Tag Archives: ivan

Posted on 01/23/2020

By: Sean Crose

Not too many people are giving the 33 year old Ivan Redkach much of a chance to beat former welterweight and junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia when the two men meet for a scheduled twelve round affair Saturday night at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center. Then again, not many people gave Jeison Rosario much of a chance to best Julian Williams last Saturday night. Nor did many people expect Williams to best Jarrett Hurd when the two men fought last spring. And most people certainly didn’t expect Andy Ruiz to knock out Anthony Joshua in the Englishman’s American debut last June. Perhaps, then, the 23-4-1 southpaw Redkach has reason to be confident heading into this weekend. 

Still, the 35-2 Garcia is one of the most skilled fighters on earth, a man with a resume that may already guarantee the Philadelphia native a ticket to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The 31 year old is also eager to get back to the top of the welterweight division, where names like Pacquiao and Spence may await. Not that any of that seems to trouble Redkach. After all, the LA native, by way of the Ukraine, feels former world titlist Devon Alexander underestimated him before they met last June (in a bout Rekach won by knockout). “Devon took me for granted,” Redkach is quoted as saying by Premiere Boxing Champions. “I think the same thing is happening here (with Garcia). He wants the (Manny) Pacquiao fight. But he hasn’t won this fight yet.”

For his own part, Garcia has assured the press that he is indeed taking this bout seriously. And, although he’s won some decisions some consider questionable, it’s hard to accuse the fighter of ever having been lazy. One simply doesn’t best the likes of a prime Amir Khan, and a prime Lucas Matthysse without having developed one’s craft. Although he isn’t known to trash talk like some fighters, it’s generally Garcia who has the final word in the ring.

“We’re just working hard and working smart,” Premiere Boxing Champions quotes Garcia as saying. “We’re making the necessary adjustments for Redkach specifically, but this is just another fighter in front of us. I noticed that he’s really hungry. He obviously wants to win, and he’s coming off of three solid victories. He has his confidence back now. I just have to be ready for whatever he brings to the table on January 25.” 

It appears Garcia is right – Redkach is coming across as both eager and confident, two things no fighter should overlook in an opponent. “I have been to a lot of Danny’s fights,” Redkach has said in the lead up to this weekend’s matchup, “and now I get the chance to test myself against him. I am training very hard so that I am the best that I have ever been on January 25. I’m going to shock the boxing world.”

Posted on 12/19/2019

By: Hans Themistode

He’s the second place man. The fighter who is always in a position to make noise and claim a spot amongst the elite of the division, but has come up short time and time again. 

Back in 2015, Ivan Redkach (23-4-1, 18 KOs) took on his first true test in then undefeated Dejan Zlaticanin. It was not a competitive contest as Redkach was stopped in the 4th round. One year later, Redkach was given another high profile fight, this time against Tevin Farmer. He once again came up woefully short, losing via unanimous decision. A stoppage loss to John Molina Jr in the 4th round back in 2017 all but confirmed his second place status. 

Things happen in boxing. Not everyone can finish in first place and in the case of Ivan Redkach, it seemed apparent that he would have to take comfort in his second place role. 

Fast forward over two years later since his loss to John Molina Jr and Redkach has seemingly rewrote the pages of his career. He has reeled off three straight wins including an impressive 6th round stoppage victory over former two division world champion Devon Alexander. 

With the biggest win of his career now firmly in his back pocket, Redkach has been given an even bigger opportunity as he will be taking on former multiple time world champion Danny Garcia on January 25th, at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York. 

Redkach has shared the ring with numerous world champions and elite level boxers throughout his career and believes that his experience, be it good or bad, will lead him to a victory against Garcia.

“As a fighter, he is a very good fighter,” said Redkach during a recent press conference in Brooklyn, New York. “But I’m not sure he will be able to handle himself in the ring against someone like me. I will do whatever it takes to come out with the win this January.”

In a career that has spanned nearly a decade, Redkach will deal with a new set of emotions for his upcoming fight against Garcia. 

“I’ve supported him and been with him in his last fights but it’s my job. I had a long amateur career where I had the same kind of situations, so for me it’s just work.”

With the opportunity of a lifetime staring Redkach directly in the face, he will be looking to take full advantage of this situation. 

Since moving up to the Welterweight division back in 2015, Garcia’s results at his new weight class has been a mixed bag of results. He has fallen short in two championship contest against Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter but he has looked impressive as of late. A loss for him at this point in his career would be a death-nail of sorts in terms of his ability to compete with the best that the division has to offer.  

There is no denying that Redkach, at least according to most, is not expected to win this contest. If you believe that the doubters in his capabilities will lead to his frustrations, then you don’t know Ivan Redkach.

“It doesn’t bother me at all. The motivation and strength that I get from my family and friends is what pushes me. As long as I have their motivation that’s all I need. That’s what helped me in the Alexander fight and it’s going to help me in this fight.” 

Posted on 12/10/2019

By: Hans Themistode

Two division world champion Danny Garcia recently informed everyone that he would be making his return to the ring in January of 2020 at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York. What he didn’t say or rather, what he didn’t know at that time, is who he would be taking on.

“January 25th I’m back at the Barclay Center, my home away from home,” said Garcia. “It’s a great atmosphere here, I just can’t wait to be back. I don’t know who I’m facing yet but I’ve been in the gym training hard. I’m already ready so whoever they put in front of me I’ll be ready to get it on.”

Garcia now not only has a date but he now has an opponent as well. Ivan Redkach will look to grab the biggest win of his career when the two face off on the 25th of January. If this contest had taken place just a few years ago, it would have been viewed as a non competitive one. Redkach lost three of his past four matches from 2016-2017, but he has seemingly put that in the past as he has won three fights in the row with his latest coming via stoppage against former world champion Devon Alexander. 

The announcement of this contest comes as somewhat of a shocker. Redkach was rumored to be taking on Adrien Broner, while Garcia on the other hand had his eyes set on taking on unified Welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. Those plans were immediately scrapped once Broner and Redkach were unable to solidify a deal. As for Spence vs Garcia, that contest will have to wait while Spence recovers from his horrific car accident. 

At this point in their respective careers, neither man can afford a loss on the 25th of January. Although Redkach looked great in becoming the first man to stop Devon Alexander in his last ring appearance, a win over Garcia would bring his career to a whole other level. 

Garcia on the other hand faces a ton of pressure as well as a win over Redkach is expected to lead him directly to a huge fight for the second half of 2020.

“First of all thank God Spence is doing good and he’s recovering well. I was looking forward to fighting him but that is always something that can happen in the future, but yeah Pac-man [Manny Pacquiao] or Spence those are the fights we want.”

With Garcia amongst the many who are vying for a shot against Pacquiao, he could vault his name to the top of the list with an impressive victory against the surging Ivan Redkach. 

Posted on 05/30/2019

By: Robert Contreras

Trading punches. Pushing and pulling for space. Boxers give and take as they try to administer their will onto their opponent.

As so, it is difficult to escape that old dichotomy between Boxer and Puncher. And the sport returns to it in the main event of PBC’s latest broadcast on FOX Sports 1, airing from San Jacinto, California, where both Alexander, the artful stylist, and Redkach, with a firecracker in his left hand, meet in a crossroads match.

In addition, middleweights Willie Monroe Jr. and Hugo Centeno Jr. will be fighting. And it is all on FS1, where the telecast is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET.

Devon Alexander (27-5-1, 14 KO) vs. Ivan Redkach (22-4-1, 17 KO)

Alexander is a former world champion, making his mark in the light welterweight division before moving up to 147 pounds. Since a loss to Shawn Porter, he is 2-4-1 but that has not been without terrible strokes of luck.

In August 2018, Alexander was forced to settle for a split-decision loss on national television after continually beating Andre Berto to the punch. To go along with another set of inauspicious scorecards, leading to a majority-draw with Victor Ortiz, Alexander technically has not won a fight in 18 months.

With a team fronted by the legendary Roy Jones Jr., the 32-year-old southpaw has rebounded from worse. After dropping the WBO championship to Tim Bradley, back in 2011, he rebounded with four consecutive wins over some of the sport’s most intimidating hitters: Randall Bailey, Marcos Maidana and Lucas Matthysse. Never one to turn down a challenge, he has also tangled with brawlers like Aaron Martinez and Jesus Soto Karass to more slippery movers like Amir Khan.

Redkach, 33, will too find out firsthand how rough the 147-pound waters can be after turning professional nearly a decade ago at the lightweight limit and last competing at 140 pounds. In preparation for his welterweight debut, the Ukrainian-born slugger brought in the help of Shane Mosley to add some wrinkles to his game at his training camp in Los Angeles.

Since being pelted down in 2017 by John Molina Jr., Redkach has picked up back-to-back victories over journeymen. Most recently, four months ago, he dribbled Tyrone Harris up and down the canvas, knocking his opponent down three times in the opening round, en route to a first-round knockout.

Redkach needs another destructive performance like that to pave a way to a title shot. And he needs to do it quickly as he pushes his mid-30s.

The top of the welterweight division is currently in a bit of a logjam. Porter is waiting in the wings for a winner to emerge between Keith Thurman and Manny Pacquiao. And Errol Spence and Terrence Crawford continue to play a game of chicken with one another—or at least their promoters do—which gives bit players like Alexander and Redkach enough time to make their case for a title fight.

That endeavor begins this weekend.

Willie Monroe Jr. (23-3, 6 KO) vs. Hugo Centeno Jr. (27-2, 14 KO)

From opposite corners of the country, New York’s own “El Mongoose” Monroe and Centeno, from Oxnard, California, square off over the 10-round distance in the middleweight division.

Monroe, 32, has a legendary name to represent—his uncle once gave Marvin Hagler a lacing. But despite natural, supreme athleticism, he often forgets where the gas pedal is. Returning from a failed bid for the WBO middleweight title against Billy Joe Saunders in an overall lackadaisical affair, Monroe decisioned the unheralded Carlos Galvan last March and followed up that victory by undressing Argentinian banger Javier Francisco Maciel over 10 rounds.

Fighting a real puncher, Monroe arguably did not give up a single round. But the Argentinian did not force the action on Monroe, allowing the American to get off when he felt like it. It was not the best showing from Maciel but his recent melee with Artem Chebotarec only made Monroe look that much better.

This weekend represent’s Monroe’s first time competing in the west coast since facing Gennady Golovkin. In order to prove he is not just a stepping stone for the division’s biggest names, he should start with outclassing Centeno.

Centeno, though, is a large challenge—incredibly long. In fact, there is not a world-ranked middleweight taller than him. His six feet, one inches is at equal footing with Maciej Sulecki and Demetrious Andrade.

Last time out, in February, the 28-year-old Centeno was cruising to a win against Oscar Cortes. He floored Cortes in the fourth round before a headbutt ended the show early. The California resident was still awarded a technical-decision, his first win since being blown away by Jermall Charlo for the WBC middleweight crown.

The odd circumstances were all too familiar for Centeno, who back in 2013 also saw his contest against Julian Williams stopped in the fourth period from a clash of heads. Of course, Williams was clearly too much for Centeno and the stoppage only saved him further distress. That is not to say Centeno cannot dish it out.

Nearly 30 wins to his name, the highlight of Centeno’s ledger is a crushing third-round knockout of previously undefeated Immanuwel Aleem, who had significantly raised his own stock after cracking open amateur world champion Levgen Khytrov. Centeno’s length proved formidable, repeatedly finding a home for his rangy lead left hook, setting the shot up with a body jab, and eventually stretching Aleem out cold.

That brutal finish was enough to catapult Centeno into the world stage. He was quickly brought back down to earth, losing by knockout to Charlo. It was his second KO loss after Sulecki also put a dent across his chin in 2016.

Monroe is not known for having the biggest punch. So if he can get by Centeno’s long arms, the fists could be flying back and forth all night.

Posted on 10/28/2018

By: Ste Rowen

Tonight in The Big Easy, it was anything but easy viewing for the main event audience as, Regis Prograis battled his way to a unanimous decision victory over terry Flanagan; and, in more pleasant viewing, Ivan Baranchyk became the new IBF 140lb champion to score a 7th round technical stoppage over Anthony Yigit; both to progress to the semi-finals of their respective WBSS semi-finals.

Prograis now moves on to face Kiryl Relikh in the semi-finals; whilst Baranchyk faces the winner of next week’s matchup between Josh Taylor vs. Ryan Martin.

Both main event fighter’s southpaws, Prograis and Flanagan, were clearly weary of the other’s qualities as the two WBSS quarterfinalists fought off a steady jab through the early rounds into the 4th. ‘Turbo’ was in the fight but offering very little other than making it difficult for Prograis to initiate a substantial offense.

Photo Credit: DAZN Twitter Account

Both boxers seemed more mobile through the middle rounds, but there was only one man, home fighter Regis, who wanted to bring the excitement tonight. Flanagan seemed to have resigned himself to the occasional overhand counter. The Manchester native’s combinations weren’t quick enough to land on ‘Rougarou’.

At the end of round 6, Prograis gestured to his home crowd to pick up the atmosphere, a sure sign that the fight was lacking action. The American, in black and gold shorts, did his best to break out a fight but as the saying goes, it takes two to tango, and the away fighter had no desire to dance anything but his own moves.

With just over two minutes left of the 8th, Prograis dropped Flanagan. ‘Turbo’ took the 8-count and the onslaught that followed from the WBC ‘Interim’ champ, to survive the round. Now the crowd was making the noise Regis wanted to hear. But the 9th began as if the previous round hadn’t happened, ‘Turbo’ persisted with his earlier tactics, and Prograis reverted to a jab and hook manoeuvre.

Through 10 and 12, more of the same occurred as the American looked for a way in, but Terry nullified most shots that came his way, without firing back with his own arsenal.

It’s not hard to see what Flanagan’s plan was at the start of tonight’s bout, it is difficult however, to understand what ‘Turbo’ was looking to do in the championship rounds. The former WBO lightweight champion did very little in terms of attack compared to ‘Rougarou’ and by the final bell it felt as if the Manchester fighter came to survive rather than to win. Regis’ jab ruled the fight throughout and saw him to the final bell.

It was never in doubt as the crowd waited for the judge’s final scorecards. The announcer called, 119-108, 118-109, 117-110 all for Regis Prograis, who spoke after the fight,

‘‘I want to bring big time boxing back to New Orleans and guess what? I did it. We gonna do it again.’’

‘‘I boxed my ass off. Most people say I can’t box, I can’t do this, I can’t do that, I only got power, now I showed you I can go 12 rounds with a world class fighter…It doesn’t matter who the hell I fight, the Muhammad Ali trophy is mine.’’

Ivan Baranchyk vs. Anthony Yigit

Baranchyk ‘The Beast’ may have been born in Belarus, but the super-lightweight has made his home in the US, and tonight it seemed as though he’d made his home in New Orleans as he fell into his stride early on into tonight’s bout.

From the first bell both fighters went in search for the big, finisher. Yigit, the southpaw struggled to make as much as an impact as his Belarussian opponent who, on multiple occasions through the early rounds, impactfully jerked the Swedes head back.

Photo Credit: DAZN Twitter Account

Yigit was throwing well, but volume counts for nothing if it doesn’t land. Baranchyk was living to his pseudonym of ‘The Beast’ into rounds 2 and 3 as he landed with precision, rarely wasting shots, and though at times he was using his face as his best defence, Ivan’s chin stood up and allowed him to fire off hooks more efficiently.

It seems a little lazy to compare an eastern European fighter to Gennady Golovkin but, Baranchyk really does resemble an early day’s version of the Kazakh. Ivan seems to trust so much in his chin and accuracy that he’s prepared to go toe to toe, and jaw to jaw, with whatever opponent he faces.

Into round 4 there was now swelling below Yigit’s left eye. The pressure seemed beginning to tell, but the Swedish southpaw clearly hadn’t got the message as he rushed into attacks, attempting to restrain his foe’s outside game. It wasn’t working, and by the 6th, Yigit’s left eye looked ready to blow. Baranchyk was firing from all angles, and almost without meaningful reply by now, but he knew where the most valuable punches needed to land.

Through to the 7th, no one could question Anthony’s desire. As his eye only swelled further, the Swede, 21-0-1 (7KOs) heading into tonight, seemed to have no quit in him. Though surely only being able to see out of one eye. Yigit was prepared to go head to head with one of the 140lb division’s most dangerous boxers, meeting Baranchyk in the middle of the ring when, arguably, he should have been evading attack trying to tire his opponent out.

With a minute left of round 7, the referee, Phil Edwards, took a point from Baranchyk for what seemed to be pushing down on his opponent. Harsh considering when up close, Yigit seemed to be ducking. It didn’t matter though as, at the end of the same round, the ring doctor took another extensive look at the Swede’s eye and called an end to the bout, sending the Belarussian into the World Boxing Super Series semi-finals.

Yigit fiercely protested against the stoppage but it seemed the good doctor saved the Swede from himself. Yigit will walk away from tonight with credit in the bank and, a very worthy and attractive contender.

Baranchyk however, comes away from tonight as the IBF world champion and the second Super Series semi-finalist, set to face either Josh Taylor or Ryan Martin in the near future.
Speaking post-fight, the defeated Yigit was magnanimous in defeat,

‘‘Obviously, I am a fighter and you never want a fight to be stopped but maybe it was the right decision. People are telling me it looks pretty bad…Our game plan was to take him later on because we felt like he was gassing out…But they stopped the fight, so I couldn’t fulfil the game plan. He’s a hard hitter and he deserves this win.’’

The new IBF super-lightweight champion, Ivan, now 19-0 (12KOs), was complimentary towards his opponent,
‘‘It was a tough fight, but I win this fight. I win. He’s a tough guy but I love this. Anthony is a good guy, thank you…With him (Trainer, Pedro Diaz) I will win the Ali trophy.’’

Posted on 11/15/2017

By: Eric Lunger

Premier Boxing Champions presents a special edition of Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays this Friday on Fox Sports One. Headlining the card from the Dort Federal Event Center in Flint, Michigan, is former 168-pound world champion Anthony Dirrell (30-1-1, 24 KOs), who takes on Denis Douglin (20-5, 13 KOs) in a ten round super middleweight clash. Dirrell, 33, is a Flint native, and Friday night will mark his third appearance in his hometown.

Photo Credit: Anthony Dirrell Twitter Page

Dirrell, six-foot-two with an orthodox stance, is a serious professional who held the WBC super-middleweight belt for two years until relinquishing it in a tough majority decision to Badou Jack in April of 2015. Since then, Dirrell has reeled off three wins, including a ten-round unanimous decision over tough Mexican veteran Marco Antonio Rubio.

Denis Douglin, a five-foot-eight southpaw from Marlboro, NJ, has been in the ring with some elite level competition, including George Groves, Jermell Charlo, and David Benavidez, to whom Douglin lost in his last outing by way of a tenth round TKO.

“Douglin has fought a lot of good fighters and I respect him, but he’s standing in the way of my title shot,” said Dirrell via press release. “This is a chance for me to showcase my skills. I’m going for a stoppage, and I think I’m going to get it in the middle rounds. I want to put on a great performance and give the fans something to see.”

For his part, Douglin is not intimidated by the venue or by his opponent: “I’ve taken a lot of fights on short notice and that’s hurt me in the past, but I’ve had ample time and a great training camp to prepare for this fight,” said Douglin. “I think Dirrell has a problem with guys who aren’t afraid of him and who will actually give him a fight. With my style and determination, I’m going to bring a lot more than he’s expecting.”

On the televised undercard, undefeated welterweight prospect Jamontay “the Quiet Assassin” Clark (12-0, 7 KOs) takes on Ukrainian born Ivan Golub (13-1, 11 KOs) in a rematch of their June bout, which Clark won on unanimous cards. The first tilt was an action fight, to be sure, with Golub bringing a sustained body attack, and Clark countering and boxing. Golub will be looking for payback, as he felt the decision by the judges in June was an incorrect one. Having scored seven knockouts prior to the Clark fight, the Ukrainian will be extra motivated to see to it that the fight doesn’t go the distance.

Opening the televised coverage is an eight-round junior welterweight clash between Houston-based Ryan “Cowboy” Karl (14-1, 9 KOs) and Kareem Martin (9-1-1, 3 KOs) of Washington, DC. Karl, 25, was stopped in the ninth round by Eddie Ramirez last February, but since then won an unanimous decision against Carlos Winston Velasquez. Martin, 22, is in a similar position, having lost once and coming off a recent win against Evincil Dixon in August.

Posted on 07/15/2017

ShoBox Results: Keenan Smith Defeated by Ivan Baranchyk in Miami, OK
By: Ken Hissner

At the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, OK, Friday night GH-3 Promotions, D&D Promotions and Victory Promotions on ShoBox the next Generation presented super lightweights Philadelphia’s Keenan Smith against Russian Ivan Baranchyk, of Miami, OK, in the main event.

Photo Courtesy: Showtime

In the main event super lightweight southpaw Keenan “Killa” Smith, 11-1 (5), of Philadelphia, lost for the first time in a foul filled fight to Russian Ivan “The Beast” Baranchyk, 16-0 (10), of Miami, OK, over eight rounds.

In the first round Smith twice picked up Baranchyk tossing him to the canvas on the second one. Baranchyk showed much more power than southpaw Smith who moved well. In the second round a wild left hand by Baranchyk drove Smith into the ropes but referee Ritter could have called it a knockdown but didn’t. In the third round Baranchyk continued to throw power punches while missing quite a bit. Smith does a lot of holding in the round. Both boxers continued to throw punches at the bell as the referee Ritter seemed bewildered in what to do. In the fourth round it was more of Baranchyk showing his power. At the bell both continued to throw punches as referee Ritter once again seemed to lose control of the action.

In the fifth round Smith landed the best punch of his fight with a lead left to the head of Baranchyk. Referee Ritter after many warnings for holding to Smith deducted a point. As both boxers fell to the canvas referee Ritter only wiped off the gloves of Smith. In the sixth round Smith landed a 3-punch combination to start the round. Baranchyk continued to land heavy punches forcing Smith to hold and got warned by referee Ritter for holding. In the seventh round Smith boxed better but got tagged with a right to the head by Baranchyk just inside a minute left in the round. In the eighth and final round at the start referee Ritter failed to have the boxers touch gloves. In the first half of the round Smith boxed well having the best showing of the fight for him. Everything Baranchyk throws he does it with bad intentions. Smith slipped to the canvas twice in the round but seemed to pull out his first round.

The judges scored it 82-71, 79-72 and 78-73 while this writer had it 79-72.

In the co-feature super lightweight Kenneth “Bossman” Simms, Jr., 12-1 (4), of Chicago, IL, lost by majority decision in a mild upset to Puerto Rican Rolando “Iron Man” Chinea, 15-1-1 (6), of Lancaster, PA, over eight rounds.

In the opening round Simms hand speed dominated as he switched to southpaw and back to orthodox keeping Chinea from landing but a few punches. In the second round Simms continued to dominate. In the third and fourth rounds Chinea started to land some punches pinning Simms against the ropes.

In the fifth round it was a big round for Chinea who backed up Simms the entire round while Simms looking tired. In the sixth round Chinea continued coming forward out working Simms who has slowed down considerably since the fourth round. In the seventh round Chinea hurt Simms with a long right hand to the chin. Simms fought in spurts as Chinea continued coming forth. Simms showed much better skills but can’t match Chinea for stamina. In the eighth and final round both fighters looked tired but still throwing punches. Simms seemed to pull out the round as both were landing well up until the bell.

Judges scored 76-76, 77-75 and 77-75 for Chinea. This writer had it 76-76. Referee was Ritter.

Middleweight Antoine Douglas, 22-1 (16), of Burke, VA, stopped Colombia’s Juan “La Amenaza” Angel, 20-7-1 (18), with a body shot in 4 rounds for the vacant WBA-NABA title.

Super bantamweight Glenn Dezurn, 9-0-1 (6), of Baltimore, MD, seemed fortunate to get a draw with Adam “Mantequilla” Lopez, 16-1-2 (8), of San Antonio, TX, over eight rounds.

In the opening two rounds both boxers went to the body until referee Ritter warned Lopez to keep them up. In the third round Lopez came back going to the head of Dezurn. In the fourth round a right hand to the mid-section of Dezurn hurt him. Just prior to the bell Dezurn landed half a dozen punches to the body of Lopez.

In the fifth round Lopez’s power was overcoming Dezurn who showed little in return. In the sixth round the body work of Lopez took quite a bit out of Dezurn who was in his first eight rounder. In the seventh round the body punching continued with Lopez continuing to get the better of Dezurn in a close round. In the eighth and final round Lopez continued overpowering Dezurn. At the bell Dezurn landed a cheap shot to the chin of Lopez that referee Ritter never saw.

Judges scored it 77-75 Lopez, 77-75 Dezurn and referee Ritter 76-76 a draw. This writer had it 78-74 Lopez.

Bantamweight Joshua “Don’t Blink” Greer, Jr., 14-1-1 (6), of Chicago, IL, stopped southpaw Leroy “Lucious” Davila, 5-2 (3), of New Brunswick, NJ, who couldn’t come out for the sixth of a scheduled eight.

In the first two rounds it was all Greer showing more punching power than Davila. Davila’s gloves touched the canvas in the first round and referee Gary Ritter called it a push but never wiped the gloves of Davila. Davila boxed better in the second round but didn’t have enough power to hold Greer off. In the third round it was more of the same with Davila showing good speed of hand but no power. In the fourth round Greer hurt Davila with a straight right to the chin and followed with half a dozen more unanswered punches.

In the fifth round Greer landed half a dozen punches to the head of Davila while having him on the ropes. Greer landed quite a few right uppercuts to the body and chin of Davila. Davila’s corner would not let him out for the sixth round to prevent more punishment to their boxer.

Posted on 02/11/2017

ShoBox Results: Baranchyk and Ramos Deliver a Ten Round Thriller, Fernandez and Williams Victorious
By: William Holmes

The Buffalo Run Casino and Resort in Miami, Oklahoma was the host site for tonight’s ShoBox card live on Showtime and featured a main event between Ivan Baranchyk and Abel Ramos.

Jon Fernandez (10-0) and Ernesto Garza (7-1) opened up the telecast with a bout in the super featherweight division.

Fernandez and Garza are both young professionals with a good amateur background that fought like they knew this fight was a good opportunity for exposure for them.

Garza was a southpaw, but was a good head shorter than Fernandez. Fernandez landed his overhand rights early on, and had Garza stunned with a hard right uppercut. He connected with another combination that dropped Garza. Garza was able to beat the count and put up a good fight for the remainder of the round and landed some heavy body blows, but Fernandez was more accurate puncher.

Garza opened up the second round aggressively and attacked to the body, but Fernandez remained calm and connected with clean shots of his own to the head of Garza. Garza appeared to tire as the round progressed and Fernandez was more easily avoiding the rushes of Garza.

Fernandez turned up the pressure in the third round and hammered Garza by the ropes and landed several hard unanswered shots. Garza looked dazed and confused while hanging on the ropes and the referee stopped the fight.

Jon Fernandez wins by TKO at 1:39 of the third round.

The next bout of the night was between Lenin Castillo (15-0-1) and Joe Williams (10-0) in the light heavyweight division.

Castillo was the more decorated amateur boxer as he competed for Puerto Rico in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Castillo was the taller boxer and his jab was causing Williams problems in the first round. Williams was a little wild early and had to deal with Castillo holding on when he got in close.

Castillo’s jab was on point in the second round and was able to block most of Williams’ punches. Castillo’s range was firmly established by the third round and was landing the cleaner, sharper combinations, though Williams was not making it easy for Castillo.

The action remained consistent in the fourth and fifth rounds, with Castillo being the more effective fighter on the outside and Williams doing some damage on the inside, but Castillo was landing the more noticeable punches.

Castillo was the more active boxer in the sixth round but never had Williams in any real trouble. Williams pressed the action in the seventh round and may have won it due to Castillo constantly tying up and not throwing enough punches.

The fight could have been scored for either boxer going into the final round, and even though Castillo started the fight off strong, Williams ended the fight the busier boxer and who was pressing the pace.

The judges scored the bout 76-76, 78-74, 77-75 for Joseph Mack Williams Jr. by majority decision.

The main event of the night was between Ivan Baranchyk (13-0) and Abel Ramos (17-1-2) in the Super Lightweight Division.

Baranchyk entered with a very elaborate entrance, especially by ShoBox standards.

Baranchyk was aggressive early and throwing wild left hooks and very wide punches. Ramos was connecting with his jab and took a hard right uppercut by Baranchyk well, but it was a close round and could have been scored either way.

Baranchyk was able to briefly trap Ramos by the corner early in the second round and land some hard body shots, but was missing when he threw his wild shots to the head. Ramos’ jabs were landing at a high rate in the second round.

Ramos has control early in the third round and was controlling the action until Baranchyk landed a thudding right hand that sent Ramos down. Ramos was able to beat the count and get back to his feet and score a stunning knockdown with a counter left hand.

Ramos went back to his jab in the fourth round and was connecting with good straight right hands. He had Baranchyk hurt in the fourth, but Baranchyk landed another hard left hook that sent Ramos down to the mat. Ramos got back to his feet and looked fully recovered by the end of the fight.

Ramos had a very strong fifth round and was landing hard shots at will from the outside. It was an action packed round, but a clear round for Ramos.

The sixth round was an incredible round that featured both boxers throwing and landing the hardest punches that they could throw, and somehow, amazingly, neither boxer scored a knockdown.

Ramos, inexplicably, decided to stay in fierce exchanges with Baranchyk in the seventh round even though he did better when boxing from the outside and boxing smartly. Baranchyk’s punches were doing more head snapping damage than the shots of Ramos.

Amazingly, both boxers were still standing and throwing a high volume of power shots in the eighth round. Ramos, however, had some bad swelling around both of his eyes and looked like he was wearing down and slowing down. Ramos took some very heavy shots at the end of the round and his face was badly swollen.

Ramos’ faced looked badly disfigured at the start of the ninth round but he was still throwing a large number of punches and fighting back in extended spurts, but Baranchyk was landing the far more brutal punches.

Baranchyk and Ramos both looked exhausted in the final round and spent most of the final round doing something we didn’t see most of the fight, exchange mainly jabs. Baranchyk was able to buckle the knees of Ramos in the final seconds of the final round, but Ramos was able to survive the fight.

This was an incredibly exciting fight.

The judges scored the bout 97-92, 99-91, and 97-93 for Ivan Baranchyk.

Posted on 04/20/2016

Boxinginsider.com Wins 2 Awards & Honorable Mention in Annual Writing Competition with articles by Ivan G. Goldman

Boxinginsider.com writer Ivan G. Goldman won second place for a feature under 1,500 words in the 2015 Boxing Writers Association of America Bernie Awards contest, tying with Dan Rafael of ESPN.com., it was announced Wednesday.

Goldman’s article was titled “NY State Dragging Its Feet Reporting On Mago Abdusalamov Tragedy.” Rafael’s was “Jim Lampley, The Voice Of Boxing For Nearly 30 Years.”

Taking first prize was JOHN WHISLER for “His Life is Boxing – And Losing; At 4-29-1, He Wants To Be A Contender” in the San Antonio Express-News.
Goldman also tied for third place in investigative reporting for “California Commissioners Get Cold Feet After Crossing Mighty Al Haymon.” and took an honorable mention in event coverage for his article from Staples Center in Los Angeles on the Aug. 29, 2015 PBC card topped by Leon Santa Cruz’s majority decision over Abner Mares.

A full report from the BWAA is below:

BWAA Announces Bernie Award Winners

The Boxing Writers Association of America is very proud to announce the winners of its 2015 Bernie Awards, the 15th annual writing contest named after former BWAA President Bernard Fernandez.

This year’s big winner is Boston Herald writer Ron Borges, who won a first in Event Coverage, second in the Column category and a third for Feature Under-1,500 words. He also achieved an honorable mention for News Story.

Other multiple winners included ESPN’s Dan Rafael, who placed second in Event Coverage and third in Feature Under-1,500 words. Springs Toledo, from the thesweetscience.com, took seconds in Event Coverage and Investigative Reporting, and Ivan Goldman, fromboxinginsider.com, garnered a second in Feature Under-1,500 word and third in Investigative Reporting. SI.com’s Chris Mannix received a first in News and a third in Investigative Reporting.

Thesweetscience.com’s Diego Morilla was awarded first in the Column category, San Antonio Express-News’ John Whisler achieved a first for Feature Under-1,500 words, ESPN Magazine’s Tim Keown was first in Feature Over-1,500 words and Thomas Hauser was first in Investigative Reporting for his story on the USADA for SBNation.

Former BWAA presidents Fernandez (second in News, for the Philadelphia Daily News) and Jack Hirsch (third in Column, for Boxing News Annual) also placed, as did the Los Angeles Times’ Lance Pugmire (second in News), The Ring’s Norm Frauenheim (third in News), ESPN Magazine’s Pablo S. Torre (second in Feature Over-1,500 words) and Tim Struby (third in Feature Over-1,500 words) for Playboy.

The BWAA would like to congratulate all of the winners and honorable mentions in a record year of 137 entries to the contest.

2015 BERNIE WINNERS

BOXING EVENT COVERAGE

First Place
RON BORGES, “Money Good Enough,” Boston Herald, May 3, 2015

Second Place
SPRINGS TOLEDO, “Jack Dempsey’s,” thesweetscience.com April 27, 2015

Third Place
DAN RAFAEL, “Floyd Mayweather Beats Manny Pacquiao In Unanimous Decision,” ESPN.com, May 3, 2015

Honorable Mention: Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times; Bernard Fernandez, thesweetscience.com; Thomas Gerbasi, ringtv.com; Ivan G. Goldman, boxinginsider.com; David P. Greisman, boxingscene.com; Thomas Hauser, thesweetscience.com; Kieran Mulvaney,insidehboboxing.com; John Whisler, San Antonio Express-News; George Willis, New York Post

BOXING COLUMN

First Place
DIEGO M. MORILLA, “Billion Dollar Daddy – Or How Arum Lost His Fight To Father Timing,” thesweetscience.com, May 2, 2015

Second Place
RON BORGES, “Contradictions Abound,” Boston Herald, April 29, 2015

Third Place
JACK HIRSCH, “Hype Of The Century,” Boxing News Annual, December, 2015

Honorable Mention: Lyle Fitzsimmons, boxingscene.com; Norm Frauenheim, The Ring; Thomas Gerbasi, boxingscene.com; Thomas Hauser, boxingscene.com; Kieran Mulvaney, insidehboboxing.com; T.K. Stewart, examiner.com; Tim Struby, Playboy; Michael Woods,thesweetscience.com;

BOXING NEWS STORY

First Place
CHRIS MANNIX, “Sources: Antonio Tarver Failed Drug Test Before Steve Cunningham Bout,” si.com, October 19, 2015

Second Place (Tie)
BERNARD FERNANDEZ, “Beyond The Blue Horizon,” Philadelphia Daily News, November 2, 2015
LANCE PUGMIRE, “Waiter Has A Hand In Floyd Mayweather – Manny Pacquiao Matchup,” Los Angeles Times, February 21, 2015

Third Place
NORM FRAUENHEIM, “How It Happened,” The Ring, May, 2015

Honorable Mention: Ron Borges, Boston Herald; Thomas Gerbasi, boxingscene.com; Lee Groves, ringtv.com; John Whisler, San Antonio Express-News; George Willis, New York Post

BOXING FEATURE (Under 1,500 words)

First Place
JOHN WHISLER, “His Life is Boxing – And Losing; At 4-29-1, He Wants To Be A Contender,” San Antonio Express-News, July 10, 2015

Second Place (Tie)
IVAN G. GOLDMAN, “NY State Dragging Its Feet Reporting On Mago Abdusalamov Tragedy,” boxinginsider.com, January 9, 2015
DAN RAFAEL, “Jim Lampley, The Voice Of Boxing For Nearly 30 Years,” ESPN.com, June 13, 2015

Third Place:
RON BORGES, “Roach Still Eyes Prize,” Boston Herald, April 30, 2015

Honorable Mention: Jake Donovan, boxingscene.com; Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times; Bernard Fernandez, ringtv.com; Thomas Hauser,The Ring; Jack Hirsch, boxingnewsonline.com; Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times; Joseph Santoliquito, ringtv.com; David Weinberg,Press of Atlantic City;

BOXING FEATURE (Over 1,500 words)

First Place
TIM KEOWN, “A Legacy on the Line,” ESPN The Magazine, April 29, 2015

Second Place
PABLO S. TORRE, “The Perfect Opponent,” ESPN The Magazine, April 30, 2015

Third Place
TIM STRUBY, “The Ballad of John Joe,” Playboy, August 2015

Honorable Mention:
Bill King, Sports Business Journal; Chris Mannix, si.com; Ronan Keenan, thesweetscience.com; Joseph Santoliquito, sherdog.com; Ryan Songalia; ringtv.com

BOXING INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

First Place
THOMAS HAUSER, “Can Boxing Trust USADA?,” SB Nation, September 8, 2015

Second Place
SPRINGS TOLEDO, “The Ringside Belle,” thesweetscience.com, February 5, 8, and 12, 2015

Third Place (Tie)
IVAN G. GOLDMAN, “California Commissioners Get Cold Feet After Crossing Mighty Al Haymon,”boxinginsider.com, July 3 and June 25, 2015
CHRIS MANNIX, “How It All Came Together,” si.com, May 4, 2015

Honorable Mention: Brin-Jonathan Butler, Bleacher Report; Bernard Fernandez, thesweetscience.com; Tim Graham, Buffalo News; Lee Groves, ringtv.com;
Cliff Rold, boxingscene.com

2015 BERNIES JUDGES:
TOMMY DEAS, Executive Sports Editor, Tuscaloosa News; 1st Vice President, Associated Press Sports Editors
GEORGE DIAZ, Sports Writer, Orlando Sentinel
STEVE FARHOOD, Boxing Commentator, Showtime
STEVE HUMMER, Sports Columnist, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ROSCOE NANCE, Sports Writer, USA Today, Retired
RICK TELANDER, Sports Columnist, Chicago Sun Times