INDIO, Calif., December 13, 2019 – Challenger Brad Solomon walked out to the 1979 disco classic “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now,” circa 1979 by McFadden and Whitehead. It was the last moment Solomon was in the groove at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino Friday night. Vergil Ortiz Jr. of Grand Prairie, Texas sealed his bid ...
SAN DIEGO, Calif., December 13, 2019 – Terence “Bud” Crawford isn’t dazzled by the bright lights and big city anymore. He makes his fourth appearance in four years at Madison Square Garden Saturday in the main event of a terrific tripleheader on ESPN. The card follows the Heisman Trophy award ceremony, approximately 9 p.m. ET/6 ...
SAN DIEGO, Calif., December 12, 2019 – While the big-name welterweights squabble about who’s number one and who’s ducking other top opponents, Vergil Ortiz Jr. of Grand Prairie, Texas quietly goes about his business. The 21-year-old undefeated prospect with a 100 percent knockout rate (14-0, 14 KOs) hands his fans an early Christmas present on ...
SAN DIEGO, Calif., November 29, 2019 – The road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games next July goes through Lake Charles, Louisiana this week as 64 of America’s best male amateur boxers and 40 of America’s best female boxers hope to advance their prospects. The top two boxers in each of the eight men’s’ and ...
SAN DIEGO, Calif., December 7, 2019 – Fighting in the style that won him the 2012 Olympic gold medal, Anthony Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) will take his titles back to Great Britain to go with that medal after a smart, disciplined fight against Andy Ruiz Jr. of Imperial, California (33-2, 22 KOs). Joshua imposed a ...
SAN DIEGO, Calif., December 6, 2019 – Troubling ethical issues aside, the boxing world awaits Saturday’s rematch from Saudi Arabia between unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. of California (33-1, 22 KOs) and Anthony Joshua of Great Britain (22-1, 21 KOs) to see whether lightning can strike twice. But they’re asking the wrong question. What ...
SAN DIEGO, Calif., December 4, 2019 – Dating to an event held in Azerbaijan in 2015, the Macmillan Dictionary’s crowdsourced open edition definition of the term ‘sportswashing’ is “when a corrupt or tyrannical regime uses sport to enhance its reputation.” Used in a sentence: “This weekend’s world heavyweight fight is a classic example of sportswashing ...
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, November 24, 2019 – WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder was losing on all three scorecards to challenger Luis “King Kong” Ortiz through seven rounds by scores of 58-56 and 59-55 twice. But it didn’t matter. Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) unleashed a single right hand to the temple of ...
INDIO, Calif., November 23, 2019 – As famed countryman and former champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez and twin brother Felix cheered him on, Rene “Camelo” Alvarado of Nicaragua turned the tables on Andrew “El Chango” Cancio of Blythe, winning the WBA Super Featherweight title in a brutal seventh-round TKO win. “It’s a feeling very hard to ...
INDIO, Calif., November 21, 2019 – WBA Super Featherweight champion Andrew Cancio shut down the doubters in June, proving his unexpected victory over Alberto Machado of Puerto Rico wasn’t a fluke. Cancio handed Machado an even more definitive loss with a third-round TKO. Andrew Cancio returns to the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California ...
SAN DIEGO, Calif., November 20, 2019 – It’s heavyweight title fight week in Las Vegas, Nevada, an early Thanksgiving present for boxing fans. Fair warning, the main dish might be a little overcooked though still enjoyable. No one will argue the first heavyweight championship fight between Deontay Wilder of Tuscaloosa, Alabama (41-0-1, 40 KOs) and ...
SAN DIEGO, Calif., November 9, 2019 – Saturday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, two men make their professional boxing debut. It happens nearly every weekend among aspiring young champions. But it’s unusual when it takes place as the main event in front of a sold-out crowd at a major venue, with the ...
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, November 2, 2019 – Patience paid off for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on Saturday in Las Vegas. After a lengthy delay waiting on the conclusion of a UFC fight in New York, and after boxing smart for 11 rounds, Alvarez delivered an impressive one-two knockout of Sergey Kovalev, first wobbling him with a left ...
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, November 2, 2019 – Ryan Garcia couldn’t have made promoter Oscar De La Hoya happier if he tried on Saturday, delivering an impressive first-round knockout win over Romero Duno of the Philippines (21-2, 16 KOs). Garcia 19-0, 16 KOs) remains undefeated and is now the WBC Silver and NABO Lightweight champion. “I ...
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – November 2, 2019 – If you weren’t focused on the opening seconds of his professional debut, you might have missed super welterweight Evan Holyfield stepping into the ring and over his father’s footsteps. The 22-year-old training in Houston (1-0, 1 KO) delivered a stoppage win in 16 seconds over Nick Winstead ...
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, November 1, 2019 – Main Events CEO Kathy Duva said she knew the fight between her WBO Light Heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev and three-division champion Canelo Alvarez was going to happen back in July. The boxing world began hearing more about it in the weeks to follow, but an anticipated August date ...
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, November 1, 2019 – After a rough summer full of spats outside the ring, lightweight “King” Ryan Garcia of Los Angeles (18-0, 15 KOs) is all smiles awaiting his fight inside the ring as the co-main event on Saturday on the Canelo Alvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev bout in Las Vegas. Ryan Garcia: ...
SAN DIEGO, Calif., October 30, 2019 – Saul “Canelo” Alvarez arrived in Las Vegas Tuesday carrying the flag as boxing’s standard-bearer and biggest attraction in anticipation of his first fight and title attempt at light heavyweight against three-time division champion Sergey Kovalev of Russia. “I’m ready to make history,” said Alvarez. Just four years ago, ...
SAN DIEGO, Calif., October 26, 2019 –Shakur Stevenson of New Jersey (13-0. 7 KOs) picked apart Joet Gonzalez of Los Angeles (23-1, 14 KOs) for 11 out of 12 rounds, winning the vacant WBO world featherweight title with ease on Saturday in Reno, Nevada. The anticipated grudge match between the pair was expected to be ...
SAN DIEGO, Calif., October 26, 2019 – The World Boxing Super Series super-lightweight tournament finale between Regis “Rougarou” Prograis of Houston (24 -0, 20 KOs) and Josh “Tartan Tornado” Taylor of Scotland (15-0, 12 KOs) didn’t disappoint. Taylor (16-0, 12 KOs) sent his fans home from the O2 Arena happy with a majority decision victory ...