When asked about the newly introduced Zuffa bar and what it would mean to add another title to his collection, Opetaia rejected the idea that the hardware itself made a substantial difference.

“These are just material things,” Opetaia said during a press conference. “They’re sitting in my house collecting dust in closets and stuff. It’s more about being a champion, being a world champion, having my name out there. That’s what I’m chasing.”

The comment was unique because Opetaia used the same press conference to reiterate his ambition to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion, a goal that depends entirely on winning major titles from the sport’s sanctioning bodies.

“My dream is to become undisputed,” Opetaia said. “If everyone doesn’t work together to make this dream come true, I won’t be able to achieve it.”

These two ideas don’t fit comfortably together. At the end of the night, the belts may go on the shelf, but they remain the same prizes that fighters must earn to prove they lead the division.

The remark also came as Opetaia praised Zuffa Boxing during fight week, saying he was treated better there than anywhere else while the promotion revealed its own championship belt.

Boxing has always had this strange habit. Fighters say that belts are just pieces of metal, and yet they devote their entire careers to chasing them, because these titles still determine who will be at the top.

Opetaia goes to Sunday’s fight with Glanton, who lives in the same reality. The strip may collect dust later, but the path he thinks he wants still runs straight through more of them.

Personally, I’ve always had a challenging time accepting that belts mean nothing when the entire sport still goes through them.

A clip of Floyd Mayweather assessing Manny Pacquiao’s strength added context ahead of the September 19 rematch.

The pair will face each other in their second meeting at The Sphere in Las Vegas, with Mayweather preparing for his first confirmed fight since 2017.

Despite the “professional” label attached to his fight with Conor McGregor, many say it’s no gigantic deal because “Money” comfortably stopped the UFC star in 10 rounds.

Nevertheless, the five-division world champion temporarily ended his career with an astonishing 50-0 (27 KO) record before taking part in a series of exhibitions and recently announcing his return to the professional ring.

Since their first meeting in 2015, Pacquiao has also competed in several exhibition matches and has also made eight professional appearances.

In the last of them, in July, he drew with Mario Barrios, the then WBC welterweight champion, after an almost four-year break after a defeat against Yordenis Ugas.

Even when he lost by unanimous decision to Mayweather, it was believed that the Filipino’s best form was long behind him, or at least he was far from the powerful punch that stopped Ricky Hatton in 2009 – which was one of 39 knockouts in his 73 fights.

So it should come as no surprise that Mayweather, during his interview with REBELLION more than six years ago, he had only a few words of praise for Pacquiao’s punching power.

“Don’t get me wrong. Pacquiao obviously has power. He’s solid. I’ve never felt it before, but he’s solid.

“He felt me ​​too – and that’s why he took his time there quickly – so we felt each other.”

Entering the rematch at the ages of 49 and 47, respectively, Mayweather and “Pac Man” are certainly not the bulky hitters they once were, but they clearly still believe they have what it takes to beat each other.

The women’s boxing schedule is filled with several intriguing title fights, including Alycia Baumgardner vs. Bo Mi Re Shin and the rematch between Stephanie Han and Holly Holm. Both fights are covered by Most Valuable Promotions, which on Friday announced the signing of a multi-year television contract with ESPN.

Baumgardner looks like one of the future faces of women’s boxing and if she wins, she will have plenty of options at 130 and 135 pounds. One possibility is a rematch with Terri Harper, whom Baumgardner stopped with one of the most impressive knockouts of 2021. Harper, however, has a grave challenge ahead of her when she faces Caroline Dubois in a lightweight unification bout in London on April 5, with the winner likely to emerge as the fighter to beat at 135 pounds.

Meanwhile, Chantelle Cameron – the only player to beat Katie Taylor as a professional – is looking for a trilogy with the Irish star. But first, she will move up two divisions to face Michaela Kotaskova for the vacant junior middleweight title on the Dubois-Harper card. Will Cameron be able to win and then return to his natural weight against Taylor in a winner-takes-all fight?

There are also other matchups where the stakes are significant.

Han and Holm’s first meeting ended in a disappointing technical decision victory for Han after she suffered a cut to her right eye from an accidental headbutt. Holm, a Hall of Famer, could be looking at the end of her career if she loses the rematch.

Unified super middleweight champion Shadasia Green appears on course for a potential megafight with ESPN’s top pound-for-pound fighter Claressa Shields, but first she must defeat Lani Daniels.

Andreas Hale and Nick Parkinson discuss these matchups and share their thoughts on the stakes.

Can Alycia Baumgardner become the face of women’s boxing MVP?

Yes. Baumgardner has charisma, youth and the ability to carry the MVP of women’s boxing on her back. She has already demonstrated excellent knockout power by defeating Terri Harper in 2021, as well as an ever-evolving skill set that resulted in an impressive victory over Mikaela Mayer in 2022 and the unification of three junior lightweight world titles, and a personality that will make you either love her or hate her. And while he already has undisputed status at 130 pounds, now all that’s left is to put it all together when the spotlight is at its brightest.

Baumgardner received prime real estate in her first two fights under the MVP banner and also had co-main event spots on the Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano 3 and Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua fight cards. Although she won these two fights by significant margins – against Jennifer Miranda and Leila Beaudoin – neither fight was considered a breakthrough. Baumgardner, the No. 7 pound-for-pound women’s boxer on ESPN, will have the opportunity to impress as a headliner on April 17 against Bo Mi Re Shin in defense of her WBO, IBF and WBA junior lightweight titles at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in Fresh York.

Her opponent was not chosen by chance, as Shin gave WBC lightweight champion and Baumgardner’s rival Caroline Dubois all she could handle in March 2025, losing by majority decision. MVP will give Baumgardner every opportunity to excel and become a superstar; she’ll just have to seize the moment.

Will the winner of Caroline Dubois vs. Should Terri Harper unify the division or wait for Alycia Baumgardner to move up?

While being undisputed brings prestige and is a huge achievement, a fight against Baumgardner, who reigns supreme in the junior lightweight division, will likely be more lucrative for the winner of the Dubois vs. Harper, which will take place on April 5 in London.

Dubois, the WBC lightweight champion, will face English rival Harper, the WBO titleholder, in the biggest fight of her career to date. And the fight against Baumgardner will be bigger than the fights against any other lightweight champion – IBF champion Elif Nur Turhan, who is a hazardous puncher, and the much taller Stephanie Han, the WBA champion). Harper is more experienced than Dubois and has already been in huge fights against Baumgardner, Cecilia Braekhus, Natasha Jonas and Sandy Ryan. However, Harper may also choose a rematch with Baumgardner – who stopped her in four rounds in November 2021 – over unifying the belts. Harper lost her WBC junior lightweight belt when she was stunned by Baumgardner in one of the best KOs of the year and may operate the opportunity to seek revenge for winning another belt.

Baumgardner would have to move up from junior lightweight, where she holds three belts, to face Dubois or Harper.

Is the Shadasia Green vs. Claressa Shields fight currently the most essential fight in women’s boxing?

Yes, but due to a unique set of circumstances. There are plenty of huge fights to be had in women’s boxing. Katie Taylor’s swan song will be highly anticipated, as will the fight between Shields and welterweight champion and fellow pound-for-pound fighter Mikaela Mayer. But what makes the fight between Shields and Green stand out is the promotional machine behind it. MVP and the platform it offers, which includes a broadcast on both ESPN and Netflix, would push the Shields-Green fight to the moon in terms of coverage. Despite everything Shields has accomplished, she has yet to compete on a stage as huge as the one MVP has to offer, and teaming up with Jake Paul would expand her reach.

Green also serves as Shields’ opposite, with her raw power compensating for any shortcomings in her natural boxing abilities. Although she dropped a decision to Franchon Crews Dezurn, whom Shields defeated twice, Green’s impressive comeback against Savannah Marshall in July 2025 proved that she is still developing as a fighter and has not yet reached her peak. Add to that the fact that there would be a pointless conversation going on between these two women and you have everything you need to make this the biggest fight in women’s boxing today.

Green will first be tasked with knocking out former lightweight heavyweight champion Lani Daniels on April 17. If she succeeds, we can expect her to throw down the gauntlet before the fight with Shields. It will be up to Shields and her promoter, Salita Promotions, to decide what direction the undisputed women’s heavyweight champion will take next.

Where does the win place Ellie Scotney on the ESPN women’s P4P list?

Scotney, 27, could become the youngest undisputed champion in British history – male or female – if she defeats WBA junior featherweight champion Mayella Flores on April 5 in her hometown of London and unifies all four major belts. Scotney, the WBC, IBF and WBO champion, has two good wins in 2025 – against Yamileth Mercado and Mea Motu – which led me to vote her to No. 10 in my opinion pound-for-pound rankings, and a win over Flores should aid her crack the top ten.

How long does Holly Holm have left and what would a victory for Stephanie Han mean?

Holm ended a 12-year hiatus from boxing to sign with MVP in May 2025. A 2022 inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion knocked off the rust with a unanimous decision against Yolanda Vega. However, in her next fight, Holm was losing on the scorecards 65-69, 65-68 and 64-69 to Han, before Han suffered a cut from an unintentional clash of heads, which ended the fight in the seventh round, with Han taking the technical decision victory. They will meet again on May 30 in Han’s hometown of El Paso, Texas.

Holm, 44, will have a significant mountain to climb in the rematch because Han is nine years younger, faster and the undefeated WBA women’s lightweight champion. Facing Han in her second boxing match after competing in MMA was a tough task for the multiple-time boxing world champion, but it was clear that Holm did not want to waste time on training fights. Holm is in the twilight of her combat sports career and this could be seen as a “now or never” moment in realizing her championship aspirations. Will he end his career with a second defeat in a row?

As for Han, another victory over Holm – who is still a prominent figure in combat sports – would be a major step forward in terms of her marketability. Han defeated Holm in the rematch, but as an ESPN headliner she will have a larger audience, including many who have never seen her compete. A final victory would boost her profile, and in a division that includes fellow champions Terri Harper, Caroline Dubois and the hard-hitting Elif Nur Turhan, Han would have some captivating opportunities to unify the titles.

Will victory secure Chantelle Cameron’s trilogy with Katie Taylor?

Cameron is on the shortlist to fight Taylor this summer, but she can’t be sure she’ll secure a trilogy fight with her rival despite their history.

Taylor may be at the top of Cameron’s wish list, but she faces competition in what could be Taylor’s last fight. Taylor recently announced that she wants to make her final fight, preferably this summer at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin.

Cameron, who will face Michaela Kotaskova in London on April 5 for the vacant WBO junior middleweight title, is the only fighter to defeat Taylor in the professional ranks. Cameron defeated Taylor by majority vote in May 2023, before Taylor avenged that loss with a decision victory six months later.

The trilogy fight is likely the biggest possible fight for Taylor, but WBC, IBF and WBA welterweight champion Lauren Price, who will defend her belts against Stephanie Piñeiro on April 4 at the Cardiff International Arena, told ESPN this week that she has been approached to fight Taylor later this year.

Taylor, who holds three versions of the junior welterweight world title and hasn’t fought since a trilogy win over Amanda Serrano in July 2025, could be tempted to face Price, especially if Cameron doesn’t want to drop down to welterweight or junior welterweight.