For the last few years of his professional career, Terence Crawford was linked to a matchup with Jaron Ennis. Now, “Bud” has shared his thoughts on the upcoming “Boots” unified title bout against Xander Zayas.
Although Zayas is already beloved in his home country, he could achieve global stardom in the sport if he can overcome his upset and hand Ennis the first defeat of his career.
Meanwhile, for Ennis, the fight represents a chance to become a two-division unified champion – holding the WBA and IBF welterweight titles – and gain leverage in negotiations for a coveted clash with Vergil Ortiz Jr or further unification fights with the other two champions, Josh Kelly and Sebastian Fundora.
I’m talking to Jai McAllisterCrawford looked to the future and showed respect for Zayas for accepting such a challenging challenge so early in his career, but the 38-year-old ultimately sided with ‘Boots’, believing his experience would prove decisive.
“Man, it’s a tough fight, especially for Xander at this point in his career, but it shows his heart and self-belief. He’s ready to make history for his country and he’ll do really well in this fight.”
“I just think it’s a little too early for him at the moment.”
On Saturday, June 27 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the Zayas-Ennis fight will become one of the most anticipated fights of the summer.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. may lose his ability to travel abroad after the IRS decided to revoke his U.S. passport due to a $7.25 million tax debt. The move puts his planned June exhibition in Greece at risk and disrupts the rest of his overseas schedule.
The development of the situation was first reported by Mike Coppinger, citing documents reviewed by The Ring. The debt relates to unpaid federal taxes for 2018 and 2023, and the lien was filed in Las Vegas in March 2026.
The passport restriction poses an immediate problem with Mayweather’s scheduled June 27 fight against Mike Zambidis in Greece, as well as discussions about a potential September fight with Mike Tyson.
This development also comes as separate talks are ongoing about a possible rematch with Manny Pacquiao, adding further uncertainty to Mayweather’s exhibition schedule.
This isn’t the first time Mayweather has faced grave tax issues, as he has already dealt with high-value IRS liens during his career. The current notice, however, directly impacts his ability to leave the United States, making it a more immediate obstacle than previous financial disputes.
If the passport drive continues, Mayweather’s upcoming exhibitions may need to be postponed, moved or canceled altogether.
This is a uncommon case where business outside the ring could interrupt a show before it even started.
Mayweather is no stranger to the IRS. He famously pledged $22 million after the 2015 fight with Pacquiao and issued a $7.2 million bond in 2010. However, these were mainly debt collection disputes. This current move against his travel privileges creates a ‘red alert’ scenario.
If his legal team fails to quickly secure a stay or a formal payment plan, we could see a shift where Money will be forced to keep its exhibitions solely within U.S. borders. For a player who has recently enjoyed tax-free, high-guarantee environments in Dubai and Japan, this is a significant blow to the bottom line.
Floyd Mayweather Sr. had only one name in mind when asked who he thought was the greatest boxer in boxing history.
Mayweather Sr., after more than 50 years in the sport, is well-equipped to answer this question. He made his professional debut in 1974 and took part in 35 competitions, including a fight with the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard.
Mayweather Sr. is perhaps best known for his training career, as he trained his son Floyd Jr to numerous world titles and also spent stints in the corner for the likes of Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.
In recent years, Mayweather Sr. has shared his thoughts on a wide range of topics from the world of boxing, as well in the restored cliprevealed that he thinks Earnie Shavers is the hardest hitter in the history of the sport.
“Earnie shavers! [Asked, not Mike Tyson?] Earnie Shavers!”
This is a view shared by many other fighters, and it’s effortless to see why – 70 of Shavers’ 76 claimed wins have been by knockout, 23 of them in the first round.
Although he unsuccessfully challenged for the world heavyweight title twice, he demonstrated his immense strength in both of those fights, knocking down Muhammad Ali in the second round of their 1977 fight and defeating Larry Holmes in the seventh round of their 1979 battle.
Shavers sadly passed away in September 2022 at the age of 78 after a low illness, but it is clear that boxing fans will forever remember him as one of the most powerful men to ever grace the sport.
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are expected to fight later this year, but the date remains uncertain even though both camps claim to have reached an agreement. The fight depends on whether Joshua makes it to his fight, which will take place on July 25 in Riyad against Kristian Prenga.
Fury returned earlier this month with a decision victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov, his first victory since 2023, and immediately called for Joshua, who was watching from ringside. From that moment on, the desire to fight intensified again.
Joshua is still scheduled to return to action in July after a break following a fatal car crash in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends. He confirmed that he will continue his career and that his next target will be Fury, provided he manages to get a summer fight.
This first step is now ready. Joshua will face Kristian Prenga on July 25 in Riyad, with both sides claiming a deal with Fury will be concluded later. Eddie Hearn has identified November as his target.
“We’ll be back in July against Kristian Prengi and then, if all goes well, we’ll fight Tyson Fury in November. Everything has been signed on our end and ready to go. Fury said he’s signed the contract too, so there’s no point in denying it, in the end we’re going to fight without a doubt the biggest fight in the history of British boxing,” Hearn told Punch Podcast.
For Fury’s side, Frank Warren provided another window on when the fight would happen.
“It’s signed. Tyson signed up for it a few months ago and we were waiting for AJ and he already did it. So the fight will continue and it looks like it will take place sometime in October,” Warren said on talkSport Boxing.
The difference between October and November is compact on paper, but it usually means that the details are not yet fully settled. Fury’s dates, location and schedule still need to be finalized before anything can truly be wrapped up.
The fight goes on under a certain condition. Joshua has to get through July first. Until that happens, everything else is still being discussed.
Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist covering this sport since 2014, providing reports from the ring and technical analyzes of the most essential fights. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments and the details that shape high-level competition.
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