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Giant Heavyweights Wilder and Fury Start a Rumpus at L.A. Press Confab

LOS ANGELES-They may be giants.
The human Sequoias known as Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury showed up Wednesday at the Novo Theater at LA Live to hype their upcoming world title clash. A pair of taller heavyweight title challengers does not exist.
It was the third leg of their three-day press junket spanning from London to New York City to the city of Angels.
Angels they are not.
WBC heavyweight titlist Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) pits his trinket against lineal heavyweight champion Fury (27-0, 19 KOs) on Dec. 1, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Their clash will be televised on Showtime pay-per-view.
These guys are extremely tall.
When you look at them side by side it’s easy to imagine them starting on the L.A. Lakers who play at the Staples Center. Both are the size and girth of power forwards. But these two pack a serious wallop.
Wilder has only failed to knock out one opponent in his career – Bermane Stiverne. The second time they met he connected with a punch so hard families in Stiverne’s native Haiti were in prayer for the fallen fighter. He recovered.
Fury became the lineal champion when he defeated the vaunted champion Wladimir Klitschko by decision back in 2015. The win snapped a nine-year winning streak by the Ukrainian.
The term “lineal champion” was coined years ago when the heavyweight title was split into different claimants. It means the owner of the title is a direct descendant of the very first heavyweight champion in the modern era John L. Sullivan, after the Marquess of Queensberry rules were adopted.
It’s a title often lost in the milieu of championships.
Back in the 19th century the very first world championship belt was given to Sullivan who held the heavyweight title until 1892, when he was given his first defeat by San Francisco’s Gentleman Jim Corbett. It was a thin ribbon-type belt with a metal buckle. It still exists today.
When Corbett lost the title it was passed on to Bob Fitzsimmons and his solar plexus punch. He in turn lost to Southern California’s Jim Jeffries of Burbank, a small suburb located in the county of Los Angeles. That same title has been passed on and on and now Great Britain’s Fury holds the lineal title.
The boisterous Fury dangles the phrase like a sword.
“I’m the lineal champion. That goes back to John L. Sullivan,” said Fury, 30. “(Deontay) says he’s a knockout puncher I don’t believe it at all. He’s a dreamer.”
Wilder admits that Fury could possibly be the best he’s faced but nothing else.
“He’s among the best and he was a champion two years ago,” said Wilder, 32, whose yellow and black shirt helped him stand out. “He’s named after Mike Tyson. He’s from another country. That’s all going to be more pleasing when I knock him out.”
Scrum
During the war of words on the theater stage the two massive heavyweights got too close and both exploded into a shoving contest that saw chairs flying and boxing manager Shelly Finkel tossed to the floor like a paper cup.
Luckily no physical damage occurred except for some bent folding chairs.
For about 10 minutes the two shouted challenges and insults while two dozen men held them from possible injury before the fight.
“I’m ready now,” shouted Wilder.
“I’ve been ready for a month,” replied Fury. “Let’s fight this weekend.”
Poor Finkel looked like he may have injured something when he rolled over a fallen folded chair. The advisor for Wilder looked excited but conscious.
Chin Tests
Fury said he will be training nearby in Big Bear, Calif. for this heavyweight showdown. He added that training in Southern California is needed to acclimate to the surroundings. But he also likes the setting.
“I’ve been planning to move to L.A. since 2015,” Fury said.
When you compare Wilder and Fury to heavyweights in the past its’ extremely hard to imagine either fighting someone like Joe Frazier, Ezzard Charles or Rocky Marciano who were all under six-feet tall.
Size is not enough however in the fight game.
“Deontay may be able to punch but he’s got a glass jaw,” said Fury adding that he’s seen tapes of Wilder as an amateur getting knocked out. “This is going to be the easiest fight of my career.”
Wilder openly laughs at the derisive comments.
“He’s great for the heavyweight division. He can talk,” said Wilder. “When I knock him out you all will know I knocked someone out who was fearless.”
The two giant heavyweights taunted and laughed at each other’s remarks.
Will it be the best heavyweight fight that L.A. has seen since Lennox Lewis beat Vitali Klitschko in 2003, or a misfire?
“It’s a fantasy matchup,” said Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza. “This is about legacy and this is about history.”
Photo credit: Al Applerose
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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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