On Saturday, the James L. Knight Center in Miami Beach will host a world title fight as Teofimo Lopez looks to defend his WBO super lightweight title against Steve Claggett.
Top Rank promotes Lopez vs. Claggett, Heavenly sports in the UK, and ESPN has the rights to broadcast in the US.
Lopez (20-1, 13 KOs) surprised many when he added Vasyl Lomachenko’s WBA (Super) and WBO lightweight titles to his IBF title in an October 2020 unanimous decision win, but was humiliated in his very next fight by George Kambosos Jr., who lost a split decision.
“The Takeover” responded by moving up to super lightweight, but after his first win at the weight he was dropped before scoring a dismal victory over Sandor Martin in December 2022. Few expected him to defeat Josh Taylor on that basis, but Lopez once again produced when it mattered, commanding the Scot and winning the WBO world title on the cards.
His first defense was another indigent affair, however, as he defeated Jamaine Ortiz in February and must wait for essential fights here against a disappointing opponent in Claggett (38-7-2, 26 KO).
The Canadian has suffered numerous defeats early in his career, but is undefeated for nine years since defeating Mathieu Germain in 2021. He built his ranking with a points victory over Miguel Madueno in November 2023 to capture the vacant WBO International title, and warmed up ahead with a second-round retirement win over Marcos Gonzalez Berraza.
Ramirez wants to get back on the winning track
Robeisy Ramirez (13-2, 8 KOs) returns after losing his WBO featherweight title last time out, and the Cuban will face Brandon Leon Benitez (21-2, 9 KOs) in a ten-round fight. Ramirez was defeated by Rafael Espinoza last December, getting knocked down in the final round and then losing by majority decision.
Benitez is on a seven-fight winning streak since a knockout loss to Saul Sanchez in 2019, and I think he will suffer the same fate here, with Ramirez coming back with an early victory.
Full subcard preview:
Also in the featherweight division, Yan Santana (11-0, 11 KOs) will advance to the ten-round level for the first time in his history, and the Dominican could once again win on schedule, this time against Brandon Valdes (15-4, 7 KOs). In the final ten rounds, potential super lightweight Elvis Rodriguez (15-1-1, 13 KOs) could follow up his impressive win over Vitor Postol by stopping Jino Rodrigo (12-3-2, 10 KOs).
In eight-round fights, welterweight hopeful Rohan Polanco (12-0, 7 KOs) could beat Luis Hernandez Ramos (23-4, 20 KOs), while middleweight hopeful Euri Cedeno (8-0-1, 7 KOs) could do the same in his fight against Dormedes Potes (14-6-1, 10 KOs).
Also in the middleweight division, Nico Ali Walsh (9-1, 5 KOs) gets a rematch with Sona Akale (9-1, 4 KOs), this time in eight rounds. The grandson of a legend could avenge that loss on the cards. Emiliano Vargas (10-0, 8 KOs) could pick up another early win, this time against Jose Zaragoza (9-8-2, 3 KOs) at super lightweight.
The only six-round heavyweight where Lorenzo Medina (10-0, 9 KOs) can stop Detrailous Webster (7-3, 3 KOs).
Tyson Fury will lose almost half of his earnings after the highly anticipated rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. The 36-year-old British boxer is expected to earn around £60 million for fighting the Ukrainian in Saudi Arabia.
However, if Usyk, who handed Fury a split decision victory in their first meeting in May, wins again, it won’t be the only thing Fury will lose. According to data analyst JeffBeta, Fury will receive almost £30 million in prize money deducted by the taxman for income tax and national insurance, which he will have to pay when he returns to the UK.
In total, around 47 per cent of his winnings will go to HM Revenue and Customs. He will have to pay around £28 million in tax and an additional £1.2 million in National Insurance contributions.
The fight purse shared by Usyk and Fury is believed to be valued at a staggering £150 million. With a victory in the first fight, Usyk is expected to take home a larger share of the purse, estimated at around 60 percent.
Discussing the tax treatment of Fury’s earnings, a JeffBet spokesperson commented: “If you are a UK resident you must pay tax on your earnings abroad in the same way and this remains the same regardless of how much someone may earn.
“Good tax advice is always crucial and in this case you can be sure that the Fury camp will consider the most advantageous deal.”
While financial aspects play their part, Fury, better known as the Gypsy King, is determined to fix his only professional failure. He recently confessed that he had not spoken to his wife Paris for three months in order to maintain absolute concentration.
On his approach to the upcoming fight, Fury revealed: “If anything, a little more focus. More laser focus and less clowning around.
“If I put two things into my game plan, it will be a little more effective. There are no large advantages here. They only gave him a point [it could have been] either way, split decision, draw, whatever. So there’s not much we can change easily.
“But how about this one? How about I won the round 10-8 in round nine? This is no longer a draw or a one-point victory, it is a decisive victory. A little less cheating and a little more focus, laser focus and I should get my job done.
Pacheco (22-0, 18 KO) is getting closer to a world title as a challenger to the WBO world title. The Los Angeles star will headline his sixth straight appearance and second appearance in Las Vegas, where he defeated Shawn McCalman on points in April before returning to his home stadium in August to record his 18th victory at the distance in a nauseating KO victory over Maciej Sulecki via body shot – performances that further strengthened his position as one of the hottest talents in the game, as confirmed by ESPN’s ranking of Pacheco in 2nd place on the list of the best players in the category 25, second only to star player and stablemate Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez.
Nelson (20-0, 16 KO) was gearing up for a huge fight and now he has a chance to thwart Pacheco’s rise to the top and take the great position his adolescent opponent has achieved. The 36-year-old last got a taste of action in August in Los Angeles, defeating Marcos Rodriguez via fifth-round stoppage thanks to a victory over his good friend and fellow Omaha fighter, Terence Crawford.
“I am very excited to return to the ring in early 2025 against another undefeated opponent – the DP show goes on,” Pacheco said.
“This is the type of fight I wanted, so I could show the world who I am,” Nelson said.
Diego Pacheco will defend his WBO International super middleweight title against Steven Nelson at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Saturday, January 25, live worldwide on DAZN – and Cuban Olympic star Andy Cruz will face Omar Salcido and Ernesto Mercado will face Jose Pedraza in his Matchroom debut.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk were separated after a long, intense staredown that turned into a heated exchange during a recent press conference.
Both fighters stared into each other’s eyes for more than 10 minutes, exchanging insults in a heated atmosphere ahead of this weekend’s long-awaited rematch.
Fury, 36, refused to step down, and Usyk, 37, firmly came to a bizarre conclusion about the pair’s relatively tranquil recent media appearance.
The press conference began with Usyk arriving with a live band and a vast group of vocalists, after which both players gave brief answers to questions.
Fury, however, took a more grave tone, stating: “I’m going to cause a lot of pain, definitely put that motherfucker in the injured locker. “I have nothing to say except it will be very hurtful and painful. The conversation was over.
“The first fight I talked about, I was joking. Throughout my entire career. This time I’m grave and I’m going to do some damage.”
Tensions rose as the pair faced each other at the end of the event, with the room filled with cameras and spectators jostling for a good vantage point. Looking down for a long time gave everyone ample opportunity to capture the moment.
The situation escalated when Fury began hurling insults at the WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight champion. Usyk retaliated, which seemed to enrage Fury even more, causing him to break out in a sweat as his team tried to drag him away from the scene.
When Usyk finally left the stage, he walked up a nearby staircase, pumping his fist in appreciation of the audience as some of his band members chanted his name.
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