BOXING BOXING ARTICLES

After losing a unanimous decision to Canelo Alvarez in December 2020, Callum Smith has seen his star wane to a small degree. Smith (29-1 with 21 knockouts) lost his super middleweight titles to Alvarez on that night in San Antonio, and he misses the feeling of gold around his waist. As the No. 1 lightweight contender, a victory over Pawel Stepien would likely lead to Smith getting a chance to take on Artur Beterbiev later in 2023. Stepien (18-0-1 with 12 knockouts) is unbeaten, but he is an enor... 

We saw the best featherweight boxer in the world this past weekend when Mauricio Lara took care of business in his bout with Leigh Wood. Lara earned a seventh round TKO win over Wood in order to win the WBA featherweight title, and ESPN is now trumpeting him as the best boxer in his class. Now, everyone is gunning for Lara, including Brandon Figueroa and Mark Magsayo. Figueroa (23-1-1 with 18 knockouts) and Magsayo (24-1 with 16 knockouts) will square off for the interim WBC featherweight belt o... 

At long last, the war of the words between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury that has gone on for the last 18 months will be decided in the ring. Paul and Fury were originally slated to fight in Tampa, Florida on December 18, 2021, but Fury pulled out of the fight due to an injury. They rebooked the fight for August 6, 2022, but Fury didn’t head to the US due to travel issues, and Paul backed out of a potential showdown with Hasim Rahman Jr. Now, these two famous brothers will finally have the opportunity to face each other in the ring less than two weeks from today. On Sunday, February 26, 2023, Tommy Fury and Jake Paul will square off at the Diriyah Arena in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia on the outskirts of the capital Riyadh. This bout will be broadcast in the United States on ESPN+ PPV starting at 2 p.m. ET. ... 

One of the most powerful pound-for-pound boxers will look to claim his first major title at the end of February as Subriel Matias steps into the ring against Jeremias Ponce with the vacant IBF Super Lightweight World Championship up for grabs. Matias (18-1 with 18 knockouts) is a significant favorite by the boxing betting odds even though Ponce (30-0 with 20 knockouts) is unbeaten in his professional career.This bout will headline a Premier Boxing Champions card on ShowTime scheduled for Saturda... 

Mauricio Lara will receive his first major title shot next weekend as he takes on WBA featherweight title holder Leigh Wood. It will be the toughest test yet for Lara (25-2-1 with 18 knockouts), as he must walk into the lion’s den for this fight since Wood (26-2 with 16 knockouts) is a native of Nottingham. Regardless, Lara is a moderate favorite per the boxing betting odds.Originally, Lara and Wood were set to meet on September 24, 2022. However, Wood was forced to back out of the fight after t... 

Early in the year, we’ve seen main events highlighted by boxers from the lighter weight classes. That will again be the case on Super Bowl Weekend as the biggest event in the boxing world will feature Rey Vargas looking to become a three-division world champion against O’Shaquie Foster. Vargas (36-0 with 22 knockouts) was extremely impressive as a super bantamweight, but he might be biting off more than he can chew against an experienced super featherweight in Foster (19-2 with 11 knockouts).Cur... 

One of the great young fighters of the modern era will look to claim a championship in his third weight class during the first weekend of February. Emanuel Navarrete (36-1 with 30 knockouts) has already won titles at junior featherweight and featherweight, and he will look to claim the vacant WBO junior lightweight title on Friday. Liam Wilson (11-1 with seven knockouts) has fought at this weight since turning pro back in the summer of 2018, so he has a bit of an advantage from that perspective,... 

It’s a real shame that Artur Beterbiev (18-0, 18 knockouts) didn’t become a professional fighter until he was 28 ½ years old. Beterbiev is considered one of the top ten pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but he was an amateur for almost a decade. He was a two-time gold medal winner at the European Championships at light heavyweight, and he won a silver medal and a gold medal at the World Championships. However, Beterbiev didn’t turn pro until June 2013, and he is already in his late 30s befo... 

Terence Crawford is currently ranked the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world by ESPN. Crawford (38-0 with 29 knockouts) has been outstanding over the course of his career with an unblemished record as a three-division champion. He previously held titles at lightweight and light welterweight before moving to welterweight, and he was originally supposed to face Errol Spence Jr. in a unification fight. However, boxing fans will have to settle for Crawford facing David Avanesyan (29-3-1 with 17 knockouts). On Saturday, December 10, 2022, David Avanesyan will look to unseat WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford. These two fighters will face off at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska on traditional PPV platforms. ... 

Two of the best featherweights in the sport will square off two weeks before Christmas when Josh Warrington defends his IBF featherweight title against Luis Alberto Lopez. Warrington (31-1-1 with eight knockouts) is a two-time champion in this division, while Alberto Lopez (26-2 with 15 knockouts) is looking to claim his first major title.On Saturday, December 10, 2022, Josh Warrington will look to successfully defend his IBF featherweight title against challenger Luis Alberto Lopez at First Dir... 

Two multiple division champions will meet with the WBC and The Ring super flyweight championship belts on the line the first weekend of December when Roman Gonzalez takes on Juan Francisco Estrada. Gonzalez (51-3 with 41 knockouts) lost a split decision to Estrada (43-3 with 28 knockouts) in March 2021, but he defeated Estrada by unanimous decision in November 2012. That makes this your more traditional trilogy with each boxer winning one of the previous fights, unlike the trilogy between Tyson ... 

The trilogy is one of the most popular things in boxing nowadays, and we will see Tyson Fury complete his second trilogy after proving he was a superior fighter against Deontay Wilder last year. Fury (32-0-1 with 23 knockouts) will take on Derek Chisora for the third time on the first weekend of December. Chisora (33-12 with 23 knockouts) is a heavy underdog by the boxing betting odds, but there have been plenty of big upsets over the last few years in boxing.On Saturday, December 3, 2022, Tyson... 

There aren’t many title fights left this year, but boxing fans will get to see a major title up for grabs on Thanksgiving weekend when Jose Zepeda faces Regis Prograis with the WBC light welterweight belt on the line. Zepeda (35-2-2 with 27 knockouts) lost a majority decision when he challenged for this belt almost four years ago, and he is eager to claim his first major championship. However, Prograis (27-1 with 23 knockouts) is a sizeable favorite by the boxing betting odds, and his lone loss ... 

The unbeaten Dmitry Bivol will look to keep his unblemished record intact next week as he takes on fellow unbeaten Gilberto Ramirez. Bivol (20-0 with 11 knockouts) put himself on the map with his impressive victory over Canelo Alvarez during Cinco de Mayo Weekend. However, Ramirez (44-0 with 30 knockouts) is no slouch as a former super middleweight champion.On Saturday, November 5, 2022, Dmitry Bivol and Gilberto Ramirez will square off for the WBA light heavyweight belt. These two champions wil... 

One of the greatest amateur champions of the modern era will step into the ring once again on Halloween weekend in the Big Apple. Vasyl Lomachenko (16-2 with 11 knockouts) is a prohibitive favorite by the boxing betting odds against lightly regarded Jamaine Ortiz (16-0-1 with eight knockouts). Lomachenko has had some major setbacks since becoming a pro fighter, but he is still a big draw and beloved by boxing purists, and he is widely expected to face Devin Haney for the undisputed lightweight c... 

There’s no doubt that Jake Paul is one of the biggest draws in boxing at the moment, and it will be interesting to see the numbers on his upcoming fight with Anderson Silva. Paul and Silva are scheduled to fight at the same time as former lightweight world champion Vasyl Lomachenko, and if Paul outdraws Lomachenko, it will tell us a lot about the staying power of internet celebrities taking part in these events. This should be Paul’s most exciting fight yet as Silva is widely regarded as one of ... 

For the second time in four months, Devin Haney and George Kambosos Jr. will meet for the undisputed lightweight championship. Haney (28-0 with 15 knockouts) scored a unanimous decision victory over Kambosos Jr. back in June to retain his WBC lightweight title and claim the IBF, WBA, WBO, and The Ring lightweight belts. Kambosos (20-1 with 10 knockouts) had won three straight split decisions prior to that defeat, so he is looking to bounce back, but he is a heavy underdog according to the boxing... 

The great Deontay Wilder will step into the ring for the first time in a year when he faces Robert Helenius in the Big Apple. Wilder (42-2-1 with 41 knockouts) hasn’t fought since he was knocked out by Tyson Fury for a second time last October. Helenius (31-3 with 20 knockouts) was on the undercard of that fight, but he will now be part of the main event as he faces his toughest opponent yet.Deontay Wilder and Robert Helenius will meet on Saturday, October 15, 2022, at the Barclays Center in New... 

It will be a family affair when Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn meet in the ring on Saturday, October 8. Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn met in two great fights in the 1990s, and promoters are hoping that their sons can deliver a fight for the ages. Eubank Jr. is 32-2 with 23 knockouts in his career, while Benn is 21-0 with 14 knockouts. This fight will be held at a catchweight of 157 pounds as Eubank will be moving down from middleweight and super middleweight while Benn will be moving up from ... 

Unbeaten Shakur Stevenson is a heavy favorite ahead of his title fight with Robson Conceicao next Friday. Stevenson (18-0 with nine knockouts) is one of the top ten pound-for-pound fighters in the world according to ESPN, and he isn’t expected to have much trouble in his first defense of all three titles. Conceicao (17-1 with eight knockouts) lost his previous title challenge to Oscar Valdez last September, and he is hoping to shock the world.... 

Although he stated that he would not agree to a third fight with Gennady Golovkin, the dollar signs were too much for Canelo Alvarez to ignore, so the fighters will be meeting in the ring for the third time on September 17. The first bout ended in a controversial split decision draw, and the second fight ended in a majority decision win for Alvarez. Most observers thought that Golovkin did enough to pick up a close decision win both times though, leading to a feeling that GGG was robbed. Golovki... 

Top heavyweight contender Luis “King Kong” Ortiz faces former unified champion Andy Ruiz Jr. on September 4. The heavyweight matchup highlights a strong Labor Day Weekend card as the headline bout of a FOX Sports Pay-Per-View from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The fight has been sanctioned as a WBC heavyweight eliminator. Both boxers are coming off tough bouts. Earlier this year, Ortiz had to overcome two knockdowns to score a dramatic knockout of former world champion Charles Martin. Meanwhi... 

Top Rank Boxing on ESPN will feature two former champions doing battle, as Jose Pedraza takes on Richard Commey in a super lightweight fight on Saturday, August 27, 2022. Pedraza is a former super featherweight and lightweight champion who has a record of 29-4 with 14 knockouts, while Commey is a former lightweight champion with a record of 30-4 with 27 knockouts. This fight between Pedraza and Commey is a big one for both fighters, as they are each looking for ... 

Arguably the biggest fight of the year will take place on the same day as UFC 278. Oleksandr Usyk (19-0 with 13 knockouts) will defend his IBF, IBO, WBA, and WBO heavyweight titles against Anthony Joshua (24-2 with 22 knockouts) after winning those belts from Joshua in London last September. This is being billed as Rage on the Red Sea, and a Usyk victory would establish him as one of the three or four best pound-for-pound boxers in the sport. A loss for Joshua would be devastating for his career... 

A lot of the shine has come off Teofimo Lopez’s star after his surprising loss to George Kambosos Jr. back in November. Lopez was a massive favorite, up to -4000 by the boxing betting odds at some sportsbooks, but he lost a split decision and relinquished the IBF, The Ring, WBA, and WBO lightweight championship belts. There was no rematch clause in the contract, so Lopez will now be moving up to super lightweight in order to face Pedro Campa in mid-August....