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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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Kelvin Davis escapes by split decision over Peter Dobson

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Image: Kelvin Davis Escapes With Split Decision Over Dobson

Welterweight Kelvin Davis (16-1, 8 KO) escaped with a split decision victory over Peter Dobson (17-4, 10 KO) after a hard-fought 10-round fight that drew noisy boos from the crowd after the result was announced. The judges scored it 99-91 and 97-93 for Davis, while the third judge scored it 98-92 for Dobson.

Davis boxed effectively early on, using his jab, foot movement and reach to keep Dobson out and gain the advantage in the early rounds. Dobson had difficulty getting close enough to land consistently in the first half of the fight as Davis remained disciplined and chose areas with cleaner strikes.


Dobson had more success in the second half of the fight, getting inside and landing to the body. As the action became increasingly brutal and physical, Davis spent more time on the ropes and in clinches.

Dobson’s aggression and work in the middle helped put an end to the fight, and a few delayed rounds proved challenging to score. Davis continued to land enough pointed counters and straight shots to convince the two judges that he had done enough to secure the victory.

Many fans online and in the arena reacted negatively to the decision, especially due to the wide score of 99-91 in favor of Davis. Several unofficial scorecards indicated that the fight was much closer together, and some viewers felt that Dobson did enough to force a draw or provide an advantage in the decision.

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Last update: 2026/05/16 at 22:46

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Canelo officially announces return to world title fight, dubbed ‘fight of the decade’

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Canelo officially announces comeback world title shot dubbed ‘fight of the decade’

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez confirmed the reports about his fight with WBC champion Christian Mbilli in an official statement.

Canelo, who has a professional record of 63-3-2 and 39 KOs, last fought in September 2025 when defeated by pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford.

The Mexican icon lost his undisputed super middleweight title that night, his first defeat in the division, but now he hopes to win one of the belts outright when he challenges fresh champion Mbilli on September 12 in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

Confirming the news, Alvarez said:

“After so many years in this sport, my motivation is still the same: to challenge myself, represent Mexico and continue to build my legacy.

“Mbilli is undefeated and he’s a great fighter and I respect that. But my focus is always on my preparation, performance and giving the fans another great night of boxing.

“On September 12 in Riyad, we start a fresh chapter with the same discipline, ambition and vision that have accompanied me throughout my career.”

Mbilli secured the WBC interim belt by defeating Maciej Sulecki in June 2025 and regained it after an engaging draw with Lester Martinez on the Canelo vs Crawford card. When Crawford retired, the 29-0-1 Mbilli was elevated to full champion.

The fresh champion announced the “fight of the decade” in his own statement.

“My last fight was the fight of the year. In September against Canelo Alvarez, it will be the fight of the decade. And when the fight is over, the world will witness my historic victory.”

The fight will be the culmination of the gala titled “Mexico vs. the World”, and details of the card will be revealed at the press conference opening the gala, which will be held next week in Egypt.

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Dave Allen withdrew after a tackle by Filip Hrgović

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Image: Dave Allen Pulled Out After Filip Hrgovic Onslaught

BBBofC British lightweight champion Louie O’Doherty improved to 12-0 (3 KO) with a unanimous decision victory over Ahmed “No Mercy” Hatim, retaining his British title and adding the vacant Commonwealth lightweight title.

Hatim had it moments earlier, rocking O’Doherty with a right hand in the second round, but O’Doherty gradually took control with sharper combinations and a faster work rate. As the rounds progressed, the fight became increasingly physical, with O’Doherty landing consistently and Hatim struggling to keep up. O’Doherty closed the final rounds strongly, including a dominant tenth and a busy twelfth round in which Hatim was forced to hold out multiple times. The scores were 119-109 and 118-110 twice.

In a joint film, Michael Gomez Jr. improved his record to 23-2 (8 KO) after a sixth-round victory over Lee McGregor in a hard-fought lightweight fight.

The fight was action-packed from the first round, with both fighters trading aggressively. Gomez hurt McGregor several times during the fight and dropped him with a right hand slow in the third round. McGregor continued to fight despite swelling around his eye and blood from his nose, but Gomez’s pressure eventually became too much. In the sixth round, McGregor’s corner threw in the towel after another sustained attack.

Welterweight Joe Hayden improved to 23-0 (3 KO) after a fifth-round victory over Ryan Frost in a six-round fight. Hayden was in control throughout and fired shots to the body in the third and fifth rounds before referee Michael Alexander stopped the fight.

2024 Olympic gold medalist Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev improved to 2-0 (1 KO) with a six-round victory over replacement Alexis Torres. Muydinkhujaev controlled the fight with his jab and left hand, hurting Torres several times while winning on the scorecards.

Ted Jackson stopped Mike Byles in the first round after he scored a knockdown early in the fight and forced referee Michael Alexander to intervene. Jackson improved to 7-0 (2 KO).

Brad Casey also remained undefeated, improving to 5-0 (2 KO) after stopping Renars Rusin in the second round. Casey hurt Rusin with a right hand before referee Howard Foster stepped in to stop the fight.

Leighton Birchall remained undefeated after four rounds in a featherweight fight with Leonardo Baez.

Kian Hamilton improved to 2-0 with a four-round victory over Les Urry. Hamilton landed several sturdy body shots during the fight and closed the fight well as Urry spent most of the final round in survival mode.

John Tom Varey improved to 2-0 with a four-round decision over veteran journeyman Stephen Jackson. Varey controlled the action throughout, changing positions and repeatedly forcing Jackson into the ropes, looking for a late-fight stoppage.

Carl Fail improved his record to 12-0 (4 KO) after an eight-round victory over Luis Montelongo. Fail controlled the fight with his jabs and bodywork, hurting Montelongo several times during the fight, making the score 80-72.

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