Badou Jack (19-1, 12 KOs) defeated Anthony Dirrell (27-1-1, 22 KOs) by a majority decision to win the WBC super-middleweight title on Friday night at UIC Pavilion in Chicago.
In a close fight, it was Jack that rallied in the later rounds to secure the victory over the American by scores of 116-112 and 115-113, with the third judge scoring it even at 114-114.
Dirrell, who was defending his title for the first time since his win over Sakio Bika in August, had success early on from distance but…
Andre Ward to return against Paul Smith on June 20
WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) will return to the ring after a 19-month layoff against Britain’s Paul Smith (35-5, 20 KOs) on June 20 at the Oracle Arena, Oakland, California.
Ward’s last outing was a points win over Edwin Rodriguez in November 2013, and he has only fought twice since defeating Carl Froch in December 2011.
His inactivity were due to a shoulder injury and a contract dispute with late promoter Dan Goossen, who died in September 2014.
Ward reached a…
Kenny Bayless selected as referee for Floyd Mayweather v Manny Pacquiao
Kenny Bayless has been appointed to referee the mega fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, who meet on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
While the veteran referee will be the third man in the ring, the judges for the fight will be Burt Clements, Dave Moretti and Glenn Feldman.
American Bayless, 64, is no stranger to either Mayweather or Pacquiao, he officiated Mayweather’s rematch against Marcos Maidana, as well as against Canelo Alvarez, Shane Mosley and Oscar De La…
Crawford crushes Dulorme in six
American Terence Crawford (26-0, 18 KOs) stopped Thomas Dulorme (22-2, 12 KOs) in the sixth round to claim the vacant WBO light welterweight title on Saturday night at the University of Texas, Arlington, Texas.
Crawford dropped the Puerto Rican three times in the sixth round, before the referee waved off the bout.
Crawford took his time in the opening rounds, while Dulorme was the aggressor although he wasn’t able to land many punches. The unbeaten former WBO lightweight champion soon found…
Chavez Jr poleaxed by Fonfara
Poland’s Andrzej Fonfara (27-3, 16 KOs) dropped and then stopped Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (48-2-1, 32 KOs) at the end of the ninth round on Saturday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.
Former WBC middleweight champion Chavez, who returned to the ring for the first time since March 2014 when he defeated Brian Vera by unanimous decision, was fighting at a catch weight of 172 pounds. But he never seemed to be able to deal with the size of Fonfara and was beaten to the punch…
Matthysse overpowers Provodnikov
Lucas Matthysse (37-3, 34 KOs) defeated Ruslan Provodnikov (27-4, 17 KOs) by majority decision in a hard-fought 12 round light welterweight contest on Saturday night at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York.
Matthysse claimed the points win by scores of 115-113 twice, while the third judge had it 114-114.
Argentina’s Matthysse made a strong start, getting off his punches as Provodnikov came right at him. Provodnikov was cut over his left eye after a head clash in the second…
Mathews wins WBA interim title after points win over late sub Tony Luis
Derry Mathews (38-9-2, 20 KOs) won the Interim WBA lightweight title after a hard-fought, unanimous points decision over late replacement David Luis (19-3, 7 KOs) on Saturday night at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.
Mathews saw Cuba’s Richar Abril twice pull out of their world title fight due to illness and and just this week replacement Venezuelan Ismael Barroso was forced to pull out after failing to obtain a visa.
Mathews made the brighter start against his Canadian opponent and utilised…
Miguel Cotto to fight Daniel Geale on June 6
WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (39-4, 32 KOs) will defend his title against former world champion Daniel Geale (31-3, 16 KOs) on June 6 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Cotto returns to the ring for the first time since dethroning former titlist Sergio Martinez by stoppage victory last June.
The Puerto Rican looked set for a clash with Canelo Alvarez, but the Mexican withdrew from negotiations in January after Cotto declined an offer from his team. However, if Cotto…
Amir Khan set to fight Chris Algieri on May 29
Amir Khan (30-3, 19 KOs) will fight former WBO light-welterweight champion Chris Algieri (20-1, 8 KOs) on May 29 at the Barclays Center in New York.
The Briton was aiming to take on Floyd Mayweather or former stable mate Manny Pacquiao but the pair agreed to fight each other in an eagerly-awaited superfight on May 2.
The former WBA and IBF light welterweight champion dominated Devon Alexander on the way to a unanimous decision victory in December in his last outing, and now faces Algieri, who…
Another new opponent for Derry Mathews
Derry Mathews (37-9-2, 20 KOs) will face Canadian Tony Luis (19-2, 7 KOs) for the Interim WBA lightweight title in Liverpool on Saturday after Venezuelan Ismael Barroso failed to obtain a visa in time.
The Liverpool lightweight was initially due to challenge Richar Abril for the WBA belt on March 6 only for the Cuban to withdraw with suspected dengue fever. The contest was rescheduled for April 18 only for Abril to pull out again.
“It’s obviously not ideal preparing for three different…