Notebook: With Broner out, Figueroa focused on Lipinets in Showtime main event
Beterbiev sidelined by knee surgery; BET US show; Fundora gets Oct. 8 opponent; Haney-Kambosos II update; Munguia return; Quick hits; Show and tell
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Omar Figueroa Jr. thought all along that Adrien Broner would not make it to the ring for their junior welterweight fight on Saturday night and he turned out to be prophetic.
Figueroa said he and his team had been hearing that four-division titleholder Broner was not taking his training camp seriously, that he was partying and nowhere near the 140-pound limit.
So, it came as no surprise to former lightweight titlist Figueroa that Broner pulled out on Monday, although when Broner did so he said in a social media post that it was due to mental health struggles, something Figueroa knows all too well about as he has struggled with his own for years and not made it a secret.
“I have no problem with Broner not taking the fight because of mental health,” Figueroa said. “I’m trying to advocate and get more people to take care of their mental health. But for him to use it as a cop out, that’s what annoyed me.
“With anyone struggling with their mental health, the most important thing is to reach out to a friend or neighbor and know that you’re not alone. Life’s not easy. It’s a constant struggle and an everyday battle. We have to stay strong and rely on each other and have each other’s back. Just love each other and that’s the best we can do.”
At least Figueroa will still get to fight in the 12-round WBC semifinal title eliminator against former junior welterweight titlist Sergey Lipinets, who was scheduled for an eight-rounder on the undercard but also on standby in the event that either Figueroa or Broner fell out of the fight.
He always knew being elevated to the main event a four-fight Premier Boxing Champions telecast on Showtime (8 p.m. ET) at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, was possible.
“I first want to thank Omar and Broner for making this happen,” Lipinets said. “These things happen and sometimes there are pull-outs at the last moment. We were getting ready for whatever comes. We’re ready and we just want to show the best fight for the fans of boxing.”
Figueroa took the change in stride.
“Obviously, we were preparing for a certain style, but the fight fell through, so I just have to take all my experience and the things I’ve learned all these years and apply it toward Sergey,” Figueroa said. “He’s no pushover and he’s a former world champion. We know we have our hands full.”
The bout figures to be more of a crowd-pleaser than Figueroa-Broner, mainly because Broner throws so few punches. But Figueroa and Lipinets are both aggressive and come forward.
They are also both in need of a win.
Figueroa (28-2-1, 19 KOs), 32, of Weslaco, Texas, who will be fighting for only the fourth time since 2017, has lost two in a row, both at welterweight, a lopsided decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2019 and a one-sided sixth-round knockout to Abel Ramos in May 2021.
Lipinets (16-2-1, 12 KOs), 33, a Kazakhstan native fighting out of Woodland Hill, California, is 0-1-1 in his past two fights, a draw with Custio Clayton for an interim 140-pound title in October 2020 and a one-sided sixth-round knockout to red-hot rising star Jaron Ennis in at 147 pounds in April 2021. Lipinets said he realized after the loss to Ennis that he was better served boxing at 140.
“My last loss was at 147 pounds, so I’m going back to 140 and I want to be world champion again and show that I’m a force to be reckoned with,” Lipinets said. “We just made a decision as a team and realized that 147 was not right for me. I’m more comfortable at 140 and made weight no problem. We had a great camp and had different opponents thrown at us and at the end of the day, I feel great.
“Everyone knows what I do in the ring and what Omar does in the ring. It’s going to be a great scrap stylistically. We’re not going be looking for each other and not dancing around. It’s going to be a straight-forward fight and may the best man win.”
Figueroa also said he plans to enjoy the fight, whatever happens.
“All the troubles with camp, and dealing with the weight cut and all that camp entails, I was hoping to take it out on Broner. And now I have to take it out on Sergey,” Figueroa said. “It’s me against him. I’ve been a fighter for 27 years now, and the sport hasn’t always been the nicest to me. We all know about my mental health struggles, but for the first time I got to enjoy training camp. I got to enjoy dealing with all that a training camp provides.
“If this is my last fight, I’d be happy with that. But I know I’m not done, and I have a lot left in the tank. I love this sport too much and there’s not anything else that would fulfill me the same. I’m excited for Saturday. I’m pumped like I’ve never been before. I finally got to enjoy myself and I think I’m going to enjoy Saturday night. I’m looking forward to a war with Lipinets.”
Also on the card:
Alberto Puello (20-0, 10 KOs), 27, of the Dominican Republic, will face fellow southpaw Batyr Akhmedov (9-1, 8 KOs), 31, of Ukraine, for the vacant WBA junior welterweight title in the co-feature.
Roger Gutierrez (26-3-1, 20 KOs), 27, of Venezuela, will make a mandatory defense of the WBA junior lightweight title against Hector Garcia (15-0, 10 KOs), 30, a southpaw from the Dominican Republic.
Junior welterweight up-and-comer Brandun Lee (25-0, 22 KOs), 23, of La Quinta, California, will fight Will Madera (17-1-3, 10 KOs), 31 of Albany, New York, in the 10-round opener.
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 four fights from a huge weekend: the Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua rematch for the unified heavyweight titles that headlines on DAZN, the heavyweight title eliminator between Filip Hrgovic and Zhang Zhilei in the co-feature; featherweight titlist Emanuel Navarrete’s defense against Eduardo Baez in the ESPN main event; and the Omar Figueroa Jr. versus Sergey Lipinets junior welterweight eliminator that headlines the Showtime card. We also took viewer comments and questions on the big show! Watch it here:
Beterbiev has surgery
Three-belt light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev’s return for a defense against mandatory challenger Anthony Yarde, which was penciled in for Oct. 29 in Yarde’s hometown of London — though the deal had not been finalized — will be delayed.
Beterbiev is still recovering from minor knee surgery that will delay the fight until later in the year but more likely into early 2023.
Beterbiev decimated Joe Smith Jr. via second-round knockout to unify three 175-pound world titles on June 18 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Yarde was ringside to begin talking up their eventual clash. However, Beterbiev then underwent surgery.
“He had minor surgery immediately after the fight and he is already gradually returning to the gym,” Marc Ramsay, Beterbiev’s trainer, told Fight Freaks Unite.
An October date has been ruled out but Ramsay added, “He could be ready as soon as late November.”
Beterbiev (18-0, 18 KOs), 37, a Russia native living in Montreal, is boxing’s only current champion with a perfect knockout record. He has made six defenses, including winning unification fights against Smith and Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
Yarde (22-2, 21 KOs), 31, is coming off a fourth-round knockout of Lyndon Arthur in December to avenge a split decision loss in 2020. Yarde’s other defeat came by 11th-round knockout challenging then-WBO light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev in August 2019.
Fundora fight set
Sebastian Fundora will defend the WBC interim junior middleweight title against Carlos Ocampo on Oct. 8 in the main event of a Showtime tripleheader, a source with knowledge of the plans told Fight Freaks Unite. The card will likely take place in Southern California but the site has not been determined other than the fact that the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson is not available.
Fundora (19-0-1, 13 KOs), 24, a southpaw from Coachella, California, claimed the vacant interim belt by ninth-round knockout of Erickson Lubin on April 9 in a fight of the year candidate in which both fighters were knocked down.
Ocampo (34-1, 22 KOs), 26, of Mexico, has won 12 consecutive fights since his only defeat, a first-round knockout loss challenging Errol Spence Jr. for his welterweight title in June 2018.
As Fight Freaks Unite previously reported, the two other bouts on Showtime’s telecast are due to be a middleweight fight between Carlos Adames (21-1, 16 KOs), 28, of the Dominican Republic, and Juan Macias Montiel (23-5-2, 23 KOs), 28, of Mexico, and an immediate rematch between IBF junior bantamweight titlist Fernando Martinez (14-0, 8 KOs), 31, of Argentina, and Jerwin Ancajas (33-2-2, 22 KOs), 30, of the Philippines. Martinez upset Ancajas to win the 115-pound belt on Feb. 26.
Quick hits
Weights from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for Saturday’s Matchroom Boxing card (DAZN in the U.S., Sky Sports Box Office in the U.K., 1 p.m. ET): Oleksandr Usyk 221.6 pounds, Anthony Joshua 244.5 (rematch for Usyk’s unified heavyweight title); Filip Hrgovic 242.9, Zhang Zhilei 277.1 (IBF heavyweight eliminator); Callum Smith 174.7, Mathieu Bauderlique 174.5 (WBC light heavyweight eliminator); Badou Jack 199.1, Richard Rivera 194.9; Ramla Ali 122.6, Crystal Garcia Nova 122.9; Andrew Tabiti 216.7, James Wilson 238.5.
Weights from Hollywood, Florida, for the Premier Boxing Champions card on Saturday (Showtime, 8 p.m. ET): Omar Figueroa Jr. 139.75 pounds, Sergey Lipinets 139.75 (WBC junior welterweight eliminator); Alberto Puello 139.5, Batyr Akhmedov 139.75 (for vacant WBA junior welterweight title); Roger Gutierrez 130 Hector Garcia 130 (for Gutierrez’s WBA junior lightweight title); Brandun Lee 142.75, Will Madera, 142.5.
Weights from San Diego for Top Rank’s card Saturday on ESPN (10 p.m. ET): Emanuel Navarrete 125.8 pounds, Eduardo Baez 125.8 (for Navarrete’s WBO featherweight title); Giovani Santillan 147.4, Julio Luna 147.4; Nico Ali Walsh 157.8, Reyes Sanchez 157.2 (rematch); Austin Brooks 129.4, Oliver Galica 128.6; Lindolfo Delgado 142, Omar Aguilar 142; Luis Alberto Lopez 127, Yeison Vargas 125.6; Xavier Martinez 131.6, Alejandro Guerrero 131.8; Miguel Contreras 135.4, Josec Ruiz 135.4; Antonio Mireles 266, Kaleel Carter 237.
The rematch between undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney and former unified champion George Kambosos Jr. will be formally announced at a news conference scheduled for Tuesday morning in Melbourne, Australia, Kambosos’ home country. Haney will appear via satellite from Los Angeles, where it will be Monday night. He handily outpointed Kambosos 118-110, 116-112, 116-112 to unify all four belts on June 4 before 41,129 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. The rematch will take place on Oct. 15 (ESPN) at Rod Laver Stadium, home of the tennis Australian Open in Melbourne, where it will be Oct. 16 Australia.
Middleweight contender Jaime Munguia (40-0, 32 KOs), 25, of Mexico, is slated to headline a Golden Boy card on Oct. 29 (DAZN) at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, co-promoter Zanfer Promotions announced via social media. There is no set opponent yet for Munguia, a former junior middleweight titlist, who has won six fights in a row since vacating his belt to move up in weight. He is coming off a fifth-round knockout of Jimmy “Kilrain” Kelly on June 11 in Anaheim, California, and taken a lot of criticism for facing a string of soft-touch opponents. Munguia has, however, been active. He has fought four times between June 2021 and this past June.
Ontario, Canada-based based United Boxing Promotions and DAZN announced that they have made a deal under which DAZN will stream its events in the United States, Canada and 180-plus additional markets around the world. The agreement begins with shows on Sept. 9 and Sept. 10, both of which will take place at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario.
Golden Boy announced it has signed 19-year-old lightweight prospect Floyd Schofield (11-0, 9 KOs), of Austin, Texas, to a co-promotional deal with Davies Entertainment. Schofield’s first fight under the deal will be an eight-rounder against Daniel Rosas (22-5-1, 14 KOs), 32, of Mexico, in the main event of the “Golden Boy Fight Night” card on Oct. 20 (DAZN) at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. “Being with Golden Boy Promotions is a dream come true,” Schofield said. “I get to learn from two legends — (CEO) Oscar De La Hoya and (partner) Bernard Hopkins — that I studied for years. My dad always told me this was all going to happen. To see it really happen, is beyond words. Now I have to do my part and win.”
Matchroom Boxing announced a pair of signings this week. It signed junior welterweight Stevie Spark (15-2, 14 KOs), 25, of Australia, who has won three in a row since a third-round knockout loss to Tim Tszyu 13 months ago. Matchroom Boxing is getting set to put on its first show in Australia this fall. Also signed was lightweight Gary Cully (14-0, 8 KOs), 26, a southpaw from Ireland, who had been with the now-defunct MTK Global. He is coming off a fifth-round knockout of former lightweight titlist Miguel Vazquez in March on Matchroom’s Leigh Wood-Michael Conlan card.
Show and tell
Mike Tyson’s unanimous decision win over Donovan “Razor” Ruddock in their 1991 rematch was Tyson’s final fight before a four-layoff. The reason for the inactivity was because Tyson was sentenced to prison on a rape conviction. When he came out of prison there was high anticipation for his return to the ring. He re-signed with promoter Don King, who planned the comeback against the unknown club fighter Peter McNeeley, who talked a great game but couldn’t really fight much. But it was a huge event, drawing a crowd of 16,113 to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and selling 1.52 million pay-per-views on Showtime PPV in the United States.
Tyson, as most expected, destroyed McNeeley. He dropped him twice in the first round before McNeeley’s manager, Vinny Vecchione, entered the ring to save his fighter, which forced referee Mills Lane to disqualify McNeeley, robbing Tyson of a sure knockout. The ballyhooed comeback fight lasted all of 89 seconds. The fight was on Aug. 19, 1995 — 27 years ago on Friday. Here is a program from the fight in my collection.
Figueroa-Lipinets photo: Esther Lin/Showtime; Beterbiev photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank; Usyk-Joshua photo: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
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