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Eddie Hearn wants the 5-0 KO artist to face Jai Opetaia ‘as soon as possible’

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Eddie Hearn wants 5-0 KO artist to face Jai Opetaia ‘as soon as possible’

IBF champion Jai Opetaia was considered a bogey in the cruiserweight division from the moment he first won the world title, but Eddie Hearn believes there is a 200-pound fighter in front of him who can beat the Australian, despite just five professional fights under his belt.

Opetaia defeated Mairis Briedis twice to become a two-time champion, but while the Sydney-born southpaw chased unification, his division mates were reluctant to face him.

Instead, the 30-year-old has been forced to fight smaller names during his reign, winning by knockout in all five of his combined defenses over the last three and a half years.

However, Opetaia is hopeful that the upcoming fight between WBA and WBO unified champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez and fan favorite David Benavidez can change his fate and open the door to a three-belt unification fight later this year.

However, while Opetaia looks to the winner of this duel, Eddie Hearn told First Round TV’s Darren Barker that he wants to effect a split between Opetaia and 2024 Olympian Pat Brown “as quickly as possible,” with Brown eyeing a significant rise in the rankings in 2026.

“Pat’s next fight will also be announced this week, headlined by the first week of April.

“Listen, you know how highly I think of Pat, and I know you do too, I know everyone else does. I just think this guy is an absolute monster. I want to pair him with Jai Opetaia ASAP.

“I know he needs another two, three, four fights, but we can do it quickly. You can really see it [elite] guys oppose him? I know Jai is on another level, but he has a granite beard, a great IQ and hits so strenuous.

“I want to give Pat a must-see in the world title fight by the end of the year.”

Brown will be competing on the card at Planet Ice in Altrincham on Friday, April 3 Opetaia has agreed to face Brandon Glanton on Sunday, March 8 in Las Vegas.

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Zuffa Boxing Dublin card confirmed for August 8 at 3Arena

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Zuffa Boxing has announced that its first event in Ireland, branded Zuffa Boxing 10, will take place on Saturday, August 8 at the 3Arena in Dublin. Organizers of the promotion, headed by Dana White, said details about the main event, joint performance and ticket sales will be announced soon.

According to the promotion, the card will be broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and streamed on Paramount+ in the US and Canada. Its broadcasts in the UK and Ireland are covered by a long-term contract with Sky Sports announced in March.

The expected headliner of the Cork middleweight gala will be Callum Walsh (16-0, 11 KO). according to 42 and Irish boxing, although Zuffa has not confirmed this card. Walsh won Zuffa Boxing’s debut event on January 23 in Las Vegas with a unanimous decision over Carlos Ocampo and has not fought since. The Cobh native, trained by Freddie Roach, fought mainly in the United States, but once boxed in Dublin, headlining the 3Arena gala after his victory over Przemysław Runowski.

The 42 reports that Monaghan’s Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KO) is set to be the main support for an IBF middleweight world title fight against Italian Etinosa Oliha (22-0, 10 KO). Both pairs are expected to fight for the vacant belt that became available after Janibek Alimkhanuly was stripped of his belt following a failed anti-doping test. McKenna is third in the IBF rankings and Oliha is second.

Dublin will be Zuffa Boxing’s second card outside the United States. The first event, Zuffa Boxing 07, will take place this Saturday at the Bournemouth International Center in England, where former world cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith will face Ryan Rozicki in a 10-round cruiserweight main event.

The August 8 date means the Dublin gala will take place a week after Queensberry Promotions’ show at the same venue, headlined by Pierce O’Leary against Mark Chamberlain, with Tyson Fury scheduled to appear.

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Frank Warren says Tyson Fury will do what Daniel Dubois did to Joshua

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Image: Frank Warren Says Tyson Fury Will Do What Daniel Dubois Did To Joshua

Frank Warren believes Tyson Fury will not only beat Anthony Joshua when the long-awaited heavyweight clash finally happens, but also stop him.

The All-British clash is scheduled for November, after a delay from its earlier summer date. Warren confirmed that Fury signed a contract for the fight in January, and both men are expected to undergo interim fights before the fight becomes official.


When asked how he sees the fight developing, Warren made it clear he expected Fury to win and pointed to Joshua’s knockout loss to Daniel Dubois as a major factor.

“I think Tyson will win,” Warren told Secondsout, predicting a Tyson Fury knockout over Joshua.

“I think Tyson will stop him.

“Did you see him fight Daniel Dubois? That gives me that confidence. I was sure Daniel Dubois would do it and he did it, and I’m sure Tyson will do the same in brief order, no matter what catches him.”

Earlier in the interview, Warren also suggested that Joshua was still feeling the effects of the Dubois defeat.

“He has the specter and cloud of what happened when he fought Daniel Dubois hanging over him. So, you know, he’s vulnerable if he gets caught now,” Warren said.

Joshua is scheduled to return on July 25 against Kristian Pregna, while Fury is scheduled to fight his own warm-up fight before November. Warren said the location for the proposed blockbuster has yet to be determined, though he confirmed the fight remains signed and will likely take place later this year, provided both heavyweights win their fights.

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Categories Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury

Last update: 2026/06/04 at 23:14

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World champion will be stripped of his title if he refuses to fight David Benavidez next: ‘That’s it’

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World champion to be stripped of title if he refuses to face David Benavidez next: “That’s it”

David Benavidez won the WBA and WBO cruiserweight world titles with his last fight, and the “Mexican Monster” may add to his collection in the future after one of the world champions was ordered to fight him under the threat of being stripped of his belt.

Last month I moved up from light heavyweight and dethroned Gilberto Ramirez in sensational styleBenavidez now holds the WBA (regular) and WBC featherlight heavyweight world titles, as well as his recently won unified cruiserweight crown.

As a result, the 29-year-old must decide whether he should return to the featherlight heavyweight scene or stay in the cruiserweight division, where he put in arguably the best performance of his career last time out after tuning out his fight with Jai Opetaia.

However, Benavidez was also named the WBC cruiserweight mandatory challenger and was ordered to fight WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian, another who has been linked to a fight with Opetaia.

If Mikaelian refuses to defend the title against Benavidez, the WBC president announced in an interview for the WBC magazine that he would strip the Armenian of the belt. Boxing Scene.

“The WBC order is Mikaelian against Benavidez. That’s all. If he fights again, he will waive his obligations to the WBC.”

“[There is no deadline] at this time. I will be talking to different managers. This is the highest priority. I look forward to making sure that happens.”

If Mikaeilian decides to continue the fight with Opetaia and thus lose the world title, it can be expected that Polish-born interim champion Michał Cieślak will benefit. Either he will be elevated to full world champion and ordered to make his first defense against Benavidez, or he will be included in a vacant belt fight against the three-division world champion.

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