Boxing
Boxing insights on Haney-Garcia, Mayweather-Tyson and more
Published
3 months agoon
The boxing calendar is filling up brisk, with headline fights already announced featuring some of the sport’s biggest names, including Tyson Fury, David Benavidez, Deontay Wilder, Alycia Baumgardner and Oleksandr Usyk.
However, several other potential matchups rumored to take place this year remain in limbo.
Will Devin Haney fight Ryan Garcia, Rolando “Rolly” Romero – or both? Is the Floyd Mayweather vs. exhibition Mike Tyson still happening?
Will Gervonta “Tank” Davis return to the ring after her legal troubles to face Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in a long-awaited rematch?
Andreas Hale answers these questions and more as he tries to explain some of the most intriguing stories in state-of-the-art boxing.
What’s modern at the Floyd Mayweather-Mike Tyson exhibition?
Since it was announced last September that Mayweather and Tyson would meet at this year’s show, details about the event have been meager. There are no updates on where the fight will be broadcast/streamed, and sources close to the event told ESPN that reports of an April 25 date in the Democratic Republic of Congo were “extremely premature.”
Mayweather announced he will face Manny Pacquiao on September 19 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, leaving the status of the fight with Tyson unclear. At this time, Tyson’s fight is still anticipated, but there are no specific details.
Tyson appeared on “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Wednesday and said he “believes” the fight will take place on April 25 in Africa “in the same ring where Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman.” Ali became notable for knocking out Foreman in the eighth round of the “Rumble in the Jungle” at the May 20 Stadium on October 30, 1974 in Zaire, now recognized as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Wearing a cast, Tyson said he sprained his hand in training and was unsure whether the injury would impact Mayweather’s fight schedule.
Mayweather has remained quiet on the matter, but in early March he posted on social media that he would fight kickboxer Mike Zambidis in June in Athens, Greece.
Who will Devin Haney fight next: Ryan Garcia or Rolando Romero?
Haney, the WBO welterweight champion, has narrowed his options to two opponents for his next fight: Garcia, the WBC champion, and Romero, the WBA titleholder.
Sources told ESPN that a deal is on the table for a May 30 unification fight between Haney and Romero. However, the decision now rests with Haney, who is also considering a more lucrative rematch with Garcia – after Garcia failed a drug test in April 2024. Garcia won the WBC title with a one-sided unanimous decision over Mario Barrios in February and has stated he would be interested in a rematch with Haney. It was suggested by Garcia’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy he is not interested in a rematchconsidering his fighter dumped Haney three times and initially won by majority decision before the result was overturned.
Haney appeared on “Inside the Ring” and confirmed that negotiations are ongoing for a unification fight with Romero. He said he was “working on it” with Premier Boxing Champions, Romero’s promoter, but added that a deal had not yet been struck. Sources tell ESPN that Haney is also likely waiting for an offer from Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.
Realistically, fighting Garcia isn’t going anywhere. Haney could face Romero in May and unify the titles, which would likely make the fight with Garcia even more vital. Garcia also fights WBO junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson, but weight could be an issue as Stevenson has yet to fight at 147 pounds.
Will Gervonta Davis return this summer against Isaac Cruz?
Maybe. While there have been reports of advanced negotiations for the Davis-Cruz 2 140-pound fight this summer, there are major hurdles that will need to be cleared before the fight can be made. Davis is facing legal issues stemming from an October 2025 domestic incident with ex-girlfriend Courtney Rossel. Davis was arrested in January on charges of battery, false imprisonment and attempted kidnapping, two weeks after the arrest warrant was issued, and was released from jail the same day after posting $8,500 bail.
It has not yet been confirmed when Davis will next appear in court, but the looming legal situation will have an impact on if and when Davis decides to return to the ring. Davis is also reportedly dealing with a knee injury that could impact his return. In a now-deleted post on X after he was pulled from his fight with Jake Paul in November, Davis mentioned the injury and said he would return to the ring “as soon as my knee gets better.”
A rematch with Cruz, whom Davis fought to a unanimous decision victory in December 2021, could be another exhilarating fight, but Davis has a lot to deal with in his personal life before resuming his career. Not to mention he did it multiple times discussed early retirement from the sportwhich makes the timeline for his return arduous to predict.
Is the junior welterweight category the strongest division in boxing?
The 140-pound division currently has the strongest and richest collection of fighters. Shakur Stevenson is at the top of the ESPN rankings, sitting fourth in the pound-for-pound rankings after dismantling Teofimo Lopez Jr. in January. and became champion of four divisions. Most of the junior welterweight divisions feature fighters in excellent shape. ESPN’s top five fighters in the division – Stevenson, Lopez, Keyshawn Davis, Richardson Hitchins and Dalton Smith – are either undefeated, current world champions or have won world titles in other weight classes.
But the division is also extremely deep – Subriel Matias, Gary Antuanne Russell, Alberto Puello, Arnold Barboza Jr. and Andy Hiraoka are in the bottom five. That doesn’t even include Cruz, Lamont Roach Jr., Adam Azim and Emiliano Vargas. The division is incredibly luxurious in youth, strength and skill, as well as proven champions, exhilarating up-and-comers and fighters who are not yet in their prime. There are no simple fights at 140 pounds, and the prospect of Davis returning to a loaded division always looms over us.
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Chris Billam-Smith believes Ryan Rozicki is taking his opportunity seriously, but he doesn’t think a single training camp will make up for the years spent competing at the next level.
The former WBO cruiserweight champion will return against Rozicki in Bournemouth on Saturday, with the winner moving closer to a major fight in the division led by Jai Opetai.
Billam-Smith was asked if Rozicki truly believed he belonged at this level.
“I believe he thinks he’s been given an opportunity. He takes it very seriously and does everything he has to do. But sometimes it’s just not enough. Sometimes you’re just not good enough,” Billiam-Smith told ProBox TV.
“I think he is what he is in terms of his punching power, his physique and what he does. But sometimes there are things you can’t just incorporate in training camp. When I’ve been doing it for so long and been at the next level for so long, you can’t just make up for it in one training camp.”
Rozicki comes into the fight with a reputation as one of the toughest fighters in the division and has repeatedly talked about ending the fight by knockout. Billam-Smith acknowledged the threat but believes experience will be a factor when they meet.
“He’s talked about it before: ‘I win by knockout or I get knocked out.’ So there’s no doubt in my mind that he knows he can get beat.
“But I think he thinks it’s a good opportunity.”
Saturday’s fight is Billam-Smith’s first appearance since his points win over Brandon Glanton in April 2025. A victory will put him in top cruiserweight fights, including a potential clash with Ring magazine champion Jai Opetaia.
“For me, I think he believes he has a chance and will give it his all. But the Jai Opetaia fight is the one I want at the moment. It’s the next step, but I have to take care of things on Saturday first.”

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: 2026/06/04 at 11:24
Boxing
Devin Haney Accepts Call From Undefeated Former Champion to Defend World Title: ‘Let’s Do It’
Published
4 hours agoon
June 4, 2026
Devin Haney won the WBO welterweight title in November, but “The Dream” was unable to agree to his first defense.
Now it looks like the American is ready to face the undefeated former champion.
Haney dethroned Brian Norman Jr in Novembernoting one of the standout performances of the year, which saw the Georgian-born operator suffer the first loss of his career after moving up from the super lightweight division.
Seven months have passed and Haney still hasn’t signed a deal to make his first title defense or unify with other 147-pound champions, despite being linked to a sought-after rematch with bitter rival Ryan Garcia and a clash with WBA titleholder Rolando Romero.
However, after being named the number one contender in the WBO welterweight division, undefeated former WBO lightweight champion Keyshawn Davis took to social media to call for a fight for Haney’s belt.
ON XHaney responded to the call by publicly accepting the proposed All-American scrap, stating, “Let’s do it KEYSHAWN.”
Let’s do it KEYSHAWN.. https://t.co/plq9hqQpBP
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) June 3, 2026
Haney had previously invited a fight following Davis’ win over Ortiz, but talks quickly died down when rumors of a potential meeting with Romero surfaced, only for the fight to fall through, reportedly due to Haney not being paid a guaranteed amount.
With Haney-Romero seemingly off the table, the door may now be open for Chorley’s Jack Catterall to take advantage and secure Romero’s ‘WBA Super’ crown after winning the WBA (regular) welterweight title last month.
Boxing
Roach vs. Zepeda for the vacant WBC lightweight title on August 1
Published
6 hours agoon
June 4, 2026
Lamont “The Reaper” Roach Jr. and William “El Camarón” Zepeda will fight for the vacant WBC lightweight world title on Saturday, August 1 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, announced promoter Golden Boy. The 12-round fight will headline “The Fight,” a fresh monthly series from TNT Sports and DAZN that will air in the United States on TNT and truTV and stream globally on DAZN. Golden Boy promotes itself in cooperation with TGB Promotions and ProBox Promotions.
Roach Jr. (25-1-3, 10 KO) of Washington, D.C., and Zepeda (33-1, 27 KO) of San Mateo Atenco, Mexico, arrived after back-to-back title fights without a win. Last year, Roach Jr. he has fought two majority draws: against Gervonta Davis for the WBA lightweight title in March 2025 and against Isaac Cruz at super lightweight in December 2025. Zepeda has not fought since taking a unanimous decision to Shakur Stevenson for the WBC lightweight title in July 2025, the only loss of his career.
How the title became empty
The WBC lightweight championship opened after Stevenson moved up to 140 pounds. He collected the WBO junior welterweight title from Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden on January 31becoming a four-division champion, after which the WBC declared his 135-pound title vacant. The sanctioning body later ordered Roach Jr. and Zepeda meet for the belt.
“We have been working demanding since my last fight,” Zepeda said in a press release. “We are at the top of the lightweight division and we know that any opponent at this level is a sedate challenge. Once again we have been given the opportunity to fight for the world championship and we are ready to show the world who exactly “El Camarón” Zepeda is. “
Roach Jr., who won the WBA super featherweight title with a split decision victory over Héctor García in November 2023, billed the fight as the next step in his class. “This is my fourth consecutive world title fight in a different weight class,” he said. “Without a doubt, I am bringing boxing back and fighting for the top spot.”
“William Zepeda has fully deserved this opportunity,” said Oscar De La Hoya, president and CEO of Golden Boy. “Over the years, he has taken on every challenge put before him and has established himself as one of the most thrilling fighters in boxing with his relentless pressure, incredible work rate and fan-friendly style.”
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 5 at 10 a.m. PT on AXS.com and GoldenBoy.com for $300, $200, $150, $75, $50 and $30 plus applicable fees. Pre-sale will start on Thursday, June 4. Details about the card and credentials will be announced in the coming weeks.
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