Boxing
If Jake Paul knocks out Anthony Joshua, will that be boxing’s biggest worry?
Published
10 months agoon
If Jake Paul defeats Anthony Joshua on Friday night, it will be a seismic shock on a scale unprecedented in heavyweight boxing history.
That’s how wide the gap in class is between the YouTuber-turned-boxer (21-1, 7 KO), who is ranked outside the top 15 in all four world heavyweight governing bodies, and two-time world heavyweight boxing champion Joshua (28-4, 25 KO). By the time Paul fought his first professional fight in 2020 (without an amateur career), Joshua had won eight world title fights and lost one after winning an Olympic gold medal in 2012.
Not only would a victory for Paul be far greater than boxing’s No. 1 defeat this year (Rolando “Rolly” Romero scored points over Ryan Garcia in May), but it would also eclipse some of boxing’s most notable surprise results from decades ago, such as the points scored by Fritzi Zivic vs. Henry Armstrong (welterweight) in 1940 and Randolph Turpin vs. Sugar Ray Robinson (middleweight) in 1951 and Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Marvin Hagler (middleweight) in 1987.
The fights involving boxing legends were for world titles, and Paul was still far from the cruiserweight level.
In addition to experience and ability, size is also crucial: Paul moves up to heavyweight to face AJ. Oleksandr Usyk, the current No. 1 heavyweight in the world, successfully moved up from the cruiserweight division and defeated Joshua twice… but he is a former undisputed world cruiserweight champion and Olympic gold medalist.
However, Paul’s supporters point to the fact that Joshua has already been the victim of one of the biggest upsets in recent heavyweight history. There was no suggestion in June 2019 that a flabby Andy Ruiz would defeat Joshua in Recent York, but the American recovered from knocking down Joshua four times in the third round and earning a thrilling seventh-round TKO victory. However, Ruiz was not an unknown challenger to Joshua’s three world titles that night – three years earlier he had lost a dull points fight to Joseph Parker for the WBO world title.
Joshua avenged his defeat to Ruiz with a careful scoring six months later and regained the WBA, IBF and WBO belts. But an estimated 22 million viewers watched that humbling moment in the seventh round when Ruiz stopped him.
Losing to Paul would be an even greater humiliation for Joshua. This would leave an indelible mark on his career and irreparable damage to his reputation.
To put it in perspective, as much of a shock as Paul beating AJ would be, it would be bigger than these 10 iconic upsets in heavyweight boxing history.
11/02/1990: Mike Tyson L KO 10 vs. James “Buster” Douglas, Tokyo
Douglas, a 42-1 long shot, took advantage of Tyson’s impoverished preparation to defeat the champion for the first time in his career in round 10. Douglas, inspired by the recent death of his mother, used his excellent reach to land powerful punches throughout the fight. Douglas recovered from an eighth-round knockdown to deliver a stunning combination in round ten to become the undisputed champion. It was the first professional defeat for Tyson, known as “The Baddest Man in the World” after terrorizing the heavyweight division.
May 25, 1964: Sonny Liston L RTD 6 v. Cassius Clay, Miami
Clay, who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali, shocked the world when he forced the feared champion Liston, a 7-1 favorite, to retire on his stool after the sixth round. Ali gracefully dodged Liston’s early attacks and then landed precise punches that allowed Liston to fall in the sixth throw and become the undisputed champion.
22/04/2001: Lennox Lewis L KO 5 vs. Hasim Rahman, South Africa
Lewis underestimated the altitude in South Africa and his American opponent while filming a pre-fight role in Ocean’s Eleven. Lewis was caught by the little-known Rahman after dropping his hands in round 5 for the WBC and IBF belts. Lewis also lost to Oliver McCall in two rounds in 1994, another major disappointment.
June 13, 1935: Max Baer L PTS 15 vs. James Braddock, Recent York
The “Cinderella Man” went from a lost journeyman on the dole in 1933 to world heavyweight champion when he defeated the mighty Baer for the world title after starting 10-1 as an underdog.
30/10/1974: George Foreman L KO 8 v. Muhammad Ali, Zaire
Ali used the “drug rope” tactic to defeat world champion Foreman and regain the world heavyweight title at the age of 32 in the “Rumble in the Jungle”. Ali came off the ropes in the eighth race and knocked down the tiring Foreman, who was supposed to beat his compatriot.
06/19/1936: Joe Louis L KO 12 vs. Max Schmeling, Recent York
Louis was in excellent form and tipped to become champions when his unbeaten run hit the crossbar. The German reigned as champion (1930-31), but Louis’ form by KO was such that Schmeling started as a 10-1 outsider. Schmeling hit Louis’ right side three times in rounds 4 and 12.
15/02/1978: Muhammad Ali L PTS 15 vs. Leon Spinks, Las Vegas
Spinks, the 1976 Olympic gold medalist, defeated Ali by split decision in just his eighth professional fight. Ali (36) defended in the 11th defense but was unable to cope with the work rate of 24-year-old Spinks.
9/11/1996: Mike Tyson L. TKO 11 Evander Holyfield, Las Vegas
Tyson has demolished all four of his opponents since his release from prison, while Holyfield started the match at 25-1 as an underdog after a impoverished showing in his previous fight against Bobby Czyz. Holyfield had a direct exchange of words to stop Tyson from fighting for the WBA belt.
5/11/1994: George Foreman W KO 10 against Michael Moorer
After losing the previous fight, Foreman won a large right and finished 26-year-old Michael Moorer to become the world heavyweight champion again at the age of 45. Foreman had previously lost the world title in another upset to Ali 20 years earlier.
28/11/2015: Wladimir Klitschko L PTS 12 vs. Tyson Fury, Dusseldorf, Germany
The Ukrainian’s nine-year reign as world champion came to an end when Fury defeated him to claim a unanimous points victory. Fury’s move meant the Ukrainian never got into the fight and the Briton won three versions of the world title.
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Boxing
Davies vs Collins & Heaney vs Warburton II Results: Full Fight Recap
Published
10 hours agoon
September 26, 2026
World Boxing News provides results and updates as Liam Davies faces Nathaniel Collins in the main event at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham.
Davies and Collins collide over 12 rounds for the EBU European featherweight title at the top of the Queensberry Promotions card.
Luke McCormack faces Kay Prospere for the vacant British super lightweight title, while Bradley Goldsmith takes on Amir Abubaker for the IBF International middleweight title.
WBN provides results and updates from every bout as they happen.
Results
All times are local BST.
23:11
Gerome Warburton defeated Nathan Heaney for the second time running as the middleweight put an exclamation mark on his first victory.
Heaney walks away from the sport having been an entertainer through a long carer, without reaching the heights of a world title.
22:04
Liam Davies improved to 19-1 after Nathaniel Collins retired at the end of the seventh round due to a cut over his right eye. Collins had also been dropped in the opening round as Davies successfully defended the European featherweight title.
21:22
Bradley Goldsmith improved to 17-1 with a seventh-round stoppage of Amir Abubaker to retain his IBF International middleweight title. Abubaker went down in the fourth and three times in the seventh before the finish at 2:42.
20:10
Lewis Richardson improved to 3-0 with a shutout six-round points victory over Ivan Trofimovich, earning a 60-54 decision.
19:56
Luke McCormack moved to 6-0 and claimed the vacant British super lightweight title with a tenth-round knockout of Kay Prospere, who was counted out after a right uppercut at 1:28.
18:55
Michael Hussain moved to 5-0 with a four-round points victory over Nabil Ahmed, earning a 39-38 decision.
18:11
Nelson Birchall moved to 12-0 with a third-round stoppage of Lewis Morris, who went down before the finish came at 1:12. Lasha Guruli also remained unbeaten at 5-0 after edging Hughie Wilson 77-75 over eight rounds.
17:22
Early action saw John Tom Varey and Reese Lynch claim four-round victories to move to 3-0 and 5-0 respectively.
TV Coverage
DAZN provides full worldwide coverage.
Follow WBN’s live boxing coverage throughout the event.
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.
Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.
Boxing
Janibek Alimkhanuly Shifts Perspective on Hamzah Sheeraz: A New Dynamic in Boxing
Published
12 hours agoon
September 26, 2026
Janibek Alimkhanuly spent months trying to get Hamzah Sheeraz into the ring. Now that Sheeraz has vacated his WBO super middleweight title, Janibek is asking fans to stop saying the former champion ran from him. That is generous. It also leaves Janibek with less to say about a fight he wanted badly.
He’s not afraid of me. He didn’t run from me. He made his decision based on his own plans. He has his own goals! He’s my brother, and I ask everyone to stop saying he ran from me. He’s a great fighter, and I have nothing but respect for him! @sheeraz_hamzah 🫂 pic.twitter.com/uxZlegqSmH
— Janibek Alimkhanuly (@qazaqstyle) September 26, 2026
Janibek’s tone has changed since the purse bid. He was eager to fight, said money was not his priority, and publicly pushed Sheeraz to accept. Queensberry then bid $1,001,809 to stage the ordered defense, beating Top Rank’s $820,000 offer. Sheeraz’s 75 percent share would have been roughly $751,000. Days later, he gave up the belt.
That sequence deserves a closer look. Queensberry put a serious number on the fight, so the bid itself cannot be dismissed as proof that nobody valued it. But winning the right to promote a title defense means little to fans when the champion vacates before it happens.
Sheeraz has objected to Janibek receiving a mandatory shot after his failed drug test. He is entitled to explain that position. Fans are equally entitled to ask why the issue reached a purse bid before he surrendered the title. Janibek’s post supplies no answer.
Perhaps Janibek sees no benefit in branding Sheeraz a coward. Doing so would also make the opponent he chased sound less valuable. Calling Sheeraz a great fighter preserves the idea that this was an important contest, even after the belt and the fight slipped away.
The respect between them may be sincere. Janibek still gets no Sheeraz fight, and Sheeraz no longer has to defend his title against Janibek. A friendly photo does not change either result.
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
Virginia Confirms Decision to Erase Prichard Colón Loss from Records
Published
13 hours agoon
September 26, 2026
Virginia has given World Boxing News its final answer on whether Prichard Colón’s last professional defeat can still be challenged, bringing an end to WBN’s long fight to have the result annulled and removed from his record.
WBN has pursued the possibility of changing the controversial disqualification defeat to Terrel Williams, with those efforts continuing following Colón’s death at age 33.
Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation previously explained that a decision can only be overturned if there is proven collusion, a scorecard error, or a regulatory violation that affected the result.
WBN pressed Eric Beidel, Communications & Digital Media Manager for the Department of Professional & Occupational Regulation, on whether any avenue remained to challenge the decision.
“And on that final question … as mentioned before, a decision can only be overturned if there is proven collusion, a scorecard error, or a regulatory violation that affected the results,” Beidel graciously responded after providing WBN with transparent answers throughout the investigation.
“In addition, a complaint about a regulatory violation must be filed within three years of the alleged violation.”
The Colón-Williams fight took place on October 17, 2015, meaning that deadline expired years ago.
Virginia Closes Appeal Route
Virginia’s response also addressed whether the result could instead be challenged through an appeal.
“The Administrative Process Act (APA) does create appeal rights to case decisions, but because DPOR never received a complaint in this instance, there was no case or decision that could be appealed under the APA.”
The deadline for filing a complaint about a regulatory violation has expired, while the absence of an original complaint means there is no case decision available to appeal under the APA.
For WBN, Virginia’s response ends a long fight to have the defeat annulled and removed from Colón’s professional record.

WBN’s Fight for Prichard Colón
It is no secret that WBN and Prichard were close before the most tragic night of his career ended all contact and left us on the outside for the years leading up to his death.
That never stopped WBN from reporting on Prichard, campaigning for change and hoping lessons from what happened to him could help prevent another fighter and family from enduring the same tragedy.
Virginia’s final response may end WBN’s attempts to have the result changed, but it does not end our commitment to Prichard.
Prichard Colón will not be forgotten.
WBN will continue to keep his name alive whenever and wherever possible with the WBN Boxer Pageand push to ensure his fight for life and everything that happened in its aftermath are never allowed to simply disappear from boxing’s memory.
This investigation ends here, but Prichard’s story does not.
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.
Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.
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Davies vs Collins & Heaney vs Warburton II Results: Full Fight Recap
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