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Bakhram Murtazaliev-Tim Tszyu Ready for October 19 in Orlando

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Tim Tszyu has been tasked with launching the next Premier Boxing Champions series.

The Ring has learned that Tszyu and IBF 154-pound champion Bakhram Murtazaliev are on track to meet Oct. 19 in Orlando, Florida. Considerable progress has been made since talks were ordered to begin earlier this month. An agreement has yet to be reached, though two sources with knowledge of the talks have confirmed the tentative date and location.

The first to report the event was Alan Dawson of World Boxing News.

While there’s still work to be done, Murtazaliev-Tszyu will headline PBC’s first standalone event on Prime Video. The series has been exclusively pay-per-view since it launched on March 30. Tszyu (24-1, 17 knockouts) headlined the inaugural event, albeit in a losing effort. The second-generation boxer lost a 12-round decision to Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

With that setback, Tszyu’s WBO reign was over, and the Ring’s No. 4-ranked junior middleweight was poised to go through the final elimination round to earn another title shot.

A September 22 date was set for his native Australia, with plans to host PBC on Prime Video. Erickson Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) was the original choice for the fight, which was to be an IBF title eliminator. Lubin, No. 5 at 154, withdrew from the unannounced event due to an injury that did not heal in time to compete.

There were rumors that Jesus Ramos (21-1, 17 KOs), No. 7 at 154, would get the Tszyu fight. Whatever happened behind the scenes didn’t happen quick enough for the IBF to remain idle.

Meanwhile, Murtazaliev (22-0, 16 KOs) has a chance to defend his title for the first time in the prestigious group. He is again appearing on the PBC series — this time in front of a television audience.

The undefeated Russian won the belt on the road and in spectacular fashion. Murtazaliev knocked out Jack Culcay in the 11th round of their fight for the vacant title on April 6 in Falkansee, Germany.

The confirmation came after Murtazaliev’s absurdly long wait for a title shot. He became mandatory in November 2019 and then accepted multiple offers to sit out, including four consecutive non-televised fights. His team finally rose to the occasion last year when the IBF ordered him to fight for the title.

As a result, then-Ring champion/undisputed champion Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KO) vacated the IBF belt. Charlo has already parted ways with all of his divisional hardware.

Tszyu previously held the WBO junior middleweight title. The second-generation boxer was promoted from interim to full champion last September, also as a result of a highly anticipated fight with Charlo that never materialized, and defended his title in a 12-round decision win over Brian Mendoza on October 15 in Broadbeach, Australia.

The reign ended in a bloody split decision loss to Fundora, No. 3 at 154. Tszyu was scheduled to face former welterweight titleholder Keith Thurman, who withdrew due to injury. Fundora was scheduled to appear on the preliminary card and agreed to fill the gap at the top of the card.

Tszyu jumped out to a forceful first round but suffered a cut on the top of his head when he collided with Fundora’s elbow. His face was a mask of blood throughout the fight, which he only needed to win by two points.

The wound was so deep that he was not cleared by a doctor in time to take part in the fight with Vergil Ortiz (21-0, 21 KOs) on August 3. The fight was to take place as part of the undercard of Terence Crawford and Israel Madrimov at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

Instead of returning home, Tszyu will perform in the U.S. for the second consecutive time, this time in his East Coast debut.

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Boxing

Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul

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Mike Tyson comeback black

One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.

WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.

Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.

“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.

“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.

“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.

He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”

Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.

Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.

Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.

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Lauren Price looks to win Jonas vs Habazin with an undercard victory

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Lauren Price

Lauren Price MBE will defend her world title for the first time on Saturday, December 14 at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool, while the Welsh champion plans to stage an all-British unification clash with welterweight rival Natasha Jonas, which will headline the Collision Course that night.

Price defends her WBA welterweight title against undefeated Colombian challenger Bexcy Mateus on the same night as Jonas attempts to unify the IBF and WBC titles with Ivana Habazin as part of BOXXER’s ‘Collision Course’ fight night, which can be seen live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK UK and Ireland and Peacock in the US.

Price MBE (7-0, 1 KO) made history with an excellent performance, defeating former undisputed welterweight world ruler Jessica McCaskill in front of her fans in Cardiff in May.

Price, the first Welsh boxer to win Olympic gold, once again entered the record books by becoming the country’s first world champion in just her seventh professional fight. The 30-year-old from Ystrad Mynach, who has yet to lose a round as a professional, will now defend her world titles for the first time as she focuses on dominating the welterweight division.

Mateus (7-0, 6 KO), ranked No. 5 in the WBA rankings, is undefeated in the professional ranks and has won all but one of her seven fights by knockout. The 29-year-old from Bogota, fighting outside her native Colombia for the first time, will now have her first chance at global fame, with her goal to dethrone Price and take the top spot in the welterweight division.

Lauren Price said: “I’m excited to defend my belts and complete what has been an crucial year for me. I have full respect for Mateusz. I will prove that I am the best in the division and I will not let anything or anyone stand in my way of being undisputed.”

BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “It’s a massive night for the women’s welterweight division with three world champions competing. Natasha Jonas returns to her hometown for a mandatory unification fight against Ivana Habazin, and Lauren Price defends her world titles against undefeated challenger Bexcy Mateus. The fight for the undisputed continues. If Natasha and Lauren win on December 14, it will set the stage for a massive “Battle Of Britain” world title unification fight next year.

There’s reason to celebrate as BOXXER delivers a Christmas cracker to end the year. In addition to the world championship fights between Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price, fight fans can expect a gala full of drama and entertainment.

Undefeated Irishman Stephen McKenna (15-0, 14 KO) will face English champion Lee Cutler (14-1, 7 KO) in an invigorating super welterweight fight for the silver WBC International title.

McKenna impressed fans in his three-round fight against Joe Laws last August at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley. The two struck out in the first round, then McKenna began to apply the pressure, losing Laws three more times and maintaining his undefeated record after a third-round stoppage.

English cruiserweight champion Viddal Riley (11-0, 6 KO) returns to action from a rib injury that has kept him out of the ring since a career-best victory over Mikael Lawal in March. Riley will be looking to shake off the ring rust as he takes on high-profile opponents in the recent year.

Undefeated Chorley super middleweight Mark Jeffers (18-0, 5 KO) scored an explosive fifth-round knockout victory over Darren Johnston in May and will be looking to bring more drama to Liverpool’s Exhibition Center as he goes in search of his 19th professional win.

Mason Cartwright (20-4-1, 8 KO) from Cheshire, a former two-time British title challenger from Ellesmere Port, will be counting on local support as he returns to the title track.

After signing a promotional contract with BOXXER, local star Frankie Stringer (8-0, 1 KO) can achieve his third victory in 2024, when he returns in front of his fans in Liverpool. The 23-year-old lightweight fighter is a player of the notable city team Rotunda ABC, and his manager is former world champion Liam Smith.

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Heavyweight who knocked out Lewis to break Tyson’s record days after the feat

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Heavyweight Oliver McCall returns 2024

Mike Tyson will miss his final record-breaking days after becoming the oldest former heavyweight champion to walk through the ring.

“The Baddest Man on the Planet” reached an all-time high in Texas on Friday night, returning from a two-decade absence. However, Tyson gave the achievement five days later to former Lennox Lewis conqueror Oliver McCall.

On Tuesday night at The Troubadour in Nashville, Tennessee, the former WBC heavyweight champion returns to action and will face veteran Stacy Frazier in a fight scheduled for four rounds. At age 59, McCall will set the record for a sanctioned fight, beating Tyson by fourteen months.

McCall was born in April 1965, and Tyson’s mother gave birth to him in June 1966. “The Atomic Bull” hopes to score his 60th career victory tonight. He enters the fight with a record of 59-14, including 38 knockouts.

The Chicago native believes his continued activity over the last 19 years will be what separates his performance on Tuesday night from what Tyson looked like on Friday.

“I’m ready. I’ve been training here in Nashville for a few weeks now, but I’m always in shape,” McCall said. “It will be a completely different match than what the fans saw on Friday.

“I think being lively has a lot to do with it. I haven’t fought in five years because of the pandemic and a few things that didn’t work out.

“If you look at my record, since 2005 I have fought 25 times, of which I have won 19-6 times against quality fighters and won various regional titles.

McCall fights without financial motivation. He sees his fighting days approaching and is already planning his post-retirement plans.

“I want to do this for another year. This means I will be 40 years into my career as a professional boxer. Then I want to train and become a manager. I want to return the favor and assist the next generation of players try to become world champions.

“I came here to Nashville and contacted the manager who took me to the title [Country Box] promoter Jimmy Adams. I’m learning a lot about this aspect of the sport. I love the players here and everything that happens with Country Box.”

The Country Box 25 gala will also feature eight-round fights between super bantamweight Elon DeJesus (8-1-2, 7 KO) and Dominique Griffin (5-7-2, 2 KO), as well as super middleweight fighters. Sean Hemphill (16-2, 10 KO) fights Bryant McClain (6-5-2, 1 KO).

Airy heavyweight Isaac Carbonell (8-0, 5 KO) will face Antonio Louis Hernandez (7-19-4, 4 KO) in six-round fights; Joel Mutombo (6-0, 4 KO) vs. Kevin Torian (3-2, 3 KO) in a cruiserweight fight.

In a four-round fight, Ryan Zempoaltecatl (2-0, 1 KO) will face Raymond Chacon (10-64-1, 2 KO).

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