The Boxing Truth®

August 2023 in the sport of Boxing will come to a close on Saturday, August 26th with the spotlight firmly focused on the Heavyweight division. In some ways, this day will look at both the present and what could well be the future, which can all be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ . The marquee attraction of the day will take place in Wroclaw, Poland as undefeated unified WBO/IBF/IBO/WBA Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk will make the second defense of his crown against WBA number one Heavyweight contender Daniel Dubois in Wrocław Stadium. This fight is the first for Usyk following two decision wins over Anthony Joshua in 2021 and 2022 where he won and then successfully retained the unified Heavyweight crown. While many had expected that Usyk's next fight following his rematch against Joshua in August of last year would be a unification bout with undefeated WBC world champion Tyson Fury for what would be the Undisputed He...

A fighter’s career can at times resemble the twists and turns of a good book. With any good story, the normal process at least in the context of a book, is normally chronicled through various chapters. One could say that a fighter’s career should be thought of in a similar way. It was not long ago that Heavyweight contender  Daniel Dubois was one of the division’s hottest rising stars. By quickly establishing himself as a “Knockout Artist,” it seemed as though Dubois may have been on a relatively quick path towards a shot at a version of the World Heavyweight championship. An issue that fighters that were in Dubois’ position typically face as they continue to score quick knockouts is skeptics that all too often express both opinions and doubts as to how good a fighter might be. Although there is usually a point where a fighter is tested and are able to quell those skeptics, there are times when either criticisms remain and/or a fighter comes up short when tested. For Dubois, he wou...

With the apparent retirement of undefeated two-time Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury, the current holder of the WBC Heavyweight world championship, as well as undefeated unified WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO world champion Oleksandr Usyk heading towards a rematch with former two-time Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua later this year,  the Heavyweight division could be heading towards a period of transition or at least a period of time that may allow some of the top contenders an opportunity to maneuver up towards a potential world title shot.  In the case of undefeated Heavyweight contender Trevor Bryan,  he for the moment is in a position of being on the outside, looking in. Despite his status as a mandatory challenger per his holding an interim/regular championship designation in the WBA’s Heavyweight ratings, Bryan is unfortunately in a position where he has to wait for either a winner to emerge from the Usyk-Joshua rematch or perhaps wait for an opportunity to open t...

  January 29, 2022 in the sport of Boxing was one where two interesting cards took place courtesy of two Hall of Fame promoters and longtime rivals Don King and Bob Arum, who inadvertently took the sport back in time in producing two Boxing cards that would go head to head against each other on competing platforms. Unlike decades ago when King and Arum would rival each other on competing premium cable networks and pay-per-view distributed through cable and satellite providers, this head to head encounter of competing Boxing cards would take place in the streaming realm with Arum staging a card in Tulsa, OK that was broadcast on digital subscription-based sports streaming network ESPN+ and King staging a digital pay-per-view card that was broadcast on FITE from Warren, OH.   Beyond the throwback scenario of the two ninety year old promoters competing one more time against each other for the Boxing audience, each card had intrigue for different reasons. As readers may recall, ...

 Two Boxing cards pitting Hall of Fame Boxing promoters Don King and Bob Arum against each other on competing streaming networks will take place on Saturday night in Warren, OH and Tulsa, OK respectively. Below are official weights and legal broadcast information for both cards.   Don King Productions: Ilunga Makabu vs. Thabiso Mchunu 2: Packard Music Hall Warren, OH FITE Pay-Per-View   Main Event: WBC Cruiserweight world championship – 12Rds.   Ilunga Makabu (Champion) 197lbs. vs. Thabiso Mchunu (Challenger) 198 1/2lbs.   *Heavyweight – 12Rds.   Trevor Bryan 268lbs. vs. Jonathan Guidry 246 1/2lbs.   (*Fight is for Interim/Regular status in the WBA’s Heavyweight ratings. A designation currently held by Bryan.)   Vacant North American Boxing Association (NABA) Cruiserweight championship – 10Rds.   Johnnie Langston 199 1/2lbs. vs. Nick Kisner 198 1/2lbs.   Heavyweight – 10Rds.   Ahmed Hefny 216...

 Although the Boxing schedule since the beginning of 2022 has been sporadic due in part to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic and several postponements of several Boxing cards outside of the United States due to several countries issuing restrictions in an effort to combat the latest surge of the virus and it’s latest Omnicon variant. The end of January 2022 however, will be highlighted by two separate cards on Saturday, January29th promoted by rival Hall of Fame promoters Don King and Bob Arum.   In some ways, this is a scenario that brings Boxing back to a previous era where Arum and King would go head to head on competing platforms as each at one time or another held claim as the top promoter in the sport. Now, in 2022, both Arum and King, each at the age of ninety are each still going strong and will be promoting two interesting cards that are each compelling for their own reasons.   First, Don King will present a seven bout card that can be seen on FITE Pa...