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Roy Jones Jr advises Terence Crawford to fight one last opponent and then retire

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Roy Jones Jr advises Terence Crawford to fight one final opponent and then retire

Roy Jones Jr encouraged Terence Crawford to secure one last lucrative fight, even if it was against a somewhat unconventional opponent.

Like many, the pound-for-pound legend believes that Crawford simply has nothing left to prove and may be just one fight away from ending his brilliant career.

Indeed, the undisputed three-division champion has already cemented his legacy, especially after he jumped two weight classes to dethrone Canelo Alvarez last September.

Despite giving up a clear size advantage and being widely considered an underdog, Crawford put in a masterful performance and won all four major titles at 168 pounds.

Also a ninth round victory over Errol Spence Jr. only added to Crawford’s greatness, and his dominant victory in 2023 allowed him to reign supreme at 147 pounds.

But now it appears the 38-year-old, who recently expressed interest in targeting a sixth weight class, may soon take it a step further.

Just a few weeks ago, Crawford called up unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, who will look to win his third title against WBA belt holder Erislandy Lara on December 6.

While this appears to be a solemn option for Crawford, Roy Jones Jr suggested that the Nebraska fighter should instead turn his attention to UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria.

Time will tell if this potential crossover has any chance, but Jones nonetheless highlighted Topuria as a potential opponent for Crawford.

In an interview with Titan Gamethe multiweight world champion said that “Bud” should face the MMA star before he sails off into the sunset.

“If he retires next, that will be the best thing. If I retired after I beat Antonio Tarver for the first time, we wouldn’t be talking about the greatest of all time. And we still shouldn’t, because facts are facts.

“But if Crawford does something more, that’s what he needs to do [fight Ilia Topuria]. He deserves an award right now.

“Look how long he waited to get the attention he has now. He deserves another one of them. If anything, this is what he should do.”

A fight between Crawford and Topuria seems unlikely and doesn’t resemble the money-making win that was Floyd Mayweather’s fight against Conor McGregor, with a potential clash with Janibek still seemingly the favorite.

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Boxing

Swiss No. 1 Seifeddine Letaief challenges rival Arbnor Jashari

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Seifeddine Letaief vs Arbnor Jashari rivalry poster showing the Swiss lightweights with Zurich blue tones on the left and Basel red tones on the right.

Swiss lightweight Seifeddine Letaief told World Boxing News he is ready to settle his growing ring rivalry with fellow undefeated fighter Arbnor Jashari.

Letaief is currently in first place in the Swiss rankings for his division, while Jashari is in second place, which is a natural matchup between the two undefeated fighters.

A meeting between the pair would pit the two highest-ranked lightweights in the country against each other.

Tensions escalated with exchanges on social media, FaceTime calls about a potential fight and exchanges of words.

According to Letaief, the rivalry even escalated to the point that Jashari tried to involve the SwissBoxing committee.

“At one point he even tried to block me from SwissBoxing, claiming that I had humiliated him on social media,” Letaief told World Boxing News.

Swiss competition

Letaief insists that from his point of view the situation is plain. The undefeated lightweight says he is ready to fight and believes the fight should happen now rather than later.

“I’m ready to fight and decide everything in the ring,” he explained.

SwissBoxing has suggested waiting until both fighters have built bigger physiques before moving on to staging the fight, but Letaief believes the circumstances already make it an attractive fight for the local scene.

The clash between the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the country, combined with the rivalry between Zurich and Basel, may arouse great interest in Switzerland.

Seifeddine Letaief

Unbroken records

Letaief, 23, turned professional in September 2024 and has compiled an undefeated record of 6-0, including two knockouts. He lives in Winterthur and has fought several times in the Zurich region, establishing himself as one of the country’s emerging prospects.

Meanwhile, Jashari has had a slightly longer professional career. The 25-year-old made his debut in April 2022 and has a 7-0 record, which includes two knockouts.

Both fighters also share a common opponent, Lasha Giorgi Vardiashvili, and each of them scored a six-round decision victory in 2025.

For now, the fight that many in the Swiss boxing community want to see remains unsigned, and Letaief has made it clear he is ready to move forward as soon as the opportunity arises.

“Despite all these talks, the fight has still not been decided. For me, the matter is plain: I am ready to fight and decide everything in the ring. I believe that this fight must take place now,” Letaief concluded.


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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Oleksandr Usyk announces the list of his last three opponents and confirms that he will then retire

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Oleksandr Usyk announces his final 3 opponents and confirms he will then retire

Oleksandr Usyk still has three fights left and hopes to extend his record to 27-0 before hanging up his gloves for good.

The elite Ukrainian was undisputed at cruiserweight before repeating the feat twice at heavyweight. In both divisions, he has victories over Murat Gassiew, Mairis Briedis, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

Usyk will then focus more on the spectacle side of the sport when he faces kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt on May 23.

I keep talking Inside the RingUsyk assured fans that while this fight may not be at the elite level he is known for, his last two fights will be.

“Rico, this is the first one. Second, Wardley-Dubois wins. The third fight is my friend Greedy Belly, Tyson Fury.”

When asked how much time he had left, Usyk confirmed that he was three years aged and had not played.

Fabio Wardley rose from interim to full WBO champion when Usyk vacated the belt last year, and he puts that status on the line against Dubois on May 9 in Manchester. If “DDD” wins tonight, Usyk’s last two scheduled fights could be trilogy fights.

The 39-year-old from Simferopol defeated Dubois and Fury twice, stopping the former in both cases and the latter on points. Fan interest in the fights may therefore be circumscribed.

However, if Wardley manages to remain with the organization in two months’ time, many would like to see the Ipswich fighter team up with the Usyk fighter who has established himself as the greatest heavyweight of a generation.

Whether this would be an uncontested fight seems unlikely. Although Usyk’s WBC belt in the match with Verhoeven is controversial, the IBF and WBA have not commented on this fight yet.

Moreover, the WBC has ordered Usyk to face Agit Kabayel next, which is clearly not in his plans. This means that it may be stripped of all three lanes in the near future.

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Boxing

Eddie Hearn fights for Katie Taylor in Croke Park

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Image: Eddie Hearn pushing for Katie Taylor retirement fight at Croke Park

“I just want to fight in Dublin to finish my career. Of course we’re still hoping for Croke Park, holding on to a little bit of hope that it will happen,” Taylor told RTE.

“Fighting my last fight in our most iconic arena. How special would that be? I think it would be absolutely extraordinary if I was able to do it. I’m not sure if it will happen or not. Either way, I will end my career here and I’m very excited about that.”

Taylor has only fought twice in Ireland as a professional, both fights will take place in 2023 against Chantelle Cameron at the 3Arena in Dublin. Cameron won her first fight by majority decision, handing Taylor the only defeat of her career, before Taylor regained the undisputed junior welterweight championship six months later in a rematch.

The 38-year-old Irish star remains one of the greatest fighters in women’s boxing history. Taylor won Olympic gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics before turning professional and quickly winning world titles in two categories. In 2019, she became the undisputed lightweight champion and later repeated the feat at 140 pounds.

Much of Taylor’s recent profile has been built on her rivalry with Amanda Serrano. Their first fight at Madison Square Garden in 2022 was widely celebrated and helped augment the visibility of women’s boxing. Taylor later completed the trilogy by majority vote in July, increasing her record to 25-1 (6 KO).

The possibility of saying goodbye to the stadium became the subject of interest for its long-time promoter. Hearn admitted it would take significant work to turn the idea into reality, but he believes this moment will be historic for Irish sport.

“It’s a hell of a lot of work to make sure one of the greatest athletes of all time fulfills her biggest dream. And I have to deliver Croke Park. I have to,” Hearn said on The Ariel Helwani Show.

“If I don’t give it my all, if I don’t put in every effort to make it happen, I won’t do justice to Katie and I won’t do it to myself. Because it would be the biggest sporting event in Irish history.”

Hearn said talks with Croke Park officials had taken place previously and had resumed as Taylor’s career came to an end.

“There is more momentum this time,” he said.

No opponent has been determined for Taylor’s last fight. Hearn said the focus remains on determining whether the stadium plan can be secured before making any player selections.

“Obviously you want to have an opponent who is compelling, competitive and has a story behind it,” Hearn said. “Nothing has really been discussed or said about the opponent. We are really trying to ensure that discussions with Croke Park allow for that possibility before we pursue it further.”

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