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Eddie Hearn reacts to Dana White signing Jai Opetaia: ‘That’s probably where the problem started’

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Hearn, Opetaia and White

Jai Opetaia recently became Dana White and Zuffa Boxing’s first addition to the championship. He was previously co-promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom.

Opetaia became IBF world champion for the first time in 2022. He was stripped of the belt in 2023 for refusing to face a mandatory challenger, but quickly regained the belt a year later. Since then, he has loudly called for unification fights, especially against WBA and WBO champion Gilberto Ramirez.

The fearsome cruiserweight king announced his move earlier this week ahead of Zuffa’s inaugural gala in Las Vegas. This is a statement signed by the newest boxing event in the city, but it caused some confusion among fans.

White has made clear in recent months that he has no intention of working with the sport’s four major sanctioning bodies and was expected to focus on the Ring magazine belt and the creation of the Zuffa title. However, revealing that he had signed a contract with the UFC boss, Opetaia said he was still looking for the remaining three recognized belts.

I’m talking to IFL TelevisionHearn revealed it partnership – joint promotion with Tasman Fighters – has started to decline over the last six months.

“We haven’t promoted Jai for over two years, since the Jordan Thompson fight. Everything we’ve done around Jai, we do with Mick Francis and Tasman Fighters. For the last three fights, all in Australia, we were not the organizers. For the first fight, Turki Alalshikh and I contributed a lot of money to sponsorship. For the second fight with the Italian, which we were not involved in at all. And for the third fight, which is probably where the problem arose, DAZN dropped him.

“They didn’t make an offer to air the fight. I feel like we didn’t do much during that period. More importantly, I wasn’t able to give Jai the fights that people wanted to see him fight. Which isn’t his fault, and it’s not really my fault, because Zurdo Ramirez wasn’t available or didn’t want to do the fight in my opinion.”

Hearn then admitted that the champion had to make the decision to benefit from his career after “treading water”, then praising the deal with the stipulation that it provided unification fights.

“I hope this deal gives him what he wants. I know there’s confusion about Zuffa not recognizing the belts, but Jai and Mick [Francis] they say this will lead us to uncontested fights. I think the message is everywhere, it doesn’t really matter. The problem will continue to be getting him those fights. You have the Benavidez-Zurdo game in May, so these guys won’t be available until November, December.

“So what is the plan for Jai? Probably, if the plan is true to his words, he will unify. There is only one other champion, so next he will fight the WBC champion, Mikaelian. Which I think is brilliant for him. As long as he does it and as long as it actually happens, I think it was the best move Jai and Mick could have made.”

News of Opetai’s first fight under the Zuffa Boxing banner is expected soon, and White has now said that in situations like this he will initially cooperate with the major sanctioning bodies.

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Keyshawn Davis says his next fight at 147 pounds could be a title shot

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Image: Keyshawn Davis Says Next Fight Likely at 147, “For a Championship”

“My next fight will definitely be under a credible name, bigger than Jamaine Ortiz,” Keyshawn told Fight Hub TV.

Since stopping Jamaine Ortiz in the 12th round on January 31 at Madison Square Garden, Keyshawn has been openly calling for bigger fights. He has mentioned names from junior welterweights and welterweights in interviews and on social media, including Devin Haney, Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, Richardson Hitchins, Lewis Crocker and Lamont Roach Jr.

These challenges followed a performance that Keyshawn pointed to as evidence that he was among the top contenders. He dropped and stopped Ortiz in a fight where several previous opponents had gone the distance against a hard-wearing opponent. Now Keyshawn says the next step will take him to a welterweight title shot.

“I think I’m on the rise,” Keyshawn said when asked about the importance of his next fight, confirming plans to compete at 147 pounds and indicating the fight will be for the world championship.

Keyshawn did not name his opponent, but hinted that the fight would be a step up from his last fight. He also said that discussions about this fight have already taken place and that his return could come sooner than many expect.

A move up to welterweight would place Keyshawn in one of boxing’s most competitive divisions, with several established fighters already competing for title opportunities and championship fights receiving constant attention.

One possible opponent at 147 pounds is IBF champion Lewis Crocker, who Keyshawn mentioned when discussing future fights. Keyshawn has previously said he would be willing to head to the UK to challenge Crocker if a title opportunity arises. No agreement has been announced, but a fight has emerged as one potential path if the fighter wins the welterweight title outright.

For now, Keyshawn says preparations for his return are already underway as talks continue for a world title fight.

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Canelo Alvarez discusses his retirement plan

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Canelo Alvarez addresses his retirement plan

Canelo Alvarez talked about how long he could stay in the sport before hanging up his gloves and opting for a decorated career.

The 35-year-old is already destined for a place in the Hall of Fame, as he became a four-division world champion, but he still wants to compete at the highest level.

Since his professional debut in 2005, the Mexican has made 68 appearances and has twice become the undisputed king of the 168-pound division, scoring notable victories over the likes of Callum Smith and Caleb Plant.

However, his most critical victory came in the middleweight division, where Alvarez made a very controversial decision by majority vote in a rematch with Gennady Golovkin in 2018.

More controversial was their first meeting a year earlier, when many felt Golovkin had done enough to claim a convincing victory and the Kazakhstan ended in a draw.

Still, Canelo received plenty of credit for his follow-up triumph before dethroning Sergei Kovalev to capture the WBO featherlight heavyweight title over a year later.

Alvarez’s second undisputed super middleweight reign came to an end last September when Terence Crawford moved up two weight classes and won a unanimous decision.

But Canelo explained anyway Froch About the fight that he can still compete for another two years, maybe even longer, depending on how often his opportunities come along.

“I don’t know. I think maybe two years. I don’t need it, [but] I still enjoy it. If I [fight] maybe once a year [I can go on] a little bit [longer].

“Once a year to rest my body, I think I can fight more [than two years]”

Although an official announcement has not yet been made, Canelo is scheduled to fight in Riyad, Saudi Arabia this September, and Turki Alalshikh has promised to fight for the world title.

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The Inoue-Nakatani title fight will take place on May 2 at the Tokyo Dome

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Boxing’s worst kept secret has now been confirmed – Naoya Inoue (32-0, 27 KO) and Junto Nakatani (32-0, 24 KO) will meet on May 2 at the Tokyo Dome for Inoue’s undisputed junior featherweight championship.

The all-Japan clash was formally announced at a press conference in Japan. The fight will be broadcast live on Lemino pay-per-view; US distribution rights have not yet been announced.

Inoue – ESPN’s No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer – is coming off an impressive 2025 in which he competed four times, defeating Kim Ye-Joon, Ramon Cardenas, Murodjon Akhmadaliev and David Picasso. Thanks to Inoue’s unanimous decision victory over Picasso in December, Nakatani defeated Sebastian Hernandez in the second fight of the night in a tougher-than-expected fight. Their victories set up a long-awaited clash between two of Japan’s best players.

Nakatani is ranked No. 6 pound-for-pound by ESPN and will look to become a four-division champion after winning world titles at bantamweight, junior bantamweight and flyweight. Although Nakatani narrowly won his junior featherweight debut in a grueling fight against Hernandez, Nakatani proved he was one of the best fighters in the world and had a powerful showing in 2025, winning 3-0.

The Undercard will feature Inoue’s younger brother Takuma defending his WBC bantamweight title against former four-division titleholder Kazuto Ioka.

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