LONDON, UK (February 9th, 2024) – More bad blood has been added to BOXXER’s hotly-anticipated Super Sunday Bank Holiday showdown between unbeaten heavyweights Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke with welterweight rivals Florian Marku and Chris Kongo set to settle their differences on March 31st at The O2 in London, live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and Peacock in the USA.

There’s no love lost between Marku and Kongo, who had to be pulled apart following an explosive press conference altercation last year. It will be a clash of styles as the ‘Albanian King’ and ‘2 Slick’ meet in the capital to settle their long-standing feud in a fascinating ten round contest.

Marku, the unbeaten former IBF International Champion, made short work of his last opponent, stopping Dylan Moran inside 60 seconds on the undercard of the Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr rematch on September 2nd in Manchester. The 31-year-old will be raring to go following this speedy stoppage win and is expected to bring an army of Albanian supporters with him to London.

Kongo returns following a narrow points defeat to Ekow Essuman for the British, Commonwealth, IBF European and WBC International Silver Welterweight Titles on January 21st last year. The Bermondsey man thought he did another to edge the contest but found himself of the wrong end of a majority decision at Manchester’s AO Arena.

Florian Marku said: “I’m really pleased that all my fans get to see me put on a special performance on this great card at The O2, live on Sky Sports. It’s been two and half years since my last fight in London. I can’t wait to get back in the ring and for all my fans to see me knock out Chris Kongo.”

Chris Kongo said: “I’m back in my backyard, and I’m not here to play games. Marku might think he’s dangerous, but he’s just another stepping stone on my path. I’ll show everyone why I belong at the top, starting with a victory at The O2 in South London.” 

BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “This is a great addition to what is going to be an incredible night of action at The O2. Florian Marku vs Chris Kongo is a fight fans have wanted to see for years. Finally, we will see them in the ring on Sunday, March 31st. It’s another unmissable ‘Bad Blood’ matchup and a must-win fight for both men.” 

Unbeaten heavyweight rivals Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke collide in a ‘Bad Blood’ showdown for the British and Commonwealth Titles on Sunday, March 31st at The O2 in London, live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and Peacock in the USA

Pre-sale tickets, priced from just £30, go on sale at midday on Tuesday, February 13th with general sale tickets available from midday on Thursday, February 15th. Sign up for pre-sale tickets here: https://www.boxxer.com/sign-up-31-mar/

This event is presented in association with official partners bet365, Everlast, WOW HYDRATE, Integritas Property Group and VOW Nutrition.

Chris Eubank Jr. showed tremendous resolve in stopping Liam Smith in round 10 of their 12-round middleweight bout in Manchester, England.

Eubank dominated from the second round on as he boxed very well with his jab and landing solid combinations behind it.

In round four, Eubank dropped Smith with an uppercut.

In round 10, Smith began to bleed from his right eye. Eubank jumped on Smith and hit with a barrage of punches that made Smith crumble to the canvas in the corner. Later in the round, Eubank landed another seven unanswered shots to the head that forced a referee stoppage at 1:45.

Eubank, 159.4 lbs of Bolton, England is now 33-3 with 24 knockouts. Smith, 160 lbs of Liverpool is 33-4-1.

This was a rematch of a January 21st fight that saw Smith stop Eubank in four-rounds.

Chris Eubank Jr said to Sky Sports after the fight: “Liam is a warrior. I respect him, his team, his family and his brothers. They always come out and put it all on the line. He fought until the last second, so big up to Liam and his team. 

“I’m not going to lie, what happened tonight was supposed to happen in January. Like I said, it wasn’t my night. I trained hard for that fight, I trained hard for this fight. The focus is always there. I dedicate my life to this sport. Now we’re onto bigger and better fights. There’s some big names out there.”

Liam Smith said to Sky Sports after the fight: “Everything from start to finish. I was flat. I think the weight killed me. I was flat and Chris was sharp. Chris was the better man tonight.”

Adam Azim won a 10-round unanimous decision over Aram fanyan in a junior middleweight bout.

Azim, 139.4 lbs iwon by scoresof 100-90, 98-92 and 97-93. Fanyan of Ukraine is 23-2.

Frazer Clarke remained undefeated with a stoppage after round six over David Allen in a 10-round heavyweight bout,

In round five, Clarke was cut around the right eye.

In round six, Clarke lost a point for a low blow. With Clarke dominating the action, Allen’s corner stopped the bout after the sixth frame.

Clarke, 270 lbs is 8-0 with six knockouts. Allen, 257 lbs is 21-6-2.

Jack Cullen stopped Mark Heffron in round three of their 12-round super middleweight bout.

In round three, Cullen landed a right hand that was followed by a left hook right on the chin that put Heffron on the canvas. Heffron got to his feet but plummeted to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 2:43.

Cullen, 167 lbs of Little Leaver, ENG is 22-4-1 with 10 knockouts. Heffron, 167 lbs of Manchester falls to 29-3-1.

Former unified world champion Mikaela Mayer won a 10-round decision over Sylvia Bortat in a junior welterweight bout.

Mayer, 141.4 lbs of Las Vegas won by a 100-90 score and is now 19-1. Bortat, 139 lbs of Italy is 11-3-1.

Florian Marku obliterated Dylan Moran in the opening round of their 10-round welterweight bout.

Marku hurt Moran with a left hand that knocked him backwards. Marku unloaed with a series of hard punches that forced a referee stoppage at 54 seconds.

Marku, 146.4 lbs is now 13-0-1 with eight knockouts. Moran, 145 lbs of Ireland is 18-2.

Tirana, Albania – (August 25th, 2022) – Florian Marku (12-0-1, 7 KO’s) made a triumphant return to his Albanian homeland on Thursday night, with over 12,000 fans packing the Tirana Air AlbaniaStadium to see him win a unanimous decision in the main event.

It was a gruelling war with Mexican opponent Miguel Parra, who had travelled to Albania intent on shattering Marku’s dreams and the crowd’s hopes. He very nearly accomplished that in the eighth round, putting Marku down with a left hook, only for the Albanian to shrug it off and return to the fray.

Marku scored a knockdown of his own in the fourth round only to suffer a cut moments later as the two boxers clashed heads. Unfazed, Marku battered Parra with hooks which sent his gumshield flying and made the fourth round one of the most dynamic of the fight.

Still undefeated, Marku’s record now stands at 13-0-1 and he now adds the Silver Welterweight Championship to his collection.

“[Fighting in Albania] was unbelievable. I want to thank everyone who is supporting me. The crowd is amazing, I wanted to perform much better than this, but I didn’t want an easy opponent for here,” he said afterwards.

“It was a good fight, I made some mistakes and made it harder than it was. I traded with him without reason and Mexicans come to fight. The cut was a problem because I couldn’t really see from my left eye. I started really good and the cut affected me a lot.”

As for his next opponent, Marku said he is open to all challenges.

“I don’t care – I will fight whoever they bring me,” he said.

Marku is part of the BOXXER stable, with BOXXER holding exclusive promotional rights for the explosive Albanian.

Tirana, Albania – (August 25th, 2022) – Florian ‘The Albanian King’ Marku fights in his Albanian homeland on Thursday night, with thousands of partisan fans in the Tirana Air AlbaniaStadium to witness their hero’s homecoming.

British fans can watch his fight with highly-rated Mexican rival Miguel Parra Ramirez for free via the Sky Sports Boxing YouTube channel and the Sky Sports Boxing Facebook page.

Marku is expected to make his entrance to the ring around 8.30 PM UK time for his WBC Silver Welterweight Title fight and will be the second of two fights airing on the Sky Sports Boxing social platforms.

The full Tirana card can be watched in the UK and Ireland via FITE.tv 

Marku’s homecoming will also be screened live by the following broadcasters across the world:

– Oversport – Albania & Kosovo (host broadcaster, innovative OTT platform) 

– Sky – UK & Ireland (streaming on Sky Sports Boxing FB and YT) 

– TV3 – Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia 

– Canal+ – Poland 

– Mola TV – Italy, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore 

– Nova – Bulgaria

– SportKlub – Ex-Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia)

– ESPN – Latin America & Caribbean (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela)

– FITE – Rest of World

Tirana, Albania – (August 24th, 2022) – Fight fans can stream Florian Marku’s huge homecoming tomorrow night for free on Sky Sports Boxing.

Still undefeated, ‘The Albanian King’ will fight in Tirana, the capital city of his native Albania, this Thursday, when he faces highly-rated Mexican rival Miguel Parra Ramirez for the WBC Silver welterweight title at the Air AlbaniaStadium.

And the main event on the BOXXER show live from Albania will be beamed back to boxing fans in the UK for free via Sky Sports Boxing YouTube and Facebook channels.

The former kickboxer is a huge star in his homeland and has been steadily working his way up the welterweight ranks. In his last outing, Marku halted former British champion Chris Jenkins in just four rounds to pick up the IBF International strap, a ranking belt for that sanctioning body.

And on Thursday he plans to continue his rapid rise by adding another belt to his growing collection.

“I’m happy with my results,” said Marku, speaking to Sky Sports.

“I’m new in this game, you know I was a kickboxer and boxing is a little bit different, but I’m improving a lot and I have much more to show to the people.

“To fight in Albania was my dream from when I was a child. [There’ll be] thousands of people there and I can’t wait. It’s unbelievable and all Albanians will be there.”

Starting at 5pm, UK time, Sky Sports will showcase the following fights live on their digital platforms:

6×3 Light-Heavyweight

Aleksandar Petrovic (SRB) v Stiven Leonetti Dredhaj (ALB)

8×3 Super-Welterweight – WBC Youth Intercontinental Title

Borislav Velev (BUL) v Amarildo Vraja (ALB)

10×3 Welterweight – WBC Silver Interim Title

Miguel Parra Ramirez (MEX) v Florian Marku (ALB)

Florian Marku’s homecoming will also been screened live by the following broadcasters across the world:

– Oversport – Albania & Kosovo (host broadcaster, innovative OTT platform) 

– Sky – UK & Ireland (streaming on Sky Sports Boxing FB and YT) 

– TV3 – Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia 

– Canal+ – Poland 

– Mola TV – Italy, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore 

– Nova – Bulgaria

– SportKlub – Ex-Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia)

– ESPN – Latin America & Caribbean (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela)

– FITE – ROW

Newcastle, England – (April 2, 2022) – Tempers boiled over at today’s BOXXER Newcastle: Marshall vs Hermans official weigh-ins today when Florian Marku, the defending IBF International Welterweight Champion, faced off with challenger Chris Jenkins.

Marku had strong but inaudible words for Jenkins, prompting Jenkins to sarcastically blow him a kiss in response. This incensed the Albanian champion; he grabbed Jenkins by the throat, forcing security to intervene quickly and separate the two enraged fighters.

All fighters made weight at the first attempt today, including WBO World Middleweight Champion Savannah Marshall, who defends her title against former champion Femke Hermans in the headline bout of tomorrow night’s event, live on Sky Sports.

Below please find today’s official weights and the running order for tomorrow night’s event:

FIGHT #1: 17:00

6×3 Mins Welterweight Contest

Michael Likalu 11st 3lb 8oz (157 v Carl Turney 11st 2lb (156lb)

FACEBOOK SKY SPORTS BOXING LIVE STREAM: 17.30 (approx)

FIGHT #2

4×3 Mins Heavyweight Contest

Matty Harris 18st 8lb (260lb) v Matt Metsis 16st 8lb (232lb)

FIGHT #3

4×3 Mins Heavyweight Contest

Hosea Stewart 24st 8lb (344lb) v Phil Williams 18st 1lb (253lb)

FIGHT #4

6×2 Mins Super-Welterweight Contest

Georgia O’Connor 10st 13lb 8 (153.05lb) v Erica Alvarez 10st 12lb (152lb)

FIGHT #5

6×3 Mins Cruiserweight Contest

Michael Webster 14st 6lb (202lb) v Erdogan Kadrija 14st 4lb (200lb)

FIGHT #6

6×2 Mins Super-Welterweight Contest

April Hunter 11st 1lb (155lb) v Ester Konecna 11st 1lb 8oz (155.05lb)

FIGHT #7

4×3 Mins Super-Lightweight Contest

Luke Cope 10st (140lb) v Lee Connelly 10st 8oz (140.05lb)

LIVE ON SKY SPORTS MAIN EVENT: 20:00

FIGHT #8

8×3 Mins Middleweight Contest

Brad Rea 11st 6lb 8oz (160.05lb)v Lukasz Ndafoluma 11st 6lb (160lb)

FIGHT #9

8×3 Mins Super-Middleweight Contest

Zak Chelli 11st 12lb 8oz (166.05lb) v Jack Kilgannon 12st (168lb)

FIGHT #10

10×3 Mins Welterweight Contest

Florian Marku 10st 6lb 8oz (146.05lb) v Chris Jenkins 10st 6lb (146lb)

FIGHT #11

10×2 Mins WBO Middleweight Title Contest

Savannah Marshall 11st 5lb (159lb) v Femke Hermans 11st 4lb 8oz (158.05lb)

FIGHT #12

*TV SWING* 

4×2 Mins Super-Flyweight Contest

Chloe Watson 8st 1lb 8oz (113.05lb) v Gemma Ruegg 8st 1lb 8oz (113.05lb)

Oleksander Usyk outboxed Anthony Joshua to win the IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight titles in front of 68,000 fans at Tottenham Stadium in London, England.

Uyk boxed very well over the first half of the fight as he moved around and used great head movement to land some solid straight left hands. In round three, Usyk buckled with a left hand. In round three, Usyk landed a left that buckled Joshua. In round four, Usyk was cut over his right eye. Joshua worked himself back into the fight by getting through with right hands in the middle rounds.

In round 10, Joshua started to leak blood from his nose.

As the fight reached the championship rounds, Usyk stepped on the gas and landed some thudding shots and hurt Joshua on the ropes as the fight came to a close.

Usyk landed 148 of 529 shots. Joshua was 123 of 641.

Usyk, 221 1/4 lbs of Kiev, Ukraine won by scores of 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113 to raise his record to 19-0. Joshua, 240 lbs is 24-2.

Okolie Stops Prasovic in 3

Lawrence Okolie defended the WBO Criserweight title for first time with a third-round stoppage over Dilan Prasovic.

In round two, Okolie landed a right hand that followe by a right to the body that sent Prasovic to the canvas. In round three, it was a left to the body for the 10-count at 1:57.

Okilie, 199 lbs of London is 17-0 with 15 knockouts. Prasovic, 200 lbs of Montenegro is 15-1.

Campbell Hatton Gets Gift Decision to Stay Undefeated

Campbell Hatton remained undefeated with a dubious six-round decision over Sonni Martinez.

Martinez controlled the action and bounced Hatton around the ring, yet referee Marcus McDonbell scored it 58-57 for Hatton.

Hatton of Manchester, ENG is somehow 4-0. Martinez of Uruguay is 2-5.

Callum Smith scores Explosive 2nd Round KO over Lenin Castillo

Former Super Middleweight champion Callum Smith scored a vicious 2nd round stoppage over former world title challenger Lenin Castillo in a scheduled 10-round light heavyweight bout.

In round two, Smith landed an explosively perfect right hand that sent Castillo down and out. Castillo laid motionless as he was stretchered out of the ring.

The time of the knockout was 55 seconds.

Smith, 175 lbs of Liverpool, UK is 28-1 with 20 knockouts. Castillo, 175 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR is 21-4-1.

Marku Decisions Prodan

In a battle of undefeated welterweights, Florian Marku won a 10-round split decision over Maxim Prodan.

In round six, Marku began to bleed from his nose

Marku, 146.9 lbs of London, ENG won by scores of 97-93 and 96-94. Somehow a 3rd scorecard read 99-91 for Prodan.

Marku is 9-0-1. Prodan, 146.9 lbs of Milan, ITA is 19-1-1.

Follow all the action as Anthony Joshua defends 3 Heavyweight belts against former cruiserweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk in Lomdon. The undercard will feature a cruiserweight title defense featuring WBO champion Lawrence Okolie.

The action starts at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT / 6 PM UK Time

NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED. THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY

Round 1: Good right from Usyk..Rght from Joshua..Good left from Usyk…Right to the body..Straight left

Round 2 Good jab from Usyk…Straight left…Right from Joshua…Straight left from Usyk…

Round 3 Right from Joshua…Straight left from Usyk…Body…Jab…Straight left..Straight left Buckles Joshua…

Round 4 Right from Joshua…Usyk cut over the right eye..Left from Usyk

Round 5 Right to body from Usyk…Left to the body…Right to body for Joshua..Straight left From Usyk…Right  From Joshua…Right..

Round 6 Good combination from Usyk..Right from Joshua…Left to body from Usyk..Right from Joshua..Counter right…Straight right

Round 7  Jab from Usyk..Body shot..Left..Left to the chin….Jab and left from Usyk..Good Jab…Hard left rocks Joshua..Right hook…Jab…

Round 8 Right from Joshua…Good right..Left from Usyk…Right to bidy from Joshua..

Round 9 Good left from Usyk..Body shot by Joshua..Jab from Usyk

Round 10 Right from Joshua…Left from Usyk…Straight left…Blood from Nose of Joshua..Quick right from Joshua..Bigger cut over Usyk’s right eye..Joshua’s right eye closing..

Round 11 Jab from Usyk..Right from Joshua..Counter right..another right..  4 punch combination from Usyk..Good body shot

Round 12 Counter right Joshua…Double left from Usyk..Big left…Good jab…Big shots….Joshua in trouble

117-112; 116-112;  115-113 FOR THE WINNER AND NEW HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION –OLEKSANDER USYK

ROUND 1 Left from Prasovic..Okolie lands a body shot…

Round 2 Right from L Prasovic…Jab to body from Okolie..Left hook from Prasovic…Right from Okolie…LEFT TO BODY AND DOWN GOES  PRASOVIC..Big Right from Okolie..

Round 3 LEFT TO THE BODY AND DOWN GOES PRASOVIC..FIGHT OVER

Round 1: Left to body from Hatton..Big uppercut from Martinez//Left hook from Martinez..Counter from Hatton..Big uppercut from Martinez
Round 2 Left hook from Hatton…Good left to the body..Right to body
Round 3 Double left hook from Martinez…Left hook…Right..Hatton lands an uppercut…Left hook..Uppercut from Martinez..Right..Right from Hatton…Right
Round 4 Nice right followed by a left from Hatton…Good right from Martinez….Uppercut..Right to body…good left hook..Good counter…
Round 5 Hatton lands a right..Uppercut from Martinez..Body shot..Uppercut..
Round 6 Left hook from Hatton…Combination from Martinez

58-57 FOR HATTON

Round 1 3 Jabs from Castillo..Left yo body Smith…Right…Left…2 nice rights…Right..Left to body…Hook…2 Counters from Castillo
Round 2  BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES CASTILLO….FIGHT OVER

Round 1 Nice right from Marku…4 jabs and a right…Right from Prodan…
Round 2 Right from Prodan..bod/head combination..
Round 3 Prodan slips..2 jabs from Prodan…Left…Good Jab from Marku..Good right from Prodan..
Round 4 Right from Prodan..Jab from Marku…Good inside right hand…Jab…good left…
Round 5 Right from Marku
Round 6 Jab from Marku…Blood from nose of Marku..Good jab back up Prodan 
Round 7 Jab and right hand from Marku.  Good right from Prodan
Round 8 Good boxing from Marku
Round 9  Jabs from Marku
Round 10 Right from Marku..Overhand right..Good jab from Prodan…Left hook from Marku..Counter jab from Prodan…Right uppercut from Marku..Left from Prodan..

99-91 Prodan; 97-93 Marku, 96-94 Marku

David Avanesyan stopped Josh Kelly in round six of their scheduled 12-round welterweight clash at the SSE Wembley Arena in London, England.

Avanesyan started to break Kelly down, and in round six he hurt Kelly and dropped him with a hard left-right combination. With Kelly bleeding over his left eye, Avanesyan rocked Kelly again and buckled him with a left hook. One more left look sent Kelly to he ground as the towel was being thrown in at 2:15.

Avanesyan, 146.6 lbs of Tabynskoe, RUS is 27-3-1 with 15 knockouts. Kelly, 146 lbs of Sunderland, ENG is 10-1-1.

“I feel very very good,” Avanesyan told Sky Sports afterwards. “I waited a long time for this fight. I put a lot of hard work into this fight. I came to join my coach and my manager from another country. I’ve had long spells away from my children. I miss them. I haven’t seen my children, my parents and my friends for a long time. 

“Thank you to my team and to the English fans for giving me this opportunity. Thank you to Matchroom, they put on the number one best show. I’ve had many big nights against the likes of Shane Mosley and Lamont Peterson, but this one with Matchroom is number one. 

“I am very happy. Thank you to god for my win today. Thank you to my manager and my coach. Carl sacrificed a lot of time with his family for my training. He has been my friend, my driver and my coach. I don’t like to speak too much. This is business. I know Josh is fast. I am fast too. Boxing is difficult. When you lose, many people think you are finished. This is boxing, you go down. This is life. I will wake up tomorrow morning a champion.”

Trainer Carl Greaves said: “I told everybody this would happen and they all thought I was a crazy coach who knows nothing. I knew exactly how it was going to go. I’ve spent over five years with David now. I’ve seen so much. I’ve seen all of these talented kids keeping him off for a certain amount of time, 30 seconds to a minute, but he finds a way every time. I was so confident in this fight. I knew it was going to go like that. I’m a bit gutted because I had £500 on round seven!”

Marku Stops Charlton in Eight

Florian Marku got off the deck to comeback and stop Rylan Charlton in round eight of a scheduled 10-round bout of undefeated welterweights

In round six, Charlton dropped Marku with a left to the head.

In round eight, Marku landed a big body shot that hurt Chalrton. That gave Marku an opportunity to open up and rock Charlton, and the towel at 2:18.

Marku, 146.8 lbs of Lushnje, ALB is 8-0-1 with six knockouts. Charlton, 144.6 lbs of Norwich, ENG is 6-1-1.

“I am really happy,” said Marku. “A lot of people thought that he would humiliate me and knock me out, but I showed that I can box. I will learn a lot from this fight. Three weeks before the fight, I dislocated a finger in my left hand. My team and all of the staff know that I was injured but I was never going to pull out of the fight. I came here to fight.

“After the fifth round I started feeling my hand. It was not a problem. I am happy about the performance. Rylan took so many good hits in the head. He took a lot of punishment. I was beating him and I was talking to him. I told him I was going to beat him and talk to him. I was telling him I’m not Joe Laws. I take the win and we go forward.

“His face was swollen and it was a good decision from his corner. He took a lot of punishment. I love to fight, this is my life. Thanks to the UK fans that believe in me. They like to see me fight. I love pressure. I’ll fight whoever my team S-JAM boxing decide next. Sam Jones and Adam Morallee got me into this position. I have the best team around me.”

Valenzuela decisions Davies Jr.

Gabriel Valenzuela won a 10-round majority decision over Robbie Davies Jr. in a junior welterweight bout.

In round three, Valenzuela decked Davies with a solid right hand to the chin the wobbled Davies, and another right put Davies on the canvas. In round four, Valenzuela was deducted a point for hitting on the break.

In round seven, Valenzuela was cut over the left eye. In round nine, he had a deepercut under his right eye.

Valenzuela, 138.8 lbs of Guadalajara, MEX won by scores of 96-95 twice and 94-94, and is now 23-2-1/ Davies Jr., 138.2 lbs of Liverpool, ENG is 20-3.

Jordan Gill won a 10-round unanimous decision over former two-time title challenger Jordan Gill in a featherweight fight.

Gill, 125.5 lbs of Chatteris, ENG won ny scores of 98-92, 98-93 and 96-94 to raise his record to 26-1. Juarez, 125.2 lbs of Mexico City. MEX is 25-10.

Johnny Fisher made a successful pro debut with a beatdown of Matt Gordon inside of the 1st round heavyweight bout.

In the opening round Fisher was all over Gordan and was able to drop him twice. Upon the 2nd knockdown, Gordan was in no condition to continue and the fight was stopped at 2:29.

Fisher, 237 lbs of Romford, ENG is 1-0 with one knockout. Gordon, 241 lbs of West Bromwich, ENG is 2-6-1.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Fisher. “I know I’ve had a massive build-up; I’ve had Lennox Lewis sending me messages and Tyson Fury sending me messages. I had a lot of pressure on me, but I’ve shown that I can handle that pressure.

“All credit to Matt Gordon, but I bowled him over in one round. Normally Heavyweights are doing it in two, three or four rounds, so I’ve done a good job. Nobody needs to get unnecessarily hurt. I knew that I had him hurt when I first got him down. It was only a matter of time, so the ref did the right thing.

“I felt right and I felt comfortable, more comfortable than any of my amateur fights. I belong here, and I’ve got to prove that I belong here every time I fight. I’ve got a very long way to go, I know I’m only just beginning. Let’s just see how far we can go. I live and breathe boxing. I love training. I’d do it every single day of the week if I was allowed. I’ve got great people around me. There’s things I need to work on but I’ve showed my power tonight.”

Florian Marku says he will make Rylan Charlton “look stupid” when they clash over ten rounds this Saturday February 20 at The SSE Arena, Wembley, live on Sky Sports in the UK and on DAZN in the U.S. and more than 200 countries and territories.

The undefeated Welterweights have been embroiled in a war of words on social media since the original fight date of January 30 was announced back in December, and ‘The Albanian King’ (7-0-1, 5 KOs) has promised to “humiliate” Norwich’s ‘Pint Size Powerhouse’ when they lock horns in the evening’s chief-support bout. 

“I will knock Rylan Charlton out 100%,” said Marku. “He has said many bad things about me, so I just hope he comes to fight. In his other fights his approach is to come forward and be aggressive but when he is face to face with me, he will change his game plan.

“He will feel my power and my speed, then he will change his mind. I know he says he will wipe the floor with me, but I don’t know how he will recover from saying that when he loses. He will be humiliated. I am going to make him look stupid in the ring and he will see my boxing ability. He says he doesn’t rate it, but he will see.

“I am confident like nobody else, you can bring me whoever you want inside of the ring. I will never think my opponent is better than me. I am in the best shape I have ever been and will show that in this fight. Crowd or no crowd it will just be me and Rylan Charlton, we fight alone. I am no Joe Laws trust me, I am going to knock him out!”

Marku vs. Charlton is part of a big night of action, Russia’s European Welterweight Champion David Avanesyan (26-3-1, 14 KOs) makes his long-awaited Title defence against Josh Kelly (10-0-1, 6 KOs) at the top of the bill, Liverpool’s Robbie Davies Jr (20-2, 13 KOs) takes on Gabriel Valenzuela (22-2-1, 13 KO’s) for the IBF Intercontinental Super-Lightweight Title, Jordan Gill (25-1, 7 KOs) meets Mexico’s Cesar Juarez for the vacant WBA International Featherweight Title and Romford Heavyweight Johnny Fisher makes his professional debut against Matt Gordon (2-5-1).

Florian Marku and Rylan Charlton will meet in an explosive Welterweight battle on the undercard of David Avanesyan vs. Josh Kelly on Saturday January 30 at a venue to be confirmed, live on Sky Sports in the UK and on DAZN in the U.S. and more than 200 countries and territories.

Marku (7-0-1, 5 KOs) vented his frustration after he was forced to settle for a controversial draw on his Matchroom debut earlier this month, despite flooring Jamie Stewart in the second round and forcing the pace throughout their eight-round contest.  

The London-based Albanian southpaw hasn’t been shy in calling out the top names in the 147lbs domestic scene and plans to get his explosive rise back on track by taking out Matchroom’s most recent signing in style next month. 

Charlton (6-0-1, 3 KOs) inked promotional terms with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom last week on the back of his hugely impressive stoppage win over Joe Laws on the Lewis Ritson vs. Miguel Vazquez card at the East of England Arena in Peterborough in October.

‘Pint Size Powerhouse’ made easy work of the previously undefeated Benwell prospect as he sent him crashing to the canvas three times on route to a brutal third round KO win, and the Norwich native says fans can expect more of the same when he takes on the ‘Albanian King’.

“I can’t wait to show who I am and I promise to give the fans an exciting fight,” said Marku. “Rylan Charlton is a small body builder. I will break his head. I don’t like to talk bad about people, but Rylan Charlton has said many bad things about me. I want to see what he will say face to face with me. I will not leave the decision to the judges!”

“Florian Marku is just another stepping stone for me,” said Charlton. “He’s in my game now and I don’t rate him as a boxer. I’ll wipe the floor with him when we meet on January 30. Look what I did to Laws on 13 days’ notice, this time I have a full camp. I won’t be letting this go to the judges. These are the fights that I need to show everyone the level that I’m at. 2021 is going to be a huge year for me.”

Anthony Joshua retained the IBF/WBA?WBC Heavyweight titles with an emphatic 9th round knockout over mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev in front of 1,000 fans at the SSE Arena Webley in London, England.

After two rounds of boxing from distance, Joshua landed a huge right in round three that hurt Pulev. Joshua jumped on Pulev and landed a couple of bug uppercuts that sent Pulev into the corner. Pulev turned his back and the referee ruled a knockdown. Joshua seeked the knockout and landed a huge uppercut that sent Pulev down for a 2nd time.

Joshua continued to beat Pulev down, and in round nine, Joshua landed a huge uppercut down for a 3rd time. Joshua finished things up seconds later, and he landed a laser right hand to the end that sent Pulev down for the count of 10 at 2:58.

Joshua, 241 lbs of Walford, ENG is now 24-1 with 22 knockouts. Pulev, 239 lbs of Sofia, BUL is 28-2.

Joshua told Sky Sports afterwards: “I started this game in 2013. I’ve been chasing all the belts. I’ve been dealing with mandatories.

“Of course I want the challenge. It’s not about the opponent, it’s about the legacy and the belt. Whoever has got the belt, I would love to compete with them. If that is Tyson Fury, let it be Tyson Fury. It’s no big deal.

“It’s one fight at a time, picking them off one by one. That’s all it’s about for me. I’ve got to stay focused.”

Okolie destroys Jezewski in 2

Lawrence Okolie destroyed Nikodem Jezewski in round two of their scheduled 10-round cruiserweight bout.

Okolie dropped Jezewski twice in the opening round, first with a body shot and then a with a right hand as Jezewski was wobbling all over the ring.

Okolie ended things in the next round as he sent Jezewski down again and the fight was stopped at 1:45.

Okolie, 200 lbs of Hackney, ENG is 15-0 with 12 knockouts. Jezewski, 200 lbs of Poland is 19-1.

Speaking to Matchroom afterwards Okolie said: “I’m really happy. I was in the back room thinking I’m really calm and chilled. I just went out there to try and execute what I do every day in the gym. I really came out of the cage. I’m happy to get the win. I’ll have to watch it back, but from the reaction ringside, it seems like it was good. It’s what we’ve been working on. I do it every day in training. It’s about taking it from training to the fight. If I’m able to do what I’m doing in training in my next fight, I’ll be a World Champion. I’m excited. 

“He was undefeated and he was in shape preparing to fight. It was a risk, he had the world at this feet. It felt like a normal show, even with everyone spread out. It felt good. I’m really excited to watch it all back. That’s five stoppages on the trot. I’m feeling good and I want to keep the KO run going. It was good to shake out and make the weight. I had a good training camp and we’ll just build off that for the next one.”

Fury Decisions Wach

In a battle of former world title challengers, Hughie Fury won a 10-round unanimous decision over Mariusz Wach in a heavyweight bour.

In round four, Fury was cut over his right eye from a clash of heads.

Fury was able to dominate the 2nd half of the fight with jabs and body shots, and won by scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91.

Fury, 247.5 lbs of Manchester, ENG is 25-3. Wach, 274.6 lbs of Krakow, POL is 36-7.

“Everything is moving in the right direction,” Fury told Matchroom afterwards. “I did rush my work a little bit. I was hurting Wach with the right hand. I was getting to him. As I threw the right hand in the fourth there was a clash of the heads as he came in. I couldn’t see out of the eye at all. I went back into the corner and my dad told me to get back to my boxing. Wach is a tough man. We just relaxed and flowed back into it, and picked him off. 

“I don’t have any doubt in Kerry Kayes. He’s a guardian angel. As soon as I got back to my corner he got to work. He deserves all of the credit in the world. I’ve been in with everyone, and to be honest with you, I was like a boy against men. Now I’m a man people can see a big difference, and I’m coming. This is just the start. People will see a lot more to come from me.”

Bakole Decisions Kuzmin

Martin Bakole won a 10-round unanimous decision over Sergey Kuzmin in a heavyweight bout.

Bakole, 251.6 lbs of Kananga, CON won by scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 and is now 16-1. Kuzmin, 258.7 lbs of Saint Petersburg, RUS is 15-2.

“I want to thank god for this big victory,” Bakole told Matchroom. “To be honest, I’m not happy. I didn’t work the way I was supposed to work. I did three weeks in the gym. We kept that a secret. I was not 100% fit. I won the belt and I’m now WBC International Champion. It was a tough fight. if you look at round 2, I was close to knocking him. He survived because he’s a big guy. I needed to win this belt for my baby. I’m ready now. I’m in the top 10. I’m ready to face anybody. I’m going to see my family and then come back quickly to get in the gym to prepare for next year. 

“I want anyone. I’m ready to face anyone. I’m not in this business to play around. I’m in this business to win and I have a belt now. I told Michael Hunter to watch this fight. My next one is going to be him! Michael Hunter, look at my eyes; let’s do it again. This time I will beat him, believe me. I made a mistake, and now I’ve fixed my mistakes. I’m improving, and he can see that himself. Anthony Joshua is going to beat Kubrat Pulev, believe me!”

Conway Decisions McGowan

Kieron Conway won a 10-round unanimous decision over Macaulay McGowan in a super welterweight contest.

In round eight, Conway dropped McGowan with a left hook to the jaw.

Conway, 160 lbs of Northampton, ENG won by scores of 100-90, 100-89 twice and is now 16-1-1. McGowan, 158.7 lbs of Longton, ENG is 14-2-1.

“I’m content with the performance to be fair,” Conway told Matchroom afterwards. “I just did what I had to do. He was tough as anything. I hit him with everything that I possibly could have. I thank him a lot for stepping in at such short notice. He gave it everything and made it a good fight. As soon as these sharp, accurate and hard punches land, people go on the defensive. It make it a hell of a hard night for them. They just don’t want to keep taking them all night. I was really frustrated about the Cissokho fight, but I’m happy I still got to fight in the end on such a big stage. Job done now and we move on.

“I’m very grateful to get out twice this year. I feel like I’m one of the privileged ones. Especially this kind of opportunity on the big stage. Hopefully there was a good bit of exposure there for me. It was actually quite refreshing having people there shouting. It was nice to have them back. I’m very confident. People underestimate me. As soon as they take one or two stiff shots they just want to make it a hard night and survive. Hopefully I get the winner of Ted Cheeseman vs. James Metcalf. We’re all shouting for that though. I guess we’ll all have to wait our turn. I’m coming, and I’m not going anywhere. I want anyone who wants it. I’m not ducking or avoiding anyone.”

Marku and Stewart to very controversial draw

In a battle of undefeated welterweights Florian Marku and Jamie Stewart fought to a very controversial draw

Marku dropped Stewart with a left to the body, and dominated the fight yet somehow referee Marcus McDonnell ruled the fight 76-76.

Marku, 147 lbs of Lushnje, ALB is now 7-0-1. Stewart, 146 lbs of Longton, ENG is 2-0-1.

A disappointed Marku told Matchroom: “This is my life. They give a draw on my record. I didn’t deserve it. I was beating this guy every round. Congratulations to him, he accepted the fight on four days’ notice. He had a tough head. This wasn’t a draw. I put him down in the second or third round. I was outboxing him. He was running sometimes and he was making the jab. What else did he do? He punched me in my guard, nothing else.

“He can take many punches. He is a tough opponent. This is a shame, a shame for the referee that gave me this draw. I don’t know what I can say. It’s a shame for the sport. They are trying to ruin my career. I feel so disappointed with this decision. The referee doesn’t like me. That is the only justification for this. Maybe because I am from Albania and my opponent was from England? This is my life. He couldn’t handle the pressure and he took many shots to the head. This wasn’t my best performance. I wasn’t as powerful as usual but I was beating him.”

Follow all the action as Anthony Joshua defends the IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight Titles against Mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev.  The action begins at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT /6 PM in England  and 8 PM in Bulgaria.  Undercard fights will feature Lawrence Okolie, Hughie Fury and Martin Bakole

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Round 1: Jab from Joshua…

Round 2 Jab from Joshua…Combination…Long Jab…

Round 3 Long right from Joshua…Joshua boxing from Distance..Huge counter right from Joshua, Hurts Pulev..2 big uppercuts…PULEV TURNS HIS BACK AND RULED A KNOCKDOWN….Right and left from Joshua…UPPERCUT AND DOWN GOES PULEV..Uppercut on the inside

Round 4  Sharp jab and right hand from Joshua…Pulev lands a jab and right hand

Round 5 Jab and hard right from Joshua…Right from Pulev..

Round 6 Good jab from Pulev..2 jabs from Joshua..Good jab from Joshua..

Round 7 3 Uppercuts in a row from Joshua..Uppercut from Pulev…Joshua Jabbing to the body..Nice right from Pulev

Round 8 Good right from Pulev

Round 9 Stiff jab from Joshua…4 uppercuts land..2 big uppercuts AN DOWN GOES PULEV…Pulev wobbling…HUGE RIGHT AND DOWN GOES PULEV…PULEV DOES NOT BEAT THE COUNT…FIGHT OVER

Round 1 RIGHT TO THE BODY AND DOWN GOES JEZEWSKI…JEZEWSKI IS WOBBLING AND GOES DOWN AGAIN

Round 2  Left hook from Jezewski…BODY SHOT AND DOWN GEZ JEZEWSKI…FIGHT STOPPED

Round 1: Body shot from Wach..Fury lands a right..Jab and right..Right…body combination from Fury
Round 2 Right from Fury…Good uppercut from Wach…Fury pressuring Wach…Good right from Wach
Round 3 Right from Fury
Round 4 Big right from Fury..Right..Fury cut over his right eye (clash of heads)
Round 5 Wach lands a hook and right…Left from Fury…Right at the bell from Wach
Round 6 Ringside doctor looks at the cut…Good right from Fury…
Round 7 Jab from Fury…
Round 8 2 Jabs from Fury..Right
Round 9 Body shot from Fury…Nice Jab
Round 10 Good right from Fury…Jab..Clubbing Right

100-90 twice and 99-91 for FURY

Round 1 Good right from Bakole..Jab…Body and head shots…2 jabs from Juzmin..right
Round 2 Good hard right from Kuzmin..Good uppercut…Good uppercut from Bakole…Right and exchanging of good hook…Good right from Bakole..Uppercut..Right from Kuzmin..Jab snaps Bakole’s head back..Right from Kuzmin
Round 3 Long jab from Bakole to body and head..Double jab…
Round 4 1-2 from Kuzmin…
Round 5 Hard hook from Kuzmin…Combinatiom…Good right and another..Hook to the head…Combunation and jab from Bakole
Round 6 Jab from Bakole..Hook from Kuzmin
Round 7 Good jab from Bakole…Body shot
Round 8 Kuzmin lands a hook…Good uppercut…Body shot from Bakole..Good work on the inside from Bakole
Round 9 Good hook from Kuzmin
Round 10  Nice snapping right hand from Kuzmin…Combination…

98-92, 97-93, 96-94 BAKOLE

Round 1: Right from Conway
Round 2 Conway landing a jab…Good right..Jab..
Round 3 Sharp jab from Conway…Sharp right…Hook to the body
Round 4 1-2 From Cinway..Uppercut..Good body work from McGowan..Right from Conwat,,Hard right
Round 5 Good work from Conway…Right to the head..3 punch combination..Good body shots from McGowan,..Hard jab from Conway
Round 6 Jab from Conway..Good combination..Body shot from McGowan..Counter right from Conway…
Round 7 Hook and jab from Conway
Round 8 LEFT HOOK AND DOWN GOES MCGOWAN..Conway landing body shots…Snapping right hand..Body shot..Right to body and head..Nice Combination
Round 9 Good uppercut from Conway…Jab..McGowan face is bleeding..Hook from McGowan..jab and right hand from Conway..Body and head combination McGowan
Round 10 Double uppercut from Conway..Bosy work..Jab…Combination

100-89; 99-90 TWICE FOR CONWAY

Round 1 Hook to body from Marku…Combination..Hard left and left to body
Round 2 Jab from Stewart..Body shots from Marku..Nice Uppercut…Uppercut and hook from Southpaw stance..LEFT TO THE BODY AND DOWN GOES STEWART…
Round 3
Round 4 Good Body shot from Stewart…Left to body from Marku..Combination..Right to the body…Uppercut..Stewart lands a body shot…Jab…
Round 5 Nice body shot to head and body from Stewart…Body shot from Marku..Leaping left hook…
Round 6 Left from Marku…Right hand lands..
Round 7 Marku landing on the ropes…Combination from Stewart..Good body shot
Round 8 Good body work from Marku..Stiff left..Stewart fighting out of the corner..Right knockouts out Stewart’s mouthpiece

SCORE WAS RULED 76-76 …TERRIBLE DECISION

London-based Albanian Welterweight sensation Florian Marku has signed a multi-fight promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.

The decorated former MMA fighter turned professional in December 2018 and has won all seven of his contests in impressive fashion, with five of those wins coming inside the distance. Trained by Don Charles and managed by S-JAM Boxing, Marku hasn’t been shy in calling out the top Welterweights in the UK, with Conor Benn and Chris Kongo sitting at the top of his hit list. 

Boasting a huge following, the 28-year-old southpaw sold out London’s iconic 1200-seater York Hall single-handed for his UK debut in March 2019 before luring over 800 fans to The O2 for his fourth round KO of Tommy Broadbent in July,  and the 5’ 8” dangerman hopes to welcome his growing army of fans back to arenas across the UK in 2021. 

‘Albanian King’ was last seen making short work of Muma Mweemba last month, flooring the Sheffield-based fighter twice before ending proceedings in the opening round with a brutal left hook that sent his opponent crashing into the ropes. Possessing lethal KO power in both hands, Marku is determined to shake up the domestic 147lbs division before targeting World honours. 

“I am very excited to join Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing,” said Marku. “This is where the big boys play, and I will show I am the most dangerous Welterweight in the country. The Albanian king is coming.”

“I’m delighted to welcome Florian to the team,” said Matchroom Sport Managing Director Eddie Hearn. “He has an astonishing and loyal fan base that are one of the most fanatical I have seen in boxing and a fan friendly style that is going to light up arenas and front rooms all over the country. I’m looking forward to plenty of fun with Florian and S-JAM, stay tuned for some exciting announcements.”

Sam Jones of S-JAM Boxing said: “Myself and Adam Moralleeare delighted to be teaming up with Matchroom Boxing again. We believe Florian can become World Champion and we know Eddie and Matchroom are the ones to deliver it for him. We are looking forward to some huge nights ahead.”

You can follow Florian’s journey on Twitter: @FlorianMarku92 and Instagram: florianmarku