Boxing
Josh Kelly and Bakhram Murtazaliev make weight ahead of their IBF world title clash
Published
1 month agoon
Weight was another point of certainty. Kelly described the split as familiar territory, not compromise. “I feel great at this weight… I feel at home and I feel so good. I’m ready to go now.”
The emotional core of his comments came last, rooted in his past and ambition. “I’m a council estate kid living my dream,” Kelly said before making her unconditional prediction. “I have no doubt that I will walk away with this belt tomorrow. 100 percent.”
Bakhram Murtazaliev explains why the fight with Jaron Ennis did not happen
IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev is fed up with being a fighter who is only mentioned when the cameras are already off.
Ahead of his title defense against Josh Kelly on Saturday in Newcastle, Murtazaliev addressed why the fight with Jaron “Boots” Ennis never got beyond the discussion. In an interview with Gigantic Fight Weekend, the Russian champion said that the problem is not a lack of willingness, but the conditions that come to lithe before negotiations can begin.
“When they talk to the media, they say they want to fight the best,” Murtazaliev said. “When it comes to business, they are overcommitting amounts that are unattainable.”
The situation reflects a familiar pattern in the junior middleweight category. Interest is expressed publicly, but private talks are not moving forward. No fight is formally rejected, but negotiations have stalled before reaching a viable stage.
For Murtazaliev, after this cycle he defended his world title without a clear path to the most significant fights in the division. He enters Saturday’s fight as the IBF champion after stopping Tim Tszyu, but apart from Kelly’s defense, he has no confirmed opponent waiting for him.
Murtazaliev emphasized that his comments were not directed at Ennis personally, but at how major fights are often discussed. If Ennis fights for titles at 154 pounds, the IBF belt is already on the line. Murtazaliev said he was ready to move beyond protracted negotiations and move on to concrete negotiations.
Saturday’s fight remains in focus. Before any future discussions can move forward, Murtazaliev must first speak with Kelly. However, speaking out, the IBF champion clarified his position. The junior middleweight division is in order, but nothing is really happening.
Because Vergil Ortiz Jr.’s lawsuit vs. Golden Boy still hanging over things, and with Jaron Ennis talks going nowhere, champions like Murtazaliev are stuck waiting. After the biggest victory of his career, he made it clear that he had no interest in standing on the sidelines while other fights were postponed on paper.
He doesn’t ask to be mentioned after the fights. He asks for the conversation to finally start.
Weighing results
Playback order – Live on DAZN
Brad Casey 199.3 lbs / 90.40 kg vs Lee Roberts 196.3 lbs / 89.04 kg
Lee Rogers 121.3 lbs / 55.02 kg vs Erick Omar Lopez 121.2 lbs / 54.98 kg
Kiaran Macdonald 117.7 lbs / 53.39 kg vs Marius Vysniauskas 116.95 lbs / 53.05 kg
Josh Blenkiron 134.8 lbs / 61.14 kg vs Robbie Colman 134.7 lbs / 61.10 kg
Leo Atang 236 lbs / 107.05 kg vs Amine Boucetta 241.25 lbs / 109.43 kg
Elif Nur Turhan 134.55 lbs / 61.03 kg vs Taylah Gentzen 134.15 lbs / 60.85 kg
Josh Padley 129.7 lbs / 58.83 kg vs Jaouad Belmehdi 128.5 lbs / 58.29 kg
Bakhram Murtazaliev 152.2 lbs / 69.04 kg vs Josh Kelly 153.65 lbs / 69.69 kg
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Canelo Alvarez talked about how long he could stay in the sport before hanging up his gloves and opting for a decorated career.
The 35-year-old is already destined for a place in the Hall of Fame, as he became a four-division world champion, but he still wants to compete at the highest level.
Since his professional debut in 2005, the Mexican has made 68 appearances and has twice become the undisputed king of the 168-pound division, scoring notable victories over the likes of Callum Smith and Caleb Plant.
However, his most critical victory came in the middleweight division, where Alvarez made a very controversial decision by majority vote in a rematch with Gennady Golovkin in 2018.
More controversial was their first meeting a year earlier, when many felt Golovkin had done enough to claim a convincing victory and the Kazakhstan ended in a draw.
Still, Canelo received plenty of credit for his follow-up triumph before dethroning Sergei Kovalev to capture the WBO featherlight heavyweight title over a year later.
Alvarez’s second undisputed super middleweight reign came to an end last September when Terence Crawford moved up two weight classes and won a unanimous decision.
But Canelo explained anyway Froch About the fight that he can still compete for another two years, maybe even longer, depending on how often his opportunities come along.
“I don’t know. I think maybe two years. I don’t need it, [but] I still enjoy it. If I [fight] maybe once a year [I can go on] a little bit [longer].
“Once a year to rest my body, I think I can fight more [than two years]”
Although an official announcement has not yet been made, Canelo is scheduled to fight in Riyad, Saudi Arabia this September, and Turki Alalshikh has promised to fight for the world title.
Boxing
The Inoue-Nakatani title fight will take place on May 2 at the Tokyo Dome
Published
4 hours agoon
March 7, 2026
Boxing’s worst kept secret has now been confirmed – Naoya Inoue (32-0, 27 KO) and Junto Nakatani (32-0, 24 KO) will meet on May 2 at the Tokyo Dome for Inoue’s undisputed junior featherweight championship.
The all-Japan clash was formally announced at a press conference in Japan. The fight will be broadcast live on Lemino pay-per-view; US distribution rights have not yet been announced.
Inoue – ESPN’s No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer – is coming off an impressive 2025 in which he competed four times, defeating Kim Ye-Joon, Ramon Cardenas, Murodjon Akhmadaliev and David Picasso. Thanks to Inoue’s unanimous decision victory over Picasso in December, Nakatani defeated Sebastian Hernandez in the second fight of the night in a tougher-than-expected fight. Their victories set up a long-awaited clash between two of Japan’s best players.
Nakatani is ranked No. 6 pound-for-pound by ESPN and will look to become a four-division champion after winning world titles at bantamweight, junior bantamweight and flyweight. Although Nakatani narrowly won his junior featherweight debut in a grueling fight against Hernandez, Nakatani proved he was one of the best fighters in the world and had a powerful showing in 2025, winning 3-0.
The Undercard will feature Inoue’s younger brother Takuma defending his WBC bantamweight title against former four-division titleholder Kazuto Ioka.
Boxing
Dan Rafael says IBF president opposed Jai Opetaia Presser
Published
6 hours agoon
March 7, 2026
Jai Opetai’s fight against Brandon Glanton is still moving forward, but veteran reporter Dan Rafael says the issue that caused the IBF title to be removed from the fight had to do with how the belt was presented during fight week. Rafael reported that IBF president Daryl Peoples believes that the organization’s title was shown as secondary to Zuffa’s belt during a recent press conference.
This explanation makes the argument about the presentation rather than the match itself. Rafael wrote that Peoples objected to the way the belts were arranged at the press, with Zuffa’s belt posed for the cameras while Opetaia held the IBF title rather than raising it in the usual manner towards the audience.
“The IBF withdrew sanctions and sent the overseer home after the journalist because IBF President Daryl Peoples felt disrespected by the belt being placed secondary to Zuffa’s,” Rafael wrote on social media.
Fight week photos reflect the arrangement Rafael described. At the final press conference on Friday, Zuffa’s belt was centered and Opetaia held the red IBF title at his side. Saturday’s weigh-in had a similar effect. Zuffa’s belt was raised over the fighters on the restart, while Opetaia continued to hold the IBF Championship on his chest. This sequence appears to have irritated the sanctioning authority.
Rafael also reported another unusual detail related to the fight. Even after the IBF dropped its sanctions, Opetai and Glanton were still expected to adhere to IBF weight rules ahead of the morning fight. Rafael said that no competitor can weigh more than ten pounds over the cruiserweight weight limit of 200.
Rafael later noticed that the IBF belt continued to appear in promotion for the event. Opetaia held the title at media events and discussed it publicly, and graphics broadcast by Zuffa covered the championship. Rafael’s account points to the dispute that raged over Zuffa’s title belt relationship during press events.
Opetaia entered fight week as the IBF cruiserweight champion after regaining the belt in a rematch victory over Mairis Briedis in 2024. The Australian continues to wear the physical belt while promoting his fight against Glanton. Once he steps into the ring and takes part in an unsanctioned fight, the IBF Championship will no longer move forward with him.
The fight remains scheduled, and reports from Rafael indicate that the split was due to belt politics and presentations at public events. The episode shows how rigorously sanctioning bodies guard the status of their championships as modern promoters introduce competitive titles.
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Last update: 2026/03/07 at 15:51
Canelo Alvarez discusses his retirement plan
The Inoue-Nakatani title fight will take place on May 2 at the Tokyo Dome
Dan Rafael says IBF president opposed Jai Opetaia Presser
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