Boxing
Devin Haney Hits Back at ‘We Hate Sanctioning Bodies’ Comment on The Ring Podcast.
Published
3 months agoon
Devin Haney has withdrawn after a podcast debate used the word “hate” to describe boxing sanctioning bodies.
In the conversation, Mike Coppinger, Max Kellerman and veteran boxing journalist Doug Fischer discussed the role boxing governing bodies continue to play in the sport as up-to-date ideas, such as the proposed Zuffa belt, begin to enter the marketplace.
During the exchange of opinions, the discussion was interrupted by one comment.
The word “hate” used to describe sanctioning authorities
“Right, we hate sanctioning authorities,” Coppinger said.
The utilize of the word “hate” stood out because the sanctioning bodies, despite recurrent criticism, remain the backbone of boxing’s championship system.
Haney responded with a warrior’s perspective.
“The same as me, as a fighter, we can’t say that everyone hates the sanctioning authorities,” Haney explained.
He said that for many players, these titles are a goal from the moment they enter the sport.
“As a newborn kid growing up, you want the IBF, you want the WBC, you want the WBO. You want the Ring Magazine belt. You want all the belts.”
Haney has made it clear that he does not discount the emergence of up-to-date ideas in boxing, including the Zuffa championship concept currently being discussed.
“But I’m also into Zuffa and everything, which is good,” he said. “But we can’t forget about these sanctioning bodies.”
The reason, Haney added, remains basic.
“As a fighter, you want to be recognized as a true champion.”
The debate began as the panel discussed the International Boxing Federation’s position on IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetai and the possibility of fighters risking their titles by fighting for competitive promotional belts.
A fighter perspective
Haney’s comments carried weight given his own path in the sport. The American has held various versions of the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO titles and understands firsthand what these belts represent to fighters climbing the ranks.
By speaking as a multi-belt champion, Haney meant that the four sanctioning bodies continue to provide the structure that many fighters follow from the moment they enter the sport.
The exchange also highlighted the direction of the debate currently taking place in boxing. the podcast, which featured Coppinger, Kellerman and Fischer, fits into a broader context that currently includes Riyadh Season’s growing involvement in the sport and discussion of up-to-date championship ideas, such as the proposed Zuffa title.
For some observers, the word “hate” used to describe the sanctioning bodies was striking, given how significant the same organizations have been in the boxing championship system for decades.
These bodies oversee the rankings, mandatory challengers, and title recognition that ultimately determine who is considered the champion in each league.
Many sanctioning authorities also run charitable initiatives and support programs aimed at helping ex-combatants who have fallen on tough times. This behind-the-scenes work sometimes goes unnoticed, especially when a debate on a platform like The Ring podcast can influence public opinion.
Haney’s response therefore reflected the view from inside the ropes. While up-to-date ideas and up-to-date belts may emerge, classic titles still represent achievements that most competitors grow into.
A changing landscape
The discussion also comes during a period of transition that is increasingly associated with Riyad’s season and Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in boxing under Turki Alalshikh.
As up-to-date ventures like Zuffa Boxing attempt to transform parts of the championship structure, debates over how titles are recognized will likely continue.
For players like Haney, the view remains basic. However, describing boxing’s title structure with a word as sturdy as “hate” is another matter entirely.
Regardless of changes that may occur in the boxing landscape, classic belts remain the greatest prizes that fighters have been fighting for for generations.
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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Boxing
Peter Fury claims Tyson used the wrong tactics against Usyk
Published
1 hour agoon
June 4, 2026
“Well, he has his team there and I’m not criticizing anyone, but in both fights his tactics weren’t good,” Peter said in an interview with Sport Boxing.
“It worked out badly because look, if we have a little guy here who can throw, let’s say, a welterweight who can throw a thousand punches, and we have a heavyweight, will a heavyweight fighter throw a thousand punches with him? No.”
“Or maybe he’ll step in and take one good shot? Absolutely.”
“So basically yes, the strategy was just wrong. It doesn’t mean Usyk was better than him. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t say anything. You misunderstand the tactics and they are wrong.
“And you know, when you look at Usyk’s structure and what he does, when he distances himself and tries to box an elite boxer who is lighter than you and who is giving away pounds, he will ping you all over the shop. That should be noticed,” Peter Fury said.
Tyson Fury announced his return earlier this year and is expected to have a preparatory fight before the start of his scheduled series with Anthony Joshua. Queensbury promoter Frank Warren recently confirmed that Fury’s next opponent could be announced in the coming days, with the long-awaited fight against Joshua expected to take place later this year.
Usyk remains at the top of the heavyweight division and has been ordered to fight WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel. Warren also confirmed that negotiations for the fight are ongoing.
Fury’s third meeting with Usyk has not been announced. Peter Fury, however, remains convinced that the strategy used in the first two fights determined the result.
Boxing
The politician’s perfect 12-0 KO record remains the strangest in boxing
Published
3 hours agoon
June 4, 2026
Jorge Kahwagi achieved something almost impossible in professional boxing. The Mexican politician retired with a perfect record of 12-0, knocked out every opponent he faced, and finished his entire career in just 15 rounds.
On paper, this looks like one of the most devastating runs the sport has ever seen. In fact, many boxing fans wondered if they even believed it.
Perfect record
Kahwagi turned professional in 2001, despite having no boxing experience. Over the next fourteen years, he set an undefeated record, won regional titles, and never once heard the final bell.
Twelve fights brought twelve victories. All twelve victories were by knockout in just fifteen rounds.
The numbers are tough to understand even now.
Several of Kahwagi’s opponents entered the ring in defeat. Others seemed hopelessly outmatched.
But the record continued to grow as the politician and businessman rose through the cruiserweight ranks without ever being seriously tested.
By the time he retired in 2015 after returning from a ten-year hiatus for one final fight, Kahwagi owned one of boxing’s most remarkable undefeated records.
Why fans never bought it
The controversy surrounding Kahwaga was not in itself. This is how some of these victories turned out.
His last fight against Ramon Olivas remains the fight most frequently mentioned in discussions about Kahwagi’s career. The break came after seemingly minimal contact, prompting criticism from fans and observers.
Doubts have already surrounded previous victories, including the victory over veteran Roberto Coelho.
Whether these doubts were justified or not, the damage was done and many fans never accepted Kahwagi’s record at face value.
Boxing has seen this before
Kahwagi’s record may be extraordinary, but in boxing there is always controversy when it comes to results.
As WBN reports, while John Riel Casimero faces a fight-fixing investigation in 2025, debates continue to arise in the contemporary era about what happens inside the ropes.
Long before that, Roy Jones Jr. denied winning Olympic gold in Seoul despite dominating Park Si-hun in what many still consider the greatest heist in boxing history.
More than thirty years later, Park returned the medal to Jones.
The Kahwagi case falls into a different category, but the result is often the same. Once fans stop believing what they’re watching, the debate never really stops.
Still one of the strangest
Few fighters retire with a perfect record, and even fewer retire after every knockout victory.
Kahwagi handled both, finishing his entire professional career in just 15 innings, and those numbers remain remarkable.
More than a decade after his retirement, the debate surrounding his record has never really died down.
That’s why Jorge Kahwagi’s perfect 12-0 record remains one of the strangest in boxing history.
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.
Boxing
Teofimo Lopez sees only one winner of David Benavidez vs. Dmitry Bivol title fight
Published
3 hours agoon
June 4, 2026
One of the most coveted fights in boxing right now is the lithe heavyweight clash between unified champion Dmitry Bivol and WBC ruler David Benavidez for the undisputed 175-pound crown.
However, two-division world champion Teofimo Lopez believes that the fight could end in a “massacre”.
Bivol won the undisputed lithe heavyweight title of the world took revenge for his defeat against Artur Beterbiev in February last yearbut soon afterwards the Russian was stripped of the WBC marble and Benavidez became world champion.
“The Mexican Monster” has since won the unified cruiserweight crown, but maintains he would be willing to cut weight to face Bivol and claim the undisputed honors.
Speaking on Inside The Ring programLopez renamed Benavidez the “Massacre Monster” when discussing the potential fight, believing the age difference between the two lithe heavyweight champions could be crucial to the outcome of the fight.
“I’m going to call Benavidez a ‘massacre monster’ because, man, [that performance against Ramirez] it was nasty. It’s really nasty, really.
“He [Benavidez] enters its flowering period, while the other [Bivol] is on the way out. You have to think about these things too.”
Bivol fulfilled his IBF obligation by defending his belts against Michael Eifert last weekend, but the WBO ordered him to face mandatory challenger Callum Smith in order to retain the WBO belt.
As a result, it appears that a potential Bivol-Benavidez clash will have to wait until 2027, with Beterbiev also being considered for the trilogy.
Peter Fury claims Tyson used the wrong tactics against Usyk
The politician’s perfect 12-0 KO record remains the strangest in boxing
Teofimo Lopez sees only one winner of David Benavidez vs. Dmitry Bivol title fight
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