The CompuBox statistics from Wednesday’s women’s bantamweight title fight and rematch between Miyo Yoshida and Shurretta Metcalf “clearly do not support the judges’ controversial 10-round unanimous decision in favor of Metcalf,” stated a press release sent to BoxingScene on Friday by Sullivan Management.

In an awkward, difficult-to-score fight featuring clashing styles, Metcalf was awarded the unanimous decision at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City by scores of 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94, which the release described as “dubious” while citing the name of each judge with their respective scorecard.

“The right outcome appeared clear – both in the surprise reactions of Metcalf's corner and also the thunderous objection from the crowd,” the release continued. ”As the scores were read, immediate objections [rained] down through the arena as Yoshida and many ringsiders looked stunned.”

The right fighter sometimes still wins a “controversial” decision, and fighters, their teams and their fans often react harshly to reasonable outcomes. Additionally, CompuBox statistics are a tool to better understand fights but do not factor into official scoring – and in some cases do not support a fairly rendered result.

That said, Sullivan Management – which, if you hadn’t learned by now, represents Yoshida – raises some interesting points.

More from the press release: “Yoshida finished the fight ahead 96-64 overall, 49-17 in jabs, 30-16 in body punches and 8-0-2 in a round-to-round breakdown of total connects.”

It also cited the announcers on the ProBox TV broadcast calling the 99-91 score “absurd” and noted that Hall of Fame boxing writer Thomas Hauser wrote for www.tss.ib.tv that “Shurretta threw wild punches from long range all night. When she landed, it seemed almost by accident. The decision could have gone either way. I thought each fighter clearly won three rounds with four rounds up for grabs. 97-93 was a stretch. 99-91 reeked of being an agenda-driven scorecard.”

Said Yoshida’s manager, Keith Sullivan: “It is hard not to question the accuracy of the scoring. A 7-3 score is a disturbingly extreme stretch. The 9-1 score turned a world championship fight into a tragic farce. This was a disservice to the sport.”

It could be argued that Yoshida came by the belt via equally controversial means, if not more so, after Metcalf beat her by unanimous decision last November – but it was Yoshida, not Metcalf, who was awarded an immediate title shot a month later, taking the title from Ebanie Bridges.  

“It was an honor to once again share the ring with Shuretta,” Yoshida said after the fight. “I felt I did more than enough to win the fight, and I don’t understand why the judge’s awarded my opponent for throwing wild punches that never landed and the few that did, had no effect.”

In any case, the level of discontentment around the first two Yoshida-Metcalf fights are likely to ensure a third, which the champion agreed to – “if the money’s right” – immediately after Wednesday’s fight.

Never a dull moment in boxing.

Jason Langendorf is the former Boxing Editor of ESPN.com, has contributed to Ringside Seat and the Queensberry Rules, and has written about boxing for Vice, The Guardian, Chicago Sun-Times and other publications. A member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, he can be followed on X and LinkedIn , and emailed at dorf2112@hotmail.com.

The undercard support for a November 2 matchup between Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield Jnr and Rene Tellez Giron has been finalized, Golden Boy Promotions announced on Friday.

Schofield, 17-0 (12 KOs) of Austin, Texas, and Giron, 20-3 (13 KOs), of Queretaro, Mexico will meet in a 12-round main event at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas and be broadcast on DAZN.

In the co-main event, Shoimbek, Uzbekistan’s Bektemir “Bek” Melikuziev, 14-1 (10 KOs), will face David Stevens, 14-1 (10 KOs), in a 10-round super middleweight title eliminator. Also on the broadcast, women’s flyweight titleholder Gabriela Fundora, 14-0 (6 KOs), will challenge Argentina’s three-belt titlist Gabriela Alaniz, 15-1 (6 KOs), in a 10-round fight for undisputed status and the Ring Magazine title. To date, the women’s flyweight division has never known an undisputed champion.

Fundora, whose brother Sebastian is a two-belt junior middleweight titleholder, has a chance to make more history. With a win over Alaniz, Gabriela, 22, would become the youngest undisputed champion in both the men’s and women’s ranks.

“Once my hand is raised and I am the youngest undisputed world champion of the world – for both men and women – it will be history in the books,” Fundora said. “Our life is boxing. Sebastian [Fundora] and I made history as the first brother and sister to simultaneously hold world titles. This is our life, and there is so much more there to accomplish."

Also on the card, super middleweight blue-chip prospect Darius “DFG” Fulghum, 12-0 (10 KOs), of Katy, Texas, will meet Selma, Texas’ Christopher Pearson, 17-4-1 (12 KOs), in a 10-round match.

And opening the DAZN broadcast, Bakersfield, California’s top prospect and former Team USA member Joel Iriarte, 4-0 (4 KOs), will take on Albuquerque, New Mexico’s Xavier Madrid, 5-5 (2 KOs), in a welterweight  six-rounder.

In the prelims, streamed live on Golden Boy's YouTube channel , Eric Tudor, 11-1 (7 KOs), of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will meet Miami’s Harold Calderon, 28-1 (19 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight fight. In a junior featherweight six-rounder, Gael Cabrera, 5-0 (3 KOs), of Sonora, Mexico, will fight a soon to be announced opponent. 

Additionally, Asa “Ace” Stevens, 6-0 (2 KOs), of Waianae, Hawaii, will fight an opponent to be announced in a six-round junior featherweight fight; Dalis Kaleiopu, 5-0 (4 KOs), also of Waianae, will fight Manuel Lerma, 4-0, of Pharr, Texas, in a six-round junior lightweight fight. Opening the card will be former Team USA standout Jordan Fuentes, 1-0, of Fresno, California, against Roberto Peña, 4-4 (3 KOs), of McAllen, Texas in a four-round bantamweight fight.

Strawweight Gustavo Perez scored the biggest win of his career Saturday night, defeating Jesus Haro by unanimous decision in Haro’s backyard at the Centre Plaza in Modesto, California.

Despite serving as the co-feature, the bout carried potential title implications due to the division's lack of depth.

The judges scored it 78-74, 80-72 and 80-72, all in favor of Perez. 

Perez, 14-1 (4 KOs), a 26-year-old from Baja California, Mexico, recorded his first U.S. win after losing his only other fight in the states in 2022, landing power shots that made a difference against the 22-year-old Haro, 12-3 (1 KO), from Merced, California.

The orthodox-southpaw clash saw three head clashes by the fifth round, with referee Michael Margado effectively signaling each incident. Perez closed the fight by landing a straight left followed by a right hook.

Ranked No. 15 by the WBA, Haro, a decorated amateur, has now dropped two consecutive bouts.

In the main event, undefeated lightweight Jose Luis Vazquez earned an eight-round unanimous decision over Stockton, California’s Giovannie Gutierrez. The judges scored it 79-73, 77-75 and 78-74 for Vazquez.

The 22-year-old Vazquez, fighting out of Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico, improved to 17-0 (3 KOs), while the 34-year-old Gutierrez, 20-7-2 (15 KOs), struggled to match Vazquez’s speed and effective jab throughout the contest.

After the fight, Gonzalez said it would probably be his last fight.

Featherweight Omar Trinidad went 12 rounds for the first time as a pro, winning a unanimous decision over Hector Sosa in Saturday’s “Hollywood Fight Nights” main event at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, California. 

The judges scored it 118-109, 119-108 and 119-108, all in favor of Trinidad.

Trinidad’s win snapped his four-fight knockout streak, but he noted post-fight that he aimed to show he could go the distance.

“I had fun for 12 rounds,” Trinidad said. “I want the elite [fighters] next year.”

In the opening round, Trinidad, 17-0-1 (13 KOs), of Boyle Heights, California, boxed on the outside while Sosa, 7-3 (9 KOs), of Junin, Buenos Aires, Argentina, pressed forward, both remaining cautious of the other’s power. In the second, Sosa continued applying pressure, but Trinidad’s pawing jab set up a clean right hand, dropping his opponent. Near the end of the round, both exchanged nods, acknowledging each other's power shots.

The aggressive Sosa pushed forward in the third, forcing Trinidad to keep busy with a snappy jab. Sosa suffered a cut from an accidental head butt, per the call by referee Thomas Taylor. By the fourth, Trinidad’s jab was wearing down Sosa, who continued to push him to the ropes but failed to land cleanly. In the sixth, both exchanged heavy shots as the bout evolved into a test of endurance in the 12-round format.

Sosa’s persistence saw him pushing Trinidad to the ropes by the eighth, but with little success, as Trinidad’s movement and jab kept him a step ahead. Sosa’s cut reopened in the eighth, with additional cuts appearing over both eyes after a ninth-round head clash. Trinidad maintained control, outmaneuvering Sosa and landing a left hook that forced Sosa to reset.

In the 10th, Trinidad’s footwork and jab were dominant, and his confidence was evident as he moved around Sosa with ease. Sosa landed a right hand in the 11th, but Trinidad countered effectively, staying elusive and avoiding damage. The final round saw Trinidad land a lead left-hand uppercut and mix his attacks, too composed and skilled to be overwhelmed by Sosa’s pressure alone.

With the win, Trinidad now holds 17 consecutive victories after starting his career with a draw, while Sosa’s three-fight win streak ended with the loss.

Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.

Flyweight Daniel “Chucky” Barrera passed another test as a prospect, defeating Angel Mesa Morales at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, California, on the co-feature of Saturday’s bill.

Barrera earned a hard-fought unanimous decision in another grueling fight early in his career, with scores of 77-75, 78-74 and 77-75.

The first round was a cautious one, with Barrera, 7-0-1 (4 KOs), of Eastvale, California, setting the range against Morales, 8-2-3 (6 KOs), of Ensenada, Mexico. In the second, Morales struggled to close the distance, while Barrera – coming off a grueling bout with Christian Robles – focused on jabbing to Morales' body. Morales showed signs of life in the third, landing a lead left hook in a wild exchange that forced Barrera to hold.

Barrera found success in the fourth as he kept his composure, staying on the outside while Morales pressed forward. Barrera was busier in this round, though Morales kept looking for big shots. Rounds 5 and 6 saw Morales press with physical exchanges as Barrera managed the distance, but Morales was willing to walk forward through the fire, connecting with looping shots that landed with occasional success.

With the fight hanging in the balance, Barrera found his rhythm, boxing well in the center of the ring. Though Morales landed eye-catching power shots, Barrera’s punches remained the cleaner ones. In the final round, Barrera flipped the script, pressing forward to walk down Morales, who had been the aggressor all night.

This marked Barrera’s third straight unanimous decision since starting the year with a knockout, with his last two fights representing steps up in competition. Morales saw his two-fight win streak snapped with the loss.

Women’s strawweight Guadalupe Medina, 7-0 (2 KOs), of Maywood, California, earned a hard-fought six-round majority decision over Katherine Lindenmuth, 6-3 (2 KOs), of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Two judges scored it 58-56 for Medina, while another had it 57-57.

Welterweight Gor Yeritsyan, 19-1 (15 KOs), from Yerevan, Armenia, and now fighting out of Hollywood, California, rebounded from his first career defeat with a technical knockout over late replacement Jonathan Romero, 35-6 (19 KOs), of Cali, Colombia. Yeritsyan, who trains at Wild Card Boxing Club with Freddie Roach, ended the fight in the fifth round, with referee Thomas Taylor stopping it at 32 seconds. This was Yeritsyan’s first fight since his split decision loss to Aram Amirkhanyan in July.

In the opening bout of the UFC Fight Pass broadcast, junior lightweight Abel Mejia, 6-0 (5 KOs), of Orange, California, scored a technical knockout over Chicago’s Kevin Mangune, 6-2 (5 KOs), in the sixth and final round. Referee Ray Corona called in the doctor at 2 minutes and 14 seconds of the session, and the fight was halted due to a cut on Mangune caused by a punch from Mejia. Mejia also sustained a cut from a head clash in the third round, finishing the bout with blood on his face. Mejia is now on a three-fight knockout streak.

In the final bout of the UFC Freelim on UFC Fight Pass’ YouTube channel, Umar Dzambekov, 9-0 (6 KOs), of Vienna, Austria, knocked out Eric Robles, 10-4 (9 KOs), of Tijuana, Mexico, in the first round. Dzambekov dropped Robles with a left hand while Robles was against the ropes. Later in the round, a series of punches ending in a cupping left hook to the head sent Robles forward to the canvas. Seconds after Robles got up, Dzambekov landed a short left hook that dropped him again, prompting referee Ivan Guerrero to stop the fight.

Junior featherweight Adan Palma, 10-0 (6 KOs), of San Diego, knocked out Carlos Mujica, 8-8 (2 KOs), of Las Vegas, in the third round at 47 seconds. Palma delivered a perfectly timed right hand that sent Mujica face-first to the canvas, prompting referee Ray Corona to wave off the fight as Palma stumbled attempting to stand.

In the opening bout, lightweight Cesar Villarraga, 10-10-1 (5 KOs), of Bogota, Colombia, assured Sebastian Gutierrez, 6-2-1 (4 KOs), of Oxnard, California, a tough night at the office, winning by split decision. Gutierrez dropped Villarraga with a left hook in the third round. Scores were 57-56 Gutierrez, 58-55 Villarraga and 57-56 Villarraga.

Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.

Tyson Fury may be confident of mustering a decisive win over Oleksandr Usyk in their scheduled December 21 rematch, but at least one observer thinks he needs to go into the fight with a different approach to win.

Britain’s Fury, 34-1-1 (24 KOs), lost a split decision to Usyk, 22-0 (14 KOs), of Ukraine, in their undisputed heavyweight championship fight five months ago – a fight Fury believes he won. The judges thought otherwise, scoring it 114-113, 113-114 and 115-112 in favor of Usyk.

When asked his thoughts on the much-anticipated rematch, trainer Bob Santos said he believes it would take something extraordinary from Fury to beat Usyk if he goes into the rematch with the same game plan as their first fight.

“What is his punch resistance, because obviously he's been down quite a bit?” Santos said of Fury in an interview with BoxingScene. “He got into a lot of wars with [Deontay] Wilder. If he changes the way he fought this last fight, then I feel he's gonna be able to win the fight.

“If he comes in with the same exact game plan as he did this one, it's gonna turn out the exact same way. Nothing's gonna change. But I think if he fights him much more like he fought Wilder and guys like that, then he has a damn good chance to win.”

Usyk retained his IBF, WBO and IBO belts and added the WBC title to become boxing’s first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years. Both fighters agreed to a rematch in what is expected to be another thrilling encounter in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

When asked what approach, specifically, he thinks would work for Fury against Usyk, Santos called for the larger fighter to impose his physicality on Usyk.

“I think he's gotta bully him more,” Santos said of Fury. “I think he's gotta use his body more and not over-move and over-box. His last fight, he was over-moving and over-boxing.”

Jennah Creason, known as "The Gem," sparkled in the ring on October 13 in Stockton, California. The 18-year-old welterweight from Visalia has faced challenges early in her career, including eight opponents backing out of scheduled fights with her.

Yet, as the saying goes, pressure makes diamonds, and Creason finally got another chance to show her worth in a technical decision victory over Roshetta Vatuvei. The bout, a late change due to her original opponent withdrawing, saw Creason step up in weight. She weighed in at 148.8lbs, while the 33-year-old Vatuvei, 0-3, tipped the scales at 154.8lbs.

“If they’re backing out of fights because they don’t want to face me as a fighter, then it’s good because I get to climb faster,” Creason told BoxingScene. “I went in there smaller than this girl tonight. She had way more experience. She was older, and I knew it was going to be a tough fight.”

Creason’s debut – a split decision victory over Kelsey Wickstrum – may have been a learning curve, but this time, she left no doubt. Creason, 2-0, won every round on all three judges’ scorecards, though the fight ended when an unintentional blow caused a cut that the ringside doctor ruled too severe for Vatuvei to continue. It wasn’t the way Creason imagined it, but the win pushed her forward.

“My first fight, I felt sloppy,” Creason said when comparing her latest outing to her debut. “This time, I felt grounded, fast, snappy. I felt ready for this, no matter who the opponent was. I felt strong, I felt fast, and I felt like I was pushing the pressure the whole time.”

Despite her success in the boxing ring, Creason views the sport as a stepping stone. Her ultimate goal is to transition into mixed martial arts –  after becoming a titleholder in boxing. She even walked out to the UFC’s iconic intro song, “Face The Pain” by Stemm.

Ultimately she wants to make clear she’s more than just a gem – she’s a rising star.

“I like to go after the big dogs because I know that’s what’s supposed to make me better, win or lose,” Creason said. “It’s all about proving to everyone, proving to yourself, that I’m here to be a fighter.”

Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.

In this week’s mailbag, highly-regarded coach Stephen “Breadman” Edwards has more reflections on Beterbiev-Bivol, having rewatched the fight, he ponders what is next and what went wrong for Tim Tszyu and answers questions about, among other topics, Stephen Fulton and Kyrone Davis.

Hello Breadman,If you were balloted how would you vote in this years IBHOF? ( https://www.boxingscene.com/international-boxing-hall-fame-35-it-time-update-process--186527 ) What is your current p4p top 10 after last weekend? I have 1. Inoue 2. Usyk 3. Crawford 4. Bam 5. Bivol 6. Canelo 7. Tank 8. Beterbiev 9. Shakur 10. O.Collazo (I like him a lot). Usyk deserves #1 for what he's done, but if they were the same size I'd pick Inoue. I thought Bivol won. The guys above Beterbiev I'd pick over him if they were the same weight. Canelo's getting old. I could switch him with Tank. I saw somebody say there's an argument for Beterbiev to be above Crawford p4p which I find baffling. Crawford is a complete fighter who can fight any way he needs to. Beterbiev only fights one way every time and relies heavily on his physicality. He is complete in that style but not complete all-around. Crawford is no slouch physically either along with his skills. So I wanted to ask you what criteria do you consider to be a complete fighter?

Much Respect

Bread’s Response: for some reason I can’t see your list on the Hall of Fame. But from what I can remember Manny Pacquiao is the only lock to get in. Maybe Michael Nunn, Darius Michalchewski, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank and Mikkel Kessler. But I haven’t done forensic research.

My current P4P list is easier. I’m living in the moment.

1a. Terence Crawford

1b. Monster Inoue

1c Oleksandr Usyk

Bam Rodriguez

Artur Beterbiev

Dmitry Bivol

Gervonta Davis

Canelo Alvarez

David Benavidez

Jaron Ennis

Hi Bread, just writing in after that great light heavyweight fight. two great fighters in my  book. I had it either 114-114 or 115-113 Beterbiev depending on the fifth round, which I've watched a few times and can't decide who wins it. I’d given Bivol the first three like most people and Beterbiev the fourth. Shame people have had to throw the word robbery about for this fight. We should save that for all the bad judging that’s out there. Anyway would love your opinion on the fight, and how you thought different rounds went.

Bread’s Response: Beterbiev vs Bivol was not a robbery. I finally watched it again. I thought Bivol won rounds 1,2,8 and 9 clean enough. I bring up Bivol because of the cries of robbery on his behalf. Beterbiev had a case for winning the third round. A strong case but let’s just say it was a swing round. Beterbiev also has a stronger case for winning 4 through 7. I thought he won the 7th which was viewed as a swing round. Bivol circled the block and took control of the 8th and 9th. And in my opinion Beterbiev won 10-12. Bivol fought well in the 12th but I think Beterbiev edged it. This was a close fight with at least four swing rounds. But in no way did I see a robbery. 

Mr. Edwards

Bread’s Response: I agree with you on standing between rounds. Once you stand in a fight. You can’t sit down if you’re tired. You lose the mental edge if you sit during the fight after you started out standing.

As for Fulton, I’m not sure which of his other trainers you’re speaking of. I don’t want to put words in your mouth and you weren’t specific. I know both of his trainers by the way....

I thought he looked pretty good. He’s been in better form but it’s hard to judge a fighter after his first career loss. Especially when he was stopped and was then off for over a year. That’s counterproductive in most cases. I know there are cases where fighters have come back sharper but overall it’s a tough assignment. Let’s judge him on his next fight now that he got his comeback fight out of the way. We also have to give some credit to his opponent. Oftentimes the opponent in that case gets really up for the fight and he puts everything into it. I knew Fulton would have a tough fight. I saw his opponent. I saw his trainer. I saw their demeanor. I could tell it would be a tough scrap. And it was. I don’t want to be overly critical too early. If Fulton is not in better form in his next fight, let’s revisit this convo.

I gave rounds 1 thru 7 to Bivol plus round 9. Rounds 1-4 and round 9 were clear Bivol rounds. Round 5 and 6 could have gone to Beterbiev, Bivol’s work was cleaner. Artur was more active. Round 8 was the 1st clear Artur round, rounds 11 and 12 also clear for Artur. Round 7 is key to the scoring of this fight. Bivol dominated for 2 minutes, froze and backed up Artur starting with a beautiful right-left hook, but got hit with a big shot going in for the finish too eagerly (and too early imo). Then the last 50-55 seconds was Beterbiev pressuring while Bivol backed up. 2 of the 3 official judges and many spectators gave round 7 to Beterbiev, but if you concentrate fully for a full 3 minutes and not on how the round ended it should be a clear Bivol round in my view. By far the best and most skilful punch of the round was Bivol's left, but Artur’s right maybe landed harder because Bivol went in recklessly and of course Artur is a naturally harder puncher. Key point is it's clean punching not hardest punching, otherwise it becomes more of a strongman contest not a boxing contest. If you gave 5 and 6 to Beterbiev it's a 114-114 draw and I wouldn't argue too much. Draw or Bivol win for me. If you (wrongly imo) also give Beterbiev round 7 it's 115-113 to Beterbiev. Teddy Atlas had it this way to Artur with these rounds the only ones different to my card. All 3 judges gave rd. 8 to Bivol.

Bread’s response: Bivol did not win the first seven rounds. I disagree strongly. Team Bivol didn’t even think they won the first seven rounds. Basically you’re saying Bivol had the fight mathematically won by the eighth round, that’s not the fight anyone saw….

Sup Breadman

Bread’s Response: You’re not wrong. Some people will just never openly admit it. Fighters flock to trainers who oftentimes have their same racial or ethnic background. It’s not to say that you have to share the same race to train a fighter. But it is often a factor. 

I personally think I can train any fighter, who has some talent and discipline. It doesn’t have to be in abundance but it is needed. I don’t care about the race. But I would be foolish to say it doesn’t matter. I would be disingenuous to say it’s not something that gets talked about. Training methods differ from region to region and race to race. Even gym to gym. You have to find your fit and stick with it.

I just gave myself tinnitus watching Kyrone Davis vs Elijah Garcia on Youtube. I turned the volume up loud so I could hear what you were shouting from the corner. I didn't know that Kyrone volunteers with people with Down Syndrome. I will be rooting for him from now on for sure. I didn't score it but it looked hard to see Garcia winning more than three rounds. If BoxRec is accurate, that judge John Mckaie has an interesting history, he apparently got moved up to prominent/title level fights very quickly in his career if you go back right to the first page of his Boxrec profile. I made a few notes as I was watching it. Kyrone does pretty much everything well. You are probably right that he will need to be a mandatory. He isn't an easy night's work for anybody. I saw a little of everything, some good foot feints, nice variation of the right hand, his balance is extremely good, always set to punch and/on the move. His hands are pretty quick - and eye catching - when he puts them together. His concentration levels are good. It was a very disciplined fight. He would also make sure to fire back and not allow Garcia to outwork him or give the impression he was being dominant. He trusts his chin and is willing to get hit, so he sees everything that comes at him meaning - if he is in the correct position - he can counter or get enough on a shot to take the sting off it. I liked how he would finish strong when he heard the clapper. My only real criticism of him as a fighter from what I saw would be that I feel he could work on his judgement of distance, he was often half a step closer than I would have liked him to be (same problem with Bivol vs Beterbiev). My only real criticisms of the fight he fought would be that he gave the body up a little too easy for my liking at times, and I felt he would know at times he needed to move but would go anywhere out the wrong side, towards the bulk of Garcia's body not outside of it into the more open space, and get caught. It seemed a little pre-programmed more than processing on the fly if that makes sense. If I was going to break down how to beat him from an opposition research point of view I would look for a lot of feints to feint him out of position, counter the counter and make him over move. Probably in a low volume fight not giving him the opportunity to land those clean eye catching shots. If you try to outwork him he can stand and bang. If you try to outbox him you better be fast and have good footwork. I would also like to have seen him go inside more and dirty box a little in spots like an Andre Ward or early Ricky Hatton. Or even the way Fury would land a 1-2 then tie up in the 3rd Wilder fight. It's not going to be possible to move and dance around every opponent, particularly at top level, and because he doesn't seem to have the pop to deter guys from coming in. So I worry he could potentially tire himself out. He can steal rounds with speed cuteness and sharpness, then smother to kill some of the clock. I was trying to find a good example of some early Ricky Hatton fights, maybe the Ben Tackie fight, it's on Youtube, but not the best example. Hatton would smother people while pulling their arms out of the way and hitting them behind the elbow. I noticed in one round you said good right hand a few times when he didn't throw one, I think as a clever way to prompt him. I will be honest, between round 3 and 4 I couldn't follow and remember all of the instructions you gave. It was a lot even for me sat watching calmly and not in the middle of a fight. It was a really great job overall, I could tell that you both prepared well against a guy with a size advantage. It's a good victory but you both have bigger ones yet to come. The confidence and experience from this fight should make Kyrone even better. I will say this: If Adames can't hurt Kyrone, then Kyrone probably beats him on points. I will take that bet!

Bread’s Response: I’m glad you brought up John Mckaie. I don’t take it lightly what he tried to do to my fighter. And I don’t think it was incompetence either. I think he knew exactly what he was doing. When the scorecards were being read, the crowd booed Mckaie. What I found to be profound was he seemed irritated that he was on the island alone and none of the other judges handed in a scorecard to validate his. You don’t usually see a fight where a judge has the fight 98-92 and the other two judges have it 97-93 the other way. Their realities or perceptions were too far off. I watched him very closely as the scorecards were announced. He couldn’t make eye contact with me. He knew that I knew what he did and what he was trying to do. John Mckaie also scored the Julian Williams vs Vladimir Hernandez fight 96-94 for Hernandez. Watch that fight closely if you get a chance round by round and tell me what you got. Needless to say, if I see Mckaie’s name on any judge's panel that I am involved in, I will ask to have him removed. I spoke with the commission about him immediately after the fight. 

You’re correct about the breakdown of the fight. I thought Kyrone did great but he did let some body punches get through. He told me that he made a choice to give up a little to the body, instead of to the head. He told me he was blocking a lot of the body punches partially with his forearms and they weren’t as damaging as they looked. All I can say is I took his word. He doesn’t believe in being carried fast. And although Garcia is a big kid, with a big punch, Kyrone has big character and he’s extremely physically tough.

The one thing I will disagree about is his punch. I know his KO% percentage doesn’t indicate it, but he can punch. He’s been matched really tough, often times vs durable super middleweights. He also at times has come in the ring a little out of shape. So you add that up and you won’t have a glossy ko%. But watch his fights closely, his opponents are respecting something. They don’t just run up on him without regard. They approach him with caution. If he couldn’t punch Garcia would have walked through him. 

Kyrone was very intentional with his punches. With Garcia he wasn’t trying to hit him hard. He was trying hit him hard enough. He did that. Kyrone deserves a title shot. He just beat a RING rated fighter who was ranked number #1 by the WBA. Kyrone is only ranked #11 after the win. I don't understand it.

I would love a fight with Erislandy Lara or Carlos Adames. Both are part of the PBC stable. Both are at 160lbs. With proper notice I feel he would beat both. And it’s only one way to prove it. We are ready, when they are. But in all honesty, I doubt if Kyrone gets a title shot unless he's the mandatory.

Hey Bread. Hope all is well. My question is how can you tell if a fighter is shot or just lack of confidence coming off of several bad losses. The fighter I am referring to is Christopher Colbert. He showed Major  promise coming up. Beating top level opposition very handily. And his last four fights it’s all come crumbling down. Do you feel he’s  shot, which in his last fight he looked or do you think it is just a lack of confidence and maybe fighting above his natural weight class?

Bread’s Response: Sometimes a fighter can just be in a slump or funk. I’ve been through them with some fighters. But never anything like what Colbert is going through. I can’t really tell to be honest if he’s shot or just has a loss of confidence. I don’t know him well enough to say either way.

When I see fighters go through slumps, I always suggest a structured approach so you can chart your progress. If you wing it or do everything impromptu, you won’t have anything to refer back to. The workouts need to be written down. Mile times. Rounds sparred. Etc etc. 

I do notice that Colbert talks in the corner often between rounds. So I’m not sure if his behind the scenes training is structured. He may or may not know where things went wrong....

Physically I don’t think he can make 126lbs. But 130lbs is doable. He’s doesn’t look stripped down to the last calorie at 136lbs. His eye looks like there is droop on his eye lid. And his legs are not underneath him. I don’t know why…. But That’s what I noticed physically. I can’t speak on the mental stuff, but physically he can overcome those things. 

Unfortunately we are in an era where veterans will retire with less than 30 fights. So if you go through a 4 fight, slump it’s a large part of your career. Let’s see how it plays out, he’s only 28 but he’s going to need some structure. And most important, he’s going to have to allow himself to be structured. I wish him the best. He has some talent. He just lost his way but he's 28.

What's up Breadman? Congratulations for your bet on the Beterbiev vs Bivol fight. Have you watched the fight again ? It's on youtube, Turki Alalshikh posted it. I actually had to watch it 3 times to enjoy it, both guys were very very good! The first time I saw it, I felt like Beterbiev underperformed a little, and Bivol was really effective, in a super close fight. But when I watched it again, I didn't feel the same way about Beterbiev. I guess I was caught by my expectations, and by the way he surpassed his last opponents. The pressure he applied and the volume of punches he threw are a beauty to watch ! Even at 39, he still has amazing conditioning.I am so disappointed they didn't show replay of his best shots until the last rounds, because people would have realized more the effect of his punches. Beterbiev and Bivol don't land their shots the same way at all, it made me think about Golovkin vs Canelo, with Bivol being Canelo in that one. His shots are more judge and public friendly. I hope there will be a rematch! What would be your pick? And what do you think both of them have to work on ?Another fighter put on a strong performance on that night, Jai Opetaia! I felt like he tried to be more poised in that fight and pick his shots better. What did you think about his fight? And what do you think about his chances against Ramirez or Billam Smith? Thanks for your time!

Bread’s Response: Yes I finally watched it again. A draw would have been a fair verdict and I am not upset at all Beterbiev got the decision. He made a strong case for himself. And I don’t like rescoring fights. But because I was distracted while watching it live, I watched it again. I am comfortable with the decision and most importantly, there aren’t rounds that Beterbiev won that I feel were clear Bivol rounds. So I didn’t see corruption or a judge bending over backwards to give an underserved round away.

If they fight a rematch. I think Beterbiev has to start faster and get to the body more. He has to start the sand in the hour glass process earlier. 

Bivol has to find a way to be more aggressive while not getting clipped. Bivol had success when he let his hands go but the issue is, how dangerous that is vs Beterbiev.

I don’t want to make a pick on a rematch just yet. But initial gut reaction is Bivol will win a decision or Beterbiev by ko because it’s just human nature to give it to the fighter who you felt was wronged the first time around. Public sentiment is more in Bivol's favor.

I also believe Bivol would be more aggressive. But while being more aggressive I can see Beterbiev clipping him. The more you open up, the more vulnerable you are.

This is not official but this is my initial reaction. I don’t believe Beterbiev will win two close decisions but he can stop him under the right circumstances.

What do you think went wrong with Tim Tszyu? Not many saw that coming. You have a reputation for getting the most out of fighters after a bad loss. Do you think you could take Tszyu on and help him? I read your tweets that it will be hard to come back from the loss. But it’s just one loss. Also how do you feel his matchmaking has been? There are several fighters criticizing his matchmaking but I’m not on the inside so it’s hard to say.

Bread’s Response: I definitely don’t want to kick Tszyu while he’s down. I know he’s going to catch some hard press for his loss. And when I heard Tim say, “What the F$%^ happened?” I felt for him. It’s exactly how I felt when Julian Williams lost to Jeison Rosario. So let me start….

Tszyu has been an opponent tossed around for Julian for several years. So I not only watched him, but I studied him. During the fight, I texted Julian and told him he could clip Tszyu in the first round because he’s infatuated with himself. I felt like Tszyu is a very good puncher. Maybe a 7.5 on a scale of 1 to 10. But Tim acts like he punches a 10. Like GGG or Beterbiev. I don’t see that type of power in him. I see a sharp, violent, counter puncher. I don’t see a lights out one punch guy. 

Tim also fights like he can’t be hurt. Anyone can be hurt. But he stepped to Bakhram with disregard for what was coming back. No fighter wants to admit this. But not everyone has the same chin. Julio Cesar Chavez and Marvin Hagler come along once a decade. 

So what I saw was a fighter who thought he could hurt his opponent without regard to what was coming back. And thought he could take whatever was coming back. Tszyu is super confident but you have to be  humble with your confidence. Anyone can be hurt. And not everyone will go down as soon as you hit them. This attitude led to Tszyu’s demise.

What I saw in Bakhram was a motivated and improved fighter. It’s just that simple. He was prepared for his big moment. That left hook was a shot he saw when he studied Tszyu and he trained for the moment. That was a trained repetitive shot. I know it when I see it. 

Matchmaking. When Tszyu fought Fundora, I said to myself, why would he take him as an opponent when he was training for a 5’7, right handed mover in Keith Thurman. So I didn’t like the late switch. I also didn’t think Tim should fight Vergil Ortiz or Terence Crawford in his next fight after Fundora, like it was allegedly proposed.

But after thinking hard, I don’t think the Bakhram fight was bad matchmaking. Tszyu was a 7 to 1 favorite. Bakhram had just struggled with a 39 yr old Jack Culcay. Bakhram had taken step aside money 4x in the past and it seemed as though his team had no confidence in him. And more importantly he was a champion and it’s very difficult to turn down a title shot as a 7 to 1 favorite at 29 years old. 

I also don’t like the criticism of matchmaking AFTER a fight. If you feel that way, predict it before the fight and say why. Don’t wait until the result and then say it. When you wait until after the result, you can’t lose with the criticism. In that case Tim just has to deliver. Bakhram had never looked that good before and he was viewed as the weakest link as far as champions at 154lbs. As a boxing community we need to stop with the micro-criticizing. If we want the best to fight the best. Tszyu should be celebrated. He tried to take smoke, he just couldn't beat Bakhram. But if he turned down a title shot and took on a no hope guy in Austraila, there would be even more criticism.

Yes I stated it would be very hard for Tim to come back from this. Here is why. Tim is a little undersized at 154lbs. He prides himself as a seek and destroy fighter. He calls himself the Soul Taker. Destructive fighters usually don’t come back to full capacity after bad ko losses. John Mugabi, Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, Naseem Hamed etc etc. It’s not impossible but it’s rare. His father Kostya Tszyu was able to come back. But again that’s rare and Kostya was an elite amateur who’s boxing ability was cultivated at a much earlier age. 

I bring up Tszyu’s size because he’s not going to sit back and outbox elite junior middleweights. He’s an attacking sharp fighter. So there’s not much leverage room with his style. He’s going to have to modify his style without changing his approach. Tszyu will need an elite trainer to pull this off. 

Last but not least, his opponents will now fight him harder. Each fight will be 10% harder at this point. No one will ever be afraid of him again. All of his opponents will have hope at this point. If the Fundora loss was a fluke, this one won’t be viewed that way. I won’t get into too much technical stuff because he may have to fight one of my guys….

Jack Catterall is a 4-1 betting favorite over Regis Prograis. Does that surprise you? I expected these odds to be much closer. I think Prograis has a real chance to pull an upset here.

Bread’s Response: Prograis is a very capable fighter. But his current form tells me he probably won’t beat Catterall. So the timing and current form of both favor Catterall. I favor Catterall by 12 round UD.

Hey Breadman,

Bread’s Response: You know I get exhausted trying to tell people how to score a fight. I was once at a prominent fight, Canelo vs Lara. I sat in a row of boxers and I told everyone near us that Canelo was getting the rounds and he would win. Several world class fighters disagreed with me until after the decision. I just had a sense that although Lara was boxing his butt off, that the judges were in favor of Canelo. 

I don’t say whoever is coming forward wins. I don’t say you have to take the title from the champion. I don’t even say you can’t fight in spurts because you may do more in your spurt than the other guy did in the whole round. 

Clean Punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship and defense are the criterion of which you score a fight. Or who would you rather be in a simplistic form. Let me add, who would you rather be objectively. Not who you would want to be. I agree with that simplistic definition. 

But I will say I disagree with the energy bar analogy. I could care less who spent more energy. That shouldn’t matter. What if a fighter landed 50 punches, and the other fighter landed 2. But the fighter who landed 50 punches was exhausted and the fighter who landed 2 was fresh? Are you giving the round to the fighter who landed 2 punches? No way in hell. So for context you have to be careful with too many caveats. Although I love the who would you rather be analogy...

Send Questions and Comments to dabreadman25@hotmail.com

Regis Prograis hinted that he is considering retirement after his defeat by Jack Catterall at Manchester's Co-op Live Arena. 

Catterall earned a unanimous decision over Prograis. Their contest was competitive, but the fighter from Chorley pulled away after dropping Prograis twice in round nine. Prograis, as has come to be expected of him, battled through the knockdowns, but after scores of 117-108, 116-109 and 116-109 were awarded to Catterall he accepted that his time in boxing may be over.

“Jack was the better man,” said Prograis, 35. “He deserves a world-title fight. I’ll be honest – I’ve fought the best of them. I think Jack is probably the top guy I fought. Eddie Hearn; Sam Jones; give this man a world-title shot – he definitely deserves it.

"I had my time in the sun and now it’s my turn to hand over to him. Good job, Jack. I think for now – I’ll go to bareknuckle and do something else, and let the young guys take over.”

Catterall, 31, was in high spirits after battling through suffering a knockdown in the fifth, which appeared the consequence of throwing a shot off-balance. 

“I’m pleased it was a big occasion for me – a big event,” Catterall said. “It was a cagey first couple of rounds; I felt Regis’ power. I thought it was a slip.” 

Catterall’s promoter, Matchroom's Eddie Hearn, was pleased with his fighter's performance. Hearn spoke of him next fighting the winner of the IBF junior-welterweight title fight between Liam Paro or Richardson Hitchins – and, less realistically, the WBO champion Teofimo Lopez. 

“Right hand to God, this man needs a world-title shot,” said Hearn. ”We have Liam Paro fighting Richardson Hitchins on December 7 in Puerto Rico. The winner of that fight, we want to put them straight in to fight Jack Catterall next. I would love to bring Teofimo Lopez to Manchester as well and give him a good arse kicking.”

Catterall challenged Josh Taylor for the undisputed title in 2022, but saw Taylor awarded victory via the most controversial of scorecards. He earned a decision in his rematch with Taylor earlier in 2024.

After rising himself from the canvas, Jack Catterall delivered two knockdowns of his own to secure a wide points victory over Regis Prograis to commemorate the first boxing show to be held at the Co-op Live arena, in Manchester.

The judges ruled the fight 117-108 and 116-109 (X2) in Catterall’s favour, which now positions him in-line for a world title shot next.

The first four rounds were very cagey, both fighters were hesitant to throw and few meaningful shots were landed.

Prograis knocked Catterall down in the fifth round; however, this was more of a flash knockdown, and the man from Chorley was not hurt.

Knowing that he was potentially down on the scorecards, Catterall began to throw more combinational punches, edging the next few rounds.

It all changed in round nine when Catterall knocked ‘Rougarou’ down with a textbook left hand down the pipe.

Catterall then landed another left hand to knock his opponent down again, securing a huge 10-7 round.

As the fight seemingly was edging away from 35-year-old Prograis, he severely tired and lost all three of the final rounds.

2024 has proved to be a big year in Catterall’s career, after gaining revenge over Josh Taylor in May, this adds another big name to his CV, which surely now sets him up to finally win a world title.Major update in Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol rematch

“I’m pleased, it was a big occasion for me, I knew I had to be on my game. (The knockdown) It felt like a slip and Jamie (his trainer) said we were starting to slip behind but I knew I couldn’t take too many gambles. I came back into it, scored the two knockdowns and progressed from there. Eddies the man, I want a world title next.”

For Prograis, it could be the end of his illustrious carreer.

After two defeats in his last three fights to Devin Haney and now Jack Catterall, while disappointed to lose, he was extremley complimentary of his opponent.

”Jack was the better man, he deserves a world title fight. Jack is probably the best I’ve fought. I had my time in the sun and it is now time to turn over to him.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed plans for Catterall to get his world title shot next.

”In the words of Sam Jones, right hand to God this man needs a world title shot next. We have Liam Paro fighting Richardson Hitchins, the winner of that fight will be put straight forward to fight Catterall next. I would love to also bring Teofimo Lopez to Manchester and give him a good a*** kicking.”

Whatever happens, it looks for all the world like Catterall’s next fight will be for a world title.

Murat Gassiev recorded his first victory since March 2023 when he stopped the previously undefeated Kem Ljungquist in five rounds at the Karen Demirchyan Sports Complex in Yerevan, Armenia.

Fighting at heavyweight, the former cruiserweight world champion, 31 years old and 31-2, bounced back from losing via split decision to Otto Wallin in September 2023 by defeating Ljungquist, 18-1, in a fight that was postponed for a week because Gassiev reportedly struggled to secure a visa to fight in Vienna, Austria.

A tense, close affair involved the taller Ljungquist boxing well behind his jab from his southpaw stance and the heavy-handed Gassiev looking for openings. 

In the fifth round Gassiev found an opening and, after working the Dane over with a varied attack, he closed the fight with a left hook to the body and watched Ljunquist, 34, go down and out.

In Oleksandr Usyk and Wallin, Gassiev had previously lost only to southpaws. Ljungquist can be expected to return to Denmark to rebuild.

Reece Bellotti has questioned the legitimacy of his opponent Michael Gomez Jnr's late withdrawal from their fight on Saturday evening. 

Bellotti and Gomez were due to fight for the British and Commonwealth super-featherweight titles on the undercard of Jack Catterall-Regis Prograis at Manchester's Co-op Live Arena.

According to promoters Matchroom and Gomez's manager Kevin Maree, however, Gomez Jnr was forced to withdraw at late notice on Saturday evening on the advice of the doctor who diagnosed him with a kidney infection.

The development was announced little more than an hour before they had been due to fight, and by when the undercard had already started. Bellotti, 33, said he was dubious and claimed that his opponent had been seen inspecting the venue beforehand. 

“I was right here in the venue checking the atmosphere and then Frank Smith took me to one side and said, ‘Fight’s off’,” the British and Commonwealth champion told BoxingScene. “I thought he was taking the piss. I started laughing, saying, ‘What are you talking about? Why?’

"He said, 'He’s got an infection or something and can’t make the fight'. I said, ‘Bollocks, he’s swallowed it, you don’t get here and do that’. I’m telling you now, any boxer who is out there will tell you – you don’t do that.”

Speculation had persisted that Gomez Jnr's condition is a consequence of him struggling to make weight. 

“Nothing [wrong with him] – we got told nothing,” said Bellotti. “As far as we’re concerned he looked alright; he made the weight. It’s difficult for any fighter to make weight these days. They never told us there was an injury or anything. He made the weight, came up and said hello. He was fine. Turned up to the arena; he was fine. Gets to the changing room and fell out of his arse. 

“I don’t know [why he’s done it], man. When you watch some of his interviews, it’s always, ‘One of us is getting banged out', Fighters don’t do that. I say, ‘You’re getting banged out’. He’s already doubting himself, he got here, shit hit the fan and he melted.”

Gomez Jnr had sold a huge number of tickets for their fight and Bellotti believes that the added pressure of fighting in front of a sizeable home support may have intimidated him.

“One hundred per cent [it affected him]," he said. “There is pressure but that’s what we fight for. That’s what spurs you on to fight better. He has now got to go and explain to 1,000 people and say, ‘Oh, sorry, my team got the doctor in and pulled me out’. Mate, you’re the one who has to get tested – the doctor would have come in for me and I would have said, ‘No I’m sweet, don’t worry about me, I’m ready to fight’. He took the easy way out.

“This has never happened to me, so I don’t have a fucking clue [if I can expect to get paid] to be honest. If I get paid, then good – I deserve it. I’ve been through hell for this fight – I’ve had one of the hardest camps of my life to date.

“One hundred per cent [I want to be compensated]. I’ve got like 40 people who have spent a load of money on hotels and the rest of it. Spent a load of money for what? I’m not even fighting.”

Bellotti’s team later insisted that he will be paid.

In March, Jimmy Joe Flint and Campbell Hatton went to war for the central area junior-welterweight title. After 10 rounds Flint retained his belt by boxing and fighting his way to a deserved 10-round decision. After recording 14 straight wins, Hatton suffered defeat for the first time.

Since at Ben Davison’s Performance Centre in Essex, the 23-year-old Mancunian leapt straight into a make-or-break rematch with Flint. Confident of repeating his victory, the Yorkshireman was more than happy to oblige. 

Their fight was elevated into the position of chief support after the late cancellation of the British and Commonwealth super-featherweight title fight between Reece Bellotti and Michael Gomez Jnr. Gomez Jnr was taken ill with a kidney infection in the dressing room at Manchester's Co-op Live Arena beforehand. 

Where Hatton, 14-2 (5 KOs), tried pressing forwards from the opening bell, Flint, 15-2-2 (3 KOs), calmly grabbed and held the challenger to slow his early momentum and then picked a series of flush right hands when Hatton was presenting a worryingly static target.

Both fighters emerged from a first clash of heads unscathed, but early in the second round their heads came together again and Hatton was left with a bad cut over his left eye. Flint continued to box nicely and to pick his moments, whereas Hatton swung in wide shots – although he did land one nice uppercut as the second round drew to a close.

Despite suggestions about the technical improvements that working with the team at Davison’s gym would make to Hatton’s style, he quickly resorted to the whole-hearted, all-or-nothing style he employed first time around. He landed the occasional hook and overhand right, and he bulled Flint around at times, but Flint picked the cleaner, more accurate shots.

It wasn’t pretty, but Hatton’s effort got him a foothold in the fight during the middle rounds. Flint stopped using his jab, and Hatton found it easier to get into range. Whenever Flint remembered to jab, box and move he had success, and he looked the superior boxer, but too often he neglected his advantages and found himself getting dragged into scruffy exchanges that suited Hatton.

Flint re-established an element of control in the sixth and seventh rounds. He found an extra few inches of space and made Hatton pay for his lack of head movement with accurate straight shots and short, snappy combinations; Hatton’s punches remained wider and more predictable.

Despite a swelling over his left eye, Flint, 27, was boxing nicely. He looked to have built a decent lead as the final round got underway and he took advantage of Hatton’s inability to box his way inside. A big right hand hurt Hatton inside the last 30 seconds of the fight, but he dug in and battled away until the final bell.

The scorecards were again necessary, and all three judges once again favoured Flint. He was awarded scores of 97-94, 96-94 and 96-95, and therefore retains his central area junior-welterweight title. 

John Evans has contributed to a number of well-known publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John on X @John_Evans79

To say that Pat McCormack has endured a frustrating start to his professional career would be an understatement. Injuries and issues outside the ring have restricted the talented welterweight to just six appearances in two-and-a-half years, and his comfortable decision win over Argentina’s Williams Andres Herrera was his first fight in 15 months.

Despite his long lay-off, the Olympic silver medallist, 6-0 (4 KOs), quickly found his range and began working away in his methodical, economical fashion. McCormack rarely misses a shot and his long, accomplished amateur career has drilled into him the ability to pick the right punches at the right times.

After dominating the action from centre ring, expertly using feints and straight accurate shots to head and body, McCormack began to open up his repertoire and to land left hooks and uppercuts as the rounds passed.

In round four, one particular right uppercut landed solidly and seemed to drain any remaining ambition from Herrera, who seemed reticent to let any punches go, so wary was he of the sharp counter punches that would come back.

McCormack steadily increased his control on the fight through the middle rounds, and having spent so long out of the ring he seemed content to endure the rounds and get back into the groove of fighting. Each round began to look very similar as McCormack neatly outboxed the Argentinean and easily moved away from the majority of his crude efforts.

In the eighth round a head clash cut McCormack over his left eye and injected some late drama into a previously one-sided fight, but the sight of blood failed to ignite any spark in Herrera, and McCormack continued to box and land some beautifully timed right hands.

He saw out the ninth and 10th rounds comfortably, and was rewarded with a wide unanimous decision. All three judges scored 100-90 in McCormack’s favour.

In January, Herrera, 28, gave Paddy Donovan a few decent rounds before being stopped in the seventh round; this one-sided win provided Sunderland’s McCormack with a good gauge of his progress.

McCormack is clearly talented but, at 29 years old, he needs to stay as busy as possible if he is to fulfil his undoubted potential. The cut over his right eye will force him onto the sidelines for another frustrating spell. 

Junaid Bostan, 10-0 (8 KOs) was given the chance to box on this promotion with just three weeks’ notice but the 22 year old jumped at the opportunity to box Maico Sommariva, 9-5-1 (8 KOs). 

The super welterweight bout was scheduled for eight rounds, but Bostan made short work of the Argentinean. 

Sommariva’s record suggested he may at last possess the power or intent to cause some early problems, but though he caught the over-eager Bostan with a couple of counters in the first, his feet were too slow to get him into position to cause Bostan any real issues, and he soon found himself on the end of some nicely picked southpaw left hands to head and body from the “Starboy” from Rotherham, who moved smoothly in and out of range. 

Midway through the third round Bostan caught Sommariva, 33, with a perfectly placed left uppercut that landed just underneath his ribcage. The Argentinean dropped instantly, and although he returned to his feet, he was clearly in distress and the fight was correctly called off.

Liverpool’s Steve Clarke, 5-0 (1 KO) remained unbeaten by outboxing Poland’s Mateusz Pawlowski, 2-2 (1 KO) over six rounds. The 23 year old middleweight remained neat and tidy for the most part but was content to box within himself. Pawlowski stayed safe, comfortably negotiated the distance and put his all into the final 20 seconds of the fight. Although he won Clarke’s respect, he didn’t win a round. Clarke deserved the 60-54 decision he was awarded. 

William Crolla, 6-0 (5 KOs), is developing a reputation as something of a puncher. The Mancunian super welterweight stunned Lorenzo Grasso, 6-3 (1 KO), with a right hand in the opening round and jumped right on him. Crolla then let go with both hands until referee the Micheal Alexander stepped in to stop the fight. It had lasted just 44 seconds.

Another Liverpudlian, the 11-0 (6 KOs) Joe McGrail, stepped up to eight rounds and got a solid workout from Lewis Morris, 8-3 (1 KO). The featherweight dropped Morris with a left hook in the second round but his opponent from Walsall came back well and gave McGrail plenty to think about. McGrail was the more aggressive of the two, but Morris scored with some nice right hands and remained competitive until the end. It was scored 79-72.

Heywood’s Emily Whitworth, 1-0, opened the show and got her professional career off to a winning start with a comfortable four-round decision over Hungary’s game Sara Orszagi, 1-3. The bantamweight won all four rounds. 

John Evans has contributed to a number of well-known publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John on X @John_Evans79

Bob Santos doesn’t believe Tim Tszyu should be judged by his stoppage defeat by Bakhram Murtazaliev. The trainer is optimistic that Tszyu will come back stronger and reign as champion again.

Australia’s Tszyu suffered a second successive loss to Murtazaliev of Russia earlier in October. The 29 year old was knocked down four times en route to a devastating third-round stoppage at the hands of the IBF junior-middleweight champion.

According to Santos, all is regardless not lost for Tszyu, who he believes has the quality to turn his career around in the future – and lost because his father, Kostya, once rebuilt after being stopped by Vince Phillips.

“Tim Tszyu is a great competitor,” Santos told BoxingScene. “I'm sure everybody in his team has the utmost confidence in him and this is boxing – anything can happen at any time against anybody with one punch. 

“Anybody who steps in the ring with the other guy, the other guy has got two hands too, and sometimes you could just get caught with one punch. It doesn't change the fact that I still think Tim Tszyu’s gonna be a star. I still think he's gonna be a world champion.”

Tszyu’s disappointing performance against Murtazaliev, 31, had raised concerns over whether he had fully recovered from the cut he suffered from loss to Sebastian Fundora in March. Questions were also asked of his promoters No Limit Boxing for putting him straight into a world championship fight after his first defeat

Santos, however, is confident Tszyu will follow in the footsteps of his father Kostya, who lost his IBF junior-welterweight title to Philips in 1997 but returned as an improved fighter.

“When you look at his dad, he was able to come back from a situation like that, and I have no doubt that he will,” Santos continued. “Everybody could say whatever they wanna say. I get it but at the end of the day, he's a competitor. He wants to be the absolute best. That's what's gonna make him a world champion again.

“And, hey. You know what? He just got caught with a punch he didn't see coming, and that can happen to anybody in boxing.”

Santos advised Tszyu to take time off to prepare adequately for his comeback. The respected trainer also compared Tszyu’s situation to that of Marco Antonio Barrera, who suffered two consecutive defeats to Junior Jones in 1997 but managed to win another championship.

“Obviously, he needs to regroup, freshen up his body, mindset, get back on the horse, and continue to work hard. And there's no doubt he's gonna win a world championship again. That's the unfortunate thing about this sport. 

“I'll give you another example – Marco Antonio Barrera lost to Junior Jones and people thought his career was over. All he needs to do is believe in himself, get a fresh new look of how he wants to go about moving things forward, have that plan, stick to that plan, and he'll be a world champion again.”

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at bernardneequaye@gmail.com .

The British and Commonwealth super-featherweight title fight between Reece Bellotti and Michael Gomez Jnr has been cancelled little over an hour before it was scheduled to start.

Bellotti-Gomez Jnr had represented the chief support to Jack Catterall-Regis Prograis at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester on Saturday evening.

The 29-year-old Gomez Jnr, however, had, according to broadcasters DAZN, been ruled out after a doctor diagnosed him as suffering with a kidney infection soon after his arrival.

"Matchroom Boxing has been informed by the British Boxing Board of Control that tonight's scheduled British and Commonwealth super-featherweight title bout between Reece Bellotti and Michael Gomez is off," read a statement released on social media by promoters Matchroom.

"Michael Gomez Jnr was taken ill in the changing rooms, where he was inspected by doctors and ruled out of the contest.

"We wish Michael a speedy recovery."

Omar Trinidad from Boyle Heights, California, steps into his first 12-round fight against Argentina’s Hector Sosa on Saturday at Commerce Casino in Commerce, California. Trinidad, 28, weighed in at 125.8lbs. Sosa, 29, hit 125lbs — one pound under the featherweight limit.

Trinidad holds a record of 16-0-1 (13 KOs); Sosa stands at 17-2 (9 KOs). Trinidad rides a four-fight knockout streak, and his past two stoppages came at this venue. Sosa is relishing a three-fight win streak, which includes a unanimous decision over Keenan Carbajal in his sole appearance in 2024.

In the co-feature, the flyweight Daniel "Chucky" Barrera, 7-0-1 (4 KOs), from Eastvale, California, faces Angel Mesa Morales, 8-1-3 (6 KOs), from Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, in his second eight-round fight. Barrera weighed in at 113lbs, just above Morales’ 112.8lbs. This is Barrera’s third fight of 2024, following his unanimous decision in June over Christian Robles.

This 360 Promotions card will be live from the Commerce Casino, promising a night of hard-hitting matchups.

Featherweight – 12 rounds

Omar Trinidad (125.8lbs) vs Hector Sosa (125.0lbs)

Flyweight – eight rounds

Daniel Barrera (113.0lbs) vs Angel Mesa Morales (112.8lbs)

Women’s minimumweight – six rounds

Guadalupe Medina (104.6lbs) vs Katherine Lindenmuth (103.0lbs)

Welterweight – eight rounds 

Gor Yeritsyan (146.8lbs) vs Jonathan Romero – 144.8lbs

Junior lightweight – six rounds

Abel Mejia (132.2 lbs) vs Kevin Mangune (131.6 lbs)

Light Heavyweight – eight rounds 

Umar Dzambekov (177.0lbs) vs Eric Robles (176.6lbs)

Junior featherweight – six rounds

Adan Palma (121.2lbs) vs Carlos Mujica (121.2lbs)

Lightweight – six rounds

Sebastian Gutierrez (134.6lbs) vs Cesar Villarraga (135lbs)

Bantamweight – four rounds

Chantel Navarro (119.6lbs) vs Mollie Backowski (118.2lbs)

Junior lightweight – four rounds 

Rodrigo Mosquera (131.8lbs) vs Benji Gomez  (131.6lbs)

Two individuals connected to the business of Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ WBA lightweight title defense against junior lightweight champion Lamont Roach Jnr have confirmed to BoxingScene that plans for a Dec. 14 bout in Houston are being reworked.

One promising solution is to pair Davis-Roach with the attractive light heavyweight bout between unbeaten talents David Benavidez and David Morrell, who are seeking a Jan. 25 Prime Video pay-per-view fight in Las Vegas.

“That becomes a big event then,” said one of the officials.

While the 30-0 (28 KOs) Davis had pushed for his next title defense to be placed in Houston, a series of situations made the effort “wobbly,” according to one individual.

Davis originally sought to fight a lightweight unification against IBF champion Vasiliy Lomachenko or WBC champion Shakur Stevenson, but Lomachenko balked and the Stevenson talks stalled.

Because Davis will be heavily favored against Roach, Premier Boxing Champions has sought to beef up the card with a quality featherweight-title rematch between newly elevated WBC champion Brandon Figueroa and Stephen Fulton after Fulton won their super-bantamweight title fight in 2021.

Former middleweight champion Jermall Charlo has also reportedly been mentioned to be on the card.

That pay-per-view card figured to undersell during the heart of the holiday season and just one week before Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury II. With Benavidez-Morrell potentially looming just six weeks later than the planned date, a return doubleheader featuring Davis and Benavidez would give PBC a strong launching pad to what could be a strong 2025.

PBC is also plotting a title defense in the ultra-deep junior-middleweight division by its unified champion Sebastian Fundora, and the promotion has staged the past three pay-per-view fights by four-division champion Canelo Alvarez, who’s planning to return on a Cinco de Mayo card.

When he defeated Frank Martin June 15 in his most recent title defense on a Prime Video pay-per-view in Las Vegas, Davis, 29, professed his admiration for the 29-0 (24 KOs) former super-middleweight champion Benavidez, who defeated former light-heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk in that night’s co-main.

Davis said then that he’d be willing to flip-flop roles with Benavidez—from main event to co-main—should the situation present itself.

Benavidez vs Morrell, 11-0 (9 KOs) is a hotly anticipated bout between PBC stablemates in their primes.

They currently stand as WBC interim 175-pound champion (Benavidez) and WBA secondary champion (Morrell) behind newly crowned undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.

PBC officials did not immediately return messages left to them by BoxingScene following the initial report of Davis moving off Dec. 14 by Dan Rafael’s “Fight Freaks United!” Substack.

Roach promoter Garry Jonas, who owns ProBox TV and BoxingScene, declined comment on the matter, as did Benavidez promoter Sampson Lewkowicz.

Just two weeks ago, Artur Beterbiev established himself in boxing glory by becoming the first undisputed light-heavyweight champion in the four-belt era.

Despite this, it looks like he will be forced to lose one of his belts.

He defeated fellow countryman, Dmitry Bivol in a controversial majority decision.

The fight was billed as the puncher versus the boxer but throughout the fight, we learnt that knockout artist Beterbiev is much more than a puncher and the man will all the skills, Bivol, is far more than just a boxer.

Yesterday we learnt that the pair are set to have a rematch in their next fight, as confirmed by Dmitry Bivol’s promoter, Eddie Hearn.

However, on the 17th of October, the IBF ordered Beterbiev to defend his world title against German Michael ‘Diesel’ Eifert (13-1).

Assuming the rematch takes place next, this will most likely force Beterbiev to vacate, unless a step-aside deal can be agreed with Eifert.

Whilst some sort of deal could be made, the chances are it won’t.

This is because the IBF historically have forced champions to vacate.

Most notably, Oleksandr Uysk was forced to vacate his IBF belt after defeating Tyson Fury.Update on Hamzah Sheeraz’s colossal shot at world honours

Therefore, it is likely that there will be a world title belt available in the light-heavyweight division.

Current mandatory challenger Eifert would likely fight next-in-line Australian Conor Wallace (14-1) for the vacant belt.

Former opponent of Beterbiev, Anthony Yarde could also be in for a shot at the vacant title.

However, it looks like he will be finally facing long-standing rival, Joshua Buatsi.

It’s disappointing for fans that just as we finally see an undisputed light-heavyweight fight for the first time since Roy Jones Jr versus Reggie Johnson in 1999, one of the belts is stripped away again.

This will also be the case for Dmitry Bivol, who will now not be able to recapture the titles that he lost.

Nevertheless, the opportunity to write the only wrong of his career so far should be a far greater motivator than any belt.

Nothing has been confirmed just yet, but it is now likely that, unlike the first fight between the two greats, the rematch will not feature all the belts in the division.

It has only been two weeks since Artur Beterbiev was crowned undisputed light-heavyweight champion of the world after defeating Dmitry Bivol in an incredibly high-quality contest in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Instantaneously as soon as the fight ended, the entire boxing world called for a rematch to take place.

Now after much of the fallout, there is further news on whether this will become a reality.

Much of the talk before the fight was about whether knockout artist Beterbiev could walk down the skillful, slick, Bivol.

For the first few rounds, it seemed as if this was exactly how the fight was going to play out.

Beterbiev tried to walk his opponent down but Bivol’s superb footwork was seemingly allowing him to have great success picking his man apart.

The man who previously had a 100 per cent knockout ratio was growing in frustration and by the fourth round, he began to increase the pace, forcing Bivol to take a back foot.

This fight was plenty mental as well as physical and by round seven the IBO world champion rocked Beterbiev.

The momentum swung time and time again, but the IBF, WBC and WBO world champion performed better in the championship rounds.

For the first time, Artur Beterbiev had gone the full twelve rounds.

The judges scored the fight 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114 (draw) in Beterbiev’s favour, resulting in him becoming the first undisputed light-heavyweight champion of the four-belt era and handing Bivol the first loss of his career.Anthony Joshua is injured

Since the fight, Bivol’s team have filed a protest over the controversial 116-112 card.

Despite it being a very close fight, the majority of people had Bivol winning and thus have demanded a rematch.

However, on the 17th of October, Artur Beterbiev was ordered by the IBF to defend his world title against 13-1 German, Michael Eifert.

Not only that but Bivol himself has also been rumoured in potential interim fights against the likes of Callum Smith and Albert Ramirez.

However, yesterday Eddie Hearn speaking to Fight Hub TV said the rematch will be next.

”His Excellency has told us the rematch is on. We will wait for final confirmation.”

Therefore, this implies that despite talk of potential interim fights, these won’t be taking place and the rematch will be next.

This may imply that Beterbiev will have to vacate his IBF belt, resulting in the rematch no longer having all four belts up for grabs.

While this is disappointing for fans, especially Bivol, the opportunity to correct the only wrong in his career so far will serve as a much stronger motivator than any belt.

B