Boxing
This weekend’s fight rankings: From Lopez-Shakur to Zayas-Baraou
Teofimo Lopez Jr.’s must-see fight. with Shakur Stevenson is not the only fight this Saturday that you should know about. There are many great fights taking place on five boxing cards around the world.
Lopez’s junior welterweight title defense against Stevenson is the best fight of the weekend. A fight between two of the world’s top pound-for-pound boxers settles a fierce rivalry. We also have two junior middleweight title fights ahead of us and the welcome return to the ring of Dina Thorslund, one of the best in women’s boxing, who survived a hard 2025 in which she had a miscarriage.
ESPN picks eight of the best contests on fight cards from Newcastle, England to Modern York.
1. Teofimo Lopez Jr. (+250) vs. Shakur Stevenson (-330) | Modern York
Lopez has produced some of his best performances when facing top-class opponents such as Vasily Lomachenko in 2020 and Josh Taylor in 2023. He will need to find that inspiration again when he faces Stevenson. However, Lopez also had off nights, like during his split decision loss to George Kambosos Jr. in 2021 and decision victories over Jamain Ortiz and Steve Claggett in 2024.
Which Lopez shows up on Saturday to defend his WBO junior welterweight title will determine the outcome of the fight. He has a size advantage (Stevenson is moving up from lightweight) and has adapted to his opponents’ style mid-fight to secure victories.
Stevenson (24-0, 11 KO) is a talented, defensive striker. He can secure a decision victory if he delivers a disciplined performance and avoids getting drawn into direct exchanges. Lopez likely would have won if the fight had turned into a brawl at Madison Square Garden.
Lopez (22-1, 13 KO) called Stevenson a “Roadrunner,” but if Stevenson finds range early on with a reliable jab, his footwork and distance control could leave the champion frustrated. Lopez struggled with counterattacks, falling in the second round against Sandor Martin and ultimately winning a decision in 2021.
Stevenson shined last July in his lightweight title defense against William Zepeda, but he will need to deliver the best performance of his career to date to defeat Lopez and become a four-division world champion.
Few fights this year will be as substantial as this one.
2. Keyshawn Davis (-600) vs. Jamaine Ortiz (+400) | Modern York
1:12
Keyshawn Davis wins WBO lightweight title via 4th round TKO
Keyshawn Davis wins via fourth-round TKO to become the recent WBO 135-pound lightweight champion.
Davis has shown a ruthless streak in his last fights, destroying Denys Berinchyk in four rounds to win the WBO lightweight title almost a year ago. But can he do the same at 140 pounds?
Davis (13-0, 9 KO) moves up to junior welterweight to face Ortiz after missing weight in June, which resulted in the cancellation of his planned lightweight title defense against Edwin De Los Santos. After this devastating disappointment, Davis must make a statement about the possibility of lucrative fights in his recent division.
Ortiz (20-2-1, 10 KO) has competed against elite opponents such as Lomachenko in 2022 and Lopez in 2024, both of which he lost by decision, and has the potential to compete with Davis’ speed. Ortiz has won his two fights in 2025, and his versatility could make him an upset. Much like the Lopez-Stevenson main event, it’s difficult to pick a winner with any certainty.
3. Bakhram Murtazaliev (-350) vs. Josh Kelly (+260) | Newcastle, England
Kelly will benefit from the fiery support of his home crowd in Newcastle, England, when he faces Murtazaliev for the IBF junior middleweight title, but he must keep his emotions in check against the Russian power puncher. Kelly can box smartly and that’s what he’ll need to do to avoid the same fate as Tim Tszyu and Jack Culcay, both of whom were knocked out by Murtazaliev in 2024.
We haven’t seen much of either of them lately. Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KO) didn’t fight last year, and Kelly spent only two minutes in the ring in June’s first-round KO defeat of Flavius Biea.
Kelly (17-1-1, 9 KO) was stopped the last time he faced someone as hazardous as Murtazaliev, a sixth-round TKO loss to welterweight David Avanesyan in 2021. Kelly has improved since then, but he needs to be in great shape to get through to a decision and win. Many will watch this match expecting a knockout of Murtazaliev, but don’t be surprised if Kelly brings an unexpected twist.
4. Carlos Adames (-425) vs. Austin Williams (+300) | Modern York
After drawing with knockout specialist Hamzah Sheeraz in February, Adames needs to be more convincing in his second defense of the WBC middleweight world title. Adames (24-1-1, 18 KO) took some time to get going with Sheeraz, but he was braver and busier in the second half of the fight. However, his powerful finish wasn’t enough to secure the victory as the judges scored it 115-114 for Sheeraz, 118-110 for Adames and 114-114.
Sheeraz stopped Williams (19-1, 13 KO) in the 11th round in June 2024, but Williams has since recorded three victories. If the southpaw is successful in counter-attacking Adames, it could be a close fight.
5. Xander Zayas (-400) vs. Abass Baraou (+295) | San Juan, Puerto Rico
1:12
22-year-old Xander Zayas now becomes the youngest world champion
Xander Zayas, at 22, becomes the youngest current world champion after being announced as the winner.
While Zayas knows Baraou’s former sparring partner well, this is still a step up in competition compared to his last fight. In the unification fight, Zayas, the WBO junior middleweight champion, will face Baraou, the WBA champion.
Zayas dominated Jorge Garcia in July, winning a unanimous decision to capture his first world title at just 22 years ancient. Zayas (22-0, 13 KO) showed great footwork and counterattacks, scoring 116-112, 118-110 and 119-109.
Zayas’ punching was crucial to establishing power, and he showed maturity beyond his years by choosing to box and securing a comfortable victory. It’s a strategy that could serve him well against Baraou (17-1, 9 KO), who likes to march forward.
6. Adam Azim (-1000) vs. Gustavo Daniel Lemos (+600) | London
There has been much talk about Azim potentially fighting English rival Dalton Smith, who won the WBC junior welterweight title earlier this month. Smith will next have to defend his belt against Alberto Puello, but Azim will still be looking to create something special after Smith’s upset win over Subriel Matias in January.
Azim (14-0, 11 KO) was recognized when he patiently demolished Kurt Scoby in November, earning a TKO victory in the 12th round. A victory over Lemos (30-2, 20 KO), which was expected to come sooner than his last fight, would make Azim a powerful contender for a shot at the IBF title held by Richardson Hitchins.
7. Bruce Carrington (-900) vs. Carlos Castro (+550) | Modern York
Brooklyn’s “Shu Shu” Carrington will try to justify the hype around his career as he tries to win his first world title in front of a home crowd at Madison Square Garden against the experienced Castro.
Carrington (16-0, 9 KO) is the scorching favorite to win the vacant WBC featherweight belt, but it’s still worth keeping an eye out for a fighter destined to break into the top 10 pound-for-pound rankings over the next few years.
Castro (30-3, 14 KO) lost a split decision to Stephen Fulton in September 2024 and has not boxed since. This inaction won’t do Castro any favors, and considering he’s been beaten every time he’s faced a quality opponent – against Fulton, Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa – this fight could be a tough matchup for the former title challenger.
8. Dina Thorslund vs. Almudena Alvarez | Kolding, Denmark
Thorslund (23-0, 9 KO) did not appear once in 2025, after she withdrew from the title unification fight due to pregnancy and renounced the WBC and WBO bantamweight belts. The former two-division world champion will face replacement opponent Alvarez (7-3, 2 KO) for the interim WBC featherweight title. Thorslund is expected to be a comfortable winner in his first fight since October 2024.
“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.”
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.
Eddie Hearn fights for Katie Taylor in Croke Park
‘Agit Kabayel CAN BEAT USYK!’ – Ben Whittaker SPARRING PARTNER Alex Okafor REVEALS SPARS
Errol Spence SIZES UP Conor Benn after He Asks Him “Are You Coming Back?”
-
Opinions & Features1 year agoPacquiao vs marquez competition: History of violence
-
MMA1 year agoDmitry Menshikov statement in the February fight
-
Results1 year agoStephen Fulton Jr. becomes world champion in two weight by means of a decision
-
Results1 year agoKeyshawn Davis Ko’s Berinchyk, when Xander Zayas moves to 21-0
-
Video1 year agoFrank Warren on Derek Chisora vs Otto Wallin – ‘I THOUGHT OTTO WOULD GIVE DEREK PROBLEMS!’
-
Analysis11 months agoRobert Garcia discusses the debate on the greatest Mexican warrior in history
-
Video1 year ago‘DEREK CHISORA RETIRE TONIGHT!’ – Anthony Yarde PLEADS for retirement after WALLIN
-
Results1 year agoLive: Catterall vs Barboza results and results card