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Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson, Vasiliy Lomachenko Next Fight Buzz

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gervonta davis

Davis Trainer Zeroes in on Cruz for Next Fight

Fans are eagerly awaiting Gervonta Davis’ next move as he has yet to line up an opponent after scoring a seventh-round knockout of Ryan Garcia in April. Shakur Stevenson might be the ideal matchup, while an encounter with Terence Crawford would be intriguing regardless of the long odds it ever happens.

Davis’ trainer has another fighter in mind.

Calvin Ford told FightHype on Aug. 13 that Isaac Cruz appears to be the most likely candidate at this stage.

Cruz improved his record to 25-2-1 when he earned a split decision over Giovanni Cabrera in July. He’s the No. 6 lightweight in ESPN.com’s divisional rankings.

Davis and Cruz have crossed paths before, with Tank winning a unanimous decision in 2021. While all of the judges scored in favor of Davis, Pitbull made a strong impression with his performance.

A rematch would be a sensible route for Tank if it comes to pass.

Stevenson Opponent Potential Spoiled on Social Media

In a since-deleted tweet Saturday, Keyshawn Davis seemingly referenced a possible fight between Shakur Stevenson and Frank Martin that’s in the works.

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum said earlier this month the door had closed on Stevenson getting Vasiliy Lomachenko. Cruz and Martin are third and fourth respectively in the WBC rankings, so one of the two could oppose Stevenson for the vacant WBC lightweight title.

Stevenson last fought in April and beat Shuichiro Yoshino by TKO in the sixth round. After that result, Bleacher Report’s Lyle Fitzsimmons listed Martin among the most logical opponents for the 26-year-old when he returned to the ring.

“Neither Stevenson nor unbeaten Detroit-born contender Frank Martin have been venomous when commenting about the other, but the subtle back and forth between the fighters—or in some cases their camps—has made this a fight that could rise above the pack,” Fitzsimmons wrote

Soon, that theory could be put to the test.

Lomachenko vs. Kambosos Back On?

Lomachenko and George Kambosos were all set to fight in June 2022, but Lomachenko withdrew due to the ongoing Russian invasion of his native Ukraine. Arum said the 35-year-old has expressed some misgivings about fighting the rest of this year for the same reason.

Loma eventually secured a date with Jamaine Ortiz that October and won a unanimous decision. Now, he’s looking to rebound from losing a unanimous decision to Devin Haney in May, and there are renewed rumblings he might finally oppose Kambosos.

Whether or not anything comes of that, the rumors didn’t escape the notice of Stevenson.

 

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BOXING

Robert Helenius denies doping for Anthony Joshua fight

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Anthony Joshua

Heavyweight Robert Helenius says he would “never cheat” after a voluntary drug test taken before his bout with Anthony Joshua returned an “adverse analytical finding”.

The 39-year-old Finn stepped in to face Joshua after initial opponent Dillian Whyte also returned an “adverse analytical finding” before the fight.

“I did not use any performance enhancement, now or ever,” he said.

Joshua knocked out Helenius in round seven in London on 12 August.

In a statement on social media, Helenius added: “I have been tested my entire career.

“I was just told that I tested positive for the presence of a non-steroid substance in my system and I wanted to send an immediate direct message to Anthony Joshua and boxing fans that I didn’t cheat and never would.”

Promoters Matchroom were informed of the results on Friday, two weeks after the fight.

The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) told Matchroom and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) that Robert Helenius “returned an adverse analytical finding as part of a random anti-doping protocol,” Matchroom said.

“I volunteer to work with Vada and the BBBofC to do whatever it takes to clear my name,” Helenius said.

He stepped in to replace Whyte at the O2 Arena with less than a week’s notice, after beating Mika Mielonen on 5 August.

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BOXING

ROBERT HELENIUS RETURNS ‘ADVERSE ANALYTICAL FINDING’ FROM TEST BEFORE ANTHONY JOSHUA CLASH

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anthony joshua

Following Dillian Whyte’s adverse analytical finding in a voluntary drug test ahead of his fight with Anthony Joshua, a replacement opponent was brought in, in the form of Finnish heavyweight Robert Helenius. Now, Matchroom Boxing have reported the results of a voluntary drug test for Helenius taking a day before the Joshua clash, saying that he also returned an adverse finding.

Heavyweight boxer Robert Helenius returned an “adverse analytical finding” for a voluntary drug test he took the day before his fight with Anthony Joshua.
Joshua and Helenius fought on August 12 for the Briton’s second fight of 2023, with Joshua winning by a seventh-round stoppage.
The 39-year-old Finn was stepping in as a late replacement for the originally scheduled B-side for the fight, Dillian Whyte.
Whyte himself had also returned an adverse analytical finding around a week before the fight, leading Helenius to be selected as the new opponent to avoid cancelling the card
Matchroom Boxing, who oversaw the event, released a statement confirming the news.
They said: “Today, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) has informed Matchroom and the British Boxing Board of Control that Robert Helenius has returned an adverse analytical finding as part of a random anti-doping protocol,” Matchroom said in a statement on social media.
“Matchroom defers to the relevant regulatory authorities on next steps. We vehemently continue to support voluntary anti-doping testing. We are committed to promoting a clean and fair sport for all athletes.”
Helenius was in action on August 5, when he defeated Mika Mielonen in Finland.
Joshua is now expected to fight in early 2023 against Wilder, potentially on the same card as Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk fights his mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois on Saturday night in Poland, live on TNT Sports Box Office.
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BOXING

Floyd Mayweather Punked & Humbled Adin Ross During Live Stream

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floyd mayweather

Popular treamer Adin Ross was humbled by Floyd Mayweather. For the past week, Ross and his friends have been training at Miami’s BOXR gym. During one session, Ross got dropped by boxing phenom Ryan Garcia.

Ross would later try to connect with Mayweather during his live stream at the BOXR gym, but Mayweather immediately instructed him to turn off his camera.

Mayweather, who had no idea who Ross was, asked Ross how much money he would pay him to participate in his live stream.

“You can’t film me for free, where’s my check?” yelled Mayweather while off camera. A dejected Ross walked away in shame after his interaction with Mayweather during his live stream.

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua Gives Dubois a Chance To Win, But Feels It’s a “Tough Ask”

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anthony joshua

Former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is giving countryman Daniel Dubois a shot at pulling off a major upset on Saturday night, when he faces Oleksandr Usyk.

Dubois, the mandatory challenger, will attempt to capture the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO titles when he collides with Usyk in Poland.

Uysk is coming off back-to-back wins over Joshua.

In 2021, Usyk captured the unified crown with a twelve round decision win over Joshua. The following year, Usyk retained the belts with another twelve round decision victory in their contracted rematch.

While Joshua gives Dubois a shot to win, he fully admits that it’s going to be a difficult task to achieve.

“Of course [Dubois] has [a chance to win],” Joshua told Sky Sports News. “It’s a tough ask, of course.

“The thing with Usyk is. He doesn’t depend on his power to knock you out. He depends on his skill. That’s why it’s a tough ask. Because he’s going to box rings around you if you let him.

“Dubois, good luck, Don Charles [Dubois’ new trainer] good luck, Great British boxing good luck. We potentially might have the heavyweight championship back on our soil.”

Dubois was training for some time with Shane McGuigan. They parted ways earlier this year. Dubois would later hire veteran coach Don Charles.

Several years ago, Charles was part of the training team for Derek Chisora, who gave Usyk a difficult fight in 2020.

According to Dubois, he’s gone through the toughest training camp of his pro career.

“I’m ready. I’ve suffered in training camp. I’ve done all of that. I’m ready now. I’ve prepared. I’ve left no stone unturned. I’m ready, I’m confident. I’m just ready to go now,” Dubois said.

 

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BOXING

Mike Tyson takes verbal swing at Floyd Mayweather for claiming to be greater than Muhammad Ali

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Mike tyson

Two of the biggest names in the boxing world have been locking horns away from the ring once again with Mike Tyson discussing Floyd Mayweather‘s latest claims.

Floyd Mayweather has been one of the most recognisable boxers in recent years, and he ended his career undefeated in 2017.

Tyson recalls that at one point the American fighter compared himself to Muhammad Ali, even calling himself superior, something Tyson did not like at all.

“Don’t tell me you’re the greatest fighter with 50-0,” Tyson said on his podcast.

“You’re great, no doubt about it, but 50-0? Julio Cesar Chavez had 90.

“He was fighting like, what? Eight times a year? Against whoever was in the rankings.

“He wasn’t picking. It was ‘whoever you want, come on’.”

Floyd Mayweather compares himself to Muhammad Ali

It was some time ago that Mayweather decided to make comments about Ali, comparing himself to the legend.

“Is Ali the same fighter that got beat by a fighter with seven fights?” Mayweather said.

“Leon Spinks beat Muhammad Ali when he only had seven fights. We’re just telling the truth. Next.”

Tyson picked that argument apart too, criticising Mayweather further.

“He’s very delusional,” Tyson said of Mayweather.

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BOXING

Sean O’Malley believes crossover clash with boxing star ‘Tank’ Davis ‘Would be f*cking massive’

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gervonta-davis

Fresh off his shocking second-round knockout of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292, Sean O’Malley has his sights set on another world champion.

On Saturday night, O’Malley stunned fans and oddsmakers around the world when he delivered a perfectly-timed counter right that sent the ‘Funk Master’ crashing to the canvas inside Boston’s iconic TD Garden. As the new king of the bantamweight division, O’Malley has a heap of options available for his first title defense, but ‘Sugar’ seems to have already gravitated toward a rematch with the only man to defeat him inside the Octagon, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera.

“I thought I’d shoot a promo, but we’ll see,” O’Malley said at the UFC 292 post-fight press conference. “Just the way [Vera] acts, he’s so annoying. He’s not funny, he tries to be. He’s so ugly. He dresses like an idiot. It’s like, ‘God, do I really have to give this guy an opportunity?’ I’ll probably just go out there and whoop his ass, make a lot of money, so I could. So that could be it.”

Sean O’Malley also hopes to one day have the opportunity to step inside the squared circle with one of the best lightweight boxers in the history of the sport.

“I also wouldn’t mind knocking out Gervonta Davis, and I know people are going to go, ‘Ooh, you’re a wannabe Conor.’ I’m telling you, that fight is going to happen” (h/t MMA Fighting).

Sean O’Malley Believes the UFC Could Make His Dream Fight with ‘Tank’ Davis Happen

Though there is a lot of work to do before a crossover fight of that magnitude can happen, the UFC has shown a willingness to put its top stars against some of the world’s best boxers.

In 2017, Irish megastar Conor McGregor stepped inside the ring with legendary pugilist Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, and most recently, the promotion was in talks with Tyson Fury before ‘The Gypsy King’ ultimately signed on for a clash with former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

“I feel like it could happen sooner than later,” O’Malley said. “But I also know, OK, UFC is down to get behind stuff like that if it’s big enough. With that performance, we’re getting close, but maybe I have to go out there, win a couple more fights, win another belt, I don’t know if he’s even considered a big enough star for the UFC to let that happen. It’ll happen.

“I said [winning the UFC title] was going to happen years ago, and I got so much sh*t saying I was going to be the champ, I’m going to be the next big star, I’m going to be this, I’m going to be that. I got so much hate and sh*t for it, but look at me now.”

‘Tank’ Davis currently carries an undefeated record of 29-0 with 27 of his victories coming by way of knockout. Most recently, Davis scored a seventh-round knockout against Ryan Garcia at the T-Mobile Arena in April.

“I don’t really follow boxing, but I’ve heard of Gervonta Davis,” O’Malley said. “I think he’s undefeated. I want to have crazy, massive fights. That sh*t gets me excited. I love that stuff. There’s no stars in the bantamweight division. Gervonta, you can consider him almost a star, and that’s what gets me excited. Me vs. Gervonta would be f*cking massive.”

 

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BOXING

Mayweather Had Canelo Level Power, Says Shane Mosley

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floyd mayweather

Once Floyd Mayweather pushed his record to 50-0, he brought down the curtains on his Hall of Fame career. Having retired several times in the past, Mayweather has always appeared ready to jump back into the sport whenever he wanted. Over the years, however, the now 46-year-old hasn’t had the itch to return. But that doesn’t mean former fighters aren’t still talking about him.

In 2010, Shane Mosley was confident that he would be the man to crack the flummoxing Mayweather code. At the time, the former five-division champ strutted to the ring perfect through 40 career fights. But, despite being flawless, his power wasn’t always lauded. With roughly half of his fights going to the judges’ scorecards, including against Mosley, from the outside looking in, it was ostensible that his boxing skills were elite but his power was nonexistent. That statement, however, couldn’t be further from the truth according to Mosley.

JUST IN:Floyd Mayweather Reveals Who He Wants Gervonta Davis To Fight

“When I fought Floyd, his power was really good,” explained Mosley to FightHype.com recently who lost a unanimous decision to Mayweather. “His power was actually the same speed and power when I fought Canelo at 154.”

Canelo, who currently holds all four world titles at 168 pounds and was once a champion at 175 pounds, also fought Mayweather in 2013, losing a majority decision.

JUST IN:Anthony Joshua’s claim about carrying the heavyweight division

Mosley’s need to bring up his matchup against Mayweather stems from the present-day handiwork of Terence Crawford. Just a few short weeks ago, the 35-year-old pounded Errol Spence Jr. to the tune of a ninth-round stoppage win, netting him his second undisputed reign.

Now, considering his performance, many have wondered how Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) would have fared against Mayweather. Mosley though, wouldn’t entertain that hypothetical showdown. He did, nevertheless, feel the need to defend Mayweather from the prognosticators who believe Crawford would have found a way to get the stoppage win due to the Hall of Famers lack of KOs.

READ MORE:Floyd Mayweather Wants Leigh Wood To Defend Against Prospect Curmel Moton

“That’s why people weren’t just running in.”

 

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BOXING

Eddie Hearn provides update on Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder

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anthony joshua

Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder will be finalized shortly according to Eddie Hearn.

Over the last few months, the Matchroom executive has been vocal about his disagreements with ‘AJ’. Specifically, Hearn has wanted Joshua to sit on the sidelines to avoid losing out on his December fight.

Later this year, the British boxer is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia to face Deontay Wilder. Saudi Skill Challenge are the promoters helping arrange the event, having also slated Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou for October.

In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Eddie Hearn discussed Anthony Joshua’s return. There, the promoter stated his fight should be finalized shortly, and that it’s all left to Skill Challenge as of now. Hearn revealed:

“[I think it will be finalized in] two or three weeks. I’ve been to Saudi Arabia twice to negotiate this fight. I’ve had two meetings, three meetings in London. I’m not doing it for banter. My instructions from Anthony Joshua [are] ‘I want to fight Deontay Wilder.’ The only way this fight doesn’t happen is if Saudi doesn’t deliver the fight.”

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BOXING

“Are you kidding me?” – Teddy Atlas scoffs at ‘overrated’ Anthony Joshua’s claim about carrying the heavyweight division

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anthony joshua

Anthony Joshua has received a scathing review from Teddy Atlas.’AJ’ returned to the ring earlier this month opposite short-notice replacement Robert Helenius. The former two-time champion was originally slated for a rematch with Dillian Whyte. However, after a failed drug test, ‘The Nordic Nightmare’ stepped up on a week’s notice.

While the Icelandic fighter attempted to put on a show, he eventually ran into a picture-perfect right hand. Helenius went down in the seventh, and Joshua had his first highlight-reel knockout win in years. To cap it off, he’s now expected to face Deontay Wilder in December, in a clash in Saudi Arabia.

Given all the recent news around him, Anthony Joshua recently opined that he was carrying the heavyweight division. While a nice win, that’s not something that Teddy Atlas would agree with. The legendary trainer discussed ‘AJ’ on a recent edition of his ‘The Fight’ podcast.

There, he slammed the comments, as well as Joshua’s resume. Atlas stated:

“Do you not see what I’ve been saying? He’s overrated, and it’s not personal… Who has he ever beaten to have been given the stature he has over there? Charles Martin? A 288-pound [Andy] Ruiz in the rematch after Ruiz knocked him out when he took the fight on two weeks notice? A cruiserweight beat him twice, I know, Usyk… [His comments] didn’t bother you a little bit? Really? Really you guys?”

“For him to say that his back was hurting him from carrying the heavyweight division – are you kidding me?”

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