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Raymond Muratalla takes aim at the winner of Shakur vs. Teofimo

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Image: Raymond Muratalla Calls for Winner of Shakur Stevenson vs Teofimo Lopez

It is doubtful whether anyone will emerge victorious from this fight and will agree to fight the 29-year-old Muratalla. He’s not a massive name, doesn’t have a gigantic fan base, and doesn’t have the charisma or theatrics of a PPV. This is the reality. Muratalla speaks too quietly and is imperceptible on social media.

Turki Alalshikh, who is promoting The Ring 6 event scheduled for January 31, said he has “massive fight” for the winner of the Lopez vs. fight Stevenson in May 2026 did not mention an opponent, but it is speculated that the winner will face off Devin Haney. Teofimo recently said, “All roads lead to him and Haney.” This is a money fight that will attract fan interest and sell on DAZN PPV.

“It just shows that I have just as much skill, if not more,” Raymond Muratalla said Sean Zittelreflecting on his victory over Andy Cruz last Saturday. “We know he’s an Olympic gold medalist, I’m not. But I have the skills tonight.

“I would like the winner Teo and Shakur to show up next week.” Muratalla said when told that promoter Eddie Hearn said it looked like he planned to move up to 140 pounds. “We will do it too,” Muratalla said on whether he would be willing to fight Stevenson if he dropped down to 135 pounds.

If Muratalla does indeed move up to 140 pounds, he will need to beat some top fighters to build his fan base and be able to fight big-name opponents Teofimo and Shakur. Ideally, Muratalla should fight these guys to gain the marketing clout needed to lure stars:

  • Ernesto Mercado
  • Gary Antuanne Russell
  • Jamaine Ortiz
  • Albert Puello
  • Keyshawn Davis

“Whoever wins, whatever weight they want to fight at, I’m there. I’m calling them out now. Both of them are great fights. I think boxing would love it and that’s it. It would be a great fight, either one,” Muratalla said.

The chances of Muratalla getting the winner of Lopez vs. Stevenson are slim. He will once again have to build his name by challenging Mercado, Puello, Keyshawn, Antuanne and Jamaine. These guys can punch though and wouldn’t be outmatched by him or move to avoid contact like Cruz did.

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Canelo Alvarez discusses his retirement plan

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Canelo Alvarez addresses his retirement plan

Canelo Alvarez talked about how long he could stay in the sport before hanging up his gloves and opting for a decorated career.

The 35-year-old is already destined for a place in the Hall of Fame, as he became a four-division world champion, but he still wants to compete at the highest level.

Since his professional debut in 2005, the Mexican has made 68 appearances and has twice become the undisputed king of the 168-pound division, scoring notable victories over the likes of Callum Smith and Caleb Plant.

However, his most critical victory came in the middleweight division, where Alvarez made a very controversial decision by majority vote in a rematch with Gennady Golovkin in 2018.

More controversial was their first meeting a year earlier, when many felt Golovkin had done enough to claim a convincing victory and the Kazakhstan ended in a draw.

Still, Canelo received plenty of credit for his follow-up triumph before dethroning Sergei Kovalev to capture the WBO featherlight heavyweight title over a year later.

Alvarez’s second undisputed super middleweight reign came to an end last September when Terence Crawford moved up two weight classes and won a unanimous decision.

But Canelo explained anyway Froch About the fight that he can still compete for another two years, maybe even longer, depending on how often his opportunities come along.

“I don’t know. I think maybe two years. I don’t need it, [but] I still enjoy it. If I [fight] maybe once a year [I can go on] a little bit [longer].

“Once a year to rest my body, I think I can fight more [than two years]”

Although an official announcement has not yet been made, Canelo is scheduled to fight in Riyad, Saudi Arabia this September, and Turki Alalshikh has promised to fight for the world title.

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The Inoue-Nakatani title fight will take place on May 2 at the Tokyo Dome

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Boxing’s worst kept secret has now been confirmed – Naoya Inoue (32-0, 27 KO) and Junto Nakatani (32-0, 24 KO) will meet on May 2 at the Tokyo Dome for Inoue’s undisputed junior featherweight championship.

The all-Japan clash was formally announced at a press conference in Japan. The fight will be broadcast live on Lemino pay-per-view; US distribution rights have not yet been announced.

Inoue – ESPN’s No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer – is coming off an impressive 2025 in which he competed four times, defeating Kim Ye-Joon, Ramon Cardenas, Murodjon Akhmadaliev and David Picasso. Thanks to Inoue’s unanimous decision victory over Picasso in December, Nakatani defeated Sebastian Hernandez in the second fight of the night in a tougher-than-expected fight. Their victories set up a long-awaited clash between two of Japan’s best players.

Nakatani is ranked No. 6 pound-for-pound by ESPN and will look to become a four-division champion after winning world titles at bantamweight, junior bantamweight and flyweight. Although Nakatani narrowly won his junior featherweight debut in a grueling fight against Hernandez, Nakatani proved he was one of the best fighters in the world and had a powerful showing in 2025, winning 3-0.

The Undercard will feature Inoue’s younger brother Takuma defending his WBC bantamweight title against former four-division titleholder Kazuto Ioka.

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Dan Rafael says IBF president opposed Jai Opetaia Presser

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Image: Dan Rafael: IBF President Felt Disrespected By Belt Display At Opetaia Presser

Jai Opetai’s fight against Brandon Glanton is still moving forward, but veteran reporter Dan Rafael says the issue that caused the IBF title to be removed from the fight had to do with how the belt was presented during fight week. Rafael reported that IBF president Daryl Peoples believes that the organization’s title was shown as secondary to Zuffa’s belt during a recent press conference.

This explanation makes the argument about the presentation rather than the match itself. Rafael wrote that Peoples objected to the way the belts were arranged at the press, with Zuffa’s belt posed for the cameras while Opetaia held the IBF title rather than raising it in the usual manner towards the audience.


“The IBF withdrew sanctions and sent the overseer home after the journalist because IBF President Daryl Peoples felt disrespected by the belt being placed secondary to Zuffa’s,” Rafael wrote on social media.

Fight week photos reflect the arrangement Rafael described. At the final press conference on Friday, Zuffa’s belt was centered and Opetaia held the red IBF title at his side. Saturday’s weigh-in had a similar effect. Zuffa’s belt was raised over the fighters on the restart, while Opetaia continued to hold the IBF Championship on his chest. This sequence appears to have irritated the sanctioning authority.

Rafael also reported another unusual detail related to the fight. Even after the IBF dropped its sanctions, Opetai and Glanton were still expected to adhere to IBF weight rules ahead of the morning fight. Rafael said that no competitor can weigh more than ten pounds over the cruiserweight weight limit of 200.

Rafael later noticed that the IBF belt continued to appear in promotion for the event. Opetaia held the title at media events and discussed it publicly, and graphics broadcast by Zuffa covered the championship. Rafael’s account points to the dispute that raged over Zuffa’s title belt relationship during press events.

Opetaia entered fight week as the IBF cruiserweight champion after regaining the belt in a rematch victory over Mairis Briedis in 2024. The Australian continues to wear the physical belt while promoting his fight against Glanton. Once he steps into the ring and takes part in an unsanctioned fight, the IBF Championship will no longer move forward with him.

The fight remains scheduled, and reports from Rafael indicate that the split was due to belt politics and presentations at public events. The episode shows how rigorously sanctioning bodies guard the status of their championships as modern promoters introduce competitive titles.

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