Author: Paul Magno

Here are the most eye-catching stories from this weekend’s boxing news and ring action: – Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang shocked most everyone this past Saturday when he stopped interim WBO heavyweight champ Joe Joyce in the sixth round of their bout at Copper Box Arena in London. Technically a doctor’s stoppage due to a shut and badly battered right eye, there was little doubt as to whether the southpaw Zhang deserved the win in this bout where he pretty much landed his left hand at will. Joyce, with his eye nearly shut and after being rattled a few times, fought…

It’s official. Boxing YouTuber and social media influencer Jake Paul will be taking on UFC legend Nate Diaz in a boxing match Aug. 5 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The eight round pay-per-view bout, to be broadcast worldwide by DAZN, will be contested at 185 lbs. “Besides Canelo, he’s the biggest thing in boxing,” the 37-year-old Diaz said in a statement issued to media. “I’m here to conquer that. I’m the king of combat sports, and then I’m headed back to get my UFC belts. I f**ked up Conor [McGregor] for acting out and now here I am again,…

Ryan Garcia recently held a media workout in advance of his April 22 big-ticket pay-per-view clash with Gervonta “Tank” Davis on April 22. He had plenty to say about his opponent Davis and Davis’ character. “I think people misinterpreted what I was saying,” the 24-year-old Garcia told Fight Hub TV, referring to his perceived complaints about the much talked about rehydration clause worked into his contract with Davis. “I wasn’t complaining about the weight cut or anything, I’m just showing what kind of character that man has. He’s no champion. He has no sense of right or wrong. That’s his…

WBO junior welterweight champ Josh Taylor flew all the way out from his native Scotland to Newark, New Jersey for a face-to-face showdown with upcoming opponent Teofimo Lopez. That face-to-face, however, never happened and the former 4-belt unified champ chalks that up to Lopez’s mental fragility. Appearing on ESPN’s Shakur Stevenson-Shuichiro Yoshino card Saturday to hype his June 10 bout with the former 3-belt lightweight champ, Taylor talked up the scheduled Madison Square Garden Theater clash and hyped the significance of the encounter. Fans had to settle for a video clip from Lopez, who’s Brooklyn home base is just about…

Here are the most eye-catching stories from this weekend’s boxing news and ring action: – Shakur Stevenson made his lightweight debut look easy on Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, dropping Japan’s Shuichiro Yoshino twice en route to a dominant sixth round TKO victory. With the win, the 25-year-old Stevenson officially wades into the deep end of a very talented lightweight talent pool. At the top of the division is unified champ Devin Haney, who’ll be defending his four belts against former 3-belt lightweight champ Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20. Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, who’ll be facing…

When Sebastian Fundora first caught boxing fans’ eyes, it was as a physical oddity. The Coachella, California native was a rail-thin, 6-foot-6 super welterweight with an 80-inch reach. To put things in perspective, 5-foot-11 and above is considered tall in the 154 lb. division. His reach, meanwhile, exceeds that of many heavyweights, including the 78-inch reach of 3-belt heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk. The buzz around Fundora was always the same in the beginning– look at this crazy-tall, crazy-skinny kid. But fans who came for the oddity, were soon enough drawn into the fight. Fundora would gradually win over the gawkers…

Is it time for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to move over to make room for the next generation fighters? Will the next generation simply push the Mexican superstar aside? At 32, is Alvarez almost done as an elite-level main stage boxing presence? From listening to Jose Benavidez Sr., father of David Benavidez, the answer to all three questions is “yes.” In a recent interview with Fighthype.com, the always vocal trainer asserts that Alvarez, the reigning unified super middleweight champ, has a lot of mileage on him and is ripe for the taking, especially by his son David. He also makes the…

Anthony Joshua, himself, lamented his inability to stop the physically overmatched Jermaine Franklin this past Saturday at the O2 Arena in London. “There was opportunities there,” the British former 3-belt heavyweight champ said in his post-fight interview following his tentative unanimous decision victory. “You know they were prepared for the fight. I should have knocked him out but what can I say now? It’s done. On to the next. “I wish I could have knocked him out, 100 percent. But in the next 15 years, no one will remember that fight anyway.” Joshua’s less than stellar performance seemed to act…

Here are the most eye-catching stories from this weekend’s boxing news and ring action: – Anthony Joshua returned to the ring this past Saturday against Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena in London, looking to win his first bout since December of 2020. The former 3-belt world heavyweight champion was successful in getting the “W” and breaking his two-fight losing skid, but he hardly impressed in his unanimous decision victory (with scores of 118-111, 117-111, and 117-111). Joshua, despite having a more than 20 lb. weight and 4-inch height advantage, fought tentatively throughout the twelve round contest. Mostly controlling the…

On Saturday, May 20, at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Devin Haney takes his next step towards boxing superstardom when he defends his status as undisputed, unified, 4-belt world lightweight champ against former 3-division world champ Vasiliy Lomachenko. The kickoff press conference for this ESPN PPV event took place on Thursday and both fighters took the stage as proud, respectful fighters who understand the threat the other possesses, but who are eager to prove themselves the superior boxer. “I’m blessed to be here,” unified IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO 135 lb. champ Haney told the assembled media. “It’s something that I’ve always…