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World champion Davis arrested on domestic violence charges

WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis was arrested on Friday on misdemeanour domestic violence charges.

The arrest was related to an incident near Miami, Florida, on 15 June, Father's Day.

Davis allegedly assaulted his ex-girlfriend, the mother of two of his children, outside her home.

The 30-year-old was taken into custody in Miami but has since been released on $10,000 (£7,400) bond, with a court hearing scheduled for 29 July.

He has twice previously been arrested on battery domestic violence charges, in February 2020 and December 2022.

Davis has also served 44 days in jail in 2023 after violating the terms of a 90-day house arrest sentence, in relation to a criminal hit-and-run case that occurred in his hometown of Baltimore in November 2020.

The former IBF super featherweight champion is unbeaten from 31 professional fights, although his most recent bout was a controversial draw with Lamont Roach Jr in March and they have a rematch scheduled for August.

BBC
 
nice win by sheeraz, statement knockout against a decent oppenent who went all the way against canelo, looks good under andy lee.
 
Britain's Sheeraz stops Berlanga as Stevenson retains title

Britain's Hamzah Sheeraz made a successful step up to super middleweight with a destructive fifth-round stoppage victory against Edgar Berlanga in New York.

In the other co-main event, Shakur Stevenson retained his WBC lightweight world title with a unanimous decision victory over William Zepeda.

Sheeraz, 26, knocked Berlanga down twice in the fourth round and again at the start of the fifth to force the referee to end the fight.

The impressive victory improves Sheeraz's record to 22-0, with one draw and 18 wins inside the distance.

It was the Briton's first fight since that draw - against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames in February - after which he decided to make the step up to super middleweight.

Berlanga's record is now 23-2 after a second defeat in three fights, with March's stoppage of Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz preceded by a unanimous points defeat by Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.

Meanwhile, Stevenson comfortably won on all three judges' scorecards against Zepeda to make a third defence of his WBC lightweight title.

Two judges scored the bout 118-110 and a third saw it 119-109 for the 28-year-old American, who improved his unbeaten record to 24-0 with 11 knockouts.

It was a first career defeat for Mexican Zepeda, 29, whose record is now 33-1.

The card was held at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, one of the show courts at Flushing Meadows, host venue of the US Open tennis.

BBC
 
nice win by sheeraz, statement knockout against a decent oppenent who went all the way against canelo, looks good under andy lee.

Sometimes you have to go in there and fight believing you will come out on top and that’s what he did . A slowish start but a clinical finish .

The taller guy usually stays at distance against a puncher but Hamza decided to take it inside and dominated with his uppercuts along with a varied arsenal of shots all around .

A good weight for him now , looks a certain future world champion now . The next big British Pakistani boxing star has arrived after Amir khan .
 
Taylor deserves place in Hall of Fame – Frampton

Josh Taylor's accomplishment in becoming undisputed world champion should be recognised as "one of the great British sporting feats ever" and the Scot is deserving a place in boxing's Hall of Fame, says Carl Frampton.

The 34-year-old is retiring on medical grounds after a career during which he won Commonwealth Games silver and gold medals for Scotland, represented Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics and became the first – and so far only – male fighter from the UK to capture all four world titles in a single division.

"Josh should be proud of everything he's done in his career, especially becoming an undisputed champion," former world champion Frampton said.

"We see how much of a big deal it is that people make of the undisputed heavyweight champion when Oleksander Usyk beat Daniel Dubois at the weekend. Josh Taylor was undisputed in 18 fights - that's unbelievable. Hard to fathom, really.

"So I think that's what people should remember Josh for. It literally doesn't happen unless you're someone like a Vasiliy Lomachenko or a Usyk or someone like that. That's the calibre of fighter that achieves this.

"Josh Taylor becoming undisputed champion in 18 fights in a marquee division, not down at light-flyweight where nobody fights or anything like that, a marquee division, should be recognised as one of the great British sporting feats ever.

"Undisputed light-welterweight champion in 18 fights is Hall of Fame behaviour, I think."

Taylor and Frampton, a former two-weight world champion, trained alongside each other when both were under Shane McGuigan's wing, with the Scot making his professional debut on a show headlined by Frampton in Texas back in 2015.

"I was there the whole way, pretty much," Frampton told BBC Scotland.

"Josh is a great friend of mine and he's a good person as well. And he does a lot of good things behind the scenes, which people don't see. Josh is just a good fella.

"I'm very, very proud that I was able to witness some of his greatness up close and personal."

BBC
 
Pacman got robbed

Horrible decision, they robbed him of history, should have broken Bernard Hopkins record as oldest champion ever, and also the first HOF inductee to win a world title. But his performance was as such that he has become bigger then any decision given by the judges and social media won’t forget it either, I was just a teenager when I watched him knock Ricky Hatton out cold to the point I thought he was actually dead, from all that time, he is dancing with the top welters of today which puts him in very rare company; simply unreal.
 
Oleksandr Usyk faces being stripped of world title after knocking Daniel Dubois out

Oleksandr Usyk has been ordered to defend his WBO heavyweight crown against Joseph Parker - or face the prospect of being stripped of the prestigious belt. The Ukrainian secured undisputed heavyweight supremacy for a second occasion following his devastating knockout victory over Daniel Dubois before 90,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium last weekend.

Usyk dominated proceedings from the opening bell to the final moment. Although 'Triple D' enjoyed fleeting success during the contest, the 'Cat' swiftly concluded matters in the fifth round. Usyk floored the British fighter with a crushing right hook and against expectations, Dubois managed to rise from the canvas, only to be finished moments afterwards when the Ukrainian unleashed a precision left hand.

Following his second triumph over the Briton, Usyk has received a rather firm directive from the WBO. The sanctioning organisation has commanded the two-weight undisputed champion to put the title on the line against Parker.

In correspondence dispatched to both camps, the WBO stated: "Gentlemen: Please be advised that the WBO World Championship Committee is hereby ordering the commencement of negotiations between the subject matter fighters to discharge the mandatory title defence obligation.

"By virtue of this order, the parties have thirty (30) days upon issuance of this letter to reach terms. Failure to do so will result in this committee ordering purse bid proceedings in accordance with WBO regulations of World Championship Contests. The minimum bid in the Heavyweight division is one-million dollars ($1,000,000.00). Any of the parties herein may request purse bid proceedings at any time during negotiation stages.

"Lastly, the WBO reserves its right to issue any and all further rulings deemed necessary, helpful and convenient to accomplish the purposes, policies, and intent of the WBO rules, including but not limited to serving those interests that best serve boxing, and the WBO Heavyweight Division. Do not hesitate to contact the WBO headquarters if you have any questions or concerns."

Should Usyk choose not to face Parker, he will be forced to surrender his WBO belt - or face being stripped of it.


 
'My world caved in' - Taylor on forced retirement

For any athlete who has reached the top of their sport, saying goodbye can be the hardest part. When that decision is taken out of your own hands, it becomes harder still.

"It's just been like my world's caved in," Josh Taylor tells BBC Scotland two weeks on from the devastating diagnosis that brought his boxing career to an immediate halt.

A routine eye exam following defeat by Ekow Essuman in May showed extensive damage.

An initial scan found a tear in the retinal tissue behind Taylor's left eye, but a closer examination found there were actually six. The specialist laid it out plainly - continue boxing and you risk going blind.

The Tartan Tornado enjoyed a career few fighters could dream of - a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, an Olympian and, in 2021, becoming the first - and so far only - male fighter from the UK to win four belts in a single division as he became undisputed light-welterweight world champion.

After consecutive defeats in his past three bouts, Taylor did not want his storied career to finish on a losing note and had hoped for "one or two more fights", but the potential loss of his vision in one eye put paid to thoughts of a fairytale ending.

The sudden transition from active fighter to former boxer has been tough to process.

"I'm feeling quite down in the dumps, to be honest," said the 34-year-old. "I've had two weeks to absorb it, but the more I think about it, the more upset I get.

"I know I've sort of completed the game in a sense in terms of becoming undisputed champion, but not going out on my own terms, it was kind of like a kick in the teeth.

"It was kind of like falling straight off the edge of a cliff. I'm not going to risk losing my sight for the sake of just one more fight. But it was like the end of my world."

'Heart-warming response softened the blow'

Elite athletes often speak of the difficulty of transitioning out of the sport that has defined them for most of their life. The structure of a training schedule, the lofty goals to aim for and everything that drives them on a daily basis, it all disappears overnight.

Taylor speaks incredibly honestly, and with visible emotion, about "the slump" he is experiencing since he was told his boxing career was over.

What has provided solace in this tough period is the mountain of messages, from fans and fellow fighters alike, paying tribute to the Scot for his magnificent achievements since he publicly announced his retirement on Monday.

"The messages of support that I've had has helped me, helped lift me because it's made me feel a little bit better, made me feel appreciated, made me feel that I've done good in the sport," he says.

"I've had a lot of great messages from some high profile names and just my friends and people I haven't heard from in a long time.

"For the last few years I've had nothing but hate with every single post that I've written, there's always a section of the comments that there's just hate and stuff like that. I think this is the first one in the last two or three years that I've not had any.

"So the response has been quite heart-warming and made me appreciate what I achieved, kind of softened the blow a little bit and it's cheered me up a little bit. So I'd like to say thank you to everybody that's taken time to message me."

'Someone that wasn't afraid to be great'

Taylor admits his diagnosis perhaps "saved me from myself" - a fighter will always want to fight.

What the future now holds for the boy from Prestonpans who conquered the world is unclear.

He's open to some punditry work and with his direct, unvarnished honesty, he would seem tailor made for that.

He will go back to where it all started, Lochend Boxing Club, to help out his friend and mentor Terry McCormack, inspiring the next generation. "Maybe we'll find the next Josh Taylor", he says.

One day he might even open his own gym in East Lothian. He has a lot left to give to the sport, even if his own time under the lights has now come to an end.

So how would Josh Taylor like to be remembered?

"I don't know, I've never thought about it," he says.

"They're going to remember me any way they want, but I would like to hope they thought I was an all-action kind of fighter and wasn't afraid to take a fight.

"Someone that come up and took on all challenges and wasn't afraid to try to be great.

"Just a fighter."

BBC
 
Rodriguez failed drug test in US before Yafai fight

Francisco Rodriguez Jr failed a drug test in America in December, six months before his fight with Galal Yafai in Birmingham.

Rodriguez, 31, beat Olympic gold medallist Yafai in a points decision in June, with the British boxer suffering his first defeat as a professional.

After the fight, Rodriguez tested positive for banned substance heptaminol and the Mexican is now under investigation by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) and UK Anti-Doping (Ukad).

The test was conducted on fight night and administered by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada), as part of the WBC's Clean Boxing Program.

But it has now emerged that this is the second time Rodriguez has failed a drug test in six months.

Rodriguez's win over Josue Jesus Morales on December 15 in San Antonio was declared a no-contest by the Texas Commission after he failed a post-fight drug test.

"Francisco Rodriguez failed his drug test on 15/12/24 and was put on a 90-day suspension and was assessed a $500 administrative penalty," the Texas Combative Sports Program said.

There is no world governing body in boxing and the Texas Commission are not required to inform other commissions of the decision.

The commission did say Rodriguez's suspension was recorded on the national data base Boxrec.com as "rules violation" which the British Boxing Board of Control have access to.

Before Rodriguez's fight with Yafai, BBC Sport reached out to the Texas Commission to ask why his fight with Morales was registered as a 'no-contest' but received no reply.



 
@KingKhanWC @ElRaja


I don’t know if this will be good, but the fact that it will exist is pretty amazing though lol The lead cast is pretty decent to & it’s arguably one of the tougher biopics to do among the greats, will defo be supporting it.
 
@KingKhanWC @ElRaja


I don’t know if this will be good, but the fact that it will exist is pretty amazing though lol The lead cast is pretty decent to & it’s arguably one of the tougher biopics to do among the greats, will defo be supporting it.
should be interesting, but i see that actor and just think of lockerbie after the docu-film on the plane bomb.
 
Eubank-Benn rematch announced for November

The much-anticipated rematch between British rivals Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn will take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November.

Eubank beat Benn by unanimous decision in a thrilling middleweight contest at the same venue in April.

Despite no title being on the line, the bout between the bitter foes - which took place 35 years after their fathers, Chris Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn, first fought - garnered huge attention.

And after Eubank was named the winner 116-112 on all three judges' scorecards, a rematch was wanted by fans and touted by promoters.

A second bout had been agreed for 20 September, however it fell through amid concerns Eubank would not be ready.

Now organisers Ring Magazine, which is owned by Turki Alalshikh, have announced , externalthe rematch will take place on 15 November.

Eddie Hearn, Benn's promoter and chairman of Matchroom Boxing, also shared the same date via Instagram, external.

Eubank and his camp have not yet commented on the announcement.

BBC
 
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