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Andy Cruz supports Keyshawn Davis over Davis-Ortiz

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Image: Andy Cruz Backs Keyshawn Davis Before Davis-Ortiz Fight

Cruz focused on Davis’ skills, not his opponent.

“Keyshawn is a tremendous talent,” Cruz said Ring. “If he prepares well, he should win.”

Cruz remained professional and made it clear that he assessed Davis’ skills. He stopped offering anything beyond that.

Davis returns to the match against Ortiz after an almost year-long break, a period that thwarted his plans and delayed his return.

His scheduled title defense was canceled after he failed to gain weight. The evening ended with a locker room incident that further damaged his position and delayed his return.

These events continue to shape the way Davis is viewed around the league. His skills and athleticism are not the problem.

They concern control, discipline and whether the lessons learned from that period have translated into changes that can withstand the pressure.

Cruz is not suggesting that these concerns have disappeared. In earlier comments, he openly criticized Davis’ professionalism and conduct, pointing to them as areas that needed work. Although his tone has softened, the message remains intact. Talent has never been an issue.

Cruz’s history with Davis explains why he even addressed the Ortiz fight. Ortiz is not considered a secondary threat or gentle return. Cruz described him as a technically sound fighter who requires focus and structure on the other end.

Cruz also has a personal interest behind his comments. His multiple amateur victories over Davis have long been cited as evidence of the difference between the two. If Davis were to lose convincingly to Ortiz, especially in a one-sided fight, the conversation around those victories would change. They wouldn’t disappear, but they would be perceived differently.

For Cruz, who is building his professional identity as a lightweight, perception still has value. Davis remains his most recognizable rival and the clearest commercial adversary linked to his Olympic success. Rather than strengthening it, Davis’ defeat complicates that path.

Meanwhile, Cruz has his immediate assignment. In Las Vegas, he will face IBF champion Raymond Muratalla, who will directly influence the division’s hierarchy. This fight is at the center of his short-term plans, but Davis continues to intersect with his career, whether Cruz wants it to or not.

The professional match between Cruz and Davis has not been decided. Cruz admitted that Davis wanted it, while making it clear that a change in weight and time would be necessary. There is no rush in his comments, but there is no talk of slowing down either.

Davis’ return against Ortiz is his first appearance in almost a year. The night is watched closely for signs of change.

Cruz supports Davis solely on talent and leaves everything else to his performance on the night.

How Cruz’s comments are received will depend on how Davis fares against Ortiz. The talent is obvious, but fans are still waiting for him to fully show himself this evening.

Ortiz enters the fight as a known number, not an unknown test. He shared the ring with elite opponents, including Teofimo Lopez and Vasily Lomachenko, and gained a reputation as a fighter who didn’t panic under pressure. His style is compact, disciplined and structured to force exchange of opinions on his terms.

This profile makes him a useful opponent to gauge where Davis is after last year, especially in rounds where patience and decision-making matter more than speed and brilliance.

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Audley Harrison candid verdict on Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua: ‘He only has one way to win’

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Audley Harrison delivers honest verdict on Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua: “He only has one way to win”

Audley Harrison wondered how fellow Olympic gold medalist Anthony Joshua would fare against Tyson Fury later this year.

Both agreed to clash in the long-awaited heavyweight showdown, but only if “AJ” successfully completes his next fight against Kristian Prenga.

He hasn’t fought since knocking out Jake Paul in the sixth round in DecemberJoshua is now preparing for his clash with Prenga on July 25 in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

This is his first assignment since he lost two of his closest friends in a car accident in Nigeria, where he was also involved in the tragic incident.

Naturally, he spent the next few months recovering from his injuries, although Joshua now appears to be getting closer to a showdown with Fury.

Meanwhile, “The Gypsy King” has already finished his pre-fight, ending a 16-month break with Arslanbek Makhmudov, whom he outpointed by unanimous decision last month.

Shortly after the triumphant victory, Fury called out Joshua, who was sitting at ringside, refusing to take part in the fight.

But at the same time, Harrison did he told Sky Sports that he saw a fire in the 36-year-old’s eyes, dazzling enough to suggest he was ready for the task ahead.

“From a boxing point of view, it’s a sexy fight because style makes fight.

“[Joshua] he can’t win the fight by trying to box Fury – he has to go in there, break him down and try to eliminate him. This is the only way he can win this fight.

“You’re fighting a champion boxer who knows how to slip [and] slide. after [Makhmudov] fight…he [Joshua] he looked at Fury [with intent].

“When they get into that fight, he’s going to take the fire – everything he went through after his friends died.”

Despite getting back into the win column after back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, Fury clearly wants to enter his second warm-up fight.

Whether that happens remains to be seen, but he certainly wouldn’t be willing to risk a potential clash with Joshua.

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Mike Tyson Opens Up About Cus D’Amato and Cocaine on Theo Von Podcast

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Former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson appeared on comedian Theo Von’s podcast “This Past Weekend,” in which the 59-year-old former titleholder became visibly emotional while talking about his behind schedule mentor Cus D’Amato and offered unfiltered memories of his past struggles with cocaine addiction.

Tyson breaks down remembering Cus D’Amato

When asked by Von what period of his life he would most like to have documented on film, Tyson didn’t hesitate.

“That was when I first met my mentor Cus D’Amato,” Tyson said.

D’Amato, a coach from Catskill, Novel York, who previously coached Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres to world titles, adopted Tyson when he was 13 after meeting him at the Tryon School for Boys, a juvenile correctional facility in upstate Novel York. D’Amato became Tyson’s legal guardian after the death of Tyson’s mother in 1982, and trained him until D’Amato’s own death in November 1985, about a year before Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history.

“I started boxing, I started changing my life. Then I met him. That’s the part I want you to come back to,” Tyson said on the podcast.

When Von asked how Tyson knew D’Amato loved him, the former champion’s voice broke and he covered his face with his hand.

“I had someone I loved and he loved me,” Tyson said.

Tyson explained that D’Amato protected him from criticism during his amateur years, and Von noted that the juvenile Tyson would attack anyone who spoke negatively about him. Tyson, clearly moved by the memory, asked Von to change the subject.

“So why are you making me talk about this nonsense? Stop it,” Tyson said.

Stories about cocaine

Elsewhere, Tyson described episodes from his well-documented history of cocaine apply, which he has discussed publicly many times over the years, including in his 2013 autobiography, “Undisputed Truth.”

Tyson told Von that he once didn’t sleep for four consecutive days while filming, and the drug caused scabs and bleeding in his nose. He said the supplier instructed him to take more cocaine for pain relief.

“I took the punch and wow, I feel better. I never knew. I just took the punch and went numb. It wasn’t numb anymore. It started bleeding. I had to take another punch to numb it,” Tyson recalled.

Tyson also recalled going to his personal doctor to ask for assist in quitting smoking, but the doctor asked Tyson for some of the medicine. The former champion said he later checked himself into a rehabilitation facility and gave the remaining supplies to a staff member, who Tyson said kept the drugs for himself.

“I gave him coke, my last coke. I said, ‘Here, I’ve got some coke.’ “The motherfucker took my Coke,” Tyson said.

Tyson’s recent activity

Tyson last fought professionally on November 15, 2024, losing a unanimous decision to Jake Paul over eight two-minute rounds at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. They said the event, which was streamed live on Netflix, attracted 108 million live viewers worldwide data published by the streaming platform.

Tyson’s professional record is 50-7 with 44 knockouts. In the years 1986-1990 he was the WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight champion.

Theo Von’s full episode is available on the comedian’s This Past Weekend podcast.

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Richard Torrez Jr. preparing for “two good knees”

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Image: Richard Torrez Jr. Preparing For “Two Great Knees” Against Frank Sanchez

Torrez said that he does not expect a weakened opponent when they meet at the Glory in Giza gala, headlined by Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven.

“Yeah, I think it’s definitely in the back of my mind,” Torrez Jr. said. Mr. Verzace in Ring Magazine when asked about Sanchez’s knee problems. “But I’m going out there preparing for the best, Frank. I’m going out there preparing for Frank, who has two great knees. That’s the Frank I hope to expect because I want to fight the best. I don’t want to fight someone who’s 60% fit.”

“I think his team, doing their due diligence, wouldn’t let him get in the ring with me when he’s at 60% power, and that’s why they postponed the last fight. So I’m 100% ready for Frank Sanchez.”

Torrez also provided a technical breakdown of Sanchez’s style and said that pressure could be the key to breaking him over time.

“I think Frank, being of Cuban descent, has that Cuban style. He can kick his ass when he needs to,” Torrez Jr. said. about Sanchez. “I think he has a very robust backhand. I think he knows how to put you to sleep in the moment where he can hit the shot he wants.”

“But I think he lacks pace. If you’re able to take control of it and put pressure on him and impose your will on him, I think that’s where things start to basically break down in the game plan. I think we saw that with Kabayel.”

The 2024 Olympic silver medalist also revealed that his professional career almost never happened at all. Torrez admitted he believes he would have retired from boxing had he won gold instead of silver in Paris.

“If I won gold, I would retire. I wouldn’t box anymore. That would be it. I would feel like I achieved what I needed to achieve,” Torrez Jr. said.

“I feel that winning silver has given me the drive and determination to prove something not only to myself but to everyone who has sacrificed for me.”

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