Boxing Archives - Page 40 of 183

Gervonta Davis and Naoya Inoue may not meet in the ring anytime soon, but a fierce rivalry for their star power is heating up online. However, believe it or not, everything began with a statement from former professional boxer ‘Showtime’ Shawn Porter. The thing is, Porter thinks for ‘Monster’ Inoue to maximize his stardom, he needs to fight an American in America.

What’s more, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, Leonard Ellerbe, feels the same way! Reacting to Porter’s statement, Ellerbe wrote on X, “The young man is [definitely] a rock star in Japan, and he’s generating enormous revenue, but outside of the diehards, he’s relatively unknown in the U.S.” This seems to have started a debate among fans about who’s more popular, eventually prompting Ellerbe to settle the debate with a witty response.

Leonard Ellerbe mocks fans with Gervonta Davis’ accomplishments

After Ellerbe’s tweet, a user commented on the tweet, suggesting that, similar to what Ellerbe thinks about Inoue, no one outside of the boxing fan base is aware of Gervonta Davis’ stardom or the things he has achieved. While there is some truth to the user’s statement, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions didn’t feel the same way!

In a tweet responding to the user, Ellerbe wrote, “That’s your opinion but it’s ok. You would know you [have] done countless shows, and I know you have all the metrics to back what you said.” It’s worth mentioning that Davis’ fight against Ryan Garcia still remains one of the biggest spectacles of recent years, raking in $100 million in revenue.

And after knocking out Ryan Garcia, who is big on social media, Davis popularity has skyrocketed. He is also often referred to as the new face of boxing. Meanwhile, Inoue is also extremely popular in Japan and among boxing fans, after all, he is the undisputed champion in Super Bantamweight and Bantamweight divisions . The same is evident from the headlines both fighters make on a daily basis. Nevertheless, after discovering Porter’s statement about him, Inoue responded to the drama!

Naoya Inoue feels Japan is home to lightweight boxing

Inoue has a fight coming up on May 6 at the Tokyo Dome, where Mike Tyson suffered an upset loss at the hands of Buster Douglas. The ‘Monster’ Inoue will face Mexico’s (35-1) Luis Nery in a twelve-round fight for all of Inoue’s four major belts. However, Porter’s statement about him fighting in America didn’t sit well with the Japanese puncher.

BOXING

Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia: Keys to victory for both fighters

A huge fight goes down this weekend.

Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia clash this weekend in one of the biggest fights of the year so far.

The WBC super-lightweight title, held by Haney, will be up for grabs as Garcia looks to become world champion for the first time.

Here, DAZN looks at the two fighters and what they must do if they’re to claim victory.

Devin Haney

Make a fast start

Once Ryan Garcia felt the power of Gervonta Davis in round two, the fight changed dramatically in the favour of the Baltimore man.

If Haney can hurt Garcia in the fight’s early stages, then it may make Garcia recall his meeting with ‘Tank’ and make the job harder than it needs to be.

Avoid the antics of Garcia

It’s been an unpredictable few months for Garcia with his conduct on social media leading some in the boxing industry to question whether he should fight.

Could Garcia be doing this to get into Haney’s head? It appears to be a strange approach and Haney must not let it impact his performance.

Focus on this task

Haney is one of boxing’s biggest names and he’s constantly linked to some of the grandest fights in boxing.

If he’s not fully fixed on Garcia this weekend, it’s highly unlikely that he’ll land bouts against the likes of Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson, and Teofimo Lopez.

Ryan Garcia

Be patient

Garcia made a rapid start in the opening couple of sessions against Gervonta Davis, but his recklessness left him open in round two and the fight changed.

Don’t jump on Haney from the start as he’s a fighter who is hard to catch clean. Feel your way into the fight and wait for opportunities.

Punch with Haney

There’s a fair chance that Garcia is the puncher in this fight, especially with his left hook, and with Haney set to be busy, Garcia could meet him head on.

Haney has been hurt in the past and he struggled with Lomachenko’s pressure at times, Garcia can get close, he might make an impact.

Concentrate on the fight

Garcia is a huge social media figure as well as a world class fighter and there’ll be many people watching him this weekend.

It’s set to be a frantic week in New York with plenty of events to hype the show and Gracia can’t afford to get distracted.

BOXING

Anthony Joshua Waits in the Wings for Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk to Play Out

Anthony Joshua joked that he barely had time to enjoy Christmas before fight brokers reminded him ahead of New Year’s Eve that he would soon be turning from his late-December stoppage of Otto Wallin to meet former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in March.

Joshua’s destructive second-round knockout demonstrated that his activity was high and the union with trainer Ben Davison was going swimmingly.

And now Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) will wait to see what transpires May 18 when the man he lost his three heavyweight belts to, Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), steps into a ring in Saudi Arabia against Joshua’s countryman, Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs).

Although a rematch clause exists between Usyk and Fury, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has said he would like to stage the long-awaited Joshua-Fury bout in the interim, should Fury defeat Usyk.

In discussing Joshua’s future on Friday’s episode of Pro Box TV’s “Deep Waters,” analyst and former welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi said that he believes Joshua has fully resurrected himself from those consecutive losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022.

“The new-look Joshua with [former Fury trainer] Davison … I’m buying what they’re selling,” Malignaggi said. “I really feel he’s a threat to Usyk if they fought a third time.”

Joshua’s ability to so convincingly defeat a problematic southpaw in Wallin, who opened up a gash on Fury that required 47 stitches to close, and then destroy Ngannouy after the former UFC heavyweight champion knocked down Fury and took the bout to the scorecards, is a significant turn.

“I’m back on the Joshua train,” said Chris Algieri, another “Deep Waters” analyst. “If I’m making a video game character of a heavyweight, I’m making that guy. He’s got everything: the look, the power, the technique; the attitude is back.”

While Joshua lost some luster in losing his U.S. debut in a stunning TKO loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. at Madison Square Garden in 2019, his revival in this Saudi doubleheader makes him the top challenger to whoever emerges victorious May 18.

The wrinkle is the Usyk-Fury rematch clause, and if that takes precedence following a tightly contested May 18 bout, then Joshua should turn to unbeaten Croatian Filip Hrgovic (17-0), should he defeat Daniel Dubois on June 1 in Saudi Arabia, said Malignaggi.

“Can we start mentioning Filip Hrgovic and make this an actual sport?” Malignaggi roared. “Hrgovic has been avoided. The Joshua-Hrgovic and Fury-Usyk winners should fight.”

Algieri agreed that if Hrgovic “washes, dismantles” Dubois, then he deserves that opportunity to test Joshua’s chin.

“We’ve seen [Joshua] be inconsistent, and that inconsistency starts here,” Algieri said, motioning to his head.

A heavy blow to Joshua’s head “can happen anytime, and it’s like what Mike Tyson said: your life changes with one punch. It’d be very easy for [Joshua] to revert to that guy who struggled against Andy Ruiz.”

With Davison in his corner and a major bout looming, the presence of Joshua adds to the anticipation of activity in the sport’s most compelling division.

BOXING

Frank Warren Requests for a “Very Strong” Referee for the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Uysk Fight

Was the referee fair in Usyk’s last fight? Frank Warren doesn’t think so. After a controversial low blow call during Oleksandr Usyk’s bout against Daniel Dubois, Warren, co-promoter of Tyson Fury, is demanding a “very strong” referee for the next big event. The stage is set for a historic showdown: Tyson Fury versus Oleksandr Usyk, competing for the undisputed heavyweight title.

Scheduled for May 18, this clash will crown the first four-belt heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. With the stakes sky-high, can the right referee handle the pressure and ensure fairness?

Will Tyson Fury get a fair shake?

Frank Warren, fuming over a perceived injustice, is throwing punches before the bell even rings for Tyson Fury’s upcoming undisputed heavyweight title fight against Oleksandr Usyk.

Warren, who co-promotes Tyson Fury, was clearly troubled by the officiating in Usyk’s last fight against Daniel Dubois. Recall that Dubois thought he landed a fight-ending body shot, only to see it ruled as a low blow by referee Luis Pabon. Usyk was given ample recovery time, much to Dubois’s frustration. “I didn’t think that was a low blow,” Dubois contested after the fight. “I thought that landed, and I’ve been cheated out of victory tonight.”

Moreover, Warren believed the call was a joke and wants stricter officiating for Fury’s upcoming clash against Usyk. “We want to get all these things done,” Warren declared to Sky Sports. “We want no controversy. We want somebody in there who everybody respects and will be very, very strong.” He didn’t mince words when criticizing the referee in Usyk’s previous fight, calling him “just a joke” and the whole situation “completely ridiculous.”

Warren’s concerns extend beyond that one call. He worries that Usyk might employ rough tactics to exploit a potential vulnerability – the cut Fury sustained in training above his eye. “I’m sure they’re going to use every trick in the book,” Warren said, “and that’s boxing isn’t it?” Despite these anxieties, Warren maintained his confidence in Fury’s ability to “exploit” Usyk’s weaknesses and emerge victorious. But what is Usyk’s weakness?

Usyk’s body – Friend or foe?

Sugar Hill Steward, Tyson Fury’s trainer, offers a nuanced perspective on the debate surrounding Oleksandr Usyk’s vulnerability to body shots. Steward acknowledged Usyk’s past troubles, noting, “Obviously, the man was hurt with two body shots on record that we’ve been able to see.”

This statement suggested an awareness of Usyk’s potential weak spots, though Steward is careful to emphasize that these instances don’t necessarily indicate a consistent weakness. Broadening his strategy, he added, “But obviously, you want to make sure that you cover everything. It’s not just go to his body, his body, his body.” Highlighting the tactical fluidity essential in boxing, Steward explains, “You take whatever’s open. That’s supposed to be the art of the game.”

Will the choice of referee and the tactical preparations significantly impact the outcome of the fight? What are your thoughts on how this crucial match will unfold?

BOXING

Tyson Fury Is a Heavyweight Great When Focused – But Will He Be Against Oleksandr Usyk?

On Friday’s episode of ProBox TV’s “Deep Waters,” analyst Paulie Malignaggi says Tyson Fury is an all-time great heavyweight when his mind is right. But he questions whether that will be the case when Fury takes on Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The “Deep Waters” crew weighs Fury’s legacy, Usyk’s rightful place among the heavyweights and where Anthony Joshua fits in.

BOXING

Jaron Ennis Wants Terence Crawford, But Bud – For Now – Isn’t Looking His Way

This week, it was announced that Jaron “Boots” Ennis had signed a multi-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing, ending the mystery regarding which promoter the dynamic welterweight would align himself with during this critical stretch of his career.

And now the question becomes: Which opponents will help Ennis define it?

Ennis’ signing comes on the heels of last year’s news that the fighter was elevated from an interim welterweight titleholder to an outright titleholder, after the sanctioning body in question stripped Terence Crawford of its belt.

Since his confirmation as the permanent titleholder, Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) has stayed out of the ring. In his most recent fight, he successfully defended his interim belt by finishing Roiman Villa in a 10th-round knockout last July. News of the partnership with Matchroom brings hope that Ennis is ready to become as active – and as ambitious in selecting his level of competition – as a fighter of his perceived talent should be.

“Staying active is important,” Ennis said in a Matchroom YouTube video. “I can’t wait to get back in the ring – and I am going to be better than ever.”

Ennis said he is unsure who he will face in the ring, although his new promoter Eddie Hearn told Charlie Parsons that Boots’ first opponent fighting under the Matchroom banner will be Cody Crowley (22-0, 9 KOs). Hearn also said the bout would likely be a homecoming for Ennis – staged in Philadelphia, in June or July.

A Crowley fight would serve as Ennis’ first mandatory defense of his world title, which is a first step in the direction that most boxing fans want to see for the gifted fighter. But the end goal for Ennis seems to be a stride toward lasting greatness.

“I want to see him fight Terence Crawford,” Hearn said. “Terence will only take that fight if he is big enough. I’ll back Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis against anybody.”

Ennis, for his part, isn’t especially confident that he will ever get the chance to face the man whom some observers believe to be the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet. Because Crawford is 37 and Ennis is 26, time is of the essence. With Crawford seemingly eyeing other opponents, a hypothetical fight with Ennis is at risk of being cast into the dustbin of boxing’s greatest what-ifs.

“I am not sure if Terence Crawford wants the fight or not,” Ennis said. “He went out publicly a few times saying he not looking my direction, he not looking my way, I am not a big enough name, I am not this, I am not that. But there is no one else left for him to fight.”

Ennis said that if Crawford were to continue at welterweight, the only fight that mattered would come against him.

“Either you fight me or you fight nobody,” Ennis said.

BOXING

Heavyweight Boxer Picked to Replace Tyson Fury Gets Torched by Gervonta Davis After 10-Round Snooze Fest

Gervonta Davis knows quite well how to put on an action-packed performance. Just look at his track record. From folding Ryan Garcia to humbling Rolando Romero, Davis is the poster child for an entertaining night of boxing. So, when Jared Anderson entered the ring against Ryad Merhy on Saturday at Corpus Christi, Texas, his performance didn’t live up to Davis’ standards.

After the first bell rang and the men went into action, each round of the fight was met with boos from the audience because of a lack of action in the ring. Even though ‘The Real Big Baby’ Anderson managed to pull off a unanimous decision win after ten rounds, Davis seemingly was expecting more from the heir to Tyson Fury’s heavyweight iron throne. Something the lightweight boxer expressed on social media today.

Gervonta Davis gives Anderson a new nickname!

As Anderson and Merhy were struggling to entertain the public, a user on X probed Davis about what he was watching. In a now-deleted tweet, Davis wrote, “A weak a** heavyweight… I turn it off.” When another user queried whether it was Anderson’s fight, Davis responded by sharing Anderson’s new moniker, “Big S**tty.” A screenshot of the conversation was shared on X by talkSport editor Michael Benson.

It’s worth mentioning that two judges scored the fight 100-90 in favor of Anderson. Meanwhile, the third judge gave Merhy one round with a 99-91. Interestingly, the 144 punches from Merhy were the third fewest in the 39-year history of CompuBox. On the other hand, Anderson managed to quadruple that amount with his 662 punches.

However, Anderson just landed 49 power shots compared to Merhy’s 18. Regardless, after discovering Davis’ reaction to his fight, Anderson hopped on the social media platform to express his thoughts.

Jared Anderson wants Davis to “keep getting rich”

After the disappointing fight concluded, Anderson told ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna in the post-fight interview, “It was an ugly night of boxing. I wanted to give fans a better show, but what can you do when they don’t want to show up to fight just like you?” Meanwhile, reacting to Gervonta Davis’ comment, Anderson maintained his humble tone.

BOXING

‘Big s*y’ – Gervonta Davis slams Jared Anderson in deleted tweets during underwhelming win over ‘horribly embarrassing’ opponent

Gervonta Davis took aim at Jared Anderson during his win over Ryad Merhy on Saturday night.

The American heavyweight prospect was unable to perform to his best against a negative opponent.

Merhy seemingly came to survive from the first bell.

The former cruiserweight was outsized in the fight and appeared daunted by his opponent.

‘Big Baby’ Anderson ultimately dominated Merhy for the full ten rounds.

He was awarded a near shut-out victory as a result, with two judges scoring the fight 100-90 in his favour and one scoring it 99-91.

Fans were seriously disappointed by the contest.

One social media user wrote: “Ryad Mehry should be penalised by having to fly cargo back to Brussels. Mehry was horribly embarrassing against Jared Anderson.”

And another said at the end of the fight: “Jared Anderson completes his ten-round public workout on the heavy bag.”

Remarkably, According to CompuBox, Merhy threw just 144 punches in the fight, landing only 34.

This is the third-fewest amount of punches thrown in a ten-round fight in CompuBox history.

By comparison, ‘Big Baby’ Anderson threw 662 punches.

One observer unimpressed was Gervonta Davis.

In a deleted tweet, he wrote: “Boy dumb ass.”

When a fan replied: “What are you watching champ?”

Davis answered: “A weak ass heavyweight. I turned it off.”

Another fan then asked: “Big Baby?”

To which Davis shot back: “Big s***y.”

BOXING

Tyson Fury coach explains fighter’s tactics ahead of Oleksandr Usyk undisputed fight

By Richie April 13, 2024

One of boxing’s biggest fights is almost here.

The clock is ticking ahead of the undisputed heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

The pair will finally go head-to-head on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and it will be shown live on DAZN PPV with the winner becoming the first heavyweight boxer to hold all four world heavyweight titles.

This fight will be interesting to fans from a tactical perspective with the hard-hitting Fury coming up against an opponent in Usyk who is known for his slick movement inside the ring and the Ukrainian has already beaten three British heavyweight stars in Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois.

Speaking to Boxing Social, Fury’s trainer Sugar Hill Steward, discussed his fighter’s preparations for this historic occasion.

“I’ve thought about everything possible,” Steward said.

“I don’t just wake up and say oh, knockout, that’s it. I do have a brain that I use. I do a lot of thinking.

“I have to think of everything that could happen, should happen, maybe happen. I put all that together and make it work.”

BOXING

Daily Bread Mailbag: Crawford-Ennis, Canelo-Benavidez, Jared Anderson, Richardson Hitchins, Zurdo At Heavyweight, Tim Witherspoon, And Boots Signing With Matchroom

By Richie April 13, 2024

The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen “Breadman” Edwards giving his thoughts on various topics such as the future of Boots Ennis, Ennis joining Matchroom and a possible Crawford fight, giving Tim Witherspoon his props, Hitchins-Lemos and the Canelo-Benavidez quandary.

I’ve been a boxing fan and writer since 1975 and started my Boston-based combat sports PR agency, Full Court PRESS 25 years ago. One of the dozen or so world champs I’ve worked for is Zurdo Ramirez.

I read your answer to a question about Zurdo in today’s BoxingScene mailbag with great interest. I greatly respect your boxing knowledge and was thrilled to read that you believe Zurdo can be a world heavyweight champion.

I am contacting you in regard to what you wrote about Malik Scott.

He is not Zurdo’s head trainer but is a valued assistant who works out of Brickhouse Boxing Club in North Hollywood. I started doing work with Zurdo after he was released by Top Rank about the same time that Julian [Chua] became his head trainer.

I’ve watched his work and I believe he’s one of the hottest young trainers in boxing.

In addition to Zurdo, Julian is also the head trainer for Scrappy Ramirez, the undefeated super flyweight who will be fighting on this month’s Haney-Garcia bill.

I just wanted you to know that Julian is Zurdo’s head trainer not Malik, who works the corners for Zurdo and Scrappy.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

Bob Trieger

Bread’s Response: I apologize to Julian. Attribution in this sport is very important and it was NOT my intent to slight him. I don’t pay much attention to the digital world of boxing but in the times that I rarely do, I saw Malik Scott working with Zurdo, so I WRONGLY assumed he was the head trainer. Again, my apologies, I definitely wouldn’t want anyone to slight me, so therefore I would never purposely slight another fellow trainer.

Zurdo looks good at cruiserweight and under the right conditions he can get a title at heavyweight or at least fight for the belt which is always an honor.

Hi

Just following on from your Holmes/Holyfield mail from last week. Witherspoon was my favourite heavyweight growing up as a teenager, for some reason I took to him when he was about to fight Holmes and along with Hagler he was the fighter I cared most about.

I think what people fail to remember about the Holmes fight is he had very few fights, was coming of a long break due to an injury and had less than twenty fights in total as an amateur. His talent level was unreal but his motivation was slowly sucked out of him due to all of the nonsense with King. In a parallel universe he’s an ATG. Even with his under-performing career, he had some very impressive wins. Keep up the great work with the mailbag and your training. Regards, Dave

Bread’s Response: Tim Witherspoon is as close to being a GREAT fighter as one can be without being recognized as one. He was tremendous. He had a good chin, big punch, smooth defense, IQ and a big heart. As you stated the politics of boxing and Don King were the cause of him not being at a higher level historically. What a shame.

For context this is how good Witherspoon is. I thought he beat Larry Holmes when he was only 15-0. I thought Witherspoon and Mike Tyson would be a 50/50 fight, best day for best day in the mid 80s. And Witherspoon would have had a very good chance to beat the smaller and older Michael Spinks in my opinion who beat Holmes in 1985. I bring them up because they all competed and won belts in the SAME era. All are HOFs. And Witherspoon would have had a great chance to beat them ALL. Again, I thought he beat the great Larry Holmes. Watch that fight round for found and tell me Tim didn’t win 8 or 9 rounds out of the 15.

In his last fight, Ryad Merhy beat Tony Yoka. He wasn’t supposed to beat Yoka. He did as well against Yoka as Carlos Takam and Martin Bakole did. Takam is a former world title challenger and Bakole is currently the WBA’s No. 1 ranked contender. I know the transitive property doesn’t apply to boxing but I have to ask: does Merhy have a shot to beat Jared Anderson? Anderson has had recent legal trouble and seems very distracted by it.