Notebook: Bivol gets new challenger on Saudi mega card
Hrgovic foe also set for Dec. 23 event; Mayer moving up to challenge Jonas; new date for Buatsi-Azeez; Golden Boy signs Barboza; Quick hits; Show and tell
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While Queensberry Promotions and the Saudi Arabian group putting on the massive mostly heavyweight card on Dec. 23 as part of the annual Riyadh Season cultural festival get set for a news conference on Wednesday to announced the pay-per-view event in London, the card has seen a change and another fighter on the card get an opponent.
WBA light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs), 32, of Russia, will defend against England’s Lyndon Arthur (23-1, 16 KOs), 32, in Riyadh, sources with knowledge of the deal told Fight Freaks Unite on Tuesday.
Bivol, the consensus 2022 fighter of the year thanks to an upset decision over Canelo Alvarez and a one-sided rout of then-unbeaten top challenger Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, has yet to fight in 2023. He was initially being lined up to face Richard Rivera (25-1, 19 KOs), 32, of Hartford, Connecticut, whose only loss was by split decision to former three-division titlist Badou Jack in August 2022 cruiserweight fight.
Rivera’s team told Fight Freaks Unite that they had agreed to terms but in recent days the card organizers elected to go with Arthur instead.
Arthur has won four fights in a row since a fourth-round knockout loss to former two-time world title challenger Anthony Yarde in their December 2021 rematch.
Also, Filip Hrgovic (16-0, 13 KOs), 31, of Croatia, who is the IBF heavyweight mandatory challenger and recently became a promotional free agent, will face Mark De Mori (41-2-2, 36 KOs), 41, of Australia, a source with knowledge of the deal told Fight Freaks Unite.
Hrgovic is in position to be the next IBF heavyweight title challenger and is staying busy with a seemingly safe fight as he protects his position.
The winner of the undisputed heavyweight championship fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, which was initially due to take place Dec. 23 and now will take place Feb. 17 in Riyadh due to the much tougher than expected fight Fury got in a disputed decision over former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in his pro boxing debut on Oct. 28, will be mandated to fight Hrgovic next as long as Hrgovic wins Dec. 23.
However, Fury and Usyk, whose Feb. 17 date is scheduled to be announced Thursday at a news conference in London, have a two-fight deal. If the loser opts for a rematch, the IBF will strip the winner and Hrgovic will fight for the vacant title.
De Mori has won 11 fights in a row, all by knockout, but against low level opposition, since suffering a first-round knockout to former cruiserweight and heavyweight titlist David Haye in 2016. De Mori’s other loss was also a first-round knockout in 2004.
The top two fights on the card, per sources, are former two-time unified heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) against Otto Wallin (26-1, 14 KOs) and a match between former heavyweight titlists Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) and Joseph Parker (33-3, 23 KOs).
In other bouts, lineal/IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (23-0, 18 KOs) is supposed to defend and there are also other heavyweight fights: Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-0, 17 KOs) versus Agit Kabayel (23-0, 15 KOs); former WBA “regular” titleholder Daniel Dubois (19-2, 18 KOs) against Jarrell Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs); and Frank Sanchez (23-0, 16 KOs) against Junior Fa (20-2, 11 KOs).
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Jonas-Mayer for title
Natasha Jonas will defend the IBF women’s welterweight title against former unified junior lightweight titlist Mikaela Mayer on Jan. 20 (ESPN+ in U.S., Sky Sports in U.K.) at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England, Top Rank and Boxxer announced on Tuesday.
Jonas (14-2-1, 9 KOs), 39, a southpaw from England, dropped down from junior middleweight, where she was the three-belt unified champion, and won the vacant IBF welterweight title by eighth-round knockout of Kandi Wyatt in July.
“I’m so excited to be fighting back in Liverpool in my first headline show and in the biggest fight of my career so far,” Jonas said. “It’s my fifth world title fight with Boxxer, in my backyard, and I’m ready for it. It’s Mikaela Mayer; she stretches above and beyond the U.K. shores. ‘Miss GB’ versus ‘Miss USA’ and may the best woman win.”
Mayer (19-1, 5 KOs), 33, of Los Angeles, will be boxing in England for the fourth consecutive fight and in her fourth different weight class in as many bouts. She lost a split decision to Alycia Baumgardner in a three-belt junior lightweight unification fight 13 months ago and her two fights so far this year, both decision wins, were at lightweight against Lucy Wildheart and then at junior welterweight in September against Silvia Bortot in a fight Jonas was ringside for. The plan all along was to match them near the end of the year.
“These are the types of matchups boxing needs,” Mayer said. “I am feeling better than ever at my new weight and confident that 2024 is when I take it all back.”
In the co-feature, British super middleweight champion Jack Cullen (22-4-1, 10 KOs), 30, will defend against Zak Chelli (14-2-1, 7 KOs), 25, in a rematch of their 2020 split draw.
We broke out my interview with Shakur Stevenson, who fights Edwin De Los Santos for the vacant WBC lightweight title on Thursday, as a stand-alone podcast. Give it a listen! Also, subscribe to the pod for an alert as soon as the next episode drops.
Buatsi-Azeez rescheduled
The WBA light heavyweight title eliminator between British countrymen and friends Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez has been rescheduled for Feb. 3, Boxxer announced on Tuesday.
The fight will headline at the Ovo Arena Wembley in London and the card will stream on Peacock in the United States and air on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom.
Buatsi (17-0, 13 KOs), 30, and Azeez (20-0, 13 KOs), 34, were initially scheduled to fight for the right to become the mandatory challenger for titleholder Dmitry Bivol on Oct. 21 at The O2 in London, but the fight was postponed after Azeez suffered a back injury.
Boxxer said the fight was moved to Ovo Arena Wembley due to a lack of available dates at The O2.
Boxxer said it had held Jan. 13 at The O2 but unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev is defending that night in Canada against mandatory challenger Callum Smith, which means that Buddy McGirt, who trains Smith and Azeez, would not be available to be with Azeez.
“We’ve secured the next available date, which is Feb. 3 at the OVO Arena Wembley,” Boxxer CEO Ben Shalom said. “We’re starting the year with a bang. Both men are hungrier than ever and can’t wait to get in the ring. With London bragging rights and a world title opportunity up for grabs, it’s a fight you do not want to miss.”
Both fighters were pleased to have a new date locked in.
“There’s definitely some unfinished business. The delay has only made me more determined,” Buatsi said. “It’s a very important fight. There is too much on the line for me to contemplate anything other than victory.”
Said Azeez: “I’m really glad to have recovered. My back feels better than ever and I can’t wait for Feb. 3. The initial date was meant to be Jan. 13 but obviously my trainer will be in the corner for Callum Smith versus Artur Beterbiev, so I’m really pleased everyone has been able to accommodate this for what is essentially my world title fight.”
Golden Boy signs Barboza
Golden Boy announced on Tuesday that it has signed unbeaten junior welterweight contender Arnold Barboza to a promotional contract.
The first bout of the new deal will take place on the undercard of the return of junior welterweight star Ryan Garcia against Oscar Duarte on Dec. 2 (DAZN) at the Toyota Center in Houston. Barboza’s opponent is to be determined.
“I’m ready for the big fights,” Barboza said. “I’m ready for the big events, I’m ready to fight in L.A., where I was born and raised. I feel that Golden Boy and (Golden Boy CEO) Oscar (De La Hoya) will deliver this for me and they stepped up and gave me what I asked for.”
Barboza (28-0, 10 KOs), 31, of Los Angeles, spent most of his career promoted by Top Rank, but they did not see eye to eye on how he should be moved and his contract expired in August. However, Top Rank retained a matching right on any offer.
When Golden Boy made a recent offer, Barboza manager Rick Mirigian had to send it to Top Rank, which ultimately declined to match it, allowing the deal with Golden Boy to be finalized, a source with knowledge of the deal told Fight Freaks Unite.
Barboza is coming off his most notable victory, a competitive 10-round decision win over former two-division titlist Jose Pedraza in February. Barboza also owns wins against Danielito Zorrilla, who lost a disputed split decision to WBC junior welterweight titlist Regis Prograis in June; former title challenger Alex Saucedo; and former titlist Mike Alvarado.
“The mold of a Golden Boy fighter is talent and hunger to become a world champion, which are all the qualities that Arnold Barboza Jr. possesses,” De La Hoya said. “We will position him to fight for a world title in the very near future. We’re the best in the business at building the next generation of stars and Arnold Barboza Jr. will put the 140-pound division on notice.”
Mirigian was pleased to get the deal done.
“Value is not determined by those who set the price. Value is determined by those who choose to pay it,” Mirigian said. “Golden Boy has placed a high value on Barboza and wasted no time to show it.”
Quick hits
With Leigh Wood having vacated the WBA featherweight title to move up in weight, Otabek Kholmatov (11-0, 10 KOs), 25, of Uzbekistan, who was Wood’s mandatory challenger, and Raymond Ford (14-0-1, 7 KOs), 24, a southpaw from Camden, New Jersey, were recently ordered to fight for the vacant title. But they have not made a deal and on Tuesday the WBA scheduled a purse bid at 12 p.m. ET on Nov. 27 via Zoom and notified all of its registered promoters. Each fighter is due 50 percent of the winning bid. Minimum bid is $120,000 plus a $5,000 participation fee.
Puerto Rican welterweight Derrieck Cuevas (26-1-1, 18 KOs), 28, who has won three fights in a row, and Marlon Aguas (14-1, 9 KOs), 33, of Ecuador, who has won five fights in a row, will meet in a 10-rounder that will headline All Star Boxing’s “Panama Fight Night IV” card on Dec. 1 (ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET) at the Centro de Combates in Panama City, Panama. Cuevas’ three fights so far this year all ended with a knockout. “Activity has been key,” Cuevas said. “I’m more focused and ready thanks to my great team. Dec.1 we will continue to shine and get ready for a big 2024.” On the undercard, junior flyweight Azael Villar (19-2-4, 15 KOs), of Panama City, will face Peru’s Ricardo Astuvilca (23-1, 5 KOs) in a 10-rounder.
Show and tell
Manny Pacquiao won the lineal/WBC flyweight title in Thailand in 1998 and then came to the United States and, on short notice, knocked out Lehlo Ledwaba to win the IBF junior featherweight title in 2001. But his true coming out party, the fight where he first looked like he might become an all-time great, was when he squared off with then-lineal featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera at the Alamodome in San Antonio on HBO. Barrera was in the midst of a tremendous run, having beaten Naseem Hamed, Erik Morales in their rematch, Johnny Tapia and Kevin Kelley when he faced Pacquiao, and got demolished in the first of their two bouts.
Pacquiao got dropped in the first round but otherwise dominated, knocking Barrera down in the third round and stopping him in the 11th round to win the lineal featherweight title in the first of many huge victories to come on his way to legend status and winning titles in a record eight divisions. Pacquiao’s beat down of Barrera was on Nov. 15, 2003 — 20 years ago on Wednesday. Here is a very rare site poster, a limited HBO poster and a program in my collection.
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Photos: Bivol: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing; Barboza: Mikey Williams/Top Rank
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Mark de Mori? LOL, was Dawejko unavailable? pitiful
Bivol. Dude wasn't irrelevant for years by accident. Water finds it level, always.