Notebook: Heavyweight Jared Anderson's homecoming official
Matchroom Boxing, DAZN extend deal for 3 years; Top Rank wins Beterbiev-Smith purse bid; Foster now free agent; Kambosos-Hughes plans; Serrano-Hardy II on tap; Quick hits; Show and tell
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Heavyweight up-and-comer Jared Anderson is set for his first main event and first professional fight in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio.
Anderson, the 2021 Fight Freaks Unite prospect of the year, will square off with fellow knockout artist Zhan Kossobutskiy in the 10-round main event of a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on July 1 (10 p.m. ET) at the Huntington Center, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum and Anderson announced at a news conference in Toledo on Tuesday, making the expected event official.
“I’m happy to be here because this is Jared Anderson’s hometown. We told him that one day he would fight his first main event here in Toledo,” Arum said. “He is fighting a very, very tough competitor because we believe that Jared will be the future heavyweight champion of the world. But to do that, he’s got to fight really tough guys.”
Anderson (14-0, 14 KOs), 23, has shown devastating power even as he has steadily stepped up his opposition. In December, he knocked out fringe contender Jerry Forrest in the second round and followed it up with a third-round blast out of then-unbeaten George Arias on April 8.
The homecoming fight has been a long time coming.
“I’m happy to be here. I’m feeling so loved and embraced here,” Anderson said. “It means everything to me. I plan to put on a great show. I plan to show the kids and the city that we are still fighting and are one of the biggest small cities in the nation. The world will know us.
“I’ve been in the gym going crazy. As you can see, my body shows it. My fights show it. My power shows it. I’m going to keep pushing and stay on track so that this train keeps going. I’m happy to see all the familiar faces and all the friends and family. The cameras are good and all, but I’m doing this for the city.
“I’m doing this for the people that are here. I’m doing this for the people that don’t have phones in their hand and are out there in the world right now fighting to survive. I’ve been fighting to survive for a long time. Now that I don’t have to do that, I want to show you all that hopefully you won’t have to do that, too. Just keep fighting. Keep striving to be better and you will get there for sure.”
Anderson not only has looked strong in each of his pro fights, he also has gained valuable experience as a top sparring partner for heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Anderson and Arum were joined at the news conference at the Glass City Pavilion by Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz.
“This is beyond exciting. It builds upon an underrated boxing history in Toledo,” Kapszukiewicz said. “Right across the river, maybe a quarter of a mile down, Jack Dempsey won his heavyweight crown (against Jess Willard in 1919). Here in Toledo, the golden age of boxing began on July 4, 1919. Muhammad Ali fought here. George Foreman fought here. We’ve got a proud boxing tradition, but there is nothing more special that rallying behind one of our own. Toledo backs its own and we can’t wait for Jared to fight.”
Kossobutskiy (19-0, 18 KOs), 34, a southpaw from Kazakhstan, will be fighting in the United States for the first time. He has faced mostly low-level opposition but two fights ago, in May 2022, he stopped former world title challenger Johann Duhaupas in the fifth round. Duhaupas has faced several name opponents, including challenging then-WBC titlist Deontay Wilder in 2015 and getting stopped in the 11th round.
“The fact that this fight will take place in the United States, in my opponent’s hometown, will make this fight interesting. I like to box strong opponents,” Kossobutskiy said in a statement. “Such fights are needed in the heavyweight division. I haven’t watched his fights. They say that he is good, but we will analyze him in the process of my fight preparation.”
The 10-round feature was also announced: Russian-born, Montreal-based heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov (16-0, 15 KOs), 33, against Miami-based Nigeria native Raphael Akpejiori (15-0, 14 KOs), 32, a former college basketball and football player for the University of Miami.
Also on the undercard will be super middleweight DeAndre Ware (15-4-2, 9 KOs), 35, who is also a Toledo firefighter, in a six-rounder and two Top Rank prospects from Cleveland — junior welterweight Tiger Johnson (8-0, 5 KOs), 24, who was a 2020 U.S. Olympian, in an eight-rounder and 20-year-old light heavyweight Dante Benjamin Jr. (6-0, 4 KOs).
Matchroom, DAZN extend deal
Matchroom Boxing and DAZN announced on Tuesday that they have agreed to a three-year extension of their rights deal through 2026 in the United States and Mexico.
The two have been partners since DAZN began streaming in 2018 and Matchroom has since promoted more than 50 events on DAZN that have taken place in the U.S. and Mexico.
“I am delighted to announce this extension to our deal with DAZN in the U.S. and Mexico,” Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said. “DAZN’s schedule is without doubt the best in the sport, and our big nights in the States and all-action cards in Mexico are a massive part of that.
“This new deal means more undisputed, unified and world title blockbusters, more 50-50 wars with the top contenders and more showcasing the best rising talent in the region — and we’re ready to provide further thrilling action and value for the DAZN subscribers.”
Matchroom Boxing also has a deal in place for all of its United Kingdom cards to stream on DAZN in the U.K. That deal began in July 2021, when Hearn left longtime U.K. broadcast partner Sky Sports at the end of their deal to go exclusively with DAZN worldwide.
“We are delighted to be extending our relationship with Matchroom Boxing in the U.S.,” said DAZN North America CEO Joseph Markowski. “Since we entered the market five years ago, we have made significant strides to become the global home of boxing, consistently delivering the best schedule in market. 2023 will be no different, with the biggest names fighting on the biggest stages in the coming months. We are incredibly excited about expanding our partnership in the years to come.”
TR wins Beterbiev-Smith rights
Top Rank, the promoter for three-belt light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, outbid Matchroom Boxing, the promoter for WBC mandatory challenger Callum Smith, at a purse bid on Tuesday.
Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti, participating via Zoom, submitted the winning bid of $2.115 million to edge a bid of $2.1 million submitted by Matchroom Boxing’s Sean Palmer, who was present at the WBC offices in Mexico City.
As the champion, Beterbiev is entitled to 70 percent of 90 percent of the winning bid ($1,332,450) and Smith gets 30 percent of 90 percent ($571,050). The remaining 10 percent of Top Rank’s bid ($211,500) will be held by the WBC and go to the winner of the fight as a bonus.
The date and site and are not set but Moretti told Fight Freaks Unite that the bout will headline a summer ESPN card at a site to be determined in the Canadian province of Quebec — either Montreal, which Russia native Beterbiev’s adopted hometown, or Quebec City.
Top Rank has 90 days, or until early August, to put on the fight.
Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs), 38, will be making his eighth defense since winning his first belt in 2017. He is coming off a rousing eighth-round knockout of WBO mandatory challenger Anthony Yarde in an exciting fight on Jan. 28 in London.
Smith (29-1, 21 KOs), 33, of England, suffered his lone defeat by near-shutout decision in losing the WBA super middleweight title to Canelo Alvarez in December 2020.
Smith then moved up light heavyweight and has won both of his fights by stoppage, including by fourth-round knockout of Mathieu Bauderlique in a WBC title eliminator in August on the Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua II undercard in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Foster a free agent
WBC junior lightweight titlist O’Shaquie Foster told Fight Freaks Unite on Tuesday that he is a promotional free agent and looking for a significant fight.
He said he is “open to doing business with anybody. I’m a free agent all the way — no restrictions. As of today I’m a promotional free agent ready to make the big fights and to be active. My goal is to be the most active champion.”
Foster was signed to Probellum Promotions, which shuttered earlier this year and sold many of its assets and assigned many of its fighter contracts to upstart Disrupt Promotions, which has yet to do any events and has not made any public announcement since early March.
Disrupt has shed some of its fighter contracts, including of WBC junior welterweight titlist Regis Prograis and Foster.
Foster (20-2, 11 KOs), 29, of Orange, Texas, was the WBC 130-pound mandatory challenger when he faced WBC featherweight titlist Rey Vargas for the vacant junior lightweight belt on Feb. 11 in San Antonio and turned in an impressive performance.
Foster won via clear decision (119-109, 117-111 and 116-112) to hand Vargas the first loss of his 13-year career.
Foster has come a long way since 2017, when he was incarcerated in Orange for four months for aggravated assault. While Foster, who turned pro in 2012, was jailed he watched a Terence Crawford fight and decided to dedicate himself fully to boxing and six years later won a world title against all odds.
Quick hits
An IBF lightweight eliminator for the No. 2 position between former unified champion George Kambosos Jr. (20-2, 10 KOs), 29, and Maxie Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KOs), 33, a southpaw from England, which was targeted for May or June in Kambosos’ home country of Australia, will take place in July in the United States, sources with knowledge of the plans told Fight Freaks Unite. July 22 (site to be determined) or July 29 at The Palms in Las Vegas are the dates in play. Either way, it will headline a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card thanks to a deal between Top Rank and Kambosos promoter Lou DiBella. Kambosos is coming off consecutive decision losses to Devin Haney in Australia, a unification fight for the undisputed crown in June and an a rematch in October. Hughes has won seven straight, most recently a majority 12-round decision over former featherweight titlist Kid Galahad in September.
Undisputed women’s featherweight champion Amanda Serrano is finalizing a deal to defend against former titlist Heather Hardy in a rematch that would be the co-feature of Serrano promoter Jake Paul’s eight-round 185-pound boxing match with UFC star Nate Diaz on Aug. 5 (DAZN PPV) at American Airlines Center in Dallas, multiple sources with knowledge of the deal told Fight Freaks Unite. Serrano (44-2-1, 30 KOs), 34, a Puerto Rican fighting out of Brooklyn, New York, handily outpointed Hardy (24-2, 4 KOs), 41, of Brooklyn, in a one-sided fight to take her WBO featherweight belt in September 2019 in New York.
Agon Sports won Tuesday’s purse bid for the vacant IBF middleweight title fight between its fighter, Vincenzo Gualtieri (20-0-1, 7 KOs), 30, of Germany, and Brazilian southpaw Esquiva Falcao (30-0, 20 KOs), 33, with a bid of $410,000. That beat the only other offer of $375,000 made by Falcao promoter Top Rank. The fight is likely to take place on July 1 in Dusseldorf, Germany. The split of the winning bid is 50-50 with each fighter getting $205,000, according to the IBF. The title became vacant when Gennadiy Golovkin relinquished it in February.
Cruiserweight contender Richard Riakporhe (16-0, 12 KOs), 33, of England, has signed a contract extension with Boxxer and Sky Sports, the promoter announced on Tuesday. “I was the first to sign with Boxxer after they signed their deal with Sky Sports and my journey so far has been excellent,” Riakporhe said. “I’m really looking forward to continuing my journey at Boxxer and capturing world honors in the very near future.” He hopes to challenge the winner of the fight between WBO titlist Lawrence Okolie and Chris Billam-Smith. They headline a Boxxer card May 27.
Lance Pugmire, who spent nearly 20 years writing for the Los Angeles Times followed by stints at The Athletic and USA Today, has been voted as the 50th recipient of the Nat Fleischer Award for Career Excellence in Boxing Journalism. The award, which is given by the Boxing Writers Association of America, is voted on only by past winners (including this Fight Freaks United writer, who was honored in 2013). Pugmire, 55, of Upland, California, will receive the award during the annual awards dinner on June 8 in New York.
TGB Promotions has notified the WBA that it has penciled in July 15 as the likely date to put on the mandatory strawweight title fight between “super” titlist Knockout CP Freshmart and “regular” titlist Erick Rosa. The fight is one of the few remaining bouts the WBA has mandated as part of its plan to get down to one world titlist per division. A recent purse bid was canceled when a deal was made for TGB Promotions to put the fight on one of the PBC cards it will promote. CP Freshmart (24-0, 9 KOs), 32, of Thailand, and Rosa (5-0, 1 KO), 23, of the Dominican Republic, were due to meet March 1 in Thailand after CP Freshmart promoter Panya Prachakorn won a purse bid. However, the fight was canceled when Rosa was detained upon his arrival because he lacked the proper visa. A new purse bid was ordered but the sides made a deal.
Top Rank announced that featherweight prospect Amado Vargas, one of the three fighting sons of former two-time junior middleweight titlist Fernando Vargas, has been added to the undercard of middleweight titlist Janibek Alimkhanuly’s defense against Steven Butler on May 13 at Stockton Arena in Stockton, California. Vargas (6-0, 2 KOs), 22, of Las Vegas, will box an opponent to be determined in a four-rounder on the ESPN+ portion of the undercard. His brother, lightweight Emiliano Vargas, is signed to Top Rank.
Four Salita Promotions’ prospects, all from Michigan, will appear on the undercard of undisputed women’s middleweight champion Claressa Shield’s rematch with Hanna Gabriels on June 3 (DAZN) at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, the promoter announced. Dearborn middleweight Da’Velle Smith (5-0, 4 KOs), 22, will face Kahydlian Woods (4-0, 3 KOs), 27, of Beaumont, California, in a six-rounder; Grand Rapids junior welterweight Joshua Pagan (5-0, 2 KOs), 23, will fight Ronnell Burnett (9-0, 5 KOs), 32, of Kansas City, Missouri, in a six-rounder; Grand Rapids middleweight Joseph Hicks Jr. (6-0, 5 KOs), 29, will box in an eight-rounder; and Dearborn junior middleweight Gheith Karim (9-0, 3 KOs), 25, will face Detroit’s Marlon Harrington (8-1, 7 KOs), 30, in an eight-rounder.
Show and tell
For many years whenever there was a fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and later at T-Mobile Arena, for which the MGM Grand served as the host hotel, the credit card-like plastic hotel room keys were adorned with the official fight art during fight week. Through the years I covered tons of fights there and always saved a bunch of keys for my collection, although they unfortunately stopped putting the art on the keys a few years ago. Here are a pair of keys from mega fights I covered there: Manny Pacquiao's massive second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton to win the lineal junior welterweight title on May 2, 2009 — 14 years ago on Tuesday — and Floyd Mayweather's decision win over Pacquiao to unify welterweight titles in a hugely disappointing fight on May 2, 2015 – eight years ago on Tuesday — that nonetheless still reigns as by far the biggest money fight in combat sports history.
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Photos: Anderson/Arum: Mikey Williams/Top Rank; Foster: Amanda Westcott/Showtime
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