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Moses Itauma Sees Anthony Joshua ‘Excited’ for Daniel Dubois

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Moses Itauma is looking forward to a thrilling fight as IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois defends his title against ‘astute’ Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.

The 19-year-old heavyweight talent is expected to return to the ring in November, when the situation in his weight class could change significantly.

On October 12, Itauma (10-0, 8 KO) will be the focus of attention when Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a rematch for the British titles. This weekend, however, fans will focus on London, where Dubois will make his first defense of his belt against Joshua.

“I watched the Dubois stuff that TNT did – I didn’t pay attention to how huge Dubois was when he was 19, I was like, ‘Man, I thought I was huge,’” Itauma told Queensberry Promotions when asked what he thought would happen.

“At first I thought it was very one-sided. I still feel like it’s one-sided towards ‘AJ,’ but not as much as I thought. I think Dubois has a good chin and a good jab. Anthony Joshua is obviously very mighty, but Dubois has this incredible power, so it could be a little sticky. I think AJ is going to be a little too experienced for him.”

Itauma had been meeting the country’s top fighters since his school days, and while he sparred with both of them, he had fought many more rounds with Dubois.

“His jab is so underrated,” he said. “He’s got a good jab. A good chin. He’s pretty handy; he’s got a tank of gas and he’s pretty swift. He’s underrated for his speed.”

Despite training at the same gym as Joshua, Itauma has his own schedule and didn’t get a chance to watch Joshua spar before the British clash. But as the first bell approached, the aura of the two-time heavyweight champion began to permeate the Ben Davison Performance Centre.

When he gets going, Joshua remains the most explosive fighter in the heavyweight division, and given the way Dubois goes about his business, all signs point to an intense, brutal fight. Itauma saw clear signs that Joshua was starting to prepare for a brutal fight.

“I didn’t see any sparring,” Itauma said. “I haven’t sparred with him since I was 16 and I’ve only done one or two rounds, so I can’t really judge anything from that.

“I definitely see the mentality. He’s turned on. I walked into the gym yesterday. I say ‘hi’ to everyone when I walk in there. I gave him a high-five and said, ‘Are you ready?’ He said, ‘I’m f**king ready,’ and he looked at me.

“I walked away. I thought, ‘OK, he’s ready to smash. He’s ready to hurt someone.'”

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Yoenis Tellez looks to steal the show against Johan Gonzalez in the Muratzaliev-Tszyu sideline fight on October 19

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Yoenis Tellez (left) takes on veteran Sergio Garcia. Photo by German Villasenor for The Ring

by Francisco Salazar |

Yoenis Tellez is carving his way to stardom at 154 pounds.

Tellez will face Johan Gonzalez on Oct. 19, Premier Boxing Champion (PBC) announced Monday. The fight will take place at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida. The card also features Cesar Mateo Tapia, who will face Endry Saavedra.

Both 10-round bouts will precede the main event between newly crowned IBF junior middleweight world champion Bakhram Muratzaliev and former WBO world champion Tim Tszyu.

The three fights will air live and exclusively on Prime Video (8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT). Non-Prime members can join or start a free 30-day trial to watch the card.

“PBC Championship Boxing on Prime Video will kick off October 19 with a pair of undefeated youth boxers leading up to an explosive clash between Tszyu and Murtazaliev,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Yoenis Tellez can add his name to the all-star lineup of top contenders at 154 pounds against the formidable Johan Gonzalez.

“Mateo Tapia is ready to make a splash in the middleweight division if he can get past the onrushing Endry Saavedra in his first fight. Make sure you tune in to Prime Video or come to Caribe Royale in Orlando for what promises to be a night of action from top to bottom.”

Tellez (8-0, 6 knockouts), originally from Santiago, Cuba, and now residing in Stafford, Texas, last fought on April 26, scoring a one-sided decision victory over Joseph Jackson in a clash of undefeated junior middleweights.

In their previous fight on December 15, Tellez defeated the already defeated Livan Navarro by knockout in the 10th round.

The 24-year-old Tellez, despite having just eight fights as a pro, believes he is ready to take the next step and join the higher division of 154 pounds, as well as make his point at Gonzalez’s expense.

“Fighting an experienced fighter like Johan Gonzalez is a great opportunity to show the world what I’m made of,” said Tellez, who is trained by Ronnie Shields. “He’s fought at an elite level and I expect a tough fight. I’ll leave it all in the ring. I’m going to give it my all on October 19 to put on a great performance and give all the fans watching a great night of boxing.”

Gonzalez (35-3, 34 KOs), a native of Valencia, Venezuela, who now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, stopped veteran Ivan Herrera in the second round of his last fight on Aug. 24. In his previous fight on May 4, Gonzalez was stopped by Jesus Ramos Jr.

Before his loss to Ramos, the 33-year-old had won three straight fights since a decision loss to Magomed Kurbanov in December 2022. Gonzalez is confident his experience and punching power will prove too much for Tellez.

“The fight is everything to me, I have to win it,” said Gonzalez, who made his pro debut in June 2017 and has fought 10 times this year. “I work stiff every day to make sure I leave with my hand raised. Right now, I’m just focused on doing everything I can to keep my career going. I have one mission, to win on October 19.”

In his last fight on April 24, Tapia (17-0, 10 KOs), who hails from Tijuana, Mexico and now lives in Narrabeen, Australia, defeated Keiber Gonzalez by unanimous decision in a clash of undefeated middleweights. In his previous fight on October 18, the 26-year-old stopped Eric Robles in the fifth round.

Tapia is managed by Ryan Rickey and is Tszyu’s regular sparring partner, with the two fighting under No Limit Promotions.

Saavedra (16-1, 13 KOs) last fought on March 13, when he stopped Isaac Hardman in the eighth round of a close and hard-fought fight.

The 33-year-old Saavedra, who is from Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela, and now lives in Tijuana, has won his last three fights since losing on points to Etoundi Michel William in October 2022, also in a clash of undefeated middleweights.

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Daniel Dubois’ next fight: Would welcome rematch with Anthony Joshua, but also has his sights set on Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury winner

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Daniel Dubois would love to meet Anthony Joshua, the man he so emphatically defeated on Saturday night, but will be keeping a close eye on the fight on December 21 when Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury face off in a rematch.

On a potential sequel with Joshua, Dubois told talkSPORT today: “Yeah, if it happens in the future, then yeah. If it happens next time, then yeah, I want to do it.

“I want to be even better next time. I know where I need to improve, so as a champion and a fighter, I want to prove people wrong every time, and that’s what we did.

“I can do a lot better,” Dubois continued. “It was a great performance, but next time I believe I will be even more clinical. More acute, everything.”

Dubois’ fifth-round victory was the Londoner’s third straight knockout win, having defeated Jarrell Miller in 10 rounds in December and Filip Hrgovic in eight in June. His dramatic renaissance came after a controversial defeat to Usyk last August, when Dubois was stopped in nine rounds after badly knocking down the Ukrainian with what was deemed a low blow in the fifth round.

Dubois is just as keen to fight the winner of the Usyk-Fury fight as he is Joshua. “I would like a rematch [with Joshua] but really, whoever pays me more money.”

Dubois defended his IBF heavyweight title against Joshua, a title vacated by Usyk, who still holds the WBC, WBA and WBO belts.

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Edgar Berlanga wants rematch with Munguia, then Canelo

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Image: Edgar Berlanga Wants Munguia, Then Canelo Rematch

Edgar Berlanga believes he could have a rematch with Canelo Alvarez within a year and a half. He says he’ll beat Jaime Munguia, then get one of the super middleweight titles, and then face Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) for the undisputed title. Berlanga isn’t interested in fighting Caleb Plant because he thinks a fight between him and Munguia would bring in massive PPV numbers.

It might take more than just beating Munguia and Berlanga winning one of the belts for him to get a second fight with Canelo. He might have to beat the likes of Caleb Plant, Diego Pacheco and Osleys Inglesias, in addition to beating Munguia, to get a rematch with Canelo.

From the way Berlanga talks, he thinks he might take that back road to a second fight with Canelo, just like he did to get a title shot. He hasn’t beaten anyone good in his career, building a 22-0 record.

He was the textbook definition of a fighter with a record, as he didn’t have to go through a series of tough fights to earn a shot at the title. To get the bag from Canelo, Berlanga defeated two British fighters, Jason Quigley and Padraig McCory.

He probably would have never gotten that chance if Berlanga hadn’t had to beat good opponents like Plant, Inglesias, Munguia and Pacheco. Canelo didn’t hold it against Berlanga that he never fought good opponents because if he had told him to earn it by fighting some or all of those guys, he never would have done it.

Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) lost to Canelo via unanimous decision in 12 rounds on September 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight was not that close, with judges scoring it 118-109, 117-110, and 118-109.

“I know we can have a rematch in a year and a half and I’m sure I can definitely beat him,” said Edgar Berlanga Rocks the universe about his belief that in a year and a half he will be able to have a rematch with Canelo Alvarez.

It’s highly unlikely Berlanga will ever get a rematch with Canelo, and he won’t beat him. He was heavily outmatched in their fight, and that won’t change.

“It was my first world title fight. It was a unification. It could have been a no-brainer,” Berlanga said. “Right now, Caleb [Plant] is on the radar, but now I want Munguia. This fight with the PPV numbers and the gate. It’s a massive attraction in Mexico. You saw me and Canelo. We just made history. Me and Munguia would do the same,” Berlanga said.

Berlanga may have to fight Plant if Canelo is not thrilled with his win over Munguai. If Canelo ignores Berlanga, he will have to fight good opposition until he agrees to fight him.

If Berlanga fights Munguia, he will have a very arduous fight because Jaime is a better fighter offensively than him. Munguia is not Berlanga’s size, but his talent is better than him, as is his experience.

“After I beat him, I want a rematch” [with Canelo Alvarez]. I think we had a great fight. Now he has a lot of respect for me,” Berlanga said. “He saw our results. It was a great fight from the first to the twelfth round. I really believe he’ll give me another chance.

“I think I’ll have to go out and get a world title. Like the WBO, if he vacates the WBO or the WBA. If I get a title, I believe we can do it. Next year is going to be a massive year. I’m a future PPV star. The king of PPV, the face of boxing,” Berlanga said.

I wonder if Berlanga really believes what he says about being the future PPV King and Face of Boxing. If he was that great, he wouldn’t have lost like he did to Canelo. He would have taken the fight with David Morrell too.

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