Boxing: Davis stops Garcia to remain unbeaten in marquee bout

Unbeaten Gervonta Davis handed Ryan Garcia the first defeat of his career on Saturday, stopping the Californian with a paralyzing body shot in the seventh round of their marquee fight in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Davis, who has won five world titles in three weight classes, added another highlight reel knockout to his collection as he improved to 29-0 with 27 knockouts.

Garcia was making the running in the second round when Davis drilled him with a left overhand counterpunch to send him to the canvas.

The knockout blow was blindingly fast as Davis took advantage of an advancing Garcia, landing another heavy left to Garcia's ribcage.

After staggering back, Garcia steadied and attempted to square up before dropping to one knee -- unable to rise before referee Thomas Taylor counted to 10.

"It was a good shot," Davis said. "I thought he was going to get up. I was looking at him, trying to tell him 'get up.'

"And he just shook his head."

There was no title on the line, nor any battle for dominance in the 135- or 140-pound classes.

But the fight at a 136-pound catchweight, which headlined a pay-per-view card and drew an enthusiastic, celebrity-studded crowd to the T-Mobile Arena, lived up to the hype generated by the clash of unbeatens.

"I am the face of boxing," said Davis, who had never headlined a pay-per-view card despite earning world titles at super-featherweight, lightweight and super-lightweight.

"I just saw Rihanna perform at the Super Bowl and I was like that was going to be me one day, and here we are," he said.

"It definitely matches the dream. But the job's never done til I retire. So I'm going to keep my head down, stay humble and continue to work."

Garcia, meanwhile, will have to go back to the drawing board after falling to 23-1 with 19 knockouts.

The 24-year-old's hand speed and punching power make him a formidable opponent, and his massive social media presence has made him a mainstream celebrity, but he has yet to earn a top-flight world title.

After a testy build-up to the bout, Garcia was gracious in defeat, calling it "an honor" to be in the ring with Davis.

"He just caught me with a good shot," Garcia said. "I just couldn't recover. Snuck under me and caught me good."

He said he didn't want to elaborate, but when asked agreed he couldn't breathe.

"I was going to get back up, but I just couldn't get up," he said.

Agence France-Presse

Boxing: Estrada edges Gonzalez in super flyweight world title trilogy fight

LOS ANGELES -- Juan Francisco Estrada won a majority decision over Roman Gonzalez Saturday to claim the vacant WBC super flyweight world title in an action-packed third installment of their rivalry.

Mexico's Estrada notched his second straight victory in the trilogy that began 10 years ago, taking advantage of Gonzalez's measured start before the Nicaraguan, nicknamed "Chocolatito," stepped up the pace at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

Estrada got the nod by the barest margin, two judges scoring it in his favor 116-112 and 115-113 while the third saw it a 114-114 draw.

He improved to 44-3 with 28 wins inside the distance, looking much the sharper as he tagged Gonzalez with well-timed punches as the 35-year-old former four-division champion got off to a sluggish start.

In the middle rounds, however, Gonzalez, who fell to 51-4 with 41 knockouts, began to turn up the pressure -- moving forward aggressively and pushing Estrada back.

The ninth saw a string of momentum swings, Gonzalez doing damage to Estrada's body and Estrada firing combinations and landing a left hook that seemed to shake Gonzalez.

Gonzalez went down in the 10th but it was ruled a slip, and he had closed the gap by the start of the 12th.

However, Estrada came through in the final round, shaking off a left hook-right hand combination and landing a combination of his own as he gained the edge.

"I always go from less to more," Estrada said. "Chocolatito can't really do that because he's always going at 100 miles per hour throughout the fight.

"I made sure that I was counter-punching and threw a lot of punches."

Although it was close, it was a more clear-cut victory than Estrada's split-decision triumph in March of 2021.

"It was a nice fight for the public," Gonzalez said. "I did what I could, and that was the result."

With the 2021 win Estrada retained his WBC title and snatched Gonzalez's World Boxing Association belt.

He won on two of the judges' scorecards with one judge giving the fight to Gonzalez after a slugfest that some thought should have gone the Nicaraguan's way.

Their first fight came in 2012, when Gonzalez gained a unanimous decision in a light flyweight world title bout.

Agence France-Presse

Boxing: Mayweather scores KO in front of watching Pacquiao

TOKYO, Japan -- Floyd Mayweather knocked out mixed martial arts fighter Mikuru Asakura in the second round on Sunday in Japan in the latest of the boxing great's post-retirement exhibitions.

The 45-year-old Mayweather floored his opponent with a right hand as his former welterweight foe Manny Pacquiao watched ringside in Saitama.

The American Mayweather, who retired in 2017 with an unbeaten 50-0 record, afterwards dismissed any prospect of a fight with the similarly retired Pacquiao.

Mayweather arrived at Saitama Super Arena, north of Tokyo, just an hour before the fight.

He was shown on TV relaxing in a dressing room full of takeaway fast food, prior to making his ringwalk.

On another easy payday for the self-styled "Money" Mayweather, the bell to end the second round sounded as Asakura hit the canvas, but it failed to save the Japanese fighter and he was unable to beat the count.

"It was another blockbuster turnout... boxing for me is like breathing," Mayweather said, adding he is looking to fight more "YouTubers and MMA guys".

Philippine great Pacquiao is not on his radar.

"I retired for a reason," said Mayweather. "I'm here to have fun and enjoy myself... but I'm not going to take no punishment to the point to where I can barely walk and barely talk.

"People will always pay to get a glimpse of Floyd Mayweather," he said, before asking, "so why would I go out there and... fight a top fighter when I can get the same amount of money for three rounds with whoever?"

Asakura, an MMA star and popular YouTuber in Japan, gave Mayweather more of a workout than the last time the American fought an exhibition in Japan, against kickboxing prodigy Tenshin Nasukawa in December 2018.

"I'm glad he threw a few shots, got the crowd excited. That's what it's about," Mayweather said. 

"I'm proud of him. I'm proud he came out here. He helped me entertain people. He did what he was supposed to do... We both had fun."

Mayweather is reportedly close to agreeing a rematch in 2023 with UFC star Conor McGregor.

Mayweather beat McGregor in his final fight before retirement.

The Mayweather-Asakura bout had no judges, meaning the result would not count on the fighter's record. 

Mayweather predicted last week that the fight would be an "easy payday, easy cheque, easy opponent".

His retirement has not stopped him from raking in millions of dollars from a series of exhibitions.

In his 2018 match with Nasukawa, a kickboxer less than half his age, Mayweather floored him three times in the first round in a two-minute fight that he hinted online had netted him $9 million.

Agence France-Presse

Boxing: Bivol beats 'Canelo' Alvarez to retain WBA light heavyweight title

LAS VEGAS -- Unbeaten Dmitry Bivol retained his WBA light-heavyweight world title with a unanimous points decision over Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on Saturday, handing the Mexican superstar the second defeat of his career.

Russia's Bivol, 31 improved to 20-0 with 11 knockouts while multiweight champion Alvarez, a heavy favorite, fell to 57-2 with two draws. His only other defeat was to Floyd Mayweather at light middleweight in 2013.

Alvarez made boxing history in November when he stopped Caleb Plant to become the first man to unite all four super middleweight world title belts.

He had fought at light-heavyweight before, stopping Sergey Kovalev in the 11th round to win the WBO 175-pound title in November 2019.

But there would be no late heroics against Bivol, who pressured Alvarez relentlessly throughout the bout and never appeared to be hurt seriously by the Mexican, who struggled to get past Bivol's guard.

"He hurt my arm," Bivol said, displaying a bruised upper arm that absorbed a string of punches.

"I felt his power, you can see on my arm. He beat my arm up -- but not my head."

All three judges -- Tim Cheatham, Dave Moretti and Steve Weisfeld -- scored the bout 115-113 for Bivol.

It was a massive disappointment for the pro-Alvarez crowd at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, who were pulling for a Mexican victory on the Cinco de Mayo holiday weekend.

Bivol said their partisan cheers whenever Alvarez seemed to be gaining ground "gave me more energy."

Bivol fought a disciplined fight, keying a steady attack with a piston-like jab that opened the door for powerful combinations.

Alvarez was put on the defensive, and the naturally lighter fighter couldn't find a way to respond.

By the seventh round his face was bruised, his feet looked slow and his punches lacked their usual power.

"He's a very good fighter," Alvarez said. "He comes in, goes out. He managed his distance really well. That's boxing.

"He's a great champion," Alvarez said. "I lost. He won."

Although he had no complaint with the decision, Alvarez said he wanted a rematch.

"Rematch? No problem," Bivol said. "Let's talk about that."

Agence France-Presse

'Stop it, Putin', 'No war please': How sport is reacting to Russian invasion of Ukraine

PARIS, France -- Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sparked widespread reaction in the sports world, with athletes condemning Moscow's actions while calls increase for the country to be isolated from international competition.

AFP Sport looks at the main developments:

FOOTBALL

-- Saint Petersburg stripped as hosts of UEFA's Champions League final set for May 28. The game has been switched to the Stade de France in Paris.

-- Poland and Sweden say they will not play Russia in next month's 2022 World Cup play-offs. Polish captain Robert Lewandowski tweets: "The right decision. I cannot imagine playing a match with the Russian national team in a situation when armed aggression in Ukraine continues."

-- Ukraine team-mates Vitaliy Mykolenko of Everton and Manchester City's Oleksandr Zinchenko embraced before their Premier League game at Goodison Park. 

Zinchenko was in tears as the crowd unveiled banners including one that read "We stand with Ukraine". Manchester United and Watford players stand together with a sign saying "peace" in six languages ahead of their game at Old Trafford.

-- German club Schalke 04 remove Russian gas company Gazprom from its shirts. In place of the sponsor, players carried the team name across their shirts.

-- The roof of Eintracht Frankfurt's stadium was lit in Ukraine's national colours of blue and yellow. Electronic signs at the ground read "Stop it, Putin!". Bayern Munich wore black armbands. The only exception was Munich captain Lewandowski, who wore a yellow and blue armband.

-- Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin was said by head coach Carlo Ancelotti to be "down in the dumps as he is anxious with his mother and friends living in Kyiv". 

"My grandfather experienced World War I, my father lived through World War II, and they told me lots of stories about them," said Ancelotti. "It (war) is a horror, full stop."

FORMULA ONE

-- The Russian Grand Prix, scheduled for September 25, is cancelled, a day after defending world champion Max Verstappen and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel publicly declared their opposition to driving in the race. 

Red Bull driver Verstappen said: "When a country is at war, it's not right to run there." Vettel added: "For myself, my own opinion is I should not go, I will not go. I think it's wrong to race in the country."

-- American Formula One team Haas decided not to sport the Russian colours of its title sponsor Uralkali during the last day of pre-season testing in Barcelona on Friday. Haas, whose cars usually sport the blue, white and red colours of the Russian flag, ran in a plain white livery.

-- Haas have a Russian driver, Nikita Mazepin. Uralkali, a group specializing in potash, has the driver's father, businessman Dmitry, as its non-executive director.

BOXING

-- Boxing's four major sanctioning bodies -- the International Boxing federation, World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organization -- said in a joint statement Saturday they will not sanction bouts in Russia.

"Just as the world claims for cease of fire, our organizations have decided to not sanction any boxing championships in Russia. Just as this war has put a stop of boxing in Ukraine, our organizations will not sanction fights in Russia until further assessment of the situation," their statement said.

TENNIS

-- At the Dubai ATP event, Russia's Andrey Rublev marked his semi-final win over Hubert Hurkacz by signing the camera lens on court with the message, "No war please", clearly stating his feelings about his nation's invasion of Ukraine.

-- A second-tier ATP Challenger event, planned for Moscow from February 28, is scrapped.

-- Ukraine player Dayana Yastremska said she and her family had spent two nights sheltering underground in Odessa. "After spending two nights in the underground parking, my parents made a decision at any cost to send me and my little sister out of Ukraine! Mom,Dad, we love you very much, take care of yourself!!! I love you my country," the former top-25 player wrote.

-- Poland's Iga Swiatek swept aside Anett Kontaveit in the Qatar Open final and dedicated her victory to "the people who are suffering in Ukraine". "I want to show my support to all the people who are suffering in Ukraine," the 20-year-old former French Open champion said. "Seeing those images is really emotional for me. I wouldn't even imagine stuff happening like that in the country next to me."

IOC 

-- The International Olympic Committee, angry at the Russian invasion of Ukraine breaching the 'Olympic Truce', urged all international sports federations to cancel their forthcoming events in Russia.

Agence France-Presse

Boxing: Unbeaten Crawford stops Porter to retain WBO welterweight title

LAS VEGAS -- Unbeaten Terence Crawford made a successful defense of his WBO welterweight title on Saturday, stopping Shawn Porter in the 10th round in Las Vegas.

The 34-year-old Crawford knocked Porter down twice in the 10th before Porter's father and trainer Ken Porter stepped in to call off the fight.

Crawford felled Porter initially with a left uppercut on the button that buckled his knees. 

It was all over 1:21 of the round, when Crawford's overhand right to the side of the head sent Porter to the canvas for a second time, prompting his father to lean over the ropes and ask the referee to halt the contest.

Crawford improved to 38-0 with 29 wins by knockout, while Porter suffered the fourth loss of his career, falling to 31-4-1 with 17 KOs.

The fight was close through the first nine rounds with both fighters suffering cuts over their eyes due to accidental butts.

Crawford moved to 16-0 in world championship fights and extended his streak of winning inside the distance to nine straight bouts.

Crawford is considered one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. 

He was the undisputed champion at super lightweight, held a lightweight belt and is now 6-0 with six knockouts as a welterweight.

Crawford has the lesser of the four major welterweight titles. 

Errol Spence, who was at ringside on Saturday, holds the IBF and WBC belts and Yordenis Ugas is in possession of the WBA title.

Agence France-Presse

Boxing: Usyk ends Joshua's reign as world heavyweight champion

LONDON -- Oleksandr Usyk ended Anthony Joshua's reign as world heavyweight champion in front of the Londoner's home crowd with a stunning unanimous points decision victory on Saturday, scuppering hopes of a 'Battle of Britain' unification bout with fellow world title-holder Tyson Fury.

Joshua ended the 12th and final round of the contest backed up on the ropes, with the cheers of a crowd of more than 66,000 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium no match for the skills of his challenger.

The impressive Ukrainian triumphed 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113 on the scorecards of the three judges in just the former undisputed cruiserweight world champion's third bout as a heavyweight.

His victory, which extended Usyk's perfect record as a professional to 19 wins from as many fights, saw him become just the third boxer after Evander Holyfield of the United States and Britain's David Haye to win both the cruiserweight and heavyweight world titles.

Boxing fans have long looked forward to a clash between Joshua and British compatriot Fury, who defends his World Boxing Council heavyweight title against Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas next month -- the third time the pair have fought each other following a split-decision draw and a win for Fury.

But Joshua had to get past Usyk, the 2012 Olympic heavyweight champion at a London Games where Joshua won the super-heavyweight gold medal.

"This means a lot for me. The fight went the way I expected it to go. There were moments when Anthony pushed me hard but it was nothing special," said Usyk, who now follows brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko in becoming a Ukrainian world heavyweight champion, via a translator.

"I had no objective to knock him out because my corner pushed me not to do that. In the beginning, I tried to hit him hard, but then I stuck to my job."

There is a rematch clause, with Joshua -- who has now won 24 and lost two of his professional bouts -- having previously lost his belts when beaten by Andy Ruiz in New York in June 2019 only to regain the titles in a rematch in Saudi Arabia six months later.

Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, told Sky: "I have spoken to him (Joshua) and it was a tough fight. He is devastated.

"Congratulations to Oleksandr Usyk... He put in a great performance and the better man won.

"(Joshua) never really got going, he will go to hospital now, I don't know if he has broken his eye socket, it doesn't look great."

But Hearn added: "The fighter in AJ is already talking about winning the rematch."

Joshua later tweeted, writing: "Keep positive even if the world's crumbling in front of you! London I love you & thank you each and every time!"

And despite defeat, he was backed to bounce back by Lennox Lewis, a former three-time world heavyweight champion.

- 'Learn from this' -

"Gotta give it up to @usykaa on a great tactical performance tonight. For @anthonyjoshua it's not the end of the road, but u can't be so tentative or wait till the 8th round to turn it on. Learn from this and improve," Lewis tweeted.

At 34, Usyk is three years older than Joshua and he was also giving away three inches in height as well as nearly 20lbs (nine kilogrammes) in weight.

Joshua appeared relaxed during a protracted ring walk that saw him shaking hands with fans.

But Usyk moved well right from the opening bell and the southpaw staggered Joshua with a powerful left-hand punch to the head in the third round.

Usyk's left hand continued to prove potent throughout a contest where a slimmed down Joshua did not appear to gain much resulting benefit in ring speed while at the same time lacking power in his punches.

By the end of the tenth round, there was swelling under Joshua's right eye.

Usyk backed Joshua onto the ropes late on and appeared poised for a knockout when the final bell sounded.

Agence France-Presse

Roundup of Olympic gold medals from Thursday, August 5

TOKYO (AP) — A roundup of gold medals from Thursday, August 5, at the Tokyo Games:

___

BOXING

MEN’S FEATHERWEIGHT

Albert Batyrgaziev of the Russian team won the gold medal in men’s featherweight boxing, beating American Duke Ragan in a meeting of two professional fighters chasing Olympic glory.

Batyrgaziev won the bout 3:2, cruising to victory after winning the first two rounds on three of the five judges’ cards.

Lázaro Álvarez of Cuba and Samuel Takyi of Ghana won bronze medals. Takyi’s medal is the fifth won by Ghana in all sports in its Olympic history, and its first since 1992.

___

CANOE SPRINT

MEN’S KAYAK SINGLE 200

Hungary’s Sandor Totka won the gold medal in the men’s kayak 200-meter, becoming the first non-British paddler to win the event since it started in 2012.

Rizza Manfredi of Italy took silver and defending Olympic champion Liam Heath of Britain won bronze.

Totka beat Heath for the European championship earlier this year and bolted off the start line before claiming victory in a photo finish that saw 0.045 seconds separate gold from silver.

WOMEN’S CANOE SINGLE 200

The United State’s Nevin Harrison won the women’s canoe sprint 200 in the event’s Olympic debut, overtaking Canada’s Laurence Vincent Lapointe at the halfway mark and powering across the finish line.

The Olympics were the first time Harrison and Vincent Lapointe faced each other on the water. Harrison won the world championship in 2019 when she was just 17 and Vincent Lapointe was serving a provisional drug suspension that was later overturned on appeal. The Canadian had won the previous six world titles.

-Associated Press

Tyson wants more fights and he’s tough, says Jones

Mike Tyson plans on fighting more exhibitions after a draw with Roy Jones Jr. on Saturday in his comeback at age 54 and Jones says he’ll be tough to beat.

“I’m happy I’m not knocked out or anything. I’ll be better the next one,” Tyson said after the eight-round exhibition at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

“I could have done everything better. God willing I’ll be better the next exhibition.”

The showdown of former heavyweight champions saw Jones, 51, thinking he won the fight but impressed at the stamina and strength showed by Tyson.

“It surprised me he could go eight rounds,” Jones said. “He could go with anybody. If he connects, you’ll have a problem. He can do anything he wants to do.”

A three-judge panel scored the bout a draw, with no details announced, but Jones didn’t mind that result so much.

“I thought I won the fight, jabbed better and controlled the fight, but I’m cool with a draw,” Jones said. “We both made it out cool and everybody got entertained.”

Tyson hopes to stage more bouts, as many as one every other month to stay in fighting shape, mentioning such possible venues as Monaco or France.

“Anything is possible. The sky is the limit,” Tyson said. “I’m capable of helping a lot of people all over the world.”

Tyson, who hadn’t climbed into the ring for a bout in 15 years, said he doesn’t see his return as an ego effort, having dropped 100 pounds to get himself into fighting shape.

“I don’t think it’s a mid-life crisis with me,” Tyson said. “I think it’s my ego and my ego tells me to do things I’m afraid of doing. I’m very happy I did this. I will do it again.”

Far from the “Iron Mike” of his dominating heavyweight champion days of the late 1980s, Tyson revels more in going the distance rather than aiming for knockouts.

“I was just happy to go the distance with him. That’s real fighting, having the endurance,” Tyson said. “You’re not going to knock everybody out. I used to go for the quick kill. I’m training for distance now.”

“I don’t expect to win. I expect to go eight rounds and entertain the crowd.”

Even with rounds cut to two minutes and bigger than usual gloves in safety moves ordered by state boxing officials, Tyson was able to produce more than enough punching power for Jones, who grabbed Tyson for much of the fight.

“I’m happy to scratch this off my bucket list,” Jones said. “Everything hurt when he made contact and it makes you so fatigued. I think I felt the uppercut the most. My jaw still feels it.”

Tyson says he has modest goals and simple needs these days, having long ago set aside the need for mansions, boats, cars, drugs and a wild lifestyle and now favoring his ability to raise funds for charities such as supporting needy youth.

“The old Mike Tyson no longer exists,” he said. “This is a better cause for me. I’m here for a purpose.

“I never liked who I was. I like who I am now.”

Agence France-Presse

Spence edges Porter, gets 2 belts in split-decision thriller

LOS ANGELES — Errol Spence had never been tested at this degree of difficulty. Shawn Porter pressured, prodded and exposed him during a title bout that stretched every bit of Spence’s vaunted boxing skill.

The budding welterweight superstar emerged with two championship belts after he figured out the answers to this test just in time.

Spence added the WBC welterweight title to his IBF strap with a thrilling split-decision victory over Shawn Porter on Saturday night.

Spence (26-0) persevered through the biggest challenge of his ascendant career from Porter (30-3-1), a veteran brawler who forced Spence into uncomfortable situations in nearly every round. Spence matched Porter’s pace and landed more punches, and the Texan punctuated the win by knocking down Porter in the 11th round with a left hand.

“This is a lifetime dream,” Spence said. “It shows hard work pays off. … Shawn Porter is a rough and awkward fighter. I didn’t get off what I wanted to. He’s a true champion. He made it tough … (but) all my punches have bad intentions.”

Two judges scored it 116-111 for Spence, and a third scored it 115-112 for Porter. The Associated Press scored it 114-113 for Spence.

Porter’s unorthodox, pugnacious style baited the favored Spence into many wild exchanges, starting with a thrilling stretch of the third and fourth rounds. The pace rarely waned for the rest of the bout, with Porter constantly forcing a tough fight.

But Spence knocked down Porter with a spectacular left hand to the head with a minute left in the 11th round. The punch staggered Porter and rolled his eyes back, but he barely touched the canvas and went right back into the fight.

“He’s a strong kid,” Porter said. “We both came in to do the job. I think I had a little more than what he expected, but he handled it. Congratulations to him and his team. We’re proud of what we did.”

The Staples Center crowd of 16,702 in downtown Los Angeles was on its feet throughout the 12th round, roaring for both fighters when they embraced after the final bell.

Spence threw 745 punches to Porter’s 744, a remarkable measure of the fight’s evenness. But Spence landed 221 of those punches — 49 more than Porter. Spence also landed 44% of his power punches to just 25.7% for Porter, whose inaccuracy has been a problem in an otherwise stellar career.


“Porter was throwing a lot,” Spence said. “I wanted to show I was the bigger and stronger welterweight.”

Porter was a double-digit underdog with some oddsmakers despite his stellar record and accomplishments. That’s a measure of the boxing world’s respect for Spence, who has been one of the brightest rising stars in the sport since he turned pro following the 2012 London Olympics.

But Porter appeared to be the toughest opponent of Spence’s career, and it showed. Porter believed he could beat Spence by forcing a brawl on his skillful opponent, taking away Spence’s space to put together combinations and using his awkward style to set up counterpunches.

Porter’s plan mostly succeeded, starting with a dynamite third round in which he absorbed body punches to deliver his own. Both fighters traded huge shots in a ramshackle three minutes of action, and they followed it with an equally exciting fourth in which each fighter rocked the other repeatedly.

Spence was the more accurate fighter throughout the bout, and the judges noticed. None of his punches was bigger than the left hand in the 11th round, underlining his tactical skills with visceral evidence to the fans who loved Porter’s wild aggression.

With his rangy athleticism and virtuosic skill, Spence has captured fans with a series of crisp victories in recent years. Spence won the IBF title in 2017 by stopping Kell Brook in England, and he defended it three times, culminating in a one-sided thrashing of undersized Mikey Garcia in March.

But Porter has been an elite welterweight for the past half-decade, rising to win the IBF title in 2013 before losing it to Brook. He rebounded from a much-hyped loss to Keith Thurman in 2016 with four straight victories, including a decision over Danny Garcia last year to claim the WBC belt.

Josesito López opened the pay-per-view show with an impressive eighth-round stoppage of fellow Southern California veteran welterweight John Molina Jr. López (37-8, 20 KOs) knocked down Molina (30-9) twice in the first round and again in the seventh.

Mario Barrios claimed the WBA 140-pound belt in his first world title shot with a narrow unanimous decision over Uzbek Olympian Batyr Akhmedov. Barrios (25-0), from San Antonio, knocked down Akhmedov (7-1) twice, but the Uzbek slugger largely dominated long stretches of the fight, leading fans to boo the scorecards of 114-112, 115-111 and 116-111 for Barrios.

David Benavidez then won the WBC 168-pound title with a ninth-round stoppage of Anthony Dirrell, who fought the final half of the fight with a ghastly cut on his right eyelid. The 22-year-old Benavidez (22-0), who controlled the bout before and after Dirrell’s cut, reclaimed the belt he won in 2017 and lost last year after testing positive for cocaine.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Punch stats: Pacquiao lands fewer punches than Thurman in tough win

MANILA, Philippines—Manny Pacquiao’s split decision victory over a tough Keith Thurman for the WBA super world welterweight title saw him absorb more punches than he landed.

According to the punch stats released by Compubox, the Filipino boxing champion connected on fewer punches than Thurman, 210-195, but it was still the Pacquiao, showing no signs of slowing down at 40, who was the more effective of the two and landed the harder hits.


Pacquiao knocked Thurman down with a right hook in the first round proving that he still holds power despite using his non-dominant hand.

The Filipino, who came out the busier fighter with 57 thrown per round compared to Thurman’s 48, also delivered a liver blow in the 10th that nearly prompted referee Kenny Bayless to stop the fight.

Thurman, though, backed up all his tough talk heading into the fight and gave Pacquiao all he could handle, making history with his landed power punches.

Compubox said that Thurman’s 192 is the most punches landed of any of Pacquiao’s opponents in the past 43 fights tracked by organization.

Pacquiao, a known power puncher, was able to utilize his jab effectively despite a two-inch reach disadvantage, 67 inches to Thurman’s 69, with an 82-18 advantage.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Manny Pacquiao, Keith Thurman make weight ahead of welterweight clash

LAS VEGAS—Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman made weight Friday ahead of their welterweight world title fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Both Pacquiao and Thurman, the WBA (Super) champion, hit the scales at 146.5 pounds for their showdown on Saturday night.

“It’s my time. This is “One Time” and still champion by tomorrow night,” Thurman said during the official weigh-in. Manny Pacquiao ain’t doing nothing to me baby.”

“It’s gonna be a good fight because I wanna prove something and I’m so focused for this fight,” said the 40-year-old Pacquiao, who is looking to turn back the clock again as he appears in his 71st professional fight.

The weigh-in was open to the public and Filipino fans made sure to make their presence felt, waving the Philippine flag and cheering wildly every time the eight-division champion’s name was mentioned.

The boxing stars such as Errol Spence Jr., Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Danny Garcia and Nonito Donaire Jr. were also in attendance as well as Pacquiao’s family including his wife Jinkee and mom Dionisia.

The undefeated Spence, who is the reigning IBF welterweight champion, and Porter, the current WBC titleholder, are scheduled in a clash of their own on September 28 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

The winner between the two could potentially meet the victor of the Pacquiao-Thurman bout.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Thurman says ready to ‘crucify’ Pacquiao

BEVERLY HILLS, United States – Keith Thurman vowed to retire Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao on Wednesday as the two fighters traded verbal jabs ahead of the World Boxing Association battle for welterweight supremacy.

The undefeated Thurman, 30, takes on Pacquiao in Las Vegas on July 20 in a contest that pits the WBA’s “super world champion” against the body’s secondary “world” champion.

Thurman (29-0, with 22 knockouts) returned from a near two-year layoff to retain his title with a 12-round majority decision over Josesito Lopez on January 26.

Eight-division champion Pacquiao, who last fought in a one-sided demolition of Adrien Broner in January, is 10 years older than his American opponent.

And as the two men came face to face at a press conference in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, Thurman vowed to make the age difference count.

“Pacquiao’s last fight, Pacquiao’s last fight,” Thurman said, while pledging to “dismantle” the 40-year-old Filipino icon.

“I’m destroying the legend of Manny Pacquiao,” Thurman said. “His legacy ends on July 20. He’s had a wonderful career, and been an inspiration. We all love him and respect him. And I’m respectfully going to kick the shit out of him.

“This is a big fight as far as the stage. But it’s a big fight against a little guy. I’ve dismantled veterans in the past, and throughout my career. I would have destroyed him five years ago.

“He’s never fought a fighter like me with the lateral movement, speed, power. He’s never fought anyone this young, strong and hungry and I’m coming for him.

“I know he likes to quote Bible verses so I’ll let you know — he’s getting crucified.”

Pacquiao, who mixes a political career as a senator in the Philippines with professional boxing, laughed off Thurman’s threats of annihilation.

“All I can say is that most of my opponents say things before a fight,” Pacquiao said. “That’s what I hear from them – ‘I’m easy to beat’. But when we get into the ring it changes. We’ll see who’s young in the ring on July 20.

“I don’t like trash-talking before a fight. I’m going to let my fists do the talking.”

Pacquiao plans to split his training camp between the Philippines and Los Angeles, wrapping up his preparations under the watchful eye of long-time trainer Freddie Roach, who is back in his corner.

“Manny Pacquiao is the best fighter in the world to work with,” Roach said Wednesday. “His work ethic is unbelievable. We’ve studied Thurman and come up with a game plan. And we’re going to destroy him.”

Pacquiao meanwhile insisted that his advancing years had not diminished his enthusiasm or energy for boxing.

“At age 40, I feel like I’m 29,” he said. “This is fun. I’m enjoying it. I’m excited to go back to the Philippines and go straight back to the gym.” /cbb

source: sports.inquirer.net

Vasyl Lomachenko stops Crolla in 4th, defends lightweight belts

LOS ANGELES— Vasyl Lomachenko wanted a bigger challenge and a more prominent opponent than Anthony Crolla for this Hollywood showcase.

When he couldn’t get one, the lightweight kingpin took it out on his overmatched foe.


Lomachenko defended his WBA and WBO 135-pound belts with a violent fourth-round stoppage of Britain’s Crolla on Friday night, demonstrating his pound-for-pound excellence with another virtuosic display.

“For me it was very comfortable, because I worked with two hands,” Lomachenko said. “By the second round, I knew it was going to be good for me.”

Lomachenko (13-1, 10 KOs) brutalized the mandatory challenger for his WBA belt throughout their brief fight, and the Ukrainian nearly ended it late in the third round when he knocked Crolla into the ropes.

Lomachenko started to celebrate by leaping on the ropes, but referee Jack Reiss allowed the fight to continue to the bell. Lomachenko shook it off and finished crisply after the break, ending it with a right hand that dropped Crolla face-first onto the canvas with an apparently broken nose.

“I thought it will be very hard for me, because his style is always in defense,” said Lomachenko, still smiling despite a cut near his left eye from a fourth-round head butt. “I always need to find a key for his defense. After the second round, I understand him, and it is what it is.”

Even when Lomachenko can’t get an ideal opponent, he still puts on a show — and the raucous crowd of 10,101 at Staples Center enjoyed it.

While he waits for the promotional stars to align for a big-money showdown with Mikey Garcia, Lomachenko had hoped to take on Richard Commey in a three-belt unification fight in this matchup. Commey’s injured hand forced Lomachenko’s promoters to make this fight with Crolla, rather than surrender his WBA belt.

Lomachenko then showed why it was a bad idea for Crolla (34-7-3), whose toughness wasn’t enough.

Although Crolla retreated and dodged Lomachenko’s attacks from the opening minute onward, Lomachenko picked apart Crolla’s defense with his peerless combination of athleticism and technique, working the body and head with equal aplomb.

Crolla couldn’t escape Lomachenko’s combinations on the ropes late in the third round, but made it to the bell at Reiss’ discretion. Nothing got better in the fourth, and Lomachenko hurt Crolla before finishing him in dramatic fashion.

“I’ve been doing this for well over 50 years, and I’ve never seen anything like that guy,” said Bob Arum, Lomachenko’s Hall of Fame promoter. “He’s almost breathtaking.”

Lomachenko headlined at Staples Center for the first time in his brief professional career. The Ukrainian has developed a significant fan base in the boxing-savvy Los Angeles area, where he lives and trains.

“I feel at home here,” Lomachenko said. “I feel like I’m in Ukraine here.”

Lomachenko’s profile has grown exponentially in recent years as he headlined at Madison Square Garden, in Macau and other Los Angeles-area venues before his step up to Staples. Lomachenko’s next fight is likely to be even bigger, whether as a unification bout or a showdown with one of the other lightweight greats of this era.

“I want Mikey Garcia, (but) I want to unify titles,” Lomachenko said. “That’s my goal. I want historic fights.”

In the co-main event, longtime super middleweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez remained unbeaten when his light heavyweight debut against Tommy Karpency was stopped by Karpency’s corner before the fifth round.

Karpency got in the ring with a black eye, and his nose was damaged early by Ramírez, the rangy puncher who had just one previous stoppage victory since 2014. Ramírez appears determined to make a career at 175 pounds instead of returning to 168, where he has dominated most of his competition for a few years.

LA celebrities in attendance included Don Cheadle, Rosie Perez, director Peter Berg and Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay.

source: sports.inquirer.net

‘Aggressive but careful’ Manny Pacquiao cruises to victory

MANILA, Philippines—There’s no denying that Manny Pacquiao is far from his loose canon self when he was in his 20s and early 30s during his illustrious boxing career.

Pacquiao was a mad typhoon atop the boxing ring during his days as a flyweight throughout lightweight only slowing down, in his own way, when he became a welterweight in 2009.


And part of him slowing down was also being more careful atop the ring, that was what trainer Buboy Fernandez constantly reminded during the fight against Adrien Broner for the WBA World welterweight title on Sunday (Manila time) at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“My trainer Buboy said not to be careless, just take your time, and that’s what I did,” said Pacquiao during his post-fight interview with Showtime’s Jim Gray.

Pacquiao scored an easy unanimous decision win over Broner that saw the Filipino launch an offensive attack in the seventh and ninth rounds comparable to his days when he was still between 112 to 140 lbs.

The aggressiveness, however, came at a price when Pacquiao fought Juan Manuel Marquez for the fourth time in 2012 at welterweight.

Pacquiao cornered Marquez and attempted to launch one final attack before the end of the sixth but the Mexican landed a marvelous right overhand that knocked the Filipino out.

“Although I want to be more aggressive my coach told me not to be careless,” said Pacquiao (61-7-2). “Aggressive, but not careless.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Wave of the future: Women’s boxing headlines HBO’s last show

CARSON, Calif. — Although HBO has decided to put boxing in its past, the network is leaving the sport by showcasing a possible vision of its future.

Cecilia Braekhus was in the first women’s boxing match on HBO, and the dominant Norwegian champion will be in the main event of HBO’s final boxing show Saturday night when she defends her welterweight titles against Aleksandra Magdziak-Lopes.

On the undercard, two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields defends her middleweight belts against Femke Hermans.

Any discussion of the world’s top female fighters must include Braekhus (34-0, 9 KOs) and Shields (7-0, 2 KOs). With women’s boxing on a distinct rise over the past two years, HBO is closing out its 45-year history as a driving force in boxing with a showcase for two fighters atop the sport’s next wave.

“It’s an honor to be in this position right now,” Braekhus said. “It’s truly a validation for the great year it’s been for women’s boxing all over the world, and how strong the future is. We have come a long way in the sport, and I believe there are even more opportunities to come our way.”

Super flyweight Juan Francisco Estrada also fights Victor Mendez in a matchup of childhood acquaintances from Sonora, Mexico, but this show is being carried by women — including Australian atomweight champ Louisa Hawton, who fights Lorraine Villalobos on the undercard at the famed outdoor arena at StubHub Center south of downtown Los Angeles.

Several champions of women’s combat sports also will be watching at ringside, including former superstar Laila Ali, UFC featherweight champ Cris “Cyborg” Justino and current boxing champs Christina Hammer and Jenna Mrdjenovich.

The mere idea of an HBO boxing show dominated by women’s champions would have been improbable just two years ago. Of course, so would the idea of a boxing world without HBO, a dominant financial force behind many of the world’s biggest bouts for nearly a half-century.

After Shields’ dominant run to a second straight gold medal at the Rio Olympics, U.S. boxing purveyors finally began to grasp the fact that women’s boxing was a fertile area for growth if they were willing to invest time and money. So Shields turned pro and became a rising personality in the sport, while the 37-year-old Braekhus teamed up with promoter Tom Loeffler to raise her international profile after fighting in relative obscurity in northern Europe for a decade.

While Shields would love to fight Braekhus someday, she also respects the veteran ex-kickboxer.

“I’m happy to appear on this card with her and proud that she is in the main event,” Shields said. “It truly gives me something to strive for, to someday headline a big show like this. Cecilia has worked very hard for many years and has deserved everything she’s gotten.”

Braekhus and Shields are favored in their bouts, but both are hoping to put on a show worthy of this milestone in the sport’s evolution.

The event should be bittersweet for many boxing fans accustomed to HBO’s presence in the sport. Longtime HBO commentator Jim Lampley will sign off from the network for which he has worked since 1988 along with Max Kellerman and Roy Jones Jr.

HBO elected to get out of the sport after being unable or unwilling to compete with a wave of interest in televised boxing. While Showtime has retained its prominence in the sport, ESPN has dramatically increased its boxing content in recent months, and new streaming service DAZN is aggressively pursuing promoters and fighters, including former HBO star Canelo Alvarez.

But for one last night, HBO will showcase rising talent on its distinct platform.

“This has been a great year for women’s boxing,” said Hermans, Shields’ Belgian challenger. “The future is very bright.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

UFC star Cody Garbrandt wants to fight Manny Pacquiao

Mixed martial arts star Cody Garbrandt doesn’t mind seeing MMA and boxing crossover fights.

In fact, Garbrandt wants to figure in such, saying he’s willing to fight Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao.

“I would love that fight. Yeah, I would love that,” Garbrandt told TMZ Sports.

The former UFC bantamweight champion won his first 11 fights but has lost his last two bouts both against TJ Dillashaw.

Pacquiao, who turns 40 in December, on the other hand, showed he still has it after scoring a TKO win over Lucas Matthysse of Argentina in July, his first stoppage since 2009.

Garbrandt also thinks a potential crossover fight between UFC lightweight titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov and former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. would be a “great fight” with both fighters staking their undefeated records in the boxing ring.

Last year, Mayweather came out of retirement to stop MMA superstar Conor McGregor in the 10th round.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Ramirez shows off improved jab to retain WBC title

Unbeaten Jose Ramirez kept his World Boxing Council junior welterweight title on Friday with a unanimous decision win over Mexican challenger Antonio Orozco.

The 26-year-old former American Olympian knocked down Orozco twice in the first defence of his title in front of his home crowd at the Save Mart Center arena in Fresno, California.


Ramirez showed off his improved jab, throwing over 1,000 punches as both fighters kept busy from the opening round to the final bell. All three judges scored it 119-107.

Ramirez improved to 23-0 with 16 knockouts as he decided to fight Orozco after his planned fight in July against Danny O’Connor fell through. O’Connor collapsed at the weigh-in after struggling to make weight.

Orozco suffered the first loss of his career in his 28th fight. He came back from two knockdowns and didn’t win hardly any rounds against Ramirez, but he showed that he can take a punch and keep on ticking.

There was no feel out round in the first as both boxers came out swinging in the centre of the ring in front of the crowd of 14,000.

Orozco displayed little defence in the first few rounds, allowing Ramirez to tee off on him with straight jabs and left hooks.

In the fourth, Ramirez knocked Orozco down with a right hand to the head. The two were exchanging blows in middle of ring when Ramirez beat him to the punch and the Mexican hit the canvas with 67 seconds left.

Orozco went down again with 1:13 remaining in the eighth round when Ramirez landed a hard left hook to the body.

“He is a true warrior,” Ramirez said of Orozco. “He could have stayed down but he decided to get up.

“The body shot, I was surprised. It was more of a flash knockdown.”


Ramirez won the title Terence Crawford vacated last year by scoring an impressive unanimous decision victory over Amir Imam in New York at Madison Square Garden.

He recently parted ways with trainer Freddie Roach and switched to Robert Garcia. Ramirez believed he was not getting enough attention from Roach and Garcia promised to make him a priority in his stable of fighters.

“Robert realized the power of my jab,” he said.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Resurgent Pacquiao wants second crack at Mayweather

Manny Pacquiao has called on Floyd Mayweather to come out of retirement for a rematch, saying “let’s do a second one” after powering to his first KO win in nine years.

The fighting Philippines senator known as “Pac-Man” took on the dangerous Argentine WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday knowing a defeat could have lowered the curtain on one of the greatest careers in boxing history.

Instead, he opened a glorious new act in a 23-year story that has seen him become the only man to move up through eight weight divisions and win world titles in all of them.


Despite racing towards his 40th birthday, Pacquiao looks like he is back to being the devastatingly quick and ruthless power-puncher who earned the sobriquet of world’s “best pound-for-pound fighter” between 2000 and 2010.

In 2015 Pacquiao, with a win-loss-draw record of 60-7-2, lost a unanimous points decision to the unbeaten Mayweather (50-0) in one of the richest fights in boxing history, but then needed surgery on a damaged shoulder that he claimed had restricted his movement and punching power.

After rolling back the years to pummel Matthysse into seventh-round submission, the Filipino legend is already considering the options for his next fight, which could take place as early as November or December.

“Mayweather? If he decides to go back to boxing then that is the time we are going to call the shots,” an effervescent Pacquiao told reporters at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur after his stunning win.

“I have the belt, so it’s up to him. If he wants to come back in boxing let’s do a second one,” he grinned.

‘Addicted to boxing’

Pacquiao also highlighted British former light welterweight world champion Amir Khan as a potential opponent.

“My next fight, I want to defend my belt,” Pacquiao said.


He also said he would carry on fighting past his 40th birthday in December, despite the demands of juggling life in the ring with a political career outside it.

“If boxing is not my passion, I would not fight again,” Pacquiao said.

“It’s like I’m addicted to boxing and I really love to fight and bring honor to my country.”

Three-weight world champion Terence Crawford is another possible money-spinning bout, as is a rematch with Jeff Horn, who wrested the WBO belt from Pacquiao in an ugly contest in Brisbane a year ago.

Veteran promoter Bob Arum has also talked up a superfight with his Top Rank stable’s three-belt lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko, but that would necessitate Pacquaio dropping back down from 147 to 140 or 135 pounds, weight divisions he has not fought at for 10 years.

But for now, the man who one day may run for president in the Philippines — where he is worshipped — will return to his day job in the Senate’s legislative department where his inbox has been filling up while he was away in training camp.

“There’s going to be a lot of work in the office,” he said with a grin.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Matthysse on KO defeat to Pacquiao: It was my turn to lose

Gracious in defeat, Lucas Matthysse acknowledged that his fight against Manny Pacquiao was his to lose.

“Sometimes you win some, sometimes you lose some, it was my turn to lose,” said Matthysse through a translator after he lost the WBA World welterweight title Sunday at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Matthysse (39-5) lost via technical knockout after referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight 2:43 into the seventh round.


Pacquiao connected with a left uppercut that sent Matthysse to the canvas for the third time.

Matthysse, though, did not harbor any ill will after the fight and praised Pacquiao for his 60th win.

“He’s a great fighter and a great legend,” said Matthysse who dropped to 1-3 in World title fights. “I lost to a great fighter and a great legend.”

Matthysse first dropped to his back side midway through the third round after taking a couple of head shots from Pacquiao.

And in an unbelievable turn, he took to one knee five seconds left in the fifth round after absorbing a right cross to the temple.

“I lost, but I walk away with my head raised. I’m sorry to Argentina, but I’m fine. Thank you for all the love and support, and we’ll be seeing all my family and friends soon.”

source: sports.inquirer.net