Boxing News

For those who have witnessed the rise of Oakland's super middleweight Andre Ward, 19-0 (12), from Olympic Gold Medallist to world class contender, it is easy to envision greatness and the possibility of world titles.

By gradually stepping up his level of competition with each bout, Ward has managed to build both a solid reputation and fan base.

In a division as stacked as the super middleweights, Ward has managed to garner enough acclaim from ringside observers to become the youngest of the top ten fighters at 168.

However, in order to continue this rise, he must once again take the next step up the ladder.

After his most recent bout, a defeat of the rugged Edison Miranda, Ward found himself in the middle of the unprecedented Six Six tournament that will solidify the true ruler of the division.

In his first bout of the tournament, Ward will face off against the hard punching WBA champion Mikkel Kessler, by far his toughest opponent to date. More...

Denmark's favorite son laces up the gloves tonight as Mikkel Kessler defends his WBA super middle crown against unheralded challenger Gusmyr Perdomo at The Messecenter in Herning, Denmark.

The highly accurate "Viking Warrior" regained the WBA bauble in 2008 following his only career loss to the "Welsh Wizard", Joe Calzaghe in 2007, and made a successful defense against Danilo Haussler last October.

Continuing the line of lesser opposition since the Calzaghe loss, Kessler, 41-1- (31), faces Venezuelan southpaw Perdomo, 16-2 (10), tonight. More...

The hottest ticket in San Juan tonight will be a seat at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot as WBO light fly ruler Ivan Calderon and WBO super feather supremo Roman Martinez put their crowns at risk.

Calderon, 32-0-1 (6), hasn't had a non-title bout in over five years after defending the WBO minimumweight trophy 11 times and his current WBO light fly belt on four occasions.

The 34 year old southpaw rematches big punching Filipino Rodel Mayo, 25-3-1 (19), a former OPBF minimumweight titlist who engaged in a six round TD with Calderon in Madison Square Garden in June when the Puerto Rican hero was cut too badly to continue. More...

Two good fight cards tonight south of the border and we kick off this look with a big show at El Palenque de la Feria in Tepic.

Headlining is WBO minimumweight champ Donnie Nietes, 24-1-3 (14), who puts his belt at risk for the third time by facing Manuel Vargas, 26-3-1 (11).

Light middle prospect Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, 39-0-1 (29), is back in action, facing Jason LeHoullier, 28-1-1 (8), for the WBO Latino strap.

Bantamweight Z Gorres, 29-2-2 (16), tangles with ex-WBO bantam king Cruz Carbajal, 29-16-2 (25), while longtime former WBO super flyweight champ Fernando Montiel, 39-2-1 (29), meets Alejandro Valdez, 21-3-2 (15), at bantam with both contests scheduled to go ten rounds. More...

The Colosseum in Watford, England sees two good bouts this evening as Commonwealth welter king John O'Donnell defends against dangerous Tom Glover and welters Peter McDonagh and Lee Purdy rematch for the vacant Southern Area crown.

Glover and O'Donnell have had careers that contrast sharply, with O'Donnell spending four and a half years under heavy protection while Glover earned his stripes the hard way.

Aside from the mis-step of putting O'Donnell, 21-1 (9), in with heavy-handed Mexican light middle journeyman Christian Solano two years ago, the strategy paid off as the lanky southpaw posted a split decision over Craig Watson in April to take the Commonwealth strap.

Glover, 9-5-3 (0), learned on the job, losing to the likes of more experienced foes Nadeem Siddique, Gareth Couch and Tristan Davies. More...

At Gerry Weber Stadium in Halle, Germany tonight, popular cruiserweight Marco Huck gets another crack at a world title as he challenges reigning WBO champ Victor Emilio Ramirez.

25 year old Ramirez, 15-1 (12), earned his nickname "El Tyson del Abasto" while coming up through the ranks in his native Argentina but the Buenos Aires slugger didn't hit the big time until his most recent bout.

Ramirez posted a split decision over hardened Ukrainian Ali Ismailov at Buenos Aires' famed Luna Park Stadium in May to annex the WBO cruiserweight title.

For his first defense, Ramirez has to face Huck, 25-1 (20), in the European champ's adopted home country, which should be a stern trial by fire. More...

One of boxing's top super bantams, Celestino Caballero, sees action tonight at The Arena in Mexicali, Mexico, facing local man Francisco Leal.

WBA and IBF champion Caballero, 32-2 (22), rides a five year win streak into Mexicali but is coming off a narrow split decision victory over motivated South African challenger Jeffrey Mathebula in April.

The bout tonight against Leal. 14-4-2 (9), who has never been anywhere near world class competition, is likely a tuneup bout for Caballero before the Panamanian heads off for more high profile matchups once again.

On the undercard is a WBC Female super flyweight title bout between champion Ana Maria Torres, 18-3-2 (11), and challenger Ava Knight, 5-0-2 (2).

Also featured is a featherweight bout between Carlos Yanez, 17-2 (14), and Gilberto Sanchez Leon, 19-6-2 (7).

Big show tonight at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, FL with two IBF belts up for grabs.

Colombian hard man Juan Urango, 21-2-1 (16), makes the first defense of his second reign as IBF light welter ruler when he takes on big punching veteran Randall Bailey, 39-6 (35).

It's hard to believe that Bailey is only 34 as he's been around a long, long time and this will be his fourth attempt to gain back a world title after losing the WBO 140 pound strap to Ener Julio in 2000.

Bailey is going in there to do one thing and one thing only, KO the opponent, but he'll be hard pressed to produce that result against probably the strongest light welter in the world, Juan Urango.

Urango is coming off a points loss to WBC welter titlist Andre Berto after testing the 147 pound waters in May and "Iron Twin" will have to make sure he gets to Bailey first if he wants to walk out of the Hard Rock still a world champ. More...

© Tom Hogan - Hoganphotos / Golden Boy Promotions

Headlining a big show tonight at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX is former lightweight champion Juan Diaz's move up to light welter to face Paulie Malignaggi in a 12 rounder.

Diaz, 34-2 (17), barely broke the lightweight limit during the weigh-in yesterday and former IBF 140 pound titlist Malignaggi, 26-2 (5), hit the scales at his lightest weight since 2002.

Both fighters have only two losses and both came against top competition; Miguel Cotto and Ricky Hatton for Malignaggi and Juan Manuel Marquez and Nate Campbell for Diaz. More...

WBO super middle champ Karoly Balzsay makes the second defense of his title when he faces off against Robert Stieglitz at the Syma Sport Centre in Budapest, Hungary.

Hamburg based Hungarian Balzsay, 21-0 (15), won the WBO belt with a surprising unanimous decision over favored opponent Denis Inkin in January and KO'd aging but still dangerous ex-WBA middleweight champ Maselino Masoe in April.

German based Russian Stieglitz, 35-2 (21), was stopped in a rematch against Alejandro Berrio in 2007 for the vacant IBF super middle crown and suffered the same fate against Librado Andrade in an eliminator for the same title a year later.

Tonight in Budapest, southpaw Balzsay is the definite favorite to keep his WBO strap and the advantage of an adoring home crowd won't hurt either but Stieglitz has nothing to lose as this bout represents what is likely to be his last crack at a world title.

Balzsay should box his way to a unanimous decision but Stieglitz could upset the applecart if the champion suffers any defensive lapses.

© Tom Casino

It's the battle for Florida bragging rights tonight at the Gulf Coast Arena in Biloxi, MS as former world champions Roy Jones Jr and Jeff Lacy tangle for the NABO light heavyweight crown.

Neither one of these combatants are anywhere near their prime but it could be interesting as Jones, 53-5 (39), seeks to keep his career alive a full six years after his last masterful performance and Lacy, 25-2 (17), looks to regain his edge that was blunted forcefully by Joe Calzaghe in 2006.

40 year old Jones is coming off a stoppage win against Omar Sheika in March while Lacy, 32, managed a majority decision over Otis Griffin in April but Jones will likely have the advantage tonight in Biloxi. More...

IBF light fly kingpin Nonito Donaire heads up to super flyweight tonight at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, NV, contending for the Interim WBA crown against Panama's Rafael Concepcion.

Donaire, 21-1 (14), is coming off three title defenses of the IBF strap he won by expertly dismantling Aussie bomber Vic Darchinyan two years ago and the Filipino stylist should be able to handle the challenge of Concepcion with equal dexterity.

Concepcion, 13-3 (8), won the Interim WBA super fly title by gunning down previously undefeated AJ Banal a year ago but was stopped in the ninth in his next bout during a slugfest with Mexico's Jorge Arce, losing the interim belt in the process.

The Panama City man regained his footing with an eight rounds points verdict over aging ex-WBO minimumweight boss Kermin Guardia in February but will have to pull off a career best performance if he is to overcome the higher skilled Donaire.

The chief support bout features WBO feather champ Steven Luevano, 36-1-1 (15), meeting the challenge of WBC International beltholder Bernabe Concepcion, 29-1-1 (16), in what should be a good contest.

The WBA light heavyweight strap is at stake tonight at Daulet Sports Complex in Astana, Kazakhstan as heavily-hyped local prospect Beibut Shumenov attempts to unseat newly minted champion Gabriel Campillo.

Spanish southpaw Campillo, 18-2 (6), came into prominence in June by moving up from super middle and toppling WBA titlist Hugo Hernan Garay in his native Argentina.

Campillo had previously held the European Union 168 pound crown after losing a majority decision to Karo Murat for the full European crown a year ago.

Shumenov, 8-0 (6), couldn't ask for a better shot at winning a world title but still, the Las Vegas resident will be taking a step up in competition from what he has faced so far during his less than two year old professional career.

The 25 year old former Kazakh amateur star has seen off name opponents during his last three bouts but former light heavy champ Montell Griffin and ex-super middle champ Byron Mitchell were far and away past their best.

Campillo probably doesn't have enough of a punch to bother his aggressive rival so he will have to outbox the local hero, drawing on his greater experience and southpaw stance to take away the confidence of Shumenov.

Ex-WBO super feather champion Jorge Rodrigo Barrios makes the move up to lightweight tonight when he faces Moises Castro for the Interim WBO crown at Polideportivo Carlos Cerutti in Cordoba, Argentina.

Barrios, 47-4-1 (34), fought everyone at super feather and now wants the world's hardest puncher at any weight, WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero, but first, "La Hiena" has to take care of Panamanian foe Castro, 27-11-4 (13).

The Tigre based Argentine hero has only lost in hard fought affairs to Acelino Freitas, Joan Guzman and Rocky Juarez over the last 12 years and the 33 year old has definitely traded in much more experienced company than has Castro.

11 year pro Castro started at super flyweight and came up the hard way in Managua, battling it out up through successive divisions in relative obscurity but the tall southpaw is coming off a good performance during a 10 round loss to former WBA lightweight champ Jose Alfaro and "La Cobrita" could definitely make things difficult for Barrios or even cause an upset.

The undercard sees lightweight Israel Hector Enrique Perez, 22-2 (13), square off with Alberto Leopoldo Santillan, 15-2 (4), over ten rounds. More...

© Tom Casino / Showtime Boxing

The big fight this weekend sees Nate Campbell stepping up to light welter tonight for a crack at Timothy Bradley's WBO belt at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, CA.

At 37 years of age, Campbell, 33-5-1 (25), has had a long and winding career with many ups and many downs. He comes into this bout after having won the two biggest fights of his career, a thrilling split decision over Juan Diaz for the IBF, WBO and WBA lightweight belts in March, 2008 and a hard fought majority decision against big punching Ali Funeka in February for what was to have been a lightweight title fight except Campbell couldn't make weight.

Having outgrown the 135 pound division, Campbell will try his hand at light welter and challenge Bradley, 24-0 (11), who won the WBC title in May, 2008, defended it against Edner Cherry before taking Kendall Holt's WBO strap by decision in April. More...

Tonight at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT, it's a battle of the nearly men as Isaac Hlatshwayo and Delvin Rodriguez rematch for the vacant IBF welterweight title.

The two clashed last November in Hlatshwayo's homeland of South Africa in a draw and now things move to Connecticut resident Rodriguez's territory.

Both fighters have good records and have impressive achievements on their resume with Hlatshwayo having been in the bigger fights to date but of course that won't mean anything once the bell rings for this anticipated return bout.

Hlatshwayo, 28-1-1 (10), won the South African lightweight title in 2002 and made five successful defenses before winning the IBO belt in 2005 with a points verdict over future IBF champ Cassius Baloyi.

The biggest win of Hlatshwayo's career came one fight later when he won a split decision in America against future unified champion Nate Campbell in an IBO defense.

In 2006, Hlatshwayo stepped up to light welter but was canvassed three times enroute to losing on points to future world champ Kendall Holt for the NABO crown before going up another weight division to win the IBO welter trophy against Joseph Makaringe. More...

For every young fighter trying to make their ascension up the rankings ladder, there is a crafty and hard hitting veteran looking to make their name by knocking him down.

This is exactly the stage that is set for the lightweight bout tonight at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA, as the highly touted Mexican prospect Marvin Quintero, 16-1 (12), attempts to take a step up that rankings ladder against the heavy handed Tyrone Harris, 23-5 (12).

Many in the boxing community have been drawing comparisons between Quintero and future Hall of Famer Marco Antonio Barrera.

While that may be a bit premature, his most recent victories over Wes Ferguson, 20-4-1 (6), and Nick Casal, 19-4 (15), have shown that Quintero is maturing as a fighter and utilizing both his power and boxing abilities in the same manner that his fellow countryman did in the early stages of his career.

Quintero is riding high off of twelve straight victories since his lone defeat; however his opponent will be far and away the toughest test to date.

Although Harris was stopped in his last bout, his resume reads like a who’s who of some of division's top fighters. With bouts against names like Urbano Antillon, 26-1 (19), Damian Fuller, 30-6 (14), Koba Gogoladze, 20-3 (8), and former world titlist Stevie Johnston, 42-6 (18), Harris is far and away the more experienced fighter. More...

Huge boxing gala tonight at the Grand Mayan in Nuevo Vallarta with the WBA light flyweight and Interim WBA lightweight titles on offer.

California's big punching Giovanni Segura, 20-1-1 (16), won the Interim WBA light fly belt in March by stopping Cesar Canchilla in a rematch and will meet Filipino campaigner and three-time world title challenger Juanito Rubillar, 46-12-7 (22), for the full WBA crown.

Another California, undefeated Urbano Antillion, 26-0 (19), is in action as he gets to grips with Venezuela's Miguel Acosta, 25-3-2 (19), for the Interim WBA lightweight trophy.

Former WBC heavyweight champion Sam Peter, 30-3 (23), comes back from two straight losses to take on 38 year old journeyman Marcus McGee, 22-16 (11), in an eight rounder.

The biggest show to hit Namibia in years takes place tonight at the Country Club Resort in Windoek as WBA Lightweight Champ Paulus Moses makes the first defense of the belt he won in January.

The last two bouts of Moses, 24-0 (17), took place in Japan and the theme continues in his hometown tonight as the 31 year old "Hitman" faces Tokyo's Takehiro Shimada, 23-4-1 (16).

At 37, former Japanese lightweight titlist Shimada has had a long career but showed recently he still has the goods by lasting seven rounds with absolutely murderous punching Edwin Valero for the WBA super feather belt a year ago, following that up with a stoppage of Panama's Ameth Diaz in March.

Shimada could have difficulty coping with the younger and faster Moses however and will likely have to pull off a career best performance to unseat the 31 year old rival, who will enjoy a packed hometown venue.

Chief support for the bill is provided by a clash for the WBA Pan African welterweight title between the champ, local man Bethuel Ushona, 17-0 (6), and the very experienced South African, Welcome Ntshingila, 16-8-3 (5), who formerly held the belt.

Amir Khan hopes to put the smile back on boxing's face after a sad week when he challenges Ukrainian Andriy Kotelnik for his WBA Light Welterweight championship belt tonight at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England.

For Kotelnik, this is the third defence of the title he won from Welshman Gavin Rees in March of last year. After a disputed draw against Souleymane M'baye in 2007, he has become champion at the second time of asking.

The champion is well known to British fans not only for the fights just mentioned, but also losing a closely contested European title contest against Junior Witter on points back in 2005.

For Khan, this is not only a step up in weight but also a step up in class. After a career best performance against Marco Antonio Barrera in March, Khan attempts to win the first of what he hopes will be many world championship belts.

Last time out, many boxing fans feared for Khan, feeling he had stepped up in class too soon after the one round disaster against Breidis Prescott. These demons were exorcised in a masterful five round display before winning on cuts. More...