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Three-weight world champion Terence Crawford (40-0) is reportedly looking at making a fight with WBO super welterweight titleholder Tim Tszyu (24-0).

According to Crawford’s trainer, Bernie Davis, the undefeated 36-year-old is eyeing off a world title in a fourth division, with Australia’s Tszyu at the top of his hitlist.

Tszyu, 29, announced himself to the world with victories over Tony Harrison and Carlos Ocampo, seeing him elevated to world champion with the WBO after Jermell Charlo was stripped of the belt, before defending the title against Brian Mendoza in a busy 2023.

Crawford had seemingly been waiting for a contracted rematch with Errol Spence to be arranged, although the latter’s recent cataract surgery has sidelined those plans, while some have been calling for “Bud” to take on Jaron “Boots” Ennis in a welterweight unification bout.

Tim Tszyu the ‘right one’ for Terence Crawford’s next fight

Speaking on MillCity Boxing, Davis said a fight with Sydneysider Tszyu was currently the frontrunner.

“I think Tszyu will be the right one since we can’t get Spence,” Davis said.

Terence Crawford

“We want to move up and still make history, still have something to get up for and even though ‘Boots’ is an attractive option, I think Tszyu just edges him a little bit.

“I think Tszyu fought the better competition, I think he’s been looking more spectacular in his fights and he got the country [Australia] behind him.

“Plus, he has something that we want. It’s another weight class to jump and it’s another something to aspire to.

“So that’s where I would think we would land.”

Sporting News can confirm the interest in a fight with Crawford is also concrete on Tszyu’s side, although the Aussie will likely have at least one fight before then.

Davis also poured cold water over possible matchups with Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez, while adding he’d like to see Jermell Charlo “get himself together” before a possible bout with Crawford.

“This guy Tszyu’s coming off some big wins,” he said.

“Beating Mendoza who was coming off a big win and is kind of a seasoned fighter, he been at the world level and Tszyu got the country behind him, been looking good technically, been looking better every fight… and he got the belt.”

Tszyu is currently attempting to line up a bout in Las Vegas in late March, with former world title challenger Erickson Lubin the likely opponent.

After an eye-catching 12 months, and with Charlo absent and facing assault charges, Tszyu has become the man to beat at 154-pounds and recently responded to a callout from the returning Vergil Ortiz, confirming his interest in a clash with the Texan knockout artist.

Crawford hasn’t fought since his July demolition of Spence which made him undisputed in a second weight class and cemented his status as arguably the sport’s pound-for-pound number one.

A fight between the pair in Australia, where Tszyu is wildly popular, could almost certainly sell out a stadium.

Some three months on, people are still debating the fallout of Tyson Fury’s contest with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia.

The discussion centres around whether or not Fury was showing a natural decline in the fight, if he simply had an off night, or if he had underestimated someone who calls himself ‘the baddest man on the planet.’

It stems from the fact that Fury only just got a split decision points win and never fully got control of the fight. The lineal and WBC champion was even put down in round three and his own father has said that he thinks Fury didn’t train properly conditioning-wise.

One man who should know is the man who was one of his sparring partners during the camp for that fight, and that is unbeaten English heavyweight champion Sol Dacres.

Speaking to Seconds Out ahead of his own fight with David Adeleye, he has dismissed John Fury’s comments.

This news might be of concern to Team Fury who will be hoping that a good camp in the run-up to his undisputed clash with Oleksandr Usyk on February 17th might right some of the wrongs of his last contest.

MICHAEL BISPING has refused to count Francis Ngannou out – no matter how seriously Anthony Joshua takes the fight.

Ngannou put on hold his MMA career in October for a boxing switch and sensationally dropped Tyson Fury on his debut.

But Fury escaped with a controversial points win and faced fierce backlash in the aftermath.

Training partners and his own dad John admitted the preparation was far from ideal despite Fury insisting he gave Ngannou his full respect.

Now Joshua is the next man to welcome the ex-UFC champion to the ring on March 8 in Saudi Arabia.

And British UFC legend Bisping is certain AJ will not make the same mistakes that so nearly cost Fury.

Tyson Fury

He told Betway: “Tyson fury’s father said that there were people around training camp that maybe weren’t the best influences on him and maybe that affected his performance, but Anthony Joshua isn’t going to do that.

“Anthony Joshua is a proper athlete and he takes his career very, very seriously and he’s had a great 2023, he’s won three in a row.

“He looked great against Otto Wallin, he looked back to the old AJ, he got his stoppage inside five rounds.

“But you have to give Ngannou a chance. If you can sit down Tyson Fury he can probably sit down Anthony Joshua.”

Fury, 35, kept alive his undisputed title decider with Oleksandr Usyk, 36, set for February 17 in Riyadh.

And just three weeks later, Joshua, 34, faces Ngannou, 37, with the winner told they will be next in line for the undisputed crown.

It means the victors from the pair of Saudi super-fights will collide in a blockbuster finale to crown the world’s best heavyweight.

Last month in Saudi Arabia, heavyweights Otto Wallin and Deontay Wilder saw action in separate fights on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card.

In the co-featured, Wilder suffered an upset loss when he was outboxed over twelve rounds by fellow former world champion Joseph Parker. In the main event, Wallin was battered and stopped in five rounds by Anthony Joshua.

WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury holds a twelve round decision win over Wallin, and two hard-fought stoppage wins over Wilder.

John Fury, father of Tyson, was an interested observer in the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card.

He felt Wallin and Wilder were not the same fighters who Tyson defeated several years earlier.

“Otto Wallin was sh!t scared of Anthony Joshua. Fair play to AJ, he looked like a man on a mission. Wallin never turned up, just like Deontay Wilder never [did against Joseph Parker],” John Fury told Seconds Out.

“I’ve never seen anything as bad as Wilder in my life. I was looking at two different people in Wallin and Wilder – those were not the people who fought Tyson. Tyson probably took everything out of them.”

The 35-year-old Fury is scheduled to return to the ring on February 17, in a high-stakes undisputed fight against IBO, WBA, WBO, IBF Oleksandr Usyk.

Last October, Fury had a lackluster performance against MMA veteran Francis Ngannou in a crossover boxing match.

Usyk is a completely different kind of fighter in terms of size and abilities.

Father John has already cautioned his son to make the necessary adjustments to overcome a fighter with the style of Usyk.

“He needs a different style altogether with Usyk, he’s totally different. If you go back to, many years ago, you can watch it on the internet, it’s Gerry Cooney-Michael Spinks,” John Fury said.

“Michael Spinks is a blown-up light-heavyweight weighing just over fourteen stone at the time. Gerry Cooney is six-foot-seven, eighteen stone, look what happened. These are speed-men, you just can’t have that straight-up, going forward, looking to land a bomb on these kind of fighters because guess what? They can see it coming and they will avoid it.

“Usyk is very good, he is a good mover, he’s got a brain, he’s got good footwork and the style for Deontay Wilder and Francis Ngannou isn’t going to cut it for a man like Usyk.”

Mike Tyson has always been a boxing historian and often pays tribute to the greats who preceded him.

Even in his 50s as a retired boxer, when he has taken his place among such legends, Iron Mike still appears clearly annoyed whenever icons of the sport are disrespected.

Following the completion of his career, Floyd Mayweather proclaimed himself to be ‘TBE’ – The Best Ever.

He made this claim based on the fact that he retired undefeated with a perfect record of 50-0, surpassing that of former heavyweight world champion Rocky Marciano who quit the sport at 49-0.

Tyson does not agree with the logic of Mayweather though, and made this clear on his Hotboxin’ podcast in a 2019 episode.

 

“Floyd’s a great fighter, don’t get me wrong,” Tyson said. “He had 50 fights.

“Listen, Sugar Ray Robinson had 40 fights. He lost one, then he had a 78-fight winning streak.

“Forty, lost one, then a 78-fight winning streak, goddamn.

“[Julio Cesar Chavez Sr] was 87-0 before he lost.

“Don’t tell me about, ‘You’re the greatest fighter,’ with 50-0.

“You’re great, no doubt about it, but 50-0? Chavez had 90.

“He was fighting like, what? Eight times a year? Against whoever was in the rankings.

“He wasn’t picking, it was, ‘Whoever you want, come on.'”

Mayweather was recently also surpassed by ex-WBC minimumweight champion Wanheng Menayothin, however he’s since been beaten several times and is 55-3.

The American remains the only boxer to retire undefeated with over 50 fights, though continues making money in exhibition bouts to this day.

It may have been a brief sojourn. However, until Naoya Inoue joined him, Canelo Alvarez lorded over the exclusive, undisputed club as the year 2023 neared its conclusion. Initially, Terence Crawford and Jermell Charlo did give him company, but the journey didn’t last too long.

But it doesn’t mean the throne he ascended two years ago would remain unchallenged. The super middleweight champion defended his undisputed title twice last year. Quite likely, he might emulate the accomplishment in the new year as well. For all the reports available, he might enter the ring first in May and perhaps later in September. However, the burning question in everyone’s mind revolves around the formidable opponents he is destined to face. It doesn’t seem to have received an official endorsement. Nevertheless, as it appears, a name has apparently jumped ahead of others in the race to face Canelo Alvarez during the Cinco de Mayo weekend.

‘The Future of Boxing’ with Canelo Alvarez

In a morning post, Boxing Kingdom tweeted information received through other sources. It indicates that in May, Canelo Alvarez might square up against Jermall Charlo. The channel said, “Canelo will fight Jermall Charlo in May, according to reports.” Miami-based freelance writer and editor Bernardo Pilatti, through his channel ‘Bernardo Pilatti Official’, seems to have a similar update.

The eight-minute-long footage is titled, “100% Confirmado! Jermall Charlo será el rival de Canelo Alvarez en mayo.” It roughly translated to – 100% Confirmed! Jermall Charlo will be Canelo Alvarez’s rival in May. However, it should be noted that the video is entirely in Spanish; therefore, the English translation of the transcript cannot be fully verified or substantiated per se. Hence, it is left for viewers to exercise better discretion

Early in December, fans might remember reports from ESPN’s Latin American version, ESPN Knockout, that Canelo Alvarez would finally face long-time caller David Benavidez in September. However, for May, three names appeared: Jaime Munguia, Terence Crawford, and Jermall Charlo.

As it stands, Munguia will be facing John Ryder, whom Alvarez defeated last year, next week in Arizona. As far as Crawford is concerned, as exciting and intriguing as it sounds, doubts remain over the welterweight champion climbing three divisions up to meet the Mexican champion. Thus, it leaves Jermall Charlo.

The ‘Hitman’s name interestingly came up first as Canelo Alvarez prepped himself for the September 30 title defense. However, it was the middleweight champion’s twin brother who eventually fought Alvarez at the T-Mobile Arena. Jermall Charlo thus had to wait for another two months before marking his entry after a non-activity of over two years. He fought and defeated Jose Benavidez Jr. on the David Benavidez-Demetrius Andrade undercard on November 25.

Already, there were talks of him avenging his brother’s loss to Canelo Alvarez. Now connecting the dots, a fight between the two appears quite tangible. The Mexican icon had signed up for a $100 million, three-fight deal with Al Haymon‘s PBC. The bout with Jermell Charlo was the first installment of the series. That leaves two more. Hence, fans would undoubtedly expect him to exercise full discretion in terms of the opponents he goes against, both in terms of the payday and the legacy.

Two-time welterweight champion Shawn Porter has responded to Gervonta Davis’ claims of ‘getting his a** kicked’ during a sparring session before a world title challenge against Terence Crawford.

Porter retired from the sport following defeat to Crawford in 2021 and since then he has found himself flourishing in the world of boxing media with his own podcast ‘The Porter Way’.

However, in one of the latest episodes of the show, Porter sat down with Bill Haney, father and trainer of Davis’ rival Devin Haney, and Porter shared his belief that ‘Tank’ Davis doesn’t want to fight his fellow unbeaten American.

Gervonta Davis

On social media, Davis responded to Porter’s statement, questioning why he would be afraid of a super-lightweight when he ‘beat Porter’s a** in sparring’ whilst he was a welterweight.

Porter was quick to reply to ‘Tank’, defending his comments and doubling down on the fact that the fight will not happen anytime soon.

For now it seems that Haney’s next opponent will be WBC mandatory challenger Sandor Martin, after talks of a fight between Haney and Ryan Garcia collapsed.

Gervonta Davis has begun training for a return to the ring, which is expected to be on a Prime Video Pay Per View in the spring.

As the Premier Boxing Champions star hits the gym, plenty of potential opponents are being thrown around on social media and beyond.

One of those is Devin Haney, who still doesn’t have a dance partner for his first WBC super lightweight title defense. Sandor Martin is the number one contender, but having just signed to Top Rank, there’s scope for the Spaniard to wait a few months.

This allows Davis and Haney to provide the fans with one of the most significant events of 2024. Two top ten pound-for-pound boxers are facing off in a battle to rival Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence.

However, following a December spat, nothing seems to move between the pair. Haney and his father, Bill, continue to state that Davis is uninterested in the fight.

Gervonta Davis’ can’t leave his house’

Haney even goaded Davis by saying, “He can’t leave his house,” about a prison sentence handed down to “Tank” last year.

Gervonta Davis

Davis accused the judge who allowed his early release of attempting to stop his career in its tracks. He says they won’t allow him to leave the confines of his home or the state.

The Davis vs Haney encounter seems to be as far away as ever, with Haney believing he’s made all the genuine attempts to get the fight over the line.

“I’ve been calling that dude out for years,” said Haney. “He only says something when I got a fight. But now I don’t, and we can fight now wherever he chooses!

“He said we don’t know how to get in contact with him. Well, have your people reach out, Gervonta.”

Haney vs Broner

The Haneys aren’t short of offers, though. Adrien Broner was the latest to throw his hat into the ring.

“He can’t punch himself out a wet paper bag,” said Broner. “Stop all that cap. Hey, Bill Haney, you talked to my people, and we’re ready; where’s the offer?”

Bill responded: “Don’t worry about it, AB. We are going to take it over from here. It’s the Devin Haney era. And you knew that we were going to pull up.

“It’s business, it’s not personal. Get back to doing what you are doing, brother, and Devin is doing what he’s doing: representing this to the fullest.”

Sean Gibbons, who runs Manny Pacquiao’s promotional company, believes the Filipino superstar would be very interested in a showdown with unbeaten puncher Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.

Pacquiao, 45-years-old, retired from the sport in 2021 after suffering a twelve round decision loss at the hands of then welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas.

Gibbons explains that the sporting authority in Saudi Arabia is very interested in having Pacquiao fight in the country – with the contest being the final fight of his career.

The industry veteran views ‘Tank’ as a great opponent for his boxer.

“Manny and Gervonta Davis match up really well and that would be a fun fight. It’s a matter of being able to make the fight and that’s the difficult part. To close out his career in Saudi, it makes so much sense because they love him in that area so we will keep focusing on that first and we will see what comes up,” Gibbons said.

While Pacquiao retired a few years ago, he’s been taking part in exhibition fights. He’s willing to entertain the idea of a sanctioned fight for the right opportunity.

“Manny has said this before, age is a number. He is still operating at the highest level of the sport and beginning camp this week in his hometown ahead of preparing for the April 20th exhibition fight in Thailand,” Gibbons said.

Gervonrta Davis

“I see this as the perfect springboard into doing something in June or July if that’s in Saudi Arabia, the United States or England, Manny has one last year of fighting before he looks at returning to politics. Manny could do an exhibition with anyone until he is 100. He is built differently and has a fountain of youth, and we hope in the summer time we can do something big.

“Saudi Arabia would be a great place to end his career and he has always wanted to fight in the Middle East. I hope it works out, we are having discussions and Manny is talking to his Excellency Turki Alalshikh. Conor McGregor has said he is fighting in the UFC in June so there’s nothing happening at all there, but it can be revisited alongside Floyd Mayweather. They are fights he could do at 100 years old, off the couch with ease.”

Devin Haney and Gervonta “Tank” Davis are headstrong and considered the best of the best. While the two no longer compete in the same weight class, they’ve continued to argue loudly. Although it’s been entertaining, fans are at the point where they simply want to see them get it on.

Bernard Hopkins is also tired of the theatrics and hopes that they swap fists in the ring. In terms of picking a winner, many are split right down the middle. Hopkins though, wouldn’t dive into details when regarding who he would choose. However, as for who’s the better overall fighter, he believes the answer is obvious.

“Tank,” Hopkins told Sean Zittel of FightHype.com.

Davis, of course, had a busy first half of 2023. He wrapped his year by grabbing two knockout victories over both Hector Luis Garcia and Ryan Garcia. Haney, similarly, made two appearances as well.

In his first fight of 2023, Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) eked out a controversial win over Vasiliy Lomachenko. Although fans and Lomachenko banged on the door for a rematch, Haney opted to move up in weight.

 

Gervonta tank davisAgainst Regis Prograis, Haney cruised, scoring a knockdown in the third before winning every round according to all three judges sitting ringside. Still, even with another world title in a second weight class, Hopkins isn’t convinced that Haney is the better fighter.

For Hopkins, it isn’t about using an eye test. Both fighters are incredibly talented from his point of view, so he uses a more tangible metric to make his judgement.

“He beat the better opposition,” continued Hopkins. “The people that Tank beat, I think, no, I know it overrides who Haney beat. Both of those guys beat good, quality guys but I think Tank got the overwhelming resume that shows that he fought the more talented fighters.”