Boxing
Shakur Stevenson needs to give it his all tonight against Artem Harutyunyan
Published
6 months agoon
By
J. HumzaShakur Stevenson needs to put in a good performance tonight against Artem Harutyunyan for a number of reasons, starting with the upcoming free agency period.
(Source: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)
Free agency and the search for a lucrative contract
Shakur (21-0, 10 KOs), the WBC lightweight champion, wants a great offer from a gigantic promoter like Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom, but he won’t get it if he doesn’t make a good impression.
Harutyunyan (13-1, 7 KOs) could make it complex for Shakur to fight and win because he won’t knock him out without getting in his way.
Targeting Harutyunyan’s weakness
During Friday’s weigh-in, Shakur suggested he would target Harutyunyan’s mid-section, an area where Frank Martin had the most success last year, heading into their July 2023 clash.
Stevenson also wants a unification fight with WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis because he believes that the fight is winnable and will make him a PPV star.
If the 27-year-old Shakur wins this fight, he can win it, but only if he fights in the same division he fled the scene in as he did against Edwin De Los Santos.
It is unlikely that Davis will continue to fight.
“This is a fight” [Gervonta Davis vs. Shakur Stevenson] that we all want it, but you have to focus on the guy in front of him. It’s not about winning. Yeah, we all assume he’s going to win this fight,” said boxing expert Chris Algieri Probox TV about today’s fight between Shakur Stevenson and Artem Harutyunyan.
Shakur won’t fight Tank Davis, no matter how good he looks tonight. Tank’s managers want a unification fight with IBF champion Vasiliy Lomachenko in November.
If Tank wins this fight, there is a possibility of a rematch with Lomachenko and then a second fight with Ryan Garcia. A rematch between them would be much bigger than the one involving Shakur, who is not as popular as Ryan.
Shakur will have to wait until at least 2026 to fight Tank Davis, but it is assumed that he will not be defeated by one of the contenders such as William Zepeda, Raymond Muratalla or Abdullah Mason.
The need for a declaration of victory
If Edwin De Los Santos could come close to defeating Shakur, these fighters would have an even better chance.
“Looking good matters. It’s not about winning or losing. It’s about how good you can look.” Artem said [at the weigh-in]”Everybody wants you to lose,” and Shakur said, “I know, but I’m coming for you. That’s not gonna happen.” [Shakur] goes, “I’m going there” [Harutyunyan’s body]. I hope you did some sit-ups.
“I think Shakur is going to go out there and try to get Artem out of there. I think it would be a really gigantic statement if he could stop him, whereas Frank Martin couldn’t. Frank Martin actually had some trouble with Artem towards the end,” Algieri said.
Shakur needs to almost try to knock Harutyunyan out to show fans that his recent indigent performance was just a fluke. Stevenson needs to impress again to get a gigantic offer from one of the other promoters.
Circumscribed options at Matchroom
I’m not sure Matchroom will facilitate Shakur achieve his goal of getting Tank Davis because they have no control over him. All they can do is offer him a fight with Andy Cruz at lightweight, which would be a tough fight for him and the 140-pound fighters they have. None of them are popular.
If Shakur signs with Matchroom, he will only be eligible to compete against the following fighters: Liam Paro, Andy Cruz, Richardson Hitchins, Regis Prograis, Jack Catterall and Subriel Matias.
“He’s a tough guy. He’s the type of guy that stylistically can really make Shakur look good. I think Shakur should take this opportunity to put himself out there with the rest of the lightweights because he’s in a position now where that gigantic fight, that mega fight, that type of fight with Tank Davis is within reach,” Algieri said.
I don’t think Harutyunyan can make Shakur look good. He looked good against sluggish fighters or those with no power. Harutyunyan has enough speed and power to keep Shakur from dominating him like he did in his first fight at 135 pounds against Shuichiro Yoshino.
He didn’t look good against De Los Santos, Robson Conceicao, Oscar Valdez, and Jeremiah Nakathilia. Fans found those fights tedious, and Shakur spent most of his time on the run.
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Boxing
Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
1 day agoon
January 13, 2025The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
The next move is Badou Jack’s.
Boxing
Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years
Published
2 days agoon
January 12, 2025Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
Boxing
Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios
Published
1 week agoon
January 6, 2025WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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