Tag: oleksandr usyk

Emanuel Navarrete vs. Denys Berinchyk: Date, time, how to watch, background

Emanuel Navarrete vs. Denys Berinchyk: Date, time, how to watch, background.

Emanuel Navarrete and Denys Berinchyk will fight for the vacant WBO 135-pound title Saturday night at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.

EMANUEL NAVARRETE (38-1-1, 31 KOs)
VS.  DENYS BERINCHYK (18-0, 9 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, May 18
  • Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Pechanga Arena, San Diego
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+
  • Division: Lightweight (135 pounds)
  • At stake: Vacant WBO title
  • Boxing Junkie Pound-for-pound: None
  • Odds: Navarrete 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): ****
  • Also on the card: Giovani Santillan vs. Brian Norman Jr., welterweights
  • Background: Navarrete is a former 122-pound titleholder who was given the opportunity to fight for the vacant WBO title even though he’s making his debut at the weight and is coming off a majority draw with Robson Conceicao at 130 in November. Navarrete delivered arguably his best performance in his previous fight, a one-sided decision over former champ Oscar Valdez last August. The 29-year-old is a durable boxer whose forte is volume punching. Berinchyk, a 36-year-old Ukrainian, will be fighting for a major title for the first time. The 2012 Olympic silver medalist earned his shot at the belt by easily outpointing Anthony Yigit on the Oleksandr Usyk-Daniel Dubois card last August.
  • Prediction: Navarrete SD

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Watch it: Tyson Fury’s father headbutts member of Oleksandr Usyk’s team

Watch it: Tyson Fury’s father headbutted member of Oleksandr Usyk’s team when he two sides came together on Monday.

 

The blood has already started flowing.

John Fury, the father of Tyson Fury, headbutted a member of Oleksandr Usyk’s team after an exchange of words five days before the heavyweights are set to meet for the undisputed championship Saturday in Saudi Arabia on  DAZN Pay-Per-View.

The clash of heads, with Stanislav Stepchuk, caused on a cut on the elder Fury’s forehead.

He apologized afterward in an interview with Seconds Out.

“Sincere apologies to everybody involved to be honest with you,” Fury said on video. “It’s just the way we are. Emotions and tensions are running high. He was a very disrespectful fella, wasn’t he?

“If you come close in a fighting man’s space, you’re gonna cop for something, aren’t you? People don’t understand we are the real deal as fighters.

“What matters to me is respect for my son and he wasn’t showing any of it. He mentioned my son and that was it, so he had to have it.”

Stepchuk told Seconds Out that he did nothing to deserve being butted.

Fury and Usyk will fight for all four major titles Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.

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Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk: 5 burning questions (and answers)

Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk: 5 burning questions (and answers) going into their pay-per-view fight Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

Boxing will have an undisputed heavyweight champion on Saturday.

That’s when beltholders Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will fight for all four major titles at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on DAZN Pay-Per-View.

The fight was scheduled for Feb. 17 but it was pushed back after Fury suffered a cut during sparring. However, the fighters are now ready to roll.

Of course, fans and pundits have many questions going into the most important heavyweight fight in a generation. Here are five of them, complete with answers.

 

Which Fury will show up?

A better version. Fury embarrassed himself and the sport – with some help from Francis Ngannou – the last time we saw him in the ring, on Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia. What should’ve been an easy victory over an aging MMA star making his boxing debut turned into a near disaster, with Fury hitting the canvas in the third round and having to rally to win a split decision. If that Fury shows up on Saturday, Oleksandr Usyk will school him and become undisputed champion in a walkover. We won’t see that version of “The Gypsy King,” however. Fury evidently was ill-prepared for the Ngannou fight because he expected little resistance from his upstart opponent, who gave a spirited effort. I believe Fury will be as prepared as he can possibly be for the challenge he’ll face in the Middle East, as he has looked remarkably fit in the months leading up to the fight. Of course, we’ll see whether that’s good enough to take down one of the best technicians in the world. But he’ll be ready.

 

Was Usyk’s performance against Daniel Dubois a red flag?

Possibly. Those who believe that Usyk is vulnerable to body shots can point to his unusual fight against Dubois on Aug. 26 as evidence. The champion went down hard from a right to the belt line that referee Luis Pabon erroneously ruled a low blow, which gave Usyk undeserved time to recover and go on to stop Dubois in the ninth round. Of course, Usyk might’ve been able to get to his feet and continue fighting if he had to gotten to his feet within 10 seconds. And the victory is now in the books. A legitimate question arose, however: Are blows to the body the great Ukrainian’s weakness? Will his big, strong, talented opponent emphasize body work in light of what happened in the Dubois fight? If Fury does so and he can land his punches in the right spots, we’ll see whether Usyk is indeed vulnerable to that area.

 

Will the size difference be a significant factor?

Absolutely. A good big man beats a good little man, as the adage goes. And that would seem to apply to this fight. Usyk probably has somewhat better technical skills than Fury but the Englishman isn’t far behind, meaning he’d be competitive if they were the same size. And they’re anything but. Fury is 6-foot-9 and probably will be 260-plus pounds when he steps into the ring on Saturday. Usyk is 6-3 and weighed around 221 for his last three fights, the result of bulking up following his days as the 200-pound champion. He’s about as big as he can get and still have the ability to move effectively, which leaves him at a significant disadvantage. His supporters will point to his victories over Anthony Joshua as evidence that he can handle a big opponent, which makes sense. However, Joshua (6-6, 250-plus) isn’t quite as big as Fury. Plus, the second fight seemed to be more taxing for Usyk physically than the fi. Usyk has a big mountain to climb.

 

How significant is this matchup?

Huge. First, barring unforeseen circumstances, boxing will have its first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in the early 2000s. Also, the fact they are the two best heavyweights of the post-Klitschko era and unbeaten adds to the importance of the matchup. It’s not Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier I – it’s unlikely that any fight will approach the magnitude of that historic bout – but it doesn’t get bigger than Fury-Usyk by today’s standards. And it seems likely that the fight on Saturday will be only the first installment in what could be a two- or three-part series, perhaps akin to the unforgettable meetings between the undersized Evander Holyfield (another former cruiserweight champ) and Riddick Bowe in 1990s. Yes, this is a significant moment in boxing.

 

Who’s going to win?

Fury. I hesitated to type those four letters. I keep thinking about his miserable performance against Ngannou, who entered their fight with next to no boxing experience and almost won. Observers were justified in asking whether the 35-year-old titleholder had begun to decline after more than 15 years as a professional boxer. Perhaps he has. However, I’m going with my gut here. I hadn’t seen signs of slippage in previous fights. I’m convinced that Fury believed he could beat Ngannou just by showing up, which is no way to approach any fight. I think he’s ready physically and mentally for the challenge he’ll face on Saturday. Usyk, a truly gifted boxer, will give his rival some problems but Fury’s combination of ability, size and superior physical strength will be more than enough for the Mancunian to wear Usyk down and pull away in the later rounds to win a clear decision or score a late knockout. Fury UD.

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Fight Week: Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk will finally fight for undisputed championship

FIGHT WEEK An undisputed heavyweight champion will finally be crowned when Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk meet on pay-per-view Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. TYSON FURY (34-0-1, 24 KOs) VS. OLEKSANDR USYK (21-0, 14 KOs) Either Tyson Fury (left) or …

FIGHT WEEK

An undisputed heavyweight champion will finally be crowned when Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk meet on pay-per-view Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

TYSON FURY (34-0-1, 24 KOs)
VS. OLEKSANDR USYK (21-0, 14 KOs)

Either Tyson Fury (left) or Oleksandr Usyk will be undisputed heavyweight champion on Saturday barring unforeseen circumstances.  Alex Pantling / Getty Images
  • Date: Saturday, May 18
  • Time: 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • TV/Stream: DAZN Pay-Per-View
  • Division: Heavyweight (no limit)
  • At stake: Usyk’s IBF, WBA, WBO and Fury’s WBC titles
  • Boxing Junkie Pound-for-pound: Usyk No. 3, Fury No. 9
  • Odds: Even (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): *****
  • Also on the card: Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Breidis, cuiserweights (for vacant IBF title); Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace junior lightweights (for Cordina’s IBF title); Sergey Kovalev vs. Robin Safar, cruiserweights; Agit Kabayel vs. Frank Sanchez, heavyweights; Mark Chamberlain vs. Joshua Wahab, lightweights
  • Background: The time is finally at hand. Talk of a Fury-Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship started the moment Usyk defeated Anthony Joshua the first of two times in September 2021. The fight was originally scheduled for Feb. 17 but it was pushed back after Fury suffered a cut during sparring. Fury is coming off arguably the worst performance of his career, a split decision over Francis Ngannou in the MMA star’s boxing debut. Fury battled back from a knockdown in the third round but was fortunate to have his hand raised. He was thought by many to be ill-prepared for the fight, a mistake he will not have made leading up to the fight on Saturday. The 35-year-old from England seems to be in excellent physical condition. Usyk also didn’t give his best effort in his most recent fight, against Daniel Dubois in August. The 37-year-old former 200-pound champion went down from a body shot that was controversially deemed a low blow in the fifth round, which gave him extra time to recover. He rebounded to stop Dubois in the ninth to retain his titles.
  • Prediction: Fury UD

 

EMANUEL NAVARRETE (38-1-1, 31 KOs)
VS.  DENYS BERINCHYK (18-0, 9 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, May 18
  • Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Pechanga Arena, San Diego
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+
  • Division: Lightweight (135 pounds)
  • At stake: Vacant WBO title
  • Boxing Junkie Pound-for-pound: None
  • Odds: Navarrete 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): ****
  • Also on the card: Giovani Santillan vs. Brian Norman Jr., welterweights
  • Background: Navarrete is a former 122-pound titleholder who was given the opportunity to fight the vacant WBO title even though he’s making his debut at the weight and is coming off a majority draw with Robson Conceicao at 130 in November. Navarrete delivered arguably his best performance in his previous fight, a one-sided decision over former champ Oscar Valdez last August. The 29-year-old is a durable boxer whose forte is volume punching. Berinchyk, a 36-year-old Ukrainian, will be fighting for a major title for the first time. The 2012 Olympic silver medalist earned his shot at the belt by easily outpointing Anthony Yigit on the Usyk-Dubois card.
  • Prediction: Navarrete SD

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Video: John Fury bloodied from headbutt to Oleksandr Usyk team member ahead of Tyson Fury’s title unifier

It wouldn’t be a true Tyson Fury fight week without some drama involving his father John Fury.

It wouldn’t be a true [autotag]Tyson Fury[/autotag] fight week without some drama involving his father [autotag]John Fury[/autotag].

As fight week activities begin ahead of Saturday’s highly anticipated heavyweight title unification bout between Fury and [autotag]Oleksandr Usyk[/autotag] in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the tension between teams is gearing up, as well.

John Fury has no problem leading that charge, it seems. During an encounter with the opposing team, the 59-year-old uncorked a headbutt to the face of someone in Usyk’s camp.

Security and event staff already were in process of separating the two sides, but Fury’s attack caused more frantic movement. John Fury split his forehead open with the headbutt, then was pulled away from everyone else.

Multiple angles of the incident have surfaced on social media, and you can check them out below (via X):

It’s unknown if the attack from Fury will come with any repercussions as far as his continued involvement through the remainder of fight week. His son Tyson takes on Usyk at Kingdom Arena. The event airs on pay-per-view.

Pound-for-pound: Did No. 2 Naoya Inoue do enough to supplant No. 1 Terence Crawford?

Pound-for-pound: Did No. 2 Naoya Inoue do enough in his breathtaking victory over Luis Ney to supplant No. 1 Terence Crawford?

Who’s truly the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound? Depends who you talk to.

Terence Crawford, No. 1 on Boxing Junkie’s list, and No. 2 Inoue are both unbeaten, near-flawless all-around fighters who have dominated almost everyone they’ve faced over an extended period of time.

Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) was at his glorious best in the early morning hours (U.S. time) Monday in Japan.

Luis Nery shocked everyone watching by putting Inoue down in the opening round but that only hardened Inoue’s resolve. The 122-pound champion responded by destroying a good opponent, putting him on the canvas three times and brutally stopping him in Round 6.

Inoue was nothing short of brilliant. It becomes more and more clear that he’s one of the best to ever do it.

And don’t count the knockdown against him when assessing his pound-for-pound credentials. Almost all the great ones have gone down. The important thing is they get up and  demonstrate who’s the better man, as Inoue did in spectacular fashion on Monday.

The question is whether he did enough — or is good enough — to supplant Crawford at No. 1. That answer is no, at least for now.

The resume of Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is roughly equal to that of Inoue. Both of them have faced a long list of top contenders but relatively few pound-for-pound-caliber foes, although Crawford is coming a ninth-round knockout of Errol Spence Jr. last July.

And Crawford has been as dominating as Inoue, unleashing an overwhelming combination of skill, speed and power on one opponent after another.

The knockout of Spence, a pound-for-pounder himself, was just as breathtaking as Inoue’s annihilation of Nery at the Tokyo Dome even though Crawford didn’t have to demonstrate that he could overcome adversity.

Crawford has been nothing short of brilliant his entire career, which is why he was Boxing Junkie’s top pound-for-pounder since this feature was initiated in 2019 and hasn’t budged.

How could we justify demoting him under those circumstances? We can’t.

Inoue could reach the top at some point in part because of their respective ages: He’s 31, Crawford 36. That time simply isn’t now.

Another pound-for-pounder was in action on May 4, No. 6 Canelo Alvarez, who defeated Jaime Munguia by a one-sided decision in Las Vegas.

The superstar looked sharp but he was never destined to leap up the list because Munguia was not ranked. However, sitting directly above Alvarez at No. 5 is fellow Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada.

Did Alvarez do enough to swap places with his countryman? That’s a matter of interpretation. We decided to leave Alvarez where he is in good part because Estrada is scheduled to face rising star and No. 10 “Bam” Rodriguez on June 29. Estrada’s fate is in his hands.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 13 Vasiliy Lomachenko is scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia..

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

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – Scheduled to challenge 154-pound titleholder
    Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles.
  2. Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – Fight against No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – Scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against No. 11 Jesse Rodriguez on June 29 in Phoenix.
  6. Canelo Alvarez – No fight scheduled.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to defend his 135-pound title against Frank Martin on June 15 in Las Vegas.
  9. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  10. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – Scheduled to face No. 5 Juan Francisco Estrada for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.
  11. Artur Beterbiev – Fight against No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
  12. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  13. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia.
  14. Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduld.
  15. David Benavidez – Scheduled to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15 in Las Vegas.

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

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Pound-for-pound: Did Isaac Cruz do enough against Rolando Romero to crack list?

Pound-for-pound: Did Isaac Cruz do enough against Rolando Romero to crack Boxing Junkie’s list?

Isaac Cruz made a strong impression with his eighth-round knockout of Rolando Romero on Saturday in Las Vegas.

But did the new 140-pound titleholder from Mexico do enough in that fight — and does he have the resume — to climb onto Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list?

Not quite.

Everyone agrees that Cruz is evolving into a formidable fighting machine, a pressure fighter with the fitness, durability and punching power to dominate opponents.

However, we shouldn’t overreact to a one-sided victory over Romero, a good, but limited fighter. And Cruz still doesn’t have a victory over a top-tier opponent, although he gave Gervonta Davis hell in defeat in 2021.

Bottom line: Cruz has to beat a pound-for-pounder or someone of that caliber to leave no doubt that he belongs with the best in the business.

And those matchups will come soon enough if Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) continues to win. Perhaps showdowns with the likes of fellow beltholders Devin Haney or Teofimo Lopez — or maybe even a rematch with Davis — are in his near future.

A victory over any of the above would be enough to lift Cruz to the next level. Stay tuned.

What about Sebastian Fundora?

The new 154-pound champ defeated rising star Tim Tszyu by a split decision in the main event on Saturday, an accomplishment for which Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) deserves credit.

However, we can’t draw firm conclusions because Tszyu was effectively blinded by blood in his eyes, the result of a ghastly cut on his hairline. Plus, Fundora was knocked out by Brian Mendoza in his previous fight.

Fundora’s time might come, just not now.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 10 Devin Haney is scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 on pay-per-view from Las Vegas.

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

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to defend his undisputed 122-pound championship against Luis Nery on May 6 in Japan.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – Scheduled to face No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – Scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against No. 11 Jesse Rodriguez on June 29 in Phoenix.
  6. Canelo Alvarez – Scheduled to face Jaime Munguia for the undisputed 168-pound championship on May 4 in Las Vegas.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
  9. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  10. Devin Haney– Scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 in Las Vegas.
  11. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – Scheduled to face No. 5 Juan Francisco Estrada for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.
  12. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to face No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
  13. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  14. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia.
  15. Shakur Stevenson– Reportedly near a deal to defend his 135-pound title against Artem Harutyunyan on July 6 in Newark, New Jersey.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): David Benavidez (has agreed to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June but no announcement has been made); Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (no fight scheduled); Teofimo Lopez (reportedly near a deal to defend his 140-pound title against Steve Claggett on June 29 in Miami).

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Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou: Date, time, how to watch, background

Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou: Date, time, how to watch, background.

Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is scheduled to face MMA star-turned-boxer Francis Ngannou on pay-per-view Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

ANTHONY JOSHUA (27-3, 24 KOs)
VS. FRANCIS NGANNOU (0-1, 0 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, March 8
  • Time: 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • TV/Stream: Pay-per-view
  • Division: Heavyweight (no limit)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound: None
  • Odds: Joshua 4-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): ****
  • Also on the card: Zhilei Zhang vs. Joseph Parker, heavyweights; Rey Vargas vs. Nick Ball, featherweights (for Vargas’ WBC title); Gavin Gwynne vs. Mark Chamberlain, lightweights; Justis Huni vs. Kevin Lerena, heavyweights
  • Background: Can Ngannou do it again? The MMA star-turned-boxer shocked the boxing world by pushing heavyweight titleholder Tyson Fury to his limits on Oct. 28, when he lost a split decision. And he’s jumping directly into another fight with an established star, two-time champion Joshua. Ngannou probably benefitted from the fact Fury took him lightly, which Joshua will not have done. However, Ngannou demonstrated that he’s a capable boxer with unusual physical strength. He’s a genuine threat to Joshua even though he’s around a 4-1 underdog. Joshua is coming off his strongest performances in years, demolishing a solid opponent in Otto Wallin in five rounds on Dec. 23 at Kingdom Arena. He has now won three consecutive times since he lost back-to-back fights against Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022. And he seems to be thriving under new trainer Ben Davison. The winner of this fight will be in a strong position to face the winner of the May 18 Usyk-Fury matchup, as will the winner of the Zhilei Zhang-Joseph Parker fight on the undercard Friday. Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KOs) is coming off back-to-back knockouts of former title contender Joe Joyce last year. Parker (34-3, 23 KOs) delivered a career-changing unanimous decision victory over fellow former titleholder Deontay Wilder on the Joshua-Wallin card. The Kiwi has won four connective fights since he was stopped by Joyce in 11 rounds in 2022.

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Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou: Date, time, how to watch, background

Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou: Date, time, how to watch, background.

Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is scheduled to face MMA star-turned-boxer Francis Ngannou on pay-per-view Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

ANTHONY JOSHUA (27-3, 24 KOs)
VS. FRANCIS NGANNOU (0-1, 0 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, March 8
  • Time: 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • TV/Stream: Pay-per-view
  • Division: Heavyweight (no limit)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound: None
  • Odds: Joshua 4-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): ****
  • Also on the card: Zhilei Zhang vs. Joseph Parker, heavyweights; Rey Vargas vs. Nick Ball, featherweights (for Vargas’ WBC title); Gavin Gwynne vs. Mark Chamberlain, lightweights; Justis Huni vs. Kevin Lerena, heavyweights
  • Background: Can Ngannou do it again? The MMA star-turned-boxer shocked the boxing world by pushing heavyweight titleholder Tyson Fury to his limits on Oct. 28, when he lost a split decision. And he’s jumping directly into another fight with an established star, two-time champion Joshua. Ngannou probably benefitted from the fact Fury took him lightly, which Joshua will not have done. However, Ngannou demonstrated that he’s a capable boxer with unusual physical strength. He’s a genuine threat to Joshua even though he’s around a 4-1 underdog. Joshua is coming off his strongest performances in years, demolishing a solid opponent in Otto Wallin in five rounds on Dec. 23 at Kingdom Arena. He has now won three consecutive times since he lost back-to-back fights against Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022. And he seems to be thriving under new trainer Ben Davison. The winner of this fight will be in a strong position to face the winner of the May 18 Usyk-Fury matchup, as will the winner of the Zhilei Zhang-Joseph Parker fight on the undercard Friday. Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KOs) is coming off back-to-back knockouts of former title contender Joe Joyce last year. Parker (34-3, 23 KOs) delivered a career-changing unanimous decision victory over fellow former titleholder Deontay Wilder on the Joshua-Wallin card. The Kiwi has won four connective fights since he was stopped by Joyce in 11 rounds in 2022.

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Pound-for-pound: Action will pick up in a big way beginning on April 20

Pound-for-pound: Action will pick up in a big way beginning on April 20

That’s crickets you’re hearing when it comes to the pound-for-pound scene.

None of the 20 fighter’s on Boxing Junkie’s list — Nos. 1-15 and five Honorable Mentions — is scheduled to step into the ring until April 20, when No. 10 Devin Haney will defend his 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas.

The action picks up in a big way at that point, however. Between April 20 and June 1 — a span of only five-plus weeks — seven pound-for-pounders are scheduled to fight.

They are No. 2 Naoya Inoue, No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk, No. 4 Dmitry Bivol, No. 9 Tyson Fury, Haney, No. 12 Artur Beterbiev and No. 14 Vasiliy Lomachenko (see below for details).

That number could grow. No. 6 Canelo Alvarez is expected to fight on May 4, although no opponent has been announced. And Honorable Mention David Benavidez is in talks to face 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June.

And who knows what other matchups involving the best of the best might emerge?

Yes, the lack of activity at the moment is disappointing. However, patience will pay dividends. The biggest stars in the sport are in the gym as you read this preparing to perform.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 10 Devin Haney is scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 on pay-per-view from Las Vegas.

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

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to defend his undisputed 122-pound championship against Luis Nery on May 6 in Japan.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – Scheduled to face No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – No fight scheduled.
  6. Canelo Alvarez – No fight scheduled.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
  9. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
  10. Devin Haney– Scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 in Las Vegas.
  11. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – No fight scheduled.
  12. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to face No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
  13. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  14. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia.
  15. Shakur Stevenson– No fight scheduled.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): David Benavidez (has agreed to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June but no deal is in place); Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (no fight scheduled); Teofimo Lopez (no fight scheduled).