All posts tagged: WBC

Itauma proves credentials for world title shot with brutal knockout of Franklin

Itauma proves credentials for world title shot with brutal knockout of Franklin

Even considering Itauma’s generational talent and rapid rise, his target of becoming heavyweight boxing’s youngest world champion has proved wildly optimistic. Indeed, that particular ship has sailed now that Itauma is older than the mark set by Mike Tyson – 20 years, four months and 23 days – in 1986. Comparisons have been drawn between Itauma and Tyson, given their power and success at a young age, though the former moved to distance himself from such discourse this week, saying: “I guess we’re kind of a polar opposite… We both just love knockouts.”  And while murmurings of potential fights against Filip Hrgovic, Murat Gassiev, Lawrence Okolie and Oleksandr Usyk continue to swirl, Itauma has insisted that his focus is firmly fixed on Franklin. Speaking in his pre-fight press conference, the Chatham fighter said: “I have a serious opponent in Jermaine Franklin. We’ve asked for this fight [for] a year and a half, or something like that, so now we’ve got it. I feel this is the kind of the final piece to the puzzle.” In his …

Baseball-Venezuela stun Japan to reach WBC semi-finals, Italy eliminate Puerto Rico

Baseball-Venezuela stun Japan to reach WBC semi-finals, Italy eliminate Puerto Rico

March 14 : Venezuela stunned Japan 8-5 to eliminate the defending champions from the World Baseball Classic quarter-finals on Saturday, while Italy also advanced to the last four by beating Puerto Rico 8-6. Venezuela’s Ronald Acuna Jr hit a solo home run off Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the first inning in Miami but Shohei Ohtani answered immediately with a solo shot off Ranger Suarez. Shota Morishita hit a three-run homer in the third to give Japan a 5-2 lead but Venezuela refused to fold, Maikel Garcia hitting a two-run homer in the fifth to pull within one. With Ezequiel Tovar and Gleyber Torres on base in the sixth, Wilyer Abreu launched a 409-foot, three-run home run to give Venezuela a 7-5 lead as the stadium erupted. Ezequiel Torres added another run at the top of the eighth to give Venezuela some more breathing room and their bullpen shut Japan down, retiring 13 straight batters at one point before Angel Zerpa struck out Ohtani to seal it. “Its very hard to describe what went through my mind …

Baseball-Ohtani leads Japan’s WBC title defense, Team USA seek first crown since 2017

Baseball-Ohtani leads Japan’s WBC title defense, Team USA seek first crown since 2017

March 3 : Japan, powered by Shohei Ohtani, will look to pad their global success on the diamond at this year’s World Baseball Classic while Team USA and other nations like the Dominican Republic and Venezuela all try to deny the reigning champions another title. The WBC begins on Thursday with a lot to live up to after the momentum from the previous edition in 2023 which was deemed an instant classic and defining moment in Japanese baseball as Ohtani struck out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout of the United States for the final out to secure the championship. Ohtani, who has since changed Major League Baseball teams and won World Series titles each of the last two years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, will now try to power Japan to a record-extending fourth WBC crown. But unlike the last WBC, Ohtani has decided not to appear on the mound for Japan and will instead seek to do all his damage at the plate as he manages his two-way workload ahead of what he …

Usyk to put WBC title on line against kickboxer Verhoeven at pyramids of Egypt

Usyk to put WBC title on line against kickboxer Verhoeven at pyramids of Egypt

Feb 27 : Oleksandr Usyk will put his WBC heavyweight title belt on the line against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza, The Ring magazine announced on Friday. The Ukrainian three-times undisputed champion holds the IBF, WBA and WBC titles after vacating the WBO belt. The 39-year-old has not boxed since beating Britain’s Daniel Dubois at London’s Wembley Stadium last July. “I respect his (Verhoeven’s) journey – he’s truly the ‘King of Kickboxing’. But this is boxing – a different game, with its own rules and its own kings,” said Usyk, who has a 24-0 record. “I’m ready and looking forward to meeting him in the ring. It’s going to be a unique experience for both of us, and I know the fans are excited too. A big night is coming.” The ‘Glory in Giza’ fight will be streamed live on DAZN. Ring Magazine is owned by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority which has promoted title fights in Riyadh. “I spent 12 years as the …