The British heavyweight star added the WBO belt to his IBF and WBA ‘super’ titles as he produced a disciplined display against the rugged Parker to earn a wide unanimous decision with scores of 118-110, 118-110 and 119-109 at the Principality Stadium.

Joshua’s perfect run of 20 knockouts was ended by Parker, who retained his reputation for toughness, but AJ moved one belt away from becoming the undisputed champion.

Parker was escorted by Samoan chiefs as he arrived for the biggest battle of a 24-fight career, followed by the home favourite Joshua, whose white robe was lit up by pyrotechnics while he strolled confidently towards his 21st opponent.

The hand speed of Parker was on show in the opening round as he pushed out probing jabs at Joshua, who edged forward menacingly on the front foot.

Joshua began to measure Parker with his own ramrod jab in the second, while the Kiwi was muscled to the ropes by a crunching combination in the third.

Forced onto his heels, Parker was kept at arm’s length by that thudding jab in the fourth, but he ripped a right hand through Joshua’s guard in the fifth and smiled after the bell.

Parker charged out for the sixth, chasing Joshua to the ropes, and both traded big punches as a tense duel turned into a brutal encounter.

Crunching body shots from Parker slowed Joshua’s stride in the seventh, although Joshua sparked to life in the eighth to land a searing left hand.

Parker’s raiding attacks continued to unsettle AJ, who was forced to hold in the ninth, but Joshua’s spiteful work opened a cut over his foe’s eye in the 10th.

Both men traded hooks in the 11th as Parker’s renowned chin held firm and Joshua resisted the urge to pursue a last-round knockout, controlling the last three minutes with his spearing jab to seal victory.

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Source: BBC

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An intercepted email from the IBO’s President Ed Levine, charged Emmanuel Tagoe to defend his IBO World Lightweight title against Russian Fedor Papazov not later than the 15th of June 2018.

Papazov beat Howik Bebraham via a split decision on the 10th of March to become the IBO Intercontinental Lightweight champion and number one contender for Tagoe’s title.

The IBO has charged the two camps to begin negotiations and come to an agreement within 30 days from the tabled date.

It added that should the parties fail to reach an agreement the IBO shall determine a date to receive purse bids.

The email concluded that either party may notify the IBO if an agreement is not reached to allow the IBO to proceed with arrangements for a purse bid.

Emmanuel Tagoe was heavily criticized for his performance despite beating Argentine Fernando David Saucedo in his first defense of the IBO strap at the Bukom boxing Arena in Accra in January.
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By: Hans Mensah Andoh/ Beach FM

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It will be recalled that Dogboe (18-0-0) called out Magdaleno (25-0-0) shortly after dispatching Mexican Cesar Juarez by TKO for the interim WBO World Super Bantamweight title last January in Accra.

“Jessie Magdelano I’m coming for you baby. I know you are going to run but guess what the lion is here,” Dogboe taunted.

The American did not respond to that jibe but has suddenly found his voice and is coming directly for Dogboe’s head literally.

Magdaleno, 26, fired a salvo on Instagram with a picture of him mopping Dogboe’s decapitated head from a boxing ring with a mop.

A caption accompanying the photograph said: Hey @isaacbraveson hurry up and sign the damn contract and let’s get this fight going so I can mop you out this division!!.

The Royal Storm fired back poking at Magdaleno’s blonde hair by describing him as a “Becky with the good hair”.

“Becky With The Good Hair” @elpeligrosojmag …Firing Shots At Man, You Know! Tread Carefully My Blond Amigo…,” Dogboe posted.

Magdaleno later shared another edited picture of Dogbe shedding tears and urged his followers to supply captions for the chance to win autographed boxing gloves.

At this point, Dogboe, 23, got on Facebook and reminded Magdaleno of their sparring session in the past which he said had to be halted earlier than the intended 10 rounds because Magdaleno could not stand him.

He posted: “YOU DON’T WANT TO GET ME ANGRY Jessie Magdaleno *Keep Chatting Bare* It’ll encourage me to want to Knock YOU OUT, b. Hope you remember when we sparred in Vegas your corner stopped the sparring in the 5th Round whilst we were supposed to go for 10 … I was ONLY 4-0 back then Amigo…Guess what, Pretty Guy…

“TREAD VERY CAREFULLY With your MEMES and your words, Amigo.

“You’re a great guy but careful now, you’re entering into a Different Territory… Your Management can’t Save you…” Dogboe warned.
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Source: Graphic Online

The post Dogboe, Magdaleno in social media war ahead of April 28 clash appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Berchelt flattened Awuku twice in the 3rd round. Berchelt finished the job after the second knockdown in connecting with several hard shots that caused the referee to stop the fight. Awuku was still upright when referee Hector Afu stopped the fight.

If the referee had waited a moment longer before stopping the fight, Berchelt would have knocked Awuku down for a third time. The fight was stopped at 2:46 of round 3. Awuku wasn’t hurt as bad he could have been if not for the quick actions by Afu in pulling the plug on the fight.

Knockdown No.1 in the 3rd round came from a right hand from Berchelt that put Awuku down on his backside. Moments before that, Berchelt had hurt Awuku with 2 hard shots to the head. Awuku had talent the shots, but his legs looked rubbery, Berchelt then put Awuku down with the next right. Knockdown No.2 in the 3rd round came from Berchelt landing a blizzard of shots of Awuku after he’d backed up against the ropes. Awuku slid down onto the canvas after taking the punches.

Surprisingly, Awuku didn’t look that hurt. He was hurt obviously enough for him to go down, but he wasn’t staggering or swaying after he got back to his feet.

If Awuku was in that kind of shape, the referee would have stopped the fight. Awuku’s corner should have thrown in the towel after the 2nd knockdown, because he was just keep going down if he referee hadn’t stopped the contest. Berchelt was too strong for Awuku, and he wasn’t going to let up on him.

The southpaw Awuku landed some shots in all 3 rounds. Awuku was catching Berchelt, 26, coming in and backing away. The punches weren’t hard enough to hurt Berchelt.

That was the problem. Awuku didn’t have the power to keep Berchelt off of him or make him pay when he would come forward to land his punches.

”I feel very happy and satisfied,” Berchelt said after the fight via Fight News. ”his is a very special night for me. I fulfilled a dream I had as a child. I didn’t feel a punch and from the first knockdown know I would knock him out,” Berchelt said.

There was never any doubt that Berchelt wasn’t going to knockout Awuku. This is what Berchelt was expected to do with him fighting a guy that is unranked and just pulled in as a replacement.

It’s too bad that Berchelt didn’t have a good opponent for the fight like Miguel Roman because it would have been a lot more interesting fight to watch.
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By:Boxing247.com

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Dogboe floored Juarez in the fifth round to get a technical knockout victory on the night.

Pundits have praised Dogboe’s all-out attacking approach to the bout but the boxer believes that his success is down to his team led by his father and chief trainer, Paul Dogboe.

“When I started boxing, my father told me that it was either I did the hard work or there was no need to start at all. I hope I have made him proud tonight.

He is the one guiding me and he directs me to go this way or that way. That is how we have kept moving forward. The credit goes to the team. My father, my coaches, the management team and the people of Ghana. People from all over the country to cheer us on.”

Dogboe’s professional career has climbed steadily since his participation in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He lost Japan’s Satoshi Shimizu in the first round of the Games but he has moved on and gone 18 pro bouts without defeat.

The 18th victory, which was against, Juarez sets up a very likely showdown with defending WBO Super bantamweight title holder, Jessie Magdaleno.

Sources say that March 2 could be the date for the bout.

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By: Nathan Quao/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The bout started on a fast note for both boxers, but it was Dogboe who was more aggressive. He sought out Juarez from the bell and gave a strong indication of what his plans were for the night.

At 1:44 in the second round, Isaac Dogboe floored Juarez with a flashing left hook. The crowd cheered on but Juarez managed to stay on his feet to finish the second round.

Juarez showed more composure and fought stronger in the 4th round despite bleeding from a cut on the face.

However, Juarez was floored again the 5th round with a strong left hook, but referee Tony Weeks decided to end the fight despite protests from the Mexican.

The victory sets up a mandatory clash with the title holder Jesse Magdaleno sometime in 2018, and Dogboe called Magdaleno out.

“Jesse, I am coming for you, baby. You cannot hide anymore.”

With the win, Dogboe’s record now reads 18 bouts (12 by knockout) and no losses.

In the under card, Ghana’s Abraham Tabul and Patrick Anderson of the USA fought out a split draw in their cruiser weight title bout.

Tabul started brightly in their ten-round contest, but faded halfway through the fight and Anderson managed to get back into the fight.

The two boxers had issues with their stamina and it was very evident as the bout traveled on. They lacked the power to put together some good combinations leading the judges to split the result.

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By: Citi Sports

The post Dogboe floors Juarez to win WBO Interim Super Bantamweight title appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Wilder knocked Stiverne to the canvas with a fierce right before flooring him again with a barrage of punches.

Stiverne was then knocked out as Wilder caught him with some brutal punches, including a left-right combination.

“I know I am the best. Are you up for the test?,” asked Wilder of WBA and IBF heavyweight champion Joshua.

“I’ve been waiting on that fight for a long time now.

“I declare war upon you. Do you accept my challenge?”

American Wilder appeared to dismiss the prospect of fighting Britain’s Dillian Whyte, who last weekend won an eliminator to put himself in a prime position to compete for a world title by claiming the vacant WBC silver heavyweight crown.

Whyte has racked up six successive victories since losing to Anthony Joshua in December 2015, and after Wilder’s win wrote on Twitter: “Well done @BronzeBomber but let’s do this work Feb 3 at the O2. I ain’t never scared, fact. Will fight anyone anytime.”

However, Wilder said: “They are trying to give me a peasant in Whyte. A king doesn’t chase the peasants. A king takes kings. I want Joshua. If he doesn’t give me the fight we have other plans,” added Wilder.

“The world wants Joshua, the world wants Wilder, I want Joshua. Joshua come and see me baby. No more dodging, no more excuses. Make the date, don’t wait. Let’s see who is the best.”

Wilder was taken the full distance for the only time in his career when he beat Stiverne on points to claim the WBC belt in January 2015.

This time around he finished the fight with seconds left in the opening round as he took his undefeated record to 39, 38 by way of knockout.

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Source: BBC

The post Anthony Joshua: Deontay Wilder calls out Briton after beating Bermane Stiverne appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Briton, 28, damaged his nose after a heavy head collision early on and did not have things all his own way against a fighter who took the bout at 12 days’ notice.

But in a key fourth round in which both men enjoyed success, Joshua dropped his man with a hook and badly damaged the eye of his rival.

Takam was twice inspected by ringside medics but battled on until he was overwhelmed in the 10th when referee Phil Edwards stepped in to end the contest, much to the challenger’s frustration.

Takam, 36, was under pressure but not out on his feet and some inside the Cardiff venue booed the stoppage.

A tricky test negotiated

Cardiff’s fans may have wanted a more clinical ending having waited 10 years for boxing’s return to this passionate venue but Joshua had come through a tricky test.

Things started badly when his walk-on music failed to play and the boisterous crowd howled as replays of the second-round head collision played in the stadium.

But the fourth round was pivotal in giving the masses the British win they came for. After two early Takam right hands Joshua retaliated and floored the Cameroon-born fighter, who returned to his stool badly cut above his right eye.

Referee Edwards scrutinised work on the injury in the corner and medics interrupted the fifth and ninth rounds to assess the issue further.

The challenger deserves immense credit despite a fourth defeat in 40 fights. After settling in, the shorter and lighter man took risks to adopt his style of fighting up close and when he briefly backed the champion up in the seventh round, groans of concerns tumbled down the tiers to ringside.

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Source: BBC

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Bukom Banku, who promised to knock out Bastie in the 6th Round, struggled to find his feet from the 3rd Round after enduring tough punches from his opponent.

In what turned out to be the first loss in his professional career, Bukom Banku was forced by Bastie to taste the floor in the 3rd Round after a heavy blow served to his [Bukom Banku] face.

A visibly fatigued Bukom Banku struggled to complete the subsequent rounds as Bastie’s jabs proved to have what it takes to draw the remaining energy out of him.

He succumbed in the 7th Round after another punch landed him on the floor, leaving the referee, Roger Banor with no option but to end the bout.

Thousands of boxing enthusiasts, including former World boxing champion, Azuman Nelson, were present to witness the historic bout.

The bout was with the tagline ‘Make or Break,’ and was promoted by Box Office Promotions.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The event brought together close to 500 delegates from the 164 countries which make up the WBC and it looked to discuss important issues related to boxing at the global level.

The WBC also sought to honour former champions including Azumah Nelson, Evander Holyfield and Kostya Tszyu who had set the ring alight with the dazzling performances in times past.

For Azumah Nelson, he held the WBC Featherweight and Super Featherweight titles at several points in his career. His professional record read: 39 Wins (28 Knockouts), 6 Defeats (1 Knockout) and 2 Draws.

What was said at the convention?

High on the agenda was the issue of safety among boxers and World Boxing Council, President Mauricio Sulaiman mentioned that while boxers needed to be better protected, the WBC was also going to make sure that the sport of boxing would be made cleaner.

The convention also stated that new initiatives such as instant replays, open scoring for boxers in rounds and 4 and 8 of bouts to help them change strategy and headphones for judges they are not distracted by external noise during bouts.

Sulaiman also revealed that seminars would be organised for ring officials to help them improve on their performances.

There was also a decision ordering a rematch of the bout between Gennady Golovkin and Saúl Canelo Alvarez.

The first bout in September was ruled as a draw but the result did not sit well with the two boxers and fans of the sport after it emerged that judge Adelaide Byrd strangely scored it 118-110 for Canelo.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission stood her down after the bout.

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By: Citi Sports Desk

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