The fight has received a mixed reception from fans, with some believing Usyk should instead face the elite in the division such as mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel, while others believe the Ukrainian deserves an exhibition fight after his continued success.
With just over seven weeks until the event, the rest of the bill has been revealed, with the co-main event being Hamzah Sheeraz and Al Begić fighting for the vacant WBO super middleweight title.
Sheeraz is coming off a win over Edgar Berlanga last July, and now he’s making his first world title shot against the undefeated Begic.
Elsewhere, Jack Catterall will face Shakhram Giyasov for the WBA Regular welterweight title, with the winner receiving a fight against full WBA champion Rolly Romero.
A fight that could have large implications for the heavyweight division sees Frank Sanchez take on Richard Torrez Jr, while another world title fight will also be part of the action, with Mizuki Hiruta defending her WBO super flyweight title against Maia Soliman.
Rounding out the rest of the fights scheduled for the event is Basem Mamdouh vs. Jamar Talley in the cruiserweight bout, and up-and-coming Egyptian talents will be in action as Mahmoud Mobark takes on Michael Kalyalya and Omar Hikal takes on Ali Sserunkuma.
Some praised Foster’s conditioning and predicted a good performance against Ford, while others doubted whether the WBC super featherweight champion would pull too much weight before the defense.
Foster rarely receives as much attention as some of the bigger names in the lower weight classes, but a viral photo has brought him back into the conversation online. Fans debated whether Ford would be able to handle Foster’s strength and physicality after moving from featherweight to fighting.
The fight was already generating attention due to the Houston setting and the tension between the two fighters online, but Foster’s photo from training sparked even more discussion about the DAZN card. Houston fans are expected to turn out in immense numbers for the event at the Fertitta Center, which will be one of the biggest hometown shows of Foster’s career.
Foster gained more attention after his victory over Stephen Fulton, with many fans hoping he would stay at lightweight and continue pushing for a fight with Shakur Stevenson.
Instead, Foster returned to 130 pounds, and talk of fighting Stevenson gradually died down.
A powerful performance against Ford could change that quickly, especially if Foster delivers the kind of performance fans now expect after seeing the state he appears to be in heading into the fight.
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 vital fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are considered two of the greatest of all time, but despite their meeting in 2015, fans still argue over which man was the greatest. Now the world-famous coach Robert Garcia has spoken.
Pacquiao is the only eight-division boxing world champion in history. In his legendary career, he ruled the flyweight division in 1998 and then ruled every division from super bantamweight to super welterweight.
Although unlike the self-proclaimed “TBE”, “Pac Man” was defeated eight times, including a loss to Mayweather, who famously retired with a 50-0 record, having won world titles in five different weight classes.
However, in clip captured by RyckesportsTVGarcia stated that he believes Pacquiao ranks higher in the “GOAT” debate because of the love he has received outside the ring as well as his skills in it.
“I think Pacquiao was better. Mike Tyson told me something: ‘To be the GOAT, it’s not just because of your boxing records, you have to be loved and accepted by the fans’ – and everyone loves Pacquiao.
“As Tyson says, [you must be able to] walk down the street with no bodyguards, everyone who comes up to you shakes your hand, if you can’t do it, you can’t be the GOAT if you can’t do it.
Jake Paul’s final call to Canelo Alvarez backfired before he even opened his mouth.
Days after admitting that doctors may never clear him to fight again following his disastrous loss to Anthony Joshua, Paul suddenly resurfaced, talking about a $200 million fight against boxing’s biggest busy star.
The moment immediately raised eyebrows as Paul no longer looks like a man in full control of his future in boxing.
Paul’s comments were made while standing in front of a brand associated with his bookmaking interests, making the moment feel less like an actual fight negotiation and more like another attempt to force a viral spectacle while uncertainty continues to surround his future.
After all, if Paul is unable to fight again, questions will immediately begin to arise about the long-term future of his relationship with Netflix and the massive crossover business model built around it.
This is the first problem.
Jake Paul has health concerns
Paul is still recovering from a brutal knockout loss to Anthony Joshua that left him with a double jaw fracture that required surgery and titanium plates implanted in his face.
Joshua dropped Paul four times before knocking him out in a one-sided beating that changed the entire perception of Jake Paul as a boxing attraction.
Over the years, Paul has carefully controlled the danger, selling the illusion of risk against former MMA fighters and aging names.
Joshua destroyed this illusion in one night.
Now all major fight explanations come back to the same question: Can Jake Paul physically withstand the punishment of elite-level boxing anymore?
This is the second problem.
Canelo’s contract reality
The third problem may be the most essential of all, as Paul appears to be targeting the one superstar who is currently least available to him.
Canelo is already locked into a lucrative, long-term, season-long deal in Riyad with Turki Alalshikh, who has never seemed enthusiastic about “Jack Paul,” as Turki calls him, or about influential boxing entering the elite side of the sport.
Paul already lost Canelo once when the Mexican superstar walked away from previous negotiations in favor of a Saudi-backed deal reportedly worth more than $200 million.
Since then, Canelo’s game plan has become more structured.
The Mexican icon is expected to face Christian Mbilli in September, with Hamzah Sheeraz potentially replacing him as titles begin to reassert themselves in the super middleweight division.
There is also continued hope that Osleys Iglesias and Jaime Munguia will be able to eventually unify the belts, potentially setting up another undisputed championship scenario for Canelo later in the Riyadh Agreement.
Barring a possible Terence Crawford rematch, it doesn’t appear that Saudi Arabia will deviate from this structure in favor of a crossover with Jake Paul.
This reality leaves Paul chasing a fight that already seems to be moving away from him.
Jake Paul’s desperation?
None of this means that Jake Paul can’t continue to generate huge amounts of money.
He remains one of the biggest crossover attractions in combat sports and understands social media promotion better than almost anyone else in boxing.
However, the timing of this last call created a challenging perception problem.
Flashing back to retirement concerns and long-term health issues, then suddenly saying he had $200 million ready for Canelo the next, made the whole situation seem more desperate than realistic.
Instead of reviving the post-Joshua vigorous, the call-out may have reminded boxing fans that Jake Paul suddenly looks much closer to the end of his boxing career than the beginning of a recent era of superfights.
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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