Boxing Wire

Author: Andrew Ravens

  • Derek Chisora Predicts Daniel Dubois vs Moses Itauma Next

    Derek Chisora Predicts Daniel Dubois vs Moses Itauma Next

    Derek Chisora says Daniel Dubois is the favorite to beat Moses Itauma if the two heavyweights meet.

    Dubois won the WBO heavyweight title Saturday, stopping Fabio Wardley in the 11th round at Co-Op Live in Manchester after twice being knocked down. Itauma, 21, is expected to be named the WBO’s mandatory challenger, putting a Dubois defense on the table.

    Speaking to Seconds Out, Chisora gave Dubois the edge.

    “Right now, with the odds, the favourite is Daniel, he is the world champion. So, I think Daniel [will win], but we know Itauma and how he is.”

    Any Dubois vs. Itauma fight would likely land in 2027 at the earliest. Itauma is expected to fight August 8 at the O2 Arena before a U.S. debut later this year. The matchup could also be bypassed entirely depending on whether Oleksandr Usyk vacates or defends the other heavyweight titles.

  • Dana White Fires Back at Roy Jones Jr.’s Criticism of Zuffa Boxing

    Dana White Fires Back at Roy Jones Jr.’s Criticism of Zuffa Boxing

    Dana White has pushed back against criticism from Roy Jones Jr. regarding Zuffa Boxing’s growing influence in the sport, defending the promotion’s approach to fighter treatment at the post-fight press conference following Zuffa Boxing 06 in Las Vegas.

    Jones had questioned in a recent interview whether Zuffa’s long-term presence could alter how boxing historically operates. White addressed the comments directly and dismissed the idea that fighters are being mistreated or politically managed under the Zuffa structure.

    “I don’t know whose ass you got to kiss around here to get fights. Probably got to be Ish or Harrison or somebody. I think that if you asked any of the fighters, they would tell you that we treat them very well, treat them like professional athletes. Any of the interactions that I’ve had through Ish and Harrison has been nothing but respectful.”

    White acknowledged that disruption inevitably generates resistance from established figures within any industry, framing Jones’ criticism as a predictable consequence of what Zuffa is doing.

    “Everybody’s entitled to their opinions. I’m sure when you come into a business and you start to cause disruption, you’re going to ruffle some feathers. It’s going to happen.”

    Zuffa Boxing has built its early identity around matching undefeated fighters against each other earlier than is traditionally common in boxing, and White has been consistent in saying the promotion will not protect fighter records at the expense of meaningful matchmaking. He has also stated that fighters will not face pay cuts or contract changes as a result of losing, a policy designed to differentiate Zuffa from traditional boxing structures.

  • Dana White Explains What Zuffa Boxing is Best At, Promises Bigger Progress Heading Into 2027

    Dana White Explains What Zuffa Boxing is Best At, Promises Bigger Progress Heading Into 2027

    Dana White used the post-fight press conference following Zuffa Boxing 06 in Las Vegas to outline the promotional philosophy driving the company forward, pointing to undefeated fighters facing each other as the clearest expression of what Zuffa Boxing is trying to do differently.

    “When the best fight the best, that’s what everybody wants to see. A great card top to bottom with lots of up-and-coming prospects, lots of undefeated guys fighting undefeated guys.”

    White also addressed a key structural difference between Zuffa and traditional boxing promotions, specifically around what happens to a fighter’s financial standing after a loss.

    “Nobody has to worry about being cut or their money being changed with a loss. That’s how it works.”

    He also signaled that the first several months of Zuffa Boxing should be understood as a foundation-building period rather than the finished product, pointing toward 2027 as the window when the promotion’s work will be most visible.

    “Judge us by our body of work as we head into ’27. They’re only going to get better.”

    Zuffa Boxing launched in January and has signed a growing roster including Conor Benn, Jai Opetaia, Edgar Berlanga, Richardson Hitchins, and Chris Billiam-Smith. Reports linking Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney to the promotion are adding further momentum to a company that has staged six events across its first four months of operation.

  • Jake Paul Says His Boxing Career Could Be Over After Jaw Injury

    Jake Paul Says His Boxing Career Could Be Over After Jaw Injury

    Jake Paul has raised the possibility that his boxing career could be finished following the jaw injury sustained in his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua last December, telling Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show that he is awaiting medical scans before any clearer picture can emerge.

    Paul was knocked down twice in the fifth round and stopped in the sixth by Joshua in Miami in their Netflix main event. He subsequently shared images of his swollen jaw on social media and has been managing the injury since.

    “I’m getting some new scans in a couple of days, of the jaw, to get an update on the healing process. We’ll see what the doctors say. I think I’ll be able to get a more accurate time-frame, or can I even fight again? That is definitely in the realm of possibility. It does feel a lot better as the weeks go by, but I definitely need to get cleared to be able to spar. I think it just depends on how the bone heals, and then there’s a tooth missing that I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to get an implant of some sort.”

    Paul co-founded Most Valuable Promotions alongside Nakisa Bidarian and has been focused on the promotional side of the business during his recovery, with MVP MMA 1 headlined by Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano on Netflix this Saturday serving as the promotion’s next major event. Whether his fighting career resumes will depend on the results of the upcoming scans and the advice of his medical team.

  • Dana White Teases Two New Zuffa Boxing Signings

    Dana White Teases Two New Zuffa Boxing Signings

    Dana White stopped short of confirming Shakur Stevenson’s signing with Zuffa Boxing after their sixth card in Las Vegas, but the smirk that accompanied his answer said plenty.

    Sports Illustrated senior writer Chris Mannix reported late last week that Stevenson, the 140-pound champion and third-ranked pound-for-pound fighter on Ring Magazine’s rankings, is finalizing a deal with Zuffa Boxing. White was asked about the report at the Zuffa 06 post-fight press conference and kept his answer deliberately vague.

    “Did we announce Shakur Stevenson? No? Possibly. Listen, at the end of the day, I think that everybody is going to be here at Zuffa Boxing.”

    Stevenson is arguably the best active American boxer following Terence Crawford’s retirement and would represent easily the most significant signing in Zuffa Boxing’s four-month existence. He and Conor Benn, who is already signed with the promotion, have been going back and forth publicly about a potential fight.

    White was also asked about welterweight champion Devin Haney following a cryptic post from his father and manager Bill Haney on X that teased a deal worth over $100 million before Devin turns 30. When pressed on whether that contract is with Zuffa Boxing, White maintained his pattern of non-denial.

    “I think that everybody is going to be at Zuffa Boxing eventually. At the end of 2026, judge us by our body of work as we head into 2027. I don’t know why I would say things that aren’t true. Look at what we’ve done in just four months.”

    Zuffa Boxing has already signed Edgar Berlanga, Richardson Hitchins, and British cruiserweight Chris Billiam-Smith in recent months alongside Benn and Jai Opetaia, building a roster at an aggressive pace since launching in January.

  • Nahir Albright is Coming With Revenge on his Mind for Keyshawn Davis Rematch

    Nahir Albright is Coming With Revenge on his Mind for Keyshawn Davis Rematch

    Nahir Albright is heading back to Norfolk, Virginia, carrying a chip on his shoulder that goes beyond the result of his first fight with Keyshawn Davis, and he has made his intentions for Saturday night at the Scope Arena unmistakably clear.

    The rematch headlines Top Rank’s inaugural event under its new deal with DAZN, making the bout especially significant as the first card of a new promotional partnership. The fight itself carries its own complicated history. Their October contest originally ended with Davis winning a majority decision before that result was overturned to a no-contest following a positive test for marijuana. The same arena where that fight took place also witnessed a backstage incident between the two that has fuelled the animosity heading into the rematch.

    Albright, who carries a 17-2-1 record with seven knockouts, has been careful not to revisit the specifics of that backstage moment while making clear it still burns. He told Boxing Scene:

    “Honestly, I don’t want to relive that moment, I just want to focus on this fight. It does motivate me. It is a chip on my shoulder, and it is unsettled. We have to handle it in the ring.”

    The night of their first fight had been a difficult one for the Davis family overall. Albright had defeated Kelvin Davis, Keyshawn’s older brother, in a significant upset, while Keyshawn lost his WBO lightweight title on the scales after his scheduled fight against Edwin De Los Santos was cancelled when he missed weight. Abdullah Mason was elevated to the main event in the confusion that followed.

    Albright is unbeaten since moving up to junior welterweight and has fought once since the Davis win, drawing with Frank Martin in February. He believes the weight class move and the lessons learned from the first contest make him a different fighter heading into Saturday.

    “I felt I didn’t show all of myself that night. It is a new weight class now, and I am stronger. It is going to be different this time around.”

    He left no ambiguity about his approach to walking into hostile territory in Davis’s hometown.

    “My mindset is to go to Virginia and seek and destroy. Get him out of there, and show the world where I belong. It is personal. I am coming to fight, I am not coming to play with him. I am about to shock the world next week.”

    Davis, 14-0 with 10 knockouts, is a 2020 U.S. Olympic silver medalist who made his junior welterweight debut in January, stopping Jamaine Ortiz. The 27-year-old will have the Norfolk crowd firmly behind him.

  • Tyson Fury Labels Anthony Joshua ‘Chinny’ After Watching This Fight

    Tyson Fury Labels Anthony Joshua ‘Chinny’ After Watching This Fight

    Tyson Fury has used Daniel Dubois’ stunning comeback win over Fabio Wardley on Saturday night to make a pointed observation about Anthony Joshua, the man he is expected to fight later this year.

    Posting on social media after watching Dubois stop Wardley in the 11th round to claim the WBO heavyweight title, Fury noted a pattern in Dubois’s recent record that he believes says something significant about Joshua.

    “I’ve just sat here thinking after Dubois’ unbelievable fight. Dubois fought ‘Big Baby’ Miller, stopped him but never put him down. Then he fought Hrgovic, stopped him but never put him down. He fought Wardley, an unbelievable fight, stopped him but never put him down. He hit Usyk with some bombs, never put him over. Yet he fights Anthony Joshua and pummels him and puts him to the floor four times. I’m not saying Anthony Joshua’s chinless but there are the facts. Take it as you wish and as you will. Everybody else never went over, not a singular person, ‘Big Baby’ Miller, Hrgovic, Usyk or Wardley but Joshua goes down four times. Chinny!”

    Fury also teased news about his next fight, calling it unbelievable and exciting, with details to be revealed soon. The 37-year-old returned to action in April with a win over Arslanbek Makhmudov in London, his first fight since suffering his second loss to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.

    Dubois’s victory on Saturday improved his record to 23-3 with 22 knockouts and gave him the WBO heavyweight title that Fury himself once held. The win also set up a potential future collision with WBO mandatory challenger Moses Itauma, though Frank Warren has indicated both Dubois and Wardley will need at least six months out after the brutality of their war in Manchester.

    Fury and Joshua are expected to meet in Britain in November, with the fight set to be broadcast on Netflix. Joshua faces Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on July 25 as a tune-up before the mega fight.

  • Pryce Taylor Scores Second-Round TKO Victory Over Calvin Barnett

    Pryce Taylor Scores Second-Round TKO Victory Over Calvin Barnett

    Pryce Taylor continued his development as one of boxing’s more intriguing heavyweight prospects on Saturday, stopping Calvin Barnett at 2:59 of the second round at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia, with a sustained body attack that his corner ultimately could not allow to continue.

    The 29-year-old from Brooklyn started the opening round brightly, landing a right hand that initially dazed Barnett before the 34-year-old from Port Orange, Florida, responded with a looping punch that leveled things out. The first round ended as a competitive, if rough, exchange between two fighters finding their footing.

    Taylor made a decisive tactical adjustment in the second, targeting Barnett’s midsection with a focus and consistency that changed the fight entirely. A visit to the canvas for Barnett during the round was ruled a slip, but the body shots continued landing with cumulative effect. When Taylor unleashed a finishing flurry to the body that put Barnett down at the round’s end, Barnett beat the count but his discomfort was unmistakable, and his corner intervened.

    Taylor improved to 12-0 with eight knockouts and is now on a two-fight knockout streak. Barnett fell to 7-5.

  • Daniel Dubois Reflects On Fabio Wardley’s Power After Epic War

    Daniel Dubois Reflects On Fabio Wardley’s Power After Epic War

    Daniel Dubois has silenced every question about his heart and determination, climbing off the canvas twice to stop Fabio Wardley in the 11th round and claim the WBO heavyweight championship in what Frank Warren described as one of the best fights he has ever promoted.

    The Co-op Live Arena in Manchester witnessed a genuine war. Dubois was dropped in the opening round by a right hand on top of his head, recovered in round two, and was knocked down again in round three before finally finding his rhythm and gradually taking control of the fight.

    From there, Dubois used his jab and footwork to work his way back into contention, overcoming Wardley’s effective counter-punching through the middle rounds with superior boxing as the fight progressed. The finish came at 28 seconds of round 11 when referee Howard Foster intervened with Wardley’s right eye badly impaired and blood pouring from his nose.

    Dubois was emotional and direct in his post-fight comments.

    “That was a war, thank you Fabio. I know I’ve got heart — I’m a warrior. Early it was just flash knockdowns. I had to get back to my boxing.”

    Warren matched the moment with his own assessment.

    “That’s the best heavyweight fight I’ve ever put on.”

    DAZN commentator Wade Plemons posted on X that the fight was one of the greatest heavyweight world title fights he had ever witnessed.

    Dubois is now a two-time world heavyweight champion and the first man to defeat the previously unbeaten Wardley professionally. It was his first fight since Oleksandr Usyk knocked him out at Wembley Stadium in July last year. WBO mandatory challenger Moses Itauma is among the names expected to shape the title picture around Dubois when both parties are ready to return.

  • Frank Warren Provides Update on Daniel Dubois-Fabio Wardley Rematch

    Frank Warren Provides Update on Daniel Dubois-Fabio Wardley Rematch

    Frank Warren has ruled out an immediate rematch between Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley despite a rematch clause existing in the contract, saying both fighters will need a significant period of recovery before either returns to the ring. Dubois stopped Wardley in Round 11 to capture the WBO heavyweight title on Saturday night. 

    Speaking to talkSPORT Boxing after the bout, Warren was clear about the timeline.

    “There is a rematch clause, but I don’t think that’ll be happening anytime soon. They’re going to have to be out of the ring for a little while yet. Probably six months at least.”

    He praised both men effusively after one of the most physically demanding heavyweight title fights seen in Britain in years.

    “It was just amazing. It was one of the best shows I’ve ever put on.”

    Warren also took the opportunity to address the criticism that has followed Dubois throughout his career regarding his mental fortitude under pressure, a narrative that Saturday’s performance should put to rest.

    “I never want to hear anybody talk about Daniel’s heart ever again. He gritted his teeth tonight and showed what he can do.”

    On the question of what comes next for the new WBO champion, Warren pointed to the broader heavyweight landscape as the determining factor.

    “There are quite a few heavyweight fights happening in the next few months, and that will determine where we go.”

    Moses Itauma is among the names positioned to enter the WBO title picture, with the unbeaten 21-year-old ranked third by the WBC and expected to fight in the United States later this year as part of promoter Frank Warren’s plan to expand his profile.