Ruben Villa makes homecoming debut on Saturday, April 14 in Salinas, California

PHILADELPHIA, PENN./ORANGE, California--Heralded featherweight prospect Ruben Villa returns home for the 1st time as a professional as he headlines in the Northern California city of Salinas on Saturday, April 14, from the popular Salinas Storm House.  The show is promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing. "Ruben has been coming along great, and on April 14th, he will thrill his hometown fans," said Banner Promotions President, Arthur Pelullo.  "We are looking forward to this special night for Ruben, for him not only to put on a great performance in his hometown, but to capture his first championship." "This show has been in the works for more than a year," said Alex Camponovo, who as Matchmaker and General Manager of Thompson Boxing. "It's an excellent show from top-to-bottom Read more [...]

Gaballo Captures First World Championship with Unanimous Decision over Young

Reymart "GenSan Assassin" Gaballo of General Santos City, Philippines, captured his first version of a world title and introduced himself to the world stage with a unanimous decision victory over perennial top contender Stephon "Showstopper" Young of St. Louis. Fighting in the main event of Kris Lawrence and The Heavyweight Factory's "Rumble at the Rock" at Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, the hard-punching Gaballo (19-0, 16 KOs) became the WBA Interim World Bantamweight Champion with unanimous scores of 118-109, 117-110 and 117-110. Young, now 17-1-3, 7 KOs, was down in round three and badly hurt, but to his credit, got up and kept it exciting and closer than the scores indicate throughout the remainder of the 12 rounds. The speed Read more [...]

Liverpool’s boxing scene has gone from strength to strength the past few years and has grown significantly every season

Report by Gianluca Di Caro - Photo credit: Chris Tomlinson  -Liverpool’s boxing scene has gone from strength to strength the past few years and has grown significantly every season. A large part of this is almost certainly due to the successes of Merseysiders on both the Domestic as well as World Scene, fighters such as Derry Matthews, the Smith Brothers – Paul, Stephen, Liam and Callum, Tony Bellew etc. and all the championships they’ve held over the years certainly has to be a major factor in the growth of the sport in the City.  A clear example of just how much the sport is blossoming in Liverpool is that last weekend there were three shows in the City, one of these, the latest offering from Kyle Gallagher’s Victory Fight Club, a nine bout pro show at the Jubilee Sports Bank, Read more [...]

Liverpool’s boxing scene has gone from strength to strength the past few years and has grown significantly every season

Report by Gianluca Di Caro March 23, 2018 Liverpool’s boxing scene has gone from strength to strength the past few years and has grown significantly every season. A large part of this is almost certainly due to the successes of Merseysiders on both the Domestic as well as World Scene, fighters such as Derry Matthews, the Smith Brothers – Paul, Stephen, Liam and Callum, Tony Bellew etc. and all the championships they’ve held over the years certainly has to be a major factor in the growth of the sport in the City.   A clear example of just how much the sport is blossoming in Liverpool is that last weekend there were three shows in the City, one of these, the latest offering from Kyle Gallagher’s Victory Fight Club, a nine bout pro show at the Jubilee Sports Bank, featured no Read more [...]

Unbeaten bantamweight prospect “The Baby-Faced Assassin” Max Ornelas Preparing to fight crime and opponents

LAS VEGAS (March 23, 2018) -- Unbeaten bantamweight prospect "The Baby-Faced Assassin" Max Ornelas (10-0-1, 4 KOs) goes from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas classroom into an on-campus ring at Cox Pavilion on April 20th to take on his Roy Jones Jr, (RJJ) Boxing Promotions stablemate, Dallas challenger Tony Lopez (12-3, 4 KOs), in the 10-round main event for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) North American Boxing Association (NABA) bantamweight title.  Ornelas vs. Lopez, presented RJJ Boxing Promotions, will air live on beIN Sports, starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Photo credit: Manny "Mitts' Murillo. RJJ Boxing Promotions "I've watched Max come up in the rankings and as his confidence and power have grown," co-promoter Roy Jones, Jr. said. "The way he has represented his Read more [...]

Brutal Wins For Kalombo & Chauke In Johannesburg

On Friday evening, March 23, at the Edenvale Community Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, two World Boxing Federation (WBF) Championship fights topped a bill labelled “Unstoppable”, promoted by Real Steel Promotions. Undefeated shooting star Emmany Kalombo came of age in what will unquestionably be a front-runner for Fight of the Year in South Africa, winning the vacant WBF Intercontinental Super Welterweight title with a vicious knockout of South African Champion Nkululeko Mhlongo. It was toe-to-toe action from the start, with both men going all out and determined to leave everything in the ring. The older and much more experienced Mhlongo followed the pace of Kalombo, and was actually ahead on two of the cards when send crashing by an explosive overhand right in round five. Caught Read more [...]

Ryan Garcia Scores a First-Round KO over Fernando Vargas defending his Jr. NABF Super Featherweight title

INDIO, CALIF. (March 22, 2018): Rising sensation Ryan "The Flash" Garcia (13-0, 7 KOs) exceeded all expectations in his headlining debut as he scored an explosive first-round knockout win against Tijuana, Mexico's Fernando Vargas (33-16-3, 24 KOs) to defend his Junior NABF Super Featherweight Title in the main event of the March 22 edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN and in front of a sold-out crowd of 1,807 boxing fans at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. After calmly measuring Vargas for most of the first round, the pride of Victorville, Calif. landed a three-punch combination that finished Vargas at 2:55 of the same round. Photo Credit: Tom Hogan - Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions "Vargas is a rugged veteran," said Ryan Garcia. "I thought the fight could go 10 rounds, Read more [...]

WBF Release: Night Of The Lions: Martini vs. Yueksel For WBF International Title

Marco Martini is the main attraction, when local heavyweight-hero turned promoter Werner Kreiskott and his Fight Club Wuppertal presents “Night Of The Lions”, on Saturday April 7 at the already sold-out Unihalle in Wuppertal, Germany. In the evenings headliner, 25-year-old Martini, 14-3 (6), will square off with undefeated Yaser Yueksel, 5-0 (3), born in Turkey but fighting out of Cologne, for the vacant World Boxing Federation International Super Welterweight title. Martini turned professional in 2014, and have not exactly had a smooth path. While he won his first seven bouts, he went through a period in 2016 where he lost three of four fights, and many ambitious boxers might have decided to make a career of something else. But he never gave up, and has since won six straight Read more [...]

Kennerdale, Ovsjannikovs, McConville, Oldfield and McIntyre In Knockout Form In Liverpool – Ringside Report: Gianluca Di Caro – Photographs Courtesy of Chris Tomlinson

Liverpool’s boxing scene has gone from strength to strength the past few years and has grown significantly every season. A large part of this is almost certainly due to the successes of Merseysiders on both the Domestic as well as World Scene, fighters such as Derry Matthews, the Smith Brothers – Paul, Stephen, Liam and Callum, Tony Bellew etc.  and all the championships they’ve held over the years certainly has to be a major factor in the growth of the sport in the City. A clear example of just how much the sport is blossoming in Liverpool is that last weekend there were three shows in the City, one of these, the latest offering from Kyle Gallagher’s Victory Fight Club, a nine bout pro show at the Jubilee Sports Bank, featured no less than eight debutants. Before I get onto Read more [...]

Russian Bantamweight Contender Nikolai Potapov Returns with TKO over Saltykov

Former NABO Champion and #2-rated WBO bantamweight contender Nikolai Potapov returned to action last Saturday night with a TKO 3 over his Russian countryman, Alexander Saltykov.  Fighting at the Floyd Mayweather Boxing Academy in Zhukovka, Russia, Potapov looked sharp while forcing Saltykov to stay on his stool after two rounds of pounding. The 28-year-old Potapov holds a victory over former world title challenger Antonio Nieves and fought to a draw with Stephen Young, who is fighting for WBA Interim title this weekend. "I am excited to get the win and look forward to challenging the best bantamweights in the world," said Potapov, post-fight. "Every experience is a lesson and I keep improving with each fight and training camp. Training in Detroit at the Kronk Boxing Gym with Javan SugarHill Read more [...]

Agbeko tops Blakey; Reyes Thrills in Nashville

Nashville, TN (March 19, 2018) – Rising prospect Sena “African Assassin” Agbeko put another victory in the books following a thoroughly dominant six round unanimous decision victory over veteran Lawrence Blakey Saturday, March 17 at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville.   The Agbeko-Blakey matchup headlined a seven fight card promoted by Tri-Star Boxing. Backed by a large group of fans, Agbeko took his time in the early going against his larger but defensively-minded southpaw foe. After getting into a rhythm, the Nashville transplant took over with a solid jab and crisp straight rights. Agbeko maintained his pace through the final bell while Blakey offered very little offensively.  Scores were 60-54 twice and 59-55. Agbeko is now 21-1 with 18 KO’s. Blakey returns home Read more [...]

2001 Fight of the Year Reunion for final stop of 2018 USA vs. Ireland Northeast Tour

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (March 19, 2018) - Retired pro boxer Emanuel Augustus has confirmed his attendance this week at a USA Boxing-hosted reunion of the 2001 Fight of the Year, associated with the final stop on the 2018 USA vs. Ireland Northeast Boxing Tour festivities in Manchester, New Hampshire. The 2001 Fight of the Year was held July 13, 2001, at Hampton Beach Casino in Hampton, NH., and it is still considered one of the greatest matches ever broadcast on ESPN. "Irish" Micky Ward won an incredibly entertaining, back-and-forth junior welterweight match-up with "boxing cult" hero Emanuel Augustus, by way of a 10-round unanimous decision that was much closer than the judges' scoring indicated (98-90, 96-91, 96-94). "Ward versus Augustus was truly the event of the year in boxing and Read more [...]

Michael Dutchover Dominates in Main Event Debut

PHILADELPHIA, PENN./ORANGE, Calif. (March 19, 2018)--Junior lightweight Michael Dutchover (8-0, 5 KOs) delivered an impressive performance in his main event debut Saturday night from the Doubletree Hotel in Orange, Calif.   Dutchover, 20, thoroughly out boxed and outmaneuvered solid prospect Ricardo Lopez (7-2-2, 6 KOs) to the tune of a one-side, unanimous decision win (scores: 59-55 all around). "I felt like I controlled the entire fight from beginning to end," remarked Dutchover, who is co-promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing. "He tried to come on late in the fight, but it was too late for him. I had already figured him out." Indeed, Dutchover put his stamp on the fight from the outset. The first three rounds consisted of the Texas native firing shots from a variety of Read more [...]

‘Argentinean Lomachenko’ Alberto Melian Wins First Professional Title in Second Pro Fight

This past Saturday, March 17, the "Argentinean Lomachenko," two-time Olympian Alberto "Impacto" Melian, fought for and won his first professional title in only his second professional fight. Fighting at the Club Social y Deportivo Comercio in his hometown of Villa Dolores, Cordoba, Argentina, Melian (2-0, 2 KOs) captured the Argentine Super Bantamweight Championship with an eighth-round TKO over countryman Julian Aristule (32-9, 16 KOs). Fighting on a show entitled "Night of the Olympians," televised live on TyC Sports and VTV Uruguay and presented by Sampson Boxing in partnership with Tello Box and JEB Boxing, Melian was down for the first time in his young career in the first round, but came back to floor Aristule in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds before his corner threw the towel Read more [...]

Danny O’Connor Successfully Defends WBC Title against Steve Claggett

After coming off a of a great KO win, earning the vacant WBC Silver Intercontinental Title against rising Queens prospect and previously undefeated, DANNY GONZALEZ, (then, 14-0 5KO's) at STAR BOXING'S Slugfest at the Sun, at Mohegan Sun Arena, in November, DANNY O'CONNOR (now, 30-3, 11KO's) put his title on the line at the against an extremely tough Canadian in STEVE CLAGGETT (now, 26-5-1, 17 KO's). Claggett came into last nights title bout, just off of a hard fought win against previously unbeaten, and fellow highly touted Canadian prospect, YVES ULYSSE JR. (then, 14-0 9KO's). O'Connor vs. Claggett was seen live on PPV, and was the main event bout of a great night of boxing on St. Patricks day, from the House of Blues Boston. For the opening two rounds, O'Connor and Claggett maintained Read more [...]