Boxing Scene

Chris Billam-Smith considers his “legacy” on the line on Saturday against Gilberto Ramirez. The 34-year-old has proved himself the finest British cruiserweight of his generation, having won the WBO title from Lawrence Okolie and defended it against Richard Riakporhe on an evening when he avenged his only defeat.  In “Zurdo” Ramirez at the Kingdom Arena

ARLINGTON, Texas – Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington didn’t quite get the explosive performance he wanted, but he delivered a composed and dominant one, dropping Australia’s Dana Coolwell twice en route to a comfortable eight-round decision at AT&T Stadium on Friday night. The featherweight contest was the first of seven on a card topped by the

Cruiserweight contender Richard Riakporhe, from London, England, is set to return on December 7 against fellow Briton David Jamieson in the unexpected setting of Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Boxium Promotions have announced. The bout will be on the undercard of the WBC welterweight eliminator between Souleymane Cissokho and Egidus Kavaliauskas.  Riakporhe, 17-1 (13 KOs), last fought

Joe DeGuardia has announced the full card for Star Boxing’s “Rockin’ Fights 49,” set for November 23 at the Paramount in Huntington, New York. Local favorite Wendy “Haitian Fire” Toussaint returns to the ring against Argentina’s Brian Agustin Arregui in the super middleweight main event.  This marks Toussaint’s first fight since his close title bout

IRVING, Texas – Mike Tyson and Jake Paul both “made” weight for their Friday heavyweight headline event when they hit the scales at Thursday’s ceremonial weigh-in at the Toyota Music Factory. Tyson, who weighed in at 228.4lbs, will attempt to roll back the years on Friday night when the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion takes on

Lawrence Okolie expects Chris Billam-Smith to defeat Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez on Saturday – and then to fight Jai Opetaia in 2025. Okolie sacrificed the WBO cruiserweight title when suffering his only defeat, by Billam-Smith, in May 2023.  He has since moved to bridgerweight, and most recently heavyweight, where on December 7 he will fight Hussein

In this week’s mailbag, we tackle Mike Tyson’s chances of defeating Jake Paul; whether Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez is getting too much credit for his wins; two views on how Jaron “Boots” Ennis looked in his rematch with Karen Chukhadzhian; and if it’s too soon for Keyshawn Davis to take on Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Want to

Mike Tyson suffered a medical incident on a cross-country flight on May 27, forcing the originally planned date of his July 20 fight against Jake Paul to be postponed. It was rescheduled to November 15 days after the ordeal due to what was described at the time as an ulcer flare-up. New details have emerged

The cruiserweight division has long been a sort of way station for boxers moving on toward the bigger fighters and opportunities available at heavyweight. Of course, Evander Holyfield and Oleksandr Usyk each went from being the undisputed cruiserweight champion to accomplishing the same feat at heavyweight. A number of other titleholders have also moved up

Marquis Taylor will return to the ring on December 13 in Houston, Texas, to face undefeated Petr Khamukov at the Red Owl Boxing Arena.  The fight will be broadcast live on DAZN. Taylor, now trained by former titleholder Shawn Porter, hasn’t lost in nine years since a 2015 defeat to Ladarius Miller. Since then, he’s

Even for a boxer, the goodbye walk is a painful one. Zipping up the suitcase. Kissing the foreheads of the sleeping children before letting go of that long embrace with your wife. Locking up the front door. Driving down the road. For former unified 140-pound champion Jose Ramirez, saying goodbye to family for the isolation

Michaela Kotaskova will defend her WBF welterweight gong against ex-champ Mikaela Lauren in Vienna, Austria, on November 30. Lauren, who will turn 49 in January, claims that victory will make her the oldest champion in female boxing history. The current record holder is Alicia Ashley, who was 48 when she beat Christina McMahon in 2015

Blair “The Flair” Cobbs made an unexpected appearance at the IBF welterweight titleholder Jaron “Boots” Ennis’ fight on Saturday night in Philadelphia. Cobbs may have been hoping to build interest in a showdown with Ennis, but Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn proposed a different match-up — Cobbs against Karen Chukhadzhian. Ennis, a 27-year-old titleholder from Philadelphia, on

Naoya Inoue is poised to close 2024 as the dominating force in the sport moving into 2025. Consider that while Canelo Alvarez is playing out the string in the super-middleweight division, that Terence Crawford seems only to have eyes for Alvarez and that the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury winner will be in their late 30s, four-division

Chris Billam-Smith smiles at a question, then proceeds to shovel some scrambled egg and halloumi into his mouth. We are in a trendy brunch spot around 20 minutes from his home, near Bournemouth, and “The Gentleman” is living up to his name. The WBO cruiserweight champion has said “hello” to everyone who has made eye

Bruce Seldon Jnr, son of former WBA heavyweight titleholder Bruce Seldon, returns to the ring for the fourth fight of his professional career on November 16 at the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  The 30-year-old Seldon of Smithville, New Jersey, is set for another four-round bout, adding to a career that has seen

Junior welterweight Arnold Barboza Jnr isn’t in the sport to play backup anymore. For years, Barboza watched as others in the junior welterweight division – like Jose Ramirez – seized title shots and headlined big fights. Now 32, Barboza came close to calling it quits. But Saturday night, he takes center stage against Ramirez in a

Junior welterweight Arnold Barboza Jnr has returned to Big Bear, California, for training ahead of his November 16 bout against Jose Ramirez in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The remote setting, known for shaping many of his best boxing camps, reflects the mental and physical toughness needed for Ramirez’s relentless pressure. The 12-round fight will be broadcast