Good, bad, worse: Shock of Douglas-Tyson still reverberates

Buster Douglas’ stunning knockout of Mike Tyson 30 years ago remains the standard by which other upsets are judged.

GOOD

Yesterday Tokyo time – today in the U.S. – was the 30^th anniversary of Buster Douglas’ seismic upset of Mike Tyson.

Whether that result was “good” depends on your perspective. If you were a Tyson fan, it was not good. If you celebrate the historic moments in a sport rich in lore, as I do, Douglas’ knockout remains as fascinating today as it was in 1990.

Douglas proved that a capable, motivated fighter – particularly one as big as the 6-foot-3½ Douglas – who wasn’t terrified of Tyson could be competitive with one of the sport’s most intimidating figures.

Inspired by the death of his mother, Douglas, a good boxer, brought experience and determination into the ring against the then-unbeaten Tyson and, even though he went down himself, shocked the world by ending the fight in the 10^th round.

Douglas hurt a fading Tyson with a right uppercut and then followed with a left-right-left that put him down for the first time in his career. Tyson, dazed and guided by instinct, managed to stumble to his feet but it was too late. Referee Octavio Meyran waved his arms to end the fight and an era.

The image is indelible: the great Iron Mike, on hands and knees, fumbling for his mouthpiece, a beaten man. He was never the same.

Of course, many fascinating elements are attached to the fight. One that always stood out for me: Tyson was only 23 years old at the time, meaning he was more of less a shooting star who began his decline much earlier than most fighters.

Tyson was good post-Douglas and always compelling – he regained a portion of the heavyweight title after emerging from prison years later – but he was never the force of nature he had been before Douglas.

Guillermo Rigondeaux (left) probably will never win over fans in spite of his greatness. Amanda Westcott / Showtime

BAD

Guillermo Rigondeaux is stuck being who he is. And that’s not the worst thing in the world.

The two-time Olympic champion gave us a glimpse of his warrior side when he went toe to toe and then knocked out Julio Ceja in June. And he provided one more peek at that version of himself in the opening round against Liborio Solis in his first fight at 118 pounds on the Gary Russell Jr.-Tugstsogt Nyambayar card Saturday.

And then it was over. The Rigondeaux, who was tagged by Solis a few times in the first round, went back to the safety-first boxer we’ve grown to know and not-quite-love over the past decade-plus.

The Cuban proved he has more than enough at 39 years old to beat a solid fighter like Solis when he fights his way, which is to jab and move and land just enough punches to win on the scorecards. That’s how he walked away with a split-decision victory over Solis that should’ve been unanimous.

The problem? He was booed late in the fight because of a lack of action. Of course, that’s understandable. The fans come to see warfare, not dancing.

Still, to boo Rigondeaux is harsh. The man has mastered the technical side of boxing to a degree rarely seen. He’s a true artist. At the very least, fans should keep that in mind when they watch his fights even if he hasn’t mastered the entertainment side of the sport.

Maybe he’ll have to beat someone like Naoya Inoue – which I believe is possible – to get the respect he deserves.

Tugstsogt Nyambayar (left) came up short but undoubtedly learned a great deal against Gary Russell Jr. Amanda Westcott / Showtime

WORSE

Tugstsogt Nyambayar seemed to be kicking himself when he said after losing a unanimous decision to Gary Russell Jr. that he “made a mistake waiting for him during the fight.” And he might’ve been right to do so.

Nyambayar, a 2012 Olympic silver medalist from Mongolia, fought the more-experienced Russell on even terms from the fifth round on in the featherweight title fight.

The problem, from Nyambayar’s perspective, is that he gave away the first four rounds and couldn’t make up the lost ground. He tried. Starting in Round 5, he attacked Russell with the kind of ferocity necessary to at least somewhat neutralize Russell’s speed and polished skill set but didn’t have enough time.

Thus, the self-flagellation made sense. Nyambayar probably could’ve scored a career-defining victory or least come closer to doing so.

In the end, he’ll have to be satisfied with a learning experience. One, if he had any doubt about his ability to compete with a top-tier opponent, that has been resolved. Two, he learned not to dig himself into a hole. And, three, there are many more subtle things a fighter learns in such a competitive 12-round fight.

Nyambayar is justifiably disappointed in the result and himself. At the same time, he’ll be a better fighter going forward. That is extremely bad news for prospective opponents in and around his weight.

Leo Santa Cruz eyes showdown with Gervonta Davis in May

Junior lightweight champ Leo Santa Cruz expects to fight again in May and his first choice of opponents is Gervonta Davis.

Leo Santa Cruz said he was told by his handlers that they’re targeting May for his next fight. And although nothing has been settled, it’s clear who he wants to take on: Gervonta Davis.

“That’s what I asked for,” Santa Cruz said on a FightHubTV video. “I said I want to fight Gervonta Davis. They said, yeah. Now it’s just a matter of talking to their team to see if they want it, to see if they could make it.

“… I think, more than likely, they’ll take it. Gervonta has said he wants to fight me. Leonard Ellerbe (of Mayweather Promotions, which handles Davis) wants that fight too. It’s just a matter of when and at what weight.”

One reason Santa Cruz wants the fight, he said, is to prove wrong fans who doubt his courage.

“People are saying I’m scared to fight champions, I’m scared to fight big names. I want to prove that I’m not scared,” he said. “… Gervonta Davis. He’s the most dangerous fighter. They say I’m scared of Gary Russell. I’m not scared of Gary Russell. The fight just hasn’t been able to be made.

“I’ve been asking for him. I’ve been asking for the big names. Oscar Valdez, Gary Russell, the third fight against [Carl] Frampton. Josh Warrington. All the big names.”

Santa Cruz believes a fight with Davis would take place at 130 pounds, at which Santa Cruz outpointed Miguel Flores to win a vacant title in November. He’d also be willing to face Davis at 135.

Whatever the weight, Santa Cruz expects a tough fight against Davis.

“He’s really skillful,” he said. “He looks for one-punch knockouts. We have to be smart. We’ll try to find sparring partners who have his style, really skillful, fast, with power. We’ll work on those things to avoid those big punches.

“He’s never had a fighter being on top of him, pressuring him, throwing a lot of punches. I think that might throw him off and be a big influence in the fight.”

Santa Cruz also could use his length against Davis.

“My dad says to use our distance,” he said. “We’re taller than him, we have a longer reach than Gervonta Davis. So I think that’s what we’re going to do, try to use our distance, keep on the outside, not get caught with big punches.

“We’ll try a little of both, try to pressure him, try to stay on top of him, throw punches punches. But if that’s not working, we’ll use our distance. Whatever works, whatever makes the fight easier, that’s what we’re going to do.”

One possible snag: Davis was recently arrested for allegedly assaulting the mother of his child. Is Santa Cruz worried that Davis’ legal problems will ruin his plans?

“Yeah, I am,” he said. “He has to go to court. They might not let him fight. He has to go through all this stuff first. … If the fight falls through, there are other big names. Gary Russell is one. That’d be a great fight. Jo Jo Diaz has been calling me out. There’s other big fights that can be made.

“But I want the Gervonta [Davis] fight first.”

Gary Russell Jr. gives Tugstsogt Nyambayar lesson in spirited fight

Gary Russell Jr. used his hand speed and ring generalship to defeat Tugstsogt Nyambayar by a unanimous decision Saturday.

Gary Russell Jr. was quicker than Tugstsogt Nyambayar, as expected. He was also better.

Russell used his hand speed and overall ring generalship to dominate his Mongolian foe early in the fight and then hold him off as the fight became more competitive to win a unanimous decision Saturday in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Russell (31-1, 18 KOs) was making the fifth defense of the featherweight title he won by stopping Jhonny Gonzalez in March 2015, meaning he has held a major title for almost five years.

The scores were 116-112, 117-111 and 118-110, which accurately reflected Russell’s ability to control the fight.

In the early rounds, Russell used his probing right jab – which creates distance more than it lands – to set up scoring power shots Nyambayar didn’t see coming. Russell used his feet and acute sense of danger to spin away whenever the aggressive Nyambayar got close enough to land punches.

That changed to a good degree in the middle rounds, when Nyambayar’s persistence began to pay off. Hard shots to the body and some to the head slowed Russell down just enough to give Nyambayar openings he didn’t have earlier.

The result was a competitive fight from about Round 5 on, a period in which the fighters traded moments of effectiveness. The problem for Nyambayar was that he had fallen too far behind in the early rounds to win the fight, a fact the visitor from Asia lamented.

Russell had predicted that Nyambayar, a 2012 Olympmic silver medalist, was no pushover.

“I knew I had a very, very tough opponent,” Russell said in the ring afterward. “I knew he would bring his physical game. He had everything to gain and nothing to lose. We were focused.

“I’m one of the longest reigning champions for a reason.”

Russell was asked what made the difference in the fight.

“My ring generalship, my hand speed, my ring IQ,” he said. “He had only 11 fights. Of course, he was a silver medalist, but he had only 11 fights. I had over 30-some professional fights. My experience [was the difference in] this fight.”

Of course, Nyambayar (11-1, 9 KOs) was disappointed after losing in his first fight for a major title. However, he undoubtedly scored points in the eyes of fans who will have appreciated his technical abilities combined with his controlled aggression.

Nyambayar also presumably learned a great deal in defeat. Among his lessons, according to him: Don’t give away rounds.

“I made a mistake,” he said through a translator. “I was waiting for him during the fight. I want a rematch.”

That isn’t likely, at least not any time soon. Russell passionately wants a s second fight with lightweight titleholder Vassiliy Lomachenko, the only fighter to beat him. Another potential opponent at 135 pounds is Gervonta Davis. Russell is willing to move up two weight classes to meet either of them.

A more realistic possibility is a showdown with junior lightweight beltholder Leo Santa Cruz, who, like Russell, fights under the Premier Boxing Champions banner.

“I’ll probably get Leo Santa Cruz next,” Russell said. “If not, I’ll jump two weight classes, skip over 130 and go straight to 135 … to get the guys I want.”

Guillermo Rigondeaux boxes his way to decision over Liborio Solis

Guillermo Rigondeaux reverted to the safety-first fighter he had been his entire career. The fans didn’t like it. And neither did his opponent. Rigondeaux, the two-time Olympic champion from Cuba, boxed carefully and successfully from the second …

Guillermo Rigondeaux reverted to the safety-first fighter he had been his entire career. The fans didn’t like it. And neither did his opponent.

Rigondeaux, the two-time Olympic champion from Cuba, boxed carefully and successfully from the second round on against Liborio Solis to win a split decision on the Gary Russell Jr.-Tugstsogt Nyambayar card Saturday in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Two judges scored the fight for Rigondeaux, 115-112 and 116-111. The third had Solis winning, 115-112.

Rigondeaux (20-1, 13 KOs) was willing to exchange with Solis (30-6-1, 14 KOs) in the opening round – as he had in his last fight, against Julio Ceja – and paid a price. Solis landed two shots that seemed to hurt his Cuban opponent.

From then on, Rigondeaux, heeding the advice of trainer Ronnie Shields, boxed like the fighter of old. He used his footwork and quickness to avoid trouble and do just enough on offense to win the fight.

Rigondeaux’s biggest round was the seventh, when he hurt Solis with a left uppercut and put him down with two more lefts. Rigondeaux also hurt Solis in the 10^th but the Venezuelan was able to remain on his feet.

The 12^th round was largely uneventful except for booing from the spectators, who were frustrated over a lack of action.

Rigondeaux, a 39-year-old who has heard a lot of boos, was asked afterward whether he cares. He said, “No, not at all.”

Not when he wins.

The bout was billed as a title fight because it was for the vacant WBA “regular” 118-pound belt. However, Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize that title.

Guillermo Rigondeaux’s trainer wants him to box, not brawl

Guillermo Rigondeaux showed fans his exciting side when he outbrawled Julio Ceja but his trainer, Ronnie Shields, wants him to tone it down.

Just when it got fun to watch Guillermo Rigondeaux …

Rigondeaux’s trainer, Ronnie Shields, told BoxingScene.com that he’d like his 39-year-old protégé to box more against Liborio Solis on Saturday than he did in a wild knockout victory over Julio Ceja in his most-recent fight.

Rigondeaux, known his entire career for his sublime skills, took many hard shots against Ceja but stopped him with a single straight left in Round 8.

“That was his own thing,” Shields told BoxingScene. “He did that himself. And I kind of got on him in the corner. ‘That’s not the way I trained you for this fight. I don’t know what you’re trying to prove.’ But he told me afterwards, ‘I saw something that, you know, I’d let him get close and then I figured if I can hit him, I can hurt him.’ That did happen, but I didn’t like him taking shots the way he was taking them to prove something.

“I told him he’s too old to prove anything. Just be himself and box and do the things that got him to where he’s at right now. So, he said, ‘I understand. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.’ ”

Shields went on: “I thought he was trying to prove something to people. ‘Oh, I could take a punch.’ I told him, ‘You don’t have to do that. Be yourself! Forget what people say. I don’t care. I want you to move around the ring. I want you to box. You’re gonna catch up to the guy and you’re gonna hit him with something and it’s gonna be over. You’ve got that ability to do that.’”

Rigondeaux (19-1, 13 KOs) will be fighting as a 118-pounder for the first time when he faces Solis (30-5-1, 14 KOs) on the Gary Russell Jr.-Tugstsogt Nyambayar card in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Gary Russell Jr.: Clock ticking to prove how good he is

Gary Russell Jr. has been impressive but his level of opposition and relative inactivity has made it difficult to gauge his true ability.

It’s hard to grade Gary Russell Jr.’s career. It’s incomplete, which is another way of saying inactive. The big fights just haven’t been there often enough to get a fair read on how good he is. Or could be. But time creates its own urgency. Russell is 31.

If there was ever a chance for Russell to fulfill potential so evident a decade ago, it’s now. He can talk about who he would like to fight. But the clock on his career moves forward anyway. All he can do is fight, which is what he’ll do against Mongolian Tugstsogt Nyambayar in a mandatory defense of his featherweight title Saturday night on Showtime.

“If it were up to me, I’d be facing Leo Santa Cruz or Gervonta Davis, but this is what I have to face,” Russell said Thursday at the final news conference before the bout in Allentown, Pennsylvania. “I’m here to defend my title in style once again.’’

It’s easy to forget Russell’s style, his fast hands. One fight a year just isn’t enough to create and sustain a fan base. In perhaps an acknowledgment of that and a realization that nobody’s prime lasts forever, Russell (30-1, 18 KOs) is breaking away from his once-a-year schedule.

His date with Nyambayar (11-0, 9 KOs) is his second bout in nine months. He scored a fifth-round stoppage of Kiko Martinez on May 18 in Brooklyn. That’s not exactly busy. But it is another opportunity for Russell to make his case. He argues that he should be included among the best.

“You should expect to see what you always see with me,” Russell said. “Boxing at its best. A great deal of ring generalship. Good boxing IQ. Hand speed. Punching power. The total package as a fighter.

“As a matter of fact, I’m trying to figure out why I’m not on the pound-for-pound list, given all of that. That’s an issue.”

Inactivity is an issue, too. A pound-for-pound claim can’t be made without evidence, which is something Russell just hasn’t delivered often enough. Maybe that’s changing.

Nyambayar is interesting, perhaps because he’s unknown. He has also been inactive. He hasn’t fought in 13 months since a unanimous decision over Dominican Claudio Marrero Jan. 26, 2018 in Brooklyn. Nine stoppages in 11 fights suggest he has power. He also has an Olympic silver medal, won at the 2012 London Games.

Ranking the 2008 U.S. Olympians as professionals. Who is No. 1?

Guillermo Rigondeaux driven for his fight with Liborio Solis

Guillermo Rigondeaux will be fighting Liborio Solis on Saturday for what the WBA calls its vacant “regular” bantamweight title.

Guillermo Rigondeaux will be fighting Liborio Solis on Saturday for what the WBA calls its vacant “regular” bantamweight title, a bogus belt which Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize. Naoya Inoue is the actual 118-pound titleholder.

That’s how the fight is being sold, though. The two-time Olympic champion and former 122-pound titleholder says he’s trying to win a belt in a second division. And he’s obviously excited about it.

The fight is on the Gary Russell Jr.-Tugstsogt Nyambayar card in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Showtime.

“I’m trying to make history by winning a third world title in a second weight class, while also matching my two gold medals,” said Rigondeaux, who will fight at 118 pounds for the first time in his career. “I want to make a statement and solidify my legacy as one of the best Cuban fighters ever. I want the boxing world to be talking about me, as I seek to become a world champion once again. February 8 will be a special day for me and my family.”

Rigondeaux said the move to bantamweight has been a positive.

“I know at super bantamweight I am a force to be reckoned with,” he said. “Now that I’m moving down to bantamweight, I feel stronger and I’m getting the most out of my skills. The bantamweight and super bantamweight divisions are filled with great fighters to test myself against. It’s a very exciting time, and I am training very hard for each opportunity that is granted to me.”

This will be the second fight for which Rigondeaux (19-1, 13 KOs) has worked with trainer Ronnie Shields in Houston. Shields has been impressed with the 39-year-old’s work ethic.

“He is very focused, and one of the hardest workers in the gym,” Shields said. “Rigondeaux is so determined to become a world champion once again. He comes to camp every single day with that goal, and I don’t see any way he doesn’t achieve it.”

Rigondeaux looked like a different fighter in his last bout, an eighth-round knockout of Julio Ceja in June. The Cuban discarded his typical safety-first style and slugged his way to victory.

He hasn’t divulged his strategy for this fight. He only said that he has a lot of respect for Solis (30-5-1, 14 KOs), a seasoned veteran and longtime contender from Venezuela, and plans to give a strong performance.

“Solis is a good opponent and a worthy challenger, but I am ready to reclaim my status as a world champion,” Rigondeaux said. “I’m going to show people why I am one of the best boxers of my generation.

“This is a very big deal for me. For years I was one of the best fighters in the world, if not, the best fighter in the world. When you’re a champion, you only fight the top opponents and those are the type of fights I want. I’m going to start another long reign as champion beginning February 8.”

Jo Jo Diaz: ‘I can’t wait to shut this guy (Tevin Farmer) up’

Jo Jo Diaz has suggested that Tevin Farmer is looking past him and will make him pay on Thursday.

Tevin Farmer is looking to make a move, up the scale from junior lightweight to lightweight. Jo Jo Diaz might have another description for what Farmer is doing.

Looking up can sometimes mean looking past an immediate challenge.

That challenge is Diaz, who promises to make Farmer pay in a 130-pound bout for Farmer’s title Thursday on DAZN, a boxing preliminary before the Kansas City Chiefs-San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl in Miami this weekend.

“I can’t wait to shut this guy up,” Diaz (30-1 15 KOs) said in a conference call.

Lots of talk has been exchanged in the weeks before the fight at Meridian at Island Gardens was announced.

Diaz, Farmer says, is a tough fighter, yet he also says he would be “a good name on my resume.’’ It’s almost as if Farmer is applying for a job, a new role as a lightweight contender.

“After I win, I think I have one or two more fights at 130 pounds and then I’ll move up, especially if the big fights don’t happen,” said Farmer (30-4-1 6 KOs), who will make a fifth defense of a belt he won with a unanimous decision over Billy Dibb in August 2018 in Australia. “It’s not frustrating. I want the unification fights and I want to be undisputed. But as long as I am still fighting and feeding my family, I am OK with that.’’

Meanwhile, Farmer suggests that a fighter without a plan is just a fool without a future. He says he doesn’t overlook anybody.

“Talk about overlooking people is overused as you have to plan for the future, but it’s my future and I won’t let any other fighter determine my career,’’ said Farmer, a 29-year-old fighter from Philadelphia. “You don’t want to fight me, we move on. I will make my legacy with what I do and who I fight.

“I don’t care what anyone else does. It’s all down to me.’’

Diaz promises to do plenty.

“Trust me, I have got everything to capitalize and land the shots to hurt him, slow him down and land devastating shots,’’ said Diaz, who lost a decision to featherweight champ Gary Russell Jr. in his only other world title bid in May 2018. “I don’t see it going 12 rounds. I think I will hurt him and make him feel my shots.

“I’m happy and ready to go 12 rounds with him, though. I’m not going to go in swinging for the fence. That’s what he wants. I’ll fight a smart fight.”

Gary Russell Jr.: I’ll move up to 135 if I don’t get Leo Santa Cruz

Gary Russell Jr. wants to fight Leo Santa Cruz in a 126-pound title-unification bout. If it doesn’t happen, he’ll move up in weight.

Gary Russell Jr. is clear on who he wants to fight next, Leo Santa Cruz in a 126-poud title-unification fight.

If it doesn’t happen? Bye bye 126 pounds. Russell said he’ll vacate his featherweight title and move up in weight to pursue two other fighters on his radar — lightweights Gervonta Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko, the latter of whom outpointed him in 2014.

Yes, that means he’d skip over 130 pounds.

Russell (30-1, 18 KOs) faces Tugstsogt Nyambayar (11-0, 9 KOs) on Feb. 8 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Showtime.

“I definitely want Leo Santa Cruz,” Russell told The PBC Podcast. “The only reason why I’ve been still competing at 126 is because I want a title unification with Santa Cruz. If we can’t get Leo Santa Cruz within the time frame which we want, I plan on moving up in weight. I don’t really have any thought of stopping at 130; I want to go straight to 135.

“There are a couple of guys that I want. I want Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, I definitely want a rematch with Vasyl Lomachenko. And I feel like the only way for me to make those fights happen is to put myself in the same weight division as these guys.”

There’s no chance he’d make a pit stop at 130?

“If Tevin farmer beats Jo Jo Diaz … I’m one of those guys, I answer any challenge,” Russell said. “I’m a real fighter, I’m a real warrior. You know, if someone says they want to fight me and they’re acting like they want that, I’m going to give it them.

“They have to be careful what they ask for. So if Tevin Farmer were to beat Jo Jo Diaz and we don’t get the Leo Santa Cruz fight, I wouldn’t mind stopping at 130 just to shut him up for mentioning my name.”

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned. And check out our Great Eight below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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