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Bermane Stiverne Predicts Knockout Win Over Deontay Wilder

Bermane Stiverne told TSS he expects to knock out undefeated challenger Deontay Wilder whenever the two finally tussle for Stiverne’s WBC heavyweight title. Wilder is the mandatory challenger for Stiverne. The two are expected to meet in December or January.
“It’s not going 12 rounds,” said Stiverne. “Somebody will get hurt, and it won’t be me.”
Stiverne said he has all the advantages going into the bout, and he expects to exploit them on fight night. But don’t expect much trash talk during the promotional buildup.
“I know I’m here to entertain the fans in the ring. Outside the ring, I don’t do that trash talk. I believe trash belongs in the trash. But I’m all about business. When it comes to it, you can talk all you want. But can you deliver when the bell rings?”
Stiverne believes he’s already proved to be the type of fighter who can deliver. He knocked out Chris Arreola in Round 6 in May to win the vacant WBC heavyweight title. He said unlike Wilder, he wasn’t the type to try to garner attention for himself outside the ring. Rather, he said he puts all his effort into making sure he’s ready to perform when and where it counts.
“Most of the fighters that talk, talk, talk. The night of the fight? They can’t even do what they were talking about. If anyone is looking for someone to trash talk, or act up or have some type of weird behavior outside the ring or use foul language and stuff like that, they’re going to wait a long time. It’s not who I am. I was never like that.”
Stiverne said it wasn’t a question of if he’ll defeat Wilder, but how.
“I’m not worried about the win. I’m worried about my performance and how it’s going to be done. The win is obviously something that will be the outcome of the fight. I will win the fight, but you can win many fights. But the way I win the fight is more important.”
Stiverne-Wilder is one of the most intriguing heavyweight bouts in recent history. Stiverne is a patient, hard-punching technician with real skill. Wilder appears crude to some but has knocked out every fighter he’s ever faced.
Stiverne admits the hype around the fight is the most intense of his career.
“Yeah, but people think it’s big because of who he is, how he talks and his record with 32 wins and 32 knockouts. So I think that’s where the excitement and hype comes from. But this fight is really a fight that I’m looking forward to. I want to make a statement. I don’t like to talk about [things]. I’d rather answer the questions that everybody has the night of the fight. All the questions will be answered then.”
I asked Stiverne if he thought he was more skilled than Wilder overall.
“Most definitely. I feel like I’m in my prime, and all I have to do is put my work in at the gym. Because just when you hit your prime, it doesn’t mean you get to relax. I feel good. I feel confident. Especially psychologically. I feel great. I feel amazing, and not because I feel like I’m in my prime will I take my preparation likely.”
I also asked Stiverne if he thought his combination of speed and power would be too much for Wilder, someone who hasn’t faced very high level competition up to the present.
“I do. I really do, because of my amateur background. First of all, in my amateur days, all I used to fight were guys that were 6’4” and up. I really feel like skill-wise, with my speed and also my power, I am the better fighter.”
Stiverne fought in the amateur ranks as a member of the Canadian national team from 1999-2005. He said he moved from Miami to Canada because he missed the chance to compete in the Golden Gloves tournament in the United States, and that having family in Canada helped him gain the necessary citizenship requirement to compete there.
Stiverne said he had 93 fights as an amateur, losing only seven. “I had a good time in Canada. I was very active. We went to all types of tournaments everywhere in the world. That’s where I got all my experience and learned my basics. It really helped set up my professional career.”
After turning professional in 2005, and overcoming a couple of early setbacks, Stiverne defeated Arreola 11 years later to become the WBC heavyweight champion, something he takes great pride in.
“Being heavyweight champion of the world is something I always wanted to be. It’s the reason why I started my career in boxing. So obviously it feels good.”
Stiverne is perhaps most famous for being Don King’s last hope at heavyweight promotional relevance. King was an integral part of the heavyweight boxing scene from 1974’s Muhammad Ali versus George Foreman bout in Zaire to Mike Tyson’s impressive run in the 1990s.
King and Stiverne were embittered in a legal battle last year over promotional disagreements but settled the dispute outside of court. I asked Stiverne how his relationship was with the enigmatic King now.
“It’s normal. Nothing special. He’s good at what he does, and I’m good at what I do. The combination has been great. It’s a good one.”
Stiverne said he recognized the importance of his career to King’s continued hopes of rekindling past promotional glory.
“Obviously, once upon a time, he used to control all of that, and I kind of got him back on the map. I don’t know what the future holds for me and Mr. King, but for now, it’s a great duo.”
I couldn’t help myself. Does King treat you better now that you’re the WBC heavyweight champion, Bermane? Has that made it easier to work with him?
“Everybody treats me a little better! Everybody does. But it’s all love. I don’t hate nobody. It comes with the title!”
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Argentina’s Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

In an excellent fight climaxed by a furious 12th round, Argentina’s Fernando Daniel Martinez came off the deck to win his rematch with Kazuto Ioka and retain his piece of the world 115-pound title. The match was staged at Ioka’s familiar stomping grounds, the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
In their first meeting on July 7 of last year in Tokyo, Martinez was returned the winner on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and a bizarre 120-108. The rematch was slated for late December, but Martinez took ill a few hours before the weigh-in and the bout was postponed.
The 33-year-old Martinez, who came in sporting a 17-0 (9) record, was a 7-2 favorite to win the sequel, but there were plenty of reasons to favor Ioka, 36, aside from his home field advantage. The first Japanese male fighter to win world titles in four weight classes, Ioka was 3-0 in rematches and his long-time trainer Ismael Salas was on a nice roll. Salas was 2-0 last weekend in Times Square, having handled upset-maker Rolly Romero and Reito Tsutsumi who was making his pro debut.
But the fourth time was not a charm for Ioka (31-4-1) who seemingly pulled the fight out of the fire in round 10 when he pitched the Argentine to the canvas with a pair of left hooks, but then wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum swing.
Martinez set a fast pace and had Ioka fighting off his back foot for much of the fight. Beginning in round seven, Martinez looked fatigued, but the Argentine was conserving his energy for the championship rounds. In the end, he won the bout on all three cards: 114-113, 116-112, 117-110.
Up next for Fernando Martinez may be a date with fellow unbeaten Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, the lineal champion at 115. San Antonio’s Rodriguez is a huge favorite to keep his title when he defends against South Africa’s obscure Phumelela Cafu on July 19 in Frisco, Texas.
As for Ioka, had he won today’s rematch, that may have gotten him over the hump in so far as making it into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. True, winning titles in four weight classes is no great shakes when the bookends are only 10 pounds apart, but Ioka is still a worthy candidate.
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Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

In a torrid battle Mexico’s Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and his staccato attack staved off the herky-jerky non-stop assaults of Philippine’s Charly Suarez to win by technical decision and retain the WBO super feather world title on Saturday.
What do they feed these guys?
Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) and his elongated arms managed to connect enough to compensate against the surprising Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs) who wowed the crowd at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
An accidental clash of heads opened a cut on the side of Navarrete’s left eye and forced a stoppage midway through the fight.
From the opening round Navarrete used his windmill style of attack with punches from different angles that caught Suarez multiple times early. It did not matter. Suarez fired back with impunity and was just as hungry to punch it out with the Mexican fighter.
It was savage.
Every time Navarrete connected solidly, he seemed to pause and check out the damage. Bad idea. Suarez would immediately counter with bombs of his own and surprise the champion with his resilience and tenacity.
Wherever they found Suarez they should look for more, because the Filipino fighter from Manila was ferocious and never out of his depth.
Around the sixth round the Mexican fighter seemed a little drained and puzzled at the tireless attacks coming from Suarez. During an exchange of blows a cut opened up on Navarrete and it was ruled an accidental clash of heads by the referee. Blood streamed down the side of Navarrete’s face and it was cleared by the ringside physician.
But at the opening of the eighth round, the fight was stopped and the ringside physician ruled the cut was too bad to continue. The California State Athletic Commission looked at tape of the round when the cut opened to decipher if it was an accidental butt or a punch that caused the cut. It was unclear so the referee’s call of accidental clash of heads stood as the final ruling.
Score cards from the judges saw Navarrete the winner by scores of 78-75, 77-76 twice. He retains the WBO title.
Interim IBF Lightweight Title
The sharp-shooting Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) maneuvered past Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the interim IBF lightweight title after 12 rounds.
Both fighters were strategic in their approach with Muratalla switching from orthodox to southpaw at various times of the fight. Neither fighter was ever able to dominant any round.
Defense proved the difference between the two lightweights. Muratalla was able to slip more blows than Abdullaev and that proved the difference. The fighter from Fontana, California was able to pierce Abdullaev’s guard more often than not, especially with counter punches.
Abdullaev was never out of the fight. The Russian fighter was able to change tactics and counter the counters midway through the fight. It proved effective especially to the body. But it was not enough to offset Muratalla’s accuracy.
There were no knockdowns and after 12 rounds the judges scored it 118-110, 119-109 twice for Muratalla who now becomes the mandatory for the IBF lightweight title should Vasyl Lomachenko return to defend it.
Muratalla was brief.
“He was a tough fighter,” said Muratalla. “My defense is something I work on a lot.”
Perla Wins
Super flyweight Perla Bazaldua (2-0) eased past Mona Ward (0-2) with a polished display of fighting at length and inside.
Combination punching and defense allowed Bazaldua to punch in-between Ward’s attacks and force the St. Louis fighter to clinch repeatedly. But Ward hung in there despite taking a lot of blows. After four rounds the Los Angeles-based Bazaldua was scored the winner 40-36 on all three cards. Bazaldua signed a long term contract with Top Rank in March.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Late Bloomer Anthony Cacace TKOs Hometown Favorite Leigh Wood in Nottingham

Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions was at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, tonight with a card featuring hometown favorite Leigh Wood against Ireland’s Anthony “Apache” Cacace.
Wood, a former two-time WBA featherweight champion, known for dramatic comebacks in bouts he was losing, may have reached the end of the road at age 36. He had his moments tonight, rocking Cacace on several occasions and winning the eighth round, but he paid the price, returning to his corner after round eight with swelling around both of his eyes.
In the ninth, Cacace, an 11/5 favorite, hurt Wood twice with left hands, the second of which knocked Wood into the ropes, dictating a standing 8-count by referee John Latham. When the bout resumed, Cacace went for the kill and battered Wood around the ring, forcing Wood’s trainer Ben Davison to throw in the towel. The official time was 2:15 of round nine.
Akin to Wood, Northern Ireland’s Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) is also 36 years old and known as a late bloomer. This was his ninth straight win going back to 2017 (he missed all of 2018 and 2020). He formerly held the IBF 130-pound world title, a diadem he won with a stoppage of then-undefeated and heavily favored Joe Cordina, but that belt wasn’t at stake tonight as Cacace abandoned it rather than fulfill his less-lucrative mandatory. Wood falls to 28-4.
Semi-Wind-Up
Nottingham light heavyweight Ezra Taylor, fighting in his hometown for the first time since pro debut, delighted his fan base with a comprehensive 10-round decision over previously undefeated Troy Jones. Taylor, who improved to 12-0 (9) won by scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.
This was Taylor’s first fight with new trainer Malik Scott, best known for his work with Deontay Wilder. The victory may have earned him a match with Commonwealth title-holder Lewis Edmondson. Jones was 12-0 heading in.
Other Bouts of Note
In his first fight as a featherweight, Liam Davies rebounded from his first defeat with a 12-round unanimous decision over Northern Ireland’s previously undefeated Kurt Walker. Davies, who improved to 17-1 (8), staved off a late rally to prevail on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111. It was the first pro loss for the 30-year-old Walker (12-1), a Tokyo Olympian.
In a mild upset, Owen Cooper, a saucy Worcestershire man, won a 10-round decision over former Josh Taylor stablemate Chris Kongo. The referee’s scorecard read 96-94.
Cooper improved to 11-1 (4). It was the third loss in 20 starts for Kongo.
A non-televised 8-rounder featured junior welterweight Sam Noakes in a stay-busy fight. A roofer by trade and the brother of British welterweight title-holder Sean Noakes, Sam improved to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of overmatched Czech import Patrik Balez (13-5-1).
Photo credit: Leigh Dawney / Queensberry
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