Castro's Kingdom

September 2022

9/1 – Two-time World Heavyweight Title challenger and known as one of the hardest punchers of all time, Earnie Shavers, passed away one day after turning 78. Shavers fought the majority of his career from 1968-1983 (three fights between 1987-1995) and retired with a record of 74-14-1, 68 KO. He recorded 50 knockouts within the first three rounds including 23 in the first. As an amateur Shavers was the National AAU Heavyweight Champion in 1968.

9/3 – Ring Jr Bantamweight Champion Juan Francisco Estrada (43-3, 28 KO’s) returned from an 18 month layoff with a tougher than expected 12 round Unanimous Decision over unrated Argi Cortes (23-3-2, 10 KO) by the scores of 115-112 twice (Martin Canizalez, Ernesto Saldivar) and 114-113 (Christian Garduno Ortiz). Estrada, making the fourth defense of the Championship, dropped the challenger in round 7 after a right hand followed by a left hook to the body, but couldn’t finish him off. Estrada would go on to land the more telling blows in the later rounds to secure the points victory. Estrada was fighting in his hometown for the first time in three years. During the post fight commentary it was announced that the much anticipated trilogy between Estrada and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez was secured for December 3rd. Referee: Cesar Castanon Varela. Venue: Centro de Usos Multiples, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Promoter: Eddie Hearn (Matchroom). TV: DAZN.

9/3 – Ring #7 Jr Flyweight Sivenathi Nontshiga (11-0, 9 KO) won the vacant IBF Jr Flyweight World Championship over unrated Hector Flores (20-1-4, 10 KO) via a 12 round Split Decision by the scores of 116-111 (Pasquale Procopio), 114-113 (Deon Dwarte), and 112-115 (Fabrizio Lopez). In the Fight of the Year contender, Nontshiga scored a knockdown in round two from a right cross upstairs, but Flores rose quickly and survived the final minute of the round as the fight wavered back-and-forth with each boxer landing power shots throughout. Round four will go down as a Round of the Year candidate, while round five saw Flores cut on the forehead after an accidental head clash. This was Nontshiga’s first fight outside his native South Africa. Referee: Mark Calo oy. Venue: Centro de Usos Multiples, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Promoter: Eddie Hearn (Matchroom). TV: DAZN.

9/12 – WBC Middleweight Champion (Ring #2) Jermall Charlo had felony assault charges stemming from his arrest on February 11 dismissed due to the prosecution not being able to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Charlo has been out of the ring since June 2021. He was schedule to make a defense this past June, but had to withdraw after suffering a back injury while training. 

9/14 – Former WBA/WBC Flyweight World Champion Horacio Accavallo passed away at the age of 87. He won the titles in 1966 and made three defenses before retiring in 1967 as Champion with a career record of 75-2-6, 34 KO’s.

9/17 – WBC Jr Bantamweight World Champion (Ring #3) Jesse Rodriguez (17-0, 11 KO) made the second defense of his title after winning a 12 round Unanimous Decision over unrated Israel Gonzalez (28-5-1, 11 KO) by the scores of 118-109 (Tim Cheatham), 117-110 (Max DeLuca), and 114-113 (Patricia Morse Jarman). The fight featured plenty of back-and-forth action with both boxers finding success. Rodriguez was deducted a point in round 8 by referee in charge Kenny Bayless due to excessive low blows, which seemed to result in him being even more aggressive throughout the rest of the fight. Another low blow in round 11 wasn’t penalized. Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Promoter: Eddie Hearn (Matchroom). TV: DAZN PPV.

9/17 – Undisputed Super Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KO) made the fourth defense of his Ring Title after winning a 12 round Unanimous Decision over IBF/WBA Middleweight Champion (Ring #1) Gennadiy Golovkin (42-2-1, 37 KO) by the scores of 116-112 (Dave Moretti), and 115-113 twice (David Sutherland, Steve Weisfeld). The third edition of the rivalry was the least competitive by far, as Golovkin (GGG) was a past his prime 40 year old. The fight took place four years after the rematch, which took place a year after their initial bout in 2017. The first two bouts ended in controversy as GGG’s clear win in the initial encounter was scored a draw by the judges, and the rematch, which was also viewed by most as a draw and/or GGG win was scored in favor of Canelo by majority decision. The judges nearly came into the picture again for this fight as they scored it much closer than it should have been. Canelo easily won the first 8 rounds as GGG’s punch output was nearly non-existent. It wasn’t until round 9 that GGG appeared to be willing to engage and that proved to be too little too late. Canelo outlanded GGG in every round except 9-11. After the fight Canelo indicated he suffered an injury to his left hand during training and would need surgery to repair it. Referee: Russell Mora. Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Promoter: Eddie Hearn (Matchroom). TV: DAZN PPV.

9/22 – Ring/WBC/WBO Jr Lightweight World Champion Shakur Stevenson was stripped of his WBC/WBO titles after failing to make weight for his defense against Ring #4 Robson Conceicao. Stevenson weighed 131.6 pounds, 1.6 pounds over the weight limit.

9/23 – Ring Magazine Jr Lightweight World Champion Shakur Stevenson (19-0, 9 KO) dominated Ring Magazine #4 Jr Lightweight Robson Conceicao (17-2, 8 KO) en route to a 12 round Unanimous Decision by the scores of 118-108 (John Signorile) and 117-109 twice (Lynne Carter, Steve Weisfeld). Stevenson was the WBC and WBO titleholder as well heading into the fight, but was stripped of them due to being overweight. Thus those titles were only on the line for Conceicao. Stevenson scored a knockdown in round 4 from a left to the body, but was also deducted a point in round 9 after throwing Conceicao down to the canvas for the second time in the round. Stevenson outlanded Conceicao 199-60. The 199 shots landed were the most ever recorded for Stevenson. During the post fight interview Stevenson announced he was done fighting at Jr Lightweight and will move up to the Lightweight division. Referee: David Fields. Venue: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA. Promoter: Bob Arum (Top Rank). TV: ESPN.

9/29 – Colombian Jr Welterweight Luis Quinones (10-1, 6 KO) died after injuries suffered from a knockout loss five days prior against Jose Munoz. Quinones was just 25 years old.

Other notable fights in September:

9/4 – Ring Magazine #6 Lightweight Isaac Cruz (24-2-1, 17 KO) KO 2 unrated Eduardo Ramirez (27-3-3, 12 KO). WBC eliminator. California, USA.

9/4 – Ring Magazine #6 Heavyweight Andy Ruiz Jr (35-2, 22 KO) UD 12 Ring Magazine #7 Luis Ortiz (33-3, 28 KO). WBC semifinal eliminator. California, USA.

9/24 – Ring Magazine #6 Heavyweight Joe Joyce (15-0, 14 KO) KO 11 Ring Magazine #3 Heavyweight Joseph Parker (30-3, 21 KO). Fight of the Year contender! WBO interim Heavyweight title. Manchester, UK.  

New Ring Champions and newcomers in Top Ten – September:

Jr Lightweight – Ring Champion Shakur Stevenson vacates title after being overweight for his title fight against Robson Conceicao and announcing that he is moving up to the Lightweight division. Ring #10 Eduardo Ramirez removed after moving up to Lightweight. Lamont Roach (23-1-1, 9 KO) entered at #10.

Featherweight – Ring #9 Kid Galahad removed after moving up to the Lightweight division. Michael Conlan (17-1, 8 KO) entered at #10. 

Bantamweight – Ring #1 John Riel Casimero removed due to inactivity. Ryosuke Nishida (5-0, 1 KO) entered at #10.

October 2022

10/2 – IBHOF Member and former Ring Magazine Bantamweight and WBC Featherweight World Champion Eder Jofre passed away at the age of 86. Regarded as the greatest Boxer ever from Brazil, as well as one of the greatest Bantamweights of all time, Jofre won the Ring Bantamweight Title in 1961 and made seven successful defenses, all by knockout, which set the record for consecutive KO’s defending the Bantamweight title (since broken). Jofre lost the title via a 15 round SD to fellow IBHOF Member Fighting Harada in 1965, and then failed in the rematch a year later by 15 round UD. After retiring for three years, Jofre returned in 1969 and won the WBC Featherweight Title in 1973. After knocking out fellow IBHOF Member Vicente Saldivar in his lone defense, Jofre was stripped due to inactivity. Eder Jofre continued boxing until 1976 and retired with an outstanding record of 72-2-4, 50 KO’s.  

10/2 – Former WBC/WBO Jr Featherweight Champion Brandon Figueroa, now campaigning at Featherweight, was arrested for DUI in his hometown of Weslaco, Texas.

10/4 – Ring #5 Jr Welterweight Joe Cordina was stripped of his IBF title after suffering a hand injury, which forced the cancellation before his first mandatory defense, scheduled for November 5th against Ring #2 Shavkatdzhon aka Shavkat Rakhimov. Surgery on the hand will force Cordina to be out of the ring into 2023.  

10/5 – The highly anticipated matchup scheduled to take place in three days at the sold out 02 Arena in London, England between second generation British stars Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr was put in jeopardy after Benn tested positive for the banned substance Clomifene. The British Boxing Board of Control issued a statement prohibiting the fight. The fight would officially be postponed the following day. The matchup was scheduled for 12 rounds at a catch weight of 157 pounds. Benn was the Ring’s #9 Welterweight, while Eubank Jr was the Ring’s #6 Middleweight.

10/8 – IBF Jr Bantamweight World Champion (Ring #4) Fernando Martinez (15-0, 8 KO) won a 12 round Unanimous Decision over Ring #8 Jr Bantamweight Jerwin Ancajas (33-3-2, 22 KO) by the scores of 119-109 (Ellis Johnson) and 118-110 twice (Tiffany Clinton, Zachary Young). The fight was an immediate rematch from their February encounter, when Martinez scored a huge upset in the Unanimous Decision win. The fight appeared to be slightly closer than the scorecards indicated as Ancajas had success early due to his better overall boxing ability. The uber aggressive Martinez failed to take a step backward however, and ultimately wore Ancajas down, winning every round on all three judges cards from rounds seven through twelve. There were no knockdowns, but Ancajas was cut over his left eye brow from a clash of heads and was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons following the contest. Martinez outlanded Ancajas 241-185 overall.  Referee: Edward Hernandez Sr. Venue: Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, USA. Promoter: Tom Brown (PBC). TV: Showtime.

10/17 – Undisputed Lightweight World Champion Devin Haney (29-0, 15 KO) again won a 12 round Unanimous Decision over Ring #1 Lightweight George Kambosos Jr. (20-2, 10 KO), this time by the scores of 119-109 (Leszek Jankowiak) and 118-110 twice (Craig Metcalfe, Manuel Oliver Palomo) in an immediate rematch of their initial encounter that took place June 5th. There was more action than the first fight, but Haney proved even more dominant this time around, winning by a wider margin. Hard right hands in round 10 from Haney caused Kambosos’ face to bloody up. Referee: Katsuhiko Nakamura. Venue: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Promoter: Bob Arum (Top Rank) & Lou Dibella. TV: ESPN.

10/20 – End of an ERA! Ring Magazine Editor-In-Chief Doug Fischer reveals in the November/December issue that the monthly magazine will be discontinued. “This is the final print issue of The Ring,” Fischer wrote in the “Ringside” column. The Magazine had celebrated it’s 100 Year anniversary just eight months ago in February.

10/24 – Former IBF Featherweight Champion Billy Dib (48-6, 27 KO) announced he is battling colon cancer and has undergone surgery. Dib, campaigning in the Lightweight division, last fought in February, winning by disqualification in round six over previously unbeaten Jacob NG.

10/26 – WBC Jr Bantamweight Champion (Ring #3) Jesse Rodriguez vacated his title after announcing his move down to the Flyweight division.

10/27 – WBO Flyweight Champion (Ring #1) Junto Nakatani vacated his title and will move up to the Jr Bantamweight division.

Other notable fights in October:

10/8 – Ring #2 Jr Middleweight Sebastian Fundora (20-0-1, 13 KO) UD 12 Ring #10 Jr Middleweight Carlos Ocampo (34-2, 22 KO). WBC Interim Jr Middleweight Title. California, USA.

10/8 – Ring #8 Middleweight Carlos Adames (22-1, 17 KO) KO 3 unrated Juan Macias Montiel (23-6-2, 23 KO). WBC Interim Middleweight Title. California, USA.

10/15 – Ring #2 Heavyweight Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KO) KO 1 unrated Robert Helenius (31-4, 20 KO). WBC semifinal Heavyweight eliminator. Knockout of the year candidate! New York, USA.

10/15 – Ring #2 Super Middleweight Caleb Plant (22-1, 13 KO) KO 9 Ring #3 Super Middleweight Anthony Dirrell (34-3-2, 25 KO). WBC Super Middleweight eliminator. Knockout of the year candidate! New York, USA.

10/15 – Ring #4 Bantamweight Emmanuel Rodriguez (21-2, 13 KO) TD 10 Ring #6 Bantamweight Gary Antonio Russell (19-1, 12 KO). IBF Bantamweight eliminator. New York, USA.

10/17 – Ring #2 Bantamweight Jason Moloney (25-2, 19 KO) UD 12 unrated Nawaphon Kaikanha (56-2-1, 46 KO). WBC Bantamweight eliminator. Melbourne, Australia.

10/29 – Ring #1 Lightweight Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KO) UD 12 unrated Jamaine Ortiz (16-1-1, 8 KO). New York, New York, USA.

New Ring Champions and newcomers in Top Ten – October:

 Jr Middleweight – Ring #10 Carlos Ocampo removed after losing to Ring #2 Sebastian Fundora by 12 round UD. Charles Conwell (17-0, 13 KO’s) entered at #10.

November 2022

11/1 – WBC Jr Flyweight Champion (Ring #1) Kenshiro Teraji (20-1, 11 KO) stopped Ring/WBA Jr Flyweight Champion Hiroto Kyoguchi (16-1, 11 KO) at 2:36 of round 7, the first unification fight between Japanese fighters since 2012 (Kazuto Ioaka/Akira Yaegashi). Round 5 was a round of the year candidate! Teraji scored a knockdown after landing a right hand to the jaw of Kyoguchi less than a minute into the round, and then aggressively stalked the Ring/WBA Champion, searching for the knockout. After throwing punches in bunches and wearing himself out a bit, Teraji was then stunned by a couple of uppercuts by Kyoguchi. The final :30 all belonged to Kyoguchi, who hurt Teraji after landing multiple hard shots with both hands. The round ended with both men hitting the canvas after getting tied up with one another. Teraji’s punch output proved to be too much, however. With just under a minute left in round 7, a right hand upstairs sent Kyoguchi backwards and falling helplessly into the ropes, where referee in charge Michiaki Someya immediately waved the fight off. Teraji led on all three cards at the time of the stoppage, 60-53 twice (Yuji Fukuchi, Nobuto Ikehara) and 60-54 (Kazunobu Asao). Venue: Super Arena, Saitama, Saitama, Japan. Promoter: Akihiko Honda. TV: ESPN+.

11/1 – WBO Jr Flyweight Champion (Ring #2) Jonathan Gonzalez (27-3-1, 14 KO) made the second defense of his title after winning a 12 round Unanimous Decision over Ring #10 Jr Flyweight Shokichi Iwata (9-1, 6 KO) by the scores of 117-111 (Danrex Tapdasan) and 116-112 twice (Jesse Reyes, Pat Russell). The southpaw Gonzalez was able to outbox the more aggressive Iwata down the stretch. The first half of the bout saw Iwata have success, but his inability to cope with the lateral movement of the Champion proved the difference. Referee: Raul Caiz Jr. Venue: Super Arena, Saitama, Saitama, Japan. Promoter: Akihiko Honda. TV: ESPN+.

11/5 – WBA Light Heavyweight Champion (Ring #1) Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KO) successfully defended his title for the ninth time after winning a 12 round Unanimous Decision over Ring #3 Gilberto Ramirez (44-1, 30 KO) by the scores of 118-110 (Jean-Robert Laine) and 117-111 (Stanley Christodoulou, Pawel Kardyni) twice. Bivol put on a boxing lesson and easily outclassed the 6’2” Ramirez, who landed just 107 punches at a 12% clip. Bivol landed hard shots throughout the contest, with Ramirez showing a dynamite chin while never appearing hurt, despite taking a pounding. Bivol’s excellent defense resulted in Ramirez non-committal to throwing hard shots or turning on his punches. Referee: Luis Pabon Venue: Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Promoter: Goldenboy (Oscar De La Hoya), Matchroom (Eddie Hearn). TV: DAZN.

11/5 – Former IBF/WBA Jr Middleweight World Champion Jeison Rosario (23-4-1, 17 KO) announced his retirement following a stoppage loss to late replacement Brian Mendoza. After knocking out Julian Williams to win the titles in a major upset in January of 2020, Rosario was knocked out eight months later by current Undisputed Champion Jermell Charlo in his first defenses. Following another knockout loss, the 27 year old Rosario entered the Mendoza fight on a three fight win streak.

11/8 – The anticipated WBC Flyweight Championship rematch postponed for a second time (6/25). Champion (Ring #2) Julio Cesar Martinez and Ring #6 McWilliams Arroyo’s clash set for December 2, postponed due to an Arroyo neck/back injury. It was a Martinez illness that caused the initial postponement.

11/10 – The WBC announces during its yearly convention that any boxers from Russia or Belarus would be dropped from its rankings and the organization will not sanction any bouts taking place in either of the two countries. War continues to mount in Ukraine. WBC/IBF/WBO Light Heavyweight Champion (Ring #2) Artur Beterbiev is not affected as he has boxed out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada his entire professional career. Also anyone from the two countries that are permanent residents or have citizenship in another country will remain unaffected.  

11/11 – IBF Flyweight Champion (Ring #3) Sunny Edwards (19-0, 4 KO) won a 12 round Unanimous Decision over Ring #10 Felix Alvarado (38-3, 33 KO) by the scores of 116-112 (Matteo Montella) and 115-113 (Phil Edwards, Paul Wallace) twice. Edwards overall boxing skills proved to be too much for the 33 year old Nicaraguan. Edwards has now made three successful defenses of the title that he won last year (April 2021). Referee: Steve Gray. Venue: Sheffield Arena, Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK. Promoter: Richard Schaefer. TV: FITE.

11/12 – WBO Middleweight Champion (Ring #5) Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (13-0, 8 KO) won a 12 round Unanimous Decision over unrated Denzel Bentley (17-2-1, 14 KO) by the scores of 118-110 (Steve Weisfeld) and 116-112 (Tim Cheatham, Dave Moretti) twice. The fight featured plenty of two-way action. The Champion got off to a fast start, but Bentley proved game and made the fight close in the middle rounds. Alimkhanuly saved his best for last as he landed a fight high 27 punches in the final round after Hall of Fame trainer Buddy McGirt told him in the corner that he needed to “win this round big.” This was the first defense for Alimkhanuly, who was elevated from interim titlist after former Champion Demetrius Andrade vacated. Referee: Celestino Ruiz. Venue: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Promoter: Top Rank (Bob Arum). TV: ESPN+.

11/19 – WBA Cruiserweight Champion (Ring unrated due to inactivity) Arsen Goulamirian (27-0, 18 KO) returned to the ring after a nearly three year layoff and won a 12 round Unanimous Decision over unrated Aleksei Egorov by the scores of 117-111 twice (Leszek Jankowiak, Octavio Rodriguez) and 116-112 (Joerg Milke). While Goulamirian had been absent from the ring since December 2019, Egorov entered having not fought since March 2020. They were originally scheduled to fight in December 2021, but the bout was postponed (Goulamirian Covid-19) and then delayed. Referee: Tony Weeks. Venue: La Palestre, Le Cannet, Alpes-Maritimes, France. Promoter: Yohan Zaoui. TV: Unknown.

11/20 – Former IBF Jr Middleweight Champion Buster Drayton passed away at the age of 70. He won the vacant title in 1986 and made two successful defenses. Drayton retired in 1995 with a record of 40-15-1, 28 KO’s.

11/24 – Former WBO Strawweight World Champion Moises Fuentes (25-7-1, 14 KO) passed away following a 13 month battle from a brain injury that he suffered in his last fight, a sixth round knockout loss last October. Fuentes won the title in 2011 and made two successful defenses before moving up in weight. He hadn’t fought in over three years entering his final fight. Fuentes was just 37 years old.

11/26 – Ring #1 Jr Welterweight Regis Prograis (28-1, 24 KO) knocked out Ring #3 Jr Welterweight Jose Zepeda (27-2, 17 KO) at :59 of round 11 to win the vacant WBC Jr Welterweight title. Prograis dominated from round 2 on, landing at will against the big-hearted Zepeda, who was cut above his right eye in round 4. A huge overhand left in round 11 by Prograis forced Zepeda to retreat to the ropes, where he helplessly ate several hard shots and fell to the canvas, forcing referee in charge Ray Corona to call off the bout without needing to administer a count. At the time of the stoppage Prograis led on the scorecards 98-92 (Lou Moret, Joel Scobie) twice and 97-93 (Alan Krebs). Prograis outlanded Zepeda 156-66 overall. Former WBC Champion Josh Taylor was forced to vacate the title in July after agreeing to a rematch against Jack Catterall rather than defending against Zepeda, the WBC mandatory. Venue: Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, USA. Promoter: MarvNation (Marvin Rodriguez). TV: PPV.

Other notable fights in November:

11/5 – Ring #3 Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (17-0-1, 14 KO) TKO 9 unrated Zelfa Barrett (28-2, 16 KO). Vacant IBF Jr Lightweight title after being stripped from Ring #5 Joe Cordina (Hand surgery and unable to defend). Referee: Mark Nelson. Judges: Manuel Oliver Palomo, Pawel Kardyni, Deon Dwarte. Venue: Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Promoter: Goldenboy (Oscar De La Hoya), Matchroom (Eddie Hearn). TV: DAZN.

11/5 – Ring #7 Super Middleweight David Morrell (8-0, 7 KO) KO 12 unrated Aidos Yerbossnuly (16-1, 11 KO). Yerbossnuly hospitalized following fight and put in medically induced coma due to swelling of the brain. He was able to recover enough to return to his native Kazakhstan in December. WBA ‘Regular’ Super Middleweight Title. Minnesota, USA.

11/26 – Ring #3 John Ryder (32-5, 18 KO) TKO 5 Ring #6 Zach Parker (22-1, 16 KO). Parker broke right hand in round 4 and unable to continue at start of round 5. WBO Interim Super Middleweight title. London, UK.

11/26 – Ring #10 Jr Middleweight Charles Conwell (18-0, 13 KO) MD 10 unrated Juan Carlos Abreu (25-7-1, 23 KO). Conwell cut above left eye Round 1 (accidental head butt). WBC Jr Middleweight semifinal eliminator. California, USA.

New Ring Champions & newcomers in Top Ten – November:

Cruiserweight – Arsen Goulamirian (27-0, 18 KO) returns at #6 following nearly three year layoff. Goulamirian’s return forced (former Ring #10) Ryad Merhy to be removed.

Jr Bantamweight – Junto Nakatani (24-0, 18 KO) debuts at #7 following his successful move up from Flyweight. Nakatani’s entrance forced (then #10) Jerwin Ancajas to be removed.

Flyweight – Ring #1 Junto Nakatani removed after moving up to Jr Bantamweight. Cristofer Rosales (35-6, 21 KO) entered at #10.

December 2022

12/3 – Lineal/WBC Heavyweight Champion (unrated Ring) Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KO) successfully made his ninth defense as the Lineal Champion (third WBC defense) after stopping Derek Chisora (33-13, 23 KO) at 2:51 of round 10. Fury dominated from start to finish, winning every round. While there were no knockdowns, Chisora took an extreme beating. He was bleeding from his mouth and his right eye was visibly swollen. Referee in charge Victor Loughlin had no choice but to call a halt to the massacre after two more clean shots upstairs late in round 10. Fury outlanded Chisora 205-87. The fight was held outdoors in front of 60,000 fans with the temperature in the mid 30’s. This was the third fight between the two combatants, with Fury winning a 12 round UD in 2011 and scoring a TKO in 2014 after Chisora retired on his stool after round 10. Judges: Predrag Aleksic, Rey Danseco, John Latham. Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Tottenham, London, England. Promoter: Top Rank (Bob Arum), Frank Warren. TV: ESPN+.

12/3 – Ring Jr Bantamweight Champion Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KO) added the vacant WBC Jr Bantamweight title after winning a 12 round Majority Decision over arch rival and Ring #1 Jr Bantamweight Roman Gonzalez (51-4, 41 KO) by the scores of 116-112 (Tim Cheatham), 115-113 (Dennis O’Connell), and 114-114 (Chris Tellez). The third chapter of their rivalry didn’t feature as much action as the previous two versions, but still provided enough drama of its own. It was all Estrada early on as he swept the first five rounds on two of the judges cards. Gonzalez aka Chocolatito, the 35 year old former No. 1 Pound for Pound fighter in the world came back strong and won the next five rounds on two of the judges cards to pull even. Chocolatito had Estrada backpedaling in round 10. While on the attack he slipped on a wet canvas near Estrada’s corner that resulted with referee in charge Chris Flores having to call time to dry the surface, which allowed an exhausted Estrada to regain his composure. The last two rounds were close to call, with Estrada winning on two scorecards to secure the hard fought victory. Many observers felt a draw was warranted. Estrada finished with a narrow 217-201 edge in punches landed, including a 62-31 edge in body shots. Gonzalez, however, appeared to land the more telling blows overall as his punches had more of an effect on Estrada then vice versa. Following their rematch last March when Estrada was awarded a highly controversial split decision, he now leads the trilogy 2-1. Gonzalez clearly won the initial encounter in 2012 at Jr Flyweight and a fourth bout seems in order for next year. Venue: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona, USA. Promoter: Matchroom (Eddie Hearn). TV: DAZN.

12/3 – WBC Flyweight Champion (Ring #2) Julio Cesar Martinez (19-2, 14 KO) won a lackluster 12 round Majority Decision over unrated Samuel Carmona (8-1, 4 KO) by the scores of 117-111 (Javier Camacho), 116-112 (Chris Flores), and 114-114 (Kevin Scott). It was a classic boxer vs puncher matchup, however, there were few entertaining exchanges throughout. Carmona suffered a hand injury halfway through the contest, which ultimately cost him. Carmona came in on just two weeks notice as Martinez was set to defend against Ring #6 McWilliams Arroyo in a highly anticipated rematch, however a neck/back injury made Arroyo unavailable. It was the fourth defense for Martinez, and his first win since June of 2021. Referee: Wes Melton. Venue: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona, USA. Promoter: Matchroom (Eddie Hearn). TV: DAZN.  

12/6 – International Boxing Hall of Fame Referee Mills Lane passed away at the age of 85. The all-time great referee was the third man in the ring for over 100 Word Title fights, including the infamous Mike Tyson/Evander Holyfield rematch that ended after Tyson twice bit a piece of Holyfield’s ears and “Fan Man” when a man interrupted the Heavyweight Championship rematch between Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield by parachute! His catch phrase, “Let’s get it on” after giving instructions in the center of the ring just before the opening bell is well known. Lane retired in 1998, before suffering a stroke in 2002, which left him in declining health.

12/7 – The International Boxing Hall of Fame announced the new members for the class of 2023. The inducting are highlighted by Bantamweight/Super Bantamweight Champion Rafael Marquez (41-9, 37 KO), Super Middleweight Champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KO), and Timothy Bradley. Females Alicia Ashley and Laura Serrano also made the cut. Non participants included matchmaker Brad Goodman, Trainer Joe Goosen, and Promotional Executive Brad Jacobs. In the observer category, TV Executive Seth Abraham, and broadcaster Tim Ryan each made the cut.  

12/10 – IBF Featherweight Champion (Ring #5) Josh Warrington (31-2-1, 8 KO) lost his belt in front of his hometown fans in his first defense against unrated Luis Alberto Lopez (27-2, 15 KO) via 12 round Majority Decision by the scores of 115-113 twice (Adam Height, Mike Fitzgerald), and 114-114 (Howard Foster). Lopez suffered a cut above his left eye in round 2 from an accidental head clash, but was able to fight through it. It was a rough fight with a lot of clenching and and roughhouse tactics from the now former champion. The rounds were close throughout with Lopez taking an early lead and holding on a valiant charge from Warrington, who closed strongly in the final four rounds. Lopez out landed Warrington 184-161 overall, with a slight 135-131 edge in power shots. Referee: Bob Williams. Venue: First District Arena, Leeds, Yorkshire, UK. Promoter: Matchroom (Eddie Hearn). TV: DAZN.

12/10 – WBO Welterweight Champion (Ring #2) Terence Crawford (39-0, 30 KO) knocked out Ring #8 David Avanesyan (29-4-1, 17 KO) at 2:14 of round 6. While everyone continues to wait for the Superfight between Crawford and Errol Spence Jr, “Bud” made easy work of the Russian challenger. He dominated every round as the end came from a counter left uppercut followed immediately by a right hook to the chin, dropping Avanesyan to the canvas. The 18,000 in attendance enjoyed every second of it. An accidental clash of heads in round one resulted in the challenger dealing with a bloody nose as well as a cut on the bridge of the nose. Also rated #1 on many Pound-for-Pound lists, the champion made his sixth defense and increased his knockout streak to 10, dating to July of 2016. KO of the Year candidate! Referee: Sparkle Lee. Judges: Josef Mason, Patrick Morley, Gary Ritter. Venue: CHI Health Center, Omaha Nebraska, USA. Promoter: BLK Prime (Steve Bash, Desmond Gumbs). TV: PPV.

12/12 – WBA celebrates 100 year anniversary

12/12 – WBA Featherweight Champion (unrated Ring) Leo Santa Cruz vacates title. Hadn’t made a defense since February 2019!

12/13 – Ring/IBF/WBA/WBC Bantamweight Champion Naoya Inoue (24-0, 21 KO) became the first undisputed Bantamweight Champion in the three/four belt era after knocking out now former WBO Bantamweight Champion (Ring #7) Paul Butler (34-3, 15 KO) at 1:09 of round 11. It was total domination from start to finish as Inoue had his way with Butler, who was extremely cautious and failed to engage the majority of the fight. The end came when a combination trapped Butler against the ropes followed by an unanswered flurry of power shots that resulted in Butler being floored and counted out by referee in charge Bence Kovacs. Inoue won every round on all three scorecards and finished with a 151-38 edge in punches landed. The last undisputed Bantamweight Champion was Enrique Pindor, who unified the WBC/WBA titles in 1972!. Inoue is also the first fighter of Asian descent to hold all four belts simultaneously. Judges: Fernando Barbosa, Ron McNair, Ignacio Robles. Venue: Ariake Arena, Koto-Ku, Tokyo, Japan. Promoter: Hideyuki Ohashi. TV: ESPN+.

12/14 – WBA announces it will allow fighters from Russia and Belarus to re-enter its rankings and fight for World Titles. However, any fighter who speaks in favor of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine or is involved, will be immediately removed.

12/19 – International Boxing Hall of Fame Referee Steve Smoger passed away at the age of 72. The all-time great referee was the third man in the ring for over 200 Word Title fights and two Fights of the Year (2001 – Mickey Ward/Emanuel Augustus, 2003 – James Toney/Vassiliy Jirov). Smoger retired in 2021 and was suffering from an unknown prolonged illness.

12/20 – Unified Jr Middleweight Champion Jermell Charlo broke his hand in two places during a training session. His upcoming defense scheduled for January 28 against Tim Tszyu would be postponed four days later.

12/23 – Hall of Fame judge Jerry Roth passed away at the age of 81. Roth played a part in more than 200 World Title bouts during his career.  He began in 1980 and the last bout he judged was the 2015 WBO Featherweight Championship bout between Vasyl Lomachenko and Gamalier Rodriguez.

12/27 – WBA ‘regular’ Lightweight Champion (Ring #2) Gervonta Davis arrested and charged with domestic violence against the mother of one of his daughters. The arrest came just 12 days before Davis was due to defend against WBA Jr Lightweight Champion Hector Luis Garcia. Three days later the accusation was recanted by the accuser. Previously Davis was charged with simple domestic violence in February of 2020 (charges dropped earlier this month) and has an upcoming court appearance in February of 2023 on 14 charges stemming from an alleged hit-and-run accident in Baltimore, Maryland that took place in November of 2020 and resulted in four people being injured.

12/31 – WBO Jr Bantamweight Champion (Ring #2) Kazuto Ioka (29-2-1) and WBA Jr Bantamweight Champion (Ring #5) Joshua Franco (18-1-3, 8 KO) fought to an unpopular 12 round majority draw in the final championship fight of 2022. Judge Stanley Christodoulou scored the bout 115-113 for Franco, but was overruled by the 114-114 scorecards turned in by Ferlin Marsh and Jose Roberto Torres. Franco was the aggressor throughout the contest, considerably more so in the first half of the fight. Referee: Melva Santos. Venue: Ota-City General Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan. Promoter: Shisei Promotions (Takuya Kiya). TV: None.

Other notable fights in December:

12/3 – Unrated Daniel Dubois (19-1, 18 KO) TKO 3 unrated Kevin Lerena (28-2, 14 KO). Dubois down three times in round 1. Lerena dropped twice in round three. Dubois suffered a torn ACL on first knockdown. WBA regular Heavyweight title. London, UK.

12/10 – Unrated Teofimo Lopez (18-1, 13 KO) SD 10 unrated Sandor Martin (40-3, 13 KO). WBC Jr Welterweight eliminator. Lopez dropped in round 2, but still should have won a UD. Original opponent Jose Pedraza withdrew (illness) one month before fight, allowing Martin to fill in. New York, USA.

12/17 – Ring #8 Lightweight Frank Martin (17-0, 12 KO) UD 12 Ring #9 Lightweight Michel Rivera (23-1, 14 KO). WBA Lightweight eliminator. Nevada, USA.

12/17 – Ring #10 Super Middleweight Vladimir Shishkin (14-0, 8 KO’s) UD 12 unrated Jose Uzcategui. IBF Super Middleweight eliminator. Nevada USA.

12/17 – Ring #6 Bantamweight Vincent Astrolabio (18-3, 13 KO’s) KO 6 unrated Nikolai Potapov (23-3-1, 11 KO). IBF Bantamweight eliminator. Nevada, USA.

New Ring Champions & newcomers in Top Ten – December:

Heavyweight – Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 23 KO’s) returns at #1 following his (brief) retirement. Fury’s return forced (former Ring #10) Zhilei Zhang to be removed.

Cruiserweight – Ring #3 Yuniel Dorticos removed due to inactivity. David Light (20-0, 12 KO) enters at #10.

Light Heavyweight – Ring #5 Marcus Browne removed due to inactivity. Dan Azeez (18-0, 12 KO) enters at #10.

Super Middleweight – Ring #9 Lerrone Richards removed due to inactivity. Ali Akhmedov (19-1, 14 KO) enters at #10.

Jr Welterweight – Teofimo Lopez (18-1, 13 KO) debuts at #10 following his second win in the division in the last four months. The former Undisputed Lightweight World Champion’s entrance forced (former Ring #10) Batyr Akhmedov to be removed.

Lightweight – Ring #9 Michel Rivera removed after losing lopsided UD against Ring #8 Frank Martin, who moved up to #5. Maxi Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KO) enters at #10.

Jr Lightweight – Ring #9 Samir Ziani removed due to inactivity. Albert Bell (22-0, 6 KO) enters at #10.

Featherweight – Luis Alberto Lopez debuts at #5 after beating (then #5) Josh Warrington, who slid to #7. Lopez’s entrance forced (then #7) Gary Russell Jr to depart, also due to inactivity.

Bantamweight – Ring #9 Keita Kurihara removed after being knocked out by unrated Kai Chiba (15-3, 9 KO), who enters at #10.