By Scott Gilfoid: Eddie Hearn wants #4 IBF Paul Butler (26-1, 14 KOs) to face unbeaten #3 IBF Emmanuel Rodriguez (17-0, 12 KOs) for the vacant IBF World bantamweight title that Ryan Burnett (18-0, 9 KOs) vacated this week.
Ryan Burnett
Ryan Burnett vacates IBF title, will face Yonfrez Parejo on March 31
By Scott Gilfoid: Ryan Burnett (18-0, 9 KOs) has vacated his IBF bantamweight title after being ordered to face talented knockout artist Emmanuel Rodriguez (17-0, 12 KOs). Instead of taking on Rodriguez, Burnett will be defending against WBA mandatory Yonfrez Parejo (21-2, 10 KOs) on March 31 on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs. Joseph Parker at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
Ryan Burnett vs. Emmanuel Rodriguez headed towards purse bid
By Tim Royner: IBF/WBA bantamweight champion Ryan Burnett (18-0, 9 KOs) will be facing his IBF mandatory challenger Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Rodriguez (17-0, 12 KOs) next, possibly on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs. Joseph Parker on March 31 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
Top UK fighters of 2017
By Gav Duthie: There were some good fights in another solid year for British boxing. Here are my top 5 fighters of 2017 in the UK. Honorable mentions go to Lee Selby who had 3 solid wins in the year, Tony Bellew for beating David Haye and Kal Yafai for is two title defenses against Japanese opposition.
Hearn to swerve making Ryan Burnett vs. Zolani Tete fight
By Scott Gilfoid: Eddie Hearn says he will NOT make the unification fight between IBF/WBC bantamweight champion Ryan Burnett (18-0, 9 KOs) and WBO champion Zolani Tete (26-3, 21 KOs) right now, because it’s a tough fight for Ryan and he wants to secure his financial future before he puts him in a risky fight like that.
Ryan Burnett targeting unification fights
By Scott Gilfoid: A day after beating WBA Super World bantamweight champion Zhanat Zhakiyanov (27-2, 18 KOs) by a wide 12 round unanimous decision, IBF/WBA 118 lb. champion Ryan Burnett (18-0, 9 KOs) and his promoter Eddie Hearn are interested in fighting champions Jamie McDonnell and Zolani Tete in unification fights.
Ryan Burnett vs. Zhanat Zhakiyanov – Results
By Scott Gilfoid: IBF World bantamweight champion Ryan Burnett (18-0, 9 KOs) won a wide 12 round unanimous decision Zhanat Zhakiyanov (27-2, 18 KOs) on Saturday night in their unification fight at 118 lbs. in front of a large pro-Burnett crowd at The SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Burnett and Zhakiyanov set to unify
By Ciaran O’Malley: Earlier today Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Sports announced that recently crowned IBF bantamweight World champion Ryan Burnett will be facing off against WBA “Super” champ Zhanat Zhakiyanov, in a unification match-up in Belfast on the 21st of October.
Weekend Wrap — Burnett, Prograis Step Up
By Donavan Leonard – This weekend in boxing was low on marquee names but still held plenty of action. Ryan Burnett (17-0, 9 KOs) of Northern Ireland continued his ascent through the paid ranks, capturing the IBF Bantamweight title from England’s Lee Haskins. It was a dominating performance, with Burnett dropping Haskins in the 6th round and again in the 11th round. Unfortunately there has been more talk about the absurdity of judge Clark Sammartino’s scorecard than about the fight itself. While the other two judges scored the bout 119-107 for Burnett, his card read 118-108 for Haskins. It is believed that he confused the fighters, which is hopefully the case. His scorecard made an impression on British Boxing Board of control commissioner Robert Smith, who stated that Sammartino will no longer be allowed to judge fights in his country.
Ryan Burnett vs. Lee Haskins – Results
By Scott Gilfoid: Unbeaten Ryan Burnett (17-0, 9 KOs) unseated International Boxing Federation World bantamweight champion Lee Haskins (34-4, 14 KOs) by a 12 round split decision on Saturday night at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Burnett dropped Haskins twice in the fight in knocking him down in the 6th and 11th rounds. Both fighters were cut from a clash of heads in the 2nd round.