Claressa Shields (17-0) puts her undisputed heavyweight championship on the line against Franchon Crews-Dezurn (10-2) this Sunday, February 22, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The fight streams live on DAZN with the first bout at 4:30 p.m. ET and the main card beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
It is a rematch nearly ten years in the making. The two first met in 2016 on the Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev undercard, when Shields won a four-round unanimous decision in both fighters’ professional debuts. Women’s boxing was still fighting for television dates back then. Sunday, nine belts sat on the table at Thursday’s press conference.
Main event: Claressa Shields (c) 17-0 vs. Franchon Crews-Dezurn 10-2, undisputed heavyweight championship
Date: Sunday, February 22, 2026
Start time: 7 p.m. ET / Midnight UK
Streaming: DAZN
Venue: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
What Shields Said
Shields made clear the rematch has been on her mind for years. “She was my motivation back then,” Shields said at the press conference. “I knew from back then that she hit hard. That’s what I noticed when I was 13.”
The champion described building her entire training mindset around Crews-Dezurn before they ever turned pro. “When I ran, I thought about her. When I sparred in the ring, I thought about her. When I punched the bag, I thought about her.”
Stylistic Breakdown
Shields is a sharp, technical boxer who establishes range with her jab and picks combinations behind quick feet. At heavyweight, punch selection and conditioning become critical late. The extra weight class tests stamina in ways that separate natural heavyweights from those moving up.
Crews-Dezurn is a physical inside fighter. She leans on opponents, works the body, and uses her head on the chest in close quarters. She holds unified belts at super middleweight and is moving up for this contest. Carrying that inside game over ten rounds against a bigger, unbeaten champion is the central challenge she faces Sunday.
What’s at Stake
Sunday’s bout is contested at heavyweight only — the super middleweight titles Crews-Dezurn holds are not on the line. A Shields victory consolidates the division further and gives her leverage heading into negotiations with mandatory challengers who are already in line.
Detroit has become Shields’ home base. This is her fifth consecutive fight in Michigan and her fourth at Little Caesars Arena. She drew 15,600 for her last outing there in July against Lani Daniels. A similar crowd is expected Sunday night.
Tonight’s WBC welterweight title fight between Ryan Garcia and champion Mario Barrios is locked in at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and the books have made their pick clear heading into tonight’s main event of The Ring: High Stakes on DAZN PPV.
Garcia opens as a -240 favorite, with Barrios coming back at +200. The total is set at 10.5 rounds, with the over (-140) favored — meaning books expect this fight to go past the 10th round, whether that ends in a late stoppage or a decision.
Method of Victory Odds
The prop market adds some nuance. Garcia by KO/TKO/DQ is listed at +120, making it the most likely single outcome on the board. Garcia by decision is a longer shot at +215, while Barrios winning by decision checks in at +330. Barrios by KO/TKO/DQ is a distant +600, and a draw sits at +1600.
Garcia is favored to win, and the method market leans toward a stoppage — but the over on rounds suggests it won’t come early.
Round Betting
The round props reinforce that picture. Garcia by KO/TKO in rounds 7-9 offers the best value at +450, followed by rounds 4-6 at +650 and rounds 10-12 at +750. An early Garcia finish in rounds 1-3 is a longshot at +1400. On the Barrios side, a KO in rounds 7-9 is +1800 and rounds 4-6 sit at +2500.
Taken together, the market points to a Garcia win that arrives, if it does, in the championship rounds.
The Ring: High Stakes main card begins at 7:55 p.m. ET, with Garcia and Barrios expected to make their ring walks around 11 p.m. ET. Stay tuned to MMA News for live results and post-fight coverage.
Mario Barrios puts his WBC welterweight championship on the line against Ryan Garcia tonight (Saturday, February 21, 2026) in the main event of “The Ring: High Stakes” at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, streaming live on DAZN PPV.
Key Points
High Stakes Main Event: WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) faces Ryan Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) in a fight that could define both men’s careers at 147 pounds.
Stacked Undercard: Two additional world title fights headline the undercard, with Richardson Hitchins defending the IBF super lightweight belt and Gary Antuanne Russell making his first WBA super lightweight title defense.
How to Watch: DAZN PPV, with the main card beginning at 8 p.m. ET and main event ring walks expected around 11:53 p.m. ET.
A Crossroads Fight for Both Men
This is as close to a must-win fight as it gets for both Barrios and Garcia. The champion enters having gone through an extended stretch without a clean victory — his last decisive win came in a decision over Fabian Maidana in May 2024. Since then, Barrios has fought to controversial draws against both Abel Ramos and Manny Pacquiao, retaining his title by technicality but failing to make a definitive statement at the top of the welterweight division.
For Garcia, this represents his best opportunity to silence the critics and capture the first world title of his professional career. “KingRy” hasn’t had an official win since his December 2023 knockout of Oscar Duarte — the same fighter Hitchins faces on Saturday’s undercard.
Garcia’s majority decision victory over Devin Haney in April 2024 was overturned to a no-contest after he tested positive for ostarine, leading to a one-year suspension. He returned in May 2025 and was upset by Rolando Romero via unanimous decision at the Fatal Fury card in Times Square, getting dropped in the second round and never finding his rhythm.
Mario Barrios (c) (29-2-2) vs. Ryan Garcia (24-2) – Vacant WBC Welterweight Championship
Richardson Hitchins (c) (20-0) vs. Oscar Duarte (30-2-1) – IBF Super Lightweight Championship
Gary Antuanne Russell (c) (18-1) vs. Andy Hiraoka (24-0) – WBA Super Lightweight Championship
Frank Martin (19-1) vs. Nahir Albright (17-2) – Super Lightweight
Bektemir Melikuziev (10-1) vs. Sena Agbeko (29-4) – Super Middleweight
“LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!”® The prestigious RING (vacant) welterweight championship belt (pictured w/Ring CEO Rick Reeno) is on the line with Mario Barrios vs Ryan Garcia Saturday @DAZNBoxing @ringmagazine pic.twitter.com/tz2NScPHHB
WBC Welterweight Championship: Mario Barrios (c) vs. Ryan Garcia
Barrios weighed in at 147 pounds on Friday, while Garcia came in at 146.5, with both fighters appearing to be in excellent shape heading into fight night. The 30-year-old champion from San Antonio has held the WBC welterweight title since being promoted to full champion after Terence Crawford vacated the belt. He originally won the interim title by defeating Yordenis Ugas in September 2023 and has defended the belt against Maidana, Ramos (draw), and Manny Pacquiao (draw).
Garcia remains one of boxing’s biggest draws despite his recent struggles. The 27-year-old possesses legitimate one-punch knockout power, particularly with his vicious left hook, and his speed has given virtually every opponent trouble. The question is whether Garcia can maintain focus and consistency over 12 rounds, especially after the lackluster showing against Romero. Garcia claims to have rededicated himself to the sport following that defeat.
The size matchup favors Barrios, who has a significant height and reach advantage. The champion has spoken about having a “blueprint” for Garcia, planning to use his jab and ring IQ to keep Garcia at the end of his punches. However, Barrios hasn’t shown consistent power since moving up to 147 pounds, and his inability to put fights away definitively has been a recurring theme. Garcia enters as the betting favorite at approximately -230, while Barrios sits as the underdog around +198.
IBF Super Lightweight Championship: Richardson Hitchins (c) vs. Oscar Duarte
The co-main event features one of boxing’s most technically gifted young champions in Richardson Hitchins, who makes the second defense of his IBF super lightweight title against Mexico’s Oscar Duarte. Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) is coming off a dominant eighth-round TKO of former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. last June at Madison Square Garden, where he walked down the aggressive Australian and landed sharp, straight punches all night before finishing him with a brutal body shot.
The Brooklyn native won his title with a split decision over Liam Paro in Puerto Rico in December 2024 and has looked increasingly dominant with each outing. Duarte (30-2-1) is a solid, experienced operator who previously lost to Garcia by eighth-round knockout in December 2023. Hitchins enters as a massive -550 favorite.
WBA Super Lightweight Championship: Gary Antuanne Russell (c) vs. Andy Hiraoka
Gary Antuanne Russell makes his first defense of the WBA super lightweight title he won in dominant fashion against José Valenzuela last March. The 2016 U.S. Olympian put on a masterclass in that fight, throwing 957 punches and landing 252 en route to a lopsided unanimous decision (120-108, 119-109, 119-109). The younger brother of former WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. carries frightening power with 17 knockouts in 18 wins, and his only career loss came via split decision to Alberto Puello in June 2024.
Japan’s Andy Hiraoka (24-0) enters as Russell’s mandatory challenger and brings an undefeated record and relentless pressure style. This should be a fan-friendly clash of styles.
Frank Martin vs. Nahir Albright
Former lightweight title challenger Frank Martin (19-1) looks to bounce back in a super lightweight bout against Nahir Albright (17-2). Martin is one of the more skilled fighters in the 135-140 pound range and should provide a solid start to the PPV portion of the card.
Bektemir Melikuziev vs. Sena Agbeko
Hard-hitting super middleweight Bektemir Melikuziev (10-1) opens the PPV card against Sena Agbeko (29-4). The Uzbek puncher is looking to build momentum toward a title shot in the 168-pound division.
How to Watch
Date/Time: Saturday, February 21, 2026. PPV main card at 7:55 p.m. ET / 4:55 p.m. PT. Main event ring walks approximately 11:53 p.m. ET.
Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Streaming: DAZN PPV
Price: $69.99 standalone PPV, or included with DAZN Ultimate Tier ($44.99/month)
Don’t Miss MMA News Coverage
Stay tuned to MMANews.com for results, fight highlights, and post-event analysis from “The Ring: High Stakes.”
Eddie Hearn learned of the Benn-Zuffa signing via an email from Benn’s lawyer — not from Benn himself.
After receiving the email, Hearn texted Benn asking for a phone call. Benn said no.
Hearn loaned Benn hundreds of thousands of pounds and publicly defended him for two full years during the failed drug test controversy — when, by Hearn’s account, no one else in boxing would.
Matchroom submitted a counter-offer that Hearn believes would have been “quite close” to the Zuffa number — but says the door was never really open for a negotiation.
Hearn says the Zuffa approach to Benn predated his recent public war of words with Dana White by several days, but acknowledged Benn was “used as a pawn” in the broader Hearn-White rivalry.
Eddie Hearn says he is “pretty devastated” by Conor Benn‘s shock signing with Zuffa Boxing — and revealed the situation stings even more because Benn refused to give him a phone call before the announcement was made.
Speaking with iFL TV in a late-night exclusive interview on February 20 — just one day before a sold-out Matchroom show in Nottingham — Hearn opened up about learning of the deal through an email from Benn’s lawyer rather than directly from the fighter himself.
“I actually received an email from Conor Benn’s lawyer to make me aware of it,” Hearn said. “I’m not going to sit here and hang Conor Benn out to dry — but me personally, I’m pretty devastated. Very, very surprising, very, very painful. But just another moment in life that you live and learn from.”
Hearn Asked for a Call — Benn Said No
After receiving the lawyer’s email, Hearn texted Benn directly requesting a conversation. According to Hearn, Benn declined. That refusal became the emotional centerpiece of the interview.
“For everything I’ve done for you, I think you deserve — I deserve a call,” Hearn said. “And he said, ‘No.’ And I was like, ‘Man… I can’t believe it.’”
Hearn placed the blame squarely on himself for not securing Benn to a new contract earlier, acknowledging he had the opportunity but never felt it was necessary.
“I just felt that the loyalty that we’d shown would never ever put us in this position,” he said. “I misjudged the character.”
The Matchroom boss noted that he loaned Benn “hundreds of thousands of pounds” and went to bat for him publicly during a two-year period stemming from Benn’s failed drug tests — a stretch during which, Hearn says, no one else in boxing was willing to stand behind the fighter.
“When no one believed him, no one backed him — I did,” he said. “It feels a little bit of a wasted few years, because I gave a lot.”
The signing lands amid an escalating public feud between Hearn and Zuffa Boxing’s Dana White. Hearn had called Zuffa Boxing’s output “absolute complete dogsh*t” just days earlier, prompting White to fire back. Hearn was careful to note that the Benn approach predated those comments but acknowledged the signing fits a broader pattern.
“Connor’s been used as a pawn in that respect — and that’s just the business,” Hearn said. “I don’t think this has got nothing to do with my comments yesterday, because this was days before that. But it’s all part of the game. I said to you, this is going to be a long war.”
Dana White had mocked rival promoters after Zuffa Boxing 03, saying competing with established boxing was “like beating up babies.” Hearn’s loss of Benn — whom he rated as Matchroom’s second-biggest commercial asset behind only Anthony Joshua — will be seen as a significant blow in that rivalry.
Eddie Hearn responds to Dana White:
Yes, I do work for my dad, but guess what? Dana White has worked for his daddy for a long time. The Fertitta brothers, that's who he worked for. And right now Dana White's got a new daddy and his name is Turki Alalshikh.
Hearn did say Matchroom submitted a counter-offer that he believes would have been competitive.
“Part of the deal, I think we would have got quite close to it,” he said. “But I think by then it was just the way it played out.” He also took a pointed shot at Benn’s manager, Keith Connelly: “I had some very choice words with him. The old Keithy baby does it again.”
Joshua the Counter-Example — And Defiance Going Forward
In one of the interview’s most revealing moments, Hearn unprompted drew a sharp contrast between Benn and Anthony Joshua on the question of loyalty.
“Joshua is a different breed of class and loyalty,” he said. “Joshua is one of a kind. He’s cut from a different cloth.”
As for Benn, Hearn’s assessment was reluctant but pointed: “I got the character wrong. I took the loyalty for granted because of what I did, and I shouldn’t have done that. Maybe he’s not quite the person I thought he was.”
Despite the pain, Hearn — who has faced questions about his future in a boxing landscape increasingly shaped by White and Saudi interests — closed the interview with a characteristic pivot toward defiance.
“All this does is just put a little bit more of a fucking rocket up my ass to say, ‘Okay — we’ll see.’”
Hearn signed off with:
“From the realest, most loyal promoter you could ever fucking find — tune in tomorrow night live on DAZN for a sold-out show, Wood vs. Warrington rematch.”
Floyd “Money” Mayweather is coming out of retirement. The undefeated 50-0 boxing legend officially announced on Friday that he will resume his professional boxing career following his upcoming exhibition against Mike Tyson on April 25.
Mayweather has signed an exclusive deal with CSI Sports™/FIGHT SPORTS® to facilitate his return. His first official professional bout under the new agreement is slated for Summer 2026, with an opponent yet to be announced.
“I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing,” Mayweather said in a statement. “From my upcoming Mike Tyson event to my next professional fight afterwards — no one will generate a bigger gate, have a larger global broadcast audience and generate more money with each event. And I plan to keep doing it with my global media partner, CSI Sports™/FIGHT SPORTS®.”
Mayweather’s last professional fight came in August 2017, when he defeated UFC star Conor McGregor via 10th-round TKO to cap off his career at a perfect 50-0. He has since participated in several exhibition bouts but had not committed to a full professional comeback — until now.
The Tyson exhibition will serve as Mayweather’s re-introduction to the global spotlight before he transitions back to professional competition. Further details on his first official bout, including the opponent and venue, are expected to be announced in the coming months.
Nurideen Shabazz (‘Deen the Great’) has apologized for his recent scuffle with Tiki Ghosn and is now challenging Dana White to book a boxing match between them. The 25-year-old boxer addressed the incident on his KICK stream.
“I do want to say I apologize on my end…At the end of the day, I feel like he didn’t have to put hands on me…Sometimes you deal with the consequences. I’m just gonna have to eat that.”
He then turned his attention to UFC and Zuffa Boxing boss Dana White.
“Dana White, his goofy a—, posted on his story. If Dana White’s got a problem, Dana White, bring your fighters to face me then, I’ll beat the f— out of one of them.”
During the same livestream, Deen the Great called Rampage Jackson and asked him to set up an exhibition bout, stating,
“Me and Tiki, we gotta run it…We can do an exhibition. We can do a motherf—ing boxing match, whatever…The —— ain’t gonna elbow or kick me in MMA… I ain’t taking another elbow…Jake Paul fought Mike Tyson, and Mike Tyson is like 90…We gotta run that, bro. You’ve gotta set that up. I need that.”
The apology and call-out came during what had been a brutal week for Deen publicly — but it ended on a high note, with Rampage Jackson gifting him a $20,000 Audemars Piguet watch and crediting Deen with revitalizing his streaming career.
Eddie Hearn has delivered his most pointed attack yet on Dana White and the Zuffa Boxing venture, calling their current output “complete dogsh*t” and dismantling White’s claim that Matchroom lacks vision.
Hearn spoke with The Stomping Ground on Wednesday, where he responded directly to White’s recent comments dismissing him as simply “Barry Hearn’s son” with no real vision of his own.
The “Dogsh*t” Verdict
“When you compare Matchroom shows to Zuffa Boxing shows, quite frankly, Zuffa Boxing shows are absolute complete dogsh*t,” Hearn said. “But they’re going to get better and they’re going to sign some big fighters and they’re going to spunk some money. I’ve said it before, they’re clever people, but right now they’re trying to manipulate fight fans, and they don’t understand how intelligent fight fans are when it comes to boxing.”
Hearn took particular aim at Zuffa Boxing’s recent output, questioning the concept of “vision” that White has claimed for his new promotional venture.
“To say that I don’t have any vision is really quite strange,” Hearn said. “When you talk about their vision, what’s their vision? Getting Max Kellerman to tell everyone that Callum Walsh is the next Roy Jones? Or putting Charles Martin on a headline show on a Sunday night in front of 126 people in your garage, in a ring that looks like you’ve just got it out of a local club show. What sort of vision is that? That’s not vision. That’s control.”
Turning Dana’s Own Words Against Him
White’s dig about Hearn being his father’s son backfired badly. Hearn responded with a pointed history lesson about White’s own career, noting that the UFC boss spent years working for the Fertitta brothers and now operates within a structure owned by TKO, Endeavor, and Saudi interests.
“Yes, I do work for my dad,” Hearn acknowledged. “But Dana White has worked for his daddy for a long time — the Fertitta brothers. That’s who he worked for. And right now, Dana White’s got a new daddy, and his name is Turki [Al Sheikh]. So it took him a nanosecond to get personal — but that’s because right now he’s right at the bottom of the pile in terms of quality as a boxing promoter.”
Hearn also delivered a pointed piece of advice for his rival. “The best bit of advice I’ve got for him is tune into DAZN for the next two Saturdays and see how to do it properly — with a bit of vision, in front of sold-out crowds, with unbelievable atmospheres, brilliant undercards, and storyline. Real, true storyline.”
Despite the aggression, Hearn stopped short of writing Zuffa Boxing off entirely, conceding that White’s operation is staffed by intelligent people who will eventually become a more serious competitor. For now, though, he insists the gap in quality is stark — and he’s happy to say so.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship has announced a loaded Spring 2026 slate, with 10 events scheduled between March and May across the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
The stretch kicks off with a heavyweight title fight and includes championship action, arena shows, and the promotion’s continued international expansion. Here’s the full schedule:
March 14 – BKFC Fight Night Newcastle (UK): Terrill vs. McFarlane for the Heavyweight Championship
March 20 – BKFC 87, Hollywood, FL: Stewart vs. Gaffie for the Featherweight Championship
March 28 – BKFC Fight Night Mohegan Sun 3: Porter vs. Watson
April 7 – Bare Knuckle Fight Club, 2300 Arena (Philadelphia, PA)
April 11 – BKFC Hawaii: Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu
April 17 – BKFC Denver: National Western Center
April 18 – BKFC Australia: Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre
April 24 – BKFC Clearwater, Florida: OCC Road House
May 15 – BKFC Salt Lake City: Maverik Center
May 22 – BKFC Palm Desert, California: Acrisure Arena
The spring run opens with two title bouts in quick succession. The Heavyweight Championship is on the line in Newcastle on March 14, followed six days later by the Featherweight title in Hollywood, Florida.
BKFC 87 marks the promotion’s return to South Florida, while Mohegan Sun 3 continues what has become a recurring partnership with the Connecticut casino venue.
BKFC’s international footprint remains a priority, with the Australia event in Townsville slated for April 18. The promotion wraps up the spring stretch at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert on May 22, one of the larger venue bookings on the schedule.
Tickets for all events are available at BKFC.com. Full fight cards for most events have not yet been announced.
DAZN and Matchroom Boxing have officially agreed a new five-year extension to their broadcasting partnership, keeping Matchroom’s major events on the DAZN platform into the early 2030s.
The agreement extends what both sides have described as a long-standing relationship that was first formalized in a multi-year global deal back in 2021. That original agreement saw Matchroom move its British output off Sky Sports, positioning DAZN as the global home of Matchroom boxing.
Under the new contract, Matchroom will continue to air more than 30 events per year globally on DAZN, spanning key markets including the United Kingdom and the United States. The deal also includes shoulder programming such as original content, documentaries, and behind-the-scenes coverage built around Matchroom’s roster.
Hearn Calls DAZN the Only Partner That Matches Matchroom’s Ambitions
Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn framed the extension as validation of DAZN’s global reach and production quality, stating that DAZN is the only partner capable of matching Matchroom’s ambitions in boxing’s biggest markets. Hearn has long been one of boxing’s most prominent promoters and has openly discussed Matchroom’s positioning in the evolving combat sports landscape.
DAZN’s messaging around the renewal emphasized a “non-stop calendar of premium events” that will feature some of boxing’s biggest names. High-profile fighters associated with Matchroom who are expected to remain featured on DAZN include Anthony Joshua, Katie Taylor, Dmitry Bivol, and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, among others, subject to future contracts and retirements.
What the Deal Means for Boxing Fans
The renewal comes at an interesting time for combat sports broadcasting. DAZN has been making significant moves to solidify its position in the boxing space, including its partnership with Turki Alalshikh to eliminate pay-per-view pricing for Riyadh Season events. The Matchroom extension further cements DAZN as one of the premier destinations for live boxing content worldwide.
For fans, the deal ensures that Matchroom’s stacked roster and packed event calendar will remain accessible through a single subscription platform for the foreseeable future. With the boxing landscape continuing to shift as new players like Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing enter the fray, the DAZN-Matchroom partnership provides a degree of stability in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Boxing Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao is making a return to the ring to face former WBO super lightweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov in a 10-round welterweight exhibition bout. The fight is scheduled for April 18 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Pacquiao’s professional record stands at 62-9-2.
Manny Pacquiao had this to say about his return to boxing in Las Vegas
‘I carry the Philippines with me every time I fight. The support from my country and from fans around the world continues to inspire me.’ He added, ‘Returning to Las Vegas means so much to me, and I’m excited to work with a team focused on creating a world-class experience for the fans. I’m coming back to give them a great fight — and I’m ready.’
Ruslan Provodnikov’s professional record is 25-5 with 18 KOs. He last fought in 2016 before transitioning into politics. The fight rules regarding knockdowns and stoppages have yet to be released.
Pacquiao’s most recent fight was a majority draw against Mario Barrios on July 19, 2025. You can watch that full fight here:
