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Moses Itauma explains who he wants to face first: “He’s the one”

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Moses Itauma makes it clear who he wants to face above all others: “He’s the one”

Moses Itauma continues his career and if it were up to him and if “every heavyweight was free”, his career would be turbocharged.

After becoming the first man to stop Jermaine FranklinDoing so over five rounds with a powerful uppercut, Itauma said his ideal next fight would be against the strong Filip Hrgovic. This is unlikely as Hrgovic will fight Dave Allen next month.

I keep talking DiscussionSPORT in the following days, Itauma named WBC, WBA and IBF champion Usyk as his ultimate target, but the unified champion will face Rico Verhoeven on May 23 and, perhaps more importantly, openly downplayed the fight against the Briton. Michael Hunter’s suggestion, made by fellow heavyweight Derek Chisora, may now be one of the leading options.

“In a perfect world, I would love to fight Hrgovic… If everyone was free, Usyk would be it because he has the belts… Derek Chisora ​​said I’m up against Michael Hunter in America. That makes sense. Me and Michael Hunter in America would be decent. But I honestly don’t know. I have a meeting with Frank Warren to sort out my next date.”

Hunter – who lost to Usyk at cruiserweight before moving up to heavyweight – was painfully inactive at the highest level for several years, constantly teasing that huge fights were his sights, but he never quite got there. Itauma would be an extreme test and could pose too much of a risk for the American if he didn’t have some major wins under his belt.

A fight with Hrgovic may still happen, but not next. If the Croatian beats Allen in May, he said Itauma would be one of the names on his contract, alongside the likes of Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois.

As for Usyk, he seems reluctant to change his stance on Itauma, recently saying he didn’t want to “break” the juvenile heavyweight. Given that he is focusing on current champions or fighters his age, it seems unlikely that the fight will happen.

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Floyd Mayweather confirms next fight – Tyson dropped out due to Pacquiao’s plans

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Mayweather Gotti

Floyd Mayweather has confirmed his next fight, leaving Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao’s plans up in the air.

Mayweather will face Mike Zambidis on June 27 in Athens, Greece, in an exhibition that has previously only been mentioned on social media.

Mayweather has gone in a different direction – one that doesn’t involve risk to his 50-0 record.

This one is real. Others never made it this far.

When Mayweather first mentioned Zambidis, it carried the same uncertainty as the proposed Tyson fight, which appeared online but never followed up. Tickets are already on sale and the place is secured. The fight is closed.

Nothing ever came after Tyson.

Tyson’s fight is over

As World Boxing News reported when the April 25 date was discussed, the proposed fight with Mike Tyson never followed Mayweather’s usual fight. As the deadline approached, there was no sustained promotion, confirmation or push.

An idea appeared, gained attention, and then disappeared.

At this stage it looks like he’s done, especially considering Tyson’s age and complete lack of movement over time.

Pacquiao is still waiting

A rematch with Pacquiao remains on the cards, but only on paper.

Recent progress has removed a sticking point in the contract, and Pacquiao Promotions hosts the fight on September 19 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Mayweather is also understood to have received a cash advance after early disagreements over whether the fight would be professional or exhibition.

Still, there was no confirmation.

Everything around Pacquiao is improving – except the part that matters.

The priority is the fight against Zambidis

Zambidis is now in central defense.

He’s not replacing Pacquiao – he’s buying time for Mayweather.

The June 27 fight will see Mayweather confirmed to return while the larger deal remains unfinished, but it also raises a familiar issue.

Control.

Pacquiao’s team, led by CEO Jas Mathur, is leading the process. This wasn’t how Mayweather usually behaved. Throughout his career, he dictated conditions, deadlines and promotions.

This balance has not yet been determined.

With Zambidis confirmed, Mayweather’s short-term path is clear. What happens next depends on whether she regains control or allows the Pacquiao fight to continue without her.

Until that changes, Zambidis isn’t a detour – it’s the only fight that actually exists.


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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Gervonta Davis accused of avoiding undefeated rival: ‘He said he would never fight’

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Gervonta Davis accused of avoiding unbeaten contender: “He said he’d never take the fight”

Gervonta Davis’ return appears imminent, but it’s unclear whether the now-hiatus WBA lightweight champion will fight at 135 pounds, and the team of his expected lightweight opponent says “Tank” is avoiding them.

Davis, a three-division champion, has held the WBA title since delayed 2023 and defended it twice, defeating Frank Martin and then drawing with Lamont Roach Jr during his last trip, over a year ago.

However, in January, Davis lost his champion status and was instead named halftime champion, meaning he will likely get a chance to regain the belt after his first fight at 135 pounds.

Although despite rumors that the Baltimore-born knockout puncher will fight at super lightweight and face Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz upon his return, no modern lightweight champion has yet been crowned or a free-for-all title fight ordered.

Floyd Schofield is currently the man to benefit from this situation, but his team is growing increasingly frustrated with the slowness of the process as they wait to be promoted to champion or ordered to fight for the title – against Davis or an alternative challenger.

I’m talking to Boxing in Mill City“Kid Austin”‘s father and trainer, Floyd Schofield Snr, expressed his belief that Davis was avoiding his son and revealed plans to fight for the “Tank” title against a slimmed-down version.

“You need to drop the belt! They’re breaking the law now, federal law. Do I think ‘Kid’ is ready for ‘Tank’?” “The Kid” is ready for them all. There’s a reason why Tank said, “I’ll never get in the ring with that kid. There’s a reason his trainer went online and said Tank will never get in the ring with him.”

“Tank said it out of his own mouth and Tank’s trainer said it on the internet in an interview and said that ‘The reason Tank said it is because he looks at him like an older brother.’ The thing is, Tank can’t go down to 135 and fight Kid, Tank would be at a disadvantage.”

“We want to suck him arid and fight him at 135 pounds, that’s the biggest advantage we have right now. If we let Tank get used to it, he would be on fire, and we let Tank get used to that weight? No!”

“He weighs around 175 pounds now, he needs to get down to 135 pounds and get ready to get in the ring to fight, and the WBA will just do it.” [rehydration clause] where it can only go up to 152 pounds.

Negotiations for Davis-Cruz II are believed to be ongoing, and once confirmation is announced, the WBA will likely make its own announcement regarding the modern lightweight champion.

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Jermell Charlo is negotiating a fight with Sebastian Fundora

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Image: Jermell Charlo Posts Training Video, Declares '154 is Mine'

He also claimed that future options are already planned for Tim Tszyu and Errol Spence Jr.

“We are talking to Tim Tszyu and Errol Spence. All three have agreed to fight me.”

This is an ambitious statement from a fighter who has not competed since his defeat to Canelo Alvarez in 2023. Charlo turns 36 on May 19, and many fans believe the long break should mean tuning in or fighting a challenger first rather than immediately fighting for the champion. Charlo, however, made it clear that he still sees himself as the best man in the division.

The problem is that Jermell is essentially trying to cash his 2022 check in a completely different economy. PPV prices on PBC have increased to over $75, and asking fans to pay that for a guy who hasn’t won a fight since May 2022 is tough. This is a financial risk for promoters.

Jermell is used to unquestioned ‘money. If he’s asking for a huge guaranteed amount to fight Fundora or Ennis, the math just doesn’t work for the promoter unless the bid is above $150 or $200,000.

In boxing, three years is an eternity. Since Jermell stayed noiseless, we’ve seen the rise of Xander Zayas and the emergence of “Boots” Ennis at 154.

“I told you I was coming back. I told you I wanted my stripes,” Charlo said. “Nobody beat me by the belt.”

Promoters aren’t calling because Jermell’s confidence is currently low. If the promoter puts him in the main event and he looks like the version of himself that did or didn’t show up in the Canelo Alvarez match, the event is a disaster. Financially, it could still be a disaster.

Jermell wants the reward of a champion without the upgrade tax that every other veteran has to pay after a long layoff. With 2026 filled with newborn, hungry and busy talent, thinking that you can simply move to the front of the queue because of what you did four years ago is definitely a bold choice.

If Jermell had just gone for it and beaten some of the top 154 ​​fighters like Israil Madrimov, Bakhram Murtazaliev and Brandon Adams, it wouldn’t have been much of a problem.

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