Teddy Atlas pointed out one major factor that could make Dmitry Bivol too much of a risk for David Benavidez.

Their potential uncontested clash could come later this year or early next year, although both featherlight heavyweight champions are equally considering alternative options.

Considering Bivol just defended his IBF, WBO and WBA titles against Michael Eifert, it seems there is a lot of interest in the Artur Beterbiev trilogy in Russia.

Beterbiev won their first meeting by majority decision in October 2024, while Bivol won the undisputed crown by the same margin in the rematch the following February.

Therefore, it would make sense for the pair to go into the fight at the distance, potentially leaving Benavidez at 200 pounds in pursuit of more titles.

The “Mexican Monster” dethroned Gilberto Ramirez after a sixth-round stoppage last month he became a three-division world champion, winning the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles.

He has since become the mandatory challenger to WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian, while still holding his green and gold belt at 175 pounds.

Had Atlas won, Benavidez would have been aiming for a three-belt unification fight in his current weight class, rather than making the same mistake Roy Jones Jr made in his illustrious career.

I keep talking his YouTube channelthe Hall of Fame trainer explained the danger of losing weight after acclimating to the above division.

“The only thing that worries me is this [with Benavidez] weight gain and loss. Example: Roy Jones Jr.

“When he came upstairs [to fight] John Ruiz won this version of the heavyweight title and then came back, he was never the same. He got older, but he was never the same.

“[If] you gain weight and then you have to lose it – [Benavidez] This can be done, but it may be a problem.

For pound-for-pound legend Jones, his bold decision to re-join the 175-pound weight class ultimately led to his second-round loss to Antonio Tarver.

Dana White used his post-fight press conference after Zuffa Boxing 07 in Bournemouth, England, on Saturday, June 6, 2026, to escalate his feud with Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, hours after a rival promoter filed a lawsuit to block the card and as the promotion confirmed further expansion. The main attraction of the Zuffa Boxing gala on British soil was Chris Billam-Smith, who defeated Ryan Rozicki by technical knockout in the seventh round.

White renews his feud with Hearn

Much of the question-and-answer session focused on Hearn, who earlier this week said he intended to prevent UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall from competing until the fighter’s contract was renegotiated. Aspinall is represented by Hearn’s Matchroom talent agency.

“He said he wanted to [Aspinall] fired, right? Then release Bam Rodriguez. Sounds pretty stupid, right? “Congratulations Eddie, you sound stupid again,” White said, referring to Matchroom player Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. Regarding the prospect of forcing the champion back into the cage, White added: “You can’t force anyone to fight. You have to want to fight.”

White also revisited Conor Benn’s departure from Matchroom. “Eddie Hearn is full of s***. He didn’t even pay his best friend Conor Benn,” White said. He continued: “Eddie, who apparently Benn was his best friend, was crying, literally crying for weeks. He didn’t even want to pay him, but he wants to pay my guy. He could pay his best friend and they could stay best friends.”

Benn left Matchroom for Zuffa Boxing earlier this year for $15 million. Hearn said he lent Benn money over the years, citing figures including £250,000 for a house and a £300,000 down payment towards his fight purse, which Benn disputes.

White further addressed the Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury negotiations, challenging reporters in comments captured by talkSPORT Boxing: “You think I would lie and look like a fucking idiot? Call Eddie Hearn now and ask who negotiated the AJ-Fury fight.” He did not elaborate on the nature of his role.

BOXXER seeks a court order

The press conference followed a legal complaint filed on the eve of the charter. BOXXER, the promotion company headed by Ben Shalom, is seeking an emergency injunction from the English courts against Zuffa Boxing and Sky Sports, maintaining that Billam-Smith and the inexperienced Sam Hickey remain bound by their contract with BOXXER.

“BOXXER can confirm that it is seeking an urgent injunction against Zuffa Boxing and Sky Sports in relation to the promotion and the proposed participation of fighters who remain subject to binding contractual obligations to BOXXER,” the company said in a statement. Zuffa Boxing does not accept the complaint and continues the event as planned, according to Yahoo Sports.

In April, Billam-Smith signed a multi-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing. He said that his contract with BOXXER expires at the end of 2025, while BOXXER claims that he has the right to match any offer made to him. BOXXER claims that when Hickey announced his move in May, he was under a long-term contract. BOXXER and Sky Sports had a four-year broadcasting deal which expired in June 2025; Sky Sports did not renew and instead signed deals with Zuffa Boxing and Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.

The expansion continues

Zuffa Boxing confirmed further dates as the dispute unfolds. Her first gala in Ireland, announced as Zuffa Boxing 10, will take place on August 8 at the 3Arena in Dublin. White said the organization plans to stage at least five events a year in the UK under a multi-year deal with Sky Sports and its roster continues, with recent signings including junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson, a move Hearn confirmed, not a promotion.

Zuffa Boxing 07 aired on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and streamed live on Paramount+ in the US and Canada.

Planning a multi-fight saga with rematches and “Fight of the Year” trophies before even stepping into the ring with a monster like Zepeda is crazy. This shows a complete lack of situational awareness. Zepeda is a career-changing threat who will deliver a barrage of punches from the opening bell.

In a way, you can’t blame Roach for coming up with this fanciful vision. The generational wealth he will gain after defeating Zepeda and Shakur will allow him to live like a king. The idea of ​​cashing those huge checks and moving into a Beverly Hills mansion among the elite is enough for anyone to dream about. The problem is that Roach still has William Zepeda in front of him.

Roach acts as if the Zepeda fight is just a formality, a compact rehearsal before the main event he imagines. In boxing, this level of forward-looking tends to lead to a brutal wake-up call.

If Roach brings the exact same irreverent “keyboard warrior” attitude to the ring on August 1, Zepeda might just quickly shock him back to reality.

If you look closely at Roach’s resume, there is nothing in his win column to justify this level of supreme confidence.

Article title and delicate victories

Before the promotion, Roach’s crowning achievement was winning the WBA super featherweight title. He won it via split decision over Hector Luis Garcia, a fighter whose confidence had already been shaken by Gervonta Davis. After that, his only defense was a TKO victory over Feargal McCrory, a decent fighter but a regional level fighter who was far from elite at 130 pounds.

Additionally, Roach’s record includes wins over aging veterans like Rene Alvarado and Jonathan Oquendo. These are solid, respectable wins for a fighter trying to stay vigorous, but they are not career-defining performances that prepare a fighter to handle the elite, contemporary buzzsaw.

Illusory “success” of draws

And here comes the psychological trap. With the official scorecards crediting him with most of his draws against Tank Davis and Pitbull Cruz, Roach turned these stalemates into moral victories.

• Tank Davis fight: You are here. Davis looked completely unmotivated, fighting without rushing and letting the rounds fly by out of sheer boredom. Roach didn’t “neutralize” Tank; Tank just didn’t show up with any real fire.
• Cruz’s Pitbull Fight: Cruz clearly did enough to win this fight, breaking through Roach’s low-impact arm punches and forcing action. The draw was a huge gift that saved Roach’s position, but it still counts as a dominant performance that proved he belongs at the top.

Reality test on August 1

Since he technically didn’t lose those two fights on paper, Roach convinced himself that his lifeless, safety-first, step-back fighting style was elitist. He believes that surviving the distance means he can overtake William Zepeda.

The problem is that Zepeda doesn’t allow enemies to fly. Zepeda won’t stand idly by like Tank, nor will he offer sporadic action that allows a defensive fighter to steal rounds with quick punches. Zepeda will land over 100 punches in each roundforcing Roach to work every second of the fight.

When a fighter hasn’t officially seen his hand raised since mid-2024, standing at ringside with William Zepeda and dreaming of Shakur Stevenson is an extremely threatening game. Roach has confused survival with supremacy, and this illusion may cost him dearly.

lol you think I’m in a phase but these mfs that reply and comment on what’s going on in my career? 80% phony site. The other 20 are miserable and can barely pay their bills. I 100% cannot fwm and do what I do in my field. With that in mind… AUGUST 1 #RoachZepeda

— Lamont Roach Jr (@OneOf1x) June 7, 2026

When a fighter starts attacking random people on social media over paying his bills, there’s a powerful suspicion that the pressure is seeping through his armor. Completely loses the plot.

The irony in his post is hilarious. He claims that no one can “fwm and do what I do in my field,” but what he has actually done recently is avoid highly debatable draws. If Roach’s record reflected back-to-back dominant victories, he could have his critics kicking stones. But with two huge gifts on the scorecards, bouts like this simply look like overcompensation.

This social media meltdown comes as the fight date has officially been set for August 1 in Las Vegas. The reality of what’s coming is starting to settle in. Instead of quietly preparing to deal with a guy who throws a thousand punches a day, Roach wastes his energy defending his honor on X.

If he continues to bring this erratic, weak-skinned energy into his camp, he will be in stern trouble.