Ryan Garcia Makes A Statement In First Defense Of WBC World Welterweight Championship

 The fight between WBC Welterweight world champion Ryan Garcia and WBC mandatory challenger Conor Benn had the ingredients to be one of the marquee events of the year. Not only would it take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV on September 12th, but it would also take place during one of the bigger dates on the Boxing calendar every year. Mexican Independence Day Weekend. 

It also had no shortage of hype tactics leading up to it that often become tiresome with the fighters pledging to do whatever came out of their mouths to achieve victory on fight night. There was also no lacking of elements involving the business side of the sport where the World Boxing Council (WBC), who's world championship would be on the line per Garcia holding the championship, not being acknowledged by the promoter of the bout Zuffa Boxing, who are intent on creating their own championships and do not seem interested in working within the existing structure of the sport of Boxing.

All the prefight rhetoric and elements of the business of Boxing aside, what this ultimately came down to was a world champion meeting his number one contender before a capacity crowd. Under circumstances where some champions have froze during their first title defenses or at minimum, failed to impress in their initial defense as a world champion, Garcia would make a statement in his.

From the opening bell, Benn aggressively pursued Garcia trying to back him up and cut off the ring to minimize the champion’s movement. While this is a strategy that Benn had used before and one that has a resemblance to that of his father the legendary former two-division world champion Nigel Benn in how he would often pursue and attack his opponents, it did leave Benn vulnerable to punches as he was coming forward. It would be late in the first round when Garcia clipped Benn with his trademark weapon, a left hook to the head that knocked Benn off balance briefly as he came forward.

In round two a similar sequence would occur, only this time as Benn came forward, he walked into a perfectly timed right hand that sent Benn down on his stomach on the canvas. To the challenger’s credit, he was able to get up, but Garcia, sensing he had his opponent in trouble, pressed forward for the finish, unleashing a barrage of blows that Benn did not answer and this gave Referee Thomas Taylor the justification to step in and stop the fight at 1:25 of round two. 

Although some may question the stoppage in that not every punch Garcia threw during the ending barrage connected cleanly, Benn was unable to throw any offense back to stop Garcia's assault and a competent referee, which Thomas Taylor has proven to be as one of the top referees in the entire sport, who is frequently sought to travel worldwide to officiate bouts as a referee, will not let a fight go on if the opponent, in this case Conor Benn, is not throwing punches back. 

Ultimately, there is not much one can say about this encounter other than Ryan Garcia lived up to the standards that are often expected of a champion. He set his opponent up, executed on the opening, and then knowing his opponent was compromised, went in for the finish and did not allow Conor Benn to recover. There simply is not much more one can say or analysis one can offer about what took place inside the ring on this Saturday night in Las Vegas.

As readers may recall, however, a few short weeks ago on August 22nd in the same venue, the T-Mobile Arena, another world title fight took place in the same 147lb. Welterweight division where Teofimo Lopez became a three-division world champion by cleverly out Boxing WBA World Welterweight champion Rolando Romero, who won the vacant title in Times Square in New York City with a twelve round unanimous decision over Garcia in May 2025, by a wide unanimous decision.

Prior to that fight, this observer speculated that the Romero-Lopez bout would be the start of an unofficial four boxer box-off where the winner would face the winner of Garcia-Benn in pointing out the coincidence both in the venue in which the two fights would take place as well as the relatively narrow timeframe that the bouts had been scheduled.

As one who has spent most of his life writing about and covering combat sports with Boxing as my primary, I was not surprised to see in the immediate aftermath of Garcia's knockout of Benn, the WBC world champion address Lopez, who was at ringside, during a post-fight interview saying he wants unification and invited Lopez to enter the ring, while the newly crowned WBA world champion was restrained by security at ringside.

Although clearly in the view of yours truly, this was nothing more than a blatant promotional tactic to drum up interest and out of respect both for the sport that I have covered for over three decades as well as my readers, who I do value immensely, I will not repeat some of the “ Colorful Language" for lack of a better term that was exchanged between the two champions during this promotional practice that I feel is not needed in the sport.

Nevertheless, Garcia's statement-making performance as well as Lopez not only being in attendance, but literally steps from the ring, all but confirmed my theory that the two bouts were indeed the beginning of an unofficial box-off with the goal of further unifying the Welterweight division. Now the focus will shift back to those in the realm of the business side of the sport, Garcia’s longtime promoter Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, who is speculated to be nearing the end of its relationship with Garcia, perhaps Zuffa Boxing, under the umbrella of TKO Group that appear hell bent to not do business with other promoters and to spearhead legislation that would essentially give promoters the power to create their own champions, rankings, and changes to fighter pay, which may or may not be of benefit to fighters, the sport, or other promoters, Turki Al-Sheikh, the head of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, and current owner of Ring Magazine, who has invested heavily into the sport and is a primary financial backer in Zuffa Boxing, and finally the various global streaming networks that are all in play, in this case DAZN, who has a long-standing relationship with De La Hoya, Garcia, and who recently signed Lopez to a multi-fight contract without a promoter being involved, Paramount+ that streamed the Garcia-Benn card in the United States, leaving the international broadcast of the event to DAZN, and maybe even Netflix, who has also become a significant player in Boxing, streaming several events including two promoted by Turki Al-Sheikh and Ring Magazine, and who is interested in bringing marquee Boxing events to it's network for subscribers. 

Although I would love to tell the reader that this will result in a Garcia-Lopez bout being made quickly, and will subsequently lead to more marquee bouts, more involvement and collaboration between the sport’s promoters as opposed to the adversarial nature the sport often runs on, the involvement of Boxing’s sanctioning organizations with the goal of unification not just in the Welterweight division, but the entire sport, and the various streaming networks that are all involved, and all of the above will benefit the sport and not require further expense by consumers either in the form of a standalone fee or a tiered subscription where fights thought to be “Pay-Per-View Level” will be included. Unfortunately, I cannot say that with a degree of certainty at this moment. 

What I can say, however, is with the introduction of a DAZN Ultimate subscription plan, which has given consumers an alternative to paying inflated pay-per-view fees at a reasonable price, the fact that for those who were outside of the United States, Garcia-Benn was available as part of said subscription, how Paramount+ also recognized the need to make this event available for its subscribers as part of a Paramount+ subscription at no additional cost, and the fact that Netflix has also recognized that going with a pay-per-view approach is not a viable strategy, along with most of the sport’s major promoters now being aligned with DAZN, there is at least hope that Boxing’s power brokers understand the needs and trends of consumers and know that the days of inflated pay-per-view fees are now in the past. If nothing else, because consumers have shown worldwide that they will not continue to support the sport in significant numbers by being asked to pay inflated fees on an all too frequent basis. The long-term future of the sport will depend greatly on collaboration, promoters willingness to work within the existing structure of the sport rather than to try and radicalize it for their own agenda, and putting the Boxing fan/consumer as a priority. We will have to simply wait and see how the next round, fought in the business realm of the sport, plays itself out.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Mini Preview: Romero-Lopez

On Saturday, August 22nd, WBA World Welterweight champion Rolando Romero will make the first defense of his world title against former two-division world champion Teofimo Lopez at the T-Mobile Arenas in Las Vegas, NV. A twelve round world championship bout that can be seen worldwide on DAZN Pay-Per-View or included as part of a DAZN Ultimate subscription. 

This is a fight that in some ways may be the unofficial start or a two fight box off as it will occur only weeks before WBC World Welterweight champion Ryan Garcia defends his portion of the World Welterweight championship for the first time against top Welterweight contender Conor Benn at the same arena. Ironically, Romero defeated Garcia in Times Square in New York City in May of last year for what became the vacant WBA world championship in the Welterweight division. Now over a year later, both fighters are atop the Welterweight division and the possibility of a rematch where the stakes would be higher is obviously there. For Romero, first he must contend with Teofimo Lopez.

Lopez is coming off losing a twelve round unanimous decision to Shakur Stevenson in January in which he lost the WBO World Jr. Welterweight championship. Now eight months later, Lopez attempts to move up in weight as a former Undisputed Lightweight and former Jr. Welterweight world champion in attempting to become a world champion in a third weight division. 

What this fight will come down to in my eyes will center around which fighter will be able to set and dictate the tempo of combat. This is an encounter between two boxer/punchers who have shown the ability to do a little of everything inside the ring. There was a time, however, where Lopez, as a Lightweight, carved a reputation for being able to score quick, and often devastating knockouts. Coming off of a fight where he was bested by a master boxer in Shakur Stevenson, it will be interesting to see if Lopez takes a more aggressive approach here as Romero is also a crafty boxer that likes to give angles and most would say was able to have his way against Garcia last year by implementing such an approach where Garcia was dropped in the second round and simply could not find his rhythm throughout the fight.

As skilled as Romero has proven to be, in his two career defeats against Gervonta Davis and Issac Cruz, he has also shown vulnerability in that both Davis and Cruz were able to catch him and he was not able to stand up to either fighter’s punching power. Although Lopez has not scored a knockout/stoppage in over four years at the time this fight will take place, some will likely give the edge in terms of punching power to him and it is logical to assume that priority number one for the challenger will be to try and cut the ring off from Romero and not allow him an opportunity to be as elusive or establish a rhythm, which Garcia was unable to do when he fought the champion, but clearly worked for both Davis and Cruz when each fought him. 

What is also clear here regardless of the outcome of this fight is the Welterweight division is starting to heat up again with several intriguing bouts both that have been made and could be made in the near future. With many focusing on the fight to come in September between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, both Romero as champion and Lopez as challenger are likely looking to make a statement with their performance that could make a showdown with the winner of Garcia-Benn enticing for whomever that might be in addition to the lucrative side of the equation that will likely be substantial for all involved. 

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

Romero vs. Lopez takes place on Saturday, August 22nd at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN as either a standalone pay-per-view offering for $79.99 or included as part of a DAZN Ultimate subscription for $44.99 per month. The card will also be available at the aforementioned standalone price on DAZN on Prime Video. The card will begin at 6PM ET with free preliminary bouts followed by the main card beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT.

(*North American Start Times Only.* *Card and Start Times Subject to Change.*

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, to order this event or subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

To learn more about how to order this event or subscribe to DAZN through Prime Video channels please visit: www.PrimeVideo.com.  (*DAZN Ultimate Subscription not available through Prime Video at this time.*)

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Gassiev Makes Kadiru Submit In 6 In First World Heavyweight Championship Defense

The story going into recently crowned WBA World Heavyweight champion Murat Gassiev’s first title defense against late replacement Peter Kadiru on July 11th in Moscow, Russia at the VTB Arena was not as much about the fight itself as it was for what the encounter represented in the aftermath of former unified world champion Olekaandr Usyk’s decision to relinquish the world titles he held in the division as he nears retirement. Coincidentally, this fight was the first world championship bout in the division since that announcement, and thus, started as this observer stated in the days before the fight, the beginning of a new era for the Heavyweight division.

The aforementioned description is where the significance of this fight ended. From the opening bell, the champion  Gassiev put Kadiru on the defensive and constantly backed him up where Kadiru simply did not throw enough punches to turn the momentum in his favor.

A fight that frankly resembled a sparring session had an anti-climatic conclusion when  Gassiev was able to corner Kadiru in round six and, despite not being able to seemingly land a significant blow that would have hurt his opponent, Kadiru’s corner threw in a towel and stopped the fight.  Although Murat Gassiev was in some ways denied the highlight catching moment to signify the start of his reign at the top of the Heavyweight division as a world champion, ultimately, he did what he had to do and was able to retain his claim to the World Heavyweight championship. It was a workmanlike consistent performance and sometimes that is really all you can ask of a fighter. 

The question coming out of this fight is what does Gassiev do moving forward. Although this observer would feel safe in betting money that I do not have, in saying that most Boxing fans likely want a unification process to again take place in the post Olekaandr Usyk era of the division, and for that process to happen fairly quickly, the reality is that at minimum, it will probably take at least two to three years before the idea of unification of the World Heavyweight championship could begin again. Why such a long period will be necessary is, though frustrating, it will take time for championship vacancies to be filled, for new champions to be ordered to fight new mandatory challengers by the respective sanctioning organizations, and obviously for those fights to take place where the winners of those bouts will theoretically be free to pursue unification bouts. 

While this could be an introductory class in Boxing politics, protocols, and procedures that yours truly is vastly familiar, what it means for a fighter in Gassiev's position is he will have to continue defending his WBA world championship until such time as a unification bout, which would start the process of trying to fully unify the division again, can be signed. Perhaps a fight against top contender Tony Yoka, who was originally supposed to face  Gassiev in his first title defense can be made once Yoka recovers from the back injury that forced him to withdraw from the scheduled July 11th bout. Gassiev might also want to pursue a different opponent in the interim if a fight with Yoka is indeed the aim. What is crucial, however, is that Gassiev must remain active. Not only as a means of staying in fighting shape and in competition, but now also, to remain out in front of the public in trying to establish himself as an active world champion and thus over time build an argument for himself as the division’s next central figure. With a successful first title defense now behind him, the goal should be to try and get back in the ring at least once before the end of 2026. If he does and who his opponent would be is obviously to be determined, but the goal should be to stay active and give himself the best chance to make a strong argument as a world champion that many will regard as the champion of the division. With the Heavyweight division essentially wide open as Usyk has relinquished his championships and appears nearing retirement after one final fight against a yet to be named opponent, the more active Gassiev can be, and more importantly, if he can continue to win, the better it will be for him long-term.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.

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Gassiev-Kadiru: The Beginning Of A New Era For The Heavyweight Division

Recent times in Boxing’s Heavyweight division have seen the division inch closer and closer to a period of transition. Some might recall earlier this year when the World Boxing Organization (WBO) named its top contender Fabio Wardley world champion following the previous two-time Undisputed champion of the division Olekaandr Usyk, choosing to step into the ring with legendary World Heavyweight Kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven, rather than make a mandatory defense of the WBO title, which was due to be fulfilled. This led to a thrilling encounter where Wardley was stopped by former IBF World Heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, making Dubois a two-time World Heavyweight champion.

 As for Usuk, in a truly unique event, the still unified world champion of the Heavyweight division survived a significant scare in his bout against Verhoeven at the Pyramids in Egypt in rallying to stop the novice boxer in the final round of a surprising competitive fight given the experience disparity between the two in terms of Boxing experience. It was perhaps that fight in which Usyk, a fighter that has dominated both the Cruiserweight and Heavyweight divisions in his career, did not look anything like a man who fully unified the Heavyweight division twice, that led to him choosing to relinquish his remaining world championships in the division, in this case, the WBC, WBA, IBF, and IBO world championships, saying he wanted the next generation of Heavyweights to vie for the crown while seeking one last fight before retirement against a yet unarmed opponent.

Thus, begins the period of transition fully in the Heavyweight division. While the various sanctioning organizations that Usuk vacated their respective versions of the World Heavyweight championship began naming their respective top contenders as world champion in accordance with each’s respective rules, the first world championship fight in the post-Oleksandr Usyk era will take place on July 11th in Moscow, Russia where recently named WBA world champion Murat Gassiev will make the first defense of his title against veteran contender Peter Kadiru at the VTB Arena in a scheduled twelve round world title bout that can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN. 

Often when a period of transition like this begins, fighters in Gassiev’s position are treated unfairly by both fans and commentators due to their being named champion rather than winning the title they now hold inside the ring. Although the circumstances that put fighters in such position tend to vary on a case by case basis, this puts the new champion in almost a no win situation, despite being the previous number one contender and being named champion when the previous champion was either stripped of their title or in this case chose to vacate as Usuk did because it brings about questions regarding the legitimacy of the title, particularly amongst fans who either do not know or simply turn a blind eye to each respective organization's policies that often calls for the current number one contender/Interim/Regular champion in the case of the WBA, to be named world champion in the event of a circumstance such as this.

If the prospect of being in a no win situation isn't stressful enough for a fighter, in Gassiev’s case, he also has to deal with a change in opponent for his first title defense after previously named opponent Tony Yoka withdrew from the fight due to a back injury. This opens the door for Peter Kadiru to step in on short notice to challenge for a world title for the first time in his career.

Although Peter Kadiru is currently unranked by the WBA in the Heavyweight division, he does have a respectable record of 24-1, with 13 Knockouts. The potential red flag here is Kadiru has not fought any noteworthy opposition that could be viewed as a world contender and is now tasked with taking a significant step up in class to challenge the former unified World Cruiserweight champion Gassiev in the champion's first title defense as a World Heavyweight champion. 

Murat Gassiev has a significant edge here in terms of overall experience as well as facing a higher caliber of competition including against Usyk when the two met as Cruiserweights in July 2018. As a Heavyweight, Gassiev has only been defeated once when he dropped a twelve round split decision to top contender Otto Wallin in September 2023. Since that setback,  Gassiev has won his previous three fights including defeating longtime Heavyweight contender and former multi-time world title challenger Kubrat Pulev in his last fight in December of last year.  Gassiev does have a near 80% career knockout percentage, having stopped twenty-six opponents inside the distance in his thirty-three career wins.

This would suggest that he might be looking to make a statement in his first title defense. A word of caution, however, not just for  Gassiev, but also for fans who may see this as a far gone conclusion, Peter Kadiru has won regional titles in both the WBA and IBF previously in his career, and despite not currently being ranked in the top fifteen by the WBA currently, sometimes a fighter only needs an opportunity and though he is frankly facing steep odds not only in facing someone of  Gassiev’s caliber, but doing so on a little more than a week’s notice, he should not be dismissed.

Regardless of what happens in this fight, the foreseeable future in the Heavyweight division will continue to have the recurring theme of transition and fighters both those who are now being moved into positions as world champion and contenders all looking to make their claim as the division's next central figure. Often the process of transition in Boxing tends to be messy regardless of division with no shortage of red tape and disgruntlements amongst fighters, promoters, and sanctioning organizations, and now the prospect of the upstart Zuffa Boxing promotion that appears intent on bringing the promotional based model of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to Boxing by refusing to work within the existing structure of working with existing sanctioning organizations and determining their own world champions, all of the above looking for legitimacy as recognized world champions and world championships. No matter the outcome in this fight, this is step one in a much wider picture that is for better or worse, part of an emerging era. 

“And That's The Boxing Truth.

Gassiev vs. Kadiru takes place on Saturday, July 11th at the VTB Arena in Moscow, Russia. The fight can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN available to both base and ultimate subscribers beginning at 2:30PM ET/11:30AM PT.

(*North American Start Times Only.* *Card and Start Times Subject to Change.*)

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe to either a standard subscription or DAZN Ultimate subscription please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

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Zayas-Ennis Preview

 The month of June 2026 in the sport of Boxing will conclude with arguably one of the best fights that could be made in the sport in present day. This observer is referring to an encounter between two unbeaten world champions in Boxing’s 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division.undefeated unified WBO/WBA World Jr. Middleweight champion Xander Zayas will meet undefeated former IBF World Welterweight champion Jaron Ennis at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. A marquee bout that can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN as part of a DAZN Ultimate subscription or as a standalone pay-per-view offering for non-Ultimate subscribers. 

A coincidence that is present for this fight is it will take place on a historical day in Boxing history. Those of us who are old enough to remember likely recall June 27. 1988 where at the legendary Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, the then undefeated Undisputed World Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson destroyed unbeaten two-division world champion Michael Spinks in ninety-one seconds in defense of his crown and solidifying his claim as at that point in time the one and only World Heavyweight champion as Spinks also had a claim on the title and was recognized by Ring Magazine as World Heavyweight Champion. While that fight was significantly promoted to degrees that we do not see in the sport of Boxing anymore, the actual fight ended up being a disappointment, but was an example of how devastating Mike Tyson was in his prime years. From a business perspective, the event of Tyson-Spinks between live gate attendance, closed circuit locations, and pay-per-view, which was still largely in its infancy at that time here in the United States generated over $70 million in revenue and drew a sell out crowd of 21,785 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Although no fight in present day should be compared to that event, particularly one that will be taking place at a lower weight than the Heavyweight division, the one similarity between the two is like Tyson and Spinks thirty-eight years ago, both Zayas and Ennis are undefeated world champions and much like back then, there is a reasonable amount of suspense as to what might happen when the two champions step into the ring to do battle. In this case, both champions are not only unbeaten, but have both scored knockouts of over half of their opponents. In that aspect, the challenger Ennis, who is the current WBA number one Jr. Middleweight contender/mandatory challenger has the advantage having scored knockouts of 88% of his opponents, scoring thirty-one knockouts in his thirty-five career wins compared to Zayas’ thirteen knockouts in twenty-three career wins.

If one were to view this strictly from those statistics, they would get the impression that this is an encounter between a champion in Zayas, who would be labeled as more of a boxer going against a former world champion in Ennis, who would be labeled as more of a “Knockout Artist.” While this would be accurate to a degree, much like Ennis, Zayas has shown an ability to be explosive and can end a fight suddenly if the opportunity presents itself. The question here is what are we likely to see as each fighter faces arguably the toughest opponent in their respective careers.

Both fighters are well aware of what the other can do and as such there might be a healthy respect for each other’s credentials in the early rounds. At some point, however, it will be interesting to see who will take the initiative to force the action and take the risk of opening up with their offense and thus risk getting caught by their opponent.  While most fans would relish the idea of two fighters simply choosing to stand and trade punches, shot for shot, it is logical to think that this will be approached tactically by both fighters rather than throwing caution to the wind. It should also be pointed out, despite his reputation as a “Knockout Artist,” Jaron Ennis has also shown that when he has to, he can box as well, so it will be interesting to see what each fighter’s approach will be. 

Although this fight should be viewed as a chapter in the careers of two potentially great fighters, often fights like this are thought of as landmarks in a fighters career. Whether that label is justified or not, it puts the fighter who does not get their hand raised in a position where pundits will put their career under a microscope and there will be a rebuilding process that said fighter will have to undertake in attempting to bounce back from such a setback. This observer will not partake in such “What If” scenarios because after all, no one knows what will happen when Zayas and Ennis face off in the ring and there is obviously more to take into the equation post-fight than the matter of a win or a loss. What Boxing fans can hope for, however, is that both fighters come with their best and that the intriguing Fight of the Year candidate this appears to be on paper, manifests itself inside the ring.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Zayas vs. Ennis takes place on Saturday, June 27th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. the fight as well as its full undercard can be seen on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN as a standalone pay-per-view offering for $74.99 or included with a DAZN Ultimate subscription for $44.99 per month. The broadcast will begin at 4PM ET/1PM PT with free preliminary bouts with the subscription/standalone pay-per-view portion beginning at 8PM ET/ 5PM PT. 

(*North American Pricing and  Start Times Only.* (Card and Start Times Subject to Change.”

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, region specific pricing for your area, to subscribe to DAZN Ultimate or to order this pay-per-view event separately please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

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Ramirez-Richards Thoughts

In the aftermath of the return of unified World Light-Heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, two of the top contenders in the division, Albert Ramirez and Lerrone Richards met on June 4th at Casino Montreal in Montreal, Canada in a fight that would determine Interim/Regular champion status in the WBA’s Light-Heavyweight ratings, a designation held by the unbeaten Ramirez. More importantly, however, was the opportunity to attempt to move into the short list of potential opponents for Bivol in the not too distant future. Even as the champion for all intents and purposes seems to be heading towards a third bout with former Undisputed World Light-Heavyweight champion Artur Betwebiev, an impressive performance by either Ramirez or Richards would obviously create buzz for the victor as a potential future opponent either for Bivol or Beterbiev, assuming that anticipated third encounter is indeed in the immediate plans.

While the latter potential third chapter in the rivalry between Bivol and Beterbiev will obviously continue to dominate the focus of the division until it either takes place or one or both fighters choose to move in different directions, this fight was nevertheless an interesting clash of styles between a fighter known for his punching power in Ramirez going against a pure boxer in Richards. A contrast that seemed to play itself out immediately as Richards established distance between himself and Ramirez. Boxing behind a consistent jab and approaching his opponent at angles, Richards set the tempo of combat. Ramirez would have success periodically landing lunging blows, he found a difficult puzzle to solve as Richards seemed to outwork him throughout most of the fight. 

Although this encounter did not have much in the way of highlights, the consistent, workmanlike approach of Richards along with his ability to avoid having the ring cut off from him and his consistently being first with his offense, this observer felt was the story of the fight. By all impressions both with what was occurring in the ring with each passing round, as well as the body language of the two fighters, I felt that I had viewed a contest that would be scored lopsidedly in favor of Richards at the conclusion of the scheduled twelve round bout. It really did seem to be formulaic and a disciplined performance by Richards, even if it may not have been the most entertaining fight to watch for some. 

As sometimes occurs in the sport of Boxing, however, visual impressions in regard to what one sees with their eyes as well as consensus opinion as to who won a fight can differ significantly from those who have the responsibility of scoring it, the three official judges. Despite the view of this observer of a fairly wide victory in favor of Richards, the outcome would prove to be controversial as it would be Albert Ramirez, who would emerge victorious via twelve round majority decision. This certainly will not rank in the history of Boxing as an all-time classic, nor will it likely go down as the most controversial of controversial decisions ever recorded.

It could, however, possibly be used as a case study in how even though a fighter known as a pure boxer can at times find themselves on the losing end of a decision that by all accounts they seemed to have dominated. Perhaps in this case, the judges scored in favor of Ramirez based on his coming forward consistently and thus leaving an impression of his being the aggressor. It can be difficult sometimes to distinguish between mere aggression and what is often referred to as “Effective Aggression” where the aggressor is the one dictating the fight. This can also create a scenario where a fighter who puts more emphasis on the elements of technique and accuracy, does not always get the nod of the judges who might prefer aggression in their criteria of scoring based on clean punching, effective aggression, ring generalship, and defense.

Unfortunately for Lerrone Richards, this decision went against him and though in the era we all live in where it often is too easy for one to call a decision corrupt, whether there is legitimate evidence to support such claims or not, the silver lining here for Richards is he will come out of this fight looking better in defeat than Ramirez will as the winner. Whether or not that will move Richards closer to an opportunity to fight for a world title on the perception of an impressive performance that he simply did not get credit for is something that obviously cannot be said at the present moment, but this observer has been around long enough and has covered the sport long enough over three decades to be in a position to say that I have seen stranger things happen and though the obvious approach for Richards will be to try and get a rematch with Ramirez, which he deserves, it would not surprise me if Richards finds himself catapulted into a potential shot at a world title down the line.

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UPDATE: Lara Now To Defend WBA World Middleweight Championship Against Gonzalez

In a follow-up to a previous story we have been following here on The Boxing Truth®, it has been announced per Ring Magazine that WBA World Middleweight champion Erislandy Lara will now defend his title against Johan Gonzalez.  As previously reported here on the website, Lara was to face unbeaten unified WBO/IBF World Middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly in a unification bout, but Alimkhanuly ha been pulled from the fight due to testing positive for a banned substance. As of this writing, it remains unclear as to Alimkhanuly’s status with regard to both the WBO and IBF as each respective organization’s current World Middleweight champion. 

Lara, (31-3-3, with 19 Knockouts) will now defend his title against Gonzalez, (36-4, with 34 Knockouts) who is stepping in in a little less than four days notice to challenge Lara, and who is not currently rated in the top ten in the World Boxing Association’s Middleweight ratings. Lara vs. Gonzalez will take place on the undercard of the Isaac Cruz-Lamont Roach bout that will be broadcast on Prime Video pay-per-view on Saturday, December 6th in San Antonio, TX. We will continue to update readers on developments as they become available. Stay tuned.

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BREAKING: WBO Statement Regarding Janibek Alimkhanuly

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) has released an official statement through its website and social media channels following it's World Middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly testing positive for a banned substance ahead of his scheduled unification bout with WBA World Middleweight champion Erislandy Lara on the undercard of the Isaac Cruz-Lamont Roach pay-per-view card scheduled for Saturday night in San Antonio, TX. As of this writing, the International Boxing Federation (IBF), whose World Middleweight championship Janibek Alimkhanuly also holds, has not released a statement regarding the situation. The WBO’s official statement can be read below.

Credit: WBO

As of this writing, the scheduled bout where the WBO, IBF, and WBA World Middleweight championships would be on the line, remains on as scheduled. We will keep readers updated on developments as they become available. Stay tuned.

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Mayer Adds To Future Hall of Fame Resume By Defeating Spencer For Unified Jr. Middleweight World Championship

The fight between Women's WBA Jr. Middleweight world champion Mary Spencer and two-division world champion Mikaela Mayer on October 30th in Montreal,Canada, largely centered on Mayer attempting to add the Jr. Middleweight division to her resume of having won world championships after winning world titles in the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight and 147lb. Welterweight divisions. It was also a fight void of personal animosity and was rooted in respect between the two world champions. This was simply about two champions putting their respective skills against one another.

Although as this observer stated in previewing this fight, this amounted to an away game for Mayer by traveling to Casino Montreal to face the Montreal native Spencer for her WBA world championship on her home turf, it did not appear as though that was a factor both in her approach in the lead up to the fight as well as how she approached the combat once the fighters were in the ring. A world champion moving up in weight to challenge another world champion in a different weight class in of itself is intriguing, the added wrinkle that emerged in the days prior to this encounter that the WBC and WBO, whose world titles in the Jr. Middleweight division was recently won and vacated by the newly retired future Hall of Famer Cecilia Braekhus, would also be on the line in addition to Spencer's WBA world championship, raised the stakes of the bout and the position of the winner in the division moving forward significantly.

Despite having established herself as a fighter who approaches her opposition at varying angles and throwing combinations where the opponent often has trouble finding a rhythm, Mayer's approach in this fight differed. From the outset, the challenger and current World Welterweight champion backed up the naturally bigger and theoretically stronger World Jr. Middleweight champion Spencer. What was also different from the norm for Mikaela Mayer was she appeared to be sitting on her punches more than is usually the case.

In that she seemed to be throwing and landing punches with the intention of scoring knockdowns and potentially a knockout, which is rare in Women’s Boxing due primarily to the two minute round length as compared to three minutes afforded to their male counterparts. A subject yours truly has frequently criticized and continues to advocate for female fighters to be allowed to compete in three minute rounds. Whether the change in approach can be attributed to now competing in a higher weight class or perhaps working with former Jr. Middleweight world title challenger and top contender Kofi Jantuah, who has joined her corner as a trainer, who in his fighting days, was known for deceptive punching power and an aggressive style. Much like her trainer, who is now a co-trainer along with Al Mitchell, who has been with Mayer her entire career, Mayer found an opening and frequently landed her left hook to the jaw of Spencer and at times even doubled up when she threw it.

This set up the consistent pattern of the fight. Mayer coming forward, pushing Spencer back, beating her to the punch consistently, and landing hard shots. Spencer, however, did find periodic success throughout, particularly when she was able to land her right hand, which did put Mayer's ability to take a punch from a Jr. Middleweight. A test that she was able to pass.

Despite those periodic moments for the champion, Mary Spencer was simply unable to break the pattern that Mayer had established. Unable to score knockdowns to narrow the deficit she was in on the scorecards, and ultimately lacking a knockout punch that would have obviously altered the ebb and flow significantly, she simply could not find the answer she needed on this night to retain and unify her world championship. A wide and convincing ten round unanimous decision for Mikaela Mayer was the ultimate outcome. 

Now, with a unified world champion in a third weight division, Mayer finds herself in a unique position that is not uncommon in Women’s Boxing as the sport is still growing.  Mayer still holds the WBO World Welterweight championship in addition to now being a unified world champion in the Jr. Middleweight division. This puts Mayer in a position where much like many other world champions on the Women’s side of the sport, she might determine her fight or fights based on what opportunity might be available and which fight will be more lucrative. For her part, Mayer stated after defeating Mary Spencer that she is interested in potentially going back and forth between the Welterweight and Jr. Middleweight divisions to maintain her world championships in both divisions and potentially try to become an undisputed world champion in both. 

While certainly not impossible given that world champions often move up or down in weight by fight in Women’s Boxing, the goal and possibility of pulling off what would be a significant achievement, will likely come down to whether Mayer can do it and maintain going up or down in weight physically. Much as is often the case for male fighters who are not natural Heavyweights, there often comes a point where fighters reach a ceiling where they either cannot go up any further in weight and compete effectively or down in weight without depleting themselves physically once they have moved up in their careers. Whether Mikaela Mayer will find such a ceiling in the near future is unknown, but after becoming a world champion in three separate divisions and being regarded as one of the top fighters in the sport of her era, she has already cemented a Hall of Fame resume,  now it is simply a matter of what additional achievements will serve as the icing on the cake of the career of a great fighter.

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Ennis Destructive In Jr. Middleweight Debut

The storyline going into the encounter between undefeated former unified Welterweight world champion Jaron Ennis and IBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Uisma Lima on October 11th was that it represented the next chapter in the thus far unbeaten career of Ennis in his debut in the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division. Before a hometown crowd at the recently renamed Xfinity Mobile Arena (Formerly the Wells Fargo Center) in Philadelphia, PA, Ennis would make a statement.

Despite going against a world champion, whose title was not on the line, little was known about Uisma Lima. In previewing this fight, this observer stated that Lima was, much like Ennis, a come forward fighter that applies pressure boxing out of the southpaw stance. Although Lima, who was fighting for the first time in the United States, began this fight coming forward behind a consistent jab and attempted to put Ennis on the defensive by backing him up, he was unable to control the distance as he had shown in previous fights.

This created the scenario that brought the fight to a sudden conclusion. Just as it appeared that a potential tactical fight was setting up in the first round, the two fighters exchanged left hands. It was in that exchange that Ennis was able to connect with his left before Lima could land his. The punch from Ennis connected and stunned Lima. Ennis quickly followed that with an uppercut that sent Lima down to the canvas. 

Lima got up in very unsteady legs, but Ennis pressed the issue immediately, dropping him for a second time with a follow-up barrage of blows. Showing his mettle, Lima was able to get up once more, but Ennis quickly went in for the kill and another follow-up flurry of punches forced Referee Shawn Clark to step in, as Lima’s corner was throwing the towel in to save their fighter from further punishment, and stop the fight at 1:58 of round one. 

As tempting as some might be to add elements of hype to this knockout, yours truly will not be one of them. There is simply not much you can say about a fight that lasts just under two minutes. Jaron Ennis simply saw his opening, was able to take advantage of it, and made quick work of his opponent in destructive fashion. Simply put, Uisma Lima did not know what hit him and Ennis did not take the chance of allowing him to recover, went in for the kill and took care of business. 

As for what's next for Ennis, quite frankly, this observer believes that the International Boxing Organization (IBO) World Jr. Middleweight championship, which Uisma Lima still holds, despite being knocked out in the first round of this fight, should have been on the line here. If nothing else, it would have provided a narrative that Ennis established himself as a two-division world champion with the knockout win. Instead, Ennis earned with his thirty-first knockout in thirty-five career wins, Interim/Regular champion status in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Jr. Middleweight ratings. In short, that designation is simply a number one ranking. 

A number one ranking that puts Ennis in line to face current WBA Jr. Middleweight world champion Abass Baraou, a fighter who recently held that same designation, but was elevated to world champion following the decision by former WBA world champion Terence Crawford to vacate the title to move up two divisions to Super-Middleweight to challenge undisputed world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. A challenge that for Crawford was successful. Much like Uisma Lima had going into his fight with Ennis, Abass Baraou has a limited resume of a 14-1 record with 9 Knockouts and has not fought opposition that some would consider top caliber.

 The brief glimpse into the politics that be in the sport of Boxing aside, what his victory over Uisma Lima, should have accomplished for Jaron Ennis was establishing him as potentially a lucrative, albeit dangerous option for any top contender or world champion in the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division. He also showed, at least in this fight, that his punching power has thus far carried with him up from the 147lb. Welterweight division. Whether or not Abass Baraou is indeed next for Ennis, which would be the logical assumption at least as far as the WBA is concerned, remains to be seen, but this observer believes Jaron Ennis could be back in the ring as soon as January or February of next year after a short night's work in knocking out Uisma Lima.

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The Gamble Pays Off For Itauma, Parker Next?

In May of this year, this observer penned a column here on The Boxing Truth®️ that asked a simple, yet complex question. Is Moses Itauma the future of the Heavyweight division? A question asked in the aftermath of his second round knockout of Mike Balogun in Glasgow, Scotland where the twenty year old “Knockout Artist" moved to 12-0, with 10 Knockouts in defense of regional championships, the WBO Intercontinental and WBA International Heavyweight titles. 

Although only twenty years old with a relatively short resume in the professional ranks, the fact that Itauma had already achieved success in winning regional titles, which is used not only as a theoretical measuring stick for experts to gage the potential of prospects turned contenders as potential world title hopefuls down the line, but more specifically, a caveat to elevating a fighter up the world rankings towards that goal, made the question seem appropriate. As experienced and knowledgeable as yours truly is, having spent most of my life covering Boxing and by extension combat sports, I obviously did not know at the time I wrote that column that Itauma and his promoter Hall of Famer Frank Warren were preparing to roll the dice.

Boxing by its very nature is a sport ideal for taking risks and in taking said risks, those doing so are gambling their standings and potential future positions in their division as well as the sport. The Heavyweight division, perhaps more than most, is one where risks need to be taken and done so regularly if one is serious about challenging for a world championship. In this case, Warren, who has been one of the top promoters in the sport for decades, opted to put his charge in with what was a significant step up in class in the form of former longtime number one Heavyweight contender and former world title challenger Dillian Whyte on August 16th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

Such an encounter beyond the obvious angle of youth versus experience was indeed a gamble at this stage in the twenty year old Itauma’s career. Despite having previously faced former world title challenger Mariusz Wach, there was an argument to be made that Wach was not the fighter he had been when he was viewed as a top contender when Itauma fought him in July of last year in stopping him in two rounds. This, however, was a scenario where Whyte was more towards a point where he had challenged for a world title in 2022, and not more than a decade removed from challenging for world title as Wach had been.

The question for Whyte, who had only fought twice since 2022 was what he had left at this stage in his career after a seventh round stoppage of Ebenezer Tetteh in his last outing in December of last year. Although Whyte got the stoppage in that fight, it was a workmanlike performance rather than one that necessarily convinced fans and experts that Whyte was still a player in the division. 

As had been the case in his fight with Mike Balogun earlier this year, Itauma was surgical in both his approach of Whyte and in his temperament in that he was not awed by Whyte’s experience or what the former world title challenger brought to the table. He simply came forward out of the southpaw stance behind a consistent jab and patiently waited for an opportunity to strike. It would not take long. 

A short left hook to the head buckled the legs of Whyte and the follow-up barrage of blows led to a right hand that dropped Whyte in the first round. As he had done throughout his career in situations where he had been hurt or dropped, Whyte was very “Game" and got to his feet. He was on very unsteady legs and stumbled backwards forcing the fight to be stopped at 1:59 of round one. Despite the significant test and roll of the dice this fight appeared to be on paper, Moses Itauma passed it with flying colors. 

The eleventh knockout in thirteen fights for Itauma puts him in prime position for either a world title shot as the current WBO number one Heavyweight contender or potentially a fight against former WBO Heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker, who currently holds interim championship status in the WBO’s Heavyweight ratings. While Parker is in line to face the recently recrowned Undisputed World Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, the possibility exists that Usyk, who recently asked for an extension from the WBO before being mandated to face Parker, that Itauma could be moved into a fight against Parker, particularly off of the strength of this latest performance. Whether or not that indeed happens remains to be seen, but even with a limited resume, the idea of giving Moses Itauma more time to gain experience before challenging for a world title has now passed and the reality is after taking what some saw as a gamble, which clearly paid off, the only fighter that might be standing in the way of a world title shot is Joseph Parker. If Usyk is not going to be in the immediate future for Parker, why not make that fight? It is a high risk scenario for both fighters, but Boxing is a sport of risk, but also reward.

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On The Brink Of Defeat: Wardley Finds KO Punch

The circumstances that led to the Heavyweight bout between unbeaten top Heavyweight contenders Fabio Wardley and Justis Huni on June 7th at the Portman Road Football Ground in Ipswich, England was not ideal for either boxer. Due to the fact that it was made on short notice where Huni stepped in for the injured Jarrell Miller, neither man had the type of preparation that they would likely prefer going into a fight. 

When one throws into the equation rainy conditions outdoors, one may not have known what to expect. In terms of styles, this was an adjustment for Wardley, who had been preparing to face a power puncher like himself in Miller, now tasked with facing a more balanced boxer/puncher in Huni. While the perception when fights like this are made on short notice is the fighter stepping into a fight is at a disadvantage, this was a case where one could say it was truly unknown as to having an idea of what could happen with one fighter having the type of punching power that is sudden and devastating going against a fighter that could do a little of everything.

For a significant portion of this bout, it was Huni’s Boxing ability that was on full display. Consistently getting his punches off first, often throwing in combination, and backing the power puncher Wardley up, Huni dictated the combat and frequently landed flush right hands to the head. Gradually, it appeared that it was Huni that had the edge and if one were unaware of the circumstances, they might have assumed that it was Wardley, who stepped into the fight on short notice and not the other way around. 

With each passing round, Huni continued to dominate the action. After eight rounds, this observer, as I often do, shared how I was seeing things in real time on X (Formerly Twitter) and said that Huni had won the fight on my unofficial scorecard having won seven of eight rounds of the scheduled twelve round bout. In terms of points, Wardley was behind to a point that he would likely need a knockout to win the fight. Yours truly commented that  Wardley might have a punch in him to turn things around, but it also appeared that he was struggling due to both fatigue and the punishment that Huni had dished out and I questioned whether he would be able to go the distance.

If one were objective, there was little evidence that there would be a sudden change as Huni continued to bring the fight to Wardley in the ninth round. Having covered thousands of fights on every level of the sport over the last three decades and being a Boxing lifer long before I began my journey as a writer and began covering combat sports, I had learned long ago that you can never truly dismiss the possibility of a sudden turn, but with Huni dominating to the degree he was, it seemed unlikely that Wardley would be able to land that fight changing punch. 

What by all accounts looked to be certain victory for Huni would change in the type of fashion that should remind even the most jaded cynic what makes Boxing great. In an exchange of punches at the midway point in the tenth round, Wardley connected with an overhand right that came out of nowhere and seemed to be thrown in desperation, which landed flush and sent Huni down hard on the canvas. Huni struggled and was unable to beat the count. On the brink of what appeared to be certain defeat, Fabio Wardley found the knockout punch that gave him the most dramatic win of his career. 

The certainty that Wardley needed a knockout to remain unbeaten can be illustrated in the official scorecards in that he was down by six points on two official scorecards and on five on the third entering the tenth round. As dramatic a victory and an illustration of the type of power Wardley is blessed with, if one is objective, they would say that Wardley, his handlers, and supporters got a legitimate scare.

Although Wardley maintained his number one ranking in the WBA’s Heavyweight ratings having retained Interim/Regular champion status as the contender currently in position as the World Boxing Association’s mandatory challenger with this victory, he was unable to make the type of statement that would give the impression that he is ready to fight for a world title. Yes, he did get a knockout in the purest sense of the word, however, one might argue that it is Justis Huni who comes out of this fight having made a convincing argument as a potential challenger down the line for either of the Heavyweight division’s two world champions Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois.

 With Usyk and Dubois preparing for their rematch for the Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world on July 19th, and assuming that there might be a third fight between the two in the future per a rematch clause, Waedley may not get an opportunity to fight for the title in the near future. If Wardley is going to fight again before the end of 2025, an obvious option would be to give Justis Huni a rematch. As brutal as the knockout was, Huni has earned another opportunity and Wardley and his team will likely want to quell the questions that will likely be asked coming out of this fight and the best way to do that is by giving Huni a rematch.

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