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.
The agreement gives the 27-year-old Romford fighter a fresh platform following a turbulent spell that included the first defeat of his professional career. Rather than ease back into competition, Fisher will immediately top the bill at ZUFFA BOXING 11 as the promotion continues to strengthen its heavyweight roster.
“The most exciting chapter of my professional career begins,” Fisher said. “Thank you to Dana White, Nick Khan, and the Zuffa Boxing team for this opportunity. Everything has led to this point. Bull Army, get ready to assemble. Bosh!”
Fisher earned widespread attention during his rise through the domestic heavyweight scene with an aggressive style that produced 12 knockouts from 14 victories. His latest outing saw him stop previously unbeaten Ivan Balaz in four rounds, restoring momentum after his rematch defeat to Dave Allen.
The Copper Box Arena has become a familiar venue for Fisher. September’s event will mark his third appearance there, giving him another opportunity to perform in front of a London crowd while beginning life with a new promoter.
The signing also represents another step in Zuffa Boxing’s expansion. After entering professional boxing under the leadership of Dana White and Nick Khan, the company has continued adding recognizable names, and Fisher becomes one of its most prominent British heavyweights.
An opponent has yet to be confirmed for the September 26 main event, with additional bouts expected to be announced as the card takes shape.
For Fisher, the move offers more than a change of promoter. It places him at the front of a growing platform and gives him the chance to rebuild his standing in the heavyweight division with a successful debut under the Zuffa Boxing banner.
Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist who has covered the sport since 2014, providing ringside reporting and technical analysis of major bouts. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments, and the details that shape high-level competition.
Oleksandr Usyk has vacated his three heavyweight world titles but will not retire, promising at least one more professional outing before he hangs up the gloves, but in the eyes of one Hall of Famer, the Ukrainian has already ‘left the sport’.
Usyk struggled to overcome Rico Verhoeven back in Maywith a late and controversial stoppage sparing his blushes and denying boxing of one of it’s greatest ever upsets, leading to many saying that the ability of the 39-year-old fan-favourite has perhaps declined.
Following the fight, Usyk decided to vacate his WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight marbles, with Murat Gassiev and Agit Kabayel being elevated to full world champions, whilst Frank Sanchez is expected to face either Moses Itauma or Bakhodir Jalolov for the vacant IBF strap.
Speaking on the Inside The Ring showformer two-division world champion and Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Tim Bradley said he believes Usyk has moved beyond the “sport” of boxing and into the “business” of boxing by choosing to relinquish his titles.
“I think that the Rico Verhoeven fight was an eye-opener for him to be honest with you. He struggled with him right, but then he was able to pull it off at the end.
“Relinquishing the titles, for me, you see the white smoke. He is done. He has left the sport of boxing, he is going to fight [again] but he has left the sport of boxing, he is in the business of boxing now.”
Usyk is currently being linked to a showdown with Deontay Wilder for what would presumably be his career finalealthough it remains to be seen whether a solid performance next time out could convince him to postpone his planned retirement.
Tipped for the top, Moses Itauma is already being compared to some of Britain’s best heavyweights, and now details regarding his sparring sessions with two-time world champion Tyson Fury have been revealed.
Whilst yet to defeat an elite heavyweight or claim world honours, many British fight fans believe that 21-year-old Moses Itauma is the United Kingdom’s standout heavyweight and that a long, dominant reign is around the corner for the Kent-based sensation.
Next month, Itauma will hope to tee up a world title bid by scoring a career-best win over Filip Hrgovicwell-poised to challenge for all four of the heavyweight marbles and in the privileged position to select his own preferred route to the throne.
It is not only the fans who are appreciative of Itauma’s talent, with boxing manager Spencer Brown telling Playbook Boxing that Tyson Fury recognised the skill of the youngster after their ‘frightening’ sparring sessions in 2024.
“Him and Tyson, when they were in camp together, when Tyson was fighting [Oleksandr] Usyk, they had a great bond and him and Tyson sat and talked about boxing and what he has to do, what he hasn’t. He gave him all of the experience in the world.”
“It [the sparring] was unbelievable, it was frightening but it was great. They bumped each other and they just went at it. I think at one stage Moses went to get out of the ring and Tyson said ‘nah, we have only done six, we are going to eight now,’ and he went ‘oh, alright’ and they went at it again.
“With Tyson, he just wants to help people. He can see what this kid is, you have only got to ask Tyson, he knows what this kid is and anybody in boxing knows what this kid is.”
At that stage, Fury was the reigning WBC heavyweight champion and heading into an undisputed showdown with Usyk.
As for Itauma, his clash with Hrgovic takes place at the O2 Arena on Saturday, August 29as the youngster seeks yet another authoritative display that once again captures the attention of the boxing universe.