William Zepeda Defeats Tevin Farmer in Quest to Fight WBC World Lightweight Champion Shakur Stevenson

William Zepeda has made his case for a title shot…

The 28-year-old Mexican boxer edged past Tevin Farmer on Saturday at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to stay on course for a crack at WBC world lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson in February.

William ZepedaZepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) from San Mateo Atenco, México, won a split decision (95-94, 95-94, 94-95) after recovering from a fourth-round knockdown to land more punches than Farmer and earn the WBC interim belt.

Former IBF world junior lightweight champion Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs), 34, from Philadelphia, floored Zepeda with a left hook in Round 4 and his pressure made it an uncomfortable fight for the 28-year-old Mexican.

It was an entertaining fight, but not the statement Zepeda would have wanted going into a world title fight early next year.

Brandon Figueroa to Fight Stephen Fulton in Featherweight Rematch This December

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 DavisLamont 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.

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez to Defend WBC Junior Bantamweight Title Against Pedro Guevara in November

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez has locked in his next opponent…

The 24-year-old Mexican American boxer, one of boxing’s rising stars, will defend his titles on November 9 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has announced.

Jesse "Bam" RodriguezRodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs), who is No. 7 on ESPN‘s pound-for-pound rankings, will defend his WBC junior bantamweight title against Pedro Guevara, in a 12-round bout.

It will be Rodriguez’s first defense of the title, which he won in spectacular fashion by knocking out Juan Francisco Estrada in the seventh round.

Guevara (42-4-1, 22 KOs), a former junior flyweight champion and ESPN‘s No. 7 junior bantamweight, will be fighting for the third time in 2024.

He has won his past two bouts after dropping a close decision to Carlos Cuadras in November 2023.

Maira Moneo to Fight Caroline Dubois in England Next Month

Maira Moneo is up for a new challenge…

The 31-year-old Uruguayan woman professional boxer and WBC interim world lightweight champion will fight Caroline Dubois at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley, England, on August 3.

Maira MoneoThe victor will take a step closer to a shot at the WBC world lightweight title, held by two-weight undisputed champion Katie Taylor of Ireland, who faces Amanda Serrano in a rematch on the undercard of Jack Paul and Mike Tyson‘s fight in Texas on Nov. 15.

Taylor is also undisputed super lightweight champion and will defend those titles against Serrano.

Moneo (14-1, 3 KO), 31, from Montevideo, is more experienced than Dubois and in December 2022 outpointed two-division world champion Erica Anabella Farias.

Her only defeat came by disqualification, due to a clash of heads versus Yanina del Carmen Lescano in 2020.

Dubois (9-0, 5 KOs), 23, of London, has also signed a long-term promotional deal with U.K.-based BOXXER as she targets progressing to a world title shot later this year, or a clash with Taylor in 2025.

Dubois, who turned professional in 2022 after competing at the last Olympics, said: “I’m ready to announce myself on the big stage. I want to be world champion. I want to be fighting for world titles against the likes of [WBO champion] Rhiannon Dixon, [IBF champion] Beatriz Ferreira and [WBC and WBA champion] Taylor. I want to unify the division. I want to be undisputed and then I want to move up in weight.

“Moneo is a fight that can propel me to the next level. She is going to bring that South American mentality, tenacity and energy. She has a lot of experience. She’s going to be aggressive and nonstop punching and I’m ready and I’m excited for that.

“Every time I step in the ring, I want to do damage. I want to excite people. I want people to say: ‘Wow, that Caroline Dubois, she’s something special!’ Whether it’s a knockout or a 10-round beatdown, I want to be the standout performance of the night, and on August 3rd, I’m coming to steal the show.

“After this fight, I will be on a collision course with Katie Taylor. I will be the interim champion, her mandatory and unless she vacates, we’re fighting next.”

It will be a big couple of months for the Dubois family as Caroline’s brother Daniel makes a first defence of the IBF world heavyweight title against English rival Anthony Joshua, the former champion, at Wembley Stadium on Sept. 21.

7-16

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez Knocks Out Juan Francisco Estrada to Win WBC Junior Bantamweight Title

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez has a new belt..

The 24-year-old Mexican American professional boxer knocked out Juan Francisco Estrada in the seventh round to win the WBC junior bantamweight title on at the Footprint Center in Phoenix in a candidate for fight of the year.

Jesse "Bam" RodriguezRodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs), who entered the fight as a -550 favorite, per ESPN BET, had Estrada in trouble in Round 3 after landing a right uppercut.

Estrada recovered well in the third, but in Round 4, Rodriguez knocked him down with a perfectly thrown left uppercut, straight left combination.

Rodriguez kept landing his punches in the next round, all set up by his lead jab.

Another straight left pushed Estrada to the ropes, and the uppercut and left hand kept landing flush. Rodriguez’s speed and power were superior to Estrada’s.

Though Rodriguez appeared to be in total control, Estrada, 34, dropped him in the sixth round with a straight right hand set up by two lead jabs. Rodriguez recovered well and continued landing his left hand and right uppercut.

With just seconds to go in Round 7, Rodriguez landed a left hook to the body that sent Estrada to the canvas. Estrada was visibly in pain and couldn’t recover in time.

“I got him with a good body shot,” Rodriguez said during the postfight interview. “I saw the way he was rolling on the floor. I knew that was it.

“I thought he was going to get back up, so I was already mentally prepared to go on to the next round, but I mean he stayed down and that was it.”

At the time of the stoppage, Estrada was ahead 57-56 on one of the scorecards, while Rodriguez was up 58-54 on another and the third judge had the fight even.

This was Rodriguez’s first victory of 2024 and the second time he won the WBC belt at 115 pounds. Estrada fought for the first time since his trilogy fight against future Hall of Famer Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in December 2022, a career-long 18-month layoff.

Estrada (44-4, 28 KOs) was riding an eight-fight winning streak. The last time he lost a fight before Saturday was more than six years ago, a majority decision to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in February 2018 that he avenged one year later.

Estrada could have one more big fight in him. The future Hall of Famer has a rematch clause and said after the fight that he was going to exercise that option.

“I know the mistakes that I made in there and I want the rematch,” Estrada said. “So we’ll take that rematch and there’s no doubt we’ll win that rematch.”

Rodriguez is knocking at the door of the pound-for-pound top 10 list. He said after the fight he plans to stay at junior bantamweight and try to unify the titles against the winner of the unification fight between Fernando Martinez and Kazuto Ioka on July 7 in Japan.

David Benavidez Defeats Oleksandr Gvozdyk to Claim WBC Interim Light Heavyweight World Title

David Benavidez is celebrating a unanimous victory…

The 27-year-old Mexican-American professional boxer looked relatively at home in his first appearance at light heavyweight on Saturday night, cruising to a unanimous decision over Oleksandr Gvozdyk at the MGM Grand.

David BenavidezBenavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) moved up to 175 pounds for the first time after his repeated efforts to entice undisputed super middleweight champ Canelo Alvarez into a bout fell short.

He beat Gvozdyk (20-2, 16 KOs) comfortably, with the judges favoring Benavidez 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112, and claimed a WBC interim world title in the victory.

“I think it’s a 7 out of 10, to be honest,” Benavidez said when asked to grade his performance. “Oleksandr is a great fighter. It’s no wonder he’s a former champion, a former Olympian.”

Benavidez revealed that he suffered a facial cut and torn tendon in his right hand before the fight. It didn’t really show in his performance, as he landed 223 punches compared with 163 for Gvozdyk, according to CompuBox. One criticism of the performance might have been a lack of power. He never had Gvozdyk in true trouble, despite teeing off on him multiple times throughout the 12 rounds.

Whether Benavidez’s power fully translates to 175 pounds will likely be a topic of discussion if he ever moves on to potentially marquee fights against titleholders Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivol.

For now, Benavidez said he will look at both light heavyweight and his natural weight class of super middleweight. He said his fight night weight Saturday was 189 pounds.

“We’re still looking to go down to 168 to fight for the title,” he said. “If we’re going to get Canelo or if they’re going to vacate it, I would like to win it one more time.”

Some of Benavidez’s best work came in the first half of the fight. He had a lot of success with a looping left hook, which looked like it could turn into a fight-ending shot in the early rounds before Gvozdyk made some adjustments. Benavidez constantly pressured Gvozdyk backward and highlighted some of his work with shots to the body.

Gvozdyk, a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist, weathered the storm well, especially for a 37-year-old who retired from boxing in 2019 before returning to the sport last year. Gvozdyk even mounted a bit of a comeback in the later rounds and opened a small cut over Benavidez’s left eye.

Despite some late success, Gvozdyk routinely found himself on the back foot against his advancing opponent. Benavidez continued to look for the finish in the later rounds, but Gvozdyk ate his best shots.

Saturday’s bout was Benavidez’s first of 2024. He could be a candidate for the winner of an October 12 undisputed light heavyweight championship bout between Beterbiev and Bivol.

Sebastian Fundora to Defend WBC/WBO Belts Against Errol Spence Jr. in October

Sebastian Fundora has secured his next opponent.

The 26-year-old Mexican American professional boxer and unified light middleweight champion and Errol Spence Jr. have agreed to a deal for a junior middleweight title fight in Dallas this October, per ESPN.

Sebastian FundoraFundora will defend his WBC and WBO belts, which he won in a split-decision upset over Tim Tszyu in March.

PBC‘s hope is to stage the Prime Video PPV event at AT&T Stadium if the finalized date fits into the Dallas Cowboys‘ home schedule.

Spence, 34, has competed there twice, with wins over Mikey Garcia and Yordenis Ugas.

Following Fundora’s victory against Tszyu, Spence stepped into the ring and called him out, saying, “It’s time to get it on. He got a pretty good height, but we’ll see. We’ll break him down like we always do.”

Sebastian FundoraIndeed, Fundora possesses uncanny height for a 154-pounder at 6-foot-5½ with an 80-inch reach. The 26-year-old’s first title victory came on the heels of his lone defeat, a seventh-round KO loss to Brian Mendoza in one of 2023’s most surprising results.

One year later, Fundora (21-1-1, 14 KOs) is ESPN‘s top junior middleweight after he replaced the injured Keith Thurman on 11 days’ notice to outlast Tszyu.

Known as “The Towering Inferno,” Fundora and his sister Gabriela are the first brother and sister to be full-fledged champions in boxing history.

Spence, meanwhile, will make his 154-pound debut after July’s ninth-round TKO loss to Terence Crawford for the undisputed welterweight championship. Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) was a mainstay of ESPN‘s pound-for-pound list before the setback.

He recently parted ways with Derrick James, who trained him since his amateur days that culminated in an Olympic run at the 2012 London Games.

Spence and James have sued each other surrounding a disagreement over money.

Robson Conceicao to Fight O’Shaquie Foster for Foster’s WBC Junior Lightweight Title

Robson Conceicao is gunnin’ for a title…

The 35-year-old Brazilian professional boxer, a two-time super featherweight world title challenger and an Olympic gold medalist, will fight O’Shaquie Foster for Foster’s WBC junior lightweight on July 6 in Newark, New Jersey, per ESPN.

Robson Conceicao,The 130-pound title fight will serve as chief support to the Shakur StevensonArtem Harutyunyan lightweight title bout on ESPN.

Foster (22-2, 12 KOs) is ESPN’s No. 2 junior lightweight. The 30-year-old, who fights out of Houston, made his second title defense in February with a split decision victory over Abraham Nova. A 12th-round knockdown helped Foster avoid a draw.

Foster blamed a “bad weight cut” for his performance and vowed to come back stronger for his next title defense. He won the title last February when he defeated Rey Vargas and then successfully defended it in October with a 12th-round TKO victory over Rocky Hernandez. Foster was down wide on two of the three scorecards when he scored the come-from-behind KO to retain his title.

Conceicao (18-2-1, 9 KOs) is 0-2-1 in title fights, but his two losses came when he was at a disadvantage. He dropped a disputed decision to Oscar Valdez in September 2021 just weeks after Valdez tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

Conceicao’s second crack at a title was a decision loss to Stevenson, who was stripped of his belt due to being 1.5 pounds overweight.

Conceicao’s third title bid was in November, and he suffered two knockdowns but still pulled out a draw with Emanuel Navarrete.

Conceicao returned last month with a seventh-round TKO victory over Jose Ivan Guardado.

Ryan Garcia Knocks Down Devin Haney Three Times in Stunning Upset Win

Ryan Garcia has pulled off what’s being called “an upset for the ages.”

The 25-year-old Mexican American boxer, who had been labeled “mentally fragile” by many, proved the critics wrong by delivering a masterpiece in one of the most polarizing performances in recent memory, scoring three knockdowns of Devin Haney en route to a majority decision.

Ryan GarciaThe judges scored it 112-112, 114-110 and 115-109.

The WBC super lightweight title, which Haney held entering the fight, was no longer at stake as Garcia was 3.2 pounds over the 140-pound limit at Friday’s weigh-in. So Haney retains the belt despite the loss.

According to CompuBox, Haney was the more accurate puncher, but Garcia’s blows clearly had the most impact. Garcia landed 106 of 285 punches (37%) and Haney connected on 87 of 214 punches (41%).

Garcia had a tremendous first round, rocking Haney with a massive left hook. Haney immediately clinched to fend off Garcia’s attack. For the rest of the frame, Haney appeared slightly gun-shy but kept Garcia at bay with his left jab, one of the best in boxing.

Haney, who previously held the undisputed lightweight world title, struck first in the second round, connecting with a stiff left jab that reddened Garcia’s nose. With less than a minute remaining, Haney went downstairs with the jab as Garcia looked for counter opportunities. Referee Harvey Dock warned Garcia twice for hitting Haney behind the head twice in the second.

Haney landed the first significant punch of the third round, an overhand right. As the clock approached the two-minute mark, Garcia missed with a big left hook.

With 50 seconds left in the third, Garcia dropped his right hand, and Haney made him pay with a crisp left hook that forced his longtime rival to pound his gloves in frustration.

Haney connected with a left hook with 1:47 remaining in the fourth round as Garcia attempted to use the shoulder roll. Garcia followed up with a right hand, but it didn’t have much mustard. Haney kept Garcia on the back foot for the rest of the round, connecting with jabs to the body.

The fifth round started slow until Haney connected with a pull counter right with just under two minutes on the clock. Midway through the round, Haney caught Garcia with a jab that froze him in his tracks. Haney continued dictating the action down the stretch, catching Garcia with a right cross.

The action got a little sloppy in the sixth. Garcia connected with a hard right hand and attempted to smother Haney, following up with a barrage of shots, but most of them missed. Later in the round, Haney was warned for hitting Garcia to the back, although Garcia was the one who had turned his back.

The tables turned in the seventh round when Garcia knocked Haney down with a brutal left hook. Garcia went for the kill but ended up costing himself a point when he hit Haney with a sharp right hand when Dock called for a break. An exhausted Haney went down twice more in the round, but Dock ruled them both slips.

Garcia continued to look for the knockout blow in the eighth, but Dock continuously got in between the fighters, angering the crowd, who wished to see more action.

Haney tried to muster up some offense with his right hand, but they lacked the zip from before the knockdown.

Haney connected with a pair of left hooks that had Garcia against the ropes with 45 seconds to go in the ninth. However, Garcia caught Haney with a right uppercut moments later to keep him honest. Haney followed up with a barrage of rights to the body when Garcia turned his back.

Garcia dropped Haney with a massive right-left combination in the 10th round for the second knockdown. Haney beat the count, but Garcia jumped back on him again and staggered him with another left hand.

In the 11th round, Garcia measured Haney, looking to land another explosive shot. He rocked Haney again, first with the right and again with the left for a third knockdown, as chants of “Ry-an! Ry-an!” rained from the crowd.

Garcia cruised to the finish, taunting his longtime rival, sticking his tongue out at Haney, and danced to the final bell.

The world questioned whether he was crazy, but Garcia made those who questioned his readiness seem like the crazy ones.

Julio Cesar Martinez Defeats Angelino Cordova By Majority Decision to Retain WBC Flyweight Belt

Julio Cesar Martinez is retaining his belt…

The 29-year-old Mexican professional boxer, the WBC flyweight champion, twice knocked down challenger Angelino Cordova on Saturday with left hooks in the first minute of the third round.

Julio Cesar MartinezMartinez (21-3-1 NC, 15 KOs), of Mexico City, then had Cordova (18-1-1, 12 KOs), from Caracas, Venezuela, wobbly in the fifth round with another swift left hook before settling in for a majority decision (113-113, 114-112, 114-112) to successfully defend his belt, and give Cordova his first defeat.

But not without enduring a pair of gnarly-looking cuts, one to the side of his right eye in the eighth round and diagonally through his left eyebrow after an incidental headbutt with 23 seconds to go in the 10th round.

Cordova tried to set the tone in the first two rounds before Martinez went on the offensive with his pursuit. With a pro-Mexico crowd chanting the name of his home country, Martinez responded with a straight right to his opponent’s face, stunning Cordova 35 seconds into the seventh round.

The most entertaining round was the eighth, the two 112-pounders going toe-to-toe with haymakers in the middle of the ring. It was also when, with Martinez bleeding heavily from the cut on his right eye, Cordova was clowning and connecting, with a combo of a Sugar Ray Leonard windup punch and an Ali shuffle, despite having already been knocked down numerous times.