Two-time featherweight champion Josh Warrington thought he was stepping up in weight to challenge for Anthony Cacace’s IBF super-featherweight world title on the Joshua-Dubois undercard this Saturday night. However, the challenger will be unable to claim the Ulsterman’s title, even if he was to come out on top this weekend.

Warrington edged out a split-decision victory to dethrone Lee Selby at Elland Road back in 2018 and would go on to make impressive title defences against Carl Frampton and Kid Galahad to cap off a trio of high-octane domestic dustups. Instead, ‘The Leeds Warrior’ opted to vacate the belt after frustrations that a unification contest against WBA champion Xu Can would not be sanctioned, before suffering a shock knockout defeat to then-unknown Mexican Mauricio Lara.

After his rematch with Lara was cut short by a head clash, the Yorkshireman would return to the featherweight throne the following year, scoring a knockout win in a rematch with Spain’s Kiko Martinez, who had stopped Galahad a few months prior to claim the belt.

Yet, Warrington has lost in back-to-back title bouts since, first losing his world title to Luis Alberto Lopez before an unsuccessful challenge for Leigh Wood’s WBA strap last year.

After one win in five contests and moving up in weight, the announcement that Warrington would have a shot at Cacace’s 130lb world title was understandably met with raised eyebrows. Although, the fans have not been the only ones critiquing the proposed world title contest and the IBF have refused to approve Warrington as a challenger, The Daily Star reports.

“The Leeds Warrior – who has twice reigned as IBF featherweight champion – is stepping up a division to take on the Irishman next weekend at Wembley Stadium. But the IBF have so far refused to ratify Warrington as a challenger because he has not fought in the 9st 4lb division in over a decade and has never been ranked.

“The card – which is headlined by Daniel Dubois defending the IBF heavyweight title against Anthony Joshua – is being backed by Saudi-funded Riyadh Season. Those involved are still petitioning the IBF to sanction the bout as a first defence for Cacace, who beat Joe Cordina to claim the title in May.“Canelo Alvarez Names Next Target After Defeating Edgar Berlanga

It has now been confirmed that the IBF will not sanction the bout, as explained by Jake Donovan.

“IBF has offered clarity on Cacace Warrington. Bout is NON-TITLE fight, approved optional fight for Cacace in lieu of mandatory vs Nunez.

“Cacace will be stripped of title if he loses this weekend. With a win, he MUST face Nunez within 180 days. This is his one-time exception.”

Turki Al-Alshikh had been hoping that the IBF allow Warrington to challenge for the belt to maintain the strength of the Joshua-Dubois undercard, particularly after he was forced to find a replacement for Liam Smith in what many deemed to be the highlight of the bill aside from the main-event.

Joshua-Dubois takes place on Saturday night (21st September) at Wembley Stadium, London as ‘AJ’ aims to become the fifth three-time heavyweight champion of all-time, whilst a plethora of Great Britain’s greatest talents hope to steal the show on a stellar undercard at the record-breaking event.

Do you have your own top 10 list of the best heavyweights in boxing today? Here’s our take on the top heavyweights who are defining the sport right now:

1. Oleksandr Usyk - The former cruiserweight king who unified the heavyweight titles, Usyk's skill and resilience have redefined what it means to be a modern heavyweight.

2. Tyson Fury - Known as "The Gypsy King," Fury's ability to dethrone Wladimir Klitschko and his thrilling trilogy with Deontay Wilder mark him as one of the best.

3. Anthony Joshua - A two-time unified champion who has faced the best in the division, Joshua remains a top player despite recent challenges.

4. Joseph Parker - Former WBO champion Parker has proven his mettle with notable victories and remains a key figure in the heavyweight landscape.

5. Zhilei Zhang - Zhang’s impressive knockouts and recent performances have made him a rising star in the heavyweight division.

6. Daniel Dubois - The current IBF heavyweight champion, Dubois has shown significant promise and is poised to make a big impact in the division.

7. Dereck Chisora - Known for his rugged style and resilience, Chisora has been a challenging opponent for many of the division's top fighters.

8. Deontay Wilder - Renowned for his explosive power, Wilder's knockout ability keeps him in the upper echelons of the heavyweight division.

9. Joe Joyce - The "Juggernaut," Joyce’s relentless style and impressive victories have made him a serious player in the heavyweight scene.

10. Dillian Whyte - A formidable contender known for his aggression and knockout power, Whyte has consistently been a top contender.

Think your top 10 would look different? Share your rankings and join the conversation on who truly defines the heavyweight landscape of the 21st century!

#TysonFury #OleksandrUysk #AnthonyJoshua #DanielDubois #heavyweight #boxing #boxingfans 

Once again, Gary Russell Jr is calling for a fight with Gervonta “Tank” Davis. 

“I would love to get back in the game,” Russell said in a recent interview with The Boxing Source. “I hear ‘Tank’ don’t got an opponent yet. What’s up, Tank? They say he don’t got no opponent yet. I’m open to it.”

Russell is more than open to it, given that he’s mentioned Davis’ name for years. 

In December 2020, Russell promised he would “spank that ass”. 

In February 2021, he said he represented too much of a risk for Davis. 

In July 2021, Russell said that a fight with Davis would sell more pay-per-views than Tank’s then-most recent fight, against Mario Barrios.

In January 2022, just days ahead of Russell’s last appearance in the ring, against Mark Magsayo, the DC-area native called for a fight with Davis — who hails from nearby Baltimore — and a rematch with Vasiliy Lomachenko.

“It’s never been personal or anything like that,” Russell told The Boxing Source. “I just think the sport – it’s been too small for both of us to co-exist and not at least come together to see what’d happen. For some weird reason he strayed away from it – him or his team.”

Russell has had more interviews talking about Davis in recent years than the former featherweight titleholder has had appearances in the ring.

Often criticized for taking just one fight per year — from 2015 into the pandemic-altered schedule of 2020 — Russell then spent nearly two years out of action between his win in February 2020 over Tugstsogt Nyambayar and then losing his WBC belt to Magsayo via majority decision in January 2022 (Russell’s father passed away in May 2022. One of Russell’s brothers passed away in 2022, and Gary Jr has helped raise that brother’s children).

Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) hasn’t been a featherweight since 2014 – very early in his career – though he could conceivably move up given that he’s been at 126lbs since turning professional in 2009. 

Davis is a former junior-lightweight titleholder and holds the WBA title at 135lbs. Davis is also one of the biggest superstars in the United States, so it’s little surprise that Russell has even more reason to call out Tank.

Davis last fought in June, when he stopped Frank Martin. He is expected to headline another pay-per-view before the end of 2024, though his opponent is yet to be announced. 

Negotiations with Lomachenko didn’t produce an agreement; Lomachenko’s team said the Ukrainian is taking off the remainder of the year. Davis and Shakur Stevenson went in separate directions; a rematch with Isaac Cruz became less appealing once Cruz lost his title to Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela in August.

“Y’all need somebody to fight,” Russell said. “I’m open to it.”

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2 and @UnitedBoxingPod . He is the co-host of the United Boxing Podcast . David’s book, “ Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing ,” is available on Amazon.

Amir Khan has ruled out a comeback in the conventional sense of the word but is yet to completely give up hope of one day sharing the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao, the two fighters who eluded him during his career – despite much chasing from the Englishman.

Khan, 37, announced his retirement in May 2022, one month after he was informed that he’d tested positive for banned substance ostarine on the night of his last fight, a February 2022 stoppage loss to Kell Brook. Khan was subsequently banned for two years until April 2024.

Khan, 34-6 (21 KOs), was linked to both Mayweather and Pacquiao at various times during his career, most notably in 2014-15 when he looked set to fight “Money” only for the superstar to choose bouts with Marcos Maidana and Andre Berto instead. Negotiations for a Pacquiao showdown reached an advanced stage in 2018 but they too fell through. 

Mayweather and Pacquiao fought each other in 2015 and both are now retired but currently active on the exhibition circuit with the latter struggling to impress against novice Rukiya Anpo in July. Khan, who says any exhibitions need to happen within 12 months otherwise he will close the door completely, isn’t holding his breath for his old gymmate and friend to entertain a contest against him.

“Manny looked shit in his last fight, really bad,” Khan told Action Network . “Manny won’t want to fight me, and I like him. We speak on WhatsApp. They’re looking for a big paycheck from Saudi, Qatar or Dubai but it’s going to be hard because obviously Saudi and Turki Alalshikh will never do an exhibition fight. If it happens and I’m ever going to consider doing an exhibition, then it will have to be in the next 12 months otherwise I am done from the sport. I’m 90 per cent done from the sport anyways, I don’t have the love for boxing anymore. To motivate myself it would only have to be Manny or Floyd Mayweather.”

Khan, who won major belts at junior welterweight when at his pomp, all but ruled out coming back to the professional ranks after finding peace away from the ring.

“No, I don’t think I will unless a Floyd Mayweather fight was there. The only two fighters I would make a comeback for is Floyd or Manny Pacquiao,” he said. “Other than that, no I’m not interested at all. I won't fight KSI. The thing is I’ve done it at the highest level and don’t have the fire in my belly anymore. God has been kind, I’m financially strong, going into other things like property and am living half of my time in Dubai and the UK as well as going the states a lot. I’m keeping busy with lots of things.”

It was not an easy fight for Stephen Fulton in a return from his first career loss and his debut at 126 pounds, but he at least managed to steal a narrow win over Carlos Castro on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Philadelphia’s Fulton, 30, secured a dubious split decision win over Mexico’s 30-year-old Castro on the undercard of a Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga main event at T-Mobile Arena. Judges scored the bout 95-94 for Castro and 93-96 and 94-95 in favor of Fulton.

In a post-fight interview, Fulton (22-1, 8 KOs) said he was proud of his performance after a long layoff.

“I feel stronger,” he said. “I feel better, but this is my first fight back in 14 months. Ring rust is out of the way, and I feel like I did an amazing job.”

A former unified junior featherweight titlist, Fulton has been out of the ring since losing his two 122-pound belts to pound-for-pound great Naoya Inoue in July last year.

Against Castro (30-3, 14 KOs), Fulton moved up to 126 pounds and wound up slugging it out with a hearty veteran. Although Fulton enjoyed his share of bright spots throughout the fight, Castro fought him evenly and dropped him in Round 5 on a sharp counterpunch.

Fulton believes he was able to overcome the knockdown with a great performance in subsequent rounds.

“I feel like it was a tough round, but I came back and I overturned things,” he said. “I kept digging deep, and I kept fighting. My coaches told me to keep the right hand up. That's all he was looking for – to come back over top. And I made that mistake by not keeping that right hand up. 

“When I came back to fight, I felt like I did good. Shout out to Carlos Castro. He's a great fighter, a great Mexican warrior.”

Castro, whose recent winning streak ended at three, landed a number of clean shots on Fulton, who was visibly bigger and possibly a tick slower at 126. When asked how much he was affected by ring rust, Fulton said, “I mean, a lot, man. … It’s never like sparring. And sparring is the easy part. But when you get in there with the mace on, no headgear, no nothing.

“You're under pressure – that's when it counts. So I think the ring rust played a major part, but I'm back and I'm better.”

Last year was not a good year for Demond Nicholson, not with his unanimous decision loss to Demetrius Andrade, and especially not with the second straight defeat that followed, a fourth-round knockout at the hands of Christian Mbilli.

Some 13 months after the Mbilli fight, Nicholson (26-6-1, 22 KOs) is returning to the ring. The Maryland fighter will be fighting on October 12 at Bowie State University, not too far from his hometown of Laurel. BoxRec lists his opponent as Daniel Aduku (15-6-1, 11 KOs), a Ghanaian boxer now living in Columbus, Ohio.

Nicholson says he’ll be fighting at light heavyweight. Almost all of his career was at middleweight and super middleweight. 

“I had to take a break, get my health in order,” Nicholson said in an announcement posted on social media . “Fighting liver failure, kidney failure, autoimmune disease. It really took a lot out of me. Now that I had the break, I had the time to find myself, become one with myself financially, spiritually, physically and mentally.

“I think I’m going to be the strongest I’ve ever been,” he said. “I know I will.”

Nicholson turned pro in 2013 as a middleweight. He suffered his first loss in 2014 but continued to develop. Nicholson fought Immanuwel Aleem to a draw in 2016, only to lose a split decision to Steve Rolls one fight later. He then moved up to super middleweight. Nicholson took his third defeat in 2018, stopped by Jesse Hart. He then put together five straight wins from 2018 to 2020, though he also was hospitalized in May 2019 with a kidney condition . 

“After my kidney failure, the doctor said I wouldn’t be ready [for] 12 months after recovery,” Nicholson tweeted a couple of years ago . “I didn’t want to hear [that. My] kidneys started functioning again. Five months after, I was right back fighting, beating my body down, not realizing I still had the problems.”

Nicholson was dropped multiple times in a decision loss to Edgar Berlanga in April 2021 — the first time that Berlanga didn’t win a fight via first-round knockout.

“When I fought Berlanga, that Monday before the fight I had the same symptoms, just no kidney failure,” Nicholson posted a couple years ago . “I still went out and fought regardless. It’s just who I am. I’m 100% now taking care of my body, physically and mentally. No man can beat me.”

Nicholson won three fights in 2021 and 2022 before the losses to Andrade and Mbilli.

Aduku will be the smaller man against Nicholson. He’s spent most of his career at junior middleweight and middleweight. Aduku has lost four in a row dating back to April 2023, stopped by 18-1 Chordale Booker in four rounds at junior middleweight, put away in four rounds by 8-0 Darrelle Valsaint at middleweight, taken out in five rounds by the aforementioned Hart at light heavyweight, and outpointed by 24-5-1 Brandon Quarles in early August at super middleweight.

Boxing trainer Bobby Benton praised his fighter, Miguel Flores, for his unanimous decision victory over the 26-year-old Ohioan Michael Chaise Nelson (21-3-1, 8 KOs) at the Bayou Event Center in Houston on Sept. 7. 

Flores won with scores of 98-90, 99-89, and 97-91. Benton believes Flores (26-5-1, 12 KOs) can make a significant impact at featherweight.

The win marks the second half of Flores’ veteran career. The 32-year-old Houston native Flores is now targeting one last major fight, or so it seems. The victory heled Flores bounce back from a loss to Sam Goodman in October in Australia and shake off some ring rust. It was not all smooth sailing; however, an issue arose.

"Our opponent missed weight by four pounds, but Miguel boxed beautifully," Benton said. "He dropped him in the third and ninth rounds. He was using really smart defense, and it was just what the doctor ordered. He needed a fight like that — probably needs one more, just to stay active, and he’ll get sharper."

Benton also noted the confidence boost for Flores, especially given Nelson's heavier weight.

"It was a performance against a bigger guy, and Miguel put him down,” Benton said. “If the kid had made weight, I think Mikey probably would have stopped him, but you could see the size difference. Mikey's a small featherweight.”

Cutman Aaron Navarro highlighted the personal significance of the fight, noting, “Being with the kid since he was eight years old, and with him through all the ups and some really bad lows over these 25 years, it was really great seeing him get back there — and he hadn’t fought at home for probably three years.”

His previous featherweight bout was against Eduardo Ramirez in 2020, and while the Goodman fight was at featherweight, Goodman was a junior featherweight title contender, and Flores had been competing a tad lighter prior. Flores also fought Abner Mares to a draw at lightweight and Leo Santa Cruz in 2019 at junior lightweight.

“In the last 24 months, he fought twice,” Navarro said. “He fought Abner then 13 months later, he fought Goodman halfway across the world in Australia. Those were both top-notch fighters on big stages. So, we are looking to keep him in the ring every three or four months.”

Benton confirmed Flores’ commitment to featherweight and his ability to make the weight easily. When discussing the featherweight division, Benton acknowledged its competitiveness but also noted that several titleholders have lost before, making it a division where Flores could get another big chance, especially given his track record against big name fighters. 

“There are champions with losses, so it’s a division you can break into,” Benton said.

After watching Rolando “Rolly” Romero easily outpoint Manuel Jaimes in a junior welterweight bout Saturday on the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga undercard at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Danny Jacobs said he wants to see Romero take on lightweight titleholder Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

Jacobs, a recently retired former middleweight titlist, provided ringside guest commentary on Amazon’s Prime Video streaming broadcast.

“I think it's a very interesting fight,” Jacobs said of a potential Davis-Romero clash, which would mark a rematch of their May 2022 fight. In that meeting, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Davis dropped Romero and went on to a sixth-round stoppage.

On Saturday, Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) beat Jaimes (16-2-1, 11 KOs) in dominant fashion, winning almost every round (99-91 on all three judges’ scorecards) in a performance that Jacobs believes merits his earning another shot at facing Davis.

“I like his style,” Jacobs said of Romero. “I like how explosive he was, and he was smooth like water – like Bruce Lee is – tonight. Right here, what I think Rolly did is, he dominated with the body shots right there – big left hook. In the first half of the fight, he was loading up.”

Romero, 28, lost his 140-pound title in March to hard-hitting Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz via an explosive eighth-round stoppage. The Las Vegas native needed a win over Jaimes to retain his status as a contender in the division.

When asked about Romero’s good moments in the fight, Jacobs said, “In the second half, I felt like he kinda settled in and started doing body blows. Good body shot right there with that left hook to deliver.”

Meanwhile, Jaimes, a 24-year-old native of San Jose, California, saw his four-fight winning streak come to an end.

Ishmael Davis will replace Liam Smith as the opponent for Josh Kelly at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

A virus forced Smith to withdraw from the appealing middleweight contest on the undercard of the IBF heavyweight title fight between Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua, leading to the 29-year-old Davis being recruited to fight Kelly instead. 

In his past fight Davis earned a unanimous decision over Troy Williamson – who in 2022 the 30-year-old Kelly also defeated in perhaps his most impressive win.

“Very thankful for the fast replacement,” wrote Kelly’s promoter, Kalle Sauerland of Wasserman Boxing, on social media after Smith’s late-notice withdrawal had cast doubt over Kelly’s participation. “Can’t wait to see Josh Kelly at Wembley Stadium for a huge show on Saturday.”

On September 14, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez won a lopsided unanimous decision over Edgar Berlanga at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Canelo did what he was supposed to do against a game but overmatched opponent. But the event had far-reaching implications because of larger issues that were involved.

First the fight…

For the past decade, Alvarez has been boxing's most reliable and bankable star. He began boxing professionally aged 15 and has fashioned a 62-2-2 (39 KOs) ring record over 19 years. During one 11-bout stretch, he fought Gennady Golovkin three times, Danny Jacobs, Sergey Kovalev, Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, Caleb Plant, and Dmitry Bivol with less challenging outings against Rocky Fielding and Avni Yildirim included in that mix. The Fielding and Yildirim fights were necessary because no fighter can win and retain all four major sanctioning body belts – in Canelo's case, at 168lbs – without fighting some paper champions and undeserving mandatory challengers along the way.

Alvarez emerged from those 11 fights with nine wins, one loss, and a draw. 

Canelo-Berlanga was a fight that few people who didn't have a financial interest in Edgar wanted to see. 

Berlanga began his career with 16 consecutive first-round knockouts against carefully-chosen opponents. Then the level of opposition rose and he went the distance in his next five outings against opponents who have been knocked out by other fighters 11 times. In his most recent fight, he stopped the lightly-regarded Padraig McCrory in six rounds. Nothing on his resume indicated that he would be competitive against Canelo. 

Eric Raskin offered his take on the matter, noting that in recent bouts Alvarez had pivoted to fighting less formidable opposition than before and writing: " If you’re not a little old, a little undersized, made to order with a one-dimensional style, or all of the above, you’re probably not fit for what Canelo wants to do."

Berlanga, of course, had a different view. At the kick-off press conference, he advanced the delusional narrative that he'd received the nod as Canelo's opponent because he has "superstar status" and David Benavidez – often mentioned as a more challenging opponent for Canelo – doesn't. Later, Edgar added: "I'm a star. I have everything. I can fight. I look good. I'm appealing. I'm Puerto Rican with an island behind me. I have the whole package, which is what you need in the sport of boxing to become a star."

Actually, Berlanga was born and raised in Brooklyn, although his parents are from Puerto Rico. 

Edgar also sought to create controversy when he said of Canelo: “I didn't like it when he smiled at me at the press conference. I felt like he was taking me as a joke. I'm from the hood in New York. If you're smiling at my face, that's disrespectful.”

As for how he could beat Canelo, Berlanga, a 14-to-1 underdog, predicted a knockout and advised the media: " I'm training for IQ, intelligence, and being smart."

Later, Edgar added: "Canelo is overlooking me. He's 100 per cent doubting my fighting IQ and experience. He thinks it's a cakewalk for him. He thinks it's a walkthrough, but he's going to walk into a brick wall. I’m a knockout artist. Sixth-round knockout; that’s what we’re going for."

"It’s easy to say you’ll knock me out," Canelo countered. "But it’s much more difficult to do it. Saturday night is gonna be very difficult for him, for sure."

Jim Lampley – who provided live commentary on the fight for PPV.com – spoke for many when he assessed the presumably one-sided nature of the bout and acknowledged: "To most ringside reporters, this feels perfunctory. It’s up to Canelo to deliver an outcome exciting enough to reinforce his credentials as boxing’s biggest dollar-for-dollar star. He needs to win in spectacular fashion to make this choice worthwhile."

Canelo-Berlanga headlined the fourth Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view card for which Amazon was the primary platform. In December, PBC and Amazon announced that Prime Video would distribute PBC pay-per-view events on a non-exclusive basis. The deal gave PBC a huge platform to build on. But to date, Amazon has provided little in the way of marketing support. And Showtime-PPV's marketing machine has been sorely missed.

The first three PBC pay-per-view shows on Prime Video – Tim Tszyu-Sebastian Fundora, Canelo-Jaime Munguia, and Gervonta Davis-Frank Martin – fell short of anticipated pay-per-view buys. And a promised series of "free"  PBC Championship Boxing fight cards to be shown in the United States exclusively on Amazon Prime has been slow to materialize.

Canelo was guaranteed a reported $35 million to fight Berlanga. Edgar's purse was in the high seven figures. If the pay-per-view tanked, it would be a financial disaster for PBC. Unlike Turki Alalshikh – the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority – PBC impresario Al Haymon is loath to lose millions of dollars on a show.

Questions about Haymon were a subplot to Canelo-Berlanga. He likes to be his own boss. How long would he be able to maintain his independence in the face of the Saudi tide? And where was Haymon? In recent months, he has been even more inaccessible than before.

The announced sell-out crowd of 20,312 on fight night was a tribute to Canelo's drawing power. Two of the undercard fights warrant comment.

Trevor McCumby gave Caleb Plant more of a fight than most people thought he would. Or maybe Plant was less prepared than he should have been. Either way, McCumby dropped Plant in round four and was half of an entertaining slugfest that continued until Trevor, still on his feet, was stopped at the bell ending round nine.

At the other end of the spectrum, the "co-main event" matching Erislandy Lara with Danny Garcia was dreadful.  

Lara is a 41-year-old Cuban expatriate whose last significant victory was against Austin Trout in 2013. Garcia, aged 36, had one win in the previous 55 months – against Jose Benavidez, who in turn has had one win in the past six years. Somehow, this qualified Garcia – who had never fought at middleweight – to fight Lara for the WBA middleweight championship.

Garcia embarrassed himself. He fought like he was there to pick up a paycheck and nothing more. Danny landed a total of 33 punches in nine rounds. Discard round eight – which Lara took off – and that number drops to 23 punches landed over eight stanzas. The crowd started booing, whistling, and jeering midway through round one. Garcia fought so passively that Angel Garcia – his father and chief second – repeatedly asked, "Are you okay?". Finally, in round nine, Danny was dropped by what the commentator Joe Goossen called "a little dinker left hand" (or maybe he took a knee) and Angel called a halt to the proceedings.

Then came the main event.

There has been talk that Canelo is slipping; that 66 fights over 19 years have taken a toll. His past six fights have gone the distance. But he's still a formidable force.

Think of watching a great actor in a play. Not every play that Laurence Olivier starred in was written by William Shakespeare. But Olivier was always worth watching to see a great craftsman at work.

Canelo-Berlanga matched an all-time great – a skilled defensive fighter with fast hands who can whack and might have the best chin in boxing – against a straight-ahead puncher who had never fought a world-class opponent.

Berlanga fought cautiously for most of the fight while Canelo stalked, never giving Edgar time to rest, and breaking him down with hard thudding blows. Berlanga fought credibly. He was dropped by a left hook in round three, took a beating, and didn't fold. At times he turned chippy. Often, he was in survival mode. He just wasn't good enough. The 118-109, 118-109, 117-111 scorecards in Canelo's favor were charitable to Edgar.

Through it all, the shadow of Turki Alalshikh loomed over the proceedings. That calls for comment on a supervening issue.

The General Entertainment Authority has the deepest pockets in the history of boxing. As Tris Dixon observed: "Money the likes of which boxing has never seen before is sloshing through the sport."

The scene is evocative of a billionaire on a shopping spree at high-end stores on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Shops are opened after hours for his pleasure. His taste is praised by obsequious sellers no matter what he buys.

It's hard to compete with or say no to someone who has unlimited resources, is willing to spend them, and doesn't have to balance a budget. And the Saudis keep spending to enlarge their influence in boxing. One informed source says that Riyadh Season recently agreed to pay $2,000,000 to the World Boxing Council and $1,500,000 to the World Boxing Association as sponsorship fees.

Meanwhile, Turki Alalshikh is beginning to sound more authoritarian in his quest to become the dominant player in boxing; more heavy-handed in his pronouncements; more openly adversarial towards those who don't adhere to his wishes.

Articles and video content have been altered or pulled down in their entirety from boxing websites because of a concern that Saudi interests might be or were offended. There have been suggestions that offending journalists might be denied credentials for future Riyadh Season fight cards and other fight-related events.

When John Sheppard declined to sell BoxRec.com to Saudi interests earlier this year, he was hit by a wave of hostile activity that is still being sorted out. 

Turki Alalshikh is also said to be on the verge of acquiring The Ring , which would give him control over the magazine's championship belts and rankings.

Donald McRae – one of the most respected boxing writers in the world – recently declared: "I think that he [Turki Alalshikh] has some good ideas. But already, his desire for control and his ego are threatening to undercut these positive aspects. He clearly does not like it when people say 'No' to him, whether that be Canelo Alvarez or John Sheppard. That seems ominous to me.”

And McRae added: "I can’t get past the fact that Saudi Arabia is using boxing – just as it is using football and golf – to try and portray an image of the country that glosses over the reality of the oppression that still disfigures large parts of the country."

Attorney Kurt Emhoff is in accord, and noted: "There is now little mention of sportswashing in boxing. The Saudi Arabian involvement under the Riyadh Season banner has been normalized rather than scrutinized in many quarters, and those not part of the merrymaking are seen as bitter dissenters and party-poopers rather than impartial judges."

Turki Alalshikh seems to enjoy the spotlight. Riyadh Season boxing telecasts show him entering arenas and embracing virtually every celebrity who comes his way. His name is spoken with reverence by television commentators. On August 7, he posted an image of himself on X beside the legend "The Face of Boxing".

And it's hard to forget a moment that occurred during the August 3 telecast of Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov when Rich Marotta, who founded the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame, announced in the ring that His Excellency had been selected for honorary induction into the NBHOF. To date, His Excellency has never been involved with a boxing match in Nevada. 

Moreover, Turki Alalshikh has become increasingly outspoken with regard to fighters who don't bend to his will. Canelo Alvarez is a case in point.

In May, Canelo said: " I can fight with any fighter and win my good money. I can do whatever I want at this time. I deserve it because I did everything in my career and I deserve to be in this position."

Turki Alalshikh viewed things differently. He wanted Canelo to commit to fighting Crawford under the Riyadh Season banner in February 2025. On August 3, he declared: "I give him the offer. If he is smart, he will accept it."

Canelo didn't accept it. Three days later he responded, saying: “I respect everybody but I don't like the way he [Alalshikh] talks. It's his problem, not my problem. I didn't ask for a fight. They wanted to meet with me and see about the fight with Crawford in February. I said, ‘Look, I’m not interested in talking about another fight. After September 14 [when I fight Edgar Berlanga], we can talk. But not right now’."

That earned a harsh rejoinder from Alalshikh, who responded on X: “I heard what Canelo said, that he respects me but doesn’t like the way we do business. As for him respecting me, it doesn’t matter to me if he does or not. As for the way I do business, I know why he doesn’t like it because I only target big fights at fair prices, so of course anyone who likes easy fights won’t like that. And I know how he feels after losing to Bivol, so he’s been looking for easier fights ever since. Also, I’m not the one who’s afraid of fighting Benavidez or Crawford. Therefore, I knew he was wasting our time and making excuses. So I’m continuing my way to make big fights that serve the boxing world, and he’s on his way to making easy show-only fights.”

Later, when asked about the possibility of fighting under the Riyadh Season banner, Canelo answered: "I never say never. We’ll see. Who knows? Maybe in the future. I’m not begging anyone, and I’m in no hurry.”

Meanwhile, Saudi financial support enabled the UFC to hold a competing Riyadh Season event in The Sphere in Las Vegas on the same night as Canelo-Berlanga. As the tension between Canelo and Alalshikh escalated, His Excellency uncharitably said of Canelo: "We will eat him." Alalshikh sat next to Crawford at the UFC event.

Turki Alalshikh also voiced displeasure with Tim Tszyu, who turned down the opportunity to fight Vergil Ortiz in order to pursue a match against Bakhram Murtazaliev for the IBF 154lbs title on October 19 under the auspices of PBC on Amazon Prime.

“I will not work with Tim Tszyu," His Excellency said. "Let him do his way. He doesn’t understand.”

Referencing that history, Elliot Worsell wrote: "Dissenters run the risk of isolating themselves and becoming outcasts. Tim Tszyu, for example, was recently given the Alalshikh cold shoulder, on camera no less, presumably for not agreeing to hold hands and instead wanting to maintain some autonomy in his career. Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez has felt the wrath of 'His Excellency' for playing hard ball with Terence Crawford, Alalshikh’s favorite new toy. That was the wrong answer, it turned out, and now Alvarez has made himself an enemy and in so doing revealed a side of Alalshikh previously concealed from the public. More outspoken now and more bullish, Alalshikh clearly doesn’t like being told 'No' and was, before hearing it said, firmly of the belief that his crusade in boxing would go unopposed."

Turki Alalshikh, with his money and methods, has done things that hitherto seemed impossible. One of these things has been to get Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn to work cooperatively in the pursuit of big fights. Another has been to turn Al Haymon and PBC into sympathetic underdogs. Some PBC fighters have appeared on Riyadh Season fight cards. But PBC on Amazon has become a sanctuary for fighters like Alvarez and Tszyu, who want to chart their own course and have the power to do so.

Looking ahead; Saturday's fight between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in London is expected to be Riyadh Season's most successful boxing venture to date. There will be an enormous enthusiastic crowd, solid pay-per-view numbers, and the possibility that the fight will pay for itself rather than run millions of dollars in the red. Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol, October 12, and the rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, December 21, will follow. The latter two bouts are expected to be good fights that lose millions – if not tens of millions – of dollars.

The much-talked-about Saudi-backed boxing league seems stalled for now. And managers are reporting that the purses the General Entertainment Authority is paying for most undercard fights have dropped significantly in recent months.

Surveying the scene, one promoter observes: "There will always be another gold rush in boxing. The mother lode in this one is richer than most. But in the end, it will be mined out and we'll all go looking for the next one."

Meanwhile, this is boxing. So Canelo Alvarez and Turki Alalshikh may well do business together in the future. But Canelo has earned the right to fight on his own terms and has the clout to assert his independence. If he were running around telling everyone that he's the greatest fighter of all time, the opponents he's choosing now would merit more critical scrutiny. But Canelo isn't doing that. He has consistently said that he's building his legacy as he chooses and it will be for other people to judge his place in history. There's nothing wrong with that. His body of work speaks for itself. 

It would be nice if the new "Face of Boxing" were a little more respectful toward a man who has given his life to the fight game, spent decades in the gym, and actually been punched in the face. 

Galal Yafai first swapped leather with Sunny Edwards nearly nine-and-a-half years ago, back when they were both amateurs. Yafai was 22 years old; Edwards was 19.

The two flyweights will fight again on November 30 at BP Pulse LIVE in Birmingham . And they’ll be at very different stages in their lives and careers. 

Yafai is 31, a two-time Olympian who won a gold medal at Tokyo 2020, turned professional in 2022, and is 7-0 (5 KOs). 

Edwards is 28 years old, a former flyweight titleholder who lost his belt in December 2023 when he was stopped after nine rounds by Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. Following a victory in June against Adrian Curiel, Edwards is 21-1 (4 KOs).

They both need a victory. Yafai to move his career forwards; Edwards to ensure his own doesn’t slide any further backwards; each also want to move towards a world-title shot.

There’s also that little matter of their shared history.

“We’ve had a rivalry for years,” Yafai told talkSPORT. “He beat me in 2015. It was a close fight, and he beat me in a split decision . I was still relatively new. He’s got the bragging rights now, if that’s what you want to call it. We can put the record straight.”

Edwards won the IBF belt at 112lbs back in April 2021 with a unanimous decision over Moruti Mthalane. He made four successful defenses, all via unanimous decision, over Jayson Mama, Muhammad Waseem, Felix Alvarado and Jose Campos, leading him into the collision with Rodriguez, who has since vacated the two belts and become the lineal champ at 115lbs.

“Sunny’s a relatively big name in our weight,” Yafai said. “He’s not a huge name. He’s not a superstar – not like he might think he is. But he’s a good name, especially at our weights.”

That name carries value – not just in boosting the money the two men will earn, but also in providing Yafai with motivation.

“I need something to get up for, as well,” Yafai said. “I’ve been fighting in America against people nobody knows. I want to fight somebody that everyone knows; people are gonna turn up to. People are gonna tune in. And that’s when you’re gonna get my best.”

Yafai’s past two appearances were in Arizona and Las Vegas, where he respectively outpointed the 22-2 Rocco Santomauro on the undercard of Rodriguez-Edwards and then stopped the 21-1 Agustin Gauto on the undercard of Richardson Hitchins-Gustavo Lemos.

Edgar Berlanga may have lost to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, but his stock has certainly risen in the super middleweight division. Berlanga stepped up in competition and showed he belongs among the top names, despite his unanimous decision loss on Saturday night in Las Vegas. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, sees a bright future ahead for the young fighter.

“If you look at the division now, my question is, tell me a more valuable fighter or a bigger name at 168 [besides Canelo],” said Hearn. “For me, it’s Edgar Berlanga. You’ve got Jaime Munguia, Caleb Plant, Jermall Charlo, and Diego Pacheco, but Edgar, after that performance, his personality, and charisma, I think he’s become a huge star, and I’m excited about the future.”

Though Berlanga’s record now stands at 22-1 (17 KOs), he has impressed his promoter and fans alike. Hearn hinted at a return to the ring for Berlanga in February 2025, with Puerto Rico, the land of Berlanga’s heritage, as a possible location for his next fight. This could provide the perfect stage for him to bounce back with a victory.

Diego Pacheco, another rising star in the super middleweight division, is also under Matchroom Boxing, but a fight between him and Berlanga isn’t likely anytime soon. Hearn appears to be more focused on allowing Berlanga to rebuild his confidence and continue his development before taking on another top contender.

With plenty of potential matchups on the horizon, Edgar Berlanga is now a name to watch at 168. The super middleweight division has no shortage of talent, but Berlanga’s grit and charisma make him a key player in the mix.

#EdgarBerlanga #CaneloAlvarez #EddieHearn #JaimeMunguia #CalebPlant #JermallCharlo #DiegoPacheco #SuperMiddleweight #BoxingNews #BoxingFuture #PuertoRicoBoxing #CaneloVsBerlanga #BoxingComeback #168Division #BoxingStars #MatchroomBoxing #BoxingFans #HearnMatchroom #BerlangaFights #SuperMiddleweightStar

The light heavyweight Dan Azeez is to fight Lewis Edmondson at London’s Copper Box Arena on October 19. 

Azeez, 35, last fought in June when on the undercard of Chris Billam-Smith-Richard Riakporhe he disappointed in drawing with Hrvoje Sep of Croatia over eight rounds.

In February he lost for the first time, against Joshua Buatsi via decision, having previously recorded 20 victories from his 20 fights. Against Edmondson, 28 and who defeated him as an amateur, he fights to return to towards the top of one of the most competitive weight divisions in the UK.

“Lewie is a good, skilful, young fighter,” said Azeez of the fight on the undercard of Adam Azim-Ohara Davies. “He whooped me as an amateur and now it’s time to return the favour.”

“I respect Dan as a fighter,” said the undefeated Edmondson. “He’s very experienced. He’s been there numerous times. We know each other well. 

“We fought as amateurs and sparred in the early days of my pro career. I’m expecting a tough and rough fight. What you see is what you get with Dan. I respect him as a person but it’s the fight game and it’s time to announce myself on the big stage. He’s had his time and it’s mine now.”

On the same Boxxer promotion, Michael McKinnon fights fellow welterweight Tulani Mbenge of South Africa, Jeamie TKV and Franklin Ignatius fight at heavyweight, and the promising bantamweight Francesca Hennessy will fight an opponent to be confirmed.

The IBF is allowing the new 130lbs champion Anthony Cacace to meet Josh Warrington in a non-title fight on Saturday at Wembley Stadium.

Should the former featherweight champion Warrington (31-3-1, 8 KOs) win the bout on the undercard of the Daniel Dubois-Anthony Joshua IBF heavyweight title fight, the IBF junior-lightweight belt will become vacant.

By winning the IBF title with an eighth-round stoppage of Joe Cordina on May 18, Cacace (22-1, 8 KOs) became obligated to defend it next against his mandatory challenger Eduardo Nunez (27-1, 27 KOs) of Mexico.

In its announcement on Monday, the IBF said that Nunez provided consent of Cacace-Warrington, sparring Cacace from being stripped of his new belt.

“ Should Anthony Cacace win on [Saturday], he must make a mandatory defense of the IBF junior-lightweight title against [top-]ranked mandatory contender Nunez within 180 days or by March 20,” the organisation announced.

Nunez is coming off of a sixth-round knockout of Miguel Marriaga on August 31.

Mario Barrios will defend his WBC welterweight title against Abel Ramos on the undercard of Jake Paul-Mike Tyson on November 15.

The ill-advised contest between Paul and Tyson, at the AT&T Stadium in Texas, was already on course to be supported by the rematch at super lightweight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. 

Barrios agreeing to fight Ramos will regardless at least delay potential plans for him to fight Manny Pacquiao in what – should it come to pass – could prove a similarly ill-advised comeback for the retired Filipino.

“I’m thrilled to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Barrios, 29. “The fight on the Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson card is huge, with millions watching live on Netflix. Abel Ramos is a tough Mexican fighter, just like me, so I know it’ll be a hell of a fight in front of my Texas people at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium. 

“I’m also excited to showcase my indigenous roots on this global platform. Don’t miss this fight – it’s going to be war, Puro San Antonio!”

Ramos, 33 and like Barrios of Mexican-American descent, said of the fight that falls on Mexican Independence Day: “I’m very excited to be fighting for the WBC title and I’m looking forward to a great fight against Mario Barrios. 

“He’s a warrior just like me and I’m going to give the fans at Cowboys Stadium and those watching around the world on Netflix an exciting fight on Friday, November 15th.”

The featherweight Mikkel Gribsholt (5-1) headlined a TK Promotion on September 14 in Ryomgarard, the small town north east of Aarhus, but his opponent, the Venezuelan Luis Guerrero (9-9-2), dominated and won via scores of 59-55, 60-54 and 60-54. 

The fight could have been stopped on a few occasions because the young Dane appeared to have little left. Guerrero hurt him with body shots, but had to settle for an upset victory.

Jakob Bank (14-0), the rising super middleweight, got a solid workout from the tough Georgian journeyman Iago Kiziria (7-15). Bank dominated and won via scores of 78-72 from the two judges and the scoring referee, but while the win was clear and beyond dispute, Bank also posed too much and threw a lot of ineffective arm punches. KIziria protected himself well and scored with some good counters (he also won a round on BoxingScene's scorecard).

The local hero, the middleweight Victor Hoveling (5-0), stopped Venezuelan veteran Luis Araguayan (16-16) at 1.53 of the second round. Araguayan showed little punch resistance, and was floored twice in the second, and once in the first. 

Morten Givskov (3-0), the heavyweight prospect, knocked out Georgia’s Paata Aduashvili (10-36-3) at 1.44 of the second round in an all southpaw contest. Givskov first dropped his out-of-shape opponent with a left to the body, and he then finished him with a combination to the head. Givskov shows potential, but needs to step up the level of his opposition.

The cruiserweight Steffen Rorstrom (3-0) had by then stopped Venezuela’s Pedro Perales (5-3-2), who retired and didn't come out for the sixth and final round. Rorstrom, a southpaw and much heavier than Perales, dominated behind his jab but could never hurt his opponent.

*

Agon's Italian middleweight Etinosa Oliha (21-0) stopped Germany’s Alexander Pavlov (21-4) in an IBF eliminator at the Agon Sportpark in Berlin. Pavlov was floored in the third round but got up, but he then injured his arm and was forced to retire.

*

Super bantamweights Vincenzo La Femina (14-1) and Jordan Camacho (10-0) will fight on October 26 in Palermo, Italy. In the co-feature of the OPI since 82 promotion, Armando Casamonica (13-0) and Alessandro Fersula (10-6) fight for the national super-lightweight title.

If the final stage of metamorphosis for the new and improved Anthony Joshua is the achievement of a zen state, Daniel Dubois would do well to pack his ballistic helmet and suit of armor for their heavyweight clash Saturday at London’s Wembley Stadium.

In an interview with Matchroom Boxing’s YouTube channel , Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) was still and sedate while exuding a predatory confidence about the fight and its lead-up. He spoke of his match with Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) and its obligations as if it were yet another walk around the block to the corner bodega.

“Another day for me,” Joshua said. “Do some media stuff. Spirits are good, actually. Prepared for this. So it's not like taking time out of my schedule. Fits in well. And another day, another lion in the jungle, another lion ready to hunt. It’s just another day for me.”

Of course, we’ve been hearing about this version of Joshua at least since he began working with current trainer Ben Davison ahead of AJ’s win over Otto Wallin in December 2023. A more deliberate Joshua. More calculating. More effective?

“Preparation is everything,” Joshua said when told by Matchroom’s interviewer that his demeanor in the gym only a week earlier was “almost scarily relaxed.”

“If you prepare, you’re relaxed, because you’ve taken yourself there physically. You’ve taken yourself there mentally, and you truly believe in yourself. So I’m good.”

Yet Joshua presumably brought roughly the same focus, and spent similar amounts of time and emotional capital, in preparing for previous opponents – including Oleksandr Usyk in back-to-back fights, both AJ defeats, in 2021 and 2022. 

The prevailing theory behind those missteps – and some of Joshua’s own past words, which have bordered on blame-shifting – place responsibility on AJ’s former longtime trainer Rob McCracken. A move away from McCracken was followed by time spent in the gym with Derrick James, Angel Fernandez, Robert Garcia and, finally, Davison.

Joshua is on record as saying that by the time of his first career loss – a shocking upset at the hands of Andy Ruiz in 2019 – he had already stopped developing. When he began efforts to remake himself as a boxer-puncher, still under the tutelage of McCracken, Joshua says he discovered the limits of the partnership. It was Usyk who helped reveal it: “He is the master of that shit,” Joshua told “ The Boxing Show ” podcast last year.

But these days, Joshua and his team dwell less on past failings and focus more on the improvements that have breathed life into his career and leave him 12 rounds – or fewer – away from taking possession of a major heavyweight title for the third time in his career, and for the first time in more than two years.

“When we first started, we were a little bit raw, we were a little bit naive,” said promoter Eddie Hearn, who may have been referring only to Joshua but just as easily could have been including himself in the equation. When the promotion signed AJ back in 2013, Hearn had been at the Matchroom helm only two years and, at the time, was Joshua’s current age, 34.

“We knew what we were doing, but you don't really know what you're doing at that age,” Hearn said. “And as life develops, you just get a better understanding of what it's all about, how to compete, how to win. And now I look at him as a seasoned fighter – just like I looked at Canelo Alvarez when I was with him last week, or the Klitschkos. We're of that level now, and we're of that experience. And I think you relax a lot more when you've been there so many times. The buzz is still there, but it's like he says – it's another fight. Whereas back then it was like, ‘Oh God, what are we actually doing? I don't really know what to expect, what's going to happen.’”

Hearn recalled with a grin when he and Joshua randomly showed up for AJ’s contract signing in matching waistcoats, “looking like a couple of snooker players.” Explaining one of the differences between now and then, he echoed Joshua’s earlier sentiment, noting the assuredness that comes with experience and the calm in knowing that all the proper preparation has been done ahead of a night like the one ahead with Dubois.

At this, Joshua interjected and expressed something close to exuberance – at least compared to his previous tranquility.

“You can’t arrive here without having some sort of promise to be here,” Joshua said. “It has to be within you somewhere, because you can't just get here on pure luck. So yeah, we’re here. We’ve arrived. And if we can, let’s toast to a big show in Wembley. Let's go.”

Jason Langendorf is the former Boxing Editor of ESPN.com, has contributed to Ringside Seat and the Queensberry Rules, and has written about boxing for Vice, The Guardian, Chicago Sun-Times and other publications. A member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, he can be followed on X and LinkedIn , and emailed at dorf2112@hotmail.com.

IBF heavyweight world champion Daniel Dubois is gearing up for a defining moment in his career as he prepares to make a first defence of his world title against long-standing poster boy of British boxing, Anthony Joshua. Now, with all eyes on ‘Triple D’, one of his former stablemates has revealed details of a shocking spar that he and the fan-favourite knockout artist

Dubois received heaps of criticism for taking a knee during his stoppage defeat against Joe Joyce back in 2020 and the young prospect acted quick during the aftermath to split from trainer Martin Bowers and move in a different direction, appointing Mark Tibbs as his lead cornerman.

However, after just three months together, Dubois then decided to move on without even having a fight under Tibbs, instead opting to train under Shane McGuigan.

Although, those three months were enough for Dubois to cross paths with a then inexperienced super-middleweight named John Hedges, who now holds the Southern Area light-heavyweight title.

Speaking with , Hedges detailed the time that he accidentally punched Dubois in the face during a body spar.

“Me and him got on really well, as it goes. We were training together for about three months down at Newlands at the time, still under [Mark] Tibbs’ banner. It was one of them things, it was a freak accident. I’ll be honest with you, I was scared. I was trying to defend myself but he is a big man. Believe it or not, even if you duck to hit him, his head is still there.Liam Smith Replacement Confirmed As Josh Kelly Set To Remain On Joshua-Dubois Undercard

“He has got a big head on him, Joshua will know that when he gets into the ring with him but I accidentally hit him on the way out trying to defend myself and I had to try and call the spar off. It carried on and I was going ‘Daniel please, I didn’t mean to!’. There was no malice in it but it is one of them ones, it is boxing, Daniel is a gentleman and he is a very good man.”

“It was nice just to get the rounds in, I just wanted the experience. I think I was just a super-middleweight at the time, it is crazy.”

Dubois is now working with Don Charles, ditching McGuigan after two years in May 2023, but the improvements have been there for all to see, despite losing to Oleksandr Usyk in their first bout as a duo.

ll IBF heavyweight world champion.

Although, as a consequence of Dubois winning his belt outside of the ring, the 27-year-old still has it all to prove when he takes on ‘AJ’ in two weeks’ time at Wembley Stadium, in what looks set to be a famous night for British boxing.

#DanielDubois #AnthonyJoshua #Boxing2024 #IBFHeavyweightTitle #BoxingFans #BritishBoxing #AJFight #DuboisVsJoshua #HeavyweightClash #BoxingChampionship #KnockoutPower #WembleyStadium #DonCharles #JohnHedges #BoxingShowdown

In the eyes of many, Jai Opetaia has established himself as the top dog in the cruiserweight division over the last twelve months. Now the Australian is seeking to make the first defence of his second reign as IBF world champion but the man in the opposing corner, Jack Massey, believes he can exploit a chink in the armour of the undefeated title-holder.

A former IBO cruiserweight world champion, ‘One Smack’ Massey has always proven to be fearless when selecting opponents with the two defeats of his career coming against Richard Riakporhe and Joseph Parker, the latter being an unconventional and temporary step-up to heavyweight, but his meeting with Opetaia looks set to be the toughest test of the lot.

Although, Massey has already sprung one upset this year, that coming against Isaac Chamerlain on the Billam-Smith-Riakporhe undercard to claim the EBU European title and surge up the cruiserweight rankings, earning this world title shot on the blockbuster Beterbiev-Bivol card.

Speaking with Boxing News, Massey explained why he believes he can shock the world and put an end to Opetaia’s unbeaten streak, regardless of the fact that he is yet to experience a fight against a southpaw in his 24 professional outings to date.

“It is a very, very tough fight. It’s the first southpaw that I have come across in my professional career, but I have got Joe [Gallagher] in my corner and I have got a good corner team, we are working on things in camp and we have got a great game plan.

“He’s a very, very tough opponent and we have got a really tough night ahead of us but I am very confident of going in there and beating this guy. I am not turning up for no paydays, people know that anyway because I have said it in the past with the Parker fight.”Carl Froch Predicts Joshua-Dubois And Reveals The Undercard Fighter That Has Caught His Eye

“I believe that he is the best in the cruiserweight division, I think that he is at the top and that he is the best of the bunch. I am there to prove myself, there is no pressure on my side. He is a good fighter, but he has shown a few little leaks here and there with the last [Mairis] Briedis fight.

“I am a good twelve-round fighter, and I come on strong towards the end. I think that is what is going to be in my favour.

“He does like to get into a fight and sometimes, it showed in the last fight, he loads up a little bit too much. I think that is why he tired off during the back end of the fight because he was looking for that knockout and he was loading up, putting everything into his shots. That is when he let Briedis come into the fight, during the back end, but we can only see on the night, things change.”

Massey represents the third Briton that Opetaia has faced within the last year but the Cheshire-based contender will be hopeful that he does not face the same fate as Jordan Thompson and Ellis Zorro on October 12th, after both were brutally knocked out within four rounds.

#JaiOpetaia #JackMassey #CruiserweightChampion #BoxingTitleFight #IBFChampion #JoeGallagher #BoxingUpset #MasseyVsOpetaia #IsaacChamberlain #MairisBriedis #BoxingNews #BoxingStrategy #OpetaiaFight #BritishBoxing #CruiserweightDivision #BoxingFans

Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois are set to go toe-to-toe with one another in an all-British battle for the heavyweight world title. However, this will not be the first time that ‘AJ’ has

Joshua could become boxing’s fifth three-time ruler of the heavyweight division if he is successful in his title bid against his compatriot but even if ‘AJ’ casted his memory back to the year that he first claimed world honours, Dubois was still a name on his radar.

Whilst training under Rob McCracken, London 2012 gold medallist Joshua would regularly spar members of Team GB, including both Daniel Dubois and Frazer Clarke but those sessions with the amateurs were not completely one-sided, according to Anthony Fowler, a Team GB middleweight at the time.

In an interview with talkSPORT, Fowler recalled the fabled 2016 spar where Joshua was buzzed by an 18-year-old Dubois.

“They were just sparring normally. Dubois was really young, so he wasn’t really trying to win the rounds. I wouldn’t say he was in survival mode, but he wouldn’t take many risks.

“He was very cagey sparring Joshua. Obviously, Joshua was the main man on the team, so he was always quite wary, but he always punched really hard.

“Joshua must have been a little clumsy sparring him and he got caught with a short left-hook and Joshua’s legs completely went. Dubois could have hit him again and put him to sleep but Dubois had a bit too much respect for him to finish him off.Carl Froch Predicts Joshua-Dubois And Reveals The Undercard Fighter That Has Caught His Eye

“Obviously, everyone was stood there like ‘Wow’ and Joshua went and jogged around the ring because his legs were like jelly, and he was trying to get his legs back. Everyone was going ‘Wait, wait, wait’. Joshua wanted to carry on but Rob McCracken was like ‘Have a little break, get your legs back to normal, and then spar’ and then they continued sparring.

“He didn’t knock him out, he didn’t hit the floor but he was really, really hurt. Dubois probably could have hit him again and knocked him out, but he chose not to out of respect.”

Anthony Joshua would go on to become the IBF world champion with a stoppage win over Charles Martin, whilst Dubois would turn professional the following year.

These days, the roles are reversed and it is a rejuvenated ‘AJ’ challenging for Dubois’ IBF title, albeit as a sizeable favourite with the bookmakers. Still, Fowler went on to add his belief that Dubois is well capable of springing the upset.

“Joshua used to get the better of most of the sparring but Dubois nearly knocked him out with 18oz gloves and headguards so if he catches him with those 10oz gloves Joshua will be going to sleep.”

Joshua-Dubois will take place at Wembley Stadium, London next Saturday, topping a bill that features a plethora of high-quality domestic talent.