Mauro Forte stopped Francesco Grandelli in the opening round of their featherweight bout in Tivoli, Italy.

Forte ducked and uncorked a vicious overhand left that drilled Grandelli right on the jaw and put him on the seat of his pants. Grandelli got to his feet but was deemed unable to continue at 2:31.

Forte is 18-0-2 with eigt knockouts. Grandelli is 16-2-2.

Stephanie Silva won a 10-round unanimous decision over Mailys Gangloff in a super flyweight bout.

Silva won by scores of 97-93 and 96-94 twice and is now 8-0. Gangloff is 8-4.

Johanna Wonyou won a 10-round unanimous decision over Simona Salvatori in a super bantamweight bout.

Wonyou won by scores 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 and is now 9-0. Salvatori is 8-1.

Armando Casamonica stopped Francesco Acatullo in round of their of their eight-round super bantamweight bout.

In round two, Casamonica hurt Acatullo with a hard right hand. Axatullo ate four hard shots and was down on the canvas. Casamonica was on top of Acatullo and landed a serious flurry of punches and the fight was stopped upon a second knockdown at 1:13.

Casamonica is 10-0 with two knockouts. Acatullo is 13-12-3.

NEW YORK (September 6, 2021) – “The Blonde Bomber” Ebanie Bridges won a hard-fought decision over French Bantamweight Champion Mailys Gangloff on Saturday in Leeds, England. Bridges, who was fighting just four weeks after her 3rd round stoppage over Bec Connolly, stepped in the ring sporting the Leeds colors of White, Blue, and Yellow to a wonderful ovation from the fans in attendance.

Coming forward behind a tight guard from the get-go, Bridges appeared to injure her right hand early in the bout and later endured swelling around her right eye – perhaps a remnant of her hard fought battle against Shannon Courtenay this past April. Bridges was forced to bite down and tough it out through eight rounds against a very fit and competitive opponent in Gangloff. Bridges ultimately prevailed, winning by a referee score of 77-76 to raise her record to 7-1.

Bridges’ hand was visibly swollen after the fight with X-rays revealing significant bruising in her hand. The injury will undoubtedly take some time to heal, but when she is back Bridges will be looking to step up into the type of fights that will excite her now global fanbase – likely including a rematch with WBA Bantamweight champion Courtenay.

Bridges is represented by Split-T Management under Split-T’s own Brian Cohen.

Devon Young score 1st round KO in Debut

Young, 23 years-old of Aiken, South Carolina, took out Kenneth Thomas in the opening round in Columbia, South Carolina.

Young compiled an impressive 42-12 mark as an amateur.

As an amateur fighter, Young made it to the 2020 Olympic Trials, and was a Western qualifier champion in 2017 & 2018, and the 2015 Youth Open Champion. He also was a 2014 Junior Olympic champion.

Young has the distinction as being the last American fighter to defeat Olympic Silver Medal winner Super Heavyweight, Richard Torrez

Mauricio Lara and former world champion Josh Warrington fought to a technical draw after a clash of heads opened up a cut over Lara’s left eye after two rounds at Headlingley Rugby Stadium in Leeds, England.

The fight was just starting to open up when the headbutt occurred. The fight was a rematch of a contest that saw Lara knockout Warrington in February.

Lara, 125 1/2 lbs of Mexico City is now 23-2-1. Warrington of Leeds, ENG is 30-1-1.

Taylor Decisions Han; Retains Undisputed Lightweight Title

Katie Taylor retained the undisputed Lightweight world championship with a 10-round unanimous decision over Jennifer Han.

In round eight, Taylor dropped Han with a left hook. Replays showed that it could have been a slip. Han also started to swell under her right eye in the round.

Taylor landed 93 of 340 punches; Han was 66 of 338.

Taylor, 134 3/4 lbs of Bray, IRE won by scores of 100-89 on all cards, and is now 19-0. Han, 134 1/4 lbs of El Paso, TEX is now 18-4-1-1.

Benn Decisions Granados

Conor Benn remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision in a welterweight bout.

Benn landed 152 of 460 punches; Granados was 99 of 429.

Benn, 146 1/2 lbs of Brentwood, ENG won by scores of and is now 19-0. Granados, 146 1/2 lbs of Chicago, IL is 21-9-3.

Hughes Decisions Straffon

Maxi Hughes pounded out a 12-round unanimous decision over Jovanni Straffon in a lightweight bout.

Hughes hurt Straffon on several occasions including almost having him out in round four.

Hughes, 134 1/4 lbs of Rossington, ENG won by scores of 120-107 twice and 119-109 and is now 24-5-2. Straffon, 134 1/4 lbs of Mexico City, MEX is 24-4-1.

Bridges Decisions Gangloff

Ebanie Bridges won an eight-round decision over Mailys Gangloff in a bantamweight fight.

Bridges, 118 lbs of New South wales, AUS fought through a welled right eye and injured right hand but still won by a 77-76 score and is now 7-1. Gangloff, 116 lbs of Aix-les-Bains, FRA is 5-3.

Hope Price remained undefeated with a 2nd round stoppage of Zahid Hussain in a scheduled 10-round super bantamweight fight.

Just as the bell rang to end round one, Price landed a perfect right hook that clipped the jaw and sent Hussain on his backside. Fortunately for Hussain, he got to his feet to end the round. In round two, it was a combination that put Hussain down for a 2nd time. Price finished the fight with a barrage of punches that forced a referee stoppage at 2:33.

Price, 121 3/4 lbs of Leeds, ENG is 6-0 with two knockouts. Hussain, 121 lbs of Leeds, ENG is 16-2.

Jack Bateson survived a knockdown to win a six-round decision over Felix Garcia in a super bantamweight bout.

In round three, Garcia dropped Bateson with a looping right hand to the chest. Bateson was about to steady himself and win the rest of the fight.

Bateson, 124 lbs of Leeds, ENG won by a 58-56 score and is now 14-0. Garica, 123 lbs of Juigalpa, NIC is now 7-3-1.

Brandon Stansfield won a four-round decision over MJ Hall in a super welterweight bout.

Stansfield, 149 1/2 lbs of Leeds, ENG won by a 40-36 score and is now 2-0. Hall, 148 1/2 lbs of Brierley Hill, ENG is 2-62-2.

In round one, Hall began to bleed from his nose.

Mali Wright made a successful pro debut with a stoppage of Antony Woolery after round two of their scheduled four-round light heavyweight bout.

Wright, 180 bs of Chapeltown, England is 1-0 with one knockout. Woolery, 181 3/4 lbs of Wolverhampton, England is 2-7.

NEW YORK (September 4, 2021) – Ebanie “The Blonde Bomber” Bridges will be back in action today when she takes on Mailys Gangloff in a scheduled eight-round bantamweight bout at Headingley Rugby Stadium in Leeds, England.

Bridges, 6-1 with three knockouts, is managed by Split-T Management under Brian Cohen. Bridges will be in the ring just four weeks after her third-round stoppage over Bec Connolly on August 7th in Essex, England.

Bridges, who has taken the boxing world by storm since her heroic effort against WBA Bantamweight champion Shannon Courtenay on April 10th, will look to for another big effort to position herself for another shot at a world title.

Bridges of New South Wales, Australia has a record of 6-1 with three knockouts, will be making her 4th start of 2021.

Gangloff of France brings in a record of 5-2 with two knockouts and is the current French Bantamweight champion. She won the title with a fourth-round stoppage over Romane Geffray on May 7th. Gangloff also owns a win over Elodie Bouchlaka (4-1-2).

At Friday’s weigh-in, Bridges was 118 lbs. Gangloff was 116 lbs.

The bout can be seen live on DAZN at 2 PM ET

Photo credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom

Lawrence Okolie scored a 6th round stoppage over former world champion Krzystof Glowacki to win the WBO World Cruiserweight championship at the SSE Arena in London, England.

In round five, Glowacki started to bleed over his right eye. In round six, Okolie landed a stabbing right to the body that sent Glowacki on his back. He got up but the fight was stopped.

Okolie, 199.6 lbs of Hackney, England is now 16-0 with 13 knockouts. Glowacki, 195 lbs of Walcz, POL is 31-3.

“I don’t think it has sunk in yet,” said Okolie. “It’s nice hearing you say it. I’m happy. For me, it’s more of a relief. The potential has been there for over a year. I’m happy to get the victory. Now and forever, I’ll be a World Champion.

“I was just really focused on putting on a good performance. I’m physically very strong and punch hard. I’m very fit, so I can win on just those attributes at a certain level. I really focused on not rushing any shots because he’s very dangerous with counter shots and he’s very heavy-handed. His jabs were very solid, so I had to be very meticulous in keeping the distance. It was a good clean performance.

“All of the British former World Champions wishing me good fortune really touched me – shout out to them. From every run that I ever did, losing all of that weight, deciding to take a risk, having my parents support me financially when I couldn’t afford to get the bus down to the gym for training. To see it all pay off with a World Title is a dream come true – never give up. We can just go on from here. I need to keep pushing myself to prove myself as the best.”

Cordina Decisions Kourbanov

Joe Cordina remained undefeated by winning a 10-round majority decision over Faroukh Kourbanov in a junior lightweight bout.

Cordina, 132,4 lbs of Cardiff, Wales won by scores of 98-93, 96-95 and 96-96 and he is now 12-0. Kaourbanov, 130.5 lbs of Liege, BEL is 17-3.

“I didn’t think it was close at all,” said Cordina. “I think he nicked one or two rounds, maybe three. I was comfortable and I didn’t really get out of second gear. I let him work a couple of times throughout the rounds, maybe I shouldn’t have. I got a good valuable ten rounds out of that and it’s something to build on. I’ll put on a better performance in my next fight.

“It wasn’t about just going out there and trying to blow him out of there. We knew he was tough, that’s why we chose him. Both of his losses before me were to European Champions. He’s gone the distance a lot of times, we knew he was durable. We got the rounds under our belt and I felt I hurt him a couple of times. He was cute at times.

“I had 16 months out of the ring. He came to win and that’s what I wanted. The hand felt fine, I let it go a few times. I didn’t want to overdo it. Tony told me to let the shots flow so that’s what I did. I shouldn’t have any problems with my hand now. It’s time to build on that. If I want to be a World Champion, I have to get past people like Kourbanov. I didn’t really get out of second gear.”

Fowler Takes out Fortea in 3

Anthony Fowler stopped Jorge Fortea at in round three of a scheduled 10-round super welterweight fight.

At the end of round three, Fowler landed a booming right hand that sent Fortea to the canvas. With Fortea hurt, Fowler was able to land a hard combination that crashed Fortea down againm and the fight was stopped at 3:08.

Fowler, 153.8 lbs of Liverpool, ENG is 14-1 with 11 knockouts. Fortea, 152.9 lbs of Sueca, SPA is 21-3-1.

“I surprised myself, I’m not going to lie,” said Fowler. “I thought it was going to go to points. I half play myself down. He just went 12 rounds with a Russian 18-0 killer, IBF No.1. I’m boxing at a much lower level. I’m the first one to admit that.

“I get a few trolls sometimes telling me that I’m boxing at English Title level and they’re right, it’s not my fault. I’m asking for these big fights. I haven’t been getting them. I’ve said to Eddie, ‘throw me in mate, let’s see what I’m made of’. Try and get me smashed and let’s see how I get on.

“He went down from a stiff jab which I was surprised about. I heard Shane say, ‘don’t rush it’, but I knew there was ten seconds left so I thought ‘f*ck it’. I had to throw one bomb at least, luckily enough it landed. He was actually better than I thought he was going to be.

“The first round was even and in the second round he caught me with a good shot. The jab was landing but he was quite tricky. I started throwing to his body to slow him down. The finish was nice, it was a nice straight hand. I was glad he stayed down; it could have been a long night that.

“I could have cried in that ring; it means that much to me. My coach genuinely believes in me more than me. I’ve got the power in both hands and I’ve got the ability. Me and Metcalf is an unbelievable fight. I know he wants it; I’ve heard him talking about it. The whole city would be buzzing. Put me in with Garcia and I’ll beat him too.”

Scotney Decisions Gangloff

Ellie Scotney won a six-round unanimous decision Mailys Gangloff in a featherweight bout.

Scotney, 123 lbs of Catford, ENG won by a 59-55 score and is 2-0. Gangloff, 119 lbs of France is now 4-2.

“It was definitely a learning fight for me for sure,” said Scotney. “Normally in your second fight you’re going to box someone that’s not coming to win. She wasn’t an idiot; she’d had five fights. I learnt a lot from that and there’s a lot to build on. I’m thankful for that.

“She was very angry wasn’t she. She’s as tough as they come, and I think I’m going to benefit a lot from it. It’ll give me a kick up the backside. I’ve got a lot more work to put in, which I love doing. I’ve got a long way to go.

“It was my birthday this week, I’ve just turned 23, I want to push on and I know I’ve got it in me. Now it’s time to start delivering. Women’s boxing is going from strength to strength. Hopefully I can get on the undercard of one of the big ones in May.”

Billam-Smith Decisions Ducar

Chris Billam-Smith won a 10-round unanimous decision over Vasil Ducar in a cruiserweight bout.

In round two, Billam-Smith started bleeding from the mouth. In round four, Billam-Smith hurt Ducar with a counter right and then jumped on him with solid punches for a knockdown.

In round six, Billam-Smith dropped Ducar with a body shot.

Billam-Smith, 199 lbs of Bournemouth, ENG won by sores of 99-90 twice and 97-92 and is now 12-1. Ducar, 198.8 lbs of Brno, Czech Republic is 9-4-1.

“I felt comfortable in there at all times, even when he had his little spurts,” said Smith. “It was really good for me. I thought I was going to become the first man to stop him. I had him down a couple of times, but he was a tough tough man. If I was going to rate it out of ten, I’d probably give myself a 6.5 or 7 out of ten.

“I’ve got plenty to work on in the gym and I can improve a lot. The main thing was getting the win. I got that and I’m happy. I hit him with a great body shot, I felt it really sink in, and then I dropped him to the head as well. He was dipping and I was trying to hit him just over the top of his gloves. Those Czechs are tough and all respect to him.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t get the stoppage, but the main important thing was the win. I switched off a couple of times during the fight because I felt very comfortable. I let my hands get leaky probably two or three times during the fight and he clipped me, but I wasn’t buzzed or hurt at all. I saw everything coming so you can always take something out of the shots.

“I’ve definitely got improvements to make. That was my 13^th fight and I’m always about improving every day in the ring. I’m very grateful to have such great stablemates and such a great coach. I’d love to get the Tommy McCarthy fight as soon as possible.”

Ali Decisions Connolly

Ramla Ali remained undefeated with a decision over Bec Connolly in a sex-round featherweight bout.

In round five, Ali was cut around her left eye from an elbow.

Ali, 126.6 lbs of Bethenal Green, ENG won by a 60-55 score and is now 2-0. Connolly, 126.5 lbs of Swindon, ENG is 3-9.

“Apart from the shiner on my face I’m very satisfied,” Ali told Matchroom. “Regardless of what the scales said, I gave away about half a stone. I weighed-in in like two pairs of jogging bottoms just so I could match the weight. I felt the weight difference for sure, but I tried to not let her use her weight advantage against me.

“I tried to maintain the centre of the ring as much as possible, which I did. I’m really satisfied with how I performed. She’s tough but I got it done. Jobi always says you can’t beat the feet – and he’s right! I was always moving off from the double jab. We work a lot on footwork, and I feel like I did really well with my footwork.

“She was the one calling me out saying that she wanted to fight me. Don’t then turn around and complain that you’ve had short notice. You’re a professional, if I was calling someone out, I’d be ready any time. She said she had a couple of days’ notice. I don’t know what to say about that really.

“Everyone is nervous before getting in the ring because it means so much to you. You want to prove yourself and you want to show all of your friends and family that are watching at home that you’re worthy of watching. You want to put on a good performance and have a good fight. The moment that bell went all of the nerves went and I was razor focused on getting the job done. The Olympic dream is still alive and I’m still hopeful to go, and hopeful to compete. I’m still hoping to progress in my professional career.”

Ellie Scotney says fans can expect to see the best version of her when she steps through the ropes for the second time as a professional against France’s Mailys Gangloff this Saturday at The SSE Arena, Wembley, live on Sky Sports in the UK and on DAZN in the U.S. and more than 200 countries and territories. Catford’s acclaimed former amateur star Scotney shined on her professional debut at the East of England Arena in Peterborough last October as she outpointed Bec Connolly over six rounds, dropping the tough 36-year-old in the third. The Adam Booth-trained starlet, who celebrates her 23rd birthday today, is hoping to follow in the footsteps of her Matchroom stablemates Katie Taylor, Terri Harper, Chantelle Cameron and Savannah Marshall, amongst others, by winning World Titles of her own in the future, but must first impress against Gangloff.  “I’m so excited to get back in the ring for my second professional fight and show what I’ve been working on in the gym,” said Scotney. “Bec Connolly was tough and game as you come, I felt I showed bits of what I can do but now it’s time to step-up once again.  “Mailys Gangloff was around on the amateur scene so she’s got that grade behind her. This is a great match and it’s another good fight for me. I know she’s certainly going to come to fight and with that you will see the best of me. “Now you’re seeing that women can fight. They’re putting on good action and people are really getting invested in it. It’s been a great time in lockdown for women’s boxing. You’re starting to see the real depth that they’re getting coming through. “Every fight I have got to tick another box and I believe I will do that in this fight. I am just starting to learn the style that suits me, this will be a great fight with Gangloff. It’s nice to hear that people are talking about me being a good prospect but talk is cheap! I’ve got to start delivering and it is very early days. I can’t run before I can walk, it’s one step at a time starting with March 20.” Scotney vs. Gangloff is part of a huge night of action in London, Hackney Cruiserweight Lawrence Okolie (15-0, 12 KOs) attempts to become Britain’s next World Champion in just his sixteenth fight when he clashes with Krzysztof Glowacki for the vacant WBO crown, Welsh Super-Featherweight Joe Cordina (11-0, 7 KOs) meets Belgium’s Faroukh Kourbanov (17-2, 3 KOs) over ten rounds, Liverpool Super-Welterweight Anthony Fowler (13-1, 10 KOs) returns against Spain’s Jorge Fortea (21-2-1, 7 KOs) with the WBA International Title on the line, Bournemouth Cruiserweight Chris Billam-Smith (11-1, 10 KOs) looks to keep his KO streak going against Vasil Ducar (9-3-1, 8 KOs), Ramla Ali (1-0) faces Bec Connolly (3-8) in her second pro fight, and Stretford Middleweight Bradley Rea (9-0, 3 KOs) takes on Bournemouth’s Lee Cutler (7-0, 4 KOs).