Boxing
Darren Till jumps into boxing for a fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr
Published
8 months agoon
By
J. HumzaFormer UFC welterweight title challenger Darren Till will be the latest to make the jump from MMA to boxing when he steps into the ring to make his professional boxing debut against former WBC middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on the fight card Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The fight will last six rounds and will be fought at cruiserweight with a weight limit of 190 pounds.
Till, 31, is making his professional boxing debut after a successful UFC career at both welterweight and middleweight, with an overall MMA record of 18-5-1.
The Liverpool, England product challenged Tyron Woodley for the UFC welterweight title in 2018, but lost via submission in the second round. After starting his MMA career with a 17-0-1 record, Till went 1-5 in his next six fights, losing to Jorge Masvidal, Robert Whittaker and current UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis. The defeat to du Plessis in December 2022 was Till’s last fight in the Octagon.
There were rumors that Till would go to the bare-knuckle fighting championships to challenge Mike Perry, but the Englishman rejected the idea of a bare-knuckle fight, despite offers from the organization.
“I am very pleased with my opponent,” Till said in a statement. “I have been a fan of his father for many years, and I am also a fan of Chavez Jr. – he’s a great fighter who I respect, but don’t be fooled, I’m coming to knock him out in the first round, I’m content with where I am in life and I’ll come to Texas on July 20 to make a statement.
Till’s boxing debut will face an opponent whose name is very essential in this sport.
Chavez – the son of legendary Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. – has had difficulty breaking out of his father’s shadow despite being the first Mexican fighter to win middleweight gold when he won the WBC middleweight title in 2011. He successfully defended the championship three times before losing it in a unanimous decision loss to Sergio Martinez.
Since the first defeat of his professional career, Chavez (53-6-1, 34 KO) has tried to live up to his name, suffering one-sided losses to the likes of Andrzej Fonfara, Canelo Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs, while at the same time sacrificing himself for the sport he routinely questioned.
This will not be the first MMA fighter that 38-year-old Chavez will face. In 2021, the Mexican fighter dropped a split decision to UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva. His last fight was in December 2021, when he scored a unanimous decision against unannounced opponent David Zegarra.
“I’m excited to be back in the ring after my break, I’m motivated and I can’t wait to be one of the best again,” Chavez said. “I was the first Mexican middleweight champion in Mexican history and I want to prove that I can become champion again. It is an honor for me to return to the ring at this historic event. On Saturday, July 20, I plan to win by KO and continue my journey.”
It was also announced that the Paul-Tyson card would feature a lithe fight between two highly touted prospects.
Ashton “H2O” Sylve (11-0, 9 KO) and Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield (17-0, 12 KO) will face off in a 10-round fight in which both 135-pound fighters will look to climb to the top of the division filled with talented warriors.
Sylve, 20, was regularly pushed to be the next gigantic star on Paul’s Most Valuable Promos. The 2022 ESPN Ringside Prospect of the Year returns to action after securing a unanimous decision victory over Brazil’s Estivan Falcao in February. Sylve has looked outstanding during his brief professional career, but Schofield represents a significant step up in competition.
Schofield, 21, made his professional debut in 2020 and racked up 16 straight wins over the next three years. In his last appearance, he was jointly featured on the undercard of the Golden Boy Promotions bout between William Zepeda and Maxi Hughes. What was supposed to be a performance by Schofield was muted by his opponent Esteuri Suero, who was disqualified for a number of fouls throughout the fight.
The matchup between Sylve and Schofield may be a bit surprising considering their paths cross so early in their careers. However, both fighters know that a victory on July 20 will propel them up the lightweight ladder in hopes of securing a title shot in the near future.
“H2O Sylve vs. ‘Kid Austin’ Floyd Schofield will be a battle that showcases boxing’s future stars,” Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian of Most Valuable Promotions said in a statement. “These two newborn stars are disrupting the sport of boxing by jeopardizing their undefeated records so early in their careers in order to evolve the sport and set an example for other prospects.”
“We are also excited about the return of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to his long-awaited return against UFC star Darren Till in a Mexico vs. Great Britain. Chavez Jr. will want to silence critics after the loss to Anderson Silva, at the same time Till, training under the supervision of the great British boxer Liam Smith, intends to show the world that he is a real threat in the ring.
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Boxing
Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
5 days agoon
January 13, 2025The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
The next move is Badou Jack’s.
Boxing
Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years
Published
7 days agoon
January 12, 2025Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
Boxing
Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios
Published
2 weeks agoon
January 6, 2025WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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