Boxing
Eight fights with the next undisputed heavyweight champion
Published
4 months agoon
The heavyweight division is moving towards the next undisputed champion, not through a formal tournament, but through a set of fights that are already booked, already on the move or in line for the next one.
This is not fantasy matchmaking. The route is taking shape between the WBO, WBA and WBC paths, and if the pieces fall into place, full unification could occur in 2027.
The fighting has already set the course in motion
Derek Chisora will face Deontay Wilder on April 4.
A week later, Tyson Fury will face Arslanbek Makhmudov again on April 11.
Elsewhere for the summer, there are talks of Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois fighting for the WBO heavyweight title.
These fights are seemingly separate. In fact, they begin to filter the division into clear lanes towards the lanes.
WBA funnel and another contender
In addition, the winner of the Chisora vs. Wilder fight has already received an offer to fight Murat Gassiew.
Gassiev has a mandatory on Moses Itaum, but all sides have agreed to postpone it, which opens the door for the Chisora-Wilder winner to face Gassiev next.
If that happens, the winner of Chisora, Wilder and Gassijew will become the WBA’s only minor champion.
From there, the route leads straight to Oleksandr Usyk. That fighter will be given the green airy to fight Usyk in his next mandatory fight after the Ukrainian fulfills his WBC obligations against Agit Kabayel.
Itauma still matters. His delayed mandatory status gives him a say in what happens next, so he remains a wild card even after a deal is struck.
Usyk holds the whole picture together
At the top, Usyk is the anchor holding the championship picture together.
He is expected to fulfill his next duty before any major unification takes place.
Then the WBA route would be ready: the winner coming out of the Chisora-Wilder-Gassiev sequence would be next in line after meeting the WBC requirements.
This is what makes everything seem systematic rather than tumultuous. Players arrive through responsibilities, not shortcuts.
The WBO team becomes furious
Fury’s job is uncomplicated on paper and challenging in reality.
First he must defeat Makhmudov. If that happens, the winner of the proposed Wardley vs Dubois fight will be directly in his way, determining who controls the WBO tour.
Once the WBO ruler is known and Usyk fulfills his responsibilities with the WBC and WBA, the division will finally have a clear line towards a full, undisputed fight.
Where wild cards fit
Itauma remains a wildcard because the delayed obligation still carries leverage. Next is Anthony Joshua.
Wardley has already stated that he would be willing to face Joshua if the fight with Fury does not materialize.
Andy Ruiz Jr is the highest-ranked player currently not competing. If injuries or withdrawals hit any part of the tour, Ruiz is the type of player who can get noticed quickly.
A realistic path to undisputed position in 2027
If Fury comes to his side and Usyk fulfills his obligations to the WBC and WBA title challengers, the division will narrow itself.
At this point, it would be indisputable that something was forced upon itself. This would be a logical meeting point for the routes that are currently being built.
Nothing here guarantees an undisputed champion. But the path is true and finally noticeable.
About the author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN), boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
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Boxing
Zuffa Boxing Dublin card confirmed for August 8 at 3Arena
Published
35 minutes agoon
June 5, 2026
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.
DUBLIN, ARE YOU READY?? 🇮🇪 #ZuffaBoxing10 is coming to you LIVE from @3ArenaDublin! | August 8
— Zuffa Boxing (@zuffa_boxing) Look at X
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.
Boxing
Frank Warren says Tyson Fury will do what Daniel Dubois did to Joshua
Published
3 hours agoon
June 5, 2026
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.

Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist covering this sport since 2014, providing reports from the ring and technical analyzes of the most crucial fights. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments and the details that shape high-level competition.
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Last update: 2026/06/04 at 23:14
Boxing
World champion will be stripped of his title if he refuses to fight David Benavidez next: ‘That’s it’
Published
5 hours agoon
June 4, 2026
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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