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Moses Itauma will soon fight for the world title

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Moses Itauma stopped Dillian Whyte in the first round in Riyadh Photo Credit: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

Moses Itauma has his maiden world title fight ahead of him. Photo: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney
Moses Itauma has his maiden world title fight ahead of him. Photo: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney

Moses Itauma’s search for an opponent appears to be over.

Itauma wanted to sign a deal for the ring’s return on December 13, but getting someone to agree to face the 20-year-old phenom wasn’t effortless.

However, it appears that this search will come to fruition after the WBA ordered “enduring” champion Kubrat Pulev to compulsorily defend his title against the Briton.

Pulev was originally scheduled to face Michael Hunter, but after the American decided to face Jarrell Miller in a fight that ultimately fell through, the WBA removed him from its mandatory challenger.

According to the WBA, Pulev was given the opportunity to voluntarily defend his crown, but when he failed to do so, the governing body authorized the Bulgarian to meet with Itauma and gave both sides until November 14 to reach an agreement.

Moses Itauma defeated Dillian Whyte in the first round in Riyad. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry
Moses Itauma defeated Dillian Whyte in the first round in Riyad. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

In a letter received by journalist Dan Rafael and posted on page XWBA wrote: “Because the WBA did not receive an agreed contract from Pulev and Hunter within the time required by WBA regulations, and Hunter elected to fight a fight other than the one subject to the award, Pulev no longer has to fight Hunter to retain the WBA title.

“The WBA releases Pulev from any obligation to fight in defense of his title against Hunter and invalidates the Pulev-Hunter offer.

“The agreement provided that Pulev would be able to defend his title against any available challenger within the WBA heavyweight division within a reasonable time after the conclusion of this agreement.

Pulev was ordered to defend his
Pulev was ordered to defend his “regular” WBA title against Itauma. Photo: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

“No such title defense has been conducted or announced.

“Therefore, the Committee requires Pulev to engage in a mandatory defense against the next leading available challenger and WBA No. 1 ranked contender, Moses Itauma.

“The WBA gives 30 days [October 15 – November 14] for negotiations and if no agreement is reached, the World Championship Committee will call for a cash offer.”

Pulev, 44, won the title with a unanimous decision victory over Mahmoud Charr in December in his native Sofia.

Itauma, undefeated in 13 professional contests, passed Dillian Whyte in the first round in Riyad in August.

Kent has established himself as the main challenger to undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk in both the WBO and WBA federations.

Itauma called for a fight with Usyk after defeating Whyte, however the Ukrainian was ordered to defend his WBO title against the winner of Saturday’s WBO interim title fight between Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley, another no-holds-barred fight after he was agreed to extend the negotiations face Parker.

The return of Itauma’s ring will now be delayed in featherlight of the order, a source with knowledge of the plans told proboxing-fans.com.

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UK Boxing

Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani – Odds and Betting Guide

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Inoue said goodbye to Picasso in December. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

Naoya Inoue is the hefty favorite to defeat Junto Nakatani in an undisputed title clash on Saturday.

Inoue defends all four of his super bantamweight world titles in a huge all-Japan fight against Nakatani at the Tokyo Dome, live on DAZN.

Inoue, a top-three top-ranked pound-for-pound leader, is a 1/4 favorite Bet365 emerge victorious and inflict his first professional defeat on his rival.

“The Monster” has stopped 27 of his 32 opponents and is expected to stop Nakatani 11/10.

The undefeated 33-year-old has gone the distance in his last two outings and is valued at 7/4 for a third straight decision win.

Inoue said goodbye to Picasso in December. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

Nakatani is also a star fighting for world champion titles in the fourth weight category.

The 28-year-old southpap is a 3/1 underdog to cause a seismic shock.

“Substantial Bang” has won five of his last six fights at the distance, and he sees his best chance of winning after a stoppage at 6/1.

Nakatani defeated Sebastian Hernandez Reyes on points from Inoue’s undercard defeated Alan David Picasso in Saudi Arabia in December, and a decision victory is valued at 10/1.

Nakatani looks like a four-weight world champion. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Nakatani looks like a four-weight world champion. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Full Bet365 odds
The result of the fight
  • Naoya Inoue will win the fight: 1/4
  • Naoya Inoue by KO/TKO/DQ: 11/10
  • Naoya Inoue by decision or technical decision: 7/4
  • Junto Nakatani will win the fight: 3/1
  • Junto Nakatani by KO/TKO/DQ: 6/1
  • Total cut by decision or technical decision: 10/10
  • Draw or technical draw: 14/1
Round bets

Naoya Inoue

  • To win round 1: 80/1
  • Win in round 2: 50/1
  • To win in round 3: 33/1
  • To win in round 4: 25/1
  • To win in round 5: 20/1
  • To win in round 6: 16/1
  • To win in round 7: 14/1
  • Win in round 8: 12/12
  • To win in round 9: 1/12
  • To win in round 10: 12/12
  • To win in round 11: 14/1
  • To win in round 12: 16/1
  • Win by Decision or Technical Decision: 7/4

Junto Nakatani

  • Win in round 1: 100/1
  • Win in round 2: 100/1
  • Win in round 3: 100/1
  • To win in round 4: 80/1
  • Win in round 5: 66/1
  • Win in round 6: 50/1
  • Win in round 7: 50/1
  • To win in round 8: 40/1
  • To win in round 9: 40/1
  • To win in round 10: 40/1
  • To win in round 11: 50/1
  • To win in round 12: 50/1
  • Win by Decision or Technical Decision: 10/10

The post Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani – Odds and Betting Guide appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.

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Eddie Hearn responds to the announcement of the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua fight with three words

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Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are expected to fight this year (Photo: 2026 Mark Robinson)

Eddie Hearn has confirmed that the fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury has been “signed, sealed and settled.” The explosive announcement was made this afternoon, shortly after Joshua’s next opponent was revealed.

The former world champion and Olympic gold medalist will face Albanian boxer Kristian Prenga on July 25, before turning his attention to his fight with the Gypsy King in overdue 2026. The date of the clash between the two British heavyweights has not yet been confirmed, but it is expected to take place in the last quarter of this year.

This fight has been more than a decade in the making, especially after the 2021 undisputed heavyweight bout between the two fighters was canceled following an arbitrator’s ruling that Fury must face Deontay Wilder in a trilogy series, with the Bronze Bomber also rejecting the fee amount.

Joshua was also scheduled to fight Oleksandr Usyk in a mandatory defense of the WBO title, which ended with the Ukrainian completely defeating him and winning the belt. Fury then defeated Wilder and Joshua met Usyk in a rematch, but again suffered defeat.

There have been discussions about a 2022 fight, but the situation became complicated when Fury repeatedly imposed his own stringent deadlines for a contract to be signed between the pair. That didn’t happen this year, as Hearn confirmed on social media.

The Matchroom boss shared a photo of himself with the chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, and a beaming Joshua. He wrote: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered! AJ v. Fury continues!”

Joshua has already begun psychological warfare with Fury, writing: “It’s no secret that I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready to get back into the ring, and this is the next step on that journey. I’m looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off. Like I said. The landlord will collect rent. That’s for sure.”

Fury has yet to respond directly, but he re-posted Alalshikh’s Instagram video confirming the news on X. Nevertheless, given the way he challenged Joshua immediately after he defeated Russian giant Arslanbek Makhmudov by unanimous decision earlier this month, Fury will be brimming with confidence.

After his triumph, he turned to Joshua and roared, “I want you, AJ, Anthony Joshua. Let’s give the fight fans what they want – the Battle of Britain. I challenge you, Anthony Joshua, to fight me, the Gypsy King, next. Do you accept my challenge?”

Of course, Joshua will first have to beat Prenga, a relatively unknown 35-year-old who has built a reputation as a formidable knockout specialist. His record is 20-1, and 20 of his victories ended by knockout. His only defeat came in February 2017, when he lost to Giovanni Auriemma in the Netherlands.

Hearn has repeatedly insisted that Joshua should have a “warm-up” fight before any fight with Fury. He most recently stepped into the ring against Jake Paul in a very lucrative bout before he survived a devastating car accident in Nigeria that tragically killed his friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.

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UK Boxing

Conah Walker vs. Sam Eggington – how to watch it

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Walker knocked out McCormack in December. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

Conah Walker returns to the ring next weekend and will face Sam Eggington.

The winner of the Walker vs. Eggington fight may have a chance to win the welterweight world title.

Since the defeat in 2024, “Wolf” has been in excellent form, boasting an impressive series of four victories in the season, the last three of which ended by knockout.

The last defeat in the career of the Wolverhampton fighter came at the hands of the current IBF world champion Lewis Crocker.

He overcame “The Croc” the distance and, in many people’s eyes, was unlucky not to receive recognition on the judges’ scorecards, which showed a unanimous victory for the Irishman.

He returned just two months after this defeat and in Birmingham he faced Lewis Ritson, whom he defeated over the distance.

Walker knocked out McCormack in December. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

Walker was the underdog against Harry Scarff in Nottingham and lost most, if not all, of the rounds until the 11th round before landing a series of punches in the penultimate round that forced the referee to stop the fight.

In his last fight, “The Wolf” was once again the clear underdog, beating Olympic silver medalist Pat McCormack in Monaco.

Walker performed well throughout the fight, but fell on two judges’ scorecards before the final round.

Walker defeated Ritson. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Walker defeated Ritson. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

The Wolverhampton player took the ball out of the bag and scored a dramatic goal in the last round.

He will face Sam Eggington, a tough opponent also from the West Midlands.

Eggington’s last defeat was to former world champion Abass Baraou, who defeated him by majority vote.

Abass Baraou defeated Sam Eggington by majority decision to win the vacant European super welterweight title in Telford. Photo: Wasserman Boxing
Abass Baraou defeated Sam Eggington by majority decision to win the vacant European super welterweight title in Telford. Photo: Wasserman Boxing

Since then, he has had wins over Alan Velazquez and Lee Cutler.

“The Savage” was injured in his last fight against Cutler and the injury forced the referee to stop the fight early, so he is hopeful that the fight will not be restarted against Walker.

Walker vs Eggington – date, place, start time and ring walks
  • The fight between both fighters will take place on Saturday, May 2, live at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton
  • Broadcast will start at 7pm BST/
  • The main event will start around 10pm BST
Conah Walker returns to action this weekend. Photo credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Conah Walker returns to action this weekend. Photo credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Walker vs. Eggington – how to watch
  • The card can be watched live worldwide on DAZN
Walker vs. Eggington – last three fights

Conah Walker

  • Conah Walker vs. Pat McCormack – KO in the 12th round
  • Conah Walker vs. Liam Taylor – KO in the 7th round
  • Conah Walker vs. Harry Scarff – 11th KO
Conah Walker is in good shape. Photo credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Conah Walker is in good shape. Photo credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

Sam Eggington

  • Sam Eggington bt Lee Cutler – technical decision, 9th round
  • Sam Eggington bt Alan Sebastian Velazquez – unanimous decision
  • Sam Eggington lt Abass Baraou – majority decision
Walker vs. Eggington – Undercard
Fawaz defeated Bostan in a rematch to win the English super welterweight title Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Fawaz defeated Bostan in a rematch to win the English super welterweight title Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
  • Kieron Conway (23-4-1) vs. Mark Jeffers (20-2) – middleweight (10 rounds)
  • Shannon Ryan (10-1) vs Nicola Hopewell (8-1) – super flyweight (10 x 2 rounds)
  • Tiah Mai Ayton (5-0) vs Stevi Levy (15-4) – (8 x 2 rounds)
  • Junaid Bostan (10-1-1) vs. Mohammed Graich (12-4-1) – super welterweight (8 rounds)
Liddard detained Conway in October. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Liddard stopped Conway in October Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
  • Louie Ward (1-0) vs. Jesus Carrasco (2-3-2) – (4 rounds)
  • Harley Burrows (debut) vs. Lewis Howells (3-7) – (4 rounds)

The post Conah Walker vs. Sam Eggington – how to watch it appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.

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