Boxing
Amanda Serrano will defend her featherweight titles vs. Erika Cruz
Published
8 months agoon
Amanda Serrano will return to the ring to defend her WBO and WBA featherweight titles against Erica Cruz in front of her hometown fans at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico on January 3, 2026, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN, ESPN confirmed on Tuesday.
The fight will be a rematch of the invigorating and bloody 2023 fight, which Serrano won by unanimous decision and became the first undisputed champion of Puerto Rico in the four-belt era. However, the rematch will be played under different rules, as Serrano-Cruz 2 will be played under the same rules as the men, over 10 three-minute rounds.
“Every time I step into the ring, I fight for all women, for equality and for Puerto Rico,” Serrano said in a statement. “Fighting three-minute rounds in a unified world title defense in front of my people will be one of the greatest moments of my career. When I got injured last March, I promised I would come back to fight in Puerto Rico, and now that moment has finally come.”
Serrano (47-4-1, 31 KO) will enter the ring for the first time since a July defeat to undisputed junior welterweight champion Katie Taylor, who headlined the women’s fight gala on Netflix. Although she lost to Taylor 0-3, their rivalry played a key role in women’s boxing’s current prosperity. Now Serrano, 37, is looking forward to competing in front of her hometown after being forced to withdraw from her December 2023 fight with Nina Meinke in Puerto Rico just minutes before the fight due to an eye injury.
“I want to thank Erica Cruz for choosing to face me in the 10 x 3:00 (minute rounds) format and for joining me in making a statement for equality in women’s boxing,” Serrano said. “Together we are showing all juvenile girls that they can do anything they want and that female boxers deserve the same opportunities as men.”
Cruz (18-2-1, 4 KO) has a 3-0-1 record since the loss to Serrano. Fighting out of Mexico, he is looking forward to the resumption of the renowned boxing rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico and hopes to avenge his loss to Serrano.
“I am very elated and excited for this great opportunity to once again face the great champion of Puerto Rico, Amanda Serrano,” Cruz said in a statement. “I am grateful to my promoter, Universal Promotions, and MVP for making this rematch a reality. This is the most invigorating rivalry in world boxing. Mexico vs. Puerto Rico means a guaranteed war. If our first fight was colossal, you cannot miss what will happen on January 3. Viva Mexico!”
Serrano recently signed a lifetime contract with Most Valuable Promotions, where she will retire from boxing before becoming the chairwoman of MVP’s women’s boxing initiatives. She will lead efforts to identify, sign, develop and promote the promotion’s growing list of female athletes. While there has been speculation that Serrano’s 16-year boxing career is coming to an end, “The Real Deal” has at least one more fight left.
“We are honored to support [Serrano’s] will return to her natural weight class of 126 pounds when she fights in front of her home fans in Puerto Rico on Saturday, January 3,” Most Valuable Promotions co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian announced in a statement. “Amanda is one of the most influential athletes in the world and a true symbol of equality in sports, and MVP is proud to stand by her during her second unified defense of the world title in three-minute rounds, alongside Erika Cruz. This event will celebrate the pride and heritage of both Puerto Rican and women’s boxing, and we look forward to sharing more details about this historic event in the coming weeks.
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Boxing
Tim Bradley explains why Lamont Roach can beat William Zepeda
Published
13 minutes agoon
June 13, 2026
Bradley says Roach’s experience against pressure players and southpaws will give him an advantage on August 1
Tim Bradley thinks Lamont Roach Jr. he is the player best placed to make William Zepeda lose. In a speech on his YouTube channel, Bradley selected Roach as the winner of the vacant WBC lightweight title on August 1 and cited the fight’s stylistic advantages as a key factor.
“I’m picking Roach to win this fight,” Bradley said on his channel. “I think it’s a perfect match in style. I think Roach fights southpaws better than orthodox fighters.”
Roach comes into the fight coming off a draw with Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and a contentious draw with Gervonta Davis, as well as two physically demanding fights against high-pressure fighters that Bradley says has prepared him for Zepeda’s relentless approach.
“I think he fought one of the best southpaws in the world in Tank Davis. And he did damn well against him,” Bradley said. “He wasn’t scared by the force of the impact.”
Bradley believes Roach has the tools needed to neutralize Zepeda’s pressure.
“When guys who like to get forward and be aggressive, nine times out of 10 they don’t like being tackled,” Bradley said. “Roach has the ability to do it. He has the knowledge and the IQ to be able to do it. And if he does it, he will win this fight.”
Bradley also cautioned that Roach cannot afford to leave matters in the judges’ hands, arguing that he needs to create more separation than in recent draws with Isaac Cruz and Gervonta Davis.

Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fighting landscape. His reports focus on the most vital fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
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Last update: 2026/06/13 at 14:20
Boxing
Roy Jones Jr Says He’ll Return to Fighting One Fighter If He Gets an Eight-Figure Salary: ‘It’ll Make Me Prepare’
Published
2 hours agoon
June 13, 2026
Roy Jones Jr has announced his price and is demanding an eight-figure purse if he is to make it through the ropes.
At his peak, the American became one of the best players to ever grace the sport, and his breathtaking speed and overall physical prowess made him seem almost unbeatable.
After winning world titles at middleweight, super middleweight and airy heavyweight, Jones even moved up to heavyweight and dethroned John Ruiz to win the WBA belt in 2003.
The pound-for-pound legend retired in 2018, when many thought his best days were behind him, only to take it to the next level exhibition match with Mike Tyson in 2020
Although it was a non-contest, many believed that Tyson outplayed Jones, who then returned professionally against Anthony Pettis and lost an eight-round decision to the former UFC champion in 2023.
Since then, the 57-year-old has remained on the safer side of the competition, but is now eyeing another comeback, this time against Misfits boxer Tommy Fury.
Having delved into the power side of the sport following previous professional victories over Jake Paul and KSI, Fury is now preparing to face former World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall.
I’m talking to Betting showroomJones said he would only be willing to challenge the 27-year-old if he was handsomely rewarded for his troubles.
“Is me vs. Tommy Fury dead? Nothing is dead forever. Roy Jones is still alive. Tommy Fury is still alive. Who knows? For the right money, it would make me go to the gym to get ready.”
“If they give me $10 million of course. Ten and more, yes. If they don’t give me $10 million and more, then no, I’m not wasting my time.”
Fury’s six-round exhibition match with Hall will take place later today at the Manchester Arena, although the result will not affect his professional record of 11-0 (4 KO).
“There are a confined number of fights and he can’t fight every fighter. So why don’t you consider that [Iglesias and Sheeraz] think about who wants to be at the front of the line,” Kellerman said on InsideRingShow.
Kellerman rejected the idea that Canelo was firing any of the fighters.
“He’s not saying he’s ignoring Sheeraz and Iglesias. In fact, he just gave them a path. He said, ‘I’m fighting Mbilli.’ You are fighting each other. This is not a duck. This is about business,” Kellerman said.
Sheeraz has already made it clear that he has no interest in following the route proposed by Canelo. Responding to a suggestion from an earlier interview, the British fighter said he respected Alvarez but would not allow another boxer to dictate his career decisions.
A fight between Sheeraz and Iglesias could answer many of the remaining questions about both men.
Canelo is preparing to fight Mbilli, a fighter widely viewed as one of the most threatening fighters in the division due to his constant pressure and furious attacks. Meanwhile, Sheeraz has had two fights since moving up to 168 pounds, a fight against Edgar Berlanga, who he stopped in July 2025 after Canelo had already beaten him a year earlier, and 39-year-old Al Begic for the vacant WBO title.
A fight between Sheeraz and Iglesias could eliminate many of the questions that still haunt both men. Sheeraz would have the opportunity to silence critics who believe his super middleweight resume is slim, while Iglesias could reaffirm a growing reputation that has led some fans to consider him the division’s boogeyman.
The winner would pose a bigger and more marketable challenge. Instead of facing Sheeraz immediately after his victory over Begic, Alvarez could face an opponent who had a decisive victory over another world champion, adding more significance to what could be one of the final marquee fights of his career.
Max Kellerman reacts to Canelo Álvarez’s comments about Hamzah Sheeraz and Osleys Iglesias 👀#InsideTheRing | The latest episode LIVE NOW on YouTube The Ring 📺 pic.twitter.com/tfOhDtjgit
— InsideRingShow (@InsideRingShow) June 12, 2026
Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fighting landscape. His reports focus on the most essential fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
Tim Bradley explains why Lamont Roach can beat William Zepeda
Roy Jones Jr Says He’ll Return to Fighting One Fighter If He Gets an Eight-Figure Salary: ‘It’ll Make Me Prepare’
Hamzah Sheeraz should fight Osleys Iglesias first
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