Tag: Terence Crawford

Canelo Alvarez has many compelling potential opponents going forward

Canelo Alvarez has many compelling potential opponents going forward after his dominating victory over Jermell Charlo on Saturday.

Canelo Alvarez didn’t want to talk about his future immediately after his one-sided victory over Jermell Charlo on Saturday night in Las Vegas. He was enjoying the present too much.

The super middleweight champion had just demonstrated with his dominating performance that those convinced he’s in decline had gotten it wrong when he was asked multiple times who he might fight next.

He wouldn’t divulge much, saying at the post-fight news conference that he’d discuss it with his handlers and make a decision when he’s ready.

However, we can speculate. Below are six potential opponents for now or the near future. Note: All five have perfect records.

DAVID BENAVIDEZ (27-0, 23 KOs)

Many fans want to see Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) defend his titles against his most-compelling potential opponent at 168 pounds, the strapping former two-time titleholder. Benavidez’s name was mentioned when Alvarez was interviewed in the ring.

“I don’t know. I don’t f—ing care,” he responded, his way of saying that no one can take down this version of him.

Alvarez has never expressed great interest in facing Benavidez but he obviously is aware that fans desperately want to see the fight. We’ll see whether Alvarez comes around.

TERENCE CRAWFORD (40-0, 31 KOs)

Alvarez was asked about the 147-pound champion and pound-for-pound king, who recently delivered a career-defining knockout of Errol Spence Jr.

The matchup makes sense in terms of star power; it would do big pay-per-view numbers. However, Crawford would have to move up three divisions for the fight, which wouldn’t be prudent on his part.

Alvarez dismissed that possibility.

“You know, I know I always say if a fight makes sense, why not? But he’s not in our plan,” Alvarez said.

DMITRY BIVOL (21-0, 11 KOs)

Alvarez said recently that he should never have challenged the 175-pound champion when he did (in May of last year) because he wasn’t healthy. His injured left wrist had yet to be surgically repaired.

He would love another crack at the Russian to get things right. And he undoubtedly is more confident than ever that he could turn the tables after his performance on Saturday.

Bivol’s name didn’t come up after his victory over Charlo but you can bet he’s on Alvarez’s mind.

DEMETRIUS ANDRADE (32-0, 19 KOs)

Alvarez seems to take great pride in proving that those who doubt his skillset are wrong.

That skillset would be put to the test against the slick, awkward, left-handed Andrade, who no one has been eager to face. The challenge might just be attractive to the proud Alvarez, however.

God knows that Andrade, a former two-division titleholder who recently moved up to 168, deserves a big fight after all his success.

DAVIS MORRELL (9-0, 8 KOs)

Morrell might not have the name recognition to attract Alvarez but he’s a compelling potential opponent.

The 25-year-old Cuban defector, a southpaw, was an amateur star and has blown through his nine opponents as a professional. He doesn’t have experience in big fight but the all-around ability is there.

Plus, he’s the top contender in the WBA rankings.

JERMALL CHARLO (32-0, 22 KOs)

Alvarez was expected to fight the bigger of the Charlo twins on Saturday. However, Jermall, a middleweight titleholder, was unavailable because he’s dealing with mental health issues.

It’s difficult to imagine him jumping into a fight with Alvarez immediately – after all, Charlo hasn’t fought since June of 2021 – but it might be a compelling matchup after Charlo gets a tune-up fight under his belt.

Obviously, the matchup also would have an interesting background story after Alvarez’s dominating victory over Jermall’s brother. And moving up only one division makes is a lot easier than moving up two.

[lawrence-related id=39227,39198,39194]

Canelo Alvarez delivers vintage performance, easily outpoints Jermell Charlo

Canelo Alvarez delivered a vintage performance, easily outpointing Jermell Charlo to retain his titles Saturday in Las Vegas.

Canelo Alvarez looked a lot like Canelo Alvarez.

The undisputed 168-pound champion, who many suggested was in decline after three consecutive subpar performances, turned back the clock by dominating Jermell Charlo from start to finish to win a one-sided decision Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The official scores were 119-108, 118-109 and 118-109. Boxing Junkie also scored it 118-109 for Alvarez, 10 rounds to two.

What a difference good health makes.

“I’m a strong fighter,” said Alvarez, who blamed his struggles on an injured left wrist that is now healed, “all the time, with all the fighters. I’m a strong man. This Canelo, nobody can beat this Canelo.”

Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) was knocked from his pound-for-pound perch by 175-pound champ Dmitry Bivol, who outpointed him in May of last year. Then he gave so-so performances in victories over Gennadiy Golovkin and John Ryder.

That’s why many opined that 18 years as a professional were beginning to catch up with him. His response to that? Wait and see what he could do injury free.

We saw on Saturday.

Alvarez applied overwhelming pressure on the highly respected Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) from the second round on, landing more than enough punishing blows to the head and body to win rounds and prevent Charlo from mounting an attack of his own.

Charlo, the undisputed 154-pound champ who moved up two divisions for the fight, tried to move and pepper Alvarez with quick, sometimes hard blows to keep him at bay but he had neither the punch volume nor the power to earn the stronger man’s respect.

Alvarez put Charlo down in Round 7, when a straight right dazed the challenger and forced him to take a knee.

Charlo survived that punch and proved to be both durable and clever enough to last the entire 12 rounds against a bigger, stronger man, which many believed would be difficult.

The challenger, an excellent technician, was adept at avoiding clean punches to the head, aside from a handful of them. And he took everything Alvarez managed to land, including 42 hard shots to the body, according to CompuBox.

Alvarez was asked about his body work. His response made it clear that he’s as passionate about the sport as he has ever been, an indication that he has now put his struggles behind him.

“I worked on that in the gym for three months in the mountains without my family, without my friends,” he said. “I still love boxing. I still love boxing. I still love boxing so f—ing much. Boxing is my life.

“Boxing made me the person I am today. That’s why I love it so much.”

And what about his failure to stop Charlo? Not an issue.

“No no no,” he said. “I feel great. That’s why we fight 12 rounds. If I don’t get the knockout, I get 12 rounds to show I’m the best, I’m the better fighter.”

Alvarez, 33, can now look forward to his next challenge with all the confidence he had when he climbed to the pinnacle of the sport.

He was asked whether he expected to fight next on Cinco de Mayo weekend, which has become his tradition. He seemed to indicate that that is the plan. Then he was asked who he’d like to fight, which sparked his passion again.

“We’ll see who’s next,” he said.

“David Benavidez?” he was asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t f—ing care,” he responded, his way of reiterating that no one can take down this version of him.

Charlo?

The proud Texan obviously wasn’t pleased afterward but he also wasn’t despondent.

“I just felt like it wasn’t me in there,” he said. “I don’t make excuses for myself. So it is what it is. I take my punches and roll with it. This is boxing. Hey, you win some, you lose some. … Truthfully you can feel the difference in the weight. I jumped up 14 pounds.

“I’m undisputed in my division. I was daring to be great right now. You fall short sometimes. You have just keep pushing. My road don’t stop right here.”

Indeed, it doesn’t. He said he plans on moving back down to 154, at which he expects to face the winner of the Oct. 14 Tim Tszyu-Brian Mendoza fight in defense of his titles. He also said he’d like to pick on a smaller man for a change.

“I want to fight [welterweight champ] Terence Crawford,” he said. “I could fight Terence Crawford in my weight division. I know he’s somewhere around this joint. Let him fight Errol Spence or whatever they got going. Get that out of the way.

“I’m waiting. I’m about to get right back into the gym.”

Win, lose, big things lie ahead.

[lawrence-related id=39162,39164]

Canelo Alvarez delivers vintage performance, easily outpoints Jermell Charlo

Canelo Alvarez delivered a vintage performance, easily outpointing Jermell Charlo to retain his titles Saturday in Las Vegas.

Canelo Alvarez looked a lot like Canelo Alvarez.

The undisputed 168-pound champion, who many suggested was in decline after three consecutive subpar performances, turned back the clock by dominating Jermell Charlo from start to finish to win a one-sided decision Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The official scores were 119-108, 118-109 and 118-109. Boxing Junkie also scored it 118-109 for Alvarez, 10 rounds to two.

What a difference good health makes.

“I’m a strong fighter,” said Alvarez, who blamed his struggles on an injured left wrist that is now healed, “all the time, with all the fighters. I’m a strong man. This Canelo, nobody can beat this Canelo.”

Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) was knocked from his pound-for-pound perch by 175-pound champ Dmitry Bivol, who outpointed him in May of last year. Then he gave so-so performances in victories over Gennadiy Golovkin and John Ryder.

That’s why many opined that 18 years as a professional were beginning to catch up with him. His response to that? Wait and see what he could do injury free.

We saw on Saturday.

Alvarez applied overwhelming pressure on the highly respected Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) from the second round on, landing more than enough punishing blows to the head and body to win rounds and prevent Charlo from mounting an attack of his own.

Charlo, the undisputed 154-pound champ who moved up two divisions for the fight, tried to move and pepper Alvarez with quick, sometimes hard blows to keep him at bay but he had neither the punch volume nor the power to earn the stronger man’s respect.

Alvarez put Charlo down in Round 7, when a straight right dazed the challenger and forced him to take a knee.

Charlo survived that punch and proved to be both durable and clever enough to last the entire 12 rounds against a bigger, stronger man, which many believed would be difficult.

The challenger, an excellent technician, was adept at avoiding clean punches to the head, aside from a handful of them. And he took everything Alvarez managed to land, including 42 hard shots to the body, according to CompuBox.

Alvarez was asked about his body work. His response made it clear that he’s as passionate about the sport as he has ever been, an indication that he has now put his struggles behind him.

“I worked on that in the gym for three months in the mountains without my family, without my friends,” he said. “I still love boxing. I still love boxing. I still love boxing so f—ing much. Boxing is my life.

“Boxing made me the person I am today. That’s why I love it so much.”

And what about his failure to stop Charlo? Not an issue.

“No no no,” he said. “I feel great. That’s why we fight 12 rounds. If I don’t get the knockout, I get 12 rounds to show I’m the best, I’m the better fighter.”

Alvarez, 33, can now look forward to his next challenge with all the confidence he had when he climbed to the pinnacle of the sport.

He was asked whether he expected to fight next on Cinco de Mayo weekend, which has become his tradition. He seemed to indicate that that is the plan. Then he was asked who he’d like to fight, which sparked his passion again.

“We’ll see who’s next,” he said.

“David Benavidez?” he was asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t f—ing care,” he responded, his way of reiterating that no one can take down this version of him.

Charlo?

The proud Texan obviously wasn’t pleased afterward but he also wasn’t despondent.

“I just felt like it wasn’t me in there,” he said. “I don’t make excuses for myself. So it is what it is. I take my punches and roll with it. This is boxing. Hey, you win some, you lose some. … Truthfully you can feel the difference in the weight. I jumped up 14 pounds.

“I’m undisputed in my division. I was daring to be great right now. You fall short sometimes. You have just keep pushing. My road don’t stop right here.”

Indeed, it doesn’t. He said he plans on moving back down to 154, at which he expects to face the winner of the Oct. 14 Tim Tszyu-Brian Mendoza fight in defense of his titles. He also said he’d like to pick on a smaller man for a change.

“I want to fight [welterweight champ] Terence Crawford,” he said. “I could fight Terence Crawford in my weight division. I know he’s somewhere around this joint. Let him fight Errol Spence or whatever they got going. Get that out of the way.

“I’m waiting. I’m about to get right back into the gym.”

Win, lose, big things lie ahead.

[lawrence-related id=39162,39164]

Pound-for-pound: Rankings could look different after Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo

Pound-for-pound: Boxing Junkie’s rankings could look different after the Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo fight on Sept. 30 in Las Vegas.

Super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez’s pay-per-view defense against Jermell Charlo on Saturday in Las Vegas might shake up Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound rankings.

And it might not.

The Top 15 list (plus five Honorable Mentions) will probably remain static if No. 7 Alvarez wins convincingly. After all, No. 8 Charlo, about a 3½-1 underdog, is moving up two weight classes to challenge the future Hall of Famer.

However, if Alvarez loses or even struggles to eke out a victory, our rankings could look considerably different.

Alvarez dropped from No. 2 to No. 7 after he lost a clear decision to 175-pound champion Dmitry Bivol in May of last year, which was followed by so-so outings against Gennadiy Golovkin and John Ryder. A poor performance against Charlo could knock him out of Top 10 for the first time in many years.

Meanwhile, Charlo certainly would climb the list if he has his hand raised. He would end up no lower than No. 7 and could climb higher than that, depending upon the nature of his victory.

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

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – No fight scheduled.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – No fight scheduled.
  5. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face MMA star Francis Ngannou in a boxing match on Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia.
  6. Juan Francisco Estrada – Reportedly in talks with Honorable Mention Kazuto Ioka for a title-unification New Year’s Eve bout in Japan.
  7. Canelo Alvarez– Scheduled to defend his 168-pound titles against Jermell Charlo on Sept. 30.
  8. Jermell Charlo – Scheduled to challenge 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 30.
  9. Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
  10. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  11. Vasiliy Lomachenko – No fight scheduled.
  12. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to defend his 175-pound titles against Callum Smit on Jan. 13 in Quebec City, Canada.
  13. Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduled.
  14. Roman Gonzalez – No fight scheduled.
  15. Devin Haney – 135-pound champion reportedly near a deal to challenge 140-pound titleholder Regis Prograis this fall.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): David Benavidez (no fight scheduled); Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Sunny Edwards (scheduled to face Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in a 112-pound title-unification bout on Dec. 16); Kazuto Ioka (reportedly in talks with No. 6 Juan Francisco Estrada for a title-unification New Year’s Eve bout in Japan); Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (scheduled to face Sunny Edwards in a 112-pound title-unification bout on Dec. 16).

[lawrence-related id=38864,38861,38853,38851,38811,38761,38624,38588,38581,38575]

Pound-for-pound: Rankings could look different after Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo

Pound-for-pound: Boxing Junkie’s rankings could look different after the Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo fight on Sept. 30 in Las Vegas.

Super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez’s pay-per-view defense against Jermell Charlo on Saturday in Las Vegas might shake up Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound rankings.

And it might not.

The Top 15 list (plus five Honorable Mentions) will probably remain static if No. 7 Alvarez wins convincingly. After all, No. 8 Charlo, about a 3½-1 underdog, is moving up two weight classes to challenge the future Hall of Famer.

However, if Alvarez loses or even struggles to eke out a victory, our rankings could look considerably different.

Alvarez dropped from No. 2 to No. 7 after he lost a clear decision to 175-pound champion Dmitry Bivol in May of last year, which was followed by so-so outings against Gennadiy Golovkin and John Ryder. A poor performance against Charlo could knock him out of Top 10 for the first time in many years.

Meanwhile, Charlo certainly would climb the list if he has his hand raised. He would end up no lower than No. 7 and could climb higher than that, depending upon the nature of his victory.

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

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – No fight scheduled.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – No fight scheduled.
  5. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face MMA star Francis Ngannou in a boxing match on Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia.
  6. Juan Francisco Estrada – Reportedly in talks with Honorable Mention Kazuto Ioka for a title-unification New Year’s Eve bout in Japan.
  7. Canelo Alvarez– Scheduled to defend his 168-pound titles against Jermell Charlo on Sept. 30.
  8. Jermell Charlo – Scheduled to challenge 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 30.
  9. Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
  10. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  11. Vasiliy Lomachenko – No fight scheduled.
  12. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to defend his 175-pound titles against Callum Smit on Jan. 13 in Quebec City, Canada.
  13. Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduled.
  14. Roman Gonzalez – No fight scheduled.
  15. Devin Haney – 135-pound champion reportedly near a deal to challenge 140-pound titleholder Regis Prograis this fall.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): David Benavidez (no fight scheduled); Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Sunny Edwards (scheduled to face Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in a 112-pound title-unification bout on Dec. 16); Kazuto Ioka (reportedly in talks with No. 6 Juan Francisco Estrada for a title-unification New Year’s Eve bout in Japan); Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (scheduled to face Sunny Edwards in a 112-pound title-unification bout on Dec. 16).

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Trainer Brian “BoMac” McIntyre arrested for gun possession in England

Trainer Brian “BoMac” McIntyre was arrested for gun possession Sunday in Manchester, England.

Trainer Brian McIntrye was arrested Sunday for allegedly having a gun in checked baggage before boarding a plane at Manchester Airport in England, according to multiple reports.

“BoMac” was in the corner for Chris Eubank’s knockout victory over Liam Smith the night before at AO Arena in Manchester.

“Brian McIntyre, from the United States of America, was charged with possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition for a firearm without a certificate,” Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.

McIntyre, who is in police custody, appeared at Stockport Magistrates’ Court on Monday. He is due in Manchester Crown Court on Oct. 9.

Trainer Brian “BoMac” McIntyre arrested for gun possession in England

Trainer Brian “BoMac” McIntyre was arrested for gun possession Sunday in Manchester, England.

Trainer Brian McIntrye was arrested Sunday for allegedly having a gun in checked baggage before boarding a plane at Manchester Airport in England, according to multiple reports.

“BoMac” was in the corner for Chris Eubank’s knockout victory over Liam Smith the night before at AO Arena in Manchester.

“Brian McIntyre, from the United States of America, was charged with possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition for a firearm without a certificate,” Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.

McIntyre, who is in police custody, appeared at Stockport Magistrates’ Court on Monday. He is due in Manchester Crown Court on Oct. 9.

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.

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

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.

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

Errol Spence Jr. reportedly exercises rematch clause, will fight Terence Crawford again

Errol Spence Jr. reportedly has exercised a rematch clause that will allow him to meet Terence Crawford a second time.

Errol Spence Jr. evidently is a glutton for punishment.

The former 147-pound beltholder was dominated and ultimately knocked out by Terence Crawford in a battle for the undisputed championship on July 29 in Las Vegas, Spence’s first loss and a blow to his reputation.

Now he wants to go there again. Crawford’s trainer, Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, told Pro Boxing Fans that Spence has exercised the rematch clause in their original contract.

McIntyre said no specific date for the second fight has been discussed. He hopes it will happen before the end of the year.

“[Crawford] just texted me yesterday and said that Spence has activated his rematch. That’s confirmed,” McIntrye said.

The rematch almost certainly would take place at a 154 pounds, as Spence has indicated he plans to move up in weight.

Their first fight was thought to be a 50-50 matchup but quickly turned into a rout.

Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) dominated Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) beginning in the second round, when he put Spence down for the first of three times. He also dropped Spence twice in Round 7, when it became clear that Spence had little chance to win.

Crawford was simply too quick, too clever and too good for his fellow pound-for-pounder, as if he was fighting a journeyman.

The ending was brutal. Crawford stung Spence about midway through Round 9 and then unloaded as vicious an assault as you’ll ever see in the ring. Spence somehow remained on his feet but he took terrible punishment, enough to convince referee Harvey Dock to end the slaughter.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:32 of the ninth.

Thus, Crawford became the first man to win the undisputed welterweight championship and capture all four major titles in a second division.

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