Top Rank’s four-man light heavyweight tournament reportedly set

Top Rank’s light heavyweight tournament will pit Eleider Alvarez against Joe Smith Jr. and Umar Salamov against Maksim Vlasov…

A new light heavyweight titleholder will be crowned in the coming months.

A de-facto four-man tournament will soon take place featuring Umar Salamov vs. Maksim Vlasov on one side and Eleider Alvarez vs. Joe Smith Jr. on the other. The winners of each bout will face off later this year for the WBO title, which was relinquished by Canelo Alvarez shortly after he seized it from Sergey Kovalev.

All participants are associated with Top Rank, which reportedly just signed Salamov and Vlasov to promotional deals, so all bouts will be televised and/or streamed on ESPN/ESPN+.

The Athletic was first to report the news.

Absent from the tournament is the WBO’s No.1 light heavyweight contender Gilberto Ramirez, who was originally slated to be involved. The Mexican hasn’t fought since his he stopped journeyman Tommy Karpency last April. He reportedly is at odds with Top Rank over his purse for that fight and is trying to buy out his contract. Ramirez’s retreat essentially opened up a spot for Smith.

Russians Salamov (25-1, 19 KOs) and Vlasov (45-3, 26 KOs) are relatively unknown stateside, but both Alvarez and Smith are known quantities.

Alvarez (25-1, 13 KOs) won the WBO title when he upset Kovalev in the summer of 2018 but lost it promptly in the rematch.The Colombian is coming off a one-punch knockout of Michael Seals last month, his first fight since returning from an Achilles injury.

The week prior, Smith (25-3, 20 KOs) picked up a solid points win over Jesse Hart. Smith, who works full-time as a day laborer in Long Island, is best known for ending the career of Bernard Hopkins in 2016.

Top Rank also promotes Russian bruiser Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs), who defends two his light heavyweight belts against China’s Fanlong Meng (16-0, 10 KOs) on March 28 in Montreal. A potential unification bout between the winner of the WBO tournament and Beterbiev, should he remain undefeated, could conceivably be scheduled for the end of the year or the first quarter of 2021.

The lone light heavyweight titleholder that Top Rank does not control is WBA titlist Dmitry Bivol (17-0, 11 KOs), who is promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and the Russian outfit World of Boxing.

Pound-for-pound: King Tyson can’t be denied after that performance

Tyson Fury climbs from honorable mention to No. 8 on the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list after stopping Deontay Wilder on Saturday.

The pound-for-pound concept was devised as a means of comparing fighters regardless of weight.

For example, not so long ago, we could’ve asked: Who would’ve won a bout between Floyd Mayweather and Wladimir Klitschko had they been the same size? Easy. Mayweather, whose skill set was far superior to that of the big Ukrainian and everyone else.

So where does Tyson Fury fit into the equation after his tremendous performance against Deontay Wilder on Saturday in Las Vegas?

Fury, who has been an honorable mention on the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list for some time, dominated a feared, previously unbeaten opponent en route to a spectacular seventh-round stoppage before a sell-out crowd at the MGM Grand.

That kind of performance — on that kind of stage — certainly works in Fury’s favor. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Fury would stack up favorably against the stars that make our Top 10 if they fought in same division.

In the end, we decided after some back-and-forth discussion that we had to elevate Fury into the Top 10 in light of his dominance on Saturday but we didn’t want to get carried away: He jumps to No. 8, behind Errol Spence Jr. but ahead of Juan Francisco Estrada. That pushes Kosei Tanaka (No. 15 on the most-recent list) to honorable mention.

Of course, another victory over Wilder or one over Anthony Joshua in an all-U.K. title-unification bout by Fury could push him even higher.

Check out our pound-for-pound list below. And let us know what you think.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

Vasiliy Lomachenko
Terence Crawford
Canelo Alvarez
Naoya Inoue
Oleksandr Usyk
Gennadiy Golovkin
Errol Spence Jr.
Tyson Fury
Juan Francisco Estrada
Mikey Garcia
Artur Beterbiev
Josh Taylor
Manny Pacquiao
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
Leo Santa Cruz

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Teofimo Lopez, Shawn Porter and Kosei Tanaka

Tyson Fury prepared to face Anthony Joshua if Deontay wilder opts out

Good, bad, worse: Tyson Fury had perfect game plan, perfect execution

Tyson Fury beats the heavyweight title out of Deontay Wilder

Great Eight: Tyson Fury leaves no doubt that he is No. 1

Tyson Fury disassembled Deontay Wilder on Saturday to reclaim a major title and leave no doubt that he is the best active heavyweight.

Who are the best boxers in each of the original eight weight classes? Check out Boxing Junkie’s new “Great Eight” feature.

***

Thank you, Tyson Fury. You made our job easy.

The “Gypsy King” disassembled Deontay Wilder on a dramatic Saturday night in Las Vegas to reclaim a major title and leave no doubt whatsoever — at least in our collective opinion — that he is the best heavyweight in the world.

Thus, the colorful and remarkably skillful Englishman supplants Wilder as the heavyweight champ in Boxing Junkie’s Great Eight feature, in which we determine the best boxer in each of the original eight weight classes — heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight.

It’s difficult to imagine that anyone will have a problem with our decision but hardened cynics are out there.

They might point to Anthony Joshua, who holds three of the four recognized sanctioning-body titles. We roll our collective eyes at that notion. Joshua had his behind handed to him by chubby underdog Andy Ruiz Jr. two fights ago, losing his belts in the process, before rebounding with an uninspiring points victory in the rematch.

We feel that Joshua is still rebuilding what he lost in the first fight with Ruiz, if that’s even possible.

And think about what Fury has done. He stunned the boxing world by easily outpointing seemingly untouchable Wladimir Klitschko to become the heavyweight champion in 2015 only to leave the sport to battle his inner demons for a few years.

Then, after losing about 150 pounds of blubber, he comes back (probably too soon) and outboxes Wilder in the opinion of most observers but has to settle for a draw in 2018. And, finally, with a new trainer and a new, aggressive style, he pummels and then stops his then-unbeaten rival in less than seven full rounds.

That’s legendary stuff.

The only remaining argument against Fury is that a victory over Wilder is overrated because Wilder is a crude boxer who has only one weapon, his big right hand.

We don’t buy that. Forty-one of Wilder’s 42 victories have come by knockout. He doesn’t have the skill set of, say, Fury, but that punching power ends up being the deciding factor in virtually all of Wilder’s fights. And, in this case, Fury just didn’t allow it to play a role in the outcome.

Brilliant performance, exceptional fighter. Fury arguably is the best big man since countryman Lennox Lewis was at the top of his game a generation ago.

Check out our Great Eight below.

HEAVYWEIGHT – Tyson Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT – Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs)

MIDDLEWEIGHT – Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs)

WELTERWEIGHT – Terence Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs)

LIGHTWEIGHT – Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs)

FEATHERWEIGHT – Gary Russell Jr. (30-1, 18 KOs)

BANTAMWEIGHT – Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16 KOs)

FLYWEIGHT – Kosei Tanaka (15-0, 9 KOs)

Artur Beterbiev to face challenger Meng Fanlong in Quebec City

Artur Beterbiev will defend his light heavyweight belts against Chinese challenger Meng Fanlong on March 28 in Quebec City.

Artur Beterbiev’s next fight had bounced from continent to continent, from country to country. Finally, he has a place and a date.

He’s going home.

Beterbiev, a transplanted Canadian, will defend his light heavyweight belts against Chinese challenger Meng Fanlong in Quebec City on March 28 in his first bout since an impressive stoppage of Oleksandr Gvozydk four months ago, Top Rank announced Friday.

“I’m very much looking forward to defending my IBF and WBC titles against mandatory challenger Meng Fanlong,” said the unbeaten Beterbiev, who has a perfect record – 15 knockouts in 15 fights. “I’m training hard, improving every day, and I intend to perform at my best in front of my Canadian supporters.”

For at least a month, it wasn’t clear when or where Beterbiev, No. 10 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list, would make the first defense of the two titles he won against Gvozydk last October in Philadelphia.

It looked as if the bout would land in China because a Chinese entity had won the promotional rights. Then, however, there were worries that Beterbiev would refuse to fight there. Beterbiev, who moved to Montreal from his native Russia several years ago, is a practicing Muslim. The Chinese government has been detaining Muslims in camps, according to news reports.

The spread of coronavirus probably would have kept the fight out of China, anyway. But the Chinese promoter defaulted on its bid. The promotional rights went to Top Rank, which finally moved the ESPN-televised bout to Canada.

“I am truly honored to be fighting Artur Beterbiev for the light heavyweight championship,” said Fanlong (16-0, 10 KOs), a 2012 Olympian who hopes to become the first Chinese fighter heavier than featherweight to win a world title. “I have worked hard to earn the mandatory position, and I plan on being the first Chinese light heavyweight champion in history. This is just the beginning.”

Boxing Junkie Rankings

Coronavirus no threat to Beterbiev-Meng bout on March 28

Artur Beterbiev doesn’t have to worry about the coronavirus when he takes on Chinese contender Fanlong Meng on March 28 in Montreal.

The fists of light heavyweight titleholder Artur Beterbiev knock out opponents inside the ring but are useless against the deadly coronavirus that has killed more than 400 people and infected 20,000 others worldwide.

There were concerns in some corners that the novel virus, which originated in the city of Wuhan, China, would lead to the cancellation of Beterbiev’s projected defense of his two titles against Chinese challenger Fanlong Meng on March 28 in Quebec City. A formal announcement of the bout is pending.

Yvon Michel, who is working with Beterbiev promoter Top Rank to stage the fight, told The Montreal Journal that Meng’s promoter Dino Duva assured him that his charge has had virtually no chance of contracting the virus.

“I contacted Meng’s promoter (Dino Duva) when the very first cases of death from the coronavirus had been announced,” Michel told the newspaper. “He quickly assured me that his boxer had been living in New Jersey for the past few years and that he had not returned to China for some time.”

Most of the coronavirus cases have occurred in China. The infectious disease has spread to at least 23 countries, according to multiple reports.

“Our lawyers are already working to obtain a visa for Meng,” Michel added. “We would love to have him be present for our press conference launching the fight.”

Top Rank canceled its Feb. 1 card in Haikou, China featuring a junior welterweight title fight between Jose Ramirez and Viktor Postol out of concern for the virus outbreak.

Beterbiev-Meng was supposed to take place in China after Chinese promoter LoveJoy Sports turned in the winning bid to the IBF. But after failing to make timely payments to the sanctioning body, the rights to the bout reverted to the second highest bidder, Top Rank. There were also concerns that Beterbiev, who is Muslim, would boycott the fight if it took place in China because of that country’s appalling treatment of Uighur, an ethnically Turkic Muslim minority group living in the westernmost province of Xinjiang.

Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs) unified the WBC and IBF light heavyweight titles when he stopped then titleholder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in the 10th round last October.

Meng (16-0, 10 KOs), who represented China at the 2012 London Olympics, fought twice in 2019, picking up wins over Gilberto Rubio and Adam Deines.

Artur Beterbiev vs. Meng Fanlong set for March 28 in Quebec City

Undefeated Artur Beterbiev is scheduled to re-appear March 28 in Quebec City against former Chinese Olympian Meng Fanlong.

There’s not much question about Artur Beterbiev’s light heavyweight supremacy. But there have been questions and some confusion about where, when and whom he’d fight next.

Finally, an answer.

Beterbiev, undefeated and No. 10 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list, is scheduled to re-appear March 28 in Quebec City against former Chinese Olympian Meng Fanlong.

Initially, it looked as if Beterbiev’s first fight since unifying the 175-pound title with a second belt by stopping Oleksandr Gvozdyk would be in China. Longjoy Sports won a purse bid with a $1.9-million offer. But Longjoy failed to make good on its offer. The deadline passed with no deposit from the Chinese promoter. The promotional rights then went to Top Rank, which had offered $1.315 million.

Top Rank then decided to move the fight to Quebec City, according to a story first reported by ESPN, which will televise the bout.

The move allayed fears that Beterbiev, a Russian, would refuse to fight in China because of the government’s anti-Muslim policy. According to media reports, Muslims have been confined in Chinese detention camps. Beterbiev, 35, is a Muslim of Chechen descent.

Beterbiev (15-0,15 KOs) fought 10 of his first 11 fights in Quebec. Since then, he has been fighting in the United States, including an impressive 10^th-round TKO of then-unbeaten Gvozdyk on Oct. 18 in Philadelphia. He knocked down Gvozydk three times.

Fanlong (16-0, 10 KOs), who represented China at the 2012 London Games, has fought in the U.S. nine times, including a second-round stoppage of Gilberto Rubio in Hockessin, Delaware on Oct. 5, 13 days before Beterbiev’s dramatic victory over Gvozydk in nearby Philadelphia.

Pound-for-pound: The fall of Julian Williams

Julian Williams’ knockout loss to Jeison Rosario on Saturday put a damper on his pound-for-pound hopes.

Julian Williams had said that his goal was to become the No. 1 fighter pound-for-pound. Well, that’s going to be a lot more difficult now.

Williams, who had been an honorable mention on the Boxing Junkie list of best fighters, was knocked out in five rounds by relatively obscure Jeison Rosario to lose his junior middleweight titles Saturday in Philadelphia.

“JRock” probably will get another crack at Rosario because of a rematch clause. However, even a victory would only be a small step toward pound-for-pound supremacy.

Williams rebounded from disappointment before, climbing back to elite status after he was knocked out by Jermall Charlo. But coming back from two knockouts? That’s not easy.

Alas, Williams is off our list after his setback Saturday. Replacing him as an honorable mention is Teofimo Lopez, the unbeaten lightweight titleholder who is coming off a sensational second-round knockout of Richard Commey in December.

Lopez, 22, could face his own Waterloo soon; he’s negotiating to meet Vasiliy Lomachenko, Boxing Junkie’s No. 1 fighter. Of course, a victory would catapult Lopez into the Top 10.

You just never know. Ask Williams.

Check out our pound-for-pound list below. And let us know what you think.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

Vasiliy Lomachenko
Terence Crawford
Canelo Alvarez
Naoya Inoue
Oleksandr Usyk
Gennadiy Golovkin
Errol Spence Jr.
Juan Francisco Estrada
Mikey Garcia
Artur Beterbiev
Josh Taylor
Manny Pacquiao
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
Leo Santa Cruz
Kosei Tanaka

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Tyson Fury, Teofimo Lopez, Shawn Porter

Great Eight: Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury to decide who’s No. 1

The Feb. 22 rematch between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury will determine the Great Eight heavyweight representative.

Who are the best boxers in each of the original eight weight classes? Check out Boxing Junkie’s new “Great Eight” feature.

***

The Great Eight, Boxing Junkie’s list of the best fighters in each of the original eight weight divisions, could look different soon.

On Feb. 22, Deontay Wilder defends his sanctioning-body heavyweight title in a rematch with Tyson Fury at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. And Canelo Alvarez could announce that he’s finished at middleweight, although he hasn’t ruled out another fight at 160 pounds.

The Wilder-Fury fight is unusual in that the winner will be recognized as the top big man even though Anthony Joshua holds three of the four major belts.

Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) and Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs), who fought to a draw in December 2018, remain unbeaten. By comparison, Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) was put down four times and stopped by Andy Ruiz Jr. to lose his belts this past June and regained them in a convincing, but safety-first manner in December.

Thus, the Feb. 22 winner will be the Great Eight heavyweight. (Boxing Junkie loves when such things are decided in the ring.)

Meanwhile, Alvarez still holds two middleweight titles but – having fought as heavy as 175 pounds – it seems inevitable that he’ll give up his 160-pound belts and settle in as a 168-pounder in the near future.

Who could replace him at middleweight in the Great Eight? No-brainer: Gennadiy Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KOs).

Triple-G has accomplished a tremendous amount in his career and is only a hair behind Alvarez at 160 pounds right now. He’s the obvious candidate to step in if Alvarez leaves.

That said, Golovkin will be 38 on April 8. We don’t know whether he has begun to decline but that or possibly retirement can’t be far off. Among those in position to replace him: Jermall Charlo, Demetrius Andrade, Daniel Jacobs and Sergey Derevyanchenko.

Who knows who might emerge or move up from 154 pounds and make a statement at 160.

And we should consider one last thing: Alvarez could decide to fight Golovkin for a third time at 160 pounds. In that case, of course, they would decide Great Eight matters in the ring.

The others six fighters in our Great Eight seem to firmly ensconced at the moment but, as we know, things change quickly in boxing.

Stay tuned. And check out our Great Eight below.

HEAVYWEIGHT – Deontay Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT – Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs)

MIDDLEWEIGHT – Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs)

WELTERWEIGHT – Terence Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs)

LIGHTWEIGHT – Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs)

FEATHERWEIGHT – Gary Russell Jr. (30-1, 18 KOs)

BANTAMWEIGHT – Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16 KOs)

FLYWEIGHT – Kosei Tanaka (15-0, 9 KOs)

Artur Beterbiev to fight in Quebec City instead of China on March 28

Artur Beterbiev won’t have to worry about compromising his religious beliefs, after it was announced that his next bout won’t be in China.

Artur Beterbiev won’t have to compromise his personal convictions for his next fight, it turns out.

Originally, it appeared the two-belt light heavyweight titleholder and devout Muslim would have to travel to China to face his IBF mandatory Meng Fanlong after Fanlong’s Chinese promoter Lovejoy Sports won the Dec. 30 purse bid for the bout. But Lovejoy Sports, which co-promotes Fanlong with the American outfit Roc Nation, failed to meet the deadline for a scheduled payment. Per IBF rules, that meant rights to the fight would default to the next highest bidder, Beterbiev’s promoter, Top Rank.

Top Rank is planning to stage the bout in Quebec City on March 28, according to ESPN.com. It is a homecoming of sorts for Beterbiev, a Chechen Russian who has been living and training in the Montreal area for most of his professional career. Beterbiev unified the WBC and IBF belts on Oct. 18, when he stopped then-undefeated Oleksandr Gvozdyk by a 10th-round stoppage.

In light of the news, Beterbiev (15-0, 15 knockouts) can let out a sigh of relief.

The 34-year-old bruiser was reportedly dead set against fighting Fanlong (16-0, 10 KOs) in China, presumably because Beterbiev takes issue with China’s treatment of its Uighur, an ethnically Turkic Muslim minority group living in the westernmost province of Xinjiang. In an effort to crack down on any hint of dissent, the Chinese government has been forcing the Uighur to turn their backs on their religion and traditions, including banning the naming of any of their sons “Muhammad.” It is thought that at least a million Uighurs are being detained in re-education centers.

Rumors suggested Beterbiev was willing to vacate his IBF title rather than fight in China.

Fanlong’s promoter, Dino Duva of Roc Nation, expressed his dismay with his Chinese partners.

“(I’m) very disappointed that Longjoy Sports defaulted,” Duva told Boxing Junkie. “It would have been great for Fanlong, and an historic event for boxing and China. However, I’m confident it will be a great fight in Canada and that Fanlong can beat him anywhere.”

Duva said he doesn’t know why Longjoy Sports failed to make the payment but noted that it was not out of negligence, adding that “they didn’t forget, they knew the rules and obligations.”

Longjoy Sports initially won the rights to the Beterbiev-Menlong bout on Dec. 30 with a bid of $1.9 million, which beat out the $1.35 million offer from Top Rank.

Great Eight: Boxing Junkie’s best fighters in each of original divisions

Boxing Junkie has established its Great Eight, in which we determine the best boxers in each of the original weight classes.

Who are the best boxers in each of the original eight weight classes? Check out Boxing Junkie’s new “Great Eight” feature.

***

Sadly, the proliferation of sanctioning body titles has diluted the value of once-precious championship belts.

If we accept that there are four major sanctioning organizations and allow each of them one “champion,” then we have 68 titleholders. That ridiculous number, which grows when the organizations add even more self-serving belts, drives boxing aficionados who want the best for the sport absolutely mad.

In effect, the sanctioning body titles mean next to nothing unless they’re unified. And even then, they’re value is often limited.

That’s why some of us look back longingly at a time when boxing had only eight divisions and one true champion in each of them. Everyone knew who the champions were and they had tremendous respect.

With that in mind, Boxing Junkie has decided to turn back the clock and establish its Great Eight, in which we determine the best boxers in each of the original weight classes – heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight.

To be clear, heavyweight includes cruiserweight, light heavyweight includes super middleweight, middleweight includes junior middleweight … all the way down to flyweight, which includes junior flyweight and strawweight.

Also, pound-for-pound has nothing to do with this. We believe the fighters selected in each division would defeat anyone else at that weight.

And, finally, this feature will be presented periodically.

Have a look:

HEAVYWEIGHT – Deontay Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT – Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs)

MIDDLEWEIGHT – Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs)

WELTERWEIGHT – Terence Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs)

LIGHTWEIGHT – Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs)

FEATHERWEIGHT – Gary Russell Jr. (30-1, 18 KOs)

BANTAMWEIGHT – Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16 KOs)

FLYWEIGHT – Kosei Tanaka (15-0, 9 KOs)