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Ahead of tonight’s battle of two undisputed world champions, super-middleweight king Canelo Álvarez knows he has nothing to prove and yet, says he’s motivated by silencing one of his critics in light-middleweight titlist Jermell Charlo – who he feels never believed in his skills – and now he’ll make up for those questioning just how far he’s slipped from such high standards. Continue reading “Canelo has nothing to prove but says he’s motivated to silence one Charlo overnight”
Zhilei Zhang ripped up the script in April, making a fool of those who overlooked him and snatched the WBO interim world heavyweight title from Joe Joyce on enemy territory. Now, the 40-year-old needs to do it again in their rematch to set up a seismic 2024 as bigger fights await Saturday’s winner, something he has taken into consideration with an enhanced training camp this time around. Continue reading “Zhang on motivation, making training developments and targeting Joyce’s eye”
Former undisputed light-welterweight world champion Josh Taylor believes he simply had a bad night when losing via decision against WBO champion Teofimo Lopez in June, and has expressed his desire to move towards big money fights as the Scotsman reaches the back nine of an illustrious pro career. Continue reading “Taylor insists he has plenty of options, simply had a bad night in Lopez defeat”
Most expect Anthony Joshua will score a stoppage victory over short-notice replacement Robert Helenius this weekend, especially with the Deontay Wilder-sized carrot that may be lingering ringside in London on Saturday night. These are the same people who assumed he’d crush Jermaine Franklin in April too, so what happened that night in his first fight under new trainer Derrick James? Continue reading “Fight week rewind: Joshua’s blunt UD12 win over Jermaine Franklin, on April 1”
As the rebuild back to the top table at heavyweight continues with far from ideal circumstances, Anthony Joshua is in must-win territory this weekend against Robert Helenius. We all know that, but it can’t be like his UD12 Jermaine Franklin victory on April 1 either – it’s got to be an emphatic, confidence-boosting knockout. Isn’t always so simple though, really? Continue reading “Late-notice opponent or not, Joshua aware of stakes vs. Helenius in presser”
Errol Spence Jr had never been dropped in his 11-year professional career, but within five minutes of this heavily-anticipated undisputed matchup, he was floored by a laser-focused Terence Crawford. Bud later declared it a flash knockdown, a sign of things to come during a vicious one-sided beating en route to making more history for the Omaha native on another legacy-building night. Continue reading “Crawford crushes Spence with R9 TKO win, is now undisputed welterweight champion”
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After more than 15 months out of the ring – largely due to factors out of his control – you can excuse WBA (Regular) World welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis for being a little impatient as far as assembling big bouts are concerned. Vergil Ortiz Jr is out indefinitely, though IBF interim titlist Jaron Ennis publicly put his name in the hat after dismantling Roiman Villa on July 8. Continue reading “As inactivity intensifies, Stanionis longs for a good dance partner – Ennis included”
Squeezing his body down to 147lbs, is the phrase that doesn’t exactly exude confidence as far as unified welterweight world champion Errol Spence Jr should be concerned. One more fight, two more sleeps away, and he’ll get what he has longed for: a shot at WBO champion Terence Crawford. But what happens if he loses, and wants to activate that rematch clause? Leverage lost. Continue reading “Spence’s impending light-middleweight move hangs over Crawford megafight”
In a battle of two unbeaten world champions, you could see a shift from round one and the outcome wasn’t close. Naoya Inoue was dominant en route to a vicious eighth-round stoppage against now-former unified super-bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton, before shaking hands for a November undisputed matchup with newly-crowned WBA, IBF champion Marlon Tapales.
Continue reading “Naoya Inoue outboxes and stops Stephen Fulton, now a four-weight world champion”
The undisputed super-featherweight world champion defends her belts against an old foe in Detroit later tonight, and Alycia Baumgardner has already reiterated a desire to fight the sport’s biggest names – assuming she can avenge her 2018 split decision defeat over eight rounds by Christina Linardatou.
Continue reading “Alycia Baumgardner eyes huge fights, but must avenge Linardatou loss tonight”
A deep cut above his left eye means he won’t be back sparring again until August, but it appears newly-crowned WBO world cruiserweight titlist Chris Billam-Smith will have a voluntary title defense on home soil later this year. Continue reading “Mateusz Masternak frontrunner for Billam-Smith’s first world title defence, October mooted”
So, we’re here now. The wait is over, a jam-packed Saturday schedule with three UK boxing shows featuring world title fights, but only one in a stadium. Chris Billam-Smith on home soil at Bournemouth’s Vitality in-front of 15,000, looking to dethrone unbeaten WBO cruiserweight champion and former stablemate Lawrence Okolie, achieving a dream many wouldn’t have thought possible.
Continue reading “Chris Billam-Smith interview: Riakporhe, visualisation, retirement plans and more before tonight’s world title fight”
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