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Usyk ready to return in early 2026 against the winner of Parker-Wardley

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Image: Oleksandr Usyk’s Adviser Confirms His Return for Early 2026 to Face Parker vs. Wardley Winner

Oleksandr Usyk’s advisor Serhii Lapin says he will return to the ring in the first half of 2026, defending his undisputed heavyweight title against the winner of Saturday’s fight between WBO interim champion Joseph Parker and WBA interim belt holder Fabio Wardley.

Rehabilitation completed, the fire rekindled

Usyk (24-0, 15 KO) is rehabilitating his injured back and is finally feeling better. He wanted to lose the mandatory WBO title against whoever emerged victorious from the fight between Parker (36-3, 24 KO) and Wardley (19-0-1, 18 KO) at the DAZN PPV on October 25.

Parker vs. Wardley: Usyk’s next target

“I talked to Usyk’s advisor, Serhii Lapin, and he said, ‘Maybe in that time I will fight five more fights with Usyk.’ Now he is looking at the first half of 2026, in which he will have to face the winner of Saturday’s fight between Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley,” Mike Coppinger said on the program InsideRingShow about Oleksandr Usyk’s next expected fight.

Usyk recently revealed that he plans to fight until he is 41, another three years. Five more fights is an ambitious number considering his injury problems. Whether Oleksandr survives the five-fight challenge will depend on who he faces. Tyson Fury would be less grueling than fighting the Parker-Wardley winner or defending against Moses Itauma.

A powerful back, a sharper mind

“It will be the WBO mandatory match that was ordered in July for Parker to fight Usyk, but Usyk has a back injury,” Coppinger said. “He’s feeling good now, Lapin said. He just finished rehabilitation and is in great shape.”

The fight that Usyk, 38, is not interested in at the moment is against 20-year-old Moses Itauma. Lapin told The Ring via Mike Coppinger that Itauma hasn’t been tested against anyone and still hasn’t gone 12 rounds in a fight.

Queensberry protected prospect

That makes sense. Itauma was quite well protected by his promoters at Queensberry and didn’t have much of an amateur career, fighting low level opponents with no promotion whatsoever.

Usyk would be doing Itauma and his promoters a favor by fighting him rather than being something that would elevate his status. As Itauma says, “It’s a win-win.” He loses nothing by being defeated, because his age and inexperience give him justification on which to fall back.

Last update: 21/10/2025

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Hall of Fame champion claims he would be the one to beat Terence Crawford: ‘I’m going to win’

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Hall of Fame champion says he would have been the man to beat Terence Crawford: “I’m going to win”

The star fighter, who has made an astonishing 15 defenses of his welterweight world title, supported himself in a fantastic showdown with Terence Crawford.

Many consider “Bud” to be one of the greatest welterweight champions of all time, considering his size undisputed triumph over Errol Spence Jr in 2023

He had previously won seven straight 147-pound world titles, all through stoppages, but he could only cement his position as top dog by dethroning Spence.

Not only did he defeat “The Truth” and win his three world titles, but Crawford secured a surprisingly one-sided defeat over nine rounds.

After that career-defining moment, the American became the undisputed three-division champion, moving up to 168 pounds to dethrone Canelo Alvarez.

However, at welterweight, Crawford managed to produce some of his best performances, perhaps striking the perfect balance between being vigorous and impressively fit.

Another man who has had considerable success at 147 pounds is, of course, Felix Trinidad, who reigned as the IBF world champion for almost seven years.

Two of his greatest victories came against Oscar De La Hoya and Pernell Whitaker, who both went on to create Hall of Fame careers in their own right.

It is therefore natural that “Tito” sees his chances in a direct fight with Crawford, saying: Fighting Hub TV that he would give “Bud” his only professional flaw.

“With all due respect to Crawford…Tito Trinidad – I will win.”

While no fighter has been able to answer Crawford’s mystery, it is equally safe and sound to say that the former five-division world champion has never faced someone like Trinidad.

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Robeisy Ramirez signed with Raizd Boxing after leaving Free Agency

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Image: Major Companies Failed To Sign Robeisy Ramirez

Raizd announced the deal on Instagram on Monday, posting: “Official: Robeisy ‘El Tren’ Ramirez signs with RAIZD BOXING. World-class addition. Former WBO World Featherweight Champion. Two-time Olympic gold medalist. Welcome to the team, Robeisy.”

For a startup that is still building its name, this is a robust impulse. For everyone else, it encourages questions. There has been no evident move from Zuffa Boxing, Matchroom Boxing, Golden Boy Promotions or other major teams that often pursue recognizable talent.

When a two-time Gold Medalist hits the open market and the Massive Four don’t pull the trigger. Raizd Boxing is basically a ghost ship right now. They are so modern that they haven’t even held their first event yet.

As for why the giants have stayed away, it probably comes down to a combination of time, shelf life and the ongoing business changes many of these companies are making.

At 126 pounds, 32 is on the older side. Promoters are notoriously wary of small-time fighters who have just had a career-changing break. Perhaps they would prefer to wait and see if he has anything left before signing him to an high-priced multi-fight contract.

While Dana White is finally taking action, Zuffa is aggressively targeting younger, buzz-worthy talent like Edgar Berlanga and Richardson Hitchins. Ramirez is 32 years aged and had a brutal knockout loss to Rafael Espinoza in December. Zuffa could see him as a veteran of damaged goods rather than a fundamental piece of their launch.

Ramirez may not have the same shine he had when he fled Cuba or when he beat Shakur Stevenson in the amateurs, but fighters with that kind of experience rarely hit the open market.

His recent form likely played a role. Ramirez is 14-3 with nine knockouts and has lost two of his last three fights, with both losses coming to Rafael Espinoza, including a stoppage in the rematch. At 32 years aged, he is no longer a long-term project that can be slowly developed.

Still, there is a clear advantage if handled properly. Ramirez remains a talented southpaw with the pedigree, experience and enough reputational value to quickly become relevant again at featherweight or above. If it combines wins, larger promoters may regret letting startup Raizd make the first move.

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Tim Bradley firmly predicts KO in Conor Benn vs. Ryan Garcia fight

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Tim Bradley makes emphatic KO prediction for Conor Benn vs Ryan Garcia

Hall of Famer Tim Bradley believes the welterweight clash between Conor Benn and WBC world champion Ryan Garcia will end decisively.

The two are in talks that could happen later this year, and Garcia also mentioned the possibility of a rematch with WBA world champion Rolando Romero.

In their first meeting in May 2025, Romero won a unanimous decision after defeating his fighter in the second round.

However, Garcia has since secured the WBC 147-pound title after dethroning Mario Barrios whom he dropped and passed unanimously in February.

This marks the 27-year-old’s first victory since 2023, when he edged Oscar Duarte in the eighth round before his controversial fight with Devin Haney.

Despite a majority decision advantage over Haney, that result was declared a no-contest in April 2024 after “King Ry” tested positive for the banned substance ostarine.

Benn also failed a 2022 drug test ahead of his canceled fight against Chris Eubank Jr, whom he ultimately defeated in a middleweight rematch last November.

This followed a points defeat to Eubank in April 2025, although earlier this month Benn remained in the win column, ahead of Regis Prograis, who subsequently announced his retirement.

However, despite his last fight at 150 pounds, the 29-year-old now wants to capitalize on his No. 1 ranking in the WBC and fight Garcia.

I’m talking to ESNEWSformer two-division world champion Bradley gave Benn little more than a prayer against Garcia.

“Ryan knocks him out.”

As the top contender for the WBC welterweight title, Benn is expected to be ordered to fight Garcia in the not-too-distant future, even if ongoing negotiations fail.

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