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Davis vs. Lomachenko? Will Benavidez get Canelo next? What can Matias do after defeat?

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Gervonta Davis cemented his status as one of the best fighters in the sport on Saturday with another spectacular knockout.

One of Davis’ patented left uppercuts stunned Frank Martin, then a left cross sent the defenseless challenger to the mat in Round 8 for a count of 10. Davis, ESPN’s No. 7 pound-for-pound boxer, would later face Vasily Lomachenko year during a lithe summit meeting.

“Tank” Davis’ successful defense of his WBA lightweight title was billed as his 100th championship fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The fight was Davis’ first in 14 months – a seventh-round TKO of Ryan Garcia last April – and first since a 44-day jail stay last summer.

David Benavidez made his lithe heavyweight debut on PBC PPV with a comfortable unanimous decision victory over former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk. While Benavidez didn’t secure a stoppage, he did make an impression as he prepared for much bigger fights at 175 pounds.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Australian Liam Paro suffered a major setback after winning a decision over Subriel Matias to capture the IBF junior welterweight title.

Here’s what we learned from each of these three fights, along with the title implications of the results:

in return, Davis’ explosive; Will Lomachenko be next?

Davis (30-0, 28 KO) reminded everyone that he is one of the most electrifying fighters in the sport and has another spectacular KO victory under his belt. Martin was in good form and took advantage of some early rounds with a piercing jab. All three judges gave Martin the first three rounds.

Fighting in his first title fight, Martin was able to mark Davis’ right eye with his left hand, punching from his back foot, but “Tank” tends to start snail-paced. This night was no different.

Davis’s developed pressure began to tire Martin after a southpaw jab, followed by explosive left hands. It was only a matter of time before one of those shots hit the mark, and when it did, Martin couldn’t accept it. He had never been knocked down before, but this was his first fight at an elite level.

When there is no next opponent at the age of 29, talks will resume with Davis from Baltimore to fight for the title unification for the first time at the age of 29. There have been preliminary talks to match Davis with IBF lightweight champion Lomachenko. Ukraine’s Lomachenko, ESPN’s No. 1 lightweight, is a future Hall of Famer.

Davis, ESPN’s No. 2 lightweight, can also expect to fight Shakur Stevenson in the fall. Stevenson will defend his WBC 135-pound title against Artem Harutyunyan on July 6 and will later become a free agent with the promotion, making it easier for him to fight Davis.


Benavidez dominates in 175-pound debut

One of the sport’s fastest rising stars, David Benavidez, had long lobbied for a chance to fight Canelo Alvarez, but when that fell through, he moved up to lithe heavyweight.

His first fight at 175 pounds was against Gvozdyk, a former lineal champion who once defeated Adonis Stevenson by TKO, but Artur Beterbiev sent him into retirement in 2019.

After 3.5 years out of the ring, Gvozdyk returned last year with three fights against lower-ranked opponents. Against Benavidez, he did well to stay the distance, but Gvozdyk never threatened to win the fight.

At his fresh weight, Benavidez did not unload his usual volume, but showed improved defense. He missed a lot of Gvozdyk’s shots, putting pressure on him, and took a lot of punches to his arms.

Benavidez crushed Gvozdyk and won by scores of 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112. Next up could be a fall fight with David Morrell, a super middleweight contender who is also moving up to 175 pounds. The Cuban will make his lithe heavyweight debut on August 3 against Radivoje Kalajdzic.

Benavidez’s marquee fight – apart from the meeting with Alvarez – is the winner of the undisputed lithe heavyweight championship fight on October 12 between Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

Concerns now focus on Benavidez’s strength at his fresh weight. Despite all the damage he did to Gvozdyk, he never caused the Ukrainian any grave problems. Against a better fighter like Beterbiev or Bivol, Benavidez will likely have to be better.

“I was trying to get a feel for the lithe heavyweight division,” Benavidez, 27, said. “These guys here are hitting a little harder.… Two weeks ago I got a cut in my eye. … I had a torn tendon in my right hand and I didn’t think I would be able to do it today, but we did it.


Paro upset over Matias shakes up the 140-pound division

For the second time in three months, there has been a major upset in the junior welterweight title fight. First there was Ryan Garcia, who defeated Devin Haney three times in April, winning by decision, although the result could be overturned after Garcia tested positive for the banned substance ostarine.

Now it was Paro who defied the odds in her 140-pound title fight, defeating Matias in enemy territory.

Paro (24-0, 15 KO) did not give in to Matias’ merciless pressure and exchanged punches with forceful punches. The victory didn’t seem a fluke as the 28-year-old made adjustments and showed off his versatile arsenal in a career-best performance.

It was another away victory for Paro, who traveled to the United States in December to earn a sixth-round TKO victory over Montana Love. After two wins – this one over ESPN’s No. 2 140-pounder – the newly crowned champion could be in the top five in the division when the ESPN rankings are updated next week.

The division is heated. Jack Catterall rose to No. 4 in the rankings after beating Josh Taylor in a rematch last month. Lineal champion Teofimo Lopez will defend his IBF title against Steve Claggett on June 29 in Miami.

Paro has plenty of compelling matchups right now. Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has said he would like to secure a title defense in Australia, where Tim Tszyu and George Kambosos Jr. they competed in front of a vast audience.

The most appetizing of all is a rematch with Matias, especially Down Under. The fight was snail-paced and a rematch would have been positively received by fans.

Matias is at Matchroom, as are Catterall and Richardson Hitchins.

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Boxing

The fight between Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel will take place on December 14 at the Toyota Arena

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Rocha vs Curiel

In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).

The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.

“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”

Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00

“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”

Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.

“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.

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George Kambosos moves up to 140, adds Eddie Hearn to team

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George Kambosos beats Teofimo

Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.

Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.

The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.

Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.

The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.

“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.

“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.

“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”

Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.

“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].

Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.

“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.

Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.

“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.

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Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul

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Mike Tyson comeback black

One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.

WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.

Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.

“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.

“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.

“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.

He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”

Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.

Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.

Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.

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