Notebook: Joshua pushes back on report he'll skip Usyk rematch for step-aside deal
Gutierrez-Colbert Showtime card set; Don King interview; Davis ordered to face Romero; Thurman pumped for return; Taylor-Catterall undercard bouts; Quick hits; Show and tell
A quick note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: If you have upgraded to a paid subscription, thank you! If you have not, please consider doing so to receive the most content. A paid subscription is also your way of keeping this reader-supported newsletter going and supporting independent journalism.
There has been plenty of speculation that perhaps former two-time heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua would reconsider taking an immediate rematch he is contractually entitled to with Oleksandr Usyk, who took the three-belt unified title off him by clear decision in a December upset, and instead step aside to allow Usyk to first face Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia for the undisputed championship.
Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing has said he would bring Joshua any such offer and discuss it with him and his management, but that he was still doing what he needed to do to finalize the rematch for some time in April.
Then, on Sunday, The Telegraph in England published a story with the headline “Anthony Joshua set to accept £15m fee and step aside for Fury-Usyk fight.” The story itself said that Joshua was “close to accepting” the offer.
Social media erupted as though Joshua had accepted the deal (about $20.2 million U.S.), except that Joshua had done no such thing — at least not yet.
Joshua said on Monday that not only has he not agreed to take a fee to stand aside — the money would come from the Saudi group hoping to host the undisputed title fight this spring — but that he had not even seen an actual offer for him to consider.
He made a brief social media video in which he pushed back hard on the report.
“You know what’s bad about all of these interviews I see,” Joshua said in his video. “I see certain interviews that quote what I said, and I think to myself, ‘I ain’t done no interviews.’ Where did this person get this information from? I’m hearing people saying AJ accepts £15 million to step aside. I ain’t signed no contract, I ain’t seen no contract. So, as it stands, stop listening to the bullshit until it comes from me.
“I’m the man in control of my destiny. I’m the man that handles my business. I’m a smart individual and I make calculated decisions every step of the way. Don’t listen to the bullshit from other sources. If I tell you something then you know it’s real.”
England’s Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) has maintained he wants to face Ukraine’s Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) again and try to regain the belts in the same manner he did after losing them to Andy Ruiz in June 2019 and then beating him handily in an immediate rematch six months later.
Shortly after losing to Usyk, Joshua exercised his right to an immediate rematch.
Even if Joshua did accept a proposal to step aside from the rematch with Usyk, Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) would need to secure a step-aside agreement to bypass his due mandatory defense against interim titleholder Dillian Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs), who is also promoted by Hearn.
There is a WBC purse bid scheduled for that fight on Wednesday, although it has already been postponed multiple times.
Only in America!
Promoter Don King has not put on many fights lately but he is back at it on Saturday when he has a card headlined by WBC cruiserweight titlist Ilunga Makabu defending against mandatory challenger Thabiso Mchunu in Warren, Ohio, that FITE will carry on a pay-per-view basis beginning at 8 p.m. ET. I interviewed King about the card for a special edition of FITE in Focus. I tried to keep DK focused on the event but that is not easy when you’re dealing with the force of nature that is Don King. We discussed the fights but Don also had a lot to say on other topics as well. I have described interviewing him as riding a roller coaster with no seat belt. I just hung for dear life. We should all reach age 90 and have as much energy as King has. You can watch the show here:
Gutierrez-Colbert official
As expected, Showtime and Premier Boxing Champions announced a Feb. 26 tripleheader that will be headlined by junior lightweight titlist Roger Gutierrez in a mandatory defense against Chris Colbert at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.
In the co-feature, junior welterweight and 2016 U.S. Olympian Gary Antuanne Russell, the younger brother of former featherweight titlist Gary Russell Jr., will face former titlist Viktor Postol in the 10-round co-feature.
Jerwin Ancajas will defend his IBF junior bantamweight title against Fernando Martinez in the opener (10 p.m. ET).
In late September, Golden Boy, which promotes Gutierrez, and PBC, which represents Colbert, made a deal and avoided a purse bid, but the fight would wait until February.
Gutierrez (26-3-1, 20 KOs), 26, of Venezuela, will make his second defense after outpointing Rene Alvarado for the 130-pound belt and doing so again in a rematch.
“It cost me a lot of effort to win the world championship,” Gutierrez said. “This is my second title defense and I am ready to give it my all to retain it. I am going to show the world that I am the best at 130 pounds.”
Colbert (16-0, 6 KOs), 25, of Brooklyn, New York, was made mandatory challenger when the WBA terminated all of its interim titles last August as part of its title reduction plan.
“I’m super ready for my title shot,” Colbert said. “This has been a long time coming, but it's no shocker to me. This was always the expectation. I know Gutierrez will come to fight. He's a champion for a reason. So he's not coming to lie down. But I plan to put him down and I’m willing to do whatever I have to do to make that happen. I know a lot of people have been waiting to see when I get this title shot and now it's time.”
Russell (14-0, 14 KOs), 25, a southpaw from Capitol Heights, Maryland, is taking a big step up in competition.
“I'm going to make sure I'm prepared mentally and ready to perform at a high-level for this fight,” Russell said. “These fights come down to who's more mentally stable, and that's a matter of training. I train my mental as much as I do physically. I've watched Postol fight before and I know that he's a rangy fighter with a European style. He likes to stay at a distance and that works best for him. He leans on his strengths. Every fight I come in planning to make a statement. My prediction, I'm ending this fight in round five.”
The Los Angeles-based Ukraine native Postol (31-3, 12 KOs), 38, is as battle tested as they come and is coming off a debatable majority decision loss challenging then-unified junior welterweight titlist Jose Ramirez in August 2020.
“I accepted this fight as soon as it was offered,” Postol said. “I haven’t fought in a while and I wanted to get back in the ring as soon as I could. I’m especially excited that I’m going to have the opportunity to face a good young opponent.”
Ancajas (33-1-2, 22 KOs), 30, a southpaw from the Philippines, will be making his 10th title defense against Martinez (13-0, 8 KOs), 30, of Argentina. Ancajas was scheduled to face Japan’s Kazuto Ioka in a unification fight on New Year’s Eve in Tokyo, but the spread of the omicron variant of Covid-19 caused Japan to close its borders to foreign travelers, leaving Ancajas unable to get into the country and Ioka to face a late substitute.
“I am thrilled to be back on Showtime defending my world title,” said Ancajas, whose last defense in April, a decision win over mandatory challenger Jonathan Javier Rodriguez, was also on the network. “It’s very exciting to be making my 10th world title defense in the first Las Vegas fight of my career.”
Martinez will be boxing in the United States for the first time and taking a monumental step up in competition.
“I’m going to leave it all in the ring on Feb. 26 and give all the fans watching an exciting fight,” Martinez said. “My goal is to become world champion and this is the night for me to prove myself.”
Davis-Romero: Take 2?
Gervonta “Tank” Davis was scheduled to defend his secondary lightweight belt against Rolly Romero in a Showtime PPV main event this past Dec. 5 at then-Staples Center in Los Angeles.
However, Romero, who shares Mayweather Promotions with Davis, was later dropped from the bout after Romero was accused of sexual assault in Las Vegas. Following an investigation by Henderson, Nevada, police the case was dropped with no charges.
Davis instead faced late replacement Isaac Cruz and won a disputed decision.
Now it appears as though Davis (26-0, 24 KOs), 27, of Baltimore, and Romero (14-0, 12 KOs), 26, of Las Vegas, will fight next because on Monday the WBA ordered Davis to make a mandatory defense against Romero.
It notified both camps that that they have 30 days — until Feb. 24 — to make a deal. If they don’t, the fight will go to a purse bid.
Thurman excited for return
By the time Keith Thurman squares off with Mario Barrios in their 12-round welterweight bout it will have been 2½ years since Thurman’s last fight, which was a clear decision loss to Manny Pacquiao in their July 2019 world title fight in Las Vegas.
The pandemic and injuries kept Thurman sidelined for yet another extended layoff, during which some have questioned whether he still had the desire to continue boxing. After all, Thurman has been a unified world champion and made many millions of dollars.
But Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs) said during a recent training session at his gym in St. Petersburg, Florida, that he is still very motivated and it will show in his next fight. That is when he meets former secondary junior welterweight titlist Mario Barrios (26-1, 17 KOs), who is moving up in weight following an 11th-round knockout loss to Gervonta Davis in June, in the 12-round main event of a Fox Sports PBC pay-per-view card on Feb. 5 (9 p.m. ET, $74.95) at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
“Boxing is my ‘American Dream’ come true,” Thurman said. “This is my life, this is my passion, this is what I do. This is where I put my blood, my sweat, my tears. It’s why I wear red, white, and blue every time I fight.
“The sport of boxing, my legacy, is not over. The story is still being written. In 2022 we have a new chapter for Keith Thurman. With a belt, without the belt, I’m one of the greatest welterweights in the world today. This sport is one of the toughest in the world. If you’re looking for action, if you’re looking for entertainment, you’re going to want to watch our show on Feb. 5.”
Taylor-Catterall undercard
Featherweight Robeisy Ramirez, the two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist, is headed overseas for his next fight.
Ramirez will face fellow southpaw Eric Donovan in a 10-round bout that will take place on the undercard of undisputed junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor’s mandatory defense against Jack Catterall on Feb. 26 at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, Top Rank announced.
The entire card will stream on ESPN+ in the United States and Sky Sports will televise in the United Kingdom.
Ramirez (8-1, 4 KOs), 28, has won eight fights in a row since a huge upset loss by four-round split decision in his pro debut in August 2019.
“Ever since that shocking loss in his professional debut, Robeisy Ramirez has shown why he was one of the top fighters from the 2016 Rio Olympics,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. “Robeisy fought all over the world during his amateur career, and we are thrilled that he will be able to showcase his skills for the Scottish fans.”
Donovan (14-1, 8 KOs), 36, of Ireland, has won two fights in a row since an eight-round knockout loss to Zelfa Barrett in a junior lightweight bout in August 2020.
“Ever since I won my first Olympic gold medal in London, I've wanted to fight again in this part of the world,” Ramirez said. “Scottish fans are incredibly passionate, and I can't wait to put on a great show for them in front of a sold-out arena. My opponent is a tough Irishman, and I will be at my very best to come out victorious.”
Among those also set for the undercard
Nick Campbell (4-0, 4 KOs) and Jay McFarlane (12-5, 5 KOs) will fight for the vacant Scottish heavyweight title.
A pair of Top Rank prospects will make their pro debuts in six-rounders: featherweight Kurt Walker, a gold medalist at the 2018 EU Championships and 2019 European Games and 2020 Olympian (losing to Top Rank stablemate Duke Ragan in the quarterfinals in Tokyo), and junior middleweight Kieran Molloy, an 11-time national amateur champion and a bronze medalist at the EU Championships.
Top Rank welterweight Paddy Donovan (7-0, 5 KOs), of Ireland, will compete in a six-rounder.
Quick hits
When Masimichi Yabuki (13-3, 12 KOs), 29, stopped Japanese countryman Kenshiro Teraji (18-1, 10 KOs), 30, in the 10th round to take his WBC junior flyweight title in a major upset in September, a rematch was expected and now it is set. Teraji promoter Shinsei Promotions announced at a news conference Monday that the sequel will take place on March 19 at Kyoto City Gymnasium in Kyoto, Japan, which was also the site of the first fight. Teraji made eight successful defenses over a 4½-year title reign before Yabuki beat him.
Plans are in the works for the fight between welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz Jr. (18-0, 18 KOs) and England’s Michael McKinson (21-0, 2 KOs), which headlines a Golden Boy card on March 19 (DAZN), to take place at the Galen Center on the USC campus in Los Angeles, a source with knowledge of the situation told Fight Freaks Unite. The arena has hosted boxing before, including in 2014, when Bermane Stiverne stopped Chris Arreola to win the vacant WBC heavyweight title on ESPN, and a Showtime card in 2016, when Abner Mares outpointed Jesus Cuellar in a featherweight title fight and Jermall Charlo knocked out Julian Williams in a junior middleweight title bout.
Show and tell
Antonio Margarito had won a welterweight world title by 11th-round knockout from Miguel Cotto and made his first defense against former champion Shane Mosley, who was still a big name but a heavy underdog viewed by most as past his prime. Still, it was a very big fight and drew 20,820, the largest crowd for any event at Staples Center in Los Angeles, where LA’s own Mosley had his fans and Mexico’s Margarito had his. I was there to cover the fight and we got word at ringside shortly before the ring walks that there was an issue with Margarito’s gloves in the dressing room. We were told Margarito had to have his hands re-wrapped after Mosley’s trainer, the late Naazim Richardson, objected to his hand wraps, which were discovered to be illegal due having been coated in a plaster-like substance. Margarito was attempting to fight Mosley with loaded gloves. I vividly recall gathering as much information as I could, thanks to a source in the dressing room, and pounding out a short story that I filed just as the opening bell sounded.
Then I watched the fight as Mosley systematically destroyed “Margacheato.” Mosley dropped him in the eighth round and continued to lay an absolute beating on him in the ninth round, when the referee finally stopped it to give Mosley an extraordinarily satisfying world title victory.
The illegal hand wraps became a huge scandal and Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, had their licenses revoked by the California commission. There was also wide speculation that Margarito, now a pariah, had gotten away with illegal wraps in his win over Cotto and perhaps other fights as well. The Mosley-Margarito fight was on Jan. 24, 2009 — 13 years ago on Monday. Here is a very scarce site poster in my collection.
Joshua photo: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing; Davis-Romero photo: Esther Lin/Showtime
To upgrade your subscription please go here: https://danrafael.substack.com/subscribe
Thank you so much for your support of Fight Freaks Unite!
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danrafael1/
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanRafael1
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanRafaelBoxing
Good read enjoyed very much Can you speak more on Gonzalez v Martinez I'm excited for Rey getting chance to prove himself I got Rey Martinez for the win.
Sounds like Vergil Ortiz has left RGBA. And I think £20m is a bit more than $20m US. I’m not sure Usyk/Fury is big enough to pay everyone (Fury, Usyk, AJ, Whyte) massive amounts of money. For “Step Aside’s” and actual Fight Purses.