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Professional boxers have been allowed to compete in the last two iterations of the Olympics, and Manny Pacquiao tried to join them for 2024.

Last October, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) officially sent a request for Manny Pacquiao to be allowed to compete at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. Four months later, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has formally denied their request to have the legendary eight-division world champion compete.

It may not be for the reason you’d think though.

Manny Pacquiao denied from competing in 2024 Paris Olympics

A total of 248 boxers will compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, with majority of the slots being awarded to the winners of various qualifying tournaments. The host nation France will also get six automatic slots, while nine other spots (five women and four men) will be awarded to other countries through the Universality Rule.

Manny Pacquiao won’t be getting any of those slots.

Why? It’s not because Pacquiao hasn’t won or even competed in any of the qualifying tournaments, or because they felt that having a decorated world champ competing against mostly amateurs and inexperienced pros would be unfair.

The IOC has formally denied the Philippines’ request, because well, Manny Pacquiao is too old.

The IOC stressed that they’re sticking to the strict age limit for competing in the Olympics, which is at 40-years-old. Pacquiao is already 45.

IOC won’t make exception for Manny Pacquiao on age limit, universality rule

There are still two upcoming Olympic qualifying tournaments this year, but the IOC Director for National Olympic Committee relations James Macleod said stressed that Pacquiao’s age disqualifies him from joining those.

Filipino officials were previously hoping that Manny Pacquiao could be granted an exemption for one of those Universality slots, but even without the rules on age, the IOC wouldn’t allow him there either.

“Universality places are not allocated to (countries) with an average of more than eight athletes in individual sports/disciplines at the last two editions of the Olympic Games,” the IOC Director stated. “This is the case for the Philippine Olympic Committee.”

Universality slots typically go to countries without much representation in the Olympics, but the Philippines already surpassed that total in the Tokyo Olympics alone, after sending 19 athletes in individual sports, including two Olympic medalist boxers.

Manny Pacquiao still has fights lined up

Manny Pacquiao officially retired in 2021, after compiling a 62-8-2 record during his legendary career that saw him become a record eight-division world champion.

He won’t be competing in the Olympics, but the Filipino boxing icon is still remaining active after officially hanging up the gloves as a professional. He beat up Korean martial arts influencer DK Yoo in 2022, and has another exhibition lined up against Muay Thai legend Buakaw in April.

Pacquiao also signed a contract with Japanese MMA promotion RIZIN and appeared at a recent NYE card, with Nobuyuki Sakakibara announcing a possible rematch with Floyd Mayweather in the future.

Bloody Elbow offers quality coverage of major boxing main events for the MMA fan who appreciates the sweet science and likes to keep up here in the community. If you want to see more of this kind of work, please subscribe to the Bloody Elbow newsletter and learn how you can support the site.

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Former UFC champion Sean Strickland has been trying to fight more random people as of late. After recently beating up an internet streamer and going after rapper Machine Gun Kelly, the UFC middleweight decided to trade barbs with another YouTuber.

At least this time, he’s going after a trained fighter.

Jake Paul called Sean Strickland a bully, offered $1 million to fight

Sean Strickland has a reputation for going hard in sparring, and soon after bloodying up controversial influencer Sneako, Jake Paul challenged the bully.

“Shawn Strickland (sic) you’re embarrassing for trying to stop sneako like that,” Paul wrote on Twitter. “You weren’t even able to drop someone with no experience while going all out😅. You’re a horrid boxer that only picks on inexperienced people.

“I’ll fly you to PR and we can fight on camera… if you win I’ll give you $1 million (half your net worth),” Paul wrote, before offering a bet. “But if you get dropped you have to get Betr tattooed on you. DM me. But just like paddy I’m guessing you’ll find a way to run.”

Strickland, unsurprisingly, responded with yet another line about his weird murder fantasies.

“Real talk… jokes aside.. Jake Paul is an utter f—ng joke,” Strikland tweeted. “You box small retired old mma fighters and you sell sugar water to kids.. If it were legal I’d take your f—g life with a smile on my face. Is there any place on this earth I can take this man’s life and walk?”

Sean Strickland says UFC blocked Jake Paul fight

Interestingly enough, Sean Strickland says he actually went to the UFC about the proposed $1 million gym spar. UFC fighters are all under restrictive and exclusive contracts, and according to the former middleweight champion the promotion immediately shut down the idea.

“So Jake Paul offered me $1 million knowing that it is impossible for me to do that. And I actually talked to Hunter (Campbell, UFC Chief Business Officer),” Strickland said on his YouTube channel. “I was like ‘Hunter, I will fight this man. You let Conor McGregor fight Mayweather, this is an easier fight, easier money, can I do that?’

“Hunter is like the left hand or right hand of Dana… Hunter explained to me that he sells no fights. When they have fights, they give away tickets, that he doesn’t make money, that his target audience is children, and they don’t buy pay-per-views.

“So it’s a little depressing, because I thought to myself ‘I’ll take a payday beating up this f—ng man, seems easy enough.’”

I’m not sure what Jake Paul’s selling power (or lack of) has to do with UFC blocking a potential million dollar payday, but the entire thing will not happen. Since Strickland couldn’t get permission, he instead went on to challenge Paul to a sparring session in Las Vegas, only this time, it’d be for free.

Who are Jake Paul and Sean Strickland fighting next?

They’re obviously not going to fight each other, but Jake Paul is already lined up to box again next month. Now 8-1 after beating a club level boxer last December, Paul is fighting another hand picked opponent on March 2 as he tries to get more experience and ring time like most boxing prospects.

Jake Paul will face 35-year-old Ryan Bourland, who has a decent looking 17-2 record on paper, but a closer look into things show him beating terrible opposition, and having just one win in the last 5 years.

Strickland on the other hand, is fresh off a January 20 bout where he lost his UFC middleweight belt to Dricus Du Plessis. He still doesn’t have a fight announced, which may just be why he has way too much time for all this nonsense lately.

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Teofimo Lopez embarrassed himself on Thursday night. Given the opportunity to ride ESPN’s Super Bowl weekend coverage, he came to the ring dressed as a king… and came out being seen as a bit of a clown. Given an opponent — Jamaine Ortiz — who wanted to make Teofimo Lopez give chase, he showed his weakness there again. What we got were 12 rounds of him loping and then leaping around after his opponent, unable to actually cut the ring off and force any extended exchange of blows. It was a limp performance, his fourth such in five fights.

Nonetheless, Teofimo Lopez got the win, with scores of 115-113 twice, and a particularly controversial 117-111. That saw an outcry on twitter, and all other places boxing is talked about, with claims that of course he did, that Ortiz never had a shot, that the win was wrong.

But was it, though? The thing about boxing is, one fighter doing badly doesn’t mean the other guy did well. And the way boxing is scored does throw up some weird results that are perfectly fine even if they go against the impression a fight left on viewers. I’ll take a look at how that happens.

Since this particular fight isn’t the only way scoring can go awry, I’ll need another example, and luckily for us, we as MMA fans have a handy recent one to reach for: Francis Ngannou‘s close loss to Tyson Fury last year. It was a fight in which the boxing newcomer vastly outperformed expectations, but did he really outperform Fury? I’ll take a look.

Frustratingly close: How Teofimo Lopez maybe won after all

First things first, though: this week’s fight. It’s pretty simple: Ortiz might have stopped Teofimo Lopez doing what he wanted, but he himself didn’t do that much either. His gameplan was built on avoiding damaging exchanges as much as possible- and that meant he was living on scraps, in terms of scoring shots, as much as Teofimo Lopez was.

That meant every round was close, and a lot of them could reasonably have gone either way. Therefore, awarding them to Lopez wasn’t wrong. Sure, he was underperforming expectations, but we don’t score boxing against expectations. We score it against the opponent. And Teofimo Lopez’s opponent wasn’t doing a great deal.

Even that 117-111 card isn’t necessarily wrong. It’s exceedingly generous, but were there four rounds that Ortiz definitely won, without question? I’m not convinced. A judge giving one fighter every close round might be infuriating, and on occasion suspicious, but it’s not necessarily wrong. If he likes what a fighter delivers in one round, and most of the rounds look like that, it’s not surprising if most of that rounds go to that fighter. But that one does raise questions. It was a closer fight than that.

So… it’s pretty reasonable to give the fight to Teofimo Lopez, as angry as we might be at him for his performance (and his ridiculous post-fight speech, in which he told a booing crowd to suck a ****). But what about a fight in which a fighter clearly did more damage over the course of the fight, but still lost? What about Francis Ngannou?

It’s not Pride rules: Why Francis Ngannou didn’t

The overall impression we got from Francis Ngannou’s performance against Tyson Fury was… he did great. And he did. He knocked the champion down, hurt him visibly on several occasions, and generally outperformed expectations wildly. In return, what success Tyson Fury did have was less spectacular, mostly about landing consistently with his jab and the occasional clean long or mid-range punch.

So, if Francis Ngannou so obviously did the more visible work, why is a Tyson Fury win a viable score? Again, simple enough: it’s scored round by round. And almost all rounds are 10-9 unless there is a knockdown. It takes far more damage than anything Ngannou did outside of that KD to get an extra point of the judges.

As a result, even though Francis Ngannou won three rounds clearly, he also only won three rounds clearly. That left seven rounds on the table for Tyson Fury to win- and even if he won none of them as cleanly as Ngannou won his, it was plausible for him to win all of them. So: a perfectly acceptable, if anti-climactic, victory.

And yet… it’s always the A-side

The thing is, though: I can type all that up, point out pretty easily why any given fight wasn’t neccesarily a robbery. Actual, stone-wall, that guy definitely didn’t win muggings are relatively rare, even in boxing. It’s much more often the case that you see these ‘well most of us agree but you could get there’ scores.

In the interests of fairness, I should say that that header is hyperbolic- it isn’t always the A-side. Chocolatito Gonzalez was, for a long time, the face of the lighter weight-classes and the frontman of HBO’s coverage of them- and yet he still has two of those controversies go against him, against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and in his second fight with Juan Francisco Estrada. There have been others: Devin Haney had the home advantage against Vasiliy Lomachenko, but he wasn’t notably more popular than the Ukranian and the event was organised by Loma’s promoter. It’s not that it never happens that the lesser-known fighter gets the nod.

But way more often, it is that A-side that gets the benefit of the doubt. Hyped prospect, local hero, promotional darling- they seem to get the benefit far more often than not. In particular, if you think a fight is close but one of the scorecards is wildly wide, you know what’s coming. Fans watching on Thursday will know the feeling- the moment the 117-111 card was read out, it didn’t seem likely that was going to Ortiz. And it didn’t.

Reasons for bias

Why does this happen? Well, the easy answer to point to is corruption. I have to say I’m sceptical- or rather, not convinced it could be kept secret. If it was happening on the scale and frequency it would need to be to be the main answer, it’d involve the kind of conspiracy that… well, just doesn’t stay hidden very easily.

We can look over at amateur boxing for an example of that- corruption definitely rules the scoring there, but the problem is so widely known about that the IOC don’t let amateur boxing’s governing body organise the event at the Olympics anymore. Obviously there isn’t an equivalent body in professional boxing to do something like that, but the investigators who proved it?

I’m not saying it’s impossible– I’m not in a position to do that, and obviously boxing is not an incorruptible sport by any means. I’m also not saying none of the decisions under scrutiny are the result of fixing. But I do think it’s unlikely that it’d be the main reason for the frequency of this sort of scoring. Boxing is of continual interest to both investigative journalists and police (see the ongoing scandal around the Kinahan drug cartel’s involvement in the sport). It just seems like if fixing was going on on an industrial scale, with money being paid to judges on a near-weekly basis, someone would have found some kind of trail.

There are other reasons why judges may lean towards the bigger name, though.

Crowd noise is a pretty simple one. If a crowd is in favour of a particular fighter, they’ll react whenever they think he lands anything. Since it can be hard to tell what is landing cleanly in the heat of the action, the pop of the crowd can highlight the work of one fighter over another – even inadvertently.

Speaking of inadvertently, we can also take a quick look towards potential influence from the promoter even without outright corruption. Promoters organise the fights- and that means that, ultimately, the payment for the judges comes from them (last point on the list here, with promoter Lou DiBella talking about it). That doesn’t mean they negotiate and hire the judges themselves- the relevant commission picks them, as a rule, or the sanctioning title body, and pay is determined by them.

But ultimately it comes from the promoter, and, per Chris Mannix in that report, they can also pick the flights and hotels. So some jobs may be more cushy than others. So some judges might be influenced, even subconsciously, by the feeling that they’re there on the promoter’s dime, and that dime might not come again if they disappoint them.

The other thing to remember is that, when bouts are televised, those of us as home are seeing things fundamentally different to the judges at ringside. We have the benefit of a constantly changing camera view that almost always keeps the action clear. The judges on the other hand have one perspective, their own angle from low down at ringside.

In some respects that is obviously better- being right there is obviously better for seeing things land than a wide-angle camera shot- but sometimes they square off, or tangle up in ways where one fighter, or the referee, is blocking the judge’s view of the punches landed, and he’s just guessing. That can lead to them giving, or not giving, points for shots that were very clear on television.

Solutions? That’s difficult

It is, of course, easy to point out all the difficulties in scoring boxing. It’s a lot harder to actually fix it.

One thing to get out of the way immediately is the question of corruption. Ultimately though that’s not a question of the rules- at least not the boxing rules. It’s already illegal to do it, so if it does happen, we can’t really do much except hope there’s better policing to stop it.

On the other hand, taking the responsibility for payment – and any say at all on picking them- out of the promoters’ hands might help stop that ‘soft’ influence. I don’t know how exactly it would work – since money mostly comes into boxing through promoters in general, because they collect the money from the fans, they’d probably have to deliver funds in some way.

One idea is to have the money delivered in the form of a periodic licencing fee to organise shows in general. And heck, maybe have judges on a salary rather than a fight-by-fight structure. That’d lessen pressure, real or imagined, to give the home promoter the result a judge thinks they want. I’m spitballing- that’d take a lot of work. But something to reduce that potential line of influence.

Another change that could be considered is more open accountability. Currently, any consequences for a bad scorecard are, if they happen at all, somewhat murky, behind closed doors, and without any given rationale. What that accountability would look like is hard to say- it’d need measures to avoid judges being open to abuse. A requirement to justify their scoring after the fight might help balance out mental pressure towards the promoter or crowd, for example- but it might also draw fan ire and make them feel even more pressure instead. Still, a written report doing so might of use, and certainly of interest.

Past that… well, it’s difficult because even if we find a change that might unquestionably make things clearer, even more objective, that would risk fundamentally changing the sport even if we changed no other rules. You can see that by looking again at amateur boxing. Except for shorter round and fight lengths, and until recently headgear, the rules are pretty much the same as the pro game- but until 2013, scoring was different, focusing on ‘clean punches landed’ as the only criteria. That led amateurs to fight a different style to most professionals, and even now ‘that amateur style’ is used in commentary shorthand to describe a boxer with clean, sound fundamentals but perhaps an overabundance of caution.

That means that even something as simple as adjusting how judges award points within the current system could change things. Right now, as mentioned, unless a knockdown is scored it’s rare for a judge to score anything other than a 10-9, and unheard of for more than that. Awarding 10-9 for close or uneventful rounds and 10-8 for wider ones, with 10-7s doled out for absolute dominance, would mean more reward for clean dominance. It’d certainly have given Francis Ngannou more chance of getting the nod against Tyson Fury.

I’d be all for more clear rewards for good work, but it would need caution- for one, judges would have even more power than they do now, and for another, as mentioned, it would change what styles are rewarded, and thus how the sport is fought. It’s a potential idea, but it’s not a clean and definite solution, and almost certainly would also need to be implemented in tandem with some aforementioned greater oversight over judges, or risk making things even worse.

One thing I’d be fully in favour of is giving judges a screen. They’d still be expected to watch the fight in the ring for the most part, but if the fighters are in a position that the judge just can’t see what’s going on, a screen would certainly help. It gives no-one anything for a judge to be guessing how much is landing because they’re clinched up on the ropes in front of him. A view into that clinch could only help.

That would only help part of the problem, but it seems a fairly clean and easy thing to introduce.

But something has to give

All that is to say, I don’t have any actual answers… but I’d love to see something change. Even for me as a pretty hardcore boxing fan, it gets draining to see month after month of “I don’t think that’s quite right” scores even if I don’t think it’s a robbery. And for more casual viewers, it frankly just risks driving them off. Something has to change.

Whether that’s outright rule-changes, accountability, or just some good old fashioned “get some younger judges in”, I don’t know. Maybe all three.

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On this week’s Crime Desk I’m covering two shooting deaths and a domestic assault. The lead story focuses on Magomedrasul Mutaev, a former teammate of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov. I also have some documents I acquired pertaining to Jermell Charlo’s recent address.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s training partner Magomedrasul Mutaev shot to death

Magomedrasul Mutaev, a former student of the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov and teammate of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, has been killed in Makhachkala, Dagestan. He was 21-years-old.

Mutaev was shot and killed outside of an apartment building last Wednesday. According to RT, Mutaev had survived an earlier attempt on his life.

Caucasian Knot reported that 18-year-old Nadyrkhan Kadirkhanov has been arrested in connection with the shooting. That outlet claims Mutaev’s killing was motivated by ‘personal hostility’, stemming from bullying incidents at the gym he trained at.

Telegram channel Tut Dagestan claimed to reveal more backstory behind the killing, writing, “Mutaev took advantage of being stronger than young guys in the gym. He mocked the younger ones and took their belongings away from them. I don’t justify the kiler, but the guy’s nerves simply couldn’t stand the bullying.”

Acquiescences of Kadirkhanov have reportedly corroborated reports of Mutaev bullying Kadirkhanov.

Mutaev was 1-0 in MMA, having debuted at AMC Fight Nights 122 last November. He was due to fight at AMC Fight Nights 123 later this month.

Arrest report sheds more details on Jermell Charlo assault case

Jermell Charlo, who lost to Canelo Alvarez last year, was arrested in December on suspicion of assaulting a woman at a residence in Fort Bend County, Texas. After the arrest an X user uploaded an audio clip he claimed was Charlo admitting he punched a woman in the face.

Bloody Elbow has acquired the basic offense report for this case from the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s office. Parts of that document are presented below, with the alleged victim’s name and all addresses redacted for privacy reasons.

The documents show that Charlo and the alleged victim resided at the house where Charlo was arrested. The documents also show that a child aged between 1 and 3 was present at the location during the arrest.

The report claims that Charlo appeared intoxicated at the time of the arrest. The document also claims that the alleged victim claimed Charlo had hit her in the face, causing minor injury. The alleged victim is noted as desiring prosecution.

When listing suspected ‘weapons used’ in the alleged assault, the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s department lists “hands, feet, fists, bite”.

Fatal shooting of Samuel Teah ruled self-defense

Samuel Teah was shot and killed in Wilmington, DE on the day after last year’s Thanksgiving. The 36-year-old boxer was initially reported to have been killed on route to visit his child.

Delaware Online reports that the shooting of Teah has been ruled as self-defense. Police spokesperson David Karas told that outlet that the shooting was “domestic in nature” and that no charges have been filed against the assumed shooter.

Wilmington Police have declined to share more details on the shooting.

Teah moved to the United States from Liberia as a child. As a pro boxer he amassed a 19-5-1 record and once held the IBO Intercontinental super lightweight and IBF USBA super lightweight titles.

Palate Cleanser

I grew up in England, so the sound of rain was ever-present. Now, in the cold wastes of Canada, I miss that relentless tapping on the roof and the streaks of water I’d watch dance down the windows during GSCE maths. It felt so calming, even during the regular deluges we would face. This week’s palate cleanser looks to recapture that feeling. The world is violent and scary, but we might be able to forget that for a moment if we just listen to the rain.

Survivors of sexual assault can find support via the following organizations:

US – Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)’s National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). RAINN also has an online chat service.

Love is Respect, 1-866-331-9474. They can also be reached via online chat or by texting LOVEIS to 22522.

End Rape on Campus (EROC), 1-424-777-EROC (3762).

Canada – Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime, 1-877-232-2610.

UK – UK Says No More.

Rest of the World – International Rape Crisis Hotlines.

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After years of buzz surrounding a potential fight between reigning WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney and No. 7 ranked (according to BoxRec) Ryan Garcia, the contest has been officially announced for April 20th. The two have a long history, dating back to the amateurs where they fought six times, with each taking three wins. There were serious talks of a fight between them late last year after Garcia won his December bout with Oscar Duarte, but he would reverse course, saying that Rolly Romero was “the bigger fight” and talks of the bout with Haney came to an abrupt halt.

The Romero fight didn’t materialize, though, as Rolly was reportedly scheduled to fight Isaac Cruz. Garcia claimed he’d been lied to and that he was told the paperwork was being finalized, when in reality, it was never on the table. “Obviously, that was a lie” he lamented on X (formerly Twitter), then said he looked forward to making his next fight announcement, a PPV for DAZN.

Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia Vegas dust-up

That announcement arrived yesterday afternoon via multiple sources from both camps and even came with a near dust-up last night when the two ran into each other in Las Vegas. They immediately began jawing at each other, each inching closer until they were face-to-face. Garcia shouted to Bill Haney, Devin’s father and trainer, that he needed to stop “p—mping his son,” referring to the way Bill has a knack for showing up at press conferences and fights to stir up potential opponents for his son.

It was after that comment that the shoving began and before long, the two had to be separated, but the principles, Garcia and Devin and even Bill were all still trying to have a go at each other. It was chaotic and seemingly spontaneous. But upon closer examination, it was convenient timing, just hours after the fight announcement, and even seemed a little contrived, at least from where I’m sitting. And I’m not alone in this thought.

Both Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney have released posts on X talking trash, with Garcia pressing on with the narrative that Bill Haney is p—mping out his son.

And just 10 minutes later, Haney made his own post, telling Garcia not to “turn around and run on April 20th” and released his own footage of their run-in.

Garcia gave a quick interview to Fight Hype where he discussed how the upcoming fight came together so quickly. “I’ve got a great team and I don’t mess around when it comes to trying to make the biggest fights happen,” Garcia said before launching another stinger at Bill Haney, ending with, “Bill Haney needs to stop the p—mping game. Bill Haney needs to f—ck off.”

We’ll be following the progress of this fight closely, but until then, we’ll leave you with this clip of a young Ryan Garcia discussing a fight with Devin Haney exactly eight years ago to the day of this announcement. And now, we’re finally going to get to see these two throw dukes while they’re in their prime. April 20th can’t get here fast enough.

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It’s time for Teofimo Lopez vs. Jamaine Ortiz!

It’s time for Teofimo Lopez to defend his WBO super lightweight title for the first time. Tonight Lopez takes on Jamaine Ortiz at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, NV. In the co-main event Olympic silver medallist Keyshawn Davis will stake his undefeated pro record against former WBO lightweight and IBF super featherweight champ Jose Pedraza.

Live results and highlights

Main card

• – Teofimo Lopez (20-1) 🇺🇸 def. Jamaine Ortiz (17-2-1) 🇺🇸 via unanimous decision (117-111, 115-113×2); super lightweight

• – Keyshawn Davis (9-0) 🇺🇸 def. Jose Pedraza (29-5-1) 🇵🇷 via TKO 1:09 of Rd 6; lightweight

Undercard

• – George Acosta (17-1) 🇺🇸 vs. Rene Tellez Giron (18-3) 🇲🇽; lightweight
• – Javier Martinez (9-0-1) 🇺🇸 vs. Raul Salomon (12-2) 🇲🇽; middleweight

• – Abdullah Mason (11-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Benjamin Gurment (8-0-3) 🇺🇸; super lightweight

• – Charlie Sheehy (8-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Abdel Sauceda (12-3) 🇲🇽; lightweight
• – Alan Garcia (10-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Tomas Ornelas (7-3) 🇺🇸; super lightweight
• – Art Barrera Jr. (2-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Michael Portales (3-2-1) 🇺🇸; super lightweight
• – Antonio Zepeda (6-1) 🇺🇸 vs. Lemir Isom-Riley (3-2) 🇺🇸; heavyweight

Start time and date

Teofimo Lopez vs. Jamaine Ortiz goes down on Thurs., Feb. 8, live from the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The undercard starts at 6:25 p.m. ET | 3:25 p.m. ET, while the main card follows at 10:30 p.m. ET | 7:30 p.m. PT.

Ringwalks for Lopez vs. Ortiz are expected around 12 a.m. ET | 9 p.m. PT.

Live streams

The undercard of Teofimo Lopez vs. Jamaine Ortiz streams exclusively on ESPN+, the streaming service you can sign up for at $10.99 USD a month.

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality boxing and MMA coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

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No one can question Tyson Fury’s physical gifts or his skill in the ring. A massive 6′ 9″ heavyweight, Fury is best known for his lightening reflexes and his fantastic ability to work behind a powerful jab. There have been, however, plenty of questions asked about his dedication to being a pro athlete.

Despite an Amateur career that saw him win Olympic gold in 2008 and a 34-0-1 unbeaten record, Fury has had notable trouble maintaining his fitness and form over the years—battling substance abuse and depression along the way. Unified heavyweight champion in 2015, the ‘Gypsy King’ left the ring for nearly three years, abandoning his belts, before returning to competition in 2018. Despite a 9-0-1 record since his comeback, rumors that Fury may consider retiring altogether have regularly dogged the WBO champion.

Tyson Fury brushes off retirement talk, lays out future fight plan

For fans who might be extra concerned that Tyson Fury’s recent cancellation of a planned bout with Oleksandr Usyk might mean the end of his career was looming on the horizon, it seems the 35-year-old is hoping to quell his doubters. Despite delaying the Usyk bout twice now, Tyson Fury remains steadfast that he is not only preparing to face Usyk twice in the ring, but has a whole slew of future fights he’s looking to make happen.

“I keep hearing talk of people saying that I should retire or I’m going to retire soon or whatever,” Fury wrote said in a video posted to social media (transcript via MMA Junkie). “I ain’t retiring anywhere, I’ve got two fights with Usyk, for the undisputed twice. Then I’m going to fight AJ at least once. Maybe twice if there’s a rematch, if he wants one after the first battering I give him, and then I’m going to fight Ngannou again and that’s just to start. So there’s five little fights for you to wet your appetite with. I ain’t going nowhere. Nowhere. I’m 35-years-old in the prime of my life.”

Francis Ngannou preparing to return to MMA

Tyson Fury’s revelation has to be good news for Francis Ngannou, who shook the boxing world last year, when he took Fury to a narrow majority decision loss, after knocking down the Fury down early in the bout. For a debut performance that was seen by many as a walkover warmup fight for Fury on his way to fighting Usyk in December, Ngannou’s performance crowned him as an immediate threat to the heavyweight boxing elite.

When Deontay Wilder failed to pick up the win this past December, in a bout that was expected to set the stage for a long teased fight against Anthony Joshua, Ngannou was perfectly placed to step in instead. Ngannou and Joshua will face off on March 8th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Despite having talked up a Fury rematch as a top priority, however, and despite Fury’s apparent interest in making that bout happen as well, it doesn’t sound like fans should expect to see Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou 2 in 2024.

“We’ll have another event in the second half of the year, this summer likely, and we expect Francis to return to MMA in the PFL Smartcage,” PFL CEO Peter Murray announced in a recent interview with BBC sport.

Although no opponent for Ngannou’s MMA return has been announced at this time, apparently the PFL plans on making the details of the booking public during their upcoming February 24th ‘Champion vs. Champion’ PPV card. That event will feature elite talents from across Bellator & the PFL facing off in Riyadh, as the first crossover following PFL’s acquisition of the former Viacom MMA promotion. From the sound of things, it seems fans can expect to see another PFL PPV event later this year.

As for Ngannou, it seems he only has one thing on his mind at the moment, and that’s his upcoming bout with Joshua.

“They say never say never. Nothing is impossible, right?” Ngannou said of his chances against Joshua in a recent podcast interview (transcript via MMA Fighting). “We don’t know the strength of Anthony Joshua, but even though I don’t believe he has that strength, but we’re going to find out in two months. We’re going to find out, and I think the reverse is going to happen. I’m going to be the one taking his soul.”

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Preview

For the first defense of his WBO and The Ring super lightweight titles, Teofimo Lopez returns to the ring against a familiar foe in Jamaine Ortiz this Thursday. After losing his IBF, WBA, WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles to George Kambosos Jr. in 2021, Lopez moved to super lightweight. So far, the ‘Takeover’ has won three straight, which included his title-winning effort against Josh Taylor this past June. 

After his statement win against Taylor, Lopez wants another against Ortiz, who he has already defeated when they were amateurs. 

“February 8 at Mandalay Bay, ‘The Takeover’ will entertain inside that squared circle as only I can! To the boxing fans around the world, I look to not only dominate and break down Jamaine Ortiz, but to do it in such a fashion that my division will be put on alert,” said Lopez via release. 

“Jamaine is tough,” continued Lopez. “I would know, because I faced him back in the amateur days in 2015 for the National Golden Gloves Championship. I’ll show the world that champions don’t flinch when faced with challenges. They rise and shine the brightest when the stakes are highest. This one is for all my people on the Takeover Express! Let’s show the world once again what real boxing looks like.”

Now that he faces Lopez again, Ortiz is aiming for an ‘Upset of the Year’ contender. 

“This is the most important fight of my career,” said Ortiz. “It’s my first world title bout. I believe this fight will bring out the very best in me, and I’m looking forward to coming home as the new champion!”

Recently, the ’Technician’ returned to the win column with a decision against Antonio Moran this past September. 

Teofimo Lopez vs. Jamaine Ortiz full fight card

Main card

• – Teofimo Lopez (19-1) 🇺🇸 vs. Jamaine Ortiz (17-1-1) 🇺🇸; super lightweight
• – Keyshawn Davis (9-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Jose Pedraza (29-5-1) 🇵🇷; lightweight

Undercard

• – George Acosta (17-1) 🇺🇸 vs. Rene Tellez Giron (18-3) 🇲🇽; lightweight
• – Javier Martinez (9-0-1) 🇺🇸 vs. Raul Salomon (12-2) 🇲🇽; middleweight
• – Abdullah Mason (11-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Benjamin Gurment (8-0-3) 🇺🇸; super lightweight
• – Charlie Sheehy (8-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Abdel Sauceda (12-3) 🇲🇽; lightweight
• – Alan Garcia (10-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Tomas Ornelas (7-3) 🇺🇸; super lightweight
• – Art Barrera Jr. (2-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Michael Portales (3-2-1) 🇺🇸; super lightweight
• – Antonio Zepeda (6-1) 🇺🇸 vs. Lemir Isom-Riley (3-2) 🇺🇸; heavyweight

Start time and date

Teofimo Lopez vs. Jamaine Ortiz goes down on Thurs., Feb. 8 live from the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The undercard starts at 6:25 p.m. ET | 3:25 p.m. ET, while the main card follows at 10:30 p.m. ET | 7:30 p.m. PT.

Ringwalks for Lopez vs. Ortiz are expected around 12 a.m. ET | 9 p.m. PT.

Tickets

Purchase tickets for Teofimo Lopez vs. Jamaine Ortiz here. 

Live streams

The undercard of Teofimo Lopez vs. Jamaine Ortiz streams exclusively on ESPN+, the streaming service you can sign up for at $10.99 USD a month.

The main card of Lopez vs. Ortiz airs on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+. You can stream ESPN+ on the following devices:

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The Rise of Teofimo Lopez

The rise of Teofimo Lopez seemed like destiny. As his record improved to 12-0, 13-0 and higher, it seemed inevitable that he would come face to face with the best pound for pound fighter in boxing: Vasyl Lomachenko.

But at only 23, nobody really knew how good Lopez was. We knew he was good, but could he topple the complicated and insanely talented Lomachenko? That’s when he was tapped to face Richard Commey.

Lomachenko had three of the titles at lightweight and wanted a fourth. Richard Commey had that fourth, the IBF Lightweight title. Lopez swooped in and beat Masayoshi Nakatani to get the shot at Commey’s belt.

The fight with Richard Commey wouldn’t last long. The young Brooklyn fighter put the champion away in two rounds. After the fight, Lomachenko, the giant, stepped into the ring. A photo op took place but it was clear what was on everyone’s mind.

Unification. Undisputed.

Unfortunately, Lomachenko was booked to fight Luke Campbell next. Lomachenko won that fight but Lopez was there, waiting for his shot at the pound for pound king. That fight would eventually be made in September of 2020.

Will there be a takeover?

A lot of boxing heads were mixed on Lomachenko vs. Lopez. We knew how good Lopez was in theory. But we knew for certain that Vasyl Lomachenko was the real deal.

But this was all theory. While much of the pre-fight predictions were fairly even handed, that didn’t insulate Teofimo Lopez from all the doubters.

“I think Lopez is a good fighter. But Lomachenko is better,” said Sergiy Derevyanchenko.

“I think Lomachenko,” Jose Zepeda told Boxing Scene. “He’s too skillful. I would say that Teofimo has that puncher’s chance. But then again, Loma never drops his hands.”

Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, had no faith in Lopez. “That kid is not going to beat Lomachenko…He doesn’t have enough experience. It’s a lot to deal with Lomachenko.”

But Teofimo Lopez was prepared. In a 12 round battle, Lopez took the lead early with a seven round lead across all scorecards. It was that pivotal 12th round that Lopez took back over the fight and the decision over the surging Lomachenko. Lopez was the champ, undisputed. He dethroned the king.

The fall and return

The win over Vasyl Lomachenko had many begging for Lopez to return to action. But a full year would pass before he returned to the ring. COVID-19 was in full swing and the fight was delayed multiple times due to a failed COVID test. Relationships between he and Top Rank Boxing, his promoter, also curdled. Lopez was offered $1.25 million to face George Kambosos Jr., the IBF mandatory for Lopez.

The fight went to purse bid and Triller won the staging rights. The pandemic caused controversy when they tried to book the fight in ultra-locked down Australia. Lopez and the IBF ruled against the move. Other venues were floated and eventually, New York City was the place for the fight to take place. But the shenanigans weren’t over yet.

After spending $10 million in promoting the fight between Teofimo Lopez and George Kambosos Jr., Triller pulled out of the fight. Behind the scenes, George Kambosos was demanding more money to relocate to the United States. As the dates kept changing, pressures arose and Kambosos stopped correspondence with Triller all together.

As Triller exited the deal, Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing stepped in and was broadcast on DAZN. The tragedy was still not over for the young Lopez, who was out for over a year.

In the first round, disaster struck for Lopez when Kambosos knocked him down in the first round. Lopez fought timid and allowed Kambosos to press the pace. Kambosos ended up winning the titles from Lopez. Just like that, without a defense, Teofimo Lopez lost everything.

Nine more months would go by before Lopez would return to action. This time, he announced his move to super lightweight. He took on Pedro Campa. That fight showed a patient Lopez, though an uninspiring performance, but a seventh round knockout. His next fight was against the tricky Sandor Martin, a split decision win. He was then scheduled to face Josh Taylor in June of 2023. Taylor was widely seen as the best at 140 and Lopez was facing another tricky southpaw.

That fight, however, was an absolute masterclass from Teofimo Lopez. The WBO World Super Lightweight belt was on the line. Throughout the 12 round unanimous decision, Lopez put on a dazzling performance that reminded fans just how good of a fighter the young man was. He consistently worked in all areas against the southpaw; the inside angle, the outside angle, in the pocket, at range. There wasn’t a single moment of the fight where Teofimo Lopez wasn’t in complete control.

The task at hand

This Thursday, Teofimo Lopez is facing off with Jamaine Ortiz. Ortiz is a switch hitter and gave Vasyl Lomachenko an incredibly tough fight in 2022. While he lost that fight, “The Technician” really challenged Lomachenko in ways not seen since the Lopez fight.

In the fight before Lomachenko, Jamaine Ortiz defeated Jamel Herring as well. He was quite the tested fighter despite his meager 16-0-1 record. One win at super lightweight later and Jamaine Ortiz is back with another tough challenge.

Teofimo Lopez has a tough task at hand. Ortiz has the same height and half an inch longer reach. But Lopez isn’t backing down. He never has. He defeated the top pound for pound fighter in the world. Jamaine Ortiz is a good fighter but none of the pressure that came with fighting Lomachenko comes with Ortiz.

Now Teofimo Lopez has his new target: Terence Crawford. Will “The Takeover” repeat his past magic and, once again, topple the top pound for pound fighter in the world? This weekend is the first step to that. Beat Jamaine Ortiz. Beat Devin Haney. Become undeniable. That’s what Lopez did in the past. He aims to do that again.

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Tyson Fury suffers cut ahead of Oleksandr Usk fight

A few days away from Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported that the highly anticipated fight was not happening due to Fury suffering a cut. Team Fury confirmed the report, releasing a statement that revealed they were discussing a rescheduling. 

“Whilst this is still breaking news, it is clearly a massive disappointment, after the worst that has been done by so many people to finally deliver this historic event to the world,” said Team Fury in a statement. “Once the doctors have appraised Tyson’s eye, we will have a better idea of the period of recovery need. Once known, we will work diligently with all the stakeholders and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to reschedule this fight as soon as possible and will of course keep everything updated with developments.”

With his eye appraised, we now have an official date for Fury vs. Usyk — again. 

Fury vs. Usyk gets a new date

During a special edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Fury, alongside Saudi Arabian advisor and promoter of the fight, Turki Alalshikh, revealed that Fury vs. Usyk was rescheduled for May 18 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. 

Since this was yet another postponement, Alalshikh also included a caveat: if either fighter withdraws, they forfeit $10 million. 

“I have guarantees from both of the fighters, $10 million if someone escapes from the fight,” said Alalshikh.

Should either of them withdraw, they would get a replacement opponent, such as the winner of the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou. The ‘Predator’ has already responded with this short, yet effective idea: 

Fury explains sparring incident, Team Usyk responds

Tyson Fury also shed some light on the day he suffered a cut in one of his final sparring sessions. 

“It was yesterday morning, sparring,” said Fury. “I arranged to spar 12 rounds with four different guys. In Round 5, I got an elbow in the eye, got a split eye. Obviously I’ve been to the hospital and had 11 stitches. They have the medical reports, they have everything. 

“Right across the eye, lovely,” continued Fury. “Nothing much anybody can do about a cut in sparring. S—t happens. I’ve never had one before. First time for everything.”

Despite his condition, Eglis Klimas, manager of Usyk, had no sympathy for Fury, who he said was ‘scared’ to fight. 

“Maybe when you want to get cut, you’re going to get cut,” said Klimas. “Because he didn’t want to fight with Usyk. He’s scared.”

That earned a fiery response from Fury. 

“Eglis, never called me a coward again,” said Fury. “I’ve had 35 professional fights. I’ve been boxing 18 years of my life. I’ve climbed off the canvas 10 times of the biggest punches in history to win. Never a coward. Never backed down from any man in my life.” 

Recently, Tyson Fury defeated the aforementioned Ngannou in the ‘Battle of the Baddest’ in Riyadh this past October. 

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Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez are old friends and sparring partners, but they won’t let that get in the way of a great little matchup tonight. There’s no world titles on the line, but there’s still a lot at stake: the winner will have quite a good shot to be considered the third-best light-heavyweight in the world, after Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev, and be in a good position for a fight with one of them, should they first fight each other or not. In theory this is an eliminator for the WBA belt, which Bivol holds. Eliminators don’t always mean as much as they should, but still – it’s an important fight in terms of position in the divbision.

They both really need it to happen now, too. Buatsi looked classy on his way to a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics and turned pro to some hype- but his pro career has seen him going in circles, somewhat, for the last few years, with a few disappointing performances along the way. He really could do with a big win to kickstart some momentum. That isn’t a problem Azeez has, having broken through with a series of impressive performances in the last three years- but at 34, he’s a late starter and may not have much time to rebuild and give it another run if he falls here.

It should match well stylistically too. Buatsi is a classy, accurate punch-picker who throws some lovely combinations in close. Azeez is a steady pressure fighter who increases the tempo as the fight goes on, and who likes to bring on some old-school tricks (look out for the cross-armed guard he likes to bring out on occasion). Neither could claim to have a flawless defence, so they’ll be relying on their attack to get them through. It should be fun.

The rest of the card is mostly a showcase of Boxxer’s top prospects. Super-lightweight Adam Azim has the most interesting fight, defending his European title against also-undefeated Enoch Poulsen. Caroline Dubois (sister of Daniel) fights Miranda Reyes– that’ll be marketed as a world title fight but it’s the IBO belt so it’s not really.

Ben Whittaker, a light-heavyweight who scored Silver at the Tokyo Olympics and has, since he turned pro, made an art-form out of pissing people off. His opponent, Khalid Graidia, is a journeyman with a losing record, so in no way a step up for him -expect more rage-baiting showboating. Still, all three fights should be entertaining, and give you a look at three fighters with bright futures in the sport.

The card will air on Sky Sports in the UK and Peacock in the US. It starts at 7pm UK time (2PM Eastern), with main event ringwalks expected around 10pm UK time (5pm Eastern) – though stay tuned for updates on that. There’ll be a one-fight prelim show available on Sky’s youtube channel and apps.

Update: after a couple of fight announcements- Fabio Wardley and Frazier Clarke will face off for Wardley’s British heavyweight title, and Chris Billam-Smith will defend his cruiserweight title in a rematch against Richard Riakporhe, who beat him in 2019- we’ll be live with the main event in a few minutes. Join me for the play-by-play below.

Joshua Buatsi vs Dan Azeez: Main event play-by-play

Round 1: Dan Azeez’s corner is very loud. Azeez himself is a fighter who likes to come in low then work his way up once in close. Buatsi on the other hand more upright, trying to hold distance with a jab then follow up with right hands. In the second half of the round Buatsi does respond with occasional experiments in crouching low himself. Both have done good work so far, but a few sharp shots by Buatsi probably give him the round. 10-9 Buatsi.

Round 2: Azeez’s corner instructions are clear- work Buatsi’s body. Makes sense if he wants to test his stamina as the fight goes – especially since Azeez is typically a fighter who comes on strong as the fight goes on. Buatsi, to be fair, also working the body well. Meanwhile Azeez has some success with an overhand right as Buatsi lands an uppercut. Neither wants to give too much ground, this is being fought in center ring consistently. Round closes with a nice intercepting shot by Buatsi as Azeez lands a right, then some bodywork from Buatsi. Another close round, 10-9 Buatsi, 20-18

Round 3: Azeez opens jabbing to the body. He moves his head very well on approach. Buatsi trying to lure him in for counters now, holding his feet but leaning back. Azeez not overcomitting though. They exchange lovely bodyshots with a minute left in the round, then a combination from Azeez. Azeez having good success in the second half of the round as he ups the tempo. The round ends with a frenetic exchange. 10-9 Azeez, 29-28

Round 4: Azeez opens the round with strong bodywork. Buatsi counters upstairs. Jab snapping Azeez’s head back. Buatsi has been finding some joy with an uppercut and he’s going back to the well here. And a bodyshot under Buatsi’s right elbow. Bit more composed from him to start the round after it got frenetic at the end of the last. Really working that left downstairs. Azeez throwing his own but not to as much visible effect. Buatsi’s been snapping Azeez’s head back in the second half of the round, too. Good round for him. 10-9 Buatsi, 39-37

Round 5: Azeez’s corner really want him to go forward, and he isn’t always. Buatsi’s intercepting shots are bothering him. Both throwing uppercuts early in this round. Buatsi throws a nice combination but Azeez answers with a solid overhand right. A lovely left hook as the final minute approaches hurts Azeez a bit, but he recovers fairly quickly. Still, clear Buatsi round. Had Azeez on his heels a few times. 10-9 Buatsi, 49-46

Round 6: This fight was close early but Buatsi has started separating himself. Azeez needs to change something up. Buddy McGirt is imploring him to push forward, and trust that it’ll dissuade Buatsi. Buatsi landing that left hook as Azeez tries though. A quiter round this with Azeez a little hesitant and Buatsi taking a rest. Azeez really doesn’t want to stay in the pocket, and his corner hates it for him. Right hand rocks him back. 10-9 Buatsi, 59-55

Round 7: Buatsi throwing distinctly less punches at the start of the seventh, hard to say if he’s starting to tire or just saving energy as he feels comfortable- he doesn’t look ragged or anything. Azeez still throwing, but not pushing the pace he probably needs to break Buatsi down in the final rounds. Solid riht for Azeez snaps Buatsi’s head back. It’s fair to note that Buatsi is protecting his body well, which is in part what’s dissuading Azeez who lives to work there as part of his gameplan. Still, possibly can give that round to Azeez on activity. 10-9 Azeez, 68-65 Buatsi.

Round 8: Azeez definitely not committing to that push-forward gameplan that his coaches want. Very hesitant. Buatsi coasting, but he’s jabing his way around well and catching Buatsi with intercepting shots as he tries to come in. He can’t really get close at the moment, every approach is being met with bodyshots. Azeez back foot slips a bit but Buatsi can’t take advantage, they exchange to the bell. 10-9 Buatsi, 78-74

Round 9: Azeez finally finds some consistent pressure in this round, and the crowd answers with a roar. Buatsi manages to calm him down with a few shots in the middle of the round, but Azeez continues to press. This is what he needs, constant mauling and just tap-tapping Buatsi until the openings come for the real shots. Buatsi responding in kind towards the end of the round, very good round this. 10-9 Azeez, 87-84

Round 10: Buatsi trying to stay at jabbing range to start this round. Buatsi not quite as instant with the pressure this time. His own jab is landing a bit though. He just needs to maul, and he’s not finding the route in the same way so far. Does get on it as we tick to the final minute, takes a combination as he approaches but starts to get his work in as the round closes. Both land lefts bang on the bell. 10-9 Buatsi, 97-93

Round 11: More confident start this time from Azeez, before a jab backs him up. The story of this fight really has been that normally Buatsi is used to be able to catch his opponent’s work and counter it, but Buatsi’s work is too sharp and finds the gaps before he can. Better success with it in these later rounds though, and he lands some good shots as both slip on what has been a problematic surface in the center of the ring – that’s happened a few times now. Azeez breathing heavy but continuing to work. Azeez drops and it’s called a knockdown! It looked as he slipped as well, but there may well have been a punch contributing. He won’t be pleased, but he needed a KO anyway. And he slips again at the end, and the ref calls another KD- that seemed harsh, the second one, looked like he swung himself off. 10-7 Buatsi, 107-100.

Round 12: They hug as the round starts, then go toe-to-toe. Buatsi senses a KO, and Azeez needs one- but quite clearly doesn’t trust the canvas now. Nice right hand from Azeez as Buatsi pulls out. Buatsi with more good work, a left hook this time, then another left stumbles Azeez back. Azeez very unhappy with the surface, and it’s a shame that spoiled a good matchuo, but in truth Azeez was just a little outclassed. Buatsi looking for the finish in the final minute, landing unanswered shots to the head. Doesn’t quite get it done but Buatsi has proven himself the better, sharper fighter here. They hug again as it finishes and it looks like they’re friends again now. Good fight, Buatsi 117-111. I think I may have messed my scoring up here by the way, let me count back in a bit (edit: yeah, I forgot to add the knockdowns. Oops, my bad). But the official scores are 117-109, 117-109, 116-110, giving Buatsi the clear-cut victory and the commonwealth and British title belts that were on the line..

Joshua Buatsi vs Dan Azeez: Full card results and highlights

Light heavyweight: Joshua Buatsi (17-0) vs. Dan Azeez (20-0) ; light heavyweight 

• Buatsi (17-0) and Azeez (20-0) line up in our main event in a sort-of grudge match (they’re friends normally. They’re claiming to dislike each other now, but we’ll see when the final whistle goes). It’s one for local bragging rights, plus a shot at a world title in the near future.

Super-lightweight: Adam Azim KO-5 Enock Poulsen

• Azim (10-0) is perhaps Boxxer and Sky’s most hyped prospect, a counterpuncher with flash and swagger. This fight, defending the European title he won in November, is one he’d hope to win if he wants to step up to world level, but his opponent Poulsen is unbeaten himself (14-0) and will be hoping to make the most of a huge opportunity.
• Actually I should correct on that- as far as titles go, Poulsen has won this twice before, and only lost it due to injury. First in 2019, then after a three year layoff he won it again in 2022 in a fight where he dislocated his shoulder and just toughed on through. This is his third snap at this belt and he’ll really be hoping his body holds up, because he’ll feel he should have been boxing at world level long before now.
• Azim definitely winning early, potshotting Poulsen with his lead hand and occasionally landing solid single counter rights. A natural counterpuncher, he could stand to build a base of attacking combinations as a second string to his bow, but he’s on top here. Just too fast and sharp for Poulsen.
• An unfortunate stoppage as Poulsen’s shoulder pops out again and the fight is stopped. Hard to see how his career continues from here.
• This goes down as a KO because he took a knee and the 10-count, but in reality that was an injury retirement.
• Still, Azeez looked good until then. As mentioned, you could wish for him to be more proactive, but that’s from a pure entertainment perspective really- there’s no danger of him losing fights like this and it’s gonna take someone very sharp to outbox him from the outside. Whereas, if it gets in close, he has the counters ready. Promising fighter and he’ll be hoping to move to world level this year.

Light heavyweight: Ben Whittaker TKO-5 Khalid Graidia

• I don’t know why Whittaker (3-0) is fighting Graidia (10-13-4), but he is. He should at least entertain us by being as annoying as possible.
• After a relatively quiet first round, he dropped Graidia in the second, and followed up by doing pirouettes in between punches and dancing as he threw. This is who he is as a fighter. He won’t be to everyone’s taste, but he’s entertaining.
• I’ve legitimately never seen the like. Whittaker gets pulled up for patting the opponent on the top of his head, tries to land on Graidia as he tries to fistbump on the restart, then goes to town, dancing and patting him on the head while hollering at his corner. He gets docked a point for his trouble.
• In the fifth, he puts on the pressure and scores a TKO as Gradia sits himself on the bottom rope and his corner throw the towel.
• I mostly don’t have an issue with all the nonsense, although it is excessive, but hitting Graidia on the restart as he tried to touch gloves wasn’t cool at all. In any case, for all that this was a nonsense fight, it should be noted that Graidia fought solid opposition last year, going the 8 round distance with Azeez and 7 rounds with Zach Parker. Getting it done faster than those two was probably the point of this exercise.

lightweight: Caroline Dubois UD Miranda Reyes 100-90 x 3

• Dubois (8-0-0) is Boxxer’s top hope to make a splash with women’s boxing. Her opponent, Reyes, has a record of 7-1-1 and has fought at higher weights, so she may offer some threat- but she’s never been near the level Dubois should be. It should be a win for the British prospect, but it’s not risk-free.
• Dubois started with a patiently aggressive performance, pushing into Reyes’ space then slipping her punches to set up counters. She uses her lead hand- she’s right-handed but fights southpaw- particularly well.
• She cranked up the pressure in the second half of the fight, being more directly aggressive and unloading barrages of bodyshots. She didn’t score the knockout, but she looked very good here, winding up with a whitewash score of 100-90 on all three cards.

Heavyweight: Jamie Tshikeva def Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko 58-55 (ref’s score)

• Tshikeva (5-1) (known as TKV) is a sort-of prospect (at 30, not really looking at world level, but a latecomer trying to build a run) who unexpectedly lost against Igor Adiel Macedo via knockout last year, after a punch basically exploded his eyebrow.
• Dovbyschchenko with his 10-14-1 record is clearly intended as a get-well opponent, but he has a shock victory against a prospect as recently as last year, when he stopped Matty Harris in June, so there may be some threat here.
• Not a great fight, but not really boring either, as both threw their fair share of punches. Just a bit samey throughout. TKV lost a point for persistent low blows but otherwise controlled well enough with his jab.

Bantamweight- Francesca Hennessy def Laura Belen Valdebenito 60-53 (ref’s score)

• In the sole prelim matchup, Francesca Hennessy (2-0) squared off against Laura Belen Valdebenito (5-5-1).
• The 19-year-old Hennessy is the daughter of long-time British promoter Mick Hennessy. She’s being trained by former men’s British welterweight champion Bradley Skeete, and there are high hopes for her.
• This was a fight she was expected to win, and she did so comfortably, winning every round including one 10-8 on the ref’s scorecard.

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Today, Conor Benn, son of two-division champion Nigel Benn, will put his unbeaten record to the test against another unbeaten talent, Peter Dobson. Benn has been taking his fists on the road lately, the by-product of having two failed drug tests. And while the National Anti-Doping Panel found he did not intentionally ingest the clomifene found in the aforementioned drug tests, the UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) and British Boxing Board of Control (BBB of C) appealed the decision from the NADP, ensuring Benn cannot get licensed to fight in the UK.

After his fight with Chris Eubank, Jr. was called off, Benn was suspended until this past July. In September, after being inactive for 525 days, Conor fought Rodolfo Orozco, whom he dominated en route to a unanimous decision victory. That brings us to his current foe, Peter Dobson, who is the heavy underdog here. Dobson gave a recent interview where he registered a fair amount of surprise at how wide the margins were, in some cases, 7 to 1. That seems like a pretty massive gulf. Let’s take a look at how their facts and figures stack up.

Preview

Conor Benn

• Age: 27
• Record: 22-0 (14 KOs)
• Last opponent: Rodolfo Orozco
• Pro debut: 2016
• Stance: orthodox
• Height: 5’8

Peter Dobson

• Age: 33
• Record: 16-0 (9 KOs)
• Last opponent: Rodrigo Damian Coria
• Pro debut: 2014
• Stance: orthodox
• Height: 5’10

Conor Benn vs. Peter Dobson live play-by-play

Round 1

Benn with a one two, gets answered by an uppercut from Dobson. Benn with a nice right upstairs. The men tie up and their heads clash. Ref intervenes briefly to break them up. Benn with a nice 3-punch combo. Dobson looks much slower than Benn. Dobson with a glancing left. Benn with a big right up top.

Gorgeous left-right combo for Benn. Left to the solar plexus by Benn. Dobson with a jab to the shoulder. Benn with a triple jab followed by a big right hook. Conor is just walking him down and cornering him every chance he gets. Dobson offering very little. Round over.

Round 2

Benn with a nasty left to start the round. Dobson with a jab that lands to Benn’s chin. Dobson with the double jab as Benn lands a big right to the gut. Benn feints then lands the jab up top. Left up top for Benn as Dobson ties up.

Benn is just walking him down and peppering him with hard jabs. They tie up in the corner. Benn with a double right to the ribs. Uppercut for Benn. Dobson lands a good combo up top followed by a right to the gut. Benn answer with a huge straight right. Benn with a right over the top that glances off Dobson’s back. Round over.

Round 3

Benn extends the left to start the round. He backs Dobson into the corner and begins teeing off. Benn with a big right but Dobson eats it well. Benn with a fast combo to the body. Dobson with a left up top and a right to the ribs. Benn targeting the body then pops a left hook to the jaw.

Benn with another crisp combo to the body followed by a shot to the jaw. Benn has Dobson back in the corner. Dobson gets out of the corner only to get blasted by a four-punch combo. Dobson with a surprise combo that looked like the last punch, a big right, may have rattled Benn. Round over.

Round 4

Dobson with the jab up top. Benn answers with a one-two. Dobson with a right over the top. Benn works his way around and spins Dobson back into the corner. Dobson works his way out and lands a nice one to the body. Benn with a big right over Dobson’s jab.

Dobson is working his jab more and staying in the center. Dobson whiffs on a big right. Benn with a body shot gets answered by a really nice right from Dobson. Benn answers with a right of his own. Dobson working the jab and then lands another big right. Benn pops him with a left up top then one to the body. Dobson has no answer for the next body-head combo as the bell sounds.

Round 5

Benn leads with a hard left to the gut, then an overhand right. Dobson peppering the jab up top then one to the body. Nice right over the top by Dobson who seems much more relaxed and is picking up the pace now. Dobson has Benn against the ropes and is working the body. Benn spins out then starts working the body but Dobson lands another right over the top.

Dobson with another right but Benn goes low and peppers his body. Dobson gets through again with the right over the top. Benn is beginning to eat shots now. Benn with a good right up top then one to the chest. Dobson is steady working the jab and the right. The bell sounds. Best round so far.

Round 6

Dobson lands first now with a left. Benn answers with a one-two to the body. Dobson with a right hook to the ribs. Benn with a big left up top then one to the body. Benn working the jab and walking him down to the corner. Dobson with a double jab then one to the body. Dobson with a straight left.

Dobson forcing Benn to the corner. They tie up. Dobson with a straight left again. That shot is finding its mark more. Benn is landing well too. Dobson with a right uppercut. Ref steps in to warn Benn about head clashing. Conor comes in and clashes heads again, drawing another warning from the ref as the bell sounds.

Round 7

Benn leads the round with a shot to the body. Benn with a big one-two to the body. He pressures Dobson in the corner with a flurry, forcing him to cover and work out to center ring. Dobson with the slowest punch in human history to the ribs. They tie up in the corner.

Dobson pins Benn to the ropes but doesn’t do much there. Benn with a gorgeous jab followed by a right hook. They tie up, ref separates. Benn working the body then sneaks a right up top. Dobson with a right gets answered by a hard combo from Benn. Dobson with a right then they tie up. Dobson with a good jab then a one-two. They tie up as the round ends.

Round 8

Benn leads with a hard right to the ribs then works up top with a huge flurry of hard shots. Dobson with two lefts up top but they barely grazed Conor. Dobson clearly slowing now. Nice right to the ribs by Dobson as Benn works up top with the jab and an uppercut. They’re in close but the heads keep coming together.

Dobson with a glancing right up top. They’re in close again as Benn works the body. Benn with a hard left to the body as Dobson glances with a right. Dobson complaining about the head butts now. Dobson rushes Benn with a body-head combo. Dobson with a two-punch combo. Benn working the body then a huge right hook to end the round.

Round 9

Dobson gets the first punch, a left jab up top. Benn works him into the corner and starts working the body. Dobson works his way out and lands a nice right to the body. Benn landing the jab pretty much at will right now and every one is hard. They tie up. Dobson with a double jab followed by a right up top.

Dobson with a nice uppercut. Dobson ties up then spins Benn into the corner. Benn uses the opportunity to work his own jabs to the body. They get back to the center and Dobson lands a nice overhand right that puts Benn on the back foot. Benn looks like he’s resting up a little in this round. Dobson with a huge left to the body and another to the jaw as the bell sounds.

Round 10

Dobson lands a short left to start the round by Benn was already coming in with a rib shot. Benn has Dobson in the corner and worked a good body combo followed by a nice right hook. Dobson with a left-right up top. They tie up. Benn narrowly escapes a right-left combo. Dobson back in the corner again, getting peppered with left hooks and body shots.

Benn with a beautiful left straight followed by two quick left hooks. Benn with the right down the center. Benn lands a hard shot to the ribs and two more up top. Dobson rushes in with a straight right then ties up. Straight left jab by Dobson but Benn gets away. Dobson misses with a jab as the bell sounds.

Round 11

Left to the body and one up top by Benn to start the round. They tie up. Dobson with a nice jab but Benn answers with a triple jab. Dobson misses with a left up top. They tie up. Nice one-two by Dobson. Benn with a double left up top. Benn working the left jab.

Dobson with a short left. Benn lands two big rights and Dobson barely did anything to move away or defend. Benn working inside at the body then up top. His flurries are coming more frequently now and is making this like target practice. Dobson lands a right then tries to smother Benn as the round ends.

Round 12

Benn with a double jab up top. They immediately tie up. Benn with a hard combo up top. Dobson with a one-two of his own. Dobson with a hard right then a hook. An uppercut by Dobson lands. Then a right hook. Benn with a right then a left. They are going to town in the center of the ring.

Huge right by Benn. Benn has Dobson in the corner. They tie up. Dobson has Benn on the back foot. Now Benn comes in to the body. Dobson grabs his head. Benn with a big one-two. Dobson works Benn into the corner. They are back in the center and are going for broke. They tie up. Benn with a big right. Dobson with one of his own. Round over.

Official Decision

Conor Benn def. Peter Dobson via unanimous decision (119-109, 118-110×2)

Conor Benn vs. Peter Dobson Quick Results

Main card

• – Conor Benn (22-0) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Peter Dobson (16-0) 🇺🇸; junior middleweight
• – Austin Williams (15-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Armel Mbumba-Yassa (10-0) 🇩🇪; middleweight
• – Johnny Fisher (10-0) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Dmytro Bezus (10-1) 🇺🇦; heavyweight
• – Khalil Coe (7-0-1) 🇺🇸 vs. Gerardo Osuna (14-0) 🇲🇽; light heavyweight

Undercard

• – George Liddard (5-0) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Andrew Buchanan (3-0-1) 🇺🇸; middleweight
• – Jimmy Sains (0-0) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Alejandro Avalos (1-2) 🇺🇸; middleweight

Start date and time

Conor Benn vs. Peter Dobson goes down on Sat., Feb. 3, live from The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. The undercard starts at 2 p.m. ET | 11 a.m. PT, while the main card follows at 3 p.m. ET | 12 p.m. PT.

Ringwalks for Benn vs. Dobson are expected around 5 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. PT.

Live streams

The undercard of Conor Benn vs. Peter Dobson streams on the official YouTube channel of Matchroom Boxing. The main card airs exclusively on DAZN. You can sign up for the streaming service here. Prices for DAZN start at $19.99 USD | $24.99 CAD | £9.99 GBP | $13.99 AUD per month. 

Bloody Elbow merch available

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Preview

Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez go from friends to foes when they square off this Saturday. After their first fight was postponed due to an Azeez injury, Buatsi returned to the ring and fought Pawel Stepian this past May. He defeated Stepian via decision, but ‘Just Business’ thought his performance was ‘average’. Hoping to avoid another average performance, Buatsi requested a ‘big fight’ for his next appearance, which led to Azeez again in this WBA title eliminator. 

On the line is an opportunity to fight WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol, a name Buatsi has wanted for years. 

“A win in this will put me in a very strong position,” said Buatsi in an interview with Jake Donovan of Boxing Scene. “Depending on the timing of it, the winner on Saturday could get Bivol next or the winner of Bivol-Beterbiev. I will only have to decide whether I want to fight for one belt or all.”

Though he had to wait a few months, Azeez is ready for his fight against Buatsi. 

“Josh is the perfect dance partner,” said Azeez in an interview with Boxing Scene. “From our spars, they’re never boring so I can’t imagine what this is going to be like. 10 ounce gloves. He can whack. I’ve got a bit of dig on me too.”

Also featured is Adam Azim, who defends his EBU European Super Lightweight title for the first time against Enock Poulsen. 

Joshua Buatsi vs. Dan Azeez full fight card

Main card

• – Joshua Buatsi (17-0) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Dan Azeez (20-0) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿; light heavyweight 
• – Adam Azim (10-0) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Enock Poulsen (14-0) 🇩🇰; super lightweight 
• – Ben Whittaker (3-0) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Khalid Graidia (10-13-4) 🇫🇷; light heavyweight 
• – Caroline Dubois (8-0) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Miranda Reyes (7-1-1) 🇺🇸; lightweight 
• – Jamie Tshikeva (5-1) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko (10-14-1) 🇺🇦; heavyweight 

Undercard

• – Francesca Hennessy (2-0) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Laura Belen Valdebenito (5-5-1) 🇦🇷; bantamweight

Start time and date

Joshua Buatsi vs. Dan Azeez goes down on Sat., Feb. 3, live from the OVO Wembley Arena in Wembley, England. The undercard starts at 6 p.m. locally, or 1 p.m. ET | 10 a.m. PT. The main card follows at 7 p.m. locally, or 2 p.m. ET | 11 a.m. PT. 

Ringwalks for Buatsi vs. Azeez are expected around 10:15 locally, or 5:15 p.m. ET | 2:15 p.m. PT.

Tickets

Purchase tickets for Joshua Buatsi vs. Dan Azeez here.

Live streams

You can watch the undercard of Joshua Buatsi vs. Dan Azeez on the official YouTube channel of Sky Sports Boxing. 

For US viewers, Buatsi vs. Azeez airs exclusively on Peacock, the streaming service you can sign up for at $5.99 a month. For UK and Ireland viewers, the fight airs on Sky Sports. 

Thank you for reading this article. Please consider subscribing to the Bloody Elbow Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today.

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Watch this event live on DAZN!

Preview

Conor Benn continues his United States tour, visiting Las Vegas for his next fight against Peter Dobson this Saturday! After rattling off wins against names such as Adrian Granados, Chris Algieri and Chris van Heerden in his recent appearances, Benn was scheduled to fight Chris Eubank Jr.. However, when the ‘Destroyer’ failed two drug tests for clomifene, a fertility drug used to elevate testosterone levels, the Eubank Jr. fight was canceled. For the next year or so, Benn was suspended. Eventually, that was lifted after the National Anti-Doping Panel found he did not intentionally ingest the clomifene. 

That said, the UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) and British Boxing Board of Control (BBB of C) appealed the decision from the NADP, so Benn cannot get a license to fight in the UK. Though he has fought at home for most of his career, Benn is excited to perform overseas, especially in Las Vegas.

“Headlining in Vegas is a dream come true, not just for me, but for any fighter who grew up watching the sport of boxing,” said Benn via release. “Vegas has been the stage for many legends before me, and I can’t wait to step into that arena on February 3rd against the undefeated Welterweight Peter Dobson, who stepped up to accept the challenge when many wouldn’t.

“I was disappointed when my previous fight fell through, but in this sport, when one door shuts, another one opens,” continued Benn. “This setback has brought me back to where I need to be, and I’m here to put the entire 147 division on notice.”

After his suspension was lifted, Benn returned to the ring, where he defeated Rodolfo Orozco via decision this past September. 

Dobson was supposed to fight for Matchroom this past November, but his opponent Pat McCormack suffered an injury and withdrew. Since then, ‘Pistol Pete’ has waited for another opportunity, which eventually came against Benn. 

“I want to thank Matchroom for keeping their word and circling back to me after a few fights fell through previously,” said Dobson. “Eddie Hearn is a standup guy. Let’s hope Conor Benn stays healthy and comes ready, but the fact is, I’ve said yes to everyone Matchroom has given me. Agyarko, McCormack, and now Benn.

“Conor is coming to the US and going to get his ass whooped,” continued Dobson. “He’s not his daddy. He never seen anyone like me. ‘Pistol’ Pete Dobson is about to ruin another Matchroom hype job. This time in the ring.”

Conor Benn vs. Peter Dobson full fight card

Main card

• – Conor Benn (22-0) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Peter Dobson (16-0) 🇺🇸; junior middleweight
• – Austin Williams (15-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Armel Mbumba-Yassa (10-0) 🇩🇪; middleweight
• – Johnny Fisher (10-0) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Dmytro Bezus (10-1) 🇺🇦; heavyweight
• – Khalil Coe (7-0-1) 🇺🇸 vs. Gerardo Osuna (14-0) 🇲🇽; light heavyweight

Undercard

• – George Liddard (5-0) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Andrew Buchanan (3-0-1) 🇺🇸; middleweight
• – Jimmy Sains (0-0) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Alejandro Avalos (1-2) 🇺🇸; middleweight

Start time and date

Conor Benn vs. Peter Dobson goes down Sat., Feb. 3, live from The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. The undercard starts at 2 p.m. ET | 11 a.m. PT, while the main card follows at 3 p.m. ET | 12 p.m. PT.

Ringwalks for Benn vs. Dobson are expected around 5 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. PT.

Tickets

Purchase tickets for Conor Benn vs. Peter Dobson here. 

Live streams

The undercard of Conor Benn vs. Peter Dobson streams on the official YouTube channel of Matchroom Boxing.

The main card airs exclusively on DAZN. You can sign up for the streaming service here. Prices for DAZN start at $19.99 USD | $24.99 CAD | £9.99 GBP | $13.99 AUD per month. 

Thank you for reading this article. Please consider subscribing to the Bloody Elbow Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today.

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Tyson Fury vs Oleksander Usyk not happening on Feb 17

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix is reporting that Tyson Fury is cut and out of his February 17 heavyweight unification bout with Oleksander Usyk.  The fight was booked to occur at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and air on pay-per-view worldwide for $69.99 on DAZN.com and PPV.com.

Bout has been pushed back once before

The fight had originally been booked for December 23, 2023 but was pushed back to February after Tyson Fury had a much tougher time winning a split decision over MMA lineal heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou who was making his pro boxing debut.

Photo + statement from Tyson Fury

A photo of Fury’s injury as well as a statement has been released from Frank Warren’s Queensberry promotion detailing the incident.

Fan reaction + the Ngannou solution

Fans are already worried that this contest may be pushed back yet again.

Never one to miss an opportunity, Francis Ngannou immediately had a solution.

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC and MMA coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

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Join us tonight (February 2nd) as we cover BKFC 57: Palomino vs. Trout, which is happening live from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The BKFC 57 main event will involve a 165-pound title bout when the current lightweight/welterweight champ, Luis Palomino, knuckles up with former WBA boxing champion turned bare knuckle fighter, Austin Trout. The start time for this fight card is set for 8:00 pm ET.

Luis Palomino once held the BKFC welterweight title, and never actually lost it, but was allegedly stripped due to inactivity. Palomino may not have been active in that division, but has been busy defending his 155-pound belt. It looks as though Luis has been reinstated as the BKFC 165-pound champion, and that belt will sway in the balance tonight. It’s been great to see Palomino have a career resurgence following his MMA championship days in the now defunct WSOF.

Palomino is 43-years-old, but Austin Trout is no spring chicken either, turning 39 this September. The former boxer held the World Boxing Association light middleweight title from 2011 to 2013. He owns a respectable boxing record of 37-5-1, including two fights he won last year. Beforte those two boxing contests, Trout made good on his BKFC debut with a fourth-round stoppage of UFC veteran Diego Sanchez at Knuckle Mania 3.

BKFC 57: Palomino vs. Trout takes place on February 2nd, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The PPV main event starts live on several platforms at 9 p.m. ET. The prelims begin at 8 p.m. ET.

BKFC 57: Palomino vs. Trout Full fight card

Main card

• – Austin Trout def. Luis Palomino by unanimous decision (49-45 x3): 165-pound Title
• – Bryce Henry def. Robbie Peralta by TKO at conclusion of round 2
• – Bryan Duran def. Louie Lopez by KO at :48 of round 4
• – John Michael Escoboza def. Isaac Doolittle by KO at 1:58 of round 3
• – Alberto Blas def. Frank Alvarez by TKO at 1:00 of round 1
• – Leonardo Perdomo def. Bobby Brents by KO at :33 of round 1

• – Justin Ibarrola def. Landon Williams by KO at :15 of round 1
• – Edgard Plazaola def. Darrick Gates by KO at 1:59 of round 2

Prelims

• – Chris Garcia def. Albert Inclan by majority decision (48-46 x2, 47-47)
• – Ryan Reber def. Derek Perez by TKO at 1:14 of round 4

• – Leo Bercier def. Stephen Townsel by TKO at 2:10 of round 4

Tickets

If you just so happen to be out in Florida and want to witness BKFC 57: Palomino vs. Trout live, you can purchase tickets by clicking here.

BKFC 57: Palomino vs. Trout Free live stream

The BKFC 57: Palomino vs. Trout prelims can be live streamed on the promotion’s YouTube channel, as well as below, plus through the BKFC app or Fubo Sports. The event PPV price has been set at $9.99 USD, and can also be streamed on the BKFC’s YouTube channel, their own app, or on Fubo Sports.

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality MMA coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

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Our Substack is where we feature the work of writers like Zach Arnold, John Nash and Karim Zidan. We’re fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. Please help us by subscribing today.

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Watch this event live on DAZN!

Ashton Sylve vs. Estivan Falcao is tonight!

Ashton Sylve continues to build out his fledgling, yet quite exciting, boxing record with a fight against journeyman Estivan Falcao tonight. The Jake Paul supported talent is now 10-0 in his career. Last time out he stopped William Silva, with body shots, to earn a fourth round TKO victory on the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz undercard.

Falcao has a 13-2 pro record. The Brazilian is coming off a unanimous decision win over James Bernadin in August.

Live results and highlights

Main card

• – Ashton Sylve (11-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Estivan Falcao (13-3) 🇧🇷 via unanimous decision; lightweight

• – Julian Smith (8-2) 🇺🇸 def. Orestes Velazquez (8-1) 🇨🇺 via TKO; super lightweight

• – Benigno Aguilar (11-0) 🇺🇸 and Corey Marksman (8-0) 🇺🇸 ends in a draw; lightweight
• – Maricela Cornejo (18-6) 🇺🇸 def. Kandi Wyatt (11-6) 🇨🇦 via unanimous decision; welterweight

Undercard

• – Jasmine Artiga (12-0-1) 🇺🇸 def. Nancy Franco (18-19-2) 🇲🇽 via TKO; super flyweight

• – Dainier Pero (6-0) 🇨🇺 def. Joe Jones (14-10) 🇺🇸 via TKO; heavyweight

• – Jorge Carlos (6-0) 🇺🇸 def. Quinterius Chappell (3-1) via unanimous decision 🇺🇸; super lightweight
• – Alexander Gueche (4-0) 🇺🇸 def. Osmar Rodriguez Gamez (5-3) 🇲🇽 via TKO; super flyweight

Start time and date

Ashton Sylve vs. Estivan Falcao: Most Valuable Prospects V goes down on Fri., Feb. 2, live from the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. The undercard starts at 5 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. PT, while the main card follows at 8 p.m. ET | 5 p.m. PT. 

Ringwalks for Sylve vs. Falcao are expected around 11:30 p.m. ET | 8:30 p.m. PT.

Live streams

The undercard of Ashton Sylve vs. Estivan Falcao: Most Valuable Prospects V streams on the official YouTube channel of DAZN Boxing.

The main card airs exclusively on DAZN. You can sign up for the streaming service here. Prices for DAZN start at $19.99 USD | $24.99 CAD | £9.99 GBP | $13.99 AUD per month. 

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality MMA and boxing coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

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Our Substack is where we feature the work of writers like Zach Arnold, John Nash and Karim Zidan. We’re fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. Please help us by subscribing today.

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Watch this event live on DAZN!

Ashton Sylve, the 20-year-old 10-0 prospect, hits the ring tonight to face Estivan Falcao. Sylve is the darling of Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions’ stable and he’ll be hoping to do The Problem Child proud tonight. You can watch the prelims for this event live right here!

Start date and time

Ashton Sylve vs. Estivan Falcao: Most Valuable Prospects V goes down on Fri., Feb. 2, live from the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. The undercard starts at 5 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. PT, while the main card follows at 8 p.m. ET | 5 p.m. PT. 

Ringwalks for Sylve vs. Falcao are expected around 11:30 p.m. ET | 8:30 p.m. PT.

Ashton Sylve vs. Estivan Falcao: Free live stream

The main card airs exclusively on DAZN. You can sign up for the streaming service here. Prices for DAZN start at $19.99 USD | $24.99 CAD | £9.99 GBP | $13.99 AUD per month. 

Fight card

Main card

• – Ashton Sylve (10-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Estivan Falcao (13-2) 🇧🇷; lightweight
• – Orestes Velazquez (8-0) 🇨🇺 vs. Julian Smith (7-2) 🇺🇸; super lightweight
• – Benigno Aguilar (11-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Corey Marksman (8-0) 🇺🇸; lightweight
• – Maricela Cornejo (17-6) 🇺🇸 vs. Kandi Wyatt (11-5) 🇨🇦; welterweight

Undercard

• – Jasmine Artiga (11-0-1) 🇺🇸 vs. Nancy Franco (18-18-2) 🇲🇽; super flyweight
• – Luis Lebron (19-5-1) 🇵🇷 vs. Giovanni Gutierrez (11-6-1) 🇳🇮; lightweight
• – Dainier Pero (5-0) 🇨🇺 vs. Joe Jones (14-9) 🇺🇸; heavyweight
• – Jorge Carlos (5-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Quinterius Chappell (3-0) 🇺🇸; super lightweight
• – Alexander Gueche (3-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Osmar Rodriguez Gamez (5-2) 🇲🇽; super flyweight

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Tyson Fury vs Oleksander Usyk not happening on Feb 17

UPDATE: Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix is reporting that Tyson Fury is cut and out of his February 17 heavyweight unification bout with Oleksander Usyk.  The fight was booked to occur at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and air on pay-per-view worldwide for $69.99 on DAZN.com and PPV.com.

Bout has been pushed back once before

The fight had originally been booked for December 23, 2023 but was pushed back to February after Tyson Fury had a much tougher time winning a split decision over MMA lineal heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou who was making his pro boxing debut.

Incredible Fury vs Oysk promo video just dropped yesterday

Yesterday, an incredible video was released to promote the upcoming heavyweight title bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. The full length trailer looks like it belongs to an incredible action movie or perhaps a cut scene from an elaborate video game. It’s riveting, with appearances by Tyson’s father (who looks like he belongs in movies as a proper tough guy) and a celebrity narration by a Peaky Blinder.

UFC hasn’t done a proper promo in years

The UFC put out one really well-done movie-trailer-style promo back when Conor McGregor fought Jose Aldo. Billed as the most expensive promotional trailer the UFC ever produced, the 47-second clip garnered near universal praise from fans and media alike, but since then, they’ve not done anything remotely similar. It’s almost as if they blew their proverbial wad on that one promo and decided either the fans weren’t worth the effort or the fighters weren’t. Not even Conor’s future fights would get that sort of video treatment.

These days, UFC trailers are collections of fight footage narrated by Jon Anik or a collaboration of the commentary team. A prime example is the one for UFC 271 where Israel Adesanya faced Robert Whittaker in a rematch. There is no movie magic hype to go with these “trailers”, just fight footage and rehashed stats-sharing. It’s boring and tedious, but we often forget these things because we’ve become conditioned to this being the fodder the brass thinks will hype fights. I think I can speak for us all when I say we deserve more. The Facebook link below takes you to the official UFC 271 trailer. The UFC’s official Facebook page was the only place I could locate the original.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1104346987034477

The mastermind behind the Fury-Usyk video deserves an award

The Fury-Usyk video, by comparison, is the best combat sports trailer in existence, in my humble opinion. There are tons of special effects/CGI and the clip takes us on an action-packed journey through different periods in human history that feature battle sequences. From the days of the Roman gladiator to the wild west with cowboys and shootouts, this trailer has it all.

And, as mentioned above, it’s narrated by Arthur Shelby himself aka Paul Anderson. It’s a good thing the filming and narration was completed before Anderson’s recent brush with the law due to his possession of crack cocaine (didn’t even know that was still a thing), because I think his voice is perfect here. Whomever came up with this brilliant mash-up of history’s combatants should win an award of some sort.

The UFC has a golden opportunity to one-up boxing with some sort of hype trailer like this. UFC 300 is right around the corner. All the creative minds across the social media sphere are already using Zack Snyder’s 300 movie as an obvious prop, but the largest promotion on the planet, currently valued at more than $12B, doesn’t even have a main event booked.

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Watch this event live on DAZN!

Preview

Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) features one of its top-tier talents in Ashton Sylve for its next Most Valuable Prospects event this Friday. Hoping to shine a light on a new wave of fighters, Jake Paul signed Sylve to his MVP roster in 2022 when he was 18 years old. Since then, ‘H20’ has shined, with wins against Braulio Rodriguez, Adam Kipenga and William Silva. 

For his next challenge, Sylve faces Estivan Falcao. 

“Back in May, I headlined MVP’s very first Most Valuable Prospects event and it’s been amazing to see the continued growth and talent emerge from this series,” said Sylve to a quote to Jake Donovan of Boxing Scene. “It’s an honor to come back to Orlando to headline my very own second event and I promise to put on a clinic my fans won’t forget.

“Thank you to MVP, Boxlab, Caribe and DAZN for this opportunity and I look forward to seeing you there.”

Falcao was recently featured at a ShoBox New Generation event, where he defeated James Bernadin via decision. Prior to that, ‘Tunny’ returned to his winning ways with a fifth-round TKO of Djamel Dahou. 

Ashton Sylve vs. Estivan Falcao: Most Valuable Prospects V full fight card

Main card

• – Ashton Sylve (10-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Estivan Falcao (13-2) 🇧🇷; lightweight
• – Orestes Velazquez (8-0) 🇨🇺 vs. Julian Smith (7-2) 🇺🇸; super lightweight
• – Benigno Aguilar (11-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Corey Marksman (8-0) 🇺🇸; lightweight
• – Maricela Cornejo (17-6) 🇺🇸 vs. Kandi Wyatt (11-5) 🇨🇦; welterweight

Undercard

• – Jasmine Artiga (11-0-1) 🇺🇸 vs. Nancy Franco (18-18-2) 🇲🇽; super flyweight
• – Luis Lebron (19-5-1) 🇵🇷 vs. Giovanni Gutierrez (11-6-1) 🇳🇮; lightweight
• – Dainier Pero (5-0) 🇨🇺 vs. Joe Jones (14-9) 🇺🇸; heavyweight
• – Jorge Carlos (5-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Quinterius Chappell (3-0) 🇺🇸; super lightweight
• – Alexander Gueche (3-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Osmar Rodriguez Gamez (5-2) 🇲🇽; super flyweight

Start time and date

Ashton Sylve vs. Estivan Falcao: Most Valuable Prospects V goes down on Fri., Feb. 2, live from the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. The undercard starts at 5 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. PT, while the main card follows at 8 p.m. ET | 5 p.m. PT. 

Ringwalks for Sylve vs. Falcao are expected around 11:30 p.m. ET | 8:30 p.m. PT.

Tickets

Purchase tickets for Ashton Sylve vs. Estivan Falcao: Most Valuable Prospects V here. 

Live streams

The undercard of Ashton Sylve vs. Estivan Falcao: Most Valuable Prospects V streams on the official YouTube channel of DAZN Boxing.

The main card airs exclusively on DAZN. You can sign up for the streaming service here. Prices for DAZN start at $19.99 USD | $24.99 CAD | £9.99 GBP | $13.99 AUD per month. 

Thank you for reading this article. Please consider subscribing to the Bloody Elbow Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today.

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Jake Paul’s slow transition from celebrity meme fighter to honest professional boxer appears to be at something of a midpoint. The man once best known for prank videos and Disney appearances has carved out a surprising career for himself as one of the biggest stars in combat sports. Never mind the fact that most of his bouts exist purely on the low end of pugilistic craft.

Notably, Paul has made his name picking off former MMA/UFC champions and title contenders and other celebrity athletes that want to try their hand in the boxing ring. He may not be a great boxer, but he’s put in more dedicated boxing training camps than the likes of Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren. That’s a path, however, that has left plenty of critics in its wake; fight fans that want to see Paul take on more ‘real boxers’ instead of moonlighting mixed martial artists.

Jake Paul to fight 35-year-old journeyman Ryan Bourland

It’s seemingly in answer to those critics that Jake Paul has selected his last two opponents. Back in December, the ‘Problem Child’ took on 35-year-old 10-1 can crusher Andre August, finishing the fight via KO in round 1. Now he’s announced a bout against Ryan Bourland on March 2nd.

Much like August, Bourland has a record that looks pretty on paper. He’s 17-2 as a pro, stretching all the way back to 2013. A closer look at his career however, provides a lot more evidence as to why he’s been selected for this task. First and foremost, Bourland has only fought once since 2018, a 2022 win against 4-6 Santario Martin. Second, his 17 wins include just four knockouts (never mind the six listed on the poster, which includes two retirement TKOs).

Not one of Bourland’s KO wins had a record over .500, two were debuting fighters that never competed again. Video of Bourland’s fight against Codale Ford in 2018 shows a fairly light-fisted, busy fighter who likes to lead and work in combination. Not un-technical, but much like his record would suggest, not dynamic or dangerous either.

Be careful what you wish for

It’s been said before (especially by Jake Paul to his detractors), but fighting former pro MMA fighters is honestly a lot more of a challenge than most boxers take on early in their journey. Despite the criticism that Paul had been avoiding real competition, relative to his skill level, he actually was picking some tough fights.

Now however, it seems he’s looking for a couple of really big paydays. A chance to step in the ring with a legit top-level boxing draw someday and maybe even fight for a belt. It all has the sound of a pipe dream, especially the parts where Paul starts claiming that he’ll challenge Canelo Alvarez. But if he’s ever going to do it, he needs to pad out his record, get in the rounds and the ring time and the wins. Something he can’t do fighting once or twice a year against whatever name free agent the UFC happens to cut loose.

Essentially he’s giving fans what they want. A chance to see him in action against real, life-long boxers. It just turns out that means fights that are a lot less competitive or interesting than taking on the likes of Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz in 10oz gloves.

Also on the card, Jake Paul client Amanda Serrano will defend her featherweight IBO, WBO, and WBA titles against Nina Meinke. Owner of the IBF intercontinental featherweight title, Meinke (18-3) is on a six fight winning streak. Serrano has won four fights in a row since losing to undisputed lightweight champion Kaite Taylor in a 2022 ‘superfight’ event at Madison Square Garden. Earlier in the night, WBO light flyweight champion Jonathan Gonzalez will take on Rene Santiago.

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. makes his Crime Desk debut this week. He’s the target of a lawsuit which claims he ordered a bodyguard to attack a man inside a crowded LA restaurant. Also featured, in this weekly round-up of combat sports and martial arts crime stories, we have a high school wrestling coach getting banned for life and an MMA trainer brawling on the streets of Bali.

Floyd Mayweather accused of ordering bodyguard to assault person

According to TMZ Floyd Mayweather Jr. is being sued by Eduardo Andres Torres Martinez of Los Angeles, CA over an alleged 2022 incident that took place at the Yard house restaurant, which is located close to the Crypto.Com Arena (formerly known as The Staples Center).

The lawsuit alleges that Martinez was shooting Mayweather and his entourage with his cellphone camera when the boxing legend entered the restaurant. Martinez claims Mayweather noticed him filming and signalled for one of his bodyguards to intervene.

Martinez further claims that this bodyguard knocked him down to the ground, with a strike, and then wrestled the phone away from him.

Martinez is suing Mayweather, his company and the Yard House for damages.

At the time of the alleged assault Martinez filed a battery report with the Los Angeles Police Department.

LAPD sources have allegedly told TMZ that a witness contradicted Martinez’s story.

Man banned from coaching in Idaho after punching student

This past weekend Russell Brunson, a high school wrestling coach, disrupted a bout involving his son during a meet at Skyview high School in Nampa, ID. Video below shows Brunson, wearing black, crawl towards two wrestlers who are competing. He then appears to try and break one of the wrestler’s holds and appears to strike at one of them.

Brunson argued that he attempted to break the hold because he believed his son was the victim of an illegal choking maneuver. Brunson has since received a lifetime ban from coaching in the state.

Video: Heavyweight boxer cracks jokes after assault arrest

Heavyweight boxer Jarrell Miller, who recently boxed on the Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder undercard in Saudi Arabia, was arrested earlier this month for a suspected assault on a car dealership employee.

Recently TMZ released video of the arrest, which features Miller cracking jokes with the arresting officers.

Crime Blotter

Boxing legend says he’s still mates with alleged Hutch gang leader

Popular Irish boxer Joe Egan was quoted by the Irish Mirror this week talking up his existing friendship with Gerry Hutch, who is accused of leading the Hutch Gang. The Hutch Gang have violently feuded with the Kinahan Organized Crime Group for the past decade. That feud included the Regency Hotel Shooting in 2016, which caused the death of alleged Kinahan lieutenant David Byrne (who Egan said he was also friends with). (full story)

Former boxer accused of kidnapping, attempted murder with a hatchet

Corben Wayne Page, 28, was arrested in Trinity County, California this week. The 6-21-1 boxer faces charges of kidnapping and attempted murder after he allegedly broke into a residence and attacked a person with a hatchet. (full story)

Video: MMA trainer caught in Bali street brawl

A local MMA trainer named as Komang was captured on a viral video this week on the streets of Badung, Bali after he was involved in a violent incident at a red light. The video shows Komang reportedly responding to two motorcycle riders who were making disparaging remarks to a woman. What followed was a brutal beat down.

(full story)

Palate Cleanser

As the father of a young child, I will add my voice to the already enormous chorus of parents who sing the praises of Bluey. I feel such relief when my child asks for Bluey over Peppa Pig, The Wiggles or any number of other shows. It’s so watchable and also has lots of parenting tips, too. Enjoy.

Survivors of sexual assault can find support via the following organizations:

US – Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)’s National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). RAINN also has an online chat service.

Love is Respect, 1-866-331-9474. They can also be reached via online chat or by texting LOVEIS to 22522.

End Rape on Campus (EROC), 1-424-777-EROC (3762).

Canada – Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime, 1-877-232-2610.

UK – UK Says No More.

Rest of the World – International Rape Crisis Hotlines.

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Watch this event live on DAZN!

Preview

Jaime Munguia is preparing for his next challenge, which comes against John Ryder this Saturday. After spending most of his career at light middleweight and middleweight, Munguia moved to super middleweight, with his first introduction scheduled for June. The 27-year-old got the ‘exciting fight’ he hoped for, getting a win against Sergiy Derevyanchenko in a 2023 ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate. Since then, Munguia has not fought. 

“I am very happy to return to the ring, and I’m excited to be with my people from Phoenix,” said Munguia via release. “We know that Ryder is a dangerous rival, but we are prepared for it. We have not stopped training and preparing. I am also very happy to have added Freddie Roach and his team to my camp. We are going to give a great night of boxing to everyone watching, and if we overcome this great test, I hope to see you all again in May. Viva Tijuana and Viva Mexico!”

After rattling off five consecutive wins, Ryder earned a championship opportunity against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in May. The ‘Gorilla’ failed to dethrone the champion, falling to Alvarez via decision. Now, Ryder wants to return to the win column, and he expects to do so against Munguia. 

“I’m glad this fight has been made. I’m looking to kick 2024 off with a bang and make a statement come January 27,” said Ryder. 

Jaime Munguia vs. John Ryder full fight card

Main card

• – Jaime Munguia (42-0) 🇲🇽 vs. John Ryder (32-6) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿; super middleweight 
• – Oscar Collazo (8-0) 🇵🇷 vs. Reyneris Gutierrez (10-1) 🇳🇮; minimumweight
• – Gabriela Fundora (12-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Christina Cruz (6-0) 🇺🇸; flyweight
• – Darius Fulghum (6-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Alantez Fox (28-5-1) 🇺🇸; super middleweight 
• – Alan Picasso Romero (26-1) 🇲🇽 vs. Erik Ruiz (17-9-1) 🇺🇸; super bantamweight 

Undercard

• – Daniel Garcia (7-0) 🇺🇸 vs. Daniel Lugo (4-1) 🇲🇽; lightweight
• – Gregory Morales (15-1) 🇺🇸 vs. Ronal Ron (14-4) 🇻🇪; super bantamweight
• – Gael Cabrera (3-0) 🇲🇽 vs. Miguel Ceballos (2-0) 🇺🇸; bantamweight
• – Johnny Canas (2-0) 🇺🇸 vs. William Davis (2-1-1) 🇺🇸; bantamweight 

Start time and date

Jaime Munguia vs. John Ryder goes down on Sat., Jan. 27, live from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The under card starts at 5 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. PT, while the main card follows at 8 p.m. ET | 5 p.m. PT.

Ringwalks for Munguia vs. Ryder are expected around 11:15 p.m. ET | 8:15 p.m. PT.

Tickets

Purchase tickets for Jaime Munguia vs. John Ryder here. 

Live streams

The undercard of Jaime Munguia vs. John Ryder streams live on the official Golden Boy Boxing YouTube channel. 

The main card airs exclusively on DAZN. You can sign up for the streaming service here. Prices for DAZN start at $19.99 USD | $24.99 CAD | £9.99 GBP | $13.99 AUD per month. 

Thank you for reading this article. Please consider subscribing to the Bloody Elbow Substack to enjoy our daily premium content. Your paid subscriptions are helping build our new site and keeping hope alive that our staff will remain intact. If you haven’t already, please pledge with a paid subscription today.

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Kenshiro Teraji vs. Carlos Canizales Preview

Kenshiro Teraji puts his WBA and WBC light flyweight titles on the line versus Carlos Canizales today (Tuesday, January 23) live in Osaka, Japan. The event goes down first thing in the morning for those of us on the east coast.

The 22-1 Teraji is coming off a tKO win over Hekkie Butler in September, when he defended his titles for the third time. The Venezuelan Canizales is a former WBA light flyweight champ. He’s on a four fight win streak, rebounding from his sole pro loss (to Esteban Bermudez), back in 2021.

Kickboxing superstar Tenshin Nasukawa is also on this card. He’s boxing Luis Robles, who is ranked 14th at bantamweight by the WBA. The unusually stacked boxing card also features WBA flyweight champion Artem Dalakian defending his title (and undefeated pro record) against Seigo Yuri Akui.

Live results and highlights

Main card

• – Kenshiro Teraji (23-1) 🇯🇵 def. Carlos Cañizales (26-2-1) 🇻🇪 via majority decision (113-113, 114-112, 114-112); light flyweight

• – Tenshin Nasukawa (3-0) 🇯🇵 def. Luis Robles Pacheco (15-3-1) 🇲🇽 via retirement, round three (3:00); super bantamweight

• – Seigo Yuri Akui (18-2-1) 🇯🇵 def. Artem Dalakian (22-0) 🇺🇦 via unanimous decision (116-112, 117-111, 119-109); flyweight 

• – Juiki Tatsuyoshi (15-0-1) 🇯🇵 def. Yuki Yonaha (13-6-1) 🇯🇵 via majority decision (76-76. 77-75, 77-75); super bantamweight

Prelims

• – Ruiji Takenaka (1-0) 🇯🇵 vs. Koki Oda (1-0) 🇯🇵; super lightweight
• – Toshiki Fujiwara (0-1) 🇯🇵 vs. Seiya Nishioka (0-2) 🇯🇵; super welterweight 

Start time and date

Kenshiro Teraji vs. Carlos Canizales goes down on Tues., Jan. 23, live from the EDION Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan. The undercard starts at 4 a.m. ET | 1 a.m. PT, while the main card follows at 5 a.m. ET | 2 a.m. PT.

Ringwalks for Teraji vs. Canizales are expected around 7:30 a.m. ET | 4:30 p.m. PT.

Live streams

For US viewers, Teraji vs. Canizales airs exclusively on ESPN+, the streaming service you can sign up for at $10.99 USD a month. You can stream ESPN+ on the following devices:

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality boxing and MMA coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

Join the new Bloody Elbow

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Table of Contents

Mikaela Mayer and Natasha Jonas delivered this weekend, throwing down for a brilliant back-and-forth battle that ended in controversy. Jonas walked away with the split decision, but with most fans seeing the scoring for Mayer, there has been some outcry. I personally scored it a draw live, and 6-4 for Mayer on a rewatch, so I can see why fans are upset. On the other hand, I can see six rounds you could give to Jonas, so while that’s generous scoring I don’t think it goes so far as being a robbery.

What we shouldn’t do though is let that overshadow what was a fantastic fight, full of both action and tactical adjustments that we can get our teeth into. So let’s do that.

The Breakdown: How Mikaela Mayer vs. Natasha Jonas went down

However you eventually scored it, this was pretty much a case of Jonas dictating the tempo early before Mayer made her adjustments and ended up taking over late — though there was plenty of back-and-forth in between.

Mayer’s biggest problem in the early rounds is that she consistently set her feet to throw before she’d sufficiently closed distance, while Jonas stepped off rather than stepping forward. This left Mayer reaching, off-balance, which gave Jonas time and space to deliver her typical crisp, straight shots before moving to safety. The champion also focused pretty consistently on the body, in particular with a lovely little right-hand shovel hook to the ribs as she pivoted out.

There may have been a stance-reading issue here — this was seemingly the first time Mayer had faced a southpaw as a pro, certainly the first one of any high level. An open-stance matchup leaves more ground to cover to get power hands home, and Mayer didn’t initially seem comfortable with that.

She got busier and more aggressive in rounds two and three, with Jonas responding in the third, holding her own feet a little more to deliver longer combinations and try to impede the movement with intercepting shots. It wasn’t really till round four, though, that Mayer made her first genuine tactical advantage, one that changed the fight.

It was a pretty simple one — she’d start taking an extra step in before throwing her power shots, and if Jonas backed out on time, she stopped being so ready to commit anyway. Interestingly, at times she achieved this by not throwing her lead hand, against common wisdom — essentially, Jonas had been reading her pattern of stepping in with either a lead hook or a double jab before she threw the right, and by abandoning it for some of the time, Mayer eliminated a tell and let her take that step unexpectedly.

That stopped her overbalancing, and it also meant Jonas had less space to work her pivots and sidesteps. As the round closed she also did a good job of predicting Jonas’ movement and cutting it off, which eventually let her push the champ to the ropes and let a few solid punches go at the end.

Jonas’ coach, Joe Gallagher, gave her a talking to about that in the corner, telling her she was relying too much on tapping shots that were allowing Mayer to set up shots without any danger. The response was to, at least part of the time, abandon the back-foot boxing, and step in to slug it out and carve out the space she needed that way. She would still step off, but from here on out she had a much heavier focus on landing hard shots before Mayer threw, rather than as counters, and she was more willing to accept the clinch.

That clinch and close-range pocket battle proved interesting technically, with contrasting strengths playing off each other. Jonas, even there, had the better footwork, able to get the better of it in moments where she could adjust with a small angle to get off-line and find some space. On the other hand, Mayer seemed to have the better ability to physically control her opponent, both with sheer strength and with some neat framing and posture.

That meant that, in contrast to the range game, in close it was Jonas who was often off-balance. It also meant Mayer was able to bring her own bodywork into play, and the combination of those things may have turned the fight. By the end, it was clearly Jonas who was feeling the pace more. She wasn’t even necessarily more tired (until the final round, where she definitely was). It was just that for her game to work smoothly she needed to be pin-sharp and clean, and as she tired she got less so. Mayer was the more ragged from the start, but as she tired she didn’t significantly lose effectiveness.

Rounds six through eight were a great stretch of the fight, with the pair going toe-to-toe and exchanging combinations to body and head. After that, Mikaela Mayer took over, and pretty convincingly won the last two. By the end, Jonas was starting to unravel, and will probably be thanking her lucky stars that this was ten two-minute rounds, because a 3-minute 12 rounder would have spelled trouble for her on this evidence.

Still, she got the cards from two of the judges, and thus the victory. Mayer wasn’t happy, but both were gracious about the situation afterwards.

The Future: What’s next for Mikaela Mayer and Natasha Jonas?

Well, both us as fans and Mayer will be hoping for the rematch. It’s been made clear that Jonas was the only one with a clause guaranteeing one, so we’ll see. Jonas has said she’ll do so if the fans make it clear they want it — whether that’s true remains to be seen.

Other than that, Jonas also said that this is the last year of her career — which at 39 years of age isn’t surprising. There aren’t really a great many options for her at these higher weights, so a rematch then a softer-touch retirement fight, win or lose, would seem to be a fairly logical path through the year.

Mikaela Mayer has been open about the fact that she wants the biggest name, highest challenge fights, and that the reason she took this jump up in weight is that the other big names lower down were occupied with each other. As that situation clears up, she may move back down — though given how comfortable she looked at welter, it may not be easy for her anymore. Still, Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron are only a division down (and Cameron in particular may want to move up at some stage). Plus Jessica McCaskill is at welter currently. So there are good options for her without cutting too much weight.

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Table of Contents

Natasha Jonas and Mikaela Mayer meet today in what should be a solid, entertaining matchup to kick off women’s boxing main-event schedule for the year.

Mayer (19-1-0, 5KOs) is making a big jump in weights here, having fought at super-featherweight until her loss to Alycia Baumgardner in 2022. She took 2023 to bulk up a bit, taking an interim title fight at 130lbs and then a catchweight 142lbs fight, but Jonas is her first top-level opponent since that loss.

She won’t be as physically outmatched as that might make it sound, though, since Jonas (14-2-1, 9KOs) is actually the shorter of the two and previously campaigned at super-featherweight herself, before challenging Katie Taylor in the division above and making a leap to super-welter after she lost there. Having collected three belts pretty quickly there, she dropped down to welter in July last year to win the belt she now defends.

Both women typically turn up to fight, and both, having lost to previous elite opponents, have something to prove, so we should be in for a fun one here.

The undercard isn’t the flashiest, with Boxxer apparently saving their biggest names for the Joshua Buatsi vs Dan Azeez card in two weeks time- but it should still be entertaining, with Jack Cullen and Zak Chelli fighting for Cullen’s British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles in the co-main. We’ll also see some promising prospects in Aaron McKenna, Kariss Artingstall, and Mark Jeffers, although McKenna’s tasty-looking bout with Linus Udofia was scrapped as Udofia came down sick shortly before the fight. He fights Mickey Ellison instead.

The card starts at 2pm ET (7pm British time), with main event ringwalks expected at around 5.30pm (10.30 British time). The prelims start at 12pm ET (5pm British). The card airs on ESPN+ in the US and on Sky in the UK, although all but the main event will be on youtube as well. The stream is below- as a Sky stream we’ll see if it’s available internationally, but fingers crossed.

update: looks like it is geoblocked. Well, we’ll keep you updated with results and highlights if you can’t see the fights.

Further update: it looks like what Boxxer termed ‘undercard’ was actually just the prelims, and the main card will not be on youtube. Which does make sense, but it’s a weirdly amateur mistake for what is supposed to be a major-league promotional outfit to not make that distinction. Anyway, the televised portion of the card starts in 15 minutes, which is also when ESPN+’s coverage will come online.

Final update: alright, we’re coming up to the main event, ringwalks coming. Join me for the play-by-play below.

Natasha Jonas vs Mikaela Mayer: Main event play-by-play

Round 1: The Liverpool crowd caused some furore by booing both national anthems. Scousers regularly boo the British anthem, so no surprise there. Jonas gets off to a quick start, getting accurate shots home despite being on the back foot, then stepping in with combinations. Mayer stars pressing a bit more strongly in the second half of the two-minute round, circling away from Jonas’ lead left hand, but Jonas winds the round. 10-9 Jonas.

Round 2: Jonas just looking the faster fighter early doors. Part of it is that her technique is cleaner, much straighter and smoother, but there’s an actual handspeed and footspeed advantage too. Mayer’s setting her feet to throw, and getting left behind. Lovely right-hand dig to the ribs as Jonas pivots out. Straight left down the pipe a good punch for her too. Mayer once again letting her hands go in the second minute, but Jonas’ bodywork probably takes the round home. 10-9 Mayer, 20-18

Round 3: Mayer’s right hand is getting home fairly regularly, but it’s more or less her only punch. Lot more variety from Jonas, and she’s really working the body. The shovel hook withher leading right hand (from southpaw) is gravy. Jonas struggling to close the distance, and Jonas intercepts her as she closes distance. Mayer’s having some balance issues. She’s not out of this fight, don’t get me wrong, but the cleaner, consistent work is coming from Jonas. 10-9 Jonas, 30-27

Round 4: Mayer opens the round better, gets a good right hand or two home. Doing a bit better at taking one more step with the lead foot before she thorws, and she’s laying it on Jonas a bit. She’s doing well to close off the ring, stepping right when Jonas wants to circle left and vice versa. Good round from Mayer. 10-9 Mayer, 39-37 Jonas

Round 5: Joe Gallagher just confused the rounds and told Jonas the wrong score. That’s pretty rubbish tbh. Anyway, he gave her a talking to about tapping Mayer too much, and Jonas has taking that to heart, going on the front foot and sitting in the pocket to trade. Shakes up Mayer with bodywork in the middle of the round. Good right from Mayer puts Jonas to the ropes, but she spins out and works the body again. Straight left lands. Much improved rounds, Mayer walking in to slug and giving up the speed advantage again. Finishes the round strong, but 10-9 Jonas, 49-46

Round 6: Jonas on the back foot again to open round 6, without throwing, then stops to trade after 30 seconds, Mayer getting the better of the exchange. Jonas at her best, if not on the back foot, when she can turn Mayer. Mayer switches southpaw for a moment and catches Jonas off-guard, hits her body. Jonas back on her toes to close the round and this time Mayer isn’t cutting the ring as well, but still, she did enough work earlier on to take the round. 10-9 Mayer, 58-56

Round 7: Jonas connects with an intercepting 1-2 as Mayer tries to start strong. Clean start to the round this time. This is a cracking fight, full of constant shifts of momentum and strategy. Great bodywork from both as they stand toe-to-toe again. This round has been terrific and they take a break for a few seconds before finishing strong again. 10-9 Jonas, 68-65

Round 8: Lovely short right from Jonas to open the round, then they clinch up. They free up then come together and Mayer starts to do some damage, some great work upstairs and downstairs clearly affecting Jonas. Jonas responds in kind, working that shovel hook under the left elbow. Another terrific round and they finish exchanging. 10-9 Mayer, 77-75

Round 9: Huge left by Mayer opens the round, then works the body. Jonas a bit hurt here. Not like fight-ending but she’s taken damage. Jonas, as ever, responds in kind, then circles out. Working behind the jab for the middle portion of the round. Then sets up a nice little left with the jab. Mayer comes in with another hurtful bodyshot. Jonas with a sharp right that catches Mayer on the move, but Mayer comes back strong! Then Jonas gets her work in! This is a great round! Back-and-forth from bell to bell! 10-9 Mayer, 86-85

Round 10: Final round, and honestly these scores could be any which way, this has been so close. Terrific tear-up. It looks like Jonas is a bit more tired of the two, Mayer starting to push her around a bit, and Jonas’ head snapping back with shots in a way it wasn’t before. Jonas still responding, but then she takes a left hook and holds on. Her left eye is in a bad way. Right-left combination staggers Jonas, and Mayer will be hoping this was 12 rounds because she’s taken over. I’ve got it 95-95 a draw, but either could win this. What a fight.

Official scores: 96-94 Jonas 96-95 Jonas,, 97-93 Mayer

Jonas wins by split decision

There’s some controversy around the decision online, with most people seeing Mayer winning it. Which I can see, even though I scored a draw- if I went back there’s probably more cards I might swing to Mayer than the reverse. But I don’t think it’s awful the way some are seeing it.

Natasha Jonas vs Mikaela Mayer: Full card results and highlights

IBF women’s welterweight title: Natasha Jonas SD Mikaela Mayer 96-94 96-95 93-97 .

British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles: Zak Chelli UD Jack Cullen 116-113, 116-115, 115-114

• This is a rematch, with the pair fighting to a draw back in 2020. That was controversial, with Chelli being seen as the winner by many observers, but Cullen has probably had the higher level opponents since then (albeit with 2 losses). Chelli himself lost to the then-unknown Mark Jeffers last year, so he’ll be hoping to win here not just to gain these two belts but to set up that rematch.
• Cullen’s nickname is ‘Little Lever’s Meat Cleaver’, which is an all timer (Little Lever is his hometown, for those none-Brits among you).
• Not the most exciting fight in the world in the first half, with Chelli successfully slowing down the pace and controlling it at a comfortable tempo, while also posturing a lot without throwing so much. Cullen not getting .much going at all, though, so Chelli is pretty clearly up.
• Apologies for claiming this might have been a good fight. 12 truly dreadful rounds.
• The scores of 116-113, 116-115, 115-114 are narrower than they probably should be, given Chelli clearly controlled most rounds, but whatever.
• There won’t be any highlights, because there weren’t any highlights.

Women’s featherweight: Karriss Artingstall def Lila dos Santos Furtado 77-75 (ref’s stoppage)

• Artingstall is a well-rated rising star from the UK with a 5-0 record. Furtado has a bit more experience, at 9-1. It’s kind of hard to tell how this is gonna go since it’s sometimes hard to gauge levels in women’s boxing when one or neither fighter has fought the elite opponents. Artingstall will be favourite because she’s being built up so they presumably didn’t pick a banana skin deliberately, but you never know.
• Bit of controversy at the end of round 1, as Artingstall scores a knockdown on the bell, which Furtado claims was after. Furtado came back with pressure after that though, and Artinstall looks like she’s got a damaged left eye after round 3- though Furtado is marking up a bit too. Both those things may have come from a head clash in round 2.
• Turned into a good fight in the end, with the narrow score of 77-75 reflecting it. The potential controversy over the KD probably won’t ultimately have made a difference- Artingstall was winning the round anyway, most likely, so it’d have been a one-point win instead of two- but Furtado may feel hard-done-by anyway. She certainly showed up, and gave Artingstall real problems.

Middleweight: Stephen Clarke vs Vasif Mamedov

• Clarke is making his debut here. Pushed surprisingly high up the card rather late in the day, presumably because Boxxer claim he sold a thousand tickets for the arena. Mamedov is 3-46-5, so, you know, Clarke should be winning here.
• Clarke looked clean and tidy, dominated as expected. A weird stoppage when Mamedov turned his back and refused to re-engage even on the ref’s orders, leading the ref to stop it as Clarke stepped in to throw punches round the sides.

Middleweight: Aaron McKenna TKO-6 Mickey Ellison

• The 24-year-old McKenna is a highly rated prospect out of Ireland. Ellison was a last-minute replacement after expected opponent Linus Udofia dropped out. Udofia would have been a stern test- Ellison will probably be less so, but sometimes last-minute opponents upset the applecart.
• Ellison gave it a go, but had neither the quality nor the stamina to last the scheduled 8 rounds.
• McKenna showed some things to work on – his footwork was a bit ropey in places- but he also showed a good varied attack at all ranges and put the pedal down in the 6th to force the ref to step in.

Cruiserweight: Jack Massey TKO-1 Steve Eloundou Ntere

• Some heat in the buildup in this one to give it some spice, but realistically Massey should be beating Ntere pretty comfortably. This is more of a tune-up on his return to cruiserweight after giving heavyweight a go in losing to Joe Parker last year. He’s a few pounds over here, but it’s not for a title or anything.
• And there we go, Massey wins in one against an overmatched opponent.

Super-middleweight: Mark Jeffers UD-10 Germaine Brown 99-92, 98-93, 98-93

• Early appearance on the card for the promising Jeffers (19-0-0). This is for the English title. It’s a little weird that Chelli is in the co-main for British and Commonwealth belts when Jeffers beat him him for this title last year, but hey, boxing. Jeffers will presumably be calling out the winner of that fight.
• Brown (13-2-0) shouldn’t cause him serious trouble, but he’s not here to lie down either. He’s been around the block multiple times, and he’s held this belt before. So he’ll want it back.
• As expected, a good start by Jeffers, who has extremely smooth footwork and some classy mid-range combinations, for an English-level super-middleweight. Brown did get a bit more work done after the first couple of rounds, but probably not enough to win any. Jeffers’ defence is very good.
• The pattern continued for the whole fight, with Brown occasionally showing flashes of success but mostly handled pretty comfortably by Jeffers.
• It’ll be interesting for Jeffers if Jack Cullen wins that co-main vs Chelli, since they’re team-mates. Supposedly it won’t be a problem though- the gym is run by a pair of brothers, and they say they’ll take one fighter each and happily get it made. And if Chelli wins, it’s the big rematch.

Flyweight: Mikie Tallon UD-4 Adam Yahaya 40-30 (ref’s score)

• The 19-year old Tallon is 3-0 as a pro, but Yahaya (23-11-2) is his first opponent with a winning record. This is his first appearance on TV (well, on tape- this bit isn’t televised), it seems, but he’s picked up a bit of a reputation on small-hall shows apparently, and sold a few tickets here- which is unusual for a flyweight in the UK this early. We’ll see how he shapes up.
• No real danger of a stoppage, but a comfortable performance by the youngster. Some accurate punching, a few classy catch-and-counters, and seamless stance switching. Too early to say what his ceiling is, but he’s promising.

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Join us today (January 20th) as we cover Elle Brooke vs. AJ Bunker: Misfits Boxing X Series 012, which is happening from the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England. The marquee matchup here will be a high stakes rematch between influencers Brooke and Bunker, when AJ puts her Misfits middleweight belt on the line. The start time for this fight card is set for 2:00 pm ET.

The first time Elle Brooke and AJ Bunker went at it was at a Kingpyn Boxing event in July of 2022. It was actually Elle’s boxing debut, and she took home a unanimous decision over AJ in what was a four-round affair. Since then, Bunker went 1-1 before defeating Arabella del Busso to capture Misfits inaugural middleweight title. As for Elle, she has gone 2-1 since her first encounter with AJ, including her first career setback in a decision loss to Jully Oliveira last July.

Rounding out the undercard here are the typical influencer matchups that we have grown accustom to from Misfits. Among those is Chase DeMoor, who if you remember correctly had that epic ground and pound finish against Gregory Knight at MF & DAZN X Series 6 back in April of last year, but ended up getting disqualified due to the matchup actually being a boxing contest, and not MMA. He’ll be taking on Malcolm Minikon, whose lone win came due to a DQ for excessive holding.

Elle Brooke vs. AJ Bunker: Misfits Boxing X Series 012 takes place on January 20th, at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England. The card starts at 2 p.m. ET. The main event ring walks are scheduled for about 4:30 p.m. ET.

Elle Brooke vs. AJ Bunker: Misfits Boxing X Series 012 full fight card results

Main card

• – Luis Pineda 🇲🇽 def. Ed Matthews 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 via KO at 1:11 of round 2

• – Elle Brooke 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 def. AJ Bunker 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 via KO at 1:56 of round 3

• – Ashley Rak-Su 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. OJ Rose 🇳🇬 is a draw (39-37, 37-39, 38-38)

• – Tristan Hamm 🇨🇦 def. Not Logan Paul 🇺🇸 via KO at 1:39 of round 1

• – Fox The G 🇺🇸 def. Small Spartan J 🇵🇭 via KO at 1:34 of round 1

• – Ben Williams 🇮🇪 def. Fes Batista 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 via unanimous decision (40-36 x2, 39-37)

• – Chase DeMoor 🇺🇸 def. Minikon 🇺🇸 via unanimous decision (40-33 x3)

• – DTG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 def. Myles Rak-Su 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 via corner retirement after 2 rounds 

• Joey Knight 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 def. Most Wanted 🇸🇱 via TKO at 1:07 of Round 3

Live streams

To watch Elle Brooke vs. AJ Bunker: Misfits Boxing X Series 012, sign up for DAZN here. Prices for the streaming service start at $19.99 USD | $24.99 CAD | £9.99 GBP | $13.99 AUD per month. 

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Preview

Kenshiro Teraji has the next defense of his WBA and WBC light flyweight titles scheduled against Carlos Canizales this Tuesday. The reigning champion has had two successful defenses, with consecutive TKOs against Anthony Olascuaga and Hekkie Budler, respectively. Ahead of him now is Canizales, who the ‘Amazing Boy’ credits as one of his toughest tests thus far. That said, he expects to hear ‘And Still’ at the end of their fight. 

“Cañizales has fought around the world,” said Teraji to Anson Wainwright of The Ring through Takashi Misako. “He is tough and has heart, good footwork and a strong punch. I think everything [I do] is better. I have good jab and speed. I think he will be surprised.”

After suffering his first professional loss in an upset to Esteban Bermudez, Canizales found his footing in his next four fights. ‘CCC’ dispatched German Valenzuela, Ganigan Lopez, Armando Torres, and most recently, Daniel Matellon. 

Also featured on this event is Artem Dalakia, who defends the WBA flyweight title against Seigo Yuri Akui.

Kenshiro Teraji vs. Carlos Canizales full fight card

Main card

• – Kenshiro Teraji (22-1) 🇯🇵 vs. Carlos Cañizales (26-1-1) 🇻🇪; light flyweight
• – Artem Dalakian (22-0) 🇺🇦 vs. Seigo Yuri Akui (18-2-1) 🇯🇵; flyweight 
• – Tenshin Nasukawa (2-0) 🇯🇵 vs. Luis Robles Pacheco (15-2-1) 🇲🇽; super bantamweight
• – Yuki Yonaha (13-5-1) 🇯🇵 vs. Juiki Tatsuyoshi (14-0-1) 🇯🇵; super bantamweight

Prelims

• – Ruiji Takenaka (1-0) 🇯🇵 vs. Koki Oda (1-0) 🇯🇵; super lightweight
• – Toshiki Fujiwara (0-1) 🇯🇵 vs. Seiya Nishioka (0-2) 🇯🇵; super welterweight 

Start time and date

Kenshiro Teraji vs. Carlos Canizales goes down on Tues., Jan. 23, live from the EDION Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan. The undercard starts at 4 a.m. ET | 1 a.m. PT, while the main card follows at 5 a.m. ET | 2 a.m. PT.

Ringwalks for Teraji vs. Canizales are expected around 7:30 a.m. ET | 4:30 p.m. PT.

Tickets

Sorry! We could not find any information regarding tickets for Kenshiro Teraji vs. Carlos Canizales. 

Live streams

For US viewers, Teraji vs. Canizales airs exclusively on ESPN+, the streaming service you can sign up for at $10.99 USD a month. You can stream ESPN+ on the following devices:

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The double knockdown is one of the rarest events to occur in combat sports. It’s one of those things where if you saw it happen in a movie, you’d be likely to call shenanigans because there’s no way that would ever happen in real life. Well, that very thing happened last night (January 18th) at BYB 23 Extreme in South Florida between Henry Lindsay and Serob Minasyan. The first man to his feet was declared the victor. Catch our BYB 23 results post here.

As most of the BYB 23 bouts, this one didn’t last very long. Right out of the gate both fighters romped on the accelerator. Minasyan rocked Lindsay first, and then in the very next exchange is where both fighters hit the deck. Minasyan connected with a left hook, but Lindsay came over the top with a right hand. All of this chaos happened in a thrilling 27-seconds, and so fast that even the commentators, Mike Goldberg and Paulie Malignaggi, weren’t quite sure what exactly transpired.

Lindsay sprung up to his feet, a little wobbled but ready to continue, while Minasyan remained on his back. Serob even motioned to his foe with a ‘bring it on’ motion with his hands. I’m not sure if a dazed Minasyan thought he was in an MMA match and was welcoming Henry into his guard, or if Serob actually thought he was still on his feet. 

Either way, the referee had started the count, and Minasyan didn’t make it. This kind of reminds me of that one time that UFC veteran/coach Dorian Price fought a Maxx Muay Thai match where something similar happened. Both men dropped at the same time, but it was Dorian who was the one that was able to stand to his feet, while his opposition remained down on the canvas. 

I swear, the double knockdown is far superior to a kick-six, pick-six, Hail Mary, or inside the park home run in terms of the most exciting play in all of sports. I’d take the double drop over any buzzer beater, shootout goal, grand slam, or slam dunk for that matter. Don’t @ me!

Crazy double knockdown videos

BYB 23: Brawl in the Pines 2 Full fight card results

Main card

• – Marko Martinjak def. Jarome Hatch by TKO at 2:21 of round 1: 205-pound title
• – Ulysses Diaz def. Mumia Abu Dey Ali by TKO in round 1
• – Cub Hawkins def. Daniel Lerwell by TKO at 3:00 of round 1: 185-pound title
• – Gregoris Cisneros def. Rene Rodriguez by KO at 1:34 of round 1
• – Yordan Fuentes def. DeWitt Dixon by unanimous decision (49-46 x3)
• – Henry Lindsay def. Serob Minasyan by KO at :27 of round 1
• – Jamie Driver def. Adriana Vuković by TKO at :34 of round 1
• – Henry Williams def. Matt Phillips by TKO at 2:59 of round 2

Disclosure: BYB is covering the author’s travel expenses to this event.

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Join us as we cover BYB 23: Brawl in the Pines 2 is going down tonight (January 18th) from the Charles F. Dodge Center in Pembroke Pines, Florida with two titles on the line. BYB claims the smallest surface in combat sports, better known as the patented Trigon, and that surface will be the platform in which this bare knuckle boxing event will take place. In your ear tonight will be the likes of legendary UFC/Bellator commentator, Mike Goldberg, alongside two-division boxing champ, Paulie Malignaggi. The start time for this bare knuckle fight card is set for 7:30 pm ET.

The main event for BYB 23 will be a trilogy title tilt in the Trigon for the 205-pound belt, when Marko Martinjak engages in a rubber match with Jarome Hatch. Each man has knocked out the other, and I have every reason to believe that another KO is on the horizon. BYB’s inaugural PG 185-pound strap will sway in the balance in the co-main when Daniel Lerwell, welcomes first-time title challenger, Cub Hawkins. Lerwell has finished three-straight opponents, while Hawkins is coming off of a first-round KO victory in his BYB debut.

Bloody Elbow will be on location tonight for this BYB 23 fight card, so make sure to follow along on our social media platforms to see and hear some of the BTS hustle and bustle. Also, be sure to check out our exclusive interview with Goldie! BYB 23: Brawl in the Pines 2 takes place on January 18th, at the Charles F. Dodge Center in Pembroke Pines, Florida. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. ET.

BYB 23: Brawl in the Pines 2 Full fight card results

Main card

• – Marko Martinjak def. Jarome Hatch by TKO at 2:21 of round 1: 205-pound title

• – Ulysses Diaz def. Mumia Abu Dey Ali by TKO in round 1

• – Cub Hawkins def. Daniel Lerwell by TKO at 3:00 of round 1: 185-pound title

• – Gregoris Cisneros def. Rene Rodriguez by KO at 1:34 of round 1

• – Yordan Fuentes def. DeWitt Dixon by unanimous decision (49-46 x3)
• – Henry Lindsay def. Serob Minasyan by KO at :27 of round 1

• – Jamie Driver def. Adriana Vuković by TKO at :34 of round 1

• – Henry Williams def. Matt Phillips by TKO at 2:59 of round 2

Tickets

If you just so happen to be out in Florida and want to witness BYB 23: Brawl in the Pines 2 live, you can purchase tickets by clicking here.

PPV price and Live streams

BYB 23: Brawl in the Pines 2 is available on beIN network and is a free beIN SPORTS XTRA-first event in the U.S. and Canada. The event is scheduled to start live at 7:30pm ET, 4:30pm PT. For full streaming details, and compatible devices go here. For those outside of the U.S. and Canada, the show ca be streamed on PPV in English and Spanish by clicking here.

Disclosure: BYB is covering the author’s travel expenses to this event.

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality MMA coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

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