The Boxing Truth®

One of the benefits to the sport of Boxing over the last couple of years as the sport has expanded into new markets including several events now regularly taking place in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has been not only bouts of significant interest taking place with seemingly less red tape than is the norm, but also rematches of those bouts occurring in a more streamlined way than what is normally the case. In recent times, it was the Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world in 2024 between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Uysk, first to determine an undisputed champion, then the rematch in December of last year. Two fights that saw Usyk emerge victorious. Another undisputed championship that was also staged in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in October of last year was the encounter between undefeated world champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol met to determine a sole champion in the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division. In a highly competitive bout that saw several shifts in momentum th...

Press Release: February 22, 2025 By CasinoBeats.com - Recently, former world champions and Boxing legends Tony Bellew and George Groves sat down with CasinoBeats.com to predict today's Undisputed Light-Heavyweight world championship rematch between undefeated champion Artur Beterbiev and former unified world championship Dmitry Bivol. Bellew and Groves shared their thoughts on the highly anticipated showdown below. Tony Bellew on Beterbiev v Bivol: “I do (think it will be a different outcome) with Bivol winning on points. Once again, I thought the first could have gone either way. I thought Bivol was the better boxer on the night, but I thought Beterbiev pressed the whole night and he outpunched him. He just outworked him. And I think them championship rounds in that fight were big. I did like Bivol’s boxing, so Bivol has shown us he has the ability. I think he'll learn his lesson from the first fight. But if Beterbiev is successful again, then I think he could take on Jai Ope...

The first weekend of February 2025 featured what proved to be a grudge match between two unbeaten Light-Heavyweight contenders as both were looking to take the next and supposed final step towards challenging for a world championship, and was followed by a new chapter of Boxing history being written as a future Hall of Famer added another accolade to her already stellar legacy. First, it was the Light-Heavyweight battle between undefeated former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion David Benavidez and unbeaten top Light-Heavyweight contender David Morrell, which took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The main event of the latest Prime Video pay-per-view card promoted by the Premier Boxing Champions group of promoters did not disappoint as what appeared to be a dislike between the two fighters in the lead up to the encounter, which more often than not and for better or worse, is used as a way to promote fights, manifested into a grueling back and forth battle between two ...

Press Release: January 30, 2025 By DAZN-  Light Heavyweight Rematch Between Beterbiev and Bivol Headlines an Unmissable Night on Saturday, 22 February 2025    LONDON – January 29, 2025 – DAZN , the global home of boxing, can announce that  it will broadcast The Last Crescendo,  the fight card of the century, live on Saturday, 22 February 2025 worldwide. The PPV is available for purchase now  from DAZN.com/boxing     This monumental event, part of Riyadh Season, will take place at the ANB Arena in Saudi Arabia and features a stellar line-up of championship bouts, headlined by the highly anticipated rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight World Championship.    Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs), the reigning champion and one of boxing’s most impressive fights, is set to defend his perfect record in a rematch against Bivol (21-1, 11 KOs), who is determined to avenge his 2024 loss in what was one of the g...

As 2025 has now begun, Boxing’s 168lb. Super-Middleweight division is still dominated by one fighter, the once and perhaps future Undisputed king of the division Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who still reigns as the division’s unified world champion, despite having relinquished the IBF world championship due to his decision to face top contender Edgar Berlanga last September, rather than the International Boxing Federation’s top contender William Schull, who was due in the rotation of mandatory challengers that subsequently made up the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world. Schull went on to win the IBF crown and could still face Alvarez at some point this year in what would be a rarity in Boxing, a reunification bout involving a title that was given up by one of the champions involved due to circumstances that can only be summed up as the politics that be in the sport of Boxing. Two fighters, however, that have been angling for a shot at Alvarez for some time will instead ...

The recent times in Boxing’s 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division have centered around Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, the two long-reigning world champions of the division, who finally met in October of this year to determine the Undisputed World Light-Heavyweight championship. In what was a highly competitive fight, it was Beterbiev who emerged victorious by a razor thin decision. Both due to the competitive nature of that fight as well as a rematch clause, Beterbiev and Bivol will continue to be the focus as they will meet again in February 2025. Outside of the top of the division where the focus remains on Beterbiev and Bivol, however, there are prospects and contenders looking to position themselves for potential lucrative bouts against either later in 2025 and beyond. One such fighter is rising prospect Conor Wallace. Wallace, a native of Newry, Northern Ireland, now based in Queensland, Australia, has quickly emerged as a fighter to watch and could well find himself in the mix am...

Despite suffering a setback in May 2022 in losing a twelve round unanimous decision to Dmitry Bivol in a failed bid to become a two-time Light-Heavyweight world champion, the career of Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo" Alvarez has continued to go strong as he has remained a fully undisputed champion in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division since he completed the unification process in stopping Caleb Plant in November 2021. The fact that Alvarez has remained undisputed champion for nearly three years is an accomplishment few can lay a claim to. Not only because of the obvious hurdles that a champion encounters every time they enter the ring to defend their championship, but also and perhaps more specifically, the red tape that occurs with regard to the respective sanctioning organizations, all of whom have obligations that their portion of a world championship that is part of a unified or undisputed crown, must be defended against a mandatory challenger of...

The much anticipated World Light-Heavyweight  championship bout between undefeated unified IBF/WBC/WBO world champion Artur Beterbiev and former WBA Super-Middleweight world champion and WBC number one Light-Heavyweight contender Callum Smith, in addition to being an intriguing battle between two fighters with punching power, was anticipated largely because the fight, which was supposed to take place during 2023, but was delayed because of a dental infection suffered by the champion. By allowing the fight to simmer, albeit unintentionally, it also allowed the fight to take place with the potential of the winner to face undefeated unified WBA/IBO champion Dmitry Bivol for the Undisputed Light-Heavyweight championship of the world. Although it is no secret to those who follow the sport of Boxing that the potential of an encounter between Beterbiev and Bivol has been discussed for years at this point, it is in some ways disrespectful to any opponent when there is at least an expectati...

The first major world championship fight of 2024 will take place on Saturday, January 13th in the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division as undefeated Unified WBC/WBO/IBF Light-Heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev will defend his crown against former WBA Super-Middleweight world champion Callum Smith. The fight, which will take place at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada and can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ will finally bring to fruition a fight that was originally supposed to take place in August 2023, but was delayed due to the champion needing additional time to recover from dental surgery. It is also a bout that could lead to some significant business in the division later in the year.  This fight will represent Beterbiev’s eighth defense of his title, which originally began with the IBF world championship before he added the WBC and WBO crowns during his reign. Although Beterbiev has been inactive for nearl...

As 2023 winds down and most of the world is preparing for the end of year holidays as this column has been composed by this observer in advance, the Boxing world is truly a sport that never stops even for the holidays. This year, Boxing is preparing for a truly unique event known as the “Day Of Reckoning," which will take place in the unique location of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, forty eight hours before Christmas that can be seen globally on DAZN Pay-Per-View .  What makes this event unique is not only the location in which it will take place, but the fact that it is truly a stacked card that has a little something for every Boxing fan. Co-headlining the event is two Heavyweight bouts featuring former world champions in separate bouts. First, it will be an encounter between two former world champions as former WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder who will return to the ring for the first time in over a year to meet former WBO Heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker in a figh...

Press Release: November 1, 2023 By DAZN - LONDON AND RIYADH – 24 November 2023: Riyadh Season and DAZN, the sports entertainment platform, today announce that "Day of Reckoning" will be available globally on DAZN.   On 23 December, Boxing’s greatest champions will come head-to-head in what promises to be an action-filled night of entertainment. “Day of Reckoning” will be available on DAZN as a pay-per-view event* in the UK, US and over 200 markets worldwide. Fans will be able to watch live and on-demand from smart TVs, tablets, mobiles and games consoles.   In addition, this historic fight night will be made available on a range of domestic broadcasters in key markets, which are yet to be announced.   In an unprecedented card, former two-time Unified World Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua goes up against Otto Wallin in the Co-Main Event as the pair close in on challenging for world title honours. In the other Co-main Event, former WBO World Champion Joseph Parker take...

The story of Saul "Canelo" Alvarez' defense of his Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world against WBO number one mandatory challenger John Ryder was not about a fight between two of the best the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division has to offer, but about an event. An event of an undisputed world champion coming home to defend his crown before over 50,000 spectators in his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico at Akron Stadium. In terms of the actual fight, despite being heavily favored due largely to his status as one of the superstars in the sport of Boxing, the last year was not entirely kind to Saul Alvarez. It was at this time last year when Alvarez had moved up in weight to challenge undefeated WBA Light-Heavyweight world champion Dmitry Bivol. As most know, in a fight that went the distance, Alvarez was thoroughly out boxed and out worked by a master boxer in Bivol. Although losing one fight should not define a fighter's career, the twelve round unanim...

For some fighters, the path to a world championship fight is not as simple as it might seem. Some are able to get their opportunity off of the strength of an impressive win, which in turn serves as the catalyst to drum up support for said fighter to fight for a world title. While this may seem like the quickest path to one getting a shot, there are countless other fighters that must for lack of a better term rely on the structure that be in the sport, which means for a fighter to work their way to a mandatory position to force a shot at a world championship. This is precisely the path that Super-Middleweight contender and former world title challenger John Ryder has taken, which has seen him fight his way to the number one contender's position in the World Boxing Organization's (WBO) Super-Middleweight ratings, which has now resulted in the native of London, England now being on the brink of the biggest fight of his career. A fight where he will challenge current Undisputed Sup...