Author: Paul Magno

Last November, Saginaw, Michigan’s Jermaine Franklin found himself in the exact same spot he now finds himself in just days before this Saturday’s bout with former 3-belt world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Less than six months ago, he was brought in as a safe opponent for top contender Dillian Whyte. In the long tradition of boxing fall guys, Franklin had cultivated a very good record on paper (21-0), but had mostly fed on club fighters and faded journeymen in weak commission territories. He was expected to be little more than resume-filler for Whyte, who was looking to begin rebuilding after…

Former 3-belt heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua will be fighting again this Saturday, matched against American Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena in the UK. It’ll be Joshua’s first fight since his in-ring meltdown last August after losing a second straight points decision to Oleksandr Usyk. In that unsettling post-fight incident, Joshua would bolt from the ring, then return to make a scene that saw him toss two of Usyk’s belts from the ring. He’d then deliver a truly cringe-worthy monologue on the house mic, defending his character and arguing the case that it’s really, really hard to “throw combinations” when…

Here are the most eye-catching stories from this weekend’s boxing news and ring action: – David Benavidez proved his status as top super middleweight contender to unified champ Saul “Canelo” Alvarez with a brutally efficient victory over former Alvarez foe and former IBF champ Caleb Plant Saturday night atop a Showtime PPV event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The 26-year-old Benavidez had some issues early on in the contest against Plant, who worked to disrupt his rhythm with smart movement, a solid jab, and strategic clinching. Eventually, though, the Phoenix native wore Plant down and began…

There will be three outstanding “must win” bouts underneath Caleb Plant vs. David Benavidez this Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, atop a Showtime/Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view. Perhaps the most “must-win,” though is the lightweight tussle between Chris “Primetime” Colbert and Jose “Ray” Valenzuela. Both 20-something stars were undefeated and on the rapid rise until high-profile losses in their last fights derailed their careers. The 26-year-old Colbert, once regarded as one of the top prospects in all of boxing, was roughed up, dominated, and even dropped by underdog Hector Luis Garcia in February of 2022 in what was supposed…

At Thursday’s final press conference before Saturday’s bad blood grudge match, both David Benavidez and Caleb Plant reaffirmed their dislike for one another and guaranteed victory. Despite being a two-time world champ, it’s true that the super middleweight top contender will be in the biggest fight of his career this Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, atop a Showtime/Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view card. He claims to be focused and in the best shape of his career coming into this important matchup. “I’m gonna break Caleb’s jaw on Saturday night, by the sixth round,” the 26-year-old Benavidez…

Promoter and founder of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya has been very assertive in insisting to get the lion’s share of the credit when it comes to making the big Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia bout this coming April 22. The former six-division world champion spent a good amount of time issuing dubious (and maybe empty) ultimatums in the lead-up to signing the bout and he’s been vocal about taking credit for getting the fight made since the signing. But it’s easy to get the first and last word when you’re pretty much the only one talking. And, yeah, “The…

Here are the most eye-catching stories from this weekend’s boxing news and ring action: – It was probably for the best that Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez missed the light heavyweight limit by a substantial 7.6 pounds during Friday’s weigh-in for Saturday’s bout with Gabriel Rosado. Widely considered a dangerous mismatch, the Ramirez-Rosado bout was scrapped from the DAZN/Golden Boy main event slot at The Walter Pyramid on the campus of California State University-Long Beach in Long Beach, California. The well-worn 37-year-old Rosado was, arguably, at his prime at 154 lbs. thirteen or fourteen years ago and has never competed above the…

The buzz is everywhere. Manny Pacquiao vs. Conor Benn, likely in Abu Dhabi, June 3. This would be the 44-year-old Pacquiao’s first “real,” non-exhibition fight since he was upset via unanimous decision by Yordenis Ugas in August of 2021. It would also be lose-lose for the Filipino icon, but more on that later. The Ugas loss was an ugly one and it seemed like a bright, glaring sign that it was time for the future first ballot Hall of Famer to finally hang up his gloves. Given how sluggish and “off” Manny looked against the Cuban, fans shuddered at the…

It was one of boxing’s most poorly kept secrets. Any even marginally keyed-in boxing fan could’ve told you since last fall who Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez was probably going to be fighting next. Super middleweight contender John Ryder had been on the periphery of contention for a bout with Alvarez for a while. But, after Alvarez’s big money third bout with Gennadiy Golovkin last September, a loss to Dmitry Bivol the May before that– following an impressive 4-fights in eleven months run that saw him unify all four belts in the 168 lb. division– the UK’s Ryder seemed a…

Where there was once confidence, there is now an increasing sense of frustration. Once upon a time, it seemed like a sure thing that WBC champ Tyson Fury and IBF/WBA/WBO titlist Oleksandr Usyk would meet one another in a 4-belt full heavyweight title unification clash. Despite some financial issues that were made public, everybody felt that, given the characters of the fighters in question, things would get worked out. Then, Fury responded to a 60-40 revenue split proposal (with the winner getting the larger cut). Via social media video, the Gypsy King came back with a 70-30 split in his…