Notebook: Sources: Figueroa positive for Covid-19, Fulton unification ppd.

VADA statement on Valdez; end of Pacquiao era; Edwards injured

Sep 08, 2021

WBC junior featherweight world titlist Brandon Figueroa has tested positive for Covid-19, forcing his title unification bout with WBO counterpart Stephen Fulton to be postponed on Tuesday, multiple sources told Fight Freaks Unite.

The much-anticipated 122-pound unification fight was scheduled to take place on Sept. 18 in the main event of a Showtime-televised tripleheader at Park MGM in Las Vegas.

A Showtime source told Fight Freaks Unite the plan is to reschedule all three televised bouts for a date to be determined in late October or November — depending, of course, on Figueroa’s health.

Also being postponed along with the main event are a pair of scheduled 10-round bouts: junior featherweight Ra’eese Aleem (18-0, 12 KOs) against Eduardo Baez (19-1-2, 6 KOs) and bantamweight Gary Antonio Russell (18-0, 12 KOs) versus Alejandro Barrios (24-2-5, 13 KOs).

Fulton had just relocated from his hometown of Philadelphia to Las Vegas for the final two weeks of his training camp.

“Prayers out to Brandon hope he recovers,” Fulton wrote on Twitter after Fight Freaks Unite broke the news. “I did everything great on my end, testing sparing partners and coaches, even isolating myself from my family and friends for months. Of course, I am upset but I have been here before, I’ll be even stronger come October. Never make me mad!!!”

Fulton (19-0, 8 KOs), 27, was due to make his first title defense after routing Angelo Leo in January to take his 122-pound belt. Figueroa (22-0-1, 17 KOs), 24, of Weslaco, Texas, also was due to make his initial defense, having knocked out Luis Nery in the seventh round to claim the WBC belt in May.

The postponement is another in a recent string of prominent main event fights either postponed or canceled due to one of the main event boxers contracting Covid-19.

Unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez came down with it, forcing his mandatory defense against George Kambosos to be postponed. The same goes for heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who had to postpone his third fight with former titlist Deontay Wilder; former two-time super middleweight world titlist David Benavidez, who had to delay his fight with former titlist Jose Uzcategui and Oscar De La Hoya, who was set to come out of a 13-year retirement on Saturday to face MMA legend Vitor Belfort before the fight was canceled this past Friday.

VADA statement after Valdez decision

Dr. Margaret Goodman, the president of the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, issued a statement on Tuesday following the decision made by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Athletic Commission to allow the Oscar Valdez-Robson Conceicao junior lightweight title fight to move forward, and the WBC’s decision to sanction the title bout, on Friday night at Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Arizona, even though Valdez tested positive for the stimulant Phentermine in a random test conducted by VADA on Aug. 13.

The substance is banned at all times, according to VADA rules. However, it is not banned out of competition — more than one day before the competition — under World Anti-Doping Association rules, which is what the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Athletic Commission goes by.

“Since VADA began its program in 2011, our mission has been steadfast – to remain independent and offer and promote effective anti-doping programs in boxing and mixed martial arts through testing and education,” Goodman said in the statement. “Our board of directors and officers have more than 100 years of combined experience in combat sports and anti-doping.”

She then listed “some FACTS that have remained unchanged since VADA’s inception.” Her list:

1. Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) remain a significant problem in boxing and MMA.

2. Well over a thousand fights with no PED testing take place in the United States in an average year. And few fighters undergo PED testing in the weeks and months leading up to a fight.

3. When PED testing is performed by state athletic commissions, the commissions seldom test for hGH (human growth hormone), EPO (blood doping) and IRMS (a test for exogenous testosterone), all of which are tested for by VADA. Only a handful of U.S. commissions use WADA-accredited laboratories (which VADA uses) and even fewer commissions utilize certified doping collection officers.

4. VADA is independent of the many public and private entities in boxing and MMA.

5. VADA is not a signatory to WADA, so we can adhere to what we believe is needed to maintain the strongest anti-doping program possible specific to combat sports under the financial constraints that we face.

6. VADA has only one list of prohibited substances—and these substances are prohibited at all times during the VADA program.

7. It is not VADA’s role to adjudicate results. And VADA cannot force entities who receive notice of our adverse results to act on them.

8. Fighters who enroll in VADA do so voluntarily.

9. Local athletic commissions and the Association of Boxing Commissions can choose to follow their own prohibited list. But if they enforce little or no drug testing, then this adoption has no meaning. It’s just words.

10. Vigilance with regard to PED use is essential to fighter safety, which is our primary concern. VADA stands by its decision to maintain a single list of substances that are prohibited at all times instead of having a separate “out-of-competition” prohibited list. Boxing and MMA are inherently dangerous. The hazards and risks are not limited solely to the day of the fight. VADA chooses policies that we believe are the best interest of the fighters, and VADA believes that two lists would place fighters at undue risk. I won’t elaborate at length here on the risks inherent in the use of stimulants — whether during a fight or during training — including how stimulants act on the central nervous system and cause withdrawal side effects. These risks can be reviewed online. Putting aside these dangers, stimulants can enhance performance in ways that include, but are not limited to, increased metabolic rate, power, and strength. They decrease fatigue, aid in weight loss, and suppress appetite. They can provide an unfair advantage in competition. VADA remains committed to supporting combat sports and protecting the fighters to the best of our ability.

Valdez-Conceicao undercard

Top Rank made official the preliminary bouts on the card headlined by junior lightweight titlist Oscar Valdez’s first defense against Robson Conceicao on Friday (ESPN+, prelims at 5:30 p.m. ET, main card at 10 p.m. ET) at the AVA Amphitheater at Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Arizona.

Xander Zayas (9-0, 7 KOs), the 19-year-old Puerto Rican phenom from Sunrise, Florida, will move up to junior middleweight for a six-rounder against Jose Luis Sanchez (11-1-1, 4 KOs), of Albuquerque, New Mexico, who is coming off a draw in May against Adrian Granados.

Lightweight Raymond Muratalla (12-0, 10 KOs), 24, a Robert Garcia-trained Southern California native, and Ecuador’s Jose Angulo (14-2, 7 KOs), will meet in an eight-rounder.
Junior welterweight Lindolfo Delgado (12-0, 11 KOs), 26, a 2016 Mexican Olympian, who made his Top Rank debut June 19, faces countryman Miguel Zamudio (45-16-1, 28 KOs) in an eight-rounder at junior welterweight.
Junior lightweight Rene Tellez Giron (15-1, 9 KOs), 22, of Mexico, who owns a December 2019 upset knockout victory over prospect Karlos Balderas, will face Eduardo Garza (15-4-1, 8 KOs), 32, of Mission, Texas, in an eight-rounder.
Junior welterweight knockout Omar Aguilar (21-0, 20 KOs), 22, of Mexico, will face Carlos Manuel Portillo (22-3, 17 KOs), of Paraguay, in an eight-rounder. Aguilar has 15 first-round knockouts and not been past three rounds since December 2018.
Junior featherweight Jose Ramirez, 18, of Tucson, will make his official pro debut against Miguel Ceballos (2-0, 2 KOs), 24, of Peoria, Arizona, in a four-rounder.

Edwards injured, defense off

Sunny Edwards, the IBF flyweight titleholder, suffered an ankle injury and has been forced to withdraw from his first defense against mandatory challenger Jayson Mama.

The fight was scheduled to headline a Frank Warren-promoted card on Saturday at the Copper Box Arena in Edwards’ hometown of London, but on Tuesday the fight was called off.

Warren announced the injury on social media, adding, “More details to follow regarding the Edwards v Mama fight and Saturday night’s show.”

Edwards (16-0, 4 KOs), 25, won the 112-pound belt on April 30 at York Hall in London when he handily outpointed Moruti Mthalane in a shocker. Mama (16-0, 9 KOs), 24, of the Philippines, was set to fight outside of Asia for the first time in a step up in competition.

“Gutted that my fight on Saturday is off,” Edwards wrote on social media. “Will have a rescheduled date ASAP. Want to apologise firstly to my opponent Jayson & his team, as I understand the frustration they must be feeling, secondly Frank Warren & BT (Sports) as my homecoming was set to be the biggest night of my career.”

Pacquiao: End of an era?

With the great Manny Pacquiao losing decision to welterweight world titlist Yordenis Ugas on Aug. 21 after a two-year layoff and the probability he will soon announce he is running for president of the Philippines, plus Pacquiao’s post-fight comments, it sure felt like the end of the an era and that perhaps Pacquiao will retire.

If the 42-year-old Pacquiao does indeed walk away — Father Time remains undefeated — he’ll do so as a record-setting phenomenon, one of the greatest fighters to ever put on gloves, the greatest Asian fighter and perhaps the greatest southpaw. Pacquiao, with tremendous speed, power and a palpable joy for combat, rose from abject poverty to beloved global icon with numerous significant records and accomplishments.

While I covered Pacquiao-Ugas fight week for The Ring website, I also wrote a lengthy wrap-up of the event and what may have been the final bout of one of boxing’s most remarkable careers for the latest print issue of The Ring. It is also available as part of a digital subscription (well worth the $1.99 a month) and can be read here, so please check it out: https://www.ringtv.com/article/end-of-an-era/?fbclid=IwAR2mZ0qF5noZ0Xvc6KhMTUgiGnPvb-RqnXleSkOhd3sy3durJTemoXZv_1A

Quick hits

Welterweight world titlist Yordenis Ugas, who outpointed Manny Pacquiao in a major upset on Aug. 21 in Las Vegas to retain his belt for the first time, was honored by Miami, Florida, Mayor Francis Suarez on Tuesday afternoon with the key to the city in a ceremony at the mayor’s office. Ugas, who is from Cuba, makes his home in Miami. Other elite athletes that have received the honor include Florida Marlins pitcher and World Series champion Livan Hernandez and NBA champions Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal from the Miami Heat

Heavyweight contender Joe Joyce (13-0, 12 KOs), of England, never one to avoid a tough fight, has called out former world titlist Joseph Parker (29-2, 21 KOs), of New Zealand, but who has fought regularly in England. “Yo, what’s happening, Joe Parker, let’s dance bro. Number 1 vs. Number 2,” Joyce wrote on Twitter, referring to the fact that they are the WBO’s top two-rated heavyweight contenders following mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk, who challenges for the title versus Anthony Joshua on Sept. 25.

Light heavyweight Robin Krasniqi, who was one of the boxers recently stripped of his interim title when the WBA terminated all of its interim belts in an effort to reduce the number of titles it sanctions, will meet Dominic Boesel in a rematch on Oct. 9 at GETEC Arena in Magdeburg, Germany, SES Promotions announced. Krasniqi (51-6, 19 KOs), 34, of Germany, knocked out countryman Boesel (31-2, 12 KOs), 31, in the third round of his last bout to claim the interim belt in October 2020 at the same arena. Boesel has won his only fight since.

British lightweight Maxi Hughes (24-5-2, 5 KOs) 31, has signed a multi-fight promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, it was announced Monday. The signing comes following Hughes’ impressive 12-round decision win over Mexico’s Jovanni Straffon on Saturday’s Mauricio Lara-Josh Warrington II undercard in Leeds, England. The win, by scores of 120-107, 120-107 and 119-109, was Hughes’ fifth in a row. Hughes, a southpaw, said he would like to challenge WBC lightweight titlist Devin Haney.

Show and tell

In Mike Tyson’s third fight after being released from prison he drilled Frank Bruno in a rematch to reclaim the WBC heavyweight title. But rather than face mandatory challenger Lennox Lewis, he paid him $4 million to step aside so he could instead face WBA titlist Bruce Seldon in a Showtime PPV fight that lasted less time that it probably took you to read this notebook. Tyson, who vacated the WBC belt soon after the fight, grazed Seldon along the top of the head with a right hand and he went down face first. Seldon beat the count but moments later Tyson connected with a seemingly harmless left hook, but Seldon went down again. He got up, but then suddenly began to wobble and referee Richard Steele stopped it at 1 minute, 49 seconds. Tyson had claimed another title but in utterly disappointing fashion. There was a huge national uproar after the fight because pay-per-view buyers felt Seldon did not give a legitimate effort, and it’s hard to argue. That horrendous night for boxing was on Sept. 7, 1996 — 25 years ago on Tuesday. Here’s the program from the fight in my collection.