Tag: Stephen Fulton

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.

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

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]

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]

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.

[lawrence-related id=38400,38142,38071,38047,34158,38588,38575,37961]

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.

[lawrence-related id=38400,38142,38071,38047,34158,38588,38575,37961]