ESPN is reporting that Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang are near a deal to fight one another on the Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev card.
The new capital of heavyweight boxing is about to deliver two more fights featuring prominent big men.
ESPN is reporting that former heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang are nearing a deal to fight one another on the Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev card June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Also, heavyweight contenders Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois are close to an agreement to meet on the same show.
Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) will be trying to reestablish himself as a top heavyweight after losing three of his last four fights, two knockouts against Tyson Fury in 2020 and 2021 and a one-sided decision against Joseph Parker in December.
The 38-year-old American’s only victory since 2019 was a first-round knockout of Robert Helenius in 2022.
Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) built considerable momentum by stopping Joe Joyce twice last year but the 40-year-old from China crashed back to earth against Parker in March, losing a majority decision even though he decked Parker twice.
Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) is a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist from Croatia. His biggest victory was a unanimous decision over Zhang in 2022.
Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) nearly pulled off a huge upset when he floored titleholder Oleksandr Usyk with a body shot in August. However, the punch was ruled a low blow, Usyk was given time to recover and the champ stopped Dubois in the ninth round.
Dubois bounced back by stopping Jarrell Miller in the 10th round in December.
Bivol vs. Beterbiev, for the undisputed 175-pound championship, is one of the most anticipated fights in the sport.
Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) is best known for defeating Canelo Alvarez in 2022 but he has a long track record of dominating top contenders. Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) also has overwhelmed opponents, none of whom have reached the final bell.
ESPN is reporting that Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang are near a deal to fight one another on the Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev card.
The new capital of heavyweight boxing is about to deliver two more fights featuring prominent big men.
ESPN is reporting that former heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang are nearing a deal to fight one another on the Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev card June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Also, heavyweight contenders Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois are close to an agreement to meet on the same show.
Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) will be trying to reestablish himself as a top heavyweight after losing three of his last four fights, two knockouts against Tyson Fury in 2020 and 2021 and a one-sided decision against Joseph Parker in December.
The 38-year-old American’s only victory since 2019 was a first-round knockout of Robert Helenius in 2022.
Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) built considerable momentum by stopping Joe Joyce twice last year but the 40-year-old from China crashed back to earth against Parker in March, losing a majority decision even though he decked Parker twice.
Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) is a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist from Croatia. His biggest victory was a unanimous decision over Zhang in 2022.
Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) nearly pulled off a huge upset when he floored titleholder Oleksandr Usyk with a body shot in August. However, the punch was ruled a low blow, Usyk was given time to recover and the champ stopped Dubois in the ninth round.
Dubois bounced back by stopping Jarrell Miller in the 10th round in December.
Bivol vs. Beterbiev, for the undisputed 175-pound championship, is one of the most anticipated fights in the sport.
Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) is best known for defeating Canelo Alvarez in 2022 but he has a long track record of dominating top contenders. Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) also has overwhelmed opponents, none of whom have reached the final bell.
Weekend Review: Anthony Joshua sizzled and Deontay Wilder fizzled on a big night of boxing Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Anthony Joshua
No on is surprised that Anthony Joshua defeated Otto Wallin on the massive card Saturday night in Saudi Arabia. The former heavyweight champion has far superior tools to that of his Swedish opponent, which resulted in a fifth-round knockout. It was the manner in which Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) carried himself that was an eye opener. He fought with the confidence and purpose of an elite fighter who believes in himself and has found peace, which doesn’t seem to have been the case since the days before he was knocked out by Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019. Of course, we shouldn’t get carried away. Again, Wallin (26-2, 14 KOs) was a limited threat. And Joshua wasn’t forced to overcome any sort of adversity, which would be the ultimate test of his current mettle. Still, the Joshua we saw on Saturday – under new trainer Ben Davison – looked a lot like the Olympic gold medalist who became the top big man in the mid-2010s. We can’t dismiss his loss to Ruiz and back-to-back setbacks against the gifted Oleksandr Usyk, which will always be a part of Joshua’s story. We can say that he appears to be writing a new chapter, one in which he just might be a dominating heavyweight once again.
BIGGEST WINNER II
Joseph Parker
Parker (34-3, 23 KOs) had the skill and experience to execute an excellent game plan perfectly. The former heavyweight titleholder didn’t overwhelm Deontay Wilder in spite of the one-sided scores in his favor in the co-feature in Riyadh. He landed a total of 89 punches, seven per round, according to CompuBox. That isn’t exactly a beat down. No, the beauty of his performance was his ability to avoid Wilder’s dangerous right hand and do enough offensively to win round after round, just as trainer Andy Lee drew it up. Parker simply stayed out of Wilder’s range or crowded him inside, which made it difficult for Wilder to get in position to land what had become his inevitable knockout blow. Parker took only 39 shots. Meanwhile, he found opportune, relatively safe moments to land his own punches. His overhand right was the best punch in the fight. Thus, Parker was able to tame one of the most feared fighters of the era and reassert himself as a legitimate championship contender. The 31-year-old Kiwi couldn’t have had a much better night.
BIGGEST LOSER
Deontay Wilder
Have we seen the last of Deontay Wilder? Richard Pelham / Getty Images
Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) is anything but a loser despite what you might hear or read on social media. He did exactly what we all strive to do in our careers: He made the most of his ability. He came late to boxing, meaning he has never had the fundamental foundation of most of his opponents. Still, he won a bronze medal in the Olympics, had a five-year reign as world champion as a professional, gained a reputation as one of the hardest punchers of all time, put Tyson Fury down four times in three fights, gave Fury absolute hell in their third meeting and will one day be inducted into the International Hall of Fame. And he won’t be defined by his performance against Parker. I always believed that one day Wilder would fail to land his mammoth right hand or another big shot and lose a decision to a good opponent as a result. To his credit, it happened 15 years into his career. He wasn’t fooling people all this time, as some have suggested. We all knew what his limitations were. His ability to overcome them was what made him so impressive. If he’s finished – and perhaps he would be wise to retire at 38 – he should be proud of what he accomplished.
RABBIT PUNCHES
More thoughts on Joshua and Wilder: Where did Joshua’s inner tranquility come from? I suspect he has clicked with his countryman Davison, for one thing. And I believe he has a different perspective on his career. The worst has already happened. He was knocked out and now has three setbacks, which, as it turned out, didn’t destroy his career. The pressure is off. He can now fight to win instead of fighting not to lose, the latter of which is no way to approach a fight. I don’t know whether he can beat Fury or Usyk, although his second meeting with the Ukrainian was close. I simply believe that self doubt wouldn’t play as big of a role as it has in the past. … Wilder’s critics have suggested that Parker is the best opponent he faced other than Fury, their way of saying he was exposed against a genuine threat. Again, a fighter isn’t exposed if you understand his limitations beforehand. And while Parker might be his second most formidable foe he’s not that much better than Luis Ortiz, who Wilder defeated twice. And let’s not forget: Wilder had fought less than one full round in more than two years going into the fight. I wonder how he would’ve fared if he had been as busy as Parker, who had four fights this year. Last thing on Wilder: Will he be remembered as a great fighter? No. Will he be remembered as one of the most exciting? Absolutely. …
Filip Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) could end up as a big winner as a result of the show in Riyadh. The rising Croatian heavyweight did his job on the card, stopping ridiculously overmatched Mark De Mori (41-3-2, 36 KOs) in the first round. Then Parker did him a favor by upsetting Wilder. That could land Hrgovic a meeting with Joshua, who had been set to fight Wilder if things went well on Saturday. If Hrgovic gets that fight and wins – a big if – he will move to the front of line among those jockeying for a shot at a world title. … Cruiserweight beltholder Jai Opetaia (24-0, 19 KOs) didn’t give us much of a chance to admire his all-around ability on the Joshua-Wallin and Parker-Wilder card, stopping Ellis Zorro (17-1, 7 KOs) with a monstrous left hand that left an immobile Zorro with his head resting on the bottom rope in the first round. At least Opetaia made a strong impression. The Aussie’s mission now is to take the next step in his career, which would be a victory over a big-name opponent. But who? Gilberto Ramirez (45-1, 30 KOs) might be the most intriguing possibility at the moment. The durable Mexican is a former 168-pound titleholder who failed in a bid to take Dmitry Bivol’s 175-pound title and is now campaigning as a 200-pounder. He outpointed Joe Smith Jr. in October. Ramirez is high profile enough to bring attention to the matchup and could give Opetaia problems. …
Also on the Joshua-Wallin and Parker-Wilder card … Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) had no trouble with Lydon Arthur (23-2, 16 KOs), winning a shutout decision in defense of his 175-pound title. No surprise there. The winner’s inability to take out his counterpart probably was a disappointment in the Bivol camp but it doesn’t detract much from another dominating performance. His skill level is somewhere above the stratosphere. I hope a meeting with Artur Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) for the undisputed championship comes next, assuming Beterbiev beats Callum Smith on Jan. 13. I think Bivol will win that bout because he’s a better all-around fighter than Beterbiev but it will he’s ultimate test. … Daniel Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) gave arguably the strongest performance of his career, outworking and then stopping 333-pound Jarrell Miller in the 10th and final round of a grueling fight. The winner outlanded his opponent 208-107, according to CompuBox. The victory was a significant step back into title contention after his knockout loss against Usyk, in which some fans believe he quit. Meanwhile, it’s difficult to be sympathetic to Miller, who has failed two drug tests. …
Agit Kabayel (24-0, 16 KOs) turned in an impressive upset, stopping hulking Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-1, 17 KOs) in the fourth round of their heavyweight matchup to raise his profile. It was Kabayel’s all-around ability vs. Makhumdov’s brawn and power, which turned out to be a mismatch. … Talented heavyweight contender Frank Sanchez (24-0, 17 KOs) put Junior Fa (20-3, 11 KOs) away in the seventh round, just another impressive performance from the Cuban. He’s clearly ready to take on a next-level opponent. … And, finally, my thoughts and prayers go out to 92-year-old Hall of Fame TV analyst and accomplished journalist Larry Merchant, who reportedly was rushed to the hospital and placed in a critical care unit this week. No further details were available. Merchant is the best analyst ever. And those in the business who have had the privilege of spending time with him cherish his friendship.
Weekend Review: Anthony Joshua sizzled and Deontay Wilder fizzled on a big night of boxing Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Anthony Joshua
No on is surprised that Anthony Joshua defeated Otto Wallin on the massive card Saturday night in Saudi Arabia. The former heavyweight champion has far superior tools to that of his Swedish opponent, which resulted in a fifth-round knockout. It was the manner in which Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) carried himself that was an eye opener. He fought with the confidence and purpose of an elite fighter who believes in himself and has found peace, which doesn’t seem to have been the case since the days before he was knocked out by Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019. Of course, we shouldn’t get carried away. Again, Wallin (26-2, 14 KOs) was a limited threat. And Joshua wasn’t forced to overcome any sort of adversity, which would be the ultimate test of his current mettle. Still, the Joshua we saw on Saturday – under new trainer Ben Davison – looked a lot like the Olympic gold medalist who became the top big man in the mid-2010s. We can’t dismiss his loss to Ruiz and back-to-back setbacks against the gifted Oleksandr Usyk, which will always be a part of Joshua’s story. We can say that he appears to be writing a new chapter, one in which he just might be a dominating heavyweight once again.
BIGGEST WINNER II
Joseph Parker
Parker (34-3, 23 KOs) had the skill and experience to execute an excellent game plan perfectly. The former heavyweight titleholder didn’t overwhelm Deontay Wilder in spite of the one-sided scores in his favor in the co-feature in Riyadh. He landed a total of 89 punches, seven per round, according to CompuBox. That isn’t exactly a beat down. No, the beauty of his performance was his ability to avoid Wilder’s dangerous right hand and do enough offensively to win round after round, just as trainer Andy Lee drew it up. Parker simply stayed out of Wilder’s range or crowded him inside, which made it difficult for Wilder to get in position to land what had become his inevitable knockout blow. Parker took only 39 shots. Meanwhile, he found opportune, relatively safe moments to land his own punches. His overhand right was the best punch in the fight. Thus, Parker was able to tame one of the most feared fighters of the era and reassert himself as a legitimate championship contender. The 31-year-old Kiwi couldn’t have had a much better night.
BIGGEST LOSER
Deontay Wilder
Have we seen the last of Deontay Wilder? Richard Pelham / Getty Images
Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) is anything but a loser despite what you might hear or read on social media. He did exactly what we all strive to do in our careers: He made the most of his ability. He came late to boxing, meaning he has never had the fundamental foundation of most of his opponents. Still, he won a bronze medal in the Olympics, had a five-year reign as world champion as a professional, gained a reputation as one of the hardest punchers of all time, put Tyson Fury down four times in three fights, gave Fury absolute hell in their third meeting and will one day be inducted into the International Hall of Fame. And he won’t be defined by his performance against Parker. I always believed that one day Wilder would fail to land his mammoth right hand or another big shot and lose a decision to a good opponent as a result. To his credit, it happened 15 years into his career. He wasn’t fooling people all this time, as some have suggested. We all knew what his limitations were. His ability to overcome them was what made him so impressive. If he’s finished – and perhaps he would be wise to retire at 38 – he should be proud of what he accomplished.
RABBIT PUNCHES
More thoughts on Joshua and Wilder: Where did Joshua’s inner tranquility come from? I suspect he has clicked with his countryman Davison, for one thing. And I believe he has a different perspective on his career. The worst has already happened. He was knocked out and now has three setbacks, which, as it turned out, didn’t destroy his career. The pressure is off. He can now fight to win instead of fighting not to lose, the latter of which is no way to approach a fight. I don’t know whether he can beat Fury or Usyk, although his second meeting with the Ukrainian was close. I simply believe that self doubt wouldn’t play as big of a role as it has in the past. … Wilder’s critics have suggested that Parker is the best opponent he faced other than Fury, their way of saying he was exposed against a genuine threat. Again, a fighter isn’t exposed if you understand his limitations beforehand. And while Parker might be his second most formidable foe he’s not that much better than Luis Ortiz, who Wilder defeated twice. And let’s not forget: Wilder had fought less than one full round in more than two years going into the fight. I wonder how he would’ve fared if he had been as busy as Parker, who had four fights this year. Last thing on Wilder: Will he be remembered as a great fighter? No. Will he be remembered as one of the most exciting? Absolutely. …
Filip Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) could end up as a big winner as a result of the show in Riyadh. The rising Croatian heavyweight did his job on the card, stopping ridiculously overmatched Mark De Mori (41-3-2, 36 KOs) in the first round. Then Parker did him a favor by upsetting Wilder. That could land Hrgovic a meeting with Joshua, who had been set to fight Wilder if things went well on Saturday. If Hrgovic gets that fight and wins – a big if – he will move to the front of line among those jockeying for a shot at a world title. … Cruiserweight beltholder Jai Opetaia (24-0, 19 KOs) didn’t give us much of a chance to admire his all-around ability on the Joshua-Wallin and Parker-Wilder card, stopping Ellis Zorro (17-1, 7 KOs) with a monstrous left hand that left an immobile Zorro with his head resting on the bottom rope in the first round. At least Opetaia made a strong impression. The Aussie’s mission now is to take the next step in his career, which would be a victory over a big-name opponent. But who? Gilberto Ramirez (45-1, 30 KOs) might be the most intriguing possibility at the moment. The durable Mexican is a former 168-pound titleholder who failed in a bid to take Dmitry Bivol’s 175-pound title and is now campaigning as a 200-pounder. He outpointed Joe Smith Jr. in October. Ramirez is high profile enough to bring attention to the matchup and could give Opetaia problems. …
Also on the Joshua-Wallin and Parker-Wilder card … Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) had no trouble with Lydon Arthur (23-2, 16 KOs), winning a shutout decision in defense of his 175-pound title. No surprise there. The winner’s inability to take out his counterpart probably was a disappointment in the Bivol camp but it doesn’t detract much from another dominating performance. His skill level is somewhere above the stratosphere. I hope a meeting with Artur Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) for the undisputed championship comes next, assuming Beterbiev beats Callum Smith on Jan. 13. I think Bivol will win that bout because he’s a better all-around fighter than Beterbiev but it will he’s ultimate test. … Daniel Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) gave arguably the strongest performance of his career, outworking and then stopping 333-pound Jarrell Miller in the 10th and final round of a grueling fight. The winner outlanded his opponent 208-107, according to CompuBox. The victory was a significant step back into title contention after his knockout loss against Usyk, in which some fans believe he quit. Meanwhile, it’s difficult to be sympathetic to Miller, who has failed two drug tests. …
Agit Kabayel (24-0, 16 KOs) turned in an impressive upset, stopping hulking Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-1, 17 KOs) in the fourth round of their heavyweight matchup to raise his profile. It was Kabayel’s all-around ability vs. Makhumdov’s brawn and power, which turned out to be a mismatch. … Talented heavyweight contender Frank Sanchez (24-0, 17 KOs) put Junior Fa (20-3, 11 KOs) away in the seventh round, just another impressive performance from the Cuban. He’s clearly ready to take on a next-level opponent. … And, finally, my thoughts and prayers go out to 92-year-old Hall of Fame TV analyst and accomplished journalist Larry Merchant, who reportedly was rushed to the hospital and placed in a critical care unit this week. No further details were available. Merchant is the best analyst ever. And those in the business who have had the privilege of spending time with him cherish his friendship.
Daniel Dubois capped a dominating performance by knocking out Jarrell Miller in the final seconds of a 10-round fight Saturday.
Daniel Dubois delivered when he had to.
The Londoner stopped fellow heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller in the final seconds of a 10-round bout he had dominated on a card featuring Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
Dubois (20-2, 18 KOs) used stick-and-move tactics and timely toe-to-toe exchanges to outwork Miller (26-1-1, 22 KOs), who outweighed the winner by 94 pounds.
Dubois got off to a strong start, jabbing, moving and beating the slower Miller to the punch over the first three rounds. Miller came on in the fourth and fifth rounds, when he landed many of his best punches of the fight.
However, Dubois reclaimed the momentum after that and never gave it up. He landed power punches almost at will in the second half of the fight, when the 333-pound Miller grew weary.
It appeared that Dubois was destined to win a decision but a series of answered power punches forced the referee to stop the fight with only eight seconds remaining.
Dubois was coming off a ninth-round knockout loss to unified titleholder Oleksandr Usyk in August, after which many questioned his fighting spirit.
He proved his doubters wrong by making a strong statement against a capable, much bigger man, never looking better than he did on Saturday. He is now back in legitimate title contention.
Miller was in the midst of a comeback after failed drug tests derailed the New Yorker’s career.
Daniel Dubois capped a dominating performance by knocking out Jarrell Miller in the final seconds of a 10-round fight Saturday.
Daniel Dubois delivered when he had to.
The Londoner stopped fellow heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller in the final seconds of a 10-round bout he had dominated on a card featuring Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
Dubois (20-2, 18 KOs) used stick-and-move tactics and timely toe-to-toe exchanges to outwork Miller (26-1-1, 22 KOs), who outweighed the winner by 94 pounds.
Dubois got off to a strong start, jabbing, moving and beating the slower Miller to the punch over the first three rounds. Miller came on in the fourth and fifth rounds, when he landed many of his best punches of the fight.
However, Dubois reclaimed the momentum after that and never gave it up. He landed power punches almost at will in the second half of the fight, when the 333-pound Miller grew weary.
It appeared that Dubois was destined to win a decision but a series of answered power punches forced the referee to stop the fight with only eight seconds remaining.
Dubois was coming off a ninth-round knockout loss to unified titleholder Oleksandr Usyk in August, after which many questioned his fighting spirit.
He proved his doubters wrong by making a strong statement against a capable, much bigger man, never looking better than he did on Saturday. He is now back in legitimate title contention.
Miller was in the midst of a comeback after failed drug tests derailed the New Yorker’s career.
Photos: Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua weighed in Friday for their separate fights on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua on Friday came in around their typical weights for their separate fights Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (pay-per-view).
Wilder tipped the scales at 213 pounds, 1½ less than he weighed for his first-round knockout of Robert Helenius in October. His opponent, Joseph Parker Jr., was 245¼.
Joshua weighed 251, 1 more than his weight for his seventh-round KO of Helenius in August. He’s fighting Otto Wallin, who weighed 238½.
The weights for other featured fights on the card:
Dmitry Bivol (174½) vs. Lyndon Arthur (174¼), light heavyweights
Filip Hrgovic (246) vs. Mark De Mori (242½), heavyweights
Jai Opetaia (198½) vs. Ellis Zorro (197½), cruiserweights
Daniel Dubois (239) vs. Jarrell Miller (333), heavyweights
Arslanbek Makhmudov (262) vs. Agit Kabayel (241¼), heavyweights
Frank Sanchez (238) vs. Junior Fa (279), heavyweights
Here are images from the weigh-in. All photos by Fayez Nureldine / AFP via Getty Images.
Pound-for-pound: Devin Haney continues his ascent up the Boxing Junkie list of the best fighters in the world.
Devin Haney turned in the best performance of his career Saturday in his hometown of San Francisco, shutting out overmatched 140-pound champ Regis Prograis to win a major title in a second division.
If there was any doubt about Haney’s place among the best fighters in the world beforehand, there isn’t now.
The question we faced was whether his impressive victory merited an upgrade on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list (Top 15 plus five Honorable Mentions).
We feel it did.
Haney entered the fight ranked No. 14, one spot behind fellow young star Shakur Stevenson.
We normally wouldn’t bump a fighter up more than one or two notches after a victory over an opponent who wasn’t on the pound-for-pound list going into the fight. However, this case is unusual.
Consider three things:
One, Haney didn’t simply defeat Prograis, he embarrassed him. He dropped him and won every round on all three scorecards.
Two, he moved up in weight and directly into a world championship fight.
And, three, Prograis was no easy mark. He was a respected, once-beaten, two-time titleholder.
Yes, it was a special night for Haney.
As a result, he moves up to No. 10, which knocks previous No. 10 Errol Spence Jr., No. 11 Vasiliy Lomachenko, No. 12 Artur Beterbiev and Stevenson down one spot each.
Note: Spence and Lomachenko are coming off losses – Spence to Terence Crawford and Lomachenko to Haney – and Stevenson gave a shaky performance in his unanimous decision victory over Edwin De Los Santos.
Beterbiev, 38, can bounce back up the list depending on how he performs against Callum Smith on Jan. 13
Next pound-for-pounder up: Honorable mentions Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Sunny Edwards will face off on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona.
Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:
BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND
Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder Marlon Tapales for the undisputed 122-pound championship on Dec. 26 in Japan.
Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder and No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia.
Dmitry Bivol – Scheduled to defend his 175-pound title against Lyndon Arthur on Dec. 23 in Saudi Arabia.
Juan Francisco Estrada – No fight scheduled.
Canelo Alvarez– No fight scheduled.
Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder and No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia.
Devin Haney – No fight scheduled.
Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
Vasiliy Lomachenko – No fight scheduled.
Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to defend his 175-pound titles against Callum Smith on Jan. 13 in Quebec City, Canada.
Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduled.
David Benavidez – No fight scheduled.
Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Sunny Edwards (scheduled to face Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in a 112-pound title-unification bout on Dec. 16 in Glendale, Arizona); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against Josber Perez on New Year’s Eve in Japan); Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (scheduled to face Sunny Edwards in a 112-pound title-unification bout on Dec. 16 in Glendale, Arizona).
Pound-for-pound: Devin Haney continues his ascent up the Boxing Junkie list of the best fighters in the world.
Devin Haney turned in the best performance of his career Saturday in his hometown of San Francisco, shutting out overmatched 140-pound champ Regis Prograis to win a major title in a second division.
If there was any doubt about Haney’s place among the best fighters in the world beforehand, there isn’t now.
The question we faced was whether his impressive victory merited an upgrade on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list (Top 15 plus five Honorable Mentions).
We feel it did.
Haney entered the fight ranked No. 14, one spot behind fellow young star Shakur Stevenson.
We normally wouldn’t bump a fighter up more than one or two notches after a victory over an opponent who wasn’t on the pound-for-pound list going into the fight. However, this case is unusual.
Consider three things:
One, Haney didn’t simply defeat Prograis, he embarrassed him. He dropped him and won every round on all three scorecards.
Two, he moved up in weight and directly into a world championship fight.
And, three, Prograis was no easy mark. He was a respected, once-beaten, two-time titleholder.
Yes, it was a special night for Haney.
As a result, he moves up to No. 10, which knocks previous No. 10 Errol Spence Jr., No. 11 Vasiliy Lomachenko, No. 12 Artur Beterbiev and Stevenson down one spot each.
Note: Spence and Lomachenko are coming off losses – Spence to Terence Crawford and Lomachenko to Haney – and Stevenson gave a shaky performance in his unanimous decision victory over Edwin De Los Santos.
Beterbiev, 38, can bounce back up the list depending on how he performs against Callum Smith on Jan. 13
Next pound-for-pounder up: Honorable mentions Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Sunny Edwards will face off on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona.
Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:
BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND
Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder Marlon Tapales for the undisputed 122-pound championship on Dec. 26 in Japan.
Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder and No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia.
Dmitry Bivol – Scheduled to defend his 175-pound title against Lyndon Arthur on Dec. 23 in Saudi Arabia.
Juan Francisco Estrada – No fight scheduled.
Canelo Alvarez– No fight scheduled.
Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder and No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia.
Devin Haney – No fight scheduled.
Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
Vasiliy Lomachenko – No fight scheduled.
Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to defend his 175-pound titles against Callum Smith on Jan. 13 in Quebec City, Canada.
Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduled.
David Benavidez – No fight scheduled.
Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Sunny Edwards (scheduled to face Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in a 112-pound title-unification bout on Dec. 16 in Glendale, Arizona); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against Josber Perez on New Year’s Eve in Japan); Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (scheduled to face Sunny Edwards in a 112-pound title-unification bout on Dec. 16 in Glendale, Arizona).
Pound-for-pound: Does David Benavidez crack the Top 15 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list after his brutal KO of Demetrius Andrade?
This one is tricky.
David Benavidez couldn’t have looked much better than he did against Demetrius Andrade on Saturday in Las Vegas, where he put the former two-division titleholder down and pummeled him until the fight was stopped after the sixth round.
Benavidez’s stock certainly went up. However, was it enough for the Honorable Mention (going into the fight) to crack our Top 15?
Yes.
The question was how he would fit in. This is what we did:
No. 14 Roman Gonzalez, who has lost twice to Juan Francisco Estrada in his last three fights, drops to Honorable Mention. The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer has no fight scheduled.
No. 15 Devin Haney, coming off a victory over No. 11 Vasiliy Lomachenko in a close fight, moves up to No. 14. The 135-pound titleholder will challenge 140-pound champ Regis Prograis on Dec. 9, meaning his position here could change.
And Benavidez enters at No. 15, the highest position he has attained.
Honorable Mention Jermall Charlo, a 160-pound titleholder, held his position by outpointing smaller, but determined Jose Benavidez Jr. on the David Benavidez-Andrade card after a 2½-year layoff.
Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 14 Haney faces Prograis on Dec. 9 in San Francisco.
Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:
BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND
Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder Marlon Tapales for the undisputed 122-pound championship on Dec. 26 in Japan.
Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder and No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia.
Dmitry Bivol – Scheduled to defend his 175-pound title against Lyndon Arthur on Dec. 23 in Saudi Arabia.
Juan Francisco Estrada – No fight scheduled.
Canelo Alvarez– No fight scheduled.
Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder and No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia.
Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
Vasiliy Lomachenko – No fight scheduled.
Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to defend his 175-pound titles against Callum Smith on Jan. 13 in Quebec City, Canada.
Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduled.
Devin Haney – Scheduled to challenge 140-pound titleholder Regis Prograis on Dec. 9 in San Francisco.
David Benavidez – No fight scheduled.
Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Sunny Edwards (scheduled to face Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in a 112-pound title-unification bout on Dec. 16 in Glendale, Arizona); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against Josber Perez on New Year’s Eve in Japan); Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (scheduled to face Sunny Edwards in a 112-pound title-unification bout on Dec. 16 in Glendale, Arizona).
