Moses Itauma was given a direct path to the IBF heavyweight title, leaving Queensberry with one obvious question: Why risk it all against Filip Hrgovic?
In a statement sent to World Boxing News, the International Boxing Federation confirmed that it had received official notice on June 26 of Oleksandr Usyk’s resignation as IBF heavyweight champion.
Under championship rules, the governing body ordered top-ranked Frank Sanchez to negotiate with number three contender Moses Itauma for the vacant title. Both have until July 29 to reach an agreement.
Immediately, Hrgovic became an unnecessary obstacle to Itauma’s path to the world title.
When Itauma agreed to face Hrgovic on August 29 at The O2 in London, it was the perfect step for one of boxing’s brightest adolescent heavyweights.
This equation has completely changed.
IBF pays tribute to Usyk
In a statement provided to WBN, the IBF also confirmed Usyk’s reign before confirming the order.
“Over the course of his distinguished career, Usyk has established himself as one of the sport’s elite competitors, and the IBF is honored to recognize him as one of its world champions.
“His talent and commitment to excellence have made a lasting impact on boxing and will continue to inspire future generations of fighters.
“The IBF wishes Oleksandr Usyk continued success in his future endeavors.”
Only after paying tribute to the former champion did the IBF officially order Sanchez and Itauma to negotiate for the vacant world title.
This is an opportunity that many contenders have been chasing for years. Itauma immediately received this opportunity.
Hrgović’s fight no longer makes sense
When Queensberry announced the fight with Hrgovic, promoter Frank Warren described it as a “litmus test” that Itauma was ready for, while DAZN described it as a key fight with world title implications.
These consequences have now become a reality.
No one doubts Itauma’s willingness to fight anyone. He signed a contract with Hrgovic before the world title unexpectedly landed on the table. This is a completely different situation.
Hrgovic remains one of the most perilous heavyweight contenders despite suffering only one loss to Daniel Dubois. Since then, the Croatian has regained momentum with victories over Joe Joyce, David Adeleye and Dave Allen, which put him back among the top contenders in the division.
If an agreement can be reached, the obvious solution would be to replace Hrgović with Sanchez on August 29 in exchange for the vacant IBF heavyweight title.
As compensation, Hrgovic could get the first shot at the recent champion if Itauma defeats Sanchez.
Whether this proves possible depends on whether all involved are willing to restructure the contracts already in place.
The heavyweight story still beckons
The change would also support Itauma in its historic mission, which has already missed one goal.
Itauma’s dream of breaking Mike Tyson’s record as the youngest heavyweight champion is gone, but another goal remains within reach.
If the 21-year-old wins the vacant IBF title before October, he will overtake Floyd Patterson to become the second-youngest heavyweight champion in history.
If he waits until the match against Hrgovic, this chance will be gone forever.
Queensberry matched Itauma with Hrgovic because it seemed like the quickest path to a chance at the championship.
The IBF has now given them an even faster fight.
Unless Hrgovic’s contract can no longer be salvaged, Queensberry should exhaust all options to hire Sanchez instead.
The IBF unexpectedly gave Itauma a world title shot and a chance to become the second-youngest heavyweight champion in history.
It would be arduous to justify giving up this opportunity in favor of unnecessary risk.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
Canelo Alvarez took the WBC super middleweight title once more, winning a clear, unanimous decision over Christian Mbilli in their main event from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Though Mbilli had scattered moments of success, and was hanging in there early with Canelo, the middle and late rounds strongly belonged to the veteran Canelo, who bounced back from his loss 13 months ago to Terence “Bud” Crawford by taking back a piece of the crown he lost that night.
Canelo vs Mbilli official scorecards
Canelo (64-3-3, 39 KO) won on scores of 115-112, 116-111, and 117-110 from the three ringside judges.
Bad Left Hook unofficially scored the fight 116-111 and 116-111 on two cards, both for Canelo.
The 36-year-old Alvarez never seemed in any real danger in this one, as he did the same job we’ve seen him do in victory for years now, keeping a tight defense, landing shots accurately while not throwing a lot of punches, and doing a very professional job of simply winning the fight, without much for the highlight reel.
It’s clear that Canelo is still a top-level fighter, even if he’s not who he was in his prime, and that it’s still going to take a sincere, elite-level fighter to beat him, as has been the case for his entire career.
What’s next for Canelo?
Hamzah Sheeraz seems to be the promotional house favorite to land the next Canelo bout, though WBC interim champ Lester Martinez will also hope to make the play, of course, and both were in attendance in Riyadh on Saturday.
And there will be others who want the fight — anyone that can make a weight Canelo can fight at will want the fight, in fact, as he still is the top money man in boxing’s non-heavyweight divisions, and it’s not like we’ve never seen Canelo throw a curveball for a “next fight.”
As for what Canelo said when asked, he said he would just be taking a little time off, and then return, as is normal. He named no potential opponents.
What did you think of Canelo’s win tonight? Jump into the post-fight conversation and tell us what you thought with the SB Nation app for iOS or Android!
Jaime Munguía (47-2, 35 KOs) kept his WBA super middleweight belt, but Nikita Zon made him look vulnerable in a unanimous decision victory that was much harder than the scores indicated. The Russian’s power repeatedly disrupted Munguía, most dramatically in a sixth round that nearly wrecked the champion’s night.
The judges scored it 117-111, 116-112 and 117-111. Munguía’s combinations and greater activity gave him a case for winning, although those margins did little justice to the danger Zon (12-1-1, 10 KOs) created during twelve competitive rounds.
Zon was making his first appearance over the championship distance against an opponent with far more experience. Yet he found openings in Munguía’s defense often enough to turn an expected showcase into an uncomfortable struggle. The champion could put punches together, but too frequently left himself available for hard replies.
Round six exposed the cost. Zon hurt Munguía badly and threatened a stoppage, forcing the Mexican to survive before he could regain the initiative. Munguía recovered and resumed his offensive work, showing determination without fixing the defensive faults that had put him in trouble.
The referee’s decisions also helped him. Two apparent knockdown sequences went without counts, while a clear rabbit punch from Munguía brought no point deduction. Those incidents deserved better handling in a fight where individual scoring decisions mattered more than the final totals suggested.
Munguía’s output ultimately carried him through, but this was a poor performance against a challenger who had never faced comparable opposition. Zon’s relative inexperience should have made the champion’s greater variety and seasoning decisive; instead, his power remained a threat.
After the Bruno Surace knockout loss, another damaging scare is difficult to dismiss. Munguía still takes too many clean punches while attacking, and Zon demonstrated how quickly that can erase the comfort provided by a busy round. The belt stayed with Munguía, but the performance gave stronger punchers at 168 pounds plenty to study.
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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.
World Boxing News provides a scorecard as David Picasso faces unbeaten Carl Jammes Martin in a ten-round featherweight contest for the WBC Silver title on the Canelo Alvarez vs. Christian Mbilli undercard.
Picasso enters the fight with a 33-1-1 record and the opportunity to get another important victory under his belt against an opponent who has never tasted defeat.
Martin brings a perfect 28-0 record into the contest, with the Filipino looking to make his mark against a well-established Mexican rival.
The fight takes place as part of the Mexico vs. The World event.
WBN provides a live scorecard of the contest below, plus live results throughout the event.
Picasso vs Martin Scorecard
David Picasso vs Carl Jammes Martin
(Scorecard will refresh every 2 mins)
WBC Silver Featherweight Title
10×3
Round
Picasso
Martin
Round 1
10
9
Round 2
9
10
Round 3
10
9
Round 4
10
9
Round 5
9
10
Round 6
9
10
Round 7
10
8
Round 8
10
9
Round 9
9
10
Round 10
9
10
WBN Totals:
—
—
Official Result: Martin SD – 96-93, 95-94, 94-95
Preview
Picasso has already experienced defeat during his professional career, but he returns with another opportunity to strengthen his position in the featherweight division.
The Mexican’s 33 victories make him the more experienced fighter on paper, although Martin arrives with an unbeaten record that cannot be overlooked.
The Filipino has won all 28 of his professional contests and now gets the chance to prove himself against an opponent with a considerable reputation.
Picasso will want to avoid another setback, while ‘Wonder Boy’ knows that a victory over the Mexican could put him in a stronger position for future world title opportunities.
The contest is available live on DAZN as part of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Christian Mbilli event.
The Picasso vs Martin contest unfolds alongside more live coverage on World Boxing News.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
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