(June 19, 2021) Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz improved to 22-1-1 (15 KOs) following his nonstop dominating unanimous decision victory over Francisco Vargas in their 10-round lightweight bout live on SHOWTIME. A highly anticipated battle between power-punching Mexico City natives, 23-year-old top lightweight contender Isaac Cruz (22-1-1, 15 KOs) scored a wide unanimous decision over former champion Francisco Vargas (27-3-2, 19 KOs). The official scores were 100-89, 99-90 and 97-92. Cruz, who shot up the lightweight rankings in 2020 and punctuated his year with an electrifying first-round knockout over Diego Magdaleno in September, came out early looking for a similar result. Cruz continued to throw power punches, including his signature overhand right, but Vargas was able to avoid any devastating blows. It was the 36-year-old Vargas who was the more active fighter, throwing 586 punches compared to Cruz’s 548. However, Cruz out-landed Vargas 188-148 and landed 43 percent of his power shots en route to the victory. Cruz consistently led with his head, resulting in a number of head clashes, including in the eventful 10th and final round which led to a significant cut over Vargas’ right eye that the Mexican warrior fought through. In the final minute of the fight, Cruz sent Vargas to the canvas for just the second time in his career with a barrage of punches, topping off an impressive performance. #IsaacCruz #FranciscoVargas #CruzVargas Visit PremierBoxingChampions.com for more info. SIGN UP FOR FIGHT ALERTS: https://pbcham.ps/FightAlerts FOLLOW US: https://twitter.com/premierboxing https://instagram.com/premierboxing https://www.facebook.com/premierboxingchampions
Gervonta Davis said he wanted to deliver punishment to Rolando "Rolly" Romero for all the talking he's done in the build up the fight. In RD6 he lands a beautiful left hook that sent Romero face first into the ropes. An incredible finish to an incredible fight. #DavisRomero #GervontaDavis #RollyRomero Visit PremierBoxingChampions.com for more info. SIGN UP FOR FIGHT ALERTS: https://pbcham.ps/FightAlerts FOLLOW US: https://twitter.com/premierboxing https://instagram.com/premierboxing https://www.facebook.com/premierboxingchampions
(May 14, 2022) In a history-making performance, Jermell Charlo again showed he’s the master of the rematch. Unified WBC, WBA and IBF World Champion Jermell Charlo picked up the WBO title with a dramatic 10th-round KO of Brian Castaño in a rematch of their 2021 masterpiece to become the first ever undisputed male 154-pound champion in the four-belt era on Saturday, May 14 live on SHOWTIME from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson. The bout, which was another Fight of the Year-type encounter, headlined a Premier Boxing Champions event before an announced crowd of 7,406. The end came when Charlo (35-1-1, 18 KOs) dropped Castaño with a short, left hook as he was fighting off the ropes with around a minute left in the 10th. Castaño (17-1-2, 12 KOs) rose on unsteady legs and was allowed to continue and Charlo jumped on him, landing a vicious left to the head and body that caused Castaño to collapse and referee Jerry Cantu to wave off the bout at 2:33 of the 10th. Saturday’s ending was reminiscent of the way Charlo closed his fight with Tony Harrison in their 2019 rematch when he KO’d Harrison in the 11th round after Harrison dethroned him in 2018. Charlo, 31, is trained by Derrick James, who helped orchestrate Errol Spence Jr.’s 10th-round stoppage of Yordenis Ugas to pick up a third welterweight title on April 16 from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Charlo and Castaño went toe-to-toe for 12 grueling rounds the first time they fought on July 17, 2021 on SHOWTIME, with the back-and-forth tilt ending in a split-decision draw. Charlo didn’t leave it in the judges’ hands on Saturday. “This is legacy,” Charlo said in the ring afterward. “This is something that is legendary. I’m a legend. I knew Castaño was going to give it his all. I knew I had trained very, very hard but you all can see that I came in at 152 pounds because I was really in shape, and I wanted to make sure that this was my fight.” The rematch was previously announced to take place on March 19 but was rescheduled after Castaño suffered an arm injury in training. The delay angered Charlo, who accused Castaño of gamesmanship in the run-up. But the two shook hands and praised the other’s tenacity on Saturday after sharing the ring for a combined 22 rounds. “We showed that we are warriors,” Castaño said. “We both were fighting back-and-forth. He’s a champion. He hit me. He got me. But I’m okay.” Charlo produced a calm, clinically efficient and ultimately punishing performance. Expecting Castaño to fight aggressively and apply pressure, Charlo boxed effectively off his back foot, utilizing a hard jab and a counter-left that repeatedly found its target, none more violently than the final moments of the match. Just like the first match, Castaño again landed a number of overhand rights and was successful in spots with his constant pressure. The fight was again fought at a torrid pace with both fighters hurting the other. But just like in the first fight, when Charlo gathered strength as the fight went on and won the final three rounds on all the judges’ scorecards, Charlo again wrested control of the bout in the late stages on Saturday. “I listened to my corner this time,” he said. “I got in my bag around the seventh round. I started sitting down a little bit more instead of boxing so much and moving around. I saw that he was wearing down a little bit and I was breaking him down. I just saw my punches being more effective. I get stronger in the later rounds if they didn’t know.” #CharloCastano2 #JermellCharlo #BrianCastano Visit PremierBoxingChampions.com for more info. SIGN UP FOR FIGHT ALERTS: https://pbcham.ps/FightAlerts FOLLOW US: https://twitter.com/premierboxing https://instagram.com/premierboxing https://www.facebook.com/premierboxingchampions
Watch the undisputed super welterweight world championship rematch between Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano live on the PBC YouTube Page at 9pm ET/6pm PT. (UK Residents Only) #CharloCastano2 Visit PremierBoxingChampions.com for more info. SIGN UP FOR FIGHT ALERTS: https://pbcham.ps/FightAlerts FOLLOW US: https://twitter.com/premierboxing https://instagram.com/premierboxing https://www.facebook.com/premierboxingchampions
Top super welterweight contenders Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora and Erickson “Hammer” Lubin delivered an instant classic Saturday night, as Fundora captured the Interim WBC Super Welterweight Title via TKO after nine rounds in the SHOWTIME main event from The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas presented by Premier Boxing Champions. In a bout that lived up to the pre-fight hype, both men hit the canvas and showed tremendous fortitude to recover from knockdowns and continue to deliver massive blows. It was the six-foot, six-inch Fundora who struck first with a sweeping right uppercut that sent Lubin to the mat during the final seconds of round two. “I think this was probably my best performance ever,” said Fundora. “It was a back-and-forth fight. He really brought his hammer but I decided to bring my drill. The uppercut was landing like no other. The uppercut is my lucky punch. I’m here in Vegas, so I feel a little lucky, and that’s my lucky punch. It lands most of the time with everybody. Southpaw. Right hand. It doesn’t matter. Once I find that, I feel like the job’s done.” Despite appearing on shaky legs after round two, Lubin recovered in the final minute of round three to bloody Fundora with a series of head shots. Lubin won three of the first four rounds on all three scorecards, buoyed by a bruising body attack against his taller opponent. In round seven, Fundora and Lubin engaged in a surefire Round of the Year candidate, as both men took serious damage. Fundora’s nonstop volume began to show dividends on Lubin’s face, which started to swell up from damage during the frame. However, Lubin showed championship mettle by turning the tide with an unrelenting series of hooks that eventually forced Fundora to take a knee, the first time he’s been down as a pro. “I got hit with a good punch and I didn’t feel like I needed to get hit again so I took a knee to get a little breather in and I recovered,” said Fundora. “I intentionally took a knee. I knew I had to take a knee because if I kept getting hit like that it wouldn’t be smart for me and I wouldn’t be able to recollect myself.” After rising to his feet after the knockdown, Fundora recovered to out-land Lubin 26 to 12 and 28 to 3 in rounds eight and nine respectively, according to CompuBox. Overall, Fundora out-landed Lubin 255 to 149, while Lubin held a 40% to 36% advantage in punch accuracy. Lubin had early success with his jab, landing 18 over the first three rounds, but only connected on 15 throughout the rest of the action. After a one-sided round nine, and with swelling continuing to grow around Lubin’s face, his trainer Kevin Cunningham asked referee Russell Mora to stop the fight, officially ending the action via a TKO after nine rounds. At the time of the stoppage, Lubin led 85-84 on two judges’ cards, with the third judge scoring the fight 85-85. “I think it was a good decision for Kevin Cunningham to stop the fight,” said Fundora. “His face shifted from round one to round nine. It completely morphed and there was a lot of blood coming out. He’s a tough fighter. He was in the game the whole time but there’s no need to get hurt that much.” Lubin was taken to UMC Trauma Center for further observation post fight. For Fundora, he puts himself in position to face the winner of the undisputed 154-pound title rematch between Jermell Charlo and Brian Castaño, taking place May 14 on SHOWTIME. “I see Charlo winning the fight against Castaño,” said Fundora. “I feel like he’ll be too strong for Castaño the second time. If Castaño wins, that’s great too. I just want to go after all of them. This is the interim belt so I want the world champion title. I want the real deal.” #SebastianFundora #EricksonLubin #FundoraLubin Visit PremierBoxingChampions.com for more info. SIGN UP FOR FIGHT ALERTS: https://pbcham.ps/FightAlerts FOLLOW US: https://twitter.com/premierboxing https://instagram.com/premierboxing https://www.facebook.com/premierboxingchampions
Filipino featherweight prospect Mark Magsayo defeats Pablo Cruz by RD4 KO, improving his perfect record to 22-0, with 15 KOs. #MarkMagsayo #MagsayoCruz #Boxing Visit PremierBoxingChampions.com for more info. SIGN UP FOR FIGHT ALERTS: https://pbcham.ps/FightAlerts FOLLOW US: https://twitter.com/premierboxing https://instagram.com/premierboxing https://www.facebook.com/premierboxingchampions
#TszyuGausha Fight Recap: https://pbcham.ps/FightNight-032622 Despite being knocked down in the first round, Tim Tszyu shined in his U.S. debut, dominating Terrell Gausha over 12 rounds on his way to a unanimous decision victory in their super welterweight bout, live on SHOWTIME from The Armory in Minneapolis, MN. #Highlights Visit PremierBoxingChampions.com for more info. SIGN UP FOR FIGHT ALERTS: https://pbcham.ps/FightAlerts FOLLOW US: https://twitter.com/premierboxing https://instagram.com/premierboxing https://www.facebook.com/premierboxingchampions
Isaac Cruz (21-1-1, 15 KOs) of Mexico City earned a unanimous decision victory over Argentina’s Matias Romero (24-1, 8 KOs) in a 12-round WBA Lightweight Title Eliminator. It marked the first time that the 22-year-old Cruz went 12 rounds in his professional career. The judges’ scorecards read 114-113, 115-112 and 118-109. SHOWTIME’s unofficial scorer Steve Farhood scored the fight 115-112, giving rounds 10 through 12 to the rising star. “I’m not happy about the style of the fight but I am satisfied I took the victory home and we’ve come to the No. 1 spot in the WBA,” said Cruz. “I didn’t know what was going to happen [as far as the judges]. We forced the fight at all times and it would have been very impossible for the judges to do something to me when I was the one pushing the fight.” Throughout the 36-minute affair, Cruz constantly applied pressure against his opponent which led to Romero, the more seasoned professional, to hold excessively in an attempt to stall the pressure. Despite being warned frequently by referee Harvey Dock, the 24-year-old Romero was never penalized. During the rough-and-tumble contest, however, Cruz was docked a point in the sixth round for a low blow. “He was a fighter who didn’t want to exchange punches,” Cruz added, in reference to the persistent clinching. “I was very fed up with the clinches—there was never a warning toward him. I did my best out there. Not the best way I wanted to do it but thank God we won the fight and we’re taking the victory home.” Romero presented an effective jab throughout the fight, landing 89 of 282, but it was Cruz’s power punching that ultimately earned him the victory. Cruz, who is now the No. 1 contender for a world title shot at 135 pounds, landed 145 of 459 power punches, including 91 body shots. “Obviously I’m not happy with the decision,” stated Romero following his first professional loss. “I thought maybe it was a draw. Overall I’m happy with my performance. He’s supposed to the be the ‘Pit Bull’ and I went the distance. You have to take the opportunities when they are presented and I wish I would have had more time to get ready for this fight.” #IsaacCruz #MatiasRomero #CruzRomero Visit PremierBoxingChampions.com for more info. SIGN UP FOR FIGHT ALERTS: https://pbcham.ps/FightAlerts FOLLOW US: https://twitter.com/premierboxing https://instagram.com/premierboxing https://www.facebook.com/premierboxingchampions