It has often been said that Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol is the best and most enticing fight to make in the entire sport, and that might well be true. The fighters are exceptionally good at what they do, but each needs a victory over the other to be recognized as the best light heavyweight of their era.

Such is the case in the modern age, when sanctioning-body belts essentially hold their owners hostage, keeping them away from their best opponents for too long. The records of Beterbiev and Bivol – though glossy and eye-catching – are not exactly bulging with truly elite-level opposition.

Bivol has the win over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez – a natural super middleweight – and another over Gilberto Ramirez. But after that, it’s slim pickings when finding opponents on his record that could elevate him to the status of an all-time great. And for Beterbiev, though he has won all his 20 fights by knockout, there is only a smattering of victories over truly befitting opposition.

Nonetheless, over the course of their 10 Greatest Hits – a collaborative effort, with both of their finest showings on the playlist – there are plenty of performances to further whet the appetite for Saturday night’s fight.

10) Beterbiev KO4 Gabriel Campillo (April 2015)

The belief that Beterbiev, an outstanding amateur, was a champion-in-waiting gathered pace with this one-sided drubbing of perennial contender Gabriel Campillo. Though the Spaniard was past his best, he was on a three-fight win streak and widely regarded among the top 10 light heavyweights in the world. Beterbiev, in only his eighth professional outing, dropped his man in the opening round with a right and closed the show with his other hand in the fourth.

9) Bivol UD12 Joe Smith Jr. (March 2019)

Smith, a solid and perennial figure in the 175-pound top 10, is the common rival who highlights the difference in approach taken by Bivol and Beterbiev. Five years ago, with Smith closer to his best than when he encountered Beterbiev, Bivol patiently outboxed and befuddled his willing foe, hurting him on occasion. There was a moment at the end of the 10th, when Smith clattered Bivol on or just after the bell, that saw the Russian walk back to his stool unsteadily. Complete control was regained in the 11th, however.

8) Bivol TKO6 Malik Zinad (June 2024)

Though sometimes a little too happy to go through the motions, Bivol reminded the world what he can do when in a clinical mood. Bivol started quickly, exposing a somewhat crude approach from his opponent, left-hooking Zinad to the mat in the opening round. The challenger continued to burst forward, only to be countered and largely outclassed. Bivol finished matters in the sixth when two shots from his left opened up his foe for a two-fisted barrage.

7) Beterbiev KO9 Marcus Browne (December 2021)

Beterbiev appeared to be getting on top of Browne after a slow start when their heads came together in the fourth and left the favorite with a gruesome, gaping gash in the middle of his forehead. The wound was so severe, in fact, that it continued to pump claret for the remainder of the fight. No matter. Beterbiev decked Browne in the seventh and, after being warned at the start of the ninth that the fight would be stopped due to the cut, duly knocked his opponent out with an uppercut.

6) Beterbiev TKO8 Anthony Yarde (January 2023)

There were moments (and only moments) when Yarde looked like he might (and only might) pull off a ginormous upset when he challenged Beterbiev in London last year. Yarde had success to the point that two of the three judges had him winning the firefight going into the eighth. Not for the last time, however, Beterbiev responded positively. With both fighters cut, Beterbiev fired an overhand right that wobbled Yarde, then another that floored him. With the fight as good as over, the Englishman’s corner rescued their man when further punishment came hurtling at him.  

5) Beterbiev TKO2 Joe Smith Jr. (June 2022)

A sizzling demolition job for Beterbiev over a fellow belt-holder that was markedly more memorable than Bivol’s victory over the same foe. Smith, known for his durability and having never been stopped, made the foolhardy decision to punch with Beterbiev. He went down midway through the first, only for it to be ruled a slip. Over the course of the next three minutes, Smith would take three counts before being hauled out by the referee in a severe state of discombobulation.

4) Beterbiev TKO7 Callum Smith (January 2024)

A warning for Bivol: Prior to Beterbiev’s most recent outing, we were being told that “The Beast” was getting old, that his injuries were catching up with him, that against a smart and rangy boxer like Callum Smith, he might have significant problems reproducing his old form. What followed was one of Beterbiev’s most destructive and impressive showings, as he overcame the former super middleweight belt-holder in Round 7, decking him twice and demanding surrender from Smith’s corner.

3) Bivol UD12 Gilberto Ramirez (November 2022)

Bivol made a very good opponent in Ramirez (then 44-0) look completely ordinary late in ’22. The bout was eagerly awaited, with some picking Ramirez to win beforehand. In truth, he never got a sniff of victory. The Mexican was a former titlist at 168 and had looked destructive while halting all five of his opponents at light heavyweight, but Bivol, exhibiting his habit of making the hardest game look oh-so easy, peppered his foe with unerringly accurate assaults throughout.

2) Beterbiev TKO10 Oleksandr Gvozdyk (October 2019)

Before Bivol became the ideal opponent for Beterbiev, Gvozdyk was regarded as the biggest threat to Beterbiev’s supremacy at light heavyweight. Gvozdyk, 17-0 heading in and an amateur conqueror of Bivol, started well, and after eight rounds the bout looked poised. But Beterbiev was only just getting started; he had his opponent – ahead on two cards – reeling in the ninth and then on the canvas three times in the 10th.

1) Bivol UD12 Canelo Alvarez (May 2022)

Bivol was simply majestic in Las Vegas when he upset the revered Canelo in his adopted hometown. Alvarez was expected to win, but Bivol, fighting more aggressively than is his custom, never gave the Mexican superstar a chance, regularly jolting him from his rhythm while dictating both the pace and distance. Perhaps most impressive of all was that Bivol – such was the level of his control – was so at ease that he didn’t even appear to go into top gear.

Arriving in a new country is exciting. Once the bags have been collected and passport control has been cleared, visitors often spend the ride from the airport to the hotel staring out of the window at their new surroundings. 

While the other fighters arriving in Saudi Arabia for Saturday’s undisputed light-heavyweight title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol marvel at the spectacular skyscrapers and the mega projects changing Riyadh’s skyline, for Jack Massey, the sight of the cranes and scaffolding will act as a timely reminder of just how far he has come. 

On Saturday Massey fights Jai Opetaia for the IBF cruiserweight title, but this time two years ago he was working on the scaffolds himself. Unable to secure a meaningful opportunity, the 31 year old went back to work.

The temperature had dropped to -6 degrees when his manager, Kevin Maree, called offering him the chance to box former heavyweight champion Joseph Parker. Massey, 22-2 (12 KOs) couldn’t say “Yes” quickly enough. He had almost given up hope.

“There was a few times,” Massey told BoxingScene. “There were some promotional issues around that time and I had to get back to work. 

“It was like, ‘I've been in this game nearly 10 years and I'm back on a scaffold. What am I doing this for?’ But at the end of the day, it's all I fucking know. It's pretty sad to say, but I've not got any qualifications or anything else. What am I going to do? If I do stop now, without any money in the bank, it's like going back to the factory where I worked 10 years ago.

“People my age, in their 30s, they've either got their own business or they're qualified plasterers or mechanics or whatever. It's a long way back down and it was a bit frightening and a bit scary to be honest, but I just knew that if I stuck to it, it would always come.”

Despite losing, Massey comfortably negotiated the 10 rounds against Parker, but rather than his efforts putting him directly into a lively domestic mix at 200lbs, his cruiserweight rivals and their handlers saw a hard, thankless night’s work and cast him back into the shadows.

This time, Massey stayed in the gym and when his phone rang again earlier in 2024 he was ready. The offer was a late notice European and Commonwealth title shot against Isaac Chamberlain. 

Things got tough during the middle rounds but, aware that he would be unlikely to be given another shot, the hard-nosed Massey bit down and showed some versatility by boxing his way to a close but deserved decision victory. 

The call offering him a shot at Opetaia’s IBF title didn’t come as such a big surprise. In fact, realising that the world’s cruiserweights were charting a course around the dangerous Australian, Massey saw his chance and actively chased down Opetaia. 

Massey respects Opetaia but believes that, outside of Mairis Breidis, he poses the toughest test yet of his credentials. 

“Watching him, you can't take it away from him that he's a very good fighter,” Massey said. “He looks good. But if you look at who he's fought, it's only really been Breidis twice, hasn't it? Coming to the back end of his career.

“But you can't take away the fact that when you watch him fighting, you can see that he's a very, very good fighter. You can't go in there underestimating him thinking he's only fought over-the-hill fighters. You can tell he's a good fighter and he's very good at what he does.”

Massey’s status as European champion qualifies him as a more than legitimate world-title challenger and he would be a very live underdog against the WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith, the WBC titlist Noel Mikaelien or the WBA champion Gilberto Ramirez. 

Opetaia, regardless, has quickly developed an intimidating aura and separated himself from the pack. Although he was an excellent amateur, the 29-year-old southpaw made his name by overcoming a horrifically broken jaw to take the IBF title from Breidis in 2022.

He has forged his reputation by ruthlessly taking out the overmatched Jordan Thompson and Ellis Zorro, and by the cold, no-nonsense fashion with which he goes about his business.

Massey has never been on such a big stage and will need to hold his nerve as the fight-week events progress, but his preparation has been focused purely on what goes on inside the ring and they took encouragement from Opetaia’s most recent outing.

In May, Opetaia gave the ageing Breidis a rematch, but although he controlled the vast majority of the action, he slowed down as the fight progressed and had to endure a difficult final round.

Massey respects Opetaia but he isn’t going to surrender to the hype before he has witnessed the reasons for it himself. Opetaia is going to have to prove himself to him. 

“That’s why he gets a lot of critics,” he said. “Because obviously a lot of people buy into him. They like him. They like his style and how he is outside the ring. Obviously, that also brings critics on board to come to the table and say, ‘Well, who's he actually fought?’ so he's got to prove himself a little bit more. 

“But people get excited, don't they? They hear the sparring stories and they watch him fight and stuff and start putting labels on him to be the next this and that. So, time will tell when Jack Massey gets in with him.”

Sebastian Fundora has the WBO’s blessing to pursue a junior-middleweight title defense other than Terence Crawford, but at this hour, Fundora’s top choice of former three-belt welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. is being frowned upon by the sanctioning body.

The WBO’s lead attorney told BoxingScene Thursday that if Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) chose Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) right now that Fundora would be stripped of his belt.

“Fundora must comply with WBO rules and fight an active, world-rated contender,” the attorney, Gustavo Olivieri, said. “Simple as that.”

By virtue of his bloody March 30 split-decision victory over Tim Tszyu in Las Vegas, Fundora of Coachella, Calif., captured both the WBO and vacant WBC belts. He was met in the ring afterward by Texas’ Spence, who expressed interest in meeting Fundora next.

Both fighters are under the Premier Boxing Champions banner.

But the WBO quickly let Fundora know he was obligated to next fight its “super” champion, the four-division world champion Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), and Fundora has sought to retain both of the belts.

Crawford, following his WBA junior-middleweight victory over Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3, has pushed instead for a showdown against four-division and super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, balking at the WBO deadline to negotiate a deal with Fundora.

On Wednesday, following a 10-day extension on Sept. 30, Crawford agreed to let Fundora pursue an alternate fight that would allow the new champion to retain the WBO belt.

(Whether that move means Crawford feels he now has an “in” to fight Alvarez is uncertain because Alvarez has previously shuttered the idea of fighting the lighter man, and he’s also expressed interest in a showdown with WBA light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol should Bivoil win that division’s undisputed title Saturday versus Artur Beterbiev in Saudi Arabia).

So while the speculation quickly turned that Fundora would go after a pay-per-view fight with Spence that could take place at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, the WBO says not so fast.

The WBO will only sanction title fights against opponents ranked in its top 15, which Spence is not.

Olivieri noted other Spence flaws: He’s coming off a one-sided knockout in his undisputed-welterweight-title beating by Crawford in July 2023, hasn’t fought since and hasn’t petitioned to enter the WBO’s top 15.

If Fundora fights Spence under those conditions, he will be stripped, Olivieri said.

That seems harsh and odd given that many of the occupants of the WBO’s top 15 would be underdogs if they fought Spence.

The cast under top-ranked Tszyu (who is participating in an Oct. 19 IBF title fight against champion Bakhram Murtazaliev) includes No. 2 Josh Kelly, the young No. 3 Xander Zayas, No. 9 veteran Erickson Lubin and No. 12 Jorge Garcia Perez (30-4).

The opening for Spence is this:

“Team Spence or his representatives can certainly petition and argue the reasons as to why he is deserving of world-rating consideration and request an opportunity,” to be ranked in the top 15, Olivieri said.

That opportunity will be at the WBO’s ratings and mandatories portion of its upcoming convention in Puerto Rico, on Oct. 31.

If successful in winning WBO sanctioning and winning his next fight, Fundora will be obligated to fight Crawford next, the WBO reminded.

Unless Crawford opts to fight someone else again, which would cause him to waive his position as a mandatory foe to the WBO champion.

Vasyl Lomachenko had a fabled amateur career and carried that success into the professional scene, becoming a three-weight world champion in just twelve contests. However, at 36-years-old and lacking motivation to return to the ring, the fan-favourite Ukrainian may be about the hang up the gloves.

‘Loma’ famously went 396-1 during his stellar amateur career and attempted to make history by challenging for world honours in just his second bout as a professional, but fell short in a split-decision defeat to Orlando Salido.

However, in the fight that followed, Lomachenko did manage to get his hands on a world title by scoring a majority-decision victory over Gary Russell Jr. for the WBO featherweight crown.

From there on out it the world of boxing became obsessed by the talent of ‘The Matrix’, as many tried and failed to lay a glove on the masterful technician, defending his featherweight title on three occasions before picking up the WBO super-featherweight strap – which was defended four times before a move up to lightweight.

At 135lbs, Loma appeared to have maxed out physically but he still had the superior skill to dominate Jorge Linares, Jose Pedraza, Anthony Crolla and Luke Campbell to become the unified WBC, WBA and WBO champion.

Although, that emphatic run that captivated the world of boxing was brought to an end by a then-unlikely contender as the now well-respected Teofimo Lopez upset the odds and pulled off the upset to make a name for himself and shake up the lightweight division.

After three wins, Lomachenko would return to the peak of the lightweight division and what an opportunity it was – a shot at his lifelong dream of becoming an undisputed champion against the youngest undisputed title-holder of all-time, Devin Haney.Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul: new fight added to undercard

Yet, despite the vast majority of fans believing that ‘Loma’ had done enough to win the fight, it was Haney who got the nod on the scorecards, leaving the veteran heartbroken.

But all was not lost for 36-year-old Lomachenko, who returned in another title fight earlier this year and rolled back the years to dethrone George Kambosos Jr. and become the IBF lightweight champion, ending an almost four-year run without having a belt to his name.

As a result, it was expected that Lomachenko would pursue the other lightweight champions; Gervonta Davis (WBA), Shakur Stevenson (WBC) and Denys Berinchyk (WBO), yet news that the hard-to-hit phenomenon was not motivated to fight Davis raised red flags.

Now, ESPN journalist Mike Coppinger has claimed that Lomachenko refused a fight with ‘Tank’ because he is ‘contemplating retirement’, whilst previewing Davis’ recently-confirmed showdown with Lamont Roach.Gervonta Davis was in talks to fight Vasiliy Lomachenko – who is contemplating retirement – and after the prospect of the fight collapsed, Tank will now fight Lamont Roach in a fight where he’ll be a major favorite. Discussing Gervonta’s next fight on ESPN+’s State of Boxing. pic.twitter.com/m8F0Qcqmuf

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) October 10, 2024“Gervonta Davis was in talks to fight Vasiliy Lomachenko – who is contemplating retirement – and after the prospect of the fight collapsed, Tank will now fight Lamont Roach in a fight where he’ll be a major favorite. Discussing Gervonta’s next fight on ESPN+’s State of Boxing.”

Davis will fight Roach on December 14th in Texas, with a salivating co-main event also being reported for that bill.

As for ‘Loma’, he has recently been linked to an alternate opponent, but if this is the end – what a ride it has been.

After over a year of inactivity, Chris Eubank Jr steps back into a boxing ring this weekend.

The son of legendary boxer Chris Eubank, Jr is set to face Kamil Szeremeta on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol in Saudi.

Eubank Jr is looking to remind the world that he still has what it takes to become a world champion despite reaching 35 years of age.

A decisive win against Szeremeta will go a long way to building anticipation to see what’s next for the Brighton based boxer.

Chris Eubank Jr has never struggled to garner interest, not least because of his surname.

But it seems that he has his eye on a mega bout after confirming that he’s in discussions with three blockbuster names to fight next.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Eubank Jr seemingly already has one eye on the future.

“Yes, I need to win and do so in devastating fashion”, he told the television broadcaster in a sit down interview.

“If I don’t, why would people want to see me fight Canelo, Conor Benn, Billy Joe Saunders, or Terence Crawford?

“If I can’t beat this guy convincingly, why am I fighting them?

“There’s still so much for me in my boxing career. It’s not just a belief; it’s reality.

“We’re already in talks with Canelo, Benn, Saunders, and the middleweight titleholders.Huge rematch expected to land on Davis-Roach undercard

“I just need to do my job, stay disciplined, and all those big fights will happen.”

Those three names mentioned would undoubtedly be box office fights.

It seems that everyone in the middleweight division wants a fight with Canelo Alvarez and Eubank Jr is happy to have his name in the mix for that one.

Of course, one of his three losses in his career came against Billy Joe Saunders on split decision.

Those two have never met again in the ring and fight fans will be intrigued to see who would come up next.

But it’s the other name that will likely get the most attention.

Any card that features the names of Benn and Eubank will sell tickets.

And that’s the fight that Eubank Jr seems to want next.

“Yes, if he sorts out his license, that’s definitely a fight I want next”, said Chris Eubank Jr when asked about the Conor Benn fight.

These two were originally scheduled to fight in October 2022, but the fight was cancelled just days before after Benn had tested positive for banned substances.

Conor Benn has always protested his innocence despite the fight being called off.

It seems that the fight could be rekindled with these latest comments showing that there’s still an eagerness on the side of Chris Eubank Jr to make that fight happen next in his career.

Adam Azim has made headlines since bursting onto the British boxing scene four years ago.

At first, it was Azim’s blazing hand speed that attracted attention. But his impact saw him quickly pitched into a tit-for-tat battle of oneupmanship with his junior welterweight rival Dalton Smith.

Every fighter benefits greatly from having a talented, high profile rival but despite governing bodies best efforts, a meeting between the two is still clearly still some way away and it began to feel like the constant talk and maneuvering was overshadowing Azim’s development.

Ankle and wrist injuries have kept Azim (11-0, 8 KOs) out of the ring since he defended the European title against Enock Poulsen in February. As frustrating as it is for a young fighter to be forced onto the sidelines, the setbacks may have been his body’s way of telling him – and everyone around him – to slow down.

During his absence, Azim has relinquished the European title whilst Smith vacated the British belt after stopping a still dangerous Jose Zepeda to legitimize himself as a world title contender. The two are further away than they have been for some time.

It sounds like Azim has benefitted from the time away. Rather than constantly working towards a specific opponent, he has been able to work on his all round game and instead of having to defend his career path, self-improvement has been his sole focus.

On Oct. 19, Azim returns to action in a sensible, meaningful domestic showdown with recent world title challenger Ohara Davies.

The talk about Smith will inevitably flare up again, but for a few more weeks the talented Azim is at the center of his own story again.

“My mindset for this fight is completely different. I've been working really hard in the gym, improving every single day and working extremely hard,” Azim told BoxingScene. “The good thing when you're in the gym all the time is just that you take pieces of what you have to do in the ring and keep working on that. So what I've been working on is my footwork and I've been working on inside fighting, which is one of the elements that I want to be working on.

“As a complete package – as a pro fighter – it’s good to have an inside game which is good, as also having an outside game as well."

Barely a month seemed to pass without Azim scoring the type of spectacular early finish that provides manna from heaven for social media teams and fuel for the hype machine.

Back in November 2022, Azim racked up his sixth consecutive quick stoppage by blowing away the tough Rylan Charlton inside two rounds, and the search went out for opponents capable of withstanding the early storm and providing him with quality rounds.

The matchmakers certainly did their job. 

Santos Reyes got up off the floor and took him the 10-round distance, as did Adam Faniian. Franck Petitjean made it to the 10th round of their vacant European title fight before finally being overwhelmed, whilst a shoulder injury forced Enock Poulsen to retire after five rounds earlier this year. 

The rounds were invaluable. They gave Azim confidence in his gas tank, but they also taught him which parts of his style would be effective at championship level and which needed more work.

“Do you know what?" Azim said. "After the Rylan Charlton fight, I fought Santos Reyes, and when I dropped him, I'm like, ‘Yeah, I've got him again.’ But there's a point where these lot have hard heads, good chins, and there's a way where you have to take him out in a mature way. With me, I was just throwing punches, trying to get him out without thinking about it."

“If I fought him again, there would be a different story because I know how to take him out now, you know? If I stayed inside with him then, I would have got him out because I was just keeping it long, ticking over. It's those threes and fours of punches coming in – not just ones or twos – where there's shots that they don't see.

“Even with the Aram Faniian fight, that was a dangerous fight for me at an early stage. He’d had 24 fights, and he's only lost one in that time, so it was a good step-up opponent for me.

“Now the fights have gone longer, I can think about how to take them out and break them down – but that comes with maturity. At that time, I was still 19, 20. I'm 22 now, so I'm getting older and obviously getting my man strength, which is a good thing to have as well.

“ I’m working really hard, so I know what to do in the ring now.”

Chris Eubank Jr. made headlines recently for launching a scathing rant at the press conference for Artur Beterbiev’s undisputed light-heavyweight showdown with Dmitry Bivol. However, his cousin, Harlem, has now revealed the real reason behind the middleweight contender’s ruthless verbal attack.

Eubank Jr. is scheduled to appear on the Beterbiev-Bivol undercard against Kamil Szeremeta (22-2-2) on Saturday night as he hopes to edge closer towards a world title shot against Janibek Alimkhanuly or possibly Hamzah Sheeraz.

Yet, at the press conference for the event last month, the focus of Eubank Jr. did not appear to be on his opponent. Instead, the 35-year-old gunned for British promoters Eddie Hearn, Frank Warren and Kalle Sauerland, labelling each of them as ‘scumbags’ in the viral clip whilst explaining why he has signed with Ben Shalom’s BOXXER.Eubank Jr knows how to make a headline.

Here he is gearing into Warren Sauerland and Hearn for being scumbag promoters. Only Turki survives‼️🥊🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/OAIDRXXVdr

— LondonRunzBoxing (@LondonRunz) September 25, 2024

“Why BOXXER? Because every other promoter out here is scumbag.

“He [Frank Warren] sued me for a couple of hundred thousand a few years ago, so obviously I’d never go back to him. Scumbag.

“Kalle Sauerland, kept me in a terrible contract for several years. Scumbag.

“Eddie Hearn and Frank Smith tried everything they could to make this Conor Benn fight. So yes, scumbags.

“The only one who isn’t [a scumbag] is Turki Al-Alshikh. This is a man who isn’t trying to take money from fighters and use lawyers and accountants in slave contracts.”

Understandably, each of targeted promoters were outraged at the comments but none more so than Frank Warren, who threatened to take a legal course of action once again.

Soon after, Eubank Jr. released a statement and apologised for his words – with that apology being accepted by Warren.Chris Eubank Jr and Frank Warren release a statement. #fightclub247#boxing#fighter#beterbievbivol#champion#forthefanspic.twitter.com/KJcegynEFf

— Fight Club 24/7 (@fightclub247) September 25, 2024

“Following today’s press conference for the historic Riyadh Season event on October 12th, I would like to retract my inaccurate statements and offer my apologies to Frank Warren, Eddie Hearn and Kalle Sauerland. I now wish to focus purely on boxing and preparing for a huge fight in Riyadh next month.”

However, rising welterweight contender and cousin of Chris, Harlem Eubank, today exclusively told that this rant was one that was planned by Eubank Jr. and others, rather than one that was off of the cuff, explaining that someone gave him the ‘green light’ beforehand.

“Chris is always going to speak his mind, whatever he thinks. He is always happy to speak his mind and I think Ben [Shalom] had a hard week the week before in the AJ fight build-up, and I think that Jr. came to the rescue.

“Chris is one of them people that is happy to express his views, especially if given the green light to do so.”

Whoever it was that encouraged Eubank Jr. to cause a stir will certainly be pleased with the outcome, but the former IBO middleweight world champion will be hoping that his speech did not cause too much of a distraction, and that he can still get the job done against Szeremeta on Saturday night.

Two months after signing with Main Events, junior featherweight Carlos Jackson will have his first opportunity to fight underneath the promoter’s banner.

The card will be held October 19 at the Caribe Royale Orlando. The televised undercard, airing on Amazon’s Prime Video, will include junior middleweight prospect Yoenis Tellez vs. Johan Gonzalez and middleweight prospect Mateo Tapia vs. Endry Saavedra.

Jackson was a promotional free agent who was flying under the radar, according to Joe Rotonda, director of operations for Main Events.

“He's a big puncher at 122. He took some time off and came back earlier this year. He wants to fight everybody,” Rotonda told BoxingScene.com. “He wants [undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya] Inoue at some point. ... We'll see what he looks like later this month. He's fighting Carlos Carlson, a tough kid, fought on UFC Fight Pass recently [in a Marchloss to Feargal McCrory]. We'll see what he looks like. I think we'll be impressed, though.”

Jackson turned pro in 2015 at the relatively late age of 26. He won his first 16 bouts before dropping a unanimous decision to Enrique Vivas (18-1 at the time) in July 2020. Jackson notched three more wins, then stepped away from the ring from September 2022 until this April, returning with a fifth-round TKO of Alexis Bastar (then 18-2-1).

The loss to Vivas came at featherweight, which Jackson has occasionally fought at over the years. Rotonda believes Jackson will be better off fighting in the 122-pound weight class. The match with Carlson will be right in the middle, at 124 pounds.

There have been other changes made besides Jackson’s weight class.

Time will be of the essence for Jackson, who is 35 years old.

“If Carlos gets past October 19 and we can go that ProBox route, there is no B-side of ProBox [matches]. ProBox is 50-50,” Rotonda said of the promoter, which, in full disclosure, owns BoxingScene.com. 

Main Events has been intentional about keeping a smaller roster , given that most of the television and streaming network dates belong to other promoters.

“I'm not into signing 60 guys and having nowhere to put them,” Rotonda said. “I know a ton of these guys go out and they sign all these fighters, and there's no way to honor those deals. [...] So if I can guarantee that I can keep you busy, we'll bring you on. Especially if you actually want to fight, you want to fight anyone and figure out whether you can fight or not, and we can figure that out too for you.”

Added Duva: “We're not well-situated to sign a guy who's turning pro. You need to keep them active. But to get to the people like Carlos Jackson who are at a crossroads in their career, I think we're well-positioned to help them. So that's what we're going to do.”

Fabio Wardley has proven himself to not only be a worthy British champion but a possible world title threat by maintaining his 18-fight undefeated record at the peak of the domestic level. Yet, Saturday night represents his toughest test to date and ahead of fight night, the Ipswich fan-favourite made a shocking admission.

Despite no amateur experience, Wardley rose into British title contention after knockout victories in all outings since his debut and after 14 wins and 13 knockouts, Wardley was offered the shot at the vacant title against Nathan Gorman – who was halted in just three rounds.

An opportunity on the big stage soon followed, as Wardley stopped American Michael Coffie before returning to defend the Lonsdale Belt on the Fury-Ngannou Riyadh Season card in Saudi Arabia, knocking out David Adeleye in a career-best performance.

Yet, it was Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist Frazer Clarke who was being picked by many to put an end to Wardley’s reign and an Easter Sunday showdown gave further substance to those suggestions.

Wardley and Clarke went to war in one of 2024’s fights of the year thus far, where Wardley scored a knockdown and Clarke was deducted an additional point, but still the judges scored the contest as a draw – meaning Clarke would have been victorious if not for the low blow.

Now, Wardley and Clarke will rematch in what many feel is the highlight of the Beterbiev-Bivol undercard and in an interview with Boxing News, 29-year-old Wardley declared that he intends to vacate the British title during the aftermath.Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul: new fight added to undercard

“Obviously, the Frazer Clarke era, whatever that bit of my life was or bit of my boxing career was – that will be finished after Saturday night. And my British title, British area level fights. I think they’ll be done as well. I can’t see any more contenders that is a right [fight] for me to take at this juncture in my career. I’ve had my good run with it, time to probably let that go.”

This will be Wardley’s third defence of the belt, allowing him to keep a hold of the belt and add it to his collection even after it has been officially vacated.

Although, the strong-willed power-puncher hopes that the British title will not be the only strap that he can look back on after his career, adding that he is hoping to close in on a world title shot during 2025.

“Ultimately setting up for a world title or at least a shot at a world title or eliminator or a voluntary shot.

“I’m up there in the mix. We know the big fight that’s happening at the end of the year. So, once that happens and then a few months later when things start to fragment and mandatories start to get called and eliminators everything moves starts to move in all sorts of directions. I want one of those directions to be towards me.”

Fabio Wardley currently sits at #8 in the world rankings with both the WBO and WBC, #9 with the WBA and #12 with the IBF. As he suggests, belts are likely to become available in the near future, but the route selection may prove pivotal depending on which belts the victor of Fury-Usyk decide to retain.

Trainer Andre Rozier is confident Artur Beterbiev will be too strong for Dmitry Bivol when they clash on Saturday.

Beterbiev, who holds the WBC, IBF and WBO light heavyweight titles, is on the cusp of facing Bivol, who has the WBA belt, for the undisputed 175-pound championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Russian duo – one pure boxer with pop, one thundering puncher with boxing skills – are expected to produce a thrilling fight.

Ahead of the much-anticipated encounter, Rozier believes Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) would be a tall order for Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs).

“No one beats Beterbiev,” said Rozier in an interview with Fight Hype. “The only way you're gonna beat that man is before time catches him and holds his hand and says, ‘Come on. Come with me.’ That's the only way. Beterbiev is a wrecking machine.”

At age 39, Beterbiev could be nearing retirement and his career has been plagued with injuries lately. The Bivol fight was initially scheduled for June and had to be postponed when Beterbiev ruptured his meniscus.

Beterbiev will be defending his unified titles for the third time by becoming the undisputed light heavyweight champion. Having added the WBO title to the WBC and IBF belts by a round two stoppage win over Joe Smith Jr. two years ago, Beterbiev beat Anthony Yarde and Callum Smith to retain his belts.

Rozier said that Beterbiev, with his impeccable KO record, has been a force to be reckoned with even when he has encountered difficult moments in the ring.

“I mean, he does so many things well," Rozier said. "People will be like, 'Oh, he was knocked down.' Like, everybody in boxing has been knocked down except for Canelo [Alvarez]. That's why it's not gonna happen on Saturday. And you just have to say, 'I know if I do get knocked down, I have to get back up and win,' and that's what he did.”

Meanwhile, Bivol has a deep resume, having defeated the aforementioned iron-chinned Alvarez, Gilberto Ramirez and Joe Smith Jr., among others. In his most recent fight, Bivol finished off Libya’s Malik Zinad in six rounds.

When asked about the quality of the matchup on Saturday, Rozier said, “I think that it's gonna be a fantastic fight. Two very, very gifted athletes. Bivol, Beterbiev – no better fight than this.

“I mean, I just can't wait for it because you have the consummate articulating boxer Bivol and you have the crushing pressure and tenacity of Beterbiev. What a fantastic fight. I'm glad that Turki Alalshikh put this fight together.”

Tim Tszyu and Bakhram Murtazaliev are set to fight over the IBF junior middleweight title on Saturday 19th October.

Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida is the current location for the clash.

But that looks in serious jeopardy as of now.

Hurricane Milton has been all over the news in the United States of America.

People have been ordered to stay indoors by police as Hurricane Milton smashes into Florida.

Two people have already died from a tornado as Hurricane Milton approached.

The National Weather Service has issued the highest level of flood warning possible to residents of Tampa, St Petersburg and Clearwater. There are approximately two million residents who are subject to the alert.

The situation is pretty dire right now.

With winds recorded of 390km/hour, it’s one of the worst hurricanes in USA history.

A boxing fight is not at the forefront of most people’s minds in Florida right now.

With so much destruction and devastation, it’s looking unfeasible that the fight will be staged in Orlando next week.

No Limit CEO George Rose, who is promoting the fight, has detailed plans to the media around the possibilities.

“It’s been a bit of a tumultuous last week as we found out about the weather trends over in the U.S,” Rose told media.Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul: new fight added to undercard

“It’s been a bit of a scramble for all of us. At the moment, what I can say is both fighters are safe and both are preparing for what is going to be the biggest fights of their careers.

“We’re staying in touch with our U.S. counterparts as often as we can and as it stands at the moment everything is proceeding as per planned but we are prepared to make a mad dash and a mad change if we have to.

“At the moment we’re staying alert and staying prepared for every update and every change that happens between now and then.

“I seriously cannot believe how big this is.

“We thought the floods and everything we faced here in Australia had been the biggest, craziest weather phenomenon we’d have to worry about in putting on an event but this is huge.

“This is very scary.

“But it’s something I think we’re well aware of and we’re going to make sure our fighters are safe and we do make the best decision at the end. But we’re ready to move on whatever we have to do.”

This is not the first time that No Limit have had to move a fight for one of their boxers.

No Limit had to postpone Nikita Tszyu’s professional boxing debut in 2022 after the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre was flooded.

“We were able to move that event within 24 hours and make that happen,” Rose said.

“Obviously this is larger scale with a world title fight happening over there in Orlando but we’ve got no hesitation in having to move and choose a safer option to ensure Timmy still gets his world title shot and Mateo Tapia gets to continue on his trajectory towards the same position as Tim.”

So it seems that there’s a distinct possibility that the fight will be moved if things don’t improve much in Florida.

Skye Nicolson and Raven Chapman have been circling each other for months. 

On Saturday, they will finally come to blows. 

WBC featherweight champion, Nicolson, and Chapman will engage in the first female world title bout to take place in Saudi Arabia. They are also the first women to be given a slot on a star-studded Riyadh Season show. 

Women’s boxing has flourished in recent years but precious few fights are given as significant a stage as this.

Chapman, 9-0 (2 KOs), understands the gravity of the event, but she is determined not to allow the occasion to dwarf her. Chapman is intent on using the opportunity to show boxing fans exactly what she is capable of. 

“It feels amazing. I’m so grateful for this opportunity on such a great show as well,” she told Queensberry. “A big stage, a big platform to really show what I’m about and show why I’m going to be champion and why I’m going to be a great champion as well. Show everyone what I’m made of. How tough I am. How strong I am. How relentless I am. How violent I am.”

Nicolson, 11-0 (1 KO), has proven an expert at avoiding violence to this point in her career.

She has described the fight as “a great clash of styles” which gives as clear an indication as you can get that she is planning on employing her usual style of boxing: jabbing, moving, and negating everything Chapman tries. None of Nicolson’s previous opponents have come close to figuring her out, instead becoming increasingly desperate and ragged as the two-minute long rounds fly by, allowing the Australian to find the target more and more easily.

Chapman has proven to be a strong, fit and well rounded fighter so far but there has never been a boxer who has stepped into the world-class level without a couple of unanswered questions hanging over their head. 

Nicolson hasn’t yet needed to prove that she has the mettle to fight her way out of a dark corner. Chapman needs to show that she has the imagination and skill to take her there. 

Chapman insists that she has always had the qualities she needs to solve the complex puzzles Nicolson sets but that she hasn’t needed to display them yet. 

“She hasn’t been in with Raven Chapman. She’s had fights picked that are very good for her style. I’m not a cherry picked fight. You’ll see a different Raven - well, not a different Raven - it’ll be me but you’ll see just how good and technical I am. How much I’ve got that I haven’t had to show yet because I haven’t needed to. My opponents have been there and wanted to come and fight so I’ll fight them,” she said.

“I’ve barely lost a round in my pro career, just like Skye’s barely lost a round in hers. That’s why it’s such a great fight. We’re both two of the best in our division and we’ll show why we are that on fight night and I’ll show why I’m even better.”

For a while now, boxing fans have been wondering when Terence Crawford and Sebastian Fundora would get in the ring and face one another.

Crawford last fought in August and it seemed his victory had set him on to the path to a mega fight with Canelo Alvarez.

Alvarez himself only fought in September, so the likelihood of that fight happening soon was a little farfetched.

In the meantime, a title unification fight between Terence Crawford and Sebastian Fundora was next on the cards.

Fundora, the current WBO and WBC light middleweight champion, instead wanted to step in the ring with Errol Spence Jr.

Are you keeping up so far?

Now there seems to have been some resolution on the matter.

After the WBO had given Terence Crawford and Sebastian Fundora time negotiate their fight, it has now seemingly been resolved for the time being.

According to Mike Coppinger from ESPN, Crawford has agreed for Fundora to first fight Errol Spence Jr.

The idea is that a future fight between the pair would be much bigger if Fundora was to beat Spence Jr.Team GB star signs with boxing advisor

Sebastian Fundora and Errol Spence Jr. are now expected to meet in early 2025.

This is an intriguing match up just because of all the possibilities that it opens up.

Spence Jr. lost to Crawford last year and there has not been a rematch so far.

If he beats Fundora, that may be back on the table.

Once it progresses to the next phase of this plan, Crawford beating either of those fighters must surely put him in a conversation for a clash against Canelo Alvarez.

A face off between Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez is something that all boxing fans would love to see and would be a big time bout for 2025.Ahead of tomorrow’s WBO deadline, Terence Crawford and Sebastian Fundora reached a resolution to allow Fundora to proceed with a voluntary defense with the understanding the junior middleweight title unification will be explored afterward, sources told ESPN. This paves the way…

Gervonta Davis’ return to action against Lamont Roach Jr. has been highly criticized, with ‘Tank’ believed to be comfortably better than his naturally smaller opponent. However, if the main event has left you wanting more, then luckily it appears as though an exciting rematch will also take place on the bill.

The WBA lightweight champion had been linked to unification bouts against either Shakur Stevenson (WBC) and Vasyl Lomachenko (IBF) but both men were recently ruled out, forcing the self-proclaimed ‘face of boxing’ to search for a suitable challenger for his title.

As far as lightweight options were concerned, WBA #2 Floyd Schofield and WBA #3 Edwin De Los Santos (16-2) were each calling for the opportunity to challenge for world honours, yet Davis instead opted to face WBA super-featherweight champion, Roach.

News of the selection underwhelmed many, but whispers that David Benavidez could fight on the undercard raised hopes for the December event, until it was confirmed that ‘The Mexican Monster’ will take part in a mammoth main event of his own in January – ruling him out of the December show.

Although it does not feature Benavidez, the co-main of the card does seem to be an intriguing one, ESPN have reported that Stephen Fulton will fight for a second time as a featherweight as he collides with fellow former super-bantamweight champion Brandon Figueroa once again – over three years since Fulton scored a controversial split-decision win over the Texan.World title clash rumoured for David Benavidez vs. David Morrell event

“Stephen Fulton and Brandon Figueroa will meet in a featherweight rematch on the Dec. 14 Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach undercard in Houston, sources told ESPN.”

Fulton debuted at 126lbs last month with yet another eyebrow-raising split-decision win, being knocked down by Carlos Castro but just doing enough to get the nod on the scorecards in a first outing since his brutal knockout defeat to Naoya Inoue.

Meanwhile, Figueroa has fought thrice since moving up from 122lbs and also faced Castro on his first featherweight appearance – scoring a sixth-round stoppage win.

Since then, ‘The Heartbreaker’ has defeated Mark Magsayo for the WBC interim title and then defended the belt against Jessie Magdaleno, leaving the victor of his rematch with Fulton well poised for a shot at Rey Vargas’ WBC world title.

Tank-Roach will take place on December 14th in Houston, Texas, as a PBC event that will be available to purchase on Amazon Prime Video PPV, with further details expected to be announced imminently.

G-Squad Entertainment, the upstart promotion led by Gabe Flores Sr., is back for its third event on Saturday, and it is putting thought into more than just the boxing.

The father of lightweight contender Gabriel Flores Jr. is pulling out all the stops, turning Adventist Health Arena (formerly Stockton Arena) into a Halloween-themed spectacle.

In true G-Squad fashion, the 10-round main event will feature Flores Jr (22-2, 10 KOs), against Mexico’s Dennis Contreras (24-14-1, 22 KOs). But that isn’t the only attraction. According to the promotion’s press release, fans will be treated to contortionists, stilt walkers, and even a fire breather, all part of their effort to make the night a "Halloween spectacular." Flores Sr is staying true to his mission of providing family-friendly entertainment for Stockton. Costumes are encouraged, and candy will be handed out to the kids. The venue is also labeled as a haunted house. 

“We wanted to give back with this promotion, but boxing is only part of what we do,” Flores Sr. told BoxingScene. “We’re creating a safe space for people to enjoy live events. After two shows, this is our most ambitious one yet, and it will set the tone for what’s coming next year.”

At Flores Sr.'s side is Julio Sanchez, the company’s president and his jack-of-all-trades, who used to be the team photographer. Sanchez explained that a lot of thought goes into these events without tipping his hat to what the tricks of the trade are. “We want the fans to not just be at the show, but part of it,” Sanchez said while juggling two phones speaking with BoxingScene. “This event is the first step in that direction.”

Flores Jr, now based in Las Vegas, has consistently stated that fighting in front of his hometown crowd gives him a "superpower." With two victories in Stockton already this year, the 22-year-old is eager to finish 2024 on a high note. Contreras, 32, is stepping in as a last-minute replacement after the original opponent, Daniel Bailey (15-2, 8 KOs), withdrew from the bout. 

"The original fight was set with Daniel Bailey," said Flores Sr. "Two to three weeks out, Bailey overpriced himself." 

Now, with this last-minute matchup in place, Flores Jr. is focused on making the most of the opportunity.

The undercard tells a deeper story about the grit required to succeed in today’s boxing landscape. Lightweight prospect Lorenzo Powell (2-0, 1 KO), 22, will face fellow unbeaten fighter Adrian Serrano (3-0-1), 20, from Salinas, Calif. Women’s welterweight Jennah Creason (1-0), 18, will be tested against India’s Archana Sharma (3-1, 2 KOs). And an intriguing junior lightweight clash pits unbeaten Dominique Francis (15-0, 9 KOs) against Julio Carrera Lugo (18-0-1, 14 KOs) in a battle of unbeatens. Rounding out the card is local fighter Tatiana Almaraz (0-4) from Concord, Calif., who will face Vickie Zhao in her pro debut. 

“We want to put on a good fight card,” said Flores Sr. “People are spending their hard-earned money, and we want to make sure they’re seeing a first-class event, from their seats to social media. This card reflects that.”

With a press conference Thursday, a weigh-in Friday, and the big fight Saturday night, G-Squad is going all in to give Stockton a true “big fight” feel. “We’re blending boxing with family attractions,” Sanchez added. “It’s a delicate balance, but we’re focused on the details to ensure fans leave satisfied.”

With just a few days until the undisputed light heavyweight championship between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, trainer Marc Ramsey is already excited.

Ramsey, who trains three-belt 175-pound champ Artur Beterbiev, expects a very technical fight against titlist Dmitry Bivol on Saturday. The two dynamos are expected to offer the boxing world a mouthwatering and thrilling encounter in a bout that should surely cement the winner’s Hall of Fame status.

To Ramsey, the fight promises to be a thriller, especially when both fighters have such different styles in the ring.

“It's a good challenge. He's a champion first of all,” Ramsey said of Bivol in an interview with Pro Boxing Fans. “He's very good at what he does, but it's going to be technical, mechanical and very sharp. What he does, he does it well. But let's see if he can do some other stuff than what he's doing right now.

“We have a fighter who can box, and we definitely have a fighter who can fight. Let's see if the other side can follow through.”

Ramsey recounted how he met Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) at the World Amateur Championship in Chicago in 2007, before bringing the Russian to Montreal for discussions. The Canadian trainer revealed that Beterbiev was already a world amateur champion before Ramsey became his cornerman.

“At that time, it was very hard to approach a Russian fighter for a Canadian promoter, but we had somebody that knew both sides and at one point we reached each other,” Ramsey said. “Physically, he was very gifted already, very strong – but I knew that before he came to my gym the first time.

“I followed him a lot as an amateur fighter, and he was very well educated, technically, from the Russian amateur boxing team. And I just had to work on a couple of little details just to make sure that we have the right pro style.”

The duo has gone on to chalk many successes at light heavyweight, winning Beterbiev's first title in 2017 and adding further belts two years later, when he recorded a 10-round stoppage of Oleksandr Gvozdyk . On Saturday, Beterbiev faces the toughest test of his career against Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs).

Yet Beterbiev, even at 39, is no slouch himself. He remains in exceptional shape due to a spartan lifestyle, says Ramsey. Still, the trainer refuted claims that Beterbiev had been knocking out and hospitalizing sparring partners.

“When we have sparring partners in Montreal," Ramsey said, "we try to protect them. We ask them [to spar], like, two or three rounds in a row. We never ask them to go to beat 12 rounds or some stuff like that.

“But Artur, of course, he's powerful, and he is hurting people. Right now, in the gym, we don't see any sign of him slowing down – like, his metabolism or even the power or stuff like that. You have to know that Artur has never drunk alcohol in his life. He goes to sleep early every night and he eats well.

“Every single decision that he has made in his life is in direction to his boxing career, and that's why I believe at that age, he’s still accurate like that."

#BeterbievBivol #LightHeavyweight #Boxing #Undisputed #BoxingFans #SaudiArabia #ArturBeterbiev #DmitryBivol #FightNight #BoxingNews

Glen Jennings, manager of junior middleweight Tim Tszyu, has no intention of letting his fighter slow down after a tumultuous year that saw the Australian sidelined by injury and a loss to Sebastian Fundora.

At a media workout in Las Vegas, Jennings outlined Tszyu’s comeback plan, with the 29-year-old Tszyu set to face IBF titleholder Bakhram Murtazaliev on October 19 at the Caribe Royale in Orlando. The bout will be the first Premier Boxing Champions event aired on Amazon Prime without a pay-per-view barrier and Jennings hinted that it may not be Tszyu’s last fight of the year.

“We don’t ever say no to anything, so the door’s always open,” Jennings said.

Tszyu, 24-1 (17 KOs), a former junior middleweight titleholder, will step into the ring against Murtazaliev, 22-0 (16 KOs), after suffering a split-decision loss to Fundora in which a bad cut on his scalp changed the course of the fight. Reflecting on the injury, Jennings explained how it delayed their plans.

“Everyone watched the bloodbath with Fundora, and we had that awful injury,” Jennings said. “We got Tim sorted with that, took him back home, and had it checked. We were due to go in with [Vergil] Ortiz, but couldn’t get clearance on the wound. It wasn’t right. About a month later, we got clearance, and here we are today. So we’re excited – very excited.”

Tszyu has been training in Las Vegas since the summer in preparation for his return. While this year has seen setbacks, Jennings emphasized that in boxing, nothing is ever guaranteed.

“You can plan and prepare all you want,” Jennings said. “You’ve got to be ready to roll with whatever comes your way.”

Despite the obstacles, Jennings made it clear that Tszyu’s drive remains unwavering.

“Tim’s one of those athletes that won’t sit around. If I don’t get him a fight, it’s non-stop. ‘When am I fighting?’ he keeps asking. And I do absolutely everything I can to keep him busy.”

#TimTszyu #BakhramMurtazaliev #BoxingNews #JuniorMiddleweight #Comeback #PBC #OrlandoFight #FightNight #BoxingFans #PremierBoxingChampions

In this week’s mailbag, we tackle your thoughts on one fight that’s just been announced (light heavyweight contenders David Benavidez vs. David Morrell), one fight that’s being imagined (featherweight titleholder Nick Ball vs. junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue), one fight that’s been ordered (unified middleweight titleholder Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. top contender Hamzah Sheeraz), and one fight that should’ve happened in the past (heavyweights Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua).

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.

BENAVIDEZ AND MORRELL LEARNED THEIR LESSONS AND ARE DONE WAITING

These guys (David Benavidez and David Morrell) needed to fight each other, Time to make their own legacy and not just wait around to get picked.

David Greisman’s response: This is the second-best fight that could be made at light heavyweight — Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol is of course #1 — and is the right fight at the right time for Benavidez and Morrell.

When they were super middleweights, both were in line for shots at Canelo Alvarez. Benavidez in particular was made to wait — though, to be fair, he didn’t just sit around while waiting. He was already the top remaining contender after Canelo defeated the three titleholders (Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, Caleb Plant). Then Benavidez won the WBC interim title to try to get more leverage for the fight to be made. Then Benavidez defeated Plant to re-assert his claim as the best available challenger at 168. And then Benavidez did what Canelo refused to by facing and dominating Demetrius Andrade.

NICK BALL’S RECENT FIGHTS SHOW THAT HE CAN’T BEAT NAOYA INOUE

Nick Ball really went to war with 34-year-old Ronny Rios, who was inactive for three ears. This is the fourth time in a row that Ball went life and death in his fight. Ball is completely one-dimensional, with no power. He is getting brutally knocked out by “The Monster” Naoya Inoue.

Tris Dixon’s response: I’d say “life and death” was a stretch, although Ball’s face certainly paid more tribute to Rios’ industry than the commentators did.

Ball is ferocious and a handful. He’s had tough fights in good company. No one has had it easy with him and, frankly, I’d say he’s one of the fighters of the year.

Inoue is a different beast — of course he is. But Inoue’s power might be maxing out where he is right now. Look, I’m not going to make a case for Ball, nor would I. But this is why we fight the fights, and I also can’t help but think it could be a very entertaining fight.

HAMZAH SHEERAZ ISN’T READY YET FOR JANIBEK ALIMKHANULY

I think that Janibek Alimkhanuly will be too much for Hamzah Sheeraz at this stage. Although Sheeraz is a KO artist, Janibek seems to have an iron chin (like Gennadiy Golovkin) and so he would probably break Sheeraz down eventually like most of his opponents. Still, I'd like Sheeraz to use his WBC mandatory next against titleholder Carlos Adames and for Janibek to fight Erislandy Lara before having the eventual winners face off in an undisputed clash in Saudi Arabia. Hopefully that’s Janibek-Sheeraz, which is the best fight in the division.

-HisExcellency

Lucas Ketelle’s response: Janibek Alimkhanuly’s middleweight career feels like something out of a dystopian novel. He’s got the talent, the belts, and the skills to be a star. But outside his camp? Nothing. Since unifying titles with an IBF win over Vincenzo Gualtieri, he’s basically been fighting in his own orbit — no buzz, no real momentum. It’s almost like the sport collectively shrugged its shoulders.

Here comes Hamzah Sheeraz, the knockout artist who might just be the guy to wake up the division. Janibek’s been drifting aimlessly. But Sheeraz? He’s the dude people will actually tune in to watch. You outlined the potential matchups on the table: Sheeraz could fight with Adames for the WBC title, and Janibek could square up with Erislandy Lara to unify the IBF, WBA and WBO belts. 

Sounds great, right? Except, this is boxing, where making obvious fights is like rolling the dice. Or even making fights in general is hard.

Sheeraz is also the WBO’s No. 1 contender. The WBO has ordered Janibek and Sheeraz to fight . And Janibek holds that belt, so the fight seems inevitable. This is a division that used to belong to stars like Golovkin and Canelo — remember that time? — and it’s been gasping for air ever since. Janibek vs. Sheeraz could finally be the spark that reignites the division, or we could hope.

As for Janibek’s iron chin, here’s a thought: What puncher has he really faced? Right now, he feels like a more polished Viktor Postol: solid but untested in a division that's light on top-tier talent, especially big punchers (he has been calling people out, though). Sheeraz can punch, but is there a ceiling to his power? There’s only one way to find out. Put them in the ring and let’s see who’s still standing.

DON’T MAKE TYSON FURY VS. ANTHONY JOSHUA!

A fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua absolutely should not happen! It’s a mismatch at this point. 

Eddie Hearn chased this fight for the last four years, and Fury was busy playing diva-like games. Fury fumbled the bag and shouldnt be handed this payday regardless if he wins or loses vs Oleksandr Usyk.

-Super-X 

Matt Christie’s response: Though I recognize the sentiment of your comment, I’m not convinced it’s either a mismatch or an unappealing fight. In the U.K., Fury versus Joshua would still do monstrous business — there isn’t a fight that could compare to it in terms of interest among general sport fans. 

But the crux, and the point to which you allude, is that this fight should have occurred years ago when it really meant something.

Back when we thought it was going to happen (when it should have happened), it was a story I followed closely, speaking regularly to the promotional teams of Joshua and Fury. And for a few weeks it did seem nailed on — right up until Deontay Wilder triggered his contractual right for a third fight with Fury. Dates and venues were set and so forth, press releases had been written. Even so, it’s hard to think of a bigger miss in British boxing history than the collective failure to make this fight, and those at the heart of the mess should hang their heads in shame. In that regard, I do hear you.

Whether Joshua is conclusively “done” is another matter. Perhaps he simply got caught cold by Daniel Dubois early in their fight and never really recovered. Though I agree his best days are logically in the past, I certainly think it’s too early to write him off completely. 

We don’t know what Fury has left, either. Though he looked terrific in spots against Usyk, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him fall apart in the rematch. The way he was stumbling all over the place in the ninth round should be a cause for concern.

There is still life in Fury versus Joshua — but only just.

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.

International Boxing Hall of Fame electors received their 2025 ballots in the mail this week. The “modern” category page features one absolute sure-shot, slam-dunk, if-he-doesn’t-get-voted-in-we-riot candidate in Manny Pacquiao. And it includes 41 other nominees who can’t reasonably feel confident until the phone call from Ed Brophy comes.

On the morning of October 13, Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev will be divided into the same two groupings.

They meet this Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to unify all light heavyweight titles , lineal and alphabet. Whoever wins will, like Pacquiao, waltz into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot, three years after he retires. Whoever loses will, barring a future legacy-altering victory, someday find himself on that Hall of Fame ballot, uncertain of his fate.

Bivol vs. Beterbiev has all the stakes.

Two perfect records on the line? Check.

Clear top two in the division determining undisputed supremacy for the moment? Check.

All-time greatness, a place in future rankings of the best in division history, and a plaque on the wall in Canastota? That’s the cherry on top.

That’s not to say that the HOF candidacies of Bivol and Beterbiev are identical, mind you. Let’s explore each individually, because one definitely has more wiggle room in case of a loss this Saturday than does the other.

Bivol is the man for whom the difference between victory and defeat in Riyadh is less stark.

Win, and he’s in — end of story. He will have improved his record to 24-0, he will have unified the division and claimed the lineal title, and he will have added Beterbiev’s name to a resume that already includes one no-brainer first-ballot Hall of Famer in Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Assuming Bivol beats Beterbiev in some valid fashion — not a robbery on the scorecards, not a fluky injury surrender before the fight has a chance to heat up — there isn’t a world in which Hall of Fame voters aren’t overwhelmingly supporting him.

If he loses to Beterbiev, well, he’s a big ol’ maybe.

Bivol will have enjoyed a nice, long, seven-year alphabet title reign — but with only one of the belts, a belt he never truly won in the ring (he beat Felix Valera for “interim” status, then was elevated to the full title between his wins over Cedric Agnew and Trent Broadhurst, and those names ought to tell you everything you need to know about how the alphabet groups have cheapened the word “champion” and, with it, the entire sport of boxing). Throughout Bivol’s tenure, there was always someone else in possession of the true lineal championship.

As for the quality of the names on Bivol’s record, Canelo alone gets him IBHOF consideration, but it falls off considerably from there. He outpointed 36-year-old former champ Jean Pascal, who had lost three of his previous seven, but was not a completely spent bullet. He dominated credible contender Joe Smith Jr. He easily decisioned previously undefeated Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez. And that’s about it — after that, we dip into the Sullivan Barreras and Isaac Chilembas.

Is that the body of work of a Hall of Famer, if he comes up short against Beterbiev? It depends how much weight defeating Canelo carries with voters. It’s surely enough to get Bivol on a ballot that runs 42 names deep, but it’s tough to promise him any more than that.

That said, his story wouldn’t necessarily be finished after a loss to Beterbiev. Bivol is 33 years old. That’s barely middle-aged for a modern light heavyweight. He will have time, post-Beterbiev, to bolster his credentials.

Beterbiev, on the other hand, likely will not. The Bivol fight will be his last while in his 30s — he turns 40 in January. And he hasn’t exactly been the healthiest 30-something. He’s had repeated knee problems: a ruptured meniscus that prevented the Bivol showdown from happening on June 1, and what his camp termed a “minor knee surgery” that postponed a fight in 2022. He also had a bone infection in 2023 that forced him to undergo jaw surgery.

In short, if he loses to Bivol, it could easily be his last opportunity for a legacy-making fight, or perhaps even his last fight, period.

Still, even if he was to lose to Bivol and never fight again, there could be a Hall of Fame case to make for Beterbiev. It would largely be powered by two numbers. The first number is 20 — the consecutive knockout wins with which he started his career. The second number is five — the years he reigned as lineal light heavyweight champion of the world.

It’s tough to deny any fighter who ruled a division for five years or more. The hitch is that if Beterbiev loses to Bivol, it retroactively changes the perception of that reign. Yes, Beterbiev held the true title. But if Bivol beats him now, it suggests Beterbiev was second best all along.

The biggest thing holding back Beterbiev, however, is his opposition. He has defeated several very good light heavyweights. He has not defeated anything close to a great light heavyweight. There is nobody on his record who has even a faint chance of landing on the Hall of Fame ballot, never mind getting voted in. Bivol has Canelo. Beterbiev has … Gvozdyk? Callum Smith? Joe Smith Jr.? Anthony Yarde? Marcus Browne? Faded Tavoris Cloud and Gabriel Campillo?

Even after starting his career 20-0 (20 KOs) and holding the legit championship for five years (and an alphabet title for seven), if he’s 20-1 (20 KOs) a week from now, it’s not a Hall of Fame BoxRec page.

That doesn’t mean he can’t get the votes, of course. It just means he’d be leaving it in the hands of the voters to debate and decide, whereas if he defeats Bivol, there’s nothing to debate.

Even as the figurative goalposts shift and the IBHOF becomes gradually less exclusive than it once was, Pacquiao is the only fighter among the “moderns” on this year’s ballot who removed all debate from the voters’ minds. Everyone else is somewhere between “borderline Hall of Famer” and “lucky to be on the ballot.”

Electors are instructed to vote for up to five boxers, with the top three getting in. So — pardon me if I’m wielding inappropriate influence before the voting window has closed — that means voting for Pacquiao and up to four others, with Pacquiao and two others gaining entry.

In addition to Pacquiao, the other three first-timers on the ballot are Lucian Bute, Mikey Garcia, and Shawn Porter. I don’t mean to be disrespectful. They were all fine and brave fighters. But, remember that “lucky to be on the ballot” note two paragraphs ago? Either Bivol or Beterbiev could get KO’d in the first round on Saturday and never fight again and they’d probably have a slightly better HOF case than any among that trio.

But the ballot is loaded with fighters in a range similar to where either Beterbiev or Bivol would be after absorbing a loss in Riyadh. I see reasonable cases for and against voting for (listed alphabetically): Nigel Benn, Joel Casamayor, Chris Eubank, Genaro Hernandez, Santos Laciar, Michael Nunn, Veeraphol Sahaprom, Israel Vazquez, Wilfredo Vazquez, or Pongsaklek Wonjongkam. And I’m sure other boxing media members I respect can make cases of their own for a handful of other names on the ballot.

What are you looking for? Pure numbers? Then you may lean toward Pongsaklek, who retired with a record of 91-5-2 (47 KOs), including one alphabet title reign that featured 17 successful defenses. Or perhaps Veeraphol, who went 66-4-2 (46 KOs) and had one reign that stretched 13 defenses.

Need a guy with wins over Hall of Famers? Diego Corrales was inducted last year, and Casamayor beat him twice in three tries. Hernandez had a tremendous victory over an aging Azumah Nelson. Vazquez scored two wins in his extraordinary series with Rafael Marquez.

It is called the Hall of Fame , so perhaps popularity matters to you — it undoubtedly helped Corrales and Ricky Hatton get over the line last year. These resumes may be lacking in certain regards, but the likes of Vinny Paz and Fernando Vargas are on the ballot and were beloved in ways few fighters are.

Whoever wins Bivol vs. Beterbiev will instantly have a stronger argument in favor of Hall induction than any of those fighters mentioned above save for Pacquiao — to the point that there won’t be any reasonable argument against them.

But whoever loses lands somewhere in that hazy zone, where fans are left debating their longevity, their quality of opposition, and their dominance at their peak.

Beterbiev, the puncher in Saturday’s matchup, has never in his career left it in the hands of the judges. Bivol, the boxer in Saturday’s championship bout, has let the judges decide in nine of his last 10 fights.

One of them will take determinations about his legacy out of the judges’ hands. The other will have to sweat it out until the final scorecards are read.

Eric Raskin is a veteran boxing journalist with more than 25 years of experience covering the sport for such outlets as BoxingScene, ESPN, Grantland, Playboy, Ringside Seat, and The Ring (where he served as managing editor for seven years). He also co-hosted The HBO Boxing Podcast, Showtime Boxing with Raskin & Mulvaney, The Interim Champion Boxing Podcast with Raskin & Mulvaney, and Ring Theory. He has won three first-place writing awards from the BWAA, for his work with The Ring, Grantland, and HBO. Outside boxing, he is the senior editor of CasinoReports and the author of 2014’s The Moneymaker Effect . He can be reached on X or LinkedIn , or via email at RaskinBoxing@yahoo.com.

Pushing two-belt junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora beyond the WBO-imposed deadline to negotiate a three-belt unification bout, Terence Crawford on Wednesday balked, agreeing to let Fundora move on to another bout.

“The only one hurt by this is Fundora and his interest in fighting in December,” Fundora promoter Sampson Lewkowicz told BoxingScene minutes after the resolution was struck. “They waited until the last day. It’s disgraceful.”

ESPN.com first reported the agreement.

Four-division champion Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) was enabled as a WBO “super” champion to request the bout against WBO/WBC champion Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs), who won the belts March 30 in a bloody affair with former champion Tim Tszyu.

Crawford, 37, has maintained since winning the WBA 154-pound belt from Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3 that he has his attention affixed on a superfight against fellow four-division champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, who wears three super middleweight belts.

Yet Crawford’s attorney won an extension to continue negotiations with Fundora beyond a late-September deadline.

“Fundora was the only one willing to fight,” Lewkowicz said.

The development frees Fundora to revisit meeting with former three-belt welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. (28-1, 22 KOs), who in the ring  expressed interest in fighting Fundora on the night of the Tszyu fight.

Lewkowicz says he hasn’t negotiated with anyone from the Spence camp but is prepared now to discuss the possibility of a late-January or early-February fight with Spence, possibly at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas.

Both fighters are under the Premier Boxing Champions banner.

The agreement between Fundora and Crawford is that they will revisit talks following Fundora’s next bout.

But Lewkowicz isn’t certain Crawford will fight if he didn’t jump at the opportunity now.

“Who knows if he will be there or if he’ll fight again?” Lewkowicz said.

Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.