Notebook: Heavyweight Bryan aims to keep belt against Dubois, grow reputation
Fundora eyes Spence; Jalolov excited for 'ShoBox' main event; Berlanga addresses KO drought; Madrimov-Soro II set; Kyoguchi-Bermudez is Friday; Quick hits; Show and tell
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When it comes to naming the top heavyweights in boxing, Trevor Bryan knows his name is not one that immediately comes to mind even though he has been a professional for a decade, is undefeated and holds the WBA’s “regular” title.
Stretches of inactivity, little exposure and virtually no respect for the belt he holds, haven’t helped.
But Bryan is aiming to improve his position with what most expect to be his toughest test when he makes his second defense against British contender Daniel Dubois on Saturday (FITE and linear PPV in the U.S., BT Sport in the U.K., 4 p.m. ET, $29.99) at the Casino Miami Jai-Alai in Miami.
The fight will be Bryan’s second of the year already, having retained the belt by split decision over late replacement Jonathan Guidry in January after having been off for one year before the bout and being idle for 2½ years before that.
Bryan’s near-anonymity has been one of his and promoter Don King’s talking points.
“Hey, listen — this is who I am. This is Trevor Bryan,” Bryan said at this week’s news conference ahead of the fight. “You see this face right here? I’ve been here for a long time, and I’m going to be here for a long time.
“Let me just say a couple more things. See my face again: this is Trevor Bryan, the undefeated WBA heavyweight champion. This fight is called the ‘Fight for Freedom and Peace,’ but before you have freedom and peace, you’ve got to have war, and war’s what you’re going to have on (Saturday). It’s going to be a war.”
King, who is 90, is trying to get the word out about Bryan and the card.
“All throughout the world, there’s just a sense that nobody knows Trevor,” King said at the news conference. “On this side of the dais is ‘The Dream’ (Bryan). This man has a dream, and that’s what America’s all about. This young man is undefeated, and his dream has been to stay a world champion. Yesterday’s nobody becomes tomorrow’s somebody.”
King won the promotional rights to the bout at a purse bid, offering $3,116,001 to beat $2,503,000 bid from Dubois promoter Frank Warren. Bryan (22-0, 15 KOs), 32, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is entitled to 55 percent ($1,713,800.55) and Dubois (17-1, 16 KOs), 24, gets 45 percent ($1,402,200.45). The winner will be mandatory for unified titlist Oleksandr Usyk, who first meets Anthony Joshua in a rematch later this summer.
Dubois has won two fights in a row against modest opposition since getting knocked out in the 10th round and suffering a broken left eye socket against countryman Joe Joyce for the vacant European title in November 2020. He has been dismissive of Bryan and predicting a knockout.
“One hundred percent, I’m ready to rumble,” Dubois said. “I’m out here to make myself, my family, and my country proud. This is what I’ve been waiting for, and I can’t wait for Saturday. I’m going to have to go through Trevor and take that belt back with me on the plane.”
Bryan’s response to Dubois: “I’m nobody; you’re just going to walk through me, right? That’s not what’s going to happen. I hope that you’re ready because I’m telling you right now — this is going to be a hard night for you. You’re not going home across the pond with the belt.”
Bryan has needed Dubois for his loss, which some suggested that he quit in when he did not continue after the serious injury.
“Daniel Dubois is a strong fighter. He has fought some good guys, but I am on a different level,” Bryan said. “You saw that when he came up against some good opposition, he quit, gave up. You don't quit, you don't give up. I would rather go out on my shield. He is an OK guy but he is going in against a nightmare. I will be a nightmare for him and not the fight that he wants. Maybe he should have went back and tried to reverse the loss he had against Joe Joyce before he came to (fight me).”
Fundora to 147 for Spence?
Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz was with junior middleweight contender Sebastian Fundora, one of his fighters, on Thursday afternoon at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York, which is one of the hosts of the annual Hall of Fame weekend, when he almost choked after hearing what Fundora had to say.
“We were having lunch and I almost choked on the Reuben sandwich I was eating,” Lewkowicz said Thursday. “He told me he wants to go to down 147 pounds.”
Keep in mind that at nearly 6-foot-6, Fundora is already perhaps the tallest junior middleweight in boxing history, so the idea of a move from 154 pounds down to 147 was shocking to Lewkowicz.
But Lewkowicz said Fundora is serious, that he would move down in weight if he can land a world title shot.
“His father told me always that he’s walking around at 162 all the time,” Lewkowicz said. “So, he thinks it’s an opportunity to fight for a title against (fellow Premier Boxing Champions fighter) Errol Spence if (Terence) Crawford doesn’t sign to fight Errol) Spence. If Crawford doesn’t fight Spence then Spence has no one to fight at 147. He would go down only to fight the best.”
Read the rest of my story on Big Fight Weekend here: https://bigfightweekend.com/news/fundora-interested-in-move-down-to-147-if-he-can-fight-spence/
FITE in Focus
Don King is promoting the Trevor Bryan-Daniel Dubois card on Saturday in Miami. It is on pay-per-view and FITE is the streaming home for the event, so I interviewed Don for an episode of FITE in Focus on which we previewed the card. Of course, Don being Don, there was stuff on Ukraine, Donald Trump, Shimon Peres, Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee and a lot more randomness. He even shouted out at one point, “That’s why I love Dan Rafael!” You can watch it here:
Jalolov’s first main event
Bakhodir Jalolov (10-0, 10 KOs), a two-time Uzbekistan Olympian and the 2020 super heavyweight gold medalist, faces Jack Mulowayi (11-2-1, 7 KOs), 35, of Belgium, fights in an eight-rounder on “ShoBox: The New Generation” on Friday (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET/PT) and is excited to have his first main event in his first appearance on the series on a big weekend.
The card is tied to the annual induction weekend of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in nearby Canastota, New York. Lou DiBella, Jalolov’s promoter and the promoter of the card, is being inducted on Sunday along with members of the classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022. The past two induction weekends were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m very honored to be fighting on such a big weekend on Showtime,” Jalolov said though and interpreter. “This is my first main event and the toughest fight of my pro career so I’m very prepared and I will show just how prepared I am.
“It hasn’t been that hard for me to switch styles and transition from the amateurs to the pros. But I understand that the opponents will get better, but so far up until this point there’s not a big difference.”
The 6-foot-7, 2512-pound Jalolov had already had eight professional fights before fighting in the Olympics, which allowed professionals to compete for the second straight Games. As the super heavyweight gold medalist, Jalolov is expected to become a force in the pros and that is what he is aiming for.
“I’m looking at my opponent as just another fighter. I’m not looking at him as a special fighter,” he said. “I do respect him as a fighter. I do understand he’s a tough guy, never been knocked down, but I look at any fight in the world as just another fight. I’m just getting ready to fight. I’m only looking forward to the world championship fight and that’s what I’m concentrated on. This to me is just another fight.
“My father’s dream and my dream was for me to become an Olympic champion. When I went to the Olympics the first time in 2016, I was young. My dad passed away a little bit earlier than the Olympics in 2016, so I knew I wasn’t going to leave amateur boxing without Olympic gold. It was my dream and it was my father’s dream.”
There are also two other eight-rounders on the card: heavyweight George Arias (17-0, 7 KOs) against Alante Green (10-0-1, 7 KOs) and lightweight Tyler Tomlin (13-0, 9 KOs) versus Chann Thonson (10-0, 7 KOs).
Berlanga’s KO drought
After Puerto Rican super middleweight up-and-comer Edgar Berlanga (19-0, 16 KOs) scored first-round knockouts in his first 16 fights, he has gone the distance in his last three.
The Brooklyn, New York, resident hopes to resume his power surge against two-time world title challenger Roamer Alexis Angulo (27-2, 23 KOs), 38, of Colombia, in the 10-round main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN Deportes/ESPN+, 11 p.m. ET) — the eve of the annual Puerto Rican Day parade — at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“It’s part of the process. I'm young, 25 years old,” Berlanga said at Thursday’s news conference. “What can I say? I have 16 first-round knockouts, so I didn't really gain the experience I needed. Definitely, these last three fights, I got the experience I needed. That's the most important thing to make yourself a real professional athlete. But not only that, at that top level, you need those rounds. You need that feeling of what it’s like to get in the eighth, 10th round, and we got that done. This Saturday, Puerto Rican Day weekend, I'm looking for a huge victory. I'm ready to go all out.”
The winner will be the first recipient of Madison Square Garden’s Miguel Cotto Trophy. Cotto, one of Puerto Rico’s all-time greats, will be ringside on Saturday and then be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on Sunday in Canastota, New York. Cotto won world titles in four weight classes and headlined at the Garden on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day parade five times.
“I'm excited. It's Puerto Rican Day (parade) weekend, (the first one) since the pandemic, two years,” Berlanga said. “I've been dreaming about this since I was a kid. I feel like I spoke it into existence. My hard work paid off and now we're here.”
“My team and Top Rank felt like (Angulo) was the perfect opponent for Puerto Rican Day weekend. He's the type of fighter that comes forward. Hopefully, he does that this Saturday. He's a tough, rugged fighter. He makes it look ugly, comes forward. He has power just like me.”
Madrimov-Soro rematch set
Junior middleweights Israil Madrimov and Michel Soro will run it back in a WBA title elimination bout on the undercard of the rematch between heavyweights Derek Chisora and Kubrat Pulev on July 9 (DAZN) at The O2 in London, Matchroom Boxing announced.
The WBA ordered an immediate rematch in early March after the controversial ending of their Dec. 17 eliminator at Renaissance Hall in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Madrimov (8-0, 6 KOs), 27, of Uzbekistan, stopped Soro (35-3-1, 24 KOs), 34, of France, in the ninth round but did so with a series of punches way after the bell ended the round, which referee Salvador Salva and Madrimov said they did not hear. Soro protested and was granted a rematch for the right to become one of the mandatory challengers for undisputed champion Jermell Charlo.
“I am looking forward to this fight again,” Madrimov said. “After the first fight I told my team right away, if the way the fight ended requires a rematch, I am willing to do it. I do not want any unanswered questions left. Let the best man win this time, honorably and decisively. We are having a good camp and will be ready for July 9.”
Said Soro: “Madrimov is a great fighter and an exemplary sportsman, a very respectful man. This fight is crucial for each of us. We are going to war. I will be much stronger than in the first fight. I have no right to defeat. I will give everything and I will win.”
At last, Kyoguchi-Bermudez
WBA junior flyweight champion Hiroto Kyoguchi and secondary titleholder Esteban Bermudez, whose mandatory fight is long overdue and part of the WBA’s efforts to have one titleholder per weight class, finally meet on Friday (DAZN, 8 p.m. ET) at Dome Alcalde in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Fighting for the first time in 15 months, Kyoguchi (15-0, 10 KOs), 28, of Japan, will be making his fourth title defense when he faces Bermudez (14-3-2, 10 KOs), 26, of Mexico, who is fighting for the first time in 13 months.
This will be Kyoguchi’s second fight outside of Asia. His last defense, a fifth-round stoppage of Axel Aragon Vega, was in Dallas in March 2021. He said he has adjusted to the time change well.
“I had jet lag, but I adjusted well thanks to all the support that I have with me,” he said through an interpreter. “Training has been great for this fight. I am away and it’s his territory but if I win it is great for me.”
He said he got a lift by seeing countryman Naoya Inoue knock out Nonito Donaire in their three-belt bantamweight unification fight on Tuesday.
“Boxing is getting more popular in Japan and a lot of new fans are coming to the sport,” Kyoguchi said. “That’s great for me as I think I am exciting to watch, and they will like me. I want to stay at light flyweight as there are still things I want to do, but in the future, I may move up.
“I became champion because I am a very strong fighter, so I want to win against Bermudez. I’ve watched his videos and he’s a very aggressive fighter and a tough man. I think my style is a little Mexican too, so it will be an exciting fight for the fans. The lighter weighs have more speed, and all the best fighters have great techniques, so it’s just as exciting to watch as the heavier weights.”
Quick hits
Weights from Guadalajara, Mexico for Friday’s Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN (8 p.m. ET): Hiroto Kyoguchi 107.8 pounds, Esteban Bermudez 107.8 (for Kyoguchi’s WBA junior flyweight title); Jorge Casteneda 129.9, Eduardo Hernandez 129.9; Mayerlin Rivas 121.9, Karina Fernandez 121.9 (for Rivas’ WBA women’s junior featherweight title); Diego Pacheco 168.4, Raul Ortega 168; Jesus Martinez 118, Daniel Nunez Gomez 118; Alexis Molina 127.4, Angel Garcia 127.9; Fabian Gonzalez 116.8, Jorge Villalobos 117.3; Anthony Herrera 118, Kennyn Valenzuela 118; Aaron Aponte 139.5, Leo Leon Martinez TBA, 6 rounds, junior welterweights.
Weights from Verona, New York, for the DiBella Entertainment “ShoBox: The New Generation” tripleheader on Friday (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET/PT): Bakhodir Jalolov 251 pounds, Jack Mulowayi 242; George Arias 219.5, Alante Green 223; Tyler Tomlin 134, Chann Thonson 132.5.
Former WBC junior featherweight titlist Brandon Figueroa is moving up to featherweight and will debut in the division against Carlos Castro, who is also moving up, in a WBC eliminator July 9 (Showtime) at San Antonio’s Alamodome, a source with knowledge of the bout told Fight Freaks Unite, confirming a BoxingScene report. The fight will serve as the co-feature for WBC featherweight titlist Mark Magsayo’s mandatory defense against former junior featherweight titlist Rey Vargas. Figueroa (22-1-1, 17 KOs), 25, of Weslaco, Texas, will be fighting for the first time since a hard-fought majority decision loss to Stephen Fulton Jr. in a November junior featherweight title unification fight. Castro (27-1, 12 KOs), 28, of Phoenix, is coming off a split decision loss to Luis Nery, who dropped him in the first round on Feb. 5.
While Naoya Inoue was knocking out Nonito Donaire in the second round to unify three bantamweight world titles on Tuesday in Saitama, Japan, Inoue’s home in the Kanagawa Prefecture southwest of Tokyo was burglarized. Taken from the home were items including jewelry and expensive bags. “You saw the news, but what a disgusting thing to happen on a day of celebration,” Inoue posted to his Twitter account. “And so you all be careful, too.”
Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn announced he has signed junior middleweight James Metcalf (23-2, 14 KOs), 33, of England, to a multi-fight promotional deal. Metcalf turned heads with an upset 10-round decision over Kerman Lejarraga on his turf in Spain on May 20 on a Matchroom card. “I needed to get that win to set me up for what comes next in my career,” Metcalf said. “I’ve rectified the mistakes and I’m looking forward to a big chapter in my career. The win over Kerman moved me past the British level where I lost to (Ted) Cheeseman and (Kieron) Conway. In my opinion it righted all of my wrongs. That win has pushed me on towards world titles. Whatever they come up with, I’ll take. Everyone already knows that I’ll fight anyone, anywhere. Whatever Eddie fancies, I’ll go with him.”
Show and tell
Ken Norton won a 15-round split decision over Jimmy Young in a WBC heavyweight title eliminator and after Leon Spinks upset Muhammad Ali to win the undisputed title, he elected to face Ali again in a lucrative rematch rather than face Norton, the mandatory challenger. So, the WBC stripped Spinks and awarded the title to Norton based on that situation and his win over Young. In his first defense, promoter Don King matched Norton with unbeaten Larry Holmes at the Caesars Palace Sports Pavilion in Las Vegas for a fight that aired live on ABC in prime time.
They waged a phenomenal fight, one of the best heavyweight title fights ever, including the absolutely epic 15th round. Holmes won a razor-close split decision, kicking off a historic title reign that would see him make 20 consecutive defenses, second most in heavyweight history behind Joe Louis’ record 25 for any division. Unknown at the time, Holmes fought Norton with a left biceps and elbow injury that he suffered five days before the fight, making his mild upset even more impressive. The fight was on June 9, 1978 — 44 years ago on Thursday. Here is an extremely scarce program in my collection. It’s a difficult program to find in any condition much less the in the kind of high grade the one I found and bought a few years ago. I had been looking for a nice one for literally about 10 years. I’ve been looking for a site poster from the fight in high grade condition, so if you have one or know somebody that does and are interested in selling or trading, hit me up in the comments section.
Bryan-Dubois/King photo: David Martin-Warr/Don King Productions; Fundora photo: Esther Lin/Showtime; Jalolov photo: Stephanie Trapp/Showtime; Berlanga-Angulo photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank
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A FITE TV card being the lead story doesn’t augur well for this weekend’s action. Then again, the two fights that were supposed to be marquee matchups last weekend were snoozefests, so maybe we’ll be surprised again.