Arthur Beterbiev retained the IBF/WBC Light Heavyweight titles with a 10th round stoppage over Adam Deines in Moscow, Russia.

At the end of round one, Beterbiev dropped Deines with a grazing right to the top of the head.

In round 10, Beterbiev dropped Deines with a perfect left hook to the jaw and the fight was stopped.

Beterbiev is now 16-0. Deines of Germany is 19-2-1.

Silyagin Decisions Abdugufurov

Pavel Silyagin won a 12-round unanimous decision over Azibek Abdugufurov in a super middleweight featuring undefeated fighters.

Silyagin landed 189 of 704 punches; Abdugufurov was 119 of 485.

Silyagin, 167 3/4 lbs won by score of 120-108, 119-109 twice and is now 7-0. Abdugufurov, 167 3/4 lbs is 13-1.

Kahriton Agrba stopped Helber Rojas in round two of their super lightweight fight.

Agrba pounded away at Rojas until the bout was stopped at 2:30 of round two.

Agrba, 140 lbs of Russia is 5-0 with two knockouts. Rojas, 138 1/4 lbs of Venezuela is 13-4-2.

Alexander Besputin remained undefeated by stopping Viktor Plotnikov after round two of their scheduled 10-round welterweight bout.

Besputin, 150.6 lbs of Russia is now 14-0 with 10 knockouts. Plotnikov, 149.5 lbs of Ukraine is 33-11.

Vladimir Mironchikov stopped Elvin Akhundzada after round one of their scheduled six-round super middleweight bout.

In round one, Mironchikov landed a hard right that forced Akhundzada to take a knee. The fight was halted after the round.

Mironchikov, 173 lbs of Russia is 3-0 with three knockouts. Akhundzada, 160.6 lbs of Azerbaijan is 4-6.

Vladimir Ivanov stopped Alexander Stepanov in the opening round of their scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

Ivanov, 234 3/4 lbs of Russia is 4-0 with three knockouts. Stepanov, 249 1/2 lbs of Russia is 2-4.

Rakhman Akhmetkhanov stopped Adam Karpets in round two of their six-round middleweight bout.

Akhmetkhanov dropped Karpets with a left to the body for the 10-count.

Akhmetkhanov was making his pro debut. Karpets is 21-16.

MOSCOW (March 18, 2021) — After nearly 18 months, WBC/IBF light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs) will make his first title defense as a unified world champion Saturday against Adam Deines (19-1-1, 10 KOs) from Megasport Arena in Moscow. Beterbiev, boxing’s only world champion with a 100 percent knockout rate, returns to his home country for the first time as a professional. 

Deines, who resides in Germany, has won a pair of bouts since the lone loss of his career.

Programming Note: Undefeated welterweight contender Alexander Besputin (13-0, 9 KOs), who was originally scheduled to fight Maximiliano Ricardo “El Picante” Veron, will now take on Viktor Plotnikov (33-10, 15 KOs) in a 10-rounder. Besputin-Plotnikov will open the ESPN+exclusive portion of the broadcast (1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT). The 12-round super middleweight battle of unbeatens – Azizbek Abdugofurov vs. Pavel Silyagin — is the new co-feature and will air immediately preceding Beterbiev vs. Deines on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (simulcast on ESPN+) at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.
Here are some of Beterbiev’s thoughts before his showdown against Deines.

Artur Beterbiev

“It’s been a difficult year for everyone. Now, I’m feeling good. I had a very good preparation, very good camp in Russia. We’re ready for a fight.”

“I’m very happy to have a fight in my home country. We studied Adam. We watched some videos. We have a couple of strategies.”

“You never hear predictions from me. I’m a simple boxer. I’m not like Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali can say, I’ll knock him out in eight rounds, or 10 rounds, but I’m not like this. I’m focused on doing my best.”

SATURDAY, March 20, 2021

ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT

Artur Beterbiev vs. Adam Deines, 12 rounds, Beterbiev’s WBC/IBF Light Heavyweight World Titles

Azizbek Abdugofurov vs. Pavel Silyagin, 12 rounds, Abdugofurov’s WBC Silver Super Middleweight Title

ESPN+, 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT

Khariton Agrba vs. Helber Rojas, 10 rounds, junior welterweight

Alexander Besputin vs. Viktor Plotnikov, 10 rounds, welterweight

(March 12, 2021) — Boxing’s preeminent knockout artist, WBC/IBF light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev, invites American fight fans for An Afternoon With Artur. Beterbiev’s title defense against top contender Adam Deines — Saturday, March 20 at Megasport Arena in Moscow — will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (and simulcast on ESPN+) at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.
 
In the televised co-feature, welterweight contender Alexander Besputin returns to action in a 10-rounder against Argentine veteran Maximiliano Ricardo Veron.
 
Undercard fights will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.
 
Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs), a two-time Russian Olympian, returns to home soil for the first time as a professional. He unified world titles in October 2019 with a 10^th-round TKO over Oleksandr Gvozdyk, solidifying his position as the sport’s top light heavyweight. Deines (19-1-1, 10 KOs) has won a pair of bouts since dropping a decision to Meng Fanlong and enters as the underdog looking to spoil Beterbiev’s perfect record and status as the only current world champion with a 100 percent knockout rate.
 
Besputin (13-0, 9 KOs) has not fought since November 2019, when he bested Radzhab Butaev by unanimous decision to win a version of the welterweight world title. The result was changed to a no-contest after Besputin tested positive for a banned substance. Veron (12-3-1, 4 KOs) is coming off a career-best performance in November 2019, a unanimous decision over Diego Ramirez (21-2 at the time) to win the IBF Latino welterweight belt.
 
The following bouts are scheduled for the ESPN+-exclusive portion of the broadcast:

• Former Russian amateur standout Khariton Agrba (4-0, 1 KO), a 2019 European Games silver medalist, will fight Venezuelan veteran Jesus Cuadro (19-7, 15 KOs) in a 10-rounder for WBA Continental super lightweight strap. The 25-year-old Agrba is considered one of Russia’s top young talents, as he won more than 300 bouts in the unpaid ranks before turning pro in December 2019.
   
• Azizbek Abdugofurov (13-0, 5 KOs) will defend his WBC Silver super middleweight belt in a 12-rounder against fellow unbeaten Pavel Silyagin (6-0 4 KOs). Abdugofurov, from Uzbekistan, is ranked fourth by the WBC at super middleweight. 

About ESPN+
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Los Angeles, CA (June 23, 2020) World Ranked Welterweight Contender Radzhab Butaev has spoken out following the recent details of Alexander Basputin’s failed drug test results from their WBA Welterweight World Championship fight on November 30, 2019 in Monte Carlo. Recently, Butaev and his team were informed that the ‘B’ sample from Basputin also contained LGD-4033(Ligandrol). The ‘A’ sample contained the same prohibited drug when the finding was announced in January.  Basputin was declared the winner of their hard-fought bout by unanimous decision by scores of 116-112 on all three judges’ scorecards.

Said Butaev, “As I said previously, I’m not surprised. First of all, my manager and my team always insist on VADA testing. It is a standard procedure for a world title fight. Since 2013, starting with most of the fights that our teammate Ruslan Provodnikov participated in and most other fights of significance involving boxers from our team we always insisted upon mandatory anti-doping testing. This drug that was in his system, has been banned by all doping agencies in the world and has never been legal.”

“After consultations with several doctors and pharmaceutical specialists in the states, we were made clear what this drug was and how it was very difficult to obtain and that it is usually used by athletes to significantly increase stamina, endurance, and strength during a competition or training. And the fact that this substance was found in a urine test is enough to know that this was not consumed by mistake in training camp in advance.”

Continued Butaev, “For me, this is now in the past, and even though this is not pleasant, all I think about now is taking back what’s mine and becoming a real champion, a champion that knows that he got his world title in a fair and honest competition of boxing, man vs. man!”

“From the moment Basputin refused to start VADA testing for weeks before the bout, even after I paid all the fees for him and myself, he still did not want to sign and return the VADA paperwork, I believe that whatever he and his team were hiding literally helped him survive our fight, but justice has triumphed.”

“Now I am primarily concerned about having my next fight for the world title. I consider it very inappropriate to disrespect the sport of boxing, the fans, my team and his own team and I do not see any excuses.  I hope that the WBA will issue their resolution on this situation and announce my opponent for the world title soon and I am ready to go, I will fight anybody, it doesn’t matter to me, I just want my fair and clean chance to achieve my lifelong dream of becoming a world champion.”

Stated manager Vadim Kornilov, “Radzhab’s dream is to become a world champion and on a level playing field there is no doubt that he can beat anybody in the division. The next step is to work through the procedures with the WBA and await Radzhab’s immediate fight with the top-rated contender for the WBA World Title.”

Alexander Besputin won the WBA Welterweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Radzhab Beutaev in Monte Carlo.

Besputin won by scores of 116-112 on all cards, and is now 14-0. Butaev is 12-1.

Cecilia Braekhus retained her undisputed welterweight titles with a 10-round unanimous decision over Victoria Bustos.

Braekhus of Norway won by scores of 99-91 and 98-92 twice, and is now 36-0. Bustos of Argentina is 19-6.

Joe Cordina remained undefeated by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Enrique Tinoco in a super featherweight bout.

Cordina, 129.4 lbs of Wales won by scores of 98-92 twice and 96-94 and is now 11-0. Tinoco, 129.6 lbs of Mexico is 18-6-4.

Zhelei Zhang won a 10-round unanimous decision over Andriy Rudenko in a heavyweight bout.

Zhang had Rudenko in trouble several tomes during the bout and cruised home with the victory by scores of 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 to raise his perfect mark to 21-0. Rudenko of Ukraine is 32-5.

Thulasi Tharumalibgham won a six-round unanimous decision over Alexander Benidze in a super welterweight bout.

Tharumalibgham of Germany won by scores of 58-55 and 57-56 twice, and is now 7-0. Benidze of the Georgia Republic is 13-28-3.

18:00 DOORS

18:30 FIRST BELL

6 x 2 mins Super-Featherweight contest
VICTOIRE PITEAU 60.8kg v RAPHAELLE LACHAUME 59.8kg
(Monaco)                                (France)

4 x 3 mins Lightweight contest
NAYAN DESLION 66.4kg v JOSE DOMINGO PEREIRA MENDOCA 65.3kg
(France)                                (France)

3 x 3 mins Super-Welterweight Amateur contest
HUGO MICALLEF 70.2kg v PETAR CETINIC 69.5kg
(Monaco)                              (Croatia)

6 x 3 mins Super-Welterweight contest
THULASI THARUMALINGAM 10st 12lbs 12oz v ALEXANDER BENIDZE 11st 0lbs 2oz
(Germany)                                                               (Georgia)

20:00 local time (19:00 GMT) LIVE ON SKY SPORTS

10 x 3 mins WBO Oriental Heavyweight Title
ZHILEI ZHANG 19st 12lbs v ANDRIY RUDENKO 17st 6lbs 11oz
(China)                                   (Ukraine)     

10 x 3 mins vacant WBA Continental Super-Featherweight Title
JOE CORDINA 9st 3lbs 7oz v ENRIQUE TINOCO 9st 3lbs 10oz
(Wales)                                     (Mexico)

10 x 3 mins Heavyweight contest
HUGHIE FURY 16st 10lbs 2oz v PAVEL SOUR 17st 2lbs 1oz
(England)                                      (Czech Republic)

10 x 2 mins IBF, WBO, WBC, WBA, IBO & Ring Magazine Welterweight World Titles
CECILIA BRAEKHUS 10st 6lbs 10oz v VICTORIA BUSTOS 10st 4lbs 10oz
(Norway)                                                  (Argentina)

12 x 3 mins WBA Welterweight World Title 
RADZHAB BUTAEV 10st 6lbs 5oz v ALEXANDER BESPUTIN 10st 6lbs 9oz
(Russia)                                               (Russia)

Eddie Hearn:

“It’s unbelievable that a year has passed since our last tournament here in Monte-Carlo and it really is a privilege to keep returning here to this incredible place. How often do you get to experience boxing in a place of such beauty, this is something completely different.

“This event has grown and one of the biggest names in women’s sport features with a great main event which in my opinion is the best main event we have had here in Monte-Carlo.

“We won the purse bid for Butaev vs. Besputin and this is a historic fight for the WBA World Welterweight Championship, a belt that was just held by Manny Pacquiao contested by two outstanding Russians with amateur records of over 700 fights between them.”

Radzhab Butaev:

“First of all I want to say thank you to Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing for promoting this show. It’s a privilege to be on this show in the casino, especially as the main event. I’ll do my best to make a beautiful show and come Saturday night you won’t regret watching. I hope it is going to be a war. I hope he is going to stay and not quit.”

Alexander Besputin:

“It’s a really good fight between to great fighters with brilliant amateur careers. We both have a little bit of history. We were both in the Russian team but we never met in the ring. I think it’s going to be a very interesting fight for the Russian fans and many people in Russia will be watching this fight. On November 30th it’s going to be a great night.”

Egis Klimas, manager of Besputin:

“This is a wonderful fight. It’s two unbeaten professional fighters coming into the ring challenging for the vacant WBA Welterweight World title. I want to thank Matchroom, I want to thank DAZN for giving him this opportunity to show the world what he can do. I want to thank our promoter Top Rank for bringing Alexander Besputin to this point and for giving him the opportunity to fight for the Championship. It’s a pleasure to be here in Monaco, it’s a dream of a venue for a promoter. I’m sure Saturday is going to be an unforgettable night. Make sure you don’t miss it, it’s going to be a good one!”

Cecilia Braekhus:

“Firstly I want to say thank you so much. Me and my team have received the royal treatment since we landed in Monaco. I want to thank the Matchroom team, I want to thank all of the locals. There’s really not much for me to say, I’m here to beat Bustos on Saturday and I want to make a statement. The door to the Olympics was closed for women and you had to fight for a spot on a television show. What has happened in recent years is a pleasure to be a part of.”

Tom Loeffler, advisor to Braekhus:

“This is a huge opportunity but a tough fight. Under promoter Eddie Hearn’s guidance, if Cecilia is successful on Saturday, there will be some of the biggest fights in the history of women’s boxing next year.”

Victoria Bustos:

“I am thankful to Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing for the opportunity. I feel very confident with all of the work I have been doing in the gym together with my team. I know that Cecilia is going to perform like a champion on Saturday night but I am well prepared. I am powerful and I am quick. I am ready to become a World Champion again. Thank you very much.”

Hughie Fury:

“First of all, it’s nice to be back in Monte-Carlo. I’ve fought here once before and grew up here as well. It’s a pleasure to be back here and fighting here. I’ve been in big fights but you will see a big difference on Saturday. We have fixed a lot of problems. I’m looking forward to getting back in the mix. I’m not afraid to get in with anyone. It’s about learning, taking the positives from those fights, building and getting better. They were all good learning experiences and you’re going to see a big difference on Saturday night.”

Pavel Sour:

“Thank you for the invitation to fight on this car. It’s a brilliant occasion and I would like to make trouble for Hughie!”

Dino Duva of Roc Nation Sports:

“He has been out of the ring for a little while and has faced unfortunate obstacles but, on Saturday, he will make his mark. He is a force to be reckoned with.

“With so much action in the heavyweight division right now, Zhang will be right in the mix. People will be talking about him, trust me about that.

“Last year in Monaco, Zhang was supposed to fight Alexander Ustinov [but withdrew]. Michael Hunter ended up fighting Ustinov and is now right in the mix for the heavyweight championship. On Saturday, Zhang will make up for that and be right in the mix also.

“He’s got a really solid team around him and we’re confident this is his time.”

Zhilei Zhang:

“I would first like to say sorry to Eddie Hearn and Matchroom because I should have fought here last year but I didn’t. Now I am here I want to showcase to everybody what I can do in the ring. I would also like to say thank you to my coach, my advisors and my promoter. Everyone around me has been pushing me really hard and motivating me so I can’t wait until Saturday. You will see Chinese power!

Joe Cordina:

“He’s been in with some good fighters – Devin Haney being one of them, and he stopped Jordan Gill and I know he’s been in with a lot of other good fighters. But I’m a different fighter altogether. I’m not saying I’m miles above everyone he’s fought but I know I’m different class.

“I’ve been to an Olympic Games, I’ve fought all around the world, I’ve boxed in a lot of tournaments around the world with some of the fighters on this table. I’m looking to go out and put on a show and get the job done.

“As a professional I’ve boxed in many great venues, the Principality Stadium twice, Wembley Stadium, Bramall Lane, The O2 Arena. Like I said I’ve boxed all around the world in amateur tournaments where there might have only been 10 or 20 people there. I’ve boxed in little town halls that hardly hold any fans. Whether there’s an atmosphere here in the casino or not – it’s nothing new to me.”

Enrique Tinoco:

“First of all we want to thank Matchroom for having us here. I am in great spirits and I have trained really hard for this fight. I’m happy to move up in weight and fight at 130lbs. I want to prove that what I did to Jordan Gill in England wasn’t just a fluke. I am here to win again.”

Thulasi Tharumalingam:

“It’s a pleasure for me to fight on such a big event and I’m looking forward to showing the fans, my friends and family especially, a great performance for all those who have supported me. I’m looking forward to having more fights like this. Thank you for this opportunity.”

Welterweight’s Radzhab Butaev and Alexander Besputin will meet for a vacant welterweight title on November 30th in Monte Carlo after Matchroom Boxing won a purse bid, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, which does not promote either boxer, on Monday won the purse bid for the bout with a winning offer of $505,555 at the WBA offices in Panama City, Panama.

Vasyl Lomachenko scored a sensational 4th round stoppage over Anthony Crolla to retain the WBA/WBO Lightweight titles in front of 10,101 fans at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Lomachenko was flawless as he took a couple of rounds to figure out Crolla, who did little more then move around the ring.  He started to ramp up the activity at the end of round two.  In round three, Lomachenko was credited with a knockdown as he landed a hard combination that referee Jack Reiss ruled that the ropes kept Crolla up.  In the next round, Lomachenko continued to batter Crolla until he landed a perfect right hook to the temple that sprawled Crolla face-first to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 49 seconds.

Lomachenko, 134.6 lbs of Ukraine is now 13-1 with 10 knockouts.  Crolla, 134.8 lbs of Manchester, UK is 34-7-3.

“I want to fight with Mikey Garcia, but we’ll see. I don’t know,” Lomachenko said. “I stay at 135 as long as it’s possible, and I want to unify all {the} titles.

Gilberto Ramirez announced himself to the light heavyweight division as he stopped Tommy Karpency at the end of round four of a scheduled ten-round bout.

Ramirez dominated the fight as he landed thunderous body work.  Ramirez was effective with the straight left that drew blood from Karpency’s nose.  Karpency could not continue at the end of the 4th frame citing a broken rib.

Ramirez, 174.6 lbs of Mazelton, MX is 40-o with 26 knockouts.  Karpency, 174.6 lbs of Adah, PA is 29-7-1.

“I feel more comfortable at 175 pounds than 168,” Ramirez said. “I’m looking for all the champions at 175. I want to be a pound-for-pound fighter.

“I struggled making 168 for a very long time. We’ll see what’s next, but my body felt great at 175. My new head trainer, Julian Chua, did an excellent job preparing me for this fight. Karpency was a tough guy.”

Arnold Barboza Jr. stopped former world champion Mike Alvarado in round three of a scheduled ten-round super lightweight bout.

Barboza rocked Alvarado with a hard right and knocked him down with a follow up punch.  Alvarado tried to get to his feet, but was wobbly and the fight was stopped at 49 seconds.

Barboza, 140 lbs of South El Monte, CA is 21-0 with eight knockouts.  Alvarado, 139 1/2 lbs of Denver, CO is 40-5.

“That was a good fight, and now I want Jose Ramirez. I want Maurice Hooker,” Barboza said. “That’s what I want in my future. Alvarado is a tough guy, and I stopped him in three rounds. Hopefully, this performance will catapult me to a world title opportunity. To perform like I did in front of my hometown fans, it doesn’t get better than that.”

Said Alvarado: “He caught me with a clean, surprising shot. He just caught me. It’s boxing. Some just sneak in and do the job, you know?”

Janibek Alimkhanuly won a 10-round unanimous decision over Cristian Olivas in a middleweight fight.

Alimkhanuly, 160 lbs of Almaty, KAZ won by scores of  100-90 twice and 99-91, and is now 6-0.  Olivas, 159 1/4 lbs of San Diego, CA is 16-5.

It was a short night at the office for Italian heavyweight Guido Vianello (3-0, 3 KOs), who knocked out Lawrence Gabriel (3-2-1, 2 KOs) at 49 seconds of the opening round. Vianello represented his homeland at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“I believe this was my strongest performance to date, and I’m only going to get better and better,” Vianello said. “My power is improving with every fight.”

Guido Vianello destroyed Lawrence Gabriel inside of a minute of their scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

Vianello landed a hard right that hurt Gabriel.  A few more hard shots put Gabriel down, and the fight was stopped in 49 seconds.

Vianello, 244 1/2 lbs of Rome, ITA is 3-0 with three knockouts.  Gabirel, 208 lbs of Syracuse, NY is 3-2-1.

Alexander Besputin won a 10-round unanimous decision over awkward Alfredo Blanco in a welterweight bout.

Besputin was cut over the right eye in the first frame from a couple of wild shots that got through from Blanco.

In round nine, he was cut on his forehead.

Those did not matter as Besputin landed hard and quick combinations, and won by scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91.

Besputin, 147 lbs of Oxnard, CA is now 13-0.  Blanco, 146 1/2 lbs of Pigue, ARG is 20-8.

“He had a very uncomfortable, awkward style, which made it difficult for me to find my rhythm,” Besputin said. “Most importantly, I got the win, and we can move on to bigger fights. I am a top contender now, and I am ready to fight for a world title next. Bob Arum says I can beat the top welterweights, and I know I can.”

Ruben Rodriguez won a four-round majority  decision over Rumel Snegur in a welterweight bout.

Scores were 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38.

Rodriguez, 144 3/4 lbs of Indio, CA won by scores of   and is now 6-0.  Snegur, 142 lbs of Portland, OR is 3-4-1.

LOS ANGELES (March 18, 2019) —Undefeated super lightweight Arnold Barboza Jr. is a young contender closing in on a world title shot. Mike Alvarado wants another taste of world championship glory. Barboza, from South El Monte, California, will take on former 140-pound world champion Alvarado in a 10-round super lightweight bout on Friday, April 12 at Staples Center as part of the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Anthony Crolla undercard.

Lomachenko-Crolla and the 10-round light heavyweight battle between longtime WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto Ramirez and Tommy Karpency will stream live and exclusively in the United States beginning at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on ESPN+, the direct-to-consumer sports streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment and ESPN, which will mark its one-year anniversary since launching on the day of the fight. The entire undercard, including Barboza-Alvarado, will stream live on ESPN+ starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Matchroom Boxing USA, tickets priced at $310.50, $207, $103.50, $77.65, and $51.75 (including facility fees) are available now and can be purchased by visiting AXS.com.

“I am excited for this opportunity. We know it’s a dangerous fight and that Alvarado possesses power in both hands, but we are going to be ready for whatever he brings,” Barboza said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve fought at home, but I am ecstatic to fight here at Staples Center. It’s a dream come true. We are also excited to fight a former world champion like Mike, and we know he is going to be at his best.”

“Fighting on this card is an honor, and come April 12, the world is in for an exciting show,” Alvarado said. “I’m taking full advantage of this opportunity to bring me one step closer to securing my legacy as a champion.”

Barboza (20-0, 7 KOs), ranked No 3 by the WBO at 140 pounds, turned pro following a 95-fight amateur career and a stint as a fullback/linebacker at South El Monte High School. He went 3-0 in 2018, including a hard-fought 10-round decision over Mike Reed (23-1 at the time). In Alvarado (40-4, 28 KOs), he is facing a modern-day action hero who has thrilled boxing fans with his willingness to go toe-to-toe. He was one half of the 2012 Fight of the Year versus Brandon Rios, won by Rios via seventh-round TKO. Alvarado scored a unanimous decision in the immediate rematch but proceeded to lose three in a row versus Ruslan Provodnikov, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Rios in the rubber match.

After overcoming personal demons, Alvarado returned to the ring in March 2016 ready for one final run. Since then, he is 6-0 with 5 knockouts. In his previous bout, Oct. 13 on the Terence Crawford-Jose Benavidez Jr. undercard, he blasted out Robbie Cannon with a vicious overhand right in the second round.

Also on the card:

Top welterweight contender Alexander Besputin (12-0, 9 KOs) will defend his USBA title against Alfredo Blanco (20-7, 11 KOs) in a 10-rounder. Besputin is currently ranked No. 1 by the WBA.

“I am a top welterweight, and now that I’m ranked No. 1 by the WBA, I can’t be avoided by the champions for long,” Besputin said. “I am ready to put the welterweight division on notice.”

Janibek Alimkhanuly (5-0, 2 KOs), a former amateur standout from Kazakhstan, will face the rugged Cristian Olivas (16-4, 13 KOs) in a 10-rounder for the vacant WBO Global and WBC Continental Americas middleweight belts. Two of Olivas’ four losses have come via split decision, and he has never been knocked out as a pro.

“I am training hard with Buddy McGirt, and I know that Olivas is a tough customer who will come forward and make for a great fight,” Alimkhanuly said. “It is a dream come true to fight at Staples Center, and I want to give all of the great fans in Los Angeles a spectacular show. I will show everyone what Qazaq boxing style is all about.”

Super middleweight contender and three-time Indian Olympian Vijender Singh (10-0, 7 KOs) will make his United States debut against Calvin Metcalf (9-1-1, 2 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Singh captured a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics, becoming the first Indian boxer to claim an Olympic medal.

Italian heavyweight Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello (2-0, 2 KOs), who represented his homeland at the 2016 Rio Olympics, will fight Lawrence Gabriel (3-1-1, 2 KOs) in a six-rounder.

Los Angeles native Chris “The Boy” Zavala (3-0, 2 KOs) will face Sergio Gonzales (2-2, 1 KO) in a four-rounder at super featherweight.

Dominican-born bantamweight prospect Elvis Rodriguez (1-0, 1 KO) will take on Kevin Luna (1-2, 1 KO) in a four-rounder.

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Vasyl Lomachenko won a 12-round unanimous decision over Jose Pedraza to retain the WBA and win the WBO Lightweight title at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Rounds were competitive over the course of the fight, with Lomachenko landing the more memorable shots throughout.  Pedraza did his best to slip and move while mixing in some offense in an effort to slow Lomachenko.  The Ukranian fighter, who is atop many pound for pound lists just had more in his arsenal.

In round eleven, Loamchenko opened up on Pedraza as he hurt him with a hard left him.  Lomachenko continued to land  hard and flush punches against Pedraza, who was barely punching back.  The result of that onslaught were two knockdowns that came seconds apart.  Lomachenko tried his best to close the show, but Pedraza was game and showed his veteran tactics to hear the final bell.

Lomachenko, 134.4 lbs of Akermann, UKR won by scores 119-107 and 117-109 twice   and is now 12-1.  Pedraza, 134.2 lbs of Cidra, PR is 25-2.

“It was my dream to unify titles,” Lomachenko said. “It was my next goal. I can now focus on my next chapter.

“He’s a veteran. He did a very good job, and I respect Pedraza and his team.”

Said Pedraza: “I am happy with my performance tonight. I went 12 rounds with the best fighter in the world. I knew what we were going up against. I thought it was a close fight until the knockdowns. At the end of the day, I am proud of what I did.”

Emanuel Navarrete won the WBO Super Bantamweight title via 12-round unanimous decision to dethrone Isaac Dogboe.

Although not pretty at times, Navarrete pushed the action as he featured body shots.  Dogboe retreated for most of the bout.  Dogboe suffered swelling over his right eye in round nine, and never got into a rhythm.

Navarrete, 122 lbs of Mexico City won by scores of 116-112 twice and 115-113 to improve to 26-1.  Dogboe, 120.8 lbs of Accra, GHA is now 20-1.

“I thank Dogboe for this opportunity,” Navarrete said. “This world championship represents every day that I was working away from my family. This title represents sacrifice. I injured my right hand early in the fight, but I had the desire to be a champion and I did everything necessary to get the title, and I am very happy and proud to achieve this goal of being the world champion.”

Said Dogboe: “It was a great fight, and Emanuel Navarrete fought like a true Mexican warrior. Champions are supposed to keep going under any circumstance, but I just couldn’t get the victory. The best man won tonight.”

Top prospect Teofimo Lopez blew out Mason Menard in the 1st round of their scheduled ten-round lightweight fight for the USBA/NABA/NAF titles.

Lopez rocked Menard in the opening seconds of the bout, and then uncorked a perfect right to the jaw that had Menard plummet face-first on the canvas, and the fight was immediately stopped at 44 seconds

Lopez, 135 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 11-0 with nine knockouts.  Menard, 135 lbs of Rayne, LA is 34-4.

“I knew he was a tough fighter. I knew he could fight,” Lopez said. “I wanted to test him, and I took a chance early in the fight. I know he trained hard, and he didn’t want it to go that way. But this is ‘The Takeover.’ ‘The Takeover’ has begun.

“In 2019, I will be a world champion. That’s a guarantee.”

Brian Ceballo remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Daniel Calzada in a welterweight bout.

Ceballo, 147.8 lbs of New York won by scores of 40-36 on all cards, and is now 6-0.  Calzada, 147.5 lbs of Denver, CO is 16-20-3.

Alexander Besputin remained perfect by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Juan Carlos Abreu in a welterweight bout.

In round one, Besputin dropped Abreu with a straight left.

Besputin, 146.6 lbs of Oxnard, CA won by scores of 100-88 on all cards, and is now 12-0.  Abreu, 146.8 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR is 21-5-1.

“He fought a very uncomfortable, dirty fight, but I dominated,” Besputin said. “I am ready for a world title fight next.”

Italian Olympian Guido Vianello made a successful pro debut with a 2nd round stoppage over Luke Lyons in a heavyweight bout.

In round one, Vianello dropped Lyons with a hard right hand.  In round two, Vianello dropped Lyons with a combination and the fight was waved off at 29 seconds.

Vianello, 236 lbs of Rome, ITA is 1-0 with one knockout.  Lyons, 239.8 lbs of Ashland, KY is 5-2.

“It was a dream come true to make my professional debut at Madison Square Garden,” Vianello said. “I hope I did Italy proud. I came here tonight to score a knockout, and I delivered.”

Josue Vargas stopped John Renteria in round five of a scheduled eight-round super lightweight bout.

In round two, Vargas dropped Renteria with a left hand. In round four, he sent Renteria down with a right hook to the head.

Vargas, 142.6 lbs of Bronx, NY is 12-1 with eight knockouts. Renteria, 142.8 lbs of Panama City, PAN is 16-6-1.

In round five, Vargas finished off Renteria with a combination that put him on the canvas, and the bout was stopped at 31 seconds

Abdiel Ramirez stopped Michael Perez in the final round of their eight-round super lightweight bout

In round four, Perez dropped Ramirez with a hard uppercut.

Ramirez came back to hurt Perez in the final round with a right hand. He followed that up with two crushing uppercuts that dropped Perez, and the bout was stopped at 54 seconds.

Ramirez, 142.4 lbs of Ciudad Juarez, MEX is 24-3-1 with 22 knockouts. Perez. 142.4 lbs of Newark, NJ is 25-3-2.