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With the year drawing to a close and next year’s schedule falling into place, the lower divisions are looking pretty sharp. But that doesn’t mean upper echelons are sulking in silence.

The crosshairs still feature the Usyk-Fury rematch. Reports suggest moves heralding potential shake-ups at the light heavyweight and super middleweight divisions.

In the 175 lbs division, the decks are cleared for the rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Following their high-octane duel on October 12, the duo will team up for yet another dance. But it appears that the winner of the face-off will have a short time to celebrate. He will be staring at a challenger. One division below, at the super middleweight, the main character still drives the plot. With the crown atop his head still intact, Canelo Alvarez could face yet another title claimant early next year. It’s possible he may meet a familiar face.

Oscar De La Hoya pitches David Benavidez vs Jaime Munguia fight - Bad Left Hook

JUST IN: Claressa Shields Rips Apart by Cris Cyborg for Fighting 42-Year-Old Opponent

Reportedly the WBC has taken a few critical decisions. First, a challenger for the winner of the bout between Beterbiev and Bivol. The two are now ready for yet another big showdown in Riyadh. Many consider the February 22 mega card as the greatest in boxing history. A string of exciting matches includes the likes of Daniel Dubois, Shakur Stevenson, and Vergil Ortiz Jr. defending their titles.

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But before the fight, on February 1, at the T-Mobile Arena, David Benavidez and David Morrell Jr. will meet. A final title eliminator, the bout for Benavidez’s WBC interim light heavyweight title and Morrell Jr.’s regular WBA belt, will clear the path to challenge the winner of the Artur Beterbiev–Dmitry Bivol match, it seems.

A close perusal suggests a win-win, crackerjack array of matchups. Be it Beterbiev vs. Benavidez or Bivol vs. Morrell Jr. or just the reverse, either way, the lineups will be something purists will look forward to.

Given it already has a supremo reigning over it, the situation at the super middleweight might be slightly different, though.

On September 15, Canelo Alvarez defeated Edgar Berlanga during the year’s second title defense. Though no longer an undisputed champion, he still remains a formidable force to reckon with. It may be difficult to dislodge the Mexican superstar; nevertheless, the WBC has taken measures to dry-run a test. Date and venue details are yet to be confirmed; however, there will be a fight between Jaime Munguia and Christian M’billi for the WBC ‘interim’ super middleweight title. The winner stands a chance to dare Alvarez as the mandatory challenger.Screenshot 2024-12-11 163703

If he wins, Munguia, who will face the year’s fourth opponent on December 14, will be walking into a rematch. Early in May, he lost the title challenge to Alvarez on the Cinco de Mayo fixture. Nevertheless, he still retains the WBC silver super middleweight belt.

On the other hand, unbeaten M’billi defeated Sergiy Derevyanchenko to retain the WBC Continental Americas Championship. The ambitious Cameroonian-French fighter dreams of a shot at facing Canelo Alvarez, making the Munguia fight the opportunity he’s been waiting for. A win over the granite-chinned Munguia could bring him closer to his much-coveted dream.

It’s been some time since fans witnessed a virtual war of words between Claressa Shields and Cris Cyborg.

Representing the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA), these two champions have captivated audiences for years. Now, as their professional paths intersect, their public exchanges have become the talk of the combat sports world. Most recently, Cris Cyborg took a jab at Shields following the announcement of her next fight.

In June, Claressa Shields marked her heavyweight debut with a victory over Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse. Earlier in February, after a three-year hiatus, she returned to MMA and defeated Kelsey DeSantis at the ‘PFL vs. Bellator’ event in Saudi Arabia. Cris Cyborg moved to Bellator after her last UFC bout in 2019. With a win over Larissa Pacheco, she secured the PFL featherweight championship two months ago. Cyborg dabbled in boxing as well, claiming two victories via early stoppages this year.

Cris Cyborg threatens to suplex Claressa Shields 'on her head' as bad blood  reaches boiling point

READ: Real Reason for Tyson Fury’s Downfall Against Oleksandr Usyk Explained

Fight Hub TV’s Marcos Villegas shared an update. “Claressa Shields vs. Danielle Perkins will happen in Feb for her WBC heavyweight title,” his tweet read. It didn’t take much time before the report caught Cris Cyborg’s sharp eyes.

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Mocking Claressa Shields, she said, “😂😂😂😂 @Claressashields out here fighting 42-year-old women with 5 professional fights, hiding in a division with only 17 active fighters IN THE WORLD.” Brooklyn-born Danielle Perkins entered professional boxing four years ago. She has only participated in four fights, with her last bout against Monika Harrison taking place in 2021.

Nearly a year after she defended her undisputed middleweight title from Maricela Cornejo, Shields returned for a hometown fixture. At Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena, she faced the Canadian Lepage-Joanisse. The bout ended much earlier than expected.

As both Shields and Cyborg now fight under the PFL banner, speculation about a potential clash between them continues to grow. While an MMA bout seems likely, a showdown in the boxing ring cannot be ruled out. The intrigue surrounding their rivalry is heightened by their history—Shields revealed in an interview with Ariel Helwani that they had sparred in the past.

Soon after she defeated DeSantis, during an interview, Claressa Shields revealed, “I don’t give a damn about Chris Cyborg, and she knows that. Chris Cyborg can’t beat me in a fight; she can’t beat me in boxing. Why is she worried about my weight class and what I fought at? I’m not the only catchweight fight that’s on the card.” Shields suggested Cyborg was upset because her absence in Saudi Arabia allowed the Shields-DeSantis bout to make history as the first women’s MMA fight in the country.

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Cris Cyborg later called out Claressa Shields for a fight. “I’m 10 years older and 30 pounds lighter, but I will beat the brakes off the “GWOAT”: Goofiest Woman Of All Time in a real fight. My last fight was 145 lbs. @Claressashields last fight was 175 lbs. I will fight her inside the @PFLMMA cage at an open weight. Just sign the contract.

Cyborg added that in an MMA fight, she would easily dominate Shields. However, if the bout were to take place in the boxing ring, Cyborg demanded that Shields drop down to 147 pounds. If Shields couldn’t make the weight, Cyborg suggested they fight at open weight under MMA rules.

As the rivalry heats up, fans eagerly anticipate whether the clash will happen inside the MMA cage or the boxing ring.

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Claressa Shields will move up from middleweight to take on WBC women’s heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in Detroit on July 27; the American, who has been fight in MMA, is aiming to become a four-weight world champion

Claressa Shields has her sights on becoming a four-weight world champion after stepping up to challenge women’s WBC heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse.

The 29-year-old has been competing in mixed martial arts with Professional Fighters League since August last year, winning her most recent fight in February with a split-decision verdict over Kelsey DeSantis.Claressa Shields

Shields will return to boxing on July 27 to face Lepage-Joanisse at the Litte Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, where she successfully defended her undisputed middleweight world champion status against Maricela Cornejo in June last year.

“This is a significant and unique fight where I am moving up two weight classes against a very tough champion in my quest to become world champion in my fourth weight division,” Shields said.

“I plan to do what I do best: bring that GWOAT energy and continue putting women’s boxing on the map.

“I’m excited to bring another entertaining fight to Little Caesars Arena. Last time 12,000 fans filled the arena, and this time we’re going to lift the roof off the building.”

Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez will soon be in the market for his next opponent. Terence Crawford continues to knock on the door.

There is currently a two-division gap between the pair of four-weight world champions, with many in the sport warning Crawford that packing on an extra 14 pounds will put him at too much of a disadvantage in the match-up.

It has done nothing to deter the pound-for-pound star, who remains adamant that he can beat Canelo to add to an already extremely impressive legacy.

Canelo has been less than enthusiastic about the match-up in the past, saying he will entertain talks but that he would get little from beating a smaller man.Canelo's Blunt Response To Crawford Fight Offer: "Not Worth My Time" –  RingSide24

Speaking recently on the Ariel and Ade show, Riyadh Season’s Turki Alalshikh, who has attempted to stage the fight in the past, said he wanted to speak directly to Alvarez.

We are ready to talk to Canelo Alvarez, but it must be directly. We do not want intermediaries who complicate negotiations.”

This was put to Canelo, who responded simply:

“I’m open to talk.”

The Mexican superstar stands by what he has said all along – if it makes business sense then he is open to the fight. Alalshikh is certainly in the best position in that regard having made a number of fights in his relatively short time in the sport that struggled beforehand.

Canelo has been clear that he will begin negotiations in January for his next fight. Fans can expect news relatively soon after. As for Crawford, he recently said he would likely fight on if he misses out on this match-up, despite many in the sport assuming he would retire.

Anthony Joshua is no longer a heavyweight titlist, but he remains one of the top draws in all of boxing. The man is extremely entertaining in the ring. More often than not, the towering Londoner delivers action. That’s why fans would love to see Joshua battle fellow former heavyweight titlist Tyson Fury in the near future. A Joshua-Fury match might not be the relevant battle fans have longed for over the years…then again, it just might be. Fury, after all, is battling Oleksandr Usyk later this month. Should he win the rematch against the brilliant Usyk, Fury will be a world titlist yet again.

That’s good news for Joshua, who would no doubt love to be able to fight for a world title once again. Ironically enough, Joshua – who has faced and been bested by Usyk twice himself – thinks Fury will lose to Usyk in the rematch, much as Fury lost to Usyk in their first fight. “I think it’s going to be a tough fight early on,” Joshua told Queensbury Promotions (via Business Day) and then I feel like Usyk will edge it again.” Joshua isn’t alone in his thinking, though the first fight between Usyk and Fury was extremely close.'Joshua should step aside to allow Fury vs Usyk'

Still, Joshua feels Usyk’s skills will once again lead him to victory over Fury. “He’s a class operator,” Joshua said of Usyk, “so I think Usyk’s one of the best out there. That’s why I think he’ll win.” Things may not work out the way Joshua predicts, but there’s no doubt Joshua knows that which of he speaks. For he’s faced Usyk for a full twenty four rounds. Unfortunately (for Joshua, at least) Usyk won both those fights in fairly dominant fashion. Yet there’s little doubt that Joshua knows what it’s like to face Usyk, perhaps better than anyone.

Whether or not Fury wins the Usyk rematch, there will still be interest in seeing he and Joshua throw down. Joshua won’t be able to fight Fury for any heavyweight titles, though, if Fury loses to Usyk a second time. The fight might then be considered a second tier affair, popular though it would undoubtedly be. Joshua is perhaps slipping, as his recent loss to Daniel Dubois might indicate. Fury might be considered a bit over the hill himself should he come up short against Usyk twice in a row. Still, the longed for Joshua-Fury fight will feel like unfinished businesses for each fighter should they never meet in the ring.

Paul defeated Iron Mike in one of the biggest boxing events ever.

Time seems to be flying, as we are now nearing the one-month anniversary of one of the biggest boxing events in recent history. Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, after months of speculation and doubt, finally squared off on November 15. So many fans were intrigued that Netflix’s servers faltered under the traffic.

Ultimately, Paul defeated an old and slow Tyson, saddening most fans who wanted to see Iron Mike do damage. Instead, they saw the damage that Father Time does to every human being. No one was really sure what to expect going in due to Tyson’s age, Paul’s lack of experience against elite punchers and some of the questionable fights Paul has had in the past. Some still believe it was rigged.

Jake Paul explains how spirituality helped him beat Mike TysonMike Tyson and Jake Pau

Regardless of the conspiracy theories, Paul can say he beat Tyson in an official bout. In order to be able to pull it off, Paul has revealed that he got in touch with his spiritual side. So much so that he felt the presence of God while doing “breathwork”.

Paul says he has developed a practice of doing breathwork every single day. He says it has helped him “grow and mature”, as well as make him realize what he must do as a human being on Earth. The YouTuber-turned-boxer claims he saw things “from God’s perspective” and got in tune with what God needed from him.

It’s a far cry from Paul at a younger age, as he claims he never used to believe or have faith. A lot has changed for Paul over the past few years, in a lot of different ways.

British boxer Conor Benn and WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis have been talking trash over the internet for quite some time. Previously, Benn’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, had even sent out a fight offer to Davis, but the Baltimore native refused the challenge. However, the fire to face off against Davis hasn’t died down for ‘The Destroyer.’

The 28-year-old found himself without a British boxing license in 2022 when the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) revoked it after Benn failed two drug tests ahead of his scheduled fight against rival Chris Eubank Jr. However, things are starting to look up for the Brit, as the suspension was lifted last month.Gervonta Davis

National Anti-Doping Panel was “not comfortably satisfied” with UKAD and the BBBofC had proved he had committed an anti-doping rule violation. Regardless, with his boxing license back in his hand, Benn appears ready for action. Speaking to Fight Hub TV recently, the Essex native ripped into Davis, describing their feud.

He’s just a mouthy little t**t,” Benn said. “He just wanted to pipe up and start talking. Pipe up and start talking then, you’re still four foot tall and still can’t get on a rollercoaster. I said, ‘listen, you keep talking s**t. My promoter’s going to get back to you in 48 hours.” Benn further claimed that after they sent Davis an offer to fight, Al Haymon didn’t let Davis accept the challenge.

A group of people confronted boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. in London after he expressed support for Israel, The Sun reported on Tuesday.

Up to 10 people were involved in “going after” him, and somebody “took a swing” at him after he “doubled down” on support for “the Jews,” the newspaper quoted witnesses saying.

“Someone said that Mayweather had been shopping when he was asked why he supported Israel. He doubled down and said he was proud to support the Jews,” one witness reportedly told the outlet. “Then someone took a swing at him because of that. It looked very targeted.”

That witness added that Mayweather Jr., who had been shopping in the central part of the city, was struck during the incident, according to The Sun.Floyd Mayweather

“Floyd took a few hits during it, but his security was trying to push people back. I couldn’t really see Floyd trying to throw any punches back,” the outlet quoted the bystander as saying. “His guards were just trying to get distance between him and them.”

Another witness told The Sun someone shouted that Mayweather Jr. supports genocide.

“There was a massive argument going on. People were pushing trying to get him and slap his head. All these macho men were trying to fight him,” that bystander said, according to The Sun. “They ran him out and his security was pushing him trying to get him away. They were getting punched. He got rushed away in his Rolls-Royce. There were drinks thrown at him as he drove off.”

Mayweather Jr. didn’t provide much of a response to the claim he supports genocide, the outlet quoted the witness as saying. Floyd Mayweather

“He was like, ‘Let’s get the f*** out of here,’” the bystander reportedly said.

Mayweather Jr. posted on Instagram Tuesday night “there’s no truth to the rumors going around,” writing that he’s “perfectly fine, and there’s really nothing more to it.”

“I wasn’t punched or touched in any way. What you’re seeing is just my security doing their job to keep things under control,” Mayweather Jr. said. “I was in the UK for a quick 48-hour stop to do some shopping, and unfortunately, people let jealousy and negativity fuel false stories.”

We were stressing the limits of the Internet itself that night,” the streamer’s co-CEO tells UBS’ Media & Communications Conference

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said demand for its live boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson on Nov. 15 was “off the charts,” despite some of its subscribers facing technical difficulties during the stream.

“We hate to disappoint a member for one second. So yes, there was some of that,” Sarandos admitted at UBS’ Media & Communications Conference on Tuesday. “But the real thing is, we had an enormous live audience: 108 million people watching live. You’d have to go back to the ’80s to get a live audience that big. It’s a Super Bowl-like audience that we were able to draw for this fight.”

He touted the match as the “largest streaming event in history” and “one of the largest live audiences in almost 40 years.”
Mike Tyson

“We were stressing the limits of the Internet itself that night,” Sarandos added. “We had a control room up in Silicon Valley that was re-engineering the entire Internet to keep it up during this fight because of the unprecedented demand that was happening.”

Sarandos also noted that the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano fight attracted 50 million people in the U.S. and 74 million around the world.

“A lot of records were set that night for a company that basically broke down during the ‘Love is Blind’ reunion about a year and a half before that,” he emphasized. “So that’s a lot of positive trajectory in a very short amount of time.”

The Tyson-Paul match was the latest live programming effort from Netflix as it looks to ramp up its advertising business.

“We severely undersold that fight,” Sarandos said. “If we knew the audience would be that big, we probably would have done a lot more selling on that fight.”

In addition to that fight night, Netflix is gearing up for two live NFL games on Christmas Day as well as WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” starting in January 2025, which have attracted “a lot” of advertising demand, according to Sarandos.

Former five-division champion Floyd Mayweather is facing the repercussions of his support for Israel. According to various reports, the 47-year-old boxing legend was attacked by a mob as he shopped in a jewelry store in Hatton Garden, Central London. Several clips of the incident have surfaced online, and fans are having a field day with them.

Back in March, ‘Money’ Mayweather flew to Israel to show his support for the country, which is embroiled in an ongoing war. In fact, when the conflict in the Jewish nation first began, Mayweather pledged his allegiance on social media, suggesting he “stands with” the country. He even penned a strong message, sharing his views on the matter.

Why was Floyd Mayweather attacked? 

Floyd Mayweather

“I stand with Israel against the Hamas terrorists. Hamas [does] not represent the people of Palestine but are a terrorist group that [is] attacking innocent lives,” Floyd wrote in a post supporting Israel. “I stand for all humans and wish for the safe return of all Americans and Israelis and any human that were kidnapped as hostages during these horrific war crimes.”

“This is not a time for politics. This is a time for safety first and foremost.” Regardless, his support for the country seems to have been the root cause of the attack against him on Tuesday in Central London. In a video surfaced on Instagram, Floyd Mayweather can be seen wearing a green jacket, and appeared visibly distressed, as his security escorted him.

Meanwhile, a large mob can be seen gathered around the former boxer, as his bodyguards rushed him into a blacked-out 4×4. According to reports, his car eventually sped out of the area, while some of his security team stayed behind. Several varying eyewitness reports are coming in about what happened during the incident.

The Sun reported that a source close to Mayweather had claimed that Floyd was “not touched” during the incident, but another eyewitness claimed the boxer “took a few hits.” Reportedly, everything began when Mayweather was out shopping and an individual asked him whether he supported Israel.

Floyd Mayweather

Mayweather seems to have responded “proud to support the Jews,” so the witness claimed someone around the former boxer swung at him. “Then someone took a swing at him because of that. It looked very targeted,” the source continued. “Floyd took a few hits during it, but his security was trying to push people back.”

The source claimed despite the attack they could not see Mayweather attack the people back—just his bodyguards trying to create distance between him and the parties involved. One post featuring the clip on Instagram was captioned, “Floyd Mayweather chased out of Hatton Gardens after making controversial comments.”

However, another post with a clip of the incident captioned the post, “Floyd Mayweather chased out of Hatton Gardens in London. The public [is] angry over his comments and support for Israel.” Regardless of the reason behind the attack, people online quickly started talking about it.

Fans allege even the mob was scared to attack Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather

Even though Floyd Mayweather faced outrage on the streets of London, fans online were rather supportive. One user felt the mob got aggressive after Mayweather got into his car. “Looks like they got aggressive after he was pulling off they knew better,” the user wrote. However, as mentioned before, the incident began while Mayweather was in a jewelry store. The clip showed bits and pieces of what actually happened—eyewitness testimonies claim things were much more heated.

Meanwhile, this user was not too pleased with Mayweather. “Don’t come to London underestimating it, ‘Money May.’ You[‘re] a nobody to the road men over here,” the user commented. Notably, a source told The Sun that some members of the crowd even “used racial slurs” towards him.

Another user thought one member of the mob became louder as Mayweather’s car got further. “Lol dude yelled louder the farther the car [drove] away,” the user commented. However, one eyewitness told The Sun, “There was a massive argument going on. People were pushing trying to get him and slap his head. All these macho men were trying to fight him.”

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