy 4th Of July

We would like to wish our readers a Happy and safe Fourth of July. We would also like to remind readers that we will resume our regular schedule by releasing new material on Thursday, July 11th during the evening hours with coverage of a tripleheader taking place in Rome, Italy featuring a battle for the vacant European Light-Heavyweight championship between Serhiy Demchenko and Hakim Zoulikha. Stay tuned. "And That's The Boxing Truth."

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Upcoming Schedule

We would like to let our readers know that we are between rounds and will resume our regular schedule on Sunday, July 7th. Beginning on Tuesday, July 9th, the first of two belated features will be released. The second feature will be released on Thursday, July 11th. Stay tuned. "And That's The Boxing Truth."

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

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