Notebook: Wilder-Zhang, other bouts in works for loaded '5 on 5'
Valdez-Wilson gets upgrade; Jose Ramirez, Vergil Ortiz card official; Ennis-Crowley update; Quick hits; a very special 'Show and tell'
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When organizers gathered in London in January for the kickoff news conference to promote the March 8 heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi official overseeing the country’s lavish spending on sports and entertainment — including hundreds of millions on boxing — almost as an aside mentioned an idea for a future boxing card.
Alalshikh, who was working closely with Frank Warren of Queensberry Promotions and Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, wanted an event that would pit five fighters from each of the rival promotional stables against each other in high-level bouts.
Alalshikh got his wish — thanks to his sizable bankroll — and that event will happen as part of the undercard of the planned June 1 fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol to crown the undisputed light heavyweight champion, and if it comes off as is in the works it is as loaded a card as there has been in ages.
But first, they had to settle on the weight classes, which they did behind the scenes before putting out a YouTube video this week where they all feigned surprise at each pick.
Warren went first and selected heavyweight, followed by Hearn’s selection of featherweight, Warren going with middleweight and Hearn opting for light heavyweight. Alalshikh saved the final pick for himself and it was another heavyweight fight with the caveat that a so-called “wild card” pick would be allowed for either promoter to contract with a fighter he didn’t typically work with.
And that’s where former WBC heavyweight titlist and promotional free agent Deontay Wilder comes in as Hearn’s “wild card” pick to face the Warren-promoted former WBO interim titlist Zhilei Zhang in a must-win fight for each man, both of whom are coming off losses in Saudi Arabia.
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Wilder was handily outpointed by Joseph Parker in December and Parker then outpointed Zhang to claim the WBO interim belt on the March 8 undercard.
The fight is not yet official, nor are any of the “5 on 5” fights signed, but various sources outlined for Fight Freaks Unite the bouts the promoters and Alalshikh hope to finalize for the June 1 card.
Here’s a look at the five bouts in various stages of being worked on for the show:
Wilder vs. Zhang
It’s a matchup of big men with massive power, Wilder with his right hand and the southpaw Zhang with his left.
Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs), 38, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is one of boxing biggest punchers in history but he has lost two of three and been relatively inactive. His rough stretch began by losing the WBC title to lineal champion Tyson Fury by one-sided seventh-round knockout in a rematch in 2020 followed by an 11th-round knockout to Fury in their trilogy fight that was an all-time epic battle and the hands down 2021 fight of the year. Wilder returned from a one-year layoff and knocked out Robert Helenius in the first round. A 14-month layoff followed and the lopsided loss to Parker.
China’s Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs), 40, a southpaw, rebounded from a close loss to top contender Filip Hrgovic for a breakout 2023 in which he knocked out Joe Joyce twice to claim the interim belt and defend it before dropping Parker twice but losing a majority decision.
Assuming Wilder-Zhang is finalized, the winner will be back in big business.
Hrgovic vs. Dubois
Filip Hrgovic, IBF heavyweight mandatory challenger, and Daniel Dubois could meet for what will become the IBF title in the days following the Fury-Oleksandr Usyk fight for the undisputed crown on May 18. Hrgovic is next up to get a shot at the belt and part of the delicate negotiations with Team Hrgovic and the IBF was that Fury-Usyk would be approved with the winner either fighting Hrgovic after May 18 or vacating, and since Fury and Usyk have an automatic rematch for eight figures, all involved are operating as through the winner will vacate the IBF belt.
Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs), 31, of Croatia, who has a deal directly with the Saudis but has worked with Hearn for several fights, crushed overmatched Mark De Mori in the first round on the Dec. 23 card in Riyadh.
Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs), 26, of England, who is with Warren, was the WBA “regular” titlist and mandatory challenger when three-belt titlist Usyk knocked him out in the ninth round in August. He rebounded with a 10th-round knockout of Jarrell Miller on the Dec. 23 card.
Ford vs. Ball
The Hearn-promoted Raymond Ford (15-0-1, 8 KOs), 25, a southpaw from Camden, New Jersey, scored a dramatic 12th-round knockout of Otabek Kholmatov on March 2 to win the vacant WBA featherweight title and could make his first defense against Nick Ball (19-0-1, 11 KOs), 27, of England.
Ball handily outpointed Isaac Dogboe in November to become the WBC No. 1 contender and then challenged Rey Vargas for the title in on the Joshua-Ngannou card on March 8 and came away with a draw.
Although Warren talked about trying to line up Ball for an immediate rematch with Vargas, a fight with Ford soon became the focus with the “5 on 5” on tap.
Williams vs. Sheeraz
Hearn-promoted Austin “Ammo” Williams (16-0, 11 KOs), 27, a southpaw from Houston, and the Warren-promoted Hamzah Sheeraz (19-0, 15 KOs), 24, of England, are two very promising middleweights.
Both would be taking on their most dangerous opponent and both are coming off excellent performances. Williams brutally knocked out then-unbeaten Armel Mbumba-Yassa in the seventh round on Feb. 3 in Las Vegas. Sheeraz destroyed former title challenger Liam Williams in the first round on Feb. 10. The winner would become an immediate player in a lackluster division in need of a jolt.
Richards vs. Hutchinson
The light heavyweight bout could pit former world title challenger Craig Richards, who is with Matchroom, and Queensberry’s Willy Hutchinson.
Richards (18-3-1, 11 KOs), 33, of England, challenged Bivol for his world title in 2021 and gave him a hard fight in a competitive decision loss. He returned from a nearly two-year layoff on Feb. 10 and stopped journeyman Boris Crighton in the seventh round.
Hutchinson (17-1, 13 KOs), 25, of Scotland, won his fourth fight in a row this past Friday with a second-round knockout of Martin Houben.
The promoters plan to officially announce the lineup at a forthcoming news conference in London to also announce Beterbiev-Bivol.
There will be a tournament angle to the inter-promotional bouts with a team captain being picked and his win being worth two points to the team and the rest of the wins being worth one point apiece.
“There’s a lot riding on this,” Warren joked in the video. “We have a big bet and I’m gonna pick the restaurant.”
Valdez-Wilson for interim belt
The junior lightweight fight between former titlist Oscar Valdez and former title challenger Liam Wilson, which headlines the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ card on Friday (6:05 p.m. ET) at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, received an upgrade on Tuesday.
Top Rank announced that the fight will be for the vacant WBO interim junior lightweight title, which does not come as a big surprise.
The interim belt was made available because reigning titlist Emanuel Navarrete, who defeated Valdez and Wilson in rousing back-to-back title fights in 2023, is moving up in weight and seeking a world title in a fourth division when he faces Denys Berinchyk for the vacant WBO lightweight title on May 18 in San Diego.
According to the WBO ruling, “If Navarrete is successful in winning the vacant WBO lightweight championship and determines to retain the WBO lightweight championship, the WBO junior lightweight interim champion shall be elevated to full champion status.”
In essence, the WBO is filling the title before it becomes officially vacant. Of course, Navarrete would have the option of returning to junior lightweight to defend in a rematch with the Valdez-Wilson winner but that is extremely unlikely given his issues making weight.
Mexico’s Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs), 33, who grew up in Tucson, Arizona, is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Navarrete in a title challenge in an all-action fight of the year candidate in August.
Wilson (13-2, 7 KOs), 28, has won two fights in a row in his native Australia since he was a replacement for the injured Valdez last February and gave Navarrete all he could handle, including knocking him down in the fourth round, in a ninth-round knockout loss in a fight of the year contender for the vacant WBO 130-pound belt.
Ramirez, Ortiz on same card
Former unified junior welterweight titlist Jose Ramirez and junior middleweight contender Vergil Ortiz will fight on the same card April 27 (DAZN) at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, Ramirez’s home region, Golden Boy announced on Tuesday, confirming last week’s Fight Freaks Unite report.
In the 12-round main event, Ramirez will face former junior lightweight and lightweight titlist Rances Barthelemy (30-2-1, 15 KOs), 38, who is also a former junior welterweight title challenger.
The fight will be the first for Ramirez (28-1, 18 KOs), 31, of Avenal, California, in 13 months, since an 11th-round knockout of former lightweight titlist Richard Commey and his first since turning down a $2 million-plus offer for a world title shot against Teofimo Lopez at New York’s Madison Square Garden that would have taken place last month, parting with Top Rank, and signing with Golden Boy.
“I’m excited and honored to be working with Golden Boy Promotions,” Ramirez said. “I know this next chapter of my career will be full of excitement as I chase to be the best and fight the best.”
Barthelemy, who is with TGB Promotions and PBC and been idle since a 10-round majority decision over Omar Juarez last May, hopes to catapult himself to another title opportunity with a win.
“I’m ready to bring the heat against Ramirez,” Barthelemy said. “This fight isn’t just about victory. It’s about earning another world title shot so I can accomplish my goal of becoming a three-division world champion.”
Ortiz (20-0, 20 KOs), 26, of Grand Prairie, Texas, will face massive underdog Thomas Dulorme (26-6-1, 17 KOs), 34, of Puerto Rico, in the 10-round co-feature.
Ortiz, who has been beset by medical and weight issues that caused various layoffs and fights to be canceled, appears to have put the issues behind him. He has reunited with trainer Robert Garcia (who also trains Ramirez), moved up from welterweight and knocked out Fredrick Lawson in the first round on Jan. 6 in his first fight in 17 months.
“I spent a few weeks in Fresno in 2023 and I grew to love the city,” Ortiz said. “I’m looking forward to putting on a great show for the fans out there, and I am content that we are staying active. 2024 is looking to be a great year for me.”
Dulorme, who got knocked out by Terence Crawford in a 2015 junior welterweight title fight, is 1-3 in his last four and hasn’t fought since July 2022. He won that fight via third-round knockout of low-level opponent Abrahan Peralta but lost his previous three, decisions to Jamal James and Eimantas Stanionis and then was crushed in a first-round knockout loss to Jaron Ennis in October 2021.
“I’ve been waiting for another big fight and this is exactly what I have wanted,” Dulorme said. “Vergil is a good fighter. I know him very well from years of training alongside him. One thing I can say is that the fans are going to get an all-out war.”
Quick hits
The IBF purse bid for the fight between welterweight titlist Jaron “Boots” Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs), 26, of Philadelphia, and mandatory challenger Cody Crowley (22-0, 9 KOs), 31, a Canadian southpaw, scheduled for Tuesday was canceled with the IBF and Team Ennis telling Fight Freaks Unite that a deal was made for the bout even though Crowley had previously said he was not interested and rejected a generous $600,000 offer for the bout last fall. If Crowley signs, the fight likely would take place in June or July, according to Team Ennis, be it on a PBC on Prime pay-per-view card or on a non-PPV event.
Premier Boxing Champions made official the announce team that will call the Tim Tszyu-Sebastian Fundora WBO/WBC junior middleweight title fight that headlines its first event as part of a deal with Prime Video on Saturday (Prime Video PPV, PPV.com, 8 p.m., $69.99) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It confirmed the Fight Freaks Unite report that former Showtime team members Mauro Ranallo (blow-by-blow), Brian Custer (host) and Abner Mares (analyst) will be joined by Joe Goossen (analyst). Also announced: Claudia Trejos and Jordan Plant will serve as ringside reporters and Alejandro Luna will handle the Spanish-language blow-by-blow duties.
Beatriz Ferreira (4-0, 2 KOs), 31, a 2020 Olympic silver medalist from Brazil, will face Argentina’s Yanina del Carmen Lescano (14-3, 4 KOs), 28, for the vacant IBF women’s lightweight title on April 27 (DAZN) at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool, England, Matchroom Boxing announced as one of the additions to the “NXTGEN” prospect card topped by the Ja’Rico O’Quinn-Peter McGrail junior featherweight rematch. “I’m very excited to be fighting for a world title in just my fifth pro fight,” Ferreira said. “A few other opponents didn’t accept the challenge to fight me for the world title. I don’t understand that attitude but Lescano was brave enough to accept and I know she will be a tough challenge. I want to put on a great show in Liverpool and make sure I go to the Olympics in Paris (this summer) as the reigning world champion in both the professionals and amateurs. That would be very special. I won silver at the last Olympics in Tokyo and I am very focused and confident that I can upgrade that medal to gold in Paris.”
Former WBA “regular” strawweight titlist Erick Rosa (6-0, 2 KOs), 24, a southpaw from the Dominican Republic, who recently vacated to move up in weight after nonstop delays and cancellations of his mandatory fight with titleholder Thammanoon Niyomtrong, will make his junior flyweight debut against Yudel Reyes (16-2, 6 KOs), 27, of Mexico, in a 12-round main event on April 5 (TrillerTV) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, promoter Shaun Boxing announced. Rosa will fight for the first time since an eighth-round knockout of Orlando Pino last August.
Matchroom Boxing announced that its revival of the “Prizefighter” eight-man tournaments that ran regularly in the United Kingdom from 2008 to 2015 and was set to return with the quarterfinals of a middleweight tournament on Sunday on DAZN in Nagoya, Japan, has been postponed with no new date announced. “Due to operation issues outside of our control the Prizefighter quarterfinals are postponed,” Matchroom said in a statement, offering no additional details. Matchroom had announced the winner would receive $1 million with participants eligible to win a portion of the $100,000 knockout bonus per event. The quarterfinal bouts were to be Riku Kunimoto-Eiki Kani; Mark Dickinson-Anauel Ngamissengue; Aaron McKenna-Jeovanny Estela; and Kieron Conway-Ainiwaer Yilixiati.
Promoter Don King announced a card on April 27 (TrillerTV PPV) at Casino Miami Jai-Alai in Miami that will be headlined by middleweight Ian Green (18-2, 12 KOs), 30, of Paterson, New Jersey, in a regional title bout against Roy Barringer (10-4, 6 KOs), 34, of Toledo, Ohio. Other bouts include Miami light heavyweight Ahmed Elbiali (23-1, 18 KOs) against Sergio Jimenez (13-0-1, 11 KOs) of San Pedro, California; lightweight Antonio Perez (9-0, 5 KOs) versus Los Angeles’ Oscar Acevedo (9-1); Fort Lauderdale, Florida, junior welterweight DeVon Williams (4-0, 4 KOs) against Mexico’s Julio Tanori (1-1, 1 KO); Angel Perez (9-0, 7 KOs), of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, against Chula Vista, California’s Nigel Fennell (13-3, 8 KOs); and Boynton Beach, Florida, bantamweight Lawrence Newton (16-0, 7 KOs) against Colombia’s Luis Tenorio (10-0, 8 KOs).
Show and tell
The Lou DiBella-promoted HBO “Boxing After Dark” card featured hot middleweight prospect Jermain Taylor, five fights before he would dethrone four-belt undisputed champion Bernard Hopkins, taking a decent step up in competition and scoring a seventh-round knockout of Alex Bunema in front of a hometown Little Rock, Arkansas, crowd. In the opening bout, then-undefeated rising heavyweight contender and Arkansas native Dominic Guinn suffered an upset 10-round decision loss to battle-tested veteran Monte Barrett. Not the biggest card in the world, granted. But it is meaningful to me. It was on the night of this card that I got married to my wonderful wife and we celebrated with around 135 family and friends at our reception that took place as the fights were going on. I had about 10 or so boxing folks in attendance and one of them came over to me and said something like, “Hey, do you mind if a couple of us go upstairs to one of the hotel rooms and see what’s going on in the fight?” My response: “Sure, just make sure you come back and tell me what happened.” My guest reported the results to me and a good time was had by all.
I recorded the HBO telecast (on a VHS cassette in those days) but given how busy things were after the wedding with some friends and family staying in town for a few days, I didn’t actually watch the broadcast until days later. Much to my surprise (and with appreciation), my pal Michael Buffer, the legendary Hall of Fame ring announcer, shouted me out before one of the fights by wishing me happy nuptials during the intros. And then Taylor offered me congratulations in his fist words before a post-fight interview with Larry Merchant. Taylor knew I was getting married because the week before the fight I interviewed him for a USA Today story and he asked me if I was going to be there. He knew me from having covered several of his fights and having picked him as the 2003 prospect of the year, so we got on well. I told Taylor that I would not be there because his fight was the same night as my wedding. The Taylor-Bunema card and the Rafael wedding both took place on March 27, 2004 — 20 years ago on Wednesday. While somewhere my wife and I have copies of our wedding program, here is one from the fight in my collection.
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Ennis photo: Ryan Hafey/PBC
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Congrats on 20 years, Dan! Just celebrated my 20th on 3/11. 2004 was a good year!
Thanks for all the nuggets.
Love your energy in putting all this together. Are you going to report on the latest UKAD-BBBofC Benn ruling?