Shakur Stevenson maintained his predictions for the Errol Spence Jr vs. Tim Tszyu fight, believing that one fighter would be too “mentally tough” for the other.

The meeting of the two former world champions will take place on July 25 in Australia at weight of 158 pounds to accommodate Spence’s inactivity.

Even though Tszyu insisted on fighting at super welterweight, his opponent clearly felt the extra 4 pounds would be appropriate after his three-year layoff.

This long break came after Spence suffered a ninth-round stoppage loss to Terence Crawford, who became the undisputed king of the 147-pound division in surprisingly one-sided fashion.

Spence previously held the WBC, IBF and WBA titles with victories over Shawn Porter, Kell Brook and Yordenis Ugas, although a weight augment always seemed inevitable.

Now the 36-year-old hopes to revive his career against Tszyu, who is coming off a two-point win after losing to Sebastian Fundora last July.

While their rematch ended in the seventh round, Tszyu showed tremendous strength against Fundora in 2024, only to lose the WBO title via split decision.

Later that year, the Australian suffered a third-round defeat to Bakhram Murtazaliev, with four-division world champion Stevenson saying: The whole fight against smoke that he thinks Spence is a level above him.

“I think so [Spence] I will do well. I wish Errol all the best; I hope Errol goes in there and beats Tim Tszyu.

“I’m an Errol Spence fan; I was okay with Errol Spence before [Crawford] fight. I know Errol is mentally forceful – Errol is a dog when it comes to fighting, so I don’t think Tim Tszyu can beat him.

Stevenson previously suggested that Spence could “destroy” Tszyu, believing the 31-year-old’s style was tailor-made for “The Truth.”

Shawn Porter believes David Benavidez’s toughest assignment could come between the cruiserweight and lithe heavyweight divisions, against a former world champion with tremendous power.

Although the “Mexican Monster” has hinted at a possible move to heavyweight, it is more likely that he will stay at 200 pounds or drop back to 175 pounds for his next fight.

His last meeting with Gilberto Ramirez ended in a sixth-round stoppage, which made him a three-division world champion last month, winning the WBO and WBA titles.

Benavidez has since been named the mandatory challenger for the WBC title, putting him in line for a potential unification fight with cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian.

At the same time, the 29-year-old expressed interest in fighting Jai Opetaia, considered the No. 1 fighter in the cruiserweight division, while considering a return to lithe heavyweight, where he still holds the WBC title.

It would only be a desire to fight Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev, who could alternatively join the rubber match for Bivol’s IBF, WBO and WBA titles.

Beterbiev hasn’t fought since their rematch, that is Bivol won by majority decision in February 2025 and is certainly nearing the end of his career.

Former world champion Porter, however, went on to say his YouTube channel that he thinks the 41-year-old knockout could still cause problems for Benavidez.

“In the case of Beterbiev, there is this power. [Even now]it’s still a machine. Of all these players, I trust Beterbiev’s power to test Benavidez more than anything else.

“Bivol has amazing skills. For me, Opetaia [is] he is not experienced enough.”

Most believe that Bivol and Opetaia pose a greater threat to Benavidez’s unbeaten record, given that Beterbiev has a history of injuries and is perhaps even more out of shape.

Oleksandr Usyk’s performance against Rico Verhoeven continues to divide opinion, but John Fury believes the Ukrainian deserves much more recognition than he received after their heavyweight clash.

Usyk defended his WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles following an 11th-round victory over Verhoeven last month, although the result sparked debate after the Dutchman enjoyed considerable success throughout the competition.

Verhoeven had a slight advantage on one judge’s scorecard after 10 rounds, while the other two judges fought even at 95-95. Usyk eventually turned the tide with a right uppercut that knocked down the former kickboxing champion before referee Mark Lyson waved off the fight once the round had already ended.

Despite the criticism directed at Usyk’s performance, John Fury emphasized that the three-time undisputed champion should not be judged too harshly.

“No, you know, because ultimately he created problems. He’s a 6-foot-6 athlete, he trains like a demon, he’s as robust as a bull, and he plays like a badger. He’s going to cause problems. World kickboxing champion. I don’t know who said he doesn’t have a chance,” John told Secondsout about Usyk’s fight with the much larger Verhoeven.

Fury also pointed to a size disadvantage that Usyk has consistently overcome since moving up from cruiserweight.

“You have to give Usyk credit because he’s just a cruiserweight that’s blowing up, you know, and he’s won heavyweight titles, right? But you know what? He just seems to have done his job, right? And he’s done his job. So fair game to Usyk.”

However, Fury remained critical of the controversial ending, arguing that Verhoeven’s corner should have been used to determine whether their fighter was able to continue in the final round.

Verhoeven has since called for a rematch, although Usyk’s immediate future remains uncertain. The undefeated champion has been ordered by the WBC to make a mandatory defense against Agit Kabayel, and failure to do so could jeopardize his title reign.

Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist covering this sport since 2014, providing reports from the ring and technical analyzes of the most critical fights. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments and the details that shape high-level competition.

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Last update: 2026/06/12 at 13:57