Sadam Ali: record, next fight and profile →
Boxing fans and media alike wondered aloud why Jessie Vargas and Sadam Ali would sit out the remainder of 2015 rather than find a way to face each other in the ring. They may soon have an answer to that question, one that serves as a reminder to leave the negotiating to those who know the business side.
LOS ANGELES - An exciting week full of great boxing action kicks off on Tuesday, January 19 as Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) "Fight Week On FOX in LA" featuresundefeated prospect Jamal James (18-0, 9 KOs) taking on 2008 U.S. Olympian Javier "El Intocable" Molina (17-1, 8 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight battle that headlines PBC TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 and BOXEO DE CAMPEONES on FOX Deportes from Club Nokia at L.A. Live.
Welterweight contender Sadam Ali last fought on the night of April 25th at the Madison Square Garden where he out-pointed Francisco Santana over ten rounds. Since then he hasn't fought and has waited for the WBO to give him a shot at their title.
You can still expect Sadam Ali to fight for a world title next year — the question still remains, however, whom it will come against. Ali is the mandatory challenger for the World Boxing Organization belt presently held by Tim Bradley. But Anthony Catanzaro, one of Ali’s advisers, says they’re not certain whether it’ll be Bradley vs. Ali in 2016.
The World Boxing Organization has issued an order which directs the winner of tomorrow's fight between WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley and challenger Bradn Rios to face mandatory contender Sadam Ali. An agreement must be reached in ten days or a purse bid will be called, and the fight must be held within ninety days. WHEREAS, invoking Section 1 (b) (18) of the WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests, the WBO World Championship Committee sanctioned the June 27, 2015 WBO Interim Welterweight Championship Contest between Timothy Bradley, Jr. and Jessie Vargas, held at the StubHub Center in Carson, California; and,
Wynn Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada - 2014 Fighter of the Year Terence Crawford (27-0, 19KOs) is on the short list to fight Manny Pacquiao in what will likely be his final fight on April 9th, 2016 in Las Vegas. The Omaha, Nebraska bred fighter has been featured in his hometown in three of his previous four fights and proven to be a very good ticket seller at home. Arum said that because of the way they have built him up at home, a sizable contingent of local fans would probably travel to Sin City to see him face the Filipino star.
Negotiations to make an HBO televised welterweight fight between former 140-pound champion Jessie Vargas and undefeated Sadam Ali have fallen apart. Vargas rejected the HBO televised bout due to venue concerns, according to a report in the Las Vegas Review Journal. Ali's promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, was looking to stage the bout in New York - a term which didn't sit well with Vargas.
A press release was sent out on Tuesday morning formally announcing the match-up between Tim Bradley and Brandon Rios on November 7th at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. The contest was clearly billed as a fight for Bradley's WBO welterweight title. On the night of June 27th at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, Bradley defeated Jesse Vargas for what was then the 'interim' title and then later Bradley was upgraded to full championship status by the WBO after Floyd Mayweather vacated the belt.
Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum says a fight between WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley and mandatory challenger Sadam Ali is not sellable to HBO. “I can’t sell that to HBO,” Arum told the Los Angeles Times. Arum has his full focus on making Bradley against Top Rank stablemate Brandon Rios. HBO spent a bulk of their budget in the first six months of 2015 and now they are very selective about the fights they are willing to purchase for the next few months. The next HBO televised event is not scheduled until October 3rd.
WBO interim-welterweight champion Timothy Bradley (32-1-1, 12 KOs) is looking for a big opportunity after winning a twelve round unanimous decision over Jessie Vargas (26-1, 9 KOs) this past Saturday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. Prior to the fight, the World Boxing Organization had ordered the winner to face undefeated contender Sadam Ali (22-0, 13 KOs).