Mirco Cuello vs. Sergio Rios | DAZN - August 8, 2025

[Ruthless-RKO]

MIRCO CUELLO-SERGIO RIOS, ALBERT RAMIREZ-JEROME PAMPELLONE ON WBA'S AUG. 8 CARD IN BENGHAZI, LIBYA

The latest edition of WBA KO Drugs will take place in Benghazi, Libya on Friday, August 8 and will feature two marquee contests.

The five-fight event, scheduled to take place at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium, will see Albert Ramirez (21-0, 18 KOs) face Jerome Pampellone (19-2, 12 KOs) in a WBA light heavyweight title eliminator.

Ramirez, The Ring's No. 6-rated divisional contender at 175-pounds, scored a 2nd-round stoppage of 13-0 hopeful Michael Alan Flannery on June 5 in Montreal and stays active after doubling down on a desire to secure big fights and build his profile with time ticking.

British-born New Zealand resident Pampellone rebounded after narrow 12-round majority, then split decision defeats during IBF eliminators by Malik Zinad and Conor Wallace in 2024 with a 1st-round stoppage win over Thailand's Plaisakda Boonmalert on February 8.

Also set to appear is a meeting of unbeaten featherweights for the vacant WBA Interim strap as Mirco Cuello (15-0, 12 KOs) and Sergio Rios (19-0, 7 KOs) will do battle next month.

Argentina's Cuello is ranked No. 8 at 126-pounds by The Ring and has pitched a trio of impressive wins stateside over the past two years in San Antonio and Las Vegas.

Rios, by contrast, has exclusively boxed in his Mexico homeland and while they are agemates at 24, this matchup presents a significant step-up for the Sonora native.

Elsewhere, Olympic silver medalist Sofiane Oumiha (6-0, 3 KOs) will look to progress his career against Francisco Fonseca (36-4-2, 29 KOs) for a WBA regional lightweight title.

Meanwhile, Josue Aguero (13-0, 7 KOs) and Diego Aleman (20-3-1, 14 KOs) will also fight for a WBA regional belt at featherweight.

Two-time Olympic champion Julio Cesar La Cruz (4-0, 4 KOs) had been slated to face American heavyweight veteran Bryant Jennings (25-4, 14 KOs), only for the Cuban to withdraw through injury. Jennings may still appear on the card against an opponent TBC.

The event will be promoted by Ajyalona Foundation in association with Carlos Tello, Paco Damián, Eye of The Tiger and Agon and will be televised on TYC.

The showpiece event will also feature special guests, including movie icon Sylvester Stallone as well as former heavyweight champions Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Week!!

DAZN have picked this up...

[Ruthless-RKO]

Mirco Cuello vs. Sergio Rios Jimenez - interim WBA title

Albert Ramirez vs. Jerome Pampellone - WBA title eliminator

Sofiane Oumiha vs. Francisco Fonseca
Mike Perez vs. Christian Fabian Luis
Josue Francisco Aguero vs. Diego Ortiz Aleman

[margaret thatcher]

lmao

so 3 fights ago pampellone gets soundly beat in an ibf title eliminator
2 fights ago he somehow gets another ibf title eliminator, despite having just lost one. he loses that too.
1 fight ago he wins a knockover job vs a 53 year old thai

and now on this 3 fight run he's somehow in a wba final title eliminator


how the f@ck does this crap work. will losing again earn him a wbc or wbo final eliminator?

[Ruthless-RKO]

lmao

so 3 fights ago pampellone gets soundly beat in an ibf title eliminator
2 fights ago he somehow gets another ibf title eliminator, despite having just lost one. he loses that too.
1 fight ago he wins a knockover job vs a 53 year old thai

and now on this 3 fight run he's somehow in a wba final title eliminator


how the f@ck does this crap work. will losing again earn him a wbc or wbo final eliminator?

He's just going through the ABC's

willing to pay the sanc fees

[Ruthless-RKO]

Tomorrow!



This is the only boxing this weekend?

Televised.

[keithmoonhangover]

Tomorrow!



This is the only boxing this weekend?

Televised.

Yep. You know your addicted when you're watching a card in Libya.

[skanksta]

Fun card tho' - might as well...

[Ruthless-RKO]

Date: August 8, 2025
Location: Martyrs of Benina Stadium in Benghazi, Libya
Stream: DAZN
Start time: 1:30 pm ET | 10:30 pm PT | 6:30 pm UK

Fight Card

Interim WBA Featherweight Championship
Mirco Cuello vs. Sergio Rios Jimenez

12 Round WBA Light Heavyweight Title Eliminator Bout
Albert Ramirez vs. Jerome Pampellone

10 Round Lightweight Bout
Sofiane Oumiha vs. Francisco Fonseca

10 Round Cruiserweight Bout
Mike Perez vs. Christian Fabian Luis

10 Round Super Featherweight Bout
Josue Francisco Aguero vs. Diego Ortiz Aleman

[skanksta]

oooh ! Luis gone for DQ dive I think ?!

[skanksta]

well that's cheated Perez KO4 most unfailry

[skanksta]

just about the right decision, Fonseca beat him from pillar to post so he had to sneak a close UD.
woulda been wide and certain @ home.

[handsofstone]

Cuello KOs Rios in 2, mismatch in the end, Cuello knocked Rios down in the 1st with a straight right then in the 2nd a jolting jab from Cuello had him down again, as soon as Rios got up Cuello creased him with a left downstairs which put him down for the count

[Ruthless-RKO]

Mike Perez disappointed with no decision; Sofiane Oumiha upset

After his bout against Christian Fabian Luis was halted after four rounds, Cuban cruiserweight contender Mike Perez was disappointed to leave the ring in Benghazi, Libya with a No Decision on his record.

Sporting bleached blond hair and a greying beard, Perez landed a left hand on the bell at the end of round four and his opponent dropped theatrically, lingered on the canvas, staggered back to his corner, sat for a while and was withdrawn after talking to his team.

The blow in question was ruled unintentional, meaning the verdict was rendered a No Decision.

Southpaw Perez tried to get his left hand flowing early, while his opponent looked for short right hook counters.

The 39-year-old Perez also looked for openings to the Argentine’s body, scoring with occasional lefts downstairs.

Fabian Luis, a winner in his last three, entered the contest with 12 wins against four losses. He’d won eight by stoppage.

The crowd, at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium – and with former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson looking on – watched Fabian Luis try to change things up in the third. He was pivoting off his front foot and landing hooks from angles, but in the fourth – and with Perez marching forward and through the leather that came his way – he landed a left hand on the bell and, somewhat delayed, the Argentine dropped heavily.

Perez quickly apologized but his opponent rolled onto his front, then onto his side, and Perez returned to his corner and shook his head.

Perez is 31-3-1 (22 KOs, 1 ND), and was boxing for the second time this year having retired popular Irishman Steven Ward in the ninth round when they boxed in Ipswich, England, in June.

Frenchman Sofiane Oumiha was stunned as he lost for the first time as a pro, upset by veteran Francisco Fonseca via decision over 10 rounds.

Oumiha, 6-1 (3 KOs), lost in the final of the Paris Olympics to Cuban Erislandy Alvarez and it was announced earlier today that Oumiha was signing with Agon, the German boxing promotion, having previously been professional with Queensberry Polska before returning to amateur boxing (he’d boxed as a pro in 2022 and 2023 before returning to the unpaid code to compete at his home Olympics).

Fonseca, a 31-year-old from Nicaragua, largely found his opponent hard to hit in the opener and had his head jolted back a few times. But Fonseca, winner of his five previous bouts, was game and kept attacking. He ate a right hand with about a minute left in the second and a left hook near the bell.

But at the end of the next, the Frenchman got careless and, when caught, tried to open up but was hit by more of the Nicaraguan’s swings and dropped by a right hand. He rose quickly, but intelligently dropped to a knee to take the count and give himself more time to recover.

The contest opened up in fifth and both landed big shots. They traded left hooks in the seventh of a fast-paced affair. Fonseca was relentless and giving Oumiha plenty to think about. At various stages of the ninth, Oumiha tried to hold, but Fonseca pushed him off and often found a home for his straight right. The Frenchman looked ragged in the last round and just before the final bell he swung and missed with a left hook and fell in a heap.

It was scored 97-92 and 95-94 (twice) and Fonseca dropped to the canvas and wept with joy.

Fonseca is now 37-4-2 (29 KOs).

[Ruthless-RKO]

Results

Mirco Cuello def. Sergio Rios Jimenez by TKO (R2)
Albert Ramirez def. Jerome Pampellone by KO (R7)
Josue Francisco Aguero def. Diego Ortiz Aleman by unanimous decision (100-90, 100-90, 100-90)
Francisco Fonseca def. Sofiane Oumiha by unanimous decision (97-92, 95-94, 95-94)
Mike Perez vs. Christian Fabian Luis – No contest

[goose 5]

Wasn't a bad card.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Mirco Cuello no longer has WBA interim belt, still in line for title shot

Mirco Cuello has apparently been stripped of his interim featherweight belt, but not of his right to fight for the WBA’s primary world title at 126lbs.

Cuello won an elimination bout in February 2025. Behind on the scorecards going into the 10th and final round, he stopped the 22-1-1 Christian Antonio Olivo Barreda.

Cuello then was awarded the secondary interim belt last August after a second-round knockout of the 19-0 Sergio Rios Jimenez. The victory brought Cuello, a 25-year-old from Argentina, to 16-0 (13 KOs).

But in the WBA’s latest monthly ratings update – released on April 1 – Cuello is no longer listed as having the interim title. Instead, he’s been moved into the No. 1 position. The initials “OC,” standing for “official challenger,” sit next to his name.

That keeps Cuello in line to challenge Brandon Figueroa, 27-2-1 (20 KOs), who dethroned Nick Ball for the main WBA title in February with a sensational 12th-round TKO.

Ivan Chirkov, who strangely moved into the No. 1 spot the previous month, is now listed at No. 3.

The WBA’s full featherweight Top 15 has Cuello followed by Tomoki Kameda, Chirkov, Otabek Kholmatov, Ball, Luis Nery, Jan Paul Rivera-Pizarro, Lorenzo Parra, Luis Reynaldo Nunez, Reito Tsutsumi, Kyonosuke Kameda, Victor Hernandez, Christian Olivo Barreda, Jonathan Cabrera Sanchez and Ryuto Owan.