Tag: Middleweights

James Kirkland to headline card against Marcos Hernandez on March 14

James Kirkland makes his 2020 debut against Marcos Hernandez on March 14 at the MGM Grand National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

Mercurial brawler James Kirkland will headline a Premier Boxing Champions card March 14 at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, according to a release. The bout will be televised on Fox Sports 1.

Kirkland’s opponent is Marcos Hernandez of Fresno, California.

“I’m very excited to make the most of this opportunity,” Kirkland (34-2, 30 KOs) said. “… It’s truly a blessing to be back in the mix. I’m training hard and perfecting my craft like always. Look for me to bring fireworks on March 14.”

Kirkland seemed to have retired from the sport after his devastating knockout loss to Canelo Alvarez in 2015. The San Antonio native returned to the ring last year and collected two stoppage wins against overmatched journeymen.

Kirkland made his name on HBO as a highlight-reel brawler. He has also made headlines for the wrong reasons, including an assault charge in 2013 and for his contentious, on-and-off relationship with longtime trainer Ann Wolfe. 

Hernandez (14-3-1, 3 KOs) is coming off a decision loss to Kevin Newman II in November.

On the undercard, undefeated prospect Eimantas Stanionis (10-0, 7 KOs) will face Justin DeLoach (18-4, 9 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight bout. Stanionis is a 2016 Olympian from Lithuania.

DAZN pushing for fight between Ryota Murata and either Canelo

Ryota Murata could be in line for a big fight against one of DAZN’s tentpole middleweights in Canelo Alvarez or Gennadiy Golovkin in 2020.

DAZN’s great appetite for subscribers may net Ryota Murata a big fight against either Gennadiy Golovkin or Canelo Alvarez in 2020.

According to a Yahoo! Japan report, DAZN is pushing for a matchup that pits one of their flagship fighters against the Japanese middleweight star because of stalled subscriber growth in its U.S. market.

The report’s sources also say that DAZN did not have the surge that they expected in Alvarez’s last fight in November, against Sergey Kovalev.

All of which makes both Golovkin and Alvarez realistic possibilities next year for the 33-year-old Murata, perhaps the most active high-profile professional boxer in Japan.

DAZN, which has exclusive rights to Golovkin and Alvarez, also has a relationship with Murata. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist fought for DAZN Japan one time, an upset loss to Rob Brant last year.

DAZN’s stalled growth in the U.S. could be a boon to Ryota Murata in Japan. Murata is pictured celebrating his victory over Steve Butler. AP Photo / Toru Takahashi

Murata is coming off a fifth-round technical knockout of Steven Butler last week. The victory capped a marked turnaround for Murata, who began the year by avenging his loss to Brandt. Afterward, his promoters – Teiken’s Akihiko Honda and Top Rank’s Bob Arum – both expressed their desire to see Murata fight either Golovkin or Alvarez in 2020, ideally before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Yahoo! Japan also reported that Golden Boy executive Roberto Diaz said Murata is definitely on the table for Alvarez. And Canelo said during the DAZN streaming of the Andy Ruiz-Anthony Joshua rematch in Saudi Arabia that he would consider fighting in Japan.

Should the fight happen, it would most likely take place at 168. An Alvarez-Murata fight at the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome could rival a fight between Alvarez and either Billy Joe Saunders or Callum Smith in England. 

Jeff Horn exacts revenge on Michael Zerafa with majority decision

Jeff Horn outslugged Michael Zerafa to win by a majority points decision in a 12-round middleweight bout Wednesday night in Brisbane.

A late – and bloody – contender for Fight of the Year unfolded on Wednesday night in Brisbane, Australia.

In a widely anticipated middleweight rematch, Jeff Horn avenged his loss to Michael Zerafa in August, outgrinding his domestic rival and scoring two knockdowns in the pivotal ninth round en route to a majority decision in front of a sold-out crowd at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

One judge had it a draw at 94-94, while the two others had it 98-90 and 97-92 in favor of the Queenslander Horn, who came into the fight wearing gloves with Zerafa’s name printed on the thumb. Horn, best known for his upset decision over Manny Pacquiao at welterweight in 2017, clearly meant business, and the fight played out as such.

The tone was set from the opening bell, with Horn (20-2-1, 13 KOs) storming out of his corner with gusto. The two traded all fight long, but it was Horn who had the upper hand in the exchanges. Horn consistently closed the distance and made sure to bring his roughhouse style to bear on Zerafa, who never seemed to get a handle on Horn this time aorund.

Michael Zerafa (right) had no excuses after his loss to rival Jeff Horn on Wednesday in Brisbane, Australia. Bradley Kanaris / Getty Images

In the first fight, Zerafa (27-4, 16 KOs) knocked out Horn in the ninth round and it appeared early in the same round in this match that he might get the same result. Aware that he was well behind on the cards, Zerafa came out with a blinding onslaught of punches that had Horn bloodied and nearly out on this feet.

But Horn would receive an assist at that point, when referee John Cauci called a timeout to examine Horn’s brutal cut and he had time to recover. With a minute left in the round, Horn roared back, dropping Zerafa with a right hand. Moments later, he followed up with another right that had Zerafa down a second time.

Zerafa survived but this was Horn’s night.

Said Zerafa afterward: “There were no excuses.”