Boxing
David Haye, Lennox Lewis and Joseph Parker announce Tyson Fury’s return
Published
1 month agoon
Tyson Fury will return to the ring on Saturday evening against Arslanbek Makhmudov in London.
ESPN spoke to three heavyweight experts: David Haye, Joseph Parker and Lennox Lewis, to get their take on Fury’s latest return and how the fight might go.
David Haye
Are you joyful that Tyson Fury is back?
“Yes, of course. Boxing is better with Tyson Fury. We need controversy; we need ‘The Gypsy King’ in the heavyweight division.” It’s not as fun without it.
I hope he will be back to his best on Saturday night. Makhmudov is not a pushover. He’s not the easiest guy when you don’t know what you have left. Makhmudov is the perfect opponent, but you’ll need 12 rounds of action or he’ll flood you.
“He’s very sturdy, he hits tough. He’s not the most skillful boxer. It’s one thing to say, ‘I’m No. 1 in the world, I didn’t lose to Usyk’… It doesn’t matter. We’ll see on Saturday night.”
Do you think he’ll be sitting in the locker room wondering how he’ll handle being in that ring?
“No, he’s been doing it since he was a child. He won’t worry at all. It’s a normal human attitude. He’s a fighter. He’s shown it time and time again. He was there with Wilder when he was an undefeated beast and he beat him.
“The fight with Makhmudov won’t surprise him. It’s not about his mindset, it’s about his physicality. That’s an unknown.”
Joseph Parker
Were you around him, how did Tyson do at camp?
“He’s in amazing shape. He always puts in the work. Always. It’s nice to see him joyful and enjoying camp. I think it’s for him now [to] enjoy every moment.
“He’s in great shape and ready to go. Even now he’s the fittest player in the camp. We’re training in Thailand, it’s very balmy in the gym, I did 4-5 rounds of sparring with him and I really felt it. I jumped out, another guy jumped in… Then another guy.
The fight against Makhmudov is not effortless. What is Tyson’s attitude on this matter?
“I don’t think Tyson could have trained harder [than if it was] title fight. He treated this guy [Makhmudov] like he was King Kong. That’s how he was trained for this fight, and I can say this truthfully because I was there.
Lennox Lewis
Tyson looks in good shape and has been relaxed and joyful all week. What version of him do you expect to see on Saturday night?
“I expect Tyson Fury to come out on the pitch and feel confident. He has already been through trials and tribulations with [Francis] Ngannou struggles as he gets caught in the first rounds.
“He’s going to make sure he doesn’t get caught… He knows how it feels and he doesn’t want it to happen again.”
Do you think the leave could have helped him?
“100%. I think Thailand has done so many good things for him. He’s a guy who needs to get away. He doesn’t like people, but he loves being around his family and they make him feel good. He is [been] in a place where you feel good, allows you to lose weight comfortably.
“If he comes back and expresses his desire to box a few more times, he can stay for at least another year.”
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Boxing
O’Shaquie Foster says Richardson Hitchins is ‘scary as hell’
Published
1 hour agoon
May 13, 2026
O’Shaquie Foster took his feud with Richardson Hitchins to another level this week, accusing the former IBF junior welterweight champion of being afraid of sparring and questioning his durability during a lengthy interview ahead of Foster’s May 30 title defense against Raymond Ford.
Foster slammed Hitchins, claiming that people in boxing have been questioning Hitchins’ mentality for years.
“Hitchins is scary as hell. I knew it. That’s what they say in boxing,” Foster said on Sean Zittel’s YouTube page. “They must have pumped him up with some sparring sessions. He knew what I was talking about. They had to put a wrench in his back so he could go to sparring and so on.”
Foster then mentioned that Hitchins was withdrawing from his scheduled fight against Oscar Duarte on the day of the competition in February.
“He has heart problems. It’s not a physical heart problem. He just doesn’t have a heart. See what he did to Duarte? Why am I worried about Hitchins? He’s so terrible,” Foster said.
Hitchins later responded to Foster’s X with a miniature response of his own.
“I’ve got a lot more heart than that alien pussy in my ass, nigga.”
The latest exchange comes just hours after Foster mocked Hitchins over his Olympic path and his past ties to Subriel Matias.
Foster blamed Hitchins for not making the U.S. Olympic team before he later represented Haiti at the 2016 Olympics. Hitchins previously lost out on U.S. selection to Gary Antuanne Russell before qualifying for international play in Haiti via Olympic qualifying.
This exchange added unexpected warmth to an otherwise serene week in boxing, especially since both fighters weren’t even fighting in the same division. Foster is the 130-pound world champion, and Hitchins recently won the 140-pound belt.
Still, both fighters come from the Recent York boxing scene, know each other’s amateur history, and now seem fully committed to turning their social media spats into something much more personal.

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 crucial fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
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Last update: 2026/05/13 at 22:39
Boxing
Naoya Inoue offered an immediate title fight in a fresh weight class: “I’m already ready”
Published
4 hours agoon
May 13, 2026
Naoya Inoue recently cemented his status as one of, if not the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world with a win over compatriot Junto Nakatani. The question is, can anyone defeat him before he hangs up his gloves?
The Japanese phenom defended his four super bantamweight belts for the seventh time in a fight against Nakatani at the sold-out Tokyo Domemaintaining his undefeated record in what many considered to be the toughest test of his career to date.
With retirement not too far away, the undisputed two-division champion is looking to tackle one more weight class before it’s time for a Hall of Fame campaign. Ready and willing to fight at 126 pounds is Bruce Carrington from Brooklyn.
I’m talking to ES Newsthe WBC featherweight champion said that watching Nakatani fight only confirmed his belief that he was capable of defeating “The Monster”.
“Honestly, I’ve seen a lot of things that I can’t say here. I’m ready. Inoue is still a spectacular fighter, but I know I have what it takes to beat him. Nakatani is no slouch. I expected a good fight… he did everything he had to do to win.”
“Shu Shu,” who won the vacant title against Carlos Castro in January and will return to the ring to defend it against Rene Palacios in July, then said he would take the fight to Inoue as soon as it was offered to him.
“100%. I’m ready now, I’m ready today, I’m ready tomorrow, I’m ready whenever. Come to the Shu Shu show, baby. I can’t wait to share the ring with you. It’s going to be fireworks.”
Inoue made his plans clear – to fight once again at super bantamweight, most likely against Jesse Rodriguez, and then move up to featherweight, which he said would be the final challenge of his career. Although he did not mention Carrington’s name, the 33-year-old says he wants to take the belt straight away.
As a long-reigning champion and heavyweight star who is gaining more and more importance, sanctioning authorities would likely have no problem approving such a possibility.
However, many fans will believe that “Bam” Rodriguez can thwart these plans. The 26-year-old is expected to move up to bantamweight to fight for Antonio Vargas’ WBA title, with the fight against Inoue taking place in early 2027.
“I think this is the biggest fight in the world, especially in this weight class,” Benavidez said at the post-fight press conference.
“It’s definitely a fight I want. Like I said, I’m not afraid of anyone. This is Monstro’s world and if he wants to get the fight, we’ll get it.”
Opetaia recently lost her IBF cruiserweight title after joining Zuffa Boxing and fighting an unsanctioned fight against Brandon Glanton. Benavidez suggested this move, which immediately complicated negotiations for a future fight.
“I don’t know why he went to Zuffa,” Benavidez said. “We could have had this fight right after this one.”
“I’m not going to go out there and fight for the Zuffa title.”
Benavidez also questioned whether fighters associated with Zuffa would have access to the biggest opportunities in boxing, pointing to Dana White’s history with rival promotional companies.
“I think they’re definitely losing their power,” Benavidez said. “There’s just a lot of politics involved.”
“I think Dana White has shown that he doesn’t want to fight PBC, DAZN.”
The undefeated champion later made it clear that he believed he was in a stronger commercial position compared to Opetaia and suggested that there was no reason for him to choose another promotional organization.
“I’m the one filling these stadiums,” Benavidez said. “I’m the one fighting pay-per-view.”
“Jai Opetaia has never fought on pay-per-view. He has never filled an arena like this.”
Benavidez added that he would still be open to fighting if the two sides manage to reach an agreement outside Zuffa’s structures.
“If they want to come to the table here, we can do that,” Benavidez said. “Let’s get it.”

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 critical fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
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