Janibek Alimkhanuly firmly cemented himself as one of the top-middleweights in the world as he captured the WBO Interim Middleweight title with a two-round thrashing of Danny Dignum at Resorts World Las Vegas.

In round one, Alimkhanuly dropped Dignum with a left hand. Round two saw Alimkhanuly land a vicious combination that punctuated by a left to the head and left uppercut that put Dignim flat on his back and the fight was called at 2:11.

Alimkhanuly, 160 lbs of Kazakhstan is now 12-0 with eight knockouts. Dignum, 159 lbs of Essex, ENG is 14-1-1.

“I am in the ring right now, and I want to tell every champion in this weight class, I am here waiting for you. I am asking every champion to come and fight me,” Janibek said. “I told {Dignum} I wish him luck in the future. I think he’s a good fighter. He showed good skills and has a big future.”

Said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, “Janibek is the next middleweight superstar. There is no doubt that he is the future of the division. What a sensational performance from a great young man and fighter.”

Jamaine Ortiz Decisions Jamel Herring

Jamaine Ortiz scored the biggest win of his career as he won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world champion Jamel Herring in a lightweight fight.

Ortiz landed 186 of punches; Herring was 115 of 429.

Ortiz, 135 lbs of Worcester, MA won by scores of 97-93 twice and 96-94 and is now 16-0-1. Herring, 135 lbs of Coram, NY is 21-4.

“I still got a lot of work to do. I’m just growing and going at the pace I’m going. I gotta learn quick. I gotta pick things up a little bit. I’m not afraid of challenges, and I’m here to prove I’m the best to myself, not anyone else,” Ortiz said. “I feel like I could’ve done a lot better, a lot cleaner {of a} performance. I’m hard on myself. I’m always going to be hard on myself. Much respect to a former world champion. That was an achievement I wanted to do in my career.”

Herring said, “He had a better output. I wasn’t tired or anything. He just beat me to the draw…. Jamaine was just the better man. Maybe this is it.”

Tiger Johnson Stops Kucharski in 3

2021 United States Olympian Tiger Johnson stopped Agustin Kucharski in round three of their six-round welterweight bout.

In round one, Kucharski had blood around the right eye.

In round three, Johnson dropped Kucharski twice with the finisher being a right to the head. Kucharski’s corner threw in the towel at 54 seconds.

Johnson, 142.4 lbs of Cleveland, OH is4-0 with three knockouts. Kucharski, 143.2 lbs of Cordoba, ARG is 8-5-1.

Adam Lopez got off the canvas twice to come back and win a eight-round unanimous decision over William Encarnacion in a featherweight bout.

In round one, Encarnacion dropped Lopez with a left hook. In round three, it was a counter right that put Lopez on the canvas.

Lopez, 126.8 lbs of Glendale, CA won by scores of 7-74 twice and 76-74 and is now 16-3. Encarnacion, 126.2 lbs of San Juan de la Manguia, DR is 19-3.

Karlos Balderas won an six-round unanimous decision over Ruben Cervera in a junior lightweight bout.

In round one, Balderas landed a counter left that sent Cervera to the canvas. In round three, it was another left hook that deposited Cervera on the deck.

Balderas, 132 lbs of Santa Maria, CA won by scores of 58-54 twice and 57-55 and is now 13-1. Cervera, 130.8 lbs of Santa Maria, CA is 130-3.

Former world champion Jessie Magdaleno came back from a two-year layoff to win an eight-round unanimous decision over Edy Valencia in a featherweight bout.

Magdaleno, 127.2 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 80-72 on all cards and is now 29-1. Valencia, 126.8 lbs of Culican, MEX is 19-7-6.

Duke Ragan remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Victorino Gonzalez in a featherweight bout.

Ragan, 127.6 lbs of Cincinnati, OH won by 40-36 scores on all cards and is now 6-0. Gonzalez, 127 lbs of Pawleys Island, SC is 5-3.

Giovanni Cabrera remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Elias Araujo in a lightweight bout.

Cabrera, 135.4 lbs of Chicago, IL won by scores of 79-72, 78-73 and 77-74 and is now 20-0. Araujo, 135.4 lbs of Monte Comlin, ARG is 21-5.

LAS VEGAS – In the end, it was Terence Crawford’s dance floor.

He danced with his family. Danced with his mom. Maybe he danced to the top of the pound-for-pound debate.

Neither the dance nor the debate figures to end anytime soon. Above all, Crawford proved he still belongs on any dance floor and in any debate with a 10^th-round stoppage of Shawn Porter Saturday night in front of a capacity crowd at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Porter came as advertised. He knows a lot of dance steps. But he couldn’t sustain them against the patient Crawford. He knows how to wait. Knows how to adjust. And how to finish.

The finish came at 1:21 of the 10^th round after two knockdowns of Porter. Porter’s first trip to the canvas started with a left-uppercut from. The return trip started with a combination followed by a left hand to the head. Frustrated, Porter got up and stomped his foot.

 But the gesture was futile. It was over. His father and trainer, Kenny Porter, was already up the steps with towel in hand. The towel was never thrown. The referee and inspector for the Nevada Commission saw it and acted. Kenny Porter would later say his son wasn’t properly prepared, confirming rumors that Shawn Porter had a problematic camp.

For Crawford, however, it was a moment that punctuated what he wanted to accomplish.

The belt, the World Boxing Organization’s version of the welterweight. Title, was still in his dangerous hands. More important, he strengthened his claim on the top spot in the pound-for-pound debate. Canelo Alvarez, are you listening?

One potential Crawford rival, however, was there. Listening and watching. Errol Spence had a ringside seat.

“Now wait, my thing is, who’s No. 1 in the welterweight division now?” Crawford said in a comment clearly intended for Spence.

At the top of the 147-pound division, it’s either Spence or Crawford. There is nobody else. Crawford made sure of it by eliminating Porter from any real say-so in the weight class. Crawford also has the last word, at least for now.

“You know who I want,’’ said Crawford, who collected about $6 million, $2 million more than Porter’s $4 million payday. “I’ve been calling him out all day. Maybe, Spence will get his tail out of his butt and fight me.’’

Maybe.

For now, there are questions about where Crawford is headed. Promotionally, he’s a free agent. His victory of Porter was the last fight on Top Rank contract.

Top Rank’s Bob Arum is confident he can re-sign him. Arum is already talking about a fight between Crawford and junior-welterweight champion Josh Taylor, who is preparing to move up in weight

For now, however, Crawford only wanted to celebrate a night that began with Porter coming out fast, moving forward and attacking throughout the first three minutes. For one round, it worked. He appeared to win the round with his aggressiveness.

He also was sending a message, one that he wore on the back of his black-and-orange robe. Marvelous War, it said. It was a tribute to legendary warrior, Marvin Hagler. It was note of respect to the past. But it was also a look at the immediate future, a sign of what Porter intended to do.

To wit: Crawford better be ready to brawl. He was. Porter unleashed a whirlwind of an arsenal — conventional, unconventional and often a blur of both.

“I figured that I had the reach and he had to take chances to come to him and he did what he normally does,’’ Crawford said.  “He tried to maul and push me back but I used my angles and I pushed him back at times as well.  Shawn Porter is a slick fighter he was doing some things in there and made me think

“I know I caught him with a good uppercut and then when I caught hidm with another left hook clean in his face that he was real hurt and his dad did the right thing by stopping it because I was coming with a vengeance.’’

In the end, there was nothing else to do but dance to Chaka Khan’ “Ain’t Nobody.’’

For one night, nobody but Terence Crawford.

Falcao wins technical decision in dull bout stopped by head butt

It was called an eliminator. In one way, it was. The crowd cheered when the final six rounds of the Esquiva Falcao-Patrice Volny was eliminated because head butt.

The butt came late in the sixth after Volny (16-1, 10 KOs), of Montreal, swung his head into Falcao’s face. The bout, so-called eliminator for a shot at the International Boxing Federation’s middleweight title. Everything before then was boring. Think deadly dull.

After it was determined that Falcao could not continue, the scorecards were turned in and counted. Two scores, 57-56 and 58-56 were for Falcao, an Olympic silver medalist from Brazil The third — a head scratcher — was for Volny, 86-84. Falcao (29-0, 20 KOs) got the victory by technical decision.

The crowd got some relief. At least, it was over.

Kazak middleweight Alimkhanuly wins stoppage

Janibek Alimkhanuly (11-0, 7KOs) ), a heavy-handed middleweight from Kazakhstan, administered a beating, landing lethal left hands that rocked Hassan N’Dam around the ring and off the ropes, virtually everywhere except on to the canvas.

Somehow, N’Dam (38-6, 21 KOs) , a former middleweight champion from Cameroon, stayed on his feet throughout the bout on a card featuring Crawford-Porter. But that wasn’t enough for him to have even a slim chance of winning. Finally, Kenny Bayless stopped it at 2:46 of the eighth round of a bout that could have easily been stopped a round or two earlier.

Unbeaten Raymond Muratalla wins fifth-round TKO

There was no stopping Raymond Muratalla (13-0, 11 KOs), a lightweight from Fontana CA. Elias Araujo (21-4, 8KOs), of Argentina, couldn’t. But Allen Huggins could. And did.

Huggins stepped in and ended the bout at 2:20 of the fifth round in the first ESPN + PPV bout on the Crawford-Porter card. Araujo protested, first in anger. Then, in tears. But the referee had seen enough. Muratalla began to land punch after punch. Blood began to drip from a cut on Araujo’s cheek and from his nose.

Huggins saved him from what would have been a bad beating.  

Dogboe wins majority decision

LAS VEGAS –Isaac Dogboe, a fighter from Ghana once projected to be a star, continued to try to regain some of his abundant promise, scoring a narrow victory — majority decision — over Puerto Rican Christopher Diaz (26-4, 16 KOs) on a card featuring Crawford-Porter.

Dogboe , a former 122-pound champion now at featherweight, won his third straight since his career(26-4, 16 KOs) was sidetracked by successive losses to Emanuel Navarrete.

Head butt leads to no decision

There was blood. But there was no decision.

Adan Ochoa (12-2, 5 KOs), a featherweight from Long Beach CA, was badly cut above his right eye in a head butt with Adam Lopez (15-3, 6 LOs of Glendale CA during the first round of a scheduled eight-rounder. on the Crawford-Porter card.

Late in the second, the blood began to flow into Ochoa’s eye. Just as the bell rang to start the third, the fight was stopped, declared a no decision because it had not gone at least four rounds.

Karlos Balderas wins fourth-round stoppage

Karlos Balderas (11-1, 10 KOs), a junior-lightweight from Santa Maria CA, was bigger and just better, scoring repeatedly with combinations, including a headrocking left-right that finished Julio Cortez (15-4, 11 KOs) of Ecuador at 2:13 of the fourth round in the second bout on the Crawford-Porter card.

First Bell: Tiger Jonson kicks off his career and Crawford-Porter card with TKO win

It was first bell. A debut, too.

Tiger Johnson, a welterweight from Cleveland, kicked off his career and the card featuring Terence Crawford-versus-Shawn Porter with a stoppage of Antonius Grable (3-3-1, 3 KOs) in a Saturday matinee at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Johnson landed successive right hands, leaving Grable of Sarasota, FL dazed and done at 1:54 of the fourth round.

Just to make sure that everybody noticed, celebrated by walking toward retired welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, who was already in his ringside seat for he ESPN + pay-per-view telecast..

“I’m here, Tim,” Johnson shouted as he leaned over the ropes. “I’m here.”

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 10, 2021) — Raymond “Danger” Muratalla, the 24-year-old lightweight star from Fontana, California, has a new opponent for his PPV debut Saturday, Nov. 20 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. After unbeaten prospect Steven Ortiz was forced to withdraw due to injury, Muratalla will fight Argentina’s Elias “El Macho” Araujo in an eight-rounder to open the PPV broadcast of the welterweight super fight between undefeated WBO world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford and former two-time welterweight world champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter.

The PPV telecast also includes a 12-round IBF middleweight title eliminator featuring unbeaten contenders Esquiva “La Pantera” Falcao and Patrice Volny, and a 10-round middleweight tilt between rising star Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly and former world champion Hassan N’Dam.

Presented by Top Rank and TGB Promotions, Crawford-Porter will be a Top Rank PPV exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.  Limited tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting AXS.com.

Muratalla (12-0, 10 KOs), who trains with Robert Garcia in Riverside, California, has won seven consecutive bouts by knockout. Araujo (21-3, 8 KOs) has never been stopped as a professional, and his only two lightweight defeats have come via close decision. He was supposed to fight Joseph Adorno in Las Vegas on Nov. 5, but the bout was scrapped after Adorno missed the contract weight.

Before the PPV broadcast commences, Southern California natives Adam “BluNose” Lopez and Adan Ochoa will fight in an eight-round featherweight rematch on the undercard telecast (ESPN2 & ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT) headlined by the scheduled 10-round featherweight firefight between former world champion Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe and two-time title challenger Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz. Lopez (15-3, 6 KOs) hopes to rebound from June’s razor-thin decision loss to Dogboe, while Ochoa (12-2, 5 KOs) seeks retribution. Ochoa and Lopez fought as undefeated prospects in April 2017, and Lopez prevailed by four-round unanimous decision.

The fight action begins on the ESPN App (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT) with a pair of young stars. 2016 U.S. Olympian Karlos Balderas (10-1, 9 KOs) looks to continue his winning ways against Julio Cortez (15-3, 11 KOs) in a six-rounder at junior lightweight, while recent U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson will make his long-awaited professional debut in a welterweight four-rounder versus Antonius Grable (3-1-1, 3 KOs). Johnson recently signed a long-term promotional pact with Top Rank.

Balderas, the fighting pride of Santa Maria, California, lost his unbeaten record with a shocking knockout loss to Rene Tellez Giron in December 2019. After the setback, Balderas changed managers, signed a promotional contract with Top Rank, and linked up with noted trainer Buddy McGirt. He came back in August with a second-round knockout over Fidel Cervantes. Cortez, a seven-year pro, has never been knocked out.

Johnson, from Cleveland, Ohio, advanced to the quarterfinals of the welterweight bracket at the Tokyo Olympics before losing a decision to eventual gold medalist Roniel Iglesias (Cuba).

Use the hashtag #CrawfordPorter to join the conversation on social media. For more information, visit www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing; twitter.com/ESPNRingside.

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About Michelob ULTRA Arena
The Michelob ULTRA Arena is a multi-purpose arena home to World Championship Boxing, premier concerts and special events. With seating for as many as 12,000, the arena, which was recently renovated in 2018, offers excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art lighting and sound. The entertainment venue is home to WNBA team, the Las Vegas Aces, the city’s first professional basketball team. Prominent events have included concerts such as Justin Timberlake, KISS, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, John Mayer, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Alejandro Fernandez and David Foster & Friends. World championship boxing events have featured fighters including Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins. The Michelob ULTRA Arena also has been home to multiple Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, USA Basketball and the Latin Billboard Music Awards.

SAN ANTONIO, TX. (April 14, 2021) – Undefeated super lightweight sensation Omar “El Relampago” Juárez will look to continue his ascent up the 140-pound rankings when he takes on Argentina’s Elías “El Macho” Araujo in a 10-round showdown that serves as the FOX PBC Fight Night co-main event and on FOX Deportes this Saturday, April 17 from Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles.

The 21-year-old Juarez (10-0, 5 KOs) will return to action after a dominant 2020 that saw him add four victories to his resume. This included fighting to eight rounds for the first time, which he did twice in winning unanimous decisions over Dakota Linger and Willie Shaw.

The Brownsville, Texas native most recently dropped Raul Chirino three times in December on his way to a first round knockout victory. His 2021 will kick off with him facing Araujo (21-2, 8 KOs), an Argentine fighter who on paper is the stiffest test of Juarez’s career.

Here is what Juarez had to say about facing that test, training camp and more:

On his recent training camp:

“It was another brutal camp in San Antonio with coach Rick Nunez. We got a lot of hard rounds in with some very tough sparring partners. I’ve been working on throwing more power shots while sustaining good defense. I’ve made all the sacrifices necessary to be in the best shape of my life and I’ll be at my best come this Saturday.”

On his upcoming fight with Elias Araujo:
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“Araujo has a good record with a lot of experience, and he has double the number of fights that I’ve had. Since Araujo has only fought once in the U.S., I know he’s coming to fight, so I’m expecting to go to war. This will be my toughest fight so far in my career, and I’m going to be ready for anything he brings to the ring.”

On making his 2021 debut on FOX:

“I’m so grateful to be fighting once again FOX PBC Fight Night. It’s the big stage that gets me excited and I want nothing more than to put on a great performance for the fans. It doesn’t get bigger than FOX, so believe me when I say I’m ready to let my hands go.”

On what fans can expect to see in this fight:

“I’m coming to make a statement in this fight. Araujo has never been stopped, so to end this fight early will be something special that no one has ever done. Fans can expect to see me throw a lot of power shots with bad intentions.”

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ABOUT HARRISON VS. PERRELLA
Harrison vs. Perrella will see former WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Tony “Superbad” Harrison enter the ring to face hard-hitting southpaw Bryant “Goodfella” Perrella in the super welterweight main event of FOX PBC Fight Night and on FOX Deportes Saturday, April 17 from Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles.

Televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and features undefeated rising contender Omar “El Relampago” Juárez battling Elías Araujo in the 10-round super lightweight co-main event. The telecast opener will see the return of sensational prospect Vito Mielnicki Jr. against James Martin in an eight-round welterweight matchup.

The event will be promoted by TGB Promotions and will take place without fans in attendance at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall, an AEG venue, in downtown Los Angeles.

Viewers can live stream the PBC shows on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. In addition, all programs are available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @TGBPromotions @WarriorsBoxingProm, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports & www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.

LOS ANGELES (April 13, 2021) – Undefeated super lightweight sensation Omar “El Relampago” Juárez will take on Argentina’s Elías “El Macho” Araujo in a 10-round showdown that serves as the FOX PBC Fight Night co-main event and on FOX Deportes this Saturday, April 17 from Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles.

Veteran Jessie Román was originally scheduled to face Juárez, but was forced to withdraw due to injury.

The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and is headlined by former WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Tony “Superbad” Harrison entering the ring to face hard-hitting southpaw Bryant “Goodfella” Perrella. The telecast opener will see the return of sensational prospect Vito Mielnicki Jr. against James Martin in an eight-round welterweight matchup.

Preceding the FOX broadcast, a special one-hour FOX PBC Fight Night Prelims on FS1 and FOX Deportes will see undefeated cruiserweight contenders Efetobor Apochi and Deon Nicholson meet in a 12-round WBA title eliminator headlining action beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

The event will be promoted by TGB Promotions and will take place without fans in attendance at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall, an AEG venue, in downtown Los Angeles.

Juárez (10-0, 5 KOs) has been lauded as much for his work outside the ring as he has for what he’s accomplished in it. After graduating high school in his native Brownsville, Texas, Juárez dedicated himself to giving back to the state’s youth. Still only 21, he has spoken to close to 40,000 community members and received recognition from the Texas State Senate and the Texas House of Representatives. In the ring, Juárez was a highly decorated amateur who turned pro in September 2018. He notched four wins in 2020, including a vicious first-round TKO over Raul Chirino on December 26 that signaled his readiness for the next level.

The 33-year-old Araujo (21-2, 8 KOs) enters this fight having won three of his last four contests, including his most recent triumph in winning a unanimous decision over Javier Cabrera in December 2019. Fighting out of Santa Fe, Argentina, Araujo will fight in the U.S. for the second time as a pro after his stateside debut saw him drop a narrow split decision to Yeis Gabriel Solano in June 2019. Araujo has gone the distance in both of his losses and won his first 21 pro fights before tasting defeat.

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ABOUT HARRISON VS. PERRELLA
Harrison vs. Perrella will see former WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Tony “Superbad” Harrison enter the ring to face hard-hitting southpaw Bryant “Goodfella” Perrella in the super welterweight main event of FOX PBC Fight Night and on FOX Deportes Saturday, April 17 from Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles.

Televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and features undefeated rising contender Omar “El Relampago” Juárez battling Elías Araujo in the 10-round super lightweight co-main event. The telecast opener will see the return of sensational prospect Vito Mielnicki Jr. against James Martin in an eight-round welterweight matchup.

The event will be promoted by TGB Promotions and will take place without fans in attendance at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall, an AEG venue, in downtown Los Angeles.

Viewers can live stream the PBC shows on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. In addition, all programs are available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @TGBPromotions @WarriorsBoxingProm, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports & www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.