A few notes from around the boxing world:
- Heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder (36-0, 35 KOs) makes his fourth defense against Chris Arreola (36-4-1, 31 KOs) on July 16 on Fox in prime time (8 p.m. ET) with welterweights Sammy Vasquez Jr. (21-0, 15 KOs) and Felix Diaz (17-1, 8 KOs) squaring off in the co-feature at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, but there will be another two hours of boxing from the card immediately following the telecast beginning at 10 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1. One fight has been confirmed for the FS1 telecast: welterweight Jamal James (19-0, 9 KOs) against Wale Omotoso (26-2, 21 KOs). Other fights on the card that could wind up on FS1 include a rematch between heavyweight Gerald Washington (17-0-1, 11 KOs) and Amir Mansour (22-2-1, 16 KOs), who fought to a split draw in October, and blue chip junior middleweight prospect Erickson Lubin (15-0, 11 KOs) against Ivan Montero (20-1, 8 KOs). In another bout on the card, junior featherweight Vic Darchinyan (42-8-1, 31 KOs), a former flyweight and junior bantamweight world titleholder, will face Ramiro Robles (13-5-1, 8 KOs).
- Junior bantamweight titlist Kohei Kono (32-8-1, 13 KOs), of Japan, will make his fourth defense when he faces interim titlist Luis Concepcion (34-4-4, 24 KOs), of Panama, in a mandated bout on Aug. 31 in one of two world title fights at Ota-City Gymnasium in Tokyo, Watanabe Promotions announced. Also scheduled for the card is junior flyweight titlist Ryoichi Taguchi (24-2-1, 11 KOs), of Japan, making his fourth title defense against mandatory challenger and countryman Ryo Miyazaki (24-1-3, 15 KOs), a former strawweight titleholder seeking a world title in his second weight division.
- South Africa’s exciting strawweight Hekkie Budler (29-2, 9 KOs), who lost his world title by upset decision (115-113 on all three scorecards) to Nicaragua’s Byron Rojas on March 19, will return from the defeat on Oct. 22 at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, South Africa, Golden Gloves promoter Rodney Berman announced. Budler will face countryman Siyabonga Siyo (10-1, 4 KOs) in a 10-rounder. Siyo is also coming off a decision loss June 11. “(Budler) had an off night which cost him, but I’m convinced he has plenty more to give,” Berman said.
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