Category: Boxing

• Canelo v Crawford set for 13 September in Las Vegas

• Fight to stream free for Netflix users, not pay-per-view

• No venue confirmed yet; Allegiant Stadium in talks

Boxing’s most eagerly anticipated fight in years, the long-rumored showdown between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford, will take place on 13 September in Las Vegas and stream globally on Netflix, organizers confirmed on Tuesday.

The summit meeting will match two of the most accomplished pound-for-pound fighters of the past decade in a cross-divisional clash with generational implications. Álvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion who’s held titles between 154lb and 175lb, will defend his crown against Crawford, the unbeaten four-weight titleholder from 135lb through 154lb. Crawford will move up two weight classes to challenge the Mexican superstar in what has already been billed as the “fight of the century”.

Continue reading...

• Lomachenko retires with 18-3 pro record and 12 KOs

• Two-time Olympic gold medalist ends storied career

• Ukrainian star thanks fans in emotional farewell video

Vasiliy Lomachenko, a three-division world champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist and arguably the greatest amateur boxer in history, announced his retirement from the sport at the age of 37.

“I’m grateful for every victory and every defeat both in the ring and in life,” the Ukrainian said in a video on Instagram Thursday morning. “I’m thankful that as my career comes to an end, I’ve gained clarity about the direction a person must take in order to achieve true victory, not just in the ring.“

Continue reading...

• Reséndiz wins interim WBA title in major shock

• Plant outlanded 186–108 in high-volume battle

• Charlo drops LaManna three times, wins by TKO

Armando Reséndiz pulled off a massive upset on Saturday night, defeating former world champion Caleb Plant by split decision to capture the interim WBA super middleweight title at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.

Reséndiz (16-2, 11 KOs) won on two judges’ scorecards by identical 116-112 scores, overruling one card that had Plant ahead 115-113. The 25-year-old Mexican outworked and outlanded Plant over 12 rounds, handing the American his second straight loss and third in his last five fights.

Continue reading...

• Governing body singles out Algerian in statement

• World Boxing says new rules will ‘ensure safety’

Imane Khelif must undergo what World Boxing describes as “mandatory sex testing” if she wishes to compete in any women’s event organised or sanctioned by the governing body.

Khelif won gold in the women’s 66kg category at last summer’s Olympic Games, having been cleared to compete despite being disqualified from the 2023 world championships organised by the International Boxing Association for allegedly failing to meet eligibility criteria.

Continue reading...

• Durham boxer was diagnosed with cancer in January

• Won gold medal at 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games

Tributes have been paid to the British boxer Georgia O’Connor, who has died at the age of 25 after being diagnosed with cancer in January.

O’Connor won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2017 before turning professional with promoters Boxxer. She won all three of her bouts, having last fought professionally in October 2022.

Continue reading...

• Japanese superstar remains unbeaten after TKO 8 win
• Inoue bolsters claim as world’s best pound for pound

Naoya Inoue remained undefeated after retaining the undisputed junior featherweight title with an eighth-round technical knockout of Ramon Cardenas on Sunday night in front of a packed house inside T-Mobile Arena and a nationally televised audience on ESPN.

Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs), who was knocked down in the second round, played the aggressor much of the fight by using precision and power to carve his way through Cardenas (26-2), frequently sending the announced 8,474 gathering into a frenzy.

Continue reading...

• Álvarez outpoints Scull to re-unify 168lb championship
• Mexican announces he will fight Crawford in September

Moments after Canelo Álvarez fended off William Scull to become the undisputed super middleweight champion again, he was facing off against Terence Crawford in the same ring in Riyadh to promote a showdown in September.

Álvarez became an undisputed champion in the division for the second time when the judges scored his ho-hum bout early Sunday Saudi local time against Scull 115-113, 116-112, 119-109. The 34-year-old Mexican boxer improved to 63-2-2, with 39 knockouts, and is unbeaten in 10 fights in the super middleweight category.

Continue reading...

Saudi Arabia’s extension of its soft power through sport reached into the heart of New York City on Friday night with a grandiose boxing card for a select audience backed by Turki al-Sheikh, the chairman of the Kingdom’s General Entertainment Authority

• Garcia tamed by Romero in Times Square upset

Continue reading...

• Boxer spent two nights in hospital after points victory
• Potential fight with Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez mentioned

Chris Eubank Jr says he underwent surgery after his gruelling points victory over bitter rival Conor Benn after being “head-butted”.

Eubank Jr spent two nights in hospital after his victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday evening, with his promoter Ben Shalom rejecting Benn’s claims the 35-year-old had suffered a broken jaw. Shalom said Eubank Jr had gone to hospital for “precautionary checks”, but the fighter has now revealed he had surgery on a damaged eye.

Continue reading...

• Heavyweights due to meet at Wembley on 19 July
• ‘If you’ve got power on your side, you can do anything’

Daniel Dubois has warned Oleksandr Usyk that none of the mind games will matter when they step into the ring for their heavyweight title ­unification contest and suggested the Ukrainian would simply not be able to “handle the pain” when they meet at Wembley on 19 July.

On Tuesday afternoon, Dubois and Usyk presented a compelling study in contrast as, in separate conversations to officially launch the fight, the two men ­echoed the differences between them that had already been made plain 24 hours earlier.

Continue reading...

Turki al-Sheikh had booked a second date before Saturday’s dramatic slugfest although loser’s promoter fears for fighter

“I want my revenge, man,” Conor Benn said quietly in the early hours of Sunday morning as his bruised face reflected his emotional pain after he lost against Chris Eubank Jr in a wild brawl at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. “I want my revenge.”

Those typical boxing words echoed the misguided clamour for a rematch with Eubank Jr. Eddie Hearn admitted that he would prefer Benn to move back down two divisions to welterweight but the promoter grinned helplessly: “The public, His Excellency, everybody’s going to want the rematch.”

Continue reading...

• Rematch on 19 July will unite heavyweight belts
• Briton lost controversially to Ukrainian in 2023

Daniel Dubois has revenge on his mind after landing a heavyweight unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley Stadium on 19 July. The British fighter, who holds the IBF belt, has been angling for a rematch against the WBA, WBO and WBC champion, who stopped him in the ninth round of their previous meeting in August 2023.

Now the pair have agreed to a sequel at the national stadium and will meet face-to-face at a press conference on Tuesday. Dubois’ camp, led by promoter Frank Warren, were unhappy about the circumstances of the 27-year-old’s previous defeat in Poland. Referee Luis Pabon ruled that a fifth-round knockdown of Usyk was a low blow, allowing him a lengthy recovery period, and his call was strongly contested in the aftermath.

Continue reading...