Notebook: Benavidez-Morrell agreed to; Rayo-Pitbull II likely co-feature

WBO allows Janibek to keep 160 title but orders mandatory vs. Sheeraz; Matias set for return from title loss; Schofield foe set for Golden Boy headliner; Okolie vacates belt; Quick hits; Show and tell

Dan Rafael

Oct 09, 2024

David Benavidez Announces Huge Light Heavyweight Fight Against David Morrell: “One For The Fans”

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WBO orders Janibek-Sheeraz

The WBO on Tuesday ordered unified middleweight titlist Janibek Alimkhanuly and mandatory challenger Hamzah Sheeraz to fight next.

The WBO sent the notice to Alimkhanuly promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank and Queensberry Promotions’ Frank Warren, Sheeraz’s promoter, and gave them 15 days — until Oct. 23 — to make a deal.

If they don’t, a purse bid will be ordered, although either side can request an immediate purse bid if they do not want to negotiate. If the fight does wind up at a purse bid, minimum offer is $200,000.

Both fighters are coming off recent wins. Alimkhanuly (16-0, 11 KOs), 31, who was a 2016 Kazakhstan Olympian, traveled Australia and knocked out IBF mandatory challenger Andrei Mikhailovich in the ninth round of a one-sided fight on Oct. 4.

But only the IBF belt was at stake because Mikhailovich’s team declined to fight for the WBO. The WBO was willing to sanction it but wound up not doing so and could have stripped Alimkhanuly for not adhering to the WBO’s championship bout rules. On Friday, the WBO gave Alimkhanuly five days to “show cause” why he should not be stripped for failing to follow WBO rules.

However, according to the WBO, Top Rank argued that Alimkhanuly wanted to defend the WBO title but Mikhailovich promoter No Limit Boxing, which controlled the fight by winning the rights at an IBF purse bid, only wanted the IBF title at stake and, therefore, it was out of Alimkhanuly’s hands.

So, the WBO allowed Alimkhanuly to keep its belt but ordered the mandatory bout with Sheeraz next. Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs), 25, of England, the hottest contender in the division, destroyed Tyler Denny in the second round to win the European title on the Anthony Joshua-Daniel Dubois undercard on Sept. 21 at Wembley Stadium in London.

Sheeraz has also been ordered by the European Boxing Union to defend the European title against Queensberry stablemate Denzel Bentley (who Alimkhanuly outpointed in a WBO title defense in 2022) with Oct. 31 as the deadline for a deal.

But certainly a world title shot for Sheeraz would be a bigger fight worth more money and prestige. He is also closely associated with Riyadh Season and one of its ambassadors, so it would seem likely that the world title fight could land on one of its cards.

Top Rank said it was offered more than $1 million for Alimkhanuly to defend against Sheeraz on the Sept. 21 card but Sheeraz manager Egis Klimas turned it down. Klimas has denied there was an offer. Sheeraz instead fought Denny and Alimkhanuly fought the IBF mandatory for a fraction of the money Top Rank said he would have made for the Sheeraz bout.

Matias returns from title loss

Former IBF junior welterweight titlist Subriel Matias will return to action for his first fight since losing the belt. He will face Roberto Ramirez in the 10-round main event of a card on Nov. 9 (PPV.COM, iN Demand PPV, 6 p.m. ET, $39.95) at Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, promoter Juan Orengo Guerrido of Fresh Productions announced.

On June 15, Matias (20-2, 20 KOs), 32, one of boxing’s best punchers, made his second title defense in the headliner of a Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN in his hometown of Manati, Puerto Rico, against unbeaten underdog Liam Paro and lost a unanimous decision and the title. That fight ended his commitment to Matchroom Boxing, which briefly co-promoted him with Fresh Productions.

Ramirez (26-3-1, 19 KOs), 31, of Mexico, will be coming off an 11-month layoff. He has won three fights in a row since a fifth-round knockout loss to top lightweight contender William Zepeda in November 202.

In the co-feature, two-time IBF bantamweight titlist Emmanuel Rodriguez (22-3, 13 KOs), 32, of Puerto Rico, will face Jose Salas (15-0, 10 KOs), 22, a Mexican southpaw, in an IBF final eliminator. The winner will be the mandatory challenger for titlist Ryosuke Nishida (9-0, 1 KO), who won the belt from Rodriguez by unanimous decision in his home country of Japan in Rodriguez’s last fight in May.

Also on the card are three additional 10-round fights between Puerto Ricans (listed first) and Mexicans: junior welterweight Alfredo Santiago (15-2, 6 KOs) against Pedro Campa (36-3-1, 24 KOs); bantamweight Jeyvier Cintron (12-1, 6 KOs) versus Rashib Martinez (23-3-1, 11 KOs); and junior featherweight Abimael Ortiz (10-1, 5 KOs) against Kevin Gonzalez (27-1-1, 14 KOs).

Dmitry Bivol interview

If you missed the recent podcast episode that includes my one-on-one interview with WBA light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol ahead of Saturday’s huge fight for the undisputed title against Artur Beterbiev, we broke it out separately and you can listen to it here. Give it a listen, a review, and also subscribe to get an alert when the next episode is available. New shows every Thursday and Sunday night (and occasional special episodes like this one).

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Schofield tops GB card

Click photo to subscribe to DAZN for Schofield-Giron and more

Lightweight up-and-comer Floyd Schofield will fight Rene Tellez Giron in a 12-rounder that will headline a Golden Boy Promotion card on Nov. 2 (DAZN) at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, it was announced, confirming a Fight Freaks Unite report.

“I am beyond excited for my return to the ring as the official main event, and to show the world what I’ve been working on,” Schofield said. “My goal is simple — become a world champion. My opponent has measured up against some tough contenders and will be looking to steal the show, but we won’t let him do that this time around.”

Schofield (17-0, 12 KOs), 22, of Austin, Texas, is coming off a dominating win over Esteuri Suero, who was disqualified in the fifth round for repeated low blows.

Giron (20-3, 13 KOs), 25, of Mexico, has won three fights in a row and never been stopped in his losses.

“I’m so excited about this fight, like none other so far in my career,” Giron said. “Floyd Schofield, he's just another big name guy in my way to the top of the lightweight division. I will win. My preparation is always great. That's why I just scored two big wins in my last two fights. I like upsets. I’m that guy that will take your heart. I'm a proud fighter of Mexico; I will win this fight for my country.”

Also on the card:

In the co-feature, super middleweight Bektemir Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KOs), 28, an Uzbekistan native fighting out of Indio, California, and David Stevens (14-1, 10 KOs), 24, of Reading, Pennsylvania, will clash in a 10-rounder billed as a WBA title eliminator.
IBF women’s flyweight titlist Gabriela Fundora and Gabriela Celeste Alaniz, who holds the WBC/WBO/WBA belts, will meet for the undisputed title. Fundora (14-0, 6 KOs), 22, a southpaw from Coachella, California, and younger sister of unified junior middleweight titlist Sebastian Fundora, will make her third defense. Alaniz (15-1, 6 KOs), 28, of Argentina, fought to a draw with Marlen Esparza in a three-belt unification fight in July 2023 but in an immediate rematch in April, Alaniz defeated the overweight Esparza by split decision to unify the titles.
Super middleweight Darius Fulghum (12-0, 10 KOs), 28, of Houston, will face southpaw Christopher Pearson (17-4-1, 12 KOs), 33, of Selma, Texas, in a 10-rounder.
In the six-round welterweight opener, hot prospect Joel Iriarte (4-0, 4 KOs), 21, of Bakersfield, California, will face an opponent to be determined.

Okolie vacates, moving up

Lawrence Okolie has vacated the WBC bridgerweight belt with plans to campaign at heavyweight.

Once Okolie notified the WBC, interim titlist Kevin Lerena was elevated to the full titleholder in the 224-pound weight class recognized by the WBC and WBA but not the WBO or IBF.

“First I would like to state how proud and happy I was to compete for and win the WBC bridgerweight belt,” Okolie said. “After much consideration it is with a heavy heart that I have to unfortunately relinquish the WBC bridgerweight belt, respectfully requesting to be rated in the top 5 in the heavyweight division.”

Okolie and Lerena had been ordered to meet in a mandatory bout with the deadline extended multiple times but no deal was made.

England’s Okolie (20-1, 15 KOs), 31, a former WBO cruiserweight titlist, moved up to the 224-pound division and in May stopped Lukasz Rozanski in the first round to win the belt in Poland, Rozanski’s home country.

Lerena (30-3, 14 KOs), 32, a South African southpaw, is coming off a 10-round decision loss to Justis Huni at heavyweight in March but in his previous bout he outpointed Senad Gashi in November in South Africa for the vacant interim belt.

Quick hits

With WBO welterweight titlist Brian Norman sidelined with a left hand injury and ruled out of his first defense against Derrieck Cuevas on lightweight Keyshawn Davis’ homecoming against Gustavo Lemos on Nov. 8 (ESPN+) at the Scope in Norfolk, Virginia, the 10-round middleweight bout between 2020 U.S. Olympian Troy Isley and Tyler Howard has been elevated to co-feature status, Top Rank announced. Isley (13-0, 5 KOs), 26, of Alexandria, Virginia, is coming off a strong performance in a unanimous decision over amateur rival Javier Martinez on June 21. Howard (20-1, 11 KOs), 30, of Crossville, Tennessee, has been idle since a win in August 2023.

Ra’eese Aleem, the junior featherweight contender, is moving up to featherweight and will face Dominican Derlyn Hernandez-Gerarldo (12-2-1, 10 KOs), 30, in a 10-rounder that Top Rank has added to the Keyshawn Davis-Gustavo Lemos card on Nov. 10 (ESPN+). Aleem (20-1, 12 KOs), 34, of Las Vegas, has been out of action since a split decision loss to unbeaten Sam Goodman in Goodman’s home country of Australia in an IBF junior featherweight title eliminator in June 2023. Hernandez-Gerarldo is coming off his lone defeat, a second-round knockout in a junior lightweight bout to former title challenger Christopher Diaz in July.

WBC cruiserweight titlist Noel Mikaelian (27-2, 12 KOs), 34, an Armenia native fighting out of Miami, and mandatory challenger Ryan Rozicki (20-1, 19 KOs), 29, a Canadian southpaw, will meet on Dec. 7 at Centre 200 in Sydney, Canada, Rozicki’s hometown, according to the WBC and Rozicki promoter Three Lions Promotions. The fight had already been delayed due to a Mikaelian injury and a new deal falling apart, but before it was set to go to a purse bid this past Friday, Daniel Otter of Three Lions and Mikaelian promoter Don King made a deal that will see the challenger’s team promote the bout. The fight will be Mikaelian’s first defense since winning the vacant title via third-round KO of former titlist Ilunga Makabu in November in Miami. Rozicki has won seven fights in a row since a 12-round decision loss at heavyweight to Oscar Rivas in 2021.

WBA bridgerweight titlist Muslim Gadzhimagomedov (4-0, 3 KOs), 27, of Russia, and mandatory challenger Leon Harth (22-5-1, 13 KOs), 36, of Germany, will meet on Oct. 17 in Ufa, Russia, according to the WBA. Gadzhimagomedov, a 2020 Olympic silver medalist, won the vacant belt via fourth-round knockout of China’s Zhaoxin Zhang on July 12 in Serpukhov, Russia, and will make his first defense. Harth has not fought since he faced 2016 Russian Olympic heavyweight gold medalist Evgeny Tishchenko for the WBA’s inaugural bridgerweight title in his last fight in December and got knocked out in the sixth round in Dubai. However, Tishchenko was stripped and the result changed to a no contest when he tested positive for multiple banned substances in testing related to the bout.

Show and tell

Chris Eubank Sr.-Nigel Benn is arguably the greatest rivalry in British boxing history. More than 30 years later it still resonates, which is why the prospect of their sons, Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn, fighting is such a big deal in the United Kingdom. The fathers both won world titles at middleweight and super middleweight and were in several memorable bouts, including their two famous fights against each other. The rancor between them was intense before they met for the first time in 1990 with Benn making his second defense of the WBO middleweight belt, which outside of the U.K., was not considered a serious title at the time. Regardless, underdog Eubank knocked Benn out in the ninth round of a terrific and close fight in Birmingham, England. The rematch, with another bitter buildup, was a mega event when they meet three years later in a super middleweight unification fight with Eubank defending the WBO title for the eighth time and Benn making his fourth WBC defense before more than 40,000 at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester.

The fight dubbed “Judgement Day” was an enormous event and was televised on Showtime in the United States and on free television on ITV in the U.K. They put on another excellent fight, though not nearly as action-packed as the first fight, and in the end the judges could not pick a winner. It was ruled a split draw — 115-113 for Eubank, 114-113 for Benn and 114-114 — and they both retained their titles. The fight took place on Oct. 9, 1993 — 31 years ago on Wednesday. Here are both versions of the rematch program in my collection. They are the same inside but the one with the glossy yellow border on the cover could be found on newsstands across the U.K. leading up to the fight and one with the black cover and different photos could be purchased only at the stadium on fight night.