Wednesday, March 22, 2023
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Boxing Preview: Jose Ramirez (27-1, 17 KOs) vs Richard Commey (30-4-1, 27 KOs)

Fresno Fight Night will feature a unique partnership between one of boxing’s pound-for-pound queens and the Central Valley’s fighting pride.

Previous bound together 140-pound title holder Jose Ramirez will meet previous lightweight best on the planet Richard “RC” Commey in the 12-round junior welterweight headliner Saturday, Walk 25, at Save Shop Center in Fresno, California.

WHAT TIME IS RAMIREZ COMMEY?
Date: Saturday, March 25
Main card: 10 p.m. ET / 3 a.m. GMT (4 a.m. BST) USA:
Live on ESPN+ while UK fans can watch the fight on Sky Sports.
The fight will take place at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.
Main event ringwalks (approx): 12 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. GMT (6 a.m. BST)
The main card is set to get underway at 10 p.m. ET / 3 a.m. GMT (4 a.m. BST) with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 12 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. GMT (6 a.m. BST).

Seniesa “Super Bad” Estrada, who holds the WBA minimumweight world title, will face Tina Rupprecht, who holds the WBC world title, in the co-feature.

At 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, Ramirez-Commey and Estrada-Rupprecht will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+.

Tickets for the event, which is being promoted by Top Rank in conjunction with DiBella Entertainment, will go on sale on Friday, January 13 at 10 a.m. PT. They will cost $29 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and the Arena Box Office.

The Save Mart Center, which has hosted Ramirez (27-1, 17 KOs) in six of his previous bouts, welcomes him back to his native Avenal, California, where he has been training for the past year. Ramirez bounced back in March of last year with a unanimous decision victory over Jose Pedraza, a former two-weight world champion, after losing by decision to Josh Taylor for the undisputed junior welterweight title in 2021. Since he defeated Amir Imam to win the WBC world title in March 2018, he ranks among the best 140-pounders in the sport. Ramirez stopped Maurice Hooker in six brutal rounds to unify the WBC and WBO titles after twice defending that title. In August 2020, Ramirez defeated Viktor Postol by majority decision, securing both belts and preparing for the Taylor matchup.

Ramirez stated, “I am blessed to be able to fight in front of my Central Valley fans once again.” Fresno and the Save Mart Center “hold a special place in my heart.” Richard Commey is a champion fighter who stands to gain everything. On March 25, I anticipate Commey in its best form. I am more motivated than ever to demonstrate that I am the best junior welterweight in the world, and my objective is to become champion once more.

Rick Mirigian, Ramirez’s manager, stated, “Ramirez is out to prove some things, and he is motivated like I have never seen.” Everything begins in Fresno before 15,000 old neighborhood fans.”

Accra, Ghana’s Commey (30-4-1, 27 knockouts) established himself as one of the sport’s best lightweights by winning Commonwealth titles and winning the IBF world title in February 2019. He won the title for ten months after defeating former world champion Ray Beltran and then shockingly losing to Teofimo Lopez in the second round at Madison Square Garden. Commey’s lightweight career came to an end in December 2021 when he lost by decision to Vasiliy Lomachenko. He fought Pedraza to a 10-round draw in his junior welterweight debut in August of that year.

Commey said, “I need to thank my group for putting me on the way to satisfying my fantasy about turning into a two-weight best on the planet. Additionally, I would like to express my gratitude to Top Rank and Bob Arum for permitting me to headline against Jose Ramirez, a formidable opponent, once more demonstrating their trust in me. I’m ready for the challenge and plan to make Ghana and all of my fans proud.

Estrada (23-0, 9 KOs), from East Los Angeles, California, gets back to her home state purpose on binding together world titles without precedent for her finished profession. The veteran, who is now 30, became a professional nearly a decade ago and has competed at the highest level in three weight classes. She won consecutive bouts in 2021 to win the WBA minimumweight and WBO light flyweight titles. After that, Estrada gave up the light flyweight championship to fight for undisputed glory at minimumweight. In November of last year, she returned from a nearly 11-month layoff to eliminate Jazmin Gala Villarino.

Estrada stated, “I want to give Tina credit for being a world champion who, unlike Yokasta Valle, is not afraid of a unification fight.” We decided to fight the woman who beat Yokasta because we couldn’t get Yokasta into the ring. The Fresno fans have a lot of passion, so they can expect a great show.

After rising from interim champion in 2018, Germany’s Rupprecht (12-0-1, 3 KOs) has defended her world title five times. Prior that year, she brought down Valle, who is the ongoing IBF and WBO bound together minimumweight title holder In July 2021, Rupprecht edged previous best on the planet Katia Gutierrez by split choice. She conquered Peruvian veteran Rocio Gaspar to set up the Estrada match after returning to the ring after more than a year. Rupprecht has fought all but one of her professional fights in Germany, and she will travel nearly 6,000 miles to defeat Estrada’s undisputed objective.

Rupprecht stated, “It is a dream come true for me to fight in America against a fellow world champion in a world title unification.” Seniesa is regarded as one of the sport’s best fighters, and I am eager to determine who is the division’s true number one. Another big night for female boxing and a contender for Fight of the Year will be this one. I’ll come out on top and bring two world titles with me back to Germany.

The following standouts are expected to be on the undercard, which will be exclusively streamed live on ESPN+:

Lightweight competitor Raymond “Risk” Muratalla (16-0, 13 KOs), from Fontana, California, and prepared by Robert Garcia, makes his 2023 presentation in a 10-rounder. In 2022, Muratalla went 3-0, including stoppage victories over Jeremy Hill and Miguel Contreras, two veterans.

In an eight-round bout, rising lightweight Karlos Balderas (14-1, 12 KOs), a Santa Maria, California, native who competed for the United States at the 2016 Olympics, hopes to record his sixth victory in a row. Balderas defeated Esteban Sanchez in an eighth-round TKO, a career-best performance that set a career high.

Antonio “El Gigante” Mireles (6-0, 6 KOs), a 6-foot-9 heavyweight from Des Moines, Iowa, goes for the gold seven in a six-rounder. Mireles has three knockouts in the first round and three stoppages in the second.

The former U.S. amateur star from Brisbane, California, lightweight prospect Charlie Sheehy (5-0, 4 KOs) makes his third professional fight in a six-round bout in Fresno.

In a six-round middleweight bout, Javier “Milwaukee Made” Martinez (8-0, 2 KOs), who trains with Ramirez at Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, will take on an unidentified opponent.

In his first fight in the United States, California’s flyweight prospect Jessie James Guerrero (3-0-1, 3 KOs) will compete in a four-round contest.

RAMIREZ VS. COMMEY CARD
Jose Ramirez vs. Richard Commey; Super lightweight
Seniesa Estrada vs. Tina Rupprecht; WBA and WBC women’s strawweight title unification
Raymond Muratalla vs. Humberto Galindo; Lightweight
Antonio Mireles vs. Patrick Mailata; Heavyweight
Charlie Sheehy vs. Angel Rebollar; Lightweight
Jessie James Guerrero vs. Eduardo Alvarez; Flyweight
Subaru Murata vs. Jose Negrete; Super bantamweight
Ricardo Ruvalcaba vs. Marco Cardenas; Super lightweight

Boxing Preview: Jose Zepeda (35-3, 27 KOs) vs Neeraj Goyat (17-3-2, 7 KOs)

Golden Boy Fight Night on DAZN will get back with its most memorable Mexico Release of 2023 on Saturday, Walk 25 live from the Domo Alcalde in Guadalajara, Mexico. The fight will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN at 5:00 p.m. PT / 8:00 p.m. ET as a co-promotion with Zanfer Boxing.

Jose “Chon” Zepeda, 35-3, 27 KOs, and Neeraj “Gangster” Goyat, 17-3-2, 7 KOs, of Chandigarh, India, will compete in a 10-round super lightweight bout in the main event. Zepeda is fighting again after bravely challenging Regis Prograis for the vacant WBC Junior Welterweight title in November 2022.

ZEPEDA VS. GOYAT START TIME
Date: Saturday, March 25
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 12 a.m. GMT
The card will stream live on DAZN in over 200 countries across the globe.
The fight will take place at the Domo Alcade, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
Main event ringwalks (approx): 11 p.m. ET / 3 a.m. GMT
The event is set to get underway at 8 p.m. ET / 12 a.m. GMT with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 11 p.m. ET / 3 a.m. GMT.

Carlos “Chema” Ocampo (34-2, 22 KOs) of Ensenada, Mexico, will fight in the co-main event in a 10-round super welterweight bout. In October 2022, Ocampo faces Sebastian Fundora again in a tough fight for the WBC Super Welterweight Interim Title. A 10-round featherweight bout between Guadalajara’s Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza (19-0, 16 KOs) is also scheduled for the card. Soon, opponents of both will be revealed.

Also on the card, Jaime Lopez (10-8, 4 KOs) of Aguascalientes, Mexico, will take on recently signed prospect Aaron Silva (11-0, 8 KOs) in an eight-round super middleweight fight. Silva is coming into the ring after a fifth-round knockout in December 2022 against Alan Campa.

Miguel “Mickey” Torres of Guadalajara (11-1, 6 KOs) will fight Kevin “El Conan” Montiel of Mexico City (6-2-2, 3 KOs) in an eight-round super featherweight bout to kick off the DAZN broadcast.

ZEPEDA VS. GOYAT FIGHT CARD
Jose Zepeda vs. Neeraj Goyat; Super lightweight
Carlos Ocampo vs. TBA; Light middleweight
Rafael Espinoza vs. TBA; Featherweight
Aaron Silva vs. Jaime Hernandez Lopez; Super middleweight
Miguel Angel Torres Nunez vs. Kevin Montiel Mendoza; Super featherweight

Boxing Preview: David Benavídez (26-0, 23 KOs) vs Caleb Plant (22-1, 13 KOs)

In an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions, undefeated former two-time WBC Super Middleweight Champion David “El Bandera Roja” Benavdez and former IBF Super Middleweight Champion Caleb Plant will face off in a high-stakes, 12-round fight to end their long-running rivalry live on SHOWTIME PPV on March 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

In their bid to become the division’s next kingpin, these assertive and hungry super middleweights will bring their years-long verbal conflict into the ring. In their fight for Benavdez’s Interim WBC Super Middleweight title, both have held titles at 168 pounds and are eager to return to the top of the weight class.

WHAT TIME IS BENAVIDEZ VS. PLANT?
Date: Saturday, March 25
Start time: 1 a.m. GMT / 9 p.m. ET
Showtime will carry the fight live on SHOWTIME PPV for $74.99.
Main event ringwalks (approx): 3 a.m. GMT / 11 p.m. ET
The fight takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The event is set to get underway at 1 a.m. GMT / 9 p.m. ET with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 3 a.m. GMT / 11 p.m. ET

“David Benavadez vs. Caleb Plant will see two fighters in the prime of their careers take on the biggest challenge they can as they look to leave no doubt about their legacy in the ring,” stated Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. The event is scheduled to begin at 1 a.m. GMT / 9 p.m. ET. The main event ringwalks are scheduled for 3 a.m. GMT / 11 p.m. ET. While Plant is best known for his exceptional boxing acumen and Benavdez for his power, both fighters have demonstrated their versatility in recent bouts. A night not to be missed on SHOWTIME PPV on March 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas is the result of all of this.

“Sometimes in this business, people say it’s bad blood to sell a fight,” stated Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing. I personally guarantee that there will be genuine animosity and an incredible fight in this one. Don’t pass it up!

Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports & Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc., stated, “This is one of the biggest and potentially most explosive fights that can be made in boxing, not just in the super middleweight division.” “It pits two fighters at the peak of their athletic primes, both with prodigious skill-sets and contrasting styles, both of whom take great pride in the way they perform.” The matchup is intriguing, and there is no way to know what will happen. We have a volatile, 50-50 matchup and a potential candidate for fight of the year when we factor in their genuine and mutual dislike for one another. As we close out our 2023 schedule, SHOWTIME is pleased to present this event, which marks yet another compelling and significant main event.”

When he defeated Ronald Gavril by split decision for the vacant WBC title on SHOWTIME in 2017, the 25-year-old undefeated Benavadez (26-0, 23 KOs) became the youngest-ever 168-pound world champion at just 20 years old. Benavdez, who was born in Phoenix but now lives and trains in Seattle, has established himself as a contender in the super middleweight division with his knockout power and growing ring savvy with each fight.

Under the watchful eye of his father and trainer, Jose, Sr., Benavdez went from weighing 250 pounds to being a boxing prodigy when he was 15 years old. what’s more, his sibling and veteran competitor Jose Jr., as he broadly stood his ground in fighting against middleweight champions Gennady Golovkin and Peter Quillin. Benavídez is riding a line of six straight knockout triumphs heading into the session against Plant, having most as of late scored a resonating third-round stoppage of previous hero David Lemieux in his last battle in May. “I can hardly hold on until they put me in the ring with him so I can beat his butt,” said Benavídez. ” Boxing fans are going to have a great time tonight. I am eager to enter the room and deliver the assault that they are expecting.

Plant, who has a record of 22-2 with 13 knockouts, has used his exceptional boxing skills to become a world champion. In his most recent fight, he defeated Anthony Dirrell with a big knockout and was named Knockout of the Year for 2022 by CBS Sports, Boxing Scene. One of the most memorable finishes of 2022 came during Plant’s October debut with new trainer Stephen Edwards, when he ended a heated rivalry with Dirrell by knocking him out with a single punch.

In 2019, the 30-year-old Las Vegas resident and Nashville, Tenn., native Plant defeated Jose Uzcategui by unanimous decision to win the IBF title. Plant won the championship by knocking out Uzcategui in the second and fourth rounds. He successfully defended his title three times, defeating Mike Lee, Vincent Feigenbutz, and former champion Caleb Truax by unanimous decision. He lost the title to Canelo Alvarez in an undisputed championship match in November 2021. Alvarez was frustrated at times by his smooth boxing skills, but he beat Dirrell to set up this much-anticipated matchup with Benavidez.

Plant stated, “I made it clear I wanted to go after the biggest fight that could be made in the division after I knocked out Dirrell.” I’m back to show the world why I’m one of the most popular boxers in this one of the most anticipated matches.

I’m focused and sharp. I’m looking forward to March 25 not only to demonstrate who the superior man is but also to provide the fans with what they’ve been waiting for.

BENAVIDEZ VS. PLANT CARD
David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant; For Benavidez’s WBC interim super middleweight title
Jesus Ramos vs. Joey Spencer; Super lightweight
Chris Colbert vs. Jose Valenzuela; Lightweight
Cody Crowley vs. Abel Ramos; Welterweight
Kevin Gonzalez vs. Jose Sanmartin; Super bantamweight
Orestes Velasquez vs. Marcelino Nicolas Lopez; Super lightweight
Demler Zamora vs. Jesus Abel Ibarra; Super featherweight
Daniel Blancas vs. Nicholas Molina; Super middleweight
Dorian Mark Khan Jr. vs. TBA; Super featherweight
Robert Meriwether III vs. Jesus Ramon Perez; Super featherweight

MLS Preview: New York Red Bulls (1-1-2) at Charlotte FC (1-3-0)

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Last season, Charlotte FC defeated the New York Red Bulls in all three meetings, with New York winning 3-1 in the fifth round of the US Open Cup. In the Red Bulls’ 2-0 league win at home in October, Elias Manoel scored both of his goals, his only two goals in 11 MLS appearances.

Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Orlando City SC gave Charlotte FC its first point of the season. Charlotte FC’s 2023 season has started off similarly to 2022, with a win following three consecutive losses. In 2022, Charlotte FC defeated FC Cincinnati 2-0 to claim its fifth victory.

The New York Red Bulls’ most recent outing was a 1-1 draw against Minnesota United FC on March 11, but they have lost four of their last five on the road (D1 L3). New York has won just four of its last 15 games away from home (D4 L7) in all competitions, after winning its first seven on the road in 2022.

One of three sets of MLS teammates to attempt seven or more shots and hit at least half of them this season (Seattle’s Heber and J. Morris, Philadelphia’s J. Carranza and M. Uhre), Charlotte FC’s Enzo Copetti (4/8) and Kerwin Vargas (4/7) scored goals on Saturday.

The New York Red Bulls have only had six shots on goal through four games this season, which is the fewest by any team at this point in a season since the Los Angeles Galaxy only had six shots on goal through four games in 2020.

NFL Transactions 3-22-23

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​The following are the NFL transactions for Wednesday, March 22. Transactions will be published each day after they are circulated to NFL clubs. This public version will include waiver requests, assignments via waivers, terminations, free agent signings, reserve list and practice squad additions and deletions, and trades.

WAIVER SYSTEM TRANSACTION


TERMINATION VIA WAIVER SYSTEM

MINNESOTA
    Hennigan, ThomasWRAppalachian State   
 

ACTIVE LIST ADDITIONS


FREE AGENT SIGNINGS

ARIZONA
    Blough, DavidQBPurdue   

DALLAS
    McKinley, TakkaristDEUCLA   
    Sieg, TrentLSColorado State   

DENVER
    Bassey, EssangDBWake Forest   

INDIANAPOLIS
    McKenzie, IsaiahWRGeorgia   

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
    Hall, KemonDBNorth Texas   

NEW ORLEANS
    Norton, StormTToledo   

TAMPA BAY
    Gill, CamLBWagner   


FREE AGENCY SYSTEM TRANSACTIONS


SIGNINGS:  PLAYERS WHOSE CLUBS RETAINED EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
    Dicker, CameronPTexas   

LOS ANGELES RAMS
    Hoecht, MichaelDTBrown   


SIGNINGS:  UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

ARIZONA
    Collier, L.J.DETexas Christian   
         Old Club: SEATTLE
    Froholdt, HjalteGArkansas   
         Old Club: CLEVELAND
    Hamilton, AntonioDBSouth Carolina State   
    Pascal, ZachWROld Dominion   
         Old Club: PHILADELPHIA

CAROLINA
    McCray, JustinCCentral Florida   
         Old Club: HOUSTON

DALLAS
    Fowler, DanteLBFlorida   

LAS VEGAS
    Long, DavidDBMichigan   
         Old Club: LOS ANGELES RAMS

NEW ENGLAND
    Board, ChrisLBNorth Dakota State   
         Old Club: DETROIT

NEW ORLEANS
    Johnson, LonnieDBKentucky   
         Old Club: TENNESSEE

PHILADELPHIA
    Evans, JustinDBTexas A&M   
         Old Club: NEW ORLEANS
    Morrow, NicholasLBGreenville   
         Old Club: CHICAGO

SAN FRANCISCO
    Feliciano, JonCMiami   
         Old Club: NEW YORK GIANTS

NBA Preview: Charlotte Hornets (23-50) at New Orleans Pelicans (35-37)

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As they try to get into the play-in tournament, the New Orleans Pelicans have been falling down the Western Conference ladder.

However, their chances have improved thanks to victories over Houston and San Antonio in a row. They’ll attempt to exploit one more group out of postseason dispute when they have the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night.

All-Star forward Zion Williamson, who has been out since Jan. 2 with a hamstring strain, is one player who won’t play. On Wednesday, the Pelicans made the announcement that Williamson, who had a setback recently, has been granted permission to resume on-court activities and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

In a 119-84 victory over the Spurs on Tuesday night, New Orleans (35-37) took advantage of a short-handed team to improve their home record to 23-13. Before beginning a four-game road trip against teams in the Western Conference, the Pelicans hope to improve that record against Charlotte.

After a stretch in which New Orleans lost nine of 12 games, the win against the Spurs came on the heels of a 117-107 victory against Houston on Sunday.

Against the Spurs, the Pelicans shot 55.6 percent from the floor and 41.7% from three-point range.

The Hornets (23-50) are out of the playoff picture, but on Monday night, they overcame a 21-point deficit in the first half to defeat visiting Indiana 115-109.

Even as outsiders consider their draft prospects, Kelly Oubre Jr., who scored 28 points to lead the Hornets, stated that the team is focused on competing every night.

In the final six minutes, Charlotte defeated Indiana 19-4 to end a four-game losing streak.

Terry Rozier scored 23 focuses and Gordon Hayward added 22 for the Hornets, who fell behind 40-22 after the principal quarter.

Despite being outscored 45-18 by Indiana’s bench, the Hornets were able to score 35 points off of 22 Indiana mistakes.

NBA Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers (46-28) at Brooklyn Nets (39-33)

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While the Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be peaking at the right time to win home-court advantage in the first round of the postseason, the Brooklyn Nets may have to play at least one more game to make the playoffs if they lose in the wrong way.

Thursday night in Brooklyn, where the Nets are hoping to avoid a season-worst fifth loss in a row, Cleveland aims to sweep the two-game set and continue its recent surge.

Cleveland (46-28) is well-positioned to win the postseason at home for the first time since LeBron James’ final season in his second stint, in 2018. When the Cavaliers lost to the Nets in a play-in game, they had already surpassed last year’s win total. They were three and a half games ahead of the fifth-place New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference going into Wednesday after their 115-109 victory over the Nets on Tuesday.

Cleveland is 8-3 over its beyond 11 games since losing three straight Feb. 15-24. On Tuesday, the Cavaliers trailed by seven points in the first quarter, took control in the second, and led by a lot in the third before letting a 24-point lead slip away in the final few minutes before struggling in those final few minutes.

On 10-of-22 shooting, Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points, including a thunderous dunk in the second half. After making just one of 19 attempts from behind the arc in his previous three games, he also hit five of Cleveland’s 14 3-pointers.

Brooklyn (39-33) was two and a half games behind the Knicks and half a game ahead of the Miami Heat when Cleveland’s preferred opponent was the Nets.

In its last three games, Brooklyn has lost by 17 points or less in the second half against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday and by 22 points or less against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

The Nets are currently in their second straight four-game losing streak. The other was from February 24 to March 1, and the Nets won five of their next six games, including victories over Boston and Denver.

The Nets have shot 43.8 percent from the field and are averaging 103.5 points per game since their two-point victory over Denver on March 12. The fact that Brooklyn shot 27.3 percent (9-for-33) from behind the arc on Tuesday was the fourth time since the All-Star break that it has failed to shoot 30 percent or better is perhaps even more concerning for the team.

The Nets are shooting 31.8 percent from 3-point range during the losing streak. Mikal Bridges is one of those shooting poorly from three points. He was 0-for-8 on Tuesday and is 5-for-23 in his last three games.

Boxing Preview: Lawrence Okolie (18-0, 14 KOs) vs David Light (20-0, 12 KOs)

In the UK, the fight will be broadcast by Sky Sports. On Saturday, March 25, the show will begin at 15:00 Eastern Standard Time (USA).

Lawrence “The Sauce” Okolie has made an optimistic prediction in advance of his fight with David Light for the WBO world cruiserweight title on Saturday, March 25 at the AO Arena.

As part of a sensational BOXXER fight night that will feature Jack Catterall, Frazer Clarke, and Karriss Artingstall in action, the date and location have officially been moved from Liverpool to Manchester.

WHEN IS OKOLIE VS. LIGHT?
Date: Saturday, March 25
Start time: 7 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET
Sky Sports will broadcast the fight in the UK, ProBoxTV in the US
Main event ringwalks (approx): 10 p.m. GMT / 6 p.m. ET
The fight takes place at the AO Arena in Manchester, England.
The event is set to get underway at 7 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 10 p.m. GMT / 6 p.m. ET.

Okolie will make his long-awaited return after BOXXER agreed to the purse bid. He last fought 12 months ago.

In addition, the British fighter is confident that when he defends his WBO title against Light, a New Zealand opponent who has never lost, he will improve upon his perfect professional record of 18-0 (14 knockouts).

Okolie, who returns to live fighting exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK and Republic of Ireland, stated, “I’ll make light work of him.”

Okolie stopped Geoffrey Cave sensationally in just 20 seconds for his first professional victory in Manchester in May 2017, less than a year after competing for Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

While certain he will hold his reality title in what will be his third protection since he caught the belt back in Walk 2021 following a glimmering 6th round stoppage over Krzysztof Glowacki, Okolie realizes he really wants to take care of business against his Kiwi enemy.

Addressing Boxxer.com, Okolie added, “I realize that Sky and BOXXER will convey however long as I convey in the ring. I must succeed in defeating David Light and any subsequent opponent.

“It’s good to be back, and I’m looking forward to the first step in the journey toward unifications and additional world titles,” the athlete said.

Ben Shalom, CEO and founder of BOXXER, stated: We are bringing The Sauce with us as we return to Manchester, our spiritual home.

The wait for Lawrence Okolie to return to the ring has been well documented. Yet, I’m more than happy to see a legitimate English tip top contender protecting his reality title on home soil.

“The cruiserweight division is arguably the most exciting weight class in the sport at the moment, and there are a lot of domestic stars vying for the title. Lawrence is at the top of that mountain, and he intends to stay there when he faces a very dangerous opponent in David Light, who beat Brandon Glanton impressively last time out.

Jack Catterall, who is from the North West and is 26-1-0 with 13 knockouts, will be eager to remind the world that he ought to be the undisputed champion himself.

Questionably denied a triumph against Josh Taylor last February, the Chorley warrior had would have liked to vindicate that evening in Glasgow in a rematch with the WBO and Ring Magazine super-lightweight boss.

However, with the Scot sidelined through injury, Catterall must rather direct his concentration toward another adversary who will be named at the appropriate time.

Shalom stated, What took place to Jack a year ago was a mockery. He ought to be fighting as a world champion right now. His time will come, but for the time being, he needs to show us all what he can do and get back into the fight.

Frazer Clarke, “The People’s Champion” (5-0, 4 KOs), will fight Rydell Booker, an experienced American heavyweight, in Manchester, which has been a very happy hunting ground for him.

Clarke, who won a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, stands 6 feet 6 inches tall and has won back-to-back fights at the AO Arena. When he returns next month, he will be looking to complete the hat trick.

Clarke, on the other hand, is up against the former No. 1 ranked American heavyweight, Booker, who is from Michigan and is 27-7-1 with 14 knockouts. Booker has fought opponents like Jermaine Franklin, Kubrat Pulev, Filip Hrgovic, and Otto Wallin.

Booker will hope to continue his renaissance against the highly regarded “Big Fraze” after defeating Norman Neely in December.

Additionally, Karriss Artingstall, a 2020 bronze medalist like Clarke (2-0), returns.

The 28-year-old southpaw has won two of her first two fights as a professional, including an impressive points victory over Marina Sakharov in an historic all-female boxing match at The O2 in London in October.

The featherweight prospect’s opponent and a slew of other exciting fights for what promises to be an epic night in the North-West on March 25 will be announced in due course.

OKOLIE VS. LIGHT CARD
Lawrence Okolie vs. David Light; For Okolie’s WBO world cruiserweight title
Michael Gomez Jr vs. Levi Giles; Super featherweight
Frazer Clarke vs. Rydell Booker; Heavyweight
Callum Simpson vs. Celso Neves; Super middleweight
Aaron McKenna vs. Lukas Ndafoluma; Middleweight
Samuel Antwi vs. Omir Rodriguez; Light middleweight
Shakiel Thompson vs. Robert Talarek; Middleweight
Karriss Artingstall vs. Linzi Buczynskyj; Featherweight
Rhys Edwards vs. Brian Phillips; Featherweight
Frankie Stringer vs. TBA; Lightweight
Harvey Lambert vs. Casey Brown; Light middleweight

Boxing Preview: Nathan Heaney (16-0, 6 KOs) vs Jack Flatley (20-3-1, 4 KOs)

When Queensberry return to the Telford International Centre on March 25, live on BT Sport, Nathan Heney will fight Jack Flatley again for the vacant WBA Continental middleweight title, and Andrew Cain will fight Ionut Baluta for his WBC International Silver super bantamweight title.

On the undercard of the Joe Joyce-Joseph Parker heavyweight fight, Stoke’s Heaney (16-0, 6 KOs) and Bolton’s Flatley (20-3-1, 4) fought for five rounds at the AO Arena in Manchester in September of last year.

After Heaney suffered a severe cut above his right eye in what appeared to be a close fight, the doctor advised that the fight be stopped in the fifth round. All three judges awarded Heaney the victory when the fight went to the scorecards.

WHAT TIME IS HEANEY VS. FLATLEY?
Date: Saturday, March 25
Start time: 7:45 p.m. GMT / 3:45 p.m. ET
Main event ringwalks (approx): 10:45 p.m. GMT / 6:45 p.m. ET
BT Sport will broadcast the fight in the UK The fight will take place at the Telford International Centre in Telford, England.
The main card is set to get underway at 7:45 p.m. GMT / 3:45 p.m. ET with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 10:45 p.m. GMT / 6:45 p.m. ET.
These timings could change due to the length of the undercard fights.

Cain, a Liverpool KO artist (10-0, 9) who defeated Pablo Ariel Gomez in the first round in Telford in April, went on to defeat Luis Moreno at York Hall with the same result. The 26-year-old was out of action in November due to a shoulder injury, but he will fight again against Baluta, a Romanian from Bushey who is 15-4, 4 and his toughest opponent to date.

Baluta defeated TJ Doheny, an Olympian from Ireland, and David Oliver Joyce, an Olympian from David Oliver Joyce, respectively, before defeating Brad Foster in May of last year to win the WBC International title.

In November, he fought Liam Davies for the vacant European title, but the Telford man won after 12 rounds.

The night also marks Jason Cunningham’s (31-7, 7) return to the ring as the former European super bantamweight champion.

Hitman Heaney, who is 33 years old, stated, “I am really looking forward to it, and I suppose it will be dubbed “unfinished business”.” They thought they were going to beat me in the last fight, and I thought the exact opposite, so there are questions that need to be answered.

Heaney added, “I am training hard and looking forward to being back in Telford with a great crowd.” He explained that Flatley’s team had made him feel like he was being pushed around on social media in the days after the first fight.

That is not the case, in fact. When people try to get me to do something, I think I don’t want anything to do with them. It was his second and others started talking, and once that happens, I stop caring about people.

“However, after speaking with George (Warren), it is an intriguing fight, and the fact that it is taking place on our terms rather than theirs is when I become interested. I’m not particularly interested in it when people try to force it, but now I’m all for it.

Previous English super welterweight champion and European title challenger Flatley, added: ” After how it ended last time, I’m over it and want to fight again. I’m thinking it’s been made again because I felt like I was getting into the fight and it ended the way it did.

To be honest, it was close, and when it came to a stop, I thought it was 50/50. Although they predicted him to win every round, I’m not saying I was ahead.

“I didn’t think this fight would come back, and I don’t think Nathan really wants it, deep down.” I’m surprised that he didn’t say he wouldn’t fight me on social media, but I made up it’s happening.

“I don’t know why he has changed his mind, but I think he might have been pushed into it or felt pressured by things that have been posted on social media and other places. I don’t know why, but I don’t think he really wants to fight, and I don’t know why.

Although I’m not claiming to be the best in the world, I think there might be a simpler option than mine. I want to defeat Nathan and then possibly try to win the British championship.

Cunningham, 33, lost to Zolani Tete at Wembley in July of last year, ending his winning streak at the weight. Cunningham now fights for the vacant WBO Intercontinental super bantamweight championship.

The fight between Cunningham and Liam Davies, who holds the European title, was initially scheduled to be postponed due to Davies’ injury.

Raven Chapman (5-0, 2), who defeated Jorgelina Guanini in Manchester in September, will also make her first defense of the WBC International featherweight title. In Telford, the Omen will face the Czech Lucie Sedlackova (15-1-1, 6)

Future heavyweight star Moses Itauma will fight for the second time in his professional career over four rounds, while Liverpool super bantam Brad Strand (9-0, 3) will fight for the third time in his professional career over eight rounds.

Frank Warren, the promoter, stated, “Settling the score with Jack Flatley is the right fight for Nathan Heaney, and I think we can expect fireworks on the night.” In the event that an entertaining fight comes to an unfavorable conclusion for either party, it is always best to hold a rematch in the hope of a successful conclusion.

Nathan must maintain his winning streak in order to fulfill his dream of competing for a major title at Stoke City FC, while Jack and his team will be interested in the position. I am anticipating the atmosphere that will be created by the best boxing crowd, and this fight will deliver.

“When Andrew Cain faces Ionut Baluta, I believe we are in for a humdinger of a fight. If Andrew is able to stop Baluta, it will shock everyone in the division because he has already stopped him twice in the first round. In his tenth professional fight, Brad Strand, Andrew’s teammate, will also move closer to title contention.

“Tragically, Jason Cunningham’s endeavor to recover the European title is deferred because of injury to Liam Davies, however Jason gets the chance to put himself solidly back in the blend in with a battle for the WBA Mainland super bantamweight title.

“The fans in Telford will also be treated to the second professional fight of future heavyweight champion Moses Itauma, assuming no mishaps or injuries occur on January 28.”

Worcester’s Owen Cooper, the Midlands Area welterweight champion, will fight for eight rounds, while Telford’s Macaulay Owen, a super lightweight, will fight for six rounds.

Ilkeston super welterweight Jimmy Smith will make his professional debut over four rounds while Natty Ngwenya (1-0) makes his Queensberry debut in a four-round bout.

HEANEY VS. FLATLEY CARD
Nathan Heaney vs. Jack Flatley; Middleweight
Andrew Cain vs. Ionut Baluta; Super bantamweight
Jason Cunningham vs. Miguel Gonzalez; Super bantamweight
Raven Chapman vs. Linda Laura Lecca; Featherweight
Brad Strand vs. Kevin Trana; Super bantamweight
Owen Cooper vs. Eber Tobar; Welterweight
Macauley Owen vs. Christian Lopez Flores; Super featherweight
Ezra Taylor vs. Ales Makovec; Light heavyweight
Ben Fail vs. Elgio Palacios; Light middleweight
Moses Itauma vs. Ramon Ibarra; Heavyweight
Natty Ngwenya vs. Pawel Strykowski; Cruiserweight
Jimmy Smith vs. MJ Hall; Middleweight

MLS Preview: Los Angeles Galaxy (0-1-2) at Portland Timbers (1-3-0)

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After the Portland Timbers had won six of their previous seven games (L1), the Los Angeles Galaxy have not lost to them in any of those encounters (W3 D1). In all competitions, Portland has scored in its last 18 games against the Galaxy, the club’s longest such streak against the Galaxy.

The Portland Timbers have three points from their first four games (W1 D0 L3), marking the seventh time in the club’s history that they have three points or fewer at this point in the season. In the previous six seasons, Portland has returned to the playoffs five times and reached the MLS Cup Final three times (2015, 2018, 2021).

The Los Angeles Galaxy haven’t won any of their first three games this season, but in their last two, they’ve managed to draw. Since mid-August of the previous season, Los Angeles has only lost two of its last 14 regular season games (W5, D7).

In its last three games, Portland has given up 10 goals, all of which have come in losses, including Saturday’s 5-1 loss to Atlanta United FC. The Timbers have only once allowed more goals in three MLS games: in July 2012, when they lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy 5-3, they allowed 11 goals in three straight losses.

This season, the Los Angeles Galaxy have completed an MLS-high 88.0 percent of their passes, well ahead of Atlanta (85.5%), the next closest team. Against Vancouver on Saturday, Los Angeles completed 88.1% of its passes, with all 11 players who attempted 15 or more passes completing at least 80% of their attempts.