According to rumors, former world champion Mexican middleweight (up to 72.6 kg) Jaime Munguia (41-0, 33 KOs) will fight the next fight against American Shane Mosley Jr. (18-4, 10 KOs). Both cooperate with Golden Boy Promotions and
streaming DAZN.
This is definitely not the fight we dreamed about in the article Most Anticipated Fights of 2023: Top 20.
The IBF offered their ex-champion age-old Spanish featherweight (up to 57.2 kg) Kiko Martinez (44-11-2, 31 KOs) to fight for the title of mandatory contender with Japanese Reya Abe (24-3-1, 10 KOs) .
Previously, the veteran was matched with an American prospect. The current champion in this version is the Mexican Luis Alberto Lopez (27-2, 15 KOs).
Another ex-owner of the same belt, Briton Josh Warrington (31-2-1, 8 KOs), will most likely get another title chance soon.
Boxing promoter Eddie HearnMatchroom Boxing) plans to make Josh a fight with the WBA champion – the winner of the fight between Lee Wood (26-2, 16 KOs) from Britain and Mauricio Lara (25-2-1, 18 KOs) from Mexico. This fight will take place on February 18 in Nottingham (UK).
Lara had previously fought Warrington twice. In the first fight, he sensationally knocked out, and the second fight ended in a draw by a technical decision – Josh inflicted a cut on his opponent with a headbutt.
The WBC ordered two eliminators in the second bantamweight (up to 55.3 kg). In the first face-to-face fight, ex-champion Luis Neri (33-1, 25 KOs) from Mexico and ex-challenger Azat Hovhannisyan (21-3, 17 KOs) from Armenia will meet. It is possible that an interim title will be at stake (since the current champion of the organization, American Stephen Fulton will fight for the interim belt in the division above, there is a date).
In the second fight, the mandatory challenger will be determined by American Rais Alim (20-0, 12 KOs) and Mexican David Picasso (23-0-1, 12 KOs). The parties have until the end of the month to reach an amicable agreement. Otherwise, promotional bidding will take place.
Another decision from IBF: the mandatory challenger in the flyweight (up to 50.8 kg) will be determined in a head-to-head fight by ex-world champions Nicaraguans Christopher Rosales (35-6, 21 KOs) and Felix Alvarado (38-3, 33 KOs).
If the fight takes place, then we will get a tough candidate for the nomination in the category fight of the year are two hard and aggressive sluggers. Alvarado came close to taking the belt away from division leader Sunny Edwards in November, but lost on points.
The current and former IBF featherweight champions (up to 59 kg) – Shavkatjon Rakhimov (17-0-1, 14 KOs) from Tajikistan and Joe Cordina (15-0, 9 KOs) from Britain – will fight on April 22 in Cardiff (Wales) ).
Cordina was stripped of his title after he was unable to fight Rakhimov due to an injury. A fighter from Tajikistan took the vacant belt in a fight with Briton Zelfa Barrett.