The WBC master of medium weight Carlos Adames, 24-1, defended his title belt on Saturday before 21-0 Hamzah Sheeraz in Saudi Arabia. The fight was scheduled for 12 championship rounds. The first was a process for every warrior, because both men were strategically patient. The higher Sheeraz was able to keep his man at a distance in the second. Adames tried to get to his man in the third. Sheeraz still did a good job, keeping his man’s range in the fourth.
Until the fifth it was worth wondering how long Sheeraz can consistently keep a distance from Adames, because the fight was scheduled for a full 12 rounds. Adames could finally get to his man in the sixth. Did Sheeraz leisurely down or did he just remove the round? Adames kept the pressure in seventh place. Adames caught his man in eighth place. Sheeraz landed well. Then he returned to the defensive movement.
Things remained close to ninth place. Together with the upcoming rounds of the championship, it could still be everyone’s fight. The tenth was intriguing because Sheeraz was able to keep Adamas on their reach. Sheeraz fought closely in eleventh. It may not be an exhilarating match, but it was definitely a high level. They were professionals conducting their trade and fascinating it was that the fight was developing. The twelfth and last round recorded a rather tempered performance of Sheeraz, which may not work in his favor.
After all that was said and made, the fight was recognized as the division by judges by the results 115-114, 118-110 and 114-114.
Some praised Foster’s conditioning and predicted a good performance against Ford, while others doubted whether the WBC super featherweight champion would pull too much weight before the defense.
Foster rarely receives as much attention as some of the bigger names in the lower weight classes, but a viral photo has brought him back into the conversation online. Fans debated whether Ford would be able to handle Foster’s strength and physicality after moving from featherweight to fighting.
The fight was already generating attention due to the Houston setting and the tension between the two fighters online, but Foster’s photo from training sparked even more discussion about the DAZN card. Houston fans are expected to turn out in immense numbers for the event at the Fertitta Center, which will be one of the biggest hometown shows of Foster’s career.
Foster gained more attention after his victory over Stephen Fulton, with many fans hoping he would stay at lightweight and continue pushing for a fight with Shakur Stevenson.
Instead, Foster returned to 130 pounds, and talk of fighting Stevenson gradually died down.
A powerful performance against Ford could change that quickly, especially if Foster delivers the kind of performance fans now expect after seeing the state he appears to be in heading into the fight.
Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fighting landscape. His reports focus on the most vital fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are considered two of the greatest of all time, but despite their meeting in 2015, fans still argue over which man was the greatest. Now the world-famous coach Robert Garcia has spoken.
Pacquiao is the only eight-division boxing world champion in history. In his legendary career, he ruled the flyweight division in 1998 and then ruled every division from super bantamweight to super welterweight.
Although unlike the self-proclaimed “TBE”, “Pac Man” was defeated eight times, including a loss to Mayweather, who famously retired with a 50-0 record, having won world titles in five different weight classes.
However, in clip captured by RyckesportsTVGarcia stated that he believes Pacquiao ranks higher in the “GOAT” debate because of the love he has received outside the ring as well as his skills in it.
“I think Pacquiao was better. Mike Tyson told me something: ‘To be the GOAT, it’s not just because of your boxing records, you have to be loved and accepted by the fans’ – and everyone loves Pacquiao.
“As Tyson says, [you must be able to] walk down the street with no bodyguards, everyone who comes up to you shakes your hand, if you can’t do it, you can’t be the GOAT if you can’t do it.
Jake Paul’s final call to Canelo Alvarez backfired before he even opened his mouth.
Days after admitting that doctors may never clear him to fight again following his disastrous loss to Anthony Joshua, Paul suddenly resurfaced, talking about a $200 million fight against boxing’s biggest busy star.
The moment immediately raised eyebrows as Paul no longer looks like a man in full control of his future in boxing.
Paul’s comments were made while standing in front of a brand associated with his bookmaking interests, making the moment feel less like an actual fight negotiation and more like another attempt to force a viral spectacle while uncertainty continues to surround his future.
After all, if Paul is unable to fight again, questions will immediately begin to arise about the long-term future of his relationship with Netflix and the massive crossover business model built around it.
This is the first problem.
Jake Paul has health concerns
Paul is still recovering from a brutal knockout loss to Anthony Joshua that left him with a double jaw fracture that required surgery and titanium plates implanted in his face.
Joshua dropped Paul four times before knocking him out in a one-sided beating that changed the entire perception of Jake Paul as a boxing attraction.
Over the years, Paul has carefully controlled the danger, selling the illusion of risk against former MMA fighters and aging names.
Joshua destroyed this illusion in one night.
Now all major fight explanations come back to the same question: Can Jake Paul physically withstand the punishment of elite-level boxing anymore?
This is the second problem.
Canelo’s contract reality
The third problem may be the most essential of all, as Paul appears to be targeting the one superstar who is currently least available to him.
Canelo is already locked into a lucrative, long-term, season-long deal in Riyad with Turki Alalshikh, who has never seemed enthusiastic about “Jack Paul,” as Turki calls him, or about influential boxing entering the elite side of the sport.
Paul already lost Canelo once when the Mexican superstar walked away from previous negotiations in favor of a Saudi-backed deal reportedly worth more than $200 million.
Since then, Canelo’s game plan has become more structured.
The Mexican icon is expected to face Christian Mbilli in September, with Hamzah Sheeraz potentially replacing him as titles begin to reassert themselves in the super middleweight division.
There is also continued hope that Osleys Iglesias and Jaime Munguia will be able to eventually unify the belts, potentially setting up another undisputed championship scenario for Canelo later in the Riyadh Agreement.
Barring a possible Terence Crawford rematch, it doesn’t appear that Saudi Arabia will deviate from this structure in favor of a crossover with Jake Paul.
This reality leaves Paul chasing a fight that already seems to be moving away from him.
Jake Paul’s desperation?
None of this means that Jake Paul can’t continue to generate huge amounts of money.
He remains one of the biggest crossover attractions in combat sports and understands social media promotion better than almost anyone else in boxing.
However, the timing of this last call created a challenging perception problem.
Flashing back to retirement concerns and long-term health issues, then suddenly saying he had $200 million ready for Canelo the next, made the whole situation seem more desperate than realistic.
Instead of reviving the post-Joshua vigorous, the call-out may have reminded boxing fans that Jake Paul suddenly looks much closer to the end of his boxing career than the beginning of a recent era of superfights.
About the author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
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