Boxing Archives - Page 16 of 183

Terence Crawford has already conquered three-weight classes and has his sights set on more before he hangs up the gloves.

The 36-year-old won titles at lightweight before becoming undisputed at super-lightweight and, just last year, achieved the same feat at welterweight with a dominant victory over Errol Spence Jr.

Seemingly uninterested in top 147 contenders like Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, the Omaha fighter is now ready to move up once more – but that’s not to say there aren’t tempting match-ups that could see him return.

In an interview with The Breakfast Club following the Spence victory, Crawford reacted to Gervonta Davis saying he could knock him out.

‘Tank’ Davis has fought as high as the super-lightweight limit of 140 – a win over Mario Barrios for the WBA Regular belt – although looks much more suited to 135 where he is currently full WBA Champion.

Asked if he would stick around to make 147 for the fight, ‘Bud’ said yes for the money rather than the credit, but warned Davis against that scale of weight-jump.

As ‘Tank’ now pushes to become undisputed at lightweight, the gulf deepens as Crawford moves to 154 on August 3 to challenge for a world title in a fourth division, this time against Israil Madrimov.

He has an ambitious weight jump of his own in his sights thereafter, adamant that he wants a shot at undisputed 168 champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

BOXING

Eddie Hearn delivers Daniel Dubois warning in Anthony Joshua fight update

Eddie Hearn has insisted that if a deal can’t be reached between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, the two won’t fight – despite a scheduled presser next week

Eddie Hearn has warned that if negotiations fall through between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, the pair simply won’t fight. Despite a press conference being scheduled for June 26 in London, Matchroom chief Hearn has insisted that a deal between the two boxers still isn’t done.

Talking to iFL TV earlier this week, the 45-year-old promoter looked flustered as he admitted that the proposed fight between AJ and Dubois isn’t quite set in stone just yet. He said: “There’s nothing done yet. Honestly, genuinely.

“We’re in final negotiations for AJ’s fight – nothing is agreed yet. I’m telling you right now, the fight with Dubois is not done and if it don’t get done, we won’t fight.”

When asked if he’s talking to other fighters, Hearn noted that he’s got his “options open”, adding: “We’re focused on fighting Daniel Dubois for the world title at Wembley. But it is not all agreed, there’s still work to be done.

“But 100% myself, his excellency [Turki Alalshikh], George Warren – we’re all working together to make it happen. That’s the absolute focus, no-one’s trying to be clever and hopefully that all gets in order for the big press conference next week.”

A preliminary date for Joshua and Dubios to meet in the squared circle at Wembley Stadium has been set for September 21, with AJ taking to social media earlier this week to explain that talks are almost complete. He wrote on X: “Nearly finished my negotiations for my next fight! Feeling motivated.”

Joshua’s last bout came in March and saw him secure a knockout victory over MMA star-turned-pro boxer Francis Ngannou at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia.

While there was speculation going into the bout as to how AJ would fare against his opponent – after ex-UFC heavyweight champ Ngannou went the distance with Tyson Fury in his boxing debut back in October 2023 – the 28-3 Watford scrapper would lay ‘The Predator’ out with a stiff right in the second round.

Dubois, meanwhile, is no stranger to sharing the ring with some of the best boxers of his generation. With a record of 21-2, Dynamite DDD has made light work of Filip Hrgović, Jarrell Miller and Kevin Lerena – only tasting defeat at the gloves of undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk and Joe Joyce in his career to date.

BOXING

Eddie Hearn makes Daniel Dubois warning as he provides Anthony Joshua fight update

Eddie Hearn has admitted that a deal for Anthony Joshua to fight Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium is still not complete, despite a press conference being scheduled for later this month

Eddie Hearn has issued a stark warning that Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois might not clash in the ring if their negotiations hit a snag.

Despite a press conference pencilled in for June 26 in London, the Matchroom boss stressed that an agreement between the heavyweight contenders is still up in the air, reports the Express.

In a candid chat with iFL TV, Hearn, 45, appeared visibly concerned as he revealed the much-anticipated bout between AJ and Dubois is far from confirmed.

He confessed: “There’s nothing done yet. Honestly, genuinely. We’re in final negotiations for AJ’s fight – nothing is agreed yet. I’m telling you right now, the fight with Dubois is not done and if it don’t get done, we won’t fight.”

Hearn, when quizzed about alternative opponents, conceded that while they are keeping their “options open”, the priority remains to secure Dubois for a world title showdown at Wembley. He elaborated: “We’re focused on fighting Daniel Dubois for the world title at Wembley. But it is not all agreed, there’s still work to be done.”

“But 100% myself, his excellency [Turki Alalshikh], George Warren – we’re all working together to make it happen. That’s the absolute focus, no-one’s trying to be clever and hopefully that all gets in order for the big press conference next week.”

The provisional date for Joshua to take on Dubois at Wembley Stadium is slated for September 21, with AJ hinting on social media that the deal is nearing completion. His post read: “Nearly finished my negotiations for my next fight! Feeling motivated.”

Joshua’s most recent fight was in March, where he achieved a knockout victory over Francis Ngannou at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia. There was much speculation about how AJ would perform against his opponent, especially after ex-UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou lasted the full distance with Tyson Fury in his boxing debut in October 2023.

However, the Watford scrapper, with a record of 28-3, managed to knock ‘The Predator’ out with a powerful right in the second round. On the other hand, Dubois is well accustomed to facing some of the best heavyweights currently fighting.

With a record of 21-2, the Londoner triumphed over Filip Hrgovic, Jarrell Miller and Kevin Lerena. He has only been defeated by undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk and Joe Joyce in his career so far.

BOXING

Manager Insists Shakur Stevenson Is Bigger Fight for Tank Davis Than Vasiliy Lomachenko

There are three fights that Shakur Stevenson wants, but he does not feel he is close to any of them.

On the wish list of the WBC lightweight champion are WBA ruler Gervonta “Tank” Davis, WBO belt holder Denys Berinchyk and IBF titlist Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Gifted southpaw Stevenson, 26, meets Artem Harutyunyan in the last fight of his existing deal with promoter Top Rank on July 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Amid speculation that Davis and Lomachenko could meet, Stevenson’s co-manager Josh Dubin has defended Stevenson’s position as a significant draw in boxing, having taken exception to a recent interview given by promoter Bob Arum, who said Lomachenko is a more lucrative option for Davis than Stevenson, adding that Loma is the bigger fight.

“If a fighter doesn’t bring to the table eyeballs, people who will pay to see the match, then it’s really tough to make a big match for them,” Arum said.

“That, in my opinion – and I manage Shakur with James Prince – that is a totally nonsensical reason why they are not pushing to get Shakur this fight,” said Dubin. “And Lomachenko three fights ago couldn’t fill [New York’s Madison Square] Garden, he had to fight in the small room in The Garden. Shakur has been consistently one of the highest-rated fighters on their roster anytime he fights on ESPN.

“The only time he didn’t pull one of the higher ratings is when they had him fight on a Thursday night and tried to convince us, because of the Formula One race, that was going to be the biggest event in the world. Shakur didn’t even want to do it. He said, ‘They’re not going to be able to fill the arena.’

“People can draw their own conclusions. I think it’s pretty obvious. In my opinion, they don’t want to give him a big fight because their contract is running out. But they have the power to say to Lomachenko, ‘Look, here’s the fight we’re offering you.’ They don’t do that. They could say to Tank Davis’ people, ‘Look, Shakur’s a bigger fight.’ And he is a bigger fight, in our opinion, because they’re two undefeated guys in their prime. They’re putting a 36-year-old fading Lomachenko out there against him.

“Shakur wants the biggest fights. And I understand they can’t force people to fight him, but to give the explanation that they’re not trying to negotiate a Tank Davis fight because Shakur isn’t the draw is just nonsense. Then, the guy who just beat [Emanuel] Navarrete, [Berinchyk], is on social media calling Shakur out. He’s making videos calling him out. That’s their fighter. They have options on that guy right now. Shakur just sits here and has to take it.

“They have the ability to help us make these fights, and they’re not doing it.”

Stevenson is one of the most gifted boxers in the sport and boasts a record of 21-0 (10 KOs). His last fight was a dull decision win over Edwin De Los Santos back in November, and he has also won titles at featherweight and junior lightweight.

“I think it’s pretty obvious why they’re not,” Dubin said of trying to land the Davis fight for Stevenson. “What incentive is there for him to want to keep fighting for them? They’re not fighting for him right now.

“[Arum]’s not saying anything bad, but I’m saying it’s just a lame reason, a lame excuse as to why they wouldn’t pursue a Tank Davis fight.

“There’s three fights that [Stevenson] wants: Lomachenko, Tank and Berinchyk. Those are the fights he wants. He’s been pleading for those fights, and they could make the Berinchyk fight at the snap of a finger right now, but the specific thing I’m responding to is Arum saying that in order to make a big fight you need someone that puts bums in seats or eyeballs on the screen. Shakur’s that guy.

“Just look at not only the TV ratings, but he has broken the ticket sales records for events at the United Center in Newark. He’s sold 10,000 seats there several times. His fight with Oscar Valdez sold around 10,000 tickets and maybe more in Vegas. In my opinion, it’s a ridiculous excuse.

“He consistently sells 10,000 tickets in Newark. He’s a huge draw in Newark. He’s a huge draw in Vegas. We know that. These aren’t things we’re giving our opinion on.”

Dubin argues that Stevenson is a bigger draw than Lomachenko. But while Stevenson failed to dazzle against De Los Santos, Lomachenko sizzled to beat George Kambosos in Australia.

“Fair enough,” Dubin countered. “The operative part of that is against Kambosos. And that’s another fight Shakur wanted. He didn’t get that.”

BOXING

Shakur Stevenson Points Out Only Way Vasyl Lomachenko Can Beat Gervonta Davis

Just two days ago analyst Stephen A. Smith was terrified of imagining Vasyl Lomachenko in the same ring as Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis. In his opinion, besides size, since the Ukrainian boxer lacked the required punch power to face ‘Tank,’ there was a great chance the boxer from Baltimore could floor ‘Hi-Tech.’ Meanwhile, thinking of an apt opponent for the WBA Lightweight champion, Smith rallied for Shakur Stevenson. But unlike Smith, Shakur feels Lomachenko still has a chance against Gervonta Davis!

While Vasyl Lomachenko is near the end of his prime, Gervonta Davis is about to enter it. Added to this, as Loma is “small,” Stephen A. Smith feels Davis will knock out the Ukrainian in a compelling fight. However, Shakur Stevenson feels it is worth highlighting the experience and IQ that Lomachenko has as a boxer.

As the two-time Olympic gold medalist is 35, Shakur feels “only one or two fights [are] left in his career probably.” For the same reason, he believes if Davis and Loma must share the ring, “the time is now.” But how does Shakur think the fight will play out? In his latest interview on FightHype, the boxer from Newark confidently stated, “I still think with Lomachenko’s skills and stuff, it will still be a good fight.”

“I don’t think that Lomachenko is a pushover even though he is older. With the experience he’s got and the knowledge, I think it could be a tremendous fight,” Shakur added, reasoning his answer. However, there is one thing that Lomachenko must possess. As we all have seen, Gervonta Davis is capable of throwing and landing breathtaking power. In that sense, Shakur feels Loma can potentially beat ‘Tank,’ if he can endure Davis’ shots.

“All is gonna boil down to can Lomachenko have punch resistance to what ‘Tank’ is throwing?” Shakur concluded. Meanwhile, after Bob Arum’s statements, the chances of Davis vs. Loma significantly increased.

Gervonta Davis might face Vasyl Lomachenko in four months

Although Stephen A. Smith feels Gervonts Davis vs. Shakur Stevenson makes more sense, Bob Arum understands that Davis vs. Lomachenko will be huge financially. After seeing Gervonta Davis KO Frank Martin in the eighth round, Arum announced, “We’re up for that fight [Davis]. Lomachenko’s up for that.” Additionally, the CEO of Top Rank claimed that Lomachenko vs. Davis “would produce more money than a fight with Shakur.”

In this connection, Arum also hinted at a date he had in mind. While there are many possibilities, as per BoxingScene, Davis vs. Loma could take place in November or December of this year. “Everything’s up in the air. There’s a lot of possibilities,” the 92-year-old said. With that said, do you think Vasyl Lomachenko can defeat Gervonta Davis?

BOXING

Shakur Stevenson Predicts Gervonta Davis-Lomachenko After Being ‘Avoided’ By Both

Shakur Stevenson will likely watch from the sidelines as Gervonta Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko fight, despite chasing both for some time now.

The three men all hold belts at 135 just now and, following ‘Tank’s destructive stoppage of Frank Martin to retain his WBA belt, fans are expecting a unification.

It’s reported that his team are targetting Lomachenko and the IBF rather than Shakur’s WBC belt.

Speaking on FightHype, the three-weight world champ from Newark said he ‘doesn’t respect’ the fact that his two fellow lightweight champions are set to enter talks.

As for his verdict on the fight, he still believes that Lomachenko, 36, can put up a good fight against the younger man Davis who has the momentum.

Stevenson returns to the ring in his home city on July 6 against Artem Harutyunyan.

BOXING

Roy Jones Jr Reveals ‘Problem’ Anthony Joshua Has In Tyson Fury Fight: “People Don’t Realise”

There is still plenty of clamour to see Anthony Joshua versus Tyson Fury.

This all-British heavyweight contest has been talked about for several years given both men are huge stars of the sport who have accomplished plenty.

Fury was the long-reining WBC heavyweight champion until coming up against the might of Oleksandr Usyk in May. That historic undisputed contest saw ‘The Gypsy King’ take his first ever loss after a close contest which was decided by him being given a 10 count in the ninth round. Although he rallied, it wasn’t enough to swing the cards in his favour.

Usyk has of course also beaten Joshua, the first time in 2021 to relieve him of his IBF, WBA and WBO world titles and then again in a rematch the following year which saw him successfully defend his unified status.

Since then Joshua has recaptured some of the impressive knockout form of his early career with a trio of stoppage victories against Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.

As such plenty of fans still hope to see the two Brits coming together in the ring at some point before retirement. Ahead of that, multi-weight great Roy Jones Jr has been speaking to Betway and making his prediction for what might happen. Despite ‘AJ’s run of early finishes, he can’t see it happening against Fury.

Next up for Fury is a rematch with Usyk on December 21 while it is expected that Joshua will return in September this year with an opponent yet to be announced but Daniel Dubois or Zhilei Zhang likely.

BOXING

Anthony Joshua Warns Rival “I’ll Use What You Said About Me As Fuel When We Fight”

Anthony Joshua is reportedly on the cusp of announcing his next fight.

‘AJ’ has very much got himself back into the upper echelons of the heavyweight division after a couple of difficult years. He managed to rebuild well after the first loss of his career against Andy Ruiz Jr, starting with a successful 12-round shutout in the rematch.

After that, he defended his unified world champion status with a victory over Kubrat Pulev,

Then however he stepped into the ring with the now undisputed four-belt champion Oleksandr Usyk who, over the course of two back-to-back 12-round fights, handed Joshua two more defeats.

Since then Joshua has got back to his explosive best and won four fights on the bounce, three of them by stoppage against Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.

Many people hope he one day fights Tyson Fury, despite ‘The Gypsy King’ also having recently lost to Usyk

Speaking to Jonathon Ross in a clip captured by Now That’s Entertainment23, Joshua spoke about harnessing all the insults Fury has sent his way over the years.

Fury is currently back in the gym ahead of his rematch with Usyk on December 21, while Joshua is expected to fight this summer against Daniel Dubois with the IBF world title potentially on the line.

BOXING

Heavyweight Who Could Face Anthony Joshua Next Says Eddie Hearn Would Never Risk It

Plenty of fighters are keen to challenge themselves against a rejuvenated Anthony Joshua.

For many years, Joshua was the big-money ticket for world

heavyweight challengers. A fight with him brought them a huge payday as well as the chance to relieve him of his championship belts.

However back to back losses to the superb and now undisputed heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk rather damaged AJ’s reputation and left him out in the cold, with some people even calling for his retirement.

Ignoring those calls, Joshua has settled in with a new coach in Ben Davison and has put together a string of solid knockout victories as he goes on the hunt to become a three-time world heavyweight champion which is a rare feat that only greats such as Muhammad Ali have accomplished in the past.

Right now, Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang is one of the favourites to face Joshua next, but once said in a video for CGTN Europe that ‘AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn would never risk it.

Zhang is coming off the back of an impressive stoppage victory over once fearsome American puncher Deontay Wilder, but before that was handed a 12-round points loss by Joseph Parker despite having the New Zealander down twice.

A fight between him and Joshua would not doubt please fans, but it is belts that Joshua is most interested in right now and IBF interim champion Daniel Dubois remains the favourite to face AJ in a much excepted September card at Wembley stadium in London.

BOXING

Anthony Joshua suffers blow in world title hopes with Wembley showdown fight yet to be sanctioned for belt

ANTHONY JOSHUA has suffered a blow in his hopes to challenge for the world title with his next fight yet to be sanctioned for the belt.

AJ is due to be back in front of the 90,000-seat Wembley Stadium in September following three wins in Saudi Arabia.

And British rival Daniel Dubois is the leading name to welcome Joshua back to UK shores.

Dubois recently stunned Filip Hrgovic to win the IBF interim title – granting him the next shot at Oleksandr Usyk’s full version.

But with Usyk due to rematch Tyson Fury – following his historic win in May – he is not able to face No1 contender Dubois.

So there was hope the IBF would strip the Ukrainian undisputed champion to allow AJ and Dubois to challenge for the vacant strap.

But the IBF told Sky Sports there has been NO request to sanction the all-Brit bout for the belt.

Usyk, 37, became the heavyweight division’s first four-belt undisputed champ following victory over Fury, 35.

And now the two are set to rematch back in Saudi on December 21.

Meanwhile Joshua, 34, is closing in on his first bout back at Wembley since 2018 with Dubois, 26, the frontrunner to face him.

AJ recently posted on social media: “Nearly finished my negotiations for my next fight! Feeling motivated.”

Joshua has twice sold out Wembley for his world title wins over Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin

He also beat Carlos Takam and Joseph Parker at the 75,000-seat Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

His most recent bouts in the UK were at the O2, with wins over Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius that came after double defeat to Usyk.

Deontay Wilder was in the mix to fight AJ but twice fluffed his lines following defeats to Parker, 32, and Zhilei Zhang, 41.

So after Dubois’ win over Hrgovic, 32, he leads the line to fight Joshua.