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Real or not: Will Canelo knock out Berlanga? Lopez the best featherweight? Last of Lomachenko?

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IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez will defend his title against Angelo Leo in the main event of Top Rank on ESPN at the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, Up-to-date Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET).

Lopez’s last loss came in May 2019, and he has won 14 straight fights since then, including impressive victories over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. But is he the best featherweight in boxing?

Vasiliy Lomachenko recently turned down a lucrative fight with fellow lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis. While he has yet to announce his retirement, will we see “Hi-Tech” in the ring again?

Canelo Alvarez will be stepping into the ring for the second time this year, but not against what fight fans have been clamoring for. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will face Edgar Berlanga, who has never fought at this level in his compact career. While Berlanga has incredible power — he began his career with 16 consecutive first-round knockouts — can he find a way to win, or at least last, Alvarez?

Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will fight for a title for the first time in two years. Joshua will face IBF champion Daniel Dubois in London, as “AJ” is the favorite to become a three-time world champion (-550 according to ESPN BET).

And two-division champion Danny Garcia returns to the ring for the second time in nearly four years to face WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who has titles at 140 and 147 pounds, moves up a weight class for a chance to become a three-division champion, but can he defeat the older but still powerful Lara?

Mike Coppinger and Nick Parkinson answer these questions and more, trying to distinguish what is true and what is not.


True or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will retire without another fight

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Dominant Lomachenko stops Kambosos Jr. in 11th round to win title

Vasiliy Lomachenko lands a series of body punches on Georgiy Kambosos Jr., forcing the referee to stop the fight in the 11th round.

Not realistic…for now. Lomachenko is considering retirement, sources told ESPN, which is one reason he turned down a lucrative fight with Gervonta Davis in November. There’s also the possibility that Lomachenko could return in the first half of 2025 to defend his IBF lightweight title.

Finally, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a fighting mood in Los Angeles on Saturday: He and Shakur Stevenson had to be separated at ringside during the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov event. Lomachenko was seen telling Stevenson, “We’re going now.

If this is any indication, Lomachenko will fight again. Maybe even Davis or Stevenson, the two biggest fights on the table for him. But if he never laces up the gloves again, Lomachenko’s legacy is assured. He’s a three-division champion, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and a mainstay on the pound-for-pound list for the past 10 years.

He doesn’t have to fight for money either. He’s made millions of dollars in his career and still lives in Ukraine, where he’s one of the country’s most popular athletes. Whether he fights again or not, it won’t be for long. He turns 37 in February.


True or not: Danny Garcia defeats Erislandy Lara to become the third division champion

Not true. Garcia has stunned opponents before, including a shocking knockout win over Amir Khan and a dominant decision over Lucas Matthysse. The first victory catapulted him into the sport’s upper echelon, and the second cemented that status.

However, the Matthysse fight was 11 years ago, and those two wins for Garcia came at 140 pounds (he also won a title at 147 pounds and moved up to 154 pounds by defeating Jose Benavidez Jr. in July 2022.)

Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still looking for a similar victory, and a surprising win over Lara would be a prime example of that.

Garcia didn’t resemble the keen counterpuncher he was in his majority decision victory over Benavidez and hasn’t fought since. Now, he’ll move up in weight (although the fight with Lara will take place at a catchweight between 155 and 160 pounds) and face a lack of in-ring activity. The middleweight title fight with Lara on Sept. 14 will be Garcia’s second fight since December 2020, when he was defeated by Errol Spence Jr.

The choice fell on Lara (30-3-3, 18 KO), who, even at 41, shows enormous strength, although against fighters below Garcia’s level. Lara has a series of three KOs behind her.


Real or not: Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga fight won’t go the distance

Real. Alvarez, boxing’s biggest star, hasn’t had a knockout win since defeating Caleb Plant for the undisputed super middleweight championship in November 2021.

However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has been knocked down in his last three fights. Against Berlanga, who will be fighting at the highest level for the first time, Alvarez should add the 40th knockout of his illustrious career.

Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been injured in the ring before, most notably in his fight with Marcelo Coceres, who knocked him down in the ninth round. And his defense isn’t exactly solid. Berlanga has the power (he started his career with 16 consecutive first-round KO wins), and if he decides to trade with Canelo, Alvarez should knock him out.

Alvarez promised the same thing at two press conferences this week promoting the fight.


Real or not: No other featherweight champion can beat Luis Alberto Lopez

Not true. Rafael Espinoza looks like a real threat to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round victory in June and defeating Robeisy Ramirez by majority decision to win the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) has floored Chirinho in three of four rounds, and his breakthrough win over Ramirez was one of the best fights of 2023.

The 6-foot-1 Espinoza — the tallest featherweight world champion in history — would be a challenge for Lopez. Chirinho did well to recover from Espinoza’s uppercut in Round 1 before being taken down shortly after. As a professional, Chirinho had never been knocked down before Espinoza pushed him aside.

Espinoza pulled off a shock win over two-time Olympic gold medalist Ramirez, outboxing him in the final three rounds. While he’s not as experienced as Lopez, the amount of punches he’s landed in his last two fights, along with his height and reach advantage, could prove insurmountable for Lopez.

Rey Vargas hasn’t looked convincing in recent fights, while Nick Ball still has some ground to fill before we can declare him No. 1 in the division. Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) won the WBA featherweight title with a split decision victory over Raymond Ford in June. That triumph followed a controversial draw with Vargas for the WBC title in March. But Espinoza would tower over the 5-foot-2 Ball.

Vargas disappointed rival Ball and hasn’t won in almost two years, so it’s tough to make an argument in his favor given his current form.

Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is currently ESPN’s No. 1 featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in eight rounds in March in his third defense of the IBF belt. Lopez has overcome substantial challenges in title fights, such as boxing in the champ’s hometown and getting cut early (against Josh Warrington), and if he wins Saturday against Angelo Leo, he could face his biggest challenge yet in a title unification fight with Espinoza to crown the best fighter in the division.


Real or not: Anthony Joshua will knock out Daniel Dubois

True. While Dubois’ resurgence has been good just a year after being stopped by Oleksandr Usyk, recent form suggests his first IBF heavyweight title defense will end in a KO loss to Joshua.

Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in peak form, better than any other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has had to rebuild his career after back-to-back decision losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua has fought cautiously, earning a unanimous decision victory over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but has defeated Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou in his last three fights.

Dubois returned from Saudi Arabia to London as the interim IBF heavyweight champion after knocking out Filip Hrgovic in the eighth round. Usyk then vacated the IBF belt, meaning Dubois became the full champion and Joshua had the opportunity to become a three-time world champion at Wembley Stadium in London.

Joshua will look to capitalize on what Hrgovic repeatedly found in the Dubois fight. Hrgovic was constantly landing right hooks on Dubois in the early rounds, and Joshua has shown in recent fights just how damaging his right hooks are, after destroying Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right hook to the former UFC heavyweight champion’s chin to knock him out. Joshua will capitalize on the opportunity if Dubois is as available as he was in the Hrgovic fight. Joshua is a bigger puncher than Hrgovic, and while Dubois showed some staying power in June, he was stopped twice (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk last year) and was knocked down three times in the first round by Kevin Lerena before recovering to win in Round 3.

But it’s no walk in the park for Joshua, who also has to respect Dubois’s strength. Dubois has scarred Hrgovic’s face and could potentially pull off a shocking stoppage of Joshua, like Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. But Joshua, who reigned as champion from 2016 to 2019 and then from 2019 to 2021, is more likely to win this fight by knockout.

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Boxing

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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Lauren Price looks to win Jonas vs Habazin with an undercard victory

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Lauren Price

Lauren Price MBE will defend her world title for the first time on Saturday, December 14 at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool, while the Welsh champion plans to stage an all-British unification clash with welterweight rival Natasha Jonas, which will headline the Collision Course that night.

Price defends her WBA welterweight title against undefeated Colombian challenger Bexcy Mateus on the same night as Jonas attempts to unify the IBF and WBC titles with Ivana Habazin as part of BOXXER’s ‘Collision Course’ fight night, which can be seen live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK UK and Ireland and Peacock in the US.

Price MBE (7-0, 1 KO) made history with an excellent performance, defeating former undisputed welterweight world ruler Jessica McCaskill in front of her fans in Cardiff in May.

Price, the first Welsh boxer to win Olympic gold, once again entered the record books by becoming the country’s first world champion in just her seventh professional fight. The 30-year-old from Ystrad Mynach, who has yet to lose a round as a professional, will now defend her world titles for the first time as she focuses on dominating the welterweight division.

Mateus (7-0, 6 KO), ranked No. 5 in the WBA rankings, is undefeated in the professional ranks and has won all but one of her seven fights by knockout. The 29-year-old from Bogota, fighting outside her native Colombia for the first time, will now have her first chance at global fame, with her goal to dethrone Price and take the top spot in the welterweight division.

Lauren Price said: “I’m excited to defend my belts and complete what has been an crucial year for me. I have full respect for Mateusz. I will prove that I am the best in the division and I will not let anything or anyone stand in my way of being undisputed.”

BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “It’s a massive night for the women’s welterweight division with three world champions competing. Natasha Jonas returns to her hometown for a mandatory unification fight against Ivana Habazin, and Lauren Price defends her world titles against undefeated challenger Bexcy Mateus. The fight for the undisputed continues. If Natasha and Lauren win on December 14, it will set the stage for a massive “Battle Of Britain” world title unification fight next year.

There’s reason to celebrate as BOXXER delivers a Christmas cracker to end the year. In addition to the world championship fights between Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price, fight fans can expect a gala full of drama and entertainment.

Undefeated Irishman Stephen McKenna (15-0, 14 KO) will face English champion Lee Cutler (14-1, 7 KO) in an invigorating super welterweight fight for the silver WBC International title.

McKenna impressed fans in his three-round fight against Joe Laws last August at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley. The two struck out in the first round, then McKenna began to apply the pressure, losing Laws three more times and maintaining his undefeated record after a third-round stoppage.

English cruiserweight champion Viddal Riley (11-0, 6 KO) returns to action from a rib injury that has kept him out of the ring since a career-best victory over Mikael Lawal in March. Riley will be looking to shake off the ring rust as he takes on high-profile opponents in the recent year.

Undefeated Chorley super middleweight Mark Jeffers (18-0, 5 KO) scored an explosive fifth-round knockout victory over Darren Johnston in May and will be looking to bring more drama to Liverpool’s Exhibition Center as he goes in search of his 19th professional win.

Mason Cartwright (20-4-1, 8 KO) from Cheshire, a former two-time British title challenger from Ellesmere Port, will be counting on local support as he returns to the title track.

After signing a promotional contract with BOXXER, local star Frankie Stringer (8-0, 1 KO) can achieve his third victory in 2024, when he returns in front of his fans in Liverpool. The 23-year-old lightweight fighter is a player of the notable city team Rotunda ABC, and his manager is former world champion Liam Smith.

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Heavyweight who knocked out Lewis to break Tyson’s record days after the feat

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Heavyweight Oliver McCall returns 2024

Mike Tyson will miss his final record-breaking days after becoming the oldest former heavyweight champion to walk through the ring.

“The Baddest Man on the Planet” reached an all-time high in Texas on Friday night, returning from a two-decade absence. However, Tyson gave the achievement five days later to former Lennox Lewis conqueror Oliver McCall.

On Tuesday night at The Troubadour in Nashville, Tennessee, the former WBC heavyweight champion returns to action and will face veteran Stacy Frazier in a fight scheduled for four rounds. At age 59, McCall will set the record for a sanctioned fight, beating Tyson by fourteen months.

McCall was born in April 1965, and Tyson’s mother gave birth to him in June 1966. “The Atomic Bull” hopes to score his 60th career victory tonight. He enters the fight with a record of 59-14, including 38 knockouts.

The Chicago native believes his continued activity over the last 19 years will be what separates his performance on Tuesday night from what Tyson looked like on Friday.

“I’m ready. I’ve been training here in Nashville for a few weeks now, but I’m always in shape,” McCall said. “It will be a completely different match than what the fans saw on Friday.

“I think being lively has a lot to do with it. I haven’t fought in five years because of the pandemic and a few things that didn’t work out.

“If you look at my record, since 2005 I have fought 25 times, of which I have won 19-6 times against quality fighters and won various regional titles.

McCall fights without financial motivation. He sees his fighting days approaching and is already planning his post-retirement plans.

“I want to do this for another year. This means I will be 40 years into my career as a professional boxer. Then I want to train and become a manager. I want to return the favor and assist the next generation of players try to become world champions.

“I came here to Nashville and contacted the manager who took me to the title [Country Box] promoter Jimmy Adams. I’m learning a lot about this aspect of the sport. I love the players here and everything that happens with Country Box.”

The Country Box 25 gala will also feature eight-round fights between super bantamweight Elon DeJesus (8-1-2, 7 KO) and Dominique Griffin (5-7-2, 2 KO), as well as super middleweight fighters. Sean Hemphill (16-2, 10 KO) fights Bryant McClain (6-5-2, 1 KO).

Airy heavyweight Isaac Carbonell (8-0, 5 KO) will face Antonio Louis Hernandez (7-19-4, 4 KO) in six-round fights; Joel Mutombo (6-0, 4 KO) vs. Kevin Torian (3-2, 3 KO) in a cruiserweight fight.

In a four-round fight, Ryan Zempoaltecatl (2-0, 1 KO) will face Raymond Chacon (10-64-1, 2 KO).

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