World Boxing Organization Oriental super flyweight champion Warlito Parrenas is set to defend his title at the Taal, Batangas Sports Complex in a big fight card staged by United Boxing International Promotions on October 4. The 31 year old Parrenas known as Wars Katsumata who fights out of Japan is a heavy puncher with a record of 19 knockouts in 21 wins with 6 losses. He is currently ranked No. 4 in the world by the WBO.
Steve Scott has been named Vice President of IBO (International Boxing Organization) Asia-Pacific, the sanctioning body announced Thursday afternoon. Although based normally in Dunedin, New Zealand, Steve also maintains residences in Queensland, Australia and Angeles City, Philippines. He is a successful business entrepreneur and long time participant in the sport of boxing.
Usher has been taught how to box by Sugar Ray Leonard. The R&B singer is playing the legendary boxer in upcoming movie 'Hands of Stone' which is a biopic about Leonard's most famous opponent, Hall of Fame pugilist Roberto Durán. Usher has revealed Leonard got him in the ring to show him the basics of the fight game and the two have become almost as close as "brothers". Speaking in issue 19 FAULT Magazine, Usher said: "I spent time with him in Atlanta, and in Los Angeles. We boxed together; we chilled. He became a great friend of mine, almost like a brother to me."
BoxingScene.com has learned that former New Jersey boxing commissioner Larry Hazzard will return next week to the position he held for 22 years before being unceremoniously removed from it nearly seven years ago. Hazzard, 69, will replace Aaron Davis, who was Kansas’ boxing commissioner when he was chosen as Hazzard’s replacement six-plus years ago. Prior to his stunning outster in November 2007, the respected Hazzard had been the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board’s only commissioner from its inception in 1985.
Former IBO junior middleweight champion Attila Kovacs, 33-4 and 7-0 since beginning a comeback with Felix Racz as promoter, will headline a Ferobox Event promotion on September 20 in Szentes (Hungary). Kovacs will take on Frenchman Dieudonne Belinga (12-4-1) for the vacant WBO Euro title. Belinga gave current WBA I/C and EBU champ Jack Culcay a tough fight in Germany recently and vows to have learnt from the mistakes made that night. The show will be televised in Hungary by MTVA 1 and feature super bantamweight Zsolt Bedak WBO # 4, super middleweight Balasz Kelemen WBO # 8 and former Olympian Imre Szello in supporting bouts.
Mikaela Lauren (22-3) takes on Aleksandra Madziak Lopes (10-2-2) for the vacant WBC female super welterweight title on November 8 in Vasteras. The show is sanctioned by the Swedish pro commission, Lauren vs Lopes is approved by the WBC and the only obstacle that remains is getting permission from the Martial Arts Delegation to do the fight over ten two-minute rounds. According to the rules 12 minutes remains the max distance for professional boxing in Sweden.
Toowoomba's own Australian Featherweight champion "Iron" Will Young is set to have his first international bout as a professional when he takes on Brazilian Reginaldo Carvalho on the "Smithy brings the big fights 8" card on October 31 at Rumours International in Toowoomba. Young is coming off an impressive unanimous decision win over Emanuel Micallef for the Australian Featherweight title in July and now looks to take this form to the international scene when he takes on the much more experienced Carvalho.
Cruiserweight: After a narrow loss to Yoan Pablo Hernandez, Firat Arslan kept himself in the top ten. The 43-year old has given tough nights to both of the division’s top two in recent years. He gave Marco Huck one of those tough nights but Huck won and last weekend moved to a division tying 13 successful defenses. Light Heavyweight: Gabriel Campillo moves back into the top ten after his win over previously undefeated Thomas Williams Jr.
Radio Rahim sits down with trainer/conditioning coach Justin Fortune to discuss his reunion with eight division champion Manny Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach. Fortune was also very open about his ongoing battle with throat cancer, fighting the disease, the treatments he is undergoing, when he found out about the cancer, the pressure of staying focused with his job, getting his body back in shape to stay one step ahead of the disease and more.
Former promoter Waldemar Kluch, who bought Universum Box Promotion from Klaus Peter Kohl in 2012, has been sentenced by a court in Hamburg (Germany) to three years in prison for attempted fraud, blackmail and murder threats by way of text messages to some of his business partners including Kohl. The Universum deal was all along doubted by insiders as the once powerful promotional company at the time had no TV deal and big contractual problems with many of its name fighters. However, Kluch claimed he had big sponsors coming in and staged two shows that must have ended deep in the red. No bigtime sponsors materialized and Kluch claimed he had been conned by Kohl and the problems started.