Tag: boxing news

Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang: Date, time, how to watch, background

Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang: Date, time, how to watch, background.

Former heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder returns to the ring against Zhilei Zhang in the main event of the Queensberry and Matchroom 5 vs. 5 pay-per-view card Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

DEONTAY WILDER (43-3-1, 42 KOs)
VS. ZHILEI ZHANG (26-2-1, 21 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, June 1
  • Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • TV/Stream: DAZN Pay-Per-View
  • Division: Heavyweight (no limit)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Boxing Junkie Pound-for-pound: None
  • Odds: Zhang 1½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): *****
  • Also on the card: Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois, heavyweights; Dmitry Bivol vs. Malik Zinad, light heavyweights (for Bivol’s WBA title); Raymond Ford vs. Nick Ball, featherweights (for Ford’s WBA title); Austin Williams vs. Hamzah Sheeraz, middleweights; Craig Richards vs. Willy Hutchinson, light heavyweights
  • Background: Dmitry Bivol was scheduled to fight fellow 175-pound titleholder Artur Beterbiev in the main event of the Queensberry and Matchroom 5 vs. 5 card but the matchup was postponed after Beterbiev was injured in training. The show goes on, with Deontay Wilder facing Zhilei Zhang in the main event and Bivol defending his belt against Malik Zinad in a stay-busy fight. Wilder is at a crossroads. The hard-punching former heavyweight titleholder is 1-3 in his last four fights, with knockout losses against Tyson Fury in 2020 and 2021 and a one-sided decision setback against Joseph Parker on the Anthony Joshua-Otto Wallin card in December. The 38-year-old Alabamian’s only victory in the last four-plus years was a first-round stoppage of Robert Helenius in October 2022. A victory over Zhang could lead to one more title shot. Another loss could end his career as an elite fighter, particularly if he’s not competitive. Zhang, a 41-year-old from China, had built considerable momentum with back-to-back knockouts of Joe Joyce last year. However, he took a step backward with a majority decision loss to Parker even though he put the winner down twice in March. A victory would keep Zhang in the hunt for a title fight. Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs), ranked No. 4 pound-for-pound, shouldn’t have too much trouble with Zinad (22-0, 16 KOs). The Malta-based Libyan has a perfect record but is taking an enormous step up in opposition. He’s ranked No. 2 by the IBF. Also on the card, Filip Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) and Daniel Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) will be fighting to maintain their positions as top contenders. Hrgovic, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, is coming off a first-round KO of Mark De Mori on the Joshua-Wallin card. Dubois bounced back from his knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk by stopping Jarrell Miller in the 10th and final round, also on the Joshua-Wallin show. And 126-pound titleholder Raymond Ford (15-0-1, 8 KOs) will defend his belt against Nick Ball (19-0-1, 8 KOs). Ford, a 25-year-old from New Jersey, is coming off a sensational stoppage of Otabek Kholmatov with only seven seconds remaining in a fight he was losing on the cards to win the vacant WBA title. Ball (19-0-1, 11 KOs) is coming off a strong performance, a split draw against WBC beltholder Rey Vargas in March. The 27-year-old from the U.K. outpointed Isaac Dogboe before that.

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Deontay Wilder will try to keep career alive against Zhilei Zhang

Deontay Wilder will try to keep his career alive when he faces Zhilei Zhang on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

Deontay Wilder acknowledged that his meeting with Zhilei Zhang on Saturday could be his last.

The 38-year-old former heavyweight champion is 1-3 in his last four fights, including two brutal knockout losses against then-titleholder Tyson Fury and a one-sided decision setback against Joseph Parker in his most recent fight.

Another “L” in the main event of the DAZN Pay-Per-View card in Saudi Arabia will signal that Wilder’s time has passed.

“It’s going to be a different fight this time around,” he told DAZN, “and if it’s not a different fight, then retirement is definitely highly considered.”

Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) is best known for his punching power and a three-fight series with Fury, a disputed draw in 2018 and the knockouts, in 2020 and 2021.

The second fight with Fury was painfully one-sided, as the bigger, more skillful man put Wilder down twice and stopped him in seven rounds. Wilder’s fighting spirit was on display in the third fight, in which he put Fury down twice but he went down three times himself and was stopped in 11.

Wilder followed that with a first-round knockout of Robert Helenius in 2022 — his only victory since 2019 — but he then fell flat against Parker after a 14-month layoff last December, losing badly on the cards.

Many wondered at that time whether he was in decline. He can dispel that notion against the capable Zhang — or confirm it.

Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) also is coming off loss to Parker but he put the Kiwi down twice and lost a close decision. He stopped Joe Joyce in back-to-back fights before that.

“I’ve just to go in there and be me, do what I know I can do. I’ve trained hard for it. During the last fight I trained hard as well, but I could not pull the trigger. I saw certain things, but my body would not react,” said Wilder, using words sometimes associated with a shot fighter.

“That was because of the long layoff and certain things that we did in camp we could have changed up, certain things that I could have listened to. … That kind of messed certain things up.

“But all that’s in the lesson of things, and now we have a second opportunity to correct a lot of things.”

If he doesn’t, he’ll have to do some hard thinking.

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Mike Tyson has medical emergency on cross country flight, ‘doing great’

Mike Tyson had an ulcer flare up on a cross country flight Sunday but his representatives say he’s doing fine.

Those who fear for Mike Tyson’s well being going into his fight with Jake Paul on July 20 probably feel more nervous than ever.

Tyson, who will be 58 when he steps into the ring, endured an ulcer flare up on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles on Sunday. He reportedly complained of intense pain, as well as nausea and dizziness.

Flight attendants made an announcement near the end of the flight asking whether a doctor was on board, In Touch Weekly reported. Paramedics boarded the plane after it landed.

Representatives of Tyson said he was fine shortly after the incident.

“Thankfully Mr. Tyson is doing great,” the representatives said in a statement to media outlets. “He became nauseous and dizzy due to an ulcer flare up 30 minutes before landing,” “He is appreciative to the medical staff that were there to help him.”

Tyson is set to face Paul in an eight-round sanctioned bout at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas, the home of the Cowboys.

The former heavyweight champ fought Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition in 2020 but hasn’t taken part in a genuine bout — one that will count on his record — since he was stopped by Kevin McBride in 2005.

Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) will have an enormous edge in experience over Paul, a YouTuber-turned-boxer. And Paul has been fighting as a cruiserweight, with a 200-pound limit.

However, Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) will be 31 years younger than his opponent, which is the reason some are concerned for “Iron Mike’s” safety.

The pay-per-view fight will be streamed on Netflix.

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Fight Week: Deontay Wilder to face Zhilei Zhang in 5 vs. 5 main event in Saudi Arabia

Fight Week: Former heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder is scheduled to face Zhilei Zhang in the 5 vs. 5 main event Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

FIGHT WEEK

Deontay Wilder is scheduled to face Zhilei Zhang in the main event of the Queensberry and Matchroom 5 vs. 5 pay-per-view card Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

DEONTAY WILDER (43-3-1, 42 KOs)
VS. ZHILEI ZHANG (26-2-1, 21 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, June 1
  • Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • TV/Stream: DAZN Pay-Per-View
  • Division: Heavyweight (no limit)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Boxing Junkie Pound-for-pound: None
  • Odds: Zhang 1½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): *****
  • Also on the card: Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois, heavyweights; Dmitry Bivol vs. Malik Zinad, light heavyweights (for Bivol’s WBA title); Raymond Ford vs. Nick Ball, featherweights (for Ford’s WBA title); Austin Williams vs. Hamzah Sheeraz, middleweights; Craig Richards vs. Willy Hutchinson, light heavyweights
  • Background: Dmitry Bivol was scheduled to fight fellow 175-pound titleholder Artur Beterbiev in the main event of the Queensberry and Matchroom 5 vs. 5 card but the matchup was postponed after Beterbiev was injured in training. The show goes on, with Deontay Wilder facing Zhilei Zhang in the main event and Bivol defending his belt against Malik Zinad in a stay-busy fight. Wilder is at a crossroads. The hard-punching former heavyweight titleholder is 1-3 in his last four fights, with knockout losses against Tyson Fury in 2020 and 2021 and a one-sided decision setback against Joseph Parker on the Anthony Joshua-Otto Wallin card in December. The 38-year-old Alabamian’s only victory in the last four-plus years was a first-round stoppage of Robert Helenius in October 2022. A victory over Zhang could lead to one more title shot. Another loss could end his career as an elite fighter, particularly if he’s not competitive. Zhang, a 41-year-old from China, had built considerable momentum with back-to-back knockouts of Joe Joyce last year. However, he took a step backward with a majority decision loss to Parker even though he put the winner down twice in March. A victory would keep Zhang in the hunt for a title fight. Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs), ranked No. 4 pound-for-pound, shouldn’t have too much trouble with Zinad (22-0, 16 KOs). The Malta-based Libyan has a perfect record but is taking an enormous step up in opposition. He’s ranked No. 2 by the IBF. Also on the card, Filip Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) and Daniel Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) will be fighting to maintain their positions as top contenders. Hrgovic, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, is coming off a first-round KO of Mark De Mori on the Joshua-Wallin card. Dubois bounced back from his knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk by stopping Jarrell Miller in the 10th and final round, also on the Joshua-Wallin show. And 126-pound titleholder Raymond Ford (15-0-1, 8 KOs) will defend his belt against Nick Ball (19-0-1, 8 KOs). Ford, a 25-year-old from New Jersey, is coming off a sensational stoppage of Otabek Kholmatov with only seven seconds remaining in a fight he was losing on the cards to win the vacant WBA title. Ball (19-0-1, 11 KOs) is coming off a strong performance, a split draw against WBC beltholder Rey Vargas in March. The 27-year-old from the U.K. outpointed Isaac Dogboe before that.

 

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

FRIDAY

  • Brandon Adams vs. Francisco Veron, junior middleweights, Houston (DAZN)

SATURDAY

  • Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal, light heavyweights, Inglewood, California (pay-per-view)

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Jack Catterall avenges disputed loss to Josh Taylor, wins unanimous decision

Jack Catterall avenged a disputed loss to Josh Taylor by winning a unanimous decision Saturday in England.

Anyone up for a third fight?

Jack Catterall, who had to accept a controversial defeat the first time he fought then-undisputed 140-pound champion Josh Taylor, defeated his rival by a unanimous decision in a non-title rematch Saturday night in Leeds, England.

The official scores were 117-111, 117-111 and 116-112. Boxing Junkie scored it 115-113 for Catterall, seven rounds to five.

“It’s bitter sweet tonight,” Catterall said. “No world titles. I won the fight. We can close that chapter with Josh Taylor.”

Many believe that Catterall deserved the nod in the first meeting, in February 2022 in Taylor’s native Scotland. However, Taylor won a split decision.

Few will claim that Taylor was robbed on Saturday, although his U.S. promoter Bob Arum called the scoring “a disgrace” and vowed never to bring an American fighter to the U.K. again.

The scoring probably was too one-sided given the competitiveness of the fight, including a number of rounds that were difficult to score.

Catterall (29-1, 13 KOs) controlled the first half of the bout, taking the action to his opponent, generally beating him to the punch and landing the harder shots.

However, Taylor, evidently aware that victory was getting away from him, rallied in the second half by shifting into another gear. He matched his rival punch for punch and had him backing up at times down the stretch.

Catterall probably landed the biggest blow of the night — a big left midway through Round 11 that rocked Taylor — but he couldn’t finish Taylor off.

In the end, Catterall’s ability to dictate the pace and land the cleaner shots evidently earned him the biggest victory of his career.

He was nervous but also confident in the moments before the decision was announced.

“I felt that feeling last time,” he said. “This time it went a lot quicker and was more conclusive. There was a long wait last time, but I knew I’d done it [on Saturday].”

Taylor (19-2, 13 KOs) wasn’t as vociferous as Arum in his condemnation of the scoring but the former champion believes the wrong man had his hand raised.

“I thought I just nicked the fight, to be fair,” said Taylor, who lost his titles to Teofimo Lopez in his previous bout. “It was a close fight. The controversy of the first fight probably played into the judges hands. …

“Listen, fair play to Jack. He won the fight. Let’s do a third one. Why not? That was a good fight.”

Catterall was asked afterward whether he’d do it again with Taylor. “Over to Ed,” he said, nodding toward promoter Eddie Hearn, who was standing next to him in the ring.

Hearn seemed to suggest that Catterall-Taylor III won’t come right away. Instead, Catterall, who has never won a world title, will pursue one.

“The third fight is a big fight but he deserves to be world champion. That’s got to be the focus,” he said. “We’re deep at 140. Subriel Matias fights Liam Paro coming up. We’ve got Devin Haney against Sandor Martin.

“I’d love to see this guy challenge and rightfully win a world championship.”

Josh Taylor to begin rebuilding process in rematch with Jack Catterall

Josh Taylor is set to begin the rebuilding process in a rematch with Jack Catterall on Saturday in Leeds, England.

Josh Taylor enjoyed the highest highs and endured the lowest lows of boxing over the past five years.

The 33-year-old Scotsman had a tremendous run from 2019 to 2021, when he defeated in succession Ivan Baranchyk, Regis Prograis, Apinun Khongsong and Jose Ramirez to become the king of the 140-pound division and an international star.

Then came 2022 and last year, when brought him back to earth. He struggled to defeat Jack Catterall by a disputed decision and then was outclassed in a unanimous decision loss to Teofimo Lopez last June. The former damaged his reputation, the latter cost him his titles.

And a rematch with Catterall was postponed twice because of injuries to Taylor, first involving his foot and then his eye, adding to his frustration.

He’ll have a chance to put all that behind him and regain some of what he lost when he faces his English rival a second time on Saturday night at First Direct Arena in Leeds (ESPN+).

“It’s just another fight week and on Saturday it’s just another fight,” Taylor, 33, said at a news conference Thursday. “I am looking forward to putting all this to bed and moving on with my career and proving that the last time was just an off night.

“Look at the history of boxing. All the great fighters of the past have taken defeats and come back and won world titles again. Just because you take one defeat, it doesn’t mean you are a finished fighter.

“I think that’s where boxing has taken a turn for the worse because when a fighter takes a loss everyone says, ‘Ah he’s finished’, and stuff like that. But in the UFC, there are fighters that have got 20 fights with 10 losses but they are still at the top of the game and still fighting.

“Just because you take a loss it doesn’t mean that you are a bad fighter. I still feel that I am at the top of the game and on Saturday, I take care of business and I am back in the picture and winning my titles back.”

Taylor (19-1, 13 KOs) was fortunate to have his hand raised after his first fight with fellow southpaw Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs).

The then-champion went down from a pair of overhand lefts in the eighth round, which stunned Taylor’s home-country fans in Glasgow. And he was never able to take control of the fight, although he did his best work down the stretch.

He stated the obvious after the fight: “It wasn’t my best performance.”

“The last fight was a stinker from both of us,” Taylor said Thursday. “Jack was doing a lot of holding and spoiling, slowing the pace down, I was very poor as well. I believe the two of us can be a lot better, and it will be a better fight for the fans.

“It’s going to be a barnstormer, we were in the arena on Monday and got a bit of a surprise, it’s right on top of you. So it’s going to be a great experience and atmosphere in there.”

It has been a while since Taylor has had a great experience.

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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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Pound-for-pound: Does No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk leap frog Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue?

Pound-for-pound: Does No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk leap frog Nos. 1 and 2 Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue to the top of the list?

Oleksandr Usyk gave the performance of a lifetime on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, rallying to defeat gigantic Tyson Fury by a split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in a quarter century.

But was it enough to catapult No. 3-ranked Usyk past Nos. 1 and 2 Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue on the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list?

No.

Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) deserves consideration for the top spot after taking down Anthony Joshua in back-to-back fights in 2021 and 2022, stopping Daniel Dubois in nine rounds in August and now handing Fury the first loss of his career.

That’s a hell of a run by any standard. And the former cruiserweight champ has done it against naturally larger men, who would have trouble competing with him if he were their size. That obviously works in his favor in the pound-for-pound debate.

So why isn’t he No. 1?

Let’s start with Crawford and Inoue. The gifted lower-weight stars don’t have quite the resume Usyk has but they’ve dominated one contender after another to climb to the top of the list and have shown no signs of weakness.

Remember: We were as amazed when Crawford demolished fellow pound-for-pounder Errol Spence Jr. and Inoue got up from a knockdown to destroy Luis Nery as we are now following Usyk’s historic victory over Fury.

And while we must keep in mind the size difference between Usyk and his heavyweight rivals, he dominated neither Joshua nor Fury and benefitted from a controversial call by the referee – a clean body shot that was ruled a low blow — against Dubois to maintain his perfect record.

Fury believes he did enough against Usyk to get the decision, which isn’t far fetched given the tight, back-and-forth war. Had it gone Fury’s way, we wouldn’t even be talking about Usyk as a potential No. 1.

None of the above is meant to denigrate Usyk’s accomplishments. He has demonstrated over the past two years that he not only is the top heavyweight at the moment but also an all-time great, which is the highest praise in boxing.

He just hasn’t done quite enough to leap frog two other future Hall of Famers, Crawford and Inoue.

Of course, we must add one thing: If Usyk fights and beats Fury again — particularly if it’s more convincing the second time — we’ll have to revisit our decision to leave him at No. 3.

What about Fury, who entered Saturday at No. 9? He drops to No. 11 — below Bam Rodriguez and Artur Beterbiev — after his disastrous performance against Francis Ngannou in October and his setback against Usyk on Saturday.

And, obviously, Fury also can change his fortunes if he can turn the tables on Usyk in a rematch.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 8 Gervonta Davis will face Frank Martin and No. 15 David Benavidez will take on Oleksandr Gvozdyk on the same card June 15 in Las Vegas.

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

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – Scheduled to challenge 154-pound titleholder
    Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles.
  2. Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – No fight scheduled.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – Fight against No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – Scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against No. 11 Jesse Rodriguez on June 29 in Phoenix.
  6. Canelo Alvarez – No fight scheduled.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to defend his 135-pound title against Frank Martin on June 15 in Las Vegas.
  9. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – Scheduled to face No. 5 Juan Francisco Estrada for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.
  10. Artur Beterbiev – Fight against No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
  11. Tyson Fury – No fight scheduled.
  12. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  13. Vasiliy Lomachenko – No fight scheduled.
  14. Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduled.
  15. David Benavidez – Scheduled to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15 in Las Vegas.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (scheduled to face Fernando Martinez in a 115-pound title-unification bout in on July 7 in Tokyo); Teofimo Lopez (scheduled to defend his 140-pound title against Steve Claggett on June 29 in Miami); Junto Nakatani (scheduled to defend his 118-pound title against Vincent Astrolabio on July 20 in Tokyo).

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Fight Week: Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall, Part 2 set for Saturday in England

Fight Week: Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall will meet again Saturday in Leeds, England, following their controversial bout in 2022.

FIGHT WEEK

Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall are scheduled to meet again on Saturday night following their controversial fight in February 2022.

JOSH TAYLOR (19-1, 13 KOs)
VS. JACK CATTERALL (28-1, 13 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, May 25
  • Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: First Direct Arena, Leeds, England
  • TV/Stream: DAZN Pay-Per-View
  • Division: Junior welterweight (140 pounds)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Boxing Junkie Pound-for-pound: None
  • Odds: Even (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): ****
  • Also on the card: Paddy Donovan vs. Lewis Ritson, welterweights; Cheavon Clarke vs. Ellis Zorro, cruiserweights; Gary Cully vs. Francesco Patera, lightweights
  • Background: Taylor and Catterall are finally set to meet again after their controversial bout in February 2022, when Taylor won a not-so-convincing split decision. Taylor was a hot fighter at the time, having outpointed Jose Ramirez to become undisputed 140-pound champion the previous May. Then came the disputed victory over Catterall, after which his championship run unraveled. The 33-year-old Scotsman lost three of his four titles outside the ring and then had the worst night of his career, a clear decision loss against Teofimo Lopez in June of last year. He starts the rebuilding process against his rival on Saturday. Catterall, a 30-year-old Englishman, bounced back from the disappointment against Taylor with two consecutive victories. He put Darragh Foley down twice and easily outpointed him in May of last year and then defeated former three-division titleholder Jorge Linares by a one-sided decision in October. That was Linares’ fourth consecutive loss, meaning Catterall’s victory has limited significance.
  • Prediction: Taylor UD

 

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

WEDNESDAY

  • Batyrzhan Jukembayev vs. Ivan Redkach, junior welterweights, Plant City, Florida (ProBox TV)

THURSDAY

  • Jermaine Franklin vs. Devin Vargas, heavyweights, Detroit (DAZN)

FRIDAY

  • Lukasz Rozanki vs. Lawrence Okolie, bridgerweights (for Rozanski’s WBC title), Rzeszow, Poland (No TV in U.S.)

SATURDAY

  • Christian Mbilli vs. Mark Heffron, super middleweights, Shawinigan, Canada (ESPN+)
  • Dina Thorslund vs. Seren Cetin, bantamweights (for Thorslund’s WBC and WBO titles), Copenhagen, Denmark
    (No TV in U.S.)
  • Bader Al-Dherat vs. Orlando Mosquera, lightweights, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (DAZN)

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Weekend Review: Oleksandr Usyk made history with transcendent performance

Weekend Review: Oleksandr Usyk made history with a transcendent performance against Tyson Fury on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER
Oleksandr Usyk

Oleksandr Usyk (right) did a lot of damage with his left hand. Richard Pelham / Getty Images

I used to roll my eyes when anyone compared Usyk to another cruiserweight titleholder who became heavyweight champion, Evander Holyfield, who I believe is among the two or three best fighters pound-for-pound over the past 40 years.

I can’t do that anymore, not after what Usyk did on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

Usyk overcame a slow start and a spirited effort from Tyson Fury to score a pivotal ninth-round knockdown and go on to win a split decision in an epic battle between the two best fighters in the division, thus becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champ since Lennox Lewis a quarter century ago.

And he relied as much on grit as his boxing wizardry to do it. He appeared to be in trouble in the first half of the fight, as Fury was able to land heavy punches – many to the body – surprisingly consistently given Usyk’s technical ability.

Usyk not only survived the rough stretch but managed to turn the tables in the second half of the fight, highlighted by a monstrous left to the head that resulted in a standing knockdown and nearly ended Fury’s night in Round 9. Usyk went on to outwork Fury down the stretch, which was enough to have his hand raised.

One could argue that Fury did enough to get the nod – Fury himself pleaded his case afterward – but few outside the loser’s camp is crying robbery. Usyk earned the greatest victory of his career.

The 37-year-old Ukrainian has defeated former heavyweight king Anthony Joshua in back-to-back fights and now Fury in a four-fight span even though he was dwarfed by both of them, leaving little doubt that he’s the top heavyweight at least until an anticipated rematch with Fury and an all-time great.

I still have trouble comparing Usyk to Holyfield, who was a dominating 190-pounder (the cruiserweight limit at the time) and went on to become a four-time heavyweight champion. I believe he would’ve been the greatest heavyweight ever if he were naturally bigger.

I now have similar thoughts about Usyk. He defeated the gifted Fury even though he was outweighed by 38½ pounds. What he would’ve done if they were the same size? Fury, as well as Joshua, wouldn’t want to know the answer to the question.

The fact he is 3-0 against them as a blown-up cruiserweight is nothing short of remarkable, just as Holyfield’s success against bigger men was in his generation.

We’re privileged to be witnessing something so special.

 

BIGGEST LOSER
Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury (left) gave a strong performance in defeat  Richard Pelham / Getty Images

The “0” in Fury’s record is gone but he certainly has nothing to be ashamed of.

In fact, he gave one of the better performances of his career given Usyk’s ability and determination. He seemed to be in control of the fight by the middle rounds, using his combination of skills and athleticism to land eye-catching shots consistently.

And his recuperative powers were on full display in Round 9, when Usyk’s left hand staggered him and a follow-up barrage of power shots almost put him away. His ability to not only survive the harrowing moment but come back to fight hard down the stretch is a testament to his conditioning and will power.

However, the 10-8 round proved costly for Fury. Had it been a 10-9 round for Usyk, the two 114-113 scores would’ve been 114-114 and the fight would’ve ended in a draw.

Alas, Fury must now accept the fact that he has lost for the first time. And we must reevaluate the way we look at him, at least to some degree. He had a chance to confirm what many believed going into the fight, that he was the premier big man in the sport.

Instead, he can only claim to be second best at the moment. That’s not bad but Fury won’t embrace that designation, particularly because he feels he did enough to get the decision.

Fortunately for him, it appears that he’s going to get a second chance. He indicated after the fight that he would exercise the rematch clause in the contract signed by the fighters, and Usyk made it clear he has no problem with that.

If Fury wins, particularly if he can do it convincingly, he can reclaim his spot atop the division and much of what he lost. If he loses again, he’ll be remembered as a guy who came up short.

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