Back in May, Oleksandr Usyk handed Tyson Fury a first career defeat as he achieved his goal of becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion with a legendary performance. Now, the Brit seeks to level the scores in the rematch and he has now revealed that he has watched their first encounter back around a hundred times.

Both men put their undefeated records on the line when the heavyweight duo met earlier this year, and it seemed as thought it was ‘The Gypsy King’ who would come out on top after he was cruising to victory during the mid-rounds.

However, the eighth and ninth rounds proved pivotal for the Ukrainian technician, as Usyk somehow managed to turn the tide and assume control of the contest in the nick of time to reverse the scorecards and claim a famous split-decision win.

Since suffering the defeat, Fury has admitted that he feels as though he took his eye off of the ball during his first fight against Usyk and feels confident that a more focussed approach in the rematch will be enough to achieve redemption.

In an interview with Queensberry Promotions, Tyson Fury

“I have watched it a thousand times, well probably not a thousand but maybe a hundred times.”Amateur sensation to challenge for WBA world title in fourth professional bout

“I thought it was a very good fight. I thought that I did fantastic, I thought Usyk did fantastic, it was what it was. It is just someone’s opinion isn’t it, who won the fight, because like we see in a lot of these fights recently, especially in fights that people think are close, some people might have one man winning it and some might have the other man winning it.

“I think that I won, he thinks that he won. I have seen him doing his view where he says ‘I thought I won it by a point’, one of the judges had me up by a point and one of the judges had him up by a point.

“It is an opinionated thing if it goes the distance and that is what you have got to deal with. If something goes the distance, then you are relying on three people’s opinions, and they might not all see it the same.”

“I was happy. I didn’t get the decision that I wanted, I didn’t get the victory but I didn’t take it out of the judges hands so I had left it to someone’s opinion and it went against me. Am I going to cry about spilt milk? No. Have I cried about it at all? No.”

Usyk-Fury II will take place on December 21st at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with yesterday’s press conference kickstarting the excitement ahead of another blockbuster event in the Middle East.

Former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has the chance to avenge the lone defeat of his career when he steps through the ropes to take on unified heavyweight champion and arguable pound-for-pound number one, Oleksandr Usyk. However, ‘The Gypsy King’ has now declared that he would swerve any potential undisputed title contest with IBF title-holder Daniel Dubois, if he is able to claim redemption against his Ukrainian rival.

Fury went toe-to-toe with Oleksandr Usyk in a battle to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the century and the first of the four-belt era.

An instant classic ensued and the Brit appeared to be well on his way to a legendary win until Usyk was able to turn the tide during the eighth-round and bank the latter stages to edge a phenomenal split-decision win.

Since then, Usyk has vacated his IBF world title and Daniel Dubois has assumed position as world champion, strengthening his credibility as a heavyweight worthy of the mantle with a knockout win in first defence against Anthony Joshua in a changing of the guard display.

As such, Dubois remains hopeful that he will get a shot at the victor of the upcoming rematch between Usyk and Fury, aiming to join the elite club of undisputed heavyweight champions.

However, in an interview with iFL TV, Tyson Fury outlined why he does not wish to challenge for an IBF world title and therefore the undisputed throne, believing the sanctioning body to be ‘racist’ and threatening to burn their belt if he was ever named as their champion.‘I would rather fight @DynamiteDubois for BRITISH TITLE than the IBF belt’ – @Tyson_Fury has absolutely RIPPED into the IBF, over falling out of the TOP 15❌ ahead of Usyk rematch.#UyskFury2#TysonFury#Uysk#DanielDubois#boxing#riyadhseason#fight#boxer#gypsyking#fighter… pic.twitter.com/Pcclxy1QSL

— IFL TV (@IFLTV) October 23, 2024

“I will beat Daniel Dubois, but I will tell you what it is – I won’t be boxing him for his belt. I would rather box him for the British title than for the IBF.

“I don’t want anything to do with it, you couldn’t give it me as a present.Evander Holyfield reveals who hit him the hardest

“I would probably get back home and burn it, then put it on a video on YouTube, that is how much it means to me because they’re biased, obviously. They are a biased company who don’t like ‘The Gypsy King’ for whatever reason,

“They must be racist towards Travellers or something because it doesn’t add up, it is not joining together.

“You have just lost a split-decision to who some people say is the pound-for-pound number one person in the world but I am not in the top 15 of their ratings, even though I have just boxed for their belt.

“Does that make any sense? It doesn’t does it.”

“If they are not biased and they do like me, then why don’t they come out and say why I am not in their ratings then?

I’m not good enough to be in the top 15? I have just lost to the ‘best fighter in the world’ by a point but I am not good enough to be in the top 15.

“I would advise everybody to never fight for their belt again.”

Usyk-Fury II will take place on December 21st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with yesterday’s press conference kickstarting the build-up to what is expected to be another historical encounter between the two standout heavyweights of this generation.

Featherweight John Laryea is set to arrive in Florida on Friday ahead of his U.S. debut against Alexander Mejia on November 1.

Ghana’s Laryea, 24, will face Mejia at Caribe Royale Orlando in Orlando, Florida, as he looks to announce himself to the American market.

Ahead of the bout, trainer Lawrence Carl Lokko believes Laryea, 13-0-1 (11 KOs), has what it takes to make a statement against Mejia, 19-9 (8 KOs), a 33-year-old from Nicaragua.

“This is a big stage for him to give a good account of himself in the U.S.,” Lokko told BoxingScene. “It means a lot to him and all of us and we can’t wait to showcase what we’ve got.”

Lokko, lead trainer of Bronx Boxing Club in Accra, is one of the most experienced trainers in Ghana having coached the likes of former lightweight titleholder Richard Commey. Lokko has been with Laryea since he turned pro six years ago.

Through his technical prowess, Laryea has gone 14 fights without a loss, winning a minor title in the process. Laryea will be fighting for the first time this year after a busy 2023, which saw him beat Solomon Martey, Gabriel Odoi Laryea and Isaac Dowuona.

According to Lokko, the long absence will not have any consequence on Laryea’s return to the ring.

“Training has been going well and he’s ready to take the opportunity that comes his way," Lokko said. "Laryea is in good shape, and we’re on course to put finishing touches to our training in Orlando.”

On the other hand, Mejia is going into the fight on the back of five consecutive defeats. This year, he has suffered decision losses to Max Ornelas and Pedro Marquez Medina in April and June.

When asked how well Team Laryea knows Mejia, Lokko said: “We always make sure we’re prepared to face any opponent in the ring. Technically, we’ve monitored how he fights and we will be prepared for them.”

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at bernardneequaye@gmail.com .

More than 180 boxers from 30 national federations will compete in the 2024 U19 World Boxing Championships, held at the Pueblo Convention Center in Pueblo, Colorado, from October 26 to November 2.

The competition, for male and female boxers aged 17 and 18, is World Boxing’s first global championship and will feature athletes from all five continents, with 10 weight categories for both men and women.

The event will conduct one session per day, with two rings, starting at 3 p.m. MT for the first five days. Single-ring sessions will be run on November 1 (1 p.m. MT) and on November 2 for medal day (1 p.m. MT).

The competition’s largest teams will be from the United States, the host nation, along with India and Italy (15 boxers each). Other federations represented include Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Germany, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Thailand, Ukraine and Wales.

World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst called the competition “a significant milestone” and thanked USA Boxing for hosting the event. “World Boxing is committed to putting athletes first and delivering high-quality competition opportunities,” van der Vorst said.

USA Boxing CEO Mike McAtee emphasized the importance of the event for youth boxers, saying, “This marks a historic moment for World Boxing and our sport. ... Together, we will celebrate the spirit of competition and the dedication that defines our sport.”

Tyson Lee, USA Boxing’s chair of the board, added, “We are eager to witness the spirited competition this event will bring.”

Ulysses Diaz coulda been a contender in the boxing ring. He wasn’t. But better than that, he became a champion in life.

Which is worth more than all the belts in the world to the 43 year old from Miami, who retired after a BYB Extreme bare-knuckle win over Szymon Szynkiewicz in August. It wasn’t a career that people will be writing about 100 years from now, but maybe they should, because Diaz wrote a heck of a story for a man who wasn’t even supposed to be here.

It’s also one that is embraced by his biggest fan and perhaps the toughest fighter in the family – his 11-year-old son Ulysses Jnr, who recently knocked out osteosarcoma. It was a win that father and son wanted more than anything, and with everything going so positively, it was time for dad to walk away from the sport.

“I’m 43,” said Diaz. “I feel like I’ve had a decent career, but along the way I’ve met great people and been able to make a great network and good opportunities out of it. So I want to be able to be 53 – 10 years from now – and have a good conversation without stuttering and drooling on myself. Because when you grow up in boxing gyms, you see that all the time, and it’s more from the training than it is from the actual fight. So, at my age, I want to spend more time with my family. I want to use the doors that I’ve been able to open, and I feel great.”

Diaz concluded his career with a 5-3 bare-knuckle record that includes a three-second knockout of Daniele Benedetto in 2020, and a 14-1 traditional boxing record with 13 knockouts. It makes you wonder why he didn’t stick with the sweet science.

“Everybody knows that there’s no money in boxing unless you get yourself to like 20-0, 22-0, and then maybe you’ll get the big fights,” he said. “It’s really political when it comes to boxing. These guys that are promoters worth fighting for – they got their guys when I started my career. I went pro at 35. I’m 43 now. So along the way, you got all these kids that were fighting in the amateurs and made names for themselves. I was the guy that came in and just did it on my own – my way. I ended up with a good record, but still, it was just that you’re not doing anything in boxing.”

Diaz had been in boxing gyms since he was six years old, but as he got older he enjoyed fighting outside of the ring as much as he did inside it, ultimately leading to a two-and-a-half-year stint in prison. When he got out, his childhood friend, the rapper Pitbull, took him under his wing and gave him plenty of food for thought when it came to life. In 2016, Diaz decided to put the gloves on again, and in 2017 he made his pro debut with a first-round stoppage of Ramon Jimenez.

Becoming a local attraction in Florida, Diaz piled up the wins, losing only once via majority decision to Gilberto Rubio in 2019, and while he wasn’t fighting killers, he was entertaining the fans and getting his opponents out of there – usually within the first three rounds. He wasn’t getting bites from bigger promoters, though, leading to him starting to mix bare-knuckle bouts in with his traditional boxing forays. And along the way, he began reaching people with his personal comeback story.

“It was never really a goal or something I was going for,” Diaz said. “It was along the way. I know where I came from and I know that I always needed some type of motivation, to see somebody like me with my background and coming from where I came from being able to do something with themselves in their life, whether it’s fighting or not, just turning their life around. So, along the way, I kept it real with everybody, and I’ve always tried to keep a positive mindset and be positive around people, and I guess I spread that message.”

He did. Then everything fell apart on his 42nd birthday in March 2023, when his son got diagnosed with cancer. 

“It really is the toughest thing that I think anybody could go through – getting some news like that,” Diaz said. “Again, it happened to my 10-year-old son, so we wanted to keep him in a positive mindset as much as we can. We never showed any negativity or any naysay around him. Everything was always just positive, and he kept a positive attitude through it. He was very optimistic through everything, and thank God everything went great, and he is here to tell his story, and he’s here to motivate and inspire people along the way, too.”

Uly Jnr beat cancer, and his father was so intent on willing him to that victory that he got into a fist fight in January of 2024 – and after knocking out Mumia Abu Dey-Ali in 73 seconds, he ran a marathon. Seven days later.  

“The longest I had ever run was two half marathons – probably a year or two before that,” he said. “I got into running late in my career and I started loving it. I run real slow, but I like just running for distance.”

Twenty-six point two miles is a lot of distance – especially the week after a fight, but Diaz got out there and finished the Clearwater Marathon in five hours and 16 minutes, thinking of his son every step of the way. 

“I just like doing hard things, and I feel like it’s another notch on my belt doing a marathon,” he said. “So when I got to mile one through 17, I’m not going to say it was easy, but it wasn’t terrible. But from mile 17 to 26, it was hell. My ankles were killing me; my feet were killing me. I could hardly even walk. And then I ran into a nice group of people that were running the marathon, too, and you can’t find a better crowd than people that are running the marathon. They’re super positive, and they help you out even if you don’t know them. And they ran with me for the rest of the time, and everybody finished together. It was great.”

It was another chapter of the story that got even better when Diaz got the news that Junior was cancer-free.

“He’s had to do scans every three months, so those moments were still scary when you go back and do the scans,” he said. “But he’s been cancer-free completely, and it’s great, man. He is a great kid; happy kid. He’s active. He’s playing sports again, so it’s awesome to see him like that.”

You can hear the pride in Diaz’s voice when he talks about his son, and rightfully so. It really makes it hit home that today, fighting doesn’t even matter anymore. But will he miss it?

“What do I miss the most?” he said. “It’s funny to say, but being retired, I’m stress-free because when you’re fighting, there’s stress on you at all times because you could get the call at any time that the fight’s coming up. So you’ve got to be ready at all times. But it’s a double-edged sword where I’m happy that I’m stress free from that, but, at the same time, I kind of miss that stress. I work well under the stress and it’s a funny feeling where I know I’m not going to get that call. But sometimes you think about it. What if I jump back in there for one more?”

Diaz laughs, and I ask him if when BYB matchmaker Mel Valenzuela’s phone lights up, may it be him?

“That’s right. He knows.” 

Shurretta Metcalf secured her first career title in a competitive rematch against bantamweight titleholder Miyo Yoshida on Wednesday at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. 

Metcalf, who had previously defeated Yoshida last to become the IBF bantamweight mandatory challenger, won the close bout on scores of 96-94, 97-93 and 99-91.

After the fight, Metcalf reflected on her performance: "In the first fight, I moved a lot," Metcalf said in her postgame interview on the ProBox TV broadcast. "I wasn’t putting much power on my punches. This time, I wanted her to feel me. I came to make a statement."

Metcalf, 14-4-1 (2 KOs), 39, from Dallas, started quickly, using her height and reach advantage. Standing at 5ft 7ins, Metcalf kept the 5ft 3ins Yoshida, who hails from Kagoshima, Japan, and is now based in New York City, on the outside by pumping her jab and controlling the distance.

Yoshida, 17-5, found moments of success in the second round, landing a sharp right hand that caught the attention of the judges. The third round was a swing round, as Metcalf’s volume contrasted with a powerful right from Yoshida that closed the round on a high note for the defending titleholder.

In the fourth, Metcalf’s jab and flurries dictated the pace, though Yoshida remained dangerous on the inside, landing damaging shots when she closed the gap. Yoshida pushed forward in the fifth, but Metcalf adjusted with hooks and uppercuts in close range. Despite Metcalf’s control, Yoshida ended the round with a strong flurry.

The sixth round saw Yoshida change tactics, moving backward as Metcalf pressed the action from a distance. A clubbing right hand from Yoshida in the closing moments briefly caught Metcalf, as Yoshida followed up with a couple of stiff jabs to end the round.

Both fighters appeared to slow down in the seventh. Metcalf's hard jab and hook combinations kept her ahead, though Yoshida often finished strong, making the rounds competitive. Metcalf pressed the action in the ninth, landing a solid left hook to the body with 30 seconds remaining. Yoshida refused to back down, making it through the round without further exchanges.

In the final round, the fight remained tense as Metcalf started fast. Yoshida countered effectively, landing eye-catching shots, but Metcalf’s higher output and sharp right hands defined the exchanges. The fight ended with both fighters trading right punches up until the final bell rang.

Asked about a possible third fight, Metcalf commented in the ring afterward: "She didn’t want to give me a rematch the first time, but if the money’s there, we’ll do it again."

Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.

Junior welterweight Mykquan Williams continued his impressive 2024 campaign with an eighth-round knockout of Lavisas Williams on Wednesday in the co-feature at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Mykquan Williams, 26, of East Hartford, Connecticut, knocked out Lavisas Williams, 33, of Rochester, New York, with a short right hand at 1:32 of the final round. Referee Harvey Dock stopped the fight as soon as Lavisas hit the canvas.

After a cautious opening round, Mykquan, 22-0-1 (11 KOs), found his rhythm, doubling up on his right hand and landing a shot to Lavisas’ temple, sending him crashing to the canvas. Lavisas, 11-2-1 (3 KOs), a southpaw, managed to get up on unsteady legs but was floored again moments later by another right hand from Mykquan just before the round ended.

Mykquan, confident in his right hand, continued to mix in quick left hooks with precision in the second round. Despite showing some redness and bruising near his right eye by the third round, he landed a punishing body shot that forced Lavisas to hold.

The fourth round saw Lavisas being examined by the ringside doctor before being cleared to continue. Mykquan pressed the action, while Lavisas, unwilling to back down, stood his ground and traded punches in the fifth. A clash of heads occurred, but neither fighter was cut.

In the sixth, Mykquan’s pressure was relentless, and he rocked Lavisas with a right hand toward the end of the round that bloodied his nose. Lavisas, despite the damage, refused to quit. Mykquan switched to a southpaw stance for part of the seventh round as Lavisas’ nose continued to bleed.

The doctor checked on Lavisas again at the start of the eighth, but Mykquan sealed the victory with a short right hand that floored Lavisas as he tried to escape along the ropes.

Mykquan Williams is now ranked No. 10 by the WBA and No. 13 by the WBO among junior welterweights.

Previously, light heavyweight Konrad Kaczmarkiewicz won a split decision over Khainell Wheeler in a six-round bout that raised more questions than answers.

The scores were announced 59-55 (Kaczmarkiewicz), 58-56 (Wheeler) and 59-55 (Kaczmarkiewicz).

Kaczmarkiewicz, 8-1-1 (3 KOs), started fast, throwing in high volume in the first round, while Wheeler, 7-6 (6 KOs), remained patient, waiting for opportunities to counter. Kaczmarkiewicz, 25, from Szczecin, Poland, landed a solid right hand to the head of Wheeler, followed by hooks to the body with about a minute left in the round. In the second, Wheeler, 31, from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, found success with short hooks to the body as Kaczmarkiewicz’s pace slowed. Kaczmarkiewicz hurt Wheeler with a big right hand in the second, exploiting Wheeler’s low lead hand.

Wheeler began pressing forward in the third as Kaczmarkiewicz's punch output dropped. Wheeler stalked and looked for a fight-altering right hand. By the fourth round, Kaczmarkiewicz's movement became excessive, allowing Wheeler to go on the offensive while both threw little – though Kaczmarkiewicz was the busier of the two. Wheeler maintained pressure in the fifth, but while Kaczmarkiewicz threw a few punches, he mostly focused on movement. Wheeler’s volume increased slightly toward the end, though Kaczmarkiewicz appeared in control, with the bout resembling a sparring session.

The final round followed the same pattern, with Wheeler continuing to pressure as Kaczmarkiewicz circled the ring. Wheeler landed a right uppercut in the final round, leaving Kaczmarkiewicz with a bloody nose that was quickly cleaned up by his corner.

There are now questions about whether Kaczmarkiewicz, at 5ft 10ins, is suited for the light heavyweight division, as his size and power might be insufficient for him to contend at the top level.

Also, junior lightweight Edward Vasquez picked up a fourth-round technical knockout over Kenneth Taylor in a battle between Texans on Wednesday at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City.

Vasquez won when Taylor didn’t answer the bell for the fifth round, making the stoppage official at 3:00 of the fourth.

Vasquez, 17-2 (4 KOs), could easily be a titleholder, having lost a close fight by majority decision to former junior lightweight titleholder Joe Cordina. The 29-year-old Vasquez, from Fort Worth, Texas, entered Wednesday’s bout with a chip on his shoulder and landed a well-timed overhand right in the first round, forcing the 33-year-old Taylor, 14-4-2 (6 KOs), of Tyler, Texas, to retreat. Vasquez continued to press forward, setting a grueling pace that Taylor struggled to match. Although Taylor had some success in the third, briefly dictating the action, Vasquez’s relentless work rate wore him down.

By the fourth, Taylor was throwing single, ineffective shots while Vasquez continued applying pressure and landing clean punches in volume. The fight was abruptly stopped before the fifth round, leaving Vasquez visibly annoyed that Taylor chose not to continue.

In the opening bout, heavyweight Jerry Forrest won a unanimous decision over Earl Newman and celebrated with a backflip after being announced the victor.

The judges scored the fight 78-74, 79-73 and 78-74, all in favor of Forrest.

Although he took home the win, Forrest, 28-6-2 (20 KOs), was outboxed in the first two rounds as Newman, 10-3-1 (7 KOs), used a sharp jab and a solid right hand to keep the shorter Forrest at a distance, while also landing a well-placed right to the body.

Forrest, 36, of Newport News, Virginia, turned the fight around in the third, landing a left hook that caught the attention of Newman, a 33-year-old Brooklyn native. Forrest held his momentum in the fourth, pinning Newman on the ropes and landing a flurry, highlighted by his trademark left hook, despite getting clipped by a Newman right-hand counter.

The fifth round was closely contested, as Forrest countered well with his left hand and ended the round with a jab. Fatigue set in during the sixth as the fight’s fast pace slowed. A counter right hand from Newman was the standout punch in an otherwise quiet round.

The final two rounds reflected the second half of the fight, with Forrest being busier and Newman landing the cleaner shots. Newman, sporting a knee brace on his right leg, continued pressing forward throughout.

Forrest notched his first victory of 2024 and has now won two straight.

Newman, fighting as a heavyweight for the first time after stints at light heavyweight and cruiserweight, was returning to the ring after four years, though he had been active in Team Combat League.

In this week’s mailbag, we tackle your thoughts on what comes next for Tim Tszyu after the three-round drubbing he took at the hands of Bakhram Murtazaliev; we stay with the junior middleweights to talk about the year Serhii Bohachuk has had and whether he deserved better; we discuss some criticism of the International Boxing Hall of Fame; and we once again try to make sense of decisions made by the sanctioning bodies.

Want to be featured in the mailbag? Comment or ask a question in the comments section below. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. We also may select readers’ comments from other BoxingScene stories.

TIM TSZYU NEEDS NEW CORNER AFTER LOSSES TO FUNDORA AND MURTAZALIEV

Tim Tszyu needs to change his corner, to be honest. In the Sebastian Fundora fight, they let him bleed with a massive cut for eight rounds that left his vision compromised instead of just going for a technical decision and having him retain his title. 

[Editor’s Note: It would have been a “no decision” had the fight been stopped before four rounds were completed, a draw on the judges’ scorecards if the fight had been stopped after the fourth round was over, and a Fundora victory on the scorecards from any point beginning with the fifth round.]

This time against Bakhram Murtazaliev, they sent him out to get knocked out after being dropped heavily three times in the second round, where it was clear the the first knockdown he took was a concussive shot and he wasn't gonna recover.

-Boxing2695

Lucas Ketelle’s response: The question of whether Tim Tszyu needs a new team is a delicate one — like trying to decide if you want to switch up your squad in a bank robbery movie right before the big heist.

Maybe, but maybe not.

Let’s face it: Would Sun-Ra still be the musical genius we know if he were jamming with the San Francisco Philharmonic? Or would Chopin's brilliance get lost in the background while he was trying to groove with Herbie Hancock? It's all about finding the right fit.

Maybe, maybe not.

Boxing, much like art, is all about style, and the right team can make or break that. Tszyu, with a lightning bolt scar reminiscent of Harry Potter, clearly needs a cutman — like one of the best in the game. Sure, he had someone in his corner for this fight, but where’s the likes of “Stitch” Duran or Mike Bazzel? Mike Rodriguez? Rudy Hernandez? Aaron Navarro? These are the guys who have made names for themselves by giving fighters those critical extra rounds when it counts.

As Tszyu motioned to his forehead just minutes into the fight after his clashing heads with Murtazaliev, it became clear: He is still thinking about the cut from the Fundora fight. If he wants to prolong his career, he can certainly benefit from some fresh eyes in the gym — but what he really needs is an all-star cutman who knows how to keep a fighter in the game. It’s like having the right medic on your side in the trenches — essential for survival.

MAJOR LOSS FOR TIM TSZYU MEANS MAJOR REBUILDING

Tim Tszyu better forget about being in a big fight anytime soon. He was just in a big fight and had his head handed to him summarily (without the customary formalities).

After his precautionary suspension, he should work on perfecting his all-around boxing skills and focus on following his corner’s instructions to the letter in the ring. This kill-or-be-killed attitude almost got him killed. 

We don't know yet just how damaged he was in his last fight. Upon his return to the ring it should be against some journeymen before he takes on the top rated fighters again.

-Boricua181

Tris Dixon’s response: You make some very valid points, and I don't think Tszyu will even try to bounce back from this loss in a rapid or thoughtless manner. Instead, I expect him to really look at what he is doing and how he is doing it — because he got this badly wrong. Even if Tszyu insists that taking on Murtazaliev wasn't the wrong fight, he had the wrong approach.

I'll add this: I don't think the uncertainty over whether the hurricane that struck Florida would delay the fight helped him. But that was the same for both fighters.

However, 2025 will be a year for Tszyu to rebuild and work on his confidence, which is surely dented now. That kind of loss is extremely hurtful, mentally and physically, and there were plenty of shots he took near the end that he should not have been allowed to take.

SERHII BOHACHUK DESERVES BETTER THAN WHAT HE’S GOTTEN IN 2024

Serhii Bohachuk really got screwed over badly in all of this (“Serhii Bohachuk’s promoter talks Israil Madrimov match and other big potential fights”). He was supposed to fight Sebastian Fundora for the WBC title. Then Fundora ends up fighting Tim Tszyu instead, so Bohachuk ends up fighting Brian Mendoza (who knocked out Fundora) for an interim strap instead. Then Bohachuk defends his interim strap against Vergil Ortiz, drops him twice, and gets robbed blind on the scorecards. And now he has to fight Israil Madrimov for no belts.

-famicommander

David Greisman’s response: I can tell you that Tom Loeffler, who promotes Bohachuk, has seen the glass as half-full, at the very least, in contrast with your more pessimistic take. They of course wanted all the things you listed — and are particularly upset to this day about the decision in the Ortiz fight. But as the title fight in March didn’t happen, and as the Ortiz decision went the way it did, they at least feel protected or compensated for figuratively rolling with the punches.

As you said, Bohachuk went from being scheduled to fight Fundora for a world title to fighting Mendoza for an interim belt. But that interim belt at least kept Bohachuk in position to take on the winner of Tszyu vs. Fundora.

”The WBC protected him,” Loeffler told me in August in Las Vegas, a couple days prior to the Ortiz fight. “He went from No. 2 to winning the interim world title, which puts him right there, as close as you can get to the champion without actually being the world champion. We’re thankful for that. He put on a great show up there [against Mendoza] and that earned him this position headlining now in Las Vegas.”

Similarly, Bohachuk could’ve been cast aside after his close loss to Ortiz. We’ve seen it happen with others, where they come up short and the powers-that-be move on without them. But instead of boxing treating the result like it was part of an elimination tournament, this is more of a round-robin. Bohachuk is being paid well to appear in the co-feature slot underneath the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21. Yes, Bohachuk vs. Madrimov isn’t for a world title. But the winner will be able to remain in the mix in the packed 154-pound weight class.

No, this isn’t the year Bohachuk wanted. He very well could have defeated Fundora and been a world titleholder. He very well could have gotten the nod against Ortiz. But he’s continuing to get opportunities, and a win over Madrimov will get him closer to that goal of fighting for a major world title in 2025.

BEING INDUCTED IN THE BOXING HALL OF FAME ISN’T THAT MEANINGFUL

Well... This (“The International Boxing Hall of Fame at 35: Is it time to update the process?”) is kind of a red herring of an issue. The real issue is the gravitas of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. 

Most real boxing fans don't take it seriously compared to all-time-great status. This is in contrast to baseball, where the hall of fame really means something outstanding. The IBHOF just let in a lot of mediocre fighters and don't include a lot of very special fighters. I mean, Arturo Gatti was a very special fighter in many respects, but his ability?

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Eric Raskin’s response: I get where you’re coming from. For the first five or six years of the IBHOF, every fighter inducted was an indisputable all-time great. Then some disputable ones started getting in. And eventually, the doors opened to several boxers whom nobody could possibly consider an all-time great. 

It happens in baseball, too — Scott Rolen, MLB’s equivalent of, say, a Danny Garcia or a Dariusz Michalczewski, a guy who never would have made baseball’s version of a pound-for-pound list at any point in his prime, got in recently. But it definitely happens more often with the IBHOF. The bar has been lowered, and while it’s still extraordinarily meaningful to make the cut, it doesn’t act as confirmation of true greatness the way it once did.

But in terms of such confirmation, it’s the closest thing we have in boxing. You said “fans don’t take it seriously compared to all-time-great status.” Well, there’s no institution recognizing all-time-great status. And while we can all agree that Manny Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins, Evander Holyfield, etc., qualify, there’s no clear line of demarcation where all-time great ends and all-time-good begins. Is Miguel Cotto an all-time-great? What about Edwin Rosario? Or James Toney?

Like a couple of the people I quoted in my article, I’d prefer a vote-percentage threshold for entry, which could result in four or five inductees one year and zero or one the next. But as the National Baseball Hall of Fame has proven, that approach isn’t perfect either. Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez aren’t in there, but Rolen, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer, and Harold Baines are. Yeah, the Baseball hall has far more problems than the Boxing hall.

And that Boxing hall, while flawed, is still a magical place in my eyes, run by people whose hearts are in the right place and who are doing the best they can. I agree that it’s lost some gravitas. Thankfully, it started with gravitas to spare, and thus it still has plenty to go around.

HOW ARE THESE GUYS IN LINE TO FIGHT FOR A WORLD TITLE?

I like how Juan Francisco Estrada and Errol Spence can be coming off knockout losses in the division below and get gifted a #1 spot in their new division (“WBC’s new No. 1 contenders: Dmitry Bivol, Juan Francisco Estrada and more”).

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David Greisman’s response: It’s hard to decide which is more maddening: when the IBF grants No. 1 slots and title shots to guys who have never accomplished much of note in the sport, or when the WBC allows fighters coming off defeats in one division to immediately jump to the front of a line in their new weight class.

It’s one thing for Tyson Fury to remain the WBC’s top contender for Oleksandr Usyk given how competitive that loss was. Or for Dmitry Bivol, now without his WBA belt, to enter the WBC’s ratings at No. 1 (which actually puts him behind interim titleholder David Benavidez).

Spence, while No. 1, is similarly behind the WBC’s interim junior middleweight titleholder, Vergil Ortiz Jr. On the one hand, Spence’s loss came against a superlative welterweight talent in Terence Crawford. On the other hand, it was a one-sided defeat, and it was one division below 154. I’m like you in that I prefer a fighter to have done something of note in his new weight class in order to be ranked.

Then there are variations on that theme. Oleksandr Usyk was undefeated when he entered the heavyweight division, and being a former WBO cruiserweight “super” titleholder allowed him to get a mandatory shot at Anthony Joshua. Did Usyk deserve that shot based on his cruiserweight run and wins over Chazz Witherspoon and Derek Chisora? No. But he got the fight and showed he belonged. The question, of course, remains whether the end justifies the means.

Looking at the WBC’s bantamweight ratings: While I agree with you about how crazy it is for Estrada to be given the top spot at 118 after being stopped by Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez down at 115, I think Estrada is a more appealing matchup for titleholder Junto Nakatani than anyone else in the sanctioning body’s Top 15. 

Takuma Inoue (No. 2) just lost his WBA world title. Tenshin Nasukawa (No. 3) is still too early in his pro boxing career. Alexandro Santiago (No. 4) lost to Nakatani earlier this year. The rest of the list reads Charlie Edwards, Jason Moloney, David Cuellar, Petch Sor Chitpattana, Landi Ngxeke, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Keita Kurihara, Vincent Astrolabio, Daigo Higa, Riku Masuda and Andrew Cain.

So I’ll begrudgingly accept Nakatani vs. Estrada in a voluntary defense if that’s what we are going to get next. But I’d rather see Nakatani face Bam Rodriguez himself, or move up to 122 to take on Naoya Inoue, or at least unify with the other titleholders in the meantime. 

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Nicklaus Flaz will face Christian Gomez in a 10-round junior lightweight bout at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida, on November 9.

The event, promoted by ProBox TV, begins at 7 p.m. ET and will stream on the ProBox TV app.

Flaz, 13-2, (9 KOs), from Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, will try to extend his current winning streak to five after his victories over Brian Ceballo, Jahi Tucker, Luke Santamaria and Alfredo Escarcega. The 28-year-old Flaz will face Gomez, 23-4-1, (21 KOs), from Guadalajara, Mexico, who is coming off a fifth-round TKO over Jesus Acosta Zazueta in April.

In the co-main event, welterweight Jesus Saracho, 14-2-1, (11 KOs), originally from Guanajuato, Mexico, and now fighting out of Auburn, Washington, will take on Fernando Bunch, 13-1, (6 KOs), in a 10-round bout.

Saracho, 23, is coming off a split decision win over Alberto Palmetta in July. Bunch, 33, from Augusta, Georgia, is aiming to rebound after suffering his first career loss, a split decision defeat to Rashad Bogar in January in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Other notable bouts include a junior middleweight clash between Darrelle Valsaint, 11-0, (9 KOs), of Orlando, Florida, and Angel Ruiz, 18-3-1, (13 KOs), of Los Angeles, California, in a 10-round contest. Valsaint, 24, is riding a four-fight knockout streak, having stopped Pachino Hill in June.

Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz, 33-6-1, (15 KOs), 31, from Downey, California, will meet Yoandris Salinas, 23-2-2, (16 KOs), 33, of Miami, Florida, in a 10-round bout. Diaz is coming off a split decision loss to Jesus Perez and a knockout loss to Oscar Duarte earlier this year.

Junior lightweight Dominic Valle, 10-0, (7 KOs), will face his toughest test yet against veteran Abraham Montoya, 22-6-1, (14 KOs), in an eight-round bout.

Middleweight Weljon Mindoro, 12-0 (12 KOs), will return to Plant City for his second U.S. fight, taking on Marcos Osorio-Betancourt, 11-2-1, (8 KOs), in an eight-round bout. Mindoro, 24, stopped Tyler Goodjohn in the second round of his U.S. debut in July.

Welterweight Emiliano Moreno, 10-0, (5 KOs), will take on Chris Velez, 11-0-2, (7 KOs), in an eight-round fight.

Light heavyweight Ariel Perez, 4-0, (3 KOs), of Florida, will face James Weissman, 5-2, (4 KOs), in a six-round bout.

And junior middleweight Pablo Valdez, 8-0, (7 KOs), will meet Eudy Bernardo, 25-7, (18 KOs), in an eight-round contest, while welterweight Terrence Williams, 7-0, (5 KOs), will be matched with an opponent to be named in a six-round fight.

Jared Anderson was being built up by Top Rank as a potential heavyweight contender – and then Anderson came crumbling down.

“So don't put it on my matchmakers. We were against that fight. But again, you know, when they wave money at these kids, they can insist on taking it. Now, we could have gone into court to prevent it, but we don't do those kind of things. So we let the fight go ahead. You know, we made our money from the fight, but we let that fight go ahead. And it was the stupidest fight that Jared could have taken.”

Of course, it is also the matchmaker’s job to develop their fighter so he is prepared for what he will face. And the heavyweight division in particular is where one heavy punch can change a fight.

In the summer of 2023, ahead of his fight with the former heavyweight titleholder Charles Martin, Anderson spoke with Roy Jones Jnr for a feature segment.

“I know I’m good at this and I know I can have fun in this, but this might not just be what completely makes me happy,” Anderson said to Jones at another point.

It was a fair insight. None of us should be wholly defined by our work, and for fighters, boxing can dictate their life for years on end, from childhood. 

Jones responded by talking about Anderson’s obligation to succeed and how he would let people down if he quit.

“But it’s the pressure, though,” Anderson responded, tears in his eyes and emotion in his voice. “I’m 23.”

Jones: “Sometimes there’s a lot put on us, but it’s put on us because we’re the ones that can take it. Jared may not think he can sometimes. Jared may get messed up sometimes. But Jared can wear these shoes. That’s why Jared has it.”

Anderson: “But Jared ain’t ask for it.”

Anderson took some unfair mocking for this segment, especially given the “Big Baby” nickname he’s long had. Yet there was cause for concern that perhaps Anderson is approaching this as his job — and perhaps begrudgingly continuing with his career could hamper the potential he otherwise had.

He struggled a bit against Martin, who was a late replacement opponent in that bout in July 2023. Anderson scored a legi-but-flash knockdown in the third round. Two rounds later, Martin had Anderson hurt and reeling. Anderson was able to recover and took a wide decision victory. Anderson was then back in the ring less than two months later, dispatching Andrii Rudenko in five rounds in late August 2023.

But then there was an arrest in November 2023 that started with a traffic stop for speeding and led to accusations of him driving under the influence and a firearms charge. The following February, he allegedly led police on a chase that ended with Anderson crashing his car .

In April, Anderson won a wide but dreary decision over Ryad Merhy, who seemed content to do little beyond surviving until the final bell. It’s also possible that Anderson saw the Bakole fight not only for the significant money he would earn but for the opportunity to make a big splash.

Instead of making a big splash, he got taken into the deep end and was unable to stay afloat.

Anderson will turn 25 in November. He is 17-1 (15 KOs). He just became a father, according to Arum. And so whenever Anderson does return to the ring, Top Rank will attempt to rebuild him.

“He’s still a very talented young man,” Arum said. “He’s very young. Bruce [Trampler] and Brad [Goodman]  are great matchmakers, working with Carl Moretti, and they'll find a way to bring him back.”

In a recent interview with BoxNation, Frank Warren once again addressed the controversy sparked by Ben Shalom’s comments. Shalom insinuated that the gloves used by Fabio Wardley in his victory over Frazer Clarke should be investigated. Warren had already dismissed those accusations, calling them baseless and ridiculous. He also labeled Shalom’s remarks as “stupid and slanderous statements.”

Warren, speaking in a firm tone, was asked about Chris Eubank Jr.’s comments, which appeared to have been influenced by Ben Shalom. According to Warren, it was Shalom who put Eubank in that position, leading to comments that Warren considers defamatory. Likewise, Warren criticized Shalom’s lack of directness.

“He says that rubbish. You know what happened with Eubank, that was set up by him. For him to set up Eubank to say what he said, make those slanderous remarks—which he’ll pay for. What is that? What is that then? Is that the way you do it, sneaky bastard? You haven’t got the guts to say something to somebody’s face? Because I certainly pulled him up on it afterwards, couldn’t even look at me,” Warren stated.When asked if he plans to take legal action against Ben Shalom, Frank Warren was clear:

“It’s being dealt with,” he assured. He reminded that he was the licensed promoter for that event, under the supervision of the British Boxing Board of Control. “We were responsible for the gloves until they were handed over. Any insinuation about the gloves is completely untrue,” he clarified. Warren demanded a public apology for the comments, calling them “ridiculous.” However, he warned that if such an apology is not forthcoming, he will take “the necessary measures.”

Despite the controversy, Frank Warren made it clear that he prefers to focus on what’s important: the rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk and the exciting upcoming fights.

Finally, Warren took the opportunity to refute Simon Jordan and the rumors of alleged harassment towards Ben Shalom, supposedly orchestrated by him and Eddie Hearn. “This is boxing. I don’t even know why we’re having this ridiculous conversation,” Warren said, expressing disbelief. To him, the harassment issue is absurd, and he clarified that his way of handling conflict is direct. “If someone’s rude to me and doesn’t excuse themselves, I deal with it man to man,” he said.George Groves tips prospect to be ‘the future of boxing’

Warren also reflected on his early days in boxing, highlighting how difficult it was back then, with limited TV options and restrictions on sporting venues.

“Do you know when I started out in boxing, remember they’ve all got TV deals, there was only one TV company. I never had no TV deal, nothing. There was just the BBC. And not only that, the venues in London were the Albert Hall, Wembley, and the smallest venue was York Hall. (The cartel) had exclusives on all of them, you couldn’t use them. (I didn’t) cry about it, get on with it,” he concluded.

For so long the comparisons were kind, flattering, focused only on the positives. They centred largely on the way he stood – upright, steady, poised – and the way he threw his right hand nice and straight, just like his old man. 

They also touched on the difference in size, with the son slightly bigger than the father, and what it would take for the son to eventually eclipse what his father had achieved in the ring. The early signs were positive, they said, but still he had a long, long way to go. His father, after all, was not just any world champion, but one of the finest fighters of his generation. He made 13 title defenses. He made Zab Judah dance. He made a nation proud and a son feel inspired enough to want to follow in his footsteps.

That is why Tim Tszyu has for years been compared to his father: how he fights, how he wins, how far he has to go to emulate him. He has been compared to him because his father, Kostya, was no ordinary fighter and, in the context of a son carrying on the family business, no ordinary father, either. 

Until now, the stories Tim will have heard will have been mostly positive, much like the comparisons. The same goes for the evidence, too. He will, for instance, have presumably watched Judah stumble around the ring in round two more than once, as well as admired footage of his dad putting various other opponents to the sword with that thunderous right hand. Better yet, he has always had the luxury of discussing these moments and those wins with the architect himself; allowing his father to reminisce or, if not that way inclined, have others do the describing on his behalf. 

Rarely, if ever, during these conversations will they have dawdled on the tough times, the struggles, or the defeats. That does not mean that Tim is unaware of them, of course, or even that Kostya would be unwilling to revisit them. All it means is that setback is not the first thing that springs to mind when you recall the career of Kostya Tszyu. In fact, his career, which ended with him boasting a 31-2 (25) pro record, was spoiled only by two defeats, one of which came in his very last fight. Otherwise, Tszyu was a picture of dominance, near faultless. 

Indeed, it is for that reason Tim, his son, has perhaps felt the weight of expectation since turning pro in 2016. He has handled this pressure well by and large, winning 24 fights in a row, yet this year, sadly, there have been signs that either the pressure, or his own impatience, has at last started to get the better of him. 

Whichever it is, Tim Tszyu has lost not once but twice in 2024 and on Saturday, in the most recent of these defeats, he was floored four times by Bakhram Murtazaliev before being stopped in round three. Shocking, yes, and also conclusive, Tszyu was at no stage competitive with Murtazaliev and took all manner of heavy shots before finally succumbing. He started out reckless and ended up regretful. It was, in every sense, a reality check and turning point. 

Worst of all, this was supposed to be his comeback fight; that is, the win that follows a fighter’s first defeat. It was never going to be easy, nobody said that, but coming as it did after his defeat against Sebastian Fundora in March, the hope was that Tszyu would get back on track and restore any confidence he may have lost. Instead, by electing to fight Murtazaliev, the experience served to do more harm than good. It certainly did more harm to Tszyu than the loss to Fundora; which, in the final analysis, owed as much to the cut Tszyu picked up in round two (from Fundora’s elbow) as any deficiency or limitation on his part. He was in fact praised for his performance that night, despite ultimately losing a split decision. It was, they said, the sort of gut-check not all young fighters pass. He lost nothing in terms of reputation. He was, they said, still very much his father’s son. 

Then he lost again to go 0-2 in 2024 and now suddenly people are wondering what the future holds for Tszyu, 24-2 (17). Some say he needs to settle down, go back to square one, or go back to Australia. Others have even said he needs to retire and that his recklessness, partly responsible for his woes this year, will lead only to further trouble down the line. 

Tszyu, 29, remains defiant. “I will be back and still be in big fights soon,” he said. “The main thing my dad told me when I was young was to never give up. If you shoot for the stars and you crash and burn along the way, just keep going. And I’m going to keep going.”

In 1997, Kostya Tszyu had one of those years. It started, both the year itself and his run of misfortune, in January when he boxed Leonardo Mas in defense of his IBF junior welterweight title, the main appeal of which was that it landed on the undercard of Oscar De La Hoya’s latest defense of his WBC junior welterweight belt. The idea, in theory, was that Tszyu would win and impress against Mas and then position himself for a fight against De La Hoya at some point should the “Golden Boy” remain in the 140-pound division. At the time Kostya looked upon this opportunity the same way Tim, his son, looked upon fighting, say, Terence Crawford; one, if it was offered to him, too good to turn down. 

First, though, he had to get past Mas, an opponent easy to beat and an opponent easier to overlook. Just 20 seconds into the fight, in fact, Tszyu had managed to sweep Mas off his feet with a left hook, leaving the much taller challenger both grounded and embarrassed, though yet to have broken sweat. He then continued to nail Mas for the rest of the opener, dropping him again with a left hook, this time with 20 seconds to go in the round. This time, too, Mas seemed less sure about jumping back to his feet. 

Still, to his credit, he eventually did, doing so on the count of seven, and once upright tried to hold Tszyu. It was then, during this clinch, Tszyu lined up and released a right hand, timing its release with the sound of Joe Cortez, the referee, calling for them to “break”. 

It was, as is so often the case with Cortez, a messy, fussy command, one delivered with little conviction, and as a result nobody involved knew what to do. The right hand, alas, continued its path and landed on Mas and Mas, preferring again to be off his feet, sought refuge on the canvas. Now, he went down holding his eye, inferring he had been poked, and now Tszyu, sensing he had done wrong, was sent to a neutral corner. Cortez, meanwhile, tried to restore order to the disorder he himself had caused. 

In truth, nobody really knew what was to happen next. All they knew was that Tszyu had released a punch a split second too late and that Mas, wanting no more, had elected to stay on the canvas upon receiving this punch, now citing a pain in the jaw. This pain was then upgraded to a “fracture” and soon both Mas and Tszyu were being informed that their fight, scheduled for 12 rounds but finished in one, was to be a technical draw on account of an unintentional illegal blow. That led to boos of dissatisfaction from the Vegas crowd. It also led to Tszyu leaving the ring in a hurry, ignoring calls for a post-fight interview. 

Four months later, Tszyu was back. He returned to a different ring, in a different city, and against a different opponent, yet was still the IBF junior welterweight champion. That was the belt on the line against Vince Phillips, whom he faced in Atlantic City that May, and in Phillips he had a fighter of far greater repute and danger than Leonardo Mas, the great spoilsport of January. 

Tszyu, as if eager to right past wrongs, would, despite this danger, attack Phillips from the off and showed little respect for either the American’s durability or his power. He was, you might say, reckless. He let his hands go with abandonment, often while flat-footed and in range, and this gave Phillips the opportunity to return fire and catch Tszyu’s chin high in the air or time his right hand for when Tszyu would try, and fail, to pre-emptively pull back from it. 

However he got there, Phillips got there with increasing regularity as the fight progressed and by round seven had managed to buckle the legs of Tszyu and have him touch down. Until that point, Tszyu had been able to walk through these thudding right hands, yet suddenly his punch resistance had started to wane and, though he smiled upon rising, there was a sense that the tide had now turned. 

It was then in the 10th round that Tszyu found himself submerged, unable to catch his breath. It started again with a right hand and now, having landed it, Phillips wouldn’t let up, buoyed somewhat by the fact that Tszyu had this time taken the shot without going down. This subtle difference in reaction had afforded Tszyu no escape route and was all Phillips needed, by way of invitation, to back the champion up to the ropes and continue throwing punches until told to stop by the referee. By the time he did, Tszyu was out on his feet, slumped in the corner, no longer smiling. 

Tim Tszyu, back then, would have been blissfully unaware of his father’s pain that night, or indeed the loss itself. He had yet to turn three, you see, and therefore would have no concept of loss, either in the ring or any other context, nor any idea why his father had returned from work looking different than how he had looked when he had left. He would also have no idea that his father, rather than deterred by his first professional loss, would use it as the motivation to go undefeated for the next eight years, a 13-fight run ended only by Ricky Hatton in his final fight. 

By that stage Tim Tszyu would have been 10. By that stage he knew both what his father did for a living and how essential setbacks were to not only one’s growth but the intoxicating feeling of success. In other words, he knew what it meant to keep going. He also saw his father’s pain, the physical and emotional, and found nothing to put him off.

Manny Flores is ready to return to the venue where he has made a name for himself in his young career on Thursday at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

Flores, 18-1 (14 KOs), the 26-year-old hometown fighter from Coachella, California, will face Victor Olivo, 21-4-1 (9 KOs), a 28-year-old veteran from Sonora, Mexico, at the top of a card to be broadcast on DAZN and Golden Boy Promotions' YouTube channel. On Wednesday, Flores tipped the scales at 119.0lbs, while Olivo weighed in at 117.8lbs.

Flores has been on a three-fight knockout streak since suffering his lone career defeat, to Walter Santibanes in June 2023.

Olivo enters this bout following a unanimous decision loss to former title challenger Argi Cortes. He has fought across three divisions, from junior bantamweight to junior featherweight.

In the co-feature, undefeated featherweight Jose Sanchez of Cathedral City, California, will take on Mexico’s Edwin Palomares in a 10-round fight.

Sanchez, 24, has fought six times at or around the featherweight limit, though he had been campaigning at junior featherweight in recent bouts. After defeating Erik Ruiz at junior featherweight in April, Sanchez is moving up to featherweight.

Palomares, 28, enters the fight coming off an eight-round draw in September against Isaac Ezequiel Aranda Castaneda in Mexico. In September 2023, Palomares faced Golden Boy contender Victor Morales, losing by unanimous decision.

Full weigh-in results are as follows:

Bantamweight – 10 rounds 

Manuel Flores (119.0lbs) vs Victor Olivo (117.8lbs) 

Featherweight – 10 rounds

Jose Sanchez (126.0lbs) vs Edwin Palomares (126.0lbs)

Junior middleweight – six rounds

Grant Flores (154.2lbs) vs Luis Ramos (153.8lbs) 

Lightweight – six rounds

Daniel Garcia (135.2lbs) vs Jorge Villegas (135.2lbs)

Junior welterweight – four rounds

Cayden Griffiths (141.8lbs) vs Markus Bowes (138.8lbs)

Lightweight – six rounds

Jonathan Canas (137.2lbs vs Pedro Cruz (140.0lbs) 

Junior lightweight – four rounds

Daniel Luna (129.8lbs) vs Giovanny Gonzalez (131.0lbs)

Bantamweight – four rounds

Kevin Gudino (117.6lbs) vs Bryan Cox (119.4lbs)

The undisputed strawweight champion, Seniesa Estrada, shocked the boxing world by announcing her retirement at the age of 32. The boxer, known as “Superbad,” leaves the sport with an undefeated record of 26 wins, no losses, and 9 knockouts. Estrada has been a key figure in the development of women’s boxing, and her retirement has sparked widespread reactions and respect within the boxing community.

Estrada made the decision to retire at the peak of her career, just seven months after unifying the division’s four major belts. Her last fight was a unanimous decision victory over Yokasta Valle, making her the first woman to become the undisputed champion in the strawweight division. In an Instagram post, Estrada expressed that after 23 years dedicated to boxing, she was ready to move on to the next chapter of her life.

The champion, originally from East Los Angeles,

Bob Arum, president of Top Rank, expressed his admiration for Estrada, noting that the promotion would miss working with her. “Seniesa Estrada is a spectacular person and fighter,” said Arum, who had been her promoter since 2022. “I know she can look forward to a happy and productive life outside the ring.”

In her emotional official farewell, Seniesa Estrada made it clear that her career has been a rollercoaster of experiences. “Thank you for giving me life,” she wrote in a letter addressed to boxing. Throughout the text, she highlighted the positive impact boxing had on her life and the opportunity to inspire others. However, she also made it clear that she was at peace with her decision. “I won’t miss you,” she confessed, acknowledging that after 23 years of complete dedication, she had achieved everything she set out to do.George Groves tips prospect to be ‘the future of boxing’

In her final words, she thanked her fans, friends, family, and team, emphasizing how they had overcome gender barriers in a male-dominated sport. Seniesa Estrada also expressed her faith in God, thanking Him for giving her peace at this crucial stage of her life. She affirmed that, although her boxing career had come to an end, she was confident that her name would continue to resonate in the future.

“I know that I will shine bright at whatever I choose to do next,” Estrada concluded, closing the chapter of her boxing career with gratitude and confidence in the future.Ver esta publicación en Instagram

Una publicación compartida por SENIESA (@seniesa_superbad)

“Look at me,” shrieked the trainer Colin Nathan in the corner. “You’re giving him too much fucking respect.”

There was a pivotal moment in between Phumelela Cafu and Kosei Tanaka trading bombs in Tokyo earlier in October when, after round seven, the South African coach Nathan moved to motivate Cafu, his charge.

“Now listen to me,” the coach told the 26 year old. “All that shit that you want to buy your mother a house, and an apartment in Sandton – you’re letting him take it away from you.” 

It came from a place of both urgency and love, but such instructions can be perceived as risky, given the age of social media, when Nathan could face condemnation for cheerleading or attention-grabbing or making it all about himself rather than handing down crucial tactical advice. 

The minute-long period between sessions can be make or break, and trainers must choose their moments wisely.

Nathan’s timing, words and delivery were impeccable and struck a chord with his fighter. There was a time and place for strategic instructions, but Nathan felt the time to get at his fighter emotionally. It worked, too.

“It did,” acknowledges Cafu, the new WBO junior-bantamweight champion. “Because in round seven a lot was going through my mind. I thought I was going to knock this guy out and he kept on coming, so I started to question my fitness, whether it would carry me through all 12 rounds. Do I have what it takes to win? So a lot was running through my mind at that moment. 

“When I got to the corner, Col told me, ‘It’s not only changing your life, you promised to buy your mum a new house’, and as he told me that, I remembered that Tanaka was not only taking my dream away, he’s also taking my mom’s dreams away because I promised my mom I’m going to get her a house and I planned on keeping that promise. Tanaka tried to take that away from me and I couldn’t let him do that.”

After 12 terrifically hard-fought and even rounds, Cafu emerged a split-decision victor. From Duncan Village in the Eastern Cape, his career dreams moved closer to reality. Cafu is 11-0-3 (8 KOs) and he is thinking big.

“I’m from the hood – it’s kind of tough where I’m from,” he added. “But I can’t say I come from a poor family. I’ve always had everything that I needed. I’ve never really struggled growing up. My mom took good care of me, so I won’t say I come from a poor family, but the plan is to move my mum out of the hood, man. Yeah.”

Cafu flew back to Johannesburg for a few days before going home to Duncan Village. He’s been given a hero’s welcome everywhere he has been, too, while sporting his WBO crown.

“It feels amazing,” he continued. “It hasn’t really sunk in, that I’m a world champion. I’m getting there. I’m kinda feeling amazing. The attention I’ve been getting lately; the warm welcome I got from my friends and family. It feels amazing.

“I really enjoyed Japan. The people over there are very respectful, the fans over there are very nice people and they gave me a warm welcome; even went to the hotel before my fight and they asked me to sign autographs and stuff; took pictures with me and wished me good luck for the fight, so Japanese fans are really great.”

Cafu had been confident throughout camp, but two days earlier, high-profile stablemate Sivenathi Nontshinga had lost his IBF crown in Japan after Masamichi Yabuki stopped him in nine rounds for his light-flyweight gold.

“After Sive’s fight, it kind of got to me,” Cafu said of the defeat. “I was like, ‘Ah fuck’. I really expected him to win. It would have been a really great thing coming back with both world titles. That is boxing. You can’t say what is going to happen and anything is possible. It was hard when he lost, but I knew what I was there for. I was there for a fight and I was there for myself. Sive’s been a world champion so it was time for me to also make a name for myself.”

The mission did not change despite the team’s momentum doing so. They maintained their focus and did what was required, even if Cafu felt he might have been able to stop the 20-2 (11 KOs) Japanese star before they fought.

“My prediction going into the fight was I will knock Tanaka out in round five or six, because I knew as soon as things start to heat up, he’s going to be more vulnerable and careless, so I knew I was going to catch him with a counter,” said Cafu, who dropped Tanaka with a blistering right hand in the fifth round. “Maybe a counter left hook, because that’s what we’ve been working on, trying to draw him in and counter him, so I’ve been working on that. Once I caught him, I thought, ‘Nah, the fight is over.’ He stood up and I tried to finish him, but when I went for the finish, I could see he wasn’t really gone . His legs were still there, so I thought I should really pace myself, not go all out and maybe gas myself out or maybe even end up on the canvas.

“I knew his stamina is good because he has fought at the highest level. I was watching his fights and he has stamina for all 12 rounds, so that’s what I’ve been working on, to make sure I can go the full 12 rounds also. And I was truly fit for that but I think the body punches he caught me with kind of played a big role, because I was kind of fatigued in the 12 th round.” 

Cafu has lofty goals. Japan was the start, he hopes, of the many things he still wants to achieve. He also is appreciative that Tanaka gave him a shot in the first place and because of the narrow verdict, he has no concerns about giving Tanaka a return. 

“Yeah, for sure – I think he deserves a rematch,” Cafu stated. “I wouldn’t mind giving him a rematch because he gave me a chance at his title. I also believe I’ll be better in the next fight than I was in this fight, so I’ll just have to wait for what my team says is next for me.

“For now, I’d like to defend my title. I’d like to get a bit more experience at world level; maybe unify. I was looking forward to fighting [Fernando] Martinez. I believe he has both [WBA and IBF] belts in the division – I’d like to win both belts and maybe have three titles around my waist. But for now, one thing I’m looking at is I’d love to defend my title and maybe later on or next year get a unification fight.”

“Col is a great guy,” Cafu smiled. “I call him ‘Pops’, because we’re so close. Ever since I joined him, he promised me a world title shot and he’s delivered. I’m very grateful to him. He’s a great guy; he cares about his boxers and they respect him and he gives us what we ask for, so I’m always grateful to him.”

So, now, is Cafu’s mother.

Moses Itauma, one of the most promising British boxers, expressed openness to a future fight with Johnny Fisher. During the press conference ahead of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch, Itauma and Fisher

Moses Itauma, with a 10-0 record, showed respect for Fisher. Itauma mentioned that they had

The friendship and mutual respect between Fisher and Itauma were evident when they recalled a time they agreed to go out for Chinese food together, something they have yet to do. Itauma joked, “One day we’ll have it. Maybe a Chinese after.”

Likewise, Johnny Fisher also expressed his willingness to fight Itauma. Fisher, with an impressive record of 12 wins and 11 knockouts and 0 loses, warned any future opponent about the challenge of defeating him. “I think I’m not a Man City, I’m an AC Milan, and not a Liverpool, but I am a cold night away in Stoke,” Fisher said, referencing the toughness needed to beat him in the ring.

Fisher, whose father Big John has gained popularity on TikTok, will face Australian Demsey McKean on the December 21st card. This fight will be part of the highly anticipated event in Saudi Arabia, where Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will contest their rematch. McKean, a former sparring partner of Anthony Joshua, holds a record of 22 wins with just one loss.Aqib Fiaz cleared after BBBofC investigation

Although Fisher is focused on his upcoming bout, he does not rule out a future showdown with Itauma. “I will fight anyone. Anyone out there, I will fight,” Fisher said during the press conference. “And to beat me, you’ve got to pull your socks up and put it on to beat me,” he added defiantly. Despite his confidence, Fisher also praised Itauma, describing him as a “great talent” and acknowledging the significance that fight would have for the British public.

Both boxers made it clear that while they maintain a cordial relationship, they wouldn’t hesitate to face each other if the opportunity arises. A fight between Johnny Fisher and Moses Itauma would not only grab the attention of British boxing fans but could also establish one of them as a future star on the international boxing scene.

The December 21st event, taking place in Saudi Arabia, promises not only an epic rematch between Fury and Usyk but also high-caliber bouts on the rest of the card. The possibility of a future clash between Johnny Fisher and Moses Itauma adds even more excitement to the coming months in the boxing world.

On Wednesday, Tyson Fury appeared at a press conference to promote the much-anticipated rematch against Oleksandr Usyk. The fight will take place on December 21 in Saudi Arabia, where both boxers will compete for the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Organization (WBO), and World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight titles. This bout will be Fury’s opportunity to even the score, after Usyk defeated him in May and became the unified champion.

At the press conference in London, 36-year-old Fury spoke about what will be key to his victory. He assured that his focus will be on staying concentrated and fighting smarter to secure the win. “I don’t have much to change from the fight that Usyk won in May. A little more focus and I’ll win,” the Brit declared. The boxer, who suffered his first professional loss on May 18 in Riyadh, is determined to regain his status in the boxing world.Tyson Fury emphasized that he will not make drastic changes to his strategy.

He plans to rely on his offensive style, focusing on hitting, moving, and staying in control of the fight. Fury stated that he will go forward, hitting and moving without retreating. Fury mentioned that he aims to knock out Oleksandr Usyk in the ninth round, with an eight-count. He believes his combinations of jabs and body uppercuts will be key to breaking down the Ukrainian champion.

The fight, which will be the main event on a high-profile card, promises to be one of the most anticipated of the year. Tyson Fury, known by his nickname “Gypsy King,” is eagerly awaiting the chance to redeem himself in the ring, promising a better version of himself.

With his charismatic presence, Fury appeared confident in front of the media, wearing a cap with his famous nickname. As the fight date approaches, anticipation continues to rise in the boxing world, with fans eager to see if Tyson Fury will be able to complete his revenge and reclaim the title. Likewise, this could position him better and open the door to a possible fight against Anthony Joshua.𝙍𝙀𝙄𝙂𝙉𝙄𝙏𝙀𝘿 🔥#UsykFury2 | #RiyadhSeason | December 21, live on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikhpic.twitter.com/rFuv8Tsuca

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) October 23, 2024

After the dust had settled on his victory over Josh Taylor, Jack Catterall and his team sat down to plot his next move. 

There was no thought about dialling back the level of opposition and waiting for a super lightweight world title opportunity to present itself. Instead, Catterall, 29-1 (13 KOs), and his team were determined to maintain the momentum created by the exciting win over his bitter rival and set out to secure the most attractive fight they could.

When he and his team looked down the list of available opponents, one name stood out above all others. 

“Jamie Moore has always said to me, ‘Regis Prograis is a good fight for Jack,’” Catterall’s manager, Sam Jones, told BoxingScene.

“He's a good puncher. He's a phenomenal fighter but his style, we believe, will compliment Jack. Apart from the world champions and the world title fights, this is the best fight in the division by a mile.”

Prograis. 29-2 (24 KOs), has been one of the most exciting fighters in world boxing over the past decade but appears to have lost some of his explosiveness and menace in recent outings. He was flat against Danielito Zorrilla last June and almost unrecognisable as Devin Haney outboxed him last December. The consensus seems to be that, at 35 years old, Prograis needs to beat Catterall if he is to remain a significant player at super lightweight.

However, Jones isn’t expecting a reckless Prograis to turn up and fight for his career in Manchester.

Prograis is a two-time world champion and has been an established figure at the top of the 140lb tree for years. Jones believes that the Louisianan has nothing left to prove and will fight with determination rather than desperation. Prograis’ calibre means that he is already a threat, but if he can reignite that old spark, things could get very interesting.

“No, not desperate, because Regis Prograis has done everything in boxing. He's won world titles and he's been a part of big nights. But he'll want to come and prove a point the same way Jack's wanting to prove a point,” Jones said.

“We believe that Jack has achieved what he has but he just hasn't got the hardware to show for it.

“But ultimately, it's a big fight. It really is.

“If you look at the odds, it's close. It's very, very close. It's what people would call a 50-50 fight, but we believe it's not. Public-wise, if you look at the comments, it's very much a mixed reaction on who people believe is going to win the fight.”

Catterall has been a major name in British boxing for years and, after his wins over Jorge Linares and Taylor, the fight with Prograis will be his third consecutive appearance as a major headline attraction. He has been given the opportunity to top the bill at the first ever boxing event to be held at the new Co-Op Live Arena which, when fully opened, is the largest indoor venue in Europe.

Prograis is a quality fighter and an engaging character and if Catterall can get past him in impressive fashion, it will rubber stamp his status as one of the very best super lightweights in the world.

From this point on Jones only wants his fighter to be involved in the biggest possible fights and to establish himself as a fighter capable of carrying major shows.

“Jack wants the biggest and best fights. That’s what Jack's always said to me from the beginning. Our plan, funnily enough, has gone to a tee,” he said. “It's all gone according to plan. This is my fourth fight with Jack. It feels like a lot longer than that.

“Listen, I would like to think I complimented his ability a little bit with my enthusiasm. There's loads of big fights out there for Jack. First and foremost - and I mean this because I respect Regis a lot - all that matters is Regis Prograis.

“After that, we'll worry about what comes after.”

John Evans has contributed to a number of well-known publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John on X @John_Evans79

Junior welterweight contender Jack Catterall believes he is facing a focused and ambitious Regis Prograis when they fight in Manchester this weekend.

Catterall and Prograis meet in a high stakes clash at the first boxing event at the Co-op Live on Saturday and the Englishman hopes victory could lead to fights against Teofimo Lopez or the winner of the December contest between IBF champion Liam Paro and Richardson Hitchins.

Catterall is yet to taste world title glory, while Prograis is looking to earn the opportunity to become a champion for a third time.

“I think if you look at Regis now, his last two performances have probably been below par,” said Catterall. “I think that the Regis I’m fighting next is probably a hungry and driven Regis. That’s what I’m excited for, the fact that he’s been world champion twice and he’s hungry to become a three-time world champion.

He lost his belt in his last fight so I think he’ll be super motivated for this fight to get back on track and get a win. That gives me the fire in my belly and gets me excited knowing that I’m getting a hungry and determined Regis coming to fight me in Manchester.

“I feel like a second coming now. It’s been a great ride since I signed with Matchroom. This will be my third headline fight in a UK arena in 12 months. That again is a great feeling. The 140 division is stacked with a lot of great fighters, so I find myself now fit and well, past the periods of inactivity and ready to fight and be involved in these big fights.

"That is the motivation and part of the motivation behind fighting Regis. Outside of the world champions, he for me is the biggest fight to have. I believe a victory against him will put me right at the top of the list and ready to challenge the biggest names in the division.

“If this turns into a dog fight, I’m there for it and I’m ready for that. No matter what I’m ready to dig deep, go to the trenches and I’m confident I’ll get my hand raised. I expect this to be a tough fight but I expect a victory."

World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and challenger Tyson Fury came face-to-face in London this evening to promote their December 21 contest in Saudi Arabia, a rematch of their Fight of the Year contender in May.

Usyk did not have much to say at the top table, and Fury followed his lead after the fighters made a few brief statements. 

“It’s actually been about four and a half years,” Fury said of the last time he felt he wasn't the favorite going into a fight. “Last time was the [Deontay] Wilder II fight when I was the underdog. What’s going through my mind? I’m just looking forward to a fantastic fight. Last time in May it was a fantastic fight. Oleksandr won the fight fair and square. [I’m] just looking to put on a great fight again. It was very close last time; he got it by a point. A little bit more focus, a little bit more lack of complacency and I should do the job I need to do. Nothing drastic has to change. A bit more of the same. A bit more focus, like I say, and I will be victorious.

“I believe it will be my time next time and I believe all things that happen, negative or positive, are lessons. We must learn from the things we go through in our lives, and we can only do the best we can do as human beings and as boxers and as fathers and as husbands. We can only do the best we can do as men. And what we know how to do best is go in there and knock fuck out of each other in a fight and put on a show for the paying customer.”

Usyk, dressed as the Hitman from the video game of that name, seemed comfortable and happy but said very little.

“What is my motivation?” he asked. “I don’t have motivation. Only my regime, only my concentration. This is my motivation. Enough.”