Adam Azim will be the main character tonight at Wembley Arena, where one of the brightest youthful talents in British boxing wants to get one step closer to fighting for the world title against the battle-hardened Canadian Steve Claggett.
The undefeated 24-year-old has long been tipped to be at the top, with his speed, timing and finishing skills helping him set a perfect professional record. Last time out, Azim turned in arguably the best performance of his career, stopping former world title challenger Sergei Lipinets from highlighting his credentials at 140 pounds.
Meanwhile, Canadian Claggett arrives as a proven world-class goalkeeper and former title challenger. The 36-year-old shared the ring with Teofimo Lopez last year and could provide an Azima gas tank test.
Azim’s victory will strengthen calls for a world title fight over the next 18 months, with the Slough fighter currently ranked in the top ten of the WBC, WBO and IBF. Defeat, however, would mean a major setback against an opponent brought in to test, not derail, his rise.
Stay with Boxing News for live scores, round-by-round updates and the final result from Wembley Arena.
Live scores of the Adam Azim – Steve Claggett match
1
2
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7
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Total
Azim
10
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
20
Claggett
9
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
17
The result of the fight between Adam Azim and Steve Claggett
Azim TKO 3. Huge impression from Azim, who couldn’t miss with an uppercut. He broke Claggett’s nose in the first, dropped it in the second, and forced referee Victor Loughlin to step in and stop him in the third. The Canadian’s attacking emphasis simply couldn’t work against such a precise and deadly striker as Azim is making his way to world-class level.
Former world champion and DAZN commentator Sergio Mora fears that Errol Spence may be taking too huge a risk by returning straight to fight Tim Tszyu after a three-year absence.
The fight between Spence (36) and the former WBO junior middleweight champion will take place on July 25 in Sydney, Australia. The fight will be Spence’s first appearance since his ninth-round loss to Terence Crawford in July 2023.
“Spence chose not to correct [being victorious] it takes its toll too, man. It gets confusing in your brain, even when you win, and then during all the sparring sessions,” Sergio Mora said on DAZN Boxing.
Mora also pointed to Spence’s defensive style as another cause for concern.
“I hate this earmuff defense. It’s definitely going to catch up with him, and if he fights Tszyu, it won’t be nice, man. I think he’s done so much for boxing as an Olympian and as a champion, he’s had so many great fights against huge names.”
“You know, it will be tragic for him to face Tim Tszyu and be beaten like that on foreign soil. I don’t want to see that. But I wish him all the best.”
The fight will take place at the 158-pound catchweight and will be a earnest test for both fighters. Tszyu, 31, is trying to rebuild his position near the top of the junior middleweight division after losses to Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev, while Spence is trying to prove he can still compete at an elite level after one of the longest layoffs of his career.
A victory over Tszyu would immediately put Spence back in the conversation for a junior middleweight main event, but Mora believes the former unified welterweight champion is taking a significant risk by returning to a younger opponent known for his strength and aggressive style.
“It won’t be nice” 🙁@TheLatinSnake_ about Errol Spence Jr’s return to boxing
Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fighting landscape. His reports focus on the most essential fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
Jesse Rodriguez defeats Antonio Vargas by knockout, winning the WBA bantamweight title and moving closer to a fight with Naoya Inoue in the process.
Following Inoue’s victory over Junto Nakatani last month, he was linked to a pound-for-pound fight with Rodriguez, who vacated his unified super flyweight crown ahead of the Vargas fight.
I’m talking about his YouTube channeltwo-division world champion Tim Bradley advised Rodriguez to spend some more time in the bantamweight division before moving up again in pursuit of a chance to capture Inoue’s undisputed super bantamweight title.
“Bam has tremendous skill, pound for pound, Inoue is on the list pound for pound, but is he ready now for the next fight? Hell no. I think Bam needs a few more touches.”
“I think Robert Garcia is a lot smarter than that [people realise]. Robert Garcia just answering questions is one thing, but the Robert Garcia I’m talking to is a very clever coach, and when it comes to how he moves players, he’s also a manager.
“He knows that Bam is not ready and he knows that his performance was also a little shaky because Robert Garcia has one thing: he is real and he was a former player, so he understands.”
Bradley previously predicted that Inoue would prove “too explosive” for the Texan, and after watching Rodriguez fight Vargas, he doubled down.
“I don’t think he’s ready to make that jump to 118 pounds yet against this particular champion who’s been knocked out before, that chin was there for the taking. I feel like even during the fight I felt like Bam’s strength didn’t translate like it did at 115 pounds.”
“If Bam had shown this fighting style to Inoue, it wouldn’t have lasted more than six rounds.”
The Inoue-Rodriguez fight is scheduled for January 2027, and next on Rodriguez’s radar is WBO bantamweight champion Christian Medina.
A month ago, the biggest question surrounding Floyd Mayweather’s schedule was whether he could physically fit three major events into four months. Now there is a growing chance that all three events will never come true.
When World Boxing News analyzed Mayweather’s reported plans in May, the concern was timely.
Mike Tyson was already struggling with a hand injury, which postponed the proposed exhibition to the fall. Pacquiao was still waiting for an official announcement, even though Mayweather claimed the deal should be completed within days.
Meanwhile, the summer exhibition with Greek kickboxing star Mike Zambidis was quick approaching.
The schedule seemed ambitious, but has since become much more complicated.
First, Zambidis
The most immediate concern is the Mayweather v. Zambidis exhibition on June 27 in Athens.
The undefeated boxing legend is currently embroiled in multiple legal battles, including a lawsuit filed by CSI Entertainment over Tyson and Pacquiao’s proposed events and a separate $175 million lawsuit Mayweather filed against former associates.
Mayweather also publicly responded to the theft allegations in Nevada, dismissing the headlines as “free promotion.”
None of these issues stopped the event in Athens.
However, if any legal changes affect Mayweather’s ability to travel abroad, the Zambidis exhibition will become the first casualty.
With only a few days left until the fight, he’s at the front of the line.
Pacquiao is still waiting
The proposed rematch with Pacquiao raised eyebrows even before the latest headlines appeared.
Mayweather stated in May that the fight should be finalized within days after plans for the Sphere in Las Vegas collapsed.
Weeks later, there is still no official date, location, press tour or promotional event.
The longer this goes on, the harder it is to imagine a fight of this magnitude taking place in the original time frame.
Vital events don’t usually happen overnight. At this point, Pacquiao remains a talking point rather than a confirmed fight.
Tyson’s problem
Then there’s Tyson. The former heavyweight champion suffered a hand injury, which delayed plans and pushed the exhibition to the fall.
Even before this defeat, Mayweather never seemed fully committed to promoting the event.
Reports continued to surface linking the pair to Africa and various dates, but Mayweather rarely spoke about the fight publicly.
Tyson’s injury created one obstacle, while the CSI lawsuit created another.
All in all, Tyson’s exhibition currently looks like the least certain of the three events.
A month ago, the challenge was to put Zambidis, Pacquiao and Tyson in the same four-month window.
The calendar remains full.
Whether all three events survive long enough to get to them becomes a completely different question.
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.
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