The World Boxing Association WBA KO Drugs Night of Champions will take place on Sunday, December 11 at Caribe Royale Orlando. The resort will host the 100th annual WBA Convention (December 11-14), and the opening night’s boxing match will be a historic event in and of itself. There has never been a boxing tournament staged in the United States before, thus this year’s event is truly historic. Celebrities like Jake Paul and boxing greats like Evander Holyfield, Miguel Cotto, Bernard Hopkins, and Daniel Dubois will all be on hand for this event.
Gilberto Mendoza, former President of the World Boxing Association (WBA), devised the KO Drugs exhibition to dissuade young people from engaging in risky behaviour and point them in the direction of boxing as a means to a brighter future. The card will be live at 7 p.m. ET.
How to watch WBA KO Drugs Night of Champions Live Stream
Live Broadcast: WBA KO Drugs Night of Champions Live (Try for free).
All worldwide fans can watch WBA KO Drugs Night of Champions Here.
WBA KO Drugs Night of Champions Fight Card Preview
The event will feature a ten-round junior welterweight bout between Cuban sensation Orestes Velasquez and Mexican legend Guillermo “El Leoncito” Crocco. Velasquez is on the rise quickly and has a perfect 5-0 record with five knockout victories (KO). Velasquez now resides in Miami, Florida and trains with Ismael Salas in Las Vegas; in August, he knocked out Emiliano Garcia in the third round. Crocco, who fights out of Argentina, has a 20-2-1 record with 6 knockout victories.
Unbeaten middleweights Francisco “Bebu” Veron and Leonardo Ruiz will battle it out over 10 rounds for the WBA Continental Americas championship. Veron is undefeated with 8 knockouts and is from Buenos Aires, Argentina. On October 28th, Veron knocked out fellow countryman Franco Ledesma in the second round of their fight. This is San Bernadino, California’s Ruiz, who is 10-0 with 7 knockouts. The fight between Ruiz and unbeaten Josue Silva took place on November 18 and was halted in the fifth round by Ruiz.
Yamaguchi “The Problem” Falcao, the reigning NABA super middleweight champion, defends his title against the imposing Ernest Amuzu. Brazilian-born and Florida-based boxer Falcao has an impressive professional record of 23-1-1 with 9 knockouts. Falcao successfully defended his championship against Alex Tehran on October 29 by winning all 10 rounds.
Amuzu is presently residing in Florida, but he is originally from Ghana. He has a 26-7 record with 22 knockouts. Vijender Singh, Ievgen Khytrov, and Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic are just a few of the world-class fighters he has fought.
Connor “The Kid” Coyle, the current NABA middleweight champion, will defend his title against Sladan Janjanian in a 10 round bout. Coyle has a perfect record of 17-0 with 7 knockouts and trains in Pinellas Park, Florida, but he represents Derry, Northern Ireland. Coyle defeated Antonio Todd by decision on May 21 at the Caribe Royale, claiming the NABA championship in the process. According to the WBA, Coyle is the tenth best heavyweight in the world because of his September victory over Silverio Ortiz, a seasoned veteran.
Boxing out of Bosnia, Janjanian has a 34-13 record and 24 knockouts, having competed against the likes of Bektemir Melikuziev, Martin Murray, Steven Butler, and Pierre Hubert Dibombe.
Taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada, Greece-born Kalliopi “Pink Tyson” Kourouni faces Calista Silgado of Colombia in a ten-round bout for the WBA Continental Americas junior lightweight title.
Kourouni, with a record of 12-3 (2 knockout wins), won a unanimous decision over Simone de Silva in February. Longtime competitor Silgado defeated Dalia Vasquez through fourth-round TKO in October.
In an eight-round bout for the WBA Continental Americas bantamweight title, Melvin “Melo” Lopez, of Miami, Florida by way of Nicaragua, with a 28-1 record (19 knockouts), while his opponent, Jobert “Lion” Alvarez, of Washington, is the Philippines’ Jobert “Lion” Alvarez, 20-3-2 (7 knockouts).
Amaury Piedra, owner of Boxlab Promotions, said, “Boxlab Promotions is incredibly happy to be the promoter of the WBA’s KO Drugs show.” Some of the top fighters in the world will be competing in Orlando at this talent-filled show including numerous championship fights. We owe this chance to the WBA and its president, Gilberto Mendoza. The 11th of December will be a night of champions and a unique event.
On the undercard of the WBA Fedecaribe light heavyweight title fight, Houston, Texas’ Joseph George (12-0, 7 KOs) takes on Chihuahua, Mexico’s Raiko Santana (8-3, 5 KOs).
Yoanis Tellez (2-0, 2 KOs), Stafford, Texas, by way of Cuba, and Jean Rivera (8-1, 1 KO), San Juan, Puerto Rico, will fight for the WBA Fedecaribe junior middleweight championship.
Idalberto Umara (Miami, FL through Cuba; 7-1, 4 KOs) vs. Emiliano Garcia (Buenos Aires, Argentina; 18-8-1, 13 KOs) for the WBA Fedecaribe lightweight title.
Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, a future Hall of Famer and unified middleweight champion, battles Noah Kidd, from Jefferson City, Missouri, over the course of eight rounds. With victories over Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams under his belt in 2010, Martinez was named Fighter of the Year. Since his comeback to the ring in 2020, he has a perfect record of 4-0.
Heavyweight Herich Ruiz Cordoba fights Phillip Jean Siede, junior middleweight Jeovanny Estela confronts Luis Eduardo Florez, and welterweight Damian Lescaille faces Rondale Hubbert, all in six-round bouts.
Alex Rios Vega, who fights at lightweight, will face an unannounced opponent.
