Golub Beats Reyes as Lou DiBella’s Broadway Boxing Series Soldiers On

Published

6 years ago

April 12, 2019

Sean Nam

(New York, NY) You may as well add club fights to the list of things — along with used bookstores, record shops, corner groceries, et al. — that are rapidly disappearing from New York City. Rising rents, a needlessly exorbitant insurance fee, high medical costs and other pricey ancillary expenses, are just a few of the reasons that have dissuaded local promoters from putting on club fights in recent years. Some have tried their hand, anyhow, and have had little more more than red balance sheets to show for their efforts. Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Promotions entered the New York market last year with the express idea to cultivate the grassroots scene, only to become defunct by the fall. Joe DeGuardia, another notable local promoter, has fallen noticeably silent.

Broadway Boxing, promoter Lou DiBella’s longstanding developmental series, returned after an extended hiatus, on Wednesday night in front of a near sell-out crowd at the Sony Hall, a 500-seat venue in Times Square. But it would be a mistake to read into the show as a sign of things to come. Even DiBella, perpetual hype-man at large, was loathe to describe the event as anything more than a small step for a series he first conceived 16 years ago and featured the likes of Andre Berto and Paulie Malignaggi. “Nobody,” DiBella said,” “from Joe DeGuardia to myself, has a formula where you can make a killing from this.”

That said, there is some wind in DiBella’s sails these days. He recently inked a deal with UFC Fight Pass, the combat sports streaming app that hosted Wednesday’s card. It could be the start of something new, though DiBella refused to call it a partnership, at least not yet. “We’re getting our feet wet,” he said. “If you have a big stable of fighters, you need a developmental series and I think that’s why this collaboration with Fight Pass is potentially significant.” Moreover, the financial help from a streaming partner would help offset the overhead that makes club fights so prohibitive in the first place. “That makes it easier,” DiBella acknowledged, who declined to comment if Fight Pass offered a license fee, but did add, “That’s a fair assumption. Frankly, the UFC fight pass deal allowed me to come back to New York City.” Still, DiBella remained skeptical that he could afford to run club shows in the city on a consistent basis. The next Broadway Boxing show will take place at Foxwoods in Connecticut. (DiBella declined to comment if Fight Pass would stream the event.)

In the main event, hard-hitting southpaw Ivan Golub (pictured on the left) decisioned a limited but tough-as-nails Manuel Reyes in a solid 10-round welterweight bout to improve to 16-1 (12). All three judges saw Golub winning: John Basile and James Kinney had it a clean sweep at 100-90, while John McKaie had it 99-91.

Golub, who hails from the Ukraine but resides and trains in Brooklyn, started off hot by working behind a stiff jab and mixing in thudding body shots. It did not appear that the fight would last very long as Reyes seemed content to absorb punch after punch as he tried artlessly to walk Golub down.

In the second round, Golub sustained a large cut on his forehead which perhaps played a role in slowing down his efforts. By the fifth round, Reyes’ pressure was forcing Golub to work harder than he would like. The late rounds were considerably closer. Indeed, Reyes had Golub backtracking around the ring in the final round. Golub, 30, may have a limited ceiling, but his fan-friendly style should make him an attractive option at 147.

On the undercard, highly-regarded Uzbek heavyweight prospect Bakhodir Jalolov wiped out late-replacement Brendan Barrett in the first round of a 6-round contest. A 6’7” southpaw, Jalolov, who entered the ring wearing a maroon military beret, towered over the comparatively diminutive 5’10” Barrett. The two fighters got tangled up repeatedly early on as a result of Barrett rushing in with his head like a sloppy linebacker. Jalolov, 6-0 (6), eventually found his range and connected on a straight left that sent Barrett crumbling to the canvas. Referee Albert Brown waived off the fight after he saw the ring doctor approach the apron.

After the fight, a member of Jalolov’s management team — who also handle Dmitry Bivol — confirmed that the heavyweight will likely fight for a fringe title in his next bout.

Lindenhurst, New York’s Alicia Napoleon dispatched Serbia’s Eva Bajic in the second round of their middleweight bout. Napoleon landed a straight right that caused Bajic to go down in pain. Moments later, Napoleon doubled up on the straight right which sent Bajic to the canvas for good. After the fight the newly-married Napoleon, who improves to 11-1 (6) reiterated her desire for a title fight and a possible move up to super-middleweight. Jamil Antoine refereed.

It looked as though Uzbek prospect Hurshidbek Normatov would make short work of Kansas City’s Calvin Metcalf, when he opened up a cut on Metcalf’s bald head in the first round and scored a knockdown in the second. But Metcalf was surprisingly resilient and went the full six rounds of their middleweight bout. All three judges had it 60-53 for Normatov, 8-0 (3),who was never troubled. Arthur Mercante Jr. refereed.

A large and rabid contingent came out to support Brooklyn’s Khalid Twaiti in his four-round junior featherweight fight against Hungary’s Jeno Tonte, whose limited skills were exacerbated by the fact that he held his chin high up in the air. Twaiti pressed the action from the get-go and had Tonte in trouble along the ropes at several moments. In the third round, Twaiti wailed away at Tonte with bludgeoning hooks until referee Jamil Antoine intervened at 1:13. Tonte protested vehemently but it was hard to argue the call, given that he showed no signs of fighting back. Twaiti improves to 5-0 (3).

Fort Greene, Brooklyn’s Brian Ceballo earned a third round stoppage of Ricardo Garcia in their junior-middleweight bout (set for six). After working tentatively behind his jab, Ceballo turned it up in the third, catching Ceballo with a straight right that knocked him down into the ropes. Ceballo, now 8-0 (4), followed up with a barrage of punches that forced referee Earl Brown to stop the fight.

In the opener, Joseph Williams, Far Rockaway, NY, improved to 13-0 with a unanimous decision over Jose Flores, Woodbridge, Virginia, in their six round cruiserweight bout. Williams won every round on all three cards.

Photo credit: Ed Diller / DiBella Entertainment

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Sean Nam

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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

Published

1 day ago

March 30, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Ringside-at-the-Fontainebleau-where-Mikaela-Mayer-won-her-Rematch-with-Sandy-Ryan

LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.

The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.

Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.

Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.

Co-Feature

In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.

The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.

A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.

Other Bouts

In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.

Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.

Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.

Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.

Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.

Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.

Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.

Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.

There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

Published

1 day ago

March 29, 2025

David A. Avila

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.

There were no knockdowns in this rematch.

The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.

It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.

Nothing changed in their second meeting.

Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.

The blows came in bunches.

In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.

Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.

Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.

During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.

But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.

“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.

Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.

“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.

Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.

“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.

Female Flyweight Battle

Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.

Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.

Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.

The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.

Neither fighter could take over the fight.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.

Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.

Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.

Puerto Rico vs Mexico

Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.

Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Published

3 days ago

March 28, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-319-Rematches-in-Las-Vegas-Cancun-and-More

Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.

Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.

Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.

ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.

“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.

If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.

For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.

Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.

No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.

Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.

The fight breakdown

Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.

Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.

That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.

More drama.

During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.

New York City got its money’s worth.

Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.

Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?

“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”

Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.

That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?

Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.

Can she draw enough of that fire out again?

“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”

Co-Main in Las Vegas

The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.

Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.

Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.

Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.

Golden Boy in Cancun

A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.

In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.

Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.

Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.

Fights to Watch

Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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