New York, NY (April 5, 2022) – On the heels of the major announcement that George Kambosos Jr. and Devin Haney will meet in a unification showdown for the undisputed lightweight world championship later this year, DiBella Entertainment’s roster picked up five wins this past weekend across the globe.
On Friday, April 1, Irish light heavyweight prospect and 2016 Olympian “Mighty” Joe Ward, of Westmeath, Ireland, earned a fifth-round stoppage victory against Oscar Riojas at the Dome in Rosemont, IL. Now 7-1 (4 KOs), the southpaw Ward, who is co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Probellum, applied pressure from the outset, closing the gap to unleash powerful flurries, often punctuated by right hooks to the body. In round five, a jab-straight left combination badly hurt Riojas and a follow-up attack from Ward against the ropes forced the stoppage at the 1:38 mark.
Also on Friday, featherweight Misael Lopez, of Denver, CO, earned an eight-round unanimous decision against Elijah Uribes, at Stampede, in Aurora, CO. Using deft footwork, fast hands and a stiff jab, Lopez outboxed Uribes every round then picked up the pace over the final six minutes intent on finishing strong. Scorecards read 79-73, and 78-74 twice, all for Lopez, now 13-1 (5 KOs).
Williams-Luckey Photo Credit: Emily Harney
On Saturday, rising super lightweight contender “Marvelous” Mykquan Williams, of East Hartford, CT, earned an impressive win against Tyrone Luckey in front of his hometown fans at the Connecticut Convention Center, in Hartford, CT. Williams used a consistent body attack to break his opponent down en route to a fifth-round stoppage, as Luckey did not come out of his corner for round six. Managed by Jackie Kallen, the 23-year-old Williams is now 17-0-1 (8 KOs).
Six-foot-five Russian heavyweight prospect Vladimir Ivanov remained undefeated with a second-round knockout victory against Pavel Doroshilov in Moscow. Backing Doroshilov toward the ropes, Ivanov landed a left uppercut to the midsection to drop his foe for the full count. Co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Groupe Yvon Michel, Ivanov improved to 7-0 (6 KOs). He began boxing at age 13 and accumulated an amateur record of 219-63. Ivanov was an eight-time gold medalist of the North-West Federal District tournament, the first Russian to win gold at the Bundesliga German Club Cup in 2015, and a gold medalist at the World Team Cup, RFSO Lokomotiv Voluntary Sports Society and Silver Gloves tournaments in 2018.
Following wins against Maricela Cornejo and Kandi Wyatt last year, Mexican welterweight contender Alma Ibarra made her ring return on Saturday against Laura Cubos in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Ibarra came out aggressively to start the bout, applying pressure to cut off the ring and throw jab-straight right combinations. In round two, a fierce overhand left landed on Cubos’ right arm. Due to her damaged right biceps, Cubos elected not to continue at the sound of the bell for round three. Rated #1 by the WBC, WBA and IBF, Ibarra upped her record to 10-1 (5 KOs) with the third-round TKO win.
Looking ahead, a trio of DiBella Entertainment fighters see action this weekend. On Friday, April 8, Dominican super bantamweight knockout artist Jonathan “Salomon King” Guzman (24-2, 23 KOs) fights at home in Santo Domingo for the first time since 2014 against Starling Martinez. On Saturday, April 9, Italy’s IBO super featherweight world champion Michael “Lone Wolf” Magnesi (20-0, 12 KOs), co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Star Boxing, makes the second defense of his belt, at home in Rome, against Mexican Dennis Contreras, and Ghanaian Emmanuel “The Gameboy” Tagoe (32-1, 15 KOs) battles Ryan Garcia at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX, live on DAZN.
