WBO lightweight champion Terry Flanagan (32-0, 13 KOs) scored a eighth round stoppage win over Puerto Rican challenger Orlando Cruz (25-5-1, 13 KOs) on Saturday night at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.
The Manchester fighter dominated the action from the start as Cruz was in survival mode throughout.
Flanagan, who was making the fourth defence of the title, upped the pressure as the fight progressed and dropped his overmatched opponent twice in the eighth before referee Steve Gray…
Tony Bellew and David Haye to fight in all-British grudge match on March 4
Tony Bellew (28-2-1, 18 KOs) and David Haye (28-2, 26 KOs) will fight in an all-British heavyweight clash on March 4 at the O2 Arena in London.
Following an ongoing war of words, Bellew jumped out of the ring and confronted Haye after defending his WBC cruiserweight title with a third-round knockout victory over BJ Flores in October.
Bellew, 33, captured the vacant WBC belt in May when he climbed off the canvas to stop Ilunga Makabu in three rounds, and the Liverpudlian will now make his…
Saunders vs Akavov delayed until December 3
British middleweight Billy Joe Saunders’ world title defence against Artur Akavov has been postponed by a week to December 3.
Saunders, who dethroned Ireland’s Andy Lee last December, had been due to make the first defence of his WBO middleweight title on Saturday night at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales, but the fight will now take place at the Lagoon Leisure Centre in Paisley, Scotland, a week later.
Problems with the translation of medical paperwork supplied by the Russian’s team have…
Lucas Browne fails drugs test for second time in eight months
Australian heavyweight Lucas Browne (24-0, 21 KOs) has failed a drugs test for the second time in eight months.
The 37-year-old Browne, who was due to fight American Shannon Briggs for the vacant WBA heavyweight title before the end of the year, tested positive for the banned substance ostarine – which is used to aid muscle recovery – following a recent test in his native Australia by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association as part of the WBC’s Clean Boxing Program.
Browne won the WBA title in…
Ward edges out Kovalev to win light heavyweight world titles
Andre Ward (31-0, 15 KOs) dethroned previously undefeated Sergey Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the IBF, WBA and WBO light heavyweight titles on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Ward battled back from a second round knockdown to edge Kovalev by scores of 114-113 on all three scorecards and become a two-weight world champion.
Kovalev got the better of the early action, as he rocked Ward with a stiff left jab in the first round. The Russian found the…
George Groves wins one-sided decision over Eduard Gutknecht
British super middleweight contender George Groves (25-3, 18 KOs) scored a one-sided 12 round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Eduard Gutknecht (30-5-1, 13 KOs) on Friday night at Wembley Arena in London.
Groves dominated the action throughout and won by scores of 119-110, 119-109 and 119-109.
The Londoner busted up Gutknecht with hard blows from the early rounds.
Groves continued to land numerous big rights as the fight progressed, and by the 10th, the German fighter was…
Lee Haskins to defend IBF bantamweight belt against Shohei Omori in Japan
IBF bantamweight champion Lee Haskins (34-3,14 KOs) will defend his title against Shohei Omori (17-1, 12 KOs) on December 31 at the Shimazu Arena, Kyoto, Japan.
Haskins is coming off a couple of points wins in his previous world title defences against Mexican Ivan Morales in May and fellow Briton Stuart Hall in September.
Now the Bristol boxer will meet Japanese southpaw Omori, whose sole defeat came when he was stopped in two rounds by current WBO champion Marlon Tapales last December.
“At…
Danny Garcia stops Samuel Vargas and sets up unification clash with Keith Thurman
WBC welterweight champion Danny Garcia (33-0, 19 KOs) halted Samuel Vargas (25-3-1. 13 KOs) in the 7th round of a non-title bout at the Liacouras Center in his hometown of Philadelphia.
Garcia dominated from the start, dropping Vargas (25-3-1 KO13) in the second with a big overhand right and he punished the overmatched Colombian with more hard shots as the fight progressed.
The American pinned Vargas against the ropes in the 7th and landed a series of powerful punches that prompted referee…
Sosa beats Smith in hard-fought battle, McDonnell wins controversial decision over Solis
WBA super featherweight champion Jason Sosa (20-1-4, 15 KOs) outpointed Stephen Smith (24-3, 14 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Salle des Étoiles in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Both fighters battled hard but the American overpowered Smith in most of the rounds and retained his world title by scores of 117-110, 116-111 and 116-112.
Sosa took the fight to Smith from the opening bell and floored the challenger with a left in the second round and Smith was then cut in the…
Terence Crawford to meet John Molina Jr on December 10
WBC and WBO light welterweight champion Terence Crawford (29-0, 20 KOs) will defend his titles against John Molina Jr (29-6, 23 KOs) on December 10 at the CenturyLink Center in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.
American Crawford vacated his WBO lightweight title in 2015 and knocked out Thomas Dulorme in the sixth round to win the vacant WBO light welterweight belt and defended it three times, including a one-sided points win over WBC titleholder Viktor Postol in July to unify two…