Fight-size Boxing Update: Kickboxer Signed To Boxing Contract, Santa Cruz-Frampton TV Numbers, Champion Moves Up In Weight
Your fight-size boxing update for August 8:
* Main Events announced on August 8 that it has signed 25-year-old junior middleweight Enriko Gogokhia (1-0, 1 KO). Gogokhia, a former professional kickboxer from Ukraine, is managed by Egis Klimas, who is also the manager of light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev and junior lightweight titleholder Vasyl Lomachenko. Gogokhia, who was 42-7 with 21 knockouts during a nearly six-year career as a kickboxer, made his pro boxing debut in June with a second-round knockout of Steven Chad McKinney in El Monte, California.
* The fight between Leo Santa Cruz and Carl Frampton that took place on Showtime Championship Boxing on July 30 averaged 480,000 viewers and peaked at 549,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. It is the highest-rated bout on Showtime Championship Boxing so far this year. The co-main event, which saw junior welterweight Mikey Garcia‘s return from a 2 and a half year layoff to knock out Elio Rojas, averaged 427,000 viewers.
* Junior lightweight contender Claudio Marrero (20-1, 14 KO) will face Derrick Murray (13-0-1, 5 KO) and unbeaten female featherweight Heather Hardy (17-0, 4 KO) will face Shelly Vincent (18-0, 1 KO) on August 21 at the Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk in Brooklyn, Premier Boxing Champions announced on August 4.
* Donnie Nietes has vacated his junior flyweight world title and is moving up to the flyweight division, ALA Promotions recently announced. Nietes, who has won world titles at strawweight and junior flyweight, will make his flyweight debut on September 24 in a beIN Sports Espanol broadcast in the main event of a card ALA Promotions is putting on at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. Nietes will square off with former junior flyweight titleholder Edgar Sosa.
