Boxing
Hearn has a contingency plan if Dmitry Bivol goes elsewhere
Published
5 months agoon
Discussing the situation, Hearn confirmed Smith’s position as the mandatory challenger for the WBO title.
“Now he has been ordered to fight Callum Smith. People are talking about Beterbiev 3 or Benavidez, but Callum has to get his chance, so we will see what happens,” Hearn said on the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel.
“We will talk to Dmitry, Vadim and the team. If he decides to fight Beterbiev or Benavidez again, Callum Smith versus Buatsi will fight for the world title, which would be a massive fight.
Hearn stopped miniature of presenting Smith as Bivol’s clear next opponent. Instead, he immediately discussed alternative scenarios and openly outlined a contingency plan involving Smith and Joshua Buatsi if Bivol decided to take a bigger fight elsewhere.
Typically, a promoter with a mandatory challenger will bang the drum, demand a fight, and try to corner the champion. Instead, Hearn immediately changes his mind to: “Well, if he doesn’t want it, we’ll just have this gigantic fight in the country for the vacant belt.”
This shows zero confidence that Bivol will actually take the fight to Callum Smith and honestly why would he? Bivol just returned to form against Eifert and wants those gigantic legacy nights against Benavidez or a Beterbiev trilogy. Hearn probably knows this, so instead of fighting the current, he’s already building a bridge in case Bivol inevitably loses the WBO belt.
Matchroom wins either way. If Smith gets Bivol, great. If Bivol leaves, Hearn will be given a massive stadium-level hit in the UK with Smith vs Buatsi 2 without having to share the pie with outside promoters.

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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Boxing
Floyd Mayweather Targets Another Former Opponent Post-Pacquiao Rematch
Published
7 hours agoon
October 21, 2026
Floyd Mayweather has recently confirmed he still intends to rematch Manny Pacquiao, and the American has also declared that he believes another return fight is on the cards.
Mayweather-Pacquiao II was scheduled to take place in September following an announcement for the event from Netflix, until Mayweather’s legal issues caused it to be cancelled.
It is still believed that the pair will meet again in 2027, with ‘TBE’ willing to put his famous 50-0 professional record on the line, despite what will be a decade-long spell of professional inactivity when he returns to the ring.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao made his comeback in July 2025 and is currently being linked to a return to action on the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua undercard in December, where he has been mentioned for a fight with two-time world champion Joe Cordina.
On the PBD PodcastMayweather revealed that a second showdown with Pacquiao is not the only rematch on his mind, admitting his interest in another battle with UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
“I actually think that me and Conor McGregor may lock up again, actually, absolutely.”
Mayweather beat McGregor by 10th round stoppage when they met in August 2017. The Irishman returned to fight in the UFC for the first time since 2021 when he faced Max Holloway earlier this year, but a knee injury brought the contest to an early end.
Continuing, 49-year-old Mayweather explained why a boxing bout with him would be a viable option for the Irishman next year.
“He didn’t break his hand, he broke his foot, right? Okay, well we going from the shoulders.”
Mayweather also reiterated his plans to face heavyweight legend Mike Tyson in an exhibition before the end of the yearin order to help him prepare for a professional comeback in 2027.
Boxing
Tyson Fury Responds to Ben Davisons Towel Decision in Dubois vs Wardley Rematch
Published
8 hours agoon
October 21, 2026
Ben Davison has once again come under fire in the days that have followed Fabio Wardley’s defeat to Daniel Dubois. Two-time heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury has shared his thoughts on his former trainer’s decision to throw in the towel.
Davison trained Fury for the first five bouts following his 2018 comeback, but was replaced by SugarHill Steward – whom ‘The Gypsy King’ has remained with ever since – for the iconic rematch with Deontay Wilder in 2020.
Since training Fury for his first meeting with Wilder, which ended in a draw, Davison has been on the losing side in four heavyweight world title bouts, cornering Anthony Joshua and Fabio Wardley, who both lost to Dubois, and Moses Itauma, who was defeated by Filip Hrgovic.
Saturday night was the latest of these defeats, as Dubois stopped Wardley inside two rounds in their rematch to retain the WBO heavyweight world title. On his InstagramFury described Dubois’ performance as ‘awesome’.
“It was absolutely awesome. Daniel Dubois just went straight to him and set about him. Wardley likes to throw hooks and Daniel threw straights and a straight always gets there first, before the hook.
“So, fair play to Dan and his team, to Don Charles and the rest of the guys in the corner. They did a fantastic job.”
Fury then said that Davison’s decision to intervene and ‘save Fabio Wardley from himself’ was a good one, perhaps learning a lesson from the first encounter, which saw his fighter take a sound beating before the eventual eleventh-round stoppage.
“It was good work by Ben Davison to throw the towel in, in my opinion. The last time he [Wardley] took too much punishment for my liking, he should have threw it in earlier.
“This time, people are complaining about it being too soon but I don’t think that Fabio was in any position to keep taking bombs around the head. I thought it was a good decision to throw the towel in early and save him from himself.
“He has got some chin on him, I will tell you that. ‘Triple D’ is a dynamite puncher and he was taking them flush and still standing, so credit to Fab’s chin.”
Davison will train Anthony Joshua against Fury on Friday, December 11, as he looks to score a first win as a trainer in a heavyweight world title contest, which would simultaneouslysee ‘AJ’ become a three-time champion of the division.
Boxing
Chris Algieri Questions If 80% Canelo Alvarez Can Defeat Christian Mbilli
Published
14 hours agoon
October 20, 2026
Chris Algieri argues that Canelo Alvarez must bring his absolute best to get past Christian Mbilli. His claim that Mbilli’s style naturally plays into Canelo’s hands doesn’t hold up, especially given the challenger’s relentless engine.
Algieri does give Canelo credit for stepping right into danger following surgery and significant time away, acknowledging the grueling physical test awaiting him.
“Can we give him a little respect for coming off a layoff and a surgery right into Mbilli?” Algieri pointed out to DAZN Boxing. “Yes, he has his faults. I think he falls right into Canelo’s style, but what Canelo are we getting? If Canelo is at all degraded, an 80% Canelo probably doesn’t beat Mbilli. He’s got to be top-notch for that fight.”
Even a peak version of Canelo might have struggled with this matchup. While aggressive fighters give Canelo plenty of targets, Mbilli refuses to give up the breathing room Canelo usually buys with crisp counterpunches.
Gennadiy Golovkin applied pressure behind a stiff jab, leaning on heavy single shots. Miguel Cotto relied on movement during the twilight of his prime. Neither fighter swarmed with the sustained, multi-punch bursts that define Mbilli’s game.
Canelo typically hurts opponents until they freeze. They back off, rethink their strategy, let him rest, and wait for his next opening. Mbilli simply ignores that script.
Mbilli isn’t invincible, of course. Charging forward recklessly leaves massive openings, and eating flush counter hooks could quickly check his enthusiasm. Canelo has the precision to make him pay for being aggressive. Yet landing clean shots is vastly different from dictating the tempo. If Mbilli walks through fire and keeps throwing, Canelo has to scramble back into a defensive shell before his lungs catch up with the previous exchange.
Managing that volume would test any elite fighter in his prime. Asking a 36-year-old coming off major surgery and ring rust to endure it is an entirely different proposition. Algieri is spot on about the danger here. His warning that an 80% Canelo falls short might ring true, but treating an ultra-high-volume brawler as tailor-made for him severely understates the threat.
If Canelo cannot discourage Mbilli inside the first four rounds, the math turns ugly very quickly. By round six, when Canelo’s output routinely dips and his feet go flat, he will be forced to shell up against the ropes while Mbilli pounds away at his arms, shoulders, and ribs. Heavy volume wears down legs just as fast as clean headshots, especially for an aging fighter carrying thirteen months of inactivity and repaired joints.
Surviving that kind of physical tax requires supreme conditioning and fluid defensive pivots. If Canelo is stuck playing defense just to survive the onslaught, he will not have the legs or the gas tank left to mount a mid-fight rescue. When a fighter relies strictly on finding one perfect counter shot to bail himself out, every missed swing empties the reserve that much faster.
In 2019, Canelo capitalized on a faded, battle-worn Sergey Kovalev, whose gas tank was depleted, waiting out Kovalev’s tired arm punches until round eleven to land the finishing blow. Now, the dynamic has flipped, and Canelo finds himself occupying the aging fighter’s corner against a younger, relentless pressure puncher.
Kovalev came into the fight at 36 with heavy miles and well-documented physical wear, and Canelo is carrying an even larger cumulative toll. With more than two decades in the professional ranks, chronic joint issues, and elbow surgery following a year on the shelf, the engine simply cannot turn over the way it once did.
The pattern across the Jaime Munguia, Edgar Berlanga, William Scull, and Terence Crawford bouts showed a fighter relying almost entirely on bursts, resting for extended stretches, and depending on defensive posturing to steal rounds on ring generalship. Against Crawford, the inability to sustain offense or dictate the terms of engagement laid bare what happens when elite opposition refuses to grant Canelo those customary rest periods.
Against Mbilli, relying on selective counterpunching becomes a dangerous gamble. Landing a crisp left hook or a sharp uppercut only helps if it forces the incoming fighter to step back, reset, and second-guess their entry. If Mbilli treats every clean counter as a cue to unload another four-punch salvo to the body, Canelo will never get the pauses he needs to recharge.

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Boxing News 24 Desk
BoxingNews24.com has delivered independent boxing coverage since 2007, including original news, fight analysis, schedules, and results. Our experienced boxing writers cover major fighters and events worldwide, with published content reviewed by editors for accuracy.
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