The Boxing Truth®

April 11, 2026 marked the beginning of a new chapter for former two-time World Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury . Following another in a series of sabbaticals away from the sport of Boxing, this one following suffering his only two career defeats in consecutive fights to Oleksandr Usyk , this chapter at the age of thirty-seven was the start of a comeback. Fury’s opponent for his first fight in nearly two years was contender Arslanbek Makhmudov in London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium .  Makhmudov, a veteran of twenty-three professional fights coming into this encounter, had the size and punching power that on paper appeared as though he may have been able to pose a legitimate challenge to Fury, and was not a soft touch for a “Comeback Fight.” Initially, Makhmudov seemed as though he would provide just that by frequently and aggressively pushing Fury back against the ropes and frailing wide, looping punches. Although it needs to be pointed out that Tyson Fury has not been known as a tr...

Credit: DAZN The most consistent topic of Boxing coverage penned by yours truly over the last several years, particularly here on The  Boxing Truth® ️ has been on the sport’s reliance, despite consistent evidence of decline, on the pay-per-view model and the subsequent need to move away from said model, especially with the rise of digital subscription-based streaming . Without doing a complete refresher as by this point there have been many columns written by this observer that serve as an accurate chronicle of how we have gotten to the present time and topic. What is the topic of this writing the reader might ask? the revamp of sorts for digital subscription-based streaming network DAZN . As some may recall the network, which launched in 2016 internationally, made a significant expansion into the United States in 2018, which coincided with what turned out to be a significant shift not just in Boxing, but for sports overall as shortly before DAZN entered the United Sta...

One month ago, the Boxing world was buzzing as it was announced that Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren and his Queensberry Promotions promotional company had signed a multi-year landmark worldwide broadcast deal with digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN to officially begin in April of 2025. While some Boxing fans here in the United States may remember several cards promoted by Warren held in the United Kingdom being televised by the now defunct Showtime Sports many years ago featuring fighters such legends as Nigel Benn, Frank Bruno, Prince Naseem Hamed among others, as well as other events sprinkled among different networks as time has gone on, even with the advent of streaming, there has not been one consistent broadcast outlet for the UK-based Queensberry Promotions in this country. While some events have been aired through digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ in recent years, it has been periodic access at best for U.S. Boxing fans.  In this asp...

There has been much attention recently surrounding undefeated IBF Welterweight world champion Jaron Ennis, known to Boxing fans as “Boots." Ennis, who is unbeaten in thirty-one professional fights, was the last signee to the now-defunct Showtime Sports and made a name for himself competing in fights promoted under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters. With Showtime’s exit from Boxing at the end of last year as part of a significant restructuring of its parent company Paramount Global and a decision by Ennis to not continue fighting under the PBC banner, in stepped promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing and thus the beginning of a new chapter in Ennis’ career. A chapter that not only begins with him signing with a new promoter but also a world championship after recently being elevated to world champion by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) from being it's top contender following former Undisputed Welterweight world champion Terrence Crawford choosing ...

Press Release: January 27, 2024 By LuckyBlock.com - Jack Comerford of LuckyBlock.com recently sat down with legendary promoter Barry Hearn and discussed a variety of topics including current WBC Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury and former two-time Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua. Highlights of the interview can be seen below. Matchroom missed out on Tyson Fury over £100k offer Barry Hearn revealed that he turned down the chance to sign Tyson Fury to Matchroom when he was still an amateur boxer due to the financial demands made by the star’s father John. Fury went on to sign a deal with promoter Mick Hennessy in 2008 to begin his journey towards becoming the lineal heavyweight champion; Barry Hearn: “I’ll let you in on a secret that not very many people know; I nearly signed Tyson Fury years before he turned professional. I was at a fight in Newcastle. Tyson – big lad, great name. That was my first reaction; big lad, great name. I could see money rolling in. John, his dad...

It has been announced that the scheduled August 12th rematch between former two-time Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua and former world title challenger Dillian Whyte has been cancelled. The bout, which was to take place at the O2 Arena in London, England was cancelled earlier today by promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing after Whyte had what was being described as a quote "Adverse Finding" in random pre-fight testing conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency ( VADA ) of which both fighters are enrolled according to a statement released on the promotional company's respective social media platforms.  As of this writing, there is no word on whether there will be an attempt to reschedule the bout, which was to headline a Boxing card broadcast by digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN and DAZN Pay-Per-View in select countries. Matchroom Boxing has gone onto say that in addition to the cancellation, a full investigation will be forthcoming. As to...

Originally, the days that followed the fourth of July holiday here in the United States in the sport of Boxing was to shine a spotlight on the 147lb. Welterweight division, a division which later this month will crown it's first undisputed world champion since the 1980's when undefeated world champions Errol Spence and Terrence Crawford put their records and portions of the World Welterweight championship on the line. There was however, supposed to be an encounter of significance in the division on July 8th as undefeated contender Vergil Ortiz was to meet top contender Eimantas Stanionis in San Antonio, TX, which would have determined a mandatory challenger for the winner of the upcoming Spence-Crawford clash.  Unfortunately, Ortiz, who has seen his fast-rising career stall due to dealing with medical issues that had previously caused postponement of this bout earlier this year, was forced to withdraw again just days before the fight when he fainted while training for the bout....

The storyline prior to rising unbeaten Super-Middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga 's fight against former Middleweight world title challenger Jason Quigley on June 24th at The Theater in Madison Square Garden was whether or not Berlanga, who holds the North American Boxing Organization (NABO) championship in the Super-Middleweight division, could produce a performance that would serve as a strong argument for him as being a potential challenger for current undisputed champion of the division Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. As most know however, a slight wrinkle emerged two days before the bout when it was revealed that Alvarez had signed a three-fight deal with the Premier Boxing Champions ( PBC ) group of promoters, which moves Alvarez at least for the time being away from digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN and at least for now to United States premium cable network Showtime , which for Berlanga, who recently signed with Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing , who had...

The main goal of just about every fighter that competes in and around the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division is to secure a fight with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Not only is Alvarez one of the superstars in the sport of Boxing, which obviously means whomever he fights is most likely assured a career high payday, but in regard to the Super-Middleweight division, he remains the undisputed champion of the world. As such whenever a fight occurs in the division that does not directly involve Alvarez, the obvious question that surrounds it is whether those participating in a fight can make a convincing argument as being a potential opponent for him either in the near future or perhaps further down the road. Undefeated Super-Middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga is one fighter that is trying to make that argument. Unbeaten in twenty professional fights with sixteen knockouts, Berlanga has quickly developed not only a fan following, but also buzz due to his punching power and ability to ...

The 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division remains in the spotlight in the month of June as two-time Jr. Welterweight world champion Regis Prograis will begin his second reign as world champion in the division when he puts his WBC world title on the line against Danielito Zorrilla on Saturday, June 17th in the champion's hometown of New Orleans, LA. The fight, which can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN from the Smoothie King Center represents not only the beginning of Prograis' second reign atop the Jr. Welterweight division after previously holding the World Boxing Association ( WBA ) crown, but also his first fight under his new promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing. Prograis became a two-time world champion in November of last year when he scored an eleventh round stoppage of Jose Zepeda to win the vacant World Boxing Council ( WBC ) crown. In what was an exciting back and forth fight, Prograis had his ability to take a punch tested before...

The latest chapter in the career of former two-time Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua began on April 1st in London, England under significant uncertainty and hype regarding what Joshua, who was working with a different trainer for the third time in as many fights, would look like coming off his second consecutive loss to undefeated unified WBO/IBO/IBF/WBA Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk, the man who ended Joshua's second reign as a world champion im 2021. Although the declaration of both his promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing and of Joshua himself that a loss to upstart Heavyweight content Jermaine Franklin would signal the end of his career was in some ways a classic way to hype a fight out of a promoter's handbook, it was fair to wonder if following his second loss to Usyk as to whether or not he could adjust his style now under the guidance of trainer Derreck James. It was also fair to question if after two setbacks, whether or not the losses to a mas...

Only with the rarest of exceptions, one would be hard pressed to not find a fighter in the sport of Boxing or to take it a step further, all of combat sports, that has not at one time or another experienced a setback or several throughout the course of their careers. This is one reason why veteran writers/journalists/historians such as this observer will refer to what a fighter goes through during the course of their careers as "Chapters" in the story of that career. The story of former two-time Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua is one that is about to embark on a new chapter that one might have the working title of "The Rebuild?" or "The Comeback."  Without delving too much into the backstory of how we got here to what will be the start of what is essentially phase three of Joshua's career, the conclusion of the previous chapter was Joshua's failure to regain his title for second time in his rematch against undefeated unified IBF/WBA/WBO/I...