Boxing Archives - Page 13 of 42

In the high-stakes world of boxing, weight classes are more than just numbers—they’re battle lines. Dmitry Bivol, a light heavyweight champion, recently weighed in on Terence Crawford’s daring idea. Crawford, fresh from a historic win over Errol Spence Jr., eyes a leap into Canelo Alvarez’s domain.

Canelo who dominated Jermell has shown that jumping weight classes is not a good idea. But is Crawford’s plan a stroke of genius or a step too far? As Bivol shares his insights, he brings a twist to the tale of two fighters wanting to shape their legacies in the best possible way.

Bivol’s advice (or lack thereof) for Terence Crawford

The heart of the matter lies in Dmitry Bivol’s candid conversation with Fight Hub TV. Bivol’s thoughts came in response to a direct question about Crawford’s intention to move up three divisions. “I don’t remember sizes of Terence Crawford,” he initially admitted. The interviewer clarified, “Welterweight, well he’s probably my size maybe like 170.”

Here, Bivol recalled a fundamental boxing lesson, emphasizing respect for the sport’s weight divisions. “I think I remember when I came to the boxing gym one of the first lesson which I should learn it’s like you should respect weight classes,” he reflected. Yet, his admiration for Crawford’s prowess is evident. “But Terence Crawford now is my one of the favorite fighters, active fighters. I mean he has good skills very good skills, maybe he could show us something,” he added, acknowledging Crawford’s exceptional talent.

The interviewer, seeking insights from Bivol’s successful encounter with Canelo, asked for advice he might offer Crawford. Bivol’s humility and respect for his fellow boxer shone through. “It’s funny if I give him advice. He knows already what he needs to do and his coach knows they will find the solution to how to do it but it will happen or not, it will be success or not,” Bivol stated, expressing confidence in Crawford’s and his team’s strategic prowess.

But Bivol isn’t the only one who has spoken about this fight. Sugar Ray Leonard had some words of advice for Terence too.

Sugar Ray Leonard’s key advice to Crawford

Sugar Ray Leonard’s perspective offers invaluable insight for Terence Crawford’s bold move to face Canelo Alvarez. During a discussion focusing on ‘everything Crawford,’ Leonard, a legend who himself navigated through various divisions, shared his wisdom on what Crawford must prioritize in the ring. “Well, as long as [it] doesn’t prevent him from moving or slipping punches and just stay on the outside – just fight his fight,” Leonard advised, emphasizing the importance of maintaining one’s unique fighting style amidst challenges.

This advice is particularly poignant, considering Amir Khan’s previous fight against Canelo in the supermiddleweight division, which ended in a dramatic knockout.

Can Terence Crawford successfully translate his dominance across weight classes and etch his name in the annals of boxing history against a powerhouse like Canelo Alvarez?

BOXING

“They Have No Sense, No Guidance”: Gervonta Davis’ (Now Abdul Wahid) Trainer Calvin Ford Details How He Plans to Help Black Youths in Jail After Release

Calvin Ford, the famed boxing coach for Gervonta Davis, now Abdul Wahid, was released from prison on January 21! He was picked up by the authorities on December 29 on felony assault charges while he was leaving the popular Upton gym in Baltimore. However, three days after his release, the 58-year-old trainer sheds light on how he plans to help black youth in jail.

Police in Las Vegas issued an arrest warrant for Ford in September last year, but he was arrested in December by the cops in Baltimore. After being held at central booking, he was handed over to the Las Vegas authorities. However, since his release, the famed trainer appeared in an interview with The Rize Podcast – expressing his new goal in life.

Calvin Ford wants to help the youth “not inside of this gym – outside the gym”

During an interview with the Rize Podcast, Ford discussed his experiences in jail and how it gave him a clearer understanding of “what is going on with young black men.” During his time behind bars, Ford stated he saw “Muslims, the Jays, the civilians, the Crips, the Bloods,” and because of the laws passed on them, “we gonna start seeing a lot of bodies coming out that City Jail,” said Ford.

He further added that “they have no sense, no guidance [of] what they should be doing.” Ford suggested that the youth should be working on how they mean to get out of prison and what they plan to do after getting out. Suggesting he went through the entire process, demonstrating how it should done. So, “Now I’m coming up, I got to extend my [hand] just not inside of this gym, outside the gym,” said Ford. While Ford was only recently released, his close aide has advocated for his innocence from the beginning!

Gervonta Davis’ co-coach & close aide defends Ford

While speaking to Fannon International Boxing Channel on January 1 this year, Kenny Ellis claimed that Ford was arrested on some false charges. “They picked him up, you know. They picked him up on some false accusations that somebody accused him of doing,” Ellis. Meanwhile, he detailed his reasoning behind believing the charges were false.

“It was assault with a deadly weapon from two people, and the question is if that happened and I was with Calvin, why am I not locked up,” Ellies said. While Ellies argued why he wasn’t arrested when the pair were together, he sent a message to all the fans. “[I] want to let the people know that he’s been falsely accused, and the truth will rise to the top,” said Ellies.

After being released from prison a few days ago, the famed trainer is aiming to help African-American inmates traverse adversities. However, whether Calvin Ford himself is completely out of trouble is yet to be seen. What do you think of Ford’s new mission to help the youth? Let us know in the comments below!

BOXING

Gervonta Davis admits he’s “mad” over talk of Saudi Arabia boxing match

It sounds like Gervonta Davis’ next fight won’t be taking place in Saudi Arabia.

‘Tank’ has been out of the ring since a knockout win over Ryan Garcia in April. The victory was the biggest of his career, and it was clear that Davis was now one of the biggest stars in boxing. Mike Tyson even dubbed him the “face of boxing” with the win.

With that sort of thing in mind, the WBA (Super) lightweight champion believes that he’ll need a great offer to fight outside of America. Given Saudi Arabia’s recent move into the sport, that’s a bit of a complication.

Earlier this month, Turki Alalshikh named Davis as one of the boxers he wanted to bring most to the Middle East. The advisor has helped build the country’s move into the sport and created fights such as Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou.

However, ‘Tank’ will need a lot more than just cash to fight in Saudi Arabia. In a now-deleted post on X, Davis stated that he wanted some gifts first. He wrote:

Davis also responded to a fan questioning if he was scared to fight in Saudi Arabia (via BoxingScene):

BOXING

“Abdul Will Smack the ST Outta You”: Gervonta Davis, Now Abdul Wahid, Threatens Boxing Reporter Over New Name

Gervonta Davis, now Abdul Wahid having converted to Islam, has resumed his training. Although boxing fans do not know who he is fighting next, the WBA Lightweight champion of the world is busy grinding in the gym. On that note, Wahid was recently found working on his footwork. Honestly speaking, he was light, spontaneous, and effective.

Likewise, out of appreciation and curiosity, a boxing reporter took to social media and posted Wahid’s training video. However, after a fan intervened, Abdul offered a word of caution over his latest name. Here is what happened.

Gervonta Davis, now Abdul Wahid, dazzles with his impressive footwork

Taking to X, boxing reporter Danny shared a brief clip of Gervonta Davis working on his footwork. In the clip, taking a step back, he suddenly shifts from southpaw to orthodox with a shuffle. Then, ‘Tank’ throws combinations in the air on his backfoot, staying outside the pocket. Soon, the WBA Lightweight champion is found mixing his head movement with body shots. Finally, the 29-year-old pivots to his right after throwing a jab, a cross, and a right hook. At this impressed by Davis’ workout, a curious Danny wrote, “Tank working on his footwork…I wonder who he’s fighting next“.

However, a fan by the name of Damian objected to Danny’s caption and said, “Tank? Ain’t his name Abdul now [?]” At this, as the fan’s tweet came to Gervonta Davis, now Abdul Wahid’s notice, the champion said, “Abdul will smack the s**t outta you. Keep it up…Damian“. Anyway, now that ‘Tank’ is training, we cannot help but wonder who he will face next.

Who is Abdul Wahid’s next potential fight?

Last year, Sean ‘Viva’ Gibbons, head of Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions, told the media that they wanted to stage a rematch between Gervonta Davis and Isaac Cruz. Likewise, he had even claimed that PBC would bring the fans ‘Tank’ vs. ‘Pitbull’ II in the form of a post-Christmas gift. On that note, considering Gibbons’ statements, boxing fans can expect Davis vs. Cruz II. Meanwhile, ‘Tank’ and Devin Haney have been exchanging words on the internet.

Recently, Turki Alalshikh announced that he would like to stage Davis vs. Haney in Saudi Arabia this year. So, Davis vs. Haney is another option. With that said, who do you think Abdul Wahid is preparing his footwork for? And what do you have to say about his footwork? Let us know in the comments below.

BOXING

I was called every name under the sun in prison, but nobody would say it to my face, reveals Tyson Fury’s dad John

TYSON FURY’S dad John has revealed he faced terrible abuse in prison – but no-one dared “insult me to my face”.

The father-of-six has been behind bars three times, including for gouging a man’s eye out, but claims he is “everything a man should be”.

The former bare-knuckle fighter, 59, has a violent past but says his strong religious belief helped him overcome his darkest days.

As a teen, Fury Senior was twice sent to borstals – detention centres that have since been replaced by other forms of youth custody.

He escaped from the first one – a place he compares to the gruesome borstal of the 1979 movie Scum, starring Ray Winstone.

And after he was finally captured he spent three more years inside at a similar centre.

Then in 2011 Fury Senior was jailed for 11 years for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

It followed a fight at a car auction in Belle Vue, where he gouged out the eye of a man who had been his friend – until they fell out over a bottle of beer and had a long-running feud.

He was released four years into his sentence due to good behaviour, having initially been in notorious Category A prison Strangeways before moving to an open jail.

Now the dad of heavyweight legend Tyson has discussed some of his worst times inside.

He told the Daily Star, via Free Bets: “When I was in prison, at 10 o’clock at night, I used to get called every name under the sun through the windows.

“What they were calling me and my family was unprecedented.

“But did I know who was saying it? No. There’s 1,500 men in a prison where the noise comes from. You can only guess, but would they say it to my face? No.

“I’ve been round some hard cookies in my life. We thought it was tough. Nobody’s ever insulted me to my face.

“They can say what they want behind my back because there’s miles and miles in front of people. When you’re stood there looking like you’re gonna do somebody some damage, let’s see where the balls are.

“I know what mine are. You’ll have to kill me to stop me, because I’ll definitely end it there. I don’t want the police knocking on my door anyway. They have knocked on my door too many times.”

But Fury Senior insists his unpleasant side only comes out if he believes he has been insulted or his family need protecting.

He said: “The people in the know who know me, they know I’m not to be messed about with.

“I’m respectful. I’m everything a man should be. But I’m not a fool.

“Fools don’t rear families and direct their kids to stardom and fame and wealth or keep them there.”

BOXING

I won’t underrate Ngannou – Joshua

Anthony Joshua is inspired by Francis Ngannou and won’t underestimate him when the two faceoff in a 10-round clash in Saudi Arabia on March 8.

Joshua, 34, is hoping an impressive knockout can fire up interest in a Tyson Fury showdown after the Gypsy King was almost upset by Ngannou last October.

Cameroon-born Ngannou made it to the top of UFC after travelling as a refugee from Africa to Europe, which included harrowing journeys by sea and truck. It’s something which has inspired Joshua.

“The journey he has taken, he’s a goal getter. He is someone who sets a goal and goes and gets it. To travel across that desert. He said like people that travel across there, they fall off the car, back of the truck and they’re left to die. Think of how many people that you know that have come before you that have tried that same route and you’re going through it. It takes a lot,” Joshua said.

“It takes a lot to travel the Mediterranean, the sea, he crossed, it’s a lot man. He said he couldn’t swim either. It is inspiration. It is someone who searched for a better life and he’s doing it in one of the toughest sports, combat sport. He’s a determined person and I find it inspirational.”

Ngannou almost stunned the world when he floored Fury on his boxing debut last October before the Gypsy King recovered to edge out a win on points and save embarrassment and Joshua has said he won’t underestimate the former UFC champion.

“Would I have underestimated him? No, the problem with me is I train the same for every fight; obviously we train differently, but I do always work hard, so I wouldn’t have underestimated him.

“But now I know the guy can fight, I know. There’s no element of surprise, like, ‘He’s gonna be sh*t, he’s not gonna be able to move, he’s gonna have sh*t footwork, his feet are gonna be like he’s stuck in the sand.’ No, he can move, he can come forward, so it’ll be good to see how I deal with that – and how he deals with me as well,” he said.

BOXING

Teddy Atlas Gives Verdict on Canelo-Crawford: “He Has Very Special Gifts”

Former coach turned pundit Teddy Atlas has been talking about a potential fight between two pound-for-pound stars in Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez versus Terence Crawford.

Crawford is one of the best fighters of his generation and has been undisputed champion in two separate weight divisions – light welterweight and welterweight, the latter of which he picked up last July with a career-best performance against Errol Spence Jr.

‘Canelo’ meanwhile has won belts in multiple weight divisions and is currently fighting at super middleweight where he holds all four of the belts and is the first man to do so in that division.

With both men always on the lookout for the biggest challenges, rumours abound that Crawford might make an unlikely jump up three weight classes to make the fight happen and the man himself has not ruled it out.

Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Atlas was asked about that.

He then outlined another of Crawford’s unique skills.

The last time Canelo was asked about it was in September when he said the ‘time was not right’ for the fight, but boxing moves quickly so maybe that changes in 2024.

BOXING

Terence Crawford and Chris Eubank Jr.’s coach credits jail time for widespread Trainer of the Year media recognition

Brian McIntyre believes that leading Terence Crawford and Chris Eubank Jr. to big wins wasn’t his biggest headline in 2023.

The veteran trainer had a really, really good year in the ring, to put it mildly. In July, the coach nicknamed ‘Bo-Mac’ led Terence Crawford against Errol Spence Jr. For years, fans had hoped to see the two welterweight champions fight.

However, when they finally met in the ring, it was incredibly lopsided. Thanks to McIntyre’s preparation, Crawford bullied Spence Jr. for nine rounds, knocking him down multiple times to score a stoppage win.

Later in the year, McIntyre became the trainer for one Chris Eubank Jr. ‘Next Gen’ suffered a stoppage loss earlier in 2023 to Liam Smith. That led the former champion to replace Roy Jones Jr. with McIntyre.

In the end, that was the correct decision, as he avenged the defeat with a knockout win of his own. Sadly, the celebration for McIntyre was short-lived. Days following the victory, he was arrested for trying to board a plane in the U.K. with a firearm.

While McIntyre was named ‘Trainer of the Year’ by many media outlets, he’s not so sure that he got the honor thanks to his training. Speaking to FightHype in a recent interview, the coach speculated (via BoxingScene):

BOXING

Gervonta Davis Gives Reality Check to Rolly Romero Choosing Between Al Haymon and Oscar De La Hoya; Names The Bigger Promoter

Who is responsible for getting Ryan Garcia vs. Rolando Romero off the track? While the latter has his theories to present, Gervonta Davis, now Abdul Wahid, joined the argument by giving him a scathing reality check.

Earlier this week, Oscar De La Hoya, the feuding promoter of Ryan Garcia, told the world that his fight against ‘Rolly’ had fallen through, after the latter “priced himself out.” In developments thereon, Romero and ‘Golden Boy’ got into a heated exchange of words in their Instagram messages, which finally made their appearance on the fighter’s feed.While discussing it, he claimed that his promoter, Al Haymon, was the one calling the shots in today’s boxing industry, not Oscar De La Hoya. However, ‘Tank’ suggested another name, a name that, according to him, is the one actually calling the shots.

Not Oscar De La Hoya, Not Al Haymon, then who?

On X, the 29-year-old, Baltimore native alluded that it was the founder of his previous promotion company, Floyd Mayweather, that holds the power in the boxing world, and not Al Haymon or Oscar De La Hoya. In a reply to Rolly’s X post that claimed Haymon, the PBC showrunner, as being superior to Golden Boy, Tank noted, “Lol, dumb a** n***a think it’s Al. It’s Floyd dweeb..n***a didn’t catch on yet” The response, which seems to be deleted now, was however archived by boxing insider, Michael Benson.

Tank’s claims come in the light of many keenly observing the growing proximities between Garcia and the former welterweight champion, Floyd Mayweather. Their recent and shocking closeness had led many to believe that the fall of Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia, a fight that was very close to being made, fell through at the last moment, purely because of Floyd Mayweather. Many alluded that in fact, it was Floyd, pulling the strings from behind the curtain, who was responsible for the current drama in the super lightweight division.

That explains the fallout of the Golden Boy and Garcia’s talks with Devin Haney. However, what transpired between De La Hoya and Romero that led the latter to chastize him on social media.

Rolly takes shot at De La Hoya

It may have begun with Ryan Garcia not agreeing to Romero’s payout demands. However, it quickly went south from there. In a post both on Instagram and X, Rolly shared screengrabs of his conversation with De La Hoya. In it, the promoter seeks a reason why the fighter was badmouthing him despite being offered good money. He wrote, “Man wtf bro, talking shit about me. I have nothing but respect for you. I offered a shit load of money to you and you turn it down? Go fight pitbull for pennies bro and good luck.”

Rolly responded with his signature sass and suave: “You should thank me and trademark…Oscar de la Fishnets. You’re welcome.” While their conversation itself raised some eyebrows, his caption of the post strengthened it further. He argued that Al Haymon was better than De La Hoya, to whom, Rolly referred to as, “Drug addicted Con-man.”

Furthering the attack on DAZN, the streaming company with whom De La Hoya has a standing deal, the 28-year-old fighter chose Amazon Prime over DAZN. Amazon is the newest avenue of PPV streaming that PBC struck a deal with after Showtime Boxing’s exit from streaming boxing matches.

He signed off the post with another mockery of the promoter, citing the famous ‘fishnets’ nickname for him, which stems from an old picture of De La Hoya in fishnets. While this fiasco continues to take its course, the concern now remains as to who Ryan Garcia will fight next. Who do you think could be his potential opponent? Let us know in the comments section below.

BOXING

“Tank via homicide” – Fans react as Manny Pacquiao reportedly shows interest in fighting Gervonta Davis

Rumours suggesting that Manny Pacquiao is currently contemplating a fight against Gervonta Davis have made their rounds on social media.

MMA Uncensored, a popular combat sports page on Instagram, recently uploaded a post suggesting that Pacquiao was interested in a fight with Davis, and that he is looking to close out his career in Saudi Arabia sometime this summer.

Fans flooded the comments section to react to the rumours. One user believed that the contest wouldn’t be close, saying:

User @jknobz stated that they believed if both fighters were in their prime, Manny Pacquiao would have no problems with Gervonta Davis, saying:

User @jonathandjones compared the situation to that of Tony Ferguson, and likened a potential matchup between Pacquiao and Davis to Ferguson’s fight with Bobby Green, saying: