Featured Articles
Three Punch Combo: Introducing Heavyweight Prospect Viktor Faust and More

THREE PUNCH COMBO – Former Ukrainian amateur star Viktor Faust (known in his amateur days as Viktor Vykhryst) made a successful pro debut this past Saturday with a 43-second destruction of 23-fight veteran Andrei Mazanik. If you are not familiar with Faust, it is time to get acquainted as he appears to be on the fast track towards much bigger things in boxing’s glamour division.
Faust, 27, won gold as a super heavyweight at the 2017 European championships. Winner of many national titles, he was ticketed to lead the Ukrainian team in Tokyo at the 2020 Olympics but much to the bitter disappointment of the Boxing Federation of Ukraine he spurned that opportunity for a lucrative professional contract with a promotional company based out of Germany.
It’s difficult to break down a 43-second performance but there were some traits of Faust that stood out in his pro debut that show why he should be considered an elite level prospect. For one, he is extremely fluid in how he throws his combinations. Also, his hand speed is well above average for a heavyweight. I don’t want to go overboard on his power yet as his opponent had been stopped several times in the past, but the quick ending does show that Faust, at the very least, is not feather-fisted.
His technique looked good here and I also like what I saw on previous video from his amateur days. All in all, I think Viktor Faust should already be considered one of the sport’s top prospects. And by the end of the year, he may already have shed the prospect tag.
SHO BOX
The popular ShoBox series returns this Friday from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia with a quadruple-header of action. As is typical with this series, all four fights appear to be very competitive with the combined record of the eight fighters tallying 121-5-5. I like all four fights but the one in particular I’d like to highlight is the main event between lightweights Thomas Mattice (15-1-1, 11 KO’s) and Isaac Cruz Gonzalez (18-1-1, 14 KO’s).
Many times on the ShoBox series we have seen prospects get exposed and never return to the series. However, this has not been the case with Mattice (pictured on the far left). In his first four appearances on ShoBox he struggled going 2-1-1. In his ShoBox debut in February of 2018, Mattice had to rally to stop Roland Chinea in the seventh round in what was a poor effort up to the point of getting the come from behind stoppage. Another win five months later on ShoBox, an eight-round split decision over Zhora Hamazaryan, was universally scorned as a terrible decision.
After fighting to a draw in the rematch with Hamazaryan, Mattice would lose an eight- round decision in February of 2019 to the unheralded Will Madera. Mattice’s days on this prospect-oriented series seemed over following that effort but he was brought back as the opponent to face the fast-rising Michael Dutchover in September. And this time with his career seemingly on the line, Mattice rose to the occasion, stopping Dutchover in the eighth round of their scheduled ten round fight.
At his best, Mattice is a sharp punching boxer-puncher who works behind an educated left jab. He has both power and athleticism in his game. The talent is there to be a top- level fighter but his work rate and defense have been issues. Against Gonzalez, Mattice will need to be on top of his game to avoid another disappointing ShoBox outing.
Gonzalez is unbeaten in his last 14 fights. While much of his opposition is highly questionable, he does have one notable win during that stretch which was a third round stoppage of the once highly touted Jose Felix Jr.
There isn’t much video available of Gonzalez but what I have seen shows him to be an ultra-aggressive pressure fighter. He is somewhat in the mold of flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez in that Gonzalez just presses forward with sometimes reckless abandon chucking power punches from all angles. And as his record indicates he does have some heavy-handed power.
This should be a very interesting fight. Mattice is clearly the more skilled and more athletic fighter. If he fights like he did against Dutchover, then Mattice could put on a show here against a defensively challenged opponent. But Gonzalez is going to bring relentless pressure from the opening bell and we have seen Mattice in the past not respond well to those type of fighters. It’s a classic ShoBox fight and one I am very much looking forward to on Friday.
Under The Radar Fight
Boxing returns to FOX on Saturday with a card from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN that will be headlined by hometown hero Caleb Plant’s (19-0, 11 KO’s) second defense of his 168-pound title when he faces off against Germany’s Vincent Feigenbutz (31-2, 28 KO’s). While this fight will garner much attention, I am much more intrigued by the welterweight co-feature between Bryant Perrella (17-2, 14 KO’s) and Abel Ramos (25-3-2, 19 KO’s).
Perrella-Ramos is the quintessential type of fight we used to see with regularity in the 80’s and 90’s on the old USA Tuesday Night Fights series. Though neither would be considered a top contender in the welterweight division, they are both solid fighters who are each on the cusp of getting a bigger opportunity. And when two solid pros with equally matched skill-sets collide, more often than not we see a good entertaining fight.
Perrella was once considered to be a top-level prospect. But a 2016 knockout loss to Yordenis Ugas followed by a 2018 beatdown at the hands of Luis Collazo sent Perrella’s once promising career sideways. Since the loss to Collazo, Perrella has won two straight including his best win to date his last time out when he stopped another former elite prospect in Dominque Dolton in the third round.
Perrella is a classic boxer-puncher who possesses good hand speed and heavy-handed power in both fists. Matched carefully in the early part of his career, Perrella put on some sensational performances showcasing his natural athleticism and power.
However, Perrella has struggled when he stepped up in class and specifically when he has faced pressure fighters. And guess what type of fighter Ramos is?
The career of Ramos almost mirrors that of Perrella. Ramos was also once considered to be a good prospect but has generally come up short when stepping up in class. That said, he is coming off his two best career wins in 2019 against Francisco Santana and Jimmy Williams.
Each fighter has the skill-set to exploit the weakness of the other. Ramos is a slow plodding pressure fighter who has struggled against athletic quick-handed opponents. Contrastingly, Perrella has wilted when he has faced relentless pressure fighters such as Ramos. It’s a tough fight to forecast a winner but given their respective styles I am certain we will get a competitive fight with plenty of action.
Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel
To comment on this story in The Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
Avila Perspective, Chap. 317: Callum Walsh, Dana White and More

As Callum Walsh stood on the observation deck at the top of the Empire State Building with fists clenched, it harked back to actor Jimmy Cagney, an actor of Irish descent, yelling “Top of the world, ma,” in the 1949 motion picture White Heat.
The Irish-born Walsh brings that kind of attitude.
Once again Walsh (12-0, 10 KOs) returns to New York City and this time faces Scottish warrior Dean Sutherland (19-1, 7 KOs) in a super welterweight match set for 10 rounds on Sunday, March 16, at Madison Garden Theater.
UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions event.
Flanked by master trainer Freddie Roach and managed by Dana White it brings questions as to the direction that Walsh will be steered. It was just revealed that White will head a new boxing promotion outfit with big plans to make a more UFC type of organization.
Is Walsh part of the plans?
It’s a lot to digest as the hot prospect from Cork, Ireland proceeds toward world championship dreams. Can he cleanse his mind of this major distraction?
Walsh and Sutherland are both southpaws who are meeting at the crossroads in the heart of New York City. At this point of their careers a loss can mean rebooting and taking a few steps backward. The winner moves on to the next crucial step.
Sutherland, 26, hails from Aberdeen and has never fought outside of his native Scotland. It’s a lot to ask of someone whose country’s population of 5 million is dwarfed by New York City’s 8.2 million inhabitants all packed together.
Ireland’s population is also 5 million. So basically, both Walsh and Sutherland are on even terms when they enter the prize ring on Sunday.
Who knows what kind of competition Sutherland faced in Scotland. He beat two undefeated fighters and also conquered two foes who each had more than 100 losses on their resumes.
Meanwhile, Walsh has faced only one undefeated fighter but handled veterans like Benjamin Whitaker, Ismael Villareal and Carlos Ortiz Cervantes. But you never know until they meet face to face. Anything can happen in a prize ring.
Walsh has a three-fight knockout streak. Sutherland has slept two out of his last three foes. They will be joined by several Irish fighters on the card plus Cletus “The Hebrew Hammer” Seldin.
Dana, Turk and TKO
The announcement earlier in the week that Turki Alalshikh together with TKO Group Holdings that include Dana White and Nick Khan formed a new boxing promotion company.
White, who does not own UFC but guides the MMA ship, works for Endeavor, the parent company of UFC and WWE. Their events are all shown on ESPN, the powerful sports network (albeit WWE’s flagship weekly show “Raw” recently moved to Netflix). It seems Endeavor has decided to allow White to guide its boxing program too.
Where does that leave Top Rank?
It seems the partnership plans to rid boxing of the many sanctioning organizations and have only one champion per division. The champion will be given a Ring Magazine belt. Recently, Turki Alalshikh purchased The Ring magazine from Golden Boy Promotions. This seems to have been the plan all along.
Is this good for boxing?
Mark Shapiro, the president of TKO Group Holdings, said:
“This is a strategic opportunity to re-imagine the sport of boxing globally. TKO has the deep expertise, promotional prowess, and longstanding relationships. HE Turki Alalshikh and Sela share our passion and vision for evolving the current model. Together, we can bring the sweet science back to its rightful place in the forefront of the global sports ecosystem.”
DAZN all day
Three boxing cards take place on Saturday beginning with WBA featherweight titlist Nick Ball (21-0-1) the human cannonball, defending against former champion TJ Doheny from Liverpool, England. The first bout begins around 9:30 a.m. (Pacific Coast Time). Ball likes to charge forward and punch. Doheny is no slouch and has experience.
Later, Matchroom Boxing presents a show from Florida that features Edgar Berlanga (22-1) fresh off a solid contest against Canelo Alvarez. He fights undefeated Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) in a super middleweight match. Also, Ammo Williams (17-1) returns to face dangerous Patrice Volny (19-1) in a middleweight clash. The card starts at 3:30 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time.
Saturday evening MarvNation presents Amado Vargas (11-0) meeting Eduardo Hernandez (8-2) in a super lightweight contest at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. Start time is set for 8 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time). The son of the great Fernando Vargas remains undefeated.
Fights to Watch
Sat. DAZN 11:30 a.m. Nick Ball (21-0-1) vs TJ Doheny (26-5).
Sat. DAZN 3:30 p.m. Edgar Berlanga (22-1) vs Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) ; Ammo Williams (17-1) vs Patrice Volny (19-1).
Sat. DAZN 8 p.m. Amado Vargas (11-0) vs Eduardo Hernandez (8-2).
Sun. UFC Fight Pass 3 p.m. Callum Walsh (12-0) vs Dean Sutherland (19-1).
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
A Fresh Face on the Boxing Scene, Bryce Mills Faces His Toughest Test on Friday

“He wants to test himself and find out just how good he really is,” said International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter Russell Peltz regarding super lightweight Bryce Mills. Peltz, who has dealt with a wide range of fighters throughout his lifetime in boxing, recognized the fire that burned inside Mills at a local show in Philadelphia in early 2022. At the time Mills had less than ten professional fights under his belt.
Mills hails from Liverpool in upstate New York and trains in nearby Syracuse. Currently 17-1 (6 KOs), he’s undefeated in his last 11 since losing a split decision to a Puerto Rican fighter from the Bronx who had fought much stiffer competition.
The fight in question that caught Peltz’s eye was arranged by the well-known and respected matchmaker Nick Tiberi who paired Mills in an intriguing fight against Daiyaan Butt, a tough and skilled fighter from the Philadelphia area. They fought at LIVE Casino in South Philadelphia on Feb. 24, 2022.
Although the crowd on hand that night favored Butt, Mills, although then only 20 years old, wasn’t intimidated and was the clear-cut winner at the end of their exciting, back-and-forth battle. This showed Peltz that Mills was serious about seeing just how far his ability could take him.
That’s why Peltz decided to join forces with Mills. Despite being semi-retired, Peltz is still active enough to help guide fighters through the ever-changing wild west landscape that is boxing. Since their union after Mill’s victory over Butt, Mills has been on a nine-fight winning streak heading into what Peltz believes is the toughest test of his career this Friday against Alex Martin 18-6 (6 KOs) of Chicago.
“I didn’t want him to take this fight, it’s a dangerous fight for him. Martin is a southpaw and is tricky, he’s a veteran and is experienced. His father (Mills’s father) called me and said that Bryce wanted the fight, to his credit,” says Peltz. One look at Martin’s resume and it confirms what Peltz stated. All six of Martin’s losses came against fighters with outstanding records including a former world title challenger. Martin also holds some quality wins over undefeated prospects that were at similar points in their careers to where Mills currently is in his development.
Bryce Mills looks like a fighter (he’s always in shape), acts like a fighter (testing his craft against all comers), walks the walk of a fighter, and fights with a fan-friendly pedal-to-the-metal style. That is a winning combination that could be the breath of fresh air the boxing world could surely use and on Friday night at the Wind Creek Events Center in Bethlehem, PA, live on DAZN, Mills is going to have the opportunity to put the boxing world on notice.
***
DAZN will televise the Mills-Martin fight along with a main event that features undefeated middleweight Euri Cedeno (10-0-1, 9 KO’s) against Ulices Rivera (11-1, 7 KO’s). Knockout artist Joseph Adorno (20-4-1, 17 KOs) and undefeated Reading, PA super featherweight Julian Gonzalez (15-0-1, 11 KOs) appear in separate bouts on the undercard. Tickets for the Marshall Kauffman’s Kings Promotion show are still available through Ticketmaster. Lobby doors open at 5:00 pm. First bell is at 7:00.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
High Drama in Japan as ‘Amazing Boy’ Kenshiro Teraji Overcomes Seigo Yuri Akui

Overshadowed by countrymen Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani, Kenshiro Teraji embossed his Hall of Fame credentials in Tokyo tonight with a dramatic 12th-round stoppage of Seigo Yuri Akui. At stake were two pieces of the world flyweight title. A two-time world title-holder a division below (108), Teraji (25-1, 16 KOs) was appearing in his 16th world title fight.
This Japan vs. Japan matchup will go down in Japanese boxing lore as one of the best title fights ever on Japanese soil. Through the 11 completed rounds, Akui was up 105-104 on two of the cards with Teraji up 106-103 on the third. However, judging by his appearance, Akui was more damaged. The stoppage by Japanese referee Katsuhiko Nakamura, which came at the 1:31 mark of the final round with Akui still standing, struck some as premature but the gallant Akui was well-beaten.
A second-generation prizefighter, Kenshiro Teraji, 33, came bearing the WBC 112-pound belt which he acquired this past October with an 11th round TKO of Nicaraguan veteran Cristofer Rosales. The 29-year-old Akui (21-3-1) was making the second defense of the WBA strap he won with a wide decision over previously undefeated Artem Dalakian.
Although Teraji keeps on rolling – this was his seventh straight win which began with a third-round blast-out of Masamichi Yabuki, avenging his lone defeat – things aren’t getting any easier for the so-called “Amazing Boy.” In his last three fights, which include a hard-earned majority decision over Carlos Canizales, he answered the bell for 35 rounds.
By and large, fighters in his weight class don’t age well. While Teraji is starting to slip, he has no intention of retiring any time soon. His goal, he says is to unify the title and eventually move up a notch to pursue a world title in a third weight class. The other pieces of the 112-pound title are currently the property of Mexico’s Angel Ayala who defends his IBF diadem against Yabuki later this month and LA’s Anthony Olascuaga who was in action on tonight’s undercard.
Other Bouts of Note
Olascuaga, a stablemate of Junto Nakatani, trained by 2024 TSS Trainer of the Year Rudy Hernandez, advanced to 9-1 (6) with a hard-earned unanimous decision over Hiroto Kyoguchi. The judges had it 118-110 and 117-111 (scores condemned as too wide) with the third judge having it 6-6 in rounds but scoring it 114-113 in acknowledgement of the knockdown credited to Olascuaga in round 11, the result of a short left that produced a delayed reaction.
Olascuaga was making the second defense of his WBO belt in his fifth straight trip to Japan. In his lone defeat, he was thrust against the formidable Teraji as a late sub, acquitting himself well in defeat (L TKO 9) despite having only five pro fights under his belt and having only 10 days to prepare. Kyoguchi (19-3) had previously held titles in the sport’s two smallest weight classes.
In a big upset, Puerto Rico’s Rene Santiago, thought to be well past his prime at age 32, wrested the WBO light flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Shokichi Iwata who was making the first defense of the title he won with a third-round stoppage of Spain’s previously undefeated Jairo Noriega. Tokyo’s Iwata was a consensus 9/1 favorite.
Santiago, who advanced to 14-4 (9), won by scores of 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112. It was the second loss for Iwata who had knocked out 11 of his first 15 opponents.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Results and Recaps from Madison Square Garden where Keyshawn Davis KO’d Berinchyk
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Lamont Roach holds Tank Davis to a Draw in Brooklyn
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
Greg Haugen (1960-2025) was Tougher than the Toughest Tijuana Taxi Driver
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Gene Hackman’s Involvement in Boxing Went Deeper than that of a Casual Fan
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
The Hauser Report: Keyshawn Davis at Madison Square Garden
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Lucas Bahdi Paid His Dues, Quite Literally, and Now his Boxing Career is Flourishing
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
The Hauser Report — Riyadh Season and Sony Hall: Very Big and Very Small
-
Featured Articles7 days ago
Friday Boxing Recaps: Observations on Conlan, Eubank, Bahdi, and David Jimenez