Tag: Abraham Nova

Fight Week: O’Shaquie Foster to face Abraham Nova; Adrian Curiel vs. Sivenathi Nontshinga II

Fight Week: O’Shaquie Foster will face Abraham Nova on Friday. On the same day, Adrian Curiel and Sivenathi Nontshinga will face off again.

FIGHT WEEK

O’Shaquie Foster will defend his 130-pound belt against Abraham Nova on Friday. On the same day, 108-pound champ Adrian Curiel will try to prove that his one-punch KO of Sivenathi Nontshinga last year was no fluke when they meet in a rematch.

O’SHAQUIE FOSTER (21-2, 12 KOs)
VS. ABRAHAM NOVA (23-1, 16 KOs)

  • Date: Friday, Feb. 16
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Madison Square Garden Theater, New York
  • TV/Stream: ESPN, ESPN+
  • Division: Junior lightweight (130 pounds)
  • At stake: Foster’s WBC title
  • Pound-for-pound: None
  • Odds: Foster 8-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): ***
  • Also on the card: Andres Cortes vs. Bryan Chevalier, junior lightweights; Bruce Carrington vs. Bernard Torres, featherweights
  • Background: Foster will be making the second defense of the title he won as a result of his break-through unanimous decision victory over Rey Vargas in February of last year. He barely held onto his belt in his first defense. The 30-year-old Texan, showing his gritty side, was behind on two of the three official cards when he stopped Eduardo Hernandez in the final round of a wild fight in Hernandez’s home country of Mexico. Nova will be fighting for a major title for the first time. The 30-year-old Puerto Rican boxer-puncher, who lives in Albany, New York, has won two consecutive fights since he was stopped by two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez in the fifth round in 2022. He defeated capable Adam Lopez by a unanimous decision in January of last year and stopped less-accomplished Jonathan Romero in three rounds in July. Nova is ranked No. 12 by the WBC.

 

ADRIAN CURIEL (24-4-1, 5 KOs)
VS. SIVENATHI NONTSHINGA (12-1, 9 KOs)

  • Date: Friday, Feb. 16
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Guelaguetza Auditorium, Oaxaca, Mexico
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Junior flyweight (108 pounds)
  • At stake: Curiel’s IBF title
  • Pound-for-pound: None
  • Odds: Curiel 1½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): ***
  • Also on the card: Mauricio Lara vs. Daniel Lugo, featherweights
  • Background: Curiel and Nontshinga will be fighting for the second time in three-plus months. Curiel, a 25-year-old from Mexico City, stunned Nontshinga and the boxing world when he stopped the favored South African with a single overhand right in the second round to win his first world title on Nov. 4 in Monte Carlo. Curiel was a question mark going into that fight. He had never faced an elite opponent or fought outside of Mexico, although he is now undefeated since 2021. He’s 8-0-1 in his last nine fights. And, curiously, Curiel showed no signs of having one-punch knockout power: He had only four stoppages going into that fight. Nontshinga, 25, made a big splash when he defeated Hector Flores by a split decision in a brutal fight to win the IBF belt in Flores’ native Mexico. He had a successful homecoming in July, easily outpointing previously unbeaten Regie Suganob in East London. And then came the disaster in Europe.

 

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

THURSDAY

  • Joseph Diaz Jr. vs. Jesus Perez, junior welterweights, Commerce, California (DAZN)

FRIDAY

  • Israel Rodriguez Picazo vs. Ramon Cardenas, junior featherweights, Plant City, Florida (ProBox TV) 

Efe Ajagba vs. Stephan Shaw: LIVE updates, results, full coverage

Efe Ajagba vs. Stephan Shaw: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.

Heavyweight contender Efe Ajagba defeated Stephan Shaw by a unanimous decision in a 10-round bout Saturday at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York.

All three judges had the same score, 96-94, six rounds to four.

Neither fighter landed many eye-catching punches but Ajagba (17-1, 13 KOs) was the aggressor and outworked Shaw (18-1, 13 KOs), including dozens of jabs that kept Shaw at a distance for most of the fight.

A full report will follow shortly.

***

Jonathan Rice defeated Guido Vianello by a technical knockout in the seventh round after the Italian couldn’t continue because of a cut over his left eye in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout.

Vianello (15-7-1, 10 KOs) seemed to have outworked Rice (15-7-1, 10 KOs) for most of the fight to build a lead on the cards.

However, in the sixth round, Rice landed a straight right that caused a gruesome cut below Vianello’s left eyebrow. The ring doctor, who was summoned after the seventh round had begun, said Vianello couldn’t continue.

The ending was bizarre. Referee Benjy Esteves initially ruled that the cut was caused by a clash of heads, which would’ve sent the fight to the scorecards. However, a member of the Oneida Indian Nation Athletic Commission essentially ordered Esteves to check the replay, which indicated the cut was caused by a punch.

Thus, Rice, who took the fight on a few weeks notice, was declared the winner.

***

Abraham Nova (22-1, 15 KOs) put Adam Lopez (16-4, 6 KOs) down twice and defeated him by a unanimous decision in a 10-round 130-pound fight.

The scores were 98-90, 98-92 and 97-91. Lopez went down in the fifth and sixth rounds.

***

Heavyweight contender Efe Ajagba is scheduled to take on Stephan Shaw tonight (Saturday) at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York on ESPN and ESPN+.

Also on the card, Guido Vianello will face Jonathan Rice in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout. And Adam Lopez will face Abraham Nova in a 10-round 130-pound bout.

The main portion of the show is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in the broadcast.

Boxing Junkie will post the result of the main event immediately afterward. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes. We’ll also post the results of other featured bouts.

Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the night of the fight and the following day.

Enjoy the fights!

[lawrence-related id=35145,35142,35138,35134]

Efe Ajagba vs. Stephan Shaw: LIVE updates, results, full coverage

Efe Ajagba vs. Stephan Shaw: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.

Heavyweight contender Efe Ajagba defeated Stephan Shaw by a unanimous decision in a 10-round bout Saturday at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York.

All three judges had the same score, 96-94, six rounds to four.

Neither fighter landed many eye-catching punches but Ajagba (17-1, 13 KOs) was the aggressor and outworked Shaw (18-1, 13 KOs), including dozens of jabs that kept Shaw at a distance for most of the fight.

A full report will follow shortly.

***

Jonathan Rice defeated Guido Vianello by a technical knockout in the seventh round after the Italian couldn’t continue because of a cut over his left eye in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout.

Vianello (15-7-1, 10 KOs) seemed to have outworked Rice (15-7-1, 10 KOs) for most of the fight to build a lead on the cards.

However, in the sixth round, Rice landed a straight right that caused a gruesome cut below Vianello’s left eyebrow. The ring doctor, who was summoned after the seventh round had begun, said Vianello couldn’t continue.

The ending was bizarre. Referee Benjy Esteves initially ruled that the cut was caused by a clash of heads, which would’ve sent the fight to the scorecards. However, a member of the Oneida Indian Nation Athletic Commission essentially ordered Esteves to check the replay, which indicated the cut was caused by a punch.

Thus, Rice, who took the fight on a few weeks notice, was declared the winner.

***

Abraham Nova (22-1, 15 KOs) put Adam Lopez (16-4, 6 KOs) down twice and defeated him by a unanimous decision in a 10-round 130-pound fight.

The scores were 98-90, 98-92 and 97-91. Lopez went down in the fifth and sixth rounds.

***

Heavyweight contender Efe Ajagba is scheduled to take on Stephan Shaw tonight (Saturday) at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York on ESPN and ESPN+.

Also on the card, Guido Vianello will face Jonathan Rice in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout. And Adam Lopez will face Abraham Nova in a 10-round 130-pound bout.

The main portion of the show is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in the broadcast.

Boxing Junkie will post the result of the main event immediately afterward. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes. We’ll also post the results of other featured bouts.

Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the night of the fight and the following day.

Enjoy the fights!

[lawrence-related id=35145,35142,35138,35134]

Video: Efe Ajagba weighs in at 235¼, Stephan Shaw at 239½

Video: Efe Ajagba on Friday weighed in at 235¼, Stephan Shaw at 239½ for their heavyweight fight Saturday on ESPN and ESPN+.

Heavyweight contender Efe Ajagba on Friday weighed in at 235¼ pounds for his scheduled 10-rounder against Stephan Shaw on Saturday in Verona, New York (ESPN, ESPN+). Shaw came in at 239½.

The fighters’ have fought at similar weights in recent fights.

Ajagba (16-1, 13 KOs) rebounded from his unanimous-decision loss to Frank Sanchez in October 2021 to stop Jozsef Darmos in two rounds this past August. Shaw (18-0, 13 KOs) last fought in November, when he outpointed Rydell Booker.

In other featured bouts on the card, heavyweights Jonathan Rice and Guido Vianello weighed 274¼ and 239, respectively. And Adam Lopez and Abraham Nova both came in at 129 for their junior lightweight matchup.

[lawrence-related id=35138,35134,35106]

Video: Efe Ajagba weighs in at 235¼, Stephan Shaw at 239½

Video: Efe Ajagba on Friday weighed in at 235¼, Stephan Shaw at 239½ for their heavyweight fight Saturday on ESPN and ESPN+.

Heavyweight contender Efe Ajagba on Friday weighed in at 235¼ pounds for his scheduled 10-rounder against Stephan Shaw on Saturday in Verona, New York (ESPN, ESPN+). Shaw came in at 239½.

The fighters’ have fought at similar weights in recent fights.

Ajagba (16-1, 13 KOs) rebounded from his unanimous-decision loss to Frank Sanchez in October 2021 to stop Jozsef Darmos in two rounds this past August. Shaw (18-0, 13 KOs) last fought in November, when he outpointed Rydell Booker.

In other featured bouts on the card, heavyweights Jonathan Rice and Guido Vianello weighed 274¼ and 239, respectively. And Adam Lopez and Abraham Nova both came in at 129 for their junior lightweight matchup.

[lawrence-related id=35138,35134,35106]

Abraham Nova outpoints Avery Sparrow on Moloney-Baez card

Abraham Nova outpointed Avery Sparrow on the Jason Moloney-Leonardo Baez card Thursday in Las Vegas.

Abraham Nova continued his march toward a title shot but he probably didn’t frighten any of the beltholders by his performance on Thursday night.

Nova had difficulty with the slick, quick Avery Sparrow, going long periods with little activity, but he did enough to win a unanimous decision in a 10-round junior welterweight fight on the Jason Moloney-Leonard Baez card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The scores were 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94.

Sparrow (10-2, 3 KOs) threw a lot of punches but the vast majority of them hit only air. Still, his output and effective movement proved to be a challenge for Nova, who threw punches aggressively only occasionally.

The best example of that came in Round 8, when Nova (19-0, 14 KOs) stunned Sparrow with a hard right and followed with a flurry that forced his opponent to hold on for dear life. Sparrow, Philadelphia tough, survived and went back to boxing carefully.

In the end, Nova apparently won for a simple reason: He landed more and harder punches in a tactical fight that probably was disappointing for fans expecting to see more from the Puerto Rican slugger.

In other preliminaries, Puerto Rican prospect Orlando Gonzalez (15-0, 10 KOs) put Luis Porozo (15-3, 8 KOs) of Ecuador down twice en route to a unanimous decision victory in an eight-round featherweight bout.

The fight between two technically proficient boxers was largely tactical. Gonzalez was more assertive but had trouble at times with Porozo’s speed and slick skills.

The knockdowns were the difference. In Round 2, the southpaw Gonzalez landed a short, hard left and a grazing left that put Porozo down. Then, in Round 7, a simple left to the body forced Porozo to take a knee.

The scores were 77-73, 77-73 and 76-74.

Also, Vlad Panin (8-1, 4 KOs) of Los Angeles rebounded from his first career setback to defeat Benjamin Whitaker (13-4, 3 KOs) San Antonio by a majority decision in a six-round welterweight bout. The scores were 58-56, 58-56 and 57-57.

Panin lost a unanimous decision to Moises Fuentes in a six-round bout in February.

And, in a scheduled six-round heavyweight fight, Kingsley Ibeh (4-1, 4 KOs) of Nigeria avenged an earlier split-decision loss to Waldo Cortes (5-3, 2 KOs) of Phoenix by stopping Cortes at 1:41 of Round 4.

The ending was strange. Cortes had his left arm draped around the neck of Ibeh, who, in that position, landed five uppercuts. He followed with two rights and a grazing left, which put Cortes down. He was able to get up but couldn’t continue.

Eleider Alvarez explodes with 7th-round knockout of Michael Seals

Eleider Alvarez started slow, but he picked up steam in the seventh round, downing Michael Seals with a heat-seeking right hand.

It was on pace to become one of the early year’s most tedious fights, replete with boos and hisses from a sleepy crowd. But Eleider Alvarez made sure that this light heavyweight bout would only be remembered for one thing: A howling right hand that gave Michael Seals a bad case of rigor mortis and the fans a reason, finally, to cheer. 

With a few seconds left in Round 7, Alvarez and Seals traded right hands, but Alvarez ducked as he threw his and landed first. Instantly, Seals froze up and toppled backward, his head hitting the bottom rope. As Seals lay on the canvas motionless for a few beats, the referee waved off the bout. It was a dramatic ending to what began as a slow-grinding, nearly apathetic affair at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York. And just like that, the Colombian veteran is once more in the title hunt.

This was Alvarez’s first fight since he lost his belt to Sergey Kovalev on points in their rematch in February 2018. Since then, Alvarez, who lives and trains in Montreal, has been out of the ring for nearly a year, due primarily to an Achilles tear that he suffered in that fight. 

“I was out of the ring for 11 months,” Alvarez said after the fight Saturday. “I wanted to come back as the fighter that beat Kovalev, and this is what we prepared for.”

Neither Michael Seals (left) nor Eleider Alvarez did much until the deciding seventh round. Mikey Williams / Top Rank

Neither fighter threw or landed many punches through six-plus rounds — the winner landed fewer than 50 punches, according to CompuBox — but Alvarez (25-1, 13 KOs) showed his superior class by outworking Seals (24-3, 18 KOs) with his jab. The 37-year-old Seals seemed intent on ending the fight with one big shot, but Alvarez rarely allowed him to set his feet. The result was a stalemate that didn’t go over well with the crowd.

Alvarez, 35, admitted that he was rusty in the beginning, noting that his “trainer was not happy because I wasn’t doing what he was asking.” But perhaps that also had to do with being wary of Seals’ ruinous right hand.

Alvarez’s knockout of Seals was reminiscent of his August 2018 stoppage of Kovalev to win the WBO light heavyweight title. 

Promoter Bob Arum has stated the winner would go on to face Joe Smith Jr., who beat Jesse Hart by a split decision on Jan. 11. Alvarez co-promoter Yvon Michel said recently that he believes there is a possibility that the vacant WBO belt could be on the line.

Alvarez was overjoyed to emerge victorious after a long layoff. Mikey Williams / Top Rank

Once widely tapped as Puerto Rico’s next Felix Trinidad, lightweight Felix Verdejo, now 26, has been something of a reclamation project for the past few years. After tonight’s showing, it looks as if he will stay that way.

Verdejo decisioned Manuel Rey Rojas over 10 rounds in a ho-hum bout that made one wonder what the fuss was about all those years ago when Verdejo came out of the 2012 Olympics.

Verdejo (26-1 16 KOs), 26, won comfortably on scorecards that read 99-91, 97-93, and 98-92.

And yet it doesn’t appear the he helped himself inch closer to realizing his potential. The relatively innocuous Rojas (18-4, 5 KOs) was never truly imperiled by Verdejo at any time during the fight. What’s more, the Dallas native had success early on tagging Verdejo with stiff jabs and right hands. By Round 2, Verdejo, who has a history of swelling, already had a mouse form underneath his left eye. 

Verdejo was able to put some distance between himself and Rojas in the latter half of the bout, but the Puerto Rican never truly looked comfortable in the ring. You might say he seldom has since his motorcycle accident in 2016.

It seems even Verdejo himself knew he turned in a subpar performance. Afterward, he graded himself a C.

Christopher Diaz (25-2, 16 KOs) widely outpointed Adeilson dos Santos (19-8, 15 KOs) in an eight-round featherweight bout. All three judges scored it 80-72.

Also, new Top Rank lightweight signee Abraham Nova (18-0, 14 KOs) scored an impressive fourth-round knockout of Pedro Navarrete (30-25.