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BOXING

‘The Only Mistake’ Canelo Makes That Terence Crawford Can Exploit – Dmitry Bivol

By Admin January 17, 2025

Dmitry Bivol was the last man to beat Canelo Alvarez inside a boxing ring.

They met back in May 2022, with Canelo stepping up to 175lbs as he looked to once again claim world honours in the light heavyweight division.

It wasn’t to be though, as Bivol won the fight by unanimous decision, becoming just the second man after Floyd Mayweather to overcome the Mexican superstar.

JUST IN: Oleksandr Usyk named in dream fight with Britain’s Mike Tyson by Turki Alalshikh

Since that bout, Bivol went on to face Artur Beterbiev in an undisputed showdown in October, suffering a narrow defeat, with a rematch taking place next month.

As for Canelo, he returned to super-middleweight and made several defences of his world titles, and now looks to be on a collision course with fellow pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford.

The fight would see Crawford moving up several weight divisions, with some fans worried that it could prove to be a bridge too far for the former undisputed super-lightweight and welterweight champion.

Crawford disagrees, and may be interested to hear what mistakes Bivol felt Canelo made following their meeting nearly three years ago.

Speaking in the aftermath of his victory, Bivol explained exactly what Alvarez did wrong to potentially cost him the bout.

“He has good speed and good power. Maybe his mistake is he throws only hard punches. After hard punches he relaxes and he’s tired.”

Time will tell whether the same issue happens again for Canelo when the Crawford fight reportedly happens later this year, and the only man that has fought both boxers professionally, Amir Khan, has given his prediction for the bout.

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BOXING

Oleksandr Usyk named in dream fight with Britain’s Mike Tyson by Turki Alalshikh

By Admin January 17, 2025

Turki Alalshikh wants Moses Itauma to face Oleksandr Usyk before the current unified heavyweight world champion retires.

Usyk is the current unified champion after defending his belt successfully in a rematch with Tyson Fury last month, and he remains unbeaten.

At the age of 37, the Ukrainian hasn’t got many fights left with retirement looming, but he is expected to return to the squared circle.

READ: Oleksandr Usyk Has Finally Revealed Who He Will Fight Next After Beating Tyson Fury Twice

For Usyk, there are not many challengers remaining with a potential undisputed rematch against Daniel Dubois potentially on the table.

But when naming a dream fight for the Ukrainian, Saudi boxing chief Alalshikh identified young prodigy Itauma as a potential opponent.

“If we have time, I would love to see Itauma vs Usyk,” Alalshikh said on White & Jordan.

“But only if we have time. It will depend if Usyk retires.”

Itauma came into the sport with huge ambitions of breaking Mike Tyson’s famous record as the youngest-ever heavyweight world champion at the age of 20.

The Briton has just four months to complete the record, meaning it looks increasingly unlikely.

His only realistic shot at a belt could be for the WBA ‘regular’ title against Kubrat Pulev, which would not be for a full ‘super’ version of the world belt.

But Alalshikh still wants to see the record broken.

He added: “I still want to see Itauma be the youngest ever heavyweight world champion.

“I heard information about his sparring with Dubois, and the information is amazing.

“He can be the biggest talent in Britain and around the world.”

The 20-year-old looks to have narrowly missed out on the record, but still seems right on course for a destined path to the pinnacle of the division.

Usyk stands in his way for now, with the Ukrainian yet to be beaten by a star-studded list of names including Fury and Anthony Joshua.

It is expected he will first take a break from the sport before deciding who to select as his next opponent later in 2025.

But British heavyweight Frazer Clarke would now like to see the current champion retire after a sensational run.

Clarke told talkSPORT: “I wouldn’t mind seeing Usyk hang the gloves up, I don’t know who else he goes on to prove or do anything.

“But do I want to see Fury vs AJ? Absolutely and I’m a Brit and a big boxing fan.

“But with Usyk, I’m not sure who even gets him out of bed now. He’s beaten AJ, Fury and Dubois.

“They are the top dogs. Is there any point going and fighting Deontay Wilder?

“He’s not in great form as the other big name, so I would like to see Usyk sail into the sunset now.

“Yeah he’s one of the greatest to have ever done it to be honest.”

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BOXING

Gervonta Davis Rips Into Terence Crawford’s Wife as Online Spat Takes Ugly Turn

By Admin January 16, 2025

The Terence Crawford–Gervonta Davis online spat recently took an ugly turn.

The duo has been at loggerheads ever since Davis sided with his friend Errol Spence Jr against Crawford during their rivalry leading up to their July 2023 bout, trading barbs and taunts. Though Spence and Tank later parted ways, the anger between Davis and Bud still lingers.

The rivalry recently escalated when the organizers of the prestigious Ring Magazine Awards did not invite the Baltimore native to their high-profile event in London. While the entire boxing royalty was present at the ceremony, Tank, who has had a problematic past with the Riyadh Season head HE Turki Alalshikh, showcased his anger and indifference to the event.

JUST IN: Deontay Wilder Is Back! With Opponent Confirmed, The Bronze Bomber’ Signs For April Comeback Fight

Terence Crawford saw this as a perfect opportunity. He sneakily mocked the WBA lightweight champion on his X stating, “I see somebody mad they wasn’t invited to the @ringmagazine gala.😂😂”. This was enough to result in a back-and-forth that has now reached a boiling point as Gervonta Davis dragged Bud’s wife, Alindra Person, into their spat.

After Crawford’s first post, Tank ripped into him with a retort, “And I still make more than you.” And soon it was off to the races with each trying to one-up the other with their insult. The WBA lightweight champion, in another post taking a dig at Bud, added again, “Yalll think he chasing greatness.he’s not that’s what he have to do to make decent money.” This seems to have angered the two-division undisputed champion.

Terence Crawford immediately responded on X: “By the way little guy,don’t speak too son because you definitely not making more than me fight who you been fighting. That’s why you talking about fighting Ryan again.” This seems to have hit a nerve as Gervonta Davis went on a tirade of several X posts which, like always, he seems to have deleted soon after.

This series of insults on X is what culminated in his last post. Though it looks like he deleted the post later, boxing insider, Rick Glaser shared a screengrab of the post while calling out Davis for what Glaser considered a “classless move” on Gervonta Davis’ part. “Very low by Tank Davis @Gervontaa, bringing Terence Crawford’s @terencecrawford family into it, you never ever bring family into it. EVER!!! Classless move,” wrote Glaser in a bold rebuke.

For those wondering, the post from Gervonta Davis that seems to have triggered Glaser, read, “And he got like 8 kids and his wife like 380 lbs..yea buddy gotta work overtime..🤣.” For anyone reading it, it is easy to understand why Rick Glaser felt the move was a low blow of sorts.

While there has been a rivalry between the duo, so far, it has been restricted to them and their boxing careers. However, with this move, it has taken a personal turn and there might be no coming back.

For a quick tour of the history of their rivalry, shortly after securing the undisputed welterweight title from his friend Spence Jr, Bud heard that Gervonta Davis had claimed he could beat him at 147 lbs. The Nebraskan wasn’t too fond of the comments and took a dig at Tank, indirectly challenging him to a fight.

While speaking on ‘The Breakfast Club’ in August 2023, Crawford declared, “And if he comes up to 147 thinking, he’s just gonna knock Terence Crawford out, he’s got another thing coming,” and issued a warning to the Baltimore native. However, even then Bud had respect for the 30-year-old and he acknowledged Davis’ prowess in the ring.

While it is still hard to fathom how these two will collide in the ring considering Crawford is chasing the Canelo Alvarez fight and Davis remains focused on the Lamont Roach Jr fight in March. This personal turn will be financially consequential to them in the lead-up to their respective fights. As we all know, Terence Crawford is not someone who takes these digs lightly.

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BOXING

Deontay Wilder Is Back! With Opponent Confirmed, The Bronze Bomber’ Signs For April Comeback Fight

By Admin January 16, 2025

Deontay Wilder has reportedly signed for his comeback fight, ending any speculation that the 39-year-old will hang up the gloves.

Once a long-reigning WBC Heavyweight World Champion known for knocking out all comers, Wilder met his match in Tyson Fury. The pair first fought to a controversial draw before the Brit stamped his authority on the rematch with a stoppage to serve Wilder the first loss of his career. Though more competitive in the trilogy bout, the American met the same fate and stepped away from the sport for a year.

A one round demolition of Robert Helenius was a good reminder of Wilder’s abilities, however he failed to capitalise and went through another bout of inactivity before returning against, and losing to, Joseph Parker. Ahead of his next fight with Zhilei Zhang, the big hitter from Alabama said retirement would be considered if he lost. He was knocked out in five rounds.

JUST IN: Oleksandr Usyk Has Finally Revealed Who He Will Fight Next After Beating Tyson Fury Twice

Despite that, Wilder will fight on and it was recently announced that he would take his show to the BLK Prime platform for an April bout. Heavyweight journeyman Curtis Harper told the Ring Magazine that he had signed his end of the deal and Boxing Scene now reports ‘The Bronze Bomber’ has now put pen to paper to make for the fight, slated for April 26 in Atlanta.

Harper is 18-11 in his pro campaign with losses to the likes of Zhang, Bakhodir Jalolov and Guido Vianello. He made headlines back in 2018 for being immediately disqualified from his bout with Efe Ajagba when he exited the ring upon the first bell. What looked like was a lack of will to fight, he later explained, was a financial protest. The fight should be made official in the coming days.

Wilder will enter the ring the heaviest of favourites hoping to rediscover the killer instinct that made him famous. If he does, there will likely be one last crack at the top level.

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BOXING

Oleksandr Usyk Has Finally Revealed Who He Will Fight Next After Beating Tyson Fury Twice

By Admin January 16, 2025

Oleksandr Usyk is widely considered to be one of the best boxers of his era, if not all time.

The likeable Ukraine southpaw is undefeated in his career so far. He has had 23 professional fights since turning over from the amateur code following his victory and gold medal in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Since then he has cleaned out two entire divisions. Firstly he became undisputed at cruiserweight, then moved up and repeated the trick at heavyweight. Across back-to-back fights with Anthony Joshua, he managed to take and then defend three of the four world titles before retaining them against Daniel Dubois via stoppage.

JUST IN: Daniel Dubois? Deontay Wilder? Meet the seven foes Anthony Joshua could face next

Another brace of close battles followed with Tyson Fury, and again, like the ‘AJ’ bouts, Usyk came out on top across the 24 hard-fought rounds.

Because of what he has achieved, including being named Ring Magazine’s Fighter of the Year for 2024, many feel he could now walk away with his head held high and his place in the Hall of Fame assured.

However, there is also plenty of clamour for him to rematch Dubois and again become an undisputed champion, that’s if Dubois can get past Joseph Parker in February.

Speaking in the Daily Mail, Frank Warren claims Usyk has told him that is exactly his plan.

“Oleksandr told me at the weekend he will fight the winner of Daniel v Joseph Parker to try to become undisputed heavyweight champion a second time.”

Being twice undisputed at heavyweight would be another historic feat for Usyk, and something befitting the high levels he has achieved across his career.

All eyes turn to February 22, when Dubois puts his IBF belt on the line against New Zealand’s Parker.

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BOXING

Daniel Dubois? Deontay Wilder? Meet the seven foes Anthony Joshua could face next

By Admin January 16, 2025

Anthony Joshua’s dreams of a blockbuster British super-bout with Tyson Fury look to be dead in the water after the latter announced his sudden retirement on Monday.

The former two-time heavyweight world champion had been tipped to return to the ring against “The Gypsy King”, his long-time domestic rival, for a first-ever meeting this year.

But Fury’s decision to hang up his gloves has left Joshua facing a different test in 2025, as he mulls his next move following a fifth-round loss to Daniel Dubois in September.

READ: ‘Leave with a bang’ – Anthony Joshua makes Tyson Fury fight claim

Promoter Eddie Hearn, who has overseen the star’s rise to the top of the world twice with Matchroom over the past decade, certainly believes there is no shortage of options.

Now, he has outlined seven credible foes for the former London 2012 gold medalist to face next, ranging from rematches to other blockbuster clashes with some big names.

Here, DAZN News profiles the options laid out before Joshua – and how each one has fared over recent years in the ring as they bid for their own glory too.

Daniel Dubois

Age: 27
Nationality: British
Record: 22-2 (21 KOs)
Titles: IBF (2024-present), WBA ‘regular’ (2022-2023)

Most fans expected Joshua to return for an immediate rematch with “Dynamite” after he was ruthlessly humiliated at Wembley Stadium last September and dropped several times.

With AJ not ready for a February date however, Dubois moved onto Joseph Parker – and with questions over Oleksandr Usyk’s future too, he could return to his domestic foe.

Deontay Wilder

Age: October 22, 1985
Nationality: American
Record: 43-4-1 (42 KOs)
Titles: WBC (2015-2020)

The kingpin of modern American heavyweights, “The Bronze Bomber” went 40-0 throughout a glittering career before a draw with Tyson Fury in 2018 checked his momentum.

He subsequently lost twice to “The Gypsy King”, and Riyadh Season rebuilds against Parker and Zhilei Zhang have dimmed his appeal – but he still remains an entertaining fighter.

Joseph Parker

Age: 33
Nationality: New Zealand
Record: 35-3 (23 KOs)
Titles: WBO (2016-2018)

There may be unfinished business between the Auckland-born star and AJ, after the latter ended his reign as WBO champion with a unanimous decision victory in Cardiff in 2018.

Parker has not had a shot at a full world title since, though he challenged twice for the WBO interim title – but that changes in February when he faces Dubois for the IBF crown.

Dillian Whyte

Age: 36
Nationality: British
Record: 31-3 (21 KOs)
Titles: N/A

“The Body Snatcher” goes way back with Joshua, having beaten him at amateur level but subsequently coming up short in a professional clash for domestic titles in 2015.

In the subsequent decade, Whyte has been the WBC interim champion twice, but lost against Tyson Fury in his bid to cement his place – and a rematch with AJ could bear fruit.

Martin Bakole

Age: 33
Nationality: Congolese
Record: 21-1 (16 KOs)
Titles: N/A

There may never have been a world title shot on the cards before for Bakole, but his vocal platform has seen him aim jabs at Joshua in recent weeks – so could they trade blows?

An upcoming bout with Efe Ajagba will serve as an IBF title eliminator, putting Bakole in the frame to face Dubois or Parker – but AJ may prove a tempting carrot and big payday.

Zhilei Zhang

Age: 41
Nationality: Chinese
Record: 27-2-1 (22 KOs)
Titles: N/A

The former WBO interim champion never got the chance to challenge for the full title after two wins over Joe Joyce, instead losing the tag to Parker at the start of last year.

A subsequent win over Wilder has restored his standing as a top-tier contender though – and the prospect of potentially beating Joshua could prove a lure too great to resist.

Agit Kabayel

Age: 32
Nationality: German
Record: 25-0 (17 KOs)
Titles: N/A

Top-tier unbeaten heavyweights are few and far between, but the German is one who will be proud of his record so far in the heavyweight division heading into his next bout.

That pits him against Zhang, and a victory surely moves him into the upper tiers, which could make him a prime target for Joshua as he seeks to rebuild following his loss.

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BOXING

Devin Haney reportedly drops lawsuit against Ryan Garcia, paving way for massive rematch

By Admin January 14, 2025

An anticipated rematch between Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia is almost a done deal.

This comes after Haney officially dropped his lawsuit against Garcia from their first meeting.

Remember, the two stars collided in April 2024 in one of the biggest boxing matches of the year. Despite being an underdog, Garcia stunned Haney with multiple knockdowns en route to a majority decision win. It was a huge upset and a performance that solidified Garcia’s status within the sport.

JUST IN: Terence Crawford Sends 5 Word Warning To Canelo Alvarez As Fight Finally ‘Agreed’

Unfortunately, Garcia would go on to fail pre and post-fight drug tests. As a result, Garcia had his victory overturned to a no contest and was suspended from boxing for one year. Haney, who was undefeated entering his clash with Garcia, took things one step further and filed a lawsuit against “King Ry” for alleged battery, fraud, and unjust enrichment.

Luckily for boxing fans, a Monday report has revealed that Haney has dropped his case against Garcia. In exchange, Garcia has agreed to VADA drug testing for a potential rematch, which is all Haney needs to sign the dotted line. The writing appears to be on the wall.

“A very reliable source told me that Devin Haney has officially dropped his lawsuit against Ryan Garcia IF he agrees to do VADA. Garcia has agreed to do VADA and the rematch is on!”

Haney also took took to social media to indicate the rematch is in the works. Check it out below:

“I guess he’s not a duck.. he’s a goose. See u soon bucko!”

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BOXING

Terence Crawford Sends 5 Word Warning To Canelo Alvarez As Fight Finally ‘Agreed’

By Admin January 14, 2025

Terence Crawford has spoken for the first time since it was reported that a fight against Canelo Alvarez was agreed.

The clash between the two pound-for-pound greats was first discussed last year after Crawford defeated Israil Madrimov to win the WBA super-welterweight title in August.

Talks died down though due to Canelo’s reluctance to negotiate the bout prior to his September fight against Edgar Berlanga, which the Mexican won to retain his WBC, WBA and WBO super-middleweight titles.

READ: Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez To Fight In September

With both men now seemingly rested and recharged following their latest bouts, the year began with fresh optimism that a fight could indeed take place later this year.

Crawford and Canelo both met with Saudi chief Turki Al-Alshikh over the weekend, with it now reported that a deal is in place for the mega fight to take place.

‘Bud’ has given his first reaction since the reports that the bout was agreed, taking to social media to share his confidence that he will be victorious.

“Ima shock the world watch!!! The best is yet to come. I had it in my back pocket this whole time.”

It would indeed be seen as an upset to many if Crawford is able to defeat Canelo, due to him needing to jump up a further two weight divisions from 154lbs to 168lbs.

Crawford has only competed once at super-welterweight after moving up from 147lbs. Prior to that he reigned as undisputed welterweight champion after defeating long-term rival Errol Spence Jr, and Spence has given his prediction for how the Canelo fight could go.

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Tyson Fury retired after ‘heartbreaking’ comment from wife Paris which may have made his mind up

By Admin January 13, 2025

Tyson Fury has announced his retirement from boxing after back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk – and previous comments from wife Paris may have made his mind up.

Although he has done it many times before, the Gypsy King took to social media on Monday to announce he is hanging up his gloves at the age of 36,

Captioning a video on his social channels, Fury wrote: “Thanks it’s been a blast. Thanks to everyone who helped out along the way! Happy new year. Jesus is king now & forever.”

JUST IN: Watch Tyson Fury delivers cryptic message while announcing retirement

In the video, the former unified world heavyweight titles said he had decided to call time on his career, saying: “Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet, I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing. It’s been a blast. I’ve loved every single minute of and I’m going to end with this; Dick Turpin wore a mask.”

It comes after he failed to win back his world heavyweight titles from Usyk, who beat him twice in Saudi Arabia.

Usyk won the first bout via split decision to take all the belts, before prevailing in the rematch after judges scored it unanimously in his favour.

A genuine retirement decision from Fury will please wife Paris, who has been desperate for him to call it quits for a while now.

Speaking ahead of his win over Francis Ngannou, Paris said she “wanted him to retire a few years ago” but Fury “didn’t enjoy” life after boxing.

Regularly expressing concern for his physical health, Paris also said she hoped he was done with boxing after his first fight with Usyk.

He proceeded to have the second fight with Usyk and claimed he did not speak to his other half for three months during training camp – something which Paris confirmed was “very difficult”.

Paris Fury’s heartbreaking comment

Speaking to iFL TV she explained: “I think after the last fight, everything that went on previously, personally in our lives and then Tyson obviously had the outcome last time, I just think he decided this on his own. And I had to support him in it.

“He didn’t want to be involved in family life so he’s cut himself off from us for the last few months. He’s put himself in a serious, serious condition.”

Fury has retired before, including back in 2022 when relinquished his Ring Magazine title – only to return and face Derek Chisora in a trilogy bout.

Many fans have suggested that Fury’s move to retire is due to Anthony Joshua calling for a British superfight after years of back-and-forth.

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BOXING

Watch Tyson Fury delivers cryptic message while announcing retirement

By Admin January 13, 2025

Former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury made a big announcement about his career on Monday, and he included a cryptic message that has boxing fans buzzing.

In a video he posted on social media Monday morning, Fury once again announced his retirement from boxing. The 36-year-old also sparked a great deal of speculation with a reference to an infamous British outlaw.

“Hi everybody, I’m gonna make this short and sweet. I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing,” Fury said. “It’s been a blast. I’ve loved every single minute of it. And I’m gonna end with this: Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless, everybody. See you on the other side.”

🚨 Tyson Fury has just announced his retirement from boxing 😮

📹: @Tyson_Fury pic.twitter.com/AOiDJYA17V

— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) January 13, 2025

JUST IN: Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez To Fight In September

It is unclear why Fury made the Turpin reference. Turpin was an 18th-century thief in England, so some wondered if Fury was just sending a message about the greed that exists within professional boxing.

Others speculated that Fury was taking a shot at Oleksandr Usyk, who beat Fury a second time in December. Fury had been undefeated prior to losing to Usyk in May 2024 and then again last month. Fury felt he won his first fight against Usyk and made a big accusation after the bout.

Fury has announced his retirement multiple times over the years. The most recent was in August 2022, but he fought four more times after that. There had been recent rumors that Fury might finally fight Anthony Joshua, but that apparently is not going to happen — for now.

Those who are skeptical about Fury’s latest retirement might think his Turpin reference was just Fury’s way of casting doubt over whether his boxing career has truly come to an end.

Fury is 34-2-1 in his career with 24 knockouts. He has held multiple heavyweight championships and lost the WBC heavyweight title to Usyk last year.

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