Boxing
Jazza Dickens: “I finally got a chance when no one believed in me”
Published
2 months agoon
WHAT JERSEY DOES What do Joe Walcott, Archie Moore and James “Jazza” Dickens have in common?
All three have shown incredible resilience on their journey from their professional debut to winning the world title. It took Walcott (heavyweight) 21 years in 1951, Moore (lithe heavyweight) 17 years in 1952, and Dickens (junior lightweight) 14 years and 319 days.
Dickens added his name to the list of boxers who have the longest time to win their first world title since their professional debut, when he was promoted from interim WBA champion to full world champion in December after Lamont Roach was stripped of his world title belt.
Dickens (36-5, 15 KO), 34, of Liverpool, will step into the ring as a world champion on Saturday for his first defense against Northern Ireland’s Anthony Cacace (24-1, 9 KO), 37, at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Dickens, who traveled from his training base in Dubai after the region was bombed, was scheduled to face Japan’s Hayato Tsutsumi at the Mohammed Abdo Arena in Saudi Arabia in December, but was canceled due to Tsutsumi’s injury.
While there are similarities to Cacace’s blossoming career (he stopped Joe Cordina at age 35 to win the IBF junior lightweight title), Dickens’ story is very different from that of superstar world champions like Oleksandr Usyk, Naoya Inoue and Ryan Garcia.
Dickens had to work challenging without the support of his main promoter, struggling with knockout defeats, passivity and boxing politics. His career was very different from the attention and wealth enjoyed by his fellow Englishmen Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Conor Benn.
At times, Dickens wondered whether his career would ever reach the same heights as it did in 2016, when he challenged Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux for the WBA junior featherweight world title and was stopped slow in the second round with a broken jaw.
BUT Dickens has changed his career in 2025. First came a 10-round points victory over Zelfa Barrett, before Dickens knocked out Russia’s Albert Batyrgaziev, the 2021 Olympic gold medalist, in the 4th round to win the interim WBA junior lightweight title in Turkey.
“There were times when I thought, ‘What is this all about?’ When things were really challenging,” Dickens told ESPN.
“I believe if you listen, God is teaching you, but I wondered, ‘What are you trying to teach me?’ sometimes. I’m glad I was patient all these years because I finally got a chance when no one believed in me. The most significant thing that happened was the opportunities, that’s why I’m here now as a world champion.”
“These opportunities came when people thought I had had enough. When I got knocked out [Hector Andres] Sauce [in July 2023]people thought I was finished. There were a lot of things going on behind the scenes leading up to this fight, but I got knocked out and it didn’t look good.
“People thought I was done after that fight, and Batyrgaziev thought it would be an straightforward fight against me, but I went out there and dominated.”
JUST LIKE THE RING the legends of Moore and Walcott, Dickens showed unwavering perseverance in pursuing his goal.
Dickens, who has won four fights since his last defeat, has repeatedly rebuilt his career. After being stopped by Kid Galahad in 2013, Dickens suffered back-to-back losses to Rigondeaux and Thomas Patrick Ward in 2016 and 2017. After another loss to Galahad in 2021 and a crushing loss to Sosa, Dickens started 2025 far from world title contention.
“I joined my coach Albert Aryrapetyan a year ago and moving to Dubai to train has been a key part of my career,” Dickens told ESPN.
“He was the only person who answered me when I needed a coach. The phone didn’t ring, no one wanted to know, but since I became champion, he hasn’t stopped calling. We joined forces before the fight with Barrett, and Albert put together a good game plan for that fight and for the fight with Batyrgaziev.
“Since those defeats against Rigondeaux and Galahad, I always go to the gym, trying to get better, trying to develop, that hasn’t changed. What has changed? Perhaps I have grown mentally, as happens with age in any sport or job.”
After completing one of the longest world title journeys in boxing history, Dickens also now manages boxers under the banner of Integrity Boxing Management with Mitchell Walsh.
“We called it honesty boxing because there’s not a lot of honesty in boxing,” Dickens told ESPN.
“We don’t do this for a fee, it’s my pleasure and my reward is seeing the smiles on the faces of the boxers and their families.”
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Boxing
Shakur Stevenson called for a fight to unite stadiums: “It’s a dream”
Published
54 minutes agoon
April 24, 2026
Shakur Stevenson faces a tantalizing opportunity, but only at 140 pounds, as he considers possible opponents for his next fight.
It appears that the 28-year-old has not yet set a date for his next fight dethroning Teofimo Lopezthe then-WBO super-lightweight champion, who scored huge in January.
A world champion in four weight divisions, Stevenson is now looking for a challenge at 140 to 135 pounds, where he previously held the WBC title.
A name that has been mentioned multiple times is Raymond Muratalla, the IBF and Ring Magazine belt holder after he overtook Andy Cruz in January.
From Stevenson’s perspective, the possibility of becoming Ring Magazine’s three-division champion is what makes a potential fight with Muratalla particularly attractive.
At the same time, however, a unification bout with Dalton Smith at 140 pounds certainly deserves consideration later this year.
Like Stevenson, the WBC champion won the super lightweight world title in January, dethroning Subriel Matias with a fifth-round away victory.
To get his next assignment, Smith will have to face mandatory challenger Alberto Puello on June 6, headlining the Matchroom Boxing gala at the Sheffield Arena.
If he manages to defend his title, the 29-year-old is eager to face Stevenson in a transatlantic battle that he compares to Floyd Mayweather’s fight with Ricky Hatton.
I’m talking to Ring MagazineSmith said that ideally this “dream” fight would take place at Hillsborough Stadium – home of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club – or even Las Vegas.
“Of course [it’s a dream fight]. It’s just a repeat [Mayweather-Hatton]whether we do it in Hillsborough or on a huge night in Vegas.
“These are the fights that need to be fought – these are the most essential fights.”
Dalton Smith calls for a “dream fight” with Ring junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson 🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/CsOgih6G8l
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) April 23, 2026
Earlier in the interview, the Briton said he felt an obligation to continue his development to “do it for the people and ensure that huge fight nights come back to Sheffield.”
If Stevenson retains his WBO title, he could theoretically face Smith later this year, but perhaps by then he will be more likely to focus on alternative options.
Boxing
Jarrell Miller mocks Lenier Pero ahead of WBA eliminator in Las Vegas
Published
3 hours agoon
April 24, 2026
Miller and Pero will meet Saturday night at Fontainebleau in Las Vegas in a fight that could give the winner a much stronger position in the heavyweight division. At Thursday’s news conference, Miller made it clear he intended to make the preparation as raucous as the fight.
“It’s like a Lotus Elise sports car: quite swift, not very powerful, nimble in the corners,” Miller said. “I’m like a huge garbage truck and I’m going to fucking run him over.”
Although he still doesn’t have a name, the 37-year-old version of Miller is fighting for survival. Since his return in 2023, his record hasn’t screamed “title contender.”
For Miller, the fight against Pero is his last chance to stay relevant. At the age of 37, another loss, especially to a wiser, younger Cuban like Pero, will likely relegate him to an opponent for the rest of his career.
He still tries to apply that same Brooklyn swagger to annoy Pero, but the stakes are completely different now. In 2019, he was an undefeated contender with the world at his feet. In 2026, he will be a veteran who wants to prove that he is not just a “garbage truck” with a dead battery.
The Brooklyn heavyweight has long relied on pressure, high intensity and personality, and he promised more of the same against the Cuban.
“It’s not going to be pretty. He may run away, but I’m going to grab his ass and when I do, his goose will be cooked, plain and straightforward,” Miller said.
Pero didn’t match Miller’s acting, but he dismissed the argument and said the real answer would come after the first bell.
“He said a lot of nonsense, but it doesn’t affect me mentally in any way,” Pero said. “I’m going to go in there and break him. I talk with my fists in the ring.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn described the contest as an significant heavyweight fight in which the winner will take a significant step towards greater opportunities.
Miller missed out on a fight with Anthony Joshua in 2019 that would have made him a opulent man and set him up for life. He tested positive for a banned substance and was subsequently replaced by Andy Ruiz Jr.
That huge “what if” question must have haunted him every time he looked at his bank account. That $5 million plus the payout for the Joshua fight was Miller’s golden ticket to the elite level of the sport. Instead, he watched as Andy Ruiz Jr. walks into Madison Square Garden, shocks the world and becomes a global superstar while Miller was sidelined and serving probation.
If Pero can handle the early pressure and take advantage of Miller’s aging gas tank, the “goose is cooked” statement could prove prophetic for Miller’s career.
Boxing
Deontay Wilder summoned by a fierce rival after years of sparring sessions ended with a hospital stay
Published
5 hours agoon
April 24, 2026
Deontay Wilder is likely to have another major fight before the end of the year following his success against Derek Chisora, and now one of his fiercest rivals has called for a “personal” grudge fight.
Wilder made it two straight wins for the first time since 2019, first beating Tyrrell Herndon in a low-key comeback last June and then winning a split decision over Derek Chisora earlier this month.
After the victory over Chisora, it seems that the “Bronze Bomber” has returned to competition in an crucial fight, either for the world title or against an opponent who will challenge him for the belts.
However, talking to Fighting Hub TVfellow American Jarrell Miller downplayed Wilder’s recent resurgence, unimpressed with his victory over “Del Boy”.
“Fuck no [I wasn’t impressed by his performance against Chisora]. He looked like a super b***h. I don’t think Chisora was 100% ready for this fight because compared to the last three fights Chisora had, his conditioning was much better, he looked much stronger [in those fights].
“He looked a little flat in it and Deontay looked like a super b***h.
Miller then admitted that he would love the opportunity to meet his 40-year-old compatriot, stating that their rivalry had become personal due to the situation involving Wilder’s former fiancée.
“I would love to fight Deontay, but Deontay repeatedly said, ‘I will never fight Miller,’ and then when I said more bullshit, ‘I will never fight Miller because he was so disrespectful.’ I said, ‘You’re a punk bitch, we’re fighters, bro!’
“It’s kind of personal because he took it personally. I never said it personally, I always respected him as an older brother because we went to camp a few times, but then he took his ex’s word for it about some things I told him and took it the wrong way. Then he came and found out that I was right.”
“He took it personally… Like I say bro, he didn’t listen to that motto before he did it – now he feels the wrath of that shit.”
The pair have been exchanging blows for years, including: Wilder previously claimed he sent Miller to hospital after a particularly brutal sparring session.
On Saturday night, Miller fights WBA No. 2 Lenier Perowanting to prove that he is the United States’ best chance at regaining the heavyweight title.
Shakur Stevenson called for a fight to unite stadiums: “It’s a dream”
Dillian Whyte interested in rematch with Joseph Parker
Jarrell Miller mocks Lenier Pero ahead of WBA eliminator in Las Vegas
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