Fight News

Deontay Wilder withstood everything that challenger Luis Ortiz could throw at him to retain his heavyweight title.

Ortiz missed his chance when he couldn’t finish off Wilder in the seventh round. And in the 10^th, Wilder pounced. He left Ortiz slumped against the ropes for a TKO victory, the 40^th of Wilder’s undefeated career, and the 39^th knockout.

"A true champion always finds a way to come back, and that's what I did tonight,” said Wilder after retaining his WBC belt. “Luis Ortiz is definitely a crafty guy. He put up a great fight. We knew we had to wear him down. I showed everyone I can take a punch.”

The crowd of 14,069 was the second-largest in BROOKLYN BOXING history at Barclays Center, there to see a long-awaited matchup between two undefeated sluggers. After a cautious start, they did not disappoint.

The action started to pick up with Wilder’s knockdown of the challenger late in the fifth round. In the seventh, it was Ortiz’s turn. He dominated the round, pummeling Wilder against the ropes.

"I almost had him and I think I would've if there were a few more seconds in the round," Ortiz said through a translator. "Wilder was definitely saved by the bell. I thought I had him out on his feet. But you have to give him credit, he weathered the storm."

Ortiz continued the attack in the eighth, but again could not put Wilder on the mat. In the ninth, the champ began to rally back and deliver punishment. In the 10^th a succession of right hands staggered Ortiz until an uppercut knocked him down again and the fight was called with 55 seconds left in the round.

"This is a fight I took with great risk so that I could prove to the world that I'm the best,” said Wilder, making his third title defense – of seven overall – in Brooklyn. “We each put on a great performance and I think the fans were happy they were here. I always give the fans in Brooklyn a great fight."

In a rematch for the interim IBF super middleweight belt, Jose Uzcategui earned the victory that slipped away from him on a controversial referee’s decision last May. He dominated Andre Dirrell from the start, staggering him late in the third round and continuing to deliver punishment. With Dirrell defenseless in the eighth, the fight was finally stopped seconds after the ninth round began.

Brooklyn middleweight contender Sergiy Derevyanchanko defeated Dashon Johnson with a stoppage when Johnson’s corner threw in the towel after six rounds. Long Island’s Alicia Napoleon won a super middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Femke Hermans. 2016 Olympians Gary Antuanne Russell and Richardson Hitchins both delivered stoppages to continue strong starts to their pro careers.

We already know how 2018 started for Marcus Browne. The unbeaten light heavyweight has a clear vision of where he plans to take it from here.

“I want a world title shot,” said Browne. “That’s going to continue to be my mindset.”

Browne offered the latest evidence that he’s ready for that shot with his first-round demolition of Francy Ntetu on January 20 at Barclays Center, fighting on the undercard of Errol Spence’s welterweight title defense against Lamont Peterson.

A quick right-left combination put Ntetu on the mat midway through the first round. After Ntetu returned to the fight, Browne soon had him on the ropes, ripping away until the referee stopped the fight 2:15 into the first round.

“I don’t train for a knockout,” said Browne, who nevertheless chalked up his 16^th KO in 21 professional fights. “Walked him into the left hand and closed the distance on him. I got his timing and the measurement and caught him on the sweet spot.”

The victory over Ntetu was Browne’s latest against an elevated level of competition. His last four opponents entered the ring against him with combined career records of 86-3. Against Browne they went 0-4.

It started in April 2016 against Radivoje Kalajdzic at Barclays Center. Browne came away with a win by split decision, triumphing by a single point on the decisive judge’s card. It was the closest margin of his career.

“That fight right there, it woke me up and showed me you can’t take anything for granted and you’ve got to train for anybody as if they’re a world champion,” said Browne. “That’s my mentality moving forward and you could see the results.”

He followed up by taking on world championship challenger Thomas Williams Jr., coming off a title fight loss. Browne won every round, registering knockdowns in the second and fourth rounds before finishing the fight with a sixth-round knockout.

Next came unbeaten Seanie Monaghan in a co-headline bout at NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Browne dropped Monaghan with a right hook less than a minute into the fight. It was over in the second round after a left-right combination that was prescient of the eventual win over Ntetu.

“It was the same thing with the left hand,” said Browne. “The straight left hand caught him and that was the beginning of the end.

A Staten Island native, Browne has fought 12 times at Barclays Center. His career has run parallel to the growth of BROOKLYN BOXING. After representing the United States in the 2012 Olympics in London, Browne made his professional debut in November 2012, just a few weeks after the first BROOKLYN BOXING card at Barclays Center.

He was in attendance that night in October 2012, and in the ring four months later for the second BROOKLYN BOXING event in March 2013. He’s appeared in the ring at Barclays Center more times than any other boxer, fighting more than half of his career bouts less than 15 miles from where he grew up. 

“It’s a gift,” said Browne. “I appreciate Brett Yormark, Al Haymon and everybody involved; Showtime, PBC, everybody giving me the opportunity to display my talents on that platform. It’s been a blessing to me.”

The 27-year-old has been in the ring for 15 years, starting in a neighborhood gym in Staten Island’s Park Hill neighborhood. A trip to the junior Olympic nationals in 2005 started to give him the sense that he had a future in boxing. Browne was disqualified in that tournament, but the next month in Kansas City he beat both of the junior Olympic national finalists.

That made him feel like he was No. 1 in the country. He went on to win two Golden Gloves titles and earn his Olympic berth before embarking on a journey in search of the biggest prize.

“I was just a fighting kid anyway in Park Hill,” said Browne. “I met my trainer Gary Stark and the rest is history. We won multiple titles together; nationals, went to Olympics, and now we’re trying to fulfill the dream on the professional level. That’s the goal, to be a champion on every level.”

In his sixth year as a pro, Browne is ready to make that a reality soon. Adonis Stevenson, Sergey Kovalev, Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev are the current holders of light heavyweight championship belts. Browne is ready to take on whichever one he can get.

“I’ve got next,” said Browne. “I’m ready to fulfill my destiny.”

A rising contender the last time he took the ring at Barclays Center, Errol Spence Jr. returned to Brooklyn in January as a world champion and reaffirmed his status as a powerhouse in the welterweight division.

Spence registered his 10^th straight stoppage with his eighth-round TKO victory over former two-division champion Lamont Peterson, retaining his IBF championship belt in his first title defense. He improved to 23-0 with his 20^th knockout.

“I want to thank Lamont Peterson,” said Spence in the ring after the fight. “A lot of guys, they turned down the fight, and he took it, like a real warrior, a real fighter, and I commend him for that.”

Spence dominated across the board, winning every round on the judges’ cards and putting up huge advantages in punches thrown (526 to 158) and landed (161 to 45).

“My coach came up with a great game plan,” said Spence, “and I just followed through with it. He told me to keep my distance, use my jab and keep my range, and just keep my composure if he tried to bring it on.”

Spence wore down Peterson with steady punishment. The challenger showed some brief aggressiveness in the third round, but it didn’t last. A left put Peterson on the mat in the fifth round, a sign that the end could be coming shortly. Peterson fought through the sixth and seventh, but his trainer, Barry Hunter, called the fight at the opening of the eighth round.

“He was getting his shots off early, pretty much established everything with the jab,” said Peterson. “I pretty much knew that was the case, but I was looking to get inside and start working. But he was the better man tonight.”

Robert Easter was assured of retaining his lightweight title after Javier Fortuna failed to make weight, but the pair combined for an engaging battle even without the belt on the line. And it was closely contested too. Easter emerged with a split decision, winning 115-112 and 114-113 and losing 114-113 on the remaining card. A second-round point deduction from Fortuna ended up being the difference between Easter’s victory and a draw.

“It was tough,” said Easter. “Javier is a two-time former world champion. He made it tough. He was sitting back trying to hold and counter-punch. He really wasn’t throwing nothing. That made it difficult for me to keep chasing this guy around.”

But Fortuna landed 120 punches, just 10 shy of Easter’s 130, and at a higher percentage. In a fight that looked as close as it was scored, the two fighters engaged in consistent exchanges throughout.

Brooklyn resident Adam Kownacki remained undefeated by closing out a heavyweight slugfest with Iago Kiladze with a sixth-round knockout. Light heavyweight contender Marcus Browne chalked up his second-straight quick knockout, finishing off Francy Ntetu in the first round, six months after knocking out Seanie Monaghan in the second.

“He walked into a sure shot, and I made him pay,” said Browne. “The overhand left caught him, and that was the beginning of the end for him. I knew he was hurt. I need a world title shot. I’m ready to take on any of the champions.”

The 2018 BROOKLYN BOXING schedule at Barclays Center is starting to take shape.

In addition to the March 3 heavyweight championship bout between Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz, two more world championship fights were announced Wednesday as part of SHOWTIME and Premier Boxing Champions’ 2018 Upfront, introducing a 10-event schedule on the network for the first half of 2018 that began with last Saturday’s BROOKLYN BOXING fight night headlined by Errol Spence Jr. retaining his welterweight title with an eighth-round stoppage of former two-division champ Lamont Peterson.

A bout for the WBC interim middleweight championship has been added to the Wilder vs. Ortiz card, with unbeaten former super welterweight champ Jermall Charlo taking on Hugo Centeno Jr. On May 19, unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman will make his return to the ring following elbow surgery, fighting for the first time since his win over Danny Garcia at Barclays Center in March 2017.

Wilder, Ortiz, Charlo, Centeno and Thurman were among the 21 fighters taking the stage at Wednesday’s event.

“Our commitment is stronger than ever before,” said Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment CEO Brett Yormark. “2017 was our best year to date. We were home to many of the year’s top highlights, brought to us by some of the fighters here today. 2018 will top it. Last Saturday’s boxing event was just the beginning. We plan to host six to eight major events this year, including the long-awaited matchup between Wilder and Ortiz on March 3. We’re also looking forward to hosting Keith Thurman’s return to the ring this May.”

But first up is Wilder vs. Ortiz. The two brawlers were expected to meet in Brooklyn last November before Ortiz failed a drug test for banned substances. Wilder responded by destroying former champ Bermane Stiverne, Ortiz’s replacement, with a first-round knockout. That lifted Wilder’s career mark to 39-0 with 38 knockouts. Ortiz is unbeaten in 28 fights with 24 knockouts, meaning the two men who will face off on March 3 have knocked out a combined 62 opponents in 67 fights.

“The people are in for a great fight,” said Wilder. “Come March the 3^rd I can’t wait. It’s going to be fireworks. It’s going to be explosive. 39-0 with with 38 KOs. I’m looking to add another KO to that like I always promise to do.”

“If he comes out all crazy, we can give him an electric shock early to finish this fight,” said Ortiz via a translator. “But if he comes out smart, then it could be a long fight.”

Wilder’s 2016 title defense against Artur Szpilka brought heavyweight championship boxing back to Brooklyn for the first time in 115 years, and this will be his third fight at Barclays Center. The Ortiz fight will be the seventh straight for Wilder held in either Brooklyn or his home state of Alabama, dating back to June 2015.

Like Wilder, Charlo will also be fighting at Barclays Center for the second straight time. Last July, he easily handled Jorge Sebastian Heiland with a fourth-round stoppage in his middleweight debut after vacating the IBF world super welterweight title he had held for two years.

“My ideal goal is to show the world why I’m the best in the world at 160 pounds,” said Charlo.

Centeno is getting his first title shot in this battle for the interim belt. He last fought at Barclays Center in 2014, a fifth-round knockout of James De la Rosa.

“We’ve got a good game plan for this fight and I’m very excited,” said Centeno. “Excited to be back in Brooklyn fighting at Barclays Center. I’m all about the best fighting the best.”

In May, Barclays Center will once again welcome welterweight king Keith Thurman. His March 2017 fight win against Danny Garcia made him the unified champ, holding the WBA and WBC belts.  It also drew the largest crowd in BROOKLYN BOXING history with attendance of 16,533, in addition to drawing 5.1 million viewers on CBS, making it the highest rated primetime boxing broadcast since 1998.

Elbow surgery after the Garcia win sidelined Thurman for the rest of 2017.

“My first fight coming back in the ring is a welcome back fight,” said Thurman. “Out of surgery. Before my surgery, I fought Danny Garcia, I fought Shawn Porter. I took out two top welterweights in the welterweight division. I had surgery. Athletes need time to recover, so I’m going to have a get-back fight. After that, we’ll have to see what happens. It might be a mandatory. Could be pushed upon me later this year. We don’t know exactly where the politics will lead.

“But I know Errol Spence is thinking about me. I know he’s gunning for me. And he’s on my radar as well. I look forward to stepping in and testing out and seeing for myself what the truth is all about, because to me, I’m the truth. He’s going to have to see me. I’m the true champion at 147. He’s going to have to see me. He’s eager to take my No. 1 spot, and I love competition.”

This will be Thurman’s third straight fight at Barclays Center. His 2016 championship defense against Shawn Porter was widely recognized as one of that year’s top fights.

Yormark also announced that two Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment venues currently under renovation, Webster Hall and the LIU Brooklyn Paramount Theatre, would be hosting grassroots boxing events upon their opening, citing the ascendant careers of local fighters like Brooklyn heavyweight Adam Kownacki and Staten Island light heavyweight Marcus Browne.

“We think of ourselves as much more than just a building,” said Yormark. “BROOKLYN BOXING has become an international brand and Barclays Center has become an aspirational venue for fighters. Our investment in boxing is not just about showcasing world title fights and big names. It’s about building careers in our ring.”

Yuri Foreman definitely had a reach advantage.

But the former world champion boxer didn’t press it. Instead, he was happy to let the youngsters at the Wyckoff Community Center counter and connect on the combinations he was teaching them during an NBA FIT Week event on Thursday afternoon.

Foreman teamed up with Nets players Jahlil Okafor, Quincy Acy and Tyler Zeller and some of the Brooklynettes dancers to man workout stations at the event.

“It was amazing,” said Foreman. “They were a little distracted … there were three giants walking around. I was distracted myself. But it was fun.”

The 37-year-old last fought a year ago, but he’s been working on building a foundation for his post-boxing life longer than that. After several years of study, he was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi in 2014. Born in Belarus, then in the Soviet Union, Foreman’s family moved to Israel when he was 10. He immigrated to Brooklyn in 1999.

“It was a gradual process,” said Foreman of his studies. “Something I was reconnecting with, my roots, my Jewish roots. And I wanted to go a few steps deeper. Being a rabbi would give me the pass to work in the future with kids and communities.”

Foreman came to Brooklyn to pursue his boxing career, and he found a home at Gleason’s Gym. The climb in the boxing world was gradual as well. His first two pro fights in 2002 were in a hotel and a restaurant, neither of which has held a fight card since that year. The spotlight was a distant reach.

He won a minor title with the NABF super welterweight belt in 2007. But it wasn’t until 2009, after he’d won his first 27 fights, that Foreman got a major championship shot. He cashed in with a unanimous decision victory over Daniel Santos that made him the WBA world super welterweight champion.

Foreman lost the belt to Miguel Cotto a year later, but he’s gone on to post a 34-3 career record. He fought at Barclays Center in 2015 and won by unanimous decision.

He’s continued to train at Gleason’s almost daily, several hours a day. And for several years he’s been heavily involved in the gym’s Give A Kid A Dream program. Foreman and other Gleason’s trainers regularly work with young kids on their boxing skills as part of the free program.

“I’m an ordained rabbi, former world champion boxer,” said Foreman. “I think I’m in the stage of my life that I’m asking what can I possibly do, bring some light to the world. Besides my family, my kids, something else. Everybody has some kind of a mission in life, and I feel comfortable, I feel satisfied when I work with young adults, kids in search of expanding their world view perhaps, in some positive way.”