Boxing
Hearn and Ennis head to Texas to put pressure on Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Published
4 months agoon
Eddie Hearn says he and Jaron “Boots” Ennis will travel to Texas to be ringside for the Vergil Ortiz Jr. fight. vs. Erickson Lubin, which will take place on November 8 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Pressure tactics in the ring in Fort Worth
Matchroom promoter Hearn hopes to put pressure on Vergil Jr. (23-0, 21 KO) and his promoters at Golden Boy to fight Ennis next. Hearn states that they stopped talking. That’s why he wants to stand at the ring and push for the fight.
“March,” said promoter Eddie Hearn Carlos Linares on when Jaron “Boots” Ennis’ next fight is scheduled to take place. “Me and Ennis are going to fly to Dallas to watch Vergil Ortiz because we want that fight,” Hearn said of he and Ennis being ringside for Vergil’s fight against Erickson Lubin on November 8 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Even if this pressure tactic from Hearn and Ennis doesn’t work, it will at least give “Boots” a chance to be seen by fans across the country on DAZN. At some point cameramen will approach him and he will probably be interviewed. It’s worth something.
“DAZN told us to do this fight. We all met with Golden Boy. We agreed to this fight. We didn’t hear anything. So we’ll be at ringside to say, “Let’s fight.” said Hearn of his plans for him and Ennis to be ringside for the Ortiz Jr. fight. vs. Lubin, which will take place on November 8.
The Golden Boy’s silence raises questions
It is worth seeking the presence of Hearn and “Boots” at the Ortiz Jr.-Erickson fight, but this does not guarantee that the fight will take place. It’s telling that Golden Boy Promotions has remained hushed about staging a fight between Vergil Jr. and Ennis. That’s a huge indication that they’ve changed their minds about wanting to do this fight. Usually when promoter Oscar De La Hoya wants to fight someone for Vergil Jr., he causes a storm. In this case he wasn’t talking about fighting.
Plan B: Ennis vs. Abass Baraou at 154
Perhaps it would be better if Hearn started thinking about option B for Ennis if Vergil Jr. and Golden Boy decide not to fight. The logical choice would be for Ennis to operate his interim WBA 154-pound title to fight WBA champion Abass Baraou for the belt. This is a fight that can be easily made and one that “Boots” could win. It won’t be simple because Baraou is tough and intends to punish Ennis.
Top-tier option: Xander Zayas in the mix
“We talked to Top Rank. We said, ‘Listen, why don’t you do the fight in Puerto Rico and then we’ll fight on Puerto Rican Day at Madison Square Garden.’ That would be huge. We’ll see. We want all the huge fights. Jaron Ennis will fight anyone at 154 pounds. We’re talking [with Top Rank]” Hearn said of the fight between “Boots” Ennis and WBO junior middleweight champion Xander Zayas.
The chances that Top Rank will allow 23-year-old Zayas to defend his WBO title against Ennis are slim. This would be an extremely risky fight for Xander considering this is his first defense of the 154-pound title. He doesn’t yet have the experience to face a fighter of “Boots” Ennis’ level. Surprisingly, Hearn agreed with this idea.
Zayas won the vacant WBO title last summer, defeating Jorge Garcia Perez via 12-round unanimous decision on July 26, 2025. It was the perfect situation for Zayas to win the belt. If it had been Ennis or Vergil Ortiz Jr. with Zayas fighting for the vacant WBO title, you can imagine what the outcome would have been for the youngster.
Tom Galm has been energetic on the global boxing scene since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, business trends and fighter psychology.
Last updated: 31/10/2025
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Boxing
Mike Tyson lists who was better between Mayweather and Pacquiao in their prime
Published
2 minutes agoon
March 10, 2026
Mike Tyson has shared his verdict on who he ranks higher between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather and Pacquiao are considered two of the greatest boxing legends in recent history, and their success led to a battle between them at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in May 2015.
It was Mayweather who won by unanimous decision, but now, more than a decade later, they will meet again for a second time while fighting at The Sphere in Las Vegas on September 19.
Mayweather is now 49 and Pacquiao is 47, both men are well past their prime, and there is often debate among boxing fans as to which man was better than the other during the best years of their careers.
Mayweather retired with a perfect 50-0 record, defeating the likes of Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez, while Pacquiao is the only eight-division boxing world champion in history to boast victories over the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto.
Heavyweight icon Tyson once expressed his own opinion on who was the better of the two, ace revealed that he thinks Pacquiao has achieved more.
“Pacquiao is better than Floyd. He overcame adversity. He got knocked out, came back and had some sensational fights against opponents that outperformed any opponent Floyd had fought.”
Before Mayweather faces Pacquiao in a rematch, he is actually scheduled to face Tyson himself, and an event between the pair will take place soon, although it appears it will not take place on the originally announced April 25 date.
Boxing
Dmitry Bivol is targeting a fight with Canelo Alvarez or David Benavidez
Published
2 hours agoon
March 10, 2026
Undisputed lithe heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol could pursue a rematch with Canelo Alvarez or a fight with David Benavidez once he finishes his current duties in the division.
Bivol’s manager, Vadim Kornilov, outlined the champion’s preferred path in comments provided by Dan Rafael, explaining that Bivol intends to first pursue a mandatory IBF defense and then return to competing with Artur Beterbiev.
He is expected to have a mandatory defense against Michael Eifert this spring. The fight was scheduled for May 23 at a gala headlined by unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
After fulfilling this obligation, Bivol’s team wants to immediately start the third fight with Beterbiev. Their rivalry produced two closely watched fights, leaving unfinished business between two fighters who have dominated the lithe heavyweight division for the past several years and built one of the most respected rivalries in the sport.
More intriguing possibilities emerge after this trilogy. Rafael reported that Bivola’s camp sees a second fight with Canelo as one of the main options still available to the champion. Bivol defeated Alvarez by unanimous decision in 2022, handing the Mexican star one of the clearest defeats of his career.
Another potential opponent in question is Benavidez, who has moved up to lithe heavyweight and has been seeking a chance to fight the top fighters in the division. The fight between Bivol and Benavidez will pit the undefeated Mexican-American challenger against a champion who currently holds four major division titles.
Kornilov also suggested that Bivol could eventually prove himself at cruiserweight, although such an idea appears to be more of a long-term possibility than an immediate plan for the undefeated champion.
For now, the plan of action remains straightforward: fulfill the IBF mandate against Eifert, complete the trilogy with Beterbiev, and then fight one of the most crucial fights that could decide the final stage of Bivol’s career.
Robert Segal is a boxing reporter at Boxing News 24 with over a decade of experience covering fight news, previews and analysis. Known for his first-hand reporting and in-ring perspective, he delivers authoritative coverage of champions, challengers and emerging talent from around the world.
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Last update: 2026/03/10 at 16:34
Boxing
Jai Opetai’s undisputed dream lives on as the IBF releases a fresh statement regarding the status of the title
Published
4 hours agoon
March 10, 2026
A fresh twist has been revealed in the story of Jai Opetai and the IBF cruiserweight title.
Last week it was reported that Opetaia was to be stripped of his IBF belt after the opening bell of his planned fight with Brandon Glanton on Sunday at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, due to the fact that the fight was also for Zuffa’s inaugural belt.
Nevertheless, Opetaia continued his fight and declared a unanimous decision victory over Glanton extend their undefeated record to 30-0.
After the fight, Opetaia once again shared his desire to become undisputed in the cruiserweight division, and it appears he has been given the opportunity to do just that as – announced the IBF in a statement that they have not yet made a final decision to strip him of the title.
“Jai Opetaia made comments during the post-fight press conference that led the organization’s leadership to question whether his advisors fully and fully made him aware of the decisions he had to make in deciding to fight Brandon Glanton. The organization intends to take a closer look at this matter.”
The statement also included a mighty response to claims that they had decided not to sanction the fight due to feelings of “disrespect” in the run-up to the fight.
“The IBF categorically denies any suggestion or claim that it deliberately withdrew sanctions to cause harm. The IBF sanctioned the Opetaia vs. Glanton fight in good faith, expecting what was assured to happen.”
“The press conference held on March 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, made it clear that the inaugural Zuffa World Cruiserweight Championship would be held on March 8.
“The IBF, as previously stated on March 6, reserves the right to sanction title fights along with other sanctioning bodies that adhere to the same regulations that the IBF follows, and reserves the right to sanction title fights along with other fights that prepare the IBF cruiserweight title remains a subject of discussion.”
The final outcome as to whether Opetaia will indeed retain her title will be revealed in due course.
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