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Widespread victory Pagan over Jimenez pushing strenuous in the end

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Image: Boxing Results: Pagan Wins Wide, But Jimenez Pushes Him Hard Late

Joshua Pagan won the main event card in his hometown on Tuesday night, but his performance fell tiny of the tensions that have dogged him over the last year.

Pagan, undefeated in 15 fights with five stoppages, defeated Bryan Jimenez by unanimous decision over 10 rounds at the GLC Live at 20 Monroe gala in Grand Rapids, defending his WBO NABO lightweight belt by scores of 99-91, 99-91 and 100-90. It was a decisive victory, but definitely not the performance expected from the 26-year-old Pagan. He looked very average throughout and took a huge penalty from Jimenez in the sixth set.


The first rounds were as scripted. Pagan controlled the range, doubled his jab and found shelter for a straight right hand. Jimenez, now 18-3 with 10 knockouts, had trouble closing the distance cleanly and was losing ground. Pagan boxed patiently and built a lead that forced Jimenez to chase.

The other half told a different story. Jimenez began to apply more pressure, leading Pagan back and yanking him against the ropes. The Nicaraguan landed clubbing shots to the body and forced Pagan to work in tighter conditions than he thought. The cut above Pagan’s forehead caused a noticeable complication and a shift in energy within the building. The hefty favorite was still ahead, but he no longer had cruise control.

It must be admitted that Pagan calmed down slow. A right hand in the ninth briefly shook Jimenez and restored order. The tenth was cleaner, more composed and enough to end without drama. The judges reflected the early dominance. The crowd celebrated the homecoming.

Still, dominance was expected. Pagan was discussed as an emerging lightweight with upside, the type of fighter who could soon move from the regional stripes to deeper waters. Tuesday evening kept his record intact and probably brought him closer to the WBO top ten. It also raised quieter questions about how his style works when the opponent refuses to cooperate and the fight becomes physical.

Jimenez was not a top contender. He was supposed to take care of him. Pagan did handle it, but not in a way that removed doubts about what would happen as the names got bigger and the pressure increased.

There is value in winning rounds and learning under fire. Pagan did both. The next step up will show whether it was simply a busy ride home or an early warning that the climb would be steeper than advertised.

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Last update: 02/10/2026

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Boxing

Tim Bradley Predicts Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli: Hes Going to Piece Him Up

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Tim Bradley Predicts Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli: "He's Going to Piece Him Up"

Tim Bradley anticipates a “hell of a fight” unfolding between Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli, but only sees one man emerging victorious on October 31.

The pair will collide in a super-middleweight contest in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Mbilli making a first defence of his WBC world title.

He was upgraded from ‘interim’ to full champion following the retirement of Terence Crawford, who became the undisputed 168lb king by dethroning Canelo with a unanimous decision victory in September.

That same night, Mbilli defended his then-interim belt with a 10-round draw against Lester Martinez, producing a performance that aptly reflected his high-volume style.

But while the Frenchman does, indeed, force a considerable pace in the ring, many doubt that this will be enough to trump the 36-year-old Canelo.

Despite coming to the end of his decorated career, the Mexican hardly disgraced himself against Crawford and, prior to that, had remained unbeaten since his 2022 defeat to Dmitry Bivol.

Not only that, but many feel Alvarez is a more technically savvy operator than Mbilli, who throws punches in bunches but typically comes forward in straight lines.

It is partly because of this that Hall of Famer Bradley, while speaking with FightHypehas predicted a dominant victory for Canelo.

“He going to piece Mbilli’s ass up. I like Mbilli – tough guy, comes to bring the pain. It’s going to be a hell of a fight. But Canelo going to catch and shoot on his ass all night long.

“Uppercuts, hooks … it’s going to be bad. [Canelo’s] going to look like he’s back [to his best].”

By “catch and shoot”, Bradley means he is expecting Canelo to punish Mbilli with his counterpunching prowess, even if the 31-year-old keeps springing back with relentless aggression.

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Shakur Stevenson Challenges Devin Haney to Step Up Against KO Champion: You Have No Other Option

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"Shakur Stevenson Challenges Devin Haney to Step Up Against KO Champion: 'You Have No Other Option'"

Devin Haney is currently searching for his next opponent and Shakur Stevenson believes there is only one option for him.

Haney hasn’t fought since becoming a three-division world champion when he defeated Brian Norman Jr by unanimous decision to win the WBO welterweight title back in November.

He has been rumoured to face a number of opponents since then, including Stevenson himself, but it looked like ‘The Dream’ would finally settle on a mandatory showdown with Keyshawn Davis after Top Rank won the purse bid for the clash last week.

Those plans went up in smoke when Davis pulled out of the contest, and Stevenson has explained why he thinks Haney now must target a battle against unified super-welterweight champion Jaron Ennis.

“You said you’d fight Conor Benn? You said you’d find Xander. Why the f**k you don’t say you want to fight Boots now? Matter of fact, you’ve got no other option.

“There’s nobody else on the table. There’s no me, there’s no Key[shawn Davis]there’s no Rolly. Who do you go to? Boots is free. Go get him.”

Ennis previously became unified champion at welterweight before moving up to 154lbs, making an instant impact in the new division when he stopped Xander Zayas in June to win the WBA and WBO super-welterweight titles.

It remains to be seen whether Haney would have any interest in moving up in weight to take on Ennis, with ‘Boots’ also having been linked to fights against IBF champion Josh Kelly, and fellow unbeaten star Vergil Ortiz.

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New World Champion Aims to Follow Canelo and Golovkin as Top Middleweight

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"New World Champion Aims to Follow Canelo and Golovkin as Top Middleweight"

A newly-crowned world champion believes he has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin by becoming the best middleweight fighter on the planet.

Canelo and Golovkin each ruled the 160lb division for a number of years, culminating in two middleweight battles between the pair and one at super-middleweight.

While ‘GGG’ may have last competed in 2022, Canelo remains active, but now fights at super-middleweight, opening the door for a fighter to step up and become the top dog in the middleweight division.

One man who believes he can do just that is Aaron McKenna, who won the vacant IBF middleweight title with a unanimous decision win over Etinosa Oliha in Dublin on Saturday.

Speaking to Sky Sports following that win, McKenna explained how he has ambitions to pick up where the likes of Canelo and Golovkin left off.

“It doesn’t matter [who’s next]whoever wants it. I’m easy to find now, I have a belt. There’s no hiding any more. I want to collect every single belt in boxing. I’m the best middleweight and super-middleweight in the world. I don’t mind jumping up.

“The middleweight division’s there to be took over. It’s been dying for years since GGG (Golovkin) and Canelo left it. I said it again, a year ago, I think I’m going to be the man to take it over.”

The other world champions at 160lbs may have a thing or two to say about McKenna’s plan, as Denzel Bentley is the current WBO champion, Carlos Adamas holds the WBC belt, and Erislandy Lara is the WBA titleholder.

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