Terence Crawford’s reaction to the announcement of Errol Spence Jr.’s return it was low, but a standout from a player who could have permanently changed the direction of Spence’s career.

Spence will return on July 25 against Tim Tszyu in Australia, more than two years after Crawford stopped him in the ninth round of their undisputed welterweight fight in 2023. Since then, Spence has remained out of the spotlight and Crawford added another major achievement by defeating Canelo Alvarez before retiring last December.

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Last update: 2026/05/06 at 18:42

Floyd Mayweather’s 50-0 record is one of the most impressive achievements in boxing, and plenty of legends have been unable to break it, but there is one former opponent who takes issue with his undefeated streak, believing he should have been the one to make the decision during the fight.

In his 50-fight career, Mayweather has rarely been caught tidy, and Shane Mosley was the only opponent to hold his own against the Michigan slickster, despite facing the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao. But it was another man who gave Floyd his closest fight – and one that many in the sport believe he lost.

I’m talking to ESNEWS this week, José Luis Castillo reaffirmed his belief that he should have made the decision when he first fought Mayweather in April 2002 – considered the American’s most controversial victory.

Mayweather – defending his WBC lightweight title – boxed for much of the fight with a left shoulder injury and was forced to rely heavily on movement and counter-punches with his right hand, while Castillo applied constant pressure and enjoyed success working his body.

Many observers felt the Mexican had done enough to win, but Mayweather retained the belt via unanimous decision (116-111, 115-111, 115-111), with the scoring generating significant controversy and ultimately leading to a rematch later that year.

The American would go on to a more decisive victory, but to this day his first encounter with “El Terrible” remains his most disputed triumph.

Speedy forward to today, and the notable undefeated record could be in jeopardy in the coming months rematch with Pacquiao announced for September.

It would have ended a nine-year period of inactivity at the age of 49, but now the contest has been thrown into doubt after Mayweather stated it would be an exhibition instead. Pacquiao disagrees and claims that binding contracts will guarantee that the fight will take place as announced.

Boxing’s biggest pound-for-pound fight suddenly seems inevitable after plans emerged for Naoya Inoue and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez to collide in Japan for the Ring Magazine Custom Championship in 2027.

According to The Ring, Turki Alalshikh is targeting the Inoue vs. Rodriguez fight, which will take place in January in Japan, and organizers are already exploring the largest possible capacity of the facility, as well as planning a specially designed Ring championship belt.

The development immediately elevated what previously seemed like a fantasy matchmaking into something much more concrete.

With plans for a special ‘Fight of Britain’ title created for Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua in 2026, discussion of Ring Magazine’s custom belt for Inoue vs. Rodriguez strongly suggests that Turki already sees this bout as the next defining superfight event.

Inoue vs. Bam

If the fight goes forward, boxing’s number one pound-for-pound fighter will face current WBN fourth-ranked Jesse Rodriguez in what could become the highest-ranked pound-for-pound fight the sport has seen in recent memory.

For Rodriguez, the road to this point has accelerated quickly.

After a devastating run through multiple divisions, Rodriguez was well within range of pound-for-pound dominance.

At just 26 years elderly, Bam has already unified the flyweight division, won titles at super flyweight, and now stands on the verge of another shot at the bantamweight championship.

“Novel weight class, same goals – domination and winning all the belts,” Rodriguez announced before the upcoming fight with Antonio Vargas.

Now it seems that this ambition is drawing him directly towards Inoue.

A pound for pound clash

This fight would go far beyond the lower weight classes.

Inoue is already one of the most essential fighters of his era after becoming the undisputed champion in multiple divisions while headlining major events in Japan.

His recent victory over Junto Nakatani, who was also ranked in the top 10 in the WBN P4P rankings, sold over 650,000 pay-per-view viewers and generated over $32 million in gate receipts.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez continues to climb in the same direction with each performance.

WBN’s decade-long history of pound-for-pound kings includes names like Floyd Mayweather, Andre Ward, Canelo Alvarez, Oleksandr Usyk, Terence Crawford and Inoue himself.

A fight between Inoue and Rodriguez would pit two lively elites fighting directly against each other on a level that boxing has rarely achieved in the up-to-date era.

For years, fans have talked about the Inoue vs. Rodriguez fight as the type of fantasy fight that boxing doesn’t typically provide. Suddenly, the machine behind him seems to be already moving.

The momentum of a super fight

Discussions about the event’s venue, a target January date and plans for a one-time title belt point to a fight that will go beyond mere speculation.

Nothing is decided yet.

But for the first time, boxing’s biggest pound-for-pound fight no longer seems like a far-fetched idea.

Now it looks like a fight the sport is actively trying to revitalize.

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.