Tag: Bob Arum

Great Eight: Oleksandr Usyk supplants Tyson Fury as king of the big men

Great Eight: Oleksandr Usyk has supplanted Tyson Fury as king of the big men.

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 crown a new heavyweight champion for the first time since the feature was started in 2020.

Oleksandr Usyk rallied from a slow start to score a knockdown and defeat Tyson Fury by a split decision on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, thus claiming the undisputed heavyweight championship and supplanting longtime king Fury as the “Great Eight” champion.

And let there be no doubt that Usyk deserves the top Boxing Junkie honor, with back-to-back victories over Anthony Joshua, a knockout of Daniel Dubois and now a decision over previously unbeaten Fury in his last four fights even though he’s smaller than all of the above.

Of course, Usyk might not have a long reign. He and Fury said in post-fight interviews that they plan to fight again, perhaps in the fall.

Fury, who fought well and would’ve walked away with a draw without the ninth-round knockdown, would reclaim his throne with a victory in the rematch.

Stay tuned.

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) – Usyk got a lot accomplished with his victory over Tyson Fury on Saturday, becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion in a quarter century and only the second Great Eight heavyweight champ.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) – Bivol had been set to face Artur Beterbiev for 175-pound supremacy on June 1 in Saudi Arabia but the showdown was postponed after the latter was injured in training. Instead, Bivol will face Malik Zinad (22-0, 16 KOs) on that date.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pounder hasn’t fought since he came up short against 168-pound champ Canelo Alvarez in September and then lost his sanctioning body titles at 154. However, he remains the best at 160 and 154 … at the moment.

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford is set to move from 147 to 154 to challenge WBA beltholder Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles. The winner probably will supplant Charlo as the Great Eight middleweight champion.

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. Davis is scheduled to face Frank Martin on June 15 in Las Vegas..

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) – Inoue gave arguably his most spectacular performance against Luis Nery on May 6 in Tokyo, rising from a first-round knockdown — the first of his career — to stop his opponent in dramatic fashion. Can anyone compete with this guy?

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – The Mexican 115-pound titleholder is scheduled 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 as champion 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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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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Report: Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk agree to meet with no interim fights

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have agreed to meet next year with no interim fights, according to promoter Bob Arum.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk reportedly intend to fight each other next.

Bob Arum, Fury’s co-promoter, told Sky Sports that the heavyweight titleholders have agreed to meet for the undisputed championship in the first third of next year, as no date has been selected.

And Arum emphasized that they would have no interim fights.

The parties also haven’t settled on a site, although Arum said he has received offers from the Middle East. And Wembley Stadium in London evidently is a viable option.

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“The two fighters have agreed to fight each other next,” Arum told Sky Sports. “With Fury and Usyk we’re dealing with two adults, not a lot of [garbage] back and forth.

“Usyk is a good friend of mine, he’s very intelligent. And Tyson is Superman, both as an athlete and as an intellect. So they want the fight. Both of them want the fight and so there’ll be very little, if any, [messing] around.

“So we’ll be able to make that happen. I’m very, very confident. As I said, the fighters have both agreed to fight each other next without any interim fights.”

Arum made it clear that the site remains up in the air. At the same time, he obviously likes the idea of staging it at a packed Wembley.

“Now the question is what’s the date and what’s the site,” Arum said. “But that fight is definitely going to happen and it will happen in the first four months of next year.

“We are balancing a couple of significant offers from the Mid East and also there’s the possibility of doing the fight in the U.K. at Wembley with a massive 95,000 crowd in attendance.

“Fighters have a relatively short life and money is important. So if the money which has been proposed to us is real, that has to be taken into consideration.”

“… [But] to go back to Wembley and do a fight before 95,000 people for me really stirs up the blood. It would be crazy. It would just be wonderful.”

When could a deal be struck?

“We’ll have it all sorted out,” Arum said. “I hope maybe by the end of the year.”

Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) is the WBC beltholder. “The Gypsy King” is coming off a dominating 2022, stopping both Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora.

Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) holds the other three major titles (IBF, WBA and WBO). The Ukrainian fought only once this year, outpointing Anthony Joshua in their rematch.

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Report: Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk agree to meet with no interim fights

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have agreed to meet next year with no interim fights, according to promoter Bob Arum.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk reportedly intend to fight each other next.

Bob Arum, Fury’s co-promoter, told Sky Sports that the heavyweight titleholders have agreed to meet for the undisputed championship in the first third of next year, as no date has been selected.

And Arum emphasized that they would have no interim fights.

The parties also haven’t settled on a site, although Arum said he has received offers from the Middle East. And Wembley Stadium in London evidently is a viable option.

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“The two fighters have agreed to fight each other next,” Arum told Sky Sports. “With Fury and Usyk we’re dealing with two adults, not a lot of [garbage] back and forth.

“Usyk is a good friend of mine, he’s very intelligent. And Tyson is Superman, both as an athlete and as an intellect. So they want the fight. Both of them want the fight and so there’ll be very little, if any, [messing] around.

“So we’ll be able to make that happen. I’m very, very confident. As I said, the fighters have both agreed to fight each other next without any interim fights.”

Arum made it clear that the site remains up in the air. At the same time, he obviously likes the idea of staging it at a packed Wembley.

“Now the question is what’s the date and what’s the site,” Arum said. “But that fight is definitely going to happen and it will happen in the first four months of next year.

“We are balancing a couple of significant offers from the Mid East and also there’s the possibility of doing the fight in the U.K. at Wembley with a massive 95,000 crowd in attendance.

“Fighters have a relatively short life and money is important. So if the money which has been proposed to us is real, that has to be taken into consideration.”

“… [But] to go back to Wembley and do a fight before 95,000 people for me really stirs up the blood. It would be crazy. It would just be wonderful.”

When could a deal be struck?

“We’ll have it all sorted out,” Arum said. “I hope maybe by the end of the year.”

Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) is the WBC beltholder. “The Gypsy King” is coming off a dominating 2022, stopping both Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora.

Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) holds the other three major titles (IBF, WBA and WBO). The Ukrainian fought only once this year, outpointing Anthony Joshua in their rematch.

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20 reasons boxing fans should be grateful on Thanksgiving Day

20 reasons boxing fans should be grateful on Thanksgiving Day.

All the great fighters, both established and young. All the great fights. All the great knockouts. All the great personalities.

Yes, boxing fans have a lot to be grateful for on Thanksgiving Day.

Here are 20 things I’m thankful for …

  • Tyson Fury, whose ability and presence make him one of the most compelling heavyweights in many years.
  • Oleksandr Usyk, whose sublime talent has allowed him to become a unified heavyweight champion even though he’s a natural cruiserweight.
  • Deontay Wilder, whose awesome punching power makes him the most exciting heavyweight since Mike Tyson was at his peak.
  • Promoter Bob Arum, who remains a major player in the sport at 90 years old. He turns 91 on Dec. 8.
  • The Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia matchup, which demonstrates that any obstacles can be overcome if the will is there.
  • The fact there’s still time for Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. to fight one another, although recent events leave me pessimistic.
  • Davis, whose combination of skill set and crushing power might be unmatched in the sport.
  • Jaron Ennis, whose quickness and punching power remind me of Roy Jones Jr.
  • David Benavidez, whose underrated ability and fighting spirit make him one of the best and most exciting warriors on the planet.
  • The trend toward title unification, which is a step (however small) toward the ideal of one champion per division.
  • A wave of brilliant 25-and-younger boxers (including by Garcia, Ennis, Benavidez, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney and Bam Rodriguez), who ensure that the sport will be in good hands for years to come.
  • Canelo Alvarez, whose consistency over more than a decade has arguably made him the face of the sport.
  • Dmitry Bivol, who proved that no one is unbeatable.
  • The Charlo brothers, who might be the best fighting siblings of all time.
  • Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, who somehow is still going strong at an age (35) when most little fighters are well into their second careers.
  • Naoya Inoue, who is a worthy successor to the great Manny Pacquiao as the best Asian fighter in the world. He might be the best fighter, period.
  • The rise of women’s boxing, which is long overdue. They have given the fans many of the best fights over the past decade-plus.
  • Joe Joyce, who might be the next dominant heavyweight.
  • The precautions boxing commissions take to protect the fighters. I hope they continue to hone safety measures.
  • All the fighters, who risk their lives every time they step through the ropes to pursue their dreams and entertain us. God bless them.

20 reasons boxing fans should be grateful on Thanksgiving Day

20 reasons boxing fans should be grateful on Thanksgiving Day.

All the great fighters, both established and young. All the great fights. All the great knockouts. All the great personalities.

Yes, boxing fans have a lot to be grateful for on Thanksgiving Day.

Here are 20 things I’m thankful for …

  • Tyson Fury, whose ability and presence make him one of the most compelling heavyweights in many years.
  • Oleksandr Usyk, whose sublime talent has allowed him to become a unified heavyweight champion even though he’s a natural cruiserweight.
  • Deontay Wilder, whose awesome punching power makes him the most exciting heavyweight since Mike Tyson was at his peak.
  • Promoter Bob Arum, who remains a major player in the sport at 90 years old. He turns 91 on Dec. 8.
  • The Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia matchup, which demonstrates that any obstacles can be overcome if the will is there.
  • The fact there’s still time for Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. to fight one another, although recent events leave me pessimistic.
  • Davis, whose combination of skill set and crushing power might be unmatched in the sport.
  • Jaron Ennis, whose quickness and punching power remind me of Roy Jones Jr.
  • David Benavidez, whose underrated ability and fighting spirit make him one of the best and most exciting warriors on the planet.
  • The trend toward title unification, which is a step (however small) toward the ideal of one champion per division.
  • A wave of brilliant 25-and-younger boxers (including by Garcia, Ennis, Benavidez, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney and Bam Rodriguez), who ensure that the sport will be in good hands for years to come.
  • Canelo Alvarez, whose consistency over more than a decade has arguably made him the face of the sport.
  • Dmitry Bivol, who proved that no one is unbeatable.
  • The Charlo brothers, who might be the best fighting siblings of all time.
  • Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, who somehow is still going strong at an age (35) when most little fighters are well into their second careers.
  • Naoya Inoue, who is a worthy successor to the great Manny Pacquiao as the best Asian fighter in the world. He might be the best fighter, period.
  • The rise of women’s boxing, which is long overdue. They have given the fans many of the best fights over the past decade-plus.
  • Joe Joyce, who might be the next dominant heavyweight.
  • The precautions boxing commissions take to protect the fighters. I hope they continue to hone safety measures.
  • All the fighters, who risk their lives every time they step through the ropes to pursue their dreams and entertain us. God bless them.

Promoter Bob Arum thinks potential Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury bout ‘should be easy to make’

Boxing promoter Bob Arum isn’t sure of UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou’s contract situation, but thinks a Tyson Fury bout can be made.

(Editor’s note: This column originally published at USA TODAY Sports, part of the USA TODAY Network.)

[autotag]Tyson Fury[/autotag]’s promoter [autotag]Bob Arum[/autotag] watched his fighter turn in a heavyweight title defense for the ages Saturday. Fury, 33, delivered a vicious uppercut to score a sixth-round technical knockout of countryman Dillian Whyte in front of 94,000 at England’s Wembley Stadium.

And for all of Fury’s declarations that he would leave the sport following this bout, Arum knows there’s no way a fighter can walk away after thriving through a moment like that.

“No, he definitely won’t retire. Of course not. Are you crazy?” Arum told USA TODAY Sports+ minutes after Fury improved to 32-0-1 with 23 knockouts in the one-sided triumph.

Fury couldn’t even get out of the ring before hyping a potential next bout — a hybrid combat-sports event versus UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag], who entered the Wembley ring afterward. Ngannou spoke of fighting Fury in lighter MMA-style gloves.

“I’m the boxing heavyweight champion. This is the UFC heavyweight champion. Is he in good shape? Look at the muscles on him,” Fury told the ESPN+ audience. “This is going to be one very special fight, like one never before seen in the sport. We’re not talking two light guys. It’s going to be an explosive fight when it happens.”

Ngannou responded, “I’m going to find out who is the baddest (man) on the planet. … It’s going to be a hybrid fight. MMA gloves, in the ring. Something different.”

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Arum — who remained in the U.S. after showing COVID-19 symptoms recently — spoke on the phone to Fury as the champion rejoiced in the ring.

The veteran promoter of Las Vegas-based Top Rank said he believes it’s reasonable that Fury-Ngannou can happen because both Top Rank and the UFC have ESPN broadcast deals in place.

UFC President Dana White did not immediately respond to messages left by USA TODAY Sports+, but he’s stated before that it would be “a really bad idea” for Ngannoun to box Fury.

“I don’t know what (Ngannou’s) contract situation with the UFC is,” Arum said. “Obviously, it’d be a massive fight, and it should be easy to make.”

Arum plans to arrange a dinner meeting with Fury when the WBC champion arrives in Las Vegas in two weeks.

“We’ll have plenty of time to talk everything out,” said Arum.

With three-belt heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine preparing to stage his rematch against England’s former world champion Anthony Joshua in July, the expectation has been Fury will meet the winner of that bout first.

Fighting Ngannou, who is expected to be recovered from knee surgery around November, would follow the wildly popular 2017 boxing-UFC clash between Floyd Mayweather Jr. And Conor McGregor. That event produced more than 4 million pay-per-view buys — second only to Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao two years earlier.

Ngannou’s dominance is rooted in his stand-up prowess, so there is interest in how an attack backed by the Cameroon fighter’s heavy punches would fare against Fury’s far more disciplined style.

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Bob Arum at 90: Hall of Fame promoter by the numbers

Bob Arum turned 90 today. And the Hall of Fame promoter is still going strong. The Vasiliy Lomachenko-Richard Commey card on Saturday in New York (ESPN and ESPN+) will be the 2,120 th of the Top Rank chairman’s career, according to a Top Rank news …

Bob Arum turned 90 today. And the Hall of Fame promoter is still going strong.

The Vasiliy Lomachenko-Richard Commey card on Saturday in New York (ESPN and ESPN+) will be the 2,120th of the Top Rank chairman’s career, according to a Top Rank news release. That’s an average of almost 40 cards per year since his first promotion on March 29, 1966 in Toronto, where Muhammad Ali successfully defended his heavyweight title against George Chuvalo.

Arum has promoted many of the biggest names in the sport but the company emphasized the championship run of Marvin Hagler, George Foreman’s “triumphant return” to boxing and Manny Pacquiao’s rise to superstardom.

Arum also oversaw Oscar De La Hoya’s evolution into the face of boxing.

The release included “Bob Arum by the Numbers.” Here are a few items that stood out: He promoted 41 Miguel Cotto fights, more than any other fighter; he has promoted 864 cards on ESPN, more than any other network; he has promoted 677 world title fights; he has promoted 550 cards in Nevada, more than any other state; he has promoted cards in 220 U.S. cities; he has promoted cards in 42 of the 50 U.S. states; and he has promoted 63 cards in Puerto Rico, more than any other foreign country.

Promoter Bob Arum has promoted 2,119 boxing cards. Ethan Miller / Getty Images

The full list is below.

  • 2,119 Boxing cards promoted
  • 864 Boxing shows TR promoted on ESPN network
  • 677 World title fights promoted by TR
  • 550 Boxing shows TR promoted in Nevada
  • 412 Boxing shows TR promoted in New Jersey
  • 220 U.S. cities in which TR has promoted
  • 196 Boxing shows promoted by TR in California
  • 154 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Texas
  • 129 Boxing shows TR promoted on HBO network
  • 98 Boxing shows promoted by TR on CBS network
  • 92 Foreign cities in which TR has promoted
  • 73 Boxing shows TR promoted on ABC network
  • 73 Boxing shows promoted by TR in New York State
  • 70 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Arizona
  • 63 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Puerto Rico
  • 52 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Mexico
  • 49 Pay-per-view boxing shows promoted by TR
  • 48 Boxing shows promoted by TR in New York City                      
  • 47 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Illinois
  • 42 States in which TR has promoted boxing
  • 41 Miguel Cotto fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 41 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Pennsylvania
  • 38 Michael Carbajal fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 37 Oscar De La Hoya fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 37 Donald Curry fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 36 Johnny Tapia fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 35 Floyd Mayweather, Jr fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 33 James Toney fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 33 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Florida
  • 32 Erik Morales fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 31 Micky Ward fights promoted by TR
  • 30 Boxing shows promoted by TR on Showtime/ShoBox networks
  • 29 Mikey Garcia fights promoted by TR
  • 29 Tommy (The Duke) Morrison fights promoted by TR
  • 28 Iran Barkley fights promoted by TR
  • 28 Oscar Valdez fights promoted by TR
  • 27 Muhammad Ali fights promoted or co-promoted by TR
  • 27 Boxing shows promoted by TR on Closed-Circuit TV
  • 27 Foreign countries in which TR has promoted, including Puerto Rico (a U.S. territory)
  • 27 Jose Ramirez fights promoted by TR
  • 25 Freddie Roach fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 25 Roger Mayweather fights promoted by TR
  • 24 Boxing shows promoted by TR in New Mexico
  • 24 World heavyweight title fights promoted by TR
  • 24 Terence Crawford fights promoted by TR
  • 20 Marvelous Marvin Hagler fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 20 Manny Pacquiao fights promoted by TR
  • 19 Juan Manuel Marquez fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 17 Shakur Stevenson fights promoted by TR
  • 16 Robert Garcia fights promoted by TR
  • 14 George Foreman fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 14 Boxing shows promoted by TR in China
  • 13 Thomas Hearns fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 13 Teofimo Lopez fights promoted by TR
  • 10 Alexis Arguello fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 10 Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini fights promoted by TR (HOF)\
  • 9 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Colorado
  • 8 Roberto Duran fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 7 Sugar Ray Leonard fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 7 Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. fights by TR (HOF)
  • 5 Carlos Monzon fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 5 Emile Griffith fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 4 Mike Tyson fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 4 Tyson Fury fights promoted by TR
  • 2 Larry Holmes fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 1 Evel Knievel Snake River Canyon jump promoted by Bob Arum
  • 0 Boxing shows promoted by TR in: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Kansas, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming

(HOF) – Hall of Famer

Bob Arum at 90: Hall of Fame promoter by the numbers

Bob Arum turned 90 today. And the Hall of Fame promoter is still going strong. The Vasiliy Lomachenko-Richard Commey card on Saturday in New York (ESPN and ESPN+) will be the 2,120 th of the Top Rank chairman’s career, according to a Top Rank news …

Bob Arum turned 90 today. And the Hall of Fame promoter is still going strong.

The Vasiliy Lomachenko-Richard Commey card on Saturday in New York (ESPN and ESPN+) will be the 2,120th of the Top Rank chairman’s career, according to a Top Rank news release. That’s an average of almost 40 cards per year since his first promotion on March 29, 1966 in Toronto, where Muhammad Ali successfully defended his heavyweight title against George Chuvalo.

Arum has promoted many of the biggest names in the sport but the company emphasized the championship run of Marvin Hagler, George Foreman’s “triumphant return” to boxing and Manny Pacquiao’s rise to superstardom.

Arum also oversaw Oscar De La Hoya’s evolution into the face of boxing.

The release included “Bob Arum by the Numbers.” Here are a few items that stood out: He promoted 41 Miguel Cotto fights, more than any other fighter; he has promoted 864 cards on ESPN, more than any other network; he has promoted 677 world title fights; he has promoted 550 cards in Nevada, more than any other state; he has promoted cards in 220 U.S. cities; he has promoted cards in 42 of the 50 U.S. states; and he has promoted 63 cards in Puerto Rico, more than any other foreign country.

Promoter Bob Arum has promoted 2,119 boxing cards. Ethan Miller / Getty Images

The full list is below.

  • 2,119 Boxing cards promoted
  • 864 Boxing shows TR promoted on ESPN network
  • 677 World title fights promoted by TR
  • 550 Boxing shows TR promoted in Nevada
  • 412 Boxing shows TR promoted in New Jersey
  • 220 U.S. cities in which TR has promoted
  • 196 Boxing shows promoted by TR in California
  • 154 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Texas
  • 129 Boxing shows TR promoted on HBO network
  • 98 Boxing shows promoted by TR on CBS network
  • 92 Foreign cities in which TR has promoted
  • 73 Boxing shows TR promoted on ABC network
  • 73 Boxing shows promoted by TR in New York State
  • 70 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Arizona
  • 63 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Puerto Rico
  • 52 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Mexico
  • 49 Pay-per-view boxing shows promoted by TR
  • 48 Boxing shows promoted by TR in New York City                      
  • 47 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Illinois
  • 42 States in which TR has promoted boxing
  • 41 Miguel Cotto fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 41 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Pennsylvania
  • 38 Michael Carbajal fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 37 Oscar De La Hoya fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 37 Donald Curry fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 36 Johnny Tapia fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 35 Floyd Mayweather, Jr fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 33 James Toney fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 33 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Florida
  • 32 Erik Morales fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 31 Micky Ward fights promoted by TR
  • 30 Boxing shows promoted by TR on Showtime/ShoBox networks
  • 29 Mikey Garcia fights promoted by TR
  • 29 Tommy (The Duke) Morrison fights promoted by TR
  • 28 Iran Barkley fights promoted by TR
  • 28 Oscar Valdez fights promoted by TR
  • 27 Muhammad Ali fights promoted or co-promoted by TR
  • 27 Boxing shows promoted by TR on Closed-Circuit TV
  • 27 Foreign countries in which TR has promoted, including Puerto Rico (a U.S. territory)
  • 27 Jose Ramirez fights promoted by TR
  • 25 Freddie Roach fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 25 Roger Mayweather fights promoted by TR
  • 24 Boxing shows promoted by TR in New Mexico
  • 24 World heavyweight title fights promoted by TR
  • 24 Terence Crawford fights promoted by TR
  • 20 Marvelous Marvin Hagler fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 20 Manny Pacquiao fights promoted by TR
  • 19 Juan Manuel Marquez fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 17 Shakur Stevenson fights promoted by TR
  • 16 Robert Garcia fights promoted by TR
  • 14 George Foreman fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 14 Boxing shows promoted by TR in China
  • 13 Thomas Hearns fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 13 Teofimo Lopez fights promoted by TR
  • 10 Alexis Arguello fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 10 Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini fights promoted by TR (HOF)\
  • 9 Boxing shows promoted by TR in Colorado
  • 8 Roberto Duran fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 7 Sugar Ray Leonard fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 7 Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. fights by TR (HOF)
  • 5 Carlos Monzon fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 5 Emile Griffith fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 4 Mike Tyson fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 4 Tyson Fury fights promoted by TR
  • 2 Larry Holmes fights promoted by TR (HOF)
  • 1 Evel Knievel Snake River Canyon jump promoted by Bob Arum
  • 0 Boxing shows promoted by TR in: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Kansas, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming

(HOF) – Hall of Famer

Tyson Fury on the mend, according to promoter Bob Arum

Promoter Bob Arum said heavyweight champ Tyson Fury seems to be regaining his health after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Bob Arum is encouraged about Tyson Fury’s health after speaking to the heavyweight titleholder.

Arum told BoxingScene.com that Fury, stricken with the coronavirus, sounded better on a phone call Monday than he did when the fighter’s co-promoter visited him Thursday in Las Vegas.

Fury’s title defense against Deontay Wilder, scheduled for July 24 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, was postponed after he tested positive for the virus. Organizers are targeting Oct. 9 at T-Mobile for the fight.

“His spirits were OK,” Arum told the outlet. “He had congestion in his chest [Thursday]. But as of [Monday] morning, he seems much better.”

Fury reportedly had received the first Moderna vaccination but not the second. Arum said he has agreed to get vaccinated before meeting Wilder for a third time.

“He’s fine with it,” Arum said. “He got vaccinated in Miami. He got the first shot. And then he said he didn’t want to get the second shot because he didn’t want to get sick [from the vaccination] so close to the fight. So he got COVID instead.”

Fury, who lives in Las Vegas, plans to return to his home country of England for a few weeks and then return to the U.S. to resume training. It’s not clear how he will be able travel with COVID-19.

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