By Chris Robinson
On Wednesday afternoon in Miami, FL, Teofimo Lopez, Robeisy Ramirez, and Nico Ali Walsh hosted a public workout ahead of their upcoming showdowns this Saturday, June 29, at the James L. Knight Center.
Lopez (20-1, 13 KOs) will defend his WBO junior welterweight world title against Canadian contender Steve Claggett (38-7-2, 26 KOs) in the main event.
Tyson Fury in Las Vegas (Photo: Mikey Williams – Top Rank)
By Chris Robinson
WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury returns to the ring this weekend in Las Vegas, where he will settle a long-running rivalry with former champion Deontay Wilder.
Fury (31-0-1, 21 KO’s) will meet Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KO’s) inside of the T-Mobile Arena in a joint ESPN/FOX pay per view venture that will surely shake up the division once again. The two men fought to a hotly-contested split-draw in December of 2018 in Los Angeles, as Wilder scored two knockdowns but appeared to be outboxed much of the fight. The rematch saw Fury score two knockdowns and register a commanding seventh-round TKO victory.
Continue reading
Naoya Inoue and Jason Maloney face off (Photo: Mikey Williams – Top Rank)
By Chris Robinson
On Saturday night in Las Vegas, Naoya “Monster” Inoue, the three-weight world champion from Japan, will defend his IBF and WBA bantamweight world titles against Australia’s Jason Moloney. The fight will air on ESPN+, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.
This will be Inoue’s first bout since his 2019 Fight of the Year victory last November against Nonito Donaire.
Continue reading
Teofimo Lopez was in rare form on Saturday night (Photo: Mikey Williams / Top Rank)
By Chris Robinson
Teofimo Lopez upset Vasiliy Lomachenko by unanimous decision in a career-defining and star-making performance Saturday evening from the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, NV.
Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) won by margins of 119-109, 118-110 and 116-112 after 12 rounds of calculated action. And with the commanding victory, the 23-year old now holds the IBF/WBA/WBO titles at 135 pounds.
Continue reading
Tyson Fury following his dominant victory over Deontay Wilder (Photo: Mikey Williams – Top Rank)
By Chris Robinson
On Saturday night, February 22, Tyson Fury came through with perhaps his most brilliant performance to date in halting former champion Deontay Wilder in seven rounds.
The fight took place on a joint FOX/ESPN pay per view from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV, and was a rematch of Fury and Wilder’s first fight from December of 2918. In that contest, Wilder dropped Fury twice, as the two men fought to a split-draw.
Continue reading
Jesse Hart and Joe Smith (Photo: Mikey Williams – Top Rank)
By Chris Robinson
On Thursday afternoon, former title challengers Jesse Hart and Joe Smith Jr. faced off two days before their highly anticipated, 10-round light heavyweight showdown. Hart (26-2, 21 KO’s) and Smith (24-3, 20 KO’s) will meet inside of the Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena in Atlantic City, with the fight to be carried by ESPN.
One of the subplots heading into the contest will be Hart seeking revenge, as Smith scored a stoppage victory over the Philadelphia fighter’s mentor, former two-division world champion Bernard Hopkins in December 2016.
Continue reading
Oscar Valdez overcame adversity on his way to defeating Adam Lopez on Saturday night (Photo; Mikey Williams – Top Rank)
By Chris Robinson
On Saturday night, Nov. 30, former WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez rose in weight for a much harder-than-expected duel with once-beaten prospect Adam Lopez. The fight was aired on the ESPN + app, from the Chelsea inside of the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, with Valdez rising in weight for his first official fight in the junior lightweight division.
Valdez (27-0, 21 KO’s) was originally scheduled to face off with Andres Gutierrez, but the fight fell through after Gutierrez weighed in at 141 pounds on Friday, 11 pounds over the contracted super featherweight limit of 130 pounds where the fight was to take place. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum was livid, kicking Gutierrez and his team out of the hotel even, as they looked for a replacement.
Continue reading
Teofimo Lopez scored another victory on Friday (Photo: Mikey Williams – Top Rank)
By Chris Robinson
On Friday night, July 19, unbeaten lightweight contender Teofimo Lopez earned a possible title shot by defeating the very tough Masayoshi Nakatani over 12 rounds. The action took place on ESPN + from The Theater at the MGM National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, MD, with Lopez emerging victorious despite a very game foe in his face.
Lopez (14-0, 11 KO’s) had been on a big knockout streak as of late, raising eyebrows along the way, but he was forced to go past the seventh round for the first time in his career.
Continue reading
Tyson Fury was too much for Thomas Schwarz on Saturday night (Photo: Mikey Williams – Top Rank)
By Chris Robinson
On Saturday night, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV, the man who calls himself the “lineal” heavyweight champion of the world, Tyson Fury, easily dispatched of previously-undefeated Thomas Schwarz in the second round.
Fury (28-0-1, 20 KO’s) was a different class from Schwarz (24-1, 16 KO’s) and he proved this early on by dominating the action and staying elusive. A sharp counter shot from Fury put a bloody Schwarz down in round two and the end was near. Fury unloaded a series of punches moments later and the fight was halted.
Continue reading
Teofimo Lopez returns July 19 (Photo: Mikey Williams – Top Rank)
Press Release
Teofimo Lopez is one win away from a shot at fulfilling his world title destiny. Standing in his way is fellow unbeaten Masayoshi Nakatani, who is intent on spoiling his plans.
Lopez and Nakatani will lock horns in a 12-round IBF lightweight world title eliminator Friday, July 19 at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. The Lopez-Nakatani winner will be the mandatory challenger for the victor of the June 28 ESPN-televised bout between IBF champion Richard Commey and Ray Beltran.
Continue reading
Masayuki Ito faces Jamel Herring later tonight (Photo: Mikey Williams – Top Rank)
By Chris Robinson
Later tonight, from the Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida, WBO junior lightweight champion Masayuki Ito will defend his title vs. twice-beaten contender Jamel Herring. The Ito vs. Herring fight is an interesting matchup in style and the winner will have a plethora of options moving forward against possibly the likes of lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko, WBC junior lightweight champion Miguel Berchelt, and others.
On Friday afternoon, Ito (25-1-1, 13 KO’s) weighed 129.4 lbs. compared to Herring (19-2, 10 KO’s), who hit the scale at 129.6 lbs. Each man appears to have put themselves through a rigorous training camp to be in such pristine shape. Everything will go down tomorrow night on ESPN.
Continue reading
Terence Crawford defeated Amir Khan on Saturday night (Photo: Mikey Williams – Top Rank)
By Chris Robinson
On Saturday night, April 20, WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford successfully defended his title for a second time with a sixth round TKO over former champion Amir Khan. The fight, which took place on ESPN pay per view from Madison Square Garden in New York, may not have ended how Crawford wanted or expected, but his perfect record and lofty goals are still intact.
Crawford dropped Khan in the first round and had a commanding lead midway through. In frame six, an accidental low blow from Crawford put Khan down, with the British star and his corner electing not to continue, granting the champion with a TKO victory.
Continue reading
Terence Crawford faces Amir Khan on Saturday night (Photo: Mikey Williams – Top Rank)
By Chris Robinson
We are inching closer to boxing’s next significant showdown, as WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford will face off with former world champion Amir Khan on Saturday night from Madison Square Garden in New York. While Crawford (34-0, 25 KO’s) is understandably a huge favorite heading into the fight, Khan (33-4, 20 KO’s) does have enough experience, speed, and skills to at least make the ESPN pay per view matchup interesting.
During Wednesday’s final press conference, Crawford revealed that this is far from just an ordinary showcase for him.
Continue reading
Vasyl Lomachenko faces Anthony Crolla this weekend (Photo: Mikey Williams – Top Rank)
By Chris Robinson
Tomorrow night, from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA, WBA/WBO lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko will defend his titles against former champion Anthony Crolla in a bout that will be aired on the ESPN + streaming app.
This isn’t the fight that fans, nor Top Rank, Lomachenko’s promoter, preferred. Top Rank CEO Bob Arum was eyeing IBF champion Richard Commey for this date, but the rugged Ghanaian injured his right hand in his title-winning second round knockout over Isa Chaniev on February 2, eliminating him as an option.
Continue reading
WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez with Top Rank CEO Bob Arum (Photo: Mikey Williams)
By Chris Robinson
This Wednesday, from the Tostitos Championship Plaza at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, TX, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum will be joined by two of his company’s best fighters in WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez and undefeated lightweight prospect-turned-contender Teofimo Lopez. Valdez and Lopez will be participating in an open media workout ahead of their Feb. 2 fights at the Ford Center at The Star.
Valdez (24-0, 19 KOs) is coming off of his brutal brawl this past March with former champion Scott Quigg, in which he emerged victorious, and he will be looking to make the fifth defense of his title against fellow unbeaten Carmine “Mr. Wolf” Tomassone (19-0, 5 KOs). Lopez (11-0, 9 KOs), named 2018 Prospect of the Year by ESPN.com, ESPN Deportes, Sports Illustrated, and Yahoo Sports, will take on former world title challenger Diego Magdaleno (31-2, 13 KOs) in a 10-round showdown.
Continue reading
Gilberto Ramirez Faces Jesse Hart on Saturday night in a rematch (Photo: Mikey Williams)
By Chris Robinson
This coming Friday night, Dec. 14, from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, TX, WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez will face off with contender Jesse “Hollywood” Hart (25-1, 21 KO’s) on ESPN+. The fight is a rematch of their Sep. 2017 battle in which Ramirez won via unanimous decision.
Ramirez (38-0, 25 KOs) is looking for a fifth successful defense of his title and is promising a knockout vs. his rival.
Continue reading
Miguel Berchelt was too much for Miguel Roman on Saturday night (Photo: Mikey Williams – Top Rank)
By Chris Robinson
On Saturday night, Nov. 3, inside of the Don Haskins Convention Center in El Paso, TX, WBC junior lightweight champion Miguel Berchelt delivered a brutal beating on worthy but outgunned contender Miguel “Mickey” Roman for a fourth successful defense of his title. Berchelt (34-1, 30 KO’s) scored three knockdowns along the way, two in the sixth, and one three rounds later, before the contest was stopped in round nine.
The all-Mexican showdown, aired on the ESPN + streaming app, delivered as expected, but was a bit more one-sided than one may have liked. Roman (60-13, 47 KO’s) was valiant in the face of such a savage attack, and perhaps the fight could have been stopped a few rounds earlier.
Continue reading
Jose Benavidez Returned With a Win on Saturday Night (Photo: Top Rank Boxing)
By Chris Robinson
Earlier tonight, inside of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., former world champion Jose Benavidez Jr. needed just one minute and 24 seconds to knock out previously undefeated Frank Rojas on the Terence Crawford vs. Jeff Horn undercard.
Benavidez landed a big right hand and followed it up with a short shot to the liver that had Rojas down and out before their scheduled 10-round match could get rolling. Referee Vic Drakulich wisely waved the contest off.
Continue reading
Robert Byrd will referee the Terence Crawford vs. Jeff Horn Fight This Saturday (Photo: Premier Boxing Champions)
By Chris Robinson
It’s fight week in Las Vegas, as undefeated, two-division world champion Terence Crawford will be moving up in weight to challenge Jeff Horn for his WBO welterweight title. The Crawford vs. Horn match will take place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. and will be aired on the ESPN + App starting at 9:30 p.m./ET.
The third man in the ring for the Crawford vs. Horn duel will be longtime Vegas referee Robert Byrd. Byrd’s most recent fights that he has officiated have been James DeGale’s victory over Caleb Truax in their rematch at the Hard Rock on April 17, and a recent Mayweather Promotions’ show, where he worked the fights of LaDarius Miller and Maurice Lee in separate bouts.
Continue reading