News: On Sunday, the IBF announced a bid for the previously ordered 135 No. 1 eliminator between Albert Bell and Andy Cruz. It will take place on May 27 at 2:00 p.m. local time during the ranking meeting at the IBF annual convention in Ho Tram, Vietnam. #box #PurseBidHedz

— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) May 18, 2026

The auction will take place at 2:00 p.m. local time during the IBF annual convention in Ho Tram, Vietnam.

The winner of the fight will become mandatory challenger to the IBF lightweight title, giving Andy Cruz a direct path to a championship shot less than two years into his professional career.

Cruz (6-0, 3 KO) has been undergoing an aggressive transition since leaving the amateur ranks after winning an Olympic gold medal for Cuba. The Matchroom-promoted lightweight already has wins over veterans Antonio Moran and Omar Salcido, despite having only six professional fights.

Albert Bell (28-0, 9 KO) brings much more professional experience to the eliminator and remains quietly undefeated, fighting mostly out of the spotlight. The Cleveland native has long been viewed as a tough matchup due to his defensive approach and southpaw demeanor.

Negotiations reaching the portfolio offer stage suggest that neither side was willing to bend financially enough to complete the transaction privately.

A victory for Cruz would strengthen his position in a crowded lightweight division that features names like Shakur Stevenson, Gervonta Davis and Keyshawn Davis.

The IBF tender for Cruz-Bell is scheduled for May 27 in Vietnam.

If Cruz defeats Bell, he will be back in position for another fight against IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla if the titleholder stays at 135 pounds instead of moving up to 140.

Conor Benn has called for several high-profile fights during his Matchroom Boxing career, but former promoter Eddie Hearn appears to have ruled out one potential inside fight.

Since Benn’s departure from Matchroom, Hearn has been open about previous discussions about the welterweight’s career, most recently claiming that Benn turned down proposed world title fights against Rolando Romero, Lewis Crocker and Josh Kelly.

Now former IBF and WBC welterweight champion Jaron Ennis has revealed that he insisted on fighting Benn while both fighters were aligned with Hearn, but the idea was immediately rejected.

Speaking on All The Smoke Fight PodcastEnnis said:

“I told Eddie to let me fight him.

“I said I would fight Conor, him [Hearn] he turned around and said “absolutely not”. I’ll get in trouble, but he said “absolutely not.” But I tried to get him.

“Boots” Ennis – who was described by his promoter as “the next Terence Crawford” – praised Benn and suggested he continues to improve in recent performances.

“He’s good and I think he’s getting better.”

Ennis is currently preparing to fight Xander Zayas for the unified super welterweight title next monthand the American intends to become the champion of the second weight category. If Benn moves up to 154 pounds in the future, Hearn may be more interested in making this fight happen after a promotional split.

Meanwhile, the Briton plans to challenge Ryan Garcia for the WBC welterweight belt later this year.

A heavyweight fight that lasted mere seconds became one of the most talked about boxing clips of the weekend. Viktor Jurk knocked out Edwin Castillo with one left hand moments after the opening bell on Friday night at the SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany, in the Karen Chukhadzhian vs. Paddy Donovan IBF welterweight title eliminator bout.

The fight was broadcast DAZN internationally and at ARD in Germany. According to RingJurk, a 6-foot-9 southpaw from Flensburg, stepped to the center of the ring and threw a looping left hand that dropped Castillo to the canvas, where he stayed for a few minutes before recovering and leaving on his own.

WAS THIS THE FASTEST Knockout In The World?!?! 😱#ChukhajianDonovan | Live NOW on DAZN ▪️ pic.twitter.com/nkAXTK8iP0

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 15, 2026

Sequence

According to reports, both fighters touched gloves before the bell Fox News. As the round began, Castillo approached with his hands down and appeared to extend his left glove towards Jurek for a second time. Jurk did not respond and instead released a left hook, which ended the fight.

This sequence sparked a reaction online. Some viewers argued on X that Castillo was set up by a fraudulent glove strike. Others noted that the gloves had already been touched before the bell and that Castillo entered coverage with his hands down. Ponderous-motion replays were widely shared on Saturday, with commentators on both sides citing the same material to support different conclusions.

Jurk threw a punch, left without joy, and the referee started counting before the medical service entered the ring. Castillo, a 23-year-old Colombian, lay on his back for a long time before he was helped. For Bad left hookringside reports that he “recovered shortly thereafter”.

Records and context

Jurk improves his record to 14-0 after 12 knockouts. According to Fox News, Castillo is 13-3 (8 KOs), with all three losses coming in his last four fights. The fight was contracted for eight rounds.

The gala, billed as “Night of the Heavyweights” and promoted by Florian Winter, featured several heavyweight contenders alongside the welterweight headliner. Emanuel Odiase defeated Nick Webb in the second round to win the IBF European heavyweight title. In the main event, Donovan defeated Chukhadzhian by majority decision, securing his third meeting with IBF welterweight champion Lewis Crocker.

Comparisons

Several facilities, including: DajMeSportraised the question of whether the finish was one of the fastest in the history of professional boxing. The recognized record is generally considered to be Jimmy Thunder’s 1.5-second knockout of Crawford Grimsley in 1997. No official break time has been announced for the Jurk-Castillo fight.

Jurk did not publicly respond to the criticism. Castillo’s team has not released a statement.