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Champion Claressa Shields has changed the face of women’s boxing

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Claressa Shields

Boxer Claressa Shields has a seemingly endless list of accomplishments during her amateur and professional career. The Michigan native won the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London at the age of only 17, and repeated the feat at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, competing in the middleweight division.

As a professional, it’s easy to see why her nickname is the GWOAT (greatest woman of all time). Not only is she 14-0, but she is the only boxer, male or female, to be undisputed champion simultaneously in two weight divisions. Shields is also a pioneer in the sport for women, as she headlined the first women’s boxing main event on premium television when she defeated Szilvia Szabados in her second professional fight.

The Amsterdam News spoke exclusively with Dmitriy Salita, president of Salita Promotions, who has been the promoter of Shields since 2017, about what he saw in the young fighter that made him want to work with her, and the progression of her history-making career.

“I read that article and I read her story and I read about her incredible amateur boxing accomplishments and I said to myself, there’s no better fighter coming out of the 2016 Olympics than Claressa Shields,” he recalled. “Because [it] could be that there are great American fighters, but someone like Clarissa is historic.”

Salita also saw something in this country happening in 2016 that made him believe that signing Shields would be fruitful.

“2016 was the year that Hillary Clinton was running for president and the women’s empowerment movement was coming alive in a real significant way,” he said.

Salita also aimed to share the uniqueness of Shields earlier in her career.

Claressa Shield

“It’s all interconnected because boxing is about promoting and boxing is about storytelling,” he said. “HBO and Showtime are great networks, great networks that tell stories. And one of the things that I wanted to do was tell her story, tell her life story to make her appeal to boxing fans and more important then non boxing fans because true superstars in the sport can cross over.”

Shields is the recipient of a Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Award and won a 2023 ESPY Award earlier this year for best boxer.

It’s easy to imagine how many young girls and boys watching Shields are so inspired by her.

Salita, whose fighters have appeared on ESPN, HBO, Showtime, Sky Sports, and DAZN, relishes his underdog role.

“I really had to build everything from scratch,” he said. “I’m very blessed to have had the eyes to identify top-tier talent very early in their career.”

Salita shares that his fighter Shohjahon Ergashev (23-0, 20 KOs) is in action on November 4 against IBF junior welterweight champion Subriel Matias (19-1, 19 KOs). Joshua Pagan (8-0, 4 KOs) will battle Braulio Rodriguez (20-7, 17 KOs) on October 21, and he looks for undefeated fighter Vladimir Shishkin (14-0, 8 KOs) to fight before the year’s end with an opponent to be announced soon.

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BOXING

You Don’t Wanna Fight Me”: Jaron Ennis Slams Terence Crawford for Claiming That It Was ‘Boots’ Who Ducked the Fight Opportunities and Not Him

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Terence Bud Crawford

It’s the fireworks waiting for the punk. Terence Crawford and Jaron Ennis seem to have commenced a slanging match. The former made history this year as he became the first man to be crowned a two-division undisputed champion. The latter had successfully defended his IBF (interim) Welterweight title in July. But tribulations were ahead for Crawford, tied up by the commitment to oblige a rematch with Errol Spence Jr.

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Early this month, the IBF, on account of his not fulfilling the mandatory title defense requirement, stripped him of their belt. Ennis, hitherto an interim title holder, became a Welterweight Champion. It was to be expected that rounds of accusations and counter-accusations would follow. Terence Crawford took his X account and clarified. While happy for Ennis’ elevation, he couldn’t have disagreed more with the allegations of avoiding him all the way long. But soon the newly anointed Welterweight champion posted his reply.

Ring of X: Jarron Ennis vs. Terence Crawford

Yesterday evening, Terence Crawford wrote that it was great that everyone he knew had taken a sudden interest in Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. As much as he was happy with the new developments, he requested everyone not to get too worked up about him dodging the Philadelphian. Later, he clarified that Ennis could have fought him twice. However, instead of taking those chances, he decided to pursue other prospects. Hence, Crawford exhorted everyone to just relax and give the young boxer a chance to make his mark on the sport.

Terence Bud Crawford

But a couple of hours later, Jaron Ennis replied. He explained that there were occasions when Terence Crawford could have chosen him for the next fight. However, that never happened. Incidentally, even now, they could square up. But the fact remains that ‘Bud’ doesn’t want to fight him. Instead, he opted for an easy route. Let the IBF take away his belt instead of Ennis grabbing it away during their bout.

It’s not that the social media bickering between Crawford and Ennis is something new. The two have had disagreements before and after the former became the undisputed champion.

A History of Claims and Denials

A few months ago, ‘Bud’ was talking to Gillie Da Kid and Wallo on their podcast, ‘Million Dollaz Worth of Game.‘ The discussion eventually landed on a fight with Jaron Ennis. Just to settle the matter, Gillie Da Kid even got what appeared to be Jaron Ennis’s father, Derek ‘Bozy’ Ennis, on the call. The famed trainer said, “Listen…been the a** to fight you a long time ago.” Derek Ennis emphasized that, instead of David Avanesyan, he could have taken up their challenge. However, when he said that he wanted a fight with Crawford a long time ago, the latter replied, “If y’all wanted to fight me a long time ago, why am I just now hearing about this?”

Later, after he became the undisputed Welterweight champion, Terence Crawford spoke about his future options on another podcast. ‘The Breakfast Club‘s host asked him whether he would go against Jaron Ennis. Crawford replied that fighting the Philadelphian was kind of a ‘loose-loose’ deal for him. Supposing that he wins, then everyone would comment that he fought a much younger boxer, barely ready for such a big fight. Hence, beyond a certain limit, any fight between him and Ennis would have barely aggregated any hype.

Do you think after the tentative rematch with Spence Jr., Crawford and Ennis should slug it out to settle the matters for good? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

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BOXING

Daily Bread Mailbag: Jaron Ennis, Benavidez-Andrade, Crawford, More

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TerenceCrawford

The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen “Breadman” Edwards tackling topics such as newly crowned IBF welterweight champion Jaron Ennis, Terence Crawford, Hector Camacho, Ryan Garcia vs. Adrien Broner, David Benavidez vs. Demetrius Andrade, and more.

What do you think of Jaron Ennis being awarded the Terence Crawford’s IBF belt? I know you’re big on both guys but somehow this doesn’t seem fair to Crawford. He just won the title three months ago and now he’s being stripped. It seems inconsistent with both Charlo brothers not defending against their mandatories for over a year and in Jermall’s case over two years. What can boxing do to change this?

Bread’s Response: I am big on both. Crawford in my opinion is an ATG and could’ve competed in any era from 135-147. And Ennis is simply the most talented fighter I’ve ever been around up close and personal. I think it’s a shame that both are getting criticized. Crawford just became champion. And it’s obvious he has a rematch clause to fight Errol Spence. None of this is his fault. Maybe he could’ve paid Boots some step aside money but I’m assuming Team Crawford is saying for what. The rematch with Spence is at 154lbs. Why pay step aside fees for a 147lb mandatory and we are moving up? They would have a point…

In Ennis’s case what else is he supposed to do? He’s been overdue for a title shot since 2021. We are going into 2024. It sucks because for your first title. Every fighter dreams of hearing, “and the new!”. So Ennis was robbed of that feeling. But all he did was destroy 31 opponents. Become a mandatory. And wait for the rules to be enforced. He can’t help it that Errol Spence had injuries which prolonged a mandatory defense.

It’s no different than what Devin Haney and Tim Tszyu did. All 3 were 100% right. They earned their shot and never received their shots so they were awarded titles. 

Anyone who criticizes Crawford or Ennis is a moron. Both can be in the right even though they are on two opposite sides in this matter. 

Ok here is the fix. All champions have to defend their mandatories every 12 months. The only exceptions are unified champions who have 18 months to defend. Champions should only be allowed to pay step aside fees twice to a specific opponent. That will eliminate fighters who milk the mandatory by getting paid instead of fighting. Eliminate regular and interim champions ALL TOGETHER. There is absolutely no reason for them except to collect sanctioning fees. 

You’re not interim anymore if you’re the interim champion for over a year. Same as the regular championships. So after we eliminate that, and after a champion is stripped, we simply take the highest two rated contenders and they fight to become champion. No appointing of championships.

Terence Crawford

This would have a positive effect on the sanctioning bodies and they would recognize and put more deserving mandatories in place. It’s simple but it won’t be easy as Richie Plant always says.

Hi breadman do you think boots should move up in weight just because he have a belt these guys still not going to fight him.

Bread’s Response: He just got the belt yesterday. Dang, you guys are impatient. Let’s see what Boots’s team can do for him. Let’s see if they can get a big name opponent to take the bait and fight him. Let’s see if Boots can unify. Let’s just see how things go at least in 2024 before we talk about moving up.

Bread,

Saw someone wrote about the question I wrote concerning headgear as far as safety goes in regards to maybe brain injuries. Just to clarify my question had nothing to do with that .  My question was simply would there be more exciting fights with headgear vs headgear off. I dont want to see them wear headgear either.  I was just curious on what you felt concerning how much more action there would be

Take care

Rich Mathews

Bread’s Response: No I think boxing would be LESS exciting with head gear. I think being able to see fighter’s faces allows the public to bond with them. And if that gets taken away we will lose the bond. No way should pro boxing have head gear.

I’m assuming you think fighters would take more chances with head gear. Maybe but they would also get clipped less. I the two dynamics would cancel each other out…

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BOXING

Joshua’s unstoppable – Garcia

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Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua trainer, Robert Garcia has said that Anthony Joshua is unstoppable when mentally prepared and can beat anybody in the heavyweight division.

After years of failed negotiations, a heavyweight megafight between Joshua and Deontay Wilder seems closer than ever.

Joshua and Wilder are set to feature on the same December 23 bill in Saudi Arabia against Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker respectively, and if the two former world champions come out victorious, then a fight between the two hard-hitters in 2024 could be next.

Although comoing a few years later than expected, a fight between Joshua and Wilder is still a huge matchup in the heavyweight division, and will be one which generates huge interest despite no world titles being on the line.

Both men are known for their punching power and this should set up what should be an exciting contest.

Speaking to Little Giant Boxing, Robert Garcia, who trained Joshua for his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk, has given his thoughts on the fight and believes the British-Nigerian’s natural athleticism gives him every chance of beating the “Bronze Bomber”.

Anthony Joshua

“Look, a fighter like Anthony Joshua, he’s just natural, he’s a natural athlete, people say he focuses too much on weights but he doesn’t even do weights,” Garcia said.

“He’s just a natural muscular dude. He runs a lot. The skills he has, the power he has, could beat anybody.”

However, there is one factor that concerns Garcia if Joshua is to step into the ring against Wilder and that is whether the former Olympian will be in the right mental state to take on someone as dangerous as Wilder.

“For him, it’s more about being mentally prepared. If he’s mentally prepared he’s unstoppable,” Garcia continued.

“When it comes to talent, he’s probably the best out there. But if somebody has doubts mentally, then there’s gonna be a problem, but if he’s able to correct that, he could beat any of those heavyweights out there.

“Of course (I give him a shot against Wilder.) Wilder’s also had some bad losses, Fury beat him up pretty bad. You don’t know if Wilder is the same anymore, a jab could knock him out. That happens in boxing. One knockout could change your whole career.”

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua Names His Top Five Heavyweights Of All Time

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Anthony Joshua

Two-time heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, has often stated how he has studied both the art of boxing and its history.

In a resurfaced interview with iFL TV from 2014, Joshua reeled off his top 5 heavyweights of all time.

5. Evander Holyfield

As of now, ‘The Real Deal’ remains as the only man to have been undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, defeating greats such as George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe during the 1990’s.

Although, that accolade will be shared if Usyk comes out on top in his upcoming showdown against Tyson Fury.

4. Lennox Lewis

At number four, Joshua opted for fellow Brit, Lennox Lewis. Lewis is one of very few fighters to have defeated every opponent he ever faced. ‘The Lion’ was the last heavyweight to hold the undisputed crown, after he outpointed Holyfield back in 1999.

3. Larry Holmes

‘The Easton Assassin’ is often accredited with having the best jab in the history of the sport, but had plenty of other weapons in his arsenal, proven by the fact that he was the only man to ever stop Muhammad Ali, during a reign as WBC champion that lasted over seven years.

2. Mike Tyson

In second place for Joshua is fan-favourite, Mike Tyson, a fighter who the Brit “would have loved to have read comics about as a kid”. ‘Iron’ Mike’s famous knockout power saw him record forty-four stoppages in his fifty professional wins and he still holds the record of the youngest ever heavyweight world champion, after he stopped Trevor Berbick in two rounds in 1986, aged just 20-years-old.

1. Muhammad Ali

The man that Joshua claims “brought finesse to the game” holds top spot, standing true to Muhammad Ali’s nickname of ‘The Greatest’. Ali knocked out Sonny Liston in 1964 and reigned as champion for six years before having his license stripped due to political issues.

He returned to the ring three years later and bounced back from defeats to Joe Frazier and Ken Norton to pull off a famous upset against George Foreman in the infamous ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ battle.

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BOXING

Tim Bradley Predicts Gervonta Davis-Shakur Stevenson After Poor Performance

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Gervonta Davis and Shakur Steveson

Shakur Stevenson is now a three-division world champion after claiming the WBC title in the ever-glamourous lightweight division.

However, hist performance against Edwin De Los Santos till did not live up to the high expectations of fans who were clearly not entertained by the lack of action in the fight.

Stevenson defeated De Los Santos by unanimous decision (116-112 x2, 115-113) to fill the recently vacated position as WBC Champion, but CompuBox numbers confirmed what fans thought of the dull contest, with De Los Santos landing just forty punches in the fight, a new record-low for twelve rounders in the thirty-eight year history of the statistical firm

In an interview with Fight Hub, former two-division title-holder, Tim Bradley, wants Stevenson to face Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis – and still feels the 26-year-old comes out on top even after an ‘off night’.

Stevenson has expressed his interest in making the fight, which many believe to be “the best contest in boxing”, but Davis is clearly the money fight in the division and holds all the cards.

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BOXING

Ryan Garcia savages Shakur Stevenson fight but Gervonta Davis hits back at Devin Haney verdict

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Shakur Steveson

Ryan Garcia has ridiculed rival boxer Shakur Stevenson’s fight against Edwin De Los Santos on Thursday night.

Stevenson managed a unanimous-decision win over Santos to claim the vacant WBC world lightweight title.

The 26-year-old earned margins of 115-113, 116-112, and 116-112 on the judges’ scorecards to secure victory at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

“I had a bad performance tonight; that’s all I’m focused on,” he said after the bout.

“I wasn’t feeling too good. I’ll live it, it’s OK, I came here to get the victory and that’s all I wanted to do.

Shakur Stevenson & Edwin de los Santos

“I ain’t got nothing to say about that — I’m not going to make excuses,” he said. “I just didn’t feel good before the fight.”

The Dominican Republic-born boxer’s win has since received criticism from fellow lightweight Garcia.

“Imagine going to this fight for Formula 1 weekend, I would ask for my money back and go straight to bed, that’s how sleepy I’d be from being there,” the American said on social media.

He was not the only boxer to voice his opinion on the bout. Unified lightweight champion Devin Haney, who failed in his attempts to secure a fight with Stevenson, was even harsher.

“Should’ve offered this bum 10 percent, I was being too generous!” he said. “Stop that scared narrative — nobody was ever scared of that bum! He wanted clout! That’s all they use my name for.”

Lightweight star Gervonta Davis then took the opportunity to fire back at Haney’s comments on X, formerly Twitter.

He wrote: “That’s what I am offering you, son, son.”

Despite the underwhelming performance, the win for Stevenson secured his third world title at different weight classes.

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BOXING

Shakur Stevenson vs Edwin de los Santos predictions: Who has a better chance of winning tonight?

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Shakur Stevenson & Edwin de los Santos

This weekend, Las Vegas is not only hosting the F1 Grand Prix but also featuring a boxing match between Shakur Stevenson and Edwin de los Santos for the vacant WBC lightweight world title at the T-Mobile Arena.

Stevenson is aiming to become a three-weight world champion, having previously won the WBO featherweight title in 2019 and the WBO super featherweight title in 2021.

Despite losing the WBC and Ring belts after defeating Oscar Valdez due to a weight issue, Stevenson remains undefeated with a record of 20-0, including 10 KOs.

Edwin de los Santos enters the bout with a record of 16-1, with 14 KOs. He replaces Frank Martin, who withdrew after reviewing the fight contract. De los Santos‘s most recent victory was against Joseph Adorno in July.

According to CBS Sports, Shakur Stevenson is a substantial favorite with odds of -1300, while Edwin de los Santos is listed at +720.

The event adds to the sporting excitement in Las Vegas, with Stevenson‘s impressive track record contributing to the anticipation surrounding the outcome.

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BOXING

De Los Santos Feels Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney Are More Complete Fighters Than Shakur Stevenson

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Gervonta and Haney Shakur

In 2022, the ladder that Edwin De Los Santos had to climb reached far into the Heavens. Against William Foster III, the Dominican suffered the first, and so far only, loss of his career. He might’ve been despondent but De Los Santos dusted himself off and got right back to work.

The extra time he put in has paid off. Luis Acosta, who at the time was an undefeated prospect, was clipped in the second round by De Los Santos. Back-to-back wins over Jose Valenzuela and Joseph Adorno made it three victories in a row.

With everything clicking, De Los Santos (16-1, 14 KOs) has officially earned his shot at a world title when he takes on Shakur Stevenson for the vacant WBC crown this coming Thursday.

Shakur Stevenson

The 26-year-old is good. But the best lightweight in the world? De Los Santos finds that laughable. In fact, outside of himself, he believes two other lightweights are clearly better than Stevenson.

“For me, I would say Gervonta Davis because the quality of boxing he has and his punching power,” De Los Santos told a group of reporters. “I would also say Devin Haney as well.”

De Los Santos has been a master trash talker during the lead-up to their showdown but he insists that he isn’t trying to get underneath the skin of Stevenson. From his point of view, Stevenson simply isn’t on the same level as the rest of his elite contemporaries, especially Davis.

“Haney has better boxing skills than Shakur and with Gervonta Davis, forget about it. He has power, he has everything. He’s complete.”

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BOXING

“Shut Ya Little BTch A* Up!”: Gervonta Davis Ropes in Devin Haney’s Father While Slamming Him for Criticizing Shakur Stevenson and Bob Arum

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Devin Haney amd Gervonta Tank

In a raw and unfiltered exchange of words, the boxing world witnessed a heated confrontation between Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney. The sparks flew as Haney accused Davis of using him to promote a seemingly lackluster fight, taking a swing at the ticket sales and poking fun at the legendary Bob Arum of Top Rank in the process.

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However, Davis, known for his no-nonsense attitude, swiftly fired back. The drama unfolded during an interview with Shakur Stevenson, whose frustration with the media’s fixation on Haney reached a boiling point. The feud between the two, well, now three pugilists just seems to be getting off the tracks.

Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis are back at it again

Gervonta Tank Davis

Devin Haney took to Twitter to rile Stevenson up before his big match against Edwin De Los Santos in just a few hours. “Using me to promote a non-selling fight… keep comping those tickets, Bob.”

Gervonta, in a now-deleted tweet response, told Haney to silence his “little b*tch ass.” The verbal jabs didn’t stop there, exposing a behind-the-scenes tension that transcends the typical pre-fight banter. He even called out Haney’s father. “You and ya dad been doing that ya whole career…” Haney and Tank have also been feuding, they regularly go at it on social media. You can find out more about Devin Haney’s ongoing beefs here.

Devin Haney’s potential fight with Gervonta Davis faces hurdles, with Davis in jail until late July. Negotiations are challenging, especially if Haney overvalues his undisputed lightweight champion status. Despite holding four titles, Haney’s controversial win over Vasily Lomachenko raises questions about the true significance of his championships.

Shakur Stevenson calls out Haney

Stevenson, typically reserved in his public interactions, didn’t mince words as he vented about the incessant Haney-related questions that seemed to overshadow his own accomplishments in the ring. In a candid moment with Fight Hub TV, Stevenson cut through the usual diplomatic niceties, declaring, “I hear you, I know ya’ love Devin so much, just like these other media people, y’all got favorites.”

Stevenson’s discontent wasn’t limited to Haney alone; he specifically called out individuals like Edwin De Los Santos, adding fuel to the fire of ducking allegations. This unexpected outburst lifted the veil on the simmering tensions within the boxing community, revealing a complex web of rivalries, egos, and media dynamics that often play out behind closed doors.

As the verbal sparring escalated, Gervonta Davis, always ready for a verbal duel, stepped into the ring of words. His retort, dripping with disdain, accused Haney and his father of a career-long habit of promoting fights in a less-than-genuine manner. The exchange not only showcased the intensity of the rivalry but also highlighted the strategic use of media and promotion in the world of professional boxing.The verbal warfare, fueled by genuine frustration and perhaps a touch of strategic posturing, sets the stage for a showdown that promises not only physical prowess but a clash of personalities that captivates fans and critics alike

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