Boxing
Real or not: Will Canelo knock out Berlanga? Lopez the best featherweight? Last of Lomachenko?
Published
5 months agoon
IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez will defend his title against Angelo Leo in the main event of Top Rank on ESPN at the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, Up-to-date Mexico, on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET).
Lopez’s last loss came in May 2019, and he has won 14 straight fights since then, including impressive victories over Josh Warrington in England and Michael Conlan in Northern Ireland. But is he the best featherweight in boxing?
Vasiliy Lomachenko recently turned down a lucrative fight with fellow lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis. While he has yet to announce his retirement, will we see “Hi-Tech” in the ring again?
Canelo Alvarez will be stepping into the ring for the second time this year, but not against what fight fans have been clamoring for. Instead of David Benavidez, Canelo will face Edgar Berlanga, who has never fought at this level in his compact career. While Berlanga has incredible power — he began his career with 16 consecutive first-round knockouts — can he find a way to win, or at least last, Alvarez?
Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will fight for a title for the first time in two years. Joshua will face IBF champion Daniel Dubois in London, as “AJ” is the favorite to become a three-time world champion (-550 according to ESPN BET).
And two-division champion Danny Garcia returns to the ring for the second time in nearly four years to face WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Garcia, who has titles at 140 and 147 pounds, moves up a weight class for a chance to become a three-division champion, but can he defeat the older but still powerful Lara?
Mike Coppinger and Nick Parkinson answer these questions and more, trying to distinguish what is true and what is not.
True or not: Vasiliy Lomachenko will retire without another fight
Dominant Lomachenko stops Kambosos Jr. in 11th round to win title
Vasiliy Lomachenko lands a series of body punches on Georgiy Kambosos Jr., forcing the referee to stop the fight in the 11th round.
Not realistic…for now. Lomachenko is considering retirement, sources told ESPN, which is one reason he turned down a lucrative fight with Gervonta Davis in November. There’s also the possibility that Lomachenko could return in the first half of 2025 to defend his IBF lightweight title.
Finally, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) showed up in a fighting mood in Los Angeles on Saturday: He and Shakur Stevenson had to be separated at ringside during the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov event. Lomachenko was seen telling Stevenson, “We’re going now.
If this is any indication, Lomachenko will fight again. Maybe even Davis or Stevenson, the two biggest fights on the table for him. But if he never laces up the gloves again, Lomachenko’s legacy is assured. He’s a three-division champion, a first-ballot Hall of Famer and a mainstay on the pound-for-pound list for the past 10 years.
He doesn’t have to fight for money either. He’s made millions of dollars in his career and still lives in Ukraine, where he’s one of the country’s most popular athletes. Whether he fights again or not, it won’t be for long. He turns 37 in February.
True or not: Danny Garcia defeats Erislandy Lara to become the third division champion
Not true. Garcia has stunned opponents before, including a shocking knockout win over Amir Khan and a dominant decision over Lucas Matthysse. The first victory catapulted him into the sport’s upper echelon, and the second cemented that status.
However, the Matthysse fight was 11 years ago, and those two wins for Garcia came at 140 pounds (he also won a title at 147 pounds and moved up to 154 pounds by defeating Jose Benavidez Jr. in July 2022.)
Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is still looking for a similar victory, and a surprising win over Lara would be a prime example of that.
Garcia didn’t resemble the keen counterpuncher he was in his majority decision victory over Benavidez and hasn’t fought since. Now, he’ll move up in weight (although the fight with Lara will take place at a catchweight between 155 and 160 pounds) and face a lack of in-ring activity. The middleweight title fight with Lara on Sept. 14 will be Garcia’s second fight since December 2020, when he was defeated by Errol Spence Jr.
The choice fell on Lara (30-3-3, 18 KO), who, even at 41, shows enormous strength, although against fighters below Garcia’s level. Lara has a series of three KOs behind her.
Real or not: Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga fight won’t go the distance
Real. Alvarez, boxing’s biggest star, hasn’t had a knockout win since defeating Caleb Plant for the undisputed super middleweight championship in November 2021.
However, Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has been knocked down in his last three fights. Against Berlanga, who will be fighting at the highest level for the first time, Alvarez should add the 40th knockout of his illustrious career.
Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been injured in the ring before, most notably in his fight with Marcelo Coceres, who knocked him down in the ninth round. And his defense isn’t exactly solid. Berlanga has the power (he started his career with 16 consecutive first-round KO wins), and if he decides to trade with Canelo, Alvarez should knock him out.
Alvarez promised the same thing at two press conferences this week promoting the fight.
Real or not: No other featherweight champion can beat Luis Alberto Lopez
Not true. Rafael Espinoza looks like a real threat to Lopez after tormenting Sergio Chirinho Sanchez in a four-round victory in June and defeating Robeisy Ramirez by majority decision to win the WBO title in December. Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) has floored Chirinho in three of four rounds, and his breakthrough win over Ramirez was one of the best fights of 2023.
The 6-foot-1 Espinoza — the tallest featherweight world champion in history — would be a challenge for Lopez. Chirinho did well to recover from Espinoza’s uppercut in Round 1 before being taken down shortly after. As a professional, Chirinho had never been knocked down before Espinoza pushed him aside.
Espinoza pulled off a shock win over two-time Olympic gold medalist Ramirez, outboxing him in the final three rounds. While he’s not as experienced as Lopez, the amount of punches he’s landed in his last two fights, along with his height and reach advantage, could prove insurmountable for Lopez.
Rey Vargas hasn’t looked convincing in recent fights, while Nick Ball still has some ground to fill before we can declare him No. 1 in the division. Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) won the WBA featherweight title with a split decision victory over Raymond Ford in June. That triumph followed a controversial draw with Vargas for the WBC title in March. But Espinoza would tower over the 5-foot-2 Ball.
Vargas disappointed rival Ball and hasn’t won in almost two years, so it’s tough to make an argument in his favor given his current form.
Lopez (30-2, 17 KOs) is currently ESPN’s No. 1 featherweight after stopping Reiya Abe in eight rounds in March in his third defense of the IBF belt. Lopez has overcome substantial challenges in title fights, such as boxing in the champ’s hometown and getting cut early (against Josh Warrington), and if he wins Saturday against Angelo Leo, he could face his biggest challenge yet in a title unification fight with Espinoza to crown the best fighter in the division.
Real or not: Anthony Joshua will knock out Daniel Dubois
True. While Dubois’ resurgence has been good just a year after being stopped by Oleksandr Usyk, recent form suggests his first IBF heavyweight title defense will end in a KO loss to Joshua.
Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in peak form, better than any other heavyweight. Like Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), Joshua has had to rebuild his career after back-to-back decision losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Joshua has fought cautiously, earning a unanimous decision victory over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, but has defeated Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou in his last three fights.
Dubois returned from Saudi Arabia to London as the interim IBF heavyweight champion after knocking out Filip Hrgovic in the eighth round. Usyk then vacated the IBF belt, meaning Dubois became the full champion and Joshua had the opportunity to become a three-time world champion at Wembley Stadium in London.
Joshua will look to capitalize on what Hrgovic repeatedly found in the Dubois fight. Hrgovic was constantly landing right hooks on Dubois in the early rounds, and Joshua has shown in recent fights just how damaging his right hooks are, after destroying Ngannou in Round 2. Joshua landed a right hook to the former UFC heavyweight champion’s chin to knock him out. Joshua will capitalize on the opportunity if Dubois is as available as he was in the Hrgovic fight. Joshua is a bigger puncher than Hrgovic, and while Dubois showed some staying power in June, he was stopped twice (by Joe Joyce in 2020 and Usyk last year) and was knocked down three times in the first round by Kevin Lerena before recovering to win in Round 3.
But it’s no walk in the park for Joshua, who also has to respect Dubois’s strength. Dubois has scarred Hrgovic’s face and could potentially pull off a shocking stoppage of Joshua, like Andy Ruiz Jr. did in 2019. But Joshua, who reigned as champion from 2016 to 2019 and then from 2019 to 2021, is more likely to win this fight by knockout.
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Boxing
Mike Tyson “cried like a baby” over the loss of Jake Paul
Published
3 hours agoon
December 22, 2024After the boxing legend’s defeat, a video has been circulating online showing Mike Tyson allegedly crying during his fight with Jake Paul.
World Boxing News obtained a copy of the clip despite not watching the fight due to the nature of the 27-year-old YouTuber beating up on the 58-year-old boxing legend. However, the incident was captured during the rounds when Tyson made what appeared to be a whimper while sitting on a stool.
Since then, debate has raged over whether Tyson actually screamed or just felt pain for a split second, causing him to wince. After reviewing the evidence, it’s difficult to be sure, considering Tyson has openly talked about crying in the past.
One fan said, “Tyson was crying like a baby,” while another said, “Mike was just catching his breath,” offering differing opinions.
Paul defeated Tyson on points over ten rounds as the former heavyweight champion paced around the ring, looking lost at times. Netflix broadcast the event amid groans from fans over the broadcast quality as Tyson lost for the seventh time in his career and couldn’t get out of fifth gear.
Did Mike Tyson cry during his defeat against Jake Paul?#PaulTyson pic.twitter.com/3ahJgpK4UL
— Boxing News (@WorldBoxingNews) December 22, 2024
Tyson spoke out after his most humiliating defeat, explaining that he almost didn’t make it to the ring. The Fresh Yorker was content to be able to climb between the ropes one last time.
“It’s one of those situations where you lost but you still won. I’m grateful for last night. I don’t regret entering the ring for the last time,” Tyson wrote. “I almost died in June. He had eight blood transfusions. I lost half my blood and 25 pounds in the hospital and had to fight to get better to fight, so I won.
“My children seeing me stand shoulder to shoulder and finish eight innings with a talented fighter half my age in front of a packed Dallas Cowboy Stadium is an experience no man could ask for,” he once said. .
Tyson told his fans on FOX Sports Radio last week that he doesn’t remember much about the loss.
“I don’t remember that fight very well. But somehow I lost consciousness. I didn’t watch the fight,” he said. “You know what I remember, when I came back from the first round, Jake was doing some kind of bow. That’s the last thing I remember.”
On what he did after the defeat, Tyson added: “I wasn’t tired, I wasn’t sweaty. I went to the house where we lived. I went out with my wife and kids, went to the after-party and came back.”
Boxing
LIVE: Usyk vs Fury 2 match results from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Published
2 days agoon
December 21, 2024World Boxing News brings you live results from the Usyk vs Fury 2 event with the unified heavyweight title at stake in Saudi Arabia.
Oleksandr Usyk defends his WBC, WBO and WBA belts as the Ukrainian fights for back-to-back wins over Tyson Fury. Fury was almost knocked out by Usyk in May and will seek revenge at the Kingdom Arena.
WBN will also score the main event based on a live scorecard from the first to the last bell.
Live scores of the Usyk-Fury match
Andriy Nowicki defeated Edgar Ramirez by unanimous decision. The score was 100-90 and 98-92 twice, and the Ukrainian moved to 14-0, 10 KOs.
Joshua Ocampo lost in the preliminary fight Muhammad Alakel who scored a unanimous decision to enhance it to 2-0.
Other attacks
MAIN EVENT: WBC WORLD, WBO WORLD, WBA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE – 12 ROUNDS
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury
Shypyntsi, Ukraine Lancashire, UK
22-0 (14 KOs) 34-1-1 (24 KOs)
226 lbs 281 lbs
CO-MAIN EVENT: HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT (over 201 pounds) – 10 ROUNDS
Moses Itauma vs. Demsey McKean
Kent, UK, Queensland, Australia
22-0 (10 KOs) 22-1 (14 KOs)
249.1 lbs 251.1 lbs
Airy middleweight fight (154 pounds) – 12 rounds
Serhii Bohachuk vs. Ishmael Davis
Vinnytsia, Ukraine, Yorkshire, UK
24-2 (23 KOs) 13-1 (6 KOs)
153.1 lbs 153.6 lbs
Heavyweight fight (201+ pounds) – 10 rounds
Johnny Fisher vs. David Allen
London, UK Yorkshire, UK
12-0 (11 KOs) 23-6, 18 KOs
241.1 lbs 257.6 lbs
INTERNATIONAL SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT COMPETITION – 10 ROUNDS
Peter McGrail vs. Rhys Edwards
10-1 (6 KOs) / 16-0 (4 KOs)
Liverpool, UK / Merseyside, UK
129.8 lbs / 129.1 lbs
Fight for the WBA CONTINENTAL USA featherweight title (130 pounds) – 10 ROUNDS
Isaac Lowe vs. Lee McGregor
Lancashire, UK Edinburgh, Scotland
25-2-3 (8 KOs) 14-1-1 (11 KOs)
125.1 lbs 125.9 lbs
WBA CONTINENTAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS – 10 ROUNDS
Dylan Colin Vs. Daniel Łapina
Meurthe-et-Moselle, France / Wrocław, Poland
14-0 (4 KOs) / 10-0 (4 KOs)
Information about the Usyk vs Fury match on TV and PPV
Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury and the full undercard are available exclusively at DAZN Pay-Per-View (PPV) events worldwide. They cost £24.99 in the UK and $39.95 in the US and no DAZN subscription is required.
The PPV also includes a seven-day free trial of the entire DAZN platform. Usyk vs. Fury and all DAZN content can be watched anywhere, on any device via the DAZN app.
For more information and to purchase the fight, visit www.dazn.com.
Boxing
Tyson Fury vows: “I’m going to destroy this motherfucker!”
Published
2 days agoon
December 20, 2024Tyson Fury isn’t holding back on his desire for revenge against Oleksandr Usyk as the pair collided on Saturday night.
Fury aims to win the unified heavyweight title for the first time in nine years when he faces current champion Usyk six months after his first loss to the Ukrainian.
As the pair completed media formalities for the superfight, Fury made it clear how the fight would end.
“For the record, I’m going to absolutely annihilate this motherfucker on Saturday night. No pension. I will neat them all and he will be the first,” Fury assured.
Asked if he would try to do to Usyk what he did to Deontay Wilder in the rematch, Fury replied: “It was a long time ago” in reference to the 2020 knockout.
“[I’m] I’m not sure [if that Tyson Fury is there anymore]. Perhaps it has evaporated. Who knows? The legs may disappear. China may no longer exist. Boxing skills can be shot. We’ll find out on the 21st. That’s why you need to tune in to the pay-per-view on DAZN. Come and see whether the venerable dance master still understands it or not.
Referring to the training camp in Malta, Fury added: “[The] The weather is different, of course, but training is training, no matter where you are. These are very mundane, routine things. This happens again and again.
“For me, it doesn’t really matter where the camp is. I’ve attended camps in Vegas, Spain, everywhere, and I’m one of those people who doesn’t get distracted and gets the job done anyway. That’s what I do.
“If I were to train in a nightclub, I wouldn’t dance around the disco in the evening. I would just train.
Information about the Usyk vs Fury match
Former interim WBC 154-pound titleholder Serhii Bohachuk [24-2, 23 KOs] Now he will face British boxer Ishmael Davis [13-1, 6 KOs] in a 12-round super welterweight fight after Israil Madrimov was forced to withdraw due to illness.
Rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma [22-0, 10 KOs] and his opponent, Australian Demsey McKean (22-1, 14 KO), are ready to fight. Undefeated Johnny Fisher [12-0, 11 KOs[ squares off against former Commonwealth title challenger Dave Allen [23-6, 18 KOs].
Meanwhile, former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Peter McGrail [10-1, 6 KOs] takes over from Rhys Edwards at the last minute [16-0, 4 KOs] in a super featherweight fight. Isaac Lowe is also on the bill [25-2-3, 8 KOs[ will face Lee McGregor [14-1-1, 11 KOs] in a featherweight fight.
Daniel Lapin completes the card [10-0, 4 KOs]in which he will face another undefeated lightweight champion prospect, Dylan Colin [14-0, 4 KOs]and heavyweight knockout artist Andrii Novytskyi [14-0, 10 KOs] will face Edgar Ramirez [10-1-1, 4 KOs].
As is the tradition of the season, Riyad will feature local talent as Mohammed Alakel looks for a 2-0 win over Joshua Ocampo [8-33-5, 6 KOs].
Broadcast of the Usyk vs Fury match this Saturday on DAZN PPV.
Edgar Berlanga CLAPS BACK to De La Hoya DISSING His Canelo Fight & Puerto Rican Support
Mike Tyson “cried like a baby” over the loss of Jake Paul
‘TYSON FURY WON’T D*** AROUND THIS TIME!’ – Jack Massey predicts USYK REVENGE, Opetaia
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