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Three time cruiserweight champion and reigning IBF belt-holder Mairis Briedis says he’s leaving the division and moving up to heavyweight. The 36 year old Latvian made his announcement on TikTok, which is apparently the latest social platform we’ll need to monitor for news like this.
I am not afraid to take a step ♬ Not Afraid - Eminem
Briedis was last seen in action winning the finals of the World Boxing Super Series in September of 2020 against Yuniel Dorticos. He earned his way there through one of the zaniest fights you’ll ever see, a semifinals showdown against Krzysztof Glowacki featuring shenanigans aplenty from both fighters, and referee Robert Byrd, too.
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Get 2021 started right with the first big fight of the year! Ryan Garcia faces Luke Campbell on Saturday from Dallas, don’t miss all the action streaming live on DAZN!
Twins Rene and Felix Alvarado were both involved in terrific fights to get 2021 going for the sport of boxing, but the Nicaraguans had different outcomes on today’s Garcia-Campbell card from Texas.
Felix retained his IBF junior flyweight title with a win over DeeJay Kriel via 10th round stoppage, but that was followed by Rene losing a razor-thin decision to Roger Gutierrez.
Rene dropped the WBA’s “world” title at junior lightweight with the defeat, which came on scores of 113-112 across the board, an outcome made possible by a 12th round knockdown from Gutierrez, which gave him a 10-8 round and the unanimous one-point victory. Gutierrez had also dropped Alvarado twice in the third round, but Alvarado came back to win many rounds from there, which kept the fight close
Felix Alvarado retains title, but his twin brother, Rene, loses his by a point
97dNick Parkinson
Roger Gutierrez, right, defeated Rene Alvarado, left, to win the WBA regular junior lightweight title.
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After seeing his twin brother, Felix Alvarado, score a 10th-round stoppage win to retain his IBF junior flyweight world title earlier on the card, Rene Alvarado went on to lose the title in his first defense by scores of 113-112 on all three scorecards.
By AFP - Agence France Presse January 2, 2021 Print Article
Nicaraguan Felix Alvarado stopped South Africa s DeeJay Kriel to defend his IBF light flyweight title on Saturday Tim Warner Text size
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Nicaragua s Felix Alvarado stopped South Africa s DeeJay Kriel after 99 seconds of the 10th round on Saturday to retain his International Boxing Federation light flyweight title.
Making his US debut in Dallas, Texas, Alvarado improved to 36-2 with his 31st stoppage inside the distance.
Alvarado stretched his win streak to 18 fights since losing to Argentina s Juan Carlos Reveco by decision for a flyweight title in June 2014.
Kriel, a former IBF strawweight world champion, fell to 16-2 with one drawn. The 25-year-old from Johannesburg was knocked to the canvas in the second and fourth rounds.