If you follow boxing, you certainly know that last weekend it turned out to a gigantic extent. Ryan Garcia was dropped by Romero, and then allowed Romero to travel to the decision. It was great nervousness, but many fans were disappointed. However, Devin Haney, shocking, managed to act less impressive than Garcia. Fighting with Jose Ramirez, he looked almost as if Haney was trying to imitate Muhammad Ali in the Fleet Ali best. The difference was that Ali broke up when he bounced around the ring. Haney seemed unaware of this fact. Sure, the former delicate king won the fight, but apparently he didn’t get up-to-date fans.
All this fell on Times Square on Friday, a well -intended choice of place that turned out to be awkward. The next night, in Saudi Arabia, Canelo Alvarez faced an unclear letter named William Scull, a man who also jumped, refusing to throw. As mentioned, Scull seemed quite satisfied with his performance. Again, however, it was like Ali rising like a butterfly, refusing to sting like a bee. Some felt Scull should win because Canelo did not cope well with him. Scull was an opponent for everyone because he barely did nothing effectively. Avoiding an opponent and running from one are two separate things, that’s why Canelo won from judges. Scull either did not realize it or he did not care.
Fortunately, Nayya Inoue and Ramon Cardenes stopped the weekend from a total misfire, going on a Sunday evening at the Vegas war. Cardenes dropped Inoue early and then gave the man a real fight. Robust Inoue rose to this occasion after the arising of the mat, ultimately winning the war for exhaustion with space. Unfortunately, Inoue and Cardenes (along with the addition of Teofimo Lopez, who looked great on Times Square on Friday) were an exception last weekend, not the rules. Looking objectively at Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it is worth asking what went wrong. In the case of this answer, look for Garcia, Haney, Scull and Canelo answers. People can blame Al-Sheikh Turks for Friday’s failure, but the truth is that he is guilty of placing a great card in the wrong place on Friday. It was not his fault Canelo and Haney’s wines that decided to achieve worse results. Or that Canelo couldn’t stop Scull.
So why did these valued professionals not achieve worse results? Haney criticizes, but the truth is that he was beaten so much by (intentionally or not) Garcia a year ago that he lost his confidence and is probably shy. Let’s hope it warms up to fight. Garcia is a more sophisticated matter. He has long suffered from the problems with the ring, so it certainly could have had something to do with the loss of Romero. On the other hand, the fight in purity could also have something to do with failure. Either way, there is no sugar coating that it has a bit to do if he wants to return to the ring. As for Scull, people say that he was not interested in fighting. I think he felt he was fighting. However, this is him and his team. Perhaps, if he threw more, things would go differently.
Which leads us to Canelo. The truth is that it is hard to face a man who does not want to fight. As for people who think that the younger version of Canelo would achieve better results, they may be right. However, no one can overcome his father’s time and can be a episode calling a slothful warrior. Now, when in September he is to fight with Terenka Crawford, Canelo will want to look better than on Saturday evening in Vegas. Undoubtedly, Crawford will be prepared – and will not run on the ring either.
When he perceived as a whole, it seems that the last weekend was “one of these things.” What if it is not? What if there were more than fighters just with bad nights at the same time? Haney is 26 years elderly. Like Garcia. Is it possible that the argument that people throw is true – that younger warriors do not have a heart today – that when things go south, they fall apart? It can be, but it is quite an accusation. Again, this may be true, but it is also worth remembering that Garcia and Haney could bring additional luggage to the ring on Friday. Let’s not forget that 29 -year -old Cardenas fought on Sunday like a warrior. We will need more evidence before we reject a whole generation of talented fighters. At the moment, however, the future may not look so brilliant in some star attractions than a week ago.
Having sparred multiple rounds with Daniel Dubois and fought Fabio Wardley twice, Frazer Clarke did not hesitate to say who hits the hardest.
Both heavyweights possess tremendous power, of course, but it was Wardley who remained on his feet after scoring two early knockdowns during their first encounter in May.
In fact, it was two relatively glancing blows that put Dubois down in rounds one and three, only for ‘Dynamite’ to get back up, recover, and start dominating large portions of their contest.
He did so by utilising a thudding jab, while also landing hurtful-looking power shots that seemed as if they would trouble the majority of heavyweights.
It is therefore a testament to Wardley’s toughness that he managed to hang in there, just long enough to get stopped on his feet in round 11.
As a result, WBO champion Dubois has been made a sizable favourite ahead of their rematch, which takes place this Saturday at London’s O2 Arena.
Many feel he has the superior fundamentals and perhaps even an edge in power, with fellow Brit Clarke telling talkSPORT that ‘Triple D’ is a “massively” bigger puncher.
This is in spite of the fact that the Olympic bronze medallist found himself on the receiving end of a particularly brutal first-round finish against Wardley in 2024.
Earlier that year, the pair had boxed to a thrilling draw for the British title, only for their rematch to surprisingly end in one-sided fashion.
Yet still, Clarke would back Dubois – who he has sparred as both a professional and amateur – to win a competition of who can generate the most power.
Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela wants a crack at Floyd Schofield’s newly won WBA lightweight belt, yet business barriers give the champion little reason to grant a voluntary defense.
“@KidAustin11 let’s make it happen!” Valenzuela posted on X, a public challenge spotlighted by Ring Magazine.
Holding the No. 3 ranking with the WBA keeps Valenzuela in the title picture. It does not give him mandatory status, nor does it force Schofield to pick him.
Promotional and broadcast divisions form the real wall here. Valenzuela operates under the Zuffa banner on Paramount+, whereas Schofield fights for Golden Boy on DAZN. Finalizing a matchup requires cooperation across competing networks.
The bout lacks the massive box office pull needed to warrant a joint broadcast. A viable path would demand that one promoter let their fighter appear on rival airwaves, an unlikely concession for an optional defense.
Schofield took the vacant strap against Lucas Bahdi in Chicago on October 10. Holding the gold affords Golden Boy the luxury of handpicking far simpler matchups.
Valenzuela offers elite pedigree as a former 140-pound champion, paired with a tricky southpaw stance capable of testing the young titleholder. A victory over Rayo looks solid on paper, yet it delivers no extra hardware. Without a massive paycheck attached, the ring danger offers limited reward.
Valenzuela needs the sanctioning body in his corner. An official WBA mandatory order would ignite real negotiations instead of a digital callout the champion can safely ignore.
For now, Rayo is asking Schofield to take on a dangerous night with zero promotional upside. Posting on social media costs nothing; handing Golden Boy a financial incentive to say yes is another story entirely.
A voluntary defense across rival platforms only happens when enormous pots of cash force everyone to play nice. Paramount+ wants exclusive programming for Zuffa. DAZN guards its stable for Golden Boy. Neither network gains anything by lending talent without a massive pay-per-view haul to split.
Without Riyadh bankrolling the difference, the financial math completely falls apart. Oscar De La Hoya already mentioned keeping Schofield busy with William Zepeda in-house, or waiting on Gervonta Davis. Those routes keep every dollar inside their own broadcast tent. Taking on Rayo brings serious ring danger for ordinary television money.
Valenzuela is a heavy-handed southpaw capable of cracking anyone. Schofield touched the canvas against Lucas Bahdi in the eleventh round, so putting him in with Rayo right away makes zero sense for Golden Boy.
Unless the WBA forces a purse bid down the road, expect Golden Boy to completely ignore the callout.
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Shakur Stevenson is regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, but one reigning world champion believes the Newark southpaw is ‘terrified’ of him.
Stevenson looked to be a level above Teofimo Lopez when they collided back in January, as Stevenson became the third-youngest four-division world champion in the rich history of the sport.
However, the unbeaten superstar is yet to fight since, despite informing O’Shaquie Foster that he could get his shot if able to defend his WBC super-featherweight world title against good friend, Raymond Ford, back in May.
Foster claimed a majority decision win to continue his second 130lb title reignbut talks for a clash between he and Stevenson then went quiet as the latter signed with Zuffa Boxing, whilst Foster eventually moved on to a three-belt unification with Emanuel Navarrete.
Speaking to Fight Hub TVFoster fumed at Stevenson for going back on his word and declared his belief that the 29-year-old is ‘terrified’ of him.
“I think that he is terrified of me and I think that he hopes that somebody else beats me so that he won’t have to ever fight me. He said it on Twitter, after Lamont [Roach] fought he was talking about ‘it is your time coming, I can’t wait to clown you on it.’ He is goofy.
“He is hoping that somebody else beats me, that is why he was hoping Ray Ford beat me, so that he can chat about it online instead of hopping in there himself with me.
“I am not a bully, but real guys know real guys. You sons, your mans, I beat ‘em up, why you ain’t trying to fight now?”
Navarrete-Foster takes place on Saturday, October 24, where ‘Ice Water’ could inch closer to becoming the first undisputed super-featherweight world champion since Hiroshi Kobayashi in 1969; a feat which Vasiliy Lomachenko is also trying to achieve.
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