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Two Code Heavyweights Dominate the Competition with Unmatched Skills
Two-code heavyweight Gustavo Trujillo just keeps flattening everyone put in front of him. The unbeaten Cuban has now won 12 straight fights, with 11 ending inside the distance.
The question is no longer whether he can punch. It’s whether he can become the rare crossover success capable of reaching the top of heavyweight boxing.
Trujillo returned to action less than a month after blasting out Sergio Marin, making short work of Calvin Barnett to extend a knockout run that continues gathering momentum.
The victory keeps the Cuban climbing the rankings and reinforces his reputation as one of the division’s most dangerous punchers.
More than a puncher?
Power has never been in doubt as Trujillo’s background across two combat sports has produced an explosive heavyweight capable of ending fights with either hand.
The bigger questions are only just beginning.
Combat sports have seen plenty of crossover stars attempt to conquer boxing. Some arrived with enormous hype, including Kimbo Slice and Conor McGregor, only to discover that success elsewhere does not automatically translate into elite-level boxing.
Trujillo has already gone further than many expected by forcing his way into the WBO rankings.
No waiting around
One aspect working firmly in Trujillo’s favor is his willingness to stay active.
While many heavyweight contenders fight only once or twice a year, the Cuban appears determined to build experience as quickly as possible.
“Right now, activity is extremely important for me,” Trujillo previously told World Boxing News.
“Every time I step into the ring, I gain more experience and continue developing as a professional heavyweight. I feel great physically, I came out of my last fight healthy, and there was no reason to sit around waiting.”
That mindset has become a recurring theme throughout his rise.
“There’s no ‘too soon’ for me. If the opportunity is right, I take it. I’m ready for anyone.”
The real tests still lie ahead
Names such as Fabio Wardley and Moses Itauma have already been linked with Trujillo as his reputation grows.
The Cuban has welcomed those discussions rather than avoiding them.
“He’s doing his job—winning and getting knockouts. Respect to him,” Trujillo said of Itauma.
“But this is heavyweight boxing. Everybody looks good until they face real pressure. If we meet, we’ll find out.”
That statement applies just as much to Trujillo himself.
Flattening opponents has earned attention. Doing it against genuine world-level heavyweights is something else entirely.
Power has never been Trujillo’s problem. The next step is proving he can do against elite heavyweights what he has already done to everyone else.
If he can, heavyweight boxing may have another serious contender on its hands. If he can’t, he’ll join the long list of crossover stars whose promise never matched the hype.
The answers should come sooner rather than later.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. His work is distributed across major platforms, including Apple News. Read full bio.
Noakes (18-1, 16 KOs) is looking to rebound from the first defeat of his professional career after dropping a competitive decision to Abdullah Mason last November in Saudi Arabia. The entertaining contest earned Fight of the Year consideration, but it also halted the momentum the 28-year-old had built toward a world title shot.
He returned in May for a low-risk outing, stopping Benito Sanchez Garcia in two rounds at York Hall.
Berinchyk (19-1, 9 KOs) would represent a step up from that assignment, although he’s hardly entering the fight with momentum of his own. The 38-year-old Ukrainian hasn’t fought since suffering a fourth-round stoppage loss to Keyshawn Davis on February 14, 2025, when he lost the WBO lightweight title.
While Berinchyk’s experience and former world champion status add credibility to the matchup, both fighters are coming off losses, taking some of the shine off what otherwise could have been an intriguing lightweight clash.
From a matchmaking standpoint, however, the fight makes sense. Berinchyk offers Noakes a respected name without the risk that comes with facing one of the division’s younger contenders. A matchup against an unbeaten prospect such as Alan Chaves may have generated more interest, but it also would have posed a far more dangerous assignment for a fighter trying to rebuild after his first professional setback.
If the fight is finalized, it would serve as a solid keep-busy bout for Noakes while giving him the chance to put himself back in the lightweight conversation with a victory over a former world champion.
The Hall of Famer says a Texas showdown with Vergil Ortiz Jr. would generate more interest and revenue than an immediate fight with the unified junior middleweight champion
Roy Jones Jr believes Errol Spence Jr should postpone any fight with Jaron “Boots” Ennis if he defeats Tim Tszyu on July 25. Instead, the Hall of Famer says Spence should pursue a Texas showdown with Vergil Ortiz Jr., calling it the biggest fight available at junior middleweight.
Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) returns from a three-year absence on July 25 when he faces former WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu.
Jones believes a victory should lead directly to an all-Texas clash with Ortiz rather than a title fight against Ennis.
“The biggest fight right now, for that division, is Errol Spence if he beats Tszyu vs Vergil Ortiz in Dallas,” said Roy Jones Jr. on ALL THE SMOKE FIGHT. “They’d sell out Dallas Stadium.
“You don’t throw that away chasing Boots; you let Boots go and fight Fundora first – you wait and see what happens in the Errol Spence fight, if you’re smart.
“You’d make way more money right there in Dallas Stadium.”
Jones is looking at the commercial value of the matchup as much as the boxing side. Spence and Ortiz are both Texas natives and came through the amateur ranks in the state, making the fight an easy sell to local fans.
Ortiz is coming off a career-best win over Israil Madrimov and remains one of the leading contenders at 154 pounds. Ennis currently holds the WBA and WBO titles, while Sebastian Fundora owns the WBC belt, giving the division several major fights if Spence can get past Tszyu in his long-awaited return.
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Last Updated on 2026/07/08 at 1:13 PM
The 35-year-old contender knows most of the attention surrounding the fight has centered on Joshua’s future rather than the opponent standing across the ring from him. He warned that looking ahead to Fury would be a costly mistake.
“It’s not a good idea he make plans to fight Tyson Fury,” Prenga told Ring Magazine. “I think I’m going to break his plan.”
Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) is coming off a sixth-round knockout of Jake Paul last December, a comeback victory after suffering a damaging fifth-round stoppage loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024. A win over Prenga would keep him on course for one of the biggest fights in British boxing against Fury, who is also scheduled to return the day before against Mariusz Wach.
Prenga (20-1, 20 KOs) enters with an eye-catching record, having knocked out every opponent he has beaten. While those victories came against modest opposition compared to Joshua’s resume, the Albanian believes his punching power gives him everything he needs to produce a major upset.
Joshua is still a heavy favorite, but Prenga represents a different type of opponent than some of the former two-time heavyweight champion’s recent rebuilding assignments. Unlike Jermaine Franklin or Otto Wallin, Prenga is an aggressive puncher whose confidence comes from finishing every one of his victories inside the distance.
Overlooking an opponent with that kind of power could be an expensive mistake for Joshua. A knockout win for Prenga over one of boxing’s biggest names would instantly transform his career while destroying the plans for the blockbuster Fury-Joshua meeting.
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