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Whittaker vs Buatsi order – will Hearn take the risk?

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Eddie Hearn congratulating Ben Whittaker after his win over Benjamin Gavazi

Promoter Eddie Hearn says he could let Ben Whittaker “take a chance” and fight Joshua Buatsi in a WBC-ordered featherlight heavyweight eliminator.

WBC forces Hearn’s hand

Hearn is not yet sure whether Whittaker (10-0-1, 7 KO) should fight Buatsi yet. He says yes “sooner than we expected.” The WBC ordered the event because Whittaker won the silver 175-pound title on November 29 with a first-round knockout victory over Benjamin Gavazi.

Whittaker’s 29-year-old – The era of prospects is over

Hearn is not saying how long he plans to continue working on 2020 Olympic silver medalist Whittaker. He will soon turn 29, which puts him at the same age as Hearn’s other player, Conor Benn, who he wants to replace his aging star Anthony Joshua.

Hearn needs someone to take over as his flagship player at Matchroom. In Whittaker’s case, it is questionable whether he will be able to win and retain world titles. We know we can beat players from the national league and players from the second league. He showed this against unranked lower tier players Liam Cameron and Gavazi.

The way Whittaker looked in his first fight with Cameron and the way he broke down in the 2020 Olympics against Arlen Lopez suggests he is incapable of winning world titles against any of the existing champions.

The Substantial Four still unnamed

Whittaker doesn’t look good enough to beat title challengers David Morrell, Imam Khataev, Arlen Lopez or Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Interestingly, Hearn never mentions these players when he talks about the “three tiers” of players that Whittaker has to go through. Mentions defenseless British fighters, but does not include The, the Substantial Four: Morrell, Khataev, Lopez and Gvozdyk.

Design errors everywhere

This is a red flag for Hearn, who is probably maneuvering Ben around them, treating them like a rocky obstacle that he controls barely seaworthy Whittaker nearby. At this point, the Ben has too many design flaws and is too flawed to be placed among the top competitors. If you throw the Whittaker into the ocean now, it will sink without a complete overhaul.

At Whittaker’s advanced age, this would have been possible. When a player is 30 years vintage, he is as good as he has ever been. You won’t see significant improvements that would take them to a level they were never designed for.

“According to the contract, we know he will fight in America in the spring, but sooner or later you will be involved in these fights,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. Stomping areas how Ben Whittaker was ordered to fight Joshua Buatsi for a WBC 175-pound title eliminator.

“There are three tiers. Bivol, Beterbiev, Benavidez, Callum, Yarde, Buatsi and then Dan Azeez, Craig Richards, Zach Parker, Willy Hutchinson. So you want to get through those tiers,” Hearn said, making it clear he would not take a risk by putting Whittaker in Buatsi.

National route option

If Hearn is going to burn Whittaker for the next two years, fighting British level fighters like Azeez, Richards, Parker and Hutchinson in the hope of improving him, he is wasting his time. He will simply be older, not better.

Robert Segal thinks Hearn will want to play for time with Whittaker. Compare him to lower-tier British fighters like those above, and wait until the aging Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev either retire or mature enough for Whittaker to beat them.

Uncredited: Morrell, Khataev, Arlen

In the case of David Benavidez, playing for time may result in him leaving the division and moving to cruiserweight. Once he’s gone, Hearn will have to worry about Whittaker’s flaws. The only people Hearn will have to worry about are Morrell, Khataev and Arlen. He already treats them as if they don’t exist. Logic suggests that these will still be people who cannot be mentioned.

If we take this fight [Buatsi for Whittaker]”, it’s sooner than we expected, but after this fight in America, maybe we’ll just do it,” Hearn said. “It’s a great fight and I think Ben will win it. Do you want to be 100% ready for these fights or do you want to take a risk? We really don’t have to take a risk with Ben Whittaker’s greatness.

I can’t wait to see who Hearn chooses for Whittaker’s next fight in America. This should be fun. Who is he digging to make Ben look like 24k gold? I’m already predicting that Minnesotan David Morrell will not be elected.

“We saw the numbers on DAZN and on social media. They were huge,” Hearn said of Whittaker’s viewing figures for his Matchroom debut against Benjamin Gavazi. “So we have one of the biggest stars in British boxing. At the moment Ben Whittaker and Conor Benn are behind Joshua and Tyson Fury; they are the biggest stars by a mile.”

Last update: 12/06/2025

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Boxing

Eddie Hearn fights for Katie Taylor in Croke Park

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Image: Eddie Hearn pushing for Katie Taylor retirement fight at Croke Park

“I just want to fight in Dublin to finish my career. Of course we’re still hoping for Croke Park, holding on to a little bit of hope that it will happen,” Taylor told RTE.

“Fighting my last fight in our most iconic arena. How special would that be? I think it would be absolutely extraordinary if I was able to do it. I’m not sure if it will happen or not. Either way, I will end my career here and I’m very excited about that.”

Taylor has only fought twice in Ireland as a professional, both fights will take place in 2023 against Chantelle Cameron at the 3Arena in Dublin. Cameron won her first fight by majority decision, handing Taylor the only defeat of her career, before Taylor regained the undisputed junior welterweight championship six months later in a rematch.

The 38-year-old Irish star remains one of the greatest fighters in women’s boxing history. Taylor won Olympic gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics before turning professional and quickly winning world titles in two categories. In 2019, she became the undisputed lightweight champion and later repeated the feat at 140 pounds.

Much of Taylor’s recent profile has been built on her rivalry with Amanda Serrano. Their first fight at Madison Square Garden in 2022 was widely celebrated and helped augment the visibility of women’s boxing. Taylor later completed the trilogy by majority vote in July, increasing her record to 25-1 (6 KO).

The possibility of saying goodbye to the stadium became the subject of interest for its long-time promoter. Hearn admitted it would take significant work to turn the idea into reality, but he believes this moment will be historic for Irish sport.

“It’s a hell of a lot of work to make sure one of the greatest athletes of all time fulfills her biggest dream. And I have to deliver Croke Park. I have to,” Hearn said on The Ariel Helwani Show.

“If I don’t give it my all, if I don’t put in every effort to make it happen, I won’t do justice to Katie and I won’t do it to myself. Because it would be the biggest sporting event in Irish history.”

Hearn said talks with Croke Park officials had taken place previously and had resumed as Taylor’s career came to an end.

“There is more momentum this time,” he said.

No opponent has been determined for Taylor’s last fight. Hearn said the focus remains on determining whether the stadium plan can be secured before making any player selections.

“Obviously you want to have an opponent who is compelling, competitive and has a story behind it,” Hearn said. “Nothing has really been discussed or said about the opponent. We are really trying to ensure that discussions with Croke Park allow for that possibility before we pursue it further.”

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Gervonta Davis is close to returning to action, according to her opponent’s name

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Gervonta Davis close to securing comeback fight as opponent named

It looks like Gervonta Davis is one step away from confirming her return to the ring.

Davis last fought in March 2025, when he earned a majority draw with Lamont Roach to defend his WBA lightweight title.

It was a controversial result, with many feeling that Roach had done enough to get the nod, especially after a knockdown was not awarded in his favor after “Tank” voluntarily chose to take a knee in round nine.

The next 12 months left many in doubt as to whether Davis would return to play at all. A planned exhibition with Jake Paul in November has been canceled over the Baltimore man’s naming in a civil lawsuit over domestic allegations, the latest in a string of issues going beyond the ropes.

Another drama occurred after an arrest warrant was issued for “Tank”, citing similar accusations, which led to him being stripped of his WBA lightweight title.

Regardless, it looks like Davis is ready to make a comeback after this happened Reported by Mike Coppinger that he is in advanced talks about a fight with Isaac Cruz, the man whom “Tank” considered his number one target at the end of last year.

Davis has already secured a victory over Cruz, who last fought in December when he fought to a majority draw against former foe “Tank” Roach – a fighter he believes should be given a chance to face him again.

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Boxing

The fight between Luis Nery and John Riel Casimero will take place on April 18 in Kyrgyzstan

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Image: Luis Nery vs John Riel Casimero set for April 18 in Kyrgyzstan

Neither player holds a title and neither has been part of any real championship talk in recent seasons. Nery has already held the bantamweight and junior featherweight belts, although his recent appearances at featherweight have shown that the path up is confined. At 126 pounds, he looked undersized and unable to apply the same pressure that once carried him through lighter divisions, which makes a return to 122 pounds a more practical move.

Saikou x Lush Boxing will promote the event as part of a three-day boxing show in the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The gala will be held at the Gazprom Sports Convoluted, an extraordinary setting for two players who regularly appeared on larger international stages at the beginning of their careers.

Nery (37-2, 28 KO) will fight in Kyrgyzstan for the second time in a row after appearing there in October last year. The 31-year-old Mexican southpaw defeated Sathaporn Saart by technical decision in the eighth round after an accidental head collision put the fight on the scorecards.

The win was his second in a row since Naoya Inoue stopped him in the sixth round in May 2024. Nery made a comeback earlier in 2025, stopping Kyonosuke Kameda in the seventh round before extending his rebound stretch with a victory over Saart.

Casimero (35-5-1, 24 KOs), now 37, built his reputation by winning junior flyweight, flyweight and bantamweight titles early in his career. Activity has been confined and results inconsistent over the past few seasons, leading to him being 2-1-1 in his last four fights.

His last fight was in December, when he defeated Tom Mizokoshi in the fifth round in Japan. Two months earlier, he appeared at the same October gala in Kyrgyzstan, where Nery fought Saart and lost to Kameda by unanimous decision of ten rounds.

The April meeting brings together two former champions who once operated at the forefront of the sport’s lighter divisions. At this stage, it could be read as more of a veteran clash between recognizable names rather than a fight expected to impact the junior featherweight championship race.

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