Boxing
Rafael Espinoza’s team is pushing for a unification fight for Angelo Leo
Published
5 months agoon
Rafael Espinoza’s team is rapidly moving towards a unification fight against IBF featherweight champion Angelo Leo after the defeat of Leo’s scheduled title defense against Ra’eese Aleem.
Boxing reporter Fernando Sabatini said Saturday that Espinoza’s team plans to formally continue the fight with Leo and noted that negotiations between the camps were close to being finalized.
“Since 2003 (22 years ago) we have not witnessed a unification of the 126-pound division,” Sabatini wrote on Twitter. X. “Team Divino Espinoza confirmed to me just a few hours ago that they would request a fight with Angelo Leo and reminded me that they were very close to making it happen some time ago.”
Espinoza holds the WBO featherweight title and has become one of the division’s most energetic champions. A fight with Leo would mark the first featherweight unification fight in over two decades.
Aleem doesn’t care about weight
The push for a unification gained momentum after Leo’s planned defense against Aleem was canceled Friday in Atlanta.
Aleem was 2.8 pounds overweight in his first weigh-in and was still over the featherweight limit after the Georgia Commission granted him extra time. The fight was officially canceled, leaving Leo without an opponent despite completing training camp.
Leo defended his IBF title without a fight and was reportedly still given a full bag under Georgian boxing regulations.
The missed weigh-in was a major setback for Aleem, who earned mandatory challenger status with the first title fight of his career.
Carrington is waiting
Sabatini also reported that undefeated challenger Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington may continue to fight Leo if Espinoza’s unification does not come to fruition.
“Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington, who I believe will not face Divino at least for now, may also be looking to fight Angelo Leo,” Sabatini wrote.
Carrington continues to climb the featherweight rankings and is increasingly being linked with title opportunities following his recent victories.
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 significant fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
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Last update: 2026/05/10 at 18:50
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Boxing
Arturo Torres Collapses After Fatal TKO: Shocking Video Highlights Tragic Boxing Incident
Published
6 hours agoon
September 29, 2026
Horrific footage has emerged showing Arturo “Lobito” Torres collapsing in the ring moments after his final fight was stopped in Mexicali.
Torres died on September 25six days after suffering serious injuries following his fight at Parque Vicente Guerrero on September 19.
The 26-year-old’s corner had already stopped the contest when Torres remained on his feet for a matter of seconds.
Then his body gave way.
Footage shows Torres slumping limply to the canvas as those around him immediately rush to his aid.
He was subsequently hospitalized and underwent emergency surgery, but his injuries ultimately proved too severe.
Torres died six days after stepping into the ring for the final time.
Horrific 💔 pic.twitter.com/Nnqo5bsrLn
— World Boxing News (@WorldBoxingNews) September 29, 2026
Arturo Torres Funeral
Torres was laid to rest in Mexicali on September 28 as family, friends and members of the local community said goodbye to the young fighter.
Footage from Mexico showed a lengthy funeral procession making its way through the city nine days after his final fight.
Sadly, the sight of a boxer’s limp body slumping to the canvas is not unfamiliar in this sport.
Having covered boxing for 16 years, World Boxing News is all too familiar with the distressing sight of a fighter in trouble after a hard contest.
Sometimes the consequences mean the end of a career. On terrible occasions, they are far greater.
For Torres, what happened after his final fight ended with a young life being cut tragically short.
The footage is difficult enough to watch without knowing what happened next. Knowing that Torres never recovered makes those final moments in the ring considerably harder.
Nine days after the fight, the streets of Mexicali filled for his funeral procession.
Arturo “Lobito” Torres was only 26.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.
Boxing
Mike Tyson vs. Larry Holmes: The Underrated Crown Jewel of Boxing History
Published
9 hours agoon
September 29, 2026
What happens when an unstoppable force at the peak of his destructive powers collides with one of the craftiest, most durable former champions in heavyweight history?
Today we take a closer look at a defining world heavyweight championship clash from January 1988: undisputed, unified powerhouse “Iron” Mike Tyson squaring off against living legend and former long-reigning heavyweight champion, “The Easton Assassin” Larry Holmes.

While general consensus often points to Tyson’s 91-second blowout of Michael Spinks as the eternal highlight of his prime, his battle with Holmes remains vastly overlooked. On paper, critics were quick to dismiss the 38-year-old former champion returning from a lengthy 21-month layoff. To many, an aging Holmes was simply being served up to a relentless young demolition man.
Yet, when the opening bell rang, the narrative shifted. Holmes did not enter the ring merely to collect a paycheck. Armed with an 81-inch wingspan, an all-time great jab, and deep veteran savvy, Holmes brought a cynical, tactical game plan designed to neutralize Tyson’s explosive combinations, tie him up, and drag the young phenom into deep, frustrating waters. It was wisdom and experience against a peak destructive force.
However, underestimating peak Mike Tyson’s discipline is a dangerous mistake. Guided by Kevin Rooney, Tyson was far more than an athletic slugger. He displayed calculated poise, cutting off the ring with terrifying patience while systematically solving an all-time great veteran puzzle.
Did Iron Mike deliver an emphatic statement that history has unfairly buried? Is this the single most underrated victory during the long and illustrious career of the Easton Assasin?
This edition of Rummy’s Corner breaks down the tactical clash, the subtle ring craft, and the enduring historical vindication behind this classic heavyweight showdown. This is Rummy’s Corner (written, narrated, and produced by Geoffrey Ciani).
About the author
Geoffrey Ciani
Geoffrey Ciani has covered boxing since 2000 and is the creator and host of the popular YouTube channel Rummy’s Cornerwhere he delivers in-depth analysis, storytelling, and breakdowns of classic and modern fights.
Boxing
50 Years Ago: Remembering Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton III – The Titanic Rubber Match at Yankee Stadium
Published
15 hours agoon
September 28, 2026
Throughout his incomparable ring career, the one and only Muhammad Ali always, always had nothing but trouble with one particular fighter and his “awkward” style. This was Ken Norton, whom Ali fought three times in the 1970s, with each fight going all the way to the judges’ scorecards.
Ali, it’s fair to say, never once comprehensively defeated Norton; the three fights were all desperately close affairs, with the final fight being viewed by many as highly controversial. It was 50 years ago today when Ali and Norton met for the final time.
The fight took place inside a sold-out Yankee Stadium in New York, with richer fans shelling out a then quite enormous $200 for a ringside seat. The fight proved memorable, the scoring in particular. For once again, Norton, with his great physical strength and stamina, his counter-punching ability and his unusual cross-armed defense, gave the great Ali fits. Back when the two legends met the first time, in March of 1973, a then-unknown Norton broke Ali’s jaw and won a 12-round split decision. Ali, when his jaw had mended, blamed poor training and a lack of respect for his foe for the loss. Ali trained perhaps as hard as he ever did ahead of the rematch. The sequel was another tough affair for both men, with Ali this time edging Norton via split decision. It would be three years before the two met in the rubber-match, with Ali’s world title on the line.
However, by September of 1976, Ali really should have been retired. The great man had shocked the world – again – by regaining the crown from an “invincible” George Foreman, but Joe Frazier had taken too much from Ali in their brutal Manila trilogy, and Ali’s legs, reflexes and internal organs had been suffering ever since. Norton – who had bounced back after being crushed by Foreman in a March 1974 world title challenge – had won seven fights in a row. Now set to face Ali with the title on the line for the first time, the former Marine was in absolutely tip-top shape.
Ali approached his third date with the trickiest, most unsolvable opponent of his career with a grim determination. Still, Ali was in full form vocally, with “Norton must fall” being the champion’s mantra. But was Ali trying to convince himself? In truth, Ali had to know there was very little chance of him knocking out Norton, a man he had never come close to putting on the canvas.
And so the fight raged on. Norton, again never once hurt by Ali, did what he had done in fights one and two. Norton seemed to have an innate ability when it came to timing Ali, his jab especially.
Ali really did try everything he could to unnerve Norton in the third fight. Ali danced, for as long as he could manage before fatigue intervened; he rope-a-doped, and Ali talked constantly, hurling insults at Norton. But at one point, having been doubled over by a nasty Norton body shot, Ali had to dig down into his inner reserves. It was all up for grabs going into the final round, but then Norton’s corner made a terrible decision. Norton’s corner instructed their warrior not to take any chances, that he was ahead and needed only to hear the final bell.
Ali used every ounce of strength and guile he had left, and he won the final round. This clinched Ali the fight. Ali, looking embarrassed in mid-ring, saw his challenger break into tears. All these years later, the fight and its decision are often debated, with most fans and historians feeling that, yes, Norton did win the fight. But Ali was the true King of the Ring, and his enormous reputation and ability to win over the scoring officials perhaps won him this fight more than anything else. One thing is certain: Joe Frazier aside, nobody ever tested Ali’s mettle as severely as Norton did.

About the author
James Slater
James Slater is a senior boxing journalist at Boxing247.com (formerly East Side Boxing) and has covered the sport for more than two decades. Known for his deep expertise, he reports on breaking news, conducts fighter interviews, and delivers authoritative perspective on boxing’s past and present.
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