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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
The legend of Carmen Basilio: The 'Onion Farmer' who won Fight of the Year 5 straight times
Since The Ring magazine starting handing out Fight of the Year awards in 1945, it is fittingly the sport's most famous participant, Muhammad Ali, who has won it the most times. Following closely behind Ali's six awards is New York's Carmen Basilio with five. And Basilio's feat is even more impressive because he won all five in consecutive years from 1955 to 1959, whereas it took Ali 15 years to win six awards. That's a pretty remarkable stretch of entertaining fights for Basilio, which shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with his pugnacious fighting style. He was a specialist in trench warfare, relying on his granite chin, relentless pace and unyielding resilience to batter and overwhelm his opponents. Growing up the son of an onion farmer in Canastota, Basilio often helped in the fields, which is why he chose the ring sobriquet of "The Upstate Onion Farmer." Enduring that back-breaking labor strengthened the young Basilio's resolve, and undoubtedly forged the toughness that would later become the trademark of his Hall of Fame fighting career. So who did Basilio face in five consecutive Fights of the Year? 1955 FOTY: Basilio vs. Tony DeMarco II Date: Nov. 30, 1955 Location: Boston, MA Basilio first fought Tony DeMarco in June 1955 in Syracuse, New York, where he snatched DeMarco's welterweight title by 12th-round stoppage. The rematch took place five months later at the Boston Garden, where Demarco was searching for revenge in front of his hometown fans. According to the Wilmington Daily Press Journal, Basilio "was knocked backed onto his heels several times during the first, fourth, and fifth sessions, and was nearly knocked out in the seventh round by a left hook to the chin that buckled Basilio's knees and almost dropped him." DeMarco further staggered Basilio several times in the eighth round. But the resilient Basilio demonstrated otherworldly recuperative powers in surviving those rocky moments and turning the tide in the second half of the fight. It was Basilio's pressure and unending torrent of hooks that ultimately wore DeMarco down, as he scored two knockdowns in the 12th, which forced the referee to stop the fight. "I hit DeMarco on the top of the head in the second and the hand bothered me the rest of the way," said Basilio in the Wichita Beacon. "After the fifth round, I knew he would run out of gas. It was just a question of time." DeMarco's trainer, Sammy Fuller, was not happy with the strategy their fighter employed. "Tony fought the wrong fight again — just like the last time. He didn't follow our instructions to box the guy more. He kept trying for the knockout. He was all right when he was boxing, but he didn't do enough of it." 1956 FOTY: Basilio vs. Johnny Saxton II Date: Sept. 12, 1956 Location: Syracuse, NY After beating DeMarco, Basilio's 12-fight win streak was halted when he lost his welterweight title by controversial decision to Johnny Saxton on March 14, 1956, in Chicago. Given the disputed nature of the first fight, a rematch with Saxton was held six months later at the War Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse in front of over 8,500 of Basilio's supporters. Part of the reason why it was such a violent battle was because of Saxton's courageous — albeit unwise — decision to engage Basilio toe-to-toe rather than box him. Although Saxton got his licks in, he was never going to beat the master brawler at his own game. Basilio hurt Saxton with several left hooks at the end of the fourth, but Saxton was able to survive the round. Saxton rebounded in the sixth with his best round by employing his typical boxing style and using his jab to keep Basilio away. But Saxton's success in the sixth was short-lived as Basilio opened up a bad cut on Saxton's lip in the seventh round, which took 15 stitches to close, and forced Saxton to "swallow enough blood to make him sick for several days." In the ninth round, Basilio landed a potent overhand right that wobbled Saxton, which he followed with an assortment of power punches until the referee called a halt to the bout. It was only the second time Saxton had been knocked out in 60 fights. Basilio was pleased with his performance, which was far superior to their first fight. "I didn't have to chase him like I did in Chicago," said Basilio to the Plain Speaker. Saxton also acknowledged the role he played in losing his title: "I tried to fight the fan's fight — they don't want you to run." 1957 FOTY: Basilio vs. Suger Ray Robinson I Date: Sept. 23, 1957 Location: New York, NY After stopping Saxton in their rematch, Basilio beat Saxton again and then Harold Jones. The Canastota native then decided to take on the biggest challenge of his career by moving up a division to middleweight to fight the irreproachable Sugar Ray Robinson. By then, Robinson was 36 years old and had already fought close to 150 times as a professional. He retired in 1952 and had been out of the ring for two and a half years before he made a comeback in 1955. Since returning to the ring, he had gone 9-2, including twice regaining the middleweight title. Going into his title defense against Basilio at Yankee Stadium, even though Robinson was past his prime, he was still a monumental adversary to overcome. Robinson took full advantage of his size and reach as he landed stiff jabs on Basilio's face early on. But Basilio forced his way inside throughout the contest, where he raked Robinson with powerful hooks from his chin to his hips. Suffocating Robinson was Basilio's only path to victory, because giving Robinson space to uncork his blindingly fast and powerful combinations was asking to be knocked into another dimension. The last third of the fight was particularly enthralling as both fighters took turns hurting each other while digging deep into their reservoirs of courage to stay on their feet. In the last 30 seconds of the 11th round, Basilio pinned Robinson against the ropes and unloaded over 20 unanswered power punches, which an exhausted Robinson somehow survived. Sugar Ray rebounded in the 12th by hurting Basilio with a series of left hooks and knocking him around the ring. Then, in the 13th, Robinson nailed Basilio with a massive left hook that caused the onion farmer's eyes to roll back in his head. In the end, after the two brave combatants waged war for 15 grueling rounds, Basilio won a split decision, earning his second divisional title in the process. There was no doubt in Basilio's mind that he was the rightful winner despite the split verdict. "Of course I won the fight. I forced the fight, didn't I?," Basilio told the Times Record. "I got in the most punches, didn't I? Then I won it. He's a good fighter, a great fighter. But he didn't worry me at all. I think I outsmarted him." Robinson didn't argue the decision. "There were two judges and a referee. I abide by their decision. I have no squawks," said Robinson to the Times Record. "I don't know whether I'll ever fight again. I had to battle for everything I got in this fight. I'll decide in a few days whether I'll fight Basilio again." 1958 FOTY: Basilio vs. Suger Ray Robinson II Date: March 25, 1958 Location: Chicago, IL Ultimately, Robinson agreed to a rematch with Basilio, which took place six months later at Chicago Stadium in front of almost 18,000 spectators. In the rematch, Robinson was more disciplined in his strategy of keeping Basilio away with his jab, while tying him up in close to prevent him from letting loose with haymakers. The early rounds were evenly contested, with Robinson coming on strong in the third and bloodying Basilio's nose. Basilio rebounded to take the fourth round, and then gave Robinson "such a battering in the next four sessions that it seemed Sugar Ray would be knocked out." But by the sixth round, Basilio's left eye had swollen to the size of a golf ball, which was fitting because Robinson was swinging and landing his two fists on Basilio's face like a driver smacking a ball onto the fairway. According to the Tulsa Tribune, "The fight quickly developed into an ultra-rough match in which each tried to batter the other with forbidden 'rabbit punches' to the back of the head, belt one another when referee Frank Sikora was breaking them, and butt at times with the head." From the 12th through the 15th, Robinson came close to stopping Basilio as he staggered him several times. Even though Basilio withstood another hellish 15 rounds, it was Robinson who walked away with the split decision win and the title. "It was one of my toughest fights. I'm tired, very tired," said Robinson in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Although Basilio gave his best effort, he couldn't replicate his success from their first fight. "I couldn't get my distance right. If you can't get distance, you find yourself off-balance." 1959 FOTY: Basilio vs. Gene Fullmer Date: Aug. 28, 1959 Location: Daly City, CA After losing the title to Robinson in their rematch, Basilio scored wins over Art Aragon and Arley Seifer, which set the stage for another crack at the middleweight title against Utah's Gene Fullmer. Against Basilio, Fullmer put forth one of the best performances of his career as he used his jab to great effect, preventing Basilio from finding his rhythm. And whenever Basilio managed to get inside, Fullmer held his own with excellent counterpunching. One of those brilliant counters came at the end of the eighth round, when Fullmer nailed and staggered Basilio with an overhand right at the bell. In the 10th round, Basilio nailed Fullmer with a left hook-right uppercut combination that briefly stunned the Utah native. But Fullmer stood his ground and returned fire with enough solid blows to keep Basilio honest. That turned out to be Basilio's last stand, because as the fight progressed through the championship rounds, he couldn't keep Fullmer off of him. In the 14th round, Fullmer landed a "right hand to the button and Basilio's legs looked like a marionette with the string suddenly tangled or cut," according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Somehow Basilio stayed on his feet, but after some follow-up punches from Fullmer, the referee intervened and stopped the fight at the request of Basilio's corner. Fullmer achieved an impressive feat in becoming the first fighter to beat Basilio inside the distance. But it was a testament to Basilio's durability that it took until the 75th fight of his career for him to fail to see a fight's final bell. Although Basilio didn't agree with the stoppage, he gave credit to the new champion when he spoke to reporters after the fight. "I don't know what was wrong, I just couldn't get on top," said Basilio in the San Bernardino County Sun. 'But I don't want to take anything away from Fullmer. He's the strongest guy I ever fought." During Basilio's remarkable stretch of five consecutive Fights of the Year, three out of four opponents were fellow Hall of Famers and absurdly tough competition. Those fights proved that it took herculean efforts from some of the greatest ring legends to give Basilio a competitive fight. So if you were unlucky enough to share the ring with "The Upstate Onion Farmer" during the 1950s, you'd better hope that you had your roots firmly planted in the soil — because otherwise, you were getting blown away.
New York Times
12-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Katie Taylor beats Amanda Serrano in trilogy fight: Live updates and reaction
Follow live reaction as Katie Taylor beats Amanda Serrano with another contentious points decision at Madison Square Garden Getty Images Katie Taylor has defeated Amanda Serrano for the third time, successfully defending her unified light-welterweight titles. Taylor (now 25-1) won via majority decision at Madison Square Garden. The Irishwoman had previously beaten Serrano (47-4-1) in the 2022 Fight of the Year at the Garden and again in Texas last year. Tonight's results Email us at live@ The Athletic x Getty Images … and here's the tale of the tape for today's main event. Getty Images Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano yesterday weighed in for the final chapter of their historic rivalry. The fight is for the undisputed super-lightweight world championship — but both Taylor and Serrano have more regularly campaigned at lightweight and both weighed in well below the 140lbs limit. Taylor tipped the scale at 135.8lbs while Serrano was fractionally heavier, at 136lbs. Getty Images 📧 Alan P: 'I think Amanda Serrano will win tonight. Katie Taylor is a legend but looked a lot slower in the last fight and she was fortunate to get the decision. The cut Serrano suffered was also to her advantage. Serrano winning the final fight in the trilogy seems like a fair result to me — I have enjoyed their rivalry a lot and it doesn't deserve to go down in history as a rollover!' 📧 Giro P: 'I'm really looking forward to this card. I hate to say it but credit to Jake Paul. Women's boxing took off during the COVID-19 lockdown but it felt as though the momentum had been slowing before the announcement about this trilogy fight and a stacked card to support it.' It would be great to hear from you, too: email me at live@ Getty Images 🏆 IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring super-featherweight titles Tonight's co-main event sees Alycia Baumgardner (15-1) defend her unified super-featherweight titles against Spanish veteran Jennifer Miranda (12-0), who is yet to taste defeat in her professional career. Miranda is boxing outside of Spain for the first time in her career. Baumgardner is fighting for the first time since her eagerly-anticipated fight with the great Delfine Persoon ended in a disappointing no contest. The pair accidentally clashed heads in the fourth round of that September 2024 fight, which left Persoon with a gash over her right eye. Baumgardner is expected to win but the question is whether or not she can win explosively. If she manages it, she will most likely move to the front of the queue to challenge the winner of the final fight of the night: Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano. Getty Images 🏆 IBF, WBC, WBO, and Ring super-bantamweight titles Londoner Ellie Scotney (10-0) has been making waves ever since turning professional and today has the opportunity to add Yamileth Mercado's (24-3) WBC belt to her IBF, WBO and Ring super-bantamweight titles. That would leave WBA queen Mayelli Flores Rosquero (13-1-1) as the only other champion in the division. Scotney and Mercado were born on the exact same day in 1998 — March 16 — but Mercado is vastly more experienced. She has had 17 more fights and is taking part in her 12th title fight. Scotney won her first title in her seventh fight, against Cherneka Johnson. Getty Images 🏆 IBF and WBO super-middleweight titles Savannah Marshall (13-1), one of the true stars of the sport, is returning to the ring today after not boxing for two years. The Englishwoman became the undisputed super-middleweight world champion with a victory over Franchon Crews-Dezurn in July 2023, in her first fight since narrowly losing to Claressa Shields. Marshall then stepped away from the sport to make her MMA debut, but she's back in boxing and will pick up from where she left off with a victory against the dangerous Shadasia Green (15-1) today. 💬 Marshall already has her eye on a rematch with Shields. 'I'm here to get my belts back and avenge my defeat to Claressa Shields – that's if she'll ever fight me,' she told Boxing News earlier this week. 'In an ideal world, by this time next year I'd like to be out of boxing.' Getty Images 🏆 IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring bantamweight titles New Zealand's Cherneka Johnson (17-2) only picked up the WBA bantamweight title in May 2024, when she outpointed Nina Hughes. She beat Hughes again in March and now finds herself involved in a unification fight. It marks quite the turnaround for Johnson, who was out of the ring for almost a year after a loss to Ellie Scotney in London in 2023. Johnson is up against the veteran Shurretta Metcalf (14–4–1), who holds the IBF title. The 40-year-old from Dallas, Texas has won her last four contests, picking up her first world title last time out, against Miyo Yoshida. The WBC and WBO titles have also been thrown into the mix after Denmark's undefeated Dina Thorslund (23-0) temporarily stepped away from the sport after she announced she was pregnant with her second child. Getty Images 🏆 Interim WBC light-welterweight title This fight is where the undercard starts to get really serious. 34-year-old Englishwoman Chantelle Cameron (20-1) has achieved what Amanda Serrano — or anybody else, for that matter — has been unable to: defeating Katie Taylor. Cameron stunned the world when she beat Taylor by majority decision in her own backyard in May 2023. But Taylor won their rematch and seemingly declined to immediately pursue a trilogy bout, much to Cameron's frustration. 💬 'I'm told I will fight the winner of Katie versus Amanda, because I'm the WBC interim champion,' Cameron told ESPN earlier this week. 'I don't say I'm confident of getting a third fight with Katie though because the trilogy fight with her should have happened a long time ago. I've fought her in Dublin twice and she told me after the second one in the ring that the trilogy fight will happen. 'I thought it was signed and sealed, I agreed the date and venue, and I was actually taking less money for it than the first two fights. But then I got told she wanted an easier fight next and was fighting her mandatory instead of me. 'She didn't want to fight me again and has she changed her mind? Probably not.' Cameron today takes on Jessica Camara (13–4–1), an experienced Canadian who drew with Caroline Dubois last time out. The fight ended in a technical draw at the start of round three after an accidental clash of heads left Camara with a deep cut above the eye. Getty Images Pittsburgh boxer Mary Casamassa will come up against Tamm Thibeault in the other fight without a title on the line tonight — although the contest will witness the end of somebody's unblemished professional record. Casamassa (6-0) is ranked at No. 1 by the WBC and IBF at 160 pounds. She is ranked in the same spot by the WBA and WBO contender at 168. Thibeault is still making her way in the pro ranks but has some serious pedigree at amateur level, twice representing Canada at the Olympic Games and winning gold at the 2022 World Championships in Istanbul. Getty Images British-Somalian super-bantamweight Ramla Ali (9-2) is looking to rebuild her career after two defeats in her last three fights. The 35-year-old super bantamweight was seen as one of the sport's rising stars until she was unexpectedly stopped by Julissa Guzman. Ali avenged that defeat a few months later but then lost to WBC champion Yamileth Mercado on a unanimous points decision last June. This is therefore Ali's first fight in over a year — and her first since signing a promotional deal with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions. She is up against Lila Furtado, a 34-year-old Brazilian with a professional record of 11-2. Previews of all seven undercard fights are coming up next. Main card Katie Taylor (c) vs. Amanda Serrano 3 for the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring light-welterweight titles for the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring light-welterweight titles Alycia Baumgardner (c) vs. Jennifer Miranda for the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring super-featherweight titles for the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring super-featherweight titles Savannah Marshall (c) vs. Shadasia Green (c) for the IBF and WBO super-middleweight titles for the IBF and WBO super-middleweight titles Ellie Scotney (c) vs. Yamileth Mercado (c) for the IBF, WBC, WBO, and Ring super-bantamweight titles Prelims Cherneka Johnson (c) vs. Shurretta Metcalf (c) for the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring bantamweight titles for the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring bantamweight titles Chantelle Cameron (ic) vs. Jessica Camara for the interim WBC light-welterweight title for the interim WBC light-welterweight title Ramla Ali vs. Lila Furtado Tamm Thibeault vs. Mary Casamassa The Athletic We'd love to know your thoughts ahead of today's fight, particularly as plenty of you usually get in touch for our coverage of big boxing events. Who do you think is going to win our main event of the evening? What undercard fight are you most looking forward to? And what other big events do you have your eye on this summer? Let us know by emailing live@ Getty Images Katie Taylor seemed more than a little fed up at this week's final press conference, saying she is 'sick of Amanda Serrano's whining' before their third fight. 💬 She said: 'The fact is that I am 2-0 against her. 'Opinions are opinions, but facts are facts, and you can't get away from those facts. And, yeah, I guess I'm just sick of the complaining and whining from her team. 'I'm going into this fight unbeaten against Amanda Serrano, and I plan to stay on being against her.' Getty Images Earlier this year, Amanda Serrano also accused Katie Taylor of reneging on an earlier agreement to move to three-minute rounds for today's fight. Both of Taylor's victories over Serrano consisted of 10 two-minute rounds. But Serrano has fought longer bouts since her first fight with Taylor and last year, alongside 20 current and former women's boxers, she signed a statement saying women should be able to fight three-minute rounds. 💬 'First of all, we shook on it,' Serrano said during a news conference to announce the fight. 'She didn't agree when we went to sign the contract.' Turning to Taylor, she said: 'You know that if you have an extra minute that it won't go your way.' Getty Images Despite Amanda Serrano's apology to Katie Taylor in November, there has still been a fairly needling buildup to today's trilogy fight. And, during the pre-fight press conference, Serrano could not resist another dig at Taylor leading with her head throughout the second contest. 💬 'I'm going to use my head, but not the way it was used on me,' Serrano smiled when asked how she would improve from the first and second bouts. 'We're going to be smarter. We're going to be smarter, work smarter. I work hard in every training camp so I didn't work harder for this camp, but I did work a lot smarter for this fight. 'And I believe that we can come out victorious. We will come out victorious.' Getty Images Walker F: 'Count me among the millions of less-than-once-per-year boxing viewers that have no idea how Taylor won that fight.' RAD: 'I think Taylor was largely controlling how the fight got fought from the 2nd round. Serrano can bang but wasn't landing clean work and was always getting caught at the back in the exchanges, which as we know are the ones judges tend to remember. However, Taylor couldn't keep behind her shots, was falling forwards often and led with the head more than once. Her once excellent footwork and head movement didn't seem to be there. 'It was close, but I do think Taylor won the fight. Neither really did each other any favours.' James G: 'It was undoubtedly a close fight but a one point victory could have gone either way and was definitely not a robbery.' Getty Images An unhappy Amanda Serrano took aim at Katie Taylor in the following days on social media. But it's important to note the Puerto Rican later retracted her allegation that Taylor had deliberately looked to headbutt her throughout the rematch. 💬 She later wrote on X: ' Tempers are flared when you're in the heat of battle and you say things you shouldn't say. 'I'm not one to ever disrespect an opponent and these were never my intentions to Katie. She and I are cool outside the ring and the best dance partners in the ring. In no way should I ever have said she did it purposely, it's her style that makes for them. 'I'm not perfect and although I try my hardest to be the nicest person I can be, I'm human and being emotionally hurt can sometimes misguide you in what you say.' Getty Images There was a lot more bad blood after the rematch in Texas, with Amanda Serrano unhappy at how Katie Taylor had repeatedly leaned in with her head. 💬 'She kept head butting me, but we knew that from the very beginning from the first fight,' a frustrated Serrano said in the ring. 'That's what they do, not only my fight, she did it with Chantelle Cameron. Listen, I'm a Boricua. I'm going to die in this ring no matter what, no matter how many cuts I have on my face.' Taylor was docked a point for a headbutt in the eighth, which convinced many of those in attendance that Serrano was on course to avenge her defeat in the first fight. But all three judges scored the fight 95-94 for Taylor, who was booed as she was declared the victor. 'I knew when it went to the judges it was going to be a little shady,' Serrano added. Getty Images Another Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano superfight, another heavily disputed judging decision. For the second time, Taylor defeated Serrano via a decision that left more fans questioning the scorecards than praising Taylor's skills. Serrano fought through a gnarly cut above her right eye throughout much of the contest in Arlington, Texas, thanks to a series of Taylor head butts, one of which resulted in a point deduction in the eighth round. Taylor appeared to be fighting from behind throughout the bout, with Serrano fighting with tremendous precision, but Taylor's strong finish in the final four frames swung the judges' scorecards to earn the Irish fighter a trio of identical judgments, 95-94.
New York Times
12-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Thibeault vs. Casamassa round 5
Follow live coverage as Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano step into the ring together for the third time at Madison Square Garden in New York Getty Images Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano today return to where their seminal rivalry began, as two of the greatest women's boxers in the world go head-to-head at Madison Square Garden. Taylor (24-1) beat Serrano (47-3-1) in the 2022 Fight of the Year at the Garden and the Irishwoman also won their similarly thrilling rematch in Texas last year. The pair will now fight for a third time with Taylor's unified light-welterweight titles on the line. To add to her misery a small cut has opened up just below Casamassa's eye. Thibeault has thrown twice as many shots as Casamassa and landed even more. With that knockdown in the first round Casamassa either needs to win every remaining round or stop her opponent. Both outcomes seem unlikely. They seem even more unlikely now. Thibeault connects with yet another overhand left — I'm getting tired of typing that — and encouraged by the sight of Casamassa's head snapping back like a speedball, she jumps in, pawing at her opponent with her right and throwing the left over and over again. Casamassa eats a couple of really stiff shots and the referee has seen enough. Tamm Thibeault wins via TKO in round 5. Getty Images Thibeault takes up residence in the middle of the ring and beckons Casamassa forward. Casamassa catches Thibeault with a well-timed jab and that causes Thibeault to mix her approach up. She looks to land that big overhand left, grazing the top of Casamassa's head, but seconds later she connects. Casamassa is reeling a little and Thibeault takes her work downstairs, landing a pair of clubbing hooks to the body. Yet more good scoring shots and Casamassa will feel the effect of those as this fight wears on. Casamassa is still hanging in there but she is presenting a pretty stationary target for Thibeault, who starts the round at quite a clip before catching a breather for the last minute or so. Perhaps surprised by the relenting pressure Casamassa does dart forward into range at the end of the round, backing Thibeault up onto the ropes and garnering a couple of encouraging shouts from the crowd, but she doesn't land anything significant. Both of these women have one knockout on their professional record. Thibeault has fought twice, Casamassa six times. Both are undefeated and hoping to work their way into title contention. Thibeault starts the round boxing sensibly, continuing her work behind the jab and resisting the temptation to force the issue. Casamassa still appears a touch unsteady, though. That encourages Thibeault to pick up the aggression midway through the round and she then enjoys a spell in the middle of the ring firing overhand shots towards her opponent. Casamassa picks up the energy a little at the end of the round but it's another that the judges will surely have scored in her opponent's favour. Getty Images Casamassa (6-0) is in the white and gold, Thibeault (2-0) in blue. It's Thibeault who lands the first meaningful shot of the fight, a right hook which she follows up with a couple of stiff jabs. She's the lighter on her feet, too. Growing in confidence Thibeault begins mixing up her work nicely, although that seems to spur Casamassa into life somewhat, and she replies with a couple of good scoring shots. But then a knockdown! Just as Casamassa is growing into the contest, she walks onto an overhand right and clubbing left hook. Casamassa rises unsteadily back to her feet but there's only a few seconds remaining and she survives the round. Mary Casamassa makes her way to the ring first. Tamm Thibeault follows her. This one is scheduled for eight three-minute rounds. Pittsburgh boxer Mary Casamassa will come up against Tamm Thibeault in the other fight without a title on the line tonight — although the contest will witness the end of somebody's unblemished professional record. Casamassa (6-0) is ranked at No. 1 by the WBC and IBF at 160 pounds. She is ranked in the same spot by the WBA and WBO contender at 168. Thibeault is still making her way in the pro ranks but has some serious pedigree at amateur level, twice representing Canada at the Olympic Games and winning gold at the 2022 World Championships in Istanbul. You'd be forgiven for thinking Amanda Serrano's dream outcome is a victory today followed by a historic fourth fight to well and truly level the score with Katie Taylor. But speaking earlier this week, Serrano said she wasn't interested in a fourth. This is it. 💬 'I don't think there'll be a fourth fight,' she said Wednesday. 'I'm kind of tired of Katie Taylor. We've had great moments together, great fights together. But two is better than one, right? She'll have two, I'll have one, and she can live with that.' The Athletic x Getty Images … and here's the tale of the tape for today's main event. Getty Images Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano yesterday weighed in for the final chapter of their historic rivalry. The fight is for the undisputed super-lightweight world championship — but both Taylor and Serrano have more regularly campaigned at lightweight and both weighed in well below the 140lbs limit. Taylor tipped the scale at 135.8lbs while Serrano was fractionally heavier, at 136lbs. Getty Images 📧 Alan P: 'I think Amanda Serrano will win tonight. Katie Taylor is a legend but looked a lot slower in the last fight and she was fortunate to get the decision. The cut Serrano suffered was also to her advantage. Serrano winning the final fight in the trilogy seems like a fair result to me — I have enjoyed their rivalry a lot and it doesn't deserve to go down in history as a rollover!' 📧 Giro P: 'I'm really looking forward to this card. I hate to say it but credit to Jake Paul. Women's boxing took off during the COVID-19 lockdown but it felt as though the momentum had been slowing before the announcement about this trilogy fight and a stacked card to support it.' It would be great to hear from you, too: email me at live@ Getty Images 🏆 IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring super-featherweight titles Tonight's co-main event sees Alycia Baumgardner (15-1) defend her unified super-featherweight titles against Spanish veteran Jennifer Miranda (12-0), who is yet to taste defeat in her professional career. Miranda is boxing outside of Spain for the first time in her career. Baumgardner is fighting for the first time since her eagerly-anticipated fight with the great Delfine Persoon ended in a disappointing no contest. The pair accidentally clashed heads in the fourth round of that September 2024 fight, which left Persoon with a gash over her right eye. Baumgardner is expected to win but the question is whether or not she can win explosively. If she manages it, she will most likely move to the front of the queue to challenge the winner of the final fight of the night: Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano. Getty Images 🏆 IBF, WBC, WBO, and Ring super-bantamweight titles Londoner Ellie Scotney (10-0) has been making waves ever since turning professional and today has the opportunity to add Yamileth Mercado's (24-3) WBC belt to her IBF, WBO and Ring super-bantamweight titles. That would leave WBA queen Mayelli Flores Rosquero (13-1-1) as the only other champion in the division. Scotney and Mercado were born on the exact same day in 1998 — March 16 — but Mercado is vastly more experienced. She has had 17 more fights and is taking part in her 12th title fight. Scotney won her first title in her seventh fight, against Cherneka Johnson. Getty Images 🏆 IBF and WBO super-middleweight titles Savannah Marshall (13-1), one of the true stars of the sport, is returning to the ring today after not boxing for two years. The Englishwoman became the undisputed super-middleweight world champion with a victory over Franchon Crews-Dezurn in July 2023, in her first fight since narrowly losing to Claressa Shields. Marshall then stepped away from the sport to make her MMA debut, but she's back in boxing and will pick up from where she left off with a victory against the dangerous Shadasia Green (15-1) today. 💬 Marshall already has her eye on a rematch with Shields. 'I'm here to get my belts back and avenge my defeat to Claressa Shields – that's if she'll ever fight me,' she told Boxing News earlier this week. 'In an ideal world, by this time next year I'd like to be out of boxing.' Getty Images 🏆 IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring bantamweight titles New Zealand's Cherneka Johnson (17-2) only picked up the WBA bantamweight title in May 2024, when she outpointed Nina Hughes. She beat Hughes again in March and now finds herself involved in a unification fight. It marks quite the turnaround for Johnson, who was out of the ring for almost a year after a loss to Ellie Scotney in London in 2023. Johnson is up against the veteran Shurretta Metcalf (14–4–1), who holds the IBF title. The 40-year-old from Dallas, Texas has won her last four contests, picking up her first world title last time out, against Miyo Yoshida. The WBC and WBO titles have also been thrown into the mix after Denmark's undefeated Dina Thorslund (23-0) temporarily stepped away from the sport after she announced she was pregnant with her second child. Getty Images 🏆 Interim WBC light-welterweight title This fight is where the undercard starts to get really serious. 34-year-old Englishwoman Chantelle Cameron (20-1) has achieved what Amanda Serrano — or anybody else, for that matter — has been unable to: defeating Katie Taylor. Cameron stunned the world when she beat Taylor by majority decision in her own backyard in May 2023. But Taylor won their rematch and seemingly declined to immediately pursue a trilogy bout, much to Cameron's frustration. 💬 'I'm told I will fight the winner of Katie versus Amanda, because I'm the WBC interim champion,' Cameron told ESPN earlier this week. 'I don't say I'm confident of getting a third fight with Katie though because the trilogy fight with her should have happened a long time ago. I've fought her in Dublin twice and she told me after the second one in the ring that the trilogy fight will happen. 'I thought it was signed and sealed, I agreed the date and venue, and I was actually taking less money for it than the first two fights. But then I got told she wanted an easier fight next and was fighting her mandatory instead of me. 'She didn't want to fight me again and has she changed her mind? Probably not.' Cameron today takes on Jessica Camara (13–4–1), an experienced Canadian who drew with Caroline Dubois last time out. The fight ended in a technical draw at the start of round three after an accidental clash of heads left Camara with a deep cut above the eye. Getty Images Pittsburgh boxer Mary Casamassa will come up against Tamm Thibeault in the other fight without a title on the line tonight — although the contest will witness the end of somebody's unblemished professional record. Casamassa (6-0) is ranked at No. 1 by the WBC and IBF at 160 pounds. She is ranked in the same spot by the WBA and WBO contender at 168. Thibeault is still making her way in the pro ranks but has some serious pedigree at amateur level, twice representing Canada at the Olympic Games and winning gold at the 2022 World Championships in Istanbul. Getty Images British-Somalian super-bantamweight Ramla Ali (9-2) is looking to rebuild her career after two defeats in her last three fights. The 35-year-old super bantamweight was seen as one of the sport's rising stars until she was unexpectedly stopped by Julissa Guzman. Ali avenged that defeat a few months later but then lost to WBC champion Yamileth Mercado on a unanimous points decision last June. This is therefore Ali's first fight in over a year — and her first since signing a promotional deal with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions. She is up against Lila Furtado, a 34-year-old Brazilian with a professional record of 11-2. Previews of all seven undercard fights are coming up next. Main card Katie Taylor (c) vs. Amanda Serrano 3 for the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring light-welterweight titles for the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring light-welterweight titles Alycia Baumgardner (c) vs. Jennifer Miranda for the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring super-featherweight titles for the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring super-featherweight titles Savannah Marshall (c) vs. Shadasia Green (c) for the IBF and WBO super-middleweight titles for the IBF and WBO super-middleweight titles Ellie Scotney (c) vs. Yamileth Mercado (c) for the IBF, WBC, WBO, and Ring super-bantamweight titles Prelims Cherneka Johnson (c) vs. Shurretta Metcalf (c) for the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring bantamweight titles for the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring bantamweight titles Chantelle Cameron (ic) vs. Jessica Camara for the interim WBC light-welterweight title for the interim WBC light-welterweight title Ramla Ali vs. Lila Furtado Tamm Thibeault vs. Mary Casamassa Page 2
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Joshua Van vows to show 'no respect at all' for UFC champ Alexandre Pantoja in expected title fight
Joshua Van continues to gain momentum like it's going out of style. The new No. 1-ranked UFC flyweight contender has emerged seemingly overnight as one of MMA's biggest breakout stars of 2025. Van's current five-fight win streak began this past September, however none of the five were more resounding than his latest — the 23-year-old went to war with one-time title challenger Brandon Royval at UFC 317, won a unanimous decision, seized the baton as the Fight of the Year frontrunner and positioned himself as the next challenger to UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja. Advertisement Despite the vast difference in experience between himself and Uncrowned's No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter in the world Pantoja, Van is exceedingly confident in his abilities ahead of the massive opportunity. "There's no one like me," Van said on Monday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show." "The fighting style that I bring, the no respect — I don't give respect to nobody in that cage. I respect [Pantoja] as a man, I respect what he's done in our division. But when we fight, there's no respect at all. "You know how a lot of people say that, 'He's good at this, he's the next level,' this and that? Look at Royval. When they said, 'Oh, his pressure's going to be too much' — I didn't give him no respect when he was pressuring me. I don't give no respect. I stay calm, I'll do my thing. It's going to be the same thing [against Pantoja]. I'm not going to let him do his thing. And I feel like a lot of people, because they know that his grappling is so much, that they're so scared of him taking them down, that they end up getting taken down." Advertisement UFC 317 set the stage perfectly for the top of the flyweight division with an unofficial tournament of sorts. Van's clash against Royval directly preceded Pantoja's latest title defense over Kai Kara-France. Like Van, the champion also performed brilliantly, finishing Kara-France with a third-round rear-naked choke to notch his fourth consecutive defense of the 125-pound belt. It was all a new experience for the surging Van, who stuck around inside Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena after his own big moment against Royval. "It was a good fight, but my head wasn't all there," Van said of his experience sitting cageside for Pantoja's win. "I was so excited to be there. You gotta remember, I never go to UFC events. I think that was probably my second time. ... For me to sit at the front row, my head wasn't there. "When I walked in the cage, I didn't even know what to do. Joe Rogan asked me a question and I thought we were done. Shout out to the champ, man — he was like, 'Hey, we gotta do the faceoff.' I forgot about the faceoff! I thought after [Rogan] interviews me, we were done." Advertisement Considering his youth, Van has already put together a wildly impressive career. Of his current five-fight stretch of victories, all occurred on numbered UFC pay-per-view events. Now if he can pull off the upset against Pantoja, Van will become one of the youngest champions in promotional history, falling just shy of topping Jon Jones' record set at age 23 against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in 2011. Though he's yet to fight a full five rounds in MMA, Van nonetheless has championship experience, having previously won the Fury FC flyweight title in 2023. That fight punched Van's ticket to the UFC, and nine fights later, he feels well-prepared to overthrow one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on Earth. "I'm about to take that belt. [UFC 317] showed that I'm confident, I'm ready to take him on," Van said. "I don't really care about the faceoff. People want to look hard when they face off. I'm like, 'Man, come on. We're going to fight in the cage.' "He's a great champion, but he's never fought Joshua Van."
The Sun
29-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
When is Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn 2? CONFIRMED date, card, TV channel and live stream ahead of blockbuster rematch
CHRIS Eubank Jr and Conor Benn will go head-to-head in a blockbuster rematch later this year. The two rivals first clashed on April 26 in a fight which captivated the world of boxing. 2 2 Eubank Jr narrowly outpointed his bitter foe as the all-British bout lived up to the hype and was certainly a Fight of the Year contender. He secured the bragging rights in the family feud that began with their fathers 35 years ago. And now Eubank Jr and Benn will do it all again to the delight of boxing fans all around the world. When is Eubank Jr vs Benn 2? Eubank Jr vs Benn 2 will take place on Saturday, September 20. Timings are yet to be confirmed, but the main event will likely take place at around 10pm BST. A venue is yet to be confirmed, but the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the favourite to host again, while Wembley is also an option. What TV channel is Eubank Jr vs Benn 2 on and can it be live streamed? Broadcasting details for Eubank Jr vs Benn 2 are yet to be confirmed. The last fight was broadcast on both DAZN PPV and Sky Sports Box Office in the UK. SunSport's live blog of the event will provide you will expert round-by-round coverage. Eubank Jr vs Benn 2 card Full card details for Eubank Jr vs Benn 2 are yet to be confirmed, but it will be billed as the Riyadh Season Card. What's been said? Conor Benn 's promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed his thoughts ahead of the rematch, the Matchroom chief said: "I just think the second fight will be even better. "They're not going to change. They're going to come out from the first bell and just carry on like the 13th round. And when you see a fight like that, for me, the automatic thing to do is to do the rematch. "The fight was always going to be two fights, but sometimes a fight's one-sided or it ends early and there isn't really the appetite for the rematch. "I think here, now with Conor having that activity, which is something that was lacking from the first fight as well, we really fancy our chances. "We know the weight's a disadvantage and that showed a little bit in the first fight, but fans can just expect a continuation of the 12th round and it'll be another toe-to-toe war."
