Boxing

Ruslan Provodnikov breaks silence as 48-hour chaos threatens Pacquiao fight

Published

4 months ago

April 20, 2026

Ruslan Provodnikov is ready to fight Manny Pacquiao, but a few days after the fight ended, just 48 hours before the evening’s fight, he told World Boxing News that he was still waiting to find out if it would even happen.

At this rate, the fight could become another Pacquiao event that will never fully come to fruition.

The former world champion admitted that the delay from the original date of April 18 is disappointing, but insisted that he thinks the exhibition will be postponed until June.

Provodnikov described the opportunity to face Pacquiao as something he never expected, saying he was “extremely cheerful” when he first heard about the fight.

“It’s disappointing that the fight won’t take place in April, but I hope it will happen in June. I really hope so and I believe in it,” he told WBN exclusively.

Contrary to this belief, no binding June date has been given.

I’m still waiting

The development follows a confused week of fights in which the fight was stopped just 48 hours before the scheduled date, leaving fans having to adjust travel plans after days of silence on whether the event would even take place.

Nothing has improved in this situation.

World Boxing News has repeatedly tried to get answers, but there are still mixed signals as to whether the fight will even happen. Pacquiao remained hushed throughout, while Provodnikov’s team previously admitted to WBN that they also had no information.

There is little sign of unified direction behind the scenes, as the situation remains as unresolved now as it was before the April date dropped.

The pattern stretches over weeks, with the fight already in doubt early in the build-up before a postponement was finally confirmed on April 16.

Ready to go

Provodnikov says that everything is in place on his side.

“We have prepared everything. As soon as they give us the go-ahead, I will pack my bag and be ready to fly to America with my team,” he added.

This leaves a clear imbalance – one fighter is ready and the other has not yet provided an exact schedule.

Last chance

As for his career, Provodnikov made it clear to WBN that this is not a comeback.

“My career is already behind me. I moved on to other things, other work, and today I focus on my family,” he said.

“Boxing is a thing of the past. Maybe exhibition fights – just to go out and entertain people – but to seriously come back and restart your career, no. Everything has its time.”

With Provodnikov ruling out a full return, a fight with Pacquiao seems like a infrequent opportunity – one that still doesn’t have a confirmed date.

The looming possibility of a second fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather further complicates the situation. Given the significant money associated with the Netflix event, the risk of any competitor sustaining unnecessary injuries during the previous exhibition becomes a earnest factor.

Despite Provodnikov’s enthusiasm, it’s becoming increasingly arduous to ignore the possibility that the fight may not happen at all.

If this fight continues, everything previously planned could quickly become irrelevant.

For now, Provodnikov has spoken, but the situation still hasn’t happened.

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.

Boxing

Zab Judahs Final Prediction on Rolly Romero vs Teofimo Lopez: The Impact of KOing Sparring Partners

Published

15 hours ago

August 22, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Zab Judah's Final Prediction on Rolly Romero vs Teofimo Lopez: The Impact of KOing Sparring Partners

Zab Judah has made a bold prediction ahead of tonight’s world title battle between Rolly Romero and Teofimo Lopez.

Romero defends his WBA welterweight title against Lopez at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this evening, competing for the first time since his unanimous decision victory over Ryan Garcia in May 2025.

Lopez is attempting to become a three-division world champion after previously holding world honours at lightweight and super-lightweight, but his reign at 140lbs came to an end in January when he lost his WBO crown to Shakur Stevenson.

One man who knows what it is like to be world champion at both 140lbs and 147lbs is Judah, who notably became undisputed at welterweight back in 2005.

Speaking to MillCity BoxingJudah revealed that he is backing Romero to claim the upset victory tonight and successfully defend his belt against Lopez.

“In the past when we’ve seen Rolly in preparation for a fight, he was always on the internet saying crazy s**t, doing crazy things, this time we don’t see any of that. He’s locked in, he’s training, and I predict that Rolly Romero is going to beat Teofimo Lopez.

“From what I’ve been hearing about him in training, he’s been doing good and knocking people out.”

The winner of tonight’s bout has already been linked to a unification fight against the victor of the upcoming WBC welterweight title fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, while there are also possible match-ups with WBO champion Devin Haney or IBF champion Liam Paro.

Boxing

George Liddard vs Dario Morello Live Results and Updates: Stay Informed on the Action

Published

15 hours ago

August 22, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

George Liddard vs Dario Morello Live Results and Updates: Stay Informed on the Action

LIVE COVERAGE

World Boxing News provides live results and updates from George Liddard’s European middleweight title clash with Dario Morello at the Copper Box Arena in London.

The undefeated Liddard faces the biggest test of his career against experienced Italian Morello, with the vacant European middleweight championship on the line.

Three other vacant titles will be decided on the card as Jimmy Sains, Emmanuel Buttigieg and Tiah Mai Ayton attempt to take the next step in their careers.

Live Scorecard –George Liddard vs. Dario Morello

Live Results

Times are local BST

19:45

Tiah Mai Ayton won the vacant Commonwealth featherweight title in a solid display against Ellie Hellewell. The Hellewell corner called off the fight after six completed rounds as Ayton made it seven straight wins as a pro and pushed towards world honors.

18:52

Connor Mitchell gets four useful rounds under his belt with a 39-37 points victory over Caine Singh.

Singh made him work for it, but the all-action Mitchell did enough to get his hand raised.

18:16

Louie Ward moved to 3-0 with a dominant performance, stopping Jon Martinez in the third round.

Ward was in control throughout before forcing the finish to secure another impressive victory.

17:42

Ioan Croft dropped Tomas Reynoso early on before seeing out a sixth round victory. The referee waved the fight off with just over a minute left of the round.

17:10

Harley Burrows opened the show with a first round stoppage of Carlos Ronner. Burrows pinned Ronner on the ropes and waded in until the referee halted the contest.

TV Coverage and Remaining Bouts

United Kingdom: DAZN

George Liddard vs. Dario Morello – Vacant European Middleweight Title (12)
Jimmy Sains vs. Tom Cowling – Vacant Commonwealth Middleweight Title (12)
Emmanuel Buttigieg vs. P A Gordon – Vacant English Middleweight Title (10)

Preview

Liddard enters his first European title fight with a perfect 14-0 record as the 24-year-old attempts to continue his rapid rise through the middleweight division.

Morello brings considerably more experience at 26-1 and arrives in London undefeated since 2019.

The event takes place at the Copper Box Arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing promoting the card.

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

Antonio Tarver Predicts Rolly Romero vs Teofimo Lopez Winner: He Has the Attributes to Beat Him

Published

17 hours ago

August 22, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Antonio Tarver Predicts Rolly Romero vs Teofimo Lopez Winner: "He Has the Attributes to Beat Him"

Former undisputed champion Antonio Tarver has considered the keys to victory, while also offering a prediction, for both Teofimo Lopez and Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero.

The pair will collide at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena in the early hours of tomorrow morning, with Romero making a first defence of his WBA world title.

He was upgraded to full welterweight champion last year, having claimed the ‘regular’ belt by dropping and unanimously outpointing Ryan Garcia in May 2025.

After that, Rolly had been in talks with Devin Haney and Conor Benn, only to incur over a year of inactivity and agree to face Lopez instead.

Entering their showdown as a slight favourite, ‘The Takeover’ has moved up to 147lbs and is bidding to become a three-weight world champion.

Unlike Romero, though, Lopez is coming off a surprisingly one-sided points defeat to Shakur Stevensonwho dethroned him for the WBO super-lightweight title in January.

It is therefore difficult to predict which version of the 29-year-old will turn up, yet Hall of Famer Tarver has nonetheless told Fight Hub TV that he is backing Lopez.

“[it will be] high volume if Teo looks to win this thing impressively. He’s going to have to let his hands go, and Rolly’s going to have to try and catch him in the mix of all that.

“I don’t think Rolly can outbox Teo round after round; I think Rolly has to do something big – hurt him with something, knock him down and maybe even stop him.

“Smart money [is on Lopez]. It’s difficult to have your way with [Romero]; you have to be somewhat of a real, elite fighter. We still believe Teo, at his best, has those types of attributes.”

Many would agree that a points decision is Lopez’ clearest route to victory, while Romero may need to make use of his power and engineer an inside-the-distance finish.