Carlos Toro's Boxing Newsletter #4

A big Luis Nery vs. Brandon Figueroa preview, plus a large news update from around the world and results from last week's fight schedule.

Luis Nery vs. Brandon Figueroa Preview, What’s At Stake, More:

Showtime’s loaded slate of fights begins on May 15 with a three-fight card from Carson, California headlined by one of the best super bantamweight matchups of the year. 

WBC champion Luis Nery, one of the most dangerous punchers in the division, will face Brandon Figueroa who is one of the division’s many rising stars.

Although a world title is the immediate prize for the victor, a larger reward looms for whomever has his hand raised at the end of the night: a unification fight against WBO titleholder Stephen Fulton Jr. 

Weeks ago when Showtime unveiled its schedule of fights, the last event that was announced was September 11 with Fulton taking on the Nery vs. Figueroa winner. Regardless of who is the winner on May 15, the matchup against Fulton would be a potential “Fight of the Year” contender. 

The three-fight lineup has a number of contenders, former champions and prospects, each with an interesting narrative heading in:

Main Event: Luis Nery vs. Brandon Figueroa for the WBC & WBA “Regular” Super Bantamweight Titles:

The Matchup: Nery and Figueroa are two fan friendly super bantamweights who have been looking for a big fight for some time and now they get it. Nery possesses tremendous power for someone fighting in the smaller weights and is feared by many for that power. Nery didn’t exactly look great in his last fight when he defeated Aaron Alameda and looked somewhat mortal. Nery didn’t dominate the fight in typical fashion, instead winning a long, drawn out 12-round decision that ended with many questioning whether or not his power translated well from his move up from bantamweight. 

Although Nery attributes the lackluster performance against Alameda last year due to bad preparation, he has to prove that what we saw back then was a fluke and not the norm. A pedestrian-looking Nery won’t get the job done against a fighter like Figueroa. 

On paper, Figueroa is a great young fighter who is tall for super bantamweight (around 5’9”) but can fight on the inside and fight well. Figueroa looked solid against contender Damien Vazquez last year, outboxing and outworking Vazquez before stopping him in the 10th round. Figueroa also possesses excellent volume punching, which could be the X-factor as it may cause Nery problems throughout the fight.

Figueroa has improved somewhat in his ability to use his height and reach advantage to keep fighters from attacking his body, but he has the raw skill to be able to deal with anyone who can fight on the inside. At only 24 years old, Figueroa is one of the brightest fighters in the division with the ability to improve even more. Nery will be the perfect test as to whether or not Figueroa can take that next step and be an elite boxer.

What’s At Stake: The WBC title is already enough of a great motivator, but the allure of a fight against Fulton for multiple belts is even greater. The super bantamweight division has done a great job building up to big fights and big unifications in recent years, from Daniel Roman fighting TJ Doheny for the WBA and IBF titles to Murodjon Akhmadaliev dethroning Roman in 2020.

Fulton has not been shy about his desire to fight the top super bantamweights for years, even before he won the WBO title this past January against Angelo Leo. A September showdown against Fulton would give the Nery/Figueroa a chance at becoming a unified champion with big fights against those such as Roman and Akhmadaliev still looming over the horizon.

What Each Fighter Is Saying: 

Luis Nery: “In the ring, I’m going for the finish. Everything is on the line. I just have to prove what I’m capable of inside the ring. I don’t care about anything else but that. I think people got carried away about my performance from my last fight. You’re going to see that my power translates on Saturday. Brandon is going to be the first person to see how my power really translates to super bantamweight. Brandon’s style really fits with what I want to do in the ring. I know that I can achieve everything that I want in this division and show all of my skills in this fight. This style will go better with mine than Aaron Alameda’s did in my last fight."

Brandon Figueroa: “Nery is going to learn a lot about me on Saturday night. My size will definitely help me. I feel like he hasn’t fought a guy this big, this strong and he’s going to find out on Saturday night. I’ve trained tremendously for this fight. I have the best conditioning in the 122-pound division. My volume output speaks for itself and I feel like a lot of people underestimate me. After Saturday night, they won’t. Once the bell rings, it’s go-time and I come to fight. I come one hundred percent and I’m coming to take that belt home. Fulton is the fight I’ve been wanting. I know he’s been talking a lot. First of all, I need to get through Luis Nery. I just can’t wait for these big fights and these big names. I’ve been trying to fight Fulton for a while and now it’s going to be made if everything goes well Saturday night. He’d be next and I can’t wait to put on a show again. I know Luis Nery comes to fight. He’s a strong fighter at the 118-pound division but the 122-pound division is a different story. I feel like we’re just going to have to find out Saturday night, though. I come forward. I bring the pressure and I’m definitely going to bring the power, the size and all the advantages I have to make sure that we give the fans a great show. I do respect him as a fighter but we’re just going to have to find out Saturday."

Co-Main Event: Daniel Roman vs. Ricardo Espinoza:

The Matchup: Roman is still arguably the best super bantamweight in the world, but has no belts to show for it. Despite the loss to Akhmadaliev, Roman is a complete fighter, able to outbox and outwork nearly every fighter possible while also being capable of fighting in a war and engaging in a tough fight. The fight against Espinoza will likely require Roman to fight Espinoza on the inside and exchange hard shots in order to get a win.

Espinoza is a battle-tested veteran who has fought world champions and unbeaten prospects alike in recent years with the lone KO loss on his record being against dangerous bantamweight John Riel Casimero. 

Still, Espinoza brings a lot of power to the table with the ability to take that power late into fights. Roman will be tested at times and a less than 100 percent version of Roman could be in danger of suffering an upset loss.

What’s At Stake: Ever since Roman lost to Akhmadaliev by a narrow split decision, he has been vocal about getting another title shot. Even with no belts, Roman still believes he is the one to beat in the super bantamweight division above all else.

A loss to Espinoza would completely derail any hopes Roman has of fighting for a title anytime soon. In that same vein, Espinoza is looking to return to title contention after a loss to Casimero in 2019. The scorecards for that fight were split for that fight heading into the 12th round and if it weren’t for Casimero scoring a final round TKO win, Espinoza could have won that fight. Since then, Casimero became the WBO bantamweight champion and is one of the division’s top fighters.

Espinoza has yet to come as close to fighting for a title as he did when he lost to Casimero (which was for an interim bantamweight belt). A win over Roman immediately puts him in the title picture at super bantamweight and could be the first fighter in line to fight the Fulton vs. Nery/Figueroa winner.

What Each Fighter Is Saying:

Daniel Roman: “I’m a former unified champion and I’m still overlooked. I’m still the guy who you have to beat at super bantamweight. I’m going against a great opponent. He has a high knockout rate, so I have to fight a smart fight. Props to him for taking the fight, but I’m not overlooking him. Everyone is a threat when they get in that ring. I know that the champions are trying to avoid me and skip over me for other fights. But I deserve respect and I’m going to show why they’re avoiding me on Saturday. Espinoza is a great fighter who has great power. I’m taking this fight like I’m facing another champion. Anything can happen inside of the ring. All I can control is my performance against Espinoza on Saturday."

Ricardo Espinoza: “Danny Roman has fought some really quality opponents that are high in the rankings, but this is my time. This is when I show that I can step up in competition and prove that I belong with the best. The reason why I think I’m going to win this fight, more than anything, is because I believe in myself. I have a great team behind me and if I have faith in myself, all good things are going to happen from now on. Danny Roman is definitely a great opponent and I feel like my preparation and training can showcase why I can be considered one of the best in the division. Saturday night will be a great showcase for me.”

Xavier Martinez vs. Juan Carlos Burgos:

The Matchup: Martinez went to the school of “Hard Knocks” in his last bout when he had to dig deep and overcome two eighth-round knockdowns and defeat Claudio Marrero. 

That fight may have gotten people to hop off the Xavier Martinez hype train, but that fight may have been what he needed in order to progress as a fighter. Martinez admitted that he slept on the wheel and that he has learned from that experience.

That experience will be important for when he is taking that next step and become a contender in a loaded super featherweight division. Like Espinoza, Burgos is a battle-tested veteran but the key difference between the two is that Burgos has fought for a world title multiple times throughout his career and is the kind of experienced fighter that Martinez needs to continue his progression. 

Burgos has faced a number of top opposition throughout the years from Devin Haney to Mikey Garcia to Roman Martinez to Hozumi Hasegawa, but has yet to lose inside the distance. 

What’s At Stake: For Martinez, he needs to be able to silence any critics that surfaced after being dropped twice by Marrero. He’s also in a division that also has Chris Colbert, who is viewed by many as the division’s top prospect, a bar that Martinez will have to match in order to get big fights. 

He understands that a win over Martinez puts him one step closer towards becoming a contender and into big fights. A loss wouldn’t be a step back. It would be two or three steps back as he can’t afford to take a loss when he’s so close to breaking out of that prospect label.

Burgos has been fighting professionally since 2004 and at 33 years old, there might not be many years left for him as a contender. A loss to another young, hungry fighter like Martinez would be his third defeat in his last four fights and so it is fair to ask whether or not this will be a make-or-break fight for Burgos. If Burgos loses, that just might be it for him as far as looking to get big fights or title opportunities for the rest of his career and would forever be viewed as a gatekeeper type of fighter (if he isn’t already at this stage).

What Each Fighter Is Saying:

Xavier Martinez: “This is boxing, and in order to find out what you’re made of in this sport, you have to go through adversity. Since going through that, I learned a lot about myself. I can be put through anything. Getting knocked down two times, that can defeat a fighter mentality, especially a young fighter. I learned a lot from that fight and it’s helped me become a more mature fighter. After this fight, I hope I’ll be in the 130-pound championship contention and I hope to have a world title after this fight.”

Juan Carlos Burgos: “This is definitely a big fight for me and I’m going to have a great opponent in front of me in Xavier Martinez. I have a lot to give still and I want to show that Juan Carlos Burgos is here to stay still.”

Official Weights: 

• WBC & WBA “Regular” Super Bantamweight Titles (122-Pound Limit): Luis Nery (122 lbs) vs. Brandon Figueroa (121.2 lbs)

• Daniel Roman (122 lbs) vs. Ricardo Espinoza (121.6 lbs)

• Xavier Martinez (131.6 lbs) vs. Juan Carlos Burgos (131.8 lbs)

Canelo Alvarez Has Proven He Is A Star Above Everyone In Boxing:

With a record-breaking crowd of more than 73,000 in Arlington, Texas, Canelo Alvarez eliminated any doubt that he was boxing’s biggest star when he defeated Billy Joe Saunders to unify the WBA, WBO and WBC super middleweight titles. 

However, Alvarez’s win over Saunders was perhaps second to what plenty of people were talking about regarding the Mexican star on the morning of May 9, the day after the fight.

It wasn’t his callout of IBF champion Caleb Plant or his WrestleMania-like ring walk (with Mexican dancers and a mariachi band standing alongside Alvarez entertaining fans before the boxer’s appearance). In fact, it was a brief encounter with middleweight titlist Demetrius Andrade, who crashed Alvarez’s post-fight press conference.

Andrade was never shy about his feelings regarding both Saunders and Alvarez, whom he felt were avoiding a fight with Andrade. The unbeaten Andrade tried his best to goad Alvarez towards making a fight between the two a reality. 

Instead of a back-and-forth verbal jousting, Alvarez elected to completely shut down Andrade, speaking in English (which was a rarity before the fight against Saunders) and cursing Andrade out. 

Such language and bravado from Alvarez was a bit of a surprise to many. For years, Alvarez seemed a lot more reserved in his mannerisms, handling business in a more formal and professional manner (almost Jeter-like in that regard). He didn’t even speak much English even though he was improving in his speaking ability, choosing to speak in his native Spanish. 

The Alvarez that was on display after the fight against Saunders was perhaps a look into a different side of him.

It’s different for sure, but perhaps not an entirely new side to Alvarez. 

Throughout most of Alvarez’s time as a world champion, he was promoted by former world champion and superstar Oscar De La Hoya. Alvarez was portrayed by some as De La Hoya’s golden goose, one that must be protected as far as public appearance is concerned. Outside the ring, Alvarez seemed gentle, unconcerned with what’s going on beyond the ring and beyond his ranch in Mexico where he tends to his horses. Alvarez’s body was barely touched by tattoo ink, promoting a clean, babyface type of look.

Ever since Alvarez and De La Hoya had their falling out, Alvarez moved on to become his own boss and take complete control of every facet of his career.

One can even say that Alvarez feels more liberated now that he is no longer shackled down by the weight of a promoter over his shoulders.

Alvarez looks and sounds more confident whenever he is on camera. His silver tongue has become far more unrestrained in recent months (going as far as to tell a couple of people looking to crash an interview after his win against Avni Yildirim to “get the fuck off my ring”) and he’s speaking more English in public. 

Even during his three-fight stint with Matchroom Boxing in the past six months, it never looked like promoter Eddie Hearn was calling the shots. It was Alvarez who called the shots, from wanting to fight Matchroom’s two super middleweight champions (Callum Smith and Saunders) to even bringing Alvarez’s fellow training partner Frank Sanchez (a heavyweight prospect who was victorious on the Canelo-Saunders undercard) to fight. 

Following in the footsteps of his former rival Floyd Mayweather Jr., Alvarez has become his own boss since the Fe La Hoya split. With no long-term commitments weighing him down, he has a number of different fighters and suitors from a variety of different boxing entities looking to bring him aboard. Andrade is simply one of the many names who wants to fight Alvarez next.

But for Alvarez, he has made his 2021 goal abundantly clear: become undisputed super middleweight champion.

Plant is the only champion remaining and he fights under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) umbrella. Once all sides come to the negotiating table, the one who will be commanding the most respect and have the most leverage should be Alvarez. He is the sport’s biggest star. He’s the one most responsible for breaking the all-time U.S. indoor attendance record for a boxing event. 

If Alvarez and Plant face off this year with all the super middleweight titles on the line, Alvarez will likely be the one most responsible for making it happen. Plant has been on Alvarez’s sights for a long time and if the boxing gods are fair and just, then there will be an undisputed 168-pound champion crowned at the end of Mexican Independence Day weekend.

News & Notes From Around The World Of Boxing:

United States:

• Triller PPV Set: Triller will stage two world championship fights for its next boxing pay-per-view in June. The platform announced that unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez will defend his titles against mandatory challenger George Kambosos Jr on June 19. The fight headlines a pay-per-view from Miami’s loanDepot Park. The fight was put together after Triller shocked the sport of boxing by winning a purse bid for the promotional rights with a winning bid of $6.018 million in February. That bid beat out Top Rank’s $2.315 million bid and Matchroom Boxing’s bid of $3.506 million. In the co-main event, WBO and WBC super middleweight champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn will face WBA and IBF champion Elin Cederroos with the winner walking away as the undisputed champion. Also on the card is heavyweight contender Michael Hunter taking on Michael Wilson in a WBA title eliminator as well as Andy Vences facing Jono Carroll. 

• Back in April, Ryan Garcia announced he is withdrawing from a fight against Javier Fortuna set for July 9 in order to focus on his “health and wellbeing.” Although Garcia did not specify what he was going through, but he has been vocal about his mental health in recent weeks. On Instagram, Garcia posted a video of him in the gym with the following caption, “Thank you to everyone showing there support! With the help of my support team and my family, I’m making steps forward. Why anxiety and depression hit me like a truck and why I’m still recovering I’ll never know. But I’m trying to cope with the issues I’m having! This bag is my anxiety and I’m swinging with my full intent to destroy it!!”

• Showtime Boxing Juneteenth Show Set: Showtime and PBC announced a three-fight card for its June 19 event from the Toyota Center headlined by WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo’s title defense against Juan Macias Montiel. That fight was already announced weeks ago, but what is new is the undercard. In the co-main event, Isaac Cruz will take on Francisco Vargas while former super bantamweight champion Angelo Leo will face Aaron Alameda. 

• WBC 30-day weigh-in check for Jose Ramirez vs. Josh Taylor: As part of every WBC world title fight, both Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor are required to do weight checks 30, 14 and seven days before their May 22 undisputed junior welterweight title fight. For 30 days before the fight, Ramirez weighed in at 153.2 pounds while Taylor weighed in at 150.2 lbs. At 14 days before the fight, Ramirez weighed in at 146.1 pounds while Taylor weighed in at 147.2 pounds.

• Ramirez vs. Taylor Undercard Set: Top Rank has unveiled the full lineup of fights for its May 22 card in Las Vegas. The ESPN+ undercard will see featherweight contender Jose Enrique Vivas take on Louie Coria and Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez face Juan Tapia. The undercard will begin at 5:15 p.m. ET with an ESPN-televised tripleheader main card that starts at 8:30 p.m. ET. Other undercard fights announced for the card include unbeaten prospect Andres Cortes fighting Eduardo Garza in an eight-round super featherweight bout. In addition, Raymond Muratalla will look for his 12th pro win when he faces off against 30-fight veteran Jose Luis Gallegos in an eight-round lightweight bout. Finally, Javier Martinez is aiming to improve his record to 4-0 when he takes on Calvin Metcalf in a six-round bout.

• Undercard Info For Shakur Stevenson June 12 Card: Jose Pedraza vs. Julian Rodriguez has been confirmed as the co-main event to the Shakur Stevenson vs. Jeremiah Nakathila Top Rank card on ESPN on June 12. Xander Zayas will also return on the card as part of the ESPN+ undercard.

• Jaime Munguia vs. Maciej Sulecki is back on, now taking place on June 19 and streaming on DAZN. The two were originally supposed to fight on April 24, but Sulecki pulled out of the fight due to an injury. The card will take place from Don Haskins Center. Capacity will be held to under 40%. Undercard features Bektemir Melikuziev vs. Gabriel Rosado, Marlen Esparza vs. Ibeth Zamora, Blair Cobbs vs. Brad Solomon, Raul Curiel vs. Ferdinand Keroyban, Alexis Rocha vs. James Bacon, Aaron McKenna vs. Carlos Ortiz, Evan Sanchez vs. Hector Coronado, Chris Ousley vs. Sanny Duversonne, Manuel Flores vs. TBA, Fiodor Czerkaszyn vs. TBA.

• Former NFL star Chad Johnson will face BKFC fighter Brian Maxwell in an exhibition fight on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Logan Paul event at Hard Rock Stadium on June 6.

• In the main event of the May 21 Boxeo Telemundo show, light flyweight contender Jonathan Gonzalez will defend his WBO-NABO title against Armando Torres in a 10-round bout in Florida.

• According to Dan Rafael, rising junior middleweight contender Charles Conwell will face Mark DeLuca on the undercard of the Teofimo Lopez vs. George Kambosos Jr. event on June 19.

• According to Mike Coppinger, Golden Boy Promotions will have a DAZN card on July 9 with Gilberto Ramirez making his promotional debut against Sullivan Barrera in the main event. The co-main event will see former super featherweight champion Joseph Diaz Jr. face Javier Fortuna.

• There’s a women’s heavy boxing card streamed on UFC Fight Pass on May 14 that will feature former featherweight world champion Heather Hardy in action against Jessica Camara. The card will also feature Melissa St. Vil in action against former world champion Olivia Gerula and highly-touted prospect Mikiah Kreps in her second pro bout.

United Kingdom:

• Jamie McDonnell Retires: On May 12, former bantamweight world champion Jamie McDonnell officially announced his retirement as an active boxer, which isn’t a surprise given his age (35 years old) and his level of activity (his last fight took place in June 2019). On social media, McDonnell noted that he has been thinking about retirement for the last few months and believed that it is too late for him to make a comeback. He retires with a 30-3-1 pro record, having captured titles at the British, European and world level, becoming an IBF and WBA bantamweight champion. McDonnell has faced the likes of Tomoki Kameda (in which both fights were physically taxing on both men), Liborio Soli, Julio Ceja and Naoya Inoue (who scored a first-round TKO win over McDonnell in 2018). To say that McDonnell’s career was anything less than a tremendous success would be a massive understatement and straight up lie. 

• Pro Debut Set For Matchroom Show: Former UK amateur standout Ellis Hopkins will make her pro debut against Borislava Goranova on the Joshua Buatsi vs. Daniel Blenda Dos Santos Matchroom Boxing card on May 15.

• English Championship Update Part 1: The British Boxing Board Of Control updated its British and English title situations on May 12. At heavyweight, English champion Fabio Wardley is set to fight Nick Webb on an Eddie Hearn-promoted show at a later date. Webb at one point was primed for a British title shot, but lost every bit of his career momentum when he was defeated by both Dave Allen and Kamil Sokolowski in 2018. He’s won four straight (three of which were on the same day in the Ultimate Boxxer tournament in December 2019).

• English Championship Update Part 2: English featherweight champion Reece Mould and mandatory challenger Raza Hamza will have a purse bid for their fight on June 9 with the fight ordered to take place before the end of October.

• British Championship Update Part 1: Hosea Burton and Liam Conroy will face off in a British light heavyweight title eliminator on June 25 on a card promoted by Lee Eaton (which means it would be an MTK Global card of some sorts). The winner becomes the mandatory challenger for the title, which the BBBofC still lists Craig Richards as its champion. Richards is coming off a spirited 12-round effort in a loss to WBA world champion Dmitry Bivol on May 1.

• British Championship Update Part 2: Tommy Frank and English flyweight champion Kyle Yousaf will fight for the vacant British title, currently scheduled to take place on August 6 in Sheffield.

• British Championship Update Part 3: Sam Hyde and Mikael Lawal are set to have a title eliminator for the vacant cruiserweight title. That fight will be promoted by Dennis Hobson at a date and venue to be announced.

• Zelfa Barrett vs. Kiko Martinez Reportedly In The Works: According to reports, Zelfa Barrett and Kiko Martinez are planning on having a rematch in the United Kingdom in July. The two fought in February and Barrett emerged victorious in a fight many believed the scorecards were heavily in Barrett’s favor.

• Former amateur standout Sandy Ryan signed a promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing. Ryan was viewed as someone who had a chance to medal in the Olympics for Team GB, but she announced in March she was turning pro.

Other News & Notes:

• Purse Bid For Super Bantamweight Title Fight: The WBA has officially ordered a purse bid for a fight between unified super bantamweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev and mandatory challenger Ronny Rios, set for May 24. Minimum bid is $150,000 with Akhmadaliev getting 75% of the winning bid and Rios getting the remaining 25%.

• Undisputed Championship Note: In an era where becoming an undisputed champion is harder than ever, 2021 is bucking that trend with the possibility of as many as six undisputed champions by the end of summer (maybe as many as eight by the end of 2021). There are three fights set to crown undisputed champions through July, Jose Ramirez vs. Josh Taylor for the men’s 140-pound crown on May 22, Franchon Crews-Dezurn vs. Elin Cederroos for the women’s 168-pound crown on June 19 and Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castaño for the men’s 154-pound crown on July 17. That’s not to mention the possibility of Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight title and Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant for the undisputed super middleweight title that could still happen at some point this year. There are currently three fighters who are undisputed champions, Katie Taylor (lightweight), Jessica McCaskill (welterweight) and Claressa Shields (women’s junior middleweight) and all of them already had title fights this year.

• According to ESPN Deportes, WBC flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez is defending his title on June 26 in Mexico. Although McWilliams Arroyo is the interim titleholder and Martinez’s mandatory challenger, Martinez and Arroyo will likely have voluntary title defenses for their next fight.

• WBA “Regular” light flyweight champion Carlos Canizales will face off against Esteban Bermudez in the main event of a “Boxeo Estrella TV” card on May 28 in Mexico City. The co-main event is a WBC super bantamweight regional title bout between Belmar Preciado and former title challenger David Carmona. The current “Boxeo Estrella TV” schedule has shows listed to take place on June 25, July 30, August 27, September 24, October 29, November 26 and December 17.

• The 2021 AIBA men’s world championship (often one of the biggest amateur tournaments in the world) will take place in Belgrade, Serbia from October 26 to November 6.

• In what can be seen as a disappointment for U.S. men’s boxing, only two male amateurs will be boxing in this year’s Olympics in Tokyo: Richard Torrez Jr. and Delante Johnson. On the women’s side, Rashida Ellis, Virginia ‘Ginny’ Fuchs, Naomi Graham and Oshae Jones will represent the U.S. in the Olympics. However, the fact that only six U.S. boxers are fighting in the Olympics is not a great sign, since it is the smallest Olympic boxing team the U.S. has fielded since 1936 when Louis Laurie and Jack Wilson fought.

• A four-part documentary on Muhammad Ali from Ken Burns will premiere on TBS and air on consecutive nights from September 19 to September 22. 

• Saemi Hanagata has officially announced her retirement, which also means her IBF atomweight title will be vacated. Hanagata last fought in March when she fought Eri Matsuda to a majority draw, marking a second successful title defense for Hanagata. Sporting a 16-7-5 (7KO) pro record, Hanagata won the IBF title when she scored a split decision victory over Yuko Kuroki in September 2018.

• Rising Australian star and junior middleweight contender Tim Tszyu will face Michael Zerafa on July 7 and the fight, taking place at the Newcastle Centre (set to be re-named the TszyuCastle Entertainment Centre), sold out in less than 24 hours with roughly 6,500 spectators in attendance.

• Tony Tolj’s ThunderDome show returns on May 28 with Jackson England facing Shiva Mishra in the main event in Metro City in Australia. Also on the card is Wes Capper vs. Fano Kori and Sarah Higginson vs. Sylvia Cinque, each for an Australian title.

• Tolj, who has made a big effort signing Chilean prospects and his top Chilean fighter Andres Campos is climbing up the sanctioning body rankings. Campos is currently ranked No. 13 by the WBA and No. 6 by the WBO at flyweight.

• Silver Bow signs 18 year-old European amateur standout Valeriy Zagrafov to a multi-year promotional agreement.

Boxing Results From Around The World (Results From Boxrec):

May 8, 2021: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, United States: 

• Canelo Alvarez defeated Billy Joe Saunders by RTD, round 8 to unify the WBA "Super," WBC & WBO Super Middleweight World Titles

• Elwin Soto defeated Katsunari Takayama by TKO, round 9 to retain the WBO Light Flyweight World Title

• Souleymane Cissokho defeated Kieron Conway by split decision to win the WBA Intercontinental Junior Middleweight Title

• Frank Sanchez defeated Nagy Aguilera by technical decision, round 6 to retain the WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Title

• Christian Alan Gomez Duran defeated Xavier Wilson by TKO, round 2

• Keyshawn Davis defeated Jose Antonio Meza by unanimous decision

• Marc Castro defeated Irving Macias Castillo by TKO, round 4

• Kelvin Davis defeated Jan Marsalek by unanimous decision

May 8, 2021: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States: 

• Rashiem Jefferson defeated Diuhl Olguin by unanimous decision 

• Donald Smith defeated Jonathan Lecona Ramos by KO, round 1

• Shinard Bunch defeated Diego Vicente Perez by KO, round 1

• Mark Dawson defeated Rodrigo Solis by majority decision 

• Edgar Joe Cortes defeated Alexander Castellano by split decision

• Rasheen Brown defeated Nathan Benichou by TKO, round 2

• Tahmir Smalls defeated David Veras Pena by KO, round 1

• Christian Bermudez defeated Joseph Santana by TKO, round 2

May 8, 2021: Southpaw Boxing and Fitness, Windham, New Hampshire, United States:

• Harry Gigliotti defeated Jader Alves de Oliveira by DQ, round 3

• Travis Gambardella defeated Antonio Chaves Fernandez by unanimous decision

• Kris Jacobs defeated Robert Bricks by TKO, round 1

• Laquan Lewis defeated Nate Charles by KO, round 1

• Brandon Higgins defeated Calvin Glover by TKO, round 1

• Nicholas Molina defeated Bruno Dias by TKO, round 1

• Matt Doherty defeated Paulo DeSouza by TKO, round 3

• Michael Bulger defeated Jay Gregory by TKO, round 1

• Rico DePaolis defeated Francisco Ariri Neto by TKO, round 1

• Kevin Walsh defeated Henry Garcia by TKO, round 1

• James Perkins defeated Jesus Javier Cintron by TKO, round 1

• Christian Andrade defeated Kyle Massoth by TKO, round 1

• Alejandro Paulino defeated Earnest Walls by RTD, round 1

• Joshua Raineri defeated Montoyia Swilling by KO, round 1

• Daniel Robles defeated Michael Gaxiola by unanimous decision 

May 8, 2021: Nuevo Gimnasio Nicarao, Managua, Nicaragua:

• Alexander Mejia defeated Aron Juarez by unanimous decision to win the Nicaraguan Super Bantamweight Title

• Kevin Trana defeated Hector Torres by unanimous decision

• Natanael Rocha defeated Steven Borge by unanimous decision

• Jhonny Cortez defeated Hamilton Palma by KO, round 4

• Lester Espino defeated Sandi Medal by KO, round 1

• Juan Carlos Martine defeated Rafael Arauz by unanimous decision

May 7, 2021: KRK “Uralets”, Ekaterinburg, Russia:

• Magomed Kurbanov defeated Liam Smith by unanimous decision to win the WBO International Junior Middleweight Title

• Mukhammad Shekhov defeated Evgenii Liashkov by split decision to win the WBO European Super Bantamweight Title

• Eduard Skavynskyi defeated Joel Julio by unanimous decision

• Zafar Parpiev defeated Alphoe Dagayloan by RTD, round 3

• Enriko Gogokhia defeated Gustavo David Vittori by TKO, round 4

• Ivan Nikonov defeated Berikbay Nurymbetov by unanimous decision

• Igor Ionov defeated Yevgeniy Logozha by KO, round 4

• Georgy Yunovidov defeated German Skobenko by unanimous decision 

• Aznaur Kalsynov and Shamil Askerov fight to a majority draw

May 7, 2021: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida, United States:

• George Acosta defeated Gadwin Rosa by unanimous decision to win the WBA Fedecentro Super Featherweight Title

• Elvin Gambarov defeated Diego Cruz by split decision 

• Pedro Salome defeated Hector Bayanilla by split decision

• Jean Guerra Vargas defeated Gilberto Aguilar by unanimous decision 

• Mandeep Jangra defeated Luciano Ramos by unanimous decision