Innholdsfortegnelse for 5 June 2025 i Boxing News

THE DISTRESSING outcome of the Pedro Taduran vs Ginjiro Shigeoka fight raises all the old questions about fighter safety and what can be done to prevent similar outcomes. And the response is always the same: There just aren’t any easy answers. The boxing industry has done everything possible to make boxing safer short of bringing in the sort of legislation that would take away what has been described as boxing’s “essential rawness”. We’ve seen the distance in championship fights reduced from 15 to 12 rounds. There are bigger gloves. Weigh-ins the day before a fight are designed to make boxing safer by giving the participants more time to replenish their systems with liquids and nutrients. Then there is the matter of monitoring a boxer’s weight to ensure the fighter isn’t…

SO, WHAT happened to Jarrell Miller? “His team contacted us to say that he’s got a shoulder injury. “With him, you never know what might crop up. We never had an actual full-blown replacement in place, but me and the team always had a feeling we might need to have a second opponent. One, because he can be volatile for a variety of reasons. And two, because it’s a big stadium show, a lot riding on it, so it’s not something that can be easily put to the side or moved. You need a Plan B in place. “It wasn’t the most ideal of circumstances, and a change of opponent is never great, but you learn to move and just keep going.” How different a proposition is Justis Huni? “From…

Previewing the best upcoming fights around the world ★★★★★ OUTSTANDING ★★★★ GOOD ★★★ FAIR ★★ DISAPPOINTING ★ RUBBISH The star ratings indicate how well the writer believes the fighters match up, the fight(s)’ contextual significance, and how good the fight(s) will be MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD AS HEAVYWEIGHT fights go, it doesn’t get much better er than Fabio Wardley against Justis Huni. The two meet et at Ipswich Town’s stadium on Saturday and the crowd will be right behind the home fighter, Wardley. Australia’s Huni, however, boxed in international tournaments as an amateur. He’s a mature fighter at 26. Huni is coming into the bout as a replacement ent for Jarrell Miller (shoulder injury), but he’s the type who stays fight-ready. This is a matchup that is actually more compelling than…

WHOLE SHOW JUNTO Nakatani looks to prove that he is the heir apparent to Naoya Inoue’s super-bantamweight thron by, first and foremost, removing any doubt over his supremacy at 118lbs. The WBC world champion will lock horns with Ryosuke Nishida, his IBF counterpart, at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo this Sunday. Indeed, his upcoming assignment represents an opportunity for Nakatani (30-0, 23 KOs), to not only unify the bantamweight division but, perhaps more importantly, cement himself as the leading challenger for ‘Monster’ Inoue. The two pound-for-pound stars have been on a collision course for quite some time, leaving fans salivating at the thought of their potential all-Japanese clash. But with their matchup tentatively slated for early next year, it is vitally important both fighters remain in the win column. Sure…

★★★★★ OUTSTANDING ★★★★ GOOD ★★★ FAIR ★★ DISAPPOINTING ★ RUBBISH Reporters’ star ratings for main events and undercards are based on in-ring entertainment, competitiveness and whether overall expectation was met LAS VEGAS MAY 31 WHOLE SHOW ATMOSPHERE THE best laid plans for boxing promoters and prizefighting men can often go awry. Oscar de la Hoya found that out the hard way when his popular welterweight Ryan Garcia flopped against a disciplined Rolly Romero in New York on May 2. That loss scuppered Garcia’s rematch with Devin Haney in a super-fight that had otherwise appeared destined for the box office. Four weeks later it was Tom Brown’s turn as TGB Promotions and Premier Boxing Champions will likely miss out on a pay-per-view rivalry between two of their OG talents Jermall Charlo and…

MANCHESTER MAY 30 WHOLE SHOW MANCHESTER’S Ryszard Lewicki (9-1-3, 3 KOs, 169lbs 6oz) geared himself up for a Central Area title shot next month with a points win over Chatham’s Grant Dennis (19-12, 3 KOs, 170¾lbs) at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre. Lewicki came in on the back of two outings without a victory, having lost an English title fight against Reece Farnhill in October before recording a technical draw against Kevin Reavell in February. But he returned to winning ways against Dennis with a six-round shutout refereed by Andy Kremner and scored by David Mulholland, and can now look ahead to the Area clash with unbeaten Dexter Makaza on July 5. The bout was one of 10 on the Black Flash Promotions card, with the billtopper seeing Rochdale’s Muhammad Ali…

HIGHLIGHT of the Manchester Box Cup was the light-heavyweight final between Kieran McDaid and James Dean Fury. McDaid (Jimmy Egan’s) won the tightest of split decisions and then announced he was turning professional. He makes the switch after 105 amateur bouts – and few could have been as tight as the 80kgs match with Fury (Holmes Chapel). McDaid didn’t need the judges in the semis – producing a body shot finish – but he was pushed harder by Fury, who outpointed Jamie Broom (Lions) in his last-four match. There wasn’t much between them in any round and there would have been few complaints had the decision gone the other way. They were both fast, slick and just about every punch landed was answered. Both came out with their lead hands slung…

I WAS DELIGHTED to hear from Merseyside Former Boxers Association member Robbie Robinson, as follows: “I was going through an old scrapbook and came across this quite unique photo when I was a schoolboy (front row, far left) with my great mate Georgie Turpin and my young clubmates in the great Golden Gloves Club in Liverpool. “The story behind this photo is amazing! A highly improbable sequence of sporting coincidences that unfolded over more than a decade. “It’s September 1972 and in the centre of the photo is 20-year-old Golden Gloves bantam George Turpin, recently returned from the 1972 Munich Olympics, proudly showing off his Olympic Games bronze medal – a great achievement and Liverpool’s first Olympic boxing medal since Jimmy Lloyd in Rome in 1960. He’s pictured with the…

ON TWITTER/X @BoxingNewsED ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/boxingnewsonline ON INSTAGRAM boxingnewsonline EMAIL submissions@boxingnewsonline.net POST Boxing News Letters, Unit 105, 203-213 Mare Street, London, E8 3JS MY 5-year-old son, Nico Blythin, who trains at Tameside Elite Boxing Academy has asked me to send in some photos of his handcrafted Boxing News boxing ring. Dylan Blythin A TRUE LEGEND NINO Benvenuti was not only the greatest boxer to come out of Italy, but one of the greatest human beings to have graced the harsh world of professional boxing. He helped out many of his old opponents like Emile Griffiths with his dementia and went to work for Mother Teresa’s hospice in Calcutta. Such acts show remarkable humility and humanity from such a legendary boxer and sports star. Sparrow Harrison MBE IRRITATING AS a boxing…

JULIUS Cesar said, “experience is the teacher of all things”. And Justis Huni will be looking to call upon all of his experience when he steps in the ring for the biggest fight of his life, against Fabio Wardley. The Australian has been fighting out of his orthodox stance since the age of six after following his brother to the gym. “I ended up falling in love with it and it’s taken me to where I am today,” he says. “Whatever I chose to do, I would’ve done it with 110% effort. Fortunately, I chose boxing and it’s taken me around the world. “My dad used to always be watching Mike Tyson fights; all of those heavyweights from the ’90s; always playing their fights, and I used to be there…

MAIN EVENT WHILE it is always a pleasure to see a world-class operator like Jai Opetaia in action, the cruiserweight king’s return this Sunday in Queensland is hardly one to get the pulse racing. Sydney-born Opetaia, the lineal (and IBF) world champion, has blasted his way to an unblemished 27-0, 21 KOs, record and is considered by many to be one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best. However, despite his undoubted brilliance, Opetaia’s level of opposition has often left a lot to be desired. Outside of a pair of decision wins over divisional great Mairis Briedis, his ledger is one in desperate need of a marquee name. With respect, Claudio Squeo is not that marquee name. Puglia’s Squeo (17-0, 9 KOs) enters the bout as a monumental 16/1 long-shot with the…

LAS VEGAS, NV MAY 30 WHOLE SHOW BEKTEMIR Melikuziev abandoned his usual ‘Bully’ style and instead adopted a more calculated approach, emerging from his nonetheless captivating battle with a unanimous decision victory. The 29-year-old went toe-to-toe with fellow super-middleweight operator Darius Fulghum last Friday, headlining a Golden Boy card at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. But while both combatants treated fans to a fiercely-contested dustup, it was the technical prowess of Melikuziev, 16-1 (10 KOs), and indeed a 12th-round knockdown, that swung three 114-112 scorecards in his favour. As a result, the versatile Uzbek is now the mandatory challenger for Canelo Alvarez’s WBA world title, representing just one of several formidable contenders at 168lbs. Against Fulgham, 14-1 (12 KOs), meanwhile, a tentative start from both men saw Melikuziev utilise his dynamic…

Jun 06 JOSH KELLY vs FLAVIUS BIEA Newcastle Arena Channel 5 Felix Cash vs TBA Tom Welland vs TBA FRANCHON CREWS DEZURN vs CITLALLI ORTIZ Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona New York (WBA super-middleweight title) Brandon Moore vs Stanley Wright Jun 07 CALLUM SIMPSON vs IVAN ZUCCO Oakwell Stadium, Barnsley Sky Sports (European super-middleweight title) Rhys Edwards v Leon Woodstock Mark Jeffers vs Sean Hemphill FABIO WARDLEY vs JUSTIS HUNI Portman Road, Ipswich DAZN Sam Gilley vs Louis Greene (British and Commonwealth super-welterweight title) Pierce O’Leary vs Liam Dillon (European super-lightweight title) Mike Perez vs Steven Ward Dillian Whyte vs TBA Lewis Richardson vs TBA KEYSHAWN DAVIS vs EDWIN DE LOS SANTOS Scope Arena, Norfolk, Virginia ESPN+ (WBO lightweight title) Abdullah Mason vs Jeremia Nakathila BEATRIZ FERREIRA vs MARIA INES FERREYRA…

JOE BUGNER is possibly the best Australian heavyweight to fight a British boxer. He was certainly the oldest. ‘Aussie Joe’ had only fought three times in Australia when he met Frank Bruno at White Hart Lane. He lost, but still did his best Australian act; nearly 10 years later, when he was a proper Australian, he came back for Scott Welch. “I’m back to reclaim what is mine,” vowed Bugner. The British Boxing Board of Control had other ideas and banned the fight; Welch, who was the British champion at the time, travelled to Germany to stop Bugner in 1996. Just two years later, at 48, Bugner won the Australian heavyweight title. It was funny, but it was not a joke. Bugner was not followed by a star-studded list of…

JUSTIS HUNI stepping in to replace Jarrell Miller against Fabio Wardley brought to mind a boast from old-time promoter Jack Solomons that, when a fight fell through, the “substitute would be better than the original”. That’s arguably the case with Wardley vs Huni. But did Solomons live up to his boast? You bet he did. Two Solomons-promoted fights immediately spring to mind. The first was iway back in September 1955. Don Cockell was due to defend his British title against Jack Gardner, the former champion who had knocked out his old rival Johnny Williams in a final eliminator for the right to meet Cockell. Solomons booked White City Stadium, but Gardner suffered a knee injury. Rather than postpone or cancel, Solomons sought a world-class replacement. Cockell, having just fought a game…

MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD JOSH KELLY will seek to recapture some career momentum on Friday evening when he tackles Romania’s Flavius Biea in the Newcastle Arena. Even though Kelly is only 31, it feels like he’s reaching “final push” territory as far as world title aspirations are concerned. The pre-fight promotional material is pitching ‘Pretty Boy’ in the Chris Eubank Jr/Conor Benn conversation. That feels a little fanciful for the man last seen outboxing late replacement Ishmael Davis after original foe Liam Smith pulled out of their Wembley clash. Both Kelly and Biea have self-identified as avoided fighters, hence the lack of recent enterprise. Kelly’s sole defeat came at the hands of a fighter who also flittered around the avoided category: David Avanesyan. Thinking back to that 2021 evening in Wembley…

GUADALAJARA MAY 30 MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD SIX MONTHS on from a disastrous first defeat of his professional career, light-heavyweight prospect Khalil Coe is now firmly back on track after gaining revenge over Manuel Gallegos. Coe (10-1-1, 8 KOs, 173lbs) was dropped and stopped in nine when the pair met last November, but the American would set the record straight in emphatic fashion in their return bout, brutalising Gallegos behind a ramrod left jab and forcing the Mexican to be pulled out by his corner before the start of the sixth round. In truth, Gallegos (21-3-1, 18 KOs, 173lbs) was never at the races second time around, which is testament to the clinical nature of the performance by Coe. The 28-year-old New Jersey man stamped his authority on the fight in…

BIRMINGHAM MAY 31 WHOLE SHOW NOT even an enforced break midway through the opener while security dealt with some overexcited hot-heads was enough to unsettle Redditch debutant and huge ticket-seller Jay Van-Gelder (125lbs 6oz), who never gave Chorlton’s Stephen Jackson (1-61-1, 1 KO, 124lbs) a sniff. Jay is nicknamed ‘The Truth’, and truth told he dominated throughout, his work downstairs and sharp combinations leaving him fully deserving of the 40-36 decision of Solihull referee Chris Dean. He’s certainly one to keep an eye on. The six between Brummie pair Zain Ali (3-0-2, 160lbs 3oz) and Lewis Varley (0-3, 156lbs) on this Anthony Manning promotion proved a real crowdpleaser, with hostilities continuing right up to the final bell. Ali ultimately prevailed, taking the 58-56 decision of Bridgnorth referee Ryan Churchill, but…

On March 21, 1966, Nat Jacobs of Manchester stepped in to the ring to box Bingham’s Johnny Pritchett for the British middleweight title at the Ice Stadium in Nottingham. Pritchett had won the title just four months before at the same venue when he beat Wally Swift, another Nottingham lad, in a local derby. For Jacobs, the road to this title fight had been a hard one. He started as a professional in 1960 and, with no glittering amateur pedigree behind him, he was just another workaday young pro trying to make his way in the hardest game. In the early part of his career, Jacobs was billed out of Nottingham, as he didn’t make the move back to Manchester until late 1961. His first manager was George Biddles of…