Tag Archives: Naoya Inoue

Brandon Figueroa to Fight Stephen Fulton in Featherweight Rematch This December

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Brandon Figueroa is heading back to the ring this December…

The 27-year-old Mexican American professional boxer will meet Stephen Fulton in a featherweight rematch on the December 14 Gervonta Davis–Lamont Roach undercard in Houston, per ESPN sources.

Brandon Figueroa When they fought in November 2021, Fulton defeated Figueroa via majority decision in one of the best fights of the year.

That was a 122-pound title unification where both boxers entered the ring as champions. In the aftermath of his loss, Figueroa was adamant the decision was a “robbery.”

Three years later, they’ll meet at 126 pounds as former champions.

Fulton (22-1, 8 KOs) has fought three times since. The 30-year-old from Philadelphia moved up to 126 pounds last month to fight Carlos Castro. He was dropped in Round 5 but emerged with a split-decision victory.

That was Fulton’s first bout since his Round 8 TKO loss last summer in a title unification with Naoya Inoue in Tokyo. Fulton is ESPN’s No. 9 featherweight.

Figueroa (25-1-1, 19 KOs) is ESPN’s No. 4 boxer at 126 pounds. He also competed three times since his loss to Fulton, all of them at 122 pounds.

Figueroa defeated Castro by TKO in Round 6 of their July 2022 fight and also outpointed Mark Magsayo.

Figueroa has held the WBC interim featherweight title since March 2023 and previously the WBC super bantamweight title in 2021 and the WBA super bantamweight title from 2019 to 2021.

Luis Nery to Reportedly Fight Naoya Inoue in Tokyo This May

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Luis Nery is heading back to the ring in the near future…

The 29-year-old Mexican boxer and Naoya Inoue have agreed to a deal for a May fight in Tokyo for Inoue’s undisputed junior featherweight championship, per ESPN sources.

Luis NeryInoue (26-0, 23 KOs) claimed ESPN Fighter of the Year honors when he KOed Marlon Tapales in Round 10 last month to become undisputed champion.

The Japanese star’s victory followed an eighth-round TKO win over Stephen Fulton in July, when Inoue claimed two titles in his 122-pound debut. Inoue, 30, is ESPN’s No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer.

Nery (34-1, 26 KOs) received an indefinite suspension from the Japan Boxing Commission in March 2018, but officials involved have been assured the Mexican will be reinstated, sources said.

The ban was handed down following Nery’s pair of stoppage wins over Japan’s longtime champion Shinsuke Yamanaka.

Nery scored a fourth-round TKO win over Yamanaka to capture the WBC bantamweight title in August 2017, but was suspended afterward when the banned substance zilpaterol was found in his system.

Nery argued the adverse finding was the result of tainted meat consumed in Mexico.

In the March 2018 rematch, Nery stopped Yamanaka in Round 2 but did so after he weighed 121 pounds for a 118-pound title bout. The pair of violations led to the ban.

But Nery earned a shot against Inoue, who usually fights in Japan, when he scored an 11th-round KO over Azat Hovhannisyan in February. The WBC title eliminator was named ESPN‘s runner-up for Fight of the Year.

Nery has won four consecutive fights since his lone professional defeat, a seventh-round TKO vs. Brandon Figueroa in a May 2021 title fight. Nery is rated No. 3 by ESPN at 122 pounds.

Against Inoue, Nery faces long odds to become a two-time junior featherweight champion. “The Monster” is a generational talent fighting at the peak of his powers.

Inoue’s undisputed title victory over Tapales was remarkably his second in as many weight classes in the past year. Inoue stopped Paul Butler in the 11th round of their December 2022 meeting to become undisputed champion at 118 pounds.

Inoue also reigned as champion at 108 and 115 pounds.

Robeisy Ramirez to Defend WBO Featherweight Title vs. Satoshi Shimizu in July

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Robeisy Ramirez is going into defensive mode…

The 29-year-old Cuban professional boxer will make the first defense of his WBO featherweight title versus Satoshi Shimizu on July 25 in Tokyo, promoter Top Rank has announced.

Robeisy RamirezThe 126-pound title bout will serve as chief support on ESPN+ for the highly anticipated showdown between Stephen Fulton and Naoya Inoue for Fulton’s unified 122-pound championship.

Ramirez, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, captured the vacant title this month with a unanimous-decision victory over Isaac Dogboe.

Ramirez (12-1, 7 KOs) rose to No. 6 in ESPN’s featherweight rankings and is poised for some big matchups in the action-packed division going forward.

“Fighting is what I do best, titles are meant to be defended and there’s no stopping ‘El Tren!,'” said Ramirez, 29.

Shimizu (11-1, 10 KOs), an Olympic bronze medalist from Japan, will be fighting for a world title for the first time at age 37.

Brandon Figueroa Finalizing Deal to Fight Mark Magsayo in Featherweight Bout

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Brandon Figueroa is thisclose to locking in his next opponent…

The 26-year-old Mexican American professional boxer, nicknamed “The Heartbreaker,” and Mark Magsayo are finalizing a deal for a March 4 featherweight bout in the U.S., according to ESPN.

Brandon Figueroa The PBC on Showtime bout would feature two of ESPN’s top 10 boxers at 126 pounds (Magsayo is No. 6 while Figueroa is No. 10).

Figueroa (23-1-1, 18 KOs) was in talks to meet Stephen Fulton in a rematch after the WBC ordered the matchup for its interim featherweight title. But with Fulton in talks to meet Naoya Inoue in Japan at 122 pounds, Figueroa is now slated to fight Magsayo in a battle of former champions that is shaping up to be a slugfest.

Figueroa, a volume-puncher from Weslaco, Texas, lost his 122-pound title via majority decision in a unification bout against Fulton that was one of the best action fights of 2021. He moved up to 126 pounds afterward with a sixth-round TKO of Carlos Castro in June.

Magsayo (24-1, 16 KOs) won his first title in January with a major upset, a majority-decision victory over longtime featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. Magsayo lost the 126-pound title in July to Rey Vargas via split decision in a grueling fight (he floored Vargas in Round 9.)

The 27-year-old Filipino is promoted by countryman Manny Pacquiao, one of boxing’s all-time greats.

Guillermo Rigondeaux to Fight John Riel Casimero for 118-Pound Title

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Guillermo Rigondeaux is heading back to the ring…

The 40-year-old Cuban boxer, a two-weight world champion, having held the WBA bantamweight title since 2020, and previously the unified WBA, WBO, and Ring magazine super-bantamweight titles between 2013 and 2017, will now fight John Riel Casimero for the 118-pound title.

Guillermo Rigondeaux

The fight is set for August 14, according to MP (Manny Pacquiao) Promotions president Sean Gibbons.

The bout, a Showtime main event, will be held at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

The fight was announced in April. But after Casimero’s countryman, Nonito Donaire of the Philippines, regained a 118-pound title with a fourth-round knockout of Nordine Oubaali in May, Premier Boxing Champions worked quickly to make a deal for a title unification fight between Casimero and Donaire. Rigondeaux stepped aside to allow the bout to proceed.

It all spiraled out of control from there. Following the formal announcement of Donaire-Casimero, there was a disagreement over drug-testing protocol. Donaire, a longtime proponent of comprehensive testing through the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, and Gibbons disagreed on when testing should commence.

The dispute boiled over into a personal exchange, with Casimero’s camp insulting Donaire’s team. Following the remarks, Donaire decided to withdraw from the fight on Tuesday.

Donaire made it clear that the bout is off because of those insults, not the drug-testing dispute, telling ESPN, “I represent boxing to the utmost with integrity.”

“I’m not making the fight happen because I’m here to stand on the problems,” he said.

TGB Promotions, which handles all PBC events, formally informed VADA on June 25 that both fighters would be tested. The following day, Casimero submitted his paperwork, including his whereabouts form so that he can be tested randomly.

Accepting the ultimate result — and with a Casimero-Rigondeaux bout back on the books to plan for — Gibbons apologized to Donaire’s team for his part in the controversy, admitting that “it got out of control.”

“We jump on the sword and say there were some things that shouldn’t have been said,” Gibbons added. “That’s boxing. We’re not in ballet; we’re in boxing.”

With the fight off, Donaire (41-6, 27 KOs) is left to find another big opportunity. A win over Casimero would have made him a unified champion at 118 pounds. The only bigger matchup available is a rematch with Naoya Inoue, ESPN’s No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter. When they met in November 2019, Inoue won a unanimous decision but suffered a broken orbital bone in ESPN’s fight of the year.

“[Donaire is] one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, he’s must-see TV, he’s a world champion and he’s a legend,” Donaire’s promoter, Richard Schaefer, told ESPN. “You put all of these things together, it will be a big event. We’ll see what we can get done.”

While Donaire, 38, seeks another opponent, Casimero, 32, once again prepares for Rigondeaux, a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Rigondeaux is a former champion at 122 pounds but is now campaigning at 118.

Rigondeaux (20-1, 13 KOs) scored a unanimous decision victory over Donaire in 2013. His lone professional defeat came to Vasiliy Lomachenko at 130 pounds in 2017.

“I think we’re fighting the tougher fight; we’re fighting the guy who beat Donaire,” Gibbons said. “He’s only had one bad fight in his life, and that was fighting a guy two divisions bigger than him, Vasiliy Lomachenko. Guillermo Rigondeaux … dude has a lot of life left in him.

“We’re taking on a very difficult challenge.”

Casimero (30-4, 21 KOs) won the title with a third-round TKO of Zolani Tete in 2019. Casimero’s only defense came in September, with another third-round stoppage, this time versus Duke Micah.

Casimero is rated No. 4 at bantamweight; Rigondeaux is No. 2.