Featured Articles
A Split for the Pulev Brothers and a Big Upset on the Undercard of ‘TrillerVerz5’

RINGSIDE REPORT by TSS SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT TARRAH ZEAL – It was an eventful Saturday night for TrillerVerz 5 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA. The show, titled ‘Lineage of Greatness,’ featured a well-known family blood line of boxers including Pulev, Vargas and Holyfield.
The Pulev brothers headlined as the co-main and main event, but only one was successful.
Main Event
Former light heavyweight titlist Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (35-4-1, 29 KOs) starred in a new weight class and defeated the younger unbeaten Pulev brother, Tervel Pulev (16-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round cruiserweight battle.
Russia’s Kovalev schooled his Bulgarian opponent with the jab to capture a unanimous decision. The scorecards read as 97-93 and 98-92 twice for Kovalev. This was Kovalev’s first appearance in the ring since his knockout loss against Canelo Alvarez back in November 2019.
“I was worried about how I was going to be in this fight”, said Kovalev. “After a long rest, it was a little harder than usual.” Kovalev’s performance in the ring was rather cautious and calculated. His opponent wanted to put his skills to the test against the former light heavyweight fighter, but every time Pulev came up short.
Pulev started the opening round with a tone of aggression but was unsuccessful in landing any notable punches against Kovalev. In the final round, one lead punch landed upon Kovalev pushing him back. This gave Pulev an ounce of hope, but Kovalev responded quickly and answered Pulev with several clean, hard punches, keeping him at a distance. Kovalev repeatedly won the rounds with an effective jab and by landing the bigger and heavier punches. “The plan was to use the jab and long distance,” Kovalev said after his successful win in a new division.
Co- Main
The co-main event, matching Kubrat Pulev against Jerry Forrest, caused a bit of delay and controversy in regard to a glove situation. Because Forrest’s gloves did not fit the fighter, finding a new pair of gloves that not only fit but satisfied Pulev’s team needed to happen before the fight could begin. Pulev (23-2, 15 KOs) loaned Forrest (26-5-2, 20 KOs) a pair of his own back-up boxing gloves. Replays of earlier fights from the night were not entertaining during the delay and the crowd grew frustrated as they waited for the fight to begin.
In his first fight since losing to Anthony Joshua in 2020, Pulev the 41- year-old Bulgarian, dominated the strong and resilient American heavyweight fighter. In the beginning rounds, both boxers danced around the ring with quick touch-and-go combinations. Pulev mainly kept Forrest up against the ropes swinging hard hooks to the head but slightly missing. In round three, a straight right hand stunned Pulev backwards. Pulev responded quickly and the two fighters got into a bit of mix-up in the center of the ring. Kubrat kept Forrest on the ropes throwing hard hooks. The crowd cheered with excitement as the round ended with a flurry of uppercuts upon the chin of Forrest.
A cut over the right eye of Kubrat ended the fifth round. A repeating trend between the two heavyweights carried into the next couple of rounds: landing punches, movement around the ring, a mix-up and continuous holding causing the ref to break up the two. By round seven, it was clear that Pulev was dominating the fight. His hard jabs and swinging hooks almost emptied Forrest’s energy tank. The ring doctor examined Forrest before allowing him to continue on to the eighth round although it was clear how exhausted Forrest was.
In the tenth and final round, Forrest squeezed all that he had left in him as he kept moving clumsily forward towards hard-hitting Pulev. Before the final bell, a straight hard jab staggered Pulev back reminding the Bulgarian fighter that the fight was not over. But Pulev laughed it off and closed in on his opponent. The judges scored the bout 98-92 and 99-91 twice for Pulev for the unanimous decision win.
VARGAS
Former middleweight champion Fernando “El Feroz” Vargas Sr. started a legacy of his own with his sons following closely in his footsteps. All three of Vargas’ sons continued the family dynasty and their father’s legacy with superior wins Saturday night.
Making his debut into the professional boxing world, seven-time amateur champion Emiliano ‘El General’ Vargas (1-0, 1 KO) destroyed his opponent Mark Salgado (1-2, 1 KO) only 2:09 in the opening round. Vargas gave his opponent no room to respond as he packed on the punches with hard-hitting combinations pushing him to the corner. With a look of fury upon the face of the hungry 18-year-old, Vargas connected repeated left hooks upon Salgado and knocked him down to the canvas. After being knocked down once and noticeably unable to keep his head steady after a flurry of punches was followed up, referee Jose Cobian stopped the bout. The crowd roared in agreement.
Emiliano is being proclaimed the “special one” of the trio by his two older brothers. “Watch out for me. I’m still a kid, wait until I get my man strength. The Vargas dynasty is here to stay,” says the youngest.
The eldest of the three, Fernando Vargas Jr. (6-0, 6 KOs) dominated his opponent Terrance Jarmon (3-1) in a scheduled six round super welterweight battle. Southpaw Vargas Jr. threw a quick right cross upon the chin of Jarmon, testing his opponent in the early seconds of the first round. It wasn’t long before a three-punch combo sent Jarmon to the canvas. The referee allowed Jarmon to continue, only to see him knocked down twice more. The fight ended after the third knock down. Vargas Jr. remained undefeated with a knockout win in round one.
Twenty-one-year-old Amado “El Malvado” Vargas (4-0, 2 KOs) opened the show as he faced Anel Dudo (1-4, 1 KO) of Aurora, Colorado. Vargas, who turned pro last year, continued his undefeated record as he won the judges favor in a junior lightweight battle. The bout heard the final bell but not before Vargas schooled his opponent all four rounds with his powerful punches. All three judges scored the bout: 39-36 for Vargas. “I wanted to knock him out, he’s never been knocked out. I just listened to my dad. He told me to keep boxing”, says Amado. Vargas Sr. recapped his son’s fight shortly after stating, “It’s a learning fight. All fights are learning fights.”
HOLYFIELD
Son of legend Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield, Evan ‘Yung Holy’ Holyfield (9-1, 6 KOs) suffered the first loss of his career by a crushing knockout at the hands of Jurmain “The Fighting Electrician” McDonald (7-5, 3 KOs) who fights out of Jefferson City, Missouri.
In the scheduled six-round welterweight battle, Holyfield remained calm and steady as he fought at the center of the ring looking for the perfect opportunity to catch his opponent off guard, but McDonald beat him to the punch. McDonald stayed busier throwing shots and moving around the ring, and he eventually caught Holyfield with a variety of shots. In round two, McDonald shut down any doubts of him with a big right hook to the head of Holyfield, knocking him to the canvas. In an extreme upset and complete shock heard through the stadium, Referee Raul Caiz Jr. stopped the fight at the 8-count ending the second round at 1:56.
“Boxing is starting to become more protected. Evan was not in the conscious state he needed to be in,” says Shawn Porter who was standing ringside reporting on all the fights.
Vargas Sr. was asked what advice he would give Holyfield if that was his son who had lost in the way he did and in a fatherly and inspiring response, said, “I told him. Champ keep your head up. It happens, sometimes we get caught. You’re still Holy.”
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
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
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

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.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
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
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Lamont Roach holds Tank Davis to a Draw in Brooklyn
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
A Fresh Face on the Boxing Scene, Bryce Mills Faces His Toughest Test on Friday
-
Featured Articles1 week ago
Bernard Fernandez Reflects on His Special Bond with George Foreman
-
Featured Articles7 days ago
A Paean to George Foreman (1949-2025), Architect of an Amazing Second Act
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
Friday Boxing Recaps: Observations on Conlan, Eubank, Bahdi, and David Jimenez
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Notes and Nuggets from Thomas Hauser: Callum Walsh Returns to Madison Square Garden
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Spared Prison by a Lenient Judge, Chordale Booker Pursues a World Boxing Title
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Boxing Odds and Ends: Mikaela Mayer on Jonas vs. Price and More