Boxing
Shakura Stevenson’s talent is a curse? Malignaggi suggests reducing the remuneration needed to land William Zepeda and overcome lightweight avoidance
Published
1 year agoon
Paulie Malignaggi says that Shakur Stevenson may need to lower his salary by offering part of his purse to lure the ephemeral WBC champion, William Zepeda to fight him. He believes that Shakur (23-0, 11 KO) is avoided by the best guys at the age of 135 because he is so good.
Remuneration proposal
To force these fighters, such as Zepeda (33-0, 27 KO) to fight him, he will have to give up his purse. Malignaggi believes that Shakur’s victory over Zepeda will “force” greater fighting with Gervont Davis.
It is more likely that it will work in the opposite. The impressive victory of Stevenson over Zepeda will forever close the door to the fight with Tank Davis, especially if Shakur runs all night with the Mexican lethargic.
He will have to move around the ring throughout the fight, because if he stands and fights with Zepeda, he will be chewed. Tevin Farmer consumed many penalties in the first six rounds of his last fight with Zepeda, and the only reason he was not detained is that he has a perfect chin.
Shakura promoter, Eddie Hearn, has money to invest in him if he wants to exploit some of his company’s cake to get Zepeda. For a popular warrior, such as Zepeda, it will be pricey. Everything Hearn must offer Zepeda $ 5 millionHe will agree and then hopes that Shakur will make his part without winning. Hearn is scanty and tight, it will cause Stevenson to exist in the shade as long as he stays in the match.
If he is booed by fans, as if he was against Edwin de Los Santos and Jeremiah Nakathlia, he can forget about Tank.
Saudi money has disappeared
The money that according to Shakur will be from the Saudis is no longer after his last fight with Josh Padley on February 22 in Riyadh. Some fans believe that Saudis gave up Stevenson after this terrible performance against the part -time boxer Padley, who fought with a very tedious fight.
“It’s a bit disappointing in which Shakur was in this business. I feel that he is a great warrior,” said Paulie Malignaggi to WarriorSpeaking of how Shakur Stevenson was unable to get the fights he wanted. “It is probably the best lightweight in the world.”
Shakur did not defeat anyone in a slight importance to get the recognition that Malignaggi was overwhelming on him. Stevenson’s fight with Edwin de Los Santos should be a draw or victory for De los Santos. The judges gave it to Shakur, but many fans believe that it was because of his popularity. He shouldn’t lose.
In addition, Shakura’s victories were at a low level of players: Josh Padley [the electrician]An inactive Artem Harutynaan, who took a loss, and little -known Shuichiro Yoshino.
I am a black sheep of boxing, I love it 😈
– Shakur Stevenson (@shakurstevenson) April 14, 2025
Avoidance
“Perhaps a situation in which he may need a little reduction in salary to get these great fights and try to determine his performance,” said Malignaggi. “It sucks, I know. Only in boxing you can be so good that you are not avoided. No other sport does it.”
It is unlikely that this match does not happen, unless Shakur does not dominate the majority of his purse so that William Zepeda is worth fighting with him. Golden Boy and Zepeda apparently saw Shakura’s fight with de los Santos and will know after watching this competition that the winning decision against him would be impossible.
If the judges give Shakur rounds for landing lightweight blows, holding and running, Zepeda will not have a chance to win. In order for Zepeda to have a chance, the fight would have to be staged on a neutral territory in Mexico.
“When you are so good, they have to go through you to be the best, or they can’t be the best. In boxing you can be so good that sometimes you are avoided if you are not in the right situation and everyone plays the ball without you,” said Malignaggi.
The problem is that Shakur did not show that he is “so good” for top -class fighters at the age of 135 to want to fight him. He showed that he is a runner, a tedious runner and is regularly booed when he stands in the face of the opposition with any pop in their blows. It is not popular and many lightweight years from the implementation of PPV status.
Basically, he is known for its activities in social media on the current promoter X. Shakur, Eddie Hearn, could not be transformed into a star and did not invested the cake so as not to get the fight yet to become a home brand, fighting with William Zepeda and Gervont Davis.
Stevenson’s counseling
“It’s crazy for me because I think Shakur is a lightweight premium world in a lightweight division that has good fighters,” said Malignaggi. “I don’t know what the answer is. Maybe take some cut to try to fight Zepeda and then dominate Zeda. This will force more fights in this way, because then you will dominate a guy like Zepeda.
“I don’t know anymore. It’s such a stupid business. There is a crazy sum of money in it. It moves in a strange way. People play favorite. There is a lot of politics because there is something if there is a lot of money, but it gets so frustrating,” said Malignaggi.
https://youtu.be/ihcs_whpaic?si=hry1teijbun-fqsh&t=12
Last updated on 14.04.2025
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Boxing
Zuffa Boxing 07 debuts in the UK: Billam-Smith vs. Rozicki preview
Published
7 minutes agoon
June 5, 2026
On Saturday, June 6, Zuffa Boxing will host its first event on British soil, when former cruiserweight world champion Chris Billam-Smith will face Canadian Ryan Rozicki at the Bournemouth International Centre. The card, billed as Zuffa Boxing 07, airs live Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and streaming on Paramount+ in the United States and Canada. The main card starts at 7 p.m., with walk-ins scheduled for the main event at around 10 p.m.
The event is the first UK edition of Zuffa Boxing, a promotion created by TKO Group Holdings and Saudi entertainment company Sela and run by Dana White, Nick Khan and General Entertainment Authority CEO Turki Alalshikh. according to ESPN. This follows a multi-year broadcasting deal between Zuffa and Sky Sports announced in March.
Main event
Billam-Smith (21-2, 13 KO) returns to his hometown for his first fight in over a year. The Bournemouth fighter held the WBO cruiserweight title in 2023 and 2024 before losing it, and has fought at the Bournemouth International Center several times before. He is coached by Shane McGuigan, who stated in promotional materials released for the card that Billam-Smith is constantly improving. Billam-Smith also said a future meeting with cruiserweight champion Zuffa Jai Opetaia influenced his decision to sign with the promotion, telling Sky Sports the fight “will definitely happen.”
Rozicki (21-1-1, 20 KO), of Sydney Forks, Nova Scotia, has one of the highest strike rates on the card. He has been a professional since 2016 and his record since 2016 is 8-0-1 with seven knockouts, with 18 of his stoppages coming within three rounds. The cruiserweight fight is scheduled for 10 rounds.
Cooperation and fight in the heavyweight division
In a 10-round cruiserweight fight, Jack Massey (23-3, 13 KO) will face Chev Clarke (11-2, 8 KO). In the preliminary stage of the gala, the return of two-time Olympic bronze medalist from Kazakhstan Ivan Dychko (15-1, 14 KO) heavyweight against undefeated Briton Harvey Dykes (7-0-1). The 180 cm elevated Dychko is fighting for the first time since his defeat to Jermaine Franklin in September 2025. Dykes turned professional in 2023 after winning super heavyweight gold at the English National Amateur Championships.
British signatures to the bill
The card also features several recent Zuffa signings making their debuts with the organization, including Scotland’s Sam Hickey (4-0, 1 KO), welterweight Alex MacMillan (3-0, 2 KO) and lightweight heavyweight Leon Hughes (4-0, 3 KO). Hickey won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games as an amateur and turned professional under the guidance of Team GB performance director Rob McCracken.
Full card
- Chris Billam-Smith (21-2, 13 KO) vs. Ryan Rozicki (21-1-1, 20 KO), cruiserweight, 10 rounds
- Jack Massey (23-3, 13 KO) vs. Chev Clarke (11-2, 8 KO), cruiserweight, 10 rounds
- Lee Cutler (15-2, 7 KO) vs. Aaron Sutton (19-2, 3 KO), middleweight, 10 rounds
- Stevie McKenna (15-1, 14 KO) vs. Casey James Streeter (15-3-2, 6 KO), middleweight, 8 rounds
- Sam Hickey (4-0, 1 KO) vs. Todd Tompkins (4-0), middleweight, 6 rounds
- Harvey Dykes (7-0-1) vs Ivan Dychko (15-1, 14 KO), heavyweight, 10 rounds
- Leon Hughes (4-0, 3 KO) vs. Mario Vergiev (8-4, 5 KO), lightweight heavyweight, 6 rounds
- Alex MacMillan (3-0, 2 KO) vs. Tyler Rivers (6-3), welterweight, 6 rounds
The three-fight preliminary card begins at 5 p.m., with the main card following at 7 p.m.
Boxing
Ryan Garcia wants to train with Naoya Inoue in Tokyo and broadcast it live
Published
2 hours agoon
June 5, 2026
My plan in Tokyo is to do some training with Inoue. That would be great!!!!! And stream it
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) June 5, 2026
The proposed sessions would bring together two world champions from different weight categories. Ryan currently holds the WBC welterweight title and Inoue is the undisputed junior featherweight champion.
A notable part of Ryan’s post was his willingness to stream workouts.
One of the things Ryan mentioned in his X post was his desire to stream workouts. Ryan didn’t say whether he would bring the idea to Naoya to see if he agreed with it or not, nor did he give a date when he would train with the Japanese star.
At this stage, Ryan’s comments appear to reflect purpose rather than final findings. Although he has publicly outlined the plan, Inoue has not announced any potential training session.
If training takes place, they will bring together champions separated by more than 20 pounds in weight. Ryan is fighting in the welterweight division, and Inoue is building his championship streak in the junior featherweight division.
The idea remains one Ryan hopes to implement during his visit to Tokyo, with the added possibility of giving fans a glimpse of the session via livestream.
Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fight landscape. His reports focus on the most essential fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
Boxing
Tyson Fury ‘very interested’ in fighting ‘one of the most avoided heavyweights’: ‘Let’s do it’
Published
4 hours agoon
June 5, 2026
Tyson Fury is set to take part in the long-awaited clash with Anthony Joshua, but first he needs a warm-up. Now another challenger has been added to the fight, and Fury is “very interested” in the proposed fight.
The long-awaited clash between Fury and Joshua has finally been signed and will take place pending success in their tune-up fights. While Joshua is scheduled to face Kristian Prenga next month, Fury remains without an opponent for his August outing.
Promoter Frank Warren promised a “good” opponent but he recently ruled out the possibility of the “Gypsy King” facing Joshua’s former defeater Andy Ruiz Jr., who is believed to have priced himself out of the fight.
I’m talking to Play UKJoshua’s other rival, Jarrell Miller, has revealed that Fury is “very interested” in fighting him as he discusses a potential all-American clash with Deontay Wilder.
“I’ve been one of the most avoided heavyweights for a long time. We’re seeing it now. We’re trying to get Deontay Wilder out there. There’s no fight in front of him. I’m the top heavyweight in America right now, so we’re trying to make certain things happen. Let’s see if he can take control.”
“Tyson Fury is also very interested. I would love to fight these guys. Deontay or Tyson would be a wonderful fight for me. Let’s see if we can make it happen.”
Fury’s manager, Spencer Brown, recently confirmed both fighters’ desire to make the fight happen, but said Miller would likely not be able to complete a full training camp on time.
The American has already scored two victories in 2026, defeating both Kingsley Ibeh and Lenier Pero, and the 37-year-old hopes those triumphs will earn him another chance on the huge stage.
Zuffa Boxing 07 debuts in the UK: Billam-Smith vs. Rozicki preview
Ryan Garcia wants to train with Naoya Inoue in Tokyo and broadcast it live
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