Boxing
Fury, Joshua and Wilder return; what’s next for the glamor division?
Published
1 month agoon
On Saturday in London, Tyson Fury retired once again and defeated Arslanbek Makhmudov by unanimous decision. Fury was so slippery, lively and agile that Makhmudov got stuck in the mud for long stretches of the fight.
Fury looked much better than expected considering his time away from the ring. Makhmudov, however, was not in the same class as Oleksandr Usyk, the only fighter to beat Fury. After Fury’s win, former champion Deontay Wilder’s entertaining if sloppy decision over Derek Chisora on April 4, and former unification champion Anthony Joshua’s potential return from his car crash in December, it’s starting to look like these three could collide.
Fury and Wilder fought each other three times in an epic trilogy that set the heavyweight division on fire. But that’s all we got from these three players in top form. And now, many years later, there is a glimmer of hope that another one of these hypothetical fights will happen.
The question is which one.
After his victory over Makhmudov, Fury called on Joshua to finally meet him later this year.
“Then I want to give [the fans] the fight you’ve all been waiting for. I want you, AJ, Anthony Joshua,” Fury said during his post-fight interview, pointing to Joshua at ringside. “Let’s give the fight fans what they want. The Battle of Britain. And here’s my challenge: I challenge you, Anthony Joshua, to fight me, the Gypsy King. Do you accept my challenge?”
Joshua decided to block Fury.
“I sat at that table with him many times,” Joshua said in his post-match interview. “Deep in my heart I will fight Tyson Fury tomorrow, especially after watching it [this fight]. It’s okay that I fight. This is what I do.
“I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘Yes, I’m going to fight him’. I’m not here to gain strength. I’m here to fight. The contracts will be sent. We’ll go through the smallest details and probably, more than that, you’ll probably see us in the ring next. But I’m not here to start getting in the ring and screaming in someone’s face. If you look at my track record, I’ve never done that. I’m not here to have influence.”
Fury and Joshua have held negotiations numerous times over the years and came close to an agreement in 2021, but the fight never materialized. Joshua is well aware of Fury’s games and refused to agree to the former champion’s demands in the name of entertainment.
“Look, he’s the one who retired,” Joshua said. “I was in the game. I never retired. I’ve been forceful for the last 13 years. It’s his fault, right? He disappears, he comes back, he disappears, he comes back. I’m forceful.”
While a fight between the two seems more likely than ever, there is still a distinct possibility that Joshua goes in a different direction and brings in another heavyweight he was once rumored to fight: Wilder.
A week ago, Wilder didn’t seem to be at Fury’s level, and his clock is ticking much faster than Fury’s. If Joshua is looking at a high-profile adjustment fight, Wilder makes a lot of sense. However, Wilder remains risky enough to raise the level of intrigue in the highly anticipated fight.
But Joshua (36) holds all the cards here. Both Wilder, 40, and Fury, 37, will have to wait their turn in what can now be called the “older” level of the heavyweight division.
The best option for the trio of former world champions is to finally face each other while the rest of the division moves on. It is unlikely that any of these three will fight juvenile, rising fighters Moses Itauma, Richard Torrez Jr. or Fabio Wardley. All three would love a piece of division king Oleksandr Usyk, but the unified champion has beaten Fury and Joshua twice each.
At this point, there is no reason for these three to fight anyone but each other. They are still the biggest names in the league and stand to make the most money. This is their best chance to win fights instead of taking risks against younger, powerful but less popular heavyweights. Any combination of fights – brief of Fury vs. Wilder – would be massive in Britain, where Fury and Joshua are from, and could fill a football stadium. All three of them know this, but rest assured, hubris is at play and may ruin your plans… again.
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Boxing
O’Shaquie Foster says Richardson Hitchins is ‘scary as hell’
Published
1 hour agoon
May 13, 2026
O’Shaquie Foster took his feud with Richardson Hitchins to another level this week, accusing the former IBF junior welterweight champion of being afraid of sparring and questioning his durability during a lengthy interview ahead of Foster’s May 30 title defense against Raymond Ford.
Foster slammed Hitchins, claiming that people in boxing have been questioning Hitchins’ mentality for years.
“Hitchins is scary as hell. I knew it. That’s what they say in boxing,” Foster said on Sean Zittel’s YouTube page. “They must have pumped him up with some sparring sessions. He knew what I was talking about. They had to put a wrench in his back so he could go to sparring and so on.”
Foster then mentioned that Hitchins was withdrawing from his scheduled fight against Oscar Duarte on the day of the competition in February.
“He has heart problems. It’s not a physical heart problem. He just doesn’t have a heart. See what he did to Duarte? Why am I worried about Hitchins? He’s so terrible,” Foster said.
Hitchins later responded to Foster’s X with a miniature response of his own.
“I’ve got a lot more heart than that alien pussy in my ass, nigga.”
The latest exchange comes just hours after Foster mocked Hitchins over his Olympic path and his past ties to Subriel Matias.
Foster blamed Hitchins for not making the U.S. Olympic team before he later represented Haiti at the 2016 Olympics. Hitchins previously lost out on U.S. selection to Gary Antuanne Russell before qualifying for international play in Haiti via Olympic qualifying.
This exchange added unexpected warmth to an otherwise serene week in boxing, especially since both fighters weren’t even fighting in the same division. Foster is the 130-pound world champion, and Hitchins recently won the 140-pound belt.
Still, both fighters come from the Recent York boxing scene, know each other’s amateur history, and now seem fully committed to turning their social media spats into something much more personal.

Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fighting landscape. His reports focus on the most crucial fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
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Last update: 2026/05/13 at 22:39
Boxing
Naoya Inoue offered an immediate title fight in a fresh weight class: “I’m already ready”
Published
3 hours agoon
May 13, 2026
Naoya Inoue recently cemented his status as one of, if not the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world with a win over compatriot Junto Nakatani. The question is, can anyone defeat him before he hangs up his gloves?
The Japanese phenom defended his four super bantamweight belts for the seventh time in a fight against Nakatani at the sold-out Tokyo Domemaintaining his undefeated record in what many considered to be the toughest test of his career to date.
With retirement not too far away, the undisputed two-division champion is looking to tackle one more weight class before it’s time for a Hall of Fame campaign. Ready and willing to fight at 126 pounds is Bruce Carrington from Brooklyn.
I’m talking to ES Newsthe WBC featherweight champion said that watching Nakatani fight only confirmed his belief that he was capable of defeating “The Monster”.
“Honestly, I’ve seen a lot of things that I can’t say here. I’m ready. Inoue is still a spectacular fighter, but I know I have what it takes to beat him. Nakatani is no slouch. I expected a good fight… he did everything he had to do to win.”
“Shu Shu,” who won the vacant title against Carlos Castro in January and will return to the ring to defend it against Rene Palacios in July, then said he would take the fight to Inoue as soon as it was offered to him.
“100%. I’m ready now, I’m ready today, I’m ready tomorrow, I’m ready whenever. Come to the Shu Shu show, baby. I can’t wait to share the ring with you. It’s going to be fireworks.”
Inoue made his plans clear – to fight once again at super bantamweight, most likely against Jesse Rodriguez, and then move up to featherweight, which he said would be the final challenge of his career. Although he did not mention Carrington’s name, the 33-year-old says he wants to take the belt straight away.
As a long-reigning champion and heavyweight star who is gaining more and more importance, sanctioning authorities would likely have no problem approving such a possibility.
However, many fans will believe that “Bam” Rodriguez can thwart these plans. The 26-year-old is expected to move up to bantamweight to fight for Antonio Vargas’ WBA title, with the fight against Inoue taking place in early 2027.
“I think this is the biggest fight in the world, especially in this weight class,” Benavidez said at the post-fight press conference.
“It’s definitely a fight I want. Like I said, I’m not afraid of anyone. This is Monstro’s world and if he wants to get the fight, we’ll get it.”
Opetaia recently lost her IBF cruiserweight title after joining Zuffa Boxing and fighting an unsanctioned fight against Brandon Glanton. Benavidez suggested this move, which immediately complicated negotiations for a future fight.
“I don’t know why he went to Zuffa,” Benavidez said. “We could have had this fight right after this one.”
“I’m not going to go out there and fight for the Zuffa title.”
Benavidez also questioned whether fighters associated with Zuffa would have access to the biggest opportunities in boxing, pointing to Dana White’s history with rival promotional companies.
“I think they’re definitely losing their power,” Benavidez said. “There’s just a lot of politics involved.”
“I think Dana White has shown that he doesn’t want to fight PBC, DAZN.”
The undefeated champion later made it clear that he believed he was in a stronger commercial position compared to Opetaia and suggested that there was no reason for him to choose another promotional organization.
“I’m the one filling these stadiums,” Benavidez said. “I’m the one fighting pay-per-view.”
“Jai Opetaia has never fought on pay-per-view. He has never filled an arena like this.”
Benavidez added that he would still be open to fighting if the two sides manage to reach an agreement outside Zuffa’s structures.
“If they want to come to the table here, we can do that,” Benavidez said. “Let’s get it.”

Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fighting landscape. His reports focus on the most critical fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
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