Breaking
Tag

Boxing

Browsing
BOXING

Anthony Joshua: Fury Looked Like a Fat Slob That Can’t Fight, I Think Ngannou Won

By
anthony joshua

Former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua has fired off some verbal jabs at his domestic rival, Tyson Fury, over his most recent performance against MMA veteran Francis Ngannou.

Fury has often referred to Joshua as being nothing more than a “bodybuilder” with limited skills.

However, Joshua believes that a bodybuilder, Ngannou, taught Fury a lesson.

“Bodybuilders up, dossers down. He just looked like a flat slob that just can’t fight. He says that bodybuilders can’t fight, but he got smacked up by one. I’ve always wanted to get in the ring with him. He does a lot of talking, calls me a bodybuilder and stuff, but I want to marvel at the African power – he’s a bodybuilder, steps in and smacks him up for me,” Joshua told TNT Sports Boxing.

Back in October, Fury faced Ngannou in a cr

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou

ossover boxing match in Saudi Arabia. Fury was dropped in the third round, suffered a cut on his forehead from an uppercut, a badly bruised eye and he struggled with the style of Ngannou. After ten rounds, Fury came away with a razor-close ten round split decision win in a fight that most had expected to be a mismatch.

Joshua felt Ngannou did enough to pull off an upset.

“I think Ngannou won,” Joshua said. “But the judges are there for a reason, they score it how they score it and they’re professionals at what they do and I’m just an observer. Fury won, but from a fan’s point of view, I think Ngannou won.”

On December 23, Joshua will face Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia. Wallin’s sole defeat came at the hands of Fury. A win over Walling will place Joshua in position for a potential 2024 clash with Deontay Wilder, who appears in the co-feature in a crossroads clash against Joseph Parker.

Keep Reading
By
BOXING

New Update: Gervonta Davis accused of avoiding Devin Haney fight

By
gervonta davis

Gervonta Davis has been accused of actively avoiding Devin Haney after the best was named one of the best in boxing today.

Following Haney’s win over Regis Prograis, Davis was the name on everybody’s lips for a massive Pay Per View clash in 2024.

However, Bill and Devin Haney both state that “Tank” is looking at other opponents for a potential March return. Haney is not on that list, according to them both.

Gervonta Davis vs Devin Haney

Devin said: “Tank doesn’t want to fight. If he really wanted to fight, he would be trying to build up the fight. Instead, he’s trying to knock it down or say I’m only selling because of this or that.

“If he really wanted to fight me, he would say it’s a big fight and the best fight for boxing. He only talks down on the fight. But like I’ve said, they say everything, but let’s fight.”

Asked what was next for him if Davis was unavailable, Haney added: “I don’t know. I want to talk to my dad and see what’s next. I want to do a fight at 147, but there’s a lot of big fights at 140.

“I’m into making the biggest, best fights in the sport of boxing. That’s where I’m at. I became undisputed at 135, made history, and am in the history books forever.

Gervonta Davis

“Now I want to make the biggest fights happen, for the most money, to be honest. My dad’s been looking at the 147 lb landscape. You would have to ask him.”

Tank should fight Haney

When prompted for a response, Bill immediately fired at Davis.

“Tank and his team have consistently lied to the people. So a message to all the fans is to stop letting Tank and his team p— on your head and tell you it’s raining with these insignificant fights.

“They are saying it’s ‘for the culture.’ Devin represents the culture. He represents boxing and what boxing should be and what boxing is.”

On whether Ryan Garcia would be an alternative target, Devin concluded: “That’s a possibility, that’s a mega-fight. I’ve been calling out Ryan for years now, and it’s good to hear that he finally wants to fight.

“It sucks that it came after he took an L, but it was only a matter of time. But now he finally wants to call me out. At the end of the day, it’s still a big fight.

“Like I said, I want to make the best fights, biggest fights happen. What’s crazy is I saw Ryan right before I went into training camp. He didn’t say anything about fighting me.

“So, I literally was shopping. We ran into each other at a store. He didn’t say anything about fighting.”

Keep Reading
By
BOXING

Eddie Hearn says he reached out to Francis Ngannou’s team about Anthony Joshua fight: ‘Never heard back’

By
Anthony and Francis

Anthony Joshua’s longtime promoter claims to have had plenty of interest in booking Joshua against Francis Ngannou after the former UFC heavyweight champion nearly defeated Tyson Fury in his professional boxing debut.

Unfortunately, according to Matchroom Sport headman Eddie Hearn, that interest went unrequited.

“I reached out to Francis Ngannou’s team and I said, ‘Just to let you know, we’re up for discussing the Francis Ngannou [vs.] AJ fight. I never heard back from them,” Hearn said Monday on The MMA Hour. “So I think probably, knowing the business, I would say that probably Fury-Ngannou is almost probably agreed to post Fury-[Oleksandr] Usyk already.

“[Ngannou will] feel like, after that first fight, he can beat Fury, but there’s no point [in boxing non-stars] — he can really lose to anybody in the top 50 at heavyweight, so you’ve got to cash in at this point, and there’s really only three fights that cash into the levels that he will want [Fury, Joshua, or Deontay Wilder]. So I’d guess, and you might know better, Francis Ngannou will fight in the PFL or wherever in spring, summer of 2024, and then he’ll fight Tyson Fury at the end of [2024]. I would think that would be the mindset of the team.”

Anthony Joshua

“I think everyone knows it’s a two-fight deal with Fury-Usyk,” Hearn added, “and I would think that there’s probably one on the back end as well to rematch Ngannou.”

Ngannou, 37, nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in combat sports history this past October when he fought to a controversial split decision against Fury. Despite being a sizable betting underdog, Ngannou pushed Fury to his limits and even knocked down boxing’s lineal heavyweight champion in a performance that blew away the expectations of many and left boxing lifers such as Hearn and Carl Frampton singing his praises. Immediately following the bout, Hearn publicly lobbied for Joshua vs. Ngannou to be next, stating that he believed the matchup could be “one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport,” especially if it was held in in Africa, where both fighters have roots.

However, the fight never came together. Joshua instead signed to face Otto Wallin on the Day of Reckoning card in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 23., an event that features another of Ngannou’s potential opponents — Deontay Wilder — in a co-headlining bout against Joseph Parker. If Joshua and Wilder both emerge victorious, Hearn reiterated his hope on Monday that the long-awaited clash between Joshua and Wilder could be the next step.

Ngannou’s next move remains uncertain, however Fury is set to face WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk in a much-anticipated title unification bout on Feb. 17.

anthony joshua

While much of shine on Fury has been washed away since his lackluster showing against Ngannou, Hearn still favors boxing’s lineal king to handles his business against Usyk.

“I really believed he was quite a strong favorite pre-Ngannou,” Hearn said of Fury. “We don’t really know physically where he’s at. I mean, he’s lucky that Usyk’s not a puncher, he’s lucky Usyk’s a much smaller man. Because I think against a bigger guy, against a puncher, against a guy that can wrestle him on the inside, I think his confidence really wouldn’t be there in a fight like that. So I do think Fury will win the fight, but you certainly can’t rule out Usyk, and we just don’t know where he’s at physically or mentally after a fight like that [Ngannou performance]. He didn’t look himself in that fight, but perhaps he was just ill prepared.”

Keep Reading
By
BOXING

Bill Haney: Devin Is No. 1 P4P; How Much Credit Can We Give Crawford For [Spence] Fight?

By
Terence Crawford

Bill Haney is obviously biased, but he believes his son cemented himself Saturday night as the best boxer, pound-for-pound, in the sport.

Devin Haney was so dominant in defeating a two-time 140-pound champion who had lost only a majority decision to an eventual undisputed champ in that division that the elder Haney had every reason to state his son’s case. His 12-round domination of Regis Prograis at Chase Center was the most impressive performance of the newly crowned WBC super lightweight champion’s career.

The Oakland native’s unquestioned shutout of the strong southpaw was also his second legacy-enhancing victory in the past 6½ months. Haney’s unanimous-decision defeat of Ukraine’s Vasiliy Lomachenko in his last fight seemed debatable, but he beat the three-division champion on the cards of judges Tim Cheatham (115-113), Dave Moretti (116-112) and David Sutherland (115-113).

In his past four fights, Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) has soundly defeated former IBF/WBA/WBO lightweight champ George Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs) to become boxing’s first fully unified lightweight champion of the four-belt era, beat Kambosos convincingly again in their immediate 12-round rematch, edged Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) and completely outclassed Prograis (29-2, 24 KOs).

Terence Bud Crawford

“No other fighter has done what Devin has done,” Bill Haney said during the post-fight press conference. “Crossing the pond to become undisputed [against Kambosos in Australia]. Coming up to another division and fighting the hard-hitting, arguably no one, you know, the boogeyman no one wanted to fight. He’s the number one fighter right now, pound-for-pound. And it’s no slight towards Terence Crawford’s performance. But if Errol Spence was depleted and he has go up to ’54, how much f—— credit can we give him for that fight?”

Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs), a three-division champion from Omaha, Nebraska, became boxing’s first undisputed welterweight champ of the four-belt era when he dropped Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) three times and stopped the former IBF/WBA/WBC champ in the ninth round of their highly anticipated title unification fight July 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The 36-year-old Crawford was widely lauded for his superb performance against Spence in what was supposed to be a much more competitive fight.

Bill Haney shrewdly alluded to Spence’s struggles to squeeze down to the welterweight limit of 147 pounds when declaring Devin Haney as the sport’s new pound-for-pound king. Crawford is contractually obligated to an immediate rematch with Spence, which could be contested at the junior middleweight limit of 154 pounds to accommodate Spence.

BoxingScene.com, ESPN.com and The Ring magazine all have Crawford ranked number one on the most recent pound-for-pound lists for those outlets. Haney occupies the seventh spot on each of those lists, but he will likely move up based on the ease with which he handled Prograis.

“I don’t know,” Devin Haney said when asked about his pound-for-pound status. “You know, I put it in Allah’s hands. You know, I’m not rushing nothing. I’m still young, 25 years old. It’s only a matter of time. … I’ll be number one on that pound-for-pound list. But, you know, I’m climbing the ladder.”

Prior to Saturday night, New Orleans’ Prograis had lost only a 12-round majority decision to Josh Taylor in their title unification fight in October 2019 at O2 Arena in London. Scotland’s Taylor (19-1, 13 KOs), who became their division’s fully unified champion when he beat Jose Ramirez by unanimous decision in May 2021, was undefeated when he beat Prograis.

Keep Reading
By
BOXING

“Looks More Dangerous”: Terence Crawford Training in Recent Clip Draws Speculations From Fans Regarding Potential Errol Spence Jr. Rematch

By
Terence Crawford

Terence Crawford, the formidable WBA/WBC/WBO welterweight champion, is back in the gym, gearing up for what could be a career-defining rematch against Errol Spence Jr. The buzz around the boxing world suggests that Crawford is eyeing a showdown at 147 pounds, a weight advantage that might tip the scales in his favor. The catch, however, lies in the uncertainty of the fight date, as Showtime’s decision to cease broadcasting boxing events after this year adds a layer of unpredictability.

Amidst the brewing excitement, Crawford’s fans remain divided on Spence’s challenges. Some dismiss Spence as a weight bully, attributing much of his success to a size advantage over opponents. Observers marveled at Crawford’s training videos. Other eagle-eyed fans highlighted the priceless nature of Crawford’s commitment, adding a layer of mystique to his preparation.

The buzz is real, fueled not only by Crawford’s strategic moves but also by the intriguing observations of fans closely watching his training videos. One fan expressed amazement at the apparent contradiction in Crawford’s training approach, noting, “It’s still crazy to me watching most of Bud’s training videos over the years being from an orthodox stance, but on fight night, he looks more dangerous as a southpaw.” The comment is in reference to Crawford’s brilliant ability to switch stances on fight night with ease, going from orthodox to southpaw.

Errol Spence

“‘I told him what I was going to do, as I was doing what I told him what I was going to do’. Priceless,” stated another fan, quoting Crawford himself, capturing the essence of Crawford’s confidence.

One fan weighed in, highlighting Crawford’s immediate goal. “He’s preparing for Spence; he clearly said that’s his next fight before he fights anybody else,” said a follower, emphasizing Crawford’s dedication to the upcoming rematch.

The fan love continued as another fan chimed in, declaring, “Made me a believer.” Crawford’s ability to inspire belief among fans speaks to the impact of his performances and the anticipation around his next bout.

However, not all sentiments were positive, with a fan saying, “They rly wanna see their boi Bud get hurt by Canelo.” This is based on a belief that Bud, after his rematch with Spence Jr. may move up in weight just to face Canelo Alvarez, an idea many boxing enthusiasts have predicted against.

The comment section reflects the inherent drama and contrasting emotions that surround the world of boxing, where fans’ loyalties and aspirations differ.

Earlier in November, Terence Crawford definitively named Errol Spence Jr. as his upcoming opponent, igniting the enthusiasm of his devoted fans. Hailing Crawford’s strategic brilliance, he brings Spence down to 147 pounds, potentially giving him a crucial advantage in their eagerly awaited rematch. The stakes extend beyond the Spence showdown to Crawford’s ambitious pursuit of facing the pound-for-pound king, Canelo Alvarez.

Adding a twist to the narrative, Crawford strategically sidesteps the newly crowned IBF welterweight champion, Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. This move indicates Crawford opting for opponents that align with his quest for triumph and recognition while avoiding potential complications arising from weight-related concerns.

Keep Reading
By
BOXING

Reason Why Tyson Fury and family ordered to pay £100k in land row

By
Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury and his brothers must pay nearly £100,000 after a judge ruled they owed unpaid business rates in a row over land used as a car park.

Cheshire East Council argued the sum was due on land owned by the boxing champion and his brothers John and Shane near Manchester Airport.

Their representatives said they were not liable because they rented out the land to be run as an airport car park.

The boxer’s father John appeared at the hearing at Chester Magistrates Court.

District judge John McGarva said the family’s evidence was “wholly unsatisfactory” partly because none of the brothers were present in court.

Their father said his son paid “millions of pounds in tax each year” and assertions that the fighter had “anything to do” with the land in Styal were “ridiculous”.

Tyson Fury

The boxer and his brothers were ordered to pay the council £82,000 in unpaid rates and £17,000 in court costs.

The land on Moss Lane in Styal was transferred by John Fury to his sons in 2010 but the family’s defence counsel Martin Budworth argued their father was still “the effective controller of operations on the site”.

John Fury had rented it out to tenants Holiday Car Parks Manchester Ltd, meaning the brothers would not be liable for the bill, he claimed.

The court heard the brothers had been issued with Cheshire East Council demands for unpaid business rates owed since April 2021, totalling £82,166.

Mr Fury said he was “the man of that land” and his sons had “nothing to do with it”.

Describing himself as “semi-illiterate”, he said: “I’m a boxing coach. I had no knowledge of any of this. This technical stuff it’s not my field.

“I try to keep away from paperwork because I’ve no understanding. I don’t want to embarrass myself in public.”

Cheshire East Council business rates manager Helen Sefton said they could find “no evidence” that Holiday Car Parks Manchester Limited was trading from the land.

In his ruling, Judge McGarva said evidence produced to demonstrate the land was being used by the company was “wholly conflicted”.

The judge called Holiday Car Parks Manchester Limited director Babikir Elmosbah a “wholly unreliable witness”.

Tyson Fury grew up in Styal before moving to Wythenshawe in Manchester.

The court heard he and his family are on holiday in Saudi Arabia, where he is due to fight Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title next year.

Keep Reading
By
BOXING

New Update: Terence Crawford Says Ryan Garcia Will Avoid Rival Despite Calling Him Out

By
Terence Bud Crawford

Unified welterweight champion Terence Crawford has claimed that Ryan Garcia has no intention of fighting one of his American rivals, despite calling him out following his comeback win against Oscar Duarte.

Garcia knocked Duarte out in the eighth-round of their contest, bouncing back from a first career defeat against Gervonta Davis in April to end the year on a high and get off to a winning start under new trainer Derrick James.

In the post-fight press conference, Garcia named his next targets, calling out WBA Super-Lightweight champion Rolando Romero but also saying he wanted to face WBC Lightweight Champion Shakur Stevenson and ‘beat his ass.’

However, in an interview with Fight Hype, Crawford doubted Garcia having any true intentions of facing three-division champion Stevenson.

Terence Crawford

“He’s not going to fight Shakur. Ryan, he is a good kid, but I just don’t see him fighting Shakur.

“Ryan wouldn’t take that fight right now. It’s Shakur against everybody in the [lightweight] division, I don’t think nobody wants to see Shakur right now, in his division. You can say whatever you want, you can say that he is boring, you can say he doesn’t punch, you can say all these things about him but I don’t see nobody eager to get into the ring with him.”

Any fight with Stevenson would likely need to take place up at 140lbs, and, with Stevenson poised to follow in the footsteps of Devin Haney and re-unify the 135lb scene, the chances of seeing Stevenson-Garcia could be low, at least for now.

As for Romero, he has been ordered to defend his title by March 2024 against the winner of Ohara Davies-Ismael Barroso to avoid being stripped. Although, the delay of that fight may mean Romero is granted an extension.

Keep Reading
By
BOXING

The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings

By
Olek and Tyson And Anthony

The boxing landscape is arguably as intriguing as it has ever been.

The past several years have seen heavyweight epics for the ages between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, they have seen Saul “Canelo” Alvarez establish himself as the face of the sport in the eyes of many fans, and they have seen frequent displays of technical brilliance from champions in lighter weight classes.

There have been upsets, title unifications, and there has been no shortage of drama – Anthony Joshua’s post-fight rant after a second loss to Oleksandr Usyk stands out as a prime example.

While there is no exact science to putting together lists such as this, a number of factors have been considered in making the rankings, including each fighter’s overall record, recent record, level of activity and calibre of opposition.

shakur

The Independent’s pound-for-pound rankings

10. Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs)

The American, 26, was already a two-weight world champion by the time he was 24. Now Stevenson is a rising force at lightweight, as he looks to build upon his significant success at featherweight – where he was WBO champion – and super-featherweight, where he was unified champion. In his most recent fight, in November, Stevenson won an admittedly dull contest with Edwin De Los Santos, but that kept him unbeaten and saw him win the WBC interim lightweight title, which has been upgraded since Devin Haney vacated his undisputed belts. Clashes with Gervonta Davis (who narrowly misses out on this list), Ryan Garcia and Haney are alluring prospects. So is a fight with the next man in these rankings…

9. Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs)

The Ukrainian southpaw (one of two on this list…) saw off Jorge Linares in 2018 to become a three-weight title holder, before adding further belts with notable wins against the likes of Luke Campbell and Jose Pedraza. “Loma” was somewhat surprisingly beaten by Teofimo Lopez in 2020, but the 35-year-old bounced back with three straight wins to maintain his status as one of the best boxers in the world. The two-time Olympic champion is in the twilight of his career now, which only made his terrific showing against No 7 on this list even more impressive. Lomachenko came up narrowly short, but many observers felt that he had won.

8. Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs)

Tyson Fury

Has eclipsed Anthony Joshua as the household name in British boxing. Fury, 35, returned to the sport in 2018 after three years off due to a struggle with his mental health. Since then, he has established himself as one of his generation’s best heavyweights, dethroning Deontay Wilder to become WBC champion in the pair’s 2020 rematch, having controversially drawn with the American in their first clash, in 2018.

In October 2021, Fury stopped Wilder for the second fight in a row to retain the belt, which he did again in April 2022 by knocking out Dillian Whyte with ease and once more in December with a late stoppage of Derek Chisora. A creative fighter who has demonstrated resilience and heart in the ring, Fury previously held the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles and will look to regain them in a fight with Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.

However, that bout – to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years – was almost derailed when Fury was knocked down by Francis Ngannou in October, before the “Gypsy King” scraped his way to a controversial decision over the MMA star. The image of Fury on the canvas in that fight will be attached to his career forever, having damaged his reputation and seen him drop a number of spots in this list.

7. Errol Spence Jr (28-1, 22 KOs)

Errol Spence

The American has not been the most active fighter in recent years, but he slowly built a fine resume as one of the top welterweights of this generation. Spence Jr holds impressive wins against the likes of Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Danny Garcia and Carlos Ocampo. The southpaw stopped the latter, as well as notably finishing Kell Brook on the Briton’s home turf earlier in his career, and a cancelled clash with Manny Pacquiao would surely have built up Spence even further had it come to fruition.

6. Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs)

In July, the 33-year-old finally faced Terence Crawford in a clash five years in the making

Entered our list in May 2022, following his stunning victory over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The Russian remained unbeaten and retained the WBA light-heavyweight title with that result, which he achieved by fighting on the front foot, picking his shots wisely, and almost doubling the output of his opponent. Bivol, 32, won by two points on all three judges’ scorecards, though the margins should have been much wider. A clinical showing that raised the Russian’s profile immensely and likely sets up a rematch with Canelo down the line. Before that, though, Bivol was tasked with getting past the unbeaten Gilberto Ramirez in November. Bivol won on points with an aggressive and sharp performance, which saw him a few spots here. Next up for him? Lyndon Arthur on 23 December.

5. Devin Haney (31-0, 15 knockouts)

, where he put his unified titles on the line against the WBO champion. Crawford left Las Vegas with all the belts after stopping Spence in Round 9, in a fight that was nowhere near as close as fans expected. As a result, Crawford climbed this list, while Spence dropped from No 5.

The unbeaten American entered our list following his second straight clinic against George Kambosos Jr. Haney eased to a unanimous-decision win against the Australian on Kambosos’ home turf in June 2022 to become undisputed champion at lightweight, before retaining that status in the pair’s rematch in October – also in Melbourne. The 25-year-old then edged past Lomachenko with a close decision win in May, before vacating the undisputed belts in December. That move came ahead of his fight with Regis Prograis, in which Haney dropped his compatriot and won every round to take the WBC super-lightweight belt – making Haney a two-weight world champion.

4. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs)

In the 10 years since his loss to Floyd Mayweather, the Mexican has established himself as the face of boxing, with wins against Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, Gennadiy Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs, Billy Joe Saunders, Jermell Charlo and many more. The effectiveness of the 33-year-old’s counter-punching, slickness of his head movement and beauty of his body work make him a joy to watch.

Detractors will point to Alvarez’s clenbuterol controversy in 2018 and the fact that a few of his victories have come via controversial scorecards. Supporters will give more credence to Canelo’s admirable level of activity and the great number of formidable foes he has faced. His three victories in 2021 – all stoppages – saw him become boxing’s first ever undisputed super-middleweight champion. A title holder in four weight classes, the Mexican failed to add a second light-heavyweight belt to his collection when he was outpointed by unbeaten Russian Bivol in May 2022.

That result marked just the second defeat of Canelo’s professional career and saw him drop from No 1 in our list. He rebounded with a decisive points win against ageing rival Golovkin, though that result proved little at this point. The ambitious Mexican then defended his super-middleweight belts against John Ryder in Guadalajara, dropping the Briton en route to a decision win. Next up for Canelo was the younger Charlo twin in September, when Alvarez again scored a knockdown and won on points to retain his gold.

3. Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs)

An Olympic gold medalist who reigned as the only undisputed cruiserweight champion of the four-belt era before moving up to heavyweight, where he became WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO champion in 2021 by outpointing Anthony Joshua with relative ease. The Ukrainian, 36, then beat Joshua on points again to retain his titles and stay unbeaten. In August, the southpaw stopped Daniel Dubois after recovering from a controversial ‘low blow’, again demonstrating that he is as technical and awkward as they come in the heavier weight classes. That makes his upcoming clash with Fury an intriguing prospect.

2. Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs)

The unified welterweight champion has one of the most impressive resumes in the sport, and it just keeps getting better. Five of the American’s last 11 opponents were undefeated before facing him, and all 11 were stopped by Crawford – who has a tremendous knockout ratio. Wins against big-name boxers Brook and Porter in 2020 and 2021 further enhanced the 35-year-old’s profile, especially his victory over the latter, before Crawford stopped David Avanesyan in December 2022.

Then, in July, he schooled Errol Spence Jr in what was widely billed as the fight of the decade, delivering a masterclass to expose a bigger gap between the Americans than anyone had predicted. In beating Spence in Round 9 after scoring three knockdowns, Crawford took his rival’s three titles to become undisputed. The victory also made “Bud” the first man in boxing history to become undisputed champion in two weight classes, following his brief reign atop the super-lightweight division in 2017. He has since been stripped of his IBF welterweight title ahead of a planned rematch with Spence, so is technically not undisputed anymore, but that feels like a harsh mark against him.

It is also worth saying there is almost nothing between Crawford and the final name on this list…

1. Naoya Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs)

One of the lesser-known names on this list to the more casual fan, the Japanese does not lack in prowess what he may lack in profile. Inoue has the best stoppage percentage of any fighter on this list, part of what makes him such an exciting athlete to watch – along with his effortless evasiveness, brutal body attacks, and frightening level of output.

The 30-year-old stopped Paul Butler in December 2022 to become undisputed bantamweight champion – and the first Asian boxer to hold four world titles in a weight class at once – having previously held gold at light-flyweight and super-flyweight. However, he vacated his bantamweight belts in January to move up and challenge Stephen Fulton.

In July, Inoue took Fulton apart to hand the American his first pro loss and take his WBC and WBO super-bantamweight titles. As a result, the “Monster” became a four-weight world champion and further vindicated his No 1 spot here.

Keep Reading
By
BOXING

NEW UPDATE: Who is Devin Haney’s potential next opponent if not Gervonta Davis, Teofimo Lopez, or Shakur Stevenson?

By
Gervonta Davis and Shakur Steveson

Devin Haney achieved a stellar victory against Regis Prograis in their title bout for the WBC super lightweight championship. The fight proved to be an easy affair for the former undisputed lightweight champion who dismantled Prograis throughout the fight. As he becomes a two-division champion, all eyes are on him as he makes his next move.

Meanwhile, Haney has expressed his desire to face big names such as Shakur Stevenson, Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia, or Teofimo Lopez. However, it seems that he might end up having to fight someone else. So who is this opponent he inherited after defeating Prograis?

Garcia, Lopez, and Stevenson, and Davis are not in line to fight Haney

Devin Haney, fresh off his triumph against Regis Prograis, is now set to defend his WBC light welterweight title against mandatory challenger Sandor Martin. Prograis was granted an exception from facing Martin due to the Haney fight. This now leaves Haney with an obligation to face Martin to defend his newly acquired belt.

Gervonta and Haney Shakur

Moreover, Martin will definitely be a tough opponent for ‘the Dream’. Martin even gave Teofimo Lopez a run for his money in their encounter last year and only lost to a controversial split decision.

However, Devin Haney’s father seems laser-focused on one fighter whom he would want to tick off his hit list.

Bill Haney blasts Gervonta Davis

Even though, Martin is already set to be his mandatory opponent, it seems that Haney has set his sights on Davis. In a recent interview with Fight Hub TV, Bill Haney emphasized the singular fight that truly makes sense for his son, Devin – a showdown with Gervonta Davis. Expressing their readiness post the Prograis battle, Bill boldly challenged others, stating, “So, f**k all that other sh*t. I’m going to see who gon’ mention ‘Tank’ other than us.”

As the Haney camp echoes Davis’ name, Bill is convinced of the avoidance tactics, claiming, “Tank don’t want to fight Devin, period.” This anticipation of a face-off with Davis adds a layer of intrigue to Devin Haney’s promising career.

Bill Haney wants the Davis matchup, affirming their willingness to even fight at 140 lbs. Moreover, he repeatedly chanted, “Tank, Tank, Tank. Where you at Tank?” Despite this, Bill predicts Davis will sidestep the challenge, reinforcing the notion that the clash might still remain elusive.

Keep Reading
By
BOXING

Canelo Alvarez Confirms Next Fights Dates, Hints At David Benavidez Clash

By
Terence Bud Crawford

Canelo Alvarez opens up about his future plans and the potential David Benavidez fight

Canelo Alvarez has offered a response to the challenges put forth by David Benavidez, addressing other potential opponents like Terence Crawford and Jermall Charlo. The Mexican boxing superstar’s reaction comes in the wake of the announcement of a multiyear deal between his current promoter, Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), and Amazon’s Prime Video.

This agreement signifies a shift in broadcasting, as PBC fights and pay-per-views (PPVs) were previously aired on Showtime, which is set to conclude its boxing programming by the end of the year. The move to Prime Video introduces a new era for Canelo and other PBC fighter, potentially influencing the landscape of matchups and opportunities in boxing.
Terence Crawford
This agreement signifies a shift in broadcasting, as PBC fights and pay-per-views (PPVs) were previously aired on Showtime, which is set to conclude its boxing programming by the end of the year. The move to Prime Video introduces a new era for Canelo and other PBC fighter, potentially influencing the landscape of matchups and opportunities in boxing
In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Canelo Alvarez clarified that as of now, no discussions about potential opponents for his two fights in 2024 have taken place. Alvarez debunked recent reports suggesting possible matchups against Jaime Munguia, Jermall Charlo, or Terence Crawford, stating, “Right now my dates are May and September. Those are the dates that I always look to fight. This Monday I’m gonna have a meeting with Al Haymon and see what’s next.”
Alvarez dismissed the mentioned opponents, expressing surprise at the circulating names. He explained that he has been occupied with other aspects of his life, including managing his businesses and traveling with his wife. The interview suggests that Alvarez is focused on his upcoming meetings to determine his next steps in the boxing ring and that no concrete plans or discussions about opponents have been made at this time.
Keep Reading
By