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Ryan Garcia hits out at Gervonta Davis’ sporting integrity

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Ryan Garcia

In April, Ryan Garcia accepted a catchweight clash at 136 pounds against Gervonta Davis, which included a contractual rehydration clause limiting the weight gain to 10 pounds for the morning weigh-in the day of the fight.

Despite suffering a seventh-round knockout loss, Garcia disclosed that he felt weak and weight-drained, emphasizing that this compromise was necessary to ensure the bout would take place and Davis wouldn’t withdraw at the last minute.

For his efforts, Garcia earned a paycheck of approximately $30 million and is now gearing up for a comeback fight at 140 pounds against Oscar Duarte (26-1-1, 21 KOs) on December 2 at the Toyota Center in Houston, airing on DAZN.

While the 25-year-old Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) acknowledges the challenges he faced against Davis, he doesn’t believe Davis is unbeatable, and he has hardly hidden his desire for a rematch, albeit under more favorable conditions.

Garcia doesn’t care about Davis’ stipulations ahead of possible rematch

In an interview with BoxingScene.com, Garcia commented on Davis and criticized him for his out-of-ring antics.

“Davis will never fight me at 140. This guy will never fight anybody at a fair thing. He just won’t. He won’t chance it. He really doesn’t have that dog in him. He doesn’t have that spirit of an old-school fighter. But I don’t care,” Garcia told BoxingScene.com

Reflecting on the Davis bout which he lost, Garcia contends that it wasn’t a genuine contest, describing himself as ‘half-a-man’.

“We didn’t really run it. That wasn’t really a fight. It was half-a-man versus a dude that, even when he dropped me, he didn’t really want to engage either, to be honest,” he added.

Garcia plans to make a mark in the super lightweight division, aiming to replicate his successful run before 2020.

He envisions becoming a champion at 140 pounds and then seeking a rematch with Davis, asserting that he is now a more committed and focused fighter than he was during their initial encounter. With an eye on the future, Garcia is determined to secure a world championship at 140 pounds, defeat Davis in a rematch, and set his sights on limitless opportunities ahead.

“I plan on going on a run like I did prior to 2020 when I was just killing it,” Garcia concluded.

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BOXING

Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua: Timothy Bradley Wants a King of England

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Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury

Former world welterweight champion Timothy Bradley has been impressed by what he has seen from heavyweight Anthony Joshua, and he believes he will be a real problem for Tyson Fury should the fighters meet in the ring.

Joshua laid waste to former MMA star Francis Ngannou last Friday in Saudi Arabia, but Fury struggled against the same opponent last October, climbing off the canvas to outpoint Ngannou over 10 rounds.

“The last version that we saw of Tyson Fury, that guy doesn’t beat AJ,” Bradley told ProBox TV. “And I’m not sure that Tyson Fury is going to get past [Oleksandr] Usyk [on May 18]. I don’t know which form of Fury we’re going to get. But if Fury is to beat Usyk, of course, they’ve got a rematch [Fury and Usyk have a two-fight agreement]. But I want to see a King of England. I want to see Tyson and AJ go head-to-head. I want to see who’s the best of England, if not the world.

“Obviously [Joshua]’s not better than Usyk; Usyk beat him twice. But this version of Joshua that we’re seeing – and I know how some of you are, saying, ‘Well, he was supposed to do that to Ngannou,’ I get it. But have you seen this guy’s run and what he’s been able to do in the last year, last year and a half? He’s looked fantastic.”

Joshua has fought four times in 11 months and has looked better each time. More to the point, Bradley and other observers are noticing changes in his demeanor – particularly in Joshua’s confidence levels.

Joshua lost his titles to Usyk while being trained by Robert McCracken. He then tried to win them back with Robert Garcia in his corner. Joshua then linked up with Derrick James, but in the last two fights – against Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou – he has worked with Ben Davison.

“We look back at some of the things we said in the past, about [Joshua] switching trainers and ‘Trainers are not the issue, it’s him, it’s him, it’s him,’” Bradley said. “I realize that the actual trainer switches were fantastic for his career, because he took a little bit of knowledge from each of these trainers. Whether he was with them one camp, two camps, three camps, it didn’t matter. He took a little bit of knowledge from these guys and he packed it all in one.

“Now he’s with Ben Davison, who is, I believe, one of the best younger trainers out there, who understands the sweet science of boxing. He understands that one plus one is two; a lot of these trainers don’t understand that. And he’s comfortable and relaxed, and I think Ben Davison has transformed his mentality. That’s what it boils down to with AJ.

“AJ has always had decent skills, but I think his skill set is a little more now than it was. But more importantly, it’s that confidence that he has, and Ben Davison, I believe, has something to do with that. That’s the reason why we’

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BOXING

WBC Approved Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury Winner to Face Anthony Joshua

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Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua

The WBC has confirmed it will allow former unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) the opportunity to face the winner of the upcoming undisputed heavyweight title fight between Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) and Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs), who meet May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The comments from WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman come in the wake of Joshua’s destructive two-round knockout defeat of former UFC heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou last week, a victory that saw Joshua retain his No.1 rating within the WBC’s heavyweight rankings.

Joshua’s victory was the former champion’s fourth appearance within 12 months, a stretch beginning with his April 2023 return against Jermaine Franklin in London.

The upcoming undisputed contest between Fury and Usyk is a two-fight deal, so it is thought Joshua will have to wait until 2025 if he is to face the winner.

Also, the IBF heavyweight title is set to become vacant as soon as Fury and Usyk set foot in the ring, and the IBF is set to order Filip Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) to contest the vacant title against Joshua.

But Sulaiman, speaking to Sky Sports, confirmed that Joshua would have his and the WBC’s support to face the winner of the undisputed May 18 heavyweight title affair between Usyk and Fury.

“The WBC was presented with a sanction request to fight for the undisputed,” Sulaiman told Sky Sports. “The WBC accepted that sanctioning, and we accepted the rematch they requested.

“But if it has nothing to do with contractual or promotion, we would absolutely accept the winner to fight Joshua.”

Sulaiman said the WBC would not interfere regarding the rematch clauses for the undisputed championship fight on May 18 and reaffirmed his desire to see Usyk and the WBC world titleholder fight.

“The WBC has been very attentive to this matter [governance interference from sanctioning bodies],” Sulaiman said. “So we have completely freed the ground for the undisputed, for a rematch, and for another fight of that level.

“The WBC position right now is very open to supporting the undisputed champion taking on the fights that the fans want to see.”

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BOXING

The Best Boxer Today? Terence Crawford Puts on a Clinic to Unify Welterweight Titles

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Terence Crawford

Let’s face it. This was nothing new from Terence Crawford.

The 35-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska had won 39 fights. He’d knocked out 30 opponents. And he’d earned or defended titles in 17 straight appearances on the championship level.

So the idea of seeing him methodically break down a foe across a series of rounds—nine, in this case—wasn’t exactly unprecedented.

But it was special.

This was Errol Spence Jr., a three-belt title claimant at welterweight who’d not come close to losing himself in 28 fights across a pro career stretching back to a quarterfinal run in the 2012 Olympics.

And incredibly, if anything, the chasm was wider. Against a fighter who’d arrived to the weekend ranked fourth on The Ring’s final pre-fight pound-for-pound list. And outside of a competitive first round in which Spence was effectively aggressive and scored well to the body, it was never close.

“He saved his best performance for his biggest moment,” analyst Al Bernstein said on the Showtime pay-per-view broadcast, “and perhaps against the best opponent he has faced.”

And it made Crawford, already one of just nine men to earn undisputed status in any weight class since the onset of the four-belt era, the first to do it at two weights—following a previous run at 140.

The match began leaning decidedly in Crawford’s direction in the second round, when Spence went to the floor for the first time in his career after being hit by an overhand left followed by a straight right.

He rose immediately and didn’t appear in serious trouble, but it was an early indication that Crawford, in spite of disadvantages in height and reach and (probably, but not officially) actual in-ring weight, was the man whose power shots were going to have the most impact on the result.

The gap grew subtly with each three-minute increment as Crawford provided an answer to everything Spence and his outspoken (at least during fight week) corner team could come up with, consistently winning exchanges and offsetting any of his foe’s advances with precise and decisive replies.

Bernstein and broadcast colleague Mauro Ranallo said Crawford landed 58 percent of his power shots—anything not labeled as a jab—against Spence, which is an accuracy rate typically reserved for hotshot young prospects fighting no-hope journeymen, not champions fighting other champions.

The end finally and mercifully arrived with 28 seconds remaining in Round 9, when referee Harvey Dock rescued Spence as he reeled across the ring and into the ropes after another Crawford rally.

All three judges had it 79-70 in Crawford’s favor at the time of the stoppage, with two scorers giving the winner rounds two through eight while a third saw Spence the winner in only Round 3.

“I’m an overachiever,” Crawford said. “I made everybody a believer. It means everything because of who I took the belts from. Tonight I believe I showed how great I am.”

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua’s Brutal KO Win Over Francis Ngannou Shows There Are Levels to This

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Anthony Joshua

This, folks, is what it was supposed to look like five months ago.

Two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua treated boxing newbie Francis Ngannou exactly how a world-class operator is supposed to treat a novice, exploiting a leaky defense with three devastating right hands on the way to a second-round KO in their pay-per-view showdown in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua was a significant betting favorite entering the fight, but much pre-fight chatter centered on how impressive Ngannou had looked against incumbent WBC champ Tyson Fury last October, knocking him down in the third round and stretching him to the 10-round distance before losing a split decision.

So, given Joshua’s run of mediocre high-profile performances in losses to Andy Ruiz and Oleksandr Usyk (twice) that ended his two heavyweight reigns, it wasn’t hard to find people who believed the powerful ex-UFC menace would be able to land impactful shots and finish off a mammoth upset.

Didn’t happen.

Though Ngannou strode to center ring for referee instructions with the look of a guy who’d pulled off a competitive heist to get himself another Saudi-backed paycheck, Joshua’s contrasting intensity was palpable, and his preparation was obvious.

He spent two-thirds of the opening round avoiding Ngannou’s clumsy attempts to counter jabs with quick left hooks, then stepped in as his foe ill-advisedly switched to southpaw and landed a straight right that instantly had Ngannou tumbling backward to the canvas.

The MMA veteran was up at eight and re-engaged by the end of the round, but Joshua repeated the sequence at roughly the same point of the second, following a flicking jab with an overhand right that resulted in another knockdown. Ngannou rose again, albeit a bit more gingerly, and almost instantly walked into a game-over right that folded him backward over his right leg like patio furniture.

It’s what was supposed to have happened against Fury.

But it was nevertheless jarring in its suddenness.

“I am stunned. I am a little bit speechless,” said DAZN analyst and veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, who’s covered Ngannou since his early MMA days. “I’ve seen him struck with knees and elbows and I’ve never seen him hurt. I’ve never seen him knocked down. To see that was stunning.”

Indeed, by the time Ricky Gonzalez waved his arms at 2:38, the “AJ” train was back at full speed.

“There is no man in the world who can beat him in the heavyweight division,” said a jubilant Eddie Hearn, whose Matchroom operation orchestrated Joshua’s rise from Olympic champ to professional star. “He ain’t getting beat. That was one of the most destructive KOs anyone’s ever seen. He went in there and destroyed Francis Ngannou. He’s a savage. He’s a beast.”

Hearn’s hyperbolic outburst came not far from where Fury, whose own date with Usyk was postponed from February to May by an eye injury, was standing.

And though the “Gypsy King” has rarely backed down from a verbal scrap, he was measured in his response and appeared genuinely impressed with Joshua’s win.

“He was absolutely fantastic tonight. That’s what I should have done to (Ngannou),” he said.

“But if he fights me, it’d be a different game.”

Hearn said it’d be the biggest fight in the history of the sport. And he’s not wrong.

The UK-based rivals have danced around and toward each other for years—before, during and since their simultaneous claims of heavyweight supremacy.

Joshua KO’d Charles Martin in April 2016 to win the IBF belt that Fury vacated after taking it from Wladimir Klitschko five months earlier, and he was a three-belt claimant when Fury returned from a long hiatus to draw with Deontay Wilder in the first round of their trilogy in December 2018.

Joshua lost and regained his titles across two bouts with Ruiz in 2019 and Fury beat Wilder to become WBC champ in early 2020. They reigned together until September 2021 and the first of Joshua’s two upset losses to Usyk. In fact, Joshua and Fury had agreed to two bouts earlier that year, but Fury was contractually forced into a third bout with Wilder—leaving Joshua to stay busy against Usyk.

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BOXING

Francis Ngannou Says He ‘Didn’t Feel’ Knockout Punch From Anthony Joshua

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Anthony Joshua

Francis Ngannou told reporters he didn’t even feel the knockout punch Anthony Joshua leveled to end their heavyweight boxing match in the second round on Friday in Saudi Arabia.

“In fact, I didn’t feel the punch,” Ngannou said, per Josh Peter of USA Today. “I think that’s what the knockout is about. I don’t feel any pain. That’s how I know I was knocked out.”

As combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani noted, this match marked the first time Ngannou has been knocked down and knocked out. Joshua dropped Ngannou in Round 1 before finishing the match in Round 2.

Ngannou was out briefly before he made it to his stool. Officials then administered oxygen to the former UFC heavyweight champion, per ESPN’s Mike Coppinger.

Ngannou reached out to his followers post-match:

Joshua also showed love to his opponent:

This marked Ngannou’s second professional boxing match after he made his debut with a competitive split decision defeat to WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury last October.

Joshua, a former heavyweight champion, improved to 28-3 lifetime with 25 knockouts.

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BOXING

Devin Haney challenges Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis

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Gervonta Davis

Devin Haney is living a sweet moment after his win over Regis Prograis and now there are several possibilities for “The Dream.” The first is to defend the super lightweight title against the number one WBC challenger Sandor Martin, as long as he wins his fight this Saturday; the second is to unify with Rolly Romero, Teofimo Lopez or Subriel Matias; the third is to move up a category, an option that he has already hinted at.

The truth is that because of his status, he is in a privileged position to choose. But the reality is that Haney must remain in the 140-pound category (63.5 kg) despite the sacrifice that may entail. He was able to gain 25 pounds (11.33 kg) in the rehydration period against Prograis.

One thing that Haney is particularly proud of is his meticulous approach to nutrition with the SNAC (Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning) system, whose founder and CEO Victor Conte was in the shadows for a few months due to the BALCO scandal, a laboratory similar to SNAC. Because of his weight-gaining abilities and work with SNAC, “The Dream” wanted to respond to critics who say he has an advantage.

“I’ve been doing the same thing for years, just killing myself to make weight after the weigh-in….. The world said I had pads on my fists and I was this and that! Now, once I go up, they pull out every excuse in the book,” said Haney. “I didn’t beat Regis by bullying him with my weight, I beat him because of my skills.”

Devin Haney challenges Tank Davis

Haney also called out Gervonta “Tank” Davis, who would have to move up to super lightweight to make a fight between them happen.

“Tank is a p—y…. He always says I want to fight when I already have a fight scheduled. Well now I’m free! Let’s make it happen,” Haney said.

Would Davis want to enter this fight knowing that such a dangerous opponent is capable of moving up 25 pounds before the fight? The answer is no.

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BOXING

Mike Tyson told he could still beat Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk

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Oleksandr Usyk

Mike Tyson has been backed to beat boxing’s current heavyweight champions ahead of his comeback fight against Jake Paul.

‘Iron Mike’ will fight for the first time in over three years when he faces YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul on July 20 in Arlington, Texas. Tyson’s last fight, an exhibition against fellow legend Roy Jones Jr, took place in November 2020 and Paul had his second fight on the undercard when he KO’d Nate Robinson.

Ex-UFC champion Tyron Woodley knows a thing or two about Paul’s boxing abilities having shared the ring with him twice. Woodley lost a decision to Paul in August 2021 and was knocked out in their rematch just months later. The UFC legend explained why he thinks Tyson can beat Paul despite being 30 years older than him.

“I’ve been in the ring twice with Jake, and I don’t want to get in the ring once with f****** Mike,” Woodley said on his YouTube channel. “The age is not a factor. That’s a wash. Experience level is obviously going to go to Mike Tyson. If Jake Paul beats Mike, I don’t give a f*** if he’s 70, you’re gonna have to put at least an ounce of respect on his name.”

“Tyson could step on the wrong eggshell and let off a combination that could kill most people. He has the power and ability to shift organs in your body if he hits you with the right force.

“He can just go into autopilot and wreck some of the current heavyweight champions in the boxing division now. He was programmed as a machine of war. If he gets knocked out by Mike Tyson at 58, 59, 60, 71, he would join the other 99% of the regular motherf*****s on earth, that’s what I say.”

It’s unclear if Tyson’s fight against Paul will be professionally sanctioned or will go ahead as an exhibition bout. Tyson officially retired from professional competition with a record of 50-6 (2NC) whilst Paul extended his record to 9-1 earlier this month with a first round KO of Ryan Bourland.

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BOXING

Boxing pundit explains exactly why Terence Crawford could fight Chris Eubank Jr as Canelo Alvarez fight looms

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Terence Crawford

Spencer Oliver believes Terence Crawford could face Chris Eubank Jr as part of a plan to face Canelo Alvarez.

Crawford has yet to compete in the ring since his dominant stoppage win over Errol Spence, but has been linked with a whole host of fights including against Alvarez

The American is considered one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the sport, but has yet to decide his next opponent as he remains a free agent.

It was originally deemed likely that he would meet Spence for a second time, but plans were put on hold.

Reports instead indicated that Crawford was now in shock talks to face British middleweight Eubank Jr at 160lbs, which his potential rival later confirmed.

It would be a leap of 13lbs from his previous fight at welterweight where he currently holds the undisputed titles.

On the latest episode of talkBOXING, Oliver suggested that he believes it could be as part of a longer goal to make a permanent shift to middleweight.

“I know what he is doing here,” he claimed. “I believe he will box Chris Eubank Jr at middleweight, who is ranked highly with all the governing bodies.

“He has to grow into the weight, and he will look at this opportunity positively with Eubank Jr at the twilight of his career.

“He will want to steal Eubank Jr’s WBO ranking with a win [No.2].

“He will then want to move a world title at middleweight, before moving up to super-middleweight to face Canelo. I think that is the journey.

“I was told that and I believe it will give him time to allow his body to adjust, and he can then get that showdown with Canelo.”

Eubank Jr was heavily linked with finally settling his rivalry against Conor Benn, but the Brighton native now looks likely to take on a huge alternative challenge.

A venue and date is currently unclear, but it will likely be an opportunity for Eubank Jr to write his name in lights in the USA.

Both ‘Bud’ and his potential opponent are trained by Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre, but is expected that he will corner Crawford on the night.

A super fight with Alvarez does seem currently unlikely, given the Mexican refused to entertain any fight with Crawford when asked earlier this year.

However, if he proves himself at a higher weight, he may well change Canelo’s mind.

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua knocked out Francis Ngannou then met Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Formula 1 but

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Anthony Joshua had a busy couple of days after knocking out Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia.

The Watford powerhouse was in fine form as he dispatched Ngannou inside two rounds in front of a glamorous audience.

A day later he was in attendance to witness Max Verstappen record his second consecutive win of the 2024 Formula 1 season.

Ahead of his own fight, Joshua met football legends Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho and former Brazil and Real Madrid star Ronaldo.

And while he watched the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, he bumped into another familiar face from the football world – Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The retired striker posted a snap of him and AJ together on his Instagram story, with the caption: “We are not trying to be perfect, we are perfect.”

The former two-time unified heavyweight champion decked Ngannou twice before sending him down and out in the second stanza with a thudding right hand.

Ngannou didn’t know what had hit him.

With that devastating stoppage, Joshua elevates himself into a strong position to challenge the winner of the undisputed clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.

However, he may have to wait until next year for his opportunity with the heavyweight titans currently tied into a two-fight deal.

Joshua insists he will remain active in the interim and anticipates a return to the ring in either June or July.

IBF mandatory Filip Hrgovic is the frontrunner to face him although AJ also mentioned Deontay Wilder as a possible next opponent.

Regardless of who is standing across from in the summer, Joshua is making sure he leaves no stone unturned and is already back in training.

On Sunday, just two days after his win over Ngannou, Joshua posted a picture of him in the gym pumping iron.

After his workout, he didn’t cut corners either as he went through a thorough recovery routine including a sauna, steam room and ice bath.

The new and improved AJ has even been backed to beat Oleksandr Usyk should a third fight ever materialise, according to talkBOXING host Spencer Oliver.

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