Raymond Ford scored a dramatic 12th round stoppage over Otabek Kohlmatov to capture the WBA Featherweight title at The Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

It was a terrific back and forth bout that saw each fighter score throughout the contest. Ford suffered a cut under his right eye. In round 12, behind on the scores, Ford landed a straight left that forced Kohlmatov across the ring. Kohlmatov was left wide open to eat under flushh left hand that forced referee Charlie Fitch to stop the bout at 2:53.

Ford, 125.9 lbs of Camden, NJ is 15-0-1 with eight knockouts. Kohlmatov, 125.8 lbs of Sirdaryo, UZB is 12-1.

Luis Alberto Lopez Stops Abe in 8; Defends IBF Featherweight Title

Luis Alberto Lopez made the third defense of the IBF Featherweight title with an eighth round stoppage over Reiya Abe.

Lopez dominated the action by coming forward and not letting Abe getting rhythm.

In round two, the right eye of Abe began to swell badly to the point where ringside doctors took a look at it.

In round eight, Lopez turned up the energy and landed a big punches in the middle of the ring which forced referee Mark Nelson to stop the bout at 39 seconds.

Lopez, 125.3 lbs of Mexicali, MEX is 30-2 with 17 knockouts. Abe, 125.8 lbs of Yamato, JAP is 25-4-1.

Brian Norman Jr. and Janelson Bocachica battled to a no-contest at the end of round three of their 10-round welterweight bout due to excessive bleeding from Bocachica.

In round one, Norman was cut over his right eye. Later in the round, Bocachica dropped Norman with a perfect right to the head. In round two, Bocachica was cut over his right eye and then a second cut in his hairline. The cuts were due to a headbutt and elbow and was too much for Bocachica and the fight was halted after round three.

Norman, 147.2 lbs of Atlanta is 25-0. Bocachica, 146.6 lbs of Detroit is 17-2-1.

Local favorite Bryce Mills won a six-round unanimous decision over Gerffred Ngaynt in a junior welterweight bout.

Mills, 138.7 lbs of Syracuse, NY won by scores of 60-54 twice and 58-56 and is now 15-1. Ngaynt, 138.7 lbs of Buffalo is 6-2.

Troy Isley remained undefeated with a thudding seventh round stoppage over Marcos Hernandez in an eight-round middleweight bout.

In round seven, Isley landed a big right hand that put Hernandez on the canvas. Hernandez got to his feet, but the fight was stopped at 1:30.

Isley, 159.3 lbs of Washington, DC is 12-0 with five knockouts. Hernandez, 160.6 lbs of Fresno, CA 16-7-2.

Floyd Diaz remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Edwin Diaz in a bantamweight fight.

Diaz, 118 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74 and is now 11-0. Rodriguez, 117.8 lbs of Juana Diaz, PR is 12-8-2.

Rohan Polanco remained undefeated with a eight-round unanimous decision over Tarik Zaina in a junior welterweight bout.

In round seven, Polanco was credited with a knockdown after what looked like a push put Zaina on the canvas. In round eight, Polanco dropped Zaina with a uppercut.

Polanco, 142.7 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR won by scores of 79-71 twice and 78-72 and is now 12-0. Zaina, 142,4 lbs of Tangier, MOR is 13-1-1.

Nico Ali Walsh won a six-round unanimous decision over Charles Stanford in a middleweight bout.

Walsh, 156.9 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55 and is now 10-1. Stanford, 155.1 lbs of Cincinnati is 7-6.

Brandon Moore remained undefeated with a eight-round unanimous decision over Helaman Olguin in a heavyweight bout.

Moore, 242 lbs of Lakeland, FL won by sores of 80-72 on all cards and is now 14-0. Olguin, 281.7 lbs of Salt Lake City, UT is 9-7-1.

NEW YORK–Teofimo Lopez became a two-division world champion with an emphatic 12-round unanimous decision over Josh Taylor to win the WBO Junior Welterweight title before a Madison Square Garden record crowd of 5,151.

The fight began with a fast pace with Taylor working the body. Lopez was able to land some “show me” right hands. Lopez started to foreshadow of things to come by landing quick and pinpoint right hands that was able to stop Taylor in his tracks. That assault came in rounds three through five, with round four being a big frame for “The Takeover” as he rocked Taylor. The two fighters took turns over the next four-rounds.

Lopez was terrific over the next three rounds as he dominant as hand speed proved to be too much. His right hand continuously found a home on the face of Taylor. In round 12, Lopez sealed the deal by hurting Taylor twice, with the latter being from a perfect right to the body that hurt Taylor.

Lopez, who was the undisputed lightweight champion, becomes a two-weight division champ by scores of 117-111 and 115-113 and is now 19-1. Taylor of Scotland is 19-1.

Xander Zayas remained undefeated by stopping Ronald Cruz in a eight-round junior middleweight bout.

Zayas dropped Cruz in the opening seconds with a powerful right hand. Zayas dominated the action and landed several hard flurry that had Cruz reeling on the ropes.

Zayas, 152.8 lbs of San Juan, PR won by scores of 80-71 on all cards and is now 16-0. Cruz, 152.4 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is now 18-3-1.

Said Zayas, “Thank you to all my Puerto Rican fans and to everyone that came out. This is a dream come true. I’m very happy to have fought during Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend. He was a tough guy. I was hitting him with everything. He didn’t want to go down. He was here to fight. He was motivated. He was tough. But we passed with flying colors. Unanimous decision. And we made the adjustments we needed to do.”

“He brought out the dog in me. I had to dig deep. I had to stay focused. I had to listen to my corner. And most importantly I had to have fun, which was the most important part. I had the crowd here cheering for me, so I was trying to stay as focused as possible.”

Robson Conceicao and Nicolas Polanco fought to a no-decision as a headbutt in round two deemed Polanco unable to continue.

Omar Rosario remained undefeated with a eight-round unanimous decision over Jan Carlos Rivera in a junior welterweight bout.

Rosario, 139.2 lbs of Caguas, PR won by scores of 77-75 and is now 11-0. Rivera, 138.4 lbs of Vieques, PR is 8-2.

Damian Knyba won an eight-round unanimous decision over Hiamann Olguin in a heavyweight fight.

Knyba, 261.4 lbs of Wodzyn, POL won by scores of 79-73 on all cards and is now 12-0, Olguin, 256.8 lbs of El Dorado, MEX is 9-6-1.

Bruce Carrington battered Luis Porozo and stopped him in round eight of their eight-round featherweight bout.

Carrington hurt Porozo in round eight and the fight was stopped at 2:17.

Carrington, 126.8 lbs of Brooklyn is 7-0 with five knockouts. Porozo. 126.4 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR is 16-7.

Henry Lebron remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Carlos Rosario in a junior lightweight bout.

In round 10, Lebron dropped Ramos with a left hook.

LeBron, 129.2 lbs of Aguadilla, PR won by scores of 98-90 twice and 97-91 and is now 18-0. Rosario, 129.6 lbs Madrid, SPA is now 17-3.

NEW YORK – January 24, 2023 – Top heavyweight contender Otto Wallin will return to action for his first fight of 2023, as he takes on Mexico’s Helaman Olguin in an eight-round fight this Friday, January 27 from Castleton Banquet & Conference Center in Windham, New Hampshire. Wallin, who is promoted by Salita Promotions and who owns the WBO No. 3 and WBC No. 9 rankings, will look to stay sharp as he seeks a marquee matchup this year.

“I feel great heading into this fight,” said Wallin. “My training has been going great and I’ve done a lot of good sparring leading up to this fight. I’m excited to be fighting in New Hampshire and can’t wait to step into the ring. I can’t overlook Olguin, who is a good fighter, but I don’t think he’s on my level. I know that I can compete and win against any heavyweight in the world, and I’ll make sure that I show why on Friday night.”

“Otto trains his tail off twice a day, six days a week, virtually year-round,” said Zach Levin, Wallin’s manager. “He cannot wait to prove himself against the very best in the world. While he waits for that opportunity to present itself, he is preparing for Olguin like the consummate professional that he is. He is grinding and not looking past Olguin. On January 27, Otto’s world class skills will be on full display and the fans in attendance will know they have been treated to something different.”

Wallin (24-1, 14 KOs) added two wins to his ledger in 2022, following up a unanimous decision in February over Kamil Sokolowski with a dominant decision over the always tough Rydell Booker in May. Since then Wallin has stayed ready in the gym, and after moving on from negotiations to face former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, will step back into the ring looking to show again why he’s a top 10 heavyweight in the world.

“Otto Wallin is the most avoided and feared fighter in the heavyweight division,” said Dmitriy Salita, President of Salita Promotions. “He is staying active, sharp and improving with every fight. Fights like this show how much of a committed fighter Otto really is. Instead of waiting around for a big fight, he is honing his craft. We are looking forward to an impressive performance and a big 2023 ahead.”

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ABOUT SALITA PROMOTIONS

Salita Promotions was founded in 2010 by Dmitriy Salita, a professional boxer and world-title challenger who saw the need for a promotional entity to feature boxing’s best young prospects and established contenders in North America and around the world. Viewers watching fighters on worldwide television networks including SHOWTIME, HBO, ESPN, Spike TV, Universal Sports Network, UFC Fight Pass, DAZN, ESPN+ and MSG have enjoyed Salita Promotions fight action in recent years. We pride ourselves on offering our fighters opportunities inside and outside the ring. Salita Promotions looks forward to continuing to grow and serve the needs of fight fans around the globe.

Check the Salita Promotions YOUTUBE CHANNEL for regular updates of the modern world’s greatest fighters, contenders and prospects in action. 

Joshua Franco won the WBA Super Flyweight world title with a 12-round unanimous decision over defending champion Andrew Moloney at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Moloney raced out and took most of the first half of the fight as he featured many body shots. The 2nd half of the fight was all Franco as he started landing his combinations at both mid-range and was started to wear Moloney down on the inside.

In round 10, a right hand cut Moloney under his left eye. In round 11, a combination that was highlighted by a left hand sent Moloney to the canvas. That proved to be the difference as Franco won by scores of 115-112 twice and 114-113 twice.

Franco, 115 lbs of San Antonio, TX is now 17-1-2. Moloney, 114.6 lbs of Kingscliff, AUS is 21-1.

“After the fourth round, I gained the momentum and figured him out. I always knew this was possible,” Franco said. “I wasn’t nervous when the decision was being read. I knew I’d done enough to win this fight. My coach, Robert Garcia, had me ready. I’m going home with the belt.”

“I always knew this was possible,” said Joshua Franco. “I knew the hard work would pay off in the end. Thank you to Golden Boy for the support and the opportunity. You were behind me 100% and now you have a new world champ.”

“After the first fourth round, I started to gain momentum and figure him out. The knockdown in the eleventh round was crucial. I needed it. But I slowly started to wear him down. By the end of the fight, I knew I had done enough to win. My coach, Robert Garcia, prepared me well.”

“Tonight, the first world title fight since the COVID-19 pandemic began took place, and a Golden Boy fighter stepped up to the challenge, entered enemy territory and dominated,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “Franco’s victory is special for us as he was part of an impressive group of young fighters that we signed back in 2015 as we were rebuilding our stable. Five years later, our mutual hard work has paid off. From debuting on our LA Fight Club series to headlining on national television, Franco has developed into a world champion.”

“It just wasn’t my night tonight,” Moloney said. “This was not the best version of Andrew Moloney, but full credit to Joshua Franco. He deserved to win the title with his effort. He closed the fight strong, like a true champion.
 
“I’ll be back. One loss won’t define me.”

Christopher Diaz won a 10-round unanimous decision over Jason Sanchez in a featherweight fight.

Diaz, 124.9 lbs of Barranquitas, PR won by scores of 98-92 twice and 97-93 to go to 26-2. Sanchez, 126 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 15-2.

“I can fight at featherweight, or I can make 122 pounds. Whatever Top Rank wants, but I’m ready for a big fight in either weight division. I am a completely different and improved fighter from the one who fought Shakur Stevenson last year,” Diaz said. “I worked on my power in the gym. My coaches, Nelson Rodriguez and Freddie Roach, got me ready for tonight.”

In a battle of undefeated junior welterweights, Miguel Contreras won a six-round unanimous decision over Rolando Vargas.

Vargas was cut on his nose in round two from a clash of heads.

Contreras, 137.4 lbs of Bakersfield, CA won by 58-56 scores on all cards to take him to 11-0. Vargas, 137 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is 5-1.

Helaman Olguin won a six-round majority decision over Adam Stewart in a heavyweight bout.

In round one, Stewart was cut around the right eye from a clash of heads.

Olguin, 290 lbs of South Jordan, Utah won by sores of 58-56 twice, and 57-57, and is now 8-3. Stewart, 231.1 lbs of Phoenix, AZ 8-1-1.