Just months after their legendary undisputed title showdown, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are chomping at the bit to go toe-to-toe once again and have begun exchanging words on social media as the clock ticks down ahead of their fascinating rematch.

Fury and Usyk met in the first undisputed heavyweight title bout of the century earlier this year and an instant classic ensued. At the halfway point, it seemed as though the size and awkwardness of the 6’9” ‘Gypsy King’ was a step too far for the former cruiserweight conqueror and that all four world titles would be headed back to Old Blighty in the hands of Tyson Fury.

However, as we have seen from the Ukrainian technician on countless occasions, Usyk was able to press the accelerator in the latter stages of the contest and almost halted the Briton in the ninth, before banking the final rounds to snatch the belts from under Fury’s nose and claim a famous split-decision win, putting an end to Fury’s 35-fight undefeated record.

Almost instantaneously, Fury utilised his option to trigger a rematch clause for the contest and Saudi catalyst Turki Al-Alshikh quickly pencilled in their second encounter in Riyadh for a December dust-up. Although, this time around, the undisputed throne will not be on the line.

Instead, Usyk was forced to vacate his IBF crown shortly after the Fury win with Daniel Dubois assuming position as IBF world champion after being upgraded from interim title-holder – a mantle earnt by knocking out Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic in June.

Still, with three belts on the line, the prospect of another meeting between two of the greatest heavyweights of this generation is one that is sure to captivate fans around the globe once again and the remarkable pre-fight build-up that has become expected of Al-Alshikh’s cards is likely to be as impressive as ever.

Yet, the pair needed no fancy promo, script or manufactured storyline to kick off pre-fight proceedings, as Oleksandr Usyk initiated the first back-and-forth ahead of their second scrap, simply asking his rival if he was ready in an Instagram post.

“My friend, Tyson Fury. I’m ready for 23rd December. Are you ready?”Edgar Berlanga Insane Fight Night Weight Gain Reported Against Canelo Alvarez🗣️ @usykaa 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒆 to @Tyson_Fury ahead of their rematch. #Usyk#TysonFury#Boxingpic.twitter.com/3Hltzxd9i6

— (@boxing_social) September 10, 2024

Meanwhile, Fury offered a more provocative response, informing the only fighter to have defeated him that he will be ‘smashed up’ on December 23rd.

“On the 23rd December you will still be smashed up, kid. The question is are you?”Tyson Fury with a message for Oleksandr Usyk on Instagram today ahead of their rematch on Dec 21st… pic.twitter.com/x5czgeqS5H

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) September 10, 2024

Despite what Usyk and Fury state, their second fight will take place on December 21st, with December 23rdconfusingly being the date that their original bout was scheduled for.

As for the undercard, further details are expected to be revealed during the aftermath of Artur Beterbiev’s undisputed light-heavyweight showdown against Dmitry Bivol on October 12th.

However, one clash that is being rumoured is a heavyweight affair between rising contender Martin Bakole and ageing Chinese knockout-artist Zhilei Zhang – with the victor expected to get a shot at world honours during 2025.

Jake Paul’s prolonged and controversial showdown with Mike Tyson has split the world of boxing with many believing that the bout should not be going ahead and others arguing that ‘Iron’ Mike is capable of making his own decisions. However, Eddie Hearn has always been clear on his thoughts ahead of the contest and he has now collided with Jake Paul’s former coach as a result.

In terms of pay-per-view figures within the sport, Jake Paul finds himself right amongst some of the most talented fighters on the planet due to his immense social media following and his pantomime villain portrayal. Although, his upcoming scrap with heavyweight veteran Tyson is one that followers of the sport feel has crossed the line, due to the 31-year age difference between the pair and Tyson’s almost two-decade stretch of inactivity.

Yet, in a social media post, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, Nakisa Bidarian, defended the bout and slammed Eddie Hearn for his public criticism, highlighting how the Brit is actually involved in the event through Katie Taylor’s lucrative rematch with Amanda Serrano.‼️ Nakisa Bidarian responds to Eddie Hearn after he stated that he would never be involved with Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson 🗣️

[Via – @MostVpromotions on IG] pic.twitter.com/9zyWQuZOsq

— IFN (@IfnBoxing) September 7, 2024

“I keep getting sent these articles of Eddie Hearn taking shots at Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson and how [he claims that] if you are involved then you have no empathy for the sport and how he would never been involved in a million years. Eddie, you are involved man. You are involved in a big way. Katie Taylor, your most celebrated fighter, is the co-main event and it is her biggest payday, as you know.”

Meanwhile, Paul’s former coach and one-time cruiserweight world title challenger BJ Flores exchanged his opinion with Hearn – who labelled the decision to make the fight as ‘sad’.Canelo Alvarez Names Next Target After Defeating Edgar Berlanga

BJF: “Eddie, I LOVE how you fight for your guys. You are 100% a TOP level business brain/boxing man. But let’s all admit that Jake Paul has done a massive amount for getting more eyeballs on the sport of boxing. Only 27-years-old. Jake moves the needle. Congrats to Katie [Taylor] and Amanda [Serrano].”

EH: “Absolutely, but from someone who idolised Mike Tyson and knows he should NEVER be in the ring again, I find it very sad.”

BJF: “100% understood. Mike wouldn’t have been my top choice. But, he is an absolute legend and a grown man that makes his own decisions. In addition, I think it will be more competitive than people think.”

EH: “He’s in his 50’s and when he last fought professionally 20 years ago it was sad to watch. I don’t believe he is healthy enough to fight and if it’s gonna be competitive then that says it all. As for a grown man making his own decisions, you know it’s up to the people around the fighters to make the right decision and you know he shouldn’t be fighting. You are a boxing man BJ! Anyway, god bless my friend.

Paul-Tyson will take place on November 15th at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas live on Netflix, where Mike Tyson will break a heavyweight world record just by hearing the opening bell.

British heavyweight veteran Derek Chisora has been campaigning in the division for 17 years now and has probably forgotten more about the fight game than most active fighters will ever know. As the ever-changing landscape of the sports’ glamour division, Chisora has

Turki Al-Alshikh’s invasion into the world of boxing has convinced fans that all fights are now possible and as such the heavyweight scene is thriving, with a first undisputed heavyweight title contest of the century hopefully marking a turning point where the best fights are regularly made rather than avoided.

Simultaneously, a resurgence from Anthony Joshua has seen ‘AJ’ being linked to a clash with Tyson Fury once again, after consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk were proved to have not spelt the end of Joshua’s time at the top table, despite the beliefs of many fans shortly after his second defeat to the Ukrainian.

Instead, Joshua’s decision to appoint Ben Davison as his new trainer has paid dividends and the two-time heavyweight conqueror now finds himself bidding for world honours once again, preparing to take on IBF champion Daniel Dubois next weekend.

In an interview with talkSPORT, Derek Chisora explained why he believes Joshua would not only come out on top against long-term rival Fury, but also that he would knockout Usyk in a trilogy contest.

“AJ will knock Fury out in six rounds and he will stop Usyk in round four. I’m telling you now. Because now he has got the right dancing partner, his trainer. That guy hasn’t stopped watching the two tapes of him fighting Usyk. Because he wants that fight badly, he wants the rematch. He wants Usyk to win the fight with Fury.”Edgar Berlanga Insane Fight Night Weight Gain Reported Against Canelo Alvarez

“I think the changes he’s made are Ben Davison and the people around him round him now. They’re listening to him, they’re understanding. They’ve gelled now. He was not knocking out his sparring partners and now he’s knocking them out. Because of Ben Davison.”

Meanwhile, as mentioned by ‘Del Boy’, Fury and Usyk are set to go toe-to-toe once again later this year. Regardless of the fact that Chisora believed his good friend to be ‘under-prepared’ for the first encounter, the 40-year-old fan-favourite went on to declare that Usyk will halt ‘The Gypsy King’ this time around.

“I don’t think Tyson was 100%. He had a massive cut. He didn’t spar the way that he wanted to spar and he was under-prepared. He was mucking around for the first four or five rounds because the confidence was not there. I think Usyk stops him this time. Him [Fury] and SugarHill Steward – that relationship is kind of dying down.”

Usyk-Fury II will take place on December 21st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with the trash talk that is ever-present in a Tyson Fury fight already getting underway.

WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis has been linked with unification showdowns against both Shakur Stevenson (WBC) and Vasyl Lomachenko (IBF) throughout 2024 but it seems as though neither of those contests will take place. Instead, the latest whispers suggested that Tank would move up to super-lightweight for an instant world title shot, although those rumours have now been shut down.

Davis was upgraded from WBA (Regular) champion to full world champion last year and has appeared just once since, stopping Frank Martin with a knockout of the year contender in a first defence of the belt that re-established beliefs that he is the man to beat at 135lbs.

Yet, despite the allure of the apparently illusive clashes with Stevenson and Lomachenko, recent rumours were that the Baltimore-born knockout-artist would step up to 140lbs and challenge for Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela’s WBA super-lightweight crown, after he defeated Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz for the strap in August.

Those rumours were seemingly confirmed by world-renowned trainer Ricky Funez, who revealed that Tank would face a Robert Garcia fighter, in an interview with Pro Boxing Fans.

“I know who it is. It’s a secret, it’s going to be out. It is not public yet but it will be in November and I think that it is going to be in Las Vegas against one of Robert Garcia’s fighters.”

However, Robert Garcia has informed ES News that Valenzuela will not be fighting Davis next, explaining that Rayo will not fight until February and that Isaac Cruz is expected to be the next opponent, as he has a right to invoke a rematch clause following his defeat.Edgar Berlanga Insane Fight Night Weight Gain Reported Against Canelo Alvarez

“[They are] not [fighting] November 2nd. If they hold the fight for February then we are in.,

“It’s a good fight, Tank is a bada** man. Tank is a bad mother****er but that is the challenge when you are a world champion, you want to unify, you want to f***ing defend your title and you want to go against the best. So that is a fight that I would love and I am pretty sure that Rayo would love it too but we would have to go through Pitbull [Cruz] first, unless Pitbull steps aside. I think that he wants the rematch.”

“I would like the rematch and then Tank but we can go straight into Tank – why not?”

With all three lightweight champions looking elsewhere, Davis is now limited in terms of who he could face on November 2nd. At present, WBA super-featherweight champion Lamont Roach and recent Stevenson opponent, Edwin De Los Santos, are the names that seem possible. Although, Roach would be coming up from a lower weight-class and De Los Santos is coming off of a loss so both fights would likely be criticized.

Alternatively, one man who has been calling for a showdown with Davis is undefeated 22-year-old Floyd Schofield, ranked #2 with the WBA, but his father and trainer has claimed that Davis will never step into the ring with his son.

After weeks of speculation, it has now been confirmed that Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez will face Chris Billam-Smith in the headline fight of the November Riyadh Season card in a showdown for the unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles. Yet, for the event billed as ‘Latino Night, there has been two eye-catching changes to the undercard.

Initial reports for the event revealed that undefeated lightweight title hopeful William Zepeda would take on former unified champion George Kambosos Jr. in preparation for an eventual bid for Shakur Stevenson’s WBC crown. Meanwhile Bektemir Melikuziev would collide with undefeated Guatemalan Lester Martinez with the victor sure to edge closer to a shot at the super-middleweight titles.

Both of those bouts came in addition to contests between former unified super-lightweight conqueror Jose Carlos Ramirez and Arnold Barboza Jr in yet another affair with a world title shot on the line, whilst Oscar Duarte is scheduled to face Chicago’s Kenneth Sims Jr. in the welterweight division to cap off a plethora of well-matched clashes on the main card.

Although, in an interview with iFL TV, a disappointed Eddie Hearn, who now promotes Shakur Stevenson, let slip that Zepeda would not be taking on his Australian lightweight rival whilst sharing his frustrations at the fact that the fight between Zepeda and Stevenson had been put on ice.

“We were a bit disappointed because I talked to Shakur, Josh Duban, and the guys today, and we were told that [William] Zepeda wouldn’t be available in October, November, or September because he was having a child.

“Now, we’re hearing I believe he’s going to fight Tevin Farmer. I thought he [Zepeda] was going to fight George Kambosos, but he’s not fighting George Kambosos. I hear it’s Tevin Farmer. We were ready to go straight into that Zepeda fight, but maybe they’re not. So, we’ll see,”Liam Smith Replacement Confirmed As Josh Kelly Set To Remain On Joshua-Dubois Undercard

Last night, the event was officially announced and it was done so with some obvious absentees as Hearn’s rumour was confirmed and George Kambosos Jr. was dropped from the bill, as was Melikuziev’s scrap with Martinez.

Zepeda, who is ranked as the number one contender with all four sanctioning bodies, will instead fight Tevin Farmer, former holder of the IBF super-featherweight crown, despite the fact that Farmer is coming off of a loss to Raymond Muratalla.

Furthermore, a second world title contest has been added to the bill as Puerto Rican minimumweight sensation Oscar Collazo hopes to make a fourth consecutive defence of the 105lb WBO strap against Mexico’s Edwin Cano Hernandez

Whilst the decision to drop Kambosos card is yet to be fully understood, Lester Martinez is set to fight tonight on Pro Box TV, so his fight could be added at a later date, providing he is able to overcome Joeshon James without any hiccups or injury.

Zurdo-Billam-Smith will take place on November 16th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and despite the quality of the card, the event will not be a pay-per-view one.

Canelo Alvarez is set to defend his unified super-middleweight titles against undefeated Puerto Rican Edgar Berlanga on Saturday night and both men are seeking a knockout win. However, upon hearing Berlanga’s prediction for the fight, the Mexican superstar struggled to keep a straight face.

Berlanga made a name for himself by winning the first 16 professional bouts of his career via first-round stoppages, putting the division on notice and convincing many that he could become a dominant champion in the future.

However, since that run was ended with a points win against Desmond Nicholson in 2021, ‘The Chosen One’ had underwhelmed and has been the beneficiary of some controversial scorecards.

Yet, after five consecutive decision victories, Berlanga put in an impressive display to halt Padraig McCrory earlier this year and has earnt this Saturday’s shot at Alvarez’s unified WBC, WBA & WBO titles as a result.

At the grand arrivals for the event, Edgar Berlanga told of his prediction to end the contest within six rounds and become the first man to stop Canelo Alvarez.

“I am ready, I have been in this game for over 20 years, we are about to make history, man. It is something special that is going to happen this weekend.

“This is war, it is Puerto Rico versus Mexico, it is something for the history books. As far as seeing Canelo, we always have respect for him and for his accolades, what he has done in the sport of boxing, but it is a fight on September 14th. We have got a big fight this weekend, he is going in there to hurt me and I have got to go in there to hurt him.

“I am going to knock him out in the sixth round. He told me eight rounds, I got him in six.”Liam Smith Replacement Confirmed As Josh Kelly Set To Remain On Joshua-Dubois Undercard

As for Canelo, the arguable ‘face of boxing’ is also in need of a knockout win, after going the distance in five back-to-back outings – the longest stretch of contests without a stoppage in his 65-fight career.

In a clip captured by Boxing News, Alvarez smiled as he explained that Berlanga brings nothing new to the table and revealed that he expects that the clash will not go past eight rounds.

“We will see. It is easy to say [that] but [on] Saturday he is going to see something different. It’s easy to say, we will see.

“Yeah, [I think I will knock him out in the eighth-round] or less.

“He is a good fighter, he is strong, young, but he is nothing new for me. I have fought everybody, every style, bigger than me, younger than me, older than me and so I know everything about boxing. I have a lot of experience, and he is going to feel it on Saturday night.”

Canelo-Berlanga takes place on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be available to watch live on Amazon Prime Video PPV around the globe.

Unified super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez will put all three of his belts on the line against undefeated Puerto-Rican contender Edgar Berlanga this weekend in a scrap that is unlikely to reach the final bell. Here, we at preview this weekend’s action and take a look at the additional fights on offer.

After former unified super-bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton (21-1) begins life as a featherweight on the prelims against Carlos Castro (30-2), attention will turn to the return of another recent world champion in Rolando Romero (15-2).

Rolly lost his WBA super-lightweight crown to Isaac Cruz back in March and has faced heaps of criticism since, with many fans ruling him out of world title contention in the future. However, Romero has shown glimpses of his quality in the past, notably in a relatively strong display against pound-for-pound star Gervonta Davis back in 2022, until Davis found the brutal knockout in the sixth-round.

Romero will face 24-year-old former WBC Youth champion Manuel Jaimes (16-1-1), who is on a four-fight win streak but is relatively unproven on the big stage and at the world level in what looks to be an intriguing crossroads battle.

Predicts – Rolando Romero by Decision

Fan-favourite former IBF super-middleweight champion Caleb Plant (22-2) will also be hoping to bounce back to winnings ways after two defeats in his last three contests – albeit against the likes of Canelo and David Benavidez. ‘Sweet Hands’ will end an 18-month spell of inactivity as he meets undefeated Trevor McCumby (28-0), who has banked three victors since ending a five-year hiatus in May 2023, although he is yet to prove himself to be of the same calibre as Plant.

With the 168lb world title a realistic possibility for Plant after Canelo was stripped and Benavidez and David Morrell moved up, a win here against the WBA #8 could thrust Plant back into the title picture after dropping out of the top fifteen with each of the other three sanctioning bodies.

Predicts – Caleb Plant by KO/TKOLiam Smith Replacement Confirmed As Josh Kelly Set To Remain On Joshua-Dubois Undercard

In the co-main event of the evening, 41-year-old Erislandy Lara (30-3-3) seeks to make a second defence of his WBA middleweight title against Danny Garcia (37-3) – in what is sure to be one of the highest combined age world title fights (77) this side of the 21st century. Lara was upgraded from Regular champion to full titleholder last year but proved himself worthy of the mantle with a second-round stoppage against Australian pantomime villain Michael Zerafa in March.

Meanwhile, former WBC super-lightweight and welterweight champion Garcia has fought just once since his 2020 defeat to Errol Spence Jr and will be fighting up at middleweight for the first time in what has to be deemed as a questionable world title opportunity. Nevertheless, the contest is still expected to be a closely-fought affair and if Garcia can make it past the opening six rounds we could see him spring an upset, but that is easier said than done.

Garcia did the full twelve rounds on his most recent outing against Jose Benavidez Jr. whilst Lara has won just one of his last three bouts to have gone the distance and has fought less rounds (11) since 2020 than the inactive Garcia (12), regardless of the fact that he has fought on three occasions to the challenger’s one.

Predicts – Danny Garcia by Decision

Finally, in the tenth contest of the evening, Canelo (61-2-2) and Berlanga (22-0) will take centre stage – each hopeful of securing a stoppage that will get the world talking. Alvarez has gone the distance for five consecutive bouts for the first time in his career after a dominant display against Jaime Munguia but his newfound tendency to go the distance has cost him his position as the pound-for-pound number one, as well as a sizeable portion of his pay-per-view draw.

Whilst Berlanga is yet to be defeated, he has been dropped in the past and he is likely to attempt to try and take the fight to Alvarez, given his phenomenal record of 16 successive knockouts from his debut onwards. Although that impressive run came to an end in 2021 and a string of unconvincing displays followed, his latest performance against Padraig McCrory may well have been his strongest to date and ‘The Chosen One’ is likely to be full of confidence, particularly against a supposedly declining Alvarez, who has not been in a fire fight for a number of years.

With both men predicting knockouts, the fabled chin of Canelo is likely to provide a further stumbling block for Berlanga and the challenger’s inexperience in the championship rounds, which he has only partaken in once, likely mean that Canelo will attempt to negate the early attacks of Berlanga before pressing his own accelerator in the latter stages.

Predicts – Canelo Alvarez by KO/TKO Rounds 7-12How To Watch

Canelo-Berlanga will take place on Saturday 14th September at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be available to purchase and watch live on Amazon Prime Video PPV or DAZN PPV.Full Card / Running OrderYoenli Hernandez (4-0) vs. Jose Sanchez Charles (21-5-1) – MiddleweightBek Nurmaganbet (11-0) vs. Joshua Conley (17-6-1) – Super-MiddleweightLawrence King (16-1) vs. Vaughn Williams (12-1) – Light-HeavyweightJonathan Lopez (16-0) vs. Richard Medina (15-2) – Super-FeatherweightRoiman Villa (26-2) vs. Ricardo Salas Rodriguez (19-2-2) – WelterweightStephen Fulton (21-1) vs. Carlos Castro (30-2) – FeatherweightRolando Romero (15-2) vs. Manuel Jaimes (16-1-1) – Super-LightweightCaleb Plant (22-2) vs. Trevor McCumby (28-0) – Super-MiddleweightErislandy Lara (30-3-3) vs. Danny Garcia (37-3) – WBA Middleweight TitleSaul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (61-2-2) vs. Edgar Berlanga (22-0) – WBC, WBO & WBA Super-Middleweight Titles

#CaneloAlvarez #EdgarBerlanga #CalebPlant #TrevorMcCumby #ErislandyLara #DannyGarcia #RolandoRomero #ManuelJaimes #Boxing #TMobileArena #DAZNPPV #AmazonPrimePPV #BoxingNight #SuperMiddleweight #BoxingFans #FightNight

Three-division world champion Shakur Stevenson was poised to make a second defence of WBC lightweight title against Wales’ Joe Cordina next month in an eyebrow-raising affair, but an injury has forced the American to withdraw. Now Stevenson has spoken out and revealed further details.

Stevenson was expected to take on William Zepeda, who is ranked as the number one contender with all four sanctioning bodies, before the end of the year until the Mexican asked for more time to prepare, only to then agree to a fight against an alternate opponent instead – much to the disappointed of Eddie Hearn, promoter of Stevenson.

The undefeated Newark sensation opted to make an additional defence of his strap whilst waiting for Zepeda and it was announced that he would give the opportunity to two-time IBF super-featherweight champion Joe Cordina, who would be coming in off of the back of a first career loss.

However, last night it was confirmed that the contest would no longer be going ahead due to a knuckle injury sustained by the champion and Hearn told Matchroom Boxing that he expects his new signing to make a ring return in early 2025, which is likely to be against Zepeda.

“He sent a pic of his hand last night after a session of sparring I believe; he has torn a tendon in his knuckle and has had to have immediate surgery. So unfortunately, he is out of the Joe Cordina fight on October 12thand won’t return until early 2025. As I said he has gone straight into surgery, so we are hoping for a good job in there and then back to work as soon as possible. He is very disappointed, obviously he was looking forward to fighting at Riyadh Season but obviously he had to get this done to continue fighting.”

On social media, Shakur Stevenson declared that 2025 will be his greatest year yet as the 2016 Rio silver medallist targets unification showdowns in the lightweight division, confirming the success of his emergency surgery.Liam Smith Replacement Confirmed As Josh Kelly Set To Remain On Joshua-Dubois Undercard

“God works in mysterious ways. Through the ups and downs, I’m steady, hungry and motivated more than ever. 2025 is going to be my best year yet. Surgery went great, it’s a minor setback for a major comeback. #ChasingGreatness.”

As for Cordina, it remains unclear whether he will remain on the Riyadh Season card, as he hopes to bounce back from his May defeat to Anthony Cacace. Speaking with iFL TV, Hearn admitted that the decision has not yet been decided.

“I don’t know, to be honest with you, it is all quite fresh. So, we will have to see.”

The remainder of the Beterbiev-Bivol card will take place on October 12 as the undisputed light-heavyweight title for the first time since the dawn of the four-belt era, whilst the likes of Jai Opetaia, Chris Eubank Jr. and a rematch between Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke appear on the stacked undercard.

#ShakurStevenson #StevensonVsCordina #BoxingInjury #WBCChampion #JoeCordina #EddieHearn #LightweightChampion #ChasingGreatness #RiyadhSeason #WilliamZepeda #Boxing2025 #StevensonComeback #StevensonInjury #KnuckleSurgery #BoxingNews

After being surrounded by seemingly endless controversy since the beginning of the year, Ryan Garcia appears to have mapped out his return to the world of boxing, targeting one fellow pound-for-pound contender ahead of his comeback.

Ryan Garcia suffered a damning defeat to Gervonta Davis back in 2023 but was able to bounce back with a stoppage victory over Oscar Duarte last December after ditching trainer Joe Goossen in favour of a move to work under Derrick James.

Following that victory, Garcia moved on to another blockbuster pay-per-view clash, squaring off against Devin Haney in what was originally a bid for the undefeated champion’s WBC super-lightweight title, until Garcia missed weight by four pounds and forwent the title opportunity. Still, the pair proceeded with the show and Garcia put together a career-best display to drop ‘The Dream’ on three occasions and pick up a majority-decision victory in one of the performances of the year.

However, shortly afterwards it was revealed that Garcia had failed a drugs test on both the day of the weigh-in and the day of the fight, which eventually resulted in his win being declared as a no contest and ‘King Ry’ being handed a one-year ban from the sport.

Still, in spite of the ban, Garcia has been vocal in his callouts of many opponents but has maintained that he will be unable to make the super-lightweight limit in the future.

In his latest social media request, the Californian called for a showdown with WBO super-lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez, who has also been rumoured to be eyeing a move up to the welterweight division in the past.Ryan Garcia vs Teofimo Lopez

For my return in April

Let’s make it happen teo

— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) September 12, 2024Carl Froch Predicts Joshua-Dubois And Reveals The Undercard Fighter That Has Caught His Eye

“Ryan Garcia vs Teofimo Lopez. For my return in April. Let’s make it happen Teo.”

Lopez is coming off of the back of disappointing points wins over Jamaine Ortiz and Steve Claggett but has the unteachable tendency of being able to step up to the occasion when tasked against the bigger names in the sport – notably defeating both Vasyl Lomachenko and Josh Taylor in the past.

When asked of his thoughts ahead of a potential scrap with Garcia earlier this summer, ‘The Takeover’ refused to rule out the proposed fight for the future and admitted his belief that he and the controversial 26-year-old would make for a ‘great fight’, Lopez told ‘Compas On The Beat’.

“Absolutely [I would take that fight in the future]. Ryan is just Ryan, he likes to do what he likes to do and he likes to talk. He likes to rile up the media, however the guy is very nice and polite in person. So, he is just who he is and I think that is what makes him ‘King Ry’. Overall, I wish him nothing but the best, to him and his family, to his mother. I think that, if that comes around, we will make a great fight.”

As mentioned by Garcia, it is expected that he will return in late April 2025 due to the fact that his one-year ban was backdated to his April 20th fight date against Haney. Meanwhile, Teofimo Lopez’s move to welterweight could be imminent, with each of the three other champions at 140lbs looking elsewhere, much to his frustration.

#RyanGarcia #GarciaVsLopez #TeofimoLopez #Boxing2025 #KingRy #BoxingComeback #RyanGarciaReturn #TeofimoVsGarcia #SuperLightweight #WelterweightBoxing #GarciaTeo #BoxingShowdown #GarciaVsLopez2025 #BoxingRumors #BoxingFans

We are now just over one week away from Anthony Joshua’s bid to become boxing’s fifth three-time heavyweight world champion, as the longstanding poster boy of British boxing seeks to end the reign of Daniel Dubois at the first attempt. Here, we at preview next weekend’s action and take a look at the additional fights on offer.

The staging of the Wembley version of Riyadh Season represents the first foray into the U.K. market for newfound catalyst of boxing Turki Al-Alshikh, but that is not to say that the Saudi kingpin is unaware of the domestic talent on offer in Old Blighty. In fact, one of Al-Alshikh’s favourite fighters is Portsmouth’s undefeated lightweight contender Mark Chamberlain (16-0), so it is no surprise that he will open the card and fight on a third consecutive Al-Alshikh show.

Ranked as the number eight world contender with the WBO after his successes in Riyadh, Chamberlain is now being linked with a shot at WBO world champion Denys Berinchyk in a move that will truly show the benefit of having close ties with Al-Alshikh and cap off a meteoric rise for the 25-year-old southpaw. Yet, to earn that opportunity, Chamberlain will likely need another impressive display against Doncaster’s Josh Padley (14-0).

A showdown at Wembley Stadium is a monumental step up for Padley, whose last two fights have taken place in Malta and then at the banqueting suite at Elland Road, so it would have to be considered as a major shock if the Yorkshireman manages to spring the upset against a supposed world title contender, although stranger things have happened.

Predicts; Mark Chamberlain by KO/TKO

Another man to shine on a recent Al-Alshikh card was Scottish light-heavyweight Willy Hutchinson (18-1), who triumphed over Craig Richards as the underdog on June’s ‘five versus five’ card. That victory has thrust Hutchinson up amongst the top British contenders in a stacked domestic division, putting his brutal 2021 stoppage defeat to Lennox Clarke behind him and beginning to deliver on that amateur pedigree that was lauded during the early stages of his career.

However, Hutchinson will be tasked with a man who is considered by many to be Britain’s greatest hope in the light-heavyweight scene, Rio 2016 bronze medallist turned undefeated British champion, Joshua Buatsi (18-0) – who dominated against Dan Azeez in his lone appearance during 2024 thus far.

Buatsi has been patient in picking a time to push on for world honours but at 31-years-old, the time seems right to press the accelerator in his career and another strong display against Hutchinson could give him the confidence to accept the challenge for the belts.

The WBO interim light-heavyweight title will be up for grabs in this contest and the victor will be well poised for a potentially vacant title shot, given the upcoming undisputed title showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol that will likely lead to fragmented world titles.

The allure of the belt or a potential scrap with the winner of Beterbiev-Bivol, added to the ongoing pre-fight drama between the Buasti and Hutchinson, makes the contest an intriguing and tense one and it really could go either way.

Predicts; Joshua Buatsi by Decision

Anthony Cacace’s (22-1) win over Joe Cordina on the Fury-Usyk undercard rocked the 130lb division back in May as he managed to hand the Welshman the first defeat of his career and claim the IBF super-featherweight title.

Cacace has not lined up an easy dance partner for his return to the United Kingdom – far from it. Instead, he will take on two-time featherweight champion Josh Warrington (31-3-1), a man famed for his rough and relentless style who steps up in weight after he came close to defeating Leigh Wood for the WBA featherweight title last October.

Coming off of the back of two defeats and moving up to super-featherweight, there is a sense of last chance saloon in this contest for ‘The Leeds Warrior’ but the 33-year-old has that unteachable knack of turning up at his best when he is needed to and the clash of styles between he and Cacace is sure to culminate in an enthralling back-and-forth encounter.

Predicts; Josh Warrington by Decision

A lot has been made of Hamzah Sheeraz’s (20-0) potential over the last twelve months and the 25-year-old middleweight has both the confidence and hype to emerge as a superstar in the near future.

His 6’3” frame has seen complimentary comparisons to the likes of Thomas Hearns and Sheeraz’s ability to not only use his stature to his advantage but also be willing to fight in a phonebooth makes him an exciting watch each time he takes to the ring, whilst a run of fourteen consecutive knockout wins shows that Frank Warren’s man has the power to cause problems for any middleweight on the planet.

Yet, Sheeraz is not the only man going into this bout with a heap of momentum behind them. Since losing out to Linus Udofia in 2019, Tyler Denny (19-2-3) has blossomed from a two-time unsuccessful English title challenger into a European champion with wins over the likes of Felix Cash, Brad Pauls and Brad Rea.Liam Smith Replacement Confirmed As Josh Kelly Set To Remain On Joshua-Dubois Undercard

The 33-year-old has been overlooked continuously throughout his career but those expecting a Sheeraz showcase and writing Denny off should do so at their own peril. The never-say-die nature that is typical of so many competitors from the Midlands is not an attribute lost on the game Tyler Denny, who will likely give Sheeraz his toughest test to date.

Denny is capable of throwing a spanner into the works and will be a hard opponent to look good against, which Sheeraz will be desperate to do amid rumours of a possible meeting with Chris Eubank Jr. in the future. If Sheeraz is able to run through Denny as some expect him to, it is even more of a statement win than many would deem it and would signal that he is ready for Eubank Jr. or a world title opportunity.

Predicts; Hamzah Sheeraz by Decision

Former WBO super-welterweight champion Liam Smith (33-4-1) is another man eyeing up middleweight glory in a wide-open division, fresh from a disappointing stoppage defeat in his rematch with Eubank Jr.

On that occasion, it is safe to say that viewers did not witness to best version of ‘Beefy’, who was since spoken out and admitted that he made mistakes in the build-up and was not truly fit to fight, but still the ghosts of that performance will need to be forgotten if the Liverpudlian is to succeed here.

With no excuses for a similar showing, Smith has been matched up with the ever-confident Josh Kelly (15-1-1), a slick, hard to pin down operator that is hoping to advance to the world stage. In a crossroads battle, Smith will need to slow down the movement of his younger dance partner but the blueprint has been laid out by David Avanesyan in the past, after the Armenian battered Kelly from pillar to post in a 2021 knockout win.

Kelly has taken to the super-welterweight division like a duck to water since moving up following the bruising defeat to Avanesyan and has since become British champion but here he moves up once again to 160lbs and it will be interesting to see whether he can cope with the timing and punch power of Smith.

Predicts; Josh Kelly by Decision

Finally, we will come to the main-event where Anthony Joshua (28-3) and Daniel Dubois (21-2) meet in a third all-British heavyweight title fight in as many years.

Dubois was heavily criticised for the manner of his stoppage defeats to both Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk in the past, taking a knee on both occasions and accepting the losses, being labelled as a ‘quitter’ as a result.

Although, those decisions appear to have paid dividends as a stubborn Dubois has been birthed, scoring back-to-back emphatic knockout wins against both Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic since losing out to Usyk, the latter resulting him being crowned as the IBF heavyweight champion.

The partnership between Don Charles and ‘Triple D’ has made Dubois a formidable force and the punch power that has been evident from his days as an amateur mean any opponent must always air on the side caution when exchanging with the front-footed brute, especially one such as Joshua who has shown vulnerability in the past.

However, there has been no signs of vulnerability in the new version of Anthony Joshua since teaming up with Ben Davison, resulting in two devastating stoppage wins.

A resurgent ‘AJ’ has rediscovered his confidence and killer instinct since adding Davison to his team, picking his shots well and capitalizing when his opponents have been wounded.

A superb dismantling of Otto Wallin was followed up by a knockout of the year contender against Francis Ngannou that has convinced many that Joshua is back to his best but an in-form Dubois can be expected to meet him in the centre of the ring if the two-time champion wishes for a war.

One talking point that has been mentioned throughout the build-up is the ease at which Dubois was hit in the early rounds of his clash against Hrgovic this year, a mistake that will no doubt prove costly if Joshua is presented with the same openings.

Whether Joshua will fall back into his gun-shy style or trust himself and his body enough to fight through the fire and dish out punishment of his own remains to be seen and will likely determine the outcome.

Predicts; Anthony Joshua by KO/TKO Rounds 4-6How To Watch

The full Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois card will be available to watch/purchase via Sky Sports Box Office, DAZN PPV and TNT Sports Box Office for £19.99, with each broadcaster offering a different commentary team.Date And Time

The event will take place on Saturday September 21st at Wembley Stadium, London with the first fight expected to take place around 5pm BST and the main-event ring walks pencilled in for 10pm BST.Full CardMark Chamberlain (16-0) vs. Josh Padley (14-0) – LightweightJoshua Buatsi (18-0) vs. Willy Hutchinson (18-1) – WBO Light-Heavyweight Interim TitleAnthony Cacace (22-1) vs. Josh Warrington (31-3-1) – Super-FeatherweightTyler Denny (19-2-3) vs. Hamzah Sheeraz (20-0) – MiddleweightLiam Smith (33-4-1) vs. Josh Kelly (15-1-1) – MiddleweightDaniel Dubois (21-2) vs. Anthony Joshua (28-3) – IBF Heavyweight Title

#AnthonyJoshua #JoshuaVsDubois #HeavyweightTitle #BoxingHistory #JoshuaThreeTimeChampion #DanielDubois #WembleyFight #AJBoxing #BritishBoxing #DuboisVsJoshua #BoxingLegends #JoshuaComeback #UKBoxing #Boxing2024 #WembleyStadiumFight

Over eight years since his most recent fight, Shane Mosley Sr. will return to the ring in two weeks’ time as the pound-for-pound legend seeks to roll back the years and prove that he has still got some of the skills that saw him become a three-division world champion.

After dominating as a lightweight champion in the 1990’s, Mosley stepped up to welterweight and was tasked with fellow superstar Oscar De La Hoya in a monumental battle in 2000. Mosley was able to edge out the contest and maintain his undefeated record with a split-decision win, earning the WBC welterweight crown – which he defended on three further occasions.

However, back-to-back defeats against Vernon Forrest spelled the end of the Californian’s first spell at welterweight and a rematch with De La Hoya ensued at 154lbs, where Mosley was able to best his rival once again to this time pick up the unified super-welterweight titles. Yet, in a similar fashion to the Forrest defeats, Mosley would suffer consecutive losses to Winky Wright and lose his belts.

Mosley would float between 147lbs and 154lbs for the remainder of his career and fight the biggest names in boxing, but he still managed to claim world honours by knocking out Antonio Margarito for the WBA welterweight strap before defeats to Manny Pacquiao, Canelo Alvarez and Floyd Mayweather in a tough run of four bouts without a win between 2010 and 2012.

In 2017, following defeat to David Avanesyan, Mosley hung up the gloves due to a botched elbow surgery, calling time on his phenomenal 24-year professional career and admitting that it was ‘surreal to learn that he could never fight again’, in an interview with ESPN.

“I went in for a minor arthroscopic surgery to remove a couple loose bone fragments from my elbow and the surgery turned into a whole ordeal after the surgeon admittedly ‘accidentally’ burned me on my forearm, leading to a sick infection and needing like four or five days of IV antibiotics and two weeks of antibiotics at home. It was crazy and surreal to learn that I could never fight again.”Edgar Berlanga Insane Fight Night Weight Gain Reported Against Canelo Alvarez

However, eight years later it appears as though Mosley’s body has recovered enough to U-turn on that decision, as he fights in a light-heavyweight exhibition affair in Philadelphia against local boxing trainer Bob Kofroth under the Official Celebrity Boxing [OCB] banner.

Ahead of the event, CEO of OCB and former professional boxer, Damon Feldman, explained the importance of bringing events back to the area where he first learnt how to fight.

“Bringing this back to the Philadelphia area is very important to me. This is where I learned to fight, and I have wanted to bring the fights back to the place where I grew up for a very long time. It’s time to show Philadelphia what Official Celebrity Boxing is all about.”

Kofroth vs. Mosley will take place in The Event Center at the Harrah’s Casino in Philadelphia on Saturday September 28th, topping a bill which also features former WBO super-lightweight challenger Hank Lundy, as well as local rapper ‘Freeway’ and Kimbo Slice Jr., son of the fan-favourite martial-artist of the same name.

#ShaneMosley #MosleyReturn #BoxingLegend #BoxingComeback #MosleyVsKofroth #PhiladelphiaBoxing #OCBBoxing #CelebrityBoxing #BoxingNews #MosleyInTheRing #FightNight #Mosley2024 #HarrahsCasino #BoxingHistory #MosleyLegacy

In recent years, boxing fans have become accustomed to the ever-present threats sent between Golden Boy Promoter Oscar De La Hoya and his former fighter, Canelo Alvarez. However, ahead of Canelo’s fight tomorrow night, De La Hoya may even be routing for his fiercest rival, after a fiery exchange with Canelo’s opponent continued.

Canelo Alvarez has made it clear that he will not be pressured into fights that he does not wish to take over the last couple of years, opting to take on the likes of John Ryder and Jaime Munguia rather than David Benavidez or David Morrell, much to the disappointment of his fans.

On this occasion, Canelo has selected undefeated New Yorker Edgar Berlanga to be in the opposing corner and De La Hoya has spoken out and slammed the decision before labelling Berlanga as both a fake Puerto Rican and a sub-par opponent.

At the fight week press conference for the event, which De La Hoya has announced he will not be attending, Berlanga addressed the six-division world champion and threatened to ‘smack him’ after his consistent slander of the pay-per-view event.

“F**k Oscar De La Hoya, that mother****er. He keeps talking and talking, we are going to smack him when we see him. He has got to stop, he is trying to f**k up the event.”

In response, De La Hoya continued to poke fun at Berlanga, who sensationally scored 16 consecutive first-round knockout wins in his first 16 professional bouts, questioning why Puerto Rican’s are not travelling to Las Vegas to support him as they did for fan-favourite Felix Trinidad – who became the first man to defeat De La Hoya when they met in 1999.Liam Smith Replacement Confirmed As Josh Kelly Set To Remain On Joshua-Dubois Undercard

“Edgar Berlanga, you stopped your press conference yesterday to mention my name! You said that you are going to slap me when you see me next! Why? Because I asked to see your Puerto Rican birth certificate because you are not really Puerto Rican? I am asking because, when I fought [Felix] Trinidad, he had the entire island travel to Las Vegas to support him.

“Or are you upset because I said that you are a sub-par opponent for Canelo? These are the facts bro, don’t let them get you rattled. Dude, you are not fighting me, you are distracted and you better get locked in because Canelo is going to tap that a** this weekend!

“Good luck and enjoy your first and last pay-per-view experience!”

Canelo-Berlanga will take place on Saturday night (September 14th) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Nevada, topping a card that features two former opponents of Alvarez’s as well as the return of former world champions Rolando Romero and Stephen Fulton.

The full card will be available to watch live on Amazon Prime Video PPV and is priced at £19.99 for fans in the United Kingdom, with the main card set to begin at 1am BST and the ring walks for Canelo-Berlanga scheduled for 4am BST.

#OscarDeLaHoya #EdgarBerlanga #CaneloAlvarez #GoldenBoyPromotions #CaneloBerlanga #BoxingDrama #BoxingRivalry #PPV #CaneloFight #BoxingPressConference #TMobileArena #BoxingNews #AmazonPrimePPV #CaneloVsBerlanga #BoxingBeef

Whilst many heavyweights have thrived under the Saudi spotlight, the career of Deontay Wilder is one that has spiralled into disaster since Turki Al-Alshikh’s invasion into the sport. Estranged from the heavyweight title picture and left with little options, many fans have called for the ‘Bronze Bomber’ to walk away from the ring and the American power-puncher now appears to have come to a decision.

The Tuscaloosa talisman has been blessed with devastating knockout power throughout his long career, arguably giving him a puncher’s chance against any heavyweight on the planet and a shot at reclaiming his WBC world title.

However, a whitewash defeat to Joseph Parker cost Wilder a career-defining showdown with Anthony Joshua at the end of last year before a stoppage defeat to Zhilei Zhang appeared to mark the final nail in the coffin for any hopes of seeing Wilder return to the heavyweight throne.

Yet, in an interview with Genting Casino, Wilder’s trainer and former opponent Malik Scott declared that his fighter would not be hanging up the gloves just yet, and opened the door for a possible encounter against Derek Chisora – who is looking for an opponent for a December outing in Manchester.

“Deontay has the heart of a lion and is willing to go out on his shield in the ring. He’ll be back. Deontay will fight again. He still has a bright future in boxing, especially at the high level. Losses happen in boxing, even to the greatest fighters. Right now, he’s doing very well; recovering, enjoying life, and heavily involved in real estate and investing. He just had a great vacation with his kids. Life is good for him.”

“I remember a time when Derek Chisora wanted to fight Deontay just because he’s into fighting dangerous people. That’s what he likes to do. There was a time when it seemed Team Eddie Hearn didn’t want AJ to fight Deontay. And that’s understandable, considering AJ was their investment, and they had their own path mapped out. As for Ngannou, he and Deontay have been in talks before.Liam Smith Replacement Confirmed As Josh Kelly Set To Remain On Joshua-Dubois Undercard

“These fights have always been in the mix, but they just never materialised. It’s a blessing that you can take two losses, but your name and reputation are still so big that you’re mentioned at the highest level. Deontay’s still in the realm of big fights, still in a position to make a lot of money and history. He’s very blessed.”

Additionally, Scott went on to explain why he and Wilder refuse to listen to the doubters who are advising him to hang up the gloves, detailing why such negative energy should be instead used as motivation.

“The same type of people who want Deontay to retire told Muhammad Ali not to fight George Foreman. They said George Foreman shouldn’t have fought Michael Moorer. They said Simon Brown shouldn’t have fought Terry Norris, and that Meldrick Taylor was too young to fight Chavez.

“They said Chavez would walk through Pernell Whitaker. These naysayers are part of the sport, and we need them. They provide the energy that keeps the fighters motivated and pushes managers and promoters. In my opinion, they’re wrong 8 out of 10 times, but it’s all part of the game.”

Wilder will almost certainly need a win in his next bout if he is to maintain his position as one of the biggest names in the heavyweight division. Although, now bereft of the confidence that made him so feared, a battle with Derek Chisora appears a lot less one-sided than it did when ‘Del Boy’ called for the fight two years ago.

#DeontayWilder #DerekChisora #Boxing #HeavyweightBoxing #BronzeBomber #WilderVsChisora #BoxingComeback #MalikScott #ZhileiZhang #AnthonyJoshua #AJvsWilder #EddieHearn #BoxingFans #WBC #RealEstate

Canelo Alvarez has revealed who he wants to fight next after he defeated Edgar Berlanga to retain his WBC, WBA and WBO super-middleweight titles.

The two men were fighting at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with Alvarez dropping Berlanga on his way to a wide unanimous decision win.

Canelo was in control throughout the bout, and dropped Berlanga in round three after a left hook. The Puerto Rican showed great heart throughout the contest though, displaying that he would not give up.

Despite his bravery, Alvarez remained dominant, with the fight going the distance and the judges scoring it 118-109, 118-109 and 117-110 in the Mexican’s favour, who was pleased with his victory.

“I did good. Now what are they gonna say? They said I don’t fight young fighters. They always talk, but I’m the best fighter in the world.

“I got a little angry with his tactics, but I’m Mexican man. It means a lot to fight on this day. It’s an honor to represent my country on this day.

“My experience and my talent was the difference. It’s about hard work and intelligence. It’s everything together. If you have talent, you need discipline as well.

“A lot of people say we can’t, but we can. Las Vegas is like a second home for Mexicans. We are warriors and we never give up. I’m going to rest and then I’m going to decide what’s next.”Carl Froch Predicts Joshua-Dubois And Reveals The Undercard Fighter That Has Caught His Eye

In terms of what is next, Canelo shocked many over the weekend when he revealed that he is targeting a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, provided he comes out on top in his undisputed title fight with Artur Beterbiev next month.

Bivol defeated Canelo back in May 2022, claiming a close unanimous decision win to deny the Mexican the chance to win the WBA light-heavyweight title.

As for Berlanga, the loss to Alvarez was the first defeat of his professional career, and he acknowledged how difficult it was going against the pound-for-pound great.

“I’m upset because at the end of the day I’m a winner. I fought a legend tonight and did my best to represent Puerto Rico. We’re fighters and we try to throw our opponent off their game.

“I took his best shot and I knew I could take his punches and return them. I could have jabbed a lot more, but I was in there with a legend.”

Elsewhere on the Canelo card, Erislandy Lara claimed a ninth round retirement win over Danny Garcia to retain his WBA middleweight title, and Caleb Plant stopped Trevor McCumby in the ninth round to win to win the interim WBA super-middleweight title.

There was also a dominant unanimous decision win for Rolly Romero against Manuel Jaimes, while Stephen Fulton recovered from a fifth round knockdown to defeat Carlos Castro by split decision.

#CaneloAlvarez #EdgarBerlanga #DmitryBivol #Boxing #LasVegasFights #SuperMiddleweigh t#CaneloBerlanga #CaneloVsBivo #BoxingChampio #WBCChampion #WBAChampion #WBOSuperMiddleweigh t#BoxingRematch #PuertoRicanBoxing #MexicanPride

A few days ago, it was confirmed that Liam Smith had been forced to withdraw from his intriguing showdown with Josh Kelly and with the event scheduled to take place around one week later, it seemed as though Kelly would not be making an appearance on the bill. Yet, the allure of such a high-profile card gave hope that another middleweight would step up to the plate and now a late-notice replacement has been officially confirmed.

Smith, a former WBO super-welterweight champion, shocked the country when he upset the odds to become the first man to knock out Chris Eubank Jr. back in January 2023, despite the fact that he was made to move up in weight for the opportunity. Although, their rematch was less fruitful for ‘Beefy’, who underwhelmed in a reversed one-sided display that culminated in a stoppage defeat of his own, later revealing a host of pre-fight issues and admitting that he was not fit to fight.

Seeking to bounce back from that humbling rematch, the scouser accepted the call to take on slick Sunderland-born contender Josh Kelly in a crossroads clash that would likely thrust the victor into another showdown on the big stage – possibly even for world honours. However, just days out from the fight it was announced that Smith had pulled out, citing a virus as the reasoning rather than anything relating to the weight struggles that he suffered before the Eubank rematch.

With the clock ticking, Turki Al-Alshikh seemed reluctant to take ‘Pretty Boy’ Kelly off of the card and thus the search for a replacement began, but this search was aided by the ever-present British boxing manager Lee Eaton, after he immediately put Ishmael Davis’ name into the hat.If the rumours are true – @Ishmaeldavis_ is ready to go if needed just give us a 📞& we will see you next week in London 🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻

— Lee Eaton (@Leeeaton88) September 14, 2024

“If the rumours are true – Ishmael Davis is ready to go if needed. Just give us a call & we will see you next week in London.”Canelo Alvarez Names Next Target After Defeating Edgar Berlanga

That willingness to fight has clearly been well-received by Al-Alshikh and the Riyadh Season team, as it has now been formally announced that Davis will replace Liam Smith and take on Josh Kelly in the hopes of spring the upset and derailing the world title ambitions of the former Team GB Olympian.Liam Smith has suffered a health setback we wish him a speedy recovery ❤️ He will be replaced by Ishmael Davis in the #RiyadhSeasonCard Wembley Edition on September 21 🥊

— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) September 16, 2024

“Liam Smith has suffered a health setback we wish him a speedy recovery. He will be replaced by Ishmael Davis in the #RiyadhSeasonCard Wembley Edition on September 21.”

Davis impressed in his latest fight, overcoming former British champion Troy Williamson in a career-best performance unanimous-decision victory at Sheffield Arena on the Dalton Smith vs. Jose Zepeda undercard. ‘The Black Panther’ was then scheduled to appear on the Catterall-Prograis bill in Manchester on October 26thin a tough bout against Uisma Lima but the undefeated Yorkshireman is unlikely to ahead with that fight now.

Kelly-Davis will be the sixth all-British affair on the blockbuster Joshua-Dubois card, as ‘AJ’ seeks to become boxing’s fifth three-time heavyweight champion in the main-event.

Anthony Joshua will bid to become the fifth three-time world champion in the history of the heavyweight division when he steps through the ropes for a domestic dust-up with Daniel Dubois on Saturday night. With the eyes of the boxing universe cast towards the record-breaking night at Wembley Stadium, British fan-favourite Carl Froch offered his prediction.

Both Joshua and Dubois are arguably looking better than ever and both go into the contest in red hot, each registering back-to-back eye-catching stoppage victories and flourishing under their respective new trainers – Ben Davison and Don Charles.

Yet, despite the more experienced Joshua understandably entering the bout as the favourite, it is Dubois who is in possession of the IBF heavyweight crown, after he was upgraded from interim title-holder shortly after he sprung an upset win over Filip Hrgovic back in June.

Speaking with Coin Poker, four-time super-middleweight champion Froch outlined his belief that Joshua’s previous encounters on the big stage will serve him well and feared that Dubois could melt under the pressure of the near 100,000 capacity crowd.

“If I was going to have a chunky bet on it, I’d bet on AJ to win because that’s the safe bet. But if I was getting good odds, I’d say Dubois by KO. He’s got that bit between his teeth. He’s on the crest of this wave. He’s had two good wins. Hopefully he doesn’t drive himself mad and put too much pressure on himself. Prediction wise, you can’t say that AJ’s got the chin built to take a punch off Dubois, because Dubois can bang. Edgar Berlanga Insane Fight Night Weight Gain Reported Against Canelo Alvarez

“At the minute I can’t separate them, but the smart money is on Anthony Joshua to beat him because Dubois is quite easy to hit. He gets hit with big shots. I think Dubois is going to feel the pressure when the spotlights hit him.”

Whilst Joshua-Dubois is a salivating affair, there are an additional five all-British match-up’s on the remainder of the bill and ‘The Cobra’ went on to declare Hamzah Sheeraz as Britain’s best prospect, ahead of the 25-year-old’s middleweight showdown against European champion Tyler Denny on the same night.

“Hamzah Sheeraz is probably one of the best, if not the best prospect now coming out of Britain. That’s how highly I rate him. Ben Whittaker’s a good fighter. He’s expected to do great things, but he’s still got a lot to show me in a professional boxing ring against a fighter that’s coming to win. Hamzah Sheeraz has come the raw way. If I had to say who was more nailed on to become a world champion, Hamza Sheeraz is a fantastic talent and he’s one to watch in the future.

Joshua-Dubois takes place on Saturday September 21st at Wembley Stadium, London, as Joshua becomes the first fighter to headline the national stadium on three occasions and does so atop of blockbuster card.

#AnthonyJoshua #DanielDubois #JoshuaVsDubois #WembleyStadium #CarlFroch #HamzahSheeraz #BoxingChampionship #BritishBoxing #IBFHeavyweight #BoxingFans #FilipHrgovic #TylerDenny #BenDavison #DonCharles #BoxingLegends #FightNight #WembleyFight #JoshuaHistory #BoxingPredictions #HeavyweightShowdown

Edgar Berlanga faced one of the most challenging tasks in boxing as he attempted to dethrone super-middleweight kingpin Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez at the weekend. Still, one of the few advantages that the Puerto Rican had heading into the fight was his size and it has now been reported how Berlanga attempted to maximise this edge over the Mexican, piling on the pounds between the weigh-in and fight night.

Fans believing that Edgar Berlanga could pull off the upset were few and far between and the contest was largely met with disapproval when it was announced, with David Benavidez and David Morrell both deemed to be more worthy opponents – although both have now moved up to light-heavyweight.

However, Canelo has maintained that his refusal to take on Benavidez is down to the fact that he is simply too big, famously stating that he brings ‘nothing to the table other than an extra 25 pounds’. Yet, Canelo still decided to go ahead with the Berlanga fight – another man who is deemed to be a large super-middleweight – and the move was met with understandable disappointment as a result.

‘The Chosen One’ hit the scales at 167.6lbs at Friday night’s weigh-in as he prepared for the biggest test of his professional career and ESPN’s Salvador Rodriguez has now revealed that Berlanga rehydrated an ironic 25.4lbs before he stepped through the ropes to take on Canelo the following day.

“I was told that Edgar Berlanga entered the ring tonight at 193 pounds, that is, 25.4 pounds above the 167.6 he weighed on Friday. The Puerto Rican won by losing.”

Inside of the ring, Canelo proved that he was levels above Berlanga regardless of the physical disadvantages and battled to a unanimous-decision victory in an entertaining but dominant display after dropping the challenger in the third-round.

In the post-fight interview, 34-year-old Canelo declared that he was the best fighter on the planet, and addressed his doubters – believing to have silenced them by triumphing over younger opponents rather than those that are past their sell-by date.Liam Smith Replacement Confirmed As Josh Kelly Set To Remain On Joshua-Dubois Undercard"I'm the best fighter in the world" @Canelo let's it be known, he still is the best in the game. #CaneloBerlangapic.twitter.com/06gNidr8gW

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 15, 2024

“I did good. Now what are they [the haters] going to say? I fight younger fighters, before they said I fight older fighters, now what are they going to say? That he fought younger fighters? They always talk.

“I am the best fighter in the world.”

As far as future opponents go for Canelo, a clash with Benavidez seems as far away as ever despite recent reports suggest that the pound-for-pound legend could follow ‘The Mexican Monster’ up to the 175lb division in pursuit of the undisputed light-heavyweight title and a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, who hopes to become the four-belt champion next month.

Meanwhile, back down at super-middleweight, a showdown with French knockout-artist Christian Mbilli appears the most desirable, whilst Diego Pacheco sits as the number one contender with the WBO – although his promoter is not convinced that he is ready for such a fight.

#EdgarBerlanga #CaneloAlvarez #BerlangaVsCanelo #CaneloDominates #SuperMiddleweight #BoxingChampions #CaneloNextFight #TeamCanelo #BoxingLegends #DmitryBivol #ChristianMbilli #DiegoPacheco #BoxingFans #FightNight #PuertoRicanBoxing #PoundForPoundKing

Whilst many fans are deciding that a defeat for Anthony Joshua against Daniel Dubois could spell the end of his boxing career, Liam Smith finds himself in a similar situation on the undercard. Yet, as ‘Beefy’ prepares to bounce back from defeat and trump Josh Kelly, his trainer has revealed details of a spar that the two Briton’s

Former WBO super-welterweight champion Smith rocked British boxing when he knocked out Chris Eubank Jr in emphatic style at the beginning of 2023, becoming the first man to half the controversial middleweight despite the fact that he had moved up in weight for the fight.

However, in the rematch, the Liverpudlian was unable to repeat the feat and instead fell to a stoppage defeat of his own in a performance that has cast him to the wayside.

Now, Smith has the opportunity to re-establish himself as a world title threat as he attempts to become the second fighter to overcome the slick Josh Kelly and Smith’s trainer Joe McNally told iFL TV that his fighter is in a ‘fantastic place’ ahead of the scrap.

“He is in a fantastic place. We have worked away out here, obviously he got a lot of s**t after the last fight and rightly so. My main thing was for him to be healthy and fit, to do the weight correctly and covering every aspect of his camp, which he has done.”

“[He’s had] really, really tough sparring against strong 168 and 175lbers and we are prepared but under the radar now, not too much talking It will show you if Josh Kelly has got the minerals, I know what Liam is made of and Liam turns up on the night. Josh Kelly is in real deep and Liam will take him to the wire massively.”Canelo Alvarez Names Next Target After Defeating Edgar Berlanga

“I am excited for the fight, Josh is a fantastic talent, he has got a good team around him but there are questions out there about him. If he wants to find that out with Liam then so be it.”

Although the clash is a salivating one stylistically, this will not be the first time that Smith and Kelly have

“They had one spar; I think it was on the Wednesday and he chose to stand there and fight with Liam. I won’t say too much about it and in the second spar he [Kelly] reverted to type. That was it really. Josh reverted to type and had a dance around.”

“I am under the understanding that Adam [Booth, trainer of Kelly,] wanted him to be confident working in the pocket on the Wednesday and I enjoyed that spar. In the second one, he reverted to type, which is Josh’s style of hit and move, it was a bit s**t to be fair.”

Smith-Kelly is one of the standout undercard contests on offer on the Joshua-Dubois card at Wembley Stadium on September 21st and will be available to watch live on DAZN PPV.

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Unified super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez has ruled over the 168lb scene for over four years now, dominating each and every opponent in contests at his natural weight-class. However, there is one former dance partner of Alvarez’s who remains hopeful of a rematch, believing his battle with the pound-for-pound sensation to be worthy of a revisit.

After knocking out Sergey Kovalev for the WBO light-heavyweight title, Canelo dropped back down to the super-middleweight division for a showdown with WBA champion Callum Smith, with the vacant WBC crown also on the line.

The Mexican superstar beat the Brit down in a one-sided unanimous-decision win before quickly running over Avni Yildirim in a mandatory defence and then halting Smith’s compatriot Billy Joe Saunders to add the WBO belt to his collection.

Finally, to complete a legendary 11-month super-middleweight takeover and become boxing’s sixth four-belt undisputed champion, Canelo would have to overcome undefeated IBF title-holder Caleb ‘Sweet Hands’ Plant.

Ten rounds of competitive action ensued in Las Vegas but it was in the eleventh where the quality, endurance levels and killer instinct of Canelo shone through and were on display for the boxing world to see. Twice he dropped the tired American, with the second of those knockdowns signalling the end of the contest and cementing Alvarez’s name amongst the greatest from a nation with a proud history in the fight game.

Speaking with four-time super-middleweight champion Carl Froch on the Froch on Fighting YouTube Channel, Caleb Plant outlined his desires to face Canelo once again

“I think that me and Canelo would make for a great rematch. We did 800,000 buys in our last one – which I think is the third highest PPV since 2019 and his highest pay-per-view since I think the Triple G [Gennadiy Golovkin] II fight. So I think that the rematch would be my dream fight.”Canelo Alvarez Names Next Target After Defeating Edgar Berlanga

However, whilst Plant understandably craves a second bite of the Canelo cherry, his foe will instead take on Edgar Berlanga on Saturday night in a defence of what is now the unified super-middleweight title, after Canelo was stripped of Plant’s old belt. In that same interview with ‘The Cobra’, Plant made his thoughts on that match-up clear when asked to describe Berlanga in three words.

“Not. Good. Enough.”

As for Plant, he too will appear on Saturday night as he fights undefeated Trevor McCumby on the Canelo-Berlanga undercard on Saturday September 14th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Plant will be hoping to bounce back from a second defeat in his last three fights as he ends an 18-month spell of inactivity against his fellow American, seeking to prove that he remains a world title threat and possibly aiming a kickstart a run that culminates in another meeting with Canelo.

Also on the bill is Erislandy Lara, who many fans believe was robbed on the scorecards when he lost a split-decision to Alvarez in 2014, he will attempt a second defence of his WBA middleweight title against Danny Garcia – who has not fought in over two years.

Vitali Klitschko, the former WBC heavyweight champion, has been reflecting on the heavyweight scene as Anthony Joshua prepares to take on Daniel Dubois for the vacant IBF heavyweight title on September 21. This highly anticipated showdown will be broadcast live from Wembley Stadium as part of the Riyadh Season: Joshua vs Dubois event. While Klitschko backs Joshua to become a three-time world heavyweight champion, he can’t help but wonder if he could have altered boxing history during Joshua’s 2017 fight with his brother, Wladimir Klitschko.

During that memorable night, Wladimir Klitschko headlined Wembley against Joshua, even dropping the British fighter in the sixth round. Vitali, who was in his brother's corner, now wonders if he should have urged Wladimir to go for the knockout. "I keep my fingers crossed for Joshua," Vitali said, praising Joshua's skills and sportsmanship. Yet, he admitted to Sky Sports that he often thinks about the "what ifs" from that 2017 fight.

Klitschko admitted that boxing is not just about physical condition, but also strategy and the psychological game. Reflecting on the fight, he acknowledged Joshua was stronger on the night, which led to his victory. "My personal opinion as a sportsman is Wladimir made a couple of mistakes," Vitali added. Despite being well-prepared, Wladimir didn’t capitalize on the opportunity when he knocked Joshua down. Vitali playfully laughed at the memory, stating, “History doesn’t like the word if.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming bout, Vitali remains confident in Joshua's ability to defeat Dubois. He believes Joshua's experience, skills, and mindset make him the stronger fighter going into this important match. For Vitali, watching his brother fight was always more stressful than being in the ring himself, but he continues to be a passionate observer of the sport.

With Wembley Stadium set to host yet another exciting night of boxing, the boxing community eagerly awaits whether Joshua can reclaim heavyweight glory.

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