STATEMENT MADE! AMARI “THE REAPER” JONES DEFEATS VINCENZO “IL CAPO” GUALTIERI IN IBF MIDDLEWEIGHT WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 23 May 2026
ROBIN “ROBZ” SAFAR BECOMES THE NEW WBC SILVER CRUISERWEIGHT TITLEHOLDER
LIVE FROM SAP CENTER IN SAN JOSE, CALIF., LIVE WORLDWIDE ON DAZN
SAN JOSE, Calif. (May 22, 2026) — Making a statement victory in front of his hometown crowd and still undefeated, knockout artist Amari “The Reaper” Jones (17-0, 15 KOs) stopped former world champion Vincenzo “Il Capo” Gualtieri (25-2-1) of Germany in the third round of their scheduled 12-round IBF Middleweight World Title Eliminator. Headlining his first-ever DAZN event, Jones showcased his jab effectively and systematically broke down Gualtieri, who showed resilience throughout the bout. In the third round, Jones scored two knockdowns: first with a crushing right hand to the temple and then with a devastating right uppercut. The referee waved off the fight at 2:29 of the round. The event took place at SAP Center and streamed live worldwide on DAZN.
“I made a statement tonight that needed to be made,” said Amari Jones. “I proved that my win against veteran Luis Arias wasn’t a fluke by going out here and knocking out an experienced former world champion. Coming into the fight, I knew he [Gualtieri] was an awkward fighter, knew his way around the ring, and that it was going to take some time to settle into the fight. I didn’t think it’d be that quick, though. I started to put my shots together really well.”
Continued Jones, “after the first round, I came back to my corner, and Virgil [Hunter] told me that Gualtieri had already shown me everything he had. It was only a matter of time after that. I was trying to set up traps for him to fall into. He was blocking shots well, but I knew if I could sneak my right hand through his guard, I could put combinations together. I finally landed my shots, and it knocked his equilibrium off. I’m an ultimate finisher. I put the combos together and hit him in the body, went back to his head, and finished him. I’m not doing this for no reason. A star was made tonight, and I put the middleweight division on notice.”
In the co-main event, undefeated cruiserweight Robin “ROBZ” Safar (19-0, 13 KOs) captured the WBC Silver Cruiserweight Title with a hard-fought victory over Argentina’s Yamil Peralta (18-2-1, 10 KOs) in a grueling 12-round battle that went the distance. Safar overcame adversity after suffering his first knockdown in the second round. The tightly contested bout saw Safar edge out Peralta via split decision, with judges scoring the fight 116-111 for Rudy Barragan and 114-113 for David Soliven, while Melissa McMorrow scored it 114-113 in favor of Peralta.
“I didn’t plan for the fight to go the distance," said Safar. "I wanted to get him [Peralta] out of there in the later rounds. He was an awkward fighter. I have to give him props; he was a tough opponent with an unorthodox style. Although I had him on his back foot for most of the time, I feel like I waited too long to put the pressure. We live and we learn.”
Continued Safar, “I did get dropped in this fight. That was the first time ever for me getting dropped. It was a little flash knock down, but I had to recuperate and adapt. We came back and won the fight. That’s all that matters. I want to fight the top dogs. I want Noel Mikaelian."
Also on the televised DAZN card, rising contender Darius "DFG" Fulghum (15-1-1, 13 KOs) stopped Miami-based Yoanki Urrutia (17-3, 7 KOs) in their light heavyweight bout when a debilitating body shot prompted Urrutia's corner to throw in the towel at the end of the third round. In a jaw-dropping stoppage, Las Vegas' Tristan "Sweet T" Kalkreuth (17-1, 12 KOs) took on cruiserweight Marco Canedo (8-4-1, 5 KOs) of Michoacán, Mexico. Scheduled for 10 rounds, Kalkreuth finished things early with a sixth-round knockout at 0:51. Opening the DAZN broadcast with a firefight, Jordan Fuentes (7-0, 2 KOs) of Fresno, Calif., competed in a six-round super flyweight bout against Dante Hernandez (3-2, 3 KOs) of Jalisco, Mexico. The action-packed match went the distance, with Fuentes securing the victory by scores of 60-54, 60-54 and 59-55.
In the preliminary bouts, Jose Medrano (3-0, 2 KOs) of Salinas, Calif., made a splash with a fourth-round knockout win over Anel Dudo (4-9-1, 1 KO) of Aurora, Colo., in a four-round super featherweight fight, finishing at 0:44. Jordan "The Patriot" Panthen (12-2, 10 KOs) is the new WBA Continental middleweight titlist after defeating Jean Rivera (10-3, 1 KO) of San Juan, Puerto Rico, by knockout. Panthen dropped Rivera multiple times before securing the stoppage in the third round at 1:30. John “Scrappy” Ramirez (17-1, 9 KOs) of Los Angeles defeated Lucas Fernandez (14-5-2, 9 KOs) of Rosario, Argentina, in a 10-round super flyweight contest by scores of 98-92, 98-92 and 99-91. Opening the evening, Enkhmandakh Kharkhuu (8-0, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles defeated Adrian Herrera (10-5, 8 KOs) of Jalisco, Mexico, in an eight-round super flyweight matchup. The judges scored the bout unanimously for Kharkhuu by scores of 77-75, 80-72 and 78-74.
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Jones vs. Gualtieri was a 12-round IBF eliminator fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The fight is scheduled for Friday, May 22 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. and will be streamed live worldwide on DAZN.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and DAZN.com. Follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoy and https://www.facebook.com/DAZN. Follow on Instagram @GoldenBoy and @DAZNBoxing.
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