Boxing

Ituma, Benn, Sheeraz: Who are the next generation of world champions in Great Britain?

Published

1 year ago

September 27, 2025

With Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua potentially in the last year of his career, British boxing needs up-to-date stars.

Ten years ago, Great Britain had 12 men’s world champions at the end of 2015: Tyson Fury, James Degale, Billy Joe Saunders, Kell Brook, Liam Smith, Anthony Croll, Lee Selby, Scott Quigg, Carl Frampton, Jamie McDonnell, Terry Flanagan and Lee Kastins.

Today there are only two world champions of the British men: world champion WBA Feather in a featherweight Nick Ball and a up-to-date world champion in welterweight IBF Lewis Crocker.

-boxingran: Fundy-Thurman, Parker-Wardley, more
– Eubank Jr. vs. Benn: Azim, Cattell on Undercard
– Crawford, Álvarez and the fall of the superfigure

If British boxing is to avoid falling to the lowest point from the first quarter of 1988, when he did not have world boxing champions, until Lloyd Honeyghan did not knock Jorge Vaca to the title of WBC World Sitter, he needs a ball and a crokker to win during the production of up-to-date masters.

Who are the next generation of world champions in Great Britain and how quickly they can win the belt?

Moses will bite

Ituma (13-0, 11 KO) was hailed as a champion, waiting for leaving a trace of destruction behind him since he became a professional in 2023. It was not impressed by Chatham in Kent, who as a child moved to England from Slovakia.

Ituma signed up as if he had a meeting to stop elsewhere, which he saw how he got rid of eight opponents in the first round. In his last fight, in August, Ituma defeated what was supposed to be his most challenging task with great ease when he blew up Dillian Whyte in the round.

Whyte was detained in round 6 by Fury for the title of WBC World in April 2022.

Will the world champion title soon win?

No, only to the possibilities and belts that are owned by the undisputed master Oleksandr Usyk. But ITAUMA six feet four became a real contender. Perhaps he will have to wait until the belts are crushed from one title holder when he can fight for a free title.

He takes care of the first position in WBA and WBO, so as long as he wins, the fight for the title of world champion can be realistic at the end of 2026 after retiring or leaving the titles. However, his next fight in Manchester on December 13 will not have the title of world champion.

Anthony Yarde

Yarde (26-3, 24 KO), 33, hopes that this will be for him for him for the third time in the fight for the title of world champion, when he will face the WBC heavyweight champion on November 22, David Benavidez in Saudi Arabia.

Londoners were detained by the Russian Power Punchers Artur Beterbiev and Sergey Kovalev in lightweight heavyweight shots in 2023 and 2019, respectively. But Yarde repaired his career after these harmful losses and won the fight against the trilogy with the English rival Lyndon Arthur in April to get a chance.

Will the world champion title soon win?

Benavidez (30-0, 24 KO), 28 years ancient, who became the youngest champion of the super medium average of World Super Middle masters in 2017, will start a robust favorite to keep his title in the first defense. A few months ago, Yarde was involved in the fight against Artur with Artur, but Benavidez dominated the victory of Uds over David Morrell in February.

Chris Eubank Jr.

If Eubank again defeats Conor Benn in a match with a medium injury at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London on November 15, it is said that in Saul “Canelo” Alvarez or Terenka Crawford (despite the same trainer, Brian “Bomac” McIntyre) in great weight.

After rematch vs. Benn, Eubank, can opt for a super medium weight, even though he is in the top five out of 160 pounds in three of the four world management bodies.

Great fights are waiting in 2026, but will they be for world titles or against substantial names without world titles on the line?

Will the world champion title soon win?

Defeating such as Canelo and Crawford got livid with the Almighty for Eubank Jr., despite his impressive vs. Benn.

At the age of 36, Eubank ends time to win the full world championship title. If there is an immediate rematch between Crawford and Canelo, Brighton boxer can pay attention to the title of medium weight, which would be more possible.

If he manages to comfortably make the average Eubank weight to be able to beat any of the masters.

Dalton Smith

Smith (18-0, 13 Kos), 28, from Sheffield in northern England, is to challenge the WBC World Junior Intheight, Subriel Matias (23-2, 22 KO), 33, next, but he will have to go to Puerto Rico for his first world title this year.

Smith was a convincing winner over Mathieu Germain last time in April, but Matias will be a step from everyone he met.

Will the world champion title soon win?

A trip to Puerto Rico is a challenging task for Smith, but Matias did not consistently dominate in most decisions on Alberto Puello in July.

Australian Liam Paro also won a unanimous decision over Matias in Puerto Rico last year, which will provide Smith Zada. Smith will have to survive the periods for backfoot vs. Matias, and then enforce your own authority to cause nervousness.

Hamzah Sheeraz

Sheeraz bounced off the disappointing draw with the world champion of WBC, Carlos Adames to start his super medium weight in the style of 5 KO Edgar Berlang in July.

Sheeraz (22-1, 18 Kos), 26, from London is in a good position after just one fight in super middle weight and maybe he will not have to wait long for his next world title.

Will the world champion title soon win?

The world title Sheeraz hopes whether the undisputed global super average weight will remain in the division to defend its belts, or there is an immediate rematch vs. Canelo.

While Sheeraz is waiting for his opportunity, he could face Christian Mbilli in a stepping stone for the title of world champion. Defeating Canelo, especially Crawford, would be a challenge for Sheeraz, but don’t be surprised if he got a chance in 2026.

Conor Benn

No world championship title will be on the line when Benn will face the English rival Eubank Jr. On November 15, when Benn will compete above his optimal fighting importance much above again.

Benn pushed Eubank Jr heavily in an intensive meeting at the beginning of this year, which was praiseworthy, considering that he jumped to two classes of weight. Revenge at Eubank would be the perfect start for the title of the world, but the defeat would leave him further drifting or relying on Master, who accepted voluntary defense.

Will the world champion title soon win?

At least not this year. Benn is in the top ten only in the junior medium weight by one of four world management bodies and is better placed in welterweight; Is number 5 from WBA, No. 4 from WBC.

As long as he can still reach a limit of 147 pounds without prejudice to his performance after two fights in medium weight, Benn could face the WBC champion Mario Barrios or IBF Crocker master in the entire British meeting in 2026.

Crocker, who won the IBF welterweight belt at the beginning of this month, is promoted by Matchroom, just like Benn.

Josh Kelly

Kelly (17-1-1, 9 Kos), 31, is on the edge of his first fight with the title of Master after he was promoted in two organ rankings in the world.

He has become a mandatory claimant for the middle-grade Master IBF Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KO), and promoters talk about fighting.

Kelly is also the first queue to challenge the owner of WBO Xander Zayas (22-0, 13 KO). The Sunderland boxer has been constantly progressing since he left the welterweight after David Avaneyan stopped him in February 2021.

Will the world champion title soon win?

32 -year -old Murtazaliev from Russia, but based in California, destroyed Tim Tisz in three rounds a year ago, but he has not fought since then. It is a unsafe blow, but Kelly is an bright boxer who must try to avoid getting in.

If the fight is staged in a London place, Kelly will support.

Sam Noakes

Noakes (17-0, 15 Kos), 28, made a constant progress from the British and European champion to win his first world title against 21-year-old Mason from Ohio Abdullah in Saudi Arabia on November 22.

Noakes, from Maidstone in Kent, will have to carefully walk against the unsafe Puncher Mason (19-0, 17 KO) in what can potentially be an explosive meeting in the free lithe of WBO World Lightweight Title.

Will the world champion title soon win?

Noakes’s strength could be decisive if he can survive in later rounds, but he is nervous about winning his first world title against a skillful boxer.

James “Jazza” Dickens

A boxer from Liverpool could be the next world champion in Great Britain, without throwing a blow if he is raised from the WBA master to the WBA master of the world master of lightweight.

Lamont Roach Jr, WBA Master Junior Lightweight, recently in a lithe box and expected to abandon his title to boost weight.

Dickens (36-5, 15 Kos), 34, is in the best position of his career, which was sometimes far from competition for the title of world champion. He was detained in trials of the world title in a featherweight and junior featherweight in 2021 and 2016, but he upset the opportunities when he knocked out Russian Albert Batyyrgaziew, a golden medalist at the Olympic Games in 2021 in Turkey in July.

Will the world champion title soon win?

It depends on the next Roach movement and if you give up the waist 130 pounds.

Jazza is to fight Hayato Tsutsumi (8-0, 5 KO), an undefeated Japanese perspective, in Saudi Arabia on December 27 and cannot afford a lost, considering his promising position.

Galal yafai

Boxer Birmingham Yafai (9-0, 1 NC, 7 Kos), 32, was well beaten during the last exit, but the unanimous defeat of the points from the Mexican Francisco Rodriguez Jr (40-6-1, 27 Kos), in an eliminator for WBC Flyight Title, was transferred by unexpected professions after it was Rodriguez for positive support.

When Rodriguez was positive, Yafai still has a momentary WBC title, which he won impressively, stopping the English rival Shining Edwards almost a year ago.

This means that Yafai is a mandatory pretender Ricardo Sandoval, 26, from California, who won the title of WBC in July, to become the United World Champion.

Will the world champion title soon win?

Yafai is in a good position to find the title shot in the next 12 months-but it faces a challenging task vs. Sandoval (30-4, 18 KO), who went to Japan to defeat Kenshiro Teraji for WBC and WBA titles.

The Olympic gold medalist 2021 must wait to discover Sandoval’s plans to see if he will face him next.

Boxing

Around the Table: Who Can Challenge Canelo at 160 or 168 Pounds?

Published

53 minutes ago

November 7, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Around the Table: Who Can Challenge Canelo at 160 or 168 Pounds?"

We all acknowledge that Canelo isn’t in his peak years anymore, but looking at the actual landscape around him right now, is there anyone at 168, or who could come up from 160, you think would beat Canelo Alvarez?

Canelo was sharp against Christian Mbilli, but I never thought Mbilli would beat or even really trouble Canelo too much. And that’s what you look for, even today, even with Canelo faded: It has to be a really, really good fighter, and the right kind of fighter.

It wasn’t Mbilli, and it’s not going to be Lester Martinez, either. I wouldn’t mind seeing that fight, because Martinez has earned it as much as one earns shots at belts in boxing, and maybe Martinez would prove me wrong. I’m certainly not saying he’s a 0% chance to win, but on paper I don’t see it.

Hamzah Sheeraz is the fighter TurkiCo seems to want in the spot, and there are aspects there that seem potentially interesting, but Sheeraz’s so-so showings in other fights don’t inspire much confidence. Osleys Iglesisas might be the guy, but he’d also be taking a huge step up in competition, and you can’t forget that; basically the same step up that Mbilli just took. I’m not saying they aren’t good fighters, but the records built in Quebec are not filled with world class opposition.

I don’t honestly see anyone at 168 or 160 that beats Canelo right now, next fight out. I just don’t think there’s anyone there who’s good enough right now; a couple of them would be in time, perhaps, but we’re not talking about two or three years from now.

It’s an interesting question, and I’ll just preface the rest of my response by highlighting the fact there’s a difference between would and could. I say that to say this: I actually thought Canelo looked really sharp against Mbilli, with his reaction time and defense on point. But even though Canelo is a fighter with elite level skill, he’s still an aging fighter. Aging athletes in general never forget what to do, but the most noticeable decline is consistency in their performances.

The older and more worn, the less consistently they can perform at the levels they’re accustomed to. In that respect I would compare Canelo to an older pitcher. On some nights he’ll still have some of his best stuff and on those nights he’ll look good, but he’s not going to consistently bring his best stuff anymore, and on the nights he doesn’t he’ll be vulnerable to a potential slip up.

If I’m just estimating, I think there’s 0% chance we’ll ever see Canelo in better form than we just saw him, about a 35% chance he can match the form we just saw, and about a 65% chance that he has something less to offer on a given night. If Canelo can duplicate his most recent performance, I can’t honestly say that any fighter between 160-168 would beat him right now, but I do think it’s more likely than not that he’s in worse form. In that case I’d say perhaps someone like Yoenli Hernandez, and to a lesser extent Carlos Adames or Hamzah Sheeraz could potentially give him a run for his money, but it’s certainly far from a sure thing.

The cheeky answer would be Erislandy Lara, since there was so much controversy over his split decision loss to Canelo at the time. But, I don’t think Lara actually won that fight, and I certainly don’t think that a 43 year old Lara moving up to super middleweight would beat Canelo in 2026.

I think that, given the landscape, there’s really just one guy at the weight with an argument right now: Osleys Iglesias. It would be a huge step up for Iglesias, but part of that is his difficulty getting a major fight yet given how formidable he looks. The people who have beaten Canelo, officially or otherwise, had exceptional skill and enough stopping power to keep him honest. Iglesias looks like he checks both boxes. I’d love to see him get the chance.

Otherwise, you’re looking down at 154 lbs and trying to guess if someone like Boots or Fundora can do it, because I don’t think anyone at middleweight is a realistic threat.

My Hiroo Onoda answer is that David Benavidez was the guy. The one weird trick to beating Canelo seems to be a refusal to let him get comfortable and Benavidez’s kit is perfect for that: height, reach, volume, hand speed, offensive variety, and criminally underrated defense. Him losing the WBC belt by failing to make weight against Roamer Alexis F*ckin’ Angulo right as Canelo kicked off his undisputed super middleweight chase is up there with the butterfly ballots in “things that make me want to run full-speed into a brick wall if I think about them too hard.”

As for who can do it now, the only guys who seem like they belong in the conversation are Janibek Alimkhanuly and Osleys Iglesias. The kings of the heap at 160 are Carlos Adames and Old Man Lara, whom nobody in their right minds would pick to topple Canelo, and who else is there at 168? Diego Pacheco and Hamzah Sheeraz, who looked pedestrian against far lesser opposition and clearly want no smoke whatsoever? Lester Martinez could be interesting and will be next for Canelo if Mauricio Sulaiman keeps his word (lmao), but I’m not sold after his own performance against Christian Mbilli.

Alimkhanuly has the technical pedigree to potentially find the holes in Canelo’s ultra-optimized game and the physical abilities to exploit them. Iglesias isn’t quite as credentialed, but his speed and power are at or near the division’s peak and that pile bunker jab of his is the sort of disruptive weapon that could give Canelo fits. That said, I’d still favor Canelo over either.

Boxing

Chris Billam Smith vs Chev Clarke Live Updates: Round by Round Action from Zuffa Boxing 12

Published

6 hours ago

November 7, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Chris Billam Smith vs Chev Clarke Live Updates: Round by Round Action from Zuffa Boxing 12"

Follow Billam-Smith against Clarke with live round reports, scoring and the official result from London.

Chris Billam-Smith fights Cheavon Clarke over 10 rounds tonight on Sky Sports in the UK and Paramount+ in the US. The former WBO cruiserweight champion headlines Zuffa Boxing 12 at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday, November 7.

Billam-Smith vs Clarke Round-by-Round Updates

Live reports will appear here from the opening bell, tracking clean punches, knockdowns and which fighter controls each round.

● LIVE

Chris Billam-Smith vs Chev Clarke

2026-11-07 · 14:00 ET / 7:00 PM UK · Copper Box Arena, London · Paramount+, Sky Sports

Chris Billam-Smith0

AFTER0ROUNDS

Chev Clarke0

ROUNDChris Billam-SmithChev Clarke

Undercard Results

Featherweight Masood Abdulah (14-1, 8 KOs) scored two knockdowns to defeat Adan Palma (14-2) by an eight-round unanimous decision. The judges scored it 78-72, 77-73 and 76-74.

Abdulah dropped Palma with a short left hook in the opening minute, then used his jab and compact hooks to catch him coming forward. Palma fought his way back into the contest, landing heavy right hands in the fourth round that forced Abdulah to clinch.

A well-timed check left hook sent Palma down again in the sixth, slowing his attack and giving Abdulah more room to dictate the action. Abdulah worked behind his jab and continued finding the left hook over the final two rounds to secure the victory.

Vinnie Kemp (1-0, 1 KO) stopped Liam McElhinney (0-3) with a barrage of body shots at 2:33 of the opening round in their scheduled four-round middleweight bout. Making his professional debut, Kemp charged forward from the opening bell, throwing hard punches and goading McElhinney.

The referee briefly paused the action to warn Kemp about his verbals before allowing the fight to continue. Kemp resumed his attack, stalking McElhinney and driving punches into his midsection.

McElhinney bent forward and covered up against the ropes under the sustained body attack, prompting the referee to wave it off. Kemp’s aggression gave him a quick debut victory, although McElhinney offered little to test him.

When Does Billam-Smith vs Clarke Start?

Main-event ring walks: 🇺🇸 5 pm ET / 2 pm PT · 🇬🇧 10 p.m. GMTapproximately.

The undercard determines the final timing. Billam-Smith and Clarke headline a nine-fight show, with Denzel Bentley against Shane Mosley Jr. in the co-feature.

Main-card broadcast:

🇺🇸 2 pm ET / 11 am PT

🇬🇧 7 p.m. GMT

Preliminary coverage:

🇺🇸 12 pm ET / 9 am PT

🇬🇧 5 p.m. GMT

Sky Sports broadcasts the main card in the UK, with prelims available on its digital platforms. Paramount+ carries the prelims and main card in the US through a subscription, without a separate PPV charge.

Two June Stoppage Wins Set Up the Main Event

Both fighters arrive after punishing fights.

Billam-Smith beat Ryan Rozicki in June, with the Canadian’s corner withdrawing him after seven rounds of their Bournemouth contest. Clarke endured a rougher route on the same bill, recovering from two knockdowns before stopping Jack Massey.

Tonight’s contest carries no championship belt. For Billam-Smith, it offers a chance to strengthen his position at cruiserweight while beating an opponent who twice frustrated him.

Clarke’s second amateur victory came in the 2016 national elite championship final. Beating Billam-Smith in the paid ranks would add a former world champion to his professional record and strengthen his case for bigger fights.

Billam-Smith enters at 22-2 with 14 knockoutswhile Clarke brings a 12-2 record with nine stoppages. The experience gap amounts to ten professional contests.

Both cleared the scales on Friday. Billam-Smith weighed 199.5 lbs (90.5 kg) and Clarke 198.8 lbs (90.2 kg) for their cruiserweight headliner.

Zuffa Boxing 12 Undercard Results

Confirmed results and finishing details will be added alongside the matchups below as the bouts conclude.

Main Card

Denzel Bentley vs Shane Mosley Jr.

Middleweight · 10 rounds

Da’Mazion Vanhouter vs Ivan Balaz

Heavyweight · 8 rounds

Sam Hickey vs Amaury Massenaux

Middleweight · 8 rounds

Kayla Allen vs Julia Igel

Super lightweight · 6 rounds

Lucas Roehrig vs Connal McDonald

Cruiserweight · 8 rounds

Prelims

Zach Parker vs Umar Dzambekov

Light-heavyweight · 10 rounds

Vinnie Kemp vs Liam McElhinney

Middleweight · 4 rounds

Masood Abdullah vs Adan Palma

Featherweight · 8 rounds

Boxing

Chris Billam-Smith vs Chev Clarke Live Updates: Round-by-Round Analysis from Zuffa Boxing 12

Published

6 hours ago

November 7, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Chris Billam-Smith vs Chev Clarke Live Updates: Round-by-Round Analysis from Zuffa Boxing 12

Follow Billam-Smith against Clarke with live round reports, scoring and the official result from London.

Billam-Smith vs Clarke Round-by-Round Updates

Live reports will appear here from the opening bell, tracking clean punches, knockdowns and which fighter controls each round.

● LIVE

Chris Billam-Smith vs Chev Clarke

2026-11-07 · 14:00 ET / 7:00 PM UK · Copper Box Arena, London · Paramount+, Sky Sports

Chris Billam-Smith0

AFTER0ROUNDS

Chev Clarke0

ROUNDChris Billam-SmithChev Clarke

Undercard Results

Featherweight Masood Abdulah (14-1, 8 KOs) scored two knockdowns to defeat Adan Palma (14-2) by an eight-round unanimous decision. The judges scored it 78-72, 77-73 and 76-74.

The referee briefly paused the action to warn Kemp about his verbals before allowing the fight to continue. Kemp resumed his attack, stalking McElhinney and driving punches into his midsection.

When Does Billam-Smith vs Clarke Start?

Main-event ring walks: 🇺🇸 5 pm ET / 2 pm PT · 🇬🇧 10 p.m. GMTapproximately.

The undercard determines the final timing. Billam-Smith and Clarke headline a nine-fight show, with Denzel Bentley against Shane Mosley Jr. in the co-feature.

Main-card broadcast:

🇺🇸 2 pm ET / 11 am PT

🇬🇧 7 p.m. GMT

Preliminary coverage:

🇺🇸 12 pm ET / 9 am PT

🇬🇧 5 p.m. GMT

Two June Stoppage Wins Set Up the Main Event

Both fighters arrive after punishing fights.

Tonight’s contest carries no championship belt. For Billam-Smith, it offers a chance to strengthen his position at cruiserweight while beating an opponent who twice frustrated him.

Billam-Smith enters at 22-2 with 14 knockoutswhile Clarke brings a 12-2 record with nine stoppages. The experience gap amounts to ten professional contests.

Both cleared the scales on Friday. Billam-Smith weighed 199.5 lbs (90.5 kg) and Clarke 198.8 lbs (90.2 kg) for their cruiserweight headliner.