Innholdsfortegnelse for 13 November 2025 i Boxing News

IT TOOK Chris Eubank a couple of years to get Nigel Benn in the ring for the first time. The truth is that the greatest rivalry in British boxing was a creation, a myth. Eubank was anonymous in 1989 when Benn went off to America and returned a year later with the WBO middleweight belt; the pair were not even the best two middleweights in the country at the time. Herol Bomber Graham and Michael Watson were both in front of them in the months before the first fight. They would each lose world title shots in 1990. The simple truth is that Eubank had targeted Benn a year earlier; he talked about him after each of his fights and on any visits to the Matchroom gym in Romford. He…

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 FORT WORTH NOVEMBER 8 MAIN EVENT UNDERCARD THE DECKS are cleared. After Vergil Ortiz Jr’s two-round annihilation of Erickson Lubin, there is no longer any obstacle to a spring superfight with Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. Both camps say they want the fight – Eddie Hearn for Matchroom, which promotes Ennis, and Golden Boy Promotions on behalf of Ortiz. Ennis and Hearn were ringside at Dickies Arena. They joined Ortiz and Oscar De La Hoya in the ring, where Ennis and Ortiz faced off. Assuming the fight actually transpires, it will feature two undefeated boxers at or near their peak. Each has now scored a spectacular win to…

HULL NOVEMBER 8 WHOLE SHOW JAMES ‘OZZY’ OSBORNE rocked the Connexin Live and three opponents as he captured the inaugural Heist tournament title and £30,000 worth of prize money. The one-night, eight-man elimination concept was hardly new, but its return was welcome, with GBM Sports promoter Izzy Asif left glowing by the action that had unfolded and promising further iterations of the format. Osborne (13-1, 3 KOs, after his three wins) put the cherry on top of a fruitful night’s work by also bagging Asif’s £5,000 ‘knockout of the night’ bonus, winning the final in just 29 seconds. A southpaw left hook-right hook combo flattened Ryszard Lewicki in the first attack, and a follow-up 10-punch salvo had the Mancunian down again soon after, prompting referee Michael Alexander’s stoppage. Lewicki (12-2-3, 5 KOs,…

HARRINGAY ARENA closed its doors for the final time on October 28, 1958. This venue, situated next to Finsbury Park in North London, lasted for only 22 years but throughout that time it was one of the most important venues for professional boxing. Among the many greats to appear in its ring were Max Baer, who boxed there twice in 1937, Henry Armstrong, who defended his world welterweight title against Ernie Roderick in 1939, Ezzard Charles, Dave Sands, Willie Pastrano and Gus Lesnevich. During its final year, six shows were staged there, and an up-and-coming youngster from Paddington called Terry Downes boxed on four of them. Having made his professional debut there in March 1957, Downes went down to his third professional defeat on the first Harringay show of the…

Nov 13 STEVEN BUTLER vs STEPHANE FONDJO Casino de Montreal Jhon Orobio vs Xolisani Ndongeni Nov 14 ANGELINALUKAS vsKATHERINERENEELINDENMUTH Cairo National Stadium Nov 15 CHRIS EUBANK JR vs CONOR BENN II Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London DAZN PPV Jack Catterall vs Ekow Essuman Adam Azim vs Kurt Scoby Richard Riakporhe vs Tommy Welch Sam Gilley vs Ishmael Davies Mike Tallon vs Fezan Shahid RAFAELESPINOZA vsARNOLDKHEGAI San Luis Potosi, Mexico (WBO featherweight title) Emiliano Vargas vs Jonathan Montrel Richard Torrez Jr vs Tomas Salek Lindolfo Delgado vs Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela JASMINAZAPOTOCZNA vsJUSTINELALLEMAND Charleville-Mezieres, Ardennes (European flyweight title) SIVENATHINONTSHINGA vsJONASERSTUS Box Camp, Booysens,, Johannesburg Nov 21 HARLEMEUBANK vsJOSHWAGNER Brighton Centre CHANNEL 5 Niall Brown vs Darren Johnstone MATTMcHALE vs IJAZAHMED Portobello Town Hall, Edinburgh (Commonwealth super-flyweight title) Martin Crossan vs Billy Neill (Scottish lightweight title) FRANCISCO DANIEL…

SO, HERE we go again with disputed decisions, two of them on the same show in Manchester on November 1. Liam Cameron won a unanimous decision over Troy Jones in a fight that arguably could have gone the other way, while Joshua Buatsi won what most considered a fortunate majority verdict over Zach Parker. The good folks on the DAZN commentary team were hailing a win for Parker even before the decision had been announced. Lead commentator Adam Smith was offering words of commiseration for Buatsi, while analyst Carl Frampton had Parker winning nine of the 10 rounds. The next day, pundit Johnny Nelson weighed in on the That Boxing Show, saying he disagreed with the verdict in all three of the main bouts in Manchester (there was also Lyndon…

FORMER undisputed lightheavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev may spark a promotional bidding war after leaving Top Rank. The 40-year-old, based in Canada but originally from Russia, has been out of the ring since Dmitry Bivol levelled their titanic rivalry in February to claim all four 175lbs belts from ‘King’ Artur. With Bivol currently recovering from back surgery, a trilogy bout is on hold. Fans had expected to see Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs) return this month against Deon Nicholson. However, last month Nicholson revealed he would no longer be fighting in Saudi Arabia. When Beterbiev will next fight remains unclear, but last week he confirmed the Top Rank split via Instagram. He posted: “Hi everyone. I got a lot of questions about my promotional status. From the June 2025 I’m a free…

RAFAEL ESPINOZA returns to the ring and his homeland on Saturday when the WBO featherweight champion defends his title against Arnold Khegai. Espinoza has not fought in Mexico since a second-round demolition of Ally Mwerangi in July 2023. Five months after that, the Jalisco man found himself as an underdog challenging Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez in Florida. Hitting the canvas in round five, Espinoza seemed like he would be swept away as just another challenger by the resurgent double-gold medal Olympian. Rafael had other ideas. Roaring back to floor Ramirez late, taking the WBO strap home by majority decision, Espinoza’s sliding doors moment led to his current status: considered a serious champion. Three defences later, including a return sixth-round dismantling of Robeisy, who quit mid-fight, Espinoza is one of the key players…

BIRMINGHAM NOVEMBER 9 WHOLE SHOW BIRMINGHAM’S Ryan Kelly (20-6-1, 8KOs, 157lbs) got back to winning ways in his hometown as he took a 58-56 verdict on Kevin Parker’s ledger over Manchester-based Elliot Eboigbe (1-16, 1 KO, 160lbs) at the Airport Holiday Inn. Kelly, coming off two defeats and a draw from his past three outings, looked in complete control in the first round, pumping home the jab-straight right, but then, near the end of the session, the well-built Egoigbe seemed to hurt his man with a flurry of hooks. Again, Kelly got the better of his opponent in the second visit, using his fast feet and landing darting straight rights downstairs, but he may have been fortunate not to have a knockdown counted against him after Mr Parker ruled that the…

SOME FIGHTERS are, as unfair as it may be, best remembered, or even largely defined, by a defeat. Such could be argued is the case with Byron Mitchell, a man who twice ruled as WBA super-middleweight champion and posted good wins over Frankie Liles, Manny Siaca and Julio Cesar Green, yet is best known for his thrilling but losing shootout with Joe Calzaghe. And when he looks back, the 51-year-old formerly Don King-promoted warrior has more than a feeling that the skills he showed as a fighter are not fully appreciated. Mitchell called it quits in late 2012, when he says his heart was no longer in the sport, and had not been since the “robbery” he suffered in his fight with Sven Ottke, and after he had been pulled…

LONDON EBA was delighted to welcome two visitors from Wales at our November meeting – Robbie Regan and Howard Winstone Jr. Robbie, who boxed pro between 1989 and 1996, was British and European flyweight champion and then stepped up to bantam to claim the WBO belt. The late Howard Winstone Sr also won British and European honours (at featherweight) and a version of the world crown, halting Japan’s Mitsunori Seki in nine rounds (on a cut) to take the vacant WBC title. That was an unforgettable night at London’s Albert Hall (January 23, 1968). In a short address, Robbie said it was “a privilege” to be at LEBA, and extended best wishes from the Welsh Association. We also welcomed Natalie Bleau, a volunteer with Newham-based charity The Renewal Programme, which…

AUL WINDSOR is probably the best British trainer of champions you’ve never heard of. The first time I met Paul was shortly after we’d both boxed on a white collar show in front of about 200 people in a hotel in Bangkok. The Ambassador Hotel, slap-bang in the centre of the Thai capital, has a USP in that, along with the usual trappings of restaurants, a pool and a fitness centre, it has a full-size, competition-ready boxing ring in its grounds. Monthly fight nights were staged there, and they were a real mixed bag: anything from charity punch-ups to professional championships, and all points between. Paul and I can proudly say we’ve boxed in the same ring as the likes of Kompayak Porpramook, Billy Dib and Brock Jarvis. And now,…

DAI CORP, long-term former secretary of the Welsh Area Council, has died at the age of 85. A useful amateur with Cardiff’s Victoria Park club, Corp won Welsh titles at Schoolboy and Youth levels, but lost in the Senior ASA final three years in a row, once to the legendary Howard Winstone. As a pro bantamweight in the early ’60s, Corp won nine of 14 bouts, with six stoppages, before an eye injury forced him to hang up his gloves. After a spell as a trainer, he turned to the admin side of the business, serving more than 25 years as Welsh secretary. He also filled the role for the nowdefunct Western Area, and was of great assistance when the Board had to move its HQ from London to his…

BYRON MITCHELL, the big-hitter from Alabama who traded knockdowns with Joe Calzaghe in a two-round war, is featured this week. What better time, I thought, to look back at some other fights that contained two-way action and ended violently before the end of the second round. The obvious starting point is Jack Dempsey vs Luis Firpo, the two-round heavyweight championship thriller at the New York’s Polo Grounds on September 14, 1923. The fight lasted three minutes and 57 seconds in front of a crowd of 85,000. Watching the grainy video on YouTube, I counted eight knockdowns scored by Dempsey – six in the first round, two in the second – but maybe I missed one. Firpo dropped the ‘Manassa Mauler’ twice, which includes the famous incident when Dempsey was knocked…

STOKE NOVEMBER 8 WHOLE SHOW BLACK FLASH PROMOTIONS staged this sixbout offering at the Kings Hall and an early night was had, with no fewer than half of the evening’s contests failing to run their allotted distance. The main event, scheduled for 10 rounds, saw Stoke’s Kyle Davies (11-0, 7 KOs, 174¼lbs) square up to Port Talbot’s Aaron Bird (7-1, 174lbs), and it was the home favourite, busy behind the jab and switching his attacks up and down nicely, who shone en route to a third successive inside-the-distance win. On three occasions, twice in the third round and once in the fourth, the increasingly underfire Welshman was sent to the canvas and hauled himself upright, but with more clubbing rights sent his way, there was to be no coming back…

FROM THE start of the 20th century, the Americans dominated world boxing. When the eight weight classes were standardised in February 1909, American fighters were the recognised champions at every weight bar one. From heavyweight down to bantamweight, these US champions included men of the calibre of Jack Johnson, Stanley Ketchel, Battling Nelson and Abe Attell. The only weight class that the Americans did not dominate was the lightest, flyweight. For some reason, and I have never understood why, US fighters have consistently struggled to make a meaningful impact upon this division since its inception. The one country that has punched well above its weight among the flyweights, particularly between 1910 and 1950, is Great Britain. The outstanding US claimant in 1910 was Johnny Coulon. A Canadian by birth, Coulon…

BRANDON COX lifted the spirits at Kettering School of Boxing by winning the Junior Novice championship when the Alliance held their finals in Hayes. His triumph at 54kgs came days after the death of club founder Clive Hogben, aged 73. Hogben formed Kettering School of Boxing in 1994 after the closure of Keystone ABC and produced 68 national champions and two European champions. As an amateur boxer, he won NABC honours in 1968 – four years after elder brother Bernard – and went on to turn professional in 1972. Under the management of Clive Hall, he twice lost points decisions for the Southern Area featherweight championship before injury ended his pro career. He went on to be a coach at Keystone ABC and, when the club folded, Hogben and Hall set…

HEAVYWEIGHT Over 200lbs/14st 4lbs 1. Oleksandr Usyk | Ukr WORLD CHAMPION 2. Agit Kabayel | Ger 3. Daniel Dubois | UK 4. Lawrence Okolie | UK 5. Fabio Wardley | UK 6. Filip Hrgovic | Cro 7. Murat Gassiev | Rus 8. Dereck Chisora | UK 9. Richard Riakporhe | UK 10. Moses Itauma | UK CRUISERWEIGHT 200lbs/14st 4lbs 1. Chris Billam-Smith | UK 2. Michal Cieslak | Pol 3. Aleksei Papin | Rus 4. Badou Jack | Swe WBC CHAMPION 5. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk | Pol 6. Mateusz Masternak | Pol 7. Robin Sirwan Safar | Swe 8. Huseyin Cinkara | Ger 9. Firat Arslan | Ger 10. Sergey Kovalev | Rus LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT 175lbs/12st 7lbs 1. DmitriI Bivol | Rus WORLD CHAMPION 2. Callum Smith | UK 3. Joshua Buatsi…

HEAVYWEIGHT Over 200lbs/14st 4lbs 1. Daniel Dubois | Eng 2. Lawrence Okolie | Eng 3. Fabio Wardley | Eng 4. Joseph Parker | NZ 5. Dereck Chisora | Eng 6. Efe Ajagwa | Nig 7. Richard Riakporhe | Eng 8. Moses Itauma | Eng COMMONWEALTH CHAMPION 9. Joe Joyce | Eng 10. Justis Huni | Aus CRUISERWEIGHT 200lbs/14st 4lbs 1. Jai Opetaia | Aus IBF CHAMPION 2. Chris Billam-Smith | Eng 3. Ryan Rozicki | Can 4. Viddal Riley | Eng 5. Aloys Youmbi | Eng COMMONWEALTH CHAMPION 6. Karim Maatalla | Aus 7. Cheavon Clarke | Eng 8. Efetobor Apochi | Nig 9. David Nyika | NZ 10. Floyd Masson | Aus LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT – 175lbs/12st 7lbs 1. Artur Beterbiev | Can 2. Callum Smith | Eng 3. Joshua Buatsi…