Boxing Wire

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  • Dmitry Bivol Risks Losing Another World Title

    Dmitry Bivol Risks Losing Another World Title

    Dmitry Bivol faces a significant decision regarding his WBO light heavyweight title, with Eddie Hearn confirming the champion must choose between pursuing a trilogy with Artur Beterbiev or defending against WBO interim titleholder Callum Smith.

    Hearn spoke to BoxingScene about the situation, noting that Bivol cannot have both options.

    “Dmitry wants the biggest fights in the sport, he’s had his little run out against Eifert — his mandatory — and now he’s got to decide if he’s going to fight Callum Smith or vacate the WBO. There’s a lot of interest in the Beterbiev fight in Russia, it’s a fight that’s important to Dmitry. I think the Benavidez fight is a great fight but so is the Callum Smith fight and obviously it’s interesting having both those guys as our clients. So we’ve got to see what’s next, and if he vacates, Callum Smith will be elevated to full champion. Not what he would have wanted but he’ll go out and defend that against a big name. So I think that’ll be decided in the coming weeks.”

    Bivol currently holds the unified WBA, WBO and IBF light heavyweight titles. He lost his WBC strap last year for choosing to pursue the Beterbiev trilogy over a mandatory defense. The two have split their first two fights. Bivol returned last month from a year out with a lopsided win over Michael Eifert. Should Bivol vacate the WBO, Callum Smith would be elevated to full champion, with Joshua Buatsi — whom Smith beat in a fight of the year candidate last year — likely ordered as the mandatory.

  • Dana White Says His Goal Is To Sign Every Notable Boxer Who Showed Up To Watch Zuffa’s Bournemouth Card

    Dana White Says His Goal Is To Sign Every Notable Boxer Who Showed Up To Watch Zuffa’s Bournemouth Card

    Dana White attended the Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki card in Bournemouth on Saturday and told reporters his goal is to eventually work with every notable boxer who showed up to watch.

    Billam-Smith won when Rozicki did not come out for the eighth round of a brutal fight at the Bournemouth International Centre. White was in attendance alongside Conor Benn and TKO’s Nick Khan, with several active boxers also ringside, including Joshua Buatsi, Adam Azim, Denzel Bentley, Dan Azeez, David Adeleye, Josh Kelly, and Craig Richards.

    Asked whether the crowd was filled with fighters he could work with, White was direct.

    “Well, obviously, I’m honored that a lot of these guys showed up to watch our event tonight. And my goal is, over the next couple of years, to have everybody. Everybody.”

  • Anthony Joshua’s Return Card In Jeddah Could Feature Two World Title Fights Before He Even Steps In The Ring

    Anthony Joshua’s Return Card In Jeddah Could Feature Two World Title Fights Before He Even Steps In The Ring

    Two world championship bouts could feature on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s return fight against Kristian Prega on July 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with Hamzah Sheeraz and Josh Kelly both under consideration.

    Eddie Hearn revealed the plans to BoxingScene, noting the Turki Alalshikh-funded card will carry a substantial undercard.

    “I think there could be two world championship fights on the undercard. Hamzah Sheeraz may be one of those as well. Obviously we’ll talk to Frank Warren and Spencer Brown and everybody, and Josh Kelly could feature on there as well. That’ll be announced this coming week.”

    Sheeraz won the WBO super middleweight title last month. Kelly claimed the IBF junior middleweight belt in January and is expected to defend against Caoimhin Agyarko.

    Joshua returns for the first time since December, when he was involved in a car accident that claimed the lives of two close friends — an incident that occurred days after his six-round stoppage of Jake Paul.

  • Dana White Fires Back At Eddie Hearn Over Tom Aspinall Release Request

    Dana White Fires Back At Eddie Hearn Over Tom Aspinall Release Request

    Dana White dismissed Eddie Hearn’s push to have Tom Aspinall released from his UFC contract, mocking the request and comparing it to asking the UFC to release bantamweight champion Bam Rodriguez.

    White was asked about Hearn’s comments for the first time Saturday at the Zuffa Boxing 07 post-fight press conference.

    “He said he wanted Aspinall released right? You release Bam Rodriguez, then. Sounds pretty stupid, doesn’t it? Congratulations, Eddie. You sound stupid again. Eddie, who apparently Conor Benn was his best friend, he’s been crying — literally crying for weeks, ‘Oh, he was my best friend.’ He didn’t even want to pay him, but he wants to pay my guy. He could’ve paid his best friend and they could’ve remained best friends. Eddie’s full of a lot of sh*t. You know it. I know it. We all know it.”

    White said the UFC will not force Aspinall to fight but equally has no intention of releasing or renegotiating his deal, suggesting the situation will be addressed after the UFC Freedom 250 interim heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane on June 14.

    “Let’s see who wins. Let’s see how the fight plays out at the White House. If Eddie’s not going to let his fighter fight, what are you going to do? You can’t make anybody fight. You can’t force anybody to fight. You have to want to fight, so we’ll see how it plays out.”

    Hearn had claimed this week that Aspinall is extremely unhappy with his situation and would not unify belts with the Pereira-Gane winner under the terms of his current contract, while promising to find paydays tripling his UFC payout if released.

  • A Zuffa Boxing Fight Was Essentially Made On Social Media And Now It Looks Like It Is Actually Happening

    A Zuffa Boxing Fight Was Essentially Made On Social Media And Now It Looks Like It Is Actually Happening

    Richardson Hitchins appears to have landed on Ricardo Salas as his Zuffa Boxing debut opponent on July 26 in New York, with the matchup seemingly arranged through a social media exchange rather than formal negotiations.

    The bout would take place at Madison Square Garden Theatre. Salas, 24-2-2 with 18 knockouts, made his Zuffa Boxing debut in March with a stoppage win over Jesus Saracho and called out Hitchins, Conor Benn, and Elvis Rodriguez upon signing with the promotion.

    Fight advisor Sean Gibbons escalated the situation by referencing Hitchins’ February withdrawal from a scheduled fight with Mexico’s Oscar Duarte, posting that Hitchins was afraid of Mexican fighters. Hitchins responded by clarifying his position on the available opponents before settling the matter publicly.

    “SALAS IT IS! July 26 done.”

    Hitchins, 20-0 with 8 knockouts, is the recent IBF junior-welterweight champion from Brooklyn. No contracts have been signed at time of writing.

  • There’s A Reason Eddie Hearn Chose Houston For The O’Shaquie Foster vs. Raymond Ford Fight

    There’s A Reason Eddie Hearn Chose Houston For The O’Shaquie Foster vs. Raymond Ford Fight

    Eddie Hearn says Raymond Ford could build a long-term home in Houston regardless of how his fight with O’Shaquie Foster plays out, and reflected on the challenges of developing Ford into a marketable star without a consistent fanbase base.

    Hearn spoke to BoxingScene ahead of Saturday’s WBC junior-featherweight title fight at Fertitta Center in Houston.

    “Ray hasn’t built a massive fanbase. He’s from Camden, New Jersey. But what he is is really good, so you have to do something as a promoter to create opportunities. A win would put Ray in that conversation. Neither of them are massive ticket sellers. When we looked at this fight, it was ‘Where do we do this fight?’ O’Shaquie Foster said ‘I don’t want the fight in New Jersey.’ He’s the champion — fair play. So, Vegas? It’s not really a Vegas fight so you go to a smaller arena. And then we started looking at Houston.”

    Hearn was candid about what a win would mean for Ford’s trajectory.

    “If Ray wins he becomes a star. The winner — if Foster wins, he can come back here and fight every time. Ray, maybe he fights in Houston hereafter. He’ll wanna fight Navarrete. He’ll wanna unify — and those fights can take place anywhere.”

    On the emotional stakes of the fight for him personally, Hearn was direct.

    “I’m not going ‘If he wins, we can make some money there’. If he wins, he’s the 18 year old who come into my office in New York and is a two-weight, two-time world champion, which is only really touching the surface of what he could do, and that’s what excites me — and if he loses, he comes again, but he’s not good enough. That’s sport.”

    Foster retained the title via majority decision.

  • Holly Holm Believes She Beat Stephanie Han Despite Majority Decision Loss In El Paso Rematch

    Holly Holm Believes She Beat Stephanie Han Despite Majority Decision Loss In El Paso Rematch

    Holly Holm lost a controversial majority decision to Stephanie Han in their lightweight title rematch in El Paso on Saturday night and left the door open on her future, saying she wants to keep fighting if the judging is fair.

    Han was outlanded in punches 102-70 but won on two of the three scorecards, 96-94, with the third judge scoring it a draw at 95-95. Holm, 44, believed she had done enough to become a four-division world champion.

    “Honestly, I feel like I won that fight. Not any disrespect to Han, but I felt like the fight was mine. I felt I was dominating the pace, bringing the pressure.”

    Han acknowledged the closeness of the fight while crediting her home arena.

    “I know it was a close fight, but I felt I did enough to win. I wasn’t surprised how she brought the fight. I knew she was prepared.”

    The bout was a rematch of a January technical-decision victory for Han in Puerto Rico that ended due to an accidental headbutt cut. Both women had been competing to earn a shot at undisputed super-lightweight champion Katie Taylor at Croke Park in Ireland. Han immediately called for that fight.

    “I want Katie Taylor. She beat my sister Jennifer. I want the revenge fight. I’ll go to Ireland.”

    Holm did not commit to fighting again after the result.

    “I want to keep fighting if it’s fair.”

  • O’Shaquie Foster Retains WBC Junior-Featherweight Title With Majority Decision Over Raymond Ford

    O’Shaquie Foster Retains WBC Junior-Featherweight Title With Majority Decision Over Raymond Ford

    O’Shaquie Foster retained his WBC junior-featherweight title with a dominant majority decision over Raymond Ford in Houston on Friday night, winning by scores of 116-112 and 118-110 on two of the three cards with the third judge scoring it a draw at 114-114.

    Foster controlled most of the fight with disciplined counter-punching and movement, largely neutralizing Ford’s attempts to establish his speed advantage. Ford had entered the bout with confidence but struggled to land consistently and was unable to draw Foster into sustained exchanges.

    The win sets Foster up for a potential fight with Shakur Stevenson, who was present at ringside and exchanged words with Foster after the final bell. Foster has now beaten Ford, Stephen Fulton, and several other top junior featherweights in recent years.

  • Gervonta Davis Facing Active Arrest Warrant

    Gervonta Davis Facing Active Arrest Warrant

    Gervonta Davis is facing a new legal setback after a Maryland judge issued an active arrest warrant tied to an alleged probation violation, according to multiple reports.

    The warrant stems from Davis’ ongoing probation connected to his 2020 hit-and-run case in Baltimore, in which several people were injured. Davis had previously pleaded guilty to multiple traffic-related offenses and remained under court supervision.

    The latest development centers around an alleged October 2025 altercation at Tootsie’s Cabaret in Miami, where Davis’ ex-girlfriend Courtney Rossel worked as a VIP cocktail server. Rossel accused Davis of physically grabbing her and attempting to take her phone during a confrontation at the venue. Surveillance footage from the club was reportedly reviewed by investigators. The incident is alleged to have violated the terms of his probation.

    Davis was arrested in Florida earlier this year on charges including battery and attempted kidnapping. A false imprisonment charge was eventually dropped, but other charges remain active.

    A Maryland judge initially issued a warrant in February before recalling it after Davis’ legal team argued he was cooperating with authorities. A second warrant issued in April has remained active after a motion to dismiss it was denied in May.

    Davis, 30-0-1 with 28 knockouts, has not fought since a controversial majority draw against Lamont Roach Jr. in March 2025. A planned crossover fight with Jake Paul was scrapped following the civil lawsuit filed by Rossel. The active warrant creates further uncertainty around his boxing future.

  • Oleksandr Usyk And Rico Verhoeven Both Make Weight

    Oleksandr Usyk And Rico Verhoeven Both Make Weight

    Rico Verhoeven weighed in at 258.7 pounds for Saturday’s Glory in Giza boxing event, more than 25 pounds heavier than Oleksandr Usyk who came in at 233.3 for their WBC heavyweight title fight in Egypt.

    Usyk being the smaller man on the scale is consistent with his career trajectory — he rose to prominence as a cruiserweight before moving up to heavyweight and scoring victories over Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Daniel Dubois. He defeated Dubois via fifth-round knockout in July 2025. Fury had an even larger weight advantage over Usyk when Usyk beat him.

    Verhoeven competes in his first boxing bout since 2014, when he scored a second-round knockout over Janos Finfera. The longest-reigning champion in Glory Kickboxing history, he reigned as Glory’s kickboxing champion for over 11 years before parting ways with the promotion as a free agent following a title defense over Artem Vakhitov last June.

    Full Glory in Giza weigh-in results:

    Main Card (DAZN PPV, 1 p.m. ET)

    • Oleksandr Usyk (233.3) vs. Rico Verhoeven (258.7)
    • Hamzah Sheeraz (167.9) vs. Alem Begic (166.9)
    • Jack Catterall (146.8) vs. Shakhram Giyasov (145.7)
    • Frank Sanchez (240.4) vs. Richard Torrez Jr. (229.5)
    • Mizuki Hiruta (114.7) vs. Mai Soliman (114)
    • Daniel Lapin (173.8) vs. Benjamin Mendes Tani (174.4)

    Preliminary Card (11 a.m. ET)

    • Basem Mamdouh (192.8) vs. Jamar Talley (197.7)
    • Sultan Almohammed (127.8) vs. Deny Impart (125.7)
    • Mahmoud Moubarek (138.9) vs. Ali Sserunkuma (141.5)
    • Omar Hikal (161.1) vs. Michael Kalyalya (160.2)