Boxing
Boxing real or not: the future of Gervonta Davis, Teofimo-Shakur and more
Published
9 months agoon
Gervonta “Tank” Davis is one of boxing’s best fighters and is only 30 years elderly, but he recently hinted at the possibility of retiring from the sport. “It’s close,” he said during an interview with Stephen A. Smith in February on “First Take.” Davis will face Jake Paul in an exhibition match on November 14, but what will happen next? Will he really retire?
With that in mind, Lamont Roach Jr., who fought Davis to a controversial majority draw on March 1, is no longer waiting for a rematch and is considering a fight with Davis’ former opponent, Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz. But how close is this fight?
WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez Jr. and WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson are challenging each other to a fight this year. Will there be a fight even though they have reached a verbal agreement?
Newly crowned undisputed super middleweight champion Terence Crawford has a decision to make after overtaking Canelo Alvarez on September 13 to win the titles. Will he stay at 168 pounds, move down to 154 pounds where he fought before Canelo, or will he explore the 160-pound division in search of a sixth-division title?
On November 22, on one of boxing’s best cards, featuring four title fights, Brian Norman Jr. defends the WBO welterweight title against Devin Haney. Will both fighters be looking to make a statement in Riyad, Saudi Arabia? Will the fight end in a knockout?
Andreas Hale answers these questions and more, separating what’s real from what’s not.
True or not: Gervonta Davis will fight again after her fight with Jake Paul
Not true. I hope I’m wrong about this, but Tank hasn’t seemed particularly interested in boxing lately and has been discussing it at length early retirement from sports. He has made it clear that he fights for financial gain and competing for an inheritance simply does not motivate him.
“After next year, I’m going to get out of it… out of the sport,” Davis said in an interview with Fight Hub TV before his majority draw with Roach. Rather than face Roach in an immediate rematch, Davis chose to fight the much larger Paul in an exhibition. A fight with Paul has been on his radar for a long time, and the huge payday that comes with it could see Davis retire peacefully. Or at least he could sit on the sidelines until an even bigger fight breaks out. Unfortunately, this means that fights against top boxers like Stevenson, Haney and Lopez won’t happen anytime soon. Perhaps a fight with Manny Pacquiao in 2026 would provide enough of a financial boost to encourage Davis to return to the ring. For now, it’s tough to imagine a fight motivating Davis to continue fighting after Paul.
Real or not: Teofimo Lopez Jr. in his next fight he will face Shakur Stevenson
True. Although the August fight between Lopez and Haney ended in a fiasco, the notion that Lopez avoids his opponents has been greatly exaggerated. People thought he was exaggerating when he called for a fight with Vasily Lomachenko. He rose to the occasion in 2020 and dethroned a great pound-for-pound competitor. He did the same in 2023 when he faced Josh Taylor. As for Stevenson, he was salivating, waiting for a huge name to call him out.
This fight has been joked about several times in recent weeks, and both fighters apparently agreed to it during the Canelo-Crawford post-fight press conference. ESPN spoke with Lopez at the press conference and he said he intended to fight Stevenson in early 2026.
Lopez and Stevenson know what’s at stake, as the winner not only climbs up the ladder pound-for-pound, but could also get a shot at a real box office title. Both have a lot to prove to the world and seem ready to settle their differences in the ring in one of the first huge fights of 2026.
Real or not: Terence Crawford’s next fight will be at 160 pounds
True…if he fights again. After defeating Canelo last month to become the first male fighter in the four-belt era to become undisputed champion in three weight classes, it’s tough to imagine what Crawford can do to secure an encore. People have been calling for Crawford to move up to featherlight heavyweight and fight WBC champion David Benavidez or WBO, IBF and WBA champion Dmitry Bivol, but even “Bud” knows his limits and was quick to reject the idea of moving up in weight again. Crawford only moved up to super middleweight because he realized Canelo was a “compact” fighter at 168 pounds. Now that he has achieved what many thought was impossible, his super middleweight journey appears to be over. Getting back to 154 pounds would likely be a challenging task, but there is one weight class he has skipped. If he wants to fight for a world title in the sixth division, he could fight in the middleweight division.
The first thought is that there is no huge name 160-pound world champion as the current title holders are Carlos Adames (WBC), Erislandy Lara (WBA) and Janibek Alimkhanuly (WBO and IBF). It’s significant to remember, however, that in Crawford’s fight, right before Canelo, he faced Israil Madrimov – a champion, but not a huge name and a high-risk, low-reward opponent. If there’s a world title up for grabs and a chance to add to his legacy, Crawford’s interested. Additionally, given the time Crawford needs between fights, it’s possible a more tempting option will emerge or one of the middleweight champions will become undisputed. That being said, Crawford just celebrated his 38th birthday and won’t be around much longer. However, if he continues his boxing career, he will only go down in history.
Real or not: Lamont Roach Jr.’s next opponent. will be Isaac Cruz
True. Once it became clear that the proposed August rematch with Gervonta Davis was out of the question, Roach and his team went to work to secure the fight to build on the momentum he had gained in his March draw with Davis. ESPN learned that Roach was linked to a fight with Gabriel Flores, but it was never finalized. Sources tell ESPN that it is increasingly likely that Roach will face Davis’ former opponent, Pitbull Cruz. Sources tell ESPN there are still many details to work out before the fight becomes official, including the date, location and whether the fight will be powerful enough to headline PBC on Prime Video pay-per-view.
Sources also say both sides want the fight to take place before the end of the year, but dates and venues are narrow. The fight is scheduled for December, but other variables are unknown. If the fight is finalized, it would be the perfect matchup for Roach. Facing Davis’ former opponent will bring recognition and the matchup could provide fans with an electrifying fight.
Real or not: Brian Norman Jr.’s fight vs. Devin Haney will end by KO
Not true. It’s no secret that Norman has fight-altering power – 22 of his 28 wins have come by knockout, and his last three fights have gone the distance. However, Haney is much better than anyone Norman has faced in his career. While Haney’s performance against Ryan Garcia last year was challenging to watch, he got up from the wall three times in the match against Garcia – who was later fined and suspended post-fight for PED employ – and made it to the final bell in a loss that was rightly ruled a no-contest.
Haney’s reluctance to commit to his fight against Jose Ramirez in May may have people questioning whether the Garcia fight didn’t cause him irreversible damage. But Haney is a very, very good and technically sound boxer with a piercing jab, solid defense and great footwork. Norman will need to be fundamentally vigorous to earn a win, and chasing a knockout could result in Haney outclassing him. This will likely be a chess match with both players being cautious. It’s possible that one of them will hit the net, but I don’t see a scenario where referees wouldn’t be needed to determine the result.
You may like
Boxing
Dmitry Bivol Targets Major Fight as He Prepares to Vacate World Title
Published
1 day agoon
July 20, 2026
Dmitry Bivol has been linked to a number of opponents since defeating Michael Eifert, but it seems as though there is only one man whom the Russian intends to face – avoiding a fight with a former world champion in the process.
Bivol claimed the undisputed light-heavyweight crown when he avenged his solitary career defeat to Artur Beterbiev with a majority-decision triumph in February 2025, until a 15-month period of inactivity saw him forego his WBC world title.
Upon his return, in May, Bivol shook off the ring rust by fulfilling his IBF mandatory and defending his three remaining world titles against Eifert in Russia, before rumours that the 35-year-old would swerve a trilogy against Beterbiev emerged.
However, in an interview with FightHypepromoter Eddie Hearn denied those suggestions and revealed that it is the Beterbiev fight which Bivol wants most.
“There’s a lot of people saying, ‘Bivol doesn’t want to fight Beterbiev.’ That’s not true at all.”
“Dmitry wants the trilogy. That’s the fight he wants. We’ll start those conversations and see what happens.”
It had been understood that Bivol would instead take on former WBA super-middleweight world champion and current WBO 175lb mandatory challenger Callum Smith – once the Russian had recovered from an elbow surgery which is set to take place later this month.
Yet, Hearn went on to explain that he now expects Smith to rematch Joshua Buatsi in a clash for the vacant WBO light-heavyweight world title, after Bivol has relinquished the belt.
“I think Callum Smith will probably end up boxing Joshua Buatsi for the vacant world title if that’s the route it goes.
“We’ll see how everything plays out, but Dmitry wants the Beterbiev fight.”
As a result, it seems as though Bivol-Beterbiev III could be back on the cards for later this year, with the WBA and IBF light-heavyweight marbles at stake.
Meanwhile, Smith-Buatsi II could headline a mooted ‘Matchroom vs. Queensberry 2’ bill in either October or November, nearly two years on from their first battle which was won by Smith after a Fight of the Year contender.
Boxing
Oleksandr Usyk Plans Heavyweight Trilogy as Last Fight If Not Against Deontay Wilder
Published
1 day agoon
July 20, 2026
Oleksandr Usyk is set to fight on one more occasion before hanging up the gloves, promising to have a ‘last dance’ as he calls time on an astounding career. Now, the Ukrainian has revealed that there are only two current candidates under consideration to be his final opponent.
Usyk claimed the undisputed crown at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, with a historic win over Tyson Fury seeing the southpaw technician become the first to simultaneously hold all of the recognised heavyweight world titles in the four-belt era.
An underwhelming performance against Rico Verhoeven last time out though appears to have convinced the 39-year-old that his powers are fading and that it is time to walk away from the sport.
Speaking with Daily Mail BoxingUsyk announced that his ‘last dance’ will take place against a ‘big name’ in the United States.
“‘Last Dance’ is [going to be in the] U.S.A. maybe in New York, [in a] stadium. It’s [going to be against] a big name.”
The veteran was then asked to define whom he believes to be ‘big names’ amongst his heavyweight rivals, with Fury and Deontay Wilder being the only two he’s interested in fighting next.
“[Big names are] ‘Greedy Belly’ [Tyson Fury] and Deontay Wilder. We work about this.”
Recent reports suggest that Usyk and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ could collide in a clash for the Zuffa Boxing heavyweight world title. Usyk did not confirm or deny this, admitting that his mind is currently focused on boxing training rather than boxing.
“I cannot say about this [whether I will fight under the Zuffa banner] because now my team work about my next fight. It’s Zuffa, [then it’s] not Zuffa.
“Now, I [do] not think about boxing. I think about training for boxing; cardio? Of course. Cross-fight? Of course. Swimming pool? No. Sauna? Yes. Rest, time with my family, with my child.”
Usyk also went on to state that his career finale will not take place until December at the earliest, with Fury expected to take on Anthony Joshua the month prior – thus making Wilder the likely candidate.
Boxing
Terence Crawford Reveals Cancelled Historic Fight Plans Before Retirement
Published
2 days agoon
July 19, 2026
Terence Crawford retired in December last year, hanging up the gloves as an undefeated five-weight world champion.
The switch-hitter from Omaha, Nebraska, bowed out from boxing after a stellar win over Mexican icon Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, relinquishing the undisputed super-middleweight world title.
At 38 years old, perhaps the biggest fight available for Crawford was a Canelo rematch, though he said he was never approached about the bout. The American has made it clear that fights with rising stars like Jaron Ennis would do nothing for his legacy, hence his retirement.
There was, however, one route ‘Bud’ was exploring before making the final decision. Speaking on The Breakfast ClubCrawford reflecting on almost booking a fight against Janibek Alimkhanuly before the Kazakh champion failed a doping test.
“Every fight that I fought since 2014 has been for something. Either I’m defending my title, or I’m going to conquer another division for a title … [I said] I’m gonna beat Canelo and I’m gonna see what they do down here [at 154]. Then it came out that Janibek was on performance enhancers. So, that fight got cancelled. I think they stripped him for a title. I’m into making history … but it didn’t [play out like that].”
Alimkhanuly tested positive for a banned substance in December last year before his middleweight unification fight against Erislandy Lara. He has since been stripped of the IBF belt, though he is controversially still the WBO champion despite a year’s ban from the sanctioning body.
With the plans not playing out in Crawford’s favour, middleweight will remain the one skipped division from 135 to 168lbs.
Brendan Allen calls out Dricus Du Plessis with ‘DDP sucks’ jab
Michael Page says UFC big fights have been ‘very difficult’ to get
Colby Covington explains why RAF 12 matchup with Belal Muhammad is off
Trending
-
MMA2 days agoConor McGregor provides update on extent of his knee injury, gives timeline for UFC return
-
MMA2 days agoVideo: Belal Muhammad ignites melee with Colby Covington during RAF 11 press conference
-
MMA2 days agoDana White reveals Conor McGregor’s injury details from UFC 329: ‘His knee is f*cked up’
-
MMA2 days agoAlexandre Pantoja gives update on return: ‘I have unfinished business with Joshua Van’
-
MMA2 days agoConor Benn rips into ‘spoiled brat’ Ryan Garcia after getting separated at first faceoff
-
Boxing2 days agoTerence Crawford Reveals Cancelled Historic Fight Plans Before Retirement
-
MMA2 days agoAlexandre Pantoja praises Joshua Van, but vows to settle 'unfinished business' in near future: "I don't think he beat me"
-
Boxing1 day agoDmitry Bivol Targets Major Fight as He Prepares to Vacate World Title


