Boxing
Ranking This weekend fights: from Navarrete-Suaraz to Lubin-Holmes
Published
1 year agoon
After Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, Canelo Alvarez and others did not fulfill last weekend, fighting fans do not have to wait long for more on paper, with thrilling duels in various time zones in California, Florida, England, Africa and Japan.
ESPN spreads the best card and evaluates all significant fights this weekend.
1. Anthony Cacace vs. Leigh Wood – Junior Lightweight Fight (Dazn, Saturday at 14:00 et)
After the last fight, Wood said that he wanted to end his career with the fight for the title of Master in the city, the House of the English Club Premier League Nottingham Forest.
None of these wishes will be fulfilled on Saturday for a 36-year-old, but a slight younger fight is still significant. Wood (28-3, 17 KO) is at least boxing in front of family fans of cities in Nottingham, in the internal arena, where Carl Froch carved his excellent career in Super Middle Wweight.
Cacace (23-1, 8 KO) from Belfast in Northern Ireland resigned from the IBF world, which he won against Joe Cordin in May 2024 to make it happen. And despite the fact that there were no recognized titles on the line, this fight sees the two best operators of this division.
Wood was in the first place in a featherweight, before he gave up the WBA belt after winning in the seventh round over Josh Warrington in October 2023. But Wood’s career got stuck since then, while Cacace fought in Saudi Arabia, and the victory of the detention over Cordina raises his career at the highest level.
Cacace, also 36, was more dynamic (he also defeated Warrington, winning a unanimous decision in September) and has significant growth and achievements. He has a good reason to be confident as No. 2 ESPN at Junior Lightweight, entering this fight. But what if Wood does not show a trace of a long release during the first output at the level of 130 pounds, inspired by his home fans to extend his career? It would be another fairy -tale episode in Wood’s career, which still raises dramatic surprises.
The winner of this fight would be a natural opponent of the winner of the Saturday fight Emanuel Navarrete vs. Charly Suarez WBO.
2. Emanuel Navarrete vs. Charly Suarez – Junior Lightweight Title Fight (ESPN/ESPN+, Saturday at 22:00 ET)
1:00
Emanuel Navarrete knocking Oscar Valdez
Emanuel Navarrete claims that the victory over the Oscar Valdez in a rematch with a perilous shot.
Navarrete, a world champion with three divisions, looked sensational during the last exit, when he crushed Oscar Valdez with a shot to the liver in a rematch in December. In this form, a Mexican warrior is mandatory.
Navarrete (39-2-1, 32) defends his lithe WBO belt against the Sanzez Philippines in San Diego on Saturday, and a good performance can strengthen his place at the top of the 130-pound division. Navarrete was ruthless compared to Valdez, raising it three times before stopping, and another stunning display could convince him to try another crack in a lithe division. Navarrete lost his divided decision for Denys Berinchyk, which is hard for the lithe belt WBO in May 2024, but he could be tempted to continue to continue the more lucrative fights in lightweight lithe, if he defeated Suarez (18-0, 10 KO). It is also possible to fight the title of union with the WBC Master O’Shaquie Foster for Navarrete, if he wants to stay at the age of 130.
3. Erickson Lubin vs. Ardreal Holmes Jr. – eliminator of the Junior medium weight title (Probox TV, Saturday at 18:00 et)
This is a clash of two Southpaws who desperately have to win this eliminator of the IBF medium weight title.
Lubin (26-2, 18 KO), from Orlando in Florida, has experience, but he takes place from a long release: he has not fought from September 2023, when he won the unanimous decision about Jesus Ramos, due to a hand injury delaying his return. Holmes (17-0, 6 KO), with Flint, Michigan, is less experienced, but has impetus after registering three wins in 2024.
Lubin can be thrilling and was involved in an thrilling fight with Sebastian Fundor three years ago. The winner of the Saturday fight in Kissimmee in Florida is progressing in the fight with the Bakhram Master Murtazaliev champion.
4. Fernando Martinez vs. Kazuto Iok – fight for the title Junior Bantameight on Sunday
After the relentless fire of the fire in July last year, Martinez and Iok meet again on Sunday in Tokyo and more are expected of the same. Martinez (17-0, 9 KO) won a unanimous decision after he won Iok in their struggle with the title of unification in Japan.
How much this fight took a 36-year-old Iok will determine whether it can take revenge and win the title of world champion in the third weight class.
Iok (31-3-1, 16 KO), from Japan, began his career 16 years ago and will have to undo years to keep up with a 33-year-old WBA master from Argentina.
This rematch has been delayed since December, after Martinez withdrew with the disease, but it is worth waiting.
5. Souleysteme Cissokho vs. Egidijus Kavaliauskas – WBC Wytreight Walteight Eliminator on Saturday
Equatorial Guinea, place of Saturday’s fight, is 2000 miles from Senegal, where Cissokho was born (17-0, 9 KO). But it will still look like a fight to return home. He will make a dream of boxing in Africa when he faces Kavaliauskas (24-2-1, 19 KO) at the Eliminator of the WBC welterweight title in the capital of Malabo.
Cissokho, who has the title shot, is based in Paris, but trains in California with Virgil Hunter. If he wins, he will have this opportunity and time in the spotlight.
The injury delayed the fight, and the 18-month absence of the ring will be Cissokho’s concern, which will face a perilous hit in California Kavaliauskas.
But Kavaliauskas was detained twice that he increased the level (by Vergil Ortiz in 2021 and Terenka Crawford in 2019), and this looks like a golden opportunity for an knowledgeable boxer, like Cissokho to seal the great fight for later.
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Boxing
Carl Froch Claims One Welterweight Champion Could Have Stopped Terence Crawfords Unbeaten Streak
Published
2 hours agoon
August 16, 2026
Terence Crawford faced and defeated 42 different opponents during a 17-year career, but super-middleweight icon Carl Froch believes that there is one welterweight who would have put an end to Crawford’s unbeaten streak if they were to meet in their primes.
Crawford became the first post-war boxer to claim the undisputed title in three separate weight divisions last September; a run which began as a super-lightweight in 2015 by defeating Thomas Dulorme, then unifying against Viktor Postol before halting Julius Indongo in an undisputed title showdown.
‘Bud’ then moved on to the welterweight scene and knocked out Jeff Horn to capture the WBO world title on his 147lb debut, making five defences of the title before colliding with fierce rival and three-belt unified titleholder, Errol Spence Jr, in 2023.
In a unforgettable fight, Crawford brutally beat Spence down in an authoritative ninth-round stoppage win to capture the undisputed welterweight throne. Talk then turned to an unprecedented three-weight move up to super-middleweight to take on Canelo Alvarez.
After stopping off at super-welterweight to dethrone Israil Madrimov on his way up, Crawford debuted at super-middleweight in a challenge for Canelo’s undisputed crown and outboxed the Mexican superstar in an iconic win last year, hanging up the gloves three months later.
Despite those legendary achievements, Froch picked Floyd Mayweather Jr to come out on top in a potential fantasy fight against the Omaha southpaw, in an episode of ‘Froch on Fighting’.
Mayweather’s achievements speak for themselves, retiring with a perfect 50-0 unbeaten record after claiming world honours in five divisions, with his most impressive reign coming at 147lbs, where he defeated the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley.
Mayweather has been rumoured to make a comeback, but while there would be huge finances that would be on offer, Crawford has revealed that he would have no interest in ending his retirement for a bout with ‘TBE’, believing that the 49-year-old is ‘old’ and ‘done’.
Boxing
Conor Benn Reveals His Pick: Oscar De La Hoya vs Terence Crawford Showdown in Boxing History
Published
2 hours agoon
August 16, 2026
Terence Crawford has been hailed by many as the best fighter of this generation following his retirement, and now WBC welterweight title hopeful Conor Benn has shared how he thinks ‘Bud’ would have fared against six-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya.
Crawford became boxing’s sixth five-division world champion with an iconic win over Canelo Alvarez back in September; joining Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in that elite and exclusive club reserved only for legends of the sport.
Of that group, only De La Hoya and Pacquiao have gone on to conquer a sixth division, with De La Hoya’s 2004 WBO middleweight world title win over Felix Sturm seeing the Californian become the first boxer to ever become a sextuple champion.
Crawford could have joined ‘’The Golden Boy’ and ‘Pac-Man’ in achieving that feat, having been offered a middleweight world title shot during the aftermath of his triumph over Canelo late last year – a proposal which later fell apart due to a failed doping test by Janibek Alimkhanuly.
Continuing the praise that the Omaha-born southpaw has received since announcing his retirement last December, Benn told Daily Mail Boxing that he would favour the undefeated star to get the better of De La Hoya, if they were to meet in their primes.
Benn also went on to predict that Crawford would retain his unbeaten streak against other greats of the game, picking him to come out on top against each of Mayweather, Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker and Roberto Duran.
Boxing
Robert Garcia Evaluates Terence Crawfords Odds Against Prime Pacquiao
Published
1 day agoon
August 15, 2026
Top trainer and former world champion Robert Garcia has considered the outcome of a fantasy showdown between Terence Crawford and Manny Pacquiao.
The two generational greats reportedly came close to squaring off in 2021, back when Crawford was the WBO welterweight champion and ‘Pac Man’ held the WBA title.
Their unification match never materialised, though, as Pacquiao was scheduled to face Errol Spence Jr before ‘The Truth’ pulled out with a torn retina.
Instead, the Filipino legend ended up losing his WBA title to Yordenis Ugas at a stage when, while still serviceable, he was quite clearly past his best.
Crawford, meanwhile, was hitting top form around this time, just a few fights away from producing arguably a career-best performance against Spence.
He did, of course, manage to stop his welterweight rival in nine rounds, before moving up to 168lbs and becoming a three-division undisputed champion by dethroning Canelo Alvarez last September.
Based on those two performances, coach Garcia has told ESNEWS that he would favour ‘Bud’ to defeat even a prime version of Pacquiao.
“The Crawford that beat Spence – and the Crawford that beat Canelo – would probably beat Manny.”
While Crawford’s prime almost certainly came during his run of eight stoppages at welterweight, it is harder to pinpoint when Pacquiao ultimately reached his peak.
In terms of his most destructive performance at world level, however, many will point towards his second-round finish over Ricky Hatton in 2009.
While facing the ‘Hitman’ at 140lbs, Pacquiao would cement himself as a formidable welterweight champion soon after, dethroning Miguel Cotto with a 12th-round stoppage for the WBO title.
Carl Froch Claims One Welterweight Champion Could Have Stopped Terence Crawfords Unbeaten Streak
Conor Benn Reveals His Pick: Oscar De La Hoya vs Terence Crawford Showdown in Boxing History
‘Ian Garry would have won if he ate a steak’: Pros react to Islam Makhachev eking out title fight win at UFC 330
Carl Froch Claims One Welterweight Champion Could Have Stopped Terence Crawfords Unbeaten Streak
Conor Benn Reveals His Pick: Oscar De La Hoya vs Terence Crawford Showdown in Boxing History
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