Boxing News
British middleweight Sherif Lawal has died after collapsing in the ring during his professional debut on Sunday, fight organisers have said.
Media reports said Lawal, 29, was hit on the temple in the fourth of six scheduled rounds at London’s Harrow leisure centre against Portuguese opponent Malam Varela.
Continue reading...Tyson Fury’s father John was left with blood pouring down his forehead as the buildup to the undisputed world heavyweight clash with Oleksandr Usyk got off to an explosive start in Riyadh.
The rival camps had to be separated by security at the hotel where Monday’s media activity was being held. John Fury was left with a cut from an apparent headbutt and the blood continued to flow despite the 59-year-old’s attempts to wipe it away. He had to be restrained repeatedly while Usyk’s camp chanted “Usyk, Usyk, Usyk”.
Continue reading...The last undisputed world heavyweight champion recalls his battles for the title – and predicts who will win the unifier
Lennox Lewis pauses thoughtfully when he considers whether his achievement in becoming the last undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, after he beat Evander Holyfield in 1999, means he should be bracketed alongside great names of the past from Jack Johnson and Joe Louis to Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali. His answer, when it comes, is emphatic: “Yes, absolutely. I truly believe I belong in the same room as them.”
The 58-year-old Lewis’s reflections on the once glorious but now fractured history of boxing feel fresh just a week away from next Saturday night’s fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. Unless there is a draw in Saudi Arabia, either Fury or Usyk will become boxing’s first undisputed world heavyweight champion this century.
Continue reading...Vasiliy Lomachenko has stopped George Kambosos Jr in the 11th round to win the IBF lightweight title at the RAC Arena in Perth, becoming a four-time world champion across three different weight classes.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine returned from a year-long layoff following a controversial loss to Devin Haney to punish his opponent over 10 rounds before dropping him early in the 11th. Kambosos beat the count but Lomachenko quickly closed it and dropped Kambosos again with a pair of body shots, which prompted his corner to throw in the towel.
Continue reading...Lauren Price claimed the WBA, IBO and Ring Magazine welterweight world titles with a comprehensive victory over Jessica McCaskill in Cardiff.
The fight was called off two seconds into the ninth round, with McCaskill unable to continue because of a swollen eye.
Continue reading...The British welterweight Conor Benn has had a provisional suspension reimposed after successful appeals by UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC).
Ukad had appealed against the independent National Anti-Doping Panel’s decision to clear Benn after he failed two voluntary drug tests in 2022 and was then suspended in March 2023.
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Continue reading...Naoya Inoue bolstered his claim as the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter on Monday when he came off the floor to retain his undisputed junior featherweight championship with a technical knockout of Luis Nery.
A sold-out crowd of around 50,000 spectators at the Tokyo Dome was stunned into silence near the end of the opening round when a heavy left hook dumped Inoue to the canvas for the first time in his 12-year professional career. But a hyper-focused Inoue, the unbeaten Japanese star known as the Monster, returned the favor and then some. He knocked down his Mexican opponent in the second and fifth before closing the show with a devastating right hook in the sixth.
Continue reading...Jason Moloney is in big trouble against Yoshiki Takei in the final undercard bout ahead of the main event. Six rounds into their scheduled 12-round fight and it’s unclear if the Australian has managed to win a single round. Takei, a former K-1 kickboxing champion, appears within touching distance of winning a world title in only his ninth professional fight.
Here’s a look at how Inoue and Nery measure up ahead of tonight’s main event. Both men stand 5ft 5in, while Inoue brings a two-and-a-half-inch reach advantage into the ring. Each came in comfortably below the junior featherweight division limit of 122lbs at yesterday’s official weigh-in.
Continue reading...Round 1
There’s the bell! Munguía plants himself in the center of the ring and looks to establish the jab as Álvarez, who looks a lot smalled in there, circles him. Álvarez lands a right hand. Munguía is throwing jab after jab, then begins throwing punches in combination. The crowd is behind the challenger, chanting Munguía’s name! Álvarez continues walking forward, almost completely disregarding the incoming fire, and landing some thudding body shots when inside. Close round but we’ll shade it to the more effective Canelo over the busier Munguía.
Continue reading...Canelo Álvarez held off a feisty challenger Saturday night, proving to be the stronger and more effective boxer to retain his undisputed super middleweight championship, winning by unanimous decision to hand Jaime Munguía his first loss.
Tim Cheatham scored the fight 117-110, David Sutherland had it 116-111 and Steve Weisfeld 115-112.
Continue reading...The enmity between promoter and his former protege exploded again in a wild week for De La Hoya whose young Mexican charge Jamie Munguia fights for ‘King’ Canelo’s crown on Cinco de Mayo
The whirlwind lurking beneath the surface of Oscar De La Hoya’s life in boxing rose up with fresh force in Las Vegas this week. On Monday morning, while he was talking cheerfully to me from his home in Los Angeles, it had all felt very different as De La Hoya celebrated his promotion of the two biggest fights of the year so far.
Last month’s bizarre yet stunning victory for his fighter Ryan Garcia, against Devin Haney in New York, will be followed on Saturday night in Vegas. Jaime Munguia, who is also promoted by De La Hoya and his company Golden Boy, faces Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, the undisputed world super-middleweight champion and still the biggest name in boxing.
Continue reading...The British-based boxer Cindy Ngamba has been tipped to become the first athlete to win a medal for the International Olympic Committee’s refugee team after qualifying for the Paris Olympics this summer.
Ngamba, 26, was born in Cameroon but moved to England 15 years ago. GB Boxing wanted to pick her for their Olympic squad, but were unable to because she does not have a British passport. Instead Ngamba qualified for the IOC refugee team by winning a tournament in Italy last month and was officially named among the 36 athletes to compete under its banner on Thursday. She is the first refugee athlete to make the Olympics boxing tournament, and the first in any sport to earn a place in the Games by qualification rather than selection.
Continue reading...Ryan Garcia tested positive for the performance-enhancing anabolic agent ostarine on the day before and the day after his surprise win over Devin Haney last month in New York City, according to a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) letter sent to both parties.
ESPN was first to report the news of Garcia’s failed drug tests, which if confirmed would likely result in a suspension and the overturning of the result to a no-contest.
Continue reading...Francis Ngannou has confirmed the death of his 15-month-old son Kobe in a social media post.
The boxer and MMA fighter posted on X: “Too soon to leave but yet he’s gone. My little boy, my mate, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy. Now, he’s laying without life. I shouted his name over and over but he’s not responding.
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