Innholdsfortegnelse for 2 October 2025 i Boxing News

OMETOWN decisions have been around for as long as boxing has had judges. But I’m thinking they’re on the way out. These days, just because a boxer is at hometown, it doesn’t mean the judges will favour them. Two fights just last week reinforced this notion. The first took place in Houston, where hometown fighter Giovanni Marquez lost his undefeated record on an eight-round split decision against Wesley Ferrer, a switch-hitter from Brooklyn with Dominican Republic heritage. This was a fight that Marquez was expected to win. Unbeaten and considered an up-and-comer, he was a national Golden Gloves champion as an amateur. His father and trainer, Raul Marquez, boxed for the US in the Olympics, won a pro title at 154lbs and is well-liked and respected in Houston. Everything seemed…

THE NATIONAL Sports Authority (NSA) of Ghana has suspended all boxing in the country following the death of super-middleweight Ernest Oko Akushey on September 23. Akushey passed away 11 days after his fight with Jacob Dickson at the Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra. The 32-year-old was taken to hospital after beaten in eight rounds by Dickson and never recovered. “We’ve not banned anything, but boxing cannot continue as it has been,” said NSA director-general, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah in an official statement. “We need to adjust, and quickly address it, and that is exactly what we are doing.” Akushey had compiled a 6-1, 5 KOs record and had contested the Ghanaian light-heavyweight title in his previous fight.…

THE FINAL bell for Cecilia Braekhus is near. A professional career that began in 2007 will end on Saturday in Lillestrom, Norway. Slovenian Ema Kozin will defend her WBC and WBO super-welterweight titles against the Colombian-born ‘First Lady’ of boxing on a night that will signal the end of her long trailblazing career. “Of course, there are a lot of emotions,” Braekhus tells Boxing News. “Some sad, some happy. It’s goodbye to a sport that I have been in for many years. “Every day I go to the gym, I feel so happy and so lucky to still be able to do this. But I feel it’s time, and I know it will soon be over. It’s been a very special training camp.” “I just feel it’s time, and I…

TORQUAY SEPTEMBER 27 WHOLE SHOW THE REASON for Ben Andrews’ cautious approach through his 80-72 victory over Marcos Karalitzky (8-16-2, 2 KOs, 187lbs), became apparent after his hand was raised on this BCB promotion at the Riviera Centre. Trainer Gareth Hogg explained that Ben (7-0, 2 KOs, 180¾lbs) had received a gash on his eyebrow in the last week of sparring. My notes had highlighted the near-exclusive use of his long jab, which was enough to keep the Argentine visitor at bay, while seeming uninterested in pushing for a stoppage. Sean McAvoy refereed and scored the opening three bouts that Lewis Van Poetsch controlled within the squared circle. No score was required, though, as Taunton’s former Southern Area light-heavyweight champion Pawel August (185lbs) came back after almost two years out.…

ON SEPTEMBER 14, 1912, the Mirror Of Life And Boxing World published a long treatise entitled ‘A Board of Control’ in which it stated an immediate, and strong, need for a Control Board to properly run the then burgeoning sport of professional boxing. The correspondent introduced himself by saying that “I have been interested in boxing for twenty-seven years and have followed it very closely, in fact, I am rarely away from a boxing contest if there is one within a get-to-able distance and frequently travel many miles to witness what I expect will be a good bout. The result in many instances is far from satisfactory and certainly does not repay the time and money expended”. He then turned to specific areas of the sport that he felt needed…

IT IS A Tuesday night in the early spring of 1977. The UK is experiencing industrial unrest, and punk rock is sweeping the country. It feels like a time of change. The Royal Albert Hall is packed to see a domestic superfight between John H Stracey and Dave Boy Green. Thirty-eight years previously, Harringay Arena had seen Eric Boon of Chatteris defeat Arthur Danahar of Bethnal Green in 14 rounds to win the British lightweight title. Dave Green also comes es from Chatteris and John Stracey is from Bethnal Green. The Boon-Danahar fight was a classic, and everything about Green vs Stracey suggests it will be the same. Just 16 months before the bout, Stracey went over to Mexico and crushed the great Jose Napoles in seven rounds to win…

Oct 3 UMAR DZAMBEKOV vs ARTEM BRUSOV Chumash Casino, Santa Ynez UFC Fight Pass Oct 4 CRISTOBAL LORENTE vs NATHANIEL COLLINS Braehead Arena, Glasgow (European featherweight title) DAZN Regan Glackin vs Louie O’Doherty (vacant British lightweight title) Willy Hutchinson vs Mark Jeffers Aston Brown vs Paul Kean HARVEY HORN vs PAUL ROBERTS Skate Central, Sheffield (vacant British and Commonwealth flyweight titles) FIGHTZONE CECILIA BRAEKHUS vs EMA KOZIN Norway MATEUSZ MASTERNAK vs JOEL TAMBWE DJEKO Zakopane, Poland Oct 6 BAKHODIR JALOLOV VS VITALY KHUDUKOV KSK Arena, St Petersburg Sergey Kuzmin vs Murad Khalimov Oct 9 MARY MCGEE vs NATASHA SPENCE Mayflower Hotel, Washington DC Oct 10 KEVIN CRONIN VS CATHAL CROWLEY National Stadium, Dublin TRILLER (vacant Irish light-heavyweight title) Dean Walsh vs Daniel O’Sullivan (vacant Irish super-welterweight title) Spike O’Sullivan vs Mateusz…

YOU NEVER forget your first time. For me, it happened on the night of May 31, 2003. It was awkward, messy, a little scary, and my father thoroughly disapproved. I knew to expect desire, intimacy, physical warmth and loud noises, and I hoped it would all end with an explosive climax. I got all that – and a whole lot more – the first time I attended a boxing show at York Hall. The main event was Audley Harrison’s 11th pro contest; an eight-rounder against Mathew Ellis. Harrison, on this night, showed no signs of performance anxiety, but it was all over too quickly. The chief support had gone only two rounds, too. I felt unfulfilled. But there was more to come. Temperatures were high and testosterone was flowing, both…

THE ROAR of a Ricky Hatton fight night will never be forgotten – nor will the honesty with which he spoke about mental health. Now, the Manchester Evening News and Daily Star will honour his legacy by supporting two causes close to him. The much-loved boxer tragically died at his home on September 14, aged 46. On October 10, a service will be held at Manchester Cathedral honouring his life. Fans are expected to line the streets to pay their respects as the funeral procession makes its way to the cathedral. Hatton was, of course, best known for his achievements in the ring, delivering many unforgettable nights in both the UK and US, which culminated in his greatest night in June 2005 when he became IBF super-lightweight champion by defeating…

JERRY IZENBERG had just witnessed the greatest boxing match he had ever seen, or ever would see, and he had just 20 minutes to file his copy to a newspaper 8,500 miles away. The Newark Star-Ledger had sent him from New Jersey to the Philippines to cover The Thrilla In Manila, the concluding chapter in arguably boxing’s most intense trilogy, Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier. He was in the Philippine capital for three weeks, all told, soaking up all the stifling humidity of the tropics, the exoticism of the Far East and the peculiarities and dangers of a dictatorship, all before Ali and Frazier waged an astonishing two-man war on a Wednesday morning. It remains, for many, the greatest heavyweight title fight. And it remains, for Izenberg, the greatest fight of them…

MAIN EVENT THE VAST majority of British title fights seem to leave fans salivating, demanding just a few additional rounds of absorbing action. It was just under six weeks ago that we saw a thrilling battle unfold between Jack Rafferty and Mark Chamberlain; and, before that, it was a complete toss-up between Fabio Wardley vs Frazer Clarke and Nathan Heaney vs Brad Pauls – their two first encounters, respectively – as to which would be crowned the 2024 Fight of the Year. Incidentally, all three of those contests ended in a draw, which only elevated the British fight fraternity’s appetite to see all six combatants go to war for a second time. But while there is, undeniably, a degree of lustre that comes with any clash for the Lonsdale Belt,…

Reporters’ star ratings for main events and undercards are based on in-ring entertainment, competitiveness and whether overall expectation was met SHEFFIELD SEPTEMBER 27 MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD AN ALL-CELTIC clash saw Wales take on A Northern Ireland in GBM Sports’ main event at Park Community Arena, with Swansea’s Ben Crocker (14-1-1, 2 KOs, 139lbs 13oz) squaring off against Belfast’s Sean McComb (20-2, 5 KOs, 139lbs 9oz). While it was the Gary Lockett-trained Welshman who, dodging an incoming punch, floored the boxer dubbed ‘The Public Nuisance’ with a cracker of a left in the opener, the honours would ultimately end up going to the downed fighter. Truth be told, this one isn’t likely to feature among the front-runners for the Fight of the Year award, though the win will not do Sean’s…

HOUGHTON SEPTEMBER 27 WHOLE SHOW OWEN REES confirmed his professional credentials in style by clinching his first belt, beating Jordan Ellison to win the vacant Northern Area super-lightweight title. Rees, one of an amazing array of boxers from the Birtley ABC production line, outpointed the Seaham man after 10 enthralling rounds at Rainton Arena, referee Ron Kearney scoring 99-93. On paper it appeared a fascinating duel between leading ex-amateur Rees and Ellison, who is no ordinary journeyman. It did not disappoint inside the ropes. Ellison has a knack of spoiling prospects’ records, with 10 of his 15 wins (one early, against 57 defeats and five draws) coming against unbeaten boxers and, taking part in his fifth Northern Area title bout (and having won this same 140lbs title in 2021), he…

AMATEUR SCENE The very best action, previews and news from Olympic-style boxing SEND us your club’s news, results or upcoming events to submissions@boxingnewsonline.net DANIEL STOICAN is the champion of England and Romania – and he plans to conquer Europe next. The 21-year-old won the National Amateur Championships in Derby, and then added Tri Nations silver and Haringey Box Cup gold – before going back to his roots to start his international career. Stoican was born in Romania and lived there until he was 11 years old, when his family movedtoEngland. They settled in Nottingham, where Stoican boxes for Sneinton ABC. In August, he returned to Romania to win their national title and selection for the European Under-23 Championships run by IBA that go ahead in Armenia between October 20 and…

THE CURRENT Punch Lines – Essex EBA’s monthly magazine – leads with a report of the annual cricket match between Essex and James Cook’s All-Stars. I’d heard from various people that it was another big success, and the newsletter confirms it, noting there was “another brilliant turn-out”. Essex won convincingly, scoring 144 runs against the All-Stars’ 53 – but really the result was irrelevant. The important thing was that the event raised more than £3,000 for charity – to be divided between the Pedro Club and the Ringside Charitable Trust. The tombola, run by Sharon Smith, raised £568, and the raffle raised £977. These dos don’t organise themselves, and the in the newsletter Essex thank Jason Beard and Bobby Arthey for putting the event together; Jeremy West and Lee Gilbert…

IT COST Gene Kilroy just $100 to help Muhammad Ali beat Joe Frazier in the Thrilla In Manila. It is a classic Kilroy tale. An hour or so before the first bell, Kilroy was ringside with Angelo Dundee. It was their standard pre-fight look at the ring – the seats, the spit buckets, the hidden dangers. “I know what I do,” continued Kilroy. “And nobody does it better.” Kilroy is always in the present and he was always busy on big overseas fights – they were fights with many unknowns. Kilroy sorted the unknowns. At ringside in Manila, the heat was overpowering, unbearable, dangerous. It was not an unknown to Kilroy; Ali had suffered a few months earlier when the heat turned his defence against Joe Bugner into a potential…

A BRITISH heavyweight title fight will headline the first broadcast under the Boxxer-BBC deal. Frazer Clarke [above] will meet Jeamie TKV for the vacant belt on October 25, broadcast on BBC2 in the prime 8-10pm Saturday night slot. The undercard will be shown on iPlayer. It is fitting that the prestigious Lonsdale Belt will be contested in the sport’s glamour division as boxing returns to the BBC after an absence of more than 20 years. Of a contest that could potentially be watched by millions, Boxxer CEO Ben Shalom said: “I’m excited to welcome a new generation of fans to the sport who have grown up without boxing on free-to-air TV and will now get the chance to experience it on the BBC for the first time.”…

Graham Houston Hall of Fame writer I CONVINCED myself Smokin’ Joe was going to win. I picked him in the Boxing News preview. I just had the feeling that for Frazier this was going to be more than just a fight; it was almost a matter of life and death. Ali denigrated Frazier before the fight, with the infamous line about “getting the gorilla in Manila”. Frazier seethed with genuine anger. I watched the fight at the Odeon cinema in London’s Leicester Square, in the early hours of the morning, UK time. After about ‘FOR five or six rounds, I thought Ali was just too good, too skilled, that he had Frazier’s number and would dominate the remainder of the contest. Not quite. Frazier kept boring in, banging the body.…

WHEN PICTURING a Scottish boxer, you might imagine someone stern-faced, wiry, in need of a tan, and with looks that kill. Nathaniel Collins doesn’t tick all those boxes, largely because he doesn’t take himself too seriously, as is evident during his chat with Boxing News ahead of his European featherweight title opportunity, and world title eliminator, against Cristobal Lorente at Glasgow’s Braehead Arena on Saturday. The 29-year-old sits down in tartan pyjamas, a constant smile on his face — the polar opposite of one of his favourite Scottish fighters, Scott Harrison. “Being my weight, being a good wee man – what a fighter, tough as nails and a fit guy,” he said of the former two-time WBO featherweight champion. Collins’ ring moniker is ‘The Nightmare’, reflecting the switch that fires…

CECILIA BRAEKHUS makes her final ring appearance when she takes on 154lbs champion Ema Kozin in Lillestrom on Saturday. Braekhus raised the heat on her considerably younger foe with some press conference trash talk, claiming Kozin shocked everyone by picking up the WBC and WBO super-welter belts in November 2023. Among the barbs dished out by the ‘First Lady,’ her comments on Kozin’s inactivity are pertinent. The unified champ hasn’t boxed since winning those vacant belts against Hannah Rankin in Manchester. Braekhus and Kozin two were supposed to meet in Las Vegas last year, before the Slovenian pulled out at short notice, blaming visa issues. While Braekhus ended up facing Maricela Cornejo on the strip, the Kozin bout was placed on the stove. Labelling her foe a paper queen, Braekhus, no…

BETHNAL GREEN SEPTEMBER 26-27 PART ONE PART TWO TAKEN separately, the two parts of Neilson Boxing and TM14 Promotions’ double bill of weekend action would have been fine examples of the art of small hall matchmaking. Taken as a whole, the 18 fights across two consecutive nights inside the fabled York Hall were a statement by a rising promotional pact determined to do things a little differently. Sure, there were a good number of bouts in the repetitive format of ticketseller vs road warrior, but there was enough variety to hold the interest anda couple of upsets to remind us to take nothing for granted. There were no main events as such, with the structure of the bills being deliberately mixed. For example, the biggest name of the weekend –…

WELSH boxing remembered Nigel Davies at his funeral. He made Cwmafan Hornets ABC the top club in Wales and during his 30-year career in the sport, he took Welsh boxers to European and World Championships, including Fred Evans, Andrew Selby, Sean McGoldrick and Joe Cordina. He was recognised by GB bosses ahead of the 2008 and 2012 London Olympics and he was hired as a coach for squads that included gold medallists James DeGale, Anthony Joshua and Nicola Adams. His reputation was such that he also coached national teams in Holland and Sweden. In Wales, he is best remembered for his work with Cwmafan Hornets and the work he did with boxers from the Afan Valley, Port Talbot and beyond. Nigel, also a head ranger and deer stalker at Margam Park,…

MINUTES after winning the Howard Winstone Belt, Dan Pitt got a text message. It was from Ashley Williams and it read: “I won that award in 2014 and then won a Commonwealth Games medal. No pressure!” Williams had a hand in training Pitt [pictured above] when he was assisting head coach Dave Gilbert at Brecon Phoenix ABC. Williams, who won 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze in Glasgow, told Boxing News last year that Pitt had the potential to become the next star of Welsh boxing, and then watched him win cruiserweight gold at the World Under-19 Championship in Colorado months later. The next target is the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next summer – once his hand has healed. Pitt was back in the gym last month after undergoing surgery and has…

AFTER a lengthy period of apathy and indifference, women’s boxing finally found some degree of acceptance in those dark, depressing days of 2020. While everyone was just trying to survive during the desperate, unprecedented times of the coronavirus pandemic, the female side of the sport suddenly began to thrive. When Katie Taylor turned professional in 2016, even she struggled to move the needle. But the series of fights that littered Fight Camp in Eddie’s back garden between Terri Harper and Natasha Jonas, Katie Taylor and Delfine Persoon, Shannon Courtenay and Ebanie Bridges, and even a long-forgotten Commonwealth title fight between Amy Timlin and Carly Skelly, started to change perceptions. Incidentally, Skelly is now long into her retirement. Timlin, starved of fights since, has switched to mixed martial arts. For many,…

HEAVYWEIGHT No weight limit 1. Claressa Shields | USA WORLD CHAMPION 2. Danielle Perkins | USA 3. Minellis Blanco | Col 4. Giovanna Gonzalez | Mex 5. Annie Mazerolle | Can LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT 200lbs/14st 4lbs 1. Che Kenneally | Aus WBA CHAMPION 2. Lani Daniels | NZ IBF CHAMPION 3. Celina Agwu | Nig 4. Angie Paola Rocha | Col 5. Sarah Scheurich | Ger SUPER-MIDDLEWEIGHT 168lbs/12st 1. Shadasia Green | USA WBO & IBF CHAMPION 2. Franchon Crews Dezurn | USA WBC & WBA CHAMPION 3. Savannah Marshall | UK 4. Hanna Gabriels | CR 5. Melinda Watpool | Can MIDDLEWEIGHT 160lbs/11st 6lbs 1. Desley Robinson | Aus IBF & WBO CHAMPION 2. Tamm Thibeault | Can 3. Kaye Scott | Aus 4. Olivia Curry | USA 5. Mapule Ngubane…