Briton Lawrence Okolie defended his WBO cruiserweight title with a comfortable but scrappy points win over David Light at Manchester's AO Arena.

 

Okolie, 30, was the busier fighter, landing more power punches to beat his mandatory challenger, but he was docked a point for excessive holding.

 

He had New Zealander Light, 31, in trouble in the 10th and 11th rounds but could not find the finish.

 

The judges scored it 116-112, 119-108 and 117-110 to Okolie.

British heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma needed only 35 seconds to stop Ramon Ibarra in his second professional fight in Telford.

 

The 18-year-old wants to become the youngest world heavyweight champion in history, a record currently held by Mike Tyson.

 

Itauma has spent less than a minute in the ring during his fledgling career.

 

In January, the Englishman knocked out Czech Republic fighter Marcel Bode in 23 seconds on his pro debut.

 

Heavyweight legend Tyson was 20 years old when he won his first world title in 1986.

Lyndon Arthur survived a scare against late replacement Boris Crighton before sealing a unanimous points victory.

 

Arthur was due to fight Braian Nahuel Suarez for the vacant IBO light heavyweight championship before the Argentinean failed a pre-fight medical.

 

Scot Crighton, called up at a day's notice, performed admirably in his place but Manchester's Arthur finished strongly in the final two rounds.

 

He won 98-92 96-93 99-91 on the judges' scorecard in Bolton.

British boxer Amir Khan has been banned for two years after an anti-doping test revealed the presence of a banned substance following his fight against Kell Brook in February 2022.

 

The former light-welterweight world champion tested positive for ostarine.

 

Khan, who retired from boxing in May, accepted he broke anti-doping rules but said it was not intentional.

 

An independent tribunal accepted that argument, ruling out "deliberate or reckless conduct" by the 36-year-old.

 

"I've never cheated," Khan told Sky Sports News. "But I've got a two-year ban now, which is quite strange and funny because I'm already retired anyway.

Very much hope what he says about it being unintentional is true. At least the ban has come after his retirement so won't have much of an effect.

Liam Smith is "baffled" by Chris Eubank Jr saying their first fight in January was ended prematurely by the referee.

 

The British rivals will contest a rematch at the AO Arena in Manchester on 17 June, the same venue where Smith stopped Eubank in four rounds.

 

Eubank, 33, was dropped twice before Victor Loughlin halted the fight.

 

"To blame the referee? Wow," Smith, 34, said."You've opened another one now where you're going to get slaughtered by everybody."

Savannah Marshall is focused on winning another world title as she moves up in weight to face undisputed super-middleweight champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn.

 

Marshall, 31, fights on 17 June for the first time since losing her WBO middleweight belt and undefeated record to Claressa Shields in October.

 

The Briton says the loss to Shields helped her spot "faults" in her game.

 

"I want to be world champion again, this is what it's all about," she said.

 

"It's about learning. I learned a lot about myself. It's definitely made me stronger.

Sandy Ryan says she was hospitalised just three weeks before winning her WBO welterweight title fight against Marie Pier Houle.

 

Ryan would not specify what hospital treatment she needed during her pre-fight camp, but said trainer Clifton Mitchell "helped me get through".

 

The 29-year-old Derby fighter went on to claim her first world title with a wide points win in Cardiff on Saturday.

 

"I carried on and we got the world champion belt out of it," Ryan said.

Britain's Sunny Edwards will defend his IBF world flyweight title against Andres Campos at Wembley Arena in London on Saturday, 10 June.

 

Edwards has won all 19 of his professional fights and will make his first appearance after signing for Matchroom promotions in March.

 

Chilean Campos is seventh in the IBF rankings and has won his 15 bouts.

 

Nina Hughes will also defend her WBA bantamweight crown against fellow Brit Shannon Courtenay.

 

"Campos has been calling for a fight with me for a couple years now since I've been champion, which is strange to me," said Edwards.

Natasha Jonas will defend her WBO, WBC, IBF and Ring magazine light-middleweight titles on 17 June in Manchester.

 

Jonas, 38, will fight on the undercard of Liam Smith's rematch with Chris Eubank Jr at the AO Arena.

 

Jonas, whose opponent is yet to be announced, was one of the standout British fighters in 2022, winning three world titles in just nine months.

 

She is undefeated since moving up in weight, with four wins in a row.

New Zealand boxer David Light suffered a mild stroke and needed an operation to remove a blood clot after his defeat by Lawrence Okolie in March.

 

Light, 31, initially showed no ill-effects after the bout in Manchester and returned home to New Zealand.

 

But after feeling unwell the cruiserweight was admitted to hospital in Auckland for surgery on April 17.

 

"This is like another fight camp for me, I've got to train hard, rehab and work on getting better," said Light.

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez said he is "bringing this fight to the people" in a momentous yet chaotic news conference for Saturday's bout against John Ryder.

 

The Mexican will defend his undisputed super-middleweight titles against the Briton at Estadio Akron in his home city of Guadalajara.

 

Alvarez, 32, will fight in Mexico for the first time in since 2011.

 

"I feel happy to be back in happy with the people who support me in the beginning," he told BBC Sport.

 

"I feel great. It's unbelievable the things I've done all my life and all my career. I'm glad to be here, coming as the best fight. I'm bringing this fight to the people. It's an honour for me."

Kazakhstan's Janibek Alimkhanuly defended his WBO middleweight world title with an impressive second-round knockout of Canada's Steven Butler.

 

The 30-year-old caught Butler with a left hook and followed with a series of lefts, flooring Butler three times before the referee stopped the bout.

 

Unbeaten southpaw Alimkhanuly now has 14 wins with nine knockouts.

 

Afterwards he called out Mexico's Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and American Jermall Charlo.

 

Alvarez is the undisputed super-middleweight champion, while Charlo holds the WBC middleweight belt.

 

"Champions and boxing superstars, where are you?" Alimkhanuly said.

 

"I'm the most avoided fighter. I'm the middleweight king.

 

"Canelo and Charlo, I'm coming. I'm ready for anybody, any time, anywhere."

Katie Taylor vowed to produce the best performance of her career against Chantelle Cameron in her first fight in Ireland as a professional.

 

Taylor, 36, moves up to light-welterweight to challenge undisputed champion Cameron in Dublin on Saturday.

 

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Taylor said her main aim when she turned pro was to fight at home.

 

"It's amazing to bring big-time boxing back to this nation where it belongs," the Irishwoman said.

Heavyweight Frazer Clarke "doesn't want politics to get in the way again" and is still targeting a shot at British champion Fabio Wardley this year.

 

The unbeaten duo were ordered to fight but Clarke's team withdrew on the day of scheduled purse bids last week.

 

Clarke, 31, will now take on Poland's former world-title challenger Mariusz Wach at London's York Hall on 16 June.

 

"I'm sure my promoter and Fabio can strike a deal and we can make that fight as big as possible," he said.

 

Clarke - a bronze medallist at Tokyo 2020 - has won all six fights as a professional.

 

Wardley is unbeaten in 16 bouts but does not have the same amateur experience, with the 28-year-old turning professional after just four white-collar fights.

 

The fighters are signed to rival promoters and broadcasters. Clarke is promoted by Boxxer, with his fights broadcasted on Sky Sports, while Ipswich-born Wardley is signed to Matchroom Boxing and his bouts are aired exclusively on DAZN.

Englishwoman Terri Harper's world-title defence against Cecilia Braekhus in Dublin is off after the challenger withdrew because of illness.

 

Harper was set to defend her WBA light-middleweight title on the undercard of Chantelle Cameron v Katie Taylor.

 

Matchroom announced on Saturday that Norwegian Braekhus had withdrawn.

 

Harper, 26, will fight in a week's time on the undercard of Leigh Wood's rematch against featherweight world champion Mauricio Lara in Manchester.

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England's Chantelle Cameron delivered the first professional defeat of Katie Taylor's career to retain her undisputed light-welterweight crown.

 

Taylor's Dublin homecoming was seven years in the making, but the undisputed lightweight champion could not deliver the dream result for her supporters as she lost out on a majority decision.

 

Cameron's class shone through in a relentlessly paced contest.

 

One judge scored it a draw, while the other two had it 96-94 to Cameron.

 

The 32-year-old extended her undefeated record to 18 wins.

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Michael Conlan says his bout with Luis Alberto Lopez in Belfast on Saturday is "just another fight" as he aims for his first world title.

 

The bout will be Conlan's second shot at a world title after he dramatically lost to Leigh Wood in March 2022.

 

Mexico's Lopez defeated Josh Warrington in December to claim the IBF featherweight title in Leeds.

 

"It's going to be tricky at times but I believe I will go out and win - and win comfortably," Conlan, 31, said.

 

"My emotions are cool and calm. I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a great night."