Tag: Juan Francisco Estrada

Great Eight: Welcome aboard, Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez … for now

Great Eight: Boxing Junkie welcomes Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez aboard … for the time being.

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 do three things:

  • Crown a new champion in the lightest weight class (although he plans to move back into the next division),
  • Provide the final listing of the year,
  • And take a peek at potential changes that might lie ahead.

First, surging Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez dethroned Sunny Edwards as flyweight champion here, the result of his sensational nine-round demolition of his British rival to become undisputed 112-pound champion on Dec. 16.

Rodriguez’s reign isn’t destined to be a long one, however: He’s expected to move back up to 115, at which he had success last year. That would move him into the bantamweight division for the purposes of Great Eight, which would result in another change at flyweight.

We’ll see what our No. 11 pound-for-pounder decides to do next and act accordingly.

Meanwhile, we also could see multiple changes in the other seven divisions in 2024. Great Eight champions Tyson Fury (heavyweight), Dmitry Bivol (light heavyweight) and Jermell Charlo (middleweight) could face their demise in the coming year.

And, of course, the other champions also have capable rivals who would love a crack at them. Stay tuned.

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) – Fury’s reign as the top man here is in jeopardy, as he’s scheduled to face Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia. He’ll have to perform better against Usyk than he did against Francis Ngannou to win.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) – The 175-pound titleholder gave another strong performance on Dec. 23, shutting out overmatched Lyndon Arthur. A meeting with Artur Beterbiev for light heavyweight supremacy could be next if Beterbiev beats Callum Smith on Jan. 13.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pounder came up short against 168-pound champ Canelo Alvarez but he remains the best at 160 and 154. He wants to fight pound-for-pound and welterweight king Terence Crawford, who would take Charlo’s place in this division with a victory.

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford, coming off his epic beat down of Errol Spence Jr., could be poised to move up to 154 to challenge titleholder Charlo, which would create an opening here. Only talented Jaron Ennis would appear to be a genuine threat at 147.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – “Tank” remains the most-complete fighter at 135 and 130 but boxing wizards Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko might have something to say about who reigns in Great Eight before all is said and done. Now we need to see these pivotal matchups.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) – Inoue gave another dominating performance against Marlon Tapales on Dec. 26, stopping the Filipino in the 10th round to become undisputed champion in a second weight class. Can anyone compete with him? Murodjon Akhmadaliev might have the best chance.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – The 33-year-old future Hall of Famer from Mexico didn’t fight this year but he presumably will get back to work soon. “Bam” Rodiguez called him out for what could turn out to be a passing-of-the-torch matchup. Will he bite?

FLYWEIGHT

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) – Rodriguez supplants Edwards as champion here after leaving no doubt about who is the best 112-pounder in the world. However, he has said he plans to move up to junior bantamweight. We’ll wait until he schedules a fight to remove him.

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Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez knocks out Sunny Edwards to cap virtuoso performance

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez knocked out Sunny Edwards after nine rounds to cap a virtuoso performance Saturday in Glendale, Arizona.

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez turned what many expected to be a competitive fight into a beat down.

Rodriguez walked down, pummeled, knocked down and finally knocked out Sunny Edwards after nine dominating rounds to unify two 112-pound titles and bolster his pound-for-pound credentials Saturday night in Glendale, Arizona.

It was Rodriguez’s last fight as a flyweight and he couldn’t have gone out on a more positive note. How does “unified” sound to the 23-year-old from San Antonio?

“Forgive my language but it sounds f—ing bad a–,” he said afterward. “I’m happy. I worked my ass for this. I knew it was going to come. It was just a matter of time.”

The fight was billed as a matchup of two of the best little boxers in the world, both of whom entered the night undefeated.

Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) is a more complete fighter because of his punching power but Edwards (20-1, 4 KOs) has built a reputation as one of the best technicians in the business.

The early rounds were competitive, as the fighters traded quick, accurate shots in what was akin to a chess match. However, Edwards had a problem: Rodriguez could take his shots but he couldn’t take Rodriguez’s, which led to his demise.

Rodriguez stalked Edwards relentlessly and landed more and more heavy blows as the fight progressed, which slowed the Briton down and gradually broke him down. His left eye was swollen and cuts marked his face by the end.

The deciding blow came in the final seconds of Round 9, a booming right hand that landed on Edwards’ head and put him flat on his face. He made his way to the corner but his handlers had seen enough. That wouldn’t allow him to go out for Round 10.

Rodriguez was magnanimous in victory.

“Sunny is a hell of a fighter,” he said. “He was a champion for a reason, 20-0 for a reason. Maybe he wasn’t used to getting hit that much. I brought something at him that he couldn’t handle.”

The CompuBox statistics help tell the story of Rodriguez’s dominance. Edwards is known as a defensive wizard yet Rodriguez landed an astounding 62.1% of his power punches, 180 of 290 compared to 75 of 230 for Edwards (32.6%).

Edwards pointed out afterward that his swollen left eye – from the second round on – made it difficult for him to see Rodriguez’s right hand coming, which made his mission virtually impossible.

Other than that there wasn’t much he could say.

“Jesse is a hell of fighter,” he said. “I knew that before taking the fight. I knew that during the fight. And I sure as hell know it after the fight. I think it was a great fight, but, yeah, the better man won today.”

So it’s back to 115 pounds for Rodriguez, who made a splash last year by outpointing former beltholder Carlos Cuadras to win a vacant title and then stopping another respected former champ, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.

He’s thinking even bigger now: He wants 115-pound titleholder and future Hall of Famer Juan Francisco Estrada next.

That would be Rodriguez’s biggest challenge yet, at least on paper. However, given his success over such a short period of time, he appears to be taking his place among the Estradas and Chocolatito Gonzalezes of the world.

There’s only one way to find out how he would do at that level.

“I’ve been wanting that fight,” said Rodriguez, referring to Estrada. “Why not now.”

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez knocks out Sunny Edwards to cap virtuoso performance

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez knocked out Sunny Edwards after nine rounds to cap a virtuoso performance Saturday in Glendale, Arizona.

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez turned what many expected to be a competitive fight into a beat down.

Rodriguez walked down, pummeled, knocked down and finally knocked out Sunny Edwards after nine dominating rounds to unify two 112-pound titles and bolster his pound-for-pound credentials Saturday night in Glendale, Arizona.

It was Rodriguez’s last fight as a flyweight and he couldn’t have gone out on a more positive note. How does “unified” sound to the 23-year-old from San Antonio?

“Forgive my language but it sounds f—ing bad a–,” he said afterward. “I’m happy. I worked my ass for this. I knew it was going to come. It was just a matter of time.”

The fight was billed as a matchup of two of the best little boxers in the world, both of whom entered the night undefeated.

Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) is a more complete fighter because of his punching power but Edwards (20-1, 4 KOs) has built a reputation as one of the best technicians in the business.

The early rounds were competitive, as the fighters traded quick, accurate shots in what was akin to a chess match. However, Edwards had a problem: Rodriguez could take his shots but he couldn’t take Rodriguez’s, which led to his demise.

Rodriguez stalked Edwards relentlessly and landed more and more heavy blows as the fight progressed, which slowed the Briton down and gradually broke him down. His left eye was swollen and cuts marked his face by the end.

The deciding blow came in the final seconds of Round 9, a booming right hand that landed on Edwards’ head and put him flat on his face. He made his way to the corner but his handlers had seen enough. That wouldn’t allow him to go out for Round 10.

Rodriguez was magnanimous in victory.

“Sunny is a hell of a fighter,” he said. “He was a champion for a reason, 20-0 for a reason. Maybe he wasn’t used to getting hit that much. I brought something at him that he couldn’t handle.”

The CompuBox statistics help tell the story of Rodriguez’s dominance. Edwards is known as a defensive wizard yet Rodriguez landed an astounding 62.1% of his power punches, 180 of 290 compared to 75 of 230 for Edwards (32.6%).

Edwards pointed out afterward that his swollen left eye – from the second round on – made it difficult for him to see Rodriguez’s right hand coming, which made his mission virtually impossible.

Other than that there wasn’t much he could say.

“Jesse is a hell of fighter,” he said. “I knew that before taking the fight. I knew that during the fight. And I sure as hell know it after the fight. I think it was a great fight, but, yeah, the better man won today.”

So it’s back to 115 pounds for Rodriguez, who made a splash last year by outpointing former beltholder Carlos Cuadras to win a vacant title and then stopping another respected former champ, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.

He’s thinking even bigger now: He wants 115-pound titleholder and future Hall of Famer Juan Francisco Estrada next.

That would be Rodriguez’s biggest challenge yet, at least on paper. However, given his success over such a short period of time, he appears to be taking his place among the Estradas and Chocolatito Gonzalezes of the world.

There’s only one way to find out how he would do at that level.

“I’ve been wanting that fight,” said Rodriguez, referring to Estrada. “Why not now.”

Great Eight: Tyson Fury seems vulnerable after debacle against Francis Ngannou

Great Eight: Tyson Fury seems vulnerable after his debacle against Francis Ngannou on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

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 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 focus again on Tyson Fury.

The heavyweight champion was clearly the top big man in the sport but now seems vulnerable after he went down and had to rally to defeat MMA star and boxing newbie Francis Ngannou by a split decision Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

The result allowed Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) to remain the Great Eight heavyweight champion but an even bigger challenge looms: He’s expected to face fellow titleholder Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed championship this winter, perhaps in February.

Usyk is naturally smaller than Ngannou but is far more skillful and experienced, meaning that if Fury isn’t better prepared for Usyk than he was for Ngannou, he could lose his top spot here.

If nothing else, Usyk will be given a better chance of beating Fury now that he would have been before this past Saturday.

Indeed, assuming a date is selected and the meeting with Usyk takes place, Fury will fighting to retain everything he has built in his remarkable 15-year career

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) – The top big man has a date with fellow titleholder Usyk for all the belts for sometime this winter. Organizers are targeting February, according to reports.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) – A title-unification meeting with Artur Beterbiev isn’t coming to fruition, which could open the door to a rematch with Canelo Alvarez.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pound champ failed to take Alvarez’s 168-pound titles but retains three of the four major junior middleweight belts. He wants to fight pound-for-pound and welterweight king Terence Crawford. Another option is WBO champ Tim Tszyu instead.

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford left no doubt that he’s the best at 147 (and 140) with his sensational ninth-round knockout of rival Errol Spence Jr. on July 29. It will be difficult for him to top that performance.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – Devin Haney still has the belts at 135 pounds. Shakur Stevenson might be the most gifted in the division. But it’s “Tank” who has made the strongest impression and has the deepest resume.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) – Inoue turned in a Crawford-like performance on July 25 in Tokyo, where he dismantled Stephen Fulton Jr. in eight rounds to underscore his greatness and become champ of a second Great Eight division.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – The 33-year-old Mexican replaces Inoue as the top man here because of his body of work, which includes two victories over the great Roman Gonzalez in his last three fights.

FLYWEIGHT

Sunny Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs) – The slick Englishman will be defending his spot here on Dec. 16 in Phoenix, where he’ll take on Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in a 112-pound title-unification bout. The winner will be king here.

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Great Eight: Tyson Fury seems vulnerable after debacle against Francis Ngannou

Great Eight: Tyson Fury seems vulnerable after his debacle against Francis Ngannou on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

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 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 focus again on Tyson Fury.

The heavyweight champion was clearly the top big man in the sport but now seems vulnerable after he went down and had to rally to defeat MMA star and boxing newbie Francis Ngannou by a split decision Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

The result allowed Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) to remain the Great Eight heavyweight champion but an even bigger challenge looms: He’s expected to face fellow titleholder Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed championship this winter, perhaps in February.

Usyk is naturally smaller than Ngannou but is far more skillful and experienced, meaning that if Fury isn’t better prepared for Usyk than he was for Ngannou, he could lose his top spot here.

If nothing else, Usyk will be given a better chance of beating Fury now that he would have been before this past Saturday.

Indeed, assuming a date is selected and the meeting with Usyk takes place, Fury will fighting to retain everything he has built in his remarkable 15-year career

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) – The top big man has a date with fellow titleholder Usyk for all the belts for sometime this winter. Organizers are targeting February, according to reports.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) – A title-unification meeting with Artur Beterbiev isn’t coming to fruition, which could open the door to a rematch with Canelo Alvarez.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pound champ failed to take Alvarez’s 168-pound titles but retains three of the four major junior middleweight belts. He wants to fight pound-for-pound and welterweight king Terence Crawford. Another option is WBO champ Tim Tszyu instead.

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford left no doubt that he’s the best at 147 (and 140) with his sensational ninth-round knockout of rival Errol Spence Jr. on July 29. It will be difficult for him to top that performance.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – Devin Haney still has the belts at 135 pounds. Shakur Stevenson might be the most gifted in the division. But it’s “Tank” who has made the strongest impression and has the deepest resume.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) – Inoue turned in a Crawford-like performance on July 25 in Tokyo, where he dismantled Stephen Fulton Jr. in eight rounds to underscore his greatness and become champ of a second Great Eight division.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – The 33-year-old Mexican replaces Inoue as the top man here because of his body of work, which includes two victories over the great Roman Gonzalez in his last three fights.

FLYWEIGHT

Sunny Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs) – The slick Englishman will be defending his spot here on Dec. 16 in Phoenix, where he’ll take on Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in a 112-pound title-unification bout. The winner will be king here.

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Great Eight: Tyson Fury’s championship will be on the line twice in coming months

Great Eight: Tyson Fury’s championship will be on the line twice in the coming months, against Francis Ngannou and then Oleksandr Usyk.

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 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 point out that we could see a change in the heavyweight division for the first time since this feature was created.

Unbeaten champion Tyson Fury will be fighting twice within a span of few months.

“The Gypsy King” is scheduled to face MMA star and boxing newbie Francis Ngannou in a sanctioned bout Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is a ridiculous mismatch aside from the money both men stand to make. (Fury reportedly will earn more than $120 million.)

Ngannou, a strong man, would have to land a lucky punch to win but that’s highly unlikely given the enormous gap in boxing ability and experience.

The genuine challenge for Fury reportedly will come in late December or perhaps early next year in Saudi Arabia, where the Englishman and fellow titleholder Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine are scheduled to fight for the undisputed championship.

Who wins that fight? That’s a tricky question. A gargantuan (6-foot-9) heavyweight with Fury’s skillset doesn’t appear to be the best style matchup for the former cruiserweight champion. That’s why Fury is about a 2½-1 favorite over Usyk at the moment.

However, Usyk, a former Olympic champion, is so gifted that he can’t be counted out of any fight. After all, he did outpoint Anthony Joshua in back-to-back fights.

The odds say we won’t see a new Great Eight heavyweight champion but, again, Ngannou has the power (if nothing else) and Usyk has the ability to surprise us.

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) – The top big man has a gimmie in his next fight, a lucrative matchup against MMA star Francis Ngannou on Oct. 28. A showdown with fellow titleholder Usyk for all the belts will come as soon as Dec. 23.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) – A rematch with Canelo Alvarez could be in the offing after the Mexican star easily outpointed Jermell Charlo on Sept. 30. Bivol defeated Alvarez by a unanimous decision in May of last year. Canelo wants revenge.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pound champ failed in his bid to take Alvarez’s titles but retains three of the four major junior middleweight belts. He wants to fight pound-for-pound and welterweight king Terence Crawford or he could face the winner of the fight between fellow titleholder Tim Tszyu and Brian Mendoza on Oct. 14 (Oct. 15 in Australia).

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford left no doubt that he’s the best at 147 (and 140) with his sensational ninth-round knockout of rival Errol Spence Jr. on July 29. It will be difficult for him to top that performance.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – Devin Haney still has the belts at 135 pounds. Shakur Stevenson might be the most gifted in the division. But it’s “Tank” who has made the strongest impression and has the deepest resume.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) – Inoue turned in a Crawford-like performance on July 25 in Tokyo, where he dismantled Stephen Fulton Jr. in eight rounds to underscore his greatness and become champ of a second Great Eight division.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – The 33-year-old Mexican replaces Inoue as the top man here because of his body of work, which includes two victories over the great Roman Gonzalez in his last three fights.

FLYWEIGHT

Sunny Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs) – The slick Englishman will be defending his spot here on Dec. 16 in Phoenix, where he’ll take on Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in a 112-pound title-unification bout. The winner will be king here.

[lawrence-related id=39265,39252,39118,38989,38974,38906,38902,38798,38789]

Great Eight: Tyson Fury’s championship will be on the line twice in coming months

Great Eight: Tyson Fury’s championship will be on the line twice in the coming months, against Francis Ngannou and then Oleksandr Usyk.

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 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 point out that we could see a change in the heavyweight division for the first time since this feature was created.

Unbeaten champion Tyson Fury will be fighting twice within a span of few months.

“The Gypsy King” is scheduled to face MMA star and boxing newbie Francis Ngannou in a sanctioned bout Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is a ridiculous mismatch aside from the money both men stand to make. (Fury reportedly will earn more than $120 million.)

Ngannou, a strong man, would have to land a lucky punch to win but that’s highly unlikely given the enormous gap in boxing ability and experience.

The genuine challenge for Fury reportedly will come in late December or perhaps early next year in Saudi Arabia, where the Englishman and fellow titleholder Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine are scheduled to fight for the undisputed championship.

Who wins that fight? That’s a tricky question. A gargantuan (6-foot-9) heavyweight with Fury’s skillset doesn’t appear to be the best style matchup for the former cruiserweight champion. That’s why Fury is about a 2½-1 favorite over Usyk at the moment.

However, Usyk, a former Olympic champion, is so gifted that he can’t be counted out of any fight. After all, he did outpoint Anthony Joshua in back-to-back fights.

The odds say we won’t see a new Great Eight heavyweight champion but, again, Ngannou has the power (if nothing else) and Usyk has the ability to surprise us.

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) – The top big man has a gimmie in his next fight, a lucrative matchup against MMA star Francis Ngannou on Oct. 28. A showdown with fellow titleholder Usyk for all the belts will come as soon as Dec. 23.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) – A rematch with Canelo Alvarez could be in the offing after the Mexican star easily outpointed Jermell Charlo on Sept. 30. Bivol defeated Alvarez by a unanimous decision in May of last year. Canelo wants revenge.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pound champ failed in his bid to take Alvarez’s titles but retains three of the four major junior middleweight belts. He wants to fight pound-for-pound and welterweight king Terence Crawford or he could face the winner of the fight between fellow titleholder Tim Tszyu and Brian Mendoza on Oct. 14 (Oct. 15 in Australia).

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford left no doubt that he’s the best at 147 (and 140) with his sensational ninth-round knockout of rival Errol Spence Jr. on July 29. It will be difficult for him to top that performance.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – Devin Haney still has the belts at 135 pounds. Shakur Stevenson might be the most gifted in the division. But it’s “Tank” who has made the strongest impression and has the deepest resume.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) – Inoue turned in a Crawford-like performance on July 25 in Tokyo, where he dismantled Stephen Fulton Jr. in eight rounds to underscore his greatness and become champ of a second Great Eight division.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – The 33-year-old Mexican replaces Inoue as the top man here because of his body of work, which includes two victories over the great Roman Gonzalez in his last three fights.

FLYWEIGHT

Sunny Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs) – The slick Englishman will be defending his spot here on Dec. 16 in Phoenix, where he’ll take on Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in a 112-pound title-unification bout. The winner will be king here.

[lawrence-related id=39265,39252,39118,38989,38974,38906,38902,38798,38789]

Great Eight: Ranking three upcoming fights involving our champions

Great Eight: Ranking three upcoming fights involving our champions.

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 WBC’s bridgerweight), light heavyweight includes super middleweight, middleweight includes junior middleweight and so on.

In this installment of “Great Eight,” we point out that three of our champions are scheduled to fight before the end of the year.

Heavyweight champ Tyson Fury will face MMA star Francis Ngannou on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Jermell Charlo, a 154-pounder, will jump two divisions to challenge Canelo Alvarez. And 112-pounder Sunny Edwards is scheduled to take on Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez.

And, of course, there is a good chance that at least one or two of our other champions — Dmitry Bivol, Terence Crawford, Gervonta Davis, Naoya Inoue and Juan Francisco Estrada also will see action before we move into 2024.

Which scheduled bout is most likely to produce a new Great Eight champion? Here is our ranking:

GOOD CHANCE

Edwards vs. Rodriguez — This is a dream matchup for those who follow the sport’s littlest fighters. It’s a 50-50 fight. Edwards is a wonderful technician capable of giving any opponent fits but he he’s a light puncher, which could work against him against Rodriguez. Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) also is an excellent boxer but he can also punch. The key to the fight could be whether Edwards can take Rodriguez’s best shot.

DECENT CHANCE

Alvarez vs. Charlo — Alvarez is a seasoned boxer with heavy hands who is naturally bigger than Charlo and reportedly healthy for the first time in a few years, following surgery on his left wrist. On paper, that could spell trouble for Charlo. However, many are convinced that Alvarez is in decline after back-to-back subpar performances. If he is, Charlo certainly has the all-around ability to exploit that and pull off an significant upset.

NO CHANCE

Fury vs. Ngannou — OK, even a 36-year-old MMA fighter making his boxing debut could land a lucky shot and score a shocking knockout. Don’t be on it, though. Ngannou will be face to face with the best heavyweight in the world, a clever, athletic boxer who has become a heavy puncher in his past few fights. He’s also much bigger than Ngannou  which means the underdog has no advantages,. Add all that up and you see why this is a ridiculous mismatch.

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) – The top big man has a gimmie in his next fight, a lucrative matchup against MMA star Francis Ngannou on Oct. 28. An opponent with boxing experience (Oleksandr Usyk?) should come next.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) – Canelo Alvarez opted to fight a 154-pounder (Jermell Charlo) instead of a 175-pounder (Alvarez’s conqueror Bivol) in his next fight. That leaves Bivol without an opponent. He wants to fight this fall.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pound champ is moving up to a different Great Eight division (175-168) to face Alvarez but he’ll probably fight at 160 or 154 afterward, which would allow him to maintain his place here.

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford left no doubt that he’s the best at 147 (and 140) with his sensational ninth-round knockout of rival Errol Spence Jr. on July 29. It will be difficult for him to top that performance.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – Devin Haney still has the belts at 135 pounds. Shakur Stevenson might be the most gifted in the division. But it’s “Tank” who has made the strongest impression and has the deepest resume.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) – Inoue turned in a Crawford-like performance on July 25 in Tokyo, where he dismantled Stephen Fulton Jr. in eight rounds to underscore his greatness and become champ of a second Great Eight division.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – The 33-year-old Mexican replaces Inoue as the top man here because of his body of work, which includes two victories over the great Roman Gonzalez in his last three fights.

FLYWEIGHT

Sunny Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs) – The slick Englishman will be defending his spot here on Dec. 16 in Phoenix, where he’ll take on Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in a 112-pound title-unification bout. The winner will be king here.

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Great Eight: Ranking three upcoming fights involving our champions

Great Eight: Ranking three upcoming fights involving our champions.

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 WBC’s bridgerweight), light heavyweight includes super middleweight, middleweight includes junior middleweight and so on.

In this installment of “Great Eight,” we point out that three of our champions are scheduled to fight before the end of the year.

Heavyweight champ Tyson Fury will face MMA star Francis Ngannou on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Jermell Charlo, a 154-pounder, will jump two divisions to challenge Canelo Alvarez. And 112-pounder Sunny Edwards is scheduled to take on Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez.

And, of course, there is a good chance that at least one or two of our other champions — Dmitry Bivol, Terence Crawford, Gervonta Davis, Naoya Inoue and Juan Francisco Estrada also will see action before we move into 2024.

Which scheduled bout is most likely to produce a new Great Eight champion? Here is our ranking:

GOOD CHANCE

Edwards vs. Rodriguez — This is a dream matchup for those who follow the sport’s littlest fighters. It’s a 50-50 fight. Edwards is a wonderful technician capable of giving any opponent fits but he he’s a light puncher, which could work against him against Rodriguez. Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) also is an excellent boxer but he can also punch. The key to the fight could be whether Edwards can take Rodriguez’s best shot.

DECENT CHANCE

Alvarez vs. Charlo — Alvarez is a seasoned boxer with heavy hands who is naturally bigger than Charlo and reportedly healthy for the first time in a few years, following surgery on his left wrist. On paper, that could spell trouble for Charlo. However, many are convinced that Alvarez is in decline after back-to-back subpar performances. If he is, Charlo certainly has the all-around ability to exploit that and pull off an significant upset.

NO CHANCE

Fury vs. Ngannou — OK, even a 36-year-old MMA fighter making his boxing debut could land a lucky shot and score a shocking knockout. Don’t be on it, though. Ngannou will be face to face with the best heavyweight in the world, a clever, athletic boxer who has become a heavy puncher in his past few fights. He’s also much bigger than Ngannou  which means the underdog has no advantages,. Add all that up and you see why this is a ridiculous mismatch.

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) – The top big man has a gimmie in his next fight, a lucrative matchup against MMA star Francis Ngannou on Oct. 28. An opponent with boxing experience (Oleksandr Usyk?) should come next.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) – Canelo Alvarez opted to fight a 154-pounder (Jermell Charlo) instead of a 175-pounder (Alvarez’s conqueror Bivol) in his next fight. That leaves Bivol without an opponent. He wants to fight this fall.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pound champ is moving up to a different Great Eight division (175-168) to face Alvarez but he’ll probably fight at 160 or 154 afterward, which would allow him to maintain his place here.

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford left no doubt that he’s the best at 147 (and 140) with his sensational ninth-round knockout of rival Errol Spence Jr. on July 29. It will be difficult for him to top that performance.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – Devin Haney still has the belts at 135 pounds. Shakur Stevenson might be the most gifted in the division. But it’s “Tank” who has made the strongest impression and has the deepest resume.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) – Inoue turned in a Crawford-like performance on July 25 in Tokyo, where he dismantled Stephen Fulton Jr. in eight rounds to underscore his greatness and become champ of a second Great Eight division.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – The 33-year-old Mexican replaces Inoue as the top man here because of his body of work, which includes two victories over the great Roman Gonzalez in his last three fights.

FLYWEIGHT

Sunny Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs) – The slick Englishman will be defending his spot here on Dec. 16 in Phoenix, where he’ll take on Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in a 112-pound title-unification bout. The winner will be king here.

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Great Eight: Naoya Inoue, Juan Francisco Estrada crowned champions

Great Eight: Naoya Inoue takes over a new division and Juan Francisco Estrada joins the club.

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 WBC’s bridgerweight), light heavyweight includes super middleweight, middleweight includes junior middleweight and so on.

In this installment of “Great Eight” we crown new champions at featherweight (plus junior featherweight) and bantamweight (plus junior bantamweight).

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) – The top big man has a gimmie in his next fight, a lucrative, but ridiculous matchup with former MMA star Francis Ngannou on Oct. 28. An opponent with boxing experience should come next.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) – Canelo Alvarez opted to fight a 154-pounder (Jermell Charlo) instead of a 175-pounder (Alvarez’s conqueror Bivol) in his next fight. That leaves Bivol without an opponent. He wants to fight this fall.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pound champ is moving up to a different Great Eight division (175-168) to face Alvarez but he’ll probably fight at 160 or 154 afterward, which would allow him to maintain his place here.

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford left no doubt that he’s the best at 147 (and 140) with his sensational ninth-round knockout of rival Errol Spence Jr. on July 29. It will be difficult for him to top that performance.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – Devin Haney has the belts at 135 pounds. Shakur Stevenson might be the most gifted in the division. But it’s “Tank” who has made the strongest impression and has the deepest resume.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) – Inoue turned in a Crawford-like performance on July 25 in Tokyo, where he dismantled Stephen Fulton Jr. in eight rounds to underscore his greatness and become champ of a second Great Eight division.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – The 33-year-old Mexican replaces Inoue as the top man here because of his body of work, which includes two victories over the great Roman Gonzalez in his last three fights.

FLYWEIGHT

Sunny Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs) – The slick Englishman will be defending his spot here on Dec. 16 in Phoenix, where he’ll take on Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in a 112-pound title-unification bout. The winner will be king here.

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