Boxing
Fran Hennessy continues to dream of surpassing Fundora as the youngest undisputed champion
Published
4 months agoon
Despite being just 21 years senior and having made just eight professional appearances, Fran Hennessy hopes to become the undisputed champion within the next 12 months.
Such a feat would overshadow the phenomenal achievement of Gabriela Fundora, who became the youngest player in history, either male or female, to hold all four major titles simultaneously.
She did so at the age of 22 in November 2024, giving Hennessy about a year to make history by dethroning bantamweight queen Cherneka Johnson.
As the mandatory challenger for the WBC 118-pound title, Hennessy fully expects to face Johnson before their fight is ordered.
By then, however, the undefeated challenger described Aurora De Persio as an “ideal opponent” to continue to actively fight at London’s Wembley Arena and who will feature in Adam Azim’s match against Steve Claggett on Saturday.
Speaking to Boxing News, among others, Hennessy also said she suspects potential rival “Sugar Neekz” has an unofficial date on the diary.
“I think Cherneka already has a fight lined up… but we will definitely push for that fight to happen. I would love to become the youngest ever undisputed world champion.
“In the meantime – until this fight is over – I want to be busy and I feel Aurora is the perfect opponent for that.
Both I and my team believe in this [a WBC title shot might come] at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. All I know is that when this fight is called, I will be ready – and I will take it with both hands.
“If Czerneka keeps all the lanes, and I’m sure he will, I will do it [mandated] fight for everyone [four] of them.”
Entering his third fight on the BBC, Hennessy is out majority vote victory over Ellie Bouttell in January when she was suddenly elevated to the main event after a failed showdown with Azim.
She says this experience only strengthened her self-confidence and growth as it not only involved the pressure of headlining Boxxer, but also forced her to overcome a tough night’s work.
“It was amazing, it was a great fight, it was a dogfight that I’m glad I was involved in. I experienced different things in this last fight.
“I came out and normally I was just cheering, but it was also a great experience.
“I was very nervous and I think it had to do with being a headliner for the first time. I haven’t experienced this before and I’m only 21, but now I’ve learned to deal with it all calmly.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself then, but now I’m just a joyful player.”
Already on the verge of a world title shot, perhaps even an undisputed crown, Hennessy certainly subscribes to the senior adage that a “joyful fighter” means a “unsafe fighter” capable of defeating a top-class opponent like Johnson.
You may like
Boxing
Exploring the Value: Why Investing $50 Million in Terence Crawford Makes Sense
Published
2 hours agoon
September 28, 2026
Writer Keith Idec put together five Terence Crawford comeback matchups that look purely like fantasy matchmaking instead of sound business. Jaron EnnisCanelo Alvarez, Vergil Ortiz, Sebastian Fundora, plus Ryan provide plenty of social media talk. None of them justifies burning fifty million dollars on an aging fighter who treats entertainment like a crime.
Crawford turned 39 years old today. Loyalists point to his perfect record alongside his decision over Canelo. Smart money looks at the reality inside the ropes. Israil Madrimov exposed Crawford by forcing him into a grueling struggle many ringside observers scored for the Uzbek.
Against Canelo, Crawford went into survival mode. He flicked a safety jab, grabbed constantly, running out the clock to grab a dull points verdict. Fans watching that sleep-inducing clinic realized Crawford has zero interest in taking risks. Expecting a promoter to shell out colossal guarantees for twelve rounds of clutching represents pure delusion.
Turki Alalshikh wants destructive knockouts. Crawford delivers safety-first track meets. If Canelo steps into the ring for an elite event, David Benavidez brings genuine violence. Ennis brings explosive youth, savage offensive combinations, and electric finishing ability. Matching either puncher against Canelo delivers actual value for paying customers. Crawford simply drains energy out of the building.
The names on Idec’s roster crumble under financial inspection. Ennis, along with Ortiz, possesses the firepower to batter a 39-year-old coming off the sofa. Neither young champion commands pay-per-view revenue. Ryan generates massive public attention, yet Crawford campaigned at 168 pounds while Ryan operates at welterweight.
Making that weight match makes zero sense. Fundora brings awkward height without moving the needle at the box office.
Crawford can stay retired in Omaha counting his career earnings. Demanding king-size ransoms for spoiling tactics will not fly anymore. Promoters saw the Madrimov scare, watched the lifeless Canelo match, then realized Crawford offers terrible returns.
Fantasy lists are cheap to type up. Getting an investor to bankroll another dull Crawford clinic is an impossible sell.
About the author
Boxing 24/7 Wire
Boxing247.com is an independent boxing news publication covering the sport since 2001. It provides original reporting, fight analysis, schedules, results, and informed coverage of major fighters and events worldwide, backed by more than 25 years of professional boxing journalism.
Boxing
Floyd Schofield: Time to Move Beyond Living Off Farmer
Published
3 hours agoon
September 28, 2026
Floyd Schofield’s wants to turn a missed title shot into the opening chapter of a comeback story. The trouble is that his comeback has consisted of one spectacular round against Tevin Farmer, followed by another long stretch outside the ring.
Schofield stood on the doorstep of a career-defining opportunity against Shakur Stevenson in February 2025. That massive shot vanished the moment he wound up in a Saudi Arabian hospital bed, deemed unfit to compete. Walking away from a title crack on that scale usually costs a fighter years of clawing to get back into position. His father floated wild accusations of poisoning without presenting a shred of hard proof to back up the claim. Hospital clips confirmed he received treatment, yet provided zero explanation for the medical emergency.
Fans remain skeptical, with critics openly whispering that cold feet kept Schofield from stepping into the ring against Shakur. That suspicion lingers without concrete proof of a manufactured illness, but Team Schofield made matters worse by dodging the issue. His father simply repeated vague assertions of foul play rather than laying out verifiable facts to silence the critics once and for all.
“Everybody has their thoughts about what happened. You know, everybody going to throw all types of crap around, but we know the truth. We know what happened,” said Schofield Sr. to Golden Boy.
Schofield’s fighting ability is beyond dispute after blitzing Tevin Farmer in just 78 seconds last June, scoring two rapid knockdowns to shut the veteran down early. His explosiveness that night makes the missed clash against Shakur Stevenson sting that much harder. Bringing that kind of ferocity to Riyadh would have forced Shakur to deal with real firepower instead of an easy night. Boxing fans got cheated out of finding out if Stevenson could actually handle that kind of smoke.
Schofield steps into the ring on October 10 against Lucas Bahdi with the vacant WBA lightweight belt on the line. It ends an inactive stretch of more than fifteen months away from competition following the Farmer stoppage. Bahdi offers him a dangerous target to prove that lightning-quick blowout was no fluke. Walking through Bahdi cements Schofield as a legitimate force at 135 pounds rather than just another hyped puncher

About the author
Boxing 24/7 Wire
Boxing247.com is an independent boxing news publication covering the sport since 2001. It provides original reporting, fight analysis, schedules, results, and informed coverage of major fighters and events worldwide, backed by more than 25 years of professional boxing journalism.
Boxing
Dana White Responds to Terence Crawfords Return from Retirement for Ryan Garcia Fight
Published
10 hours agoon
September 28, 2026
Zuffa Boxing promoter Dana White believes Terence Crawford will end his retirement, but remains unsure whether he would choose to face Ryan Garcia.
The 38-year-old announced his exit from the sport last December, calling time on a scintillating career that saw him become a three-division undisputed king.
He did so by moving up two weight classes and dethroning Canelo Alvarezwho produced an impressive performance but ultimately lost their super-middleweight encounter by unanimous decision.
But while Crawford cemented his greatness by moving up to 168lbs, his frame, even now, is much better suited to the 147lb and 154lb divisions.
He has therefore been linked to fights with Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and, more recently, Garcia, who retained his WBC world welterweight title with a second-round finish over Conor Benn earlier this month.
It then came as a surprise when The Ring’s Mike Coppinger reported that a clash between Garcia and Crawford, who has expressed his own bewildermentis being considered as a replacement for Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua.
The two heavyweights are set to collide at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on December 11 but, due to issues behind the scenes, their long-awaited showdown now appears to be in jeopardy.
While addressing the Garcia rumour at a Zuffa press conference, though, White admitted he is unsure that Crawford would make such a speedy return.
“I don’t know if that’s the fight Crawford would come back for. There’s a lot of options out there, obviously for Ryan. The question is: what is the fight that Crawford would come back for?
“I think there’s a fight out there that Crawford would come back for, [but] I don’t know if Ryan’s it.”
Dana White CLEARS UP Crawford vs Garcia rumors!!! 💨 🔥
“I don’t know if that’s the fight Crawford would come back for. There’s a lot of options out there obviously for Ryan, the question is what is the fight that Crawford would come back for!”- Dana White pic.twitter.com/JDwDK9u8w4
— Fight Hub TV (@FightHubTV) September 27, 2026
While White has claimed to have been involved in negotiations, it remains to be seen – should the fight actually take place, that is – whether he will have any promotional participation in Fury-Joshua.
Exploring the Value: Why Investing $50 Million in Terence Crawford Makes Sense
Floyd Schofield: Time to Move Beyond Living Off Farmer
Regian Eersel to defend Muay Thai gold in rematch with George Jarvis at The Inner Circle 33 on October 2
Trending
-
Boxing2 days agoTakuma Inoue vs Tenshin Nasukawa II Live Results and Highlights
-
Boxing2 days agoTenshin Nasukawa Dominates Takuma Inoue but Falls Short Again in Thrilling Match
-
Boxing2 days agoSam Goodman Defeats Ryosuke Nishida in Thrilling Tokyo Showdown
-
MMA2 days agoRaoni Barcelos’ coach shares medical update after scary UFC Vegas 121 fight ending
-
MMA2 days agoMax Kellerman claims he knows Dana White’s role for Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua; White responds
-
Boxing1 day agoBen Whittaker Faces Crucial Test Against Wallace in Career-Defining Step Up
-
MMA2 days agoJustin Gaethje: Ilia Topuria ‘didn’t quit on the stool’ at UFC White House
-
Boxing1 day agoDana White Questions Ryan Garcias Ability to Lure Crawford Back into the Ring


