Notebook: Heavyweight Torrez to take big step up vs. Vianello
Zepeda-Farmer, Whittaker-Cameron rematches set; 2024's highest-paid boxers; Duarte, Madueno expect fireworks; Quick hits; Show and tell
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In a fight that came out of the blue, heavyweight prospect Richard Torrez Jr., the 2020 U.S. Olympic super heavyweight silver medalist, will take a major step up in opposition against fellow Top Rank big man and 2016 Italian Olympian Guido Vianello in the main event on April 5 (ESPN+) at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Top Rank announced on Friday night.
Top Rank originally planned for Raymond Muratalla and Zaur Abdullaev to fight for the vacant IBF interim lightweight title in the main event but when Abdullaev’s team informed the company that he would not be available until May because he will observe Ramadan, that fight was moved and Top Rank was left to put together a new headliner.
“This has all the makings of a heavyweight classic, two athletic big men with power and tremendous determination,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. “Top Rank has promoted Richard and Guido from the start of their respective professional careers, and I look forward to seeing how the fight unfolds.”
Torrez (12-0, 11 KOs), 25, a southpaw from Tulare, California, has scored several highlight-reel knockouts but he has yet to face a serious opponent. The only time he did not score a stoppage was when opponent Joey Dawejko, who had been in trouble, was disqualified in the fifth round in December for repeatedly spitting out his mouthpiece.
“This is something I’ve been working toward for a long time,” Torrez said. “I want to prove that I’m the best heavyweight out there and show what American heavyweights are made of. When they offered me Guido, I didn’t hesitate. I’m ready to go.”
Vianello (13-2-1, 11 KOs), 30, is coming off his biggest win in August, when he traveled to Quebec City, Canada, and beat down and stopped Arslanbek Makhmudov in the eighth-round. That victory followed a 10-round split decision loss to contender Efe Ajagba last April.
“I am excited for this fight. After fighting Makhmudov, I showed I was ready for anyone,” Vianello said. “Richard is a talented young fighter, but he has never faced anyone like me. I will show myself to be Top Rank’s best heavyweight and move on to challenge for world titles.”
While the co-feature was not formally announced, Top Rank told Fight Freaks Unite that it will be a 10-rounder between junior welterweights Lindolfo Delgado (22-0, 16 KOs), 30, a 2016 Mexican Olympian, and Elvis Rodriguez (17-1-1, 13 KOs), 29, a southpaw from the Dominican Republic.
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Zepeda-Farmer rematch set
WBC interim lightweight titlist William Zepeda will make his first defense in an immediate rematch with Tevin Farmer, against whom he won the vacant strap on the “Latino Night” card in Riyadh, Saudi, Arabia, in November, Golden Boy announced.
The rematch of their highly competitive and entertaining bout will take place on March 29 (DAZN) at the Poliforum Benito Juarez in Cancun, Mexico.
Zepeda defeated fellow southpaw and former junior lightweight titlist Farmer via split decision — 95-94 twice for Zepeda, 95-94 for Farmer — to win the vacant interim belt made available because titleholder Shakur Stevenson was sidelined with an injury at the time.
While Zepeda remains Stevenson’s mandatory challenger, Stevenson is healed and first will fight Floyd Schofield on the Riyadh Season card on Feb. 22. If Zepeda and Stevenson win they would likely meet later in the year.
“I’m proud to get back in the ring and defend (the interim belt) in this highly anticipated rematch against Tevin Farmer,” said Zepeda, who will fight in his home country for the first time since 2022. “The fans asked for it, and I’m ready to give them an even better version of myself. I’ll leave no doubt in anyone's mind that I’m the clear winner.”
Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs), 28, had his hands full with Farmer in November. He did not seem to have any respect for Farmer’s power and continually marched forward until he paid the price for it in the fourth round when Farmer landed a perfect overhand left and Zepeda went down with a minute left.
Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs), 34, of Philadelphia, landed sharp lefts time and again and was extremely disappointed to lose the close call. But he is quite happy to get another chance.
“I was off for 3½ years (between 2020 and 2023), and fighting him was the first time I felt somewhat comfortable in the ring. Ring rust is real, but now it’s all gone,” Farmer said. Last time, I let him live and let him do more than I should have. This time, there’s no mercy. He’s not on my level, and on March 29, I’m not just winning, I’m making a statement. I’m going to show the world that I’m still a top dog in this game.
“Never doubt Tevin Farmer. Y’all should know that by now. I’m like a fly you can’t get rid of. I just keep coming back.”
Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya figures the rematch will be another crowd-pleasing bout.
“I advised everyone to not sleep on Farmer; and he delivered a terrific performance, knocking down Zepeda and giving him the toughest fight of his career,” De La Hoya said. “This rematch promises to be an even better battle. Will Zepeda be able to adjust and get back to his electric, knockout ways, or will Farmer do enough to win this time? This is must see TV for fans.”
Highest paid boxers
Sportico, an online publication that covers sports business, unveiled its fourth annual “100 Highest-Paid Athletes in the World” list this week and boxers were well represented with six entrants. The estimated figures are based on purses combined with endorsements for the 2024 calendar year.
Here is how the boxers ranked with their total as well as the split between purses and endorsements:
3. Former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who recently announced his retirement following two massively lucrative bouts last year against Oleksandr Usyk: $147 million ($140 million/$7 million).
7. Reigning heavyweight champion Usyk, who beat Fury twice: $122 million ($120 million/$2 million).
20. Unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, who outpointed Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga: $73 million ($65 million/$8 million).
30. Former two-time unified heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua, who drilled Francis Ngannou and then was badly KO’d by Daniel Dubois: $60 million ($50 million/$10 million).
52: Cruiserweight Jake Paul, who boxed three times against fellow novice pro Ryan Bourland, BKFC star Mike Perry and, of course, the mega heavyweight fight against former champion Mike Tyson: $48 million ($38 million/$10 million).
81. Japanese superstar and undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue, who made two defenses in knockouts of Luis Nery and TJ Doheny: $42 million ($35 million/$7 million).
No. 1 overall was soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo at $260 million ($215 million/$45 million) followed by NBA star Stephen Curry at $153.8 million ($53.8 million/$100 million). No. 100 was NFL quarterback Daniel Jones at $37.5 million ($36 million/$1.5 million). Of note, no MMA fighter made the list.
Duarte, Madueno expect fireworks
Junior welterweight contender Oscar Duarte was supposed to face two-time titlist Regis Prograis in the main event of the Golden Boy card on Saturday (DAZN, 8 p.m. ET) at Honda Center in Anaheim, California, but Prograis suffered a pinched nerve in his neck last week and was forced out of the bout.
Golden Boy secured a replacement on 10 days’ notice in fellow southpaw and Mexican countryman Miguel Madueno, who has nowhere near the name recognition as Prograis but as far as Duarte is concerned will probably make a better fight.
“I am excited to fight Madueno because he will be a fighter that will stand in front of me,” Duarte said through an interpreter. “It's going to be an all-out war.”
Since an eighth-round knockout loss to Ryan Garcia in December 2023, Duarte has looked good in back-to-back wins. He was the only man to knock out Joseph Diaz Jr. last April and then scored a hard-fought unanimous decision over contender Batyr Akhmedov in an all-action fight in November on the “Latino Night” card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Now, Duarte (28-2-1, 22 KOs), 29, will headline for the first time as the “A” side and he is happy about that.
“Without saying names, there are a lot of guys out there ducking and who do not want to fight me. But I will continue on my path to fight the best,” Duarte said. “I am really excited for this fight night, and I am excited to headline my first show as the red corner here in America. I worked really hard and I am excited for this opportunity.”
Madueno (31-3, 28 KOs), 26, of Mexico, who has never been knocked out, is coming off a near-shutout 10-round decision loss to Keyshawn Davis in July.
“I ask the fans to keep an eye on this new main event, which will be much more eye-appealing than the previous fight in place,” Madueno said through an interpreter “This will be a fight between two knockout artists. What people are going to see is a war and two gentlemen.”
Whittaker-Cameron II is on
Light heavyweight prospect Ben Whittaker and Liam Cameron will meet in a highly anticipated rematch on April 20 (Sky Sports in U.K.) — Easter Sunday — at BP Pulse Live in Birmingham, England, Boxxer announced.
Whittaker, the 2020 British Olympic silver medalist, had little option other than to fight Cameron again after a wild first fight in October that ended in a sixth-round technical draw when Whittaker was deemed unable to continue after suffering a leg injury when both fighters fell over the top rope and out of the ring.
But before the messy ending, the brash, showboating Whittaker (8-0-1, 5 KOs), 27, found himself in all kinds of trouble in their 10-rounder that turned out to be a split draw at the time of the stoppage.
“This is an opportunity for me to give the fans a decisive result,” Whittaker said. “There's no doubt in my mind that this time there will be no room for controversy. This time, we will finish it on my terms. To all the fans who supported me and even those that have doubted me, this one’s for you.”
Cameron (23-6-1, 10 KOs), 34, came into the fight off a split decision loss to Lyndon Arthur last June and was a heavy underdog against Whittaker.
“I’m pleased to get this fight confirmed. I feel like I was winning the last fight before he tried pretending to be a WWE star and pulled me over the top rope,” Cameron said. “I really believe I would have stopped him, but that’s in the past now, we’re ready to go on April 20th. I look forward to getting in there and finishing the job.”
British heavyweight Frazer Clarke (8-1-1, 6 KOs), 33, a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, will fight Ebaneezer Tetteh on the card. Clarke will look to rebound from a crushing first-round knockout loss to Fabio Wardley in their rematch in October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Tetteh (23-2, 20 KOs), 36, of Ghana, is coming off a seventh-round knockout loss to Dillian Whyte in December.
Gallagher fighting cancer
Highly regarded British trainer Joe Gallagher, 56, announced that he has been diagnosed with stage four bowel and liver cancer.
“It’s been a lot to take in over these past few months,” Gallagher said in a statement. “I just wanted to carry on as normal as possible while I tried to process things. I would like to say no matter how busy life gets, your health should always come first. We can overlook things and put things off because we're always so busy, but ultimately there’s nothing more important than your health.
“I didn't have any major symptoms, so if you feel something isn’t right, no matter how small, please don’t put it off. Please go and get checked, as it could save your life. I want to thank my family, friends, my fighters and the people I’ve been able to confide in so far on this journey. Their support has been incredible. I know I have to prioritize my health at this time, yet boxing is giving me that bit of escapism I need right now. As I go through my own battle, being around an incredible team of fighters is helping me continue to do what I love. I’ve only just begun my fight back against this disease.”
Gallagher trains heavyweight Lawrence Okolie, a former bridgerweight and cruiserweight titlist, and unified women’s welterweight champion Natasha Jonas.
He won the Ring magazine trainer of the year honors in 2015 as the trainer for lightweight titlist Anthony Crolla, junior featherweight titlist Scott Quigg and junior middleweight titleholder Liam Smith.
Others Gallagher has worked with include Matthew Macklin, Charlie Edwards, Callum Smith and Paul Butler.
BetUS Boxing Show
If you missed the BetUS Boxing Show live at 1 p.m. ET on Friday on YouTube, please check out the replay (and also subscribe to the YouTube channel). We previewed three fights: WBO lightweight titlist Denys Berinchyk’s defense against Keyshawn Davis on Friday night and two fights that are on Saturday: Jack Catterall versus Arnold Barboza Jr. for the vacant WBO interim junior welterweight title and junior welterweight Oscar Duarte against Miguel Madueno. We also took viewer questions and comments and discussed the latest boxing news! Please check out the show here:
Quick hits
Weights from Manchester, England, for the Matchroom Boxing card Saturday (DAZN, 2 p.m. ET): Jack Catterall 139.1 pounds, Arnold Barboza Jr. 139.1 (for vacant WBO interim junior welterweight title); Reece Bellotti 130, Michael Gomez Jr. 129.1 (for Bellotti’s British and Commonwealth junior lightweight titles); Pat McCormack 146.1, Robbie Davies Jr. 145.1; Zelfa Barrett 129.6, Jazza Dickens 129.8; Conner Tudsbury 180.3, Sadaam Moamed Caetano 179.2; William Crolla 156.1, Ayoub Zakari 155.1; Aqib Diaz 135, Lydon Chircop 134.1; Alfie Middlemiss 127.7, Caine Singh 126.6.
Weights from Anaheim, California, for the Golden Boy card Saturday (DAZN, 8 p.m. ET): Oscar Duarte 140 pounds, Miguel Madueno 140; Darius Fulghum 167.6, Winfred Harris 166.4; Ricardo Sandoval 111.4, Saleto Henderson 107; Kenneth Sims Jr. 146.4, Kendo Castaneda 146.8; Joel Iriarte 146.8, Darel Harris 143; Yair Gallardo 175.2, Carlos Miranda 179; Daniel Garcia 134.6, Francisco Pacheco 134.8; Gael Cabrera 121.8, Roberto Pucheta 120.8; Fabian Guzman 159.2, Daniel Lim 160; Javier Meza 143.6, Lyle McFarlane 142.2; Kevin Gudino 119.4, Rafael Castillo 120.
Per the California State Athletic Commission, official contract purses for Saturday’s Golden Boy card: Oscar Duarte $275,000, Miguel Madueno $100,000; Darius Fulghum $50,000, Winfred Harris $20,000; Ricardo Sandoval $30,000, Saleto Henderson $12,000; Kenneth Sims Jr. $60,000, Kendo Castaneda $15,000; Joel Iriarte $6,000, Darel Harris $8,000; Yair Gallardo $4,000, Carlos Miranda $4,500; Daniel Garcia $7,000, Francisco Pacheco $5,000; Gael Cabrera $5,000, Roberto Pucheta $4,000; Fabian Guzman $4,000, Daniel Lim $4,000; Javier Meza $4,500, Lyle McFarlane $3,500; Kevin Gudino $3,000, Rafael Castillo $3,000.
Although the deal is not done, a rematch between WBA “regular” heavyweight titlist Kubrat Pulev (32-3, 14 KOs), 43, of Bulgaria, and Mahmoud Charr (34-5, 20 KOs), 40, a Syria native based in Dubai, is in discussion, sources told Fight Freaks Unite. If a deal is finalized, it is targeted to take place April 26 in Dubai. Pulev won a unanimous decision over Charr to win the belt on Dec.7 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Charr had been previously been stripped of the belt but defended it after the WBA reinstated him in September 2023 as part of a settlement of his lawsuit against the sanctioning body.
The IBF junior middleweight final eliminator between Orlando, Florida’s Erickson Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs), 29, and fellow southpaw Ardreal Holmes Jr. (17-0, 6 KOs), 30, of Flint, Michigan, has been scheduled for May 10 (ProBox TV) at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida, according to the IBF, which said it issued the formal sanction for the bout. ProBox won the recent purse bid for the bout for $225,000 to beat an offer of $220,000 by Holmes promoter Salita Promotions. Lubin is entitled to 60 percent ($135,000) and Holmes 40 percent ($90k). The winner will be the mandatory challenger for titleholder Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs).
Overtime’s next OTX card is scheduled for March 22 (DAZN) at Sycuan Casino Resort in El Cajon, California, and includes a pair of 10-rounders, junior lightweight Maliek Montgomery (20-0, 18 KOs), of Macon, Georgia, against Jeremy Hill (21-3-1, 13 KOs), of New Orleans, in the main event and Duarte, California, lightweight Kurt Scoby (15-1, 13 KOs) against Nicaragua’s Bryan Jimenez (17-1, 10 KOs). Also featured on the card will be a pair of home region fighters from San Diego in four-rounders: highly touted featherweight Julius Ballo, a 2024 National Golden Gloves champion, who is co-promoted by Overtime and Top Rank, and will make his pro debut, and lightweight Jonny Mansour (3-0, 1 KO), Ballo’s cousin.
Show and tell
Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya, who won world titles in a then-record six weight divisions, won some big fights and lost some big fights but if you ask him what he is most proud of he will tell you it is that he consistently faced the best possible opponents. He could have easily avoided Ike Quartey, a rugged fighter from Ghana, who had gotten HBO exposure but was still not that well known. But De La Hoya wanted the challenge — hence, the fight being dubbed “The Challenge” — and elected to defend his WBC welterweight title against Quartey, who was as tough as they come. He was undefeated, had a ram-rod jab and had made seven WBA title defense. The only reason he did not have that belt to make it a unification match was because he was stripped for being off for about a year.
They put on a terrific fight at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, where De La Hoya retained the title by disputed split decision in a major HBO PPV fight. Both men got knocked down in the memorable sixth round and De La Hoya, seemingly in need of a big 12th round, delivered with another knockdown and nearly stopped Quartey in a sensational round. De La Hoya won 116-112 and 116-113 while Quartey won 115-114 on the third scorecard. There was a split among many ringside observers as well with the Associated Press, for example, scoring it 116-112 for De La Hoya and the late unofficial HBO judge Harold Lederman having it 114-113 for Quartey. I always thought De La Hoya eked it out. It was one of De La Hoya’s biggest wins and it took place on Feb. 13, 1999 — 26 years ago on Thursday. Here is the program in my collection.
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Photos: Fury-Usyk photo: Top Rank; Duarte-Madueno: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy; Catterall-Barboza: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
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Is Top Rank once again abandoning the Heavyweight Division? They’re going from feeding Torrez nothing but Baby Food, to “$2 Steak” Vianello. Fascinating.
I’m having trouble with renewing my subscription. What is your actual website? FightFreaksUnite? The app is telling me I can’t do it from here.