Category: Rankings

Great Eight: Is Tyson Fury’s reign as heavyweight champion nearing an end?

Great Eight: Is Tyson Fury’s reign as heavyweight champion nearing an end?

The proliferation of titles makes it difficult for all but the most astute fans to determine the cream of the boxing crop.

That’s why Boxing Junkie came up with its “Great Eight” feature, which names the best fighter in each of the original eight weight classes –heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight.

Heavyweight includes cruiserweight (and the WBA and WBC’s bridgerweight), light heavyweight includes super middleweight, middleweight includes junior middleweight and so on down to flyweight, which includes junior flyweight and strawweight.

In this installment of “Great Eight,” we explore the possibility that the biggest champion here will be dethroned on May 18.

Tyson Fury has been the Great Eight heavyweight champ since this feature was instituted in 2020, but his reign will be in serious jeopardy when he faces Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed championship on pay-per-view May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) is coming off arguably the worst performance of his career in October, when he got up from a knockdown to eke out a split decision victory over MMA star and boxing novice Francis Ngannou.

The stunning events of that night raised an obvious question: Has Fury, 35, begun to decline going into the biggest fight of his life?

If he’s not at his best against a gifted, experienced technician in Usyk, many believe he will suffer the first defeat in his long career and lose his Great Eight championship.

Even his longtime co-promoter Bob Arum has questions going into the fight in the Middle East.

“I always felt once this fight was made … that Fury was a big, big favorite because I thought his size and boxing ability would be too much for Usyk,” Arum said on the BoxNation podcast. “So I looked at it as a 3- to 4-1 fight in favor of Tyson Fury.

“But I’m very troubled with the way Tyson looked in his last fight with Ngannou in Riyadh. I was there. I just thought he looked dreadful. There are two [possible] explanations: He really didn’t train hard for that fight or, two, when we all put on years — and I should know — we don’t function as well as we do when we’re younger physically.

“Is that what we’re seeing with Tyson based on the Ngannou fight? Or he didn’t take it seriously and wasn’t prepared. That’s what we’ll find out on May 18.”

Arum still believes Fury will win the fight if he’s reverts to his previous form.

“If Tyson is on his ‘A’ game, if it’s the Tyson Fury that fought [Deontay] Wilder the last two times, that fought Dillian Whyte, there’s no way that Usyk or any heavyweight can beat him. But that’s a really big assumption.”

He went on: “To me, I look at the Ngannou fight Fury had and going back on it, I mean the way he labored with Ngannou, particularly when you saw how easily [Anthony] Joshua handled Ngannou, I have a lot of questions.”

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) – Fury will have a chance to prove his subpar performance against Francis Ngannou was an aberration when he faces Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed championship on pay-per-view May 18 in Saudi Arabia. Of course, the winner will be our Great Eight champ.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) – The winner of the Bivol-Artur Beterbiev showdown on June 1 will determine not only the Great Eight champion but also the best 175-pounder of the era. Few possible matchups in boxing are better or more significant than this one.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pounder came up short against 168-pound champ Canelo Alvarez in September but he remains the best at 160 and 154. He doesn’t appear to be negotiating with potential opponents, leaving his future up in the air.

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford hasn’t fought since his epic beat down of Errol Spence Jr. last July and has nothing solid in the works. The WBO has ordered new 154-pound beltholder Sebastian Fundora to fight him but Fundora might fight Tim Tszyu again first.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – “Tank” remains the most-complete fighter at 135 and 130 but boxing wizards Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko might have something to say about who reigns in Great Eight before all is said and done. Now we need to see these pivotal matchups.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) – Inoue gave another dominating performance against Marlon Tapales on Dec. 26, stopping the Filipino in the 10th round to become undisputed champion in a second weight class. Can anyone compete with him? Luis Nery will be the next one to try. They meet on May 6.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – The Mexican 115-pound titleholder has agreed to face Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, our Great Eight flyweight champion, in a blockbuster matchup June 29 in Phoenix. The winner will be the bantamweight king here.

FLYWEIGHT

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) – Rodriguez will hold his position here until the 112-pounder steps into the ring to challenge Estrada at 115, meaning we are likely to have a new flyweight champ in early July.

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Pound-for-pound: Did Isaac Cruz do enough against Rolando Romero to crack list?

Pound-for-pound: Did Isaac Cruz do enough against Rolando Romero to crack Boxing Junkie’s list?

Isaac Cruz made a strong impression with his eighth-round knockout of Rolando Romero on Saturday in Las Vegas.

But did the new 140-pound titleholder from Mexico do enough in that fight — and does he have the resume — to climb onto Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list?

Not quite.

Everyone agrees that Cruz is evolving into a formidable fighting machine, a pressure fighter with the fitness, durability and punching power to dominate opponents.

However, we shouldn’t overreact to a one-sided victory over Romero, a good, but limited fighter. And Cruz still doesn’t have a victory over a top-tier opponent, although he gave Gervonta Davis hell in defeat in 2021.

Bottom line: Cruz has to beat a pound-for-pounder or someone of that caliber to leave no doubt that he belongs with the best in the business.

And those matchups will come soon enough if Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) continues to win. Perhaps showdowns with the likes of fellow beltholders Devin Haney or Teofimo Lopez — or maybe even a rematch with Davis — are in his near future.

A victory over any of the above would be enough to lift Cruz to the next level. Stay tuned.

What about Sebastian Fundora?

The new 154-pound champ defeated rising star Tim Tszyu by a split decision in the main event on Saturday, an accomplishment for which Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) deserves credit.

However, we can’t draw firm conclusions because Tszyu was effectively blinded by blood in his eyes, the result of a ghastly cut on his hairline. Plus, Fundora was knocked out by Brian Mendoza in his previous fight.

Fundora’s time might come, just not now.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 10 Devin Haney is scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 on pay-per-view from Las Vegas.

Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to defend his undisputed 122-pound championship against Luis Nery on May 6 in Japan.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – Scheduled to face No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – Scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against No. 11 Jesse Rodriguez on June 29 in Phoenix.
  6. Canelo Alvarez – Scheduled to face Jaime Munguia for the undisputed 168-pound championship on May 4 in Las Vegas.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
  9. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  10. Devin Haney– Scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 in Las Vegas.
  11. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – Scheduled to face No. 5 Juan Francisco Estrada for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.
  12. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to face No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
  13. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  14. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia.
  15. Shakur Stevenson– Reportedly near a deal to defend his 135-pound title against Artem Harutyunyan on July 6 in Newark, New Jersey.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): David Benavidez (has agreed to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June but no announcement has been made); Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (no fight scheduled); Teofimo Lopez (reportedly near a deal to defend his 140-pound title against Steve Claggett on June 29 in Miami).

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Cardinals near bottom of post-free agency power rankings

The Cardinals rank only 26th in the first power rankings after the start of free agency.

Last offseason, the Arizona Cardinals were almost universally considered as having either the worst or tied for the worst roster in the NFL. They only won four games but finished strong.

After a few moves in free agency, they not yet viewed as a competitor entering the new season.

Jarrett Bailey for Touchdown Wire has new offseason power rankings, stacking up all 32 NFL teams after a week of free agency.

The Cardinals are not far from the bottom at No. 26.

The Cardinals lost arguably their best receiver in Hollywood Brown, who is now in Kansas City. They didn’t make any massive splashes in free agency, and it just feels like they are waiting for the draft, where they have a lot of capital. They look like a prime trade candidate for a team looking to move inside the top five for a quarterback. If the Cardinals can land another king’s ransom and turn that trade into a quality No. 1 receiver, as well as keep hammering away at their other needs, they’ll be a scrappy team similar to what they were in 2023.

However, the defense, which was the worst or near the worst in almost every single metric, has gotten better talent-wise.

Is the ranking fair for now? Yeah, probably. But they should be a middling team when all is said and done.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

Great Eight: Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Bam Rodriguez would be rare champ vs. champ

Great Eight: A potential matchup between Juan Francisco Estrada and Bam Rodriguez would pit two champions against one another.

The proliferation of titles makes it difficult for all but the most astute fans to determine the cream of the boxing crop.

That’s why Boxing Junkie came up with its “Great Eight” feature, which names the best fighter in each of the original eight weight classes –heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight.

Heavyweight includes cruiserweight (and the WBA and WBC’s bridgerweight), light heavyweight includes super middleweight, middleweight includes junior middleweight and so on down to flyweight, which includes junior flyweight and strawweight.

In this installment of “Great Eight,” we explore the possibility of an intriguing development: Two of our champions — Juan Francisco Estrada (bantamweight) and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (flyweight) — are in talks to fight one another.

Promoter Eddie Hearn said he’s trying to close a deal for the fighters to meet for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.

The principals are at different stages of their careers.

Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) is a two-division champion who has shown no signs of decline — he’s coming off a second victory in his third fight against future Hall of Famer Roman Gonzalez — but he’s 33 and has been fighting professionally for 15-plus years.

The Mexican also hasn’t been active. The second victory over Gonzalez took place in December 2022 and he hasn’t fought since. He had been in talks to face fellow titleholder Kazuto Ioka last December but negotiations broke down.

Estrada has won eight consecutive fights since he lost a majority decision to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2018, a setback he later avenged.

Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) is a rising star. The 24-year-old Texan has reeled off one spectacular victory after another to join Estrada on many credible pound-for-pound lists, including Boxing Junkie’s.

He made a strong impression by outpointing veteran Carlos Cuadras to win a vacant 115-pound title in February 2022 and then knocked out the equally respected Sor Rungvisai in eight rounds in his first defense four months later.

And he was just getting started. He delivered what might be his best performance last December, when, after dropping down to 112 and winning a major belt, he stopped previously unbeaten Sunny Edwards to unify two titles.

“This is a fight we’ve been working on for a long time,” Hearn told DAZN. “I think Estrada against Bam Rodriguez is just a stunner. You keep seeing these small guys give us unbelievable nights.

“Estrada against “Chocolatito” (Roman Gonzalez) so many times, Bam against Sunny [Edwards] last December was incredible, and Estrada against Bam is just a Fight of the Year contender written all over it.”

It would be difficult to argue with Hearn on that point. It doesn’t get much better than one of the best fighters of the generation vs. one of the most exciting young phenoms in the game

And, of course, it would have major implications in terms of Great Eight.

If the fight happens and Estrada wins, he would add to his own Hall of Fame credentials and remain as bantamweight champion here. Rodriguez would become champion in a second Great Eight division if he has his hand raised.

Rodriguez hasn’t said definitively that he’s finished at 112 but that appears to be the case.

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) – Fury will have a chance to prove his subpar performance against Francis Ngannou was an aberration when he faces Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed championship on pay-per-view May 18 in Saudi Arabia. Of course, the winner will be our Great Eight champ.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) – The winner of the Bivol-Beterbiev showdown on June 1 will determine not only the Great Eight champion but also the best 175-pounder of the era. Few possible matchups in boxing are better or more significant than this one.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pounder came up short against 168-pound champ Canelo Alvarez but he remains the best at 160 and 154. He had expressed interest in facing welterweight king Terence Crawford but that doesn’t appear to be in the works, leaving his future uncertain..

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford hasn’t fought since his epic beat down of Errol Spence Jr. last July and has nothing solid in the works. One potential opponent would be Israil Madrimov, who stopped Magomed Kurbanov to win a 154-pound title on May 8.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – “Tank” remains the most-complete fighter at 135 and 130 but boxing wizards Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko might have something to say about who reigns in Great Eight before all is said and done. Now we need to see these pivotal matchups.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) – Inoue gave another dominating performance against Marlon Tapales on Dec. 26, stopping the Filipino in the 10th round to become undisputed champion in a second weight class. Can anyone compete with him? Luis Nery will be the next one to try. They meet on May 6.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – Boxing Junkie’s No. 5 fighter pound-for-pound had hinted that he might move up from junior bantamweight to bantamweight but an explosive potential matchup with Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez at 115 might keep him in his current division.

FLYWEIGHT

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) – Rodriguez supplanted Edwards as champion here after leaving no doubt about who is the best 112-pounder in the world. He’ll almost certainly be replaced if he signs a contract to challenge Estrada at 115 pounds.

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Great Eight: Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Bam Rodriguez would be rare champ vs. champ

Great Eight: A potential matchup between Juan Francisco Estrada and Bam Rodriguez would pit two champions against one another.

The proliferation of titles makes it difficult for all but the most astute fans to determine the cream of the boxing crop.

That’s why Boxing Junkie came up with its “Great Eight” feature, which names the best fighter in each of the original eight weight classes –heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight.

Heavyweight includes cruiserweight (and the WBA and WBC’s bridgerweight), light heavyweight includes super middleweight, middleweight includes junior middleweight and so on down to flyweight, which includes junior flyweight and strawweight.

In this installment of “Great Eight,” we explore the possibility of an intriguing development: Two of our champions — Juan Francisco Estrada (bantamweight) and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (flyweight) — are in talks to fight one another.

Promoter Eddie Hearn said he’s trying to close a deal for the fighters to meet for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.

The principals are at different stages of their careers.

Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) is a two-division champion who has shown no signs of decline — he’s coming off a second victory in his third fight against future Hall of Famer Roman Gonzalez — but he’s 33 and has been fighting professionally for 15-plus years.

The Mexican also hasn’t been active. The second victory over Gonzalez took place in December 2022 and he hasn’t fought since. He had been in talks to face fellow titleholder Kazuto Ioka last December but negotiations broke down.

Estrada has won eight consecutive fights since he lost a majority decision to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2018, a setback he later avenged.

Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) is a rising star. The 24-year-old Texan has reeled off one spectacular victory after another to join Estrada on many credible pound-for-pound lists, including Boxing Junkie’s.

He made a strong impression by outpointing veteran Carlos Cuadras to win a vacant 115-pound title in February 2022 and then knocked out the equally respected Sor Rungvisai in eight rounds in his first defense four months later.

And he was just getting started. He delivered what might be his best performance last December, when, after dropping down to 112 and winning a major belt, he stopped previously unbeaten Sunny Edwards to unify two titles.

“This is a fight we’ve been working on for a long time,” Hearn told DAZN. “I think Estrada against Bam Rodriguez is just a stunner. You keep seeing these small guys give us unbelievable nights.

“Estrada against “Chocolatito” (Roman Gonzalez) so many times, Bam against Sunny [Edwards] last December was incredible, and Estrada against Bam is just a Fight of the Year contender written all over it.”

It would be difficult to argue with Hearn on that point. It doesn’t get much better than one of the best fighters of the generation vs. one of the most exciting young phenoms in the game

And, of course, it would have major implications in terms of Great Eight.

If the fight happens and Estrada wins, he would add to his own Hall of Fame credentials and remain as bantamweight champion here. Rodriguez would become champion in a second Great Eight division if he has his hand raised.

Rodriguez hasn’t said definitively that he’s finished at 112 but that appears to be the case.

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) – Fury will have a chance to prove his subpar performance against Francis Ngannou was an aberration when he faces Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed championship on pay-per-view May 18 in Saudi Arabia. Of course, the winner will be our Great Eight champ.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) – The winner of the Bivol-Beterbiev showdown on June 1 will determine not only the Great Eight champion but also the best 175-pounder of the era. Few possible matchups in boxing are better or more significant than this one.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pounder came up short against 168-pound champ Canelo Alvarez but he remains the best at 160 and 154. He had expressed interest in facing welterweight king Terence Crawford but that doesn’t appear to be in the works, leaving his future uncertain..

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford hasn’t fought since his epic beat down of Errol Spence Jr. last July and has nothing solid in the works. One potential opponent would be Israil Madrimov, who stopped Magomed Kurbanov to win a 154-pound title on May 8.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – “Tank” remains the most-complete fighter at 135 and 130 but boxing wizards Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko might have something to say about who reigns in Great Eight before all is said and done. Now we need to see these pivotal matchups.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) – Inoue gave another dominating performance against Marlon Tapales on Dec. 26, stopping the Filipino in the 10th round to become undisputed champion in a second weight class. Can anyone compete with him? Luis Nery will be the next one to try. They meet on May 6.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – Boxing Junkie’s No. 5 fighter pound-for-pound had hinted that he might move up from junior bantamweight to bantamweight but an explosive potential matchup with Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez at 115 might keep him in his current division.

FLYWEIGHT

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) – Rodriguez supplanted Edwards as champion here after leaving no doubt about who is the best 112-pounder in the world. He’ll almost certainly be replaced if he signs a contract to challenge Estrada at 115 pounds.

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Pound-for-pound: Action will pick up in a big way beginning on April 20

Pound-for-pound: Action will pick up in a big way beginning on April 20

That’s crickets you’re hearing when it comes to the pound-for-pound scene.

None of the 20 fighter’s on Boxing Junkie’s list — Nos. 1-15 and five Honorable Mentions — is scheduled to step into the ring until April 20, when No. 10 Devin Haney will defend his 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas.

The action picks up in a big way at that point, however. Between April 20 and June 1 — a span of only five-plus weeks — seven pound-for-pounders are scheduled to fight.

They are No. 2 Naoya Inoue, No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk, No. 4 Dmitry Bivol, No. 9 Tyson Fury, Haney, No. 12 Artur Beterbiev and No. 14 Vasiliy Lomachenko (see below for details).

That number could grow. No. 6 Canelo Alvarez is expected to fight on May 4, although no opponent has been announced. And Honorable Mention David Benavidez is in talks to face 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June.

And who knows what other matchups involving the best of the best might emerge?

Yes, the lack of activity at the moment is disappointing. However, patience will pay dividends. The biggest stars in the sport are in the gym as you read this preparing to perform.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 10 Devin Haney is scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 on pay-per-view from Las Vegas.

Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to defend his undisputed 122-pound championship against Luis Nery on May 6 in Japan.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – Scheduled to face No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – No fight scheduled.
  6. Canelo Alvarez – No fight scheduled.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
  9. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  10. Devin Haney– Scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 in Las Vegas.
  11. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – No fight scheduled.
  12. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to face No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
  13. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  14. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia.
  15. Shakur Stevenson– No fight scheduled.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): David Benavidez (has agreed to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June but no deal is in place); Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (no fight scheduled); Teofimo Lopez (no fight scheduled).

Pound-for-pound: Action will pick up in a big way beginning on April 20

Pound-for-pound: Action will pick up in a big way beginning on April 20

That’s crickets you’re hearing when it comes to the pound-for-pound scene.

None of the 20 fighter’s on Boxing Junkie’s list — Nos. 1-15 and five Honorable Mentions — is scheduled to step into the ring until April 20, when No. 10 Devin Haney will defend his 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas.

The action picks up in a big way at that point, however. Between April 20 and June 1 — a span of only five-plus weeks — seven pound-for-pounders are scheduled to fight.

They are No. 2 Naoya Inoue, No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk, No. 4 Dmitry Bivol, No. 9 Tyson Fury, Haney, No. 12 Artur Beterbiev and No. 14 Vasiliy Lomachenko (see below for details).

That number could grow. No. 6 Canelo Alvarez is expected to fight on May 4, although no opponent has been announced. And Honorable Mention David Benavidez is in talks to face 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June.

And who knows what other matchups involving the best of the best might emerge?

Yes, the lack of activity at the moment is disappointing. However, patience will pay dividends. The biggest stars in the sport are in the gym as you read this preparing to perform.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 10 Devin Haney is scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 on pay-per-view from Las Vegas.

Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to defend his undisputed 122-pound championship against Luis Nery on May 6 in Japan.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – Scheduled to face No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – No fight scheduled.
  6. Canelo Alvarez – No fight scheduled.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
  9. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  10. Devin Haney– Scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 in Las Vegas.
  11. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – No fight scheduled.
  12. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to face No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
  13. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  14. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia.
  15. Shakur Stevenson– No fight scheduled.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): David Benavidez (has agreed to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June but no deal is in place); Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (no fight scheduled); Teofimo Lopez (no fight scheduled).

ESPN tabs Texans tight end as player Buccaneers should sign

Would you want the Bucs to add to their tight end room in 2024?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be focused on re-signing their own players in free agency — that much is clear. But that doesn’t mean they can’t focus on bringing in some new talent, too.

ESPN recently created a list of one free agent each team should consider signing, and writer Aaron Schatz focused in on tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His pick for the Bucs was Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz, who will be a free agent after just one year in Houston.

Here’s what the list had to say about Shultz and his fit with Tampa Bay:

The Buccaneers got 455 yards and four touchdowns out of second-year tight end Cade Otton, but Schultz would expand what they can do at the position. He had 635 yards and five touchdowns for Houston, with a similar receiving DVOA to Otton but more production. Tampa Bay’s other tight end, Ko Kieft, is strictly a blocker, so bringing in Schultz would open things up for more two-tight end sets where both tight ends are receiving threats. But Schultz is also a good run-blocker, with Pro Football Focus giving him a run-blocking grade above 60.0 in five consecutive seasons.

It is true that Schultz would be a good pickup for the Bucs. Tight end Cade Otton has shown some flashes of prowess (particularly in crunch time), but he hasn’t truly come into his own as a dominant tight-end threat. Schultz would automatically be the best-receiving threat in the tight end room and, as mentioned by Schatz, could open up the playbook for some unique sets.

The problem, however, will inevitably be his cost. As it stands, Spotrac has Schultz’s market value at $11.3 million. That’s a steep price for the Bucs, and it would be for a positon that could use some brushing up on but isn’t explicitly a need. That money could likely go toward retaining players like Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans and Antoine Winfield Jr. — should the Bucs be able to keep all those players and then sign Schultz, though, it would be an immediate improvement for the team.

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Post-Super Bowl power rankings and the NFC West

Check out where NFL.com ranks the four teams in the NFC West compared to the rest of the league in final power rankings.

The 2023 NFL is over and the Kansas City Chiefs are world champions for the second consecutive year after beating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime.

We look ahead to the offseason but before that, we have some final power rankings.

Where do the teams in the NFC West rank?

Let’s have a look below.

WR Russell Gage listed as cut candidate for Buccaneers

Pro Football Focus’ list of cut candidates across the league included Gage, who joined the Bucs in 2022.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Russell Gage didn’t see any playing action in 2023 after suffering a torn patellar tendon in training camp, and it’s unfortunately possible that he won’t get a chance to make up for it in Tampa Bay for 2024.

Pro Football Focus released a list of cut candidates for each NFL team heading into the offseason, and writer Brad Spielberger chose Gage as one for the Bucs. He discussed Gage’s injury history and the work Tampa Bay has to do in the offseason with other free agents as a potential reason:

“Gage was unable to stay healthy during his time in Tampa, and the Buccaneers may have to pay up big time to retain franchise legend Mike Evans. Even if not, rookie Trey Palmer developed into a solid option in the passing game and Tampa Bay will need to reorganize its books with major paydays looming for Baker Mayfield, Antoine Winfield and Tristan Wirfs.”

It is true that Gage has struggled with injury in Tampa Bay. He missed all of 2023 with that patellar tendon injury, but he also missed three games in 2022 due to injury as well. While Gage was a solid wide receiver coming out of Atlanta, his troubles staying on the field could result in his departure with a post-June 1 cut in the offseason.

Should the Bucs indeed cut Gage post-June 1 as mentioned, they’d save $10 million on the salary cap for 2024 per Over the Cap — a big opening. If they were to do it before June 1, they’d save $6,448,000 and take on over double the dead money.

Edge rusher Shaquil Barrett is another possible cap casualty. Cutting him post-June 1 would result in saving $4,923,882 for the 2024 salary cap, opening up room as well.

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