Boxing
Boxing’s 25 best under-25s: which British fighters made the list?
Published
11 months agoon
ESPN’s annual ranking of the top 25 players under 25 is here. As always, British interest in the full list is high, and this year’s ranking is special considering who will take the top spot.
Since March 2024, Moses Itauma has fought six fights, nine rounds in total. In August, he advanced in the competition by defeating veteran Dillian Whyte, whom he finished in less than two minutes. His next fight is the American Jermaine Franklin Jr. on January 24, during which he wants to silence any questions about the hype.
Itauma is one of the most invigorating heavyweights in boxing, whom former champion Tyson Fury believes is the future of the division.
“Moses Itauma will eliminate all the venerable guys in the division,” Fury said in an Instagram story after Itauma’s victory over White. “[Oleksandr] Usyk, [Anthony] Joshua, [Jarrell] Miller. Whoever is there is so venerable. [Zhilei] Zhang, whoever the hell else is out there, Luis Ortiz. All these great names from the past.
“Even the one who took my belts [Usyk]. Moses will destroy it, because it is a fight between a juvenile man and an venerable man. And an venerable man can’t mess with a juvenile man.”
So who else is on the list of a mighty group of British fighters under the age of 25? Andreas Hale and Nick Parkinson look at this and provide some analysis.
1. Moses Itauma (13-0, 11 KO)
Heavyweight rival
20 years
Ranking 2024: 10
Warrior: Itauma, an ESPN 2024 prospect, is not a person who can legally drink alcohol in America, but after a speedy and brutal 2025, she found herself at the top of this year’s list. Competing in the land of giants, the 6-foot-10 southpaw isn’t necessarily bigger than the top heavyweights, but he’s undoubtedly the future with his unique combination of size, speed and power.
Most significant moment or achievement: Heading into the White fight, the biggest question surrounding Itauma was whether his remarkable finishing prowess would continue once he started competing. That question was definitively answered when he defeated Mike Balogun and two-time interim heavyweight champion Whyte in 2025. Itauma stopped Balogun in two rounds – the third-longest fight of his career – in May and was assigned to fight Whyte, who was considered his toughest opponent to date. The fight against “The Body Snatcher” was not competitive.
Future prospects: To properly transform from a prospect to a contender to being the man everyone wants to see against Usyk in just two years is a huge testament to his potential. Itauma will begin his 2026 campaign against the hard-wearing Jermaine Franklin on January 24 and will try to do what Anthony Joshua couldn’t: stop Franklin. Then you will have to wait to see which heavyweight fighter will want to enter the ring with him. The scary thing is that Itauma still has four years to make this list.
10. Adam Azim (14-0, 11 KO)
Junior welterweight fighter
23 years venerable
Ranking 2024: 9
Warrior: The junior welterweight has a fan-friendly style, quick hands, a risky left hook and lightning-fast reflexes. He only had two appearances this year, but he did well in both. He stopped veteran Sergei Lipinets, who briefly held the IBF world title in 2017 and 2018, in nine rounds in February, then patiently broke down Kurt Scoby’s stubborn resistance in round 12 on November 15.
Most significant moment or achievement: At the most significant stage of Azim’s career, during the Chris Eubank Jr. match. vs. Conor Benn 2, which took place on November 15 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Azim was too skillful and experienced in the ring for Scoby. Azim dominated the early rounds with his jab and dropped his hands from round 8 onwards. He put Scoby under grave pressure in round 11 and ended the fight in the next round by landing a series of precise punches to the head and body. Dealing with Scoby’s nonsense during fight week was also a good learning experience for Azim as he moved on to bigger fights.
Future prospects: Azim is making steady progress and will face better opponents in 2026. The two governing bodies are ranked 9th and 10th, so he likely needs more wins to secure a title shot. One fight that would be popular: against English rival Dalton Smith, who challenges Subriel Matias for the IBF title on January 10.
12. Caroline Dubois (11-0-1, 5 KOs)
WBC women’s lightweight world champion
24 years venerable
2024 position: 16th
Warrior: Dubois defended his WBC lightweight title twice this year. She was promoted from interim champion to full world champion in December 2024 after Katie Taylor vacated the belt. Dubois previously complained that Taylor was holding back her career by refusing to fight her. She had a frustrating technical draw in January when Jessica Camara was deemed unable to continue following a cut. Dubois then passed Bo Mi Re Shin by majority vote in March, but has not boxed since.
Most significant moment or achievement: Dubois has a mighty arm, but she hasn’t stopped any of her previous six opponents. Her best performance remains a unanimous victory over Maira Moneo, whom she knocked down with a left hook in round 6 and thus won the interim WBC title in August 2024.
Future prospects: Dubois has been inactive since March while her promoter Boxxer signs a fresh UK television deal, with no confirmation of her next fight. The fight Dubois wants is a title unification fight with WBO lightweight champion Terri Harper, which would be one of the biggest fights in women’s boxing in 2026, if it happens.
18. Callum Walsh (15-0, 11 KO)
Junior middleweight fighter
24 years venerable
2024 position: 22nd
Warrior: The six-foot southerner hails from Ireland but has fought almost exclusively in the US. Walsh, who is trained by Freddie Roach in Los Angeles, says working on fishing boats at the age of 16 gave him a mighty work ethic, and that same challenging work has seen him make steady progress in 2025. After a stunning first-round knockout of Dean Sutherland in March, he scored a fifth-round technical decision win over Elias Espadas in June and won a unanimous decision. over Fernando Vargas Jr. in September. Vargas’ victory in front of a Netflix audience and headlining a card headlined by Terence Crawford’s victory over Canelo Alvarez helped raise Walsh’s prestige. Vargas stopped all but two of his 17 previous opponents, but Walsh showed skillful and skilled boxing to win by four rounds on the judges’ scorecards in the title fight.
Most significant moment or achievement: His quick victory over Sutherland, sealed with a left hand followed by a powerful right hook, highlighted Walsh’s potential. Sutherland was on the canvas after Walsh’s speed and arm strength proved too much for him.
Future prospects: IBF world champion Bakhram Murtazaliev will defend his belt against Josh Kelly in early 2026, and Walsh could be well prepared to fight the winner.
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Floyd Mayweather Targets Another Former Opponent Post-Pacquiao Rematch
Published
4 hours agoon
October 21, 2026
Floyd Mayweather has recently confirmed he still intends to rematch Manny Pacquiao, and the American has also declared that he believes another return fight is on the cards.
Mayweather-Pacquiao II was scheduled to take place in September following an announcement for the event from Netflix, until Mayweather’s legal issues caused it to be cancelled.
It is still believed that the pair will meet again in 2027, with ‘TBE’ willing to put his famous 50-0 professional record on the line, despite what will be a decade-long spell of professional inactivity when he returns to the ring.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao made his comeback in July 2025 and is currently being linked to a return to action on the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua undercard in December, where he has been mentioned for a fight with two-time world champion Joe Cordina.
On the PBD PodcastMayweather revealed that a second showdown with Pacquiao is not the only rematch on his mind, admitting his interest in another battle with UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
“I actually think that me and Conor McGregor may lock up again, actually, absolutely.”
Mayweather beat McGregor by 10th round stoppage when they met in August 2017. The Irishman returned to fight in the UFC for the first time since 2021 when he faced Max Holloway earlier this year, but a knee injury brought the contest to an early end.
Continuing, 49-year-old Mayweather explained why a boxing bout with him would be a viable option for the Irishman next year.
“He didn’t break his hand, he broke his foot, right? Okay, well we going from the shoulders.”
Mayweather also reiterated his plans to face heavyweight legend Mike Tyson in an exhibition before the end of the yearin order to help him prepare for a professional comeback in 2027.
Boxing
Tyson Fury Responds to Ben Davisons Towel Decision in Dubois vs Wardley Rematch
Published
5 hours agoon
October 21, 2026
Ben Davison has once again come under fire in the days that have followed Fabio Wardley’s defeat to Daniel Dubois. Two-time heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury has shared his thoughts on his former trainer’s decision to throw in the towel.
Davison trained Fury for the first five bouts following his 2018 comeback, but was replaced by SugarHill Steward – whom ‘The Gypsy King’ has remained with ever since – for the iconic rematch with Deontay Wilder in 2020.
Since training Fury for his first meeting with Wilder, which ended in a draw, Davison has been on the losing side in four heavyweight world title bouts, cornering Anthony Joshua and Fabio Wardley, who both lost to Dubois, and Moses Itauma, who was defeated by Filip Hrgovic.
Saturday night was the latest of these defeats, as Dubois stopped Wardley inside two rounds in their rematch to retain the WBO heavyweight world title. On his InstagramFury described Dubois’ performance as ‘awesome’.
“It was absolutely awesome. Daniel Dubois just went straight to him and set about him. Wardley likes to throw hooks and Daniel threw straights and a straight always gets there first, before the hook.
“So, fair play to Dan and his team, to Don Charles and the rest of the guys in the corner. They did a fantastic job.”
Fury then said that Davison’s decision to intervene and ‘save Fabio Wardley from himself’ was a good one, perhaps learning a lesson from the first encounter, which saw his fighter take a sound beating before the eventual eleventh-round stoppage.
“It was good work by Ben Davison to throw the towel in, in my opinion. The last time he [Wardley] took too much punishment for my liking, he should have threw it in earlier.
“This time, people are complaining about it being too soon but I don’t think that Fabio was in any position to keep taking bombs around the head. I thought it was a good decision to throw the towel in early and save him from himself.
“He has got some chin on him, I will tell you that. ‘Triple D’ is a dynamite puncher and he was taking them flush and still standing, so credit to Fab’s chin.”
Davison will train Anthony Joshua against Fury on Friday, December 11, as he looks to score a first win as a trainer in a heavyweight world title contest, which would simultaneouslysee ‘AJ’ become a three-time champion of the division.
Boxing
Chris Algieri Questions If 80% Canelo Alvarez Can Defeat Christian Mbilli
Published
12 hours agoon
October 20, 2026
Chris Algieri argues that Canelo Alvarez must bring his absolute best to get past Christian Mbilli. His claim that Mbilli’s style naturally plays into Canelo’s hands doesn’t hold up, especially given the challenger’s relentless engine.
Algieri does give Canelo credit for stepping right into danger following surgery and significant time away, acknowledging the grueling physical test awaiting him.
“Can we give him a little respect for coming off a layoff and a surgery right into Mbilli?” Algieri pointed out to DAZN Boxing. “Yes, he has his faults. I think he falls right into Canelo’s style, but what Canelo are we getting? If Canelo is at all degraded, an 80% Canelo probably doesn’t beat Mbilli. He’s got to be top-notch for that fight.”
Even a peak version of Canelo might have struggled with this matchup. While aggressive fighters give Canelo plenty of targets, Mbilli refuses to give up the breathing room Canelo usually buys with crisp counterpunches.
Gennadiy Golovkin applied pressure behind a stiff jab, leaning on heavy single shots. Miguel Cotto relied on movement during the twilight of his prime. Neither fighter swarmed with the sustained, multi-punch bursts that define Mbilli’s game.
Canelo typically hurts opponents until they freeze. They back off, rethink their strategy, let him rest, and wait for his next opening. Mbilli simply ignores that script.
Mbilli isn’t invincible, of course. Charging forward recklessly leaves massive openings, and eating flush counter hooks could quickly check his enthusiasm. Canelo has the precision to make him pay for being aggressive. Yet landing clean shots is vastly different from dictating the tempo. If Mbilli walks through fire and keeps throwing, Canelo has to scramble back into a defensive shell before his lungs catch up with the previous exchange.
Managing that volume would test any elite fighter in his prime. Asking a 36-year-old coming off major surgery and ring rust to endure it is an entirely different proposition. Algieri is spot on about the danger here. His warning that an 80% Canelo falls short might ring true, but treating an ultra-high-volume brawler as tailor-made for him severely understates the threat.
If Canelo cannot discourage Mbilli inside the first four rounds, the math turns ugly very quickly. By round six, when Canelo’s output routinely dips and his feet go flat, he will be forced to shell up against the ropes while Mbilli pounds away at his arms, shoulders, and ribs. Heavy volume wears down legs just as fast as clean headshots, especially for an aging fighter carrying thirteen months of inactivity and repaired joints.
Surviving that kind of physical tax requires supreme conditioning and fluid defensive pivots. If Canelo is stuck playing defense just to survive the onslaught, he will not have the legs or the gas tank left to mount a mid-fight rescue. When a fighter relies strictly on finding one perfect counter shot to bail himself out, every missed swing empties the reserve that much faster.
In 2019, Canelo capitalized on a faded, battle-worn Sergey Kovalev, whose gas tank was depleted, waiting out Kovalev’s tired arm punches until round eleven to land the finishing blow. Now, the dynamic has flipped, and Canelo finds himself occupying the aging fighter’s corner against a younger, relentless pressure puncher.
Kovalev came into the fight at 36 with heavy miles and well-documented physical wear, and Canelo is carrying an even larger cumulative toll. With more than two decades in the professional ranks, chronic joint issues, and elbow surgery following a year on the shelf, the engine simply cannot turn over the way it once did.
The pattern across the Jaime Munguia, Edgar Berlanga, William Scull, and Terence Crawford bouts showed a fighter relying almost entirely on bursts, resting for extended stretches, and depending on defensive posturing to steal rounds on ring generalship. Against Crawford, the inability to sustain offense or dictate the terms of engagement laid bare what happens when elite opposition refuses to grant Canelo those customary rest periods.
Against Mbilli, relying on selective counterpunching becomes a dangerous gamble. Landing a crisp left hook or a sharp uppercut only helps if it forces the incoming fighter to step back, reset, and second-guess their entry. If Mbilli treats every clean counter as a cue to unload another four-punch salvo to the body, Canelo will never get the pauses he needs to recharge.

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Boxing News 24 Desk
BoxingNews24.com has delivered independent boxing coverage since 2007, including original news, fight analysis, schedules, and results. Our experienced boxing writers cover major fighters and events worldwide, with published content reviewed by editors for accuracy.
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