LOS ANGELES (March 10, 2017) - Romero Duno (13-1, 12 KOs) knocks out Christian "Chimpa" Gonzalez (16-1, 14 KOs) in second round upset victory for the WBC Youth Intercontinental Lightweight title in front of a sold-out crowd at Belasco Theater live on Estrella TV's national Boxeo Estelar broadcast.

"In terms of the knockout, I was just listening to my coach and kept boxing," said Romero. "I fought hard and disciplined myself to not take any lucky punches. I based my strategy on seeing what my opponent was doing and adjusted whenever I needed to."

Celebrities in attendance to watch the fight included Former Junior Middleweight Champion and Current Trainer Fernando Vargas, Metta World Peace and Golden Boy Promotions' stablemates Ronny Rios, Ivan "Striker" Delgado, Ryan "Kingry" Garcia, Edgar Valerio, Oscar "Jaguar" Negrete, David "Junebug" Mijares and Charles Huerta.

With the cheers of all his fans in attendance, Santa Ana, CA's Alexis Rocha (7-0, 5 KOs) entered the ring with full steam dropping Marcus Beckford (3-5-4, 1 KO) of Long Island, NY in mere seconds of the first round. At round two, Rocha crushed Beckford with a punishing body shot causing the Long Island native to take a knee. As the bout carried on, Rocha continuously demonstrated his power-causing Beckford's corner to end the fight at the beginning of the fifth round.

Opening up Estrella TV's Boxeo Estelar broadcast, East Los Angeles' Angel Bojado (1-1) faced powerful Bogota, Colombia fighter Jhon Leon (2-0, 1 KO) for a four-round middleweight bout. While both fighters exchanged a series of blocks and punches, it was Leon who came out on top winning by unanimous decision victory with all three judges scoring the fight at 39-37.

"I think I fought very intelligently," said Jhon Leon. "I roughed him up a bit here and there but stuck to my style of boxing and I'm happy to come out with the victory."

Hailing from Miami, FL, entertaining fighter Niko "Baby Face" Valdes (4-0, 4 KOs) added another knockout victory to his record when he took down Alejandro Osuna (4-3, 2 KOs) of Mazatlan, Mexico at 2:16 in the fourth round of this super middleweight match. Throughout the rounds, Valdes utilized his signature counterpunching style to effectively land crushing body shots to Osuna during the slugfest.

"My opponent was a very tough fighter," said Niko Valdes. "I was throwing a lot of hard punches, but the coach told me to start going to the body and that seemed to work moving forward in the fight."

Los Angeles local Marvin Cabrera (3-0, 3 KOs) came in the ring with a vengeance causing opponent Saadallah Al-Tameemi (2-0-2, 2 KOs) to stumble back on the ropes in the first round of this scheduled six-round middleweight fight. With no signs of slowing down, Cabrera continued to wreck Al-Tameemi-ultimately resulting in the judges stopping the fight in the third round at the 2:35 mark.

"I think I performed well for tonight's fight, focused on my combinations, and was happy to come out with the knockout victory," said Marvin Cabrera.

Kicking off this edition of LA FIGHT CLUB and the RingTV live stream of the night, Las Vegas' own Francisco "Alarcon" Esparza (6-0, 2 KOs) scored the first victory of the night with a unanimous decision victory with scores of 60-54, 60-54 and 59-55 over Los Angeles' Emmanuel Castro (2-4, 2 KOs) in this six-round featherweight bout. While the fight went the distance, both fighters gave the fans an all-out brawl with their relentless blocks, jabs, and combination punches.

"My opponent put a lot of pressure, it was a tough fight, but today I feel I grew as a boxer," said Francisco Esparza. "I did a lot of things in the ring I can learn from."

Keith Thurman went home as the unified titlist Saturday night. He won via split decision against Danny Garcia at the Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, USA  after a 12-round welterweight fight aired on CBS.

Video Credit: Premiere Boxing Champions

Here's TBD #ThurmanGarcia preview: http://theboxingdiary.com/2017/03/keith-thurman-vs-danny-garcia-this-is-what-boxing-is-all-about.html

Watch: #ThurmanGarcia Final Press Conference: http://theboxingdiary.com/2017/03/watch-thurman-garcia-final-press-conference.html

Wow! Two proud boxing champions. Two undefeated fighters lock horns at their prime. This is what boxing is all about. The best fighting the best!

Undefeated Danny Garcia (33-0, 19 KOs) faces another undefeated in Keith Thurman (27-0, 22 KOs) on Saturday night at the Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York for the 12-round welterweight title unification.

In this too commercialized boxing world, seldom come a time we will be able to watch what really boxing is all about. We find promoters, handlers, managers marinating a match-up for so long. Thurman-Garcia needs no marinating, it has the spice it needs.

Garcia and Thurman both age 28 and are in the prime of their career agreed to share inside a boxing ring. Although both men may not be sitting at the top of the welterweight apex, for sure they’re among the upper top 5 in the heavily infested with talent division. The top dogs are still there on the top, the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley. The winner of this match will certainly challenge the alpha lion.

Thurman-Garcia is a kind of boxing match that a fan should not be missed. This is the kind of matchup that you want to watch along with your football crazy buddy to make him convert to boxing. I don’t see any reason at all that it will not live to expectation. The fighters were too proud to be booed. They don’t like each other leading to the build-up of this fight. A lot has been said and Saturday night these guys will be out there throwing bombs.

“These are the type of fights that are going to bring boxing back to where it used to be,” Sugar Ray Leonard said. “It’s going to require these types of fights, these types of individuals, these types of athletes, these types of potential superstars, to really change and make boxing what it used to be.

“These two young men, these two champions, these undefeated fighters, they fit the mold. I talk to people all of the time about what fights they want to see and this is a fight that has star-quality to it.”

Although both men may over-analyze in the ring and may tend to counter-punch each other, but, believe me, man, once these fighters meet at the center unleash punch combinations as counters in anticipation to each other’s move… it is a beauty to watch. Who landed first on each other’s switch-off button wins.

I’m salivating in anticipation of the Thurman-Garcia fight while watching Thurman-Porter replay. I would love to see Thurman’s angles and lateral movements. He tends to sidestep to an angle before firing wherein an opponent is incapable to counter. On the other hand, Garcia loves to face an opponent straight up with his lethal overhand counter left hand. The overhand counter left hand is Garcia’s money punch that put down the likes of Amir Khan and Erik Morales.

On Saturday, the best out of these men is yet to seen as somebody’s “O” has got to go.

Boxing Records per Boxrec.

Contrary to earlier report that Pacquiao-Khan will be held in April 2017, Michael Koncz told Yahoo Sports that it is decided to move it to May 19 to have time to promote the fight properly. The decision was made after a two-hour meeting with promoter Bob Arum on Tuesday.

“We decided to move it to May 19 here and May 20 in the United Emirates so we’d have time to promote it properly and make it a huge success. I have to talk to both fighters to get them to approve going in May instead of in April. I don’t think that will be any problem," says Koncz.

I really have a gut feeling that the fight will not push through in April as there's not enough time to promote and prepare the fight.

Well, after waiting for years for this fight to happen in the Middle East finally it will be here. This is what exactly the OFW's, especially in the GCC area, happen. They wanted to see their kabayan and idol Manny Pacquiao fight against an equally prominent opponent in Amir Khan in the GCC.

Although it has to be known yet where exactly in the United Arab Emirates the fight will be held. Most likely, it could be in Dubai. In the past, most of the boxing matches were held there. Two of the popular Pinoy Pride series were successfully held in Dubai before.

If you are going to look at it, Pacquiao-Khan would really do well on PPV compared to earlier reported opponent Jeff Horn of Australia.

"This is what we are waiting for, to see Pacquiao fight in UAE. We are very excited! Hopefully, it will push through," says Alan, 38, OFW in Dubai.

Video credit: Fight Hub TV.

Philadelphia, PA—The boxing reputation in the City of Brotherly Love was built on being brought up the hard way, whether against a neighborhood rival or a tough guy from out of town.  It was the attitude of being ready to fight anyone, anywhere and at any time.

Philly Fight Night returns Friday, March 10, at the 2300 Arena, and it appears that all 22 fighters in the 11 scheduled fights carry that tradition with them. They believe in themselves and are ready to prove it.

Even though fighters from the same city have grown to dislike each other, often fighting for bragging rights, there still appears to plenty of love, support and respect to go around.

Let’s look at what some of the locals say about their neighbors who are fighting March 10:

Junior lightweight Tevin Farmer on Anthony Burgin:

"Ant is ready. I think he's more ready than ever. I haven't seen him this focused in a long time. It's crazy because I'm the one who usually pushes all the guys. But lately it seems as Ant has been pushing me. The best Ant has yet to come; March 10 he will open a lot of eyes back up. I will be flying back in to Philly from Puerto Rico to see my li’l brother go to work!"  (Burgin meets local rival Avery Sparrow in the eight-round lightweight main event).

Lightweight Damon Allen on Avery Sparrow:

“Avery has been my boy since the amateurs and we have a mutual respect for one another. He's looking sharp from what I’ve seen and I think he's going to show it in this fight.”

Super middleweight Jesse Hart on Fred Jenkins Jr.:

"​Fred Jr. is working very hard in the gym.  He wants bigger fights and knows this is just one step towards getting them."  (Jenkins boxes Roque Zapata, of Culpeper, VA, in a six-round junior middleweight contest).

Junior middleweight Julian Williams on Isaiah Wise:

"He's a super nice guy extremely hard worker there's never a time when I'm in the gym and he's not there working. He kinda reminds me of Gabe Rosado when he was coming up not his fighting style but his blue collar hardworking mentality.”  (Wise boxes Jeffrey Wrightof Milwaukee, WI in a six-round junior middleweight fight).

Flyweight Miguel Cartagena on Crystian Peguero:

"I would say he is a young hungry kid with not much experience but is willing to learn daily and has the heart of a lion.  He is always in the gym and always watches out for his trainer or my reaction to anything he does. He was born in the struggles but in his mind he has it all, which makes him more fascinating to watch become a better fighter each day."  (Peguero boxes Alonzo Davis in a four-round super bantamweight fight).​

Super middleweight Christopher Brooker on Ernesto 'Pete' Almodovar:

"I would say he is just like me no amateur experience but has the will and the skill of a true fighter. I've seen him spar top level guys and look just as good even better on some occasions. I think his first fight he will make a statement."  (Almodovar boxes Steven Lopez, of Northeast Philadelphia, in a four-round super flyweight fight).

Hart on Marcel Rivers:

"Marcel is running and always working, going the extra mile. He works for PGW and comes right to gym after work and grinds like he doesn’t have a day job.  His work ethic is phenomenal.  What people don't know is that he came down from like 190 pounds.  He's for real!  When I saw how he works, it showed me he was for real." (Rivers boxes Brandon Bey, of New York, in a four-round welterweight fight.)

Junior lightweight Jason Sosa on Victor Padilla:

"It's an honor for me to watch a young man like Victor Padilla grow. I have a special love for that young man because we have similarity we come from nothing. I'm excited to see the future of Victor Padilla, it's a bright one."  (Padilla boxes Carlos Castillo, of Lindsay, CA, in a four-round lightweight fight).

Ex-welterweight Ronald Cruz on Joseph Adorno:

"I remember the Adornos coming into the Bethlehem Boxing Club where I first began training with his brother, Jeremy Adorno, and his father, Anibal. He was a little kid, around 8 years old, and he already had around 80 fights in Puerto Rico. His father was an outstanding amateur who beat Miguel Cotto in the amateurs, but then retired from fighting after an injury and became a great trainer. Joseph has "next Puerto Rican star" written all over him. A future world champion if he can keep himself focused and man that kid has a vicious left hook!"

On Pacquiao's latest post on twitter, he mentioned that "my team and I are in negotiations with Amir Khan for our next fight" and "further announcement coming soon."

It was earlier reported that Pacquiao will face Jeff Horn in Australia. But it seemed that Pacquiao was not happy with the guaranteed purse and shifted his attention to Amir Khan. Of course, Khan is far more bankable compared to Horn. Reports also floating around that the potential fight could be held in Dubai.

In the past, every time Pacquiao planned for next fight, a lucrative Dubai offer keeps floating but nothing materializes so far.

In my earlier post, I've written about this possible Dubai fight with Amir Khan that can be found here.

My team and I are in negotiations with Amir Khan for our next fight. Further announcement coming soon. #TeamPacquiao pic.twitter.com/nW5jpmwVJs

— Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) February 23, 2017

Being an OFW in the Middle East, I really support this fight to happen in Dubai. I think Manny should fight in Dubai before retiring in boxing. He has lots of OFW supporters in the Middle East and besides, Khan also has a strong fan base there.

Earlier, Pacquiao was reported talking about another rematch with another rival Juan Manual Marquez for a fight in the Philippines before retiring. He's hoping for a Philippine government backing for a Marquez fight to materialize. Pacquiao's plans to fight again in front of his countrymen. Pacquiao last fought in the Philippines in 2006, beating Oscar Larios.

But Marquez is not interested to share a boxing ring with Pacquiao anymore. Well, a Dubai fight, which is home also of many Filipinos is a good alternative venue.

Meanwhile, Amir Khan has long been pushing for big time fight. He was challenging both Mayweather and Pacquiao in the past but was ditch twice and ended up fighting Saul Canelo Alvarez to the surprise of the boxing world. Khan lost to Canelo in a brutal one-punch knockout.

Pacquiao won his last two fights after losing to his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2015.

Mikey Garcia was sharp and sensational inside in the ring on Saturday night as he demolished bull-strong Dejan Zlanticanin in three rounds of their lightweight clash at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. There's no sign of ring rust! Although, he just came back in July after a 2.5 year hiatus.

The long lay-off didn't make his blade dull. Instead, he used those years that he's not able to fight to sharpen his skills, enhance his talent. A saying attributed to Abraham Lincoln that says: "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe". Garcia utilized those 2.5 years wisely and it paid off.

Garcia (36-0, 30 KOs) was very focused. It seemed he never blink his eyes the entire fight. He landed jabs from the as Zlaticanin tried to find his range. His textbook 1-2 combination was very effective.

Zlaticanin (22-1, 15 KOs) tried his level best to close the gap. But the 5' 4" champion was greeted with stiff jabs every time he comes in. The 5' 7" challenger used height and reach advantage to fire accurate shots from the distance. Zlaticanin never won a round on my scorecards.

In the third, Garcia surprised Zlaticanin with a right uppercut then a left hand that got him in real trouble before Garcia landed the home run, a big right hand that knocked Zlaticanin out unconscious. He was motionless for few minutes. I was worried, he might not be able to get up. But thanks that in a few more minutes he was able to move and sit on a stool. The crowd felt relief as they cheered for Zlaticanin.

"I'm very happy he's okay and I'm glad he was able to recover from that. The natural response is to be celebrating and to be cheerful, but then concern does kick in when I saw he was still laying there for a few minutes. I'm glad he's okay, Garcia said.

Zlantican said that he was getting ready pick up a little bit in Round 3. But of course he gave credit to the new champion.

"I was just getting ready to pick it up a little bit and I got between the ropes and then he hit me with a good, hard punch. Mikey is a good fighter without a doubt. I never was able to get into the fight" he said.

Highlights:

In an 8-round fight, Ivan Redkach (20-2-1, 16 KOs) out-boxed and outclass Demond Brock (13-4-1, 4 KOs) in the Carl Frampton vs Leo Sta Cruz rematch at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday.

Redkach, 30, of Shostka, Ukraine by way of Los Angeles, California, was fighting from the outside from the get-go all the way to what it looks like the final bell. But the fight end up with a stoppage to Redkach's credit. He's been tagging Brock with uppercuts and hooks while maintaining distance.

Brock, 35,  of Kenner, Louisiana, tried to close the gap stalking Redkach with body shots that landed few times but produced little effect.

In round 8, Redkach landed series of unanswered shots, starting from a left hand then a right hand that sent Brock down. Brock managed to get up but was again tagged with shots that opted the referee to stop the fight at 2:30.

Carl Frampton vs Leo Sta Cruz II is one of the most anticipated rematch in boxing. On Saturday, Jan 28 Frampton and Sta Cruz will do it again. In 2016, they fought a fight that was among the Fight of the Year candidate. In the above short preview clip Showtime discusses about last year's fight and the fighters preparation for this rematch.

Carl Frampton vs. Leo Santa Cruz II will be on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

In the co-main event, lightweight world champion Dejan Zlaticanin will meet former two-division champion Mikey Garcia in the opening bout on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Featherweight world champion Lee Selby will fight for the second time in the United States when he battles former world champion Jonathan Victor Barros in action on SHOWTIME EXTREME.

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 23, 2017) - Building on its record of signing and promoting the best of the best, Golden Boy Promotions - in association with ZR Entertainment -- today announced a multi-fight deal with former three-division world champion and Olympic Gold medalist Yuriokis "El Ciclón de Guantánamo" Gamboa (25-1, 17 KOs).

The Cuban standout, who has defeated a who's who of champions and contenders throughout his 10-year professional career, will look to add to the title belts he has held in the featherweight, super featherweight and lightweight divisions as he makes another run at championship glory.

"I am looking forward to winning yet another world title, and I know Golden Boy Promotions is the perfect place to help guide me," Gamboa said. "Though I have recently had some long stretches of inactivity, that stops today, and I will take on anyone, anytime, to achieve my goal of recapturing a championship belt."

Gamboa will come out of the gate facing a tall order on March 11 when he squares off with Rene "Gemelo" Alvarado (24-7, 16 KOs) who was last seen defeating contender Jason "Star" Velez. The fight will serve as chief support for the highly anticipated HBO Boxing After Dark card featuring middleweight knockout artist David Lemieux taking on the heavy-handed Curtis "Cerebral Assassin " Stevens at Turning Stone Resort Casino.

Gamboa has been a force in multiple divisions for many years, defeating big names along the way including former world champions Orlando "Siri" Salido, Daniel Ponce De León and the contender Jorge "Coloradito" Solís. Gamboa also handed Darleys Pérez and Jonathan "Yoni" Victor Barros their first professional defeats.

"When he is on his game, there are few better than Gamboa in the 126, 130, or 135 weight classes," said Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy Promotions CEO and Chairman. "We are going to get him in the ring in a quality match as soon as possible, and then work with him to start his path back to championship glory."

Gamboa's accomplishments in both the amateur and professional ranks are numerous, but a select list includes:

• Former Unified WBA and IBF Featherweight Champion


• Former Interim WBA World Super Featherweight Champion


• Former Interim WBA World Lightweight Champion


• First Cuban IBF World Champion in the history of the organization


• 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the flyweight division.


• 2006 World Cup gold medalist in the featherweight division


• 2003 Pan American games gold medalist in the flyweight division

Philadelphia, PA—It will be another old fashioned all-Philly rumble when lightweights Anthony Burgin and Avery Sparrow collide over eight rounds or less on Friday evening, March 10, at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia. First fight is 7.30 p.m.

“It may not be Bennie Briscoe vs. Cyclone Hart or Joey Giardello vs. George Benton, but it’s a start and Philly vs. Philly is what put our city on the boxing map years and years ago,” said promoter J Russell Peltz.

Burgin , 24, a pro for more than four years, is 10-2, 2 K0s, and comes into this fight after having beaten another Philadelphian, Gerald Smith, in his last fight Oct. 14 in the same ring. He also has beaten Philadelphians Frankie Trader, Ramon Ellis (twice) and Kenneth Brown.

In his only other fight in 2016, Burgin lost a four-round split decision to unbeaten DiVante Jones, of Augusta, GA, in a fight most of the crowd at the Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, CT, thought he won clearly. Jones, now 9-0, has not boxed since.

“I am ecstatic to be headlining the fight card on March 10 and excited to be fighting Avery Sparrow,” Burgin said. “When two Philly guys face each other, a spectacular show is guaranteed and this fight will be no exception. I am going to make a statement.

“I’m only getting started and what you’re going to see from me in the future starts March 10. I haven’t been as active as I would like to be but I have fought great fights and tough opponents and it has only made me better. It’s only the beginning and 2017 is my year and nothing is going to stop me from grabbing what is already mine.”

Burgin is managed and trained by Raul “Chino” Rivas, whose excellent stable of fighters includes WBA junior lightweight champ Jason Sosa, junior lightweight contender Tevin Farmer, undefeated lightweight Stevie Ortiz and promising lightweight newcomer Victor Padilla.

Sparrow (right), 23, has had a rough career marked by long periods of inactivity. He will have been a pro for 32 months by fight time, but has only a 5-1 record (3 K0s) to show for it.

His only loss came late in 2015 in the same ring when he was disqualified after five rounds for low blows against lefty Jerome Rodriguez, of Allentown, PA. Sparrow was getting the better of it during the fight, but too many punches strayed low and referee Hurley McCall waved it off after numerous warnings and point deductions.

Sparrow has not boxed since March 26 when he knocked out hometowner Brandon Ruffin in one round in Charlotte, NC. Sparrow also has beaten Jesus Lule, a frequent rival of Philadelphia fighters.

“I’m down now, but after I win this fight, I should be on my way up,” Sparrow said. “I am grateful for this fight and a wonderful opportunity to showcase my talent. No one knows what this chance means to me. It’s much appreciated and it’s a blessing. This will help me get my career back on track. I want good fights to happen. It’s what Philly and boxing needs. I understand completely.”

Eight additional fights complete the card.

David Lemieux vs Curtis Stevens will headline HBO Boxing After Dark on March 11 at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in New York for a 12-round middleweight fight.

Well, many showed disappointment for a Lemieux-Stevens fight. Mostly were boxing fans who waited for a non-ppv boxing match on HBO. For them Lemieux-Stevens is a undercardesque match-up. They're looking for better, free fight on TV. Fed up of high PPV subscriptions to star fighter match-ups and at times not delivering the goods.

But make no mistake, if you look at it, Lemieux-Stevens is a guaranteed all-action match. Both men don't like to step back, hard hitters and looking for knockout victories. Lemieux has 82% knockout ratio while Stevens has 62% knockout rate on his ledger. Put them together and it's gonna be a hell of a fight.

As a boxing fan, I don't care who were the fighters shared a ring. As long as you I will see a good, competitive and action-packed fight, I'm good.

The worst thing about watching boxing is when you see a one-sided beat-down because of bad match-making. These were results of so-called tune-up fights, stay busy fights. Whatever you called it. Just to match an A level fighter to like C level fighter to boost the A level fighter's activity, stock and or record.

Lemieux-Stevens is not at all what I mentioned above. Both men are strong middleweights contenders. What's interesting is that both men lost to Gennady Golovkin. I'm sure they want to prove that they're just one level below Golovkin at the middleweight division.

Lemieux had set his eyes for another shot at the world title.

"I've told everyone my goal is to once again become middleweight champion of the world. Curtis is in the way, and I'm going to go right through him," said Lemieux.

If other boxing fans feel that this is a lousy match-up HBO can give on TV, well, for me, this is a must-see fight.

LOWELL, Mass. (January 9, 2017) - The 71st annual Lowell Sun Charities Golden Gloves Championship kicks-off this Friday night (Jan. 13) featuring Central New England (Greater Lowell) preliminary-round action at historic Lowell Memorial Auditorium. See the complete 2017 schedule below.

Last year, Peter Welch's Gym (South Boston) dominated the Central New England tournament, capturing seven individual titles, followed in team scoring by the Lowell West End Gym and Grealish Boxing (Dorchester).

One of the boxers to watch this year is North Chelmsford's Brandon Higgins, who represents the Lowell West End Gym.

Tickets are reasonably priced at $70.00 season ticket in the balcony. To purchase call the Lowell Memorial Auditorium box office at 1.866.722.8881 or order online at www.LowellMemorialAuditorium.com. Individual event tickets are also available to purchase, starting at $13.00, only $7.00 for students.

Proceeds from the Lowell Sun Charities Golden Gloves Championship go towards sending the New England Golden Gloves champions to the National Golden Gloves Championship (2017 in Lafayette, Louisiana), in addition to supporting local athletes and area gyms, the Boys & Girls Club, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, cancer funds, scholarships and many other great charitable causes.

"This is the continuation of a great Lowell boxing tradition," Tournament Executive Director Bobby Russo said. "We're all excited about this year's 71st edition of the Lowell Sun Charities Golden Gloves Championship. I'm very proud to be part of this tradition. So many outstanding boxers have fought in the Greater Lowell Golden Gloves over the many years such as hometown hero 'Irish' Micky Ward, two-time world heavyweight champion John 'The Quietman' Ruiz, Dicky Eklund, Beau Jaynes, Manny Freitas, Nate James, Danny O'Connor and so many others.

"In addition to sending a complete Team New England to The Golden Gloves Nationals, proceeds go towards so many worthy charities ranging from soup kitchens to cancer funds, the Boys and Girls Club, scholarships and many other needed community-based causes."

Hilongos, Leyte -- Two improvised explosive devices (IED) reportedly exploded at a boxing event in Hilongos, Leyte on Wednesday night, 28 Dec in a plaza.

The victims were treated at a local hospital according to Dennis Maliwanag of Inquirer on his Twitter post.

The authorities were still investigating the blast site.

Blast victims are being treated at a local hospital in Hilongos, Leyte. pic.twitter.com/3GiryXnhPg

— Dennis Maliwanag (@DMaliwanagINQ) December 28, 2016

NEW YORK (December 26, 2016) - The New York State Boxing Hall of Fame (NYSBHOF), sponsored by Ring 8, has announced its 15-member Class of 2017. The sixth annual NYSBHOF induction dinner will be held Sunday afternoon (12:30-5:30 p.m. ET), April 30, at Russo's On The Bay in Howard Beach, New York.

"Once again, "said NYSBHOF president Bob Duffy, "we're honoring New York's finest in our sport. This is all about recognizing great fighters, as well as others involved in boxing, from the state of New York. We're expecting another knockout night."

Living boxers heading into the NYSBHOF include Manhattan welterweight Gaspar "El Indio" Ortega (131-39-6, 69 KOs), Yonkers' world heavyweight title challenger Renaldo "Mr." Snipes (39-8-1, 22 KOs), Yonkers middleweight Doug "Cobra' Dewitt (33-8-5, 19 KOs), and "The Bronx Bomber," world middleweight title challenger Alex Ramos (39-10-2, 24 KOs)

Posthumous participants being inducted are Queens' former middleweight and light heavyweight world champion Dick Tiger (60-19-3, 27 KOs), Brooklyn/Manhattan light heavyeight world champion Jose "Chegui" Torres (41-3-1, 29 KOs), and "The Nonpareil", Williamsburg middleweight world champion Jack Dempsey (51-4-11, 23 KOs).

Non-participants heading into the NYSBHOF are Queens' International agent Don Majeski, Long Island matchmaker Ron Katz, Manhattan manager Stan Hoffman and past Ring 8 president/NYSAC judge Bobby Bartels.

Posthumous non-participant inductees are Brooklyn boxing historian Hank Kaplan, Long Island cut-man Al Gavin, Bronx referee Arthur Donovan and New York City columnist Dan Parker.

Each inductee will receive a custom-designed belt signifying his induction into the NYSBHOF.

The 2017 inductees were selected by the NYSBHOF nominating committee members: Jack Hirsch, Steve Farhood, Bobby Cassidy, Jr., Randy Gordon, Henry Hascup, Ron McNair, Angelo Prospero and Neil Terens.

All boxers needed to be inactive for at least three years to be eligible for NYSBHOF induction, and all inductees must have resided in New York State for a significant portion of their boxing careers or during the prime of their respective career.

In the 2:28 minute mark of Round 8, Bernard Hopkins fell out of the ring after a series of punches landed coming from Joe Smith.

It was a bizarre scene to end an extraordinary 28 years boxing career that began in 1988. He was stopped for the first time during the final fight of his incredible career.

The 51-year-old Hopkins (55-8-2 32 KOs) was knocked out of the ring.

This happens to boxers who hang around a little bit too long. The sport will push you out of retirement. Well for me the best time for Bernard to actually retire was when he beat Beibut Shumenov. He got a title at that time, he was 49. But well, it was really tempting to have another shot at age 50. I think that was a record also in boxing. He lost to Sergey Kovalev when he was 50.

Watch: @beastsmithjr knocks @THEREALBHOP out of the ring 53 seconds into round 8, ending the fight. #Final1 https://t.co/Pj2svLUlC9

— HBOboxing (@HBOboxing) December 18, 2016

Well, for Hopkins it may look like a "controversial" loss because of what had happened. If he did not fell out of the ring, he could have got up before the count of ten and manage to continue. In fairness, he wasn't unconscious when he landed outside the ring.

But anyway, I hope this result will convince Hopkins not to fight again any more and sticks to retiring. He should not wait to be knockout cold out there. Just like what happened to Roy Jones Jr. in one of his recent fights.

During the build-up a fight you can trash talk to the highest level you want, but after all the punches thrown and done, it's time to show what the word sportsmanship is all about.

Jermall Charlo (25-0, 19 KOs) was booed by the California boxing fans present at the USC Galen Center in Los Angeles, Saturday night after he knockout Julian Williams in Round 5 of their junior middleweight title clash live on Showtime.

Julian Williams (22-1-1, 14 KOs) went to Charlo's corner to show sportsmanship. But Charlo and his corner refused to accept it. It was too late then when they realized that it wasn't the right reaction. Then Charlo went to Williams' corner to extend his gesture of sportsmanship, but this time it was Williams and his team declined. There was a little commotion going on, but it was obvious that Charlo was in the negative end as the California fans booed in unison.

Charlo remained undefeated and successfully defended the junior middleweight title for the fourth time since capturing it in September last year.

It was a chess match early in the fight. Both fighters were too cautious to open up for offense. They were ready to unload heavy counters that could end the fight early. Both men has power to knock each other out. In Round 2, Charlo scored a knockdown. He connected with a solid jab that put down Williams.

In between the fourth and fifth round, Charlo's trainer Ronnie Shields instructed Charlo to double it up.

"Back him up, back him up with the jab don't let him rest. Double it up with the right hand and hook right back," said Shields.

Williams fired a textbook one-two combination from outside that connected to the head of Charlo. But as Williams retracted back his punches, Charlo came back with a huge right uppercut. Williams did not even saw it coming. And boom! Down went Williams.

He managed to get back on his feet, but Charlo was ready to finish him. After the referee signaled to resume the fight, Charlo was all over Williams firing combination at close range and got one clear punch in and that's it. Williams went down again and the referee did not even bother to count. The referee waived the fight off. The official time: 2:06 in Round 5.

"Sorry my emotions took over me at that time. You know what that's not me," Charlo said when Jim Gray ask about his refusal to accept Williams' handshake.

LAS VEGAS (December 8, 2016) - The 10-round main event on December 17 of the final 2016 installment of the popular "Knockout Night at the D" series, featuring undefeated Oscar Cantu and Aston Palcite, is a classic match-up of styles between a boxer and puncher.

"Knockout Night at the D" will air live (7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET) on CBS Sports Network from inside the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center indoor facility, located in the heart of the downtown Las Vegas casino district, one block away from the world-famous Fremont Street (200 S. 3rd St.), and FloBoxing.tv will live stream the Dec. 17th undercard worldwide, starting at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET), in addition to three main card TV bouts - excluding North America - beginning at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET).

The "Knockout Night at the D" series, presented by the D Las Vegasand Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, is promoted by Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions.

Jim "J.R." Ross and Joey Varner will call all the action live from ringside, while Jeff Huston will be the ring announcer and fight-week master of ceremonies.

Cantu vs. Palicte will be contested for two belts as Cantu defends his North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super flyweight championship, in addition to the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) Inter-Continental super flyweight title.

Rated No. 4 by the World Boxing Council (WBC) as a flyweight, the 25-year-old Cantu (14-0, 1 KO) will face the toughest test of his 4+-years professional career in the heavy-handed Palcite, but he's excited to be headlining this nationally televised show from Las Vegas.

"I feel honored to be headlining a card in Las Vegas," the Texan said. "The opportunity is what every boxer wants because Vegas is the biggest boxing hum in the United States and it has produced great champions in the past. I want to thank Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Promotions for this opportunity.

"A victory can help me open doors to the world title and allow me the show everybody what I stand for, which is being God's humble champion. The outcome of this fight will come down to who wants to win more. I'm sure that adjustments will need to be made throughout the fight. Either way, I am well prepared to get this victory."

Palicte (21-2, 18 KOs) is a dangerous Filipino fighter who is world rated at No. 11 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and No. 15 by the WBO. Now training in Los Angeles, Palicte is looking forward to making his American debut Dec. 17.

"I'm really excited," he remarked. "I've been training o hard, pushing myself to the limit, because I also want to excel as much as the other Filipino fighters. I am grateful for this opportunity to fight in the main event. Knowing he is undefeated, this is going to be an exciting, challenging fight.

"I've always dreamed of fighting for the world title and I'm taking things one step at a time. Through my promoter, RJJ, it was mentioned that there's a big possibility for a world title challenge in 2017 if I win this fight. I've fought some quality fighters and I think I can do what I want in the ring, though I won't say it's going to be easy to control the fight."

Styles made fights and a classic match-up between a consummate boxer (Cantu) and powerful puncher (Palicte) guarantees an intriguing fight that should be highly entertaining and incredibly competitive. Both fighters also respect each other.

"Palicte brings an impressive record and a lot of experience," Cantu noted. "The road to a world title is a tough one, which means no easy opponents. I am really excited about this challenge. This is a classic fight because of our styles and I am sure we won't let the viewing public down. I am ready to become the next great American champion in this weight class."

"Cantu is a smart boxer," Palicte added. "I'd compare him to Ismael Garnica, who I fought in our Showdown at Sands in Macau. (Palicte won by way of a seventh-round TKO.) He (Cantu) is kind of a runner, too, always moving around the ring, but we can never tell one's ability until we've fought.

"This is going to be an exciting fight. I'm really looking forward to getting a hold of those belts. Cantu is also a good boxer but with my experience and power, I think I have much more advantages than him. I know he's also doing his best training, so, it's going to be a really good fight come December 17th."

Unbeaten Chilean junior middleweight champion Angelo Baez (15-0-1, 11 KOs) will make his U.S. debut against Jamaica-native Nathaniel Gallimore (15-1-1, 12 KOs), fighting out of Evanston, Illinois, in the eight-round co-feature.

Los Angeles' Flavio Rodriguez (5-0, 4 KOs) meets Mexican invader Dilan "El Terrible" Loza (5-0, 3 KOs) in a six-round battle of undefeated welterweight prospects to open the televised segment of the evening.

The Las Vegas Big 3 - 21-year-old junior lightweight Randy "El Matador" Moreno (7-0, 6 KOs), 26-year-old welterweight Jeremy "J-Flash" Nichols (7-0, 2 KOs) and 18-year-old bantamweight Max "The Baby-Faced Assassin" Ornelas (6-0, 3 KOs) - will be showcased Dec. 17th.