Boxing Wire

Author: Andrew Ravens

  • Conor Benn Says Floyd Mayweather’s Undefeated Obsession Broke Boxing’s Relationship With Losing

    Conor Benn Says Floyd Mayweather’s Undefeated Obsession Broke Boxing’s Relationship With Losing

    Boxing’s cultural fear of losing was the dominant topic when Conor Benn and Dana White sat down with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take on Friday, and all three had something pointed to say about how the sport arrived at this problem and what it would take to fix it.

    Smith set the stage by comparing boxing’s modern attitude toward losses with the generation that built the sport into a mainstream institution. “Unlike the UFC, where you could be great and have three or four losses, in boxing you have two, everybody’s having a heart attack and acting like you ain’t a top fighter in the world. Sugar Ray had losses. Tommy Hearns had losses. Mike Tyson had losses. But it didn’t stop them from being great.”

    Benn, whose lone career defeat came against Chris Eubank Jr. in their first meeting before he won the rematch, traced the shift to one fighter who fundamentally changed how the sport was marketed.

    “I feel like it changed with Mayweather when he came along and it was the undefeated record. Everyone was scared of losing,” Benn said. “Ultimately, I’d rather lose an exciting fight than win a boring fight, because then it’s like, did you even win?”

    He framed his own commitment in terms that put fan value ahead of personal record preservation. “I just want to give people value for money. I want people to want to tune into a Conor Benn fight, win, lose, or draw. I fight with my heart on my sleeve and they’re getting everything I’ve got. I pour my soul into my fights and I give them every shot I have.”

    White’s structural answer to the problem is the model he built in MMA: roster depth. The UFC framework allows fans to invest in a card rather than a single fight, making one loss a chapter rather than a career-ender.

    “We’re starting to build a roster of guys now. In the UFC, you can have the main event, the co-main. Sometimes the fans are more excited about the undercard fights,” White said. “There hasn’t been a middle class in boxing in a long time, and that’s what we’re going to bring. When the best fight the best, not every fight’s going to be the greatest fight you’ve ever seen, but people want to see good fights. A loss doesn’t mean you’re done.”

    Smith closed the segment with a simple blueprint for what Zuffa Boxing needs to execute on the vision. “Two ingredients to success for Zuffa Boxing: Number one, more guys with his attitude in your stable. Number two, two to three main events a year, mega fights.”

  • Alycia Baumgardner Calls Out Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano For Superfight

    Alycia Baumgardner Calls Out Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano For Superfight

    Alycia Baumgardner has identified her next two targets, and she says the groundwork for both fights is already being laid.

    Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show ahead of her MVPW-02 title defense against Bo Mi Re Shin on Friday, the unified super featherweight champion revealed she has spoken directly with Katie Taylor about a potential matchup and described the conversation as mutually respectful and promising.

    “I was able to talk to Katie personally. I had a great conversation with her recently, woman to woman,” Baumgardner said. “I said, ‘Listen, I respect what you do. I love what you have done. I would love to share the ring with you.’ And she agreed. She respects my level of skills. She respects who I am as an individual. And we know what the sport needs. She’s a gamer. She’s game on.”

    Baumgardner is equally direct about wanting Amanda Serrano, and she already has a venue in mind for that fight.

    “I love that fight. I’ve been very vocal with Jordan Maldonado. I’ve been vocal with Amanda. Would love to share the ring with her. The money has to be there, obviously. And that’s a fight we could see in New York City at the Garden. We have the fan base for that.”

    She framed both names as the only ones that matter when discussing women’s boxing at the highest level right now. “When we talk about a super fight, we talk about the biggest stage. We were on Netflix twice last year. Now we’re headlining on ESPN. There’s only two names that have that pedigree of being on a stage like that. Those are the two fights, a super fight that I want.”

    For now, the focus is on Shin. Baumgardner defends her WBA, IBF, and WBO titles at Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden on Friday, headlining MVPW’s first show on ESPN. She views the performance as a statement that will accelerate conversations about those bigger matchups.

    “The performance Friday night will elevate that. We’ll set the standard. Then, who do we want to see Alycia Baumgardner against? It’s got to be one of those two.”

    MVPW-02 airs live on ESPN at 10 PM ET on Friday, April 17.

  • Oleksandr Usyk Delivers Four-Word Verdict On Fury vs. Joshua

    Oleksandr Usyk Delivers Four-Word Verdict On Fury vs. Joshua

    Oleksandr Usyk has delivered a pointed message to Tyson Fury while making his prediction for the Anthony Joshua fight crystal clear.

    Speaking with Ring Magazine, Usyk was asked whether Fury could beat Joshua in a potential matchup between the two heavyweight names. His answer was brief and direct.

    “AJ will win. AJ will beat you.”

    The comment carries added weight given that Usyk defeated Joshua twice in their heavyweight title fights in 2022, making him one of the most credible voices on Joshua’s performance at the elite level. The two are now sharing a training camp ahead of Usyk’s May 23 crossover fight against Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza, with Joshua joining Usyk’s camp and the pair training on staggered daily schedules.

    Usyk also reacted to Fury’s comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov last Saturday, saying he watched the first six rounds before leaving for church. He confirmed he heard Fury’s post-fight call for a trilogy but made clear that the conversation has to wait until after his own fight.

    “I heard Tyson say, ‘Hey, maybe trilogy for us, I’m ready.’ But after my fight with Rico, because now my focus is only May 23rd.”

    Rather than dismissing Fury’s return to the ring, Usyk framed it as a positive development for the sport, while also noting that the current generation of heavyweight names is approaching the end of its window.

    “Tyson is a crazy man, but come back, four or five times. Tyson back. It’s good now. It’s needed. Needed player. Because all of us heavyweights, I think we have one, two years and the era changes. Young guys come. We go rest, play soccer, golf, drink beer.”

    Usyk has previously stated he has approximately three fights remaining in his career: the Verhoeven bout, the winner of Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois, and a potential trilogy with Fury. A Joshua and Fury fight could reshuffle that timeline, but Usyk’s prediction on who wins that matchup was unambiguous.

  • Alycia Baumgardner Names Fighter That Would Beat Claressa Shields

    Alycia Baumgardner Names Fighter That Would Beat Claressa Shields

    Alycia Baumgardner does not believe Claressa Shields is the best women’s boxer in the world. The unified super featherweight champion made that position clear on The Ariel Helwani Show ahead of her MVPW-02 title defense on Friday, going further by naming Michaela Mayer as someone she believes would beat Shields outright.

    “My opinion is Michaela Mayer would beat Clarissa Shields,” Baumgardner said. “I think skills matter. The skill set, the grit, the experience. Michaela Mayer and I fought in London, amazing fight. We sold that show. Nobody was tuning in for Clarissa Shields and Savannah Marshall. It was Alicia Baumgardner and Michaela Mayer that sold that show at the O2 Arena.”

    Baumgardner drew a distinction between Shields’ accomplishments and her actual ability, making clear she respects the resume without accepting the conclusion that it makes Shields the best.

    “Clarissa thinks she’s the best in the world. She truly believes that. I don’t think she is,” Baumgardner said. “I think she’s the most accomplished, but I don’t think she’s the best. I believe that Michaela Mayer has the skills to beat Clarissa Shields due to her experience in boxing, her loss, and her character build.”

    She also questioned Shields’ conditioning and commitment to making weight for bigger fights, issuing a direct challenge to her preparation habits.

    “How dedicated are you? Get a nutritionist,” Baumgardner said. “I’ve never seen that girl come to weigh-ins with abs at all, and I don’t know if that’s AI, so you can’t tell me. I’ve never seen her come to weigh-ins in tip-top shape. If you want those big fights, come down to the weight class and get a nutritionist. It’s not hard. Fighters do it all the time.”

    When the conversation turned to pound-for-pound rankings, Baumgardner dismissed the concept entirely, saying external validation plays no role in how she measures herself.

    “These are people who come together at the kitchen table to make a list. I do not care about that list,” she said. “I don’t move off other people’s validation for me, their expectations for me. I know what I do on a daily basis. Baby, I make my own list. I’m pound-for-pound 1 through 10.”

    Baumgardner defends her WBA, IBF, and WBO super featherweight titles against Bo Mi Re Shin at MVPW-02 on Friday, live on ESPN at 10 PM ET.

  • Eddie Hearn Thinks The Real Fury-Netflix Number Is Being Hidden

    Eddie Hearn Thinks The Real Fury-Netflix Number Is Being Hidden

    Eddie Hearn believes Netflix broke from its usual pattern by releasing only a UK viewership figure for the Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 11, and he thinks the reason is straightforward.

    Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, the Matchroom chairman noted that Netflix has consistently released global figures for its boxing events, and that the decision to release a UK-only figure of 5 million viewers suggests the worldwide total was not worth publicizing.

    “I’ve never seen it announced like that before. Every other show’s given a global number,” Hearn said. “The bulk of that viewership would be in the UK, but you’d have to think the number was less than 10 million, certainly, and it may even be less than seven or eight. Just strange that a UK number was given rather than a global number.”

    The event also featured Conor Benn vs. Regis Prograis and Shakur Stevenson vs. Teofimo Lopez on the undercard, giving the card additional star power beyond Fury’s return fight. Despite that, the viewership picture appears to have fallen short of the benchmarks Netflix has previously seen from its boxing portfolio, which has included major numbers for Jake Paul events and the first Fury vs. Usyk fight.

    The figures carry implications beyond the Makhmudov fight itself. Netflix is expected to broadcast the Anthony Joshua vs. Fury fight later this year, and a declining trend in Fury’s standalone drawing power could affect the platform’s approach to that deal. A sub-10 million global number for Fury’s return would represent a meaningful step back from the numbers the platform has used to justify its investment in boxing.

  • Eddie Hearn Rips Zuffa Boxing: ‘No Strategy,’ Benn Deal ‘Worst Business’

    Eddie Hearn Rips Zuffa Boxing: ‘No Strategy,’ Benn Deal ‘Worst Business’

    Eddie Hearn has delivered his sharpest take yet of Zuffa Boxing, telling The Ariel Helwani Show that five months into Dana White’s boxing venture, the promotion has produced nothing worth pointing to and may have already committed one of the worst deals in recent boxing history.

    “These guys are very powerful and smart, but I actually don’t think they know what they’re doing,” Hearn said. “The more I look at it, I’m not sure there even is a strategy. It’s kind of like ‘sign who you can sign and then go from there.’”

    The centerpiece of Hearn’s criticism was the reported Conor Benn deal. According to reports, Zuffa paid $15 million for Benn’s 10-round fight against Regis Prograis on the Fury-Makhmudov Netflix card, with no future options attached. Matchroom is demanding full financial disclosure to confirm the figure, but Hearn was unsparing in his assessment if the number is accurate.

    “If you want to get sucked into the fact that someone would pay $15 million for a 10-round fight where it’s probably worth a million dollars, and have no future options, no deal in place, you are probably the biggest idiot on the planet,” he said. He called it potentially “one of the worst pieces of business” in boxing and expressed disbelief that no senior Zuffa executives attended the fight or visited the changing room despite the scale of the investment. “You must have some serious money if you’re just willing to spunk 15 million up the wall in a 10-round fight and not even send anybody to try and secure that deal,” Hearn said.

    Beyond the Benn situation, Hearn challenged anyone to name a genuinely impressive Zuffa show since the promotion launched. He pointed to small crowds, inconsistent scheduling, and underwhelming matchups as evidence that the execution has not matched the ambition. He also questioned the status of the boxing league concept Zuffa initially promoted, noting that governing bodies are already calling mandatories that complicate the model. While acknowledging that the roster includes legitimate names like Richardson Hitchins and Edgar Berlanga, Hearn argued the shows themselves have not reflected the promotional firepower behind them.

    “If I did those shows I would get screamed out of town by five fans,” he said. “‘What is this? There’s 150 people here in this room. Who are these people? What are these fights?’”

  • Hearn: Anthony Joshua Refused Ring Stunt, Won’t Announce Fight ‘That’s Not Done’

    Hearn: Anthony Joshua Refused Ring Stunt, Won’t Announce Fight ‘That’s Not Done’

    Anthony Joshua created a moment of tension at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday when he declined to enter the ring, and Eddie Hearn has now explained exactly why. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, the Matchroom chairman revealed that Joshua deliberately decided not to make a public announcement about a fight he does not yet consider finalized.

    “I asked AJ if he wanted to get in the ring. He said to me, ‘I don’t want to get in the ring and announce a fight that’s not done. I feel like that’s not being fair and honest with the British public. What if it doesn’t happen? How many times have we done this before?’” Hearn said.

    The standoff played out inside the stadium, with Turki Alalshikh’s team calling Joshua out from the ring while he remained seated in the crowd. Hearn told the organizers Joshua would not be getting in the ring, and was informed that Tyson Fury might say something over the rope instead.

    On the contractual side, Hearn confirmed that a contract arrived at the end of last week and is currently being reviewed by both Joshua’s personal legal team and Matchroom’s lawyers. He expects a red-lined version to be returned to the Saudi side within 24 to 48 hours. Despite that progress, Hearn was careful to draw a clear line between intention and completion. “There’s a difference between ‘we’re all moving forward to finalize the fight’ and a fight being done and signed,” he said. “It is absolutely our intention to try and close this deal, but it’s not done and it’s not signed. We have been here on a number of occasions before where the fight has fallen through.” He described the remaining issues as nothing major but stressed that Joshua will not rush the process for the sake of optics.

    Hearn framed Joshua’s caution as appropriate given the scale of what is being negotiated. “We’re fully committed to making this fight and I fully expect this fight to happen, but it will happen at our speed, in the right way,” he said. “In due time, AJ will be there to collect his rent.” He called the proposed Joshua vs. Fury matchup the biggest fight in the history of British boxing and one of the biggest fights of all time, arguing it deserves to be handled accordingly rather than rushed into a premature announcement.

    The proposed deal structure calls for a July warmup fight for Joshua followed by the Fury bout in November. Joshua has not fought since a car crash earlier this year disrupted his original timeline, and Hearn said the warmup is essential given what Joshua has been through physically in the lead-up to what would be the defining fight of his career.

  • Mike Tyson Reveals What Evander Holyfield’s Ear Tasted Like

    Mike Tyson Reveals What Evander Holyfield’s Ear Tasted Like

    Mike Tyson has revealed exactly what went through his mind in the moment he bit Evander Holyfield’s ear during their infamous 1997 rematch, and his description is about as candid as it gets.

    Speaking to ABC’s Liz Neporent while reflecting on the incident, Tyson described the sensation as immediately repulsive, explaining that he spat the piece out the moment it happened.

    “I really sucked on the ear and stuff,” Tyson said. “But if you watch the fight, as soon as I did it, I spit it right out, instantaneously. It was really disgusting.”

    The incident unfolded in the third round of Tyson vs. Holyfield II in Las Vegas, when a frustrated Tyson bit a chunk out of Holyfield’s right ear during a clinch. Referee Mills Lane eventually disqualified Tyson after the moment sent shockwaves through the MGM Grand arena and across the boxing world. It remains one of the most controversial single moments in the history of combat sports.

    Despite the infamy of the night, Tyson and Holyfield eventually repaired their relationship and found ways to laugh about what happened. The two worked together on a barbecue sauce commercial that played directly on their rivalry, leaning into the incident with humor neither man could have managed in the immediate aftermath.

    Years later, Tyson took the joke even further when he launched his Mike Bites cannabis gummies, ear-shaped edibles that Holyfield publicly endorsed.

  • Tyson Fury Fears Career Decline After Watching Wilder-Chisora Fight

    Tyson Fury Fears Career Decline After Watching Wilder-Chisora Fight

    Tyson Fury has admitted that watching Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora fight last weekend left him questioning whether he is on the same trajectory as the two aging heavyweights.

    Speaking on the Inside Ring Show ahead of his return to the ring Saturday night against Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Fury was honest about the doubts the performance stirred in him.

    “After watching Deontay and Chisora the other night fight, it was hard to watch for me,” Fury said. “It was sad, it was heartbreaking. And I’d never seen two men slide as much as them two in my life.” The performance prompted an immediate and personal reaction. “I’m thinking, ‘Am I f—ing next? Is this me?’ So I said to the boys, ‘If I’m even 10 percent as bad as those guys in my fight, take me out to the field and shoot me.’”

    Fury has not fought since dropping back-to-back decisions to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024. Saturday’s fight against Makhmudov will mark 16 months out of the ring, a long layoff that Fury acknowledged carries its own complications at this stage of his career.

    “By the time the fight comes around on Saturday, I’ll have been out of the ring 16 months,” he said. “At 37 years old, 16 months is a long time. So I have a little bit of stuff to do and to think about in my own mind, and see how I am.”

    Beyond Saturday, a long-discussed fight with Anthony Joshua remains on the horizon. Reports have suggested Fury vs. Joshua could be finalized for Croke Park in Dublin this September, though promoter Eddie Hearn has stated the fight is not yet confirmed, with Joshua’s team continuing to weigh options, including a potential summer bout with Turki Alalshikh. 

  • Tommy Fury Urged Brother Tyson to Retire Ahead of Comeback

    Tommy Fury Urged Brother Tyson to Retire Ahead of Comeback

    Tommy Fury has revealed that the Fury family is unified in its concern over Tyson continuing to box, even as the former heavyweight champion prepares to return to the ring Saturday night against Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

    Speaking to Bloody Elbow, Tommy was honest about the family’s private feelings while still backing his brother to get the job done.

    “I think if you asked any one of his family do we want to see him keeping boxing the answer would have been an all around ‘no,’” Tommy said. “That’s all the way around the board because we care about his health. Obviously, you guys are fight fans, you love to see him in the ring because he brings that entertainment. But we think of his health and everything like that so listen, he’s decided to keep fighting, it’s Tyson who is a fighting man who loves to do so. But I guess time will tell and I think he definitely still has it in him because he wouldn’t be getting in that ring if he knew he didn’t.”

    Despite those reservations, Tommy expressed confidence in Tyson’s ability to handle Makhmudov, while acknowledging that the Russian presents a genuine threat. “I think it’s going to be a great fight,” Tommy said. “I think he probably could have picked an easier fight to come back against.

    He’s massive, he’s a man mountain with a knockout ratio and power and he’s been in some big fights before. The thing is, Tyson just needs to stay switched on this Saturday, box how he knows he can box and he’ll get the job done. If he does that, I don’t see the fight going past eight or ten rounds. If he boxes like I know he can Makhmudov is getting stopped late on.”

    Saturday’s fight, which streams live on Netflix, marks Tyson’s return after losing back-to-back decisions to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024. He will have been out of the ring for 16 months by fight night.