Author: Sean Crose

Dmitry Bivol did what few people have done before – he defeated the great Canelo Alvarez in the ring. And while some might argue that moving up to airy heavyweight again was a bridge too far for Canelo or that he was starting to show signs of wear and tear when he and Bivol fought in 2022, there was no doubt that defending WBA champion Bivol dominated their fight. If the decision loss to Bivol wasn’t a huge upset, it was certainly close to one. And yet, 33-year-old Bivol is still not fully satisfied with his career.

The 23-0 fighter has an ultimate goal he wants to achieve – to become the undisputed airy heavyweight champion of the world. Fortunately for all parties involved, as well as the entire legion of boxing fans, Bivol will get his chance on October 12, when he will face another undefeated fighter, Artur Beterbiev, owner of the WBO, WBC and IBF airy heavyweight championship belts. The winner will not only be the undisputed airy heavyweight king, but will likely be among the best airy heavyweights in the world – that’s no miniature thing.

What makes this fight fascinating, apart from the fact that both fighters are undefeated and seemingly in the top form of their competitions, is the fact that it is tough to say who will actually win this fight. Stylistically, both men are close to opposites. Bivol is a highly skilled technician and Beterbiev is a highly skilled vehicle of destruction. Apart from the fact that Bivol has more than a five-year age advantage over the elder Beterbiev, there is little about these two that gives one an advantage over the other. That is, not until the first bell rang.

The truth is that this fight has been a long one. Beterbiev’s injury prevented this anticipated clash from becoming a reality for longer than most would like to remember. Indeed, it is said that there is no guarantee that the fight will end in October without obstacles delaying the fight again. However, Booth’s players are clearly ready for this moment. If he wins, there is no doubt that Bivol would be willing to face Canelo again. However, this is just a pipe dream until he defeats Beterbiev. And there is no guarantee that Bivol will be able to do it.

As the fight plot between Sebastian Fundora and Errol Spence Jr. it’s still boilingpromoter Sampson Lewkowicz focuses solely on organizing Fundora’s fight with Terence Crawford.

August 28 WBO ordered interim junior middleweight champion Crawford (41-0, 31 KO) will face full titleholder Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KO) and indicated that both camps have 30 days to reach an agreement or the fight will be sent to the handbag offer.

While an agreement has not yet been announced, Lewkowicz is aware that Crawford is committed to climbing up to 168 pounds in hopes of defeating super middleweight king Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

“It looks like Crawford just wants to fight Canelo,” Lewkowicz told BoxingScene. “If Canelo gets $100 million to fight Crawford, he will take it and knock Crawford out. He’s not stupid. It’s an straightforward fight and that’s it. This is the end of Crawford’s career. If Canelo doesn’t take the Crawford fight, we’re ready to fight Crawford. All our efforts are focused on Crawford. We have nothing else in mind. We want to fight Crawford. Sebastian believes he can beat Crawford and when he does, he will become a superstar. Sebastian has balls and it’s a threatening fight for anyone.

Earlier this month, Lewkowicz said he did not yet have an offer to consider for the Fundora vs. Spence.

Fundora, 26, resumed his career in March, earning a split decision victory over Tim Tszyu. This was Fundora’s first fight since suffering a stunning stoppage loss to Brian Mendoza in April 2023. Spence entered the ring after the Fundora-Tszyu fight, seemingly calling for a fight against “The Towering Inferno”.

Spence hasn’t fought since a one-sided loss to Crawford in July 2023 for the undisputed welterweight title, but he indicated a move to 154 pounds would be next.

Meanwhile, the soon-to-be 37-year-old Crawford defeated Israil Madrimov by unanimous decision in his 154-pound debut in August to win the WBA title.

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Professional boxing returns to the theater at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, October 23, when DiBella Entertainment presents “Heroes on the Hudson 2” to honor and support our heroic veterans of the United States Armed Forces ahead of Veterans Day.

Aimed to raise money and awareness for veteran veterans’ charities, the main attraction of the latest edition of Broadway Boxing will be a world title fight in which IBF bantamweight champion Miyo Yoshida will defend her belt in a rematch with Shurretta Metcalf.

“On October 23 at the Madison Square Garden Theater, we will once again honor our veterans with ‘Heroes on the Hudson 2’ to support generate much-needed awareness and funds for military charities. The first ‘Heroes on the Hudson’ event, held at the Edison Ballroom in Times Square, was such a huge success that this time we had to move it to a larger venue,” said Lou DiBella, president of DiBella Entertainment. “Last year the main attraction was the return of the former world champion. The main event of this year’s edition will be a fascinating world title fight between two talented, hard-working single mothers, champion Miyo Yoshida and deserving #1 title challenger Shurretta Metcalf. This will be the beginning of the Gigantic Eight Tournament, the aim of which will be to determine the undisputed women’s bantamweight world champion.

“Heroes on the Hudson 2” is proudly sponsored by CAVU Securities and Morgan Stanley. Businesses interested in purchasing available sponsorship packages can contact DiBella Entertainment at (212) 947-2577.

Tickets for “Heroes On The Hudson 2” are on sale now, priced at $182, $157, $82 and $57, and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com. The theater doors at Madison Square Garden will open at 7:00 PM ET on the night of the event, with the first fight scheduled for 7:30 PM ET.

A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the following veteran-related causes:

The West Point Society of Fresh York provides camaraderie and support to graduates and former cadets of the United States Military Academy.

Merging Vets & Players is an organization that connects veterans with the sports community to support our heroes grow, connect and make a difference on the field and in their communities. For more information, visit vetsandplayers.org.

Project Headstrong provides free, confidential and accessible mental health care to members of the military community. More information can be found at theheadstrongproject.org.

Yoshida and Metcalf first met on November 7, 2023, as part of last year’s “Heroes on the Hudson” event. Metcalf won by unanimous decision that night, using her size and consistent jab to overtake Yoshida and claim the IBF Inter-Continental belt.

A month later, Yoshida was selected as a behind schedule replacement opponent in his fight against IBF world champion Ebanie Bridges in San Francisco. Yoshida, down 7-1 and with her daughter cheering from ringside, put in a dominant performance to take the title from the Australian in an action-packed 10-round fight. With the victory, she became a three-time world champion in two divisions. Yoshida twice held the WBO super flyweight world title.

Now Yoshida and Metcalf will do battle once again, each equally motivated to settle the score.

“I feel like taking revenge on Metcalf,” said Yoshida, of Kagoshima, Japan, who now lives in Fresh York. “Just a few weeks before the Ebanie fight, I joined the Sosa Crew and since then I have been training well with them. There’s a lot of pressure on me heading into the rematch, but I can’t wait to see how much I’ve developed over the last year.

Yoshida (17-4) promises that the rematch with Metcalf will have a different result.

“Last time, I didn’t have a detailed strategy,” she continued. “I couldn’t cope with unexpected movements. I thought it was a close fight. The result was a decision failure, but I learned the importance of scoring points. I burn with vengeance and I am sure I will win.”

Metcalf (13-4-1, 2 KO), from Dallas, Texas, is also looking forward to the rematch and is determined to win the world title.

“I’m very ecstatic,” Metcalf said. “It’s something I’ve worked tough for and I’m finally going to get the opportunity I’ve earned. I beat Yoshida last time and I will come out on top again and become world champion.