Promoter Eddie Hearn states that the relationship between His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and Canelo Alvarez can be repaired so that they can prepare together for a gigantic fight in the future.
Hearn notes that Canelo’s decision to postpone discussions about a megafight with Terence Crawford until the defense of his fight with Edgar Berlanga on September 14 meant the Canelo-Crawford fight could not take place in February.
Crawford will have to fight someone else, e.g. Vergil Ortiz Jr., or ideally a rematch with former WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov. Given the difficulty Crawford, 36, had with the powerful Madrimov in their Aug. 3 fight, he will likely opt for an easier fight with the powerful Vergil Jr.
Vergil took a beating last weekend against Serhi Bohachuk and may not be ready to fight Crawford until the end of the year.
Crawford’s pride could cost him the fight with Canelo
It’s unclear if Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) and Turki can agree on a price tag for the Crawford fight. If Mexican superstar Canelo wants $150 million for the fight, it could break the bank, as Crawford will also want an absurd amount, and he’s not judging it by his impoverished performance against Madrimov.
Terence would have to take the Canelo fight on discount terms, and he won’t do that. He has too much pride, which will eat up his chances of winning the golden parachute.
Crawford looked average against Madrimov. It was like watching an amateur fighter fight a professional. Madrimov landed the bigger punches in the fight and seemed to out-box Crawford. The fight was similar to Canelo vs. Erislandy Lara in 2014.
Like Crawford, Lara mostly jabbed, fighting on the outside, while Canelo focused on landing power punches. It’s no wonder the judges gave the win to Canelo because of the more powerful punches he landed. Madrimov was like Canelo, but the judges gave the win to the chatterbox Crawford. Would they have done that if Crawford hadn’t been more popular than Madrimov? The answer is obvious.
Canelo focuses on Berlanga
“For some reason Canelo didn’t want to have those talks. Then there was this frustration of ‘we can do a deal now’,” Eddie Hearn told Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel that Canelo Alvarez is not interested in discussing a fight with Terence Crawford until his defense against Edgar Berlanga on September 14th.
Canelo can’t be blamed for not wanting to talk about arranging the Crawford fight, as he’s in for a tough fight with the 27-year-old Berlanga, who is essentially a lithe heavyweight. He’s another David Benavidez type of fighter who’s coming down to 168 to take advantage of his size.
Berlanga is gigantic for a super middleweight and can punch. Canelo struggled against his last opponent, Jaime Munguia, who took a lot of ponderous shots in their fight in May.
Berlanga is the same type of warrior, but with greater strength. With his strength and primitive fighting style, he is like a Neanderthal. His strength and ability to break down his prey would make him perfect in the Stone Age.
I saw Berlanga jumping on the back of Whooly Mammoth during the hunt. Due to his size and strength, Berlanga will not be effortless for Canelo.
“I wasn’t how Canelo wanted to do that deal. He wanted to wait until after the Berlanga fight, which, frustratingly for His Excellency, kills the Crawford fight in February because he wants that fight now,” Hearn said of the Canelo vs. Crawford mega-fight.
Waiting game for Crawford
It shouldn’t be the end of the world for Crawford if he has to wait until the second half of 2025 to fight Canelo. If he’s that desperate to fight Canelo, he’ll wait and fight someone good to show the fans he has a chance against the Mexican star. Right now, the impression fans have is that Crawford is desperate to fight Canelo for the payday he’s getting, and it doesn’t matter if he loses. He just wants the money he’s getting.
Crawford should consider fighting one of these other talents to prepare for Canelo:
– Sebastian Fundora -David Morrell -David Benavides -Janibeck Alimkhanuly – Serhii Bohachuk – Artur Beterbiew
“I know His Excellency respects Canelo Alvarez. Everyone respects him as a fighter and he’s a good person,” Hearn said when asked if things could be repaired between Turki Alalshikh and Canelo.
“The way Turki operates and the way he does business is incredible for boxing. So those two, at some point, will work together, but only in fights that His Excellency deems mega-fights.”
Canelo would like to fight Crawford, but it has to be worth it for him because it’s not a fight he’ll come out of well. It’s a path for Crawford to become a star, while Canelo doesn’t get any of that.
Crawford will get all the credit for this fight unless Canelo destroys him in the first rounds, which is unlikely to happen. This is a fight where Crawford will look like 24-karat gold no matter how the match ends. Unless Crawford gets wiped out by Canelo like Amir Khan did, he will receive lavish praise from the fans.
“You’ve got two very powerful individuals there,” Hearn said. “You’ve got one guy in Canelo Alvarez who likes to make his own decisions, his own things in his own time, and you’ve got another player in His Excellency who just wants to make the biggest fights now. Not in three months. Now marinating. Now.”
“Of course, he’ll be as frustrated as some fight fans that certain fights don’t happen. His mission is to make sure that happens,” Hearn said.
Canelo-Crawford could be made, unless Canelo asks for an insane number and Crawford does the same. Crawford could be a real problem, as his wins over Madrimov and Errol Spence have put ideas into his head, making him think he’s a draw.
Negotiations need to move quickly because Canelo won’t have time to negotiate with Crawford, who is a tough negotiator.
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.
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.
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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