Moses It will hurt has made up his mind whether or not he will be sticking with trainer Ben Davison for his next fight.

Davison received criticism in the aftermath of Itauma’s maiden world title fight against Filip Hrgovic in Augustwith the youngster initially dominating the action but tiring as the rounds went on, with his exhaustion leading to a ninth round stoppage defeat.

Itauma is set to return to action in January, with some fans wondering whether or not he would look to switch trainers ahead of the bout, but promoter Frank Warren has told Playbook Boxing that the 21-year-old will be remaining with his current coach.

“There has been a conversation, and the proof will be in the pudding. He’s staying with Ben and the team. That’s where he is at. You’ve got to judge him now on his results, which is what we’ll do. AJ is back with Ben for his next fight, and there is a reason for that.

“It is always the case. If a fighter is winning, the trainer is great. If he gets beat, [he’s not great]. I signed off on that fight. At the end of the day, if any of them fight, that’s down to me.

“I accept my responsibility for that, and everyone has to accept responsibility for it. You expect certain things to happen in fights and certain things to happen in training. It is what it is. We have to move and move forward. It is exciting times.”

It means that alongside Itauma, Davison’s stable now also consists of Fabio Wardley, who faces Daniel Dubois in a WBO heavyweight title rematch next weekand Anthony Joshua, who has returned to Davison ahead of his battle with Tyson Fury in December.

Oscar De La Hoya called Keith Thurman “over the hill” while explaining why Golden Boy is discussing him as Vergil Ortiz Jr.’s next opponent. That is a rough way to sell a fight, especially when the explanation ends with the promoter apologizing for being involved.

“Keith Thurman, yes, he’s a good fighter. He’s not the great fighter he was before. He’s over the hill,” De La Hoya told AB Boxing News in Chicago.

De La Hoya described Thurman as “almost like the only choice” for Ortiz, pointing to his name and experience. He also said Ortiz has been out for a year and could use the fight to get back into the groove.

That explains what Golden Boy hopes Ortiz gets from the matchup. It does considerably less for anyone being asked to watch it.

Thurman’s name is the selling point, but De La Hoya openly acknowledges that the fighter attached to it has faded. The proposed bout sounds like a comeback exercise for Ortiz dressed up with an opponent people remember from better days.

“I know the fight is not one of those championship-level, you know, undefeated versus undefeated,” De La Hoya said. “It’s not a fighter who is in his prime. I know what the situation is, but it is what it is.”

Ortiz needing rounds after a long absence is a reasonable argument. Whether Thurman can provide the kind of work that prepares him for stronger opposition is another question. Beating a recognizable veteran does not automatically tell us how ready Ortiz is for the division’s best.

De La Hoya’s claim that Thurman was the only available fight also needs more explanation. He did not name the other opponents considered or explain what prevented those bouts.

“I’m sorry to be part of it, but the Vergil Ortiz–Keith Thurman fight, if it happens, it’s the only fight that was available,” he said.

The fight remains under discussion. Already, its own promoter sounds resigned to it. If Golden Boy moves ahead, selling Thurman as a serious threat will be difficult after De La Hoya has supplied the argument against him.

With a few weeks to go until the event, the full undercard for Canelo Alvarez‘s clash with Christian Mbilli has finally been revealed.

Canelo hasn’t been back in the ring since he lost his undisputed super-middleweight crown against Terence Crawford in September 2025.

The Mexican superstar will now look to reclaim world honours when he challenges Mbilli for his WBC super-middleweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 31, though there are current concerns over the card due to the ongoing security issues in the region.

As of now it is still set to go ahead as planned, and the event will feature three more world title fights after the remaining bouts on the bill were revealed, with all of them tying in with the ‘Mexico vs The World’ theme that the show is featuring.

In the co-main event, Canelo’s stablemate Jaime Munguia is set to defend his WBA super-middleweight title against Nikita Zon, though his mandatory Bektemir Melikuziev has hit out and claimed he has not agreed to step aside to allow the bout to go ahead.

Elsewhere, Rafael Espinoza defends his WBO featherweight title against Lorenzo Parra, while a vacant IBF super-lightweight title bout sees Lindolfo Delgado meet Artur Biyarslanov. Two super bantamweight stars will also be in action as David Picasso squares off with Carl Martin.

Rounding up the card, Reito Tsutsumi takes on Raymundo Rojas, Sultan Al-Mohammad meets Erick Villegas, Bek Nurmaganbet collides with Marcos Vazquez, Carlos Emiliano goes up against Flavius ​​Biea and Bryan Leon faces Hector Aguirre.

Despite the promotion continuing, there have been concerns that the card is in jeopardy due to the escalating Houthi–Saudi conflict.