Boxing

239 fights, never knocked out – the 35-year-old heavyweight boxer was denied

Published

5 months ago

April 21, 2026

Erislandy Savon lands punch on Anthony Joshua at 2012 Olympics amateur boxing match

Among the amateur ranks is a heavyweight whose records read differently than almost any other fighter’s. In 239 fights he had never been knocked out, and boxing still hadn’t had a chance to see what he could become.

In a division built on strength, where even the best eventually fall, this kind of toughness is almost unheard of – and it’s even more remarkable in a heavyweight division of just 35.

This man is Erislandy Savón.

Name Savón

Savón’s name already carries a lot of weight in boxing circles, and following in the footsteps of his uncle Félix meant expectations were unchanged from the moment he started making noise on the Cuban scene, with his first wins and experience quickly counting into the hundreds.

World Boxing News explored his potential beyond the vest many years ago, when a professional move still seemed realistic and the path ahead seemed much more open than it ultimately proved to be during his earlier career.

It never happened the way many expected, and that’s where the frustration comes from.

Cuba’s missing link

Cuba remains a sore subject for professional boxing fans, who have been denied several superstars over the decades capable of changing the history of the sport, and no one will ever know whether legends like Teófilo Stevenson or Félix Savón would have beaten the best of their generation in the paid rankings.

They have already proven themselves at the amateur level, but that doesn’t detract from how good they were – and if anything, it shows how much is left on the table.

Only Stevenson was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, which is still gloomy considering achievements in the unpaid code have no category of their own for fighters like the Savóns, whose dominance came in a system that rarely allowed for crossover.

World boxing series

Despite all the dominance and all the victories, the part that counts most in the larger sport never came.

Which never happened

Erislandy followed the same path, staying within the system that built him and representing Cuba at the highest level, building one of the most extensive resumes in contemporary amateur heavyweight boxing, including specific contests, including a narrow Olympic defeat to Anthony Joshua in 2012, a fact that many still question given the way that fight played out.

35 is still teenage for a heavyweight, but injuries and five lost years have completely changed the picture, leaving a version of the fighter that no longer resembles the one many expected to see many years earlier.

His last appearances came around the disrupted Olympic cycle, and he has since faded from the spotlight without any real conclusion, leaving behind a career that never came to an end despite years of expectation that it would eventually.

That lingering uncertainty remains – WBN asked this question once before and it never really went away – whether the man who looked after Joshua in 2012, only to make the wrong decision, could have done the same in the professional ranks, and whether this version of him would have been postponed when everything was on the line.

Now it seems one box will never have the answer.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

Boxing

Don King Removes WBC Belt from Mikaelian-Opetaia Fight: What It Means for Boxing

Published

26 minutes ago

September 12, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Don King Removes WBC Belt from Mikaelian-Opetaia Fight: What It Means for Boxing"

By Boxing News 24 Desk – 09/11/2026 – Comments

Jai Opetaia may defeat WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian on Saturday night without being allowed to claim his title. What was presented as a unification fight could now proceed with only Opetaia’s Ring Magazine and Zuffa Boxing belts available.

“Don King reports that the WBC cruiserweight title will not be on the line in the Mikaelian vs. Opetaia fight this Saturday. Let’s wait for what the organization officially says,” Rodriguez on X.

Opetaia and Mikaelian are scheduled to meet in the co-feature of the Ryan Garcia–Conor Benn card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Removing the WBC title would take much of the historical value from the matchup. Opetaia can establish himself as the better fighter and beat the reigning WBC champion, yet leave the arena no closer to becoming undisputed. That is a poor result for a cruiserweight division already divided among several champions.

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The WBC had ordered Mikaelian to face WBA and WBO champion David Benavidez. Mikaelian instead accepted the Opetaia fight after a deal with Benavidez was not completed, placing his title status in danger.

King has also sent a cease-and-desist letter to Zuffa Boxing and TKO Group Holdings. His promotional company claims it holds an exclusive agreement with Mikaelian and did not authorize the Opetaia fight. Hehas already lost the IBF title without being defeated in the ring after the organization refused to sanction his fight with Brandon Glanton. The Australian may now be denied an opportunity to win the WBC belt for similar reasons involving sanctioning rules and promotional control.

Nothing changes about the difficulty of Saturday’s fight. Mikaelian remains a capable, experienced cruiserweight who defeated Badou Jack in their December rematch. The difference is that Opetaia may receive considerably less for beating him.

Until the WBC releases an official ruling, Mikaelian remains its cruiserweight champion. If King’s information is accurate, however, the fight has gone from a meaningful unification to another example of boxing preventing its leading cruiserweights from settling the division inside the ring.

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Last Updated on 2026/09/12 at 4:11 AM

Boxing

Terence Crawford Claims Everyone Waited for His Retirement to Acknowledge His Greatness

Published

9 hours ago

September 11, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Terence Crawford Claims Everyone Waited for His Retirement to Acknowledge His Greatness"

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“Before I retired, there wasn’t too many people jumping and calling for Terence Crawford. Now that I’m retired, everybody calling out your boy,” Crawford said to Nightcap. “It’s the payday and opportunity. They look at it and say, ‘Okay, we’re going to get the highest check of our career. This dude is about to be 39. He probably slowed down a step or two, and maybe this is the right time.’”

His reading of the belated Crawford chase is fair. Jaron “Boots” Ennis wants him, Ryan Garcia has taken shots at his record, and Dana White has talked about finding the right fight to pull him back. He has become far more popular as a target since announcing he is finished.

The risk has changed as well. Calling out an active Crawford meant eventually having to fight him. Challenging him now gives a boxer publicity without requiring him to follow through unless an enormous financial package materializes.

Age is clearly part of the attraction. A younger opponent can collect a career-high purse while hoping that time has removed enough of the speed, reflexes, and stamina that made Crawford so difficult. If the challenger loses, he was beaten by an all-time great. If he wins, Crawford’s name becomes the foundation of his career.

An Ennis fight would therefore need to offer Crawford much more than another name on his record. He already walked away after winning titles in five divisions and becoming undisputed in three. Beating Ennis would generate money, but the reaction would quickly turn into claims that Crawford was always supposed to win.

He also insisted that he is enjoying retirement and does not miss competing inside the ring.

“I’ve been enjoying the hell out of it. I don’t have to worry about anything. All I have to do is enjoy life, travel the world, and be a fan. In the ring, no, not really. I did everything. When I walked away, I was a five-division champion and three-division undisputed. You can’t do it any better than how I did it.”

The challenges may continue because Crawford remains the biggest available payday from 147 through 160. That does not mean any of those fighters wanted the same test before his departure made it safer to ask.

Boxing

Dana White Shuts Down Ryan Garcias Egg Stunt Controversy

Published

9 hours ago

September 11, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Dana White Shuts Down Ryan Garcia's Egg Stunt Controversy"

Ryan Garcia showed up to Friday’s face-off with a pair of eggs tucked into his pockets, seemingly planning to pelt Conor Benn. The prank fell apart before Garcia even stepped on stage because Dana White’s security guards caught on immediately.

“Before the face-off, Ryan Garcia had two eggs in his pocket. My security team saw it and he came up to me before. He said, ‘He’s got two eggs in his pocket. What do you want me to do?’ I said, ‘Have him give you the eggs. Get the eggs out of his pocket,’” White told Ring Magazine. “We don’t need him hitting Conor Benn with an egg.”

White made the right call. Tossing an egg sounds silly on paper, but Benn was never going to shrug off that kind of public disrespect under the glare of the cameras. A single retaliatory swing could have sparked an injury, triggered a suspension, or completely wiped out the headliner.

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Garcia clearly plotted this out ahead of time. He sourced the eggs, slipped them past the doors, and bided his time until the face-off. The payoff amounted to nothing more than a brief viral clip online. The downside was putting a massive WBC welterweight title bout in jeopardy after promoters poured millions into the event.

Security stepped in just in time to protect Garcia from his own worst impulses. When Saturday night arrives, he can focus on landing clean punches against Benn instead of throwing breakfast food. Taking those eggs away prevented an instant, close-quarters brawl that almost certainly would have left one of them cut, bruised, and unfit to fight on Saturday. Ryan was playing with fire for a five-second clip.

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