Notebook: Munguia headed home to Tijuana to close out busy year

Ike Ibeabuchi set for return after 25 years; proposed Oscar vs. Eddie card; Israel Vazquez fighting cancer; Matias back in action; Santillan coming back from first defeat; Quick hits; Show and tell

Dan Rafael

Nov 08, 2024

A note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: I created Fight Freaks Unite in January 2021 and eight months later it also became available for paid subscriptions for additional content — and as a way to help keep this newsletter going and for readers to support independent journalism. If you haven’t upgraded to a paid subscription please consider it. If you have already, I truly appreciate it! Also, consider a gift subscription for the Fight Freak in your life.

Give a gift subscription

Subscribe to the podcast

Follow me on Instagram

Ike Ibeabuchi comeback

Ike Ibeabuchi To Return To The Ring In December!

Once fearsome Nigerian heavyweight contender Ike Ibeabuchi, who was on track for a title shot in the late 1990s, is making a comeback.

Ibeabuchi (20-0, 15 KOs), 51, is scheduled to fight Ayman Farouk Abbas (4-10-1, 1 KO), 47, of Egypt, in a six-rounder on Dec. 7 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

It will be Ibeabuchi’s first fight in more than 25 years. He has not boxed since scoring a devastating fifth-round knockout of then-prime and undefeated Chris Byrd, who would go on to become a two-time heavyweight titleholder, in an HBO main event on March 20, 1999.

Ibeabuchi’s other big win was, also an HBO headliner, was a close decision against prime undefeated contender David Tua in a blazing slugfest in 1997.

However, after Ibeabuchi defeated Byrd, he became mired in legal issues and mental health problems. He was convicted of attempted sexual assault and battery and went to prison in Nevada in 1999 and also spent time in a mental health facility.

Ibeabuchi served 16 years in prison and when he was released he was planning a comeback but wound up back in prison in Arizona on a parole violation before being released again in 2020.

Oscar vs. Eddie

The non-stop back-and-forth between rival promoters Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy and Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn went to another level this week and could result in a “5 vs. 5” card matching fighters from their rosters.

De La Hoya, in his hilarious weekly “Clap back Thursday” video on social media, went after Hearn and suggested the fights he would like to make for the proposed card, which could be doable given they both are in business with Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh and they both have deals for their events to be on DAZN.

“We all know Eddie has the worst record as a promoter and his fighters aren’t the cream of the crop but I’m always up for giving the fans a good night of fights under one condition: the fights will be contested in a tiny ring so nobody can run,” De La Hoya said in his video.

De La Hoya then proposed five fights:

Golden Boy junior middleweight Vergil Ortiz Jr. against IBF welterweight titlist Jaron “Boots” Ennis, who would have to win on Saturday and move up one division.
Super middleweight Jaime Munguia against Matchroom rising contender Diego Pacheco, although Munguia is no longer with Golden Boy, having parted ways with the company earlier this year.
WBC lightweight mandatory challenger William Zepeda against WBC titlist Shakur Stevenson, which is a fight already in the planning stages for early next year. Zepeda would also need to win his fight against Tevin Farmer on Nov. 16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Golden Boy junior welterweight Oscar Duarte against former WBC titlist Devin Haney, although Duarte would have to win his bout against Batyr Akhmedov on Nov. 16 in Riyadh and Haney, who has worked with Hearn, is currently a promotional free agent.
The winner of the Nov. 16 WBO junior welterweight title eliminator between Golden Boy fighters Jose Ramirez and Arnold Barboza against Jack Catterall.

“Let’s even make it a ‘6 on 6’ with me and you, Eddie, in the main event,” De La Hoya said. “I see you’ve been taking box-aerobic classes. So, let’s give the fight fans what they really want to see — me kicking your ass.”

Hearn responded on social media, saying he’s in.

“Will make this easy for you,” Hearn wrote, tagging Alalshikh in the response. “Boots v Ortiz AGREED. Munguia v Pacheco, (Munguia) left you for Top Rank but if you can bring him back AGREED. Shakur v Zepeda AGREED. Duarte v Haney, Devin is not officially with us but happy with fight and to discuss with him. Catterall v Barboza/Ramirez AGREED. Clean sweep.”

Vazquez fighting cancer

The WBC announced that former junior featherweight champion Israel Vazquez is battling cancer and is spearheading helping him raise money for his treatment.

“Our hearts are heavy as we share the news that our beloved champion, Israel Vazquez, is battling cancer,” the WBC said. “A warrior in the ring and a hero in life, Israel needs our support now more than ever. Let’s stand united and show Israel that we’re in his corner.

“Every contribution, no matter how small, can make a significant impact. Join WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman and countless fans worldwide in supporting Team Vasquez. Together, we can help Israel overcome this challenge. Donate today and be part of his journey to recovery.”

Vazquez has a GoFundMe page where donations can be made: https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with-israel-vasquez-against-cancer

Vazquez (44-5, 32 KOs), 46, of Mexico, who fought from 1995 to 2010 and is on the International Boxing Hall of Fame ballot, was the quintessential warrior.

He won the WBC and IBF junior featherweight titles and is best known for an extraordinary four-fight series with Hall of Famer Rafael Marquez that ended 2-2.

The first three of their fights were for the WBC 122-pound title while the third bout was contested at featherweight and ended with Vazquez being stopped in the third round. Fights No. 1 and 3 were the consensus fight of the year in 2007 and 2008. The only reason No. 2 was not also a fight of the year is because it too took place in 2007.

With Brian Campbell

Brian Campbell, my former longtime colleague at ESPN, who has been with CBS Sports for several years, invited me to be on his new YouTube channel for a 20 questions interview and it was a blast. He wanted to talk about not only some current boxing topics but also my long career, during part of which he was one of my editors. I had a chance to tell some fun stories from my nearly 25 years on the boxing beat. Please check out the video here:

Keyshawn Davis interview

If you missed the recent podcast episode that includes my one-on-one interview with rising lightweight star Keyshawn Davis ahead of his Friday night Norfolk, Virginia, homecoming for his first main event against Gustavo Lemos, we broke it out separately and you can listen to it here. Give it a listen, a review, and also subscribe to get an alert when the next episode is available. New shows every Thursday and Sunday night (and occasional special episodes like this one).

Subscribe to the podcast

Matias back in action

In a stunning upset in June, Subriel Matias, who was fighting in his hometown of Manati, Puerto Rico, and a heavy favorite, dropped a unanimous decision to Australia’s Liam Paro, which cost him the IBF junior welterweight title in his second defense.

Five months have passed and Matias (20-2, 20 KOs), 32, who is a devastating puncher, will return to the ring looking to shake off the loss when he squares off with Roberto Ramirez in the 10-round main event of a Fresh Productions card on Saturday (PPV.COM and iN Demand PPV, 6 p.m. ET, $39.95) at Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

Order Matias-Ramirez on PPV.COM

“I thank God for this opportunity following my defeat on June 15th. I’m active five months since that fight,” Matias said through an interpreter at this week’s news conference. “I want to say so many things, but really I want my next performances to speak for me.”

Ramirez (26-3-1, 19 KOs), 31, of Mexico, who is coming off an 11-month layoff, has won three fights in a row since a fifth-round knockout loss to top lightweight contender William Zepeda in November 2020, claims he will stand and fight with Matias.

“I’ve come prepared and ready for a war, to represent Mexico and to give a good show,” Ramirez said through an interpreter. “

Puerto Rican bantamweight Jeyvier Cintron (12-1, 6 KOs), 29, a former junior bantamweight title challenger, will face Rashib Martinez (23-3-1, 11 KOs), 27, of Mexico, in the 10-round co-feature of the five-bout PPV.

Santillan returns from loss

Welterweight contender Giovanni Santillan will return to action following a rough loss to face Fredrick Lawson in a 10-rounder on the undercard of the rematch between WBO junior lightweight titlist Emanuel Navarrete and interim titlist Oscar Valdez on Dec. 7 (ESPN) at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Top Rank announced.

Santillan-Lawson will be part of the stream of preliminary bouts on ESPN+

Santillan (32-1, 17 KOs), 32, a southpaw from San Diego, will return seven months after suffering his first loss, a harsh 10th-round knockout to underdog Brian Norman Jr. for the vacant WBO interim welterweight title on May 18 in San Diego.

Lawson (30-5, 22 KOs), 35, a Ghana native fighting out of Chicago, has lost back-to-back fights, a first-round knockout to Vergil Ortiz Jr. in January on a heavily criticized stoppage and a seventh-round knockout to Alexis Rocha in March.

Three other bouts involving prospects were also added to the card this week:

Robert Garcia-trained featherweight Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez (11-0, 7 KOs), 22, of Perris, California, who signed a long-term deal with Top Ran in August, will face Argentina’s Gerardo Antonio Perez (12-6-1, 3 KOs), 28, in an eight-rounder.
Junior bantamweight Steven Navarro (4-0, 3 KOs), 20, a decorated amateur standout from Los Angeles, will fight Puerto Rico’s Gabriel Bernardi (7-1, 3 KOs), 28, in a six-rounder.
Welterweight Art Barrera Jr. (6-0, 4 KOs), 19, of Paramount, California, who is also trained by Garcia, will take on a foe to be determined in a six-rounder.

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 and picked three fights: Jaron “Boots” Ennis’ IBF welterweight title defense in a rematch with Karen Chukhadzhian that headlines the Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN on Saturday and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez’s WBC junior bantamweight title defense against interim titlist Pedro Guevara in the co-feature and lightweight Keyshawn Davis against Gustavo Lemos in the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ main event on Friday night. We also took viewer questions and comments and discussed the latest boxing news! Please check out the show here:

Quick hits

Weights from Norfolk, Virginia, for Top Rank’s card on Friday (ESPN+, 6:20 p.m. ET): Keyshawn Davis 134.2 pounds, Gustavo Lemos 141.4. Lemos was 6.4 pounds over the 135-pound contract limit, but the fight will go on with Davis getting a portion of Lemos’ purse, the contract being changed to 136 pounds and Lemos weighing 144.6 at a Friday morning weight check, where he was inside the allowable 10-pound weight gain (146 max) above the contract weight. The rest of the weights: Troy Isley 158.9, Tyler Howard 159.8; Abdullah Mason 135.7, Yohan Vasquez 134.2; Kelvin Davis 142.5, Yeis Solano 142.7; Austin Deanda 158.3, DeAundre Pettus 159.9; Keon Davis 148.7, Jalen Moore 150.4; Robert Meriwether III 131.7, Eric Howard 131.4; Ra’eese Aleem 126.9, Derlyn Hernandez 126.9.

Weights from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, for Fresh Productions’ card on Saturday (PPV.COM and iN Demand PPV, 6 p.m. ET, $39.95): Subriel Matias 140 pounds, Pedro Campa 140; Jeyvier Cintron 118, Rashib Martinez 119.2 (Martinez 1.2 pounds overweight, ineligible for regional title at stake); Alfredo Santiago 140, Pedro Campa 140; Abimael Ortiz 122, Kevin Gonzalez 121; Luis Rodriguez 157, Marcos Vazquez 167.

Former two-time super middleweight title challenger Jesse Hart (31-3, 25 KOs), 35, will headline a Teflon Promotions card Nov. 22 (Radiant TV PPV) in his hometown of Philadelphia at the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University. Hart will face Ricardo Luna (27-12-2, 17 KOs), 34, of Mexico, in an eight-round light heavyweight bout. Hart, who twice lost close decisions challenging then-WBO super middleweight titlist Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in 2017 and 2018, has won five fights in a row since a 2020 split decision loss to former light heavyweight titlist Joe Smith.

Lightweight Lucas Bahdi (17-0, 15 KOs), 30, of Niagara Falls, Canada, has a new opponent in Armando Casamonica (14-0, 3 KOs), 24, of Italy, for his 10-rounder on the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson undercard on Nov. 15 (Netflix) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Badhi was due to face Corey Marksman (10-0-1, 7 KOs), 24, of Orlando, Florida, but a shoulder injury forced him to withdraw. Bahdi is coming off a leading knockout of the year contender in July, when he had lost every round to Ashton Sylve before scoring a devastating sixth-round knockout on Paul-Mike Perry undercard in Tampa.

Show and tell

Bernard Hopkins, the legendary Hall of Famer, was 49 when he set yet another age-related boxing record by dropping and clearly outpointing Beibut Shumenov to unify the IBF and WBA light heavyweight titles to become the oldest fighter to unify belts. Undefeated WBO titlist Sergey Kovalev, 31, meantime, was smashing his way through the division and destroying one challenger after another, but he had never faced an opponent remotely as good, as experienced or as battle tested as the seemingly ageless Hopkins when they were matched for a much-anticipated fight on HBO to unify their three belts at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where Hopkins had pulled major upsets against Kelly Pavlik and Antonio Tarver

The question at hand was whether Hopkins’ guile, well-rounded game, solid defense and chin would carry the day or if it would be Kovalev’s smash-mouth aggression and devastating power. The answer was clear in the opening round when Kovalev knocked Hopkins down. He would go on to pound Hopkins for the entire fight and won a shockingly dominant shutout decision — 120-107, 120-107 and 120-106 — in a great performance to unify the titles in what would turned out to be the second-to-last fight of Hopkins’ decorated career. The fight, which I covered at ringside, took place on Nov. 8, 2014 — 10 years ago on Friday. Here is a site poster and an HBO poster from the fight in my collection.

A note to subscribers

I sincerely appreciate your readership. If you’re reading, it means you love boxing just like I do. If you’ve been reading you also know the quality and quantity of what I produce. It’s one-stop shopping. Read the newsletters and there is no need to search multiple websites or click a multitude of links to get the latest news, opinion and detailed fight schedule. Everything you need is in one spot and delivered directly to your inbox (or via phone alert if you download for free the superb Substack app). You don’t have to hunt for the news; it comes to you.

I believe that is worth something, so while I will continue providing stories, notes and the schedule for free, I encourage you to upgrade to a paid subscription for the most content. A paid subscription is your way of keeping this reader-supported newsletter going and supporting independent journalism. I am beholden to no network, promoter, manager, sanctioning body or fighter. If you have read my work at all during the past 24 years I’ve covered professional boxing you know that I keep it real and that will not change.

To upgrade your subscription please go here:

Thank you so much for your support of Fight Freaks Unite!

Photos: Matias-Ramirez: Fresh Productions; Davis-Lemos: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

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

Fight Freaks Unite