“To be candid, it looks like they’re planning for me and Espinoza to meet at the end,” Carrington said. Ring. “That’s what it looks like, it’s a massive crescendo, me and him having a dream fight. I think that’s what they’re trying to set up, so I’m not mad about it at all.”

From a business perspective, the strategy makes sense. Carrington holds the WBC featherweight title and represents one of Top Rank’s biggest American hopes. Espinoza holds the WBO belt and has become one of the most captivating champions in this division.

The problem is that Espinoza has already ruined a similar plan once.

Before meeting Espinoza, Robeisy Ramirez seemed destined for stardom. The two-time Olympic gold medalist won the WBO featherweight title and seemed poised to become one of Top Rank’s attractions. Instead, Espinoza defeated Ramirez twice in grueling fights. The rematch ended with Ramirez’s injury, which excluded him from the ring for over a year, and the Cuban is no longer a member of Top Rank.

Carrington (17-0 (10 KO)) is also showing signs of vulnerability.

The 29-year-old Brooklyn native was blindsided by Carlos Castro before scoring a ninth-inning stoppage goal in January. Early in his career, Carrington avoided fighting with a 10-round majority decision over Sulaiman Segawa in a fight that many observers considered much closer than expected.

Carrington, 29, is not a newborn prospect with years to develop. If Top Rank believes he can beat Espinoza, there is an argument that the time to take the fight will come sooner rather than later.

Espinoza (28-0 (24 KO)) presents problems Carrington hasn’t encountered. The 6-foot-1 Mexican champion combines unrelenting pressure, high impact power and proven durability. These traits helped him beat Ramirez twice and change the featherweight landscape.

Carrington is scheduled to make an optional defense against undefeated Rene Palacios on July 4 in Cleveland. Espinoza currently has no fight scheduled.

If both continue to win, the matchup that Carrington described as a “dream fight” could ultimately become one of the biggest fights in the division. However, Top Rank has already seen how threatening Espinoza can be to carefully laid plans.

Oleksandr Usyk had to work tough for his victory over Rico Verhoeven last month, coming very close to a shocking and depressing defeat. Now heavyweight rival Tyson Fury has shared his assessment of Usyk’s performance in the match with the Dutch kickboxer.

When Usyk signed a contract to defend his world heavyweight title against Verhoeven, most of boxing was frustrated by the news, believing it would be an effortless night for the Ukrainian.

But ahead of the evening’s fight, those who had dismissed Verhoeven’s chances were shocked when the 1-0 challenger gave Usyk his “toughest fight yet” until a controversial 11th-round stoppage saved the champion’s face.

I’m talking to iFL TelevisionFury believes Usyk “probably lost every round” of the competition, while explaining why he believes the Ukrainian’s reasons for avoiding a clash with Moses Itauma are false.

“Bulls**t. Oleksandr is approaching 40, just got pushed all the way and probably lost every round against a kickboxer. So I don’t think he wants to fight a 21-year-old drill kid for no gain.”

“He won’t make a lot of money because Moses isn’t that popular or popular right now. He’s rising, he’s a rising star, but he’s not at the top right now, so [Usyk] you won’t gain anything from it.

“Everything to lose and nothing to gain. If he beats Moses, he’s beaten the adolescent kid coming, and if he loses to Moses, he’s lost to a 21-year-old, so it doesn’t make much sense [for Usyk to fight him]”

Usyk is expected to face German Agit Kabayel nextwhere a similar performance could translate into ending his unbeaten streak.

Trainer Robert Garcia believes the ongoing debate over Tyson Fury potentially teaming up with Dana White is overblown and insists boxing fans only care about one thing: getting the biggest fights.

Fury addressed the increasing conversations about his future at the UFC White House gala, where he hinted that a major announcement regarding Dana White may be on the horizon. The heavyweight star has been heavily linked to White’s burgeoning boxing business, even though his long-talked-about clash with Anthony Joshua remains unresolved.

Asked by Chris Algieri whether Fury’s promotional situation could complicate the long-awaited fight with Joshua, Garcia dismissed the idea.

“The fans don’t care. The fans don’t care. As long as the fight happens, I don’t care,” Garcia told Probox TV. “Anthony Joshua has obviously been very, very devoted and has worked very well with Eddie and Matchroom, and that’s perfect. I love that with fighters as well. But Tyson Fury, if he says Turki Alalshikh is his promoter, that fight can still happen.”

Garcia pointed out that the various parties involved in boxing’s biggest events had cooperated before, making the promotional disputes less significant than some had suggested.

“It’s not like they never worked together. They continue to work together. So it’s a fight that has nothing to do with the promoters. It’s not like the promoters are going to prevent the fight or anything like that. The promoters can make it happen. Turki can do it.”

The Mexican coach’s biggest fear was that Fury and Joshua would continue to fight on an interim basis rather than eventually meet in the ring.

Garcia said earlier in the discussion that neither heavyweight side needs another exhilarating fight and warned that the longer they wait, the greater the risk that injuries, losses or age will diminish the appeal of one of boxing’s most anticipated fights.

For Robert, the possible involvement of Dana White is secondary. If a Fury-Joshua delivery is still possible, boxing fans are unlikely to care whose logo appears in promotional materials.

Tomek Galm is a boxing journalist covering the global fight landscape since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, industry trends and fighter psychology.

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Last update: 16/06/2026 at 1:54