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Fightful Boxing Newsletter (8/31): Mayweather vs. McGregor Review And Fallout, Top Rank-ESPN Broadcasting Deal Details

Boxing Shakur Stevenson Oleksandr Usyk Vasyl Lomachenko Adonis Stevenson Gerald Washington Erislandy Lara Mikey Garcia Manny Pacquiao Deontay Wilder
Carlos Toro Aug 31, 2017 7:00AM

The madness has ended.

Floyd Mayweather defeated Conor McGregor in what was certainly a rollercoaster ride from the buildup of the fight alone. The fight appeared to have broken several records in terms of live gate, revenue and perhaps the coveted pay-per-view record set two years ago. We won't know for sure what the final financial details are for a while, but we do know some things, such as the attendance, which ended up being way short of a sellout, and the live gate, according to Mayweather himself.

Max Holloway KO's Justin Gaethje In Buzzer Beater Throwdown Finish At UFC 300

Also, one other piece of news that flew under the radar was Top Rank finally coming to terms with ESPN to broadcast high-quality fights for the next four years. This allows the network to broadcast fights from fighters including the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Vasyl Lomacenko. If anything, this is the catalyst to bringing boxing back into the public mindset and will only help the sport's increasing popularity.

Fightful Boxing Newsletter (8/30) Table of Contents

  1. Mayweather vs. McGregor Fallout (Page 2)
  2. Top Rank Signs Broadcasting Deal With ESPN (Page 3)
  3. Weekend Recap (Page 4)
  4. Results from the world of boxing (Page 5)
  5. Fightful Boxing Rankings (Page 6-7)
  6. Other news in Boxing (Page 8)
  7. Female World Champion Angelique Duchemin Passes Away (Page 9)

Mayweather vs. McGregor Fallout:

If you ask certain people, Hell really froze over on August 26. Floyd Mayweather did indeed come out of retirement to fight Conor McGregor, a UFC champion with no professional boxing experience, in a boxing match.

As of this writing, it’s still unknown what the actual pay-per-view buyrate for this pay-per-view is, which is what most people curious about this fight are eagerly waiting for. UFC president Dana White claimed that there were 6.5 million buys in the United States alone in an Instagram story posted by Urijah Faber.

It probably is hyperbole, but White’s confidence seems to indicate that the event did in fact break the record of 4.6 million buys Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao in 2015 achieved.

Let’s take that 6.5 million number White claimed. If that indeed is true, at $99.95 for a buy in high definition that would equate to almost $650 million just in pay-per-view revenue.

But even with the possibility of the Mayweather vs. McGregor being an absolute financial success, it was not a flawlessly-run event. Like in the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight, the August 26 pay-per-view had several streaming issues as well. The Showtime pay-per-view stream was down in certain parts of the country and the UFC online stream crashed on a lot of people, not even allowing people who bought the pay-per-view online to log in to their UFC.tv account.

A UFC statement said the following:

“We’re incredibly disappointed by the technical difficulties that were experienced Saturday night, and we’re working with our vendor NeuLion to assess exactly what happened.”

NeuLion was UFC’s online streaming service vendor for the fight and are probably more widely known to be the leading online streaming service provider for many NCAA Division-I universities and several NCAA conferences. Having used NeuLion in the past, I have never really encountered any serious issues with NeuLion and the company is accustomed to streaming major college sporting events, so it’s not like the company did not know what they were getting into when they partnered with UFC to stream the August 26 event.

I had no issue buying the pay-per-view the same day of the fight from the UFC in Puerto Rico and it never crashed on me, but after reading through so many stories of the UFC stream crashing, I almost feel like my case was more of an exception rather than the norm. But with so many pay-per-view crashes, lawsuits are bound to occur and Showtime has already been hit with one.

The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report the news of the lawsuit happening shortly after the pay-per-view ended. A copy of the class action lawsuit can be read by clicking here. Showtime spokesperson Chris DeBlasio is saying refunds are being issued through the point of sale and that the complaints were at a minimum, which is already way less than the complaints for the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight from two years ago.

“Refunds are handled at the point of sale,” DeBlasio said to MMA Fighting. “While we have received a very limited number of complaints, we will issue a full refund for customers who purchased the event directly from Showtime and were unable to receive the telecast.”

There was a slight delay to the main event due to the streaming issues, but the rest of the card went on without any kind of delay. The delay was filled with an interview with IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., which didn't really take too long, so it never felt like the show was stalling for time to restart some of the crashed streams. The lawsuit alleges that Showtime was not being truthful with their customers about the issues affecting the super fight stream.

“Instead of being upfront with consumers about its new, untested, underpowered service, defendant caused likelihood of confusion and misunderstanding as to the source and quality of the HD video consumers would see on fight night,” the complaint reads. “Defendant intentionally misrepresented the quality and grade of video consumers would see using its app, and knowingly failed to disclose that its system was defective with respect to the amount of bandwidth available, and that defendant’s service would materially fail to conform to the quality of HD video defendant promised.”

UFC Fight Pass also had issues streaming the fight, but no lawsuit of any kind has been filed against them at the moment. UFC definitely helped itself with the fact that people could buy the pay-per-view and get a 30-day free trial for UFC Fight Pass. The fight was also viewable on PS4 gaming systems, but I have yet to hear of any cases where the PS4 stream went down for a significant amount of people.

While the fight was a big seller on pay-per-view and streaming services like UFC Fight Pass, it was also watched illegally through live streams and then illegal downloads after the fight. This was expected, due to the sheer magnitude of the fight and high pay-per-view pricing.

According to a report from Variety, well over 3 million people either watched the fight through an illegal live stream or downloaded the fight illegally after the fight was over.

The Aug. 26 match from Las Vegas yielded 239 illegal live-streamed rebroadcasts online, reaching an estimated 2.93 million viewers worldwide, according to content-security vendor Irdeto. Of those, 67 were hosted on well-known piracy streaming websites. Pirates also used services including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter’s Periscope, Amazon-owned Twitch and media-player platform Kodi to illegally redistribute the highly anticipated event, according to Irdeto. In addition to the live-streaming piracy, an estimated 445,000 internet users downloaded video of the fight after it concluded Saturday, including 78,000 in the U.S. and 49,000 in the U.K. and Ireland, according to piracy-tracking firm Tecxipio.

The show did great business on pay-per-view and on legal streaming services like UFC Fight Pass, but obviously a lot of big business was missed through illegal streaming and downloading. For example, at a price point of $100 for the HD version of the pay-per-view, the promoters lost on out an additional $300,000,000 in pay-per-view purchases. That’s is assuming of course that everybody who watched or downloaded the fight illegally would have ordered the pay-per-view.

As far as the attendance is concerned, the official tally was 14,632. Mayweather said the live gate was $80 million, which would have beaten the live gate record set in the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight ($72 million). If what Mayweather said was true, then every single person attending the fight would have had to pay an average ticket of $5,467.47, which isn't completely far-fetched given the absurdly high price for these fights.

The fight was far from a sellout and one would wonder how the live gate could have improved had the prices have been lowered. The marketing around the tickets was centered around the uniqueness of this event, but once it was starting become clear that this fight was not going to be a sellout, then the focus shifted a bit to how this fight would break the live gate record, which appears to have succeeded.

The televised prelims, which were shown on FOX, peaked at more than three million viewers, according to TV By The Numbers, which would make it the highest-viewed boxing card on FOX all year long. In the coveted 18-49 demographic, the card had 1.1 rating, which is tops among the four top networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX).

This viewership is leaps and bounds better than the two FOX boxing cards they had in 2017. The February 25 PBC on FOX card, headlined by Deontay Wilder vs. Gerald Washington, averaged 1.768 million viewers. The July 15 PBC on FOX card, headlined by Omar Figueroa vs. Robert Guerrero, averaged 886,000 viewers.

The pay-per-view was also shown in more than 500 theaters in the United States and Fathom Events, which broadcasted the fight in theaters, said it generated $2.6 million in the box office. For that night, the fight scored the third biggest night in theaters behind “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” ($3.9 million) and “Annabelle: Creation” ($2.8 million).

We won’t know for sure what the real pay-per-view number will be for the next week or so, but from the looks of things, the fight may have actually broken the pay-per-view record. Even if White’s 6.5 million figure is off by even 25 percent, it would still be the top pay-per-view of all time.

Top Rank Signs Broadcasting Deal With ESPN

Top Rank Boxing's early experiment with ESPN has resulted in two of the most watched boxing matches on cable this year, and the success resulted in a major exclusive broadcasting deal being agreed to.

The network and the promotion company has agreed to a four-year deal that would allow ESPN to broadcast major Top Rank boxing matches.

Burke Magnus, ESPN executive vice president of programming and scheduling, said the deal allows ESPN the chance to showcase Top Rank's best boxers.

"ESPN is thrilled to announce this new relationship with Top Rank, the most comprehensive and innovative media agreement in the history of the sport. We believe in a new vision for boxing that will super-serve existing boxing fans and create legions of new fans through world class boxing content across multiple ESPN platforms - 365 days a year. Together, ESPN and Top Rank will build the superstars of tomorrow through unrivaled exposure, original content and cutting edge technology," Magnus said.

ESPN is now getting back into serious boxing broadcasts at the most opportunistic time, with some of HBO’s top boxing stars now becoming a part of ESPN and other top stars -- such as Andre Ward and Miguel Cotto -- either leaving or set to leave soon. Boxing’s popularity in the United States now seems to be on the rise, especially since CBS’ broadcast of the Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia welterweight unification fight did the best television viewership in almost 20 years.

Under the four-year deal, ESPN will televise live Top Rank-promoted fights on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, the network's Spanish language channel, and stream them on the ESPN App. It will also stream fights and other Top Rank content on the recently announced ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service via BAMTech and deliver pay-per-view events. Top Rank has also produced pay-per-view events in the past, but the deal with ESPN would provide a bigger avenue to hold these pay-per-view events.

ESPN already aired three Top Rank Boxing on ESPN cards in the past two months, with each card being headlined by Manny Pacquiao, Vasyl Lomachenko and Terence Crawford. The Pacquiao and Crawford fights already have been major successes, drawing the two highest ratings for a boxing match on cable in 2017.

Top Rank boxing content will include all undercard bouts, select non-televised main events, re-airs of all ESPN events and pay-per-views as well as fights from Top Rank's massive library.

Top Rank president Todd duBoef, the stepson of Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, spearheaded the deal and worked closely with ESPN president John Skipper and Magnus on the deal. They shook hands on the deal in mid-July, but it took time to finalize a roughly 75-page contract.

DuBoef has long sought to have boxing and shoulder programming available to a wider audience and wanted to work with a broadcast partner that was also invested in the sport. While duBoef said that premium cable networks such as HBO and Showtime have done a great job with boxing for decades, their limited availability, he said, stunted the public's access to the sport. He that on ESPN that will not be the case.

"Top Rank is thrilled to enter into this relationship with ESPN, one of the top sports media brands in the world," duBoef said. "This unprecedented partnership offers a 360 [degree] approach to the entire boxing vertical, including live world class events, unparalleled coverage as well as access to historical moments in the sport."

ESPN's multisport streaming service, to debut in early 2018, is set to play a large role in the Top Rank agreement.

The service was announced earlier this month as part of a Walt Disney Co. acquisition of BAMTech, an online streaming company. The Walt Disney Co. also owns ESPN.

ESPN says Top Rank boxing will be among about 10,000 live events, including Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, Grand Slam tennis, college sports and more.

The deal is the culmination of Top Rank's efforts to land a long-term deal on which to develop its talent and showcase its elite boxers rather than just having occasional HBO cards that highlighted the top fighters and its prospects on the low-budget, money-losing UniMas cards that were aimed strictly at a Spanish-speaking audience.

With the rights deal in the works, Top Rank went on a signing binge of top talent after the 2016 Olympics. This deal with ESPN will give those fighters a chance to grow in front of a big platform like ESPN. The fighters include Olympic gold medalists Fazliddin Gaibnazarov of Uzbekistan and Robson Conceicao of Brazil; American silver medalist Shakur Stevenson; Michael Conlan of Ireland; Teofimo Lopez Jr., who is from the United States but represented his parents' home country of Honduras; Americans Antonio Vargas and Mikaela Mayer; and Puerto Rico's Jeyvier Cintron. These are just a few of the big prospects that will be taking part of these big cards that Top Rank has planned.

Even rising contenders, such as Puerto Rican star Felix Verdejo and Oleksandr Gvozdyk, also figure into Top Rank’s plans to turn them into bigger stars. With the Top Rank/ESPN deal, the cards are filled to the brim with talent and even though some of the talents might not get a spot on the television card, their fights will get streamed on the ESPN app, an extremely valuable resource tool that both HBO and Showtime lacked.

Creative Artists Agency, the leading sports and entertainment agency, served as the media adviser to Top Rank on the landmark agreement. Top Rank has retained CAA Sports to manage its official sponsorship sales efforts, working closely with ESPN. Alan Gold, head of CAA's sports media advisory practice, said the deal will give Top Rank all of ESPN’s resources, which would only strengthen the marketing and production quality of Top Rank cards.

"The deal puts Top Rank and its best-in-class stable of global fighters at the core of ESPN's combat sports offering," Gold said. “Top Rank has consistently and successfully built many of their fighters into global brands and now will benefit significantly from ESPN's broad distribution, sales and marketing support and outstanding storytelling."

Don’t expect all these Top Rank cards to suddenly break two million viewers time and time out, especially with football season just starting. The network will have to work around the fact that boxing has to compete with college football. It’s hard to tell how much it will affect the viewership, but the fact that there various ways to watch these fights can only help.

There are currently four Top Rank Boxing on ESPN cards being planned for the remainder of 2017:

  • September 22: WBO featherweight title match: Oscar Valdez (c) vs. Genesis Servania and Gilberto Ramirez (c) vs. Jessie Hart for the WBO super middleweight title
  • October 31: WBO junior featherweight title match: Jessie Magdaleno (c) vs. Cesar Juarez
  • November 11: WBO welterweight title match: Jeff Horn (c) vs. Manny Pacquiao (NOT FINALIZED)
  • December 9: WBO super featherweight title match: Vasyl Lomachenko (c) vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux (NOT FINALIZED)

The two big dates are the November 11 and December 9 dates. Pacquiao vs. Horn 2 could still do big numbers, but I don’t think it will do better numbers than the first fight. Rarely do rematches like this draw better in terms of viewership than the first fight and if they do, it’s barely an improvement from the first one. Pacquiao’s rematch against Timothy Bradley, in which Pacquiao lost the first fight via incredibly dubious judges scoring, did 90,000 fewer buys on pay-per-view than the first match. Pacquiao vs. Horn 2 could still do somewhere around two million viewers, maybe 2.5 million viewers, but not better than the first fight, due to the number of people that had a bad taste after thinking Pacquiao got robbed in that fight.

The December 9 ESPN card could be Lomachenko’s big break. Lomachenko, admired by boxing purists and hardcore fans as the next big superstar and already a top 10 pound-for-pound boxer, has not produced great television numbers for both HBO and ESPN, but it’s not his fault. More so, the small viewership came from Lomachenko fighting opponents no one really believes will give the super featherweight champion any trouble. It’s proven true because Lomachenko’s last three opponents, Nicholas Walters, Jason Sosa and Miguel Marriaga, did not make their respective fights against Lomachenko competitive in any sense.

Fighting an opponent such as Rigondeaux provides Lomachenko the necessary challenge that he needs in order to capture the boxing audience’s attention. The viewership will come as a result of whether or not the marketing will be able to make Rigondeaux a fighter that is worth tuning in. It will be a very competitive fight, but many in the boxing community figure that Rigondeaux is a boring and unattractive television fighter, which does hold weight to a certain extent. Lomachenko vs. Rigondeaux would create the kind of unique matchup that fans have been wanting. The clash of styles makes this an intriguing fight and will prove who is the best boxer at 130 pounds and below.

Top Rank and ESPN did work together from 1980-1996, but Top Rank then moved their fighters to HBO. The promotion started to cease working with HBO last year partially due to HBO not wanting to air Manny Pacquiao's return from retirement and subsequent WBO welterweight title win over Jessie Vargas last November. Crawford and Lomachenko had their last HBO fights take place back in May and April, respectively.

Weekend Recap: Mayweather vs. McGregor

Floyd Mayweather defeated Conor McGregor via TKO, round 10, 1:05: McGregor took advantage of Mayweather’s inactivity in the first couple of rounds and landed some good shots in. McGregor’s best shot early in the fight was a left uppercut to Mayweather’s chin. Mayweather ate that punch and started to turn the tables starting in round three. McGregor became desperate and tired himself out as the fight kept progressing while Mayweather still looked fresh. Mayweather appeared to have gotten hurt at the start of the eighth round due to a McGregor body shot, but Mayweather bounced back.

The fight itself was entertaining for what it was, but from a technical and fundamental standpoint, it was a pretty poor showing, from both Mayweather and McGregor. Mayweather had a gameplan and executed very well, but it was obvious that Mayweather has lost a step. If Mayweather had fought a top fighter at 154 pounds like Jermell Charlo, Erislandy Lara or Miguel Cotto, there's a good chance that Mayweather may have suffered his first professional loss.

For as much as people wanted to say how bad this fight was for the growth of the sport, I have seen people who were not boxing fans actually get hooked on the sport now, which will actually elevate the attention given to the September 16 fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin. It’s hard to tell whether or not the September 16 HBO pay-per-view will suffer any losses from Mayweather vs. McGregor, or actually gain buys from new fans. Now there seems to be undivided attention to what could be the biggest fight of the year.

Gervonta Davis defeated Francisco Fonseca via KO, 0:39: Davis missed weight the night before the fight, and the IBF stripped him of the junior lightweight title. Fonseca was the only one eligible to win the title, but Fonseca was simply outmatched. Davis dominated the fight when he actually cared about it. Davis showboated throughout large segments of the fight, including putting his hands behind his back. Fonseca never really hurt Davis at any point. Davis hit Fonseca in the back of his head early in round eight and Fonseca was knocked out. How that punch was not considered illegal was beyond me and Davis should have been disqualified for the punch. At most, this fight should have been ruled a no contest.

Badou Jack defeated Nathan Cleverly via TKO, round 5, 2:47, to win the WBA "Regular" Light Heavyweight Title: By a country mile, Jack had the best performance of anyone fighting on the pay-per-view. Like I‘ve said in the past, this fight was the best fight on paper and both guys fought really hard in the first couple of rounds. Those first two rounds were some of the most exciting rounds of the whole night. With Jack winning the title, he’s now of maybe two or three people in line to fight unified champion Andre Ward some time perhaps in 2018. WBC champion Adonis Stevenson challenged Jack on social media

Andrew Tabiti defeated Steve Cunningham via unanimous decision (97-93, 97-93, 100-90) to retain the NABF Cruiserweight Title: Tabiti fought an okay fight. It was nowhere near as exciting as many thought it was going to be. Tabiti is a hard puncher and did not showcase that, instead opting to fight a smarter fight, tagging Cunningham with numerous jabs and then moving across the ring. Tabiti, as one of Mayweather’s top prospects, fought a very Mayweather-like fight, trying to win the fight on points. A knockout win would have increased Tabiti’s stock immensely, but a decision win over a former world champion is still good for Tabiti’s career.

Juan Heraldez defeated Jose Miguel Borrego via unanimous decision (96-93, 97-92, 97-92): Heraldez used the jab to perfection from the start of the fight and Borrego, who is only 19 years old, has been pretty much chasing the much older Heraldez all fight long. Borrego has shown life at times during the fight and even rocked Heraldez towards the end of the sixth round. Late in the fight, Heraldez used his footwork to get out of danger and sneaked in a few of his own offense to Borrego. Borrego managed to get a knockdown in the ninth round, which made the fight a lot closer in the cards than before the ninth round. Borrego has a lot of upside, but he still has a lot of time on his side to mature and grow as a fighter. This fight was a good learning experience for the teenage fighter.

Yordenis Ugas defeated Thomas Dulorme via unanimous decision (94-91, 93-92, 93-92): This was a really good back and forth bout, with each boxer getting a chance to throw hard counter shots. Ugas looked sensational in this fight. He knocked down Dulorme twice late in the second round, the second one coming from a wicked right counter uppercut to Dulorme's chin. The Cuban boxer took full advantage of coming in here at the last minute after Shawn Porter had to withdraw from the fight. This fight was a slugfest at times and Ugas was quick to dodge some of Dulorme's best punches.

Dulorme spent some time attacking the body and landed a few low blows. Referee Vic Drakulich took a point away from Dulorme in the seventh round as a result of the low blows. Ugas took a hard shot to the chin late in the round and then got knocked down as the round ended. Another point was taken from Dulorme for more low blows in the final round. As far as prelim boxing cards are concerned, these two fights on FOX were pretty decent.

August 26 HBO card: Cotto vs. Kamegai:

While the Showtime card was going on, HBO held an HBO World Championship Boxing fight card in Carson, California at the StubHub Center. That card was headlined by Miguel Cotto’s return to the ring for the first time since 2015. Cotto was fighting Yoshihiro Kamegai for the vacant WBO junior middleweight title that Canelo Alvarez vacated several months ago. The fight was doomed to low viewership because of the fact that fight was taking place the same time as the co-main event for the Mayweather vs. McGregor pay-per-view was happening.

It is possible that people who bought the pay-per-view also saw the HBO main event. Cotto vs. Kamegai managed to fight three rounds before the first bell of the Gervonta Davis vs. Francisco Fonseca fight rang. By the time Davis got the knockout in the eighth round, Cotto vs. Kamegai was about to enter the final round.

Some people may have even forgone the co-main event because of how much of a mismatch the fight really was. Cotto is in his last few months before he has to retire and he did attract a decent enough of a viewing audience. The main event averaged 730,000 viewers on HBO, peaking at 805,000. While on any given night that would be an abysmal number for a Miguel Cotto fight, this fight was an exception because of how many people were watching the Showtime card. Peaking at 805,000 viewers should be considered a success.

As for who Cotto would like to fight, a few names have come to mind: The winner of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin fight and David Lemieux.

Cotto did talk to Puerto Rican television host Raymond Arrieta and said he’s still evaluating and weighing his options, but said he would likely compete at 160 pounds and that his final fight would take place either in New York or Puerto Rico.

It's interesting that Cotto mentioned Puerto Rico. Despite him being the country’s biggest boxing star for more than a decade, Cotto has not fought in Puerto Rico since 2007, when he stopped Otkay Urkal in the 11th round to retain his WBA welterweight title. If Cotto ends up fighting his last fight in Puerto Rico, it would a monumental event for the country. It’s still unlikely that Cotto will fight in Puerto Rico, especially if he ends up fighting the winner of Canelo vs. GGG.

If Cotto fights Lemieux and if a fight in Puerto Rico takes place, three venues would be the ones considered: Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Jose Miguel Agrelot Stadium (the biggest indoor stadium in the country) and Roberto Clemente Stadium.

If Cotto ends up fighting in New York, the only place I can see Cotto fighting at is Madison Square Garden, which is reportedly the venue being looked at for Cotto’s last fight.

Miguel Cotto defeated Yoshihiro Kamegai to win the vacant WBO junior middleweight title via unanimous decision: I’ll give Kamegai a lot of credit. His chin was about as good as one could have against a future Hall of Famer such as Cotto. Cotto had his finest performance since beating Sergio Martinez. Cotto was head hunting throughout the fight, landing more than 300 punches on the Japanese boxer. Kamegai did show some life throughout the fight, landing a few nice combos on Cotto, but it never really hurt Cotto. It’s great that Cotto boxed so well, but he wouldn’t have the opportunities to fight like he did against Kamegai if he had fought Lemieux, Golovkin or Canelo.

The rest of the results from both cards, as well as the rest of the cards around the world, can be seen in the “results from the world of boxing” section in the next page.

Results from the world of boxing

August 26: Kałuszyn, Poland

  • Rafal Jackiewicz defeated Sebastian Skrzypczynski via PTS
  • Jordan Kulinski defeated Ruslan Rodzivich via PTS
  • Piotr Budziszewski defeated Tomasz Domalewski via PTS
  • Bartlomiej Krasuski defeated Mareks Kovalevskis via PTS

August 26: Poznan, Poland

  • Damian Lawniczak defeated Robert Niedzwiedzki via PTS
  • Michal Ciach defeated Pawel Kucharski: TKO, Round 4

August 26: Krylia Sovetov, Moscow, Russia

  • Khuseyn Baysangurov defeated Pavel Semjonov to win the vacant WBA Continental Super Welterweight Title: RTD, Round 7
  • Khasan Baysangurov defeated Mirsad Cebo: RTD, Round 3
  • Mark Chimidov defeated Dzhokhar Amaev: TO, Round 2
  • Ramil Gadzhyiev defeated Varazdat Chernikov via UD
  • Shamil Galaev defeated Roman Klemeshov via UD
  • Umar Tsomaev defeated Daniel Negat via UD

August 26: Plaza de Toros, Benidorm, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

  • Kiko Martinez defeated Lorenzo Parra: KO, Round 3
  • Eva Naranjo defeated Danielle Jordan Hodges: TKO, Round 4

August 26: Kinondoni Vijana Social Hall, Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania

  • Francis Miyeyusho and Baina Mazola fight to a split draw
  • Haidari Mchanjo defeated Cosmas Cheka via MD
  • Keis Ally defeated Hashim Chisora via SD
  • Emmanuel Philemon defeated Juma Rashid via UD
  • Issa Nampepeche defeated Abasi Mwamba via UD
  • Said Wigo defeated Ramadhan Chicho via UD
  • Karim Kashinda defeated Yohana Thobias via PTS
  • Maulidi Bakari defeated Seif Alaba via PTS
  • Kallage Hassan defeated Selemani Simba: KO, Round 1
  • Robert Kiteve defeated Doto Kipacha: KO, Round 1
  • Ally Hamisi defeated Hamisi Tuwa: KO, Round 1

August 26: Khao Bang Krak Gym, Uthai Thani, Thailand

  • Amnat Ruenroeng defeated Thongchai Kunram: TKO, Round 3
  • Atchariya Virotesunobon defeated Supachai Sungpasert: TKO, Round 2

August 26: Ram 100 Thai Boxing Stadium, Ramkamhaeng, Bangkok, Thailand

  • Bovee Satabanpala Suksa Srisak defeated Pansak Phalasakgym: KO, Round 5
  • Anucha Noithong defeated Sakchai Rachjinda via PTS

August 26: Double Tree by Hilton Aberdeen Treetops Hotel, Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom

  • Darren Traynor defeated Jamie Quinn via PTS
  • Chris Ryder defeated William Warburton via PTS
  • Liall Mackenzie defeated James Gorman via PTS
  • Billy Stuart defeated Kamil Jaworek via PTS

August 26: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

  • Floyd Mayweather defeated Conor McGregor: TKO, Round 10
  • Gervonta Davis defeated Francisco Fonseca: KO, Round 8
  • Badou Jack defeated Nathan Cleverly to win the WBA "Regular" Light Heavyweight Title: TKO, Round 5
  • Andrew Tabiti defeated Steve Cunningham to retain the NABF Cruiserweight Title: UD (97-93, 97-93, 100-90)
  • Yordenis Ugas defeated Thomas Dulorme: UD (94-91, 93-92, 93-92)
  • Juan Heraldez defeated Jose Miguel Borrego: UD (96-93, 97-92, 97-92)
  • Savannah Marshall defeated Sydney LeBlanc: UD (40-36, 40-36, 40-36)
  • Antonio Hernandez defeated Kevin Newman: UD (57-56, 59-54, 59-54)

August 26: StubHub Center, Carson, California, USA

  • Miguel Cotto defeated Yoshihiro Kamegai to win the vacant WBO World Super Welterweight Title via UD
  • Rey Vargas defeated Ronny Rios to retain the WBC World Super Bantamweight Title via UD
  • Joet Gonzalez defeated Deivi Julio Bassa: KO, Round 5
  • Emilio Sanchez defeated Danny Flores: KO, Round 5
  • Janiel Rivera defeated Marco Antonio Sanchez: KO, Round 1
  • Alexis Rocha defeated Esau Herrera: KO, Round 1
  • Genaro Gamez defeated Eduardo Rafael Reyes via UD
  • Tenochtitlan Nava defeated Angel Enrique Aguilar Jimenez via UD
  • Ruben Rodriguez defeated Rolando Padilla: KO, Round 2
  • Javier Padilla and Ricardo Arias fight to a draw on PTS

August 26: Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut, USA

  • Jimmy Williams defeated Issouf Kinda to retain the WBC United States (USNBC) Welterweight Title: KO, Round 4
  • Cristobal Marrero defeated Miguel Ortiz via SD
  • Joe Cusumano defeated Robert Dunton: TKO, Round 1
  • Jamaine Ortiz defeated Angel Figueroa via UD
  • Jose Rivera defeated Corwin Farmer via UD
  • Richard Rivera defeated Lenadro Silva via UD
  • Jarel Pemberton defeated Nathan Schulte via UD

August 26: Gimnasio Vertical El Dorado, Petare, Venezuela

  • Danis Castillo defeated Antonio Requena: TKO, Round 3
  • Rafael Hernandez defeated Luis Martinez: TKO, Round 2
  • Ronald Chacon defeated Dallan Llovera: TKO, Round 2
  • Johan Gonzalez defeated Jose Antonio Cervantes: TKO, Round 1
  • Michel Marcano defeated Juan Bolivar: TKO, Round 1
  • Angelino Cordova and Luis Guatache fight to a draw via PTS
  • Regulo Arrioja defeated Cristian Perez: TKO, Round 1
  • Yosver Perez defeated Elis Mendoza via UD

August 25: Club Social y Deportivo El Porvenir, Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina

  • Javier Francisco Maciel defeated Sergio Nahuel Lopez: TKO, Round 4
  • Junior Leandro Zarate defeated Diego Luis Pichardo Liriano via UD
  • Cesar Miguel Antin defeated Jonathan Ariel Sosa via SD
  • Iara Berenice Cortes defeated Adriana Lorena Gisele Maldonado via UD
  • Mukhammad Amin Kuldashov and Braian Javier Cwalina fight to a majority draw
  • Shokhrukh Abdiev defeated Martin Ramiro Balbuena: KO, Round 2
  • Mukhammadyusuf Nematov defeated Nelson Maximiliano Castel: TKO, Round 4
  • Fernando Daniel Martinez defeated Juan Ignacio Haran: TKO, Round 4

August 25: Club Union Central, Villa Maria, Cordoba, Argentina

  • Juan Manuel Taborda defeated Carlos Raul Arias: KO, Round 1
  • Diego Saul Gonzalez defeated Hernan Garcia via UD

August 25: Club Atletico Alba Argentina, Maciel, Santa Fe, Argentina

  • Julio Cesar Rojas defeated Matias Solis via PTS

August 25: Salon de la Sociedad Espanola, Villa Mercedes, San Luis, Argentina

  • Micaela Milagros Lujan defeated Eloisa Martinez via UD

August 25: Polideportivo Municipal, La Paz, Mendoza, Argentina

  • Sebastian Vivanco defeated Gianfranco Bracamonte: KO, Round 5
  • Flavia Gimena Quintero defeated Alejandra Reynoso via SD

August 25: The Melbourne Pavilion, Flemington, Victoria, Australia

  • Liam Paro defeated Nic Aratema: TKO, Round 3
  • Mark Kassab defeated Sivan Hermez: TKO, Round 2
  • Emmanuel Carlos defeated Daniel Maxwell via UD

August 25: Gimnasio Cendyr Sur, Talca, Chile

  • Daniel Munoz defeated Gustavo Fabian Calderon: TKO, Round 2

August 25: Ombak Sunset Hotel, Gili Trawangan, Indonesia

  • Sahlan Coral defeated Benny Tamaela to retain the Indonesia Boxing Commission (KTI/IBC) Welterweight Title: TKO, Round 4
  • Andika Sabu defeated Wono Roya: KO, Round 4
  • Larry Siwu defeated Arif Maud: KO, Round 4
  • Klemen defeated Boy Warken via UD
  • Listiono defeated Painenon Sila: TKO, Round 3
  • Forlando Calderon defeated Muchsin Arega: KO, Round 6
  • Aji Morales defeated Fauzi Sanjaya: TKO, Round 4

August 25: Gimnasio Solidaridad, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico

  • Roberto Sanchez defeated Daniel Vega to retain the Mexican Pacific Coast Bantamweight Title: TKO, Round 2
  • Jonathan Encinas defeated Juan Carlos Alcaraz: TKO, Round 2
  • Christian Bartolini defeated Jesus Ochoa: TKO, Round 4
  • Jose Lopez defeated Luis Cervantes Valdez: TKO, Round 1
  • Javier Castro and Francisco Valenzuela fight to a no contest
  • Oscar Ortega defeated Rafael Jimenez: TKO, Round 3
  • Joan Alcaraz defeated Jose Juan Lugo: TKO, Round 1
  • Julio Lopez defeated Roberto Gracia: TKO, Round 3
  • Marco Antonio Ramirez defeated Jose Ignacio Valenzuela via UD
  • Antonio Alvarez and Edgar Santoyo fight to a draw on PTS

August 25: Arena Auditorio de la CMT, Merida, Yucatán, Mexico

  • Roque Mex defeated Luis Angel Mandujano via UD
  • Ivan Ramirez defeated Javier Vera: KO, Round 3
  • Jesus Mercado Cantero defeated Daniel Barrera: KO, Round 4
  • Ruben Orozco Barajas defeated Arturo Lopez: KO, Round 2
  • Angel Chaires defeated Kevin Diaz via UD
  • Daniel Sabido Sierra defeated William Guzman: TKO, Round 1
  • Roberto Leal defeated Cesar Pasos via UD

August 25: Escape Bar, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

  • Britton Norwood defeated Omar Nunez: TKO, Round 4

August 25: Nuevo Gimnasio Nicarao, Managua, Nicaragua

  • Jordan Escobar defeated Elton Lara to win the vacant WBA Fedecentro Super Flyweight Title (85-86, 87-85, 87-86)
  • Byron Rojas defeatedNelson Luna via UD
  • Winston Campos defeated Martin Cardona: TKO, Round 3
  • Bryan Perez and Jose Rios fight to a no contest
  • Danny Mendoza defeated Marlon Cruz: TKO, Round 2
  • Juan Arguello defeated Adolfo Barrera: TKO, Round 1
  • Brayan Ruiz defeated Francisco Mejia: TKO, Round 3

August 25: Makati Cinema Square Boxing Arena, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines

  • Carlo Caesar Penalosa defeated Vincent Bautista to win the vacant Philippines Boxing Federation (PBF) Light Flyweight Title: TKO, Round 3
  • Carleans Rivas defeated Floryvic Montero via MD
  • Edsil Jungco defeated Aurelio Angel via UD
  • Justine Polido defeated Ernie Mino Jr. via UD
  • Ruben Cadpa defeated Alvin Dologuin via UD
  • Po Sang So and Edison Ebron fight to a majority draw
  • Meljum Pelesio defeated Aaron Lozano: KO, Round 1

August 25: Prokopyevsk, Russia

  • Vyacheslav Gusev defeated Phum Kunmat: TKO, Round 8

August 25: Ngoako Ramatlhodi Sports Complex, Seshego, Limpopo, South Africa

  • Nosipho Bell defeated Raider Muleba: TKO, Round 7
  • Simangele Hadebe defeated Nathaline Bania: KO, Round 2
  • Sivuyile Magoba defeated Mimie Mauwa: TKO, Round 5
  • Bonita van Jaarsveld defeated Bongani Vukeya via PTS
  • Rolen Mulebo defeated Skhathele Ngwenya via PTS
  • Maria Martin defeated Ayanda Maphosa via PTS

August 25: Chonburi Provincial Ground, Chonburi, Thailand

  • Chayaphon Moonsri defeated Jack Amisa via UD
  • Varakorn Ratchapatlampang defeated Petmai Kietmanop: KO, Round 4

August 25: Buffalo Run Casino, Miami, Oklahoma, USA

  • Sergiy Derevyanchenko defeated Tureano Johnson: TKO, Round 12
  • Hugo Centeno Jr. defeated Immanuwel Aleem: KO, Round 3
  • Austin Dulay defeated Carlos Padilla: RTD, Round 3
  • Demond Nicholson defeated Josue Obando: RTD, Round 2
  • Isaiah Steen defeated Carlos Ruiz via UD
  • James McKenzie Morrison defeated Roberto White: TKO, Round 1
  • Charles Conwell defeated Rey Trujillo: TKO, Round 1
  • Alejandro Guerrero defeated Darin Hampton: TKO, Round 2

August 25: Grand Casino, Hinckley, Minnesota, USA

  • Caleb Truax defeated KeAndrae Leatherwood: TKO, Round 10
  • Markus Morris defeated Tony Lee to retain the USA Minnesota State Super Lightweight Title: TKO, Round 3
  • Al Sands defeated Mengistu Zarzar: RTD, Round 7
  • Ramiro Hernandez defeated Nate Rubin via UD
  • DeLorien Caraway defeated Gilbert Venegas via SD
  • Ve Shawn Owens defeated Brandon Philips Black: TKO, Round 2
  • Anthony Palmisano defeated Ivey Nixon: TKO, Round 1
  • Adrian Taylor defeated Tristan James via UD

August 25: Omega Products International, Corona, California, USA

  • Erick Ituarte defeated Alberto Torres to retain NABF Junior Featherweight Title: SD (78-74, 78-74, 75-77)
  • LaRon Mitchell defeated Mike Bissett to retain the NABF Junior Heavyweight Title: KO, Round 3
  • Giovanni Mioletti defeated Roberto Meza via UD
  • Ruben Torres defeated Jesse Cruz: KO, Round 3
  • Saul Sanchez defeated Francisco Javier Lapizco: KO, Round 2

August 25: DeCarlo's Convention Center, Warren, Michigan, USA

  • Ernesto Garza III defeated Edward Kakembo via UD
  • Vernon Brown defeated Angelo Snow via UD
  • Domonique Dolton defeated Sergio Gomez: TKO, Round 2
  • Gheith Karim defeated Diamond Mitchel via UD
  • Taylor Grey Duerr defeated Eric Moon: TKO, Round 4
  • Curtis Head defeated Buddy Tessling: TKO, Round 1
  • Alycia Baumgardner defeated Brittney Artis: TKO, Round 1
  • Jalen Stephenson defeated Dikeem Robinson: TKO, Round 1

August 25: Lumiere Casino, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA

  • Calvin Metcalf defeated Raymond Handson via UD
  • Tony Johnson Jr. defeated Brandon Johnson via TKO
  • Ryan Adams defeated Garrett Gross via KO

August 25: LePavillion, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA

  • Jonathon Guidry defeated Rayford Johnson via UD
  • Gentry Foreman defeated Alvin Brown: KO, Round 2
  • Hunter Thibodaux and Sherman Guy fight to a majority draw
  • Patrick Pierre defeated DeMarcus Leonard via PTS
  • Julio Sanchez defeated Alex Caswell
  • Anthony Dwayne defeated Phillip Lars
  • Jontwan McClary defeated Michael Klekotta via PTS
  • Kirkulyn James defeated Najik Lewis via TKO

August 25: Rainbow Towers Conference Centre, Harare (Salisbury), Zimbabwe

  • Elvis Moyo defeated Bernard Adie: TKO, Round 4
  • Chamunorwa Gonorenda defeated Kaminja Ramadhan: KO, Round 1
  • Ilunga Makabu defeated Mussa Ajibu: KO, Round 4
  • Wilson Masamba defeated Lawrence Moyo via PTS
  • Felix Vengenayi defeated George Otieno: TKO, Round 2
  • Emmany Kalombo defeated Thembani Mhlanga: TKO, Round 2
  • Phillip Musariri defeated Blessing Kachigwanda: TKO, Round 1

August 24: Barangay Palanan, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines

  • Lorence Rosas defeated Danny Tampipi via UD
  • Michael Dasmarinas defeated Mateo Handig: KO, Round 8
  • JC Francisco defeated Miko Sacro: KO, Round 3
  • Juanito Paredes defeated Dexter Eraya via UD
  • Raymond Dela Cruz defeated Diover Mangayaay via UD
  • Prince Andrew Lauro defeated Noel Guliman via UD
  • Jun Bismanos defeated Jasper Cayno via UD
  • Enrique Magsalin defeated Jun Jun Cadpa via UD

August 24: Ram 100 Thai Boxing Stadium, Ramkamhaeng, Bangkok, Thailand

  • Artid Bamrungauea defeated Adiruj Yusoh: TKO, Round 3

August 24: The Hangar, Costa Mesa, California, USA

  • Juan Barajas defeated Brian Bruns via UD
  • Keith Berry defeated Jordin Davis: KO, Round 2
  • Nathan Weston defeated Taif Harris: KO, Round 3
  • Adan Ochoa defeated Guadalupe Arroyo via UD

Official Fightful Rankings:

Pound-for-pound

  1. Andre Ward
  2. Terence Crawford
  3. Gennady Golovkin
  4. Canelo Alvarez
  5. Vasyl Lomachenko
  6. Mikey Garcia
  7. Keith Thurman
  8. Roman Gonzalez
  9. Guillermo Rigondeaux
  10. Badou Jack

Heavyweight

  1. Anthony Joshua
  2. Deontay Wilder
  3. Joseph Parker
  4. Luis Ortiz
  5. Kubrat Pulev
  6. Dillian White
  7. Andy Ruiz Jr.
  8. Dominic Breazeale
  9. Charles Martin
  10. Hughie Fury

Cruiserweight

  1. Oleksandr Usyk
  2. Denis Lebediev
  3. Murat Gassiev
  4. Krzysztof Glowacki
  5. Mairis Briedis
  6. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
  7. Marco Huck
  8. Firat Arslan
  9. Tony Bellew
  10. Yunier Dorticos

Light heavyweight

  1. Andre Ward
  2. Sergey Kovalev
  3. Badou Jack
  4. Adonis Stevenson
  5. Oleksandr Gvozdyk
  6. Sullivan Barrera
  7. Artur Beterbiev
  8. Eleider Alvarez
  9. Juergen Braehmer
  10. Joe Smith Jr.

Super middleweight

  1. James DeGale
  2. Gilberto Ramirez
  3. George Groves
  4. Anthony Dirrell
  5. Andre Dirrell
  6. Jose Uzcategui
  7. Chris Eubank Jr.
  8. Tyron Zeuge
  9. Callum Smith
  10. Juergen Braehmer

Middleweight

  1. Gennady Golovkin
  2. Canelo Alvarez
  3. Daniel Jacobs
  4. Jermall Charlo
  5. David Lemieux
  6. Billy Joe Saunders
  7. Andy Lee
  8. Hassan N’Dam
  9. Ryota Murata
  10. Sergiy Derevyanchenko

Light middleweight

  1. Erislandy Lara
  2. Miguel Cotto
  3. Jermell Charlo
  4. Demetrius Andrade
  5. Jarrett Hurd
  6. Julian Williams
  7. Austin Trout
  8. Erickson Lubin
  9. Liam Smith
  10. Jack Culcay

Welterweight

  1. Keith Thurman
  2. Errol Spence Jr.
  3. Danny Garcia
  4. Shawn Porter
  5. Manny Pacquiao
  6. Jeff Horn
  7. Kell Brook
  8. Jessie Vargas
  9. Lamont Peterson
  10. Lucas Matthysse

The rest of the rankings are in the next page.

Light welterweight

  1. Terence Crawford
  2. Mikey Garcia*
  3. Julius Indongo
  4. Viktor Postol
  5. Antonio Orozco
  6. Eduard Troyanovski
  7. Rances Barthelemy
  8. Adrian Granados
  9. Ricky Burns
  10. Sergey Lipinets

Lightweight

  1. Jorge Linares
  2. Mikey Garcia*
  3. Terry Flanagan
  4. Robert Easter Jr.
  5. Anthony Crolla
  6. Luke Campbell
  7. Dejan Zlaticanin
  8. Raymundo Beltran
  9. Denis Shafikov
  10. Felix Verdejo

Junior lightweight

  1. Vasyl Lomachenko
  2. Miguel Berchelt
  3. Gervonta Davis
  4. Jezreel Corrales
  5. Francisco Vargas
  6. Orlando Salido
  7. Robinson Castellanos
  8. Jason Sosa
  9. Jhonny Gonzalez
  10. Masayuki Ito

Featherweight

  1. Leo Santa Cruz
  2. Carl Frampton
  3. Gary Russell Jr.
  4. Lee Selby
  5. Abner Mares
  6. Oscar Valdez
  7. Scott Quigg
  8. Jesus Cuellar
  9. Joseph Diaz
  10. Claudio Marrero

Light featherweight

  1. Guillermo Rigondeaux
  2. Jessie Magdaleno
  3. Nonito Donaire
  4. Moises Flores
  5. Hugo Ruiz
  6. Rey Vargas
  7. Marlon Tapales
  8. Julio Ceja
  9. Yukinori Oguni
  10. Shun Kubo

Bantamweight

  1. Jamie McDonnell
  2. Luis Nery
  3. Zhanat Zhakiyanov
  4. Ryan Burnett
  5. Juan Carlos Payano
  6. Shinsuke Yamanaka
  7. Zolani Tete
  8. Lee Haskins
  9. Takoma Inoue
  10. Liborio Solis

Light bantamweight

  1. Naoya Inoue
  2. Roman Gonzalez
  3. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
  4. Jerwin Ancajas
  5. Khalid Yafai
  6. Carlos Cuadras
  7. Juan Francisco Estrada
  8. John Riel Casimero
  9. Rau'shee Warren
  10. Luis Concepcion

Flyweight

  1. Kazuto Ioka
  2. Donnie Nietes
  3. Daigo Higa
  4. Juan Carlos Reveco
  5. Sho Kimura
  6. Moruti Mthalane
  7. McWilliams Arroyo
  8. Francisco Rodriguez Jr.
  9. Zou Shiming
  10. Komgrich Nantapech

Light flyweight/Strawweight

  1. Milan Melindo
  2. Kosei Tanaka
  3. Knockout CP Freshmart
  4. Jose Argumedo
  5. Ken Shiro
  6. Ryoichi Taguchi
  7. Tatsuya Fukuhara
  8. Hekkie Budler
  9. Pedro Guevara
  10. Wanheng Menayothin

* Since Mikey Garcia's future is yet to be determined, I decided to put him in both the lightweight and light welterweight rankings until Garcia makes a decision in what weight class he will compete next.

Other news in Boxing

1. Terence Crawford’s historic reign as the undisputed WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF ends after only 11 days. Crawford has vacated the IBF title as an impending move to welterweight seems even more probable. Crawford did say he would be moving up to welterweight in an interview with SportsCenter, but after that, there hasn’t been any further comments on him moving up to 147 pounds. Crawford did say he would be all in for a fight against the winner of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn rematch in November.

Sergey Lipinets, who has been very vocal over not getting a chance to fight for the IBF title, now will fight for the vacant title. The IBF said Lipinets would now face the next highest-ranked available challenger, which at the moment seems to be

2. Martin Murray will face Arman Torosyan on the undercard of the World Boxing Super Series quarter-final contest between Callum Smith and Erik Skoglund on September 16 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.

3. Matchroom Boxing has confirmed that undefeated Belfast-based prospect Tyrone McKenna will meet veteran Tommy Coyle at Belfast's SEE Arena on October 21. IBF bantamweight world champion Ryan Burnett will face WBA "super" champion Zhanat Zhakiyanov in the main event of that fight.

4. Former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito will be back inside the ring this Saturday night in facing journeyman Carson Jones in 10 round fight at the Gimniso Manuel Bernado Aguirre, in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Margarito hasn’t seen action since his close 10 round split decision win Ramon Alvarez on August 13, 2016. It’s difficult to imagine how Margarito will look Saturday. He struggled in his last fight before taking the year off and at 39 years old, it’s hard to imagine Margarito ever becoming a viable contender anymore.

5. Swedish amateur star Oliver Flodin has signed a long-term promotional contact with Team Sauerland and will make his professional debut on September 30 on the undercard of the European Super Lightweight Championship contest between Anthony Yigit and Sandor Martin at the Solnahallen in Stockholm

Female World Champion Angelique Duchemin Passes Away

World Boxing Federation Female Featherweight Champion Angelique Duchemin has died after suffering a heart problem in training for an upcoming defense of her title. She was 26 years old.

Duchemin, who held the World Boxing Federation (WBF) female featherweight title, suffered a cardiac arrest during a training session on Monday evening at her hometown gym in Thuir, located in southern France. She was rushed to hospital in Perpignan, where she died on Tuesday morning.

Jacques Rovira, the head of the local boxing federation, later revealed to the AFP news agency that Duchemin died of a pulmonary embolism.

“Sad news broke on Tuesday afternoon, August 29, that World Boxing Federation (WBF) Women’s World Featherweight Champion Angelique Duchemin from France had passed away earlier in the day,” the WBF said in an obituary posted on its official site.

Duchemin took up boxing when she was just seven years old, turning pro at the age of 21, winning the French national super featherweight title in 2013. Duchemin won the European super featherweight champion in late 2015. She moved down in weight earlier this year to featherweight to challenge for the vacant WBF featherweight title. Duchemin beat Ericka Rousseau via unanimous decision to win the title back in May and was set to defend the title in October.

Duchemin dedicated the victory to her late father, a former boxer, who passed away from a heart-attack in 2013, saying “Today I am on top, and hard work pays off. I am very happy, and if my father had been here he would have been very proud.”

WBF President Howard Goldberg released a statement lamenting the death of a great boxer at such a young age.

“I am truly saddened at the passing of a champion inside and outside the ring”, Goldberg said. “She was an intelligent, talented and down-to-earth young lady. An outstanding fighter, and a humble world champion. As her name translates, she was a true angel. She will be sorely missed by all who were lucky enough to know her. Rest In Peace, Angelique Duchemin, Champion!”

Duchemin was undefeated as a pro boxer, winning all 14 fights. Duchemin was scheduled to make the first defense of that belt on October 21 in Montpellier, France.

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