By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS – David Benavidez is bigger than ever, both on the scale and the stage.

He commands a room with energy and charisma, delivering answers at the rate he throws punches. He’s moving up, moving fast. Stand in his way at your own peril. He’s an incoming stampede.

His momentum– all of it — was there Wednesday in a ring at one end of the MGM Grand’s casino floor. The sports book was at one side. A restaurant on the other. Center stage belonged to Benavidez, who entertained a gathering crowd of onlookers and then tirelessly spoke to one group of reporters after another.

There’s an old line about winning the news conference. There was no debate about it Wednesday. It was Benavidez, undisputed in every way.

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, the champion, was there, but almost as an afterthought in a promotional step toward a cruiserweight showdown Saturday in a Cinco de Mayo celebration at T-Mobile Arena.

On paper, at least, Zurdo has all the advantages. He’s taller, tall enough to look down at Benavidez, who has never had to look up to look into an opponent’s eyes. Zurdo knows the cruiserweight division.

Like an old pair of shoes, it seems to be perfect fit for Zurdo, who won a title in March 2024 and defended twice.  Meanwhile, Benavidez is trying it on for the first time in a jump up in weight bigger and perhaps as daunting as any in boxing.

Twenty-five pounds pack a punch that many believe will provide Zurdo with enough of an advantage to steal the evident momentum and imminent stardom from Benavidez

“We’ll see,’’ Zurdo, a popular Mexican, said in a tone that was hard to judge.

Cautious?

Confident?

We’ll see.

In Benavidez’ tone, however, there was no room for guessing. No mistake, either, about what he intends in his bid to win a title at a third weight. As he stepped out of the ring after an entertaining display of his trademark hand speed, the ring announcer closed the show by saying he’s “looking to become” a three-division champion.

Benavidez quickly amended that.

“I’m not looking to become,’’ the Phoenix-forged fighter said into the microphone. “I will be a three-belt champion.’’

For now, there’s not much disagreement. Benavidez has been a solid betting favorite since the fight was announced. Even Zurdo’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, picked Benavidez to win what he predicts will be A Fight of the Year contender.

“I’m going to pick Benavidez to win by a haymaker,’’ said De La Hoya, who also suggested that Benavidez’ vulnerability might be his chin.

Zurdo has power and precision, according to De La Hoya. A precise shot from Zurdo could result in an upset, said De La Hoya, who apparently won’t be betting on that possibility.

What’s clear is that Benavidez is going into the fight pursuing a dominant victory. He wants to make a statement about credentials that’ll keep him in the pound-or-pound debate for a decade.

“I plan on doing this for the next 10 years,’’ he said.

And he plans to do it at the top of the game, which might mean nine more appearances on the Cinco de Mayo weekend that once belonged to Canelo Alvarez.

The date’s former owner is expected to be in the audience. Canelo, scheduled for a comeback in September from his loss to Terence Crawford, plans to be ringside for the Eddy Reynoso-trained Jaime Munguia against super-middleweight Armando Resendiz.

He’ll also get a look at whether Benavidez can prove that his Cinco de Mayo appearance is more permanent than temporary. 

By Norm Frauenheim

The witnesses outnumbered the Senators

Only three of the 28 members of the Senate’s Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee showed up for a hearing that some say could lead to a bill that changes boxing. But the 25 empty seats seemed to say something else. Maybe, the absent Senators were busy kissing Donald Trump’s ring or campaigning for his impeachment.

Ted Cruz was there instead of Cancun. Then again, the Texas Republican had to be. He’s the committee Chairman.  Who else was going to ring that silly, cringe-worthy bell? It echoed throughout the room. But the commanding stage was mostly empty. So was the hearing, perhaps because we’ve already heard it all.

The hearing loomed as another step toward what many believe will be the passage of the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act. It’s being sold as a rewritten version of the Ali Boxing Reform Act, first passed in 1996.

Throughout the last three-plus decades, however, boxing has proven, ad nauseam, that it can’t be revived or reformed.

Or regulated.

It’s not clear how many of the committee’s absent Senators know much about boxing, or how it has governed itself.

Their committee also oversees the Coast Guard. I’m not sure even it could save boxing from itself.

The guess in this corner: Some of the Senators, like a lot of fans, don’t care anymore. It’s on the fringe, pushed there by its inherent chaos, which is often charming yet also a flaw as permanent as a nasty scar.

The testimony Wednesday in Washington DC from opponents Oscar De La Hoya and Ali grandson Nico Ali Walsh and supporter Nick Khan, a TKO Group/Zuffa Boxing executive, was competent enough.

De La Hoya, Olympic gold medalist and popular multi-divisional champion, voiced his position in boiler-plate fashion. He was there, he said, to support the first Ali Act. He said it was working the way it was designed, meaning the fighters get a lion’s share of the revenue.

De La Hoya, a Hall-of-Fame fighter was speaking in behalf of the current generation, supporting

boxers instead the billionaires.

As De La Hoya spoke, however, it was hard to forget his role in giving Saudi Prince and promoter Turki Alalshikh an honorary induction into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame (NBHOF) before Alashikh’s American debut in Terence Crawford’s 154-pound victory over Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles in 2024. It was embarrassing.

Kahn, a lawyer, was thorough in giving his reasons why the rewritten Ali Act would help bring back money and major networks. Khan blamed the acronyms for the ridiculous accumulation of titles. He’s right, of course. But there are no Four Kings – Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran – in today’s generation of fighters. Without them, HBO eventually – inevitably – moved on.

From the TKO/Zuffa group, there is also the introduction of another acronym, UBC, Unified Boxing Organizations. Move over WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO, make room for UBC. Acronyms in, acronyms out.

TKO/Zuffa promises enhanced medical care and better money per round for apprentice fighters. But, Ali Walsh argues, that’s just window dressing on a bid to monopolize the sport with long term contracts and rules that would limit what they have been able to earn under the original Ali Act.

Increasingly, the rewritten Ali Act includes devils in the details that look a lot like the UFC model, which resulted in a $375 million settlement in a UFC move to resolve two antitrust lawsuits filed by about 1,200 fighters.

Examples include what Zuffa fighters wear and collect in endorsements. Zuffa fighters wear a Zuffa uniform. Manny Pacquiao once got $2.25 million for wearing an ad on his trunks. Zuffa would have taken a sizable percentage of that, according to reports of what the UBC is planning. It’s a fee, not unlike the controversial sanctioning fees charged by the current acronyms.

Does anybody really think that Shakur Stevenson, recently stripped of a WBC belt for not paying a sanctioning fee, would salute and pay one to a UBC for an ad on his trunks? Didn’t think so. The rewritten bill calls itself American, but nothing could be more un-American.

From Walsh’s perspective, it’s just one detail, a single stitch in TKO/Zuffa’s plan to conquer and monopolize a balkanized sport populated by young fighters, who have worked like individual entrepreneurs. At opening bell, only they are at risk.

UBC control, Ali Walsh said, “removes independence. When that happens, you fight who you’re told to fight, or you don’t fight at all. At that point, real choice disappears…”

Few were ever as independent in word and deed than a grandfather who sacrificed a prime part of his career by saying what he thought in opposition to the Vietnam War.

If the rewritten Ali Act passes, his grandson wants boxing’s most revered name removed from it.

Don’t take Ali’s name in vain.

Carbajal Classic

Michael Carbajal is known for a lot of classics. This weekend he’ll sponsor one.

Carbajal, a Phoenix Hall of Famer and an all-time great in the lightest weight classes, will stage an amateur tournament this weekend at Shrine Auditorium located at 552 North 40^th Street in Phoenix.

The Michael Carbajal Classic, a USA Boxing sanctioned tournament, begins with preliminaries Friday at 5 p.m. It will continue Saturday and Sunday. 

Washington D.C. – April 22, 2026 – The World Boxing Council (WBC) continues to express its full support of the current iteration of the Ali Act, and acknowledges the testimonies provided by former world champion and current promoter Oscar De La Hoya, as well as professional boxer Nico Ali Walsh, grandson of the legendary Muhammad Ali. Both offered relevant perspectives from the standpoint of the active and retired boxers that the WBC advocates for, reinforcing the importance of preserving the structural integrity of professional boxing.

The WBC recognizes De La Hoya and Ali Walsh as allies in the defense of fighters and the current regulatory model that protects their rights, reiterating its institutional opposition to legislative proposals that, under the name of the “Ali Revival Act,” would alter the current regulatory balance of professional boxing. 

“The Ali Act has been an essential tool for decades, protecting professional boxers in the United States. The WBC opposes any attempt to weaken or replace this framework with initiatives that could compromise the independence, transparency, and competitive balance of boxing,” said Mauricio Sulaimán, president of the WBC. “We also recognize Óscar De La Hoya and Nico Ali Walsh for their valuable contributions, which reflect the direct voice of the sport in this debate.”

The WBC reaffirms its mission to protect boxers worldwide and will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders, always advocating for the best interests of boxers through independent regulation, robust medical oversight, open competitive systems, and high ethical and sporting standards.

By Norm Frauenheim

Cinco de Mayo, known for history in one century and hangovers in this one, goes global in a couple of weeks with a Las Vegas-Tokyo doubleheader sure to enhance the date’s significance to boxing.

From Madison Square Garden to Wembley Stadium, the where has always been meaningful, but that when matters more now than ever.

The first weekend in May is center stage. That’s when and where Naoya Inoue will be against Junto Nakatani in Tokyo, when and where David Benavidez will be against Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez at Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, both on May 2, three days before the 164th anniversary of a stunning Mexican victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla.

Old military victories fade away like statues of the soldiers who fought them, but this date has evolved, recreating itself within the ropes. The day’s significance was not lost on Benavidez, who quickly began to lobby for the date after Canelo Alvarez’ loss to Terence Crawford last September.

Benavidez couldn’t get a fight with Canelo, so he took the next best thing. The Phoenix-forged fighter took the date that Canelo owned for years in a reign that earned him huge wealth and celebrity. Will it, all of it, eventually belong to Benavidez?

That fight begins May 2 in a risky move up the scale to cruiserweight against Zurdo, a popular Mexican champion and the betting underdog who surely hopes to repeat some of his country’s history.

Benavidez and his father-trainer, Jose Sr., have no illusions. They are promising a kind of dominance that will suggest they – like Canelo – will own the day. Already, it’s significance is evident in its impact on Benavidez’ career.

Still a light-heavyweight champion, Benavidez first appeared among the second five in pound-for-pound rankings a few months ago. Now, he’s ranked No. 5, according to some. Does he belong there? Cinco de Mayo includes a party and a double-shot burden of 180-proof for anybody who wants it.

The day’s significance for the world’s best is the same in any language. In Japanese, that means Inoue. His May 2nd junior-featherweight title defense against Nakatani is being called the biggest prize-fight in a Japanese history that already includes the biggest upset ever – Buster Douglas’ stoppage of Mike Tyson February 11, 1990.

The Tokyo Dome crowd for Douglas-Tyson was estimated to be 40,000. No estimate necessary for Inoue-Nakatani, also at the Dome. It sold out – 55,000 — March 31, more than a month before opening bell.

Inoue is a solid favorite over Nakatani, about a 3-to-1 underdog who has been training in Los Angeles since he was a teenager. Still, the fight – much like Benavidez-Zurdo – is loaded with potential drama inherent to a match between Japan’s face of boxing and a Japanese challenger. The bout also includes its own pound-for-pound implications. Inoue is a consensus No. 2, behind heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk.

Yet, Usyk is scheduled to fight a kickboxer in his next bout, scheduled for May 23 in Egypt. That’s a factor, motivation perhaps for Inoue to prove that the pound-for-pound No. 1 belongs to him. Nakatani won yet struggled in his last fight in December on a Riyadh card featured by Inoue.

But Nakatani might have learned from a problematic performance. He’s also taller and has a longer, one-inch advantage in reach. Even more significant, he’s younger. Nakatani is 28, squarely in his prime.

Inoue, a four-division champion who had a birthday on April 10, is 33. Historically, fighters from the lightest weight classes age faster. If anybody is an exception, it’s Inoue.

Throughout his career, the former 108-pound champion has been at his dynamic best when he’s in the most peril, which is what he might be facing in Nakatani.

That’s why Inoue is called The Monster, also Benavidez’ nickname. After May 2, there’s a pretty good chance that there’ll be only one Monster.

That’s what we’ve come to expect from Cinco de Mayo, a monster day.

Fight Club PHX set for Saturday

Outdoor boxing is scheduled for Saturday (April 18/6 p.m.) at the Arizona Center in downtown Phoenix.

Micky Scala (12-1, 6 KOs), a middleweight from Mesa who has been fighting on the East Coast, is the featured boxer in a Northstar Sports Advocates-promoted event – Fight Club PHX — that will open with MMA bouts. Vendors and live music are also planned.

Former welterweight champion and current analyst Shawn Porter is expected to be among the celebrities.

Notes on a scorecard

A report by The Athletic that the Saudis plan to stop funding LIV Golf, an alternate to the PGA, is raising questions about the Saudi investment in boxing.

Without oil money, could there have been Canelo-versus-Crawford?

Canelo collected a purse reported to be more than $100 million. Crawford, the winner, earned a reported $50 million.

The ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has impacted Saudi oil revenue, according to reports. Canelo is supposed to make his comeback Sept. 12 in Riyadh.

By Norm Frauenheim

Youth defines Xander Zayas and will continue to do so through at least his challenging date against Jaron “Boots” Ennis in an intriguing crossroads fight for both.

For the 23-year-old Zayas, it looms as an early milestone, a measure of maturity in his career path from a high school kid with a Top Rank contract.

For the 28-year-old Ennis, it’s an opportunity to finally deliver on his long-advertised potential, including a place among pound-for-pound contenders.

It’s compelling, mostly because it’s a steppingstone, a stage for the future. For now, it looks as if the key to that future is there for Ennis. 

Seemingly, he’s been emerging for years, always at the edge of crashing the pound-for-pound party but never quite getting there perhaps because of inactivity or Terence Crawford’s long reign of dominance.

Crawford is retired. The formal announcement this week of Ennis’ 154-pound bout June 27 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center is a sign of renewed possibilities in a very active division. Never has Ennis had a better chance to announce his arrival. He talked as if he knew that at a formal news conference this week

“I think Xander bit off way more than he can chew,’’ Ennis, a former unified welterweight champion, said Wednesday in Brooklyn. “Come fight night, he’ll see. I’m going to show everyone that I’m the best in the world.”

Betting odds suggest that’s exactly what Ennis will do. He’s about a 3-to-1 favorite. By knockout?

“For sure,” Ennis said.

Given the difference in their ages, it’s an irony that Ennis, 1-0 at 154, is the challenger. With two pieces of the junior-middleweight title, Zayas is boxing’s youngest current champion.

But youth, often called fickle, might be Zayas’ problem against Ennis, who at 147 occupied and conquered bigger stages. That, at least, is a theory, one that helps explain the early odds.

“There’s levels to this and I’m going to show him that,’’ Ennis said. “It’s about legacy for me. I want to show the world why I’m the best.”

Legacy is one of the most overused words in sport. As Ennis enters his prime, however, he might have a better understanding of what it means than Zayas, still more prodigy than legend. For Ennis, legacy is now. For Zayas, it’s tomorrow.

Despite the promise and plaudits attached to champions barely out of their teens, the experience can often be a crucible.

David Benavidez, a Phoenix-forged fighter, is just the latest example. Benavidez — a former two-time champion, yet still unbeaten – won his first 168-pound title when he was 20, making him the youngest champion in the history of the super-middleweight division. He beat Ronald Gavril in 2017. Then, the belt was stripped because of a positive drug test.

A couple of years later, Benavidez regained the title, stopping Andre Dirrell.

In his first defense of his second title in 2020, an overweight Benavidez lost it on the scale and then took out his frustration with a punishing stoppage of Roamer Alexis Angulo. He was 23-0, 23 years-old and – yet suddenly — a two-time ex-champion without a loss on the ledger. Growing-up is hard to do.

Benavidez has. In what is still an evolving career, he has moved beyond 168 and Canelo Alvarez to a prime-time resume that includes a light-heavyweight belt and a much-anticipated Cinco de Mayo date May 2 in a bid to take Gilberto “Zurdo’’ Ramirez’ cruiserweight titles. He’s added a commanding personal presence to his command of the ring.

For Zayas, however, there are lessons from Benavidez’ formative years. There are also a couple of notable parallels: Zayas is 23-0 and 23-years-old. Welcome to the crucible.

Ennis wasn’t the only one to talk legacy Wednesday. Zayas did too.

“It’s always been about legacy,’’ said Zayas, a Puerto Rican living in Florida who grew up wanting to be Miguel Cotto in a Puerto Rican lineage that also includes Wilfredo Benitez, a 17-year-old champion, still the youngest ever. “Becoming the youngest world champion at 22 when I did it. Youngest unified world champion. And now fighting one of the best in the world in the division. It’s about legacy.’’

Maybe lessons, too. 

Longtime super featherweight contender Andres Cortes makes the move north five pounds to the fairly wide-open lightweight division against once-beaten Eridson Garcia in the Paramount+ main event of Zuffa Boxing 05 on Easter Sunday night. The intriguing ten-round bout between two guys that have not appeared to be fond of one another in the lead-up to Sunday caps a seven-bout card from the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fighters weighed-in early Saturday morning at the host venue. 

Cortes (24-0, 13 KOs) of Las Vegas seemed to be one win away from a world title opportunity for the last 2 ½ years, perhaps squandering his last audition with a lackluster ten-round decision on the Emmanuel Navarrete-Charly Suarez undercard last May. On that night, Cortes moved past unheralded Salvador Jimenez, but failed to make himself a marketable opponent for 130-pound champion Navarrete. Since, Cortes, the WBO #4/WBC #5 ranked super featherweight, stopped overmatched Derlyn Hernandez-Gerarldo before signing with Zuffa and announcing his move to 135 pounds. Cortes weighed-in at the 135-pound lightweight limit at Saturday’s weigh-in. 

Garcia (23-1, 14 KOs) of Houston, Texas made a statement as he himself moved up to lightweight in his last bout. Garcia met well-regarded Japanese prospect Taiga Imanaga on the Naoya Inoue-David Picasso undercard last December and sealed a close fight with a picture perfect right hand to score a knockdown in the eighth round of a ten-round bout. After closing the final two rounds with punishing left hands, Garcia edged the cards to score the split decision. Garcia, still the WBO #9/WBA #14 ranked 130-pounder despite fighting for the second straight time at lightweight, weighed-in at 135-pounds on Saturday morning. 

Former featherweight titleholder Mark Magsayo (28-2, 18 KOs) of Las Vegas by way of Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines will take on former title challenger Feargal McCrory (17-1 9 KOs) of New York, New York by way of Coalisland, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland in a ten-round lightweight bout in the co-feature. 

Magsayo, the IBF #5/WBO #12 ranked lightweight, had actually dropped back down to super featherweight to score a win over Jorge Mata on the Mario Barrios-Manny Pacquiao undercard in Las Vegas last July. Despite his lofty rankings at 135-pounds, Magsayo had only fought north of 130 twice against nondescript opposition. With his new promoter Zuffa Boxing not recognizing the 130-pound weight class, Magasayo will now campaign at lightweight full-time, weighing 134 pounds on Saturday morning. 

McCrory has fought north of 130-pounds for much of his career, but trimmed down to the super featherweight limit as he got into contention and ultimately met up with titleholder Lamont Roach in a failed bid at the WBA belt in June of 2024. McCrory hit the canvas three times prior to the eighth-round stoppage, but regrouped since to stop Keenan Carbajal in eight last March. McCrory weighed-in at the lightweight limit of 135 pounds on Saturday.  

In a make-or-break fight of sorts, veterans Azat Hovhannisyan (22-6, 17 KOs) of Glendale, Arizona by way of Yerevan, Armenia and Eduardo Baez (25-7-2, 10 KOs) of Calexico, California by way of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico will meet in a ten-round featherweight bout to open the main broadcast. 

Hovhannisyan is best remembered for his super bantamweight title eliminator defeat to Luis Nery in what was one of the better fights of 2023. Hovhannisyan, who had previously failed in a bid for a portion of the 122-pound crown against Rey Vargas back in 2018, was stopped on his feet in the eleventh by Nery, which set off a three-fight skid. Hovhannisyan got back into the win column last time out: an eight-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Aidos Medet this past January. Hovhannisyan weighed-in at the featherweight limit of 126 pounds on Saturday. 

Former title challenger Baez enters on a two-fight win streak having taken on tough opposition for much of his career. In his failed title bid, Baez succumbed to a vicious body shot from power-punching champion Emanuel Navarrete in round six of a bout back in 2022. Since, Baez has provided a stiff test to top prospects and contenders to mixed results. Baez scaled 125 pounds at Saturday’s weigh-in.

In the preliminary card main event, unbeaten Alexis De La Cerda (8-0, 4 KOs) of Federal Way, Washington will meet fellow unblemished prospect Ervin Fuller III (12-0, 6 KOs) of Fort Washington, Maryland in a ten-round featherweight bout. 

De La Cerda has built his resume mostly in the Pacific Northwest, but did make a Las Vegas appearance defeating journeyman Sharone Carter via third-round stoppage in March of last year. Fuller comes off of a sixth-round unanimous decision over tougher-than-his-record Erik Ruiz this past January. The bout is a step-up for both and De La Cerda and Fuller both scaled an identical 125.5 pounds on Saturday morning. 

In an eight-round lightweight bout, Robert Meriwether III (10-0, 4 KOs) of Las Vegas returns to the Meta Apex to take on Tony Hirsch Jr. (7-0-2, 4 KOs) of Oakland, California. Meriwether impressed in his Zuffa Boxing debut, scoring a mostly one-sided six-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Cesar Correa in January. Hirsch, the 24-year-old son of former rugged gatekeeper of the middleweight and super middleweight division of the same name, last saw action in December, scoring a six-round decision over journeyman William Flenoy in Stockton, California. Meriwether weighed-in at 135, while Hirsch came in at 134 pounds on Saturday.

Jorge Maravillo (11-0-1, 8 KOs) of Salinas, California attempted to drop back down to welterweight for the first time in nearly five years to take on Elias Diaz (15-3, 8 KOs) of National City, California in an eight-rounder. Maravillo fought just once last year, bouncing back from a draw against fellow Zuffa fighter Damoni Cato-Cain in 2024, to shutout longtime journeyman Cameron Krael in a six-rounder back in November. Diaz is coming off a July 2025 loss to .500 fighter Sergio Garcia Herrera, who may be much improved since he went on to defeat previously unbeaten Jose Vargas last December. Maravillo weighed-in 2.5 pounds above the welterweight limit and thus 1.5 pounds more than the contract allowed at 149.5 pounds on Saturday. Diaz made the welterweight limit of 147. 

In the featherweight opener, Troy Nash (6-0-1, 1 KO) of Colorado Springs, Colorado returns to the Meta Apex, site of his thrilling decision victory over Jaycob Ramos back in January, to take on once-beaten Bryan Rodriguez (8-1, 1 KO) of Donna, Texas in a eight-rounder. 

Nash, who has taken the path of most resistance in his young career, ends a six-fight streak of meeting undefeated opponents on Sunday night. Ramos, who entered their contest 4-0, pushed “The Bank” in the maiden bout for Zuffa Boxing, but Nash won over the judges with his jab and boxing acumen. 

Rodriguez bounced back from an upset defeat by springing an upset decision of his own over previously unbeaten, Robert Garcia-trained Daniel Cortez (11-0) last November. Nash weighed-in at the contracted maximum of 127-pounds, while Rodriguez came in heavy at 127.5 pounds, 1.5 pound above the featherweight limit and thus half a pound over the allowed weight. 

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Lightweights, 10 Rounds

Cortes 135

Garcia 135

Lightweights, 10 Rounds 

Magsayo 134

McCrory 135

Featherweights, 10 Rounds

Hovhannisyan 126

Baez 125

Featherweights, 8 Rounds

De La Cerda 125.5

Fuller III 125.5

Lightweights, 8 Rounds

Meriwether III 135

Hirsch Jr. 134

Welterweights, 8 Rounds

Maravillo 149.5*

Diaz 147

Featherweights, 8 Rounds

Nash 127

Rodriguez 127.5**

*Maravillo weighed-in 1.5 pounds over contracted weight

**Rodriguez weighed-in .5 over contracted weight 

Tickets for the event, promoted by Zuffa Boxing, are available online at AXS.com 

Photos by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa Boxing

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com 

By Norm Frauenheim

Floyd Mayweather cast doubt last Saturday on whether his September 19 sequel with Manny Pacquiao will be documented as a real fight and where it’ll happen, but tickets were available this week for a date already scheduled on the Las Vegas Sphere’s calendar.

Tickets, priced from $1,882 to $29,214, were up for sale on the Sphere’s website Thursday amid controversy raised by Mayweather, whose comments suggested the event was not the done deal it seemed to be when announced February 23 by Netflix and CSI Sports.

During a busy boxing day dominated by Sebastian Fundora’s stoppage of Keith Thurman last weekend, Mayweather told Vegas Sports Today that the venue was uncertain.

“We don’t know if it’s a hundred percent going to be there,’’ Mayweather said during a reported meet-and-greet at Caesars Palace.

Days later, however, the MSG-sponsored Sphere is moving forward as if it is certain.

Mayweather also told Vegas Sports Today that the fight would not count in the official record book, which has him at 50-0 after a boxing victory over then MMA star Conor McGregor in August 2017.

“This is not actually a fight,’’ Mayweather said. “It’s an exhibition.”

In a video posted by Source of Boxing, Pacquiao countered, saying he didn’t sign up for an exhibition.

“…he signed a real contract,’’ says Pacquiao, who lost a 2015 decision to Mayweather in a much-hyped fight remembered mostly for the record-setting pay-per-view revenue. “Yes, the contract that we signed is a real fight. I wouldn’t fight an exhibition.’’

There’s a theory that Mayweather is attempting to re-negotiate, because he wants to protect his official record. He might need money, but he still values the 0 on the loss side of the ledger more than anything. It’s his identity. Maybe, his future. He’ll be 50 next year. One loss might ruin the birthday party.

From the Netflix and Sphere point of view, however, that risk is part of the drama, a compelling reason to watch. After all, the first fight, more than a decade ago, was a dud.

As of Thursday, it’s not clear whether Mayweather thinks he’s found a loophole that will allow him to re-negotiate. The Pacquiao camp is certain he does not.

Mayweather is in breach of contract,

Jas Mathur, Manny Pacquiao Promotions CEO, told ESPN and Boxing Scene.  Now, there are reports that Mathur is demanding Mayweather re-confirm that he intends to fulfill the terms that –Pacquiao says — he agreed to.

Will he? Mayweather, a calculating and clever master of the feint within the ring, also uses it outside of it. Keep them guessing, before and after opening bell.

He’s done it often enough to think he’s trying to do it all over again. It also might help explain the odds. Mayweather opened as a slight betting favorite, minus 175. A couple of days later, money came in on Mayweather, making him more of a favorite, minus 190.

There are no odds on whether the fight, real or not, happens at all.

Not yet anyway.

By Norm Frauenheim

Keith Thurman promises history. A lot of people think he already is.

There’s a challenge in that, one that offers Thurman the motivation that always comes with an opportunity to prove them wrong.

It also gives him a chance to talk, and there’s never been a doubt he’s still better at that than just about anybody on boxing’s bully pulpit.

He was there, center stage, Thursday with a volume of words full of philosophy, preaching and psychology. If it weren’t for Sebastian Fundora’s much-hyped height, you wouldn’t have known Fundora was there at all.

Fundora, all 6-foot-6 of him, walks into a room and everybody looks up, including the 5-7 Thurman, who must have suffered a crick in his neck during the ritual stare down during a live-streamed newser a couple of days before the title fight Saturday at Vegas’ MGM Grand.

Fundora let his 154-pound title, recent string of impressive victories and that height do most of his talking. The 28-year-old with an emerging ring IQ is a smart guy. So, he listened.

Word-for-word, Thurman is unrivalled, if not undisputed. He has a broadcaster’s skillset. For now, however, he’s a fighter who plans to stay active. Thurman, nicknamed One Time, said Thursday he doesn’t intend to retire. One Time promised at least one more in a fight — he says — could open the door to Hall of Fame consideration

“A historic night,’’ he said many times.

In part, Premier Boxing Champions’ pay-per-view bout on Amazon Prime is historic for both PBC and Thurman. Thurman was featured in PBC’s first main event, a decision over Robert Guerrero 11 years ago — March 7, 2015 – also at the MGM Grand.

“It’s called PBC,’’ Thurman said. “It should be PB Me.’’

He’s a poet, too.

But a question lingers: Is he still the puncher with the finishing power defined by his nickname? The answer determines the fight.

Despite the nickname, his career has been a story about not enough times. It’s impossible to judge inactivity. That’s not exactly fair. There was Covid. There were injuries, including three surgeries. 

But none of that is attached to his record like an asterisk offering an explanation. It’s just a fact, including only 15 rounds since July 2019. 

That’s nearly seven years, a stretch when some fighters retire, come back and retire all over again.

At 37, Thurman is closer to the end than his prime. Perhaps, inactivity helped protect him from the inevitable wear-and-tear sustained in a busy career. But the surgeries suggest otherwise.

Thurman hears the skepticism. He uses it, effectively on stage and in video. The psychologist in him also might be using it against the younger Fundora. Media and fans were there with questions Thursday. In part, however, Thurman might have been talking to an audience of one: Fundora.

Fundora, he said many times, has been knocked out in his only loss to Brian Mendoza in 2023. Fundora’s muscle memory of that KO will be there, Thurman said, when a big shot lands. The body, he promised, will react in a way Fundora’s mind can’t control.

“I don’t know what all is going to go down,’’ Thurman said. “I just know Sebastian Fundora is going down.’’

It’s no coincidence that Mendoza is on Saturday’s card against Cuban prospect Yoenis Tellez in the co-main event. It’s also no coincidence that Thurman was seated next to Mendoza on the stage for the news conference.

“He gave me the cheat code,’’ Thurman said to Fundora, who was seated on the other side of the pulpit. “Night, night.

“I’m going to give you that flashback. Do you remember? Maybe, you forgot. I will make you remember.’’

Maybe, make some history, too.

By Norm Frauenheim

There are questions. Optimism, too. Mostly, there’s relief that Top Rank’s 60-years of expertise in the promotion and development of fighters is back on a significant platform with potential to sell and sustain the volatile boxing game.

We still don’t know exactly how long Top Rank’s deal with DAZN is, or whether there are any clear limits on exclusivity regarding dates and matchups with fighters tied to rival promoters.

Potential land mines, of course, are buried in the fine print of a deal announced Wednesday. It wouldn’t be boxing if they weren’t. Risk and reward, drama and disaster are all there. Caveat emptor. It’s a timeless warning, one that simply leads to another one heard before every opening bell. Defend yourself at all times.

Top Rank has, brilliantly so throughout a turbulent eight-month stretch when fans, pundits and a new generation of promoters were saying the longtime entity was dead. Mark Twain once had something to say about premature obits. News of his death, he said, had been exaggerated.

In Top Rank’s case, it surely was. After Top Rank’s final show with ESPN in July, it looked as if there was a vacuum. Saudi money, The Ring, Zuffa and TKO threatened to take over.

The threat is still there. The idea is to rewrite the Ali Act and do away with the confusing array of weight classes and titles prevalent throughout the so-called four-belt era. But there are still no real answers. Questions linger. Chaos looms.

Fans, so often forgotten, sit and wait, wondering whether it’s just a revolving door. The WBC, WBO, IBF and WBA leaving; The Ring, Zuffa and TKO arriving. Acronyms in; acronyms out.

Some fans don’t know much about it. Many don’t care. But they do know good fights and who puts them together. Over the last eight months, that’s been 94-year-old Bob Arum’s Top Rank. Amid the mess of uncertainty throughout the last year, Top Rank’s trademark resilience has been there with a quiet, yet powerful adherence to fundamentals.

The Top Rank template was never more evident than the co-promotional role it played with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom on Feb. 28 in a stunning performance by Emanuel Navarrete in an upset stoppage of Eduardo Nunez for a unified junior-lightweight title in front of a crowd of about 12,000 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, a Phoenix suburb.

In the card’s immediate aftermath, it was a story about a couple of dramatic

comebacks, Navarrete and the Phoenix market, which had gone dormant with the advent of Saudi money and the Riyadh season.

A couple of weeks later, it became evident there was a third comeback: Top Rank. In part, it was expressed by Emiliano Vargas, the emerging son of former great Fernando Vargas, also his trainer. Vargas, boxing’s hottest prospect and a Top Rank fighter, had just embellished his credentials with a victory – punishing and powerful — over junior-welterweight Agustin Ezequiel Quintana.

Vargas thanked the fans and then said what fellow fighters are beginning to learn about the AZ crowd, called “educated” by Hearn. They know what they’re watching. He says he wants to fight his first main event in Phoenix. The crowd roared its approval.

Eighteen days later, there was a further approval in the Top Rank-DAZN alliance, formally announced during a news conference at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

The deal is still being worked out, according to Arum. It had probably been under negotiation for weeks before Feb. 28.

But that last night in February was full of reasons, all comebacks, about why it got done. Top Rank is calling it “a new era,’’ and for the younger generation in that AZ crowd it is.

But it’s also proof that new eras work because of old fundamentals that always do.

By Norm Frauenheim

Reborn Emanuel Navarrete fought his way back from the edge of retirement and now looks at a restored future that starts with options, a decision and perhaps a dilemma.

What’s next?

More to the point, who’s next?

A couple of weeks after a dramatic career-best stoppage of Eduardo Nunez, Navarrete must choose between a promise and an opportunity.

Charly Suarez?

Or O’Shaquie Foster?

The either-or could change, of course. Unforeseen options are like insults from feuding promoters. There’s always another one.

This week, however, there were only two for Navarrete, who on Wednesday got an order that — in acronym-speak — told him he had 20 days to negotiate a deal for a “mandatory” rematch.

The only mandatory here is skepticism, of course. The only bet is an extension. Negotiations and Navarrete’s decision figure to go on for a while.

The dilemma was Navarrete’s own doing. In a contentious arena often devoid of what Ernest Hemingway called “grace under pressure,” a maturing Navarrete showed some.

He thanked Suarez.

He also acknowledged he owed him one.

“I know I owe Suarez that rematch,’’ Navarrete said at a news conference in the immediate aftermath of his 11^th-round TKO of Nunez in front of a roaring crowd in Glendale, AZ.

The rematch has been there, at one level or another, amid lingering echoes of the controversy over the Navarrete-Suarez fight in May. At first, Navarrete was declared the winner by an eighth-round “technical decision.” The referee ruled that a cut above his left eye was caused by a punch.

Thirty minutes after the San Diego fight, however, video showed the cut was caused by a Suarez punch.

Weeks later, the California State Athletic Commission changed the result, ruling it a dreaded “No Contest.”

Ten months later, there’s still no rematch. It screams for one. It sounds as if Suarez is already counting on it. The Filipino told Boxing Scene that he wants the rematch in Las Vegas.

On the last night in February, he was in the Arizona crowd for Navarrete’s victory, a definitive performance that proved to be a powerful answer to most questions about Navarrete’s future. It’s never been brighter.

Nevertheless, a ruling at a regulatory meeting allowed him to retain a title that many believe Suarez had rightfully taken from him in the ring. It remains unresolved, because Suarez stepped aside, allowing Navarrete to fight Nunez.

For that, Navarrete is thankful. But it’s still not clear whether he’ll agree to a sequel, or simply relinquish the WBO belt and move on to another 130-pound unifier against Foster.

Foster was in the Arizona crowd, too.

“Let’s do it …let’s make it happen,’’ Foster told reporters.

Then, he went on to suggest he has more name-recognition than Suarez.

“My profile has been raised,” he said.

Foster also has something that Suarez doesn’t. He’s got a junior-lightweight title, the World Boxing Council’s version – the green belt valued more than any other, especially by Mexican fighters.

The powerful Foster, who like Navarrete is a Top Rank fighter, also represents a significant 130-pound challenge to Navarrete’s renewed aspirations. There was talk that Navarrete merits some serious pound-for-pound consideration after his stoppage of a feared Nunez, a fellow Mexican who was the betting favorite at opening bell.

A victory over Foster would validate what Navarrete did against Nunez. It also would answer a lingering question about Navarrete’s consistency.

He had grown erratic, which was all too evident in a now-forgotten, yet still-controversial stoppage of unknown Australian Liam Wilson, also in Glendale where Navarrete won a then-vacant WBO title in February 2023.

To do it, Navarrete had to get up from the only knockdown in his career. He was floored by a left hook. Clearly dazed, he was still alert enough to spit out his mouthpiece, giving him a controversial 27 seconds to recover. He survived.

Wilson’s corner was outraged. It threatened a protest. It demanded a rematch. Wilson never got one. Will Suarez?

For now, not even Navarrete knows. It’s a tough question, one bound to be controversial in the court of public opinion.

Stand-up guy?

Or pound-for-pound guy?

LAS VEGAS – March 11, 2026 – WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora and former unified world champion Keith “One Time” Thurman previewed their world championship showdown during a virtual press conference on Wednesday before they headline a PBC Pay-Per-View event on Prime Video taking place Saturday, March 28 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The reigning world champion Fundora will look for a signature victory to bolster his claim as the world’s best 154-pounder when he takes on Thurman, one of the best fighters of his era, who can solidify his resume by being crowned champion in a second division. 

Tickets for the live event are on sale now through AXS.com.

In addition to being available for purchase on Prime Video, regardless of Prime membership, fans will also be able to continue to access the telecast through traditional cable and satellite outlets as well as PPV.com.

The event is promoted by TGB Promotions and Sampson Boxing.

Here is what the fighters had to say Wednesday:

SEBASTIAN FUNDORA

“We’re ready to defend our title and remain WBC Super Welterweight World Champion. I’m just looking at Keith as another fight. I’ve fought a reigning champion and former champions. So I just have to see it as another fight. I have to go make the ring mine and make this fight mine as well.

“I’m the younger guy and I’m the champion. Lots of things favor me in this fight. You can’t just rely on that of course. But I’m extremely confident and more matured at this point in my career.

“I have to expect the best Keith Thurman to come out. That’s what we’re training for. Whether he brings it or not, that’s not up to me. But I’ll be ready.

“He says I haven’t fought any OG’s, but that’s because those OG’s aren’t around anymore.

“He looked good in his last fight, but I think my skills are better. That’s why we’re fighting. I’m planning to go in there and defend my title successfully.

“I’ve fought a lot of good fighters and I’m just seeing Thurman as another fight. This would be a good win against another accomplished former champion.

“Boxing is full of opinions. Anybody can say whatever they want. Freedom of speech. Like whoever you like, but I consider myself the best at 154 pounds.

“What I watch when I’m working my sister’s fights is a more human reaction. I can see things from the outside view that you don’t notice because you’re only focused on your opponent. It gives you a different perspective.”

KEITH THURMAN

“He needs to be Sebastian Fundora, He’s trying to simplify it for himself. It’s a heavy weight on the shoulders being champion, I know. He’s gonna see what an OG can do.

“Great champions become champions again and you can’t stop a champion from rising to the top. I’ve got several more tangos left in me and that’s what March 28 is all about. I’m back in the spotlight and ready to showcase my talents.

“When he goes down, he’s gonna realize what a legend is. He hasn’t met one yet. He knows what he needs to tell himself to get in the ring like it’s just another day. I take it a little more serious than that, and he’s gonna find out that March 28 isn’t just another day, it’s Thurman’s day.

“Fundora is starting to get better and better. He’s starting to get some of those layers. But it takes a fight like this to really reach the highest level. That’s what makes great champions.”

“I’m healthy and I’m ready to get in the ring and swing. I want the best. Fundora says he’s the best. I love going for the belt and taking the belt. That’s what boxing is all about.

“Danny Garcia is the only champion I’ve gotten to take the belt from. Now it’s happening for the second time and in a second division. I’m ready to keep writing my history.

“My sparring partners definitely have the height and reach that’s gotten me familiar with what I need. Of course I won’t be facing the real Sebastian Fundora until I’m in the ring, just like he won’t be facing the real Keith Thurman until then.

“I’m in there trading punches with heavyweights for this fight. My two sparring partners are giving both of Fundora’s looks, the come forward fighter or the back foot jabber, and they’ve got me prepared for whatever he brings on March 28.

“This would be a great win on my resume. It would be a legendary comeback win. There are times where you can win against a soft champion, but that’s not Sebastian.”

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For more information visit Amazon.com/PBC, www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow #FundoraThurman, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, on Instagram @PremierBoxing, or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions

MEXICO CITY – March 10, 2026 –  The World Boxing Council witnessed a Martes de Café  (“Coffee Tuesday”) like no other so far in 2026, as it welcomed undefeated two-division WBC champion David Benavídez and Unified WBA and WBO World Champion Gilberto Ramírez to Mexico City to talk about their upcoming bout, which will take place during Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas, alongside their host WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán and other boxing luminaries in Mexico City.

Benavidez, the current WBC Light Heavyweight Champion, requested and was granted permission to challenge for the WBA and WBO Cruiserweight titles held by Zurdo Ramirez, so they will meet under the bright lights for the first time on May 2 after having been sparring partners for a long time.

To commemorate this fight that puts the spotlight on this Mexican card, the WBC has created a special commemorative belt for the winner to hoist: the Tollan Tlatequi Belt, inspired by the culture of Hidalgo in the heart of Mexico.

“I am very happy with everything that has happened in my life. Sometimes the hardest lessons I had to learn were the ones that made me stronger,” Benavídez reflected. “I am proud of my accomplishments, but I don’t like to live in the past or dwell on them; there is still so much more I can achieve. By the time I’m done with boxing, there will always be room for more. I am very grateful to all of Mexico for welcoming me in such a beautiful and warm way. I felt right at home and hope to return soon. Many thanks to the WBC for making this possible.”

For his part, Ramírez commented: “The clash of styles will inevitably make this fight attractive. Benavidez is a pressure fighter who comes forward, so it will be a great battle. I respect him because I know him; we’ve shared a lot of time in the gym, and I know he is a very dedicated fighter—but I am going to win.”

“I’m grateful to be in Mexico for this press conference, and I appreciate the hospitality that always characterizes the WBC.”

Mauricio Sulaimán, President of the WBC, hosted the event and also presented WBC mini belts to Benavidez and Zurdo´s kids, stating that “this fight is one of unity. Zurdo’s world championships will be on the line, and Benavidez will enter the ring as the WBC Champion. This is a fight for the world and for Mexico, featuring two Mexican warriors who will leave their souls in the ring.”

For more information, visit https://wbcboxing.com/, follow us on Twitter @wbcboxeo and @wbcboxing, and on Instagram @wbcboxing.

By Norm Fraueneim

David Benavidez, once branded as a weight bully, now looks up-and-down the scale and sees only options.

Bullies are sometimes hostages, too, trapped by a narrow pursuit that eliminates other possibilities.

For Benavidez, that was Canelo and only Canelo. It kept him at 168 pounds, a super-middleweight division long ruled by Canelo Alvarez. For as long as it did, there was nowhere else to go for Benavidez.

At 23-years-old, he missed weight in 2020, losing the World Boxing Council’s 168-pound title for the second time since a positive drug test, yet never losing it in the ring. Still, he chased Canelo for five more fights over three-and-half years. The pursuit bullied the bully, keeping him at 168 and only 168.

From bout to bout, birthday-to-birthday, he battled to make the weight while his maturing body told him to move on, move up.

His toughest fight?

“The scale,’’ Benavidez, now 29, said at a recent news conference for the formal announcement in his bid for a cruiserweight title against Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez May 2 in Las Vegas.

It was a joke. Kind of. The question asked by The Boxing Hour, should have been more specific. To wit: Who was his toughest opponent?

“Caleb Plant,” said Benavidez, a Phoenix born-and-forged fighter who battled and beat Plant, scoring a hard-fought decision in Vegas March 2023.

He would fight once more at super-middle, winning both the fight with the scale and then Demetrius Andrade later that year.

Still, Canelo would not budge, perhaps because he saw Benavidez as too big, or too loud or too much of both. Whatever the reason, Benavidez moved on, moved up. The question, however, is still there.

“For as long as Canelo is still out there, still active, it’ll always will be,’’ Benavidez said.

Canelo is planning a September 12 comeback in Riyadh from his scorecard loss to Terence Crawford. Christian Mbilli and others have been mentioned for what will be Canelo’s first fight in a year. But don’t bother to look too far down the list. Benavidez’ name is not there. The question is, of course.

These days, it’s almost always preceded by an apology. Sorry, but we have to ask.

Benavidez is happy to answer. Maybe, relieved, too. His move up the scale has freed him from the frustration that had been attached to the futile pursuit of what would have been a rich date with Canelo. It’s also freed him to take on risks that can make or break a legacy.

Cruiserweight is that risk. After three fights at light-heavyweight, Benavidez is making the jump, from 175- pound champion to 200-pound challenger.

Zurdo, Benavidez’ old sparring partner, has been at the weight for three fights over the last two years. He’s won two of the belts. His experience, familiarity, gives him an edge.

Another Zurdo advantage is measurable. Benavidez has always been the bigger fighter. In a face-off at the end of a Las Vegas newser late last month, however, Benavidez had to look up to look into Zurdo’s eyes. Will that matter? Maybe not.

But that photo is just one indication of adjustments confronting Benavidez in a bid for a third division title.

There’s a sense that Benavidez’ energy and whirlwind punching rate will propel him to victory. Betting odds reflect that. Benavidez is a slight favorite, minus 310.

Jai Opetaia, the world’s most feared cruiserweight, talked about Benavidez-Zurdo during the days before his bout against Brandon Glanton in a Zuffa-promoted card Sunday in Vegas. He wants the winner.

Opetaia, the most interesting big guy from Down Under since David Tua, also talked to Benavidez during the Ryan Garcia-Mario Barrios fight on March 21. They weren’t exchanging gardening tips. The Benavidez-Opetaia possibility has got fans talking.

Whatever happens, Benavidez hasn’t eliminated anything on either side of his current place on the scale. He says he still wants to fight Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev at light-heavy.

The difference between 175-to 168 is seven pounds however. That’s a lot less than the 25 pounds separating 200 from 175.

Can he go back down, win another fight with the scale? He’s done it before, which explains why he’s confident he can do it again.

But doubts increase as he gets older. It’s also not clear what Bivol and Beterbiev plan to do. There was talk of them in a second rematch, a trilogy. But both names have begun to fall out of the media and the pound-for-pound ratings. Their careers are close to the end.

Meanwhile, Benavidez is just beginning on a path that some say will lead to heavyweight. Cruiserweight is just seen as a steppingstone for him and Opetaia, as it was for Evander Holyfield and Oleksandr Usyk. But that option will have to wait.

“The question is not whether I can fight at heavyweight,’’ Benavidez said. “It’s whether I want to.’’

COACHELLA, CA. – March 3, 2026 – WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora has his sights set on re-establishing himself as the top fighter at 154-pounds when he takes on former unified champion Keith “One Time” Thurman on Saturday, March 28 headlining a PBC Pay-Per-View event available on Prime Video from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Fundora and Thurman had originally been scheduled to meet last October, before a Fundora hand injury that the reigning champ has since recovered from.

“Camp has been good since recovering from the hand injury,” said Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KOs). “We never stopped training, we just slowed down on some things that we do. We always figure out ways to work, because this is an all year sport. This isn’t seasonal. I don’t think about this is a training camp, this is my job. This is a lifestyle.

“Having more time to focus on one opponent is always a blessing. We wish it didn’t happen this way with the injury, but we’ll take advantage of the extra time. It was disappointing to have to postpone the fight, but things happen in boxing and in life. You just have to roll with the punches. Not being able to use my hands as much as I wanted was challenging. For a period of time, we couldn’t do that. So I had to figure out a way to make sense of it.”

Fundora returns to the ring after sandwiching a pair of victories over Australian superstar Tim Tszyu around a March 2025 stoppage of top rated contender Chordale Booker. Last July, Fundora delivered perhaps the best performance of his career, stopping Tszyu in their rematch with a violent and dominant display. Now he hopes to pick up where he left off on that triumphant night last summer.

“Beating this former world champion will make a big statement,” said Fundora. “I still feel like I’m at the top of the division. I don’t think we’ve lost any momentum, we just had to reschedule. We’re not hiding from anybody. This is gonna remind everyone that we are at the top.”

In Thurman, Fundora faces without a doubt the most accomplished foe of his career. Thurman had a long reign as the king of the 147-pound division, before officially debuting at 154 with a knockout of Brock Jarvis last March. In the build up to their matchup, Fundora named one of Thurman’s best victory, a decision over fellow then-unbeaten welterweight world champion Danny Garcia, as his favorite performance of his upcoming opponent.

“I liked Thurman’s performance against Danny Garcia,” said Fundora. “Garcia was also a top name and those two clashing together was a great fight and Thurman getting the victory showed how great of a fighter he was.”

Fundora vs. Thurman not only presents a unique clash inside of the ring, but outside of it as well, with the soft-spoken, “gentle giant” Fundora going up against the bombastic and outspoken Thurman. While Thurman has tried to poke at Fundora during pre-fight activities, Fundora has no problem brushing the talk to the side.

“Keith’s trash talk is good for TV, that’s what I’ll say,” said Fundora. “He’s always been the bad guy going into a fight because of that. And he backs it up a lot. But this time he’s not gonna be able to back it up.

“I’m not distracted by the talking. It doesn’t bother me one bit. Maybe if he wasn’t as well-known as he is, it could have caught me off guard. But when I step into the ring with these guys, I expect them to hate my guts. I expect that they wanna get rid of me. That’s boxing. We’re in a competitive sport and we want to do the same thing to each other. It’s nothing personal, but we both gotta do what we gotta do.”

A native of Coachella, California, Fundora’s career has been led by his father and trainer Freddy Fundora, who runs the champion’s training camp from their mountain home. The unique landscape for the Fundora’s has helped give Sebastian a boost throughout his career.

“This isn’t easy living right here in the mountains,” said Fundora. “I don’t even know how much snow we have, but it’s a lot. It’s past my ankles already, and we ran in it this morning. There are lots of obstacles training up here, but we still work and come to win and be the best.”

Another advantage for Fundora’s training is that he works alongside his younger sister, undisputed world champion Gabriela Fundora. With Gabriela fighting a couple of weeks before Sebastian gets into the ring, the combined training efforts of the siblings helps boost each up to be their best.

“Having Gabriela training alongside me is a good reminder that show’s me what’s working and what needs to be done,” said Fundora. “Watching her fight is gonna give me a good IQ lesson for what can work for me in this fight and what can’t.”

With a big name opponent and boxing’s historic stage, the MGM Grand Garden Arena, set for Fundora’s arrival, the 28-year-old plans to make the most of this opportunity and continue to lay his claim as king of the super welterweights.

“This is the Fundora’s first pay-per-view main event as the A-side,” said Fundora. “We’re very blessed that Las Vegas is taking us in with open arms. I think every time we fought in Vegas and at MGM, it’s been a great fight. I’m fighting one of the best fighters of this era, so make sure you tune in and watch this live. You’re gonna see the king of 154 do his thing all over again.”

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ABOUT FUNDORA VS. THURMAN

Fundora vs. Thurman will see WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora battle former unified champion Keith “One Time” Thurman in the main event of a PBC Pay-Per-View event available on Prime Video on Saturday, March 28 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will feature top heavyweight contender Frank “The Cuban Flash” Sanchez taking on unbeaten U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist Richard Torrez Jr. in an IBF Heavyweight Title Final Eliminator that serves as the co-main event.

The lineup will also feature undefeated top-rated middleweight Yoenli Hernandez stepping in against battle-tested U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha in a 10-round bout, plus exciting young star Elijah Garcia faces veteran super middleweight contender Kevin Newman II in the 10-round pay-per-view opener.

Gloves Off: Fundora vs Thurman is streaming now on Prime Video. Below you can find a YouTube link to the program.

Gloves Off: Fundora vs Thurman

Tickets for the live event are on sale now through AXS.com.

In addition to being available for purchase on Prime Video, regardless of Prime membership, fans will also be able to continue to access the telecast through traditional cable and satellite outlets as well as PPV.com.

The event is promoted by TGB Promotions and Sampson Boxing.

For more information visit Amazon.com/PBC, www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow #FundoraThurman, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, on Instagram @PremierBoxing, or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions

By Norm Frauenheim

GLENDALE, Ariz. – For a while, the only thing separating Emanuel Navarrete and Eduardo Nunez was a valid passport. Now, even that’s gone.

Navarrete and Nunez stood face-to-face, seemingly even for perhaps the most intriguing fight in a new year Friday, just a day after Navarrete resolved issues over a lost passport and boarded a private jet in Mexico City for a flight to Arizona.

He landed, his papers and weight all in order. As he stepped off the scale, he looked relieved. Finally, he was where he was supposed to be. Finally, there were no issues about the weight. He safely came in under the junior-lightweight limit of 130 pounds.

In a staged weigh-in after the official one behind closed doors Friday morning at Desert Diamond Arena, he was at 129.2 and Nunez at 129.8.

Over the last few years, the 31-year-old Navarrete (39-2-1-1, 32 KOs) has often struggled to make weight. But this time, more than a passport was lost.

Pounds were, too, enough for him to stay in the hunt to keep his World Boxing Organization belt and to take Nunez’ International Boxing Federation title Saturday night at Desert Diamond in a DAZN-streamed bout.

“Obviously, we had our setbacks, all out of our hands,’’ Navarrete said through an interpreter. “But, finally, we’re here.’’

Navarrete sounded confident. The three-division champion is no stranger to Arizona where he’s already fought three times since 2023.

“This is a lot like my second home,’’ Navarrete said.

He’s been lucky in Maricopa County. He escaped with a victory over Australian Liam Wilson, scoring a stoppage after getting up from a controversial knockdown. He’s also been dominant, punishing Oscar Valdez, first at Desert Diamond and again at the Suns home arena in downtown Phoenix.

He knows the city. It knows him. But a boxing ring never includes any of the comforts of home. It’s full of danger and shifting allegiances, both of which are personified in the emerging face of Nunez.

Navarrete has the resume and an awkward style, a puzzle to most who have tried to solve it.

But Nunez has the momentum, which includes an astonishing knockout rate. He’s not perfect, but he’s close. He’s stopping opponents at a 93.1-percent clip.

Twenty-nine victories in 30 fights, 27 by stoppage. It comes with no surprise, perhaps, that his only loss came on the scorecards early in his career. Nunez’ power has dictated what he does. Who he is.

“Navarrete has been a champion for a long, long time,’’ Nunez said, also through an interpreter. “But I feel like it’s my time to write my own destiny.’’

Nunez woke up Friday as the favorite. The betting odds have been close since the fight was announced. Throughout, however, Nunez has been the bettors’ slight favorite, a sign perhaps that the fighter from Sinaloa has captured the imagination of Mexican fans.

For now, at least, Nunez is a name. Few American fans have seen him fight. In August 2024, he beat Miguel Marriaga in Carson, Calif. Last May, he traveled to Japan, scoring a unanimous decision over Masanori Rikiishi for a vacant IBF title in Yokohama. Twice, his passport has been punched with some noteworthy credibility.

But none would be more powerful than a victory over Navarrete, whose name has been near the top of Mexico’s boxing royalty for many years.

A victory over Navarrete would be a sure sign that he has arrived, especially among Mexicans, boxing’s biggest and loudest demographic. It’s no coincidence that promoters, Matchroom and Top Rank, have dubbed the fight “King of Mexico.”

Canelo Alvarez, who still plans a post-Terence Crawford comeback in September, might argue with that one. For one night, however, the marketing title works.

The 27-year Nunez has youth and evident energy. Against a Navarrete, he might need a lot of both. Navarrete’s edgy victories over Valdez suggest he’s at his best against fellow Mexicans. Valdez is popular in Arizona, in part because he has roots in Tucson. But Navarrete walked through him. From round to round, it looked as if he was energized by a partisan crowd. Those Valdez fans might be his fans now.

Nunez figures to encounter that version of Navarrete, who is also motivated by talk that he is not the fighter he was five years ago. In his last fight, he escaped against Charly Suarez. It ended in controversy over whether a punch or a head butt left Navarrete with a nasty cut. Eventually, it was ruled a No Contest. Navarette kept his belt, but couldn’t shed the questions.

“Some of the criticism was unfair,’’ said Navarrete, who has never had a better chance to prove just how unfair.   

By Norm Frauenheim

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Emanuel Navarrete missed a news conference Thursday for a fight for a unified junior-lightweight title Saturday against emerging fellow-Mexican Eduardo Nunez at Desert Diamond Arena because he lost his passport.

The fight for the World Boxing Organization and International Boxing Federation belts was still on, however. 

During the  undercard portion of a delayed news conference, promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed a story first reported by The Boxing Hour and said  Navarrete was on a private jet from Mexico City to Phoenix.

“”Earlier, he was sitting in an embassy in Mexico City,” Hearn, Nunez’ promoter, said. “Nobody could find his passport.

Hearn had hoped to stage the ritual stare-down between Navarrete and Nunez later in the night. But there was still no sign of Navarrete as the undercard part of the newser ended.

Representatives for Top Rank, Navarrete’s promoter, were confident he was enroute.

“We had some drama this week,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti said.

Moretti then thanked Hearn for acquiring a private jet.

“We’re still negotiating that,” Hearn said.

Navarrete is popular in the Phoenix area. His scheduled Saturday fight on DAZN is his third at Desert Diamond and his fourth in Maricopa County since 2023. He beat Oscar Valdez in a rematch in December, 2024 at the Suns home arena in downtown Phoenix in his last Arizona appearance. His drawing power has been evident.

“This fight will happen in front of what will be 12,0000 fans,” Hearn said.

By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS – Belts and acronyms are at stake, but a date matters the most to David Benavidez’ in his upscale move to prove he’s the undisputed face of the game.

Ownership of that date, Cinco de Mayo, is there, up-for-grabs on May 2 in an intriguing fight against cruiserweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez.

It’s been there, vacant and valuable, ever since a masterful Terence Crawford beat Canelo Alvarez in September. Crawford retired; Canelo abandoned the date amid plans for a comeback in September.

For Benavidez, just the chance to claim the date is an opportunity to kick his career into prime time.

“That date doesn’t belong to just one fighter,’’ Benavidez said at a formal news conference announcing the Zurdo bout early Saturday, just hours before the Ryan Garcia-Mario Barrios fight at nearby T-Mobile Arena.

No, but it does belong to a long list of legends.

“Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, Canelo,’’ Benavidez, a Phoenix born-and forged fighter, said to an audience that included De La Hoya, Zurdo’s promoter. “It’s for the best fighter of his time.’’

Benavidez, still a light-heavyweight champion, thinks his time is approaching. A definitive victory over Zurdo during the first weekend in May would serve as a sure sign that it is.

For Benavidez’ trainer and dad, the opportunity also serves as motivation for his son to deliver the kind of performance that will ensure an encore.

“We’re not going to let anyone take it from us,’’ Jose Sr. said.

Zurdo, of course, has other plans. He knows Benavidez. Since 2016, they’ve sparred about 100 rounds. 

“Pay-per-view rounds,’’ Zurdo trainer Julian Chua said during the newser for a bout that will be streamed by Amazon Prime Video.

There’s some debate about how the rounds went.

“I hurt him,’’ Benavidez said. “He might not say that, but I know he knows. But I also remember that through all that sparring I once told him that one day we’re going to do this on pay-per-view.’’

Turns out, it’ll happen on boxing’s biggest day.

By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS – The weigh-in was staged on a day when nothing else was.

Ryan Garcia, known to miss weight, was a half-pound lighter than the 147-pound mandatory and Mario Barrios was at the welterweight max Friday just as boxing’s familiar chaos descended all over again.

There’s redemption, and maybe Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) gets some along with his first real title Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in a DAZN-streamed fight.

There’s respect, and maybe Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) gains some by retaining the World Boxing Council’s green belt after keeping it twice with a couple of unconvincing draws.

From redeem to retain, there’s an R-word for just about everything in boxing. The only missing one is retirement. There’s no such thing. Prizefighters are like the tide. They keep coming back.

As Garcia and Barrios stepped off the scale and then indulged in the trashing-talking, non-blinking stare-down ritual, Floyd Mayweather, now more Sr. than Jr., was announcing a comeback.

Who knows if it really happens – and there are reasons to be skeptical. If it does, however, maybe the 30-year-old Barrios or the 27-year-old Garcia are in his future. Mayweather will always get closer to social security than he will his prime. He’ll be 49 next Tuesday (Feb. 24).

Who knows if Mayweather needs the money or the attention or both. Whatever the motivation, he becomes a legendary name that younger fighters – a Garcia or a Barrios – might one day want to have on their resume. 

One way to become a legend is to beat one. Mayweather is surely that, although his plan for a comeback risks his 50-0 sanctioned record. 

A loss to a face in the game’s emerging generation – again a Garcia or a Barrios – is a risk to Mayweather’s carefully-calculated claim on being an all-time great.

There’s a lot of talk that Mayweather’s comeback plan will include a rematch of his revenue record-setting victory over Manny Pacquiao. On Friday, at least, it was impossible not to note that Barrios fought to a controversial draw in July with Pacquiao in his last fight.

In announcing his comeback plan, Mayweather said he would fight his next sanctioned bout after a reported exhibition with Mike Tyson this spring. He’s also engaged in a looming court battle, a lawsuit against Showtime for $340 million.

Meanwhile, no specifics – date, place and network – have ever been announced about the speculated Mayweather-Tyson show. It’s fair to be as skeptical about that as it is to wonder whether we’ll ever see his comeback really happen. At 49, things change.

The body doesn’talways cooperate. Ask Bernard Hopkins, who went from an ageless wonder until he got stopped, knocked out of the ring by Joe Smith in 2016. Hopkins was 51. His body finally said no mas.

For now, however, Mayweather says he has contract, deal with CSI Sports/FIGHT SPORTS for a comeback career, post Tyson. 

“I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing,” Mayweather said in a written statement.

More records, maybe more revenue too, But there’s another R-word: Regret. Without retirement, that’s often all that’s left.   

LAS VEGAS, NV, February 19, 2026 – Today, against the backdrop of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, reigning World Champion Mario Barrios (29-2, 18 KOs) and Ryan Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) took to the stage along with their teams ahead of their enormous clash in ‘The Ring: High Stakes,’ for the former’s WBC Welterweight Championship title. The high-powered February 21 bout is streaming live worldwide exclusively on DAZN.  

Representing their Mexican-American heritages, the two fighters will undoubtedly have their speed and power on display while Barrios looks to cement his status as WBC Welterweight Champion, of which he’ll have successfully defended for the fifth time. On the other hand, Garcia aims to silence his doubters with a win, solidifying his position within the sport by securing a world title in a brand new division.  

On the undercard, an exciting Super Lightweight bout pits Richardson Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) against Oscar Duarte (30-2-1, 23 KOs) in a matchup that will see the winner take ownership of Hitchins’ IBF Super Lightweight title. American Gary Antuanne Russell (18-1, 17 KOs) will also look to fend off Japan’s Andy Hiraoka (24-0, 19 KOs) in defense of his WBA Super Lightweight title. Kicking off the undercard, Frank Martin (19-1, 13 KOs) and Nahir Albright (17-2, 7 KOs) are set to battle it out in a Super Lightweight bout, while Bektemir Melikuziev (16-1, 10 KOs) and Sena Agbeko (29-4, 23 KOs) face off in a Super Middleweight battle. 

Please see below for the latest from the fighters and their teams ahead of the highly anticipated bout: 

Mario Barrios

On Ryan Garcia getting a lot of attention this fight…

“None of it bothers me. I’m the champion for a reason. I’m not a talker when it comes to all this, but every time I fight I leave it all in the ring.”

On testing Ryan Garcia…  

“I want to make him uncomfortable and exploit his weaknesses every round.”

On if Joe Goossen’s knowledge of Ryan helped him train…

“I don’t think you need a personal relationship to know how to get an edge over him [Ryan Garcia].”

Ryan Garcia 

On what he thinks Mario Barrios will bring on Saturday night… 

“There’s not a lot I haven’t seen in the sport of boxing. You never really know what you’re going to get until you step into the ring. For me, I’m just preparing myself as best as I possibly can. So, we just have to wait and see.”

On where he’s at mentally and physically…

“I could do a lot of talking and say I’ve prepared the best I can. You can just look at me and see the shape that I’m in and how I look and have your own opinion on it.”

On Henry Garcia being his trainer again…

“It feels like old times. It feels good to be back with my dad. Technically, we are undefeated together and we’re going to continue the streak.”

On why the world title is important for his father… 

“For this championship, it’s going to make my dad’s life. I’m going to hold it with honor and pride. You’re going to see the start of a whole new rise of the King Ryan empire.” 

On if Joe Goossen is an advantage for him or Mario Barrios..

“It’s an advantage for me. I know how he’s training and I know how to train even better, because I’ve trained exactly the same with Joe. Joe knows how mean I can be, and come Saturday night, I’m going to be just that.”

Richardson Hitchins 

On why he’s predicting a knockout…

“If I fought the same opponents he [Oscar Duarte] fought, I would have knocked them out, too. I’ve never been knocked out in my entire boxing career. I’ve never touched the canvas ever. He’s not going to be the guy to do that.” 

On Oscar Duarte saying he’s a basic fighter..

“As far as Oscar saying I’m a basic fighter, if you look at my resume, every guy that I fought nobody has done to them what I’ve done to them. This guy has been spoonfed his whole career. When he gets in front of me, I’ll show him there’s levels to this and that I’m far from a basic fighter.”

Oscar Duarte 

On how he sees this fight ending…

“I’m not only doing this for me. I’m doing this for my team and the people of Mexico.”

On what he has to do to beat Hitchins…

“I’m going to apply pressure and come at him like a train.”

On if he’s being overlooked going into this fight…

“I definitely think they’re underestimating me. I know what I bring to the ring. I know that I’m hungry, and I want that world title…I want that championship. On Saturday, I’m coming not only for [Richardson] Hitchins, but anyone else that they put in front of me.”

On why there’s nothing special about Richardson Hitchins…

“Richardson Hitchins is a basic fighter, but I’m ready. I’ve been training very hard this camp, not only physically, mentally, too. I’m ready for my title.”

Gary Antuanne Russell 

On getting this fight…

“I’m ready for it and feeling great. I’ll do what I normally do – show up and show out. Hopefully, the concessions have some popcorn so the fans can enjoy the show.”

On his first title defense against Andy Hiraoka…

“Hopefully, he shows up. I won’t overlook him, but I want to be a true champion, and to do that, you need adversity. I’m prepared.”

On what he thinks the biggest difference was in his last fight against Alberto Puello…

“I took my foot off the gas and felt like I was up on the scorecard, so I changed my approach. I’m more mad at myself than the decision, but I won’t let that happen again.”

On if this fight will go to a decision… 

“It depends – I don’t kiss and tell.”

Frank Martin 

On how different he feels moving up in weight…

“I feel a lot stronger at 140 pounds…it’s the perfect weight for me. I feel a lot more comfortable.”

On if he believes Nahir Albright will fight or run in the ring…

“We’ll see. He might have to move around a lot. I’m going to beat him. Our styles clash, and it’ll be a good fight.”

Nahir Albright 

On how he’s feeling heading into a big fight against Frank Martin… 

“I feel great, and I’m excited. So grateful to be here.”

On what kind of fight he’s expecting on Saturday night…

“I’m expecting war and nothing less.”

On what the key is to beating Frank Martin…

“Just being myself and showing the world what I already know.”

Bektemir Melikuziev 

On what he wants to show on Saturday night…

“This is a great opportunity for me to showcase my skills. Nothing but respect to my opponent [Sena Agbeko], and I’m looking forward to a great fight.”

On hearing Sena Agbeko say he intends to ‘bully the bully…’

“I’m good with that. We’ll see in the ring.”

Sena Agbeko 

On how to bully the ‘Bek the Bully…

“We’re going to look to deal with everything that he can possibly put forward. The real question is going to be whether he can deal with what I’m going to bring to the table. I guess we’ll have to wait until Saturday night to find out.”

On his confidence going into Saturday night…

“I’ve never shied away from a fight. I’m beating fighters that are very tough competition. I come from a country with a long line of champions: Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey – who Oscar De La Hoya fought. It’s definitely going to be a firefight. He goes by the name, ‘bully.’ My plan for the fight is to ‘bully the bully.’”

Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO, Golden Boy

On Mario Barrios and Ryan Garcia in the main event…

“This is a great matchup, but I like Ryan’s chances because of what I see in his eyes and what I smell in the air. It’s going to be a war. When I last saw Ryan. This is a fight where that he’s been waiting for all his life. I have to give it to him – I love Ryan’s chances.”

On the depth of ‘The Ring: High Stakes’ card…

“This is a stacked championship card, and I can’t wait to see our Golden Boys take the next step to greatness. Duarte is one of those fighters who keeps evolving, and even Ryan Garcia says he is the ‘hardest puncher he’s ever faced.”

“What is there to say about Bek the Bully? He’s in tough with Agbeko – a man who’s been in the ring with top contenders, but we believe Bek is ready for the moment and ready to deliver a victory.”

“This card is top to bottom one of the best cards I’ve seen. It’s always great to see a stacked card like this on DAZN.”

Keith Connolly, Connolly Boxing 

On the growth he’s seen from Richardson Hitchins…

“When I signed him two and a half years ago I said, ‘you have pound-for-pound talent.’ I’ll stick by my word, in the next year or two, he’ll be in the top ten pound-for-pound list. We want to fight guys like Devin Haney…but his talents are endless and he has no ceiling. When all is said and done, he could go down as one of the best all-time greats.”

Rick Reeno, CEO, RIng Magazine

On the main event…

“Both of these guys have had some ups and downs, but they’re both hungry and trying to make a statement. When you have two Mexican fighters looking to do that, it’s guaranteed fireworks. I expect a very exciting fight and the talking is almost done.”

On his thoughts on the entirety of ‘The Ring: High Stakes’ card…

“This is an outstanding undercard with three world title fights…some of which could serve as a main event on their own. Richardson Hitchins wants all the smoke and steps into the ring with Oscar Duarte, but Oscar has heart and he comes to fight. Of course, Richardson wants to bet on the knockout. However, don’t blink at Gary Antuanne Russell and Andy Hiraoka – neither one of them wants to go the distance. Ever since Frank Martin entered the junior welterweight division they now call him the ‘KO Kid.’ [Nahir] Albright knows how to upset the odds, though, and he’s confident. ‘Bek the Bully’ [Melikuziev] and [Sena] Agbeko will be bombs away, too.”

Henry Garcia, Garcia Trainer 

On being Ryan’s trainer again… 

“We have the winning team. We have Ryan in tip top shape and we have a good team. I’ve heard reporters and trainers say, ‘Which Ryan is going to show up?’ I gave you the answer and we’re going to win this.” 

Joe Goossen, Barrios Trainer

On how training camp has gone… 

“Mario has been a model fighter in the gym during this training camp. He’s exceeded expectations and he’s tackled every assignment I’ve given him.”

On what he’s brought to Mario’s game…

“You don’t get to be champion of the world without a lot of talent. Sometimes when you have someone on the outside looking in, you’re going to find things that are meaningful. Those are the things we address: tightening the defense and making the offense more explosive than it already was.”

On how his knowledge of Ryan Garvia prepared Mario for this fight…

“I don’t really think that it served me a big advantage here, because you can just break the tape down. You have so many fights to look at. Working with Ryan for those three fights gave me a little insight, but I wouldn’t say it’s anything that’s going to be meaningful.”

Fans can catch all the action when they sign up for DAZN’s Ultimate Tier subscription, which includes access to The Ring events. DAZN Ultimate also provides fans access to an extensive archive of classic bouts and exclusive behind-the-scenes content, giving them unmatched access to the sport’s biggest moments. 

ABOUT RING MAGAZINE

Since its acquisition by His Excellency Turki Alalshikh in November 2024, The Ring has entered a new era, reinforcing its status as boxing’s most legendary and authoritative voice. The magazine has showcased many of the sport’s biggest fights and most iconic moments, including British boxing’s most talked-about match-up between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn, as well as the legacy-defining showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford in Las Vegas, often described as “the fight of the century.” The Ring delivers world-class global coverage with unrivaled access to boxing’s top stars. Building on its rich heritage, the magazine continues to document the sport at the highest level whilst shaping the present and preserving the legacy of boxing.

ABOUT DAZN

DAZN, the world’s leading sports entertainment platform, streams over 110,000 live events annually and is available in more than 200 markets worldwide.? DAZN is the global home of European football, women’s football, boxing, and MMA, as well as the NFL internationally. The platform features the biggest sports and leagues from around the world – Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1, Formula 1, NBA, Moto GP, and many more, including FIFA Club World Cup 2025. DAZN is transforming the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, play, buy, and connect. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN.? DAZN is a global, privately owned company, founded in 2016, with more than 4,000 employees. For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit? www.dazngroup.com.

By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS – Ryan Garcia came in from the storm.

He didn’t exactly leave it behind. He never does. But on a rare day that left Vegas chilled by rain instead of warmed by the desert sun, Garcia stepped inside, looking peaceful. Almost serene.

Calm before an opening bell vanishes like spilled beer up-and-down the Strip in mid-summer. It’s there, then it’s gone faster than a mirage.

Perhaps, that’s all it was for Garcia Thursday during a news conference that was moved from an outdoor pavilion and onto the bottom floor of T-Mobile Arena because of persistent showers.

But you never know with Garcia, who has more roles in his erratic career than he has angles on his

punches.

For Mario Barrios, a peaceful Garcia on a Thursday before their welterweight title fight Saturday night on DAZN might have been a little eerie.

After all, the last time they shared a stage, he encountered a Gracia full of the usual mocks, insults and theatrics.

Who is this guy? His father, Henry Garcia, hears the question. Dad, who is back in his son’s corner, promised a fighter fans remember.

“The boxer that beat Luke Campbell, beat (Javier) Fortuna, beat (Devin) Haney, that’s the fighter you’re going to see,’’ Henry Gracia said.

The fighter who beat Haney, of course is the fighter who tested positive for a PED that might have explained his ferocity throughout a wild and notorious fight in New York. It led to Garcia’s suspension and widespread condemnation.

But this is boxing. Ferocity is the way many of his fans want to remember him. The passive, disinterested fighter they saw in a subsequent loss to Rolly Romero in his last bout is the fighter they’d rather forget.

The Haney fight, eventually ruled a no-contest, has them hoping for a rematch, one that could be there if Garcia beats Barrios and claims the World Boxing Council’s 147-pound belt. That possibility is why The Ring has attached the promotional label, High Stakes, to the bout.

Haney-Gracia would be a grudge fest, a storm for which there would be no shelter. For now, at least, Garcia’s quiet confidence suggests confidence he’ll take a step in that direction against Barrios.

During the newser, Barrios said he hoped to make Garcia uncomfortable

Garcia was asked the inevitable: 

Can he?

“No,” he said.

Then, he paused, almost ominously

“I don’t,’’ he said

Since the bout was announced, Garcia has been the favorite, both in the ring and on the billboards. Barrios has the title, but Garcia owns the show.

There’s been a lot of talk about Barrios trainer, Joe Goossen, who is Garcia’s ex-trainer. In the first news conference, Garcia passed out T-shirts that said Traitor. Then, that was what Garcia apparently wanted everybody to think of Goossen. On Thursday, however, there were no divorce-like insults.

There were just questions about whether Goossen’s experience with Garcia might give Barrios an advantage.

Barrios didn’t talk much about that possibility. He doesn’t talk much at all, anyway.

But Garcia had a profane response.

Goossen, he said, knows him, knows what he can do.

“He also knows I can be a bad m-effer,’’ Garcia said. “On Saturday night, I’m going to be a bad m-ffer.’’

Moments later, Garcia and Barrios walked to the middle of the stage for the ritual face-off. Just as they broke off, Garcia flashed the middle finger, an obscene gesture that flashed like lightning on the horizon.

Another m-effing storm might be coming.  

ORLANDO, FL (February 18, 2026) — Boxlab Promotions undefeated super welterweight prospect Alex Bray (10-0, 8 KOs) is entering the most important fight of his young career as he prepares to face Argentina’s Rodrigo Damian Coria (15-7, 3 KOs) for the WBA Continental Latin American Title. The 10-round bout takes place this Friday, February 20, 2026, at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida, as part of an action-packed card streamed live worldwide on the Boxlab Promotions YouTube channel, giving fans global access to one of boxing’s rising prospects.

A GRUELING TRAINING CAMP IS COMPLETE

With an 80% knockout ratio and growing momentum, Bray sees this opportunity as a defining step toward title contention. Bray recently wrapped up an intense and disciplined training camp, and the undefeated prospect believes this preparation has elevated his mindset and performance to another level. Reflecting on camp, Bray spoke with conviction.

“This camp has been different. I’ve pushed myself mentally and physically like never before. We tightened up all aspects of my game. I’m not just training to win rounds…I trained to dominate every sparring session. Every day in camp felt like a fight. That’s the mentality I’m carrying into Orlando. I’m hungry, I’m locked in, and I’m ready to make a statement.”

RESPECT FOR CORIA, FOCUS ON DOMINANCE

Standing across the ring will be battle-tested Argentine veteran Rodrigo Damian Coria, who brings experience and toughness into the matchup. Bray isn’t overlooking the challenge and is taking this fight very seriously. But Bray made it clear that he’s coming to control the narrative.

“Coria is experienced. He’s been in there with different styles, and that makes him dangerous. Any time you fight someone with that kind of experience, you have to stay sharp. I respect him, but this is my moment. I’m younger, I’m explosive, and I’m evolving with every fight. I plan to break him down and show that I’m ready for the next level.”

FIGHTING FOR THE WBA CONTINENTAL LATIN AMERICAN TITLE

For Bray, the WBA Continental Latin American Title represents more than just a belt, it represents progression.

“This title is a steppingstone toward something bigger. It shows I’m moving up the ladder and positioning myself in the rankings. I’ve worked too hard to let this opportunity slip. When you fight for a belt, it means something. It adds pressure, but I welcome that pressure. Champions rise in moments like this.”

WHAT A WIN MEANS FOR HIS CAREER

At just 10-0, Bray understands that a dominant performance on February 20 could open major doors in the 154-pound division. He concluded with determination.

“A big win here puts me in the conversation with all the top prospects and contender. It shows I’m not just another undefeated prospect…I’m a real threat at 154. This fight is about taking the next step forward in my career. It’s about building my name, my brand, and my legacy. February 20, I’m coming to make a statement the whole division can’t ignore.”

Leigh Wood says he is ready to turn back the clock and get the job done even quicker when he collides with arch-rival Josh Warrington this Saturday – live worldwide on DAZN.

Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena is completely sold out for their ‘Last Man Standing’ return – a rematch, some two-and-a-half years in the making, that Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn has dubbed “s*** or bust” for the two former World Champions.

Wood, who celebrated a dramatic turnaround to stop the ‘Leeds Warrior’ Warrington in the seventh round of their first meeting back in October 2023 in Sheffield, is supremely confident that he will have his hand raised again in triumph and he does not want to leave his opponent with any ‘excuses’ this time round.

“He [Josh] gets himself into tremendous shape,” said Wood, speaking to Matchroom Boxing’s Make the Days Count series on YouTube.

“He has a great engine and throws a lot of punches. But that gives someone like me great opportunities. 

“He can say whatever he wants because on fight night I am going to batter him anyway.”

Warrington, meanwhile, is counting down the days until Saturday as he plots revenge against Wood in front of what promises to be a red-hot capacity crowd in Nottingham.

Warrington said: “The game plan? Don’t get caught! I like to watch my fights back if I win, but I don’t like to watch them when I’m getting chinned. I went diving in last time against Leigh [Wood] and it cost me. 

“I’ve just got to concentrate on what I do well and stay switched on for every single second. I feel stronger than I ever have been.”

By Norm Frauenheim

From outrage to silly, Ryan Garcia’s many sides have shown up on either side of the ropes and lots of other places.

There are so many roles, it’s hard to know what’s genuine, who’s real. Garcia has a mask for every opening bell. In a craft dictated by feints, it often works.

Along the way, he’s made fools out of opponents, fans, media and regulators.

Sometimes, he just makes a fool out of himself

That sets up a new stage. This time, however, who’s-fooling-who is more than just a question. It’s a theme, the inescapable drama, for his return next Saturday (July 21) against Mario Barrios in a DAZN-streamed bout from Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

The Ring, the promotional entity, calls the fight “High Stakes”, a fair enough marketing that suggests Devin Haney will be there for a rematch if Garcia prevails.

He’s expected to. He’s favored, but the odds (minus 225) are close, in part because of Garcia’s scorecard loss to Rolly Romero last May on a messy night at New York’s Times Square.

Garcia performed more like a guy trying to wave down a vacant cab than an elite fighter trying to land a punch in a fight that could have restored credibility badly damaged in a notorious New York night against Haney.

Eventually, a beat-down of Haney was ruled a no-contest because Garcia tested positive. Sometimes, masking doesn’t work. In his first fight – opportunity — since then, Garcia just looked disinterested.

Just another disguise, or a real look at what, who Garcia has become? Guess here: Narrow odds are also a fair reflection of the public perception of Garcia. Fans don’t know what to make of him, either.

High Stakes, perhaps, says more about him — his identity — than his future. If he fails against Barrios, his career is in crisis.

If he loses to Barrios, forget Haney, who might move on to a speculated shot at newly-minted junior-welterweight and pound-for-pound contender Shakur Stevenson. For this fight, fans will watch, knowing that only Garcia’s future is at stake.

Is that fair to Barrios? No. But fair and boxing, like jumbo and shrimp, don’t belong in the same sentence. Boxing is always a working definition for oxymoron.

Barrios, a nice guy in a notorious workplace, seems to understand his role in the looming show. He’s the B-side, which is the same bit-player role he had in a controversial draw with middle-aged celebrity Manny Pacquiao in July.

Garcia was there for that one too, reportedly engaging in some extracurricular exchanges on the arena floor after Barrios escaped with the draw.

Seven months later, the two would meet in the ring. Who knew? In a news conference dominated by Garcia last month, Barrios watched the show and reviewed it simply with perhaps the only trash talk he’s ever delivered. He called Garcia a clown.

“Payaso,’’ the proud Mexican-American said of Garcia who arrived on-stage with T-shirts, insults and his own dancing girls, all with ring cards mocking the World Boxing Council.

There’s more than just Bozo in the Spanish definition of clown. It could mean buffoon. It also could mean mischief, which, of course, has been a Garcia specialty. Expect some more.

For Barrios, a clown is what he hopes to make out of Garcia, who has been pretty good at doing that all by himself. In the process, Barrios hopes to put together a performance worthy of a shot at Haney in what would be a welterweight title-unification fight.

For now, there are just questions about Barrios’ path to the WBC’s version of the 147-pound belt.

He was awarded the belt without throwing a punch after Terence Crawford moved up,  from welter to junior-middle for a victory over Israil Madrimov

Then, Barrios kept the title with two draws, the last one with Pacquiao and the first one against Abel Ramos.

Ramos, resilient and tireless, battled his way back and seemed to dominate Barrios throughout the final rounds on the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul show in November 2024.

Barros retained the belt, but didn’t answer gathering questions with a rematch. Ramos, of Casa Grande south of Phoenix, earned a shot, yet never got one.

More than a year later, Ramos makes his first appearance since then. Seven days after Garcia-Barrios, Ramos faces prospect Tahmir Smalls on the Emanuel Navarrete-Eduardo “Sugar” Nunez Feb. 28 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, AZ.

Who’s fooling who? Maybe only time can answer that one. Garcia-Barrios is a fight for one. 

London, United Kingdom – February 5, 2026 – BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing, the world’s leading and fastest-growing professional bare knuckle organization, today announced the signing of former IBF featherweight world champion Lee Selby in a multi-fight, multi-year agreement. The Welsh boxing standout, known as “Lightning,” will bring his elite technical skills, championship experience, and fan-favorite style to the bare knuckle trigon, making his highly anticipated debut in the coming months as he targets BKB world championship glory.

This landmark signing showcases the growing appeal and momentum of BKB, which continues to attract decorated gloved boxers and deliver high-stakes, action-packed events. The promotion has seen stars like Olympic gold medalist and former multi-weight world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa cross over to the trigon, while Paulie Malignaggi made a hugely successful transition, delivering a thrilling Fight of the Night performance in his return at BKB 47 against Tyler Goodjohn. Building on that excitement, Malignaggi is now set to challenge reigning champion Rolando Dy for the BKB Super Welterweight World Championship in Manchester on Saturday, May 16, 2026, furthering BKB’s rising profile, expanding roster of elite talent, and nonstop progression as one of most disruptive forces in combat sports.

Selby, a former dominant force at featherweight, held the IBF world title from 2015 to 2018, successfully defending it five times against top contenders. He previously captured the British, Commonwealth, and European featherweight titles between 2011 and 2014, compiling an impressive professional record of 28-4 (9 KOs) over a career spanning 2008 to 2022. His championship reign and high-level performances established him as one of Wales’ most accomplished boxers and the 12th Welsh world champion in boxing history.

Selby’s decision to join BKB was fueled by his admiration for the promotion’s rapid growth, professional production, and the raw intensity of bare knuckle competition. Eager to test his elite boxing pedigree without gloves, he views BKB as the perfect platform to extend his legacy in the purest form of the sport.

Former IBF World Champion Lee Selby said: “I’ve achieved everything in gloved boxing – from regional titles to defending my world title five times. Now, bare knuckle is calling. It’s the original, no-filter version of boxing, and I’m excited to bring my speed, skill, and experience to BKB. I’m here to win another world title and show why I’m still one of the best.”

Mike Vazquez, Founder of BKB Bare Knuckle, said: “Lee Selby is a true champion with an incredible resume, and we’re honored to have him join our roster. His technical mastery and championship mentality will light up the trigon. With fighters like Gamboa and Malignaggi already proving the path for elite boxers, Lee’s signing shows BKB is where legends come to chase greatness.”

David Tetreault, CEO of BKB Bare Knuckle, said: “Lee Selby is another game-changer for our organization. His world title pedigree, defensive brilliance, and proven ability at the highest levels make this a massive addition. We’re excited to watch him chase bare knuckle glory alongside our growing stable of world-class talent.”

Selby joins an elite and expanding roster featuring more than 200 fighters from over 30 countries, underscoring BKB’s appeal to boxing’s biggest names seeking the ultimate challenge in the most primal combat sport. More major announcements are on the horizon as BKB continues its meteoric rise.

From its beginnings in 2015 as BYB Extreme Fighting Series, founded by MMA pioneer Dhafir “Dada 5000” Harris and Mike Vazquez, BKB has elevated bare knuckle boxing into a regulated, globally broadcast powerhouse through key acquisitions—including the original UK-based BKB in 2021 and Bad To The Bone in 2025—and a fighter-first approach that prioritizes athlete welfare and opportunity. Landmark broadcast partnerships with talkSPORT (UK and Ireland), VICE (US and Canada), and Telemundo (Spanish-language in the US) have brought live events to millions worldwide.

Details on Selby’s debut fight and upcoming events will be announced soon. Fans can visit www.bkbbareknuckle.comand follow @bkbbareknuckle for the latest news and information.

By Norm Frauenheim

Shakur Stevenson’s sudden transformation from boring to brilliant isn’t exactly a surprise.

The potential, sometimes suffocated by bouts of immaturity, has always been there.

What we saw from the 28-year-old’s captivating mastery of technical skill against Teofimo Lopez appears to be just a beginning, an awakening of who he really is.

What’s next? Who’s next? The possibilities appear to be unlimited, although a return to lightweight looks unlikely. The World Boxing Council made sure of that by stripping him of its 135-pound belt while he was still celebrating his scorecard masterpiece over Lopez for a fourth division title.

I’m not exactly sure why the WBC stripped him. Amend that: I don’t care. I don’t think most fans do, either. Apparently, it had something to do with an unpaid fee – reported to be $100,000, even though the WBC was not part of the sanctioning for a 140-pound fight for Lopez’ World Boxing Organization and Ring belts. Fees, flies and fine print, they’re all over boxing.

What nobody can strip from Stevenson, however, is his future, including his place among the top five in the pound-for-pound debate, Against Lopez, he engineered a bold and early statement about 2026. On the last day in January, he made a New Year look like his year.

It was timely, a move that coincides with a changing-of-the-guard in the wake of Stevenson mentor Terence Crawford’s retirement after his September victory over Canelo Alvarez.

Stevenson is no Crawford. Few are. Stevenson is not a finisher.

Crawford’s last two fights went to the cards. But both were at heavier weights – junior-middleweight against Israil Madrimov and super-middleweight against Canelo. At junior-welter and welterweight, however, Crawford was deadly, scoring 11 successive stoppages from 2016 through 2023.

It’s not clear that Stevenson will ever develop that kind of show-stopping dynamic. Given his first nine years in the pro ring, you’d have to say no. Yet, that can change. He’s just entering his prime, meaning power along with maturity are expected to grow. That figures to be part of his unfolding story.

For now, at least, he’s already talking as though he intends to go upscale. He mentioned Conor Benn in the immediate aftermath of beating Lopez by a decision more one-sided than the scorecard numbers. Somehow, unanimous just didn’t explain how big his victory really was.

But promoter Eddie Hearn seemed to dismiss the Benn possibility, saying he wanted to get the UK fighter a title bout or two. For now, at least, the weight difference looks to be too much. Benn has been campaigning at middleweight.

A more intriguing possibility rests closer to home, against Devin Haney, who began to restore his credibility in November with a victory for the WBO welterweight title over Brian Norman, Jr.

“a tremendous fighter, …,’’ Haney said of Stevenson in a post. “but hell yes I know I can beat him.”

Haney also posted: “Me & Shakur is the biggest fight in boxing!’’

Exclamation point not necessary.

Stevenson, who knows how to time a good counter, fired back on social media in a way sure fire up demand among fans weary of stories about belts and fees.

“Be careful what you ask for things might just happen,” said Stevenson, already the biggest happening in a year just underway.

By Norm Frauenheim

Teofimo Lopez arrived looking more like a preacher than a prizefighter. He wore a half-coat and reading glasses, carefully balanced at the end of his flat nose.

Instead of a belt, he carried a book.

No telling what it said. But, safe to say, there was no sermon from the bully pulpit. This was the Church of Chaos, another boxing ritual, a news conference Thursday intended to offend and sell, sell, sell.

The Lopez-Shakur Stevenson fight is doing that and perhaps a lot more. The junior-welterweight bout Saturday at New York’s Madison Square Garden is already sold out. A big audience for the DAZN live-stream is expected. Chaos, staged or otherwise, really isn’t necessary.

This fight, the first significant one in a New Year, sells itself. From the pound-for-pound debate to the race to be the game’s new face, it’s all there. Nevertheless, neither Lopez nor Stevenson nor anybody in the audience could resist another chance at some drama in the live-streamed newser.

First, there was Lopez’ look, or perhaps costume. He’s unpredictable, so much so that many wonder about his chances against Stevenson’s classic skillset. Hence, the inevitable question: Which Lopez will show up? The fighter who beat Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor? Or the one who lost to George Kambosos?

His fashion statement Thursday offered no clues. On paper, at least, Lopez has some documented advantages. At opening bell, he’ll be the defending champion. He holds the World Boxing Organization and The Ring versions of the 140-pound belt. He’s held them for more than two years, including three defenses.

He knows the weight. Stevenson doesn’t. The former champion at 135, 130 and 126 pounds is at the heavier weight for the first time.  A jump too fast, a bridge too far? The oddsmakers don’t think so. Stevenson is about a 3-to-1 favorite.

Stevenson mentor Terence Crawford, a retired face of the game since his September triumph over Canelo Alvarez, doesn’t think so, either.

“Shakur is on a whole ‘nother level,’’ Crawford said in an interview after the newser in New York. “Come Saturday, he’s going to prove it.’’

Stevenson’s cool confidence has been evident since the fight was formally announced. Still, the ever-enigmatic Lopez tried to rattle him Thursday. In a spontaneous flash of anger, it looks as if he might have succeeded.

In the middle of a trash-talking exchange full of profanity – both racial and sexual, Lopez insulted Stevenson’s mom. Stevenson, who ran to defend his mom after his 2022 victory over Oscar Valdez in Las Vegas, got up from his seat on the stage and walked toward Lopez.

“I will smack the (bleep) out of you,’’ Stevenson said with evident menace.

It was a moment when it looked as if the newser was going off the rails. It was also a moment when pundits decided it was enough to score an early victory for Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs). But Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) quickly regained his evident poise. After all, he had an unexpected counter waiting for Lopez.

Lopez’ father and trainer, Teofimo Sr., missed the newser. “Under-the weather” was the formal explanation. “Hungover” was the Stevenson explanation. Stevenson and his corner said they saw Lopez’ dad in the hotel lobby Wednesday.

That’s when they decided to buy a bottle that they wrapped in a brown-paper bag, which could have been used to wrap much of what transpired Thursday. Stevenson reached under his chair and handed it to Teofimo Jr., who apparently had no answer. Maybe, he should have consulted that book.

Guess here: After some early success, Lopez will run out of answers in the late rounds against Stevenson’s technical, southpaw skillset. Stevenson by unanimous decision.

Notes on an undercard

Carlos Castro (30-3, 14 KOs), of Phoenix, faces a tough challenge on the undercard against emerging Bruce Carrington (16-0, 9 KOs), of New York, on the Lopez-Stevenson card.

Castro knocked down Stephen Fulton in his last bout, yet still lost a split decision.

“I’m good, I’m confident,’’ said Castro, who grew up in a Phoenix trailer park. “I’m here to take on the best, here to prove myself.’’

Kingsley Ibeh, a Nigerian and a former defensive tackle at Washburn University in Topeka, has been training in Phoenix for a heavyweight bout against Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, also on the Stevenson-Lopez card.

Ibeh (16-2-1, 14 KOS), who also played soccer in Romania, wound up in the ring only after a chance encounter in a Phoenix gym. He scored a knockout in an impromptu sparring session during a workout. Ibeh, who started playing football at Glendale Junior College in suburban Phoenix, had been working as an insurance salesman and personal trainer.

By Norm Frauenheim

The props and plots were all there. So was Ryan Garcia.

Garcia, ever the showman, delivered Thursday with a gag bag full of punchlines, insults, mockery, T-shirts, ring-card girls and many more of the usual theatrics he’s been rehearsing for so long

He may have left the white horse in the barn this time. Maybe, some of the manure, too. But place and stage — Avalon Hollywood — hasn’t changed much since Garcia’s gallop into a formal news conference in 2024 turned into a wild ride and controversial crash against Devin Haney.

Once again, Garcia proved his wit is still as quick as his hands. Maybe quicker, although we’ll have to wait and see on that Feb. 21 against welterweight Mario Barrios at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Barrios, the World Boxing Council’s 147-pound champion, was part of the live-streamed show Thursday, of course. But Garcia has a way of turning everybody around him into a bit player. Barrios — a champion, but no celebrity — understood his role, his place among the extras.

“This is turning into a circus,’’ Barrios said during his turn at the podium at the newser for The Ring-promoted bout.

By then, Garcia had already turned it into his bully pulpit.

First, there was the story line, the plot that will be explored ad nauseam for the next month.

Barrios’ trainer is Joe Goossen, Garcia’s ex. After Goossen, there was Derrick James. Before Goossen, there was Eddy Reynoso. Hand wraps last longer. Now, Garcia’s dad, Henry is back in the corner he occupied early in his son’s pro career and throughout his amateur days.

On Thursday, dad warmed up the show for his son. He complained about Goossen, suggesting that he’s betraying his son.

“At first, I was taken a back,’’ said dad, who called Goossen’s move “disrespectful.’’

Then, it was Goossen’s turn. He conceded that his new role in the latest chapter of Garcia’s ongoing show was “awkward.”

But Goossen’s explanation was quickly interrupted by Garcia, who delivered a perfectly-timed counter.

From his seat next to the podium, Garcia cried that he was suffering from a broken heart. Jaws and noses get broken all the time in what Mike Tyson once called the hurt business. Not many hearts do, perhaps because there just aren’t many in the prize-fighting business.

“How could you, Joe?’’ Garcia said. “That’s messed up. I just can’t believe you’re doing this to me. That’s insane. You hurt my heart.

“It’s over. We’re done. I’m breaking up with you again. You just broke my heart. Just move on. You were being sweet, but I’m offended.

“It’s too late. I’m offended. I’m offended already. I’m hurt. All of that.”

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do. It’s a 1962 Neil Sedaka song not heard by anybody among fight fans in more than a half-century.  Garcia sounded as if he was humming a few of those forgotten lyrics. But the show, like the trainers, had to move on.

Garcia took the cue, reached into a bag at his feet and pulled out black T-shirts that said: I Am A Traitor. He threw one at Goossen. Goossen threw it back as though he was trying to throw a hook

At one point, Garcia raced backstage, chanting repeatedly that he loves the WBC. He returned to center stage with three ring-card girls, all waving WBC placards. Somewhere, Terence Crawford must be smiling.

In November, the World Boxing Council lifted a ban on Garcia, who is coming off a listless loss in May to Rolly Romero after the Haney bout was ruled a no-contest because of a positive PED test. The WBC had suspended him for racial slurs posted on social media. The move opened the way for him to fight Barrios.

“Last, but not least, I get to thank the WBC,’’ he said without saying he was sorry.

In the end, Garcia said whatever he wants. It wouldn’t have been much of a news conference if he hadn’t.

“I’m the ringmaster,’’ he said.

He’s that and more, said Barrios, who also showed he can deliver a quick counter.

“Payaso,’’ he said.

That’s Spanish for clown.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – New disruptor in the boxing space, Ed Pereira, CEO of iVisit Boxing (iVB for short) officially announced on Friday a partnership with digital media juggernaut YouTube that will see multiple, massive scale live events take place this year in cities of historical significance for the sweet science. The announcement, which Pereira made across the steps of City Hall, alongside San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and representatives from the  Google-owned YouTube, did not make mention of any specific fights or fighters that will be featured, but the word among many in the industry is that a fight between unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and former kingpin Deontay Wilder is in play for the July 11th date announced to take place today in the “City by the Bay.” The event will be held outdoors at Civic Center Plaza. 

While Pereira’s name may be new to the average boxing observer, the Uruguay-born, Wales-raised promoter was a key figure behind the scenes while working alongside Saudi Arabian officials on last May’s “Fatal Fury” event in New York City’s Times Square as well as the Ring Magazine Awards Show, which took place this past January in London, England. 

“I have been in and around boxing for the last few years, but historically I have come from sport,” Pereira explained to TheBoxingHour.com on Friday. “I’ve worked for some of the biggest soccer teams in the world, for rugby, and for me the world of boxing is incredible. The people in boxing; the fighters, the fans – they have inspired me to come to the city of San Francisco and ask, ‘How are we going to create bigger and bolder events?’ I was inspired while working in the industry and I saw an opportunity.”  

The goal for Pereira and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is that the event will break the reported all-time boxing attendance record of 135,132 set by world middleweight champion Tony Zale’s title defense against Billy Pryor at Juneau Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 16, 1941. Zale dropped Pryor multiple times en route to a ninth-round stoppage in the main event of a free event sponsored by the Pabst Brewing Company. Lurie reiterated what Pereira had made known in recent interviews: that a large number of standing room tickets will be made available for free for the event in July. 

“I am so fired up to make sure that we see over 130,000 people on July 11th,” Lurie told the crowd gathered at today’s press conference. “What you all might not know is that San Francisco has a long history of boxing. Boxing was and still is a uniting force for our community. Today we are announcing a partnership that builds on that incredible history. This July, I am so excited that San Francisco will be host to iVisit Boxing and a weeklong series of events across San Francisco and the Bay Area, culminating in a historic match right here in our Civic Center. Every match will be free and open to the public, bringing world class sport directly to San Franciscans.” 

One of the criticisms of the Times Square event was that fans were unable to get close enough to see the fights in the ring. San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza obviously offers much more space than the Midtown Manhattan commercial intersection. Space is one of the aspects, alongside the city’s rich boxing history, that Pereira has said in interviews that drew him to the “The City by the Bay.”  

Should the rumored Usyk-Wilder clash end up at Civic Center Plaza, it would be the first world heavyweight championship fight the city has hosted since undefeated champion Rocky Marciano stopped overmatched Don Cockell in the ninth round at Kezar Stadium on May 16, 1955. The city, once one of boxing’s hotbeds, had hosted world heavyweight title fights dating back to a John L. Sullivan title defense in 1886. James J. Corbett, who had graduated from Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School in San Francisco, returned to the city for a world heavyweight title defense in 1897. The legendary James J. Jeffries also made multiple defenses at the turn of the 20th century. Today’s announcement did not include mention of Usyk, Wilder or any other specific fighters. Pereira explained those announcements will be forthcoming, but today was about getting the world excited about the sport being featured in a grand scale on the YouTube platform as well as getting the community in and around San Francisco excited about the July 11th event. 

“My focus has been very much about working with the Mayor’s team to put together everything for this announcement and obviously the YouTube announcement,” Pereira told TheBoxingHour.com. “Whenever those guys [Usyk and Wilder] get together, it is going to be a great card, right? Who wouldn’t want Usyk on their card?” 

iVisit Boxing has made mention on their social media platforms that the company plans to host twelve events this calendar year, including the first on April 4th, outdoors of Resorts World in Las Vegas, Nevada to recreate the feel of the old Caesars Palace open-air event center that hosted the majority of major fights on the Strip before the casino bosses wanted the patrons and potential gamblers closer to the the tables and slot machines indoors. The coming weeks and months could be very interesting as Pereira and iVB make their plans better known. 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com

By Norm Frauenheim –

David Benavidez wore a polished symbol of the Phoenix logo around his neck a few days ago in a long-awaited homecoming.

The medallion represents, he says, where he’s been and who he still is.

In its brass reflection, however, there was something else. Something more. The mythological bird, now a modern city’s identity seen on government doors and busses, means a lot of things.

On this day, there was a message, a bold statement about a fighter transformed, unleashed from the years when he was defined by his futile pursuit of Canelo Alvarez.

He’s moved on, beyond Canelo and up the scale. The Canelo question is still there. Yet now, it’s almost an aside. Sorry to ask, video journalists say apologetically as he stands amid reporters and a long line of fans during an opening of the Visionary Boxing Club in west Phoenix last week.

No problem, Benavidez says, smiling. He hasn’t exactly eliminated Canelo as a possibility. He never will. The maturing Benavidez, 29-years-old last month, is a businessman, too. Business is a fundamental too often not included in a prize fighter’s skillset.

Canelo still means business, lots of it. Benavidez, like everybody else in the fight game, knows Canelo collected $100-million-plus for his September loss to Terence Crawford. That’s more than a prize. It’s a fortune.

Of course, Benavidez says he’d fight Canelo.

Canelo’s future, post-Crawford, was unclear until Thursday when The Ring reported he plans to fight again on Sept.12 in Saudi Arabia. He underwent elbow surgery in the immediate aftermath of the one-sided scorecard loss to Crawford.

In a video, Canelo’s return was called a “big, big,

big fight” by Saudi Prince and promoter Turki Alalshikh, who bankrolled the Canelo-Crawford fight and owns The Ring.

Until then, Benavidez has other plans, all as ambitious as they are risky.

“Zurdo, Beterbiev, Bivol,’’ Benavidez said of Gilberto Ramirez, Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

Of the three, only Ramirez – Zurdo – is on the calendar, penciled in for May 2 – the Cinco-de-Mayo celebration that could have been called Canelo-de-Mayo during the Mexican’s primetime reign.

The risk in the Zurdo date, planned for Las Vegas, looks to be heavy. Benavidez, who defended his light-heavyweight title in a seventh-round stoppage of Anthony Yarde November 22 in Saudi Arabia, is making the jump to cruiserweight.

After only three fights at 175-pounds, the light-heavy limit, Benavidez will fight in a division 25 pounds heavier.

On the scale, it looks risky. According to early odds, however, it’s not. Some betting sites already make Benavidez a big favorite (minus-900).

Benavidez is confident, in part because he knows Zurdo well. They’ve sparred countless rounds. One hundred, 200 rounds, Benavidez says.

“Between 2017 and 2022, we sparred all the time,’’ said Benavidez, now a Miami resident who re-connected with his Phoenix fan-base Saturday by signing autographs for about six hours. “For five years, we sparred championship rounds. I knew then that I wanted to fight Zurdo. One day, I figured we would.

“After all of those championship rounds, it’s going to be a championship fight.’’

Benavidez is already at his new weight.

“I’m at 200 pounds now,’’ he said last Saturday.

The weight looked natural, unlike the 168 pounds that often left him gaunt and hollow-cheeked in the division long dominated by Canelo.

His father and trainer, Jose Benavidez Sr., says his son is already close to the weight he expects hm to be at opening bell May 2.

“Two-hundred, maybe 205,’’ Jose Sr. said.

Still, the jump in weight leaves questions about his hope to go back down to light-heavy for 175-pound dates against Beterbiev and Bivol. For at least a year, the expectation has been that Benavidez will grow into a heavyweight. Could cruiser be the first step in that direction?

It’s still not clear whether Beterbiev and Bivol will fight for a third time. Bivol is back in the gym after undergoing back surgery. Speculation has him back in the ring this Spring.

Meanwhile, time is the biggest question for Beterbiev. He’ll be 40 next Wednesday. He won’t be fighting much longer, unlike Benavidez whose ascent is just beginning.

By Norm Frauenheim

Marinate, a promotional euphemism for momentum, is either another tiring tease, or an early way to test public interest, or a little bit of both in a recipe that leaves hungry fans wanting but never getting.

The current example: Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez-versus-Naoya Inoue.

There’s more talk than ever, perhaps because of Junto Nakatani’s disappointing decision over Sebastian Hernandez last month in what was supposed to be a convincing steppingstone to Nakatani-Inoue.

Nakatani was left with a bruised right eye and perhaps a bruised resume, yet he survived, still unbeaten for a fight long planned to be the biggest in Japanese history. According to multiple reports — one from Boxing Scene this week and another from the World Boxing Council, the long-planned bout is projected to be on May 2, a Cinco de Mayo celebration in Tokyo.

News of the projected date was also accompanied by a poll conducted by The Ring. Who would you rather see, Nakatani-Inoue or Rodriguez-Inoue?

The timely question was prompted by Nakatani’s problematic performance Nov. 22 in the former bantamweight champion’s first fight at 122 pounds.

Fans, never a patient demographic, apparently have seen enough. Already, it looks as if they’re ready to cast aside Nakatani-Inoue for Rodriguez-Inoue. Seventy-three percent would prefer Bam in the ring against the feared Inoue instead of Nakatani.

The poll, like all polls, could mean just about anything. It also might be unfair to Nakatani, an accomplished fighter who struggled at a new weight against a dangerous foe virtually unknown outside of Mexico. It happens.

It also gives Nakatani more to prove, perhaps enough to make him more dangerous to Inoue than ever. Lessons delivered, lessons learned. That happens, too.

Still, surprising questions are there, left in the wake of his controversial victory. Left there, too, is an affirmation of the emerging interest in Bam, whose move up the pound-for-pound ratings has put the San Antonio fighter among the top five, consistently behind only Inoue and heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk.

Although hard to judge, a poll is one possible ingredient in a fight that might do more than just marinate. Maybe, it resonates. Maybe, it happens. Let’s say that Inoue beats Nakatani as decisively as he has beaten so many others. Then, there could still be questions about his claim – lifelong ambition — on pound-for-pound supremacy. Answers might be there only in a date with Bam.

For now, at least, there are already betting odds on Bam-Inoue, still marinating in the public imagination. Inoue is a solid favorite, minus 550.

In the collective mind of many fans, however, the odds of the fight ever happening are longer. Quit talking about it, they say. It’s a waste of time, they say, because the size difference is too big. Bam is a unified Super-Fly champion, fighting at 115-pounds, seven fewer than Inoue, undisputed at junior-feather (122).

But consider this: The 5-foot-4 Bam and 5-5 Inoue both started at the same weight, junior-flyweight, 108 pounds. The “Bam-is-too-small-for-Inoue” argument sounds a lot like “Inoue is too small for Nonito Donaire.’’

The “too small” Inoue beat Donaire, scoring a unanimous decision, at 120 pounds, in the 2019 Fight of the Year. In 2022, he backed it up, scoring a second-round stoppage of Donaire.

The more significant difference is in that other seven – the years that separate them in age. Bam will be 26 on January 20; Inoue will be 33 on April 10.

The pressure builds with every second on that unforgiving clock, especially for Inoue. It’s no secret that smaller fighters have careers shorter than those in the heavier divisions. Through interpreters, he has hinted at retirement in 2027.

That’s next year, which means the Bam-Inoue marination could be at full boil in about six months.      

By Norm Frauenheim

A year ends and another begins, leaving memories, controversies, brilliance, buffoonery, outrage, the usual suspects and lessons never heeded.

Ignore the lessons, and a battered business moves on from 2025 into 2026 full of the usual good, sad, bad and ugly.

First, the good: Fighter of the Year. It starts with the obvious, Terence Crawford. He’s Fighter of the Year with a singular performance, one of the best in several years.

This corner has said before and will say it again: Crawford’s decision over Canelo Alvarez in mid-September reminded us why boxing was once called The Sweet Science. It was brilliant for its fundamental adherence to time-honored skills, including footwork and smarts.

Lesson: It can be done again. Here are two fighters who have a chance at doing it in forthcoming years, both contenders now.

First runner-up: Naoya Inoue, who in 2025 stayed busy – old-school style – with four fights including this corner’s Fight of the Year, a Las Vegas stoppage of Ramon Cardenas in May. In an early round, then unknown Cardenas floored Inoue, who is at his dynamic best when he’s in trouble. The dramatic comeback from the perilous edge of defeat also saved boxing on a weekend that included the wreckage from an abysmal event in New York’s Times Square.

Second runner-up: Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. The three-division champ is boxing’s Quiet Man. He lets his performances speak for him. In 2026, they spoke volumes with two lethal stoppages, including this corner’s Knockout-of-the-Year of super-fly Fernando Martinez for a unified title.

It’s no coincidence that he and Inoue are linked in this Fighter-of-the-Year ballot. Bam-Inoue in late 2026 is the fight this corner wants to see more than any other.  

Now, the sad: A solemn 10-count for George Foreman, Ricky Hatton and Nino Benvenuti. Boxing lost all three in 2025. Foreman, ex-heavyweight champ from two eras, was a compelling story about personal transformation from angry to wise. A scary thug in the early 70s, he became as friendly as a cheeseburger in the 90s. Hatton was fearless and transparent, loved deeply by UK fans who serenaded him. Benvenuti, ex-undisputed middleweight champ with a matinee-idol’s look, is forever remembered by his fellow Italians.

Another 10-count for Michael Katz and Thomas Gerbasi, Sweet Scientists badly missed these days in the media seats. During times full of unsourced reports and feigned outrage in social media, both remind this corner that boxing can still be a writers’ sport.

On to the bad. It wouldn’t be boxing without it.

Worst Scorecard of the Year: Nawal Almohaimeed’s 118-110 in favor of Junto Nakatani in a unanimous decision over Sebastian Hernandez Nov. 22 in Riyadh. The other cards were 115-113, both for Nakatani and both debatable. The fight was supposed to set the stage for Inoue-versus-Nakatani in an all-time Japanese fight in May. 

Per sources close to the planned bout, Japanese promoter Akihiko Honda ended any chance of a speculated Bam-Nakatani fight months ago. He didn’t want to jeopardize plans for Inoue-Nakatani. 

Yet, Hernandez almost did what Honda feared Bam would. Questions linger about the decision and what it says about Nakatani’s chances versus Inoue.

The Enemy Within: Gervonta Davis calls himself Tank. That’s what’s he’s doing to his career. He’s tanking it with personal problems that never seem to end.

Davis has pound-for-pound skills and pound-for-pound troubles. The latest — a lawsuit alleging violent behavior, battery, and kidnapping – forced a cancellation of a date with Jake Paul, who wound up with a  fractured jaw when he decided to fight Anthony Joshua. In news conferences, Tank, 31, said he planned to retire after Paul. “Boxing is dead,’’ he said.

Exhibitions Ad Nauseam: Jake Paul, more promoter than fighter, suffered a painful loss – if not lesson – in facing Joshua. When Joshua’s brutal right snapped Paul’s jaw in two places, I immediately thought of an old line: You can’t play boxing. But authorities – the Florida Athletic Commission — allowed him to, despite the risk posed by Joshua’s enormous advantages in size and experience.

It reminded me of Paul’s date in November 2024 against Mike Tyson, aging yet in the ring despite a bleeding ulcer months before opening bell. Texas authorities shouldn’t have licensed Tyson, who was an accident waiting to happen. Fortunately, one didn’t. Against Joshua, the risk was to Paul, who’s victory over an ailing Tyson may have told him he could survive Joshua.

He couldn’t in what proved to be a sobering moment for somebody who is good for boxing only on the promotional side of the ropes.

Lesson: Do we really need to see Floyd Mayweather-versus-Tyson later this year? Resolve to just say no. 

MONTREAL, December 29, 2025 — Eye of the Tiger is closing out 2025 in an unprecedented position in its nearly 15-year history. The numbers speak for themselves: among the 23 athletes under contract with the team, 17 are currently world-ranked, including three world champions — Osleys Iglesias (IBO), Christian Mbilli (WBC Interim), Albert Ramirez (WBA Interim).

At the top of the list, what a year it was for Montreal’s Christian Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs). On June 27, in front of nearly 5,500 fans at Centre Vidéotron, the Marc Ramsay protégé finally realized his dream of becoming a world champion. That night, “Solide” needed just one round to stop Poland’s Maciej Sulecki, the world No. 7 contender, to claim the WBC Interim Super Middleweight World Title. Less than three months later, on September 13, Mbilli successfully defended his title by fighting to a draw against world No. 3 contender Lester Martinez.

Adding to the significance, the Mbilli–Martinez bout was featured on the undercard of the highly publicized “fight of the century” between Saul Alvarez and Terence Crawford. The event took place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in front of more than 70,000 spectators, with an additional 40 million viewers watching worldwide on Netflix. Mbilli seized the opportunity to shine before an unprecedented audience for a Quebec boxer, with his bout against Martinez being named Fight of the Night.

Although he has held the IBO Super Middleweight World Title since 2022, Osleys Iglesias (14-0, 13 KOs) used 2025 to secure his path toward a second world championship. On September 4 at the Casino de Montréal, “El Tornado” dismantled world No. 2 contender Vladimir Shishkin in eight rounds, becoming the mandatory challenger for the IBF 168-pound title. Initially, this positioned him for a bout against IBF champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who was later defeated by Terence “Bud” Crawford before announcing his retirement. As a result, Iglesias will now have the opportunity to fight for the vacant title in his next bout. The only remaining question is who will step up to face him, as the Cuban has built a reputation over the past two years as one of the most feared fighters in the sport, pound for pound.

At light heavyweight, Albert Ramirez (22-0, 19 KOs) completed EOTTM’s trio of world champions on August 8 by stopping world No. 9 contender Jerome Pampellone in the seventh round to become the WBA Interim Light Heavyweight World Champion. The bout took place in Libya before a crowd of more than 10,000 fans and was broadcast worldwide on DAZN. It marked Ramirez’s third victory of the year, following dominant stoppage wins over Croatian contender Marko Calic and Asian champion Michael Flannery in three and two rounds, respectively, at the Casino de Montréal.

Continuing along the world-title path, two Eye of the Tiger fighters competed in unified world championship bouts in 2025. After a powerful knockout win over Elhem Mekhaled in June, Leïla Beaudoin (13-2, 2 KOs) earned a shot at the undisputed super featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner on December 19, fighting on the undercard of the highly publicized Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul event. Despite losing by unanimous decision, the Quebec fighter impressed with her courage and determination in front of thousands of fans at the Kaseya Center in Miami — and, more importantly, tens of millions of viewers on Netflix.

A few weeks earlier, on October 31, Canadian Mary Spencer (10-3, 6 KOs) fought for three world titles. Already holding the WBA title, which she had successfully defended for the first time against Ogleidis Suarez in April, she faced American Mikaela Mayer with the vacant WBC and WBO super welterweight titles also on the line. Mayer ultimately claimed her fifth, sixth, and seventh world titles via unanimous decision, but Spencer fought valiantly against one of the sport’s growing legends.

In the world rankings, no fewer than 14 other Eye of the Tiger fighters made their mark across eight different weight classes. The latest addition to the EOTTM stable, Lenar Perez (15-0, 14 KOs), already sits at No. 3 in the WBA cruiserweight rankings, while also ranking No. 12 with the IBF and No. 18 with the WBC. Still in the top five, Canadian Olympian and NABF super lightweight champion Arthur Biyarslanov (20-0, 16 KOs) is currently ranked No. 4 by both the WBC and IBF. At lightweight, WBC Continental and IBF Intercontinental champion Dzmitry Asanau (11-0, 5 KOs) also holds the No. 4 WBC ranking and No. 12 with the IBF.

Inside the top 10, Arslanbek Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) enjoyed a triumphant return by dominating Britain’s David Allen on his home turf in England, capturing the WBA Intercontinental Heavyweight Title and climbing to No. 6 in the WBA world rankings. Imam Khataev (11-1, 10 KOs) also found success on the road. Fighting on a Ring Magazine–promoted card in New York, he became the first fighter to knock down David Morrell Jr. Although the judges awarded a highly controversial split decision in favor of the Cuban, Khataev left a strong impression. He left no doubt in his return bout, stopping former world title challenger Adam Deines in the third round in December in Gatineau. The Olympic medalist closed out the year ranked No. 6 and No. 7 by the WBC and WBA, respectively, at 175 pounds.

A third light heavyweight also stood out within EOTTM. Marc Ramsay protégé Mehmet Unal (14-0, 12 KOs) enjoyed a breakout year. He first stopped Olympian Ezequiel Maderna in three rounds, then demolished Polish and Latvian contenders Jan Czerklewicz and Ralfs Vilcans in first-round knockouts. In the latter two bouts, Unal captured and defended the WBC Continental Light Heavyweight Title, placing him at No. 9 in the world rankings.

Marc Ramsay’s youngest protégé, Jhon Orobio (16-0, 14 KOs), also broke into the world rankings. Currently ranked No. 15 by the WBC, the WBC Continental super lightweight champion and Ring Magazine ambassador earned four victories in 2025, including a second-round stoppage of former world champion Xolisani Ndongeni. At just 22 years old, Orobio clearly has a bright future ahead, as does Quebec sensation Wilkens Mathieu (15-0, 10 KOs). The pride of Quebec City — also a Ring Magazine ambassador — experienced a true breakout in the fall. On October 30, he completely dominated and dropped veteran Quebec fighter Shakeel Phinn to capture the NABF and WBC Continental super middleweight titles. The WBC currently ranks him No. 17 in the world — a remarkable achievement for a 20-year-old, especially considering all other fighters in the top 35 are at least 24 years old.

Among the stable’s other ranked fighters are WBC Continental welterweight champion Christopher Guerrero (No. 18 WBC at 147 lbs), Canadian “Dragon” Steve Claggett (No. 22 WBC at 140 lbs), two-time world title challenger Steven Butler (No. 24 WBC at 168 lbs), Montreal’s Luis Santana (No. 31 WBC at 135 lbs), and EOTTM’s 2024 Prospect of the Year, Moreno Fendero (No. 36 WBC at 168 lbs).

The future looks just as promising with EOTTM’s two newest recruits. Canadian Olympic medalist Wyatt Sanford (5-0, 2 KOs) and junior amateur world champion Erik Israyelyan (4-0, 2 KOs) continued to rack up victories throughout 2025. Overall, Eye of the Tiger closed the year with a team record of 52 wins in 58 bouts, including 34 victories by knockout. These results were achieved across eight events held in Quebec, as well as through successful outings on the road in the Americas, Europe, and Africa.

“When we say we’re taking Quebec boxing to another level, the numbers don’t lie. We worked relentlessly to get here, and our team is now built to win in the short, medium, and long term. I can’t predict the future, but I truly believe this is only the beginning. Three world champions is already a lot, but with the talent we have, I’m confident we can bring even more world champions to Quebec,” said EOTTM President Camille Estephan.

Eye of the Tiger will return on February 5 at the Casino de Montréal, where Albert Ramirez will make the first defense of his world title against former world champion Lerrone Richards. A limited number of tickets remain available through Ticketmaster (HERE). Photos from Albert Ramirez’s most recent bouts and from all Eye of the Tiger fighters are also available (HERE).

By Norm Frauenheim

A consensus pound-for-pound champion is as temporary as it is rare, and — sure enough — Terence Crawford’s retirement this month reignites the debate about who’s No. 1.

Nobody is.

That’s an opinion, of course, but that’s all a pound-for-pound rating is anyway.

From this corner, the top spot is empty. In acronym-speak, it’s vacant and will remain so until somebody delivers a victory that’s proof of ownership.

For now, there are two contenders, both worthy. Take your pick, heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk or junior-featherweight Naoya Inoue, who was a 40-to-1 favorite to stay in contention before his bout Saturday against Allen David Picasso in Riyadh.

One rating already has filled the top spot. The Ring, Saudi-owned since it was purchased 14 months ago from Oscar De La Hoya, put Usyk into the top spot, moving him up like a passenger waiting in line for an open seat.

It was simple enough and somewhat expected. Usyk had been there, off and on, before Crawford left no doubt with his masterful decision over Canelo Alvarez in mid-September.

Even if Crawford makes a comeback nine months from now, his last fight serves as a guide, a lesson of sorts. To wit: One of boxing’s oldest debates should be driven more by performance than process.

Usyk and Inoue have resumes comparable to Crawford’s. Each is unbeaten; each has multiple belts at multiple weights. But neither has the kind of singular performance the equal of Crawford’s last triumph. Not yet.

With Crawford’s retirement, Inoue is the only undisputed champion in the pound-for-pound top 10. Even that, however, is part process. Usyk relinquished a piece of his undisputed title in November when he gave up the World Boxing Organization’s heavyweight version. 

He did so because of another process: Healing. Lingering injuries from his last fight prevented him from fulfilling a so-called mandatory date laid down by the acronym’s bureaucracy.

For now, we wait on Usyk’s next date, perhaps against the faded Deontay Wilder. Talks are said to be ongoing.

For now, we also wait on Inoue’s next real challenge. Prohibitive odds said it wouldn’t be against Picasso, a fighter with an artistic name and in need of something surreal to pull off a Buster Douglas-like upset.

It’s expected that Inoue’s chance at a definitive performance might happen early May in Japan against Junto Nakatani — also unbeaten and ranked among the pound-for-pound’s second five. Inoue-Nakatani is already being called the greatest prize-fight in Japanese history.

It’s no coincidence that Nakatani shared the Riyadh card with Inoue in a bout against Sebastian Hernandez, unbeaten before opening bell yet fighting a scheduled 12-rounder for the first time. It sets up what powerful promoter Akihiko Honda – Mr. Honda – has been planning for a couple of years. 

Until at least then, there’s a vacancy at the top of this pound-for-pound debate.