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Lomachenko-Lopez World Lightweight Championship Set, October 17 In Las Vegas
By Jake Donovan
Published On Tue Sep 8, 2020, 11:02 AM EST
The most anticipated fight of 2020 is not only official but comes without an additional price tag.
Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo ‘The Takeover’ Lopez put ink to paper for their highly anticipated multi-belt lightweight title unification clash, which will take place October 17 live on ESPN from the MGM Grand Conference Center (“The Bubble”) in Las Vegas. The event was formally announced on Tuesday by Top Rank and ESPN as part of a stacked October schedule with headliners featuring title fights or bouts with title implications on every weekend in the month.
The pairing pits one of the very best pound-for-pound boxers in the world with one of the brightest young, unbeaten talents in the sport—with the latter firmly believing that youth will be served.
“The Takeover is here, and the reign of Lomachenko, the little diva, is coming to an end,” vows Lopez (15-0, 12KOs), who makes his first title defense in the process.
Brooklyn’s Lopez puts his IBF lightweight belt on the line versus Ukraine’s Lomachenko, who comes in as the recognized WBA/WBO titlist as well as the WBC “Franchise” champion. All of the hardware will be at stake, with the winner to also gain historical recognition as the crowned lineal lightweight champion.
“Lomachenko-Lopez is the best fight that can be made in boxing, and we are delighted that it will be available to fans for no extra charge live on ESPN,” vowed Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “Teofimo and Vasiliy demanded the fight, and we are glad we could make it happen.
“Vasiliy has never backed down from a challenge since he turned pro under the Top Rank banner, and Teofimo is a fearless young champion daring to be great. This has all the makings of a modern boxing classic.”
Lomachenko (14-1, 10KOs) has quickly emerged as the class of the division since his formal arrival in May 2018. An off-the-canvas 10th round stoppage of Jorge Linares at Madison Square Garden in New York City provided the Ukrainian southpaw with his third divisional crown, doing so in just his 10th pro bout—a record for male boxers at the time which has since been matched by Japan’s Kosei Tanaka.
It was just the latest record-setting performance by the two-time Olympic Gold medalist from Ukraine, who won his first major title in just his third pro fight. Lomachenko soundly outboxed Gary Russell Jr. over 12 rounds in their June 2014 featherweight title fight, making three defenses before barnstorming the 130-pound division beginning with a 5th round knockout of Roman Martinez to win a 130-pound title in June 2016. Four defenses followed before invading lightweight, where he has claimed three titles at the weight in his last four fights.
A decisive 12-round nod over England’s Luke Campbell last August on the road in London marked the last piece of ring action. Since then has come the waiting process, sitting ringside for Lopez’ coronation when the 2016 Honduras Olympian tore through exiting lightweight titlist Richard Commey inside of two rounds last December, also at MSG.
The trash talk quickly ensued—mostly one way from Lopez and which has not stopped.
“Teofimo Lopez can talk all he wants. He’s very good at talking. He has done nothing but say my name for the past two years,” notes Lomachenko. “I am a fighter, and my goal is to win another world title. Good for Teofimo. When we fight in Las Vegas, he will eat my punches and his words. I will be the better man, and four world titles will come home with me to Ukraine.”
Crossing the finish line in producing this mouthwatering matchup wasn’t quite the layup it was once believed. There were talks of the two colliding this past May, possibly at MSG and live on an ESPN-distributed Pay-Per-View event. However far along they were in the process ultimately came to a grinding halt due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which shut down the sport—and most sports and entertainment mediums—throughout the spring.
Top Rank came back with a closed-doors boxing series this past June, in hopes that it would bridge the gap to when fans could once again attend sporting events. It was believed to be a crucial element in making this fight happen, but all involved parties have since softened on that stance—including ESPN, whose brass stepped up to the plate to deliver to its home viewers.
“Boxing has long been part of the fabric of our company and we could not be more excited for the October schedule on ESPN platforms, which includes the highly anticipated lightweight title bout between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez on October 17,” noted Matt Kenny, vice president of programming and acquisitions for ESPN. “Top Rank was one of the very first organizations to safely stage live events during the pandemic and as the calendar turns to fall, ESPN will be home to fights that will excite boxing enthusiasts and capture the attention of casual fans.”
Lopez vows to do just that in a town which launched his pro career just four years ago.
“I will beat up Lomachenko and take his belts. Simple as that,” insists Lopez, who returns to Vegas for the first time since his November 2016 pro debut. “I'm coming to Las Vegas to make history. I don’t like the guy, and I’m going to have fun as Lomachenko's face is beaten and marked up by my hands.”
Inoue-Moloney Bantamweight Title Fight Set, October 31 In Las Vegas
By Jake Donovan
Published On Tue Sep 8, 2020, 11:02 AM EST
What better time than Halloween for The Monster to invade Sin City.
Naoya Inoue will finally make his long-awaited debut under the Top Rank banner, doing so in his first career fight in Las Vegas. The occasion comes in a unified bantamweight title defense versus Australia’s Jason Moloney, with the two due to collide October 31, live on ESPN+ from the MGM Grand Conference Center (“The Bubble”).
The fight comes as a contingency plan for Inoue (19-0, 16KOs), as the pound-for-pound talent and three-division champ from Yokohama, Japan had designs on facing Philippines’ John Riel Casimero in a three-belt unification clash. Such a fight was set for April 25 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, only to get shut down due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
All told, it has left Inoue on the shelf since a 12-round win over Nonito Donaire in their Fight of the Year-level slugfest last November in Saitama, Japan. The feat left Inoue with two bantamweight belts, top honors in the World Boxing Super Series tournament and a co-promotional contract with Top Rank.
Hopes of commemorating the event with Casimero even in a rescheduled affair disappeared when the Filipino was advised to instead take his services to a September 26 Showtime Pay-Per-View event. Casimero will next defend his bantamweight title versus Duke Micah.
Fortunately for Inoue, there was another top 118-pound boxer eager to accept the assignment in a fight that could have easily occurred a year ago with the right break.
Moloney was also in the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight tournament, suffering his lone career defeat via split decision to Puerto Rico’s Emmanuel Rodriguez in their October 2018 quarterfinal bout. Rodriguez went on to face Inoue, who scored three knockdowns en route to a 2nd round knockout to begin his third division title reign after having served atop junior flyweight and junior bantamweight.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Moloney (21-1, 18KOs) has reemerged as a top contender. Four straight wins have followed for the 29-year old from Kingscliff, whose twin brother Andrew is a former secondary junior bantamweight titlist. The two made their respective Vegas debuts two days apart this past June, both taking place in the very venue which will house this title fight.
Andrew Moloney left Vegas with his first career defeat, losing a 12-round decision and his version of the 115-pound title to San Antonio’s Joshua Franco on June 23. Two nights later, Jason Moloney managed his first stateside win in a one-sided 7th round stoppage of Mexico’s Leonardo Baez.
Ever since that night came the desire for his next fight to be for a world title, with manager Tony Tolj remaining engaged in talks with the handlers for Casimero and Inoue throughout the summer.
“It never mattered to me which one of the two it was, whether Inoue or Casimero,” Moloney told BoxingScene.com. “But if I’m being honest, Inoue is a dream fight if I always had my pick.”
Zepeda-Baranchyk Title Eliminator Confirmed For October 3 In Las Vegas
By Jake Donovan
Published On Tue Sep 8, 2020, 11:02 AM EST
A second attempt to get Jose Zepeda and Ivan Baranchyk in the ring now serves as the tablesetter for an October to remember.
The pair of junior lightweights are now officially set to collide on October 3, live on ESPN+ from the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout was formally announced on Tuesday by Top Rank, as part of a massive five-week stretch of events airing on ESPN platforms.
This particular matchup comes three months after their previously scheduled July 7 ESPN headliner. Baranchyk was forced to withdraw due to a rib injury suffered late in training camp. Zepeda (32-2, 25KOs; 2NC) remained on the telecast, scoring a ten-round decision win over Kendo Castaneda.
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Less than three months later comes a new fight date along with increased stakes—the winner will become the number-one contender to reigning unified WBC/WBO junior welterweight titlist Jose Ramirez (26-0, 17KOs).
“At this point I believe I deserve a title shot and a win against Baranchyk will cement just that,” Zepeda told BoxingScene.com of the rescheduled contest.”
Both career losses for Zepeda came in title challenges, interesting carrying bad luck on each occasion as well as the immediate aftermath. The La Puente, California-based contender suffered a freak shoulder two rounds into his July 2015 challenge of then-unbeaten lightweight titlist Terry Flanagan on the road in Manchester, England. Four months later came a truncated attempt at a bounceback fight, when a clash of heads ended his October 2015 bout with Jose Alfaro after just one round.
A seven-fight win streak followed leading into his title challenge of Ramirez last February. Zepeda once again hit the road, traveling to Fresno where he came up just short in a 12-round majority decision which many observers felt could have gone his way. Three months later, Zepeda once again saw an attempt to return to the win column end in a No-Contest, as a clash of heads ended his May 2015 bout with Eleazer Valenzuela after three rounds.
Two wins have since followed, including a 10-round decision win over former two-division titlist Jose Pedraza last September in Las Vegas.
Baranchyk (20-1 13KOs) still awaits his first fight of 2020 while angling for a second title run.
The 27-year old Belarusian—originally from Russia but who now fights out of Miami, Oklahoma—well proved his worth on his rise to contention. Baranchyk arrived at the title stage armed with an 18-0 record on the strength of wins over six unbeaten opponents as well as convincing victories over Abel Ramos—a recent secondary title challenger—and Petr Petrov prior to entering the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) 140-pound tournament.
A career-best performance came of the quarterfinal round, which saw Baranchyk bludgeon then-unbeaten Anthony Yigit en route to a 7th round stoppage and the IBF junior welterweight title in their October 2018 affair. His reign was one and done, dropping a competitive but clear 12-round decision to eventual tournament winner Josh Taylor in their semifinal match last May on the road in Scotland.
Baranchyk has since rebounded with a one-sided fourth round stoppage over Gabriel Bracero last October in New York City.
Beterbiev-Deines, Vlasov-Salamov Light Heavy Double Set For October 23 In Moscow
By Jake Donovan
Published On Tue Sep 8, 2020, 11:10 AM EST
The king of the light heavyweight division returns to his roots in order to defend his throne.
Artur Beterbiev will make his first career appearance in his native Russia, doing so in a lineal light heavyweight championship defense versus Adam Deines (19-1-1, 10KO). Their bout will take place September 25, on a special Friday afternoon edition of Top Rank Boxing live on ESPN from Moscow, Top Rank formally announced on Tuesday.
The bout will serve as the triumphant ring return of Beterbiev (15-0, 15KOs) since scoring a career-best win in a 10th round knockout of Oleksandr Gvozdyk in their unification bout between unbeaten light heavyweight titlists last October. The win also provided the 35-year old knockout artist with the lineal championship which he will defend for the first time.
On the alphabet front, it’s also the fourth defense of the IBF belt which Beterbiev claimed in a 12th round stoppage of Enrico Koelling in November 2017. This particular occasion was originally supposed to come in an IBF-sanctioned mandatory title defense versus China’s Meng Fanlong (16-0, 10KOs), which was to have taken place March 28 in Quebec City, Canada.
The ongoing coronavirus canceled those plans, with a rescheduled fight date of September 25 placing the event in Ekaterinburg, Russia. The new location provided the first true homecoming for Beterbiev, who hasn’t fought in his birth country since his amateur days as he has since relocated to Montreal, Canada.
It also meant having to secure a new opponent, as COVID travel restrictions prevented Fanlong with proceeding with the fight in present form. As previously reported by BoxingScene.com senior writer Keith Idec, Fanlong would have been able to travel to Russia, though not able to return to his home country of China or in northern New Jersey where he currently trains.
With that came the approval of the man Fanlong defeated to earn his mandatory position. Deines reentered the mix, having won two straight since dropping a 12-round decision to Fanlong in their light heavyweight title eliminator last June. Deines—a 29-year old Russian now based out of Magdeburg, Germany—has been out of the ring since a 2nd round knockout of sub .500 light heavyweight Yevgenii Makhteienko last September.
Even with the new opponent came another delay, with the event pushed back by four weeks and relocated to Moscow. Still, the location allows for another long-ago ordered light heavyweight fight to take place.
The chief support will pit Maksim Vlasov and Umar Salamov in the second leg of an ongoing four-man light heavyweight tournament as sanctioned by the World Boxing Organization (WBO). The winner will advance to a vacant WBO 175-pound title fight versus Joe Smith Jr., who did his part in a 9th round stoppage of former titlist Eleider Alvarez on August 22 live on ESPN+ from the MGM Grand Conference Room (“The Bubble”) in Las Vegas which has housed all of Top Rank’s stateside events since returning from the pandemic this past June.
The hope was for the August 22 show to have featured both WBO title eliminators, only for travel restrictions to prevent Vlasov (45-3, 26KOs) and Salamov (25-1, 19KOs) from entering the United States. Vlasov—a 33-year old former title challenger from Samara, Russia—remains in his home country, while Salamov—a 26-year old knockout artist from Grozny, Russia now based out of Las Vegas—has been training in Kiev, Ukraine.
“Umar and Max are eager to fight each other, and then go on to face Joe Smith,” Oleg Bogdanov, manager for both Salamov and Vlasov told BoxingScene.com. “It will be an excellent fight when Smith gets to face either Umar or Max.”
While the Salamov-Vlasov winner will be in line for greater glory, Beterbiev can expect—with a win on October 23—to then proceed with his mandatory title defense versus Fanlong for his first fight of 2021.
Its always something GRJ
But i can def believe him on this one
if they can get past the bullshyt...i fukk with this fight hard..hope they get it done
The boy who cried wolf, GRJ has been telling us who he is for his entire career
a german cat...and he lost to the cat that beterbiev was originally suppose to face that was his mandatory..but visa/covid issues killed that fight
im not expecting shyt from that fight other than a brutal beterbiev KO
The axe murderer
For I am death and I ride on a pale horse
