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Whittaker vs Buatsi order – will Hearn take the risk?

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Eddie Hearn congratulating Ben Whittaker after his win over Benjamin Gavazi

Promoter Eddie Hearn says he could let Ben Whittaker “take a chance” and fight Joshua Buatsi in a WBC-ordered featherlight heavyweight eliminator.

WBC forces Hearn’s hand

Hearn is not yet sure whether Whittaker (10-0-1, 7 KO) should fight Buatsi yet. He says yes “sooner than we expected.” The WBC ordered the event because Whittaker won the silver 175-pound title on November 29 with a first-round knockout victory over Benjamin Gavazi.

Whittaker’s 29-year-old – The era of prospects is over

Hearn is not saying how long he plans to continue working on 2020 Olympic silver medalist Whittaker. He will soon turn 29, which puts him at the same age as Hearn’s other player, Conor Benn, who he wants to replace his aging star Anthony Joshua.

Hearn needs someone to take over as his flagship player at Matchroom. In Whittaker’s case, it is questionable whether he will be able to win and retain world titles. We know we can beat players from the national league and players from the second league. He showed this against unranked lower tier players Liam Cameron and Gavazi.

The way Whittaker looked in his first fight with Cameron and the way he broke down in the 2020 Olympics against Arlen Lopez suggests he is incapable of winning world titles against any of the existing champions.

The Substantial Four still unnamed

Whittaker doesn’t look good enough to beat title challengers David Morrell, Imam Khataev, Arlen Lopez or Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Interestingly, Hearn never mentions these players when he talks about the “three tiers” of players that Whittaker has to go through. Mentions defenseless British fighters, but does not include The, the Substantial Four: Morrell, Khataev, Lopez and Gvozdyk.

Design errors everywhere

This is a red flag for Hearn, who is probably maneuvering Ben around them, treating them like a rocky obstacle that he controls barely seaworthy Whittaker nearby. At this point, the Ben has too many design flaws and is too flawed to be placed among the top competitors. If you throw the Whittaker into the ocean now, it will sink without a complete overhaul.

At Whittaker’s advanced age, this would have been possible. When a player is 30 years vintage, he is as good as he has ever been. You won’t see significant improvements that would take them to a level they were never designed for.

“According to the contract, we know he will fight in America in the spring, but sooner or later you will be involved in these fights,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. Stomping areas how Ben Whittaker was ordered to fight Joshua Buatsi for a WBC 175-pound title eliminator.

“There are three tiers. Bivol, Beterbiev, Benavidez, Callum, Yarde, Buatsi and then Dan Azeez, Craig Richards, Zach Parker, Willy Hutchinson. So you want to get through those tiers,” Hearn said, making it clear he would not take a risk by putting Whittaker in Buatsi.

National route option

If Hearn is going to burn Whittaker for the next two years, fighting British level fighters like Azeez, Richards, Parker and Hutchinson in the hope of improving him, he is wasting his time. He will simply be older, not better.

Robert Segal thinks Hearn will want to play for time with Whittaker. Compare him to lower-tier British fighters like those above, and wait until the aging Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev either retire or mature enough for Whittaker to beat them.

Uncredited: Morrell, Khataev, Arlen

In the case of David Benavidez, playing for time may result in him leaving the division and moving to cruiserweight. Once he’s gone, Hearn will have to worry about Whittaker’s flaws. The only people Hearn will have to worry about are Morrell, Khataev and Arlen. He already treats them as if they don’t exist. Logic suggests that these will still be people who cannot be mentioned.

If we take this fight [Buatsi for Whittaker]”, it’s sooner than we expected, but after this fight in America, maybe we’ll just do it,” Hearn said. “It’s a great fight and I think Ben will win it. Do you want to be 100% ready for these fights or do you want to take a risk? We really don’t have to take a risk with Ben Whittaker’s greatness.

I can’t wait to see who Hearn chooses for Whittaker’s next fight in America. This should be fun. Who is he digging to make Ben look like 24k gold? I’m already predicting that Minnesotan David Morrell will not be elected.

“We saw the numbers on DAZN and on social media. They were huge,” Hearn said of Whittaker’s viewing figures for his Matchroom debut against Benjamin Gavazi. “So we have one of the biggest stars in British boxing. At the moment Ben Whittaker and Conor Benn are behind Joshua and Tyson Fury; they are the biggest stars by a mile.”

Last update: 12/06/2025

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Boxing

Gervonta Davis is close to returning to action, according to her opponent’s name

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Gervonta Davis close to securing comeback fight as opponent named

It looks like Gervonta Davis is one step away from confirming her return to the ring.

Davis last fought in March 2025, when he earned a majority draw with Lamont Roach to defend his WBA lightweight title.

It was a controversial result, with many feeling that Roach had done enough to get the nod, especially after a knockdown was not awarded in his favor after “Tank” voluntarily chose to take a knee in round nine.

The next 12 months left many in doubt as to whether Davis would return to play at all. A planned exhibition with Jake Paul in November has been canceled over the Baltimore man’s naming in a civil lawsuit over domestic allegations, the latest in a string of issues going beyond the ropes.

Another drama occurred after an arrest warrant was issued for “Tank”, citing similar accusations, which led to him being stripped of his WBA lightweight title.

Regardless, it looks like Davis is ready to make a comeback after this happened Reported by Mike Coppinger that he is in advanced talks about a fight with Isaac Cruz, the man whom “Tank” considered his number one target at the end of last year.

Davis has already secured a victory over Cruz, who last fought in December when he fought to a majority draw against former foe “Tank” Roach – a fighter he believes should be given a chance to face him again.

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The fight between Luis Nery and John Riel Casimero will take place on April 18 in Kyrgyzstan

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Image: Luis Nery vs John Riel Casimero set for April 18 in Kyrgyzstan

Neither player holds a title and neither has been part of any real championship talk in recent seasons. Nery has already held the bantamweight and junior featherweight belts, although his recent appearances at featherweight have shown that the path up is confined. At 126 pounds, he looked undersized and unable to apply the same pressure that once carried him through lighter divisions, which makes a return to 122 pounds a more practical move.

Saikou x Lush Boxing will promote the event as part of a three-day boxing show in the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The gala will be held at the Gazprom Sports Convoluted, an extraordinary setting for two players who regularly appeared on larger international stages at the beginning of their careers.

Nery (37-2, 28 KO) will fight in Kyrgyzstan for the second time in a row after appearing there in October last year. The 31-year-old Mexican southpaw defeated Sathaporn Saart by technical decision in the eighth round after an accidental head collision put the fight on the scorecards.

The win was his second in a row since Naoya Inoue stopped him in the sixth round in May 2024. Nery made a comeback earlier in 2025, stopping Kyonosuke Kameda in the seventh round before extending his rebound stretch with a victory over Saart.

Casimero (35-5-1, 24 KOs), now 37, built his reputation by winning junior flyweight, flyweight and bantamweight titles early in his career. Activity has been confined and results inconsistent over the past few seasons, leading to him being 2-1-1 in his last four fights.

His last fight was in December, when he defeated Tom Mizokoshi in the fifth round in Japan. Two months earlier, he appeared at the same October gala in Kyrgyzstan, where Nery fought Saart and lost to Kameda by unanimous decision of ten rounds.

The April meeting brings together two former champions who once operated at the forefront of the sport’s lighter divisions. At this stage, it could be read as more of a veteran clash between recognizable names rather than a fight expected to impact the junior featherweight championship race.

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Oleksandr Usyk is naming the heavyweight fight he wants after Rico Verhoeven

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Oleksandr Usyk names the heavyweight fight he wants after Rico Verhoeven

Oleksandr Usyk is taking Rico Verhoeven seriously, perhaps because he will face a bigger challenge later.

The elite southpaw will face kickboxing icon Verhoeven on May 23 in Egypt in a fight focused on spectacle after years of hard-fought victories on the road. Even though Usyk has strayed from his usual matchmaking, he has now assured fans that they can expect a return to top-level championship boxing later.

Speaking on DAZN’s Inside the Ring, Usyk revealed that after the fight, his goal would be to become the undisputed heavyweight champion for a third time, with his primary goal being either Daniel Dubois or Fabio Wardley.

“For me it’s a real fight. Yes, Rico is not a good boxer, ok, nice fight, no problem, but I want my next fight [against the] Daniel Dubois and Wardley winner.”

Wardley was promoted from interim to full WBO champion when the Ukrainian vacated the belt rather than face him as mandatory challenger. His first defense against Dubois, scheduled for May 9 in Manchester, is perilous.

This is a legacy-based strategy that Usyk has used in the past, dropping the IBF belt to allow Dubois’ elevation, defending against Anthony Joshua, and then facing him to regain the belt. If “DDD” defeats Wardley, he could expect a trilogy fight, but fan interest may wane given how the first two fights went.

It all depends on whether Usyk retains his three titles. Although the fight for the WBC belt with Verhoeven is highly controversial, the IBF and WBA leagues have not been mentioned yet. The sanctioning authorities may well decide to declare a vacancy in their belts.

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