Latest news with #DevinHaney
The Sun
09-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Shakur Stevenson wants huge UK fight with Conor Benn after William Zepeda bout and LEAKS DMs with Brit rival
SHAKUR STEVENSON is ready to come to the UK to settle his feud with Conor Benn - after verbal attacks broke out between the pair. Benn has waged war on America's top stars from Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia. 4 But WBC lightweight champion and three-division king Stevenson is another to have traded jabs with Benn - both online and in private. Now the undefeated 27-year-old is plotting his very first fight in Britain after growing tired of Benn's social media swipes. Stevenson revealed his desire to fight in the UK and told SunSport: "I'd do a big fight there and we'll have a f***ing blast. I would love it. 'I think that'd be big. Fill out a big ass arena and Conor Benn likes to talk s***, he'd be trolling me every single day now. 'He DM'd me and he also just comments on every picture talking s*** about me. So tell him, get ready. I'm gonna f*** him up.' Benn is a welterweight by trade but moved up to middleweight for his second generation grudge bout against Chris Eubank Jr in April. Initially, they were due to meet in a 157lb catchweight clash in 2022 but Benn tested positive for clomiphene - known to boost testostrone. He was provisionally suspended and took his career to America for two wins at 150lb while fighting his case with UK Anti-doping. 4 Eventually, his case was dropped and Benn returned to home soil to fight Eubank Jr losing a thriller at Tottenham's stadium. Afterwards, Stevenson opened the door to fighting Benn at 154lb but he has already KO'd that idea. Shakur Stevenson might be tipped for boxing greatness but he can't beat rapper girlfriend for getting fans' attention He said: 'I'm taking that back! I will not fight Conor Benn at 54. Me and Conor Benn, we can fight at 47. 'And that's another thing too I'm gonna put out there, I'm not a 47 pounder. I'm not fighting at 47 for just anybody. 'Only reason why I was saying with Conor Benn is because he's smaller. Like I've seen him in person. He's literally like, I wanna say he's shorter than me. 'So that's kind of cool but like far as like 47, I'm so f***ing small for even 135. I will go up but it'd be specific people at 47.' Benn, 28, rematches Eubank Jr, 35, back in London on September 20. Meanwhile Stevenson defends his title against Mexican William Zepeda, 29, on Saturday in New York in what he expects to be his coming out party. He said: "I think it is just because of the style, you got a guy that's coming in there, he's coming to bring the fight to me. 'And you back somebody up like me against the wall, you won't like what's coming back, so it's gonna be tremendous."
Arab News
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Turki Alalshikh announces The Ring IV in Riyadh Season featuring four world title fights
RIYADH: Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and chairman of the Saudi Boxing Federation, officially announced the fourth edition of the global boxing event The Ring IV, scheduled to take place on Friday, Nov. 22, at ANB Arena in Riyadh. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport Part of Riyadh Season, the event will feature four headline bouts for major world titles. Leading the fight card is the WBO world welterweight title clash between American star Devin Haney and compatriot Brian Norman Jr. Haney enters the bout with a perfect record of 32 wins (15 by knockout), aiming to become a three-division world champion. This is his second fight at welterweight after defeating Arnold Barboza Jr. in the inaugural The Ring event held at Times Square. Norman Jr., who also has an undefeated record of 28 wins (22 by knockout), comes into the fight fresh off a dominant KO victory against Japan's Jin Sasaki, whom he stopped with a powerful left hook in the fifth round. In the second title bout, David Benavidez, the reigning WBC light heavyweight champion, take on British contender Anthony Yarde. Benavidez is unbeaten in 30 fights, including 24 knockouts, and will be making his first title defense. Yarde enters the ring with a record of 27 wins (24 by knockout) and three losses, seeking to dethrone the American in what is expected to be an explosive encounter. In the lightweight division, American Abdullah Mason will face Britain's Sam Noakes for the vacant WBO lightweight title. Mason brings a flawless record of 19 wins, 17 by knockout, while Noakes comes in undefeated as well, with 17 victories, 15 by knockout. With both fighters known for their high knockout ratios and aggressive styles, this bout is considered one of the most anticipated matchups among the new wave of lightweight contenders. The night will conclude with a super flyweight (super bantamweight) showdown between US champion Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez and Argentina's undefeated Fernando Martinez. Rodriguez has 21 wins (14 by knockout), while Martinez has 18 wins, including 9 knockouts, with no losses. The fight will be contested for the prestigious The Ring title and is expected to deliver a high-level tactical and fast-paced boxing display.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boxing's biggest winners and losers of June: Brian Norman Jr., Jake Paul lead roller-coaster month
Jake Paul was a winner once again in June, much to the disappointment of many in boxing. You know what they say: May showers bring June flowers, and that's exactly what happened in the weird and wonderful world of boxing this past month. WINNERS Brian Norman Jr. STOP THE COUNT. Brian Norman Jr. has already won 2025's Knockout of the Year award, so let's get that title in the mail to Georgia and draw a big emphatic line under the conversation. Advertisement The sweetest and cleanest of left hooks left Japan's Jin Sasaki motionless, face-up in the middle of the canvas, subsequently unable to remember the last six weeks of his life. Moving to 28-0 as a pro, this was the kind of statement victory that the 24-year-old needed in order to skyrocket him into the wider consciousness of the boxing public — and seemingly overnight, the WBO welterweight beltholder is now one of the hot tickets at 147 pounds. Devin Haney awaits Norman this November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, according to Turki Alalshikh. Junto Nakatani It's now five stoppage wins in five fights at bantamweight for the vicious Junto Nakatani, and the unbeaten Japanese superstar is edging closer and closer to what would be an extraordinary fight against his compatriot Naoya Inoue. Advertisement Nakatani's latest win came via sixth-round stoppage against Ryosuke Nishida, moving him to 31-0 (24 KOs). Now he has a decision to make whether to stay at 118 pounds or leap into 122-pound waters. Nakatani is arguably the fighter of the year thus far at the halfway point of 2025, thanks to two convincing knockouts of top-10 bantamweights. Richardson Hitchins There's always been something oddly beautiful about a perfectly-delivered liver shot. Perhaps that's me speaking from the School of Ricky Hatton, but Richardson Hitchins' body-shot stoppage of George Kambosos Jr. elevated the unbeaten New Yorker into someone the Big Apple could hang its hat on for future outings. Advertisement It was Hitchins' coming out party in the 140-pound division, gliding to a near-perfect win against the tough and experienced Australian. Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney are just two of the names that await the 26-year-old in the ever-changing choppy waters of super lightweight — and, down the line at welterweight. Jake Paul Jake Paul has beaten former world champions in back-to-back fights and is now ranked among the top 15 global cruiserweights with the World Boxing Association — and what have you done today? OK, the Marmite-esque Paul may not be the Messiah, but to quote Monty Python's "Life of Brian," he might also not quite be the 'very naughty boy' that certain corners of the boxing media want to suggest. Advertisement Paul is dedicating himself to the craft of boxing, and as he continues pour money into the women's side of the sport with Most Valuable Promotions, he's going to gain more and more popularity. Whether he's actually any good or not will soon enough become apparent, but there is enough wrong in the sport without needing to lambast "The Problem Child' every time he makes headlines. Fabio Wardley Everyone loves a come-from-behind knockout. Well, except poor Justis Huni in this instance. The talented Australian was dominating Ipswich's hometown hero for 10 and a half rounds with slick combinations and classy movement, until — BANG! — Wardley landed a right hand from the Gods, leaving Huni in a confused pile on the canvas. This, ladies and gentleman, is heavyweight boxing. When you posses the power Wardley clearly does, then, despite his technical shortcomings, the sky's the limit in the most dramatic of divisions. Advertisement Huni comes out of this contest with a lot of credit and his stock increased, but including him in a list of winners would be a bit of a stretch after finding himself on the wrong end of one of the month's biggest knockouts. Sorry, 'mayte.' LOSERS Keyshawn Davis It wasn't a good month for Keyshawn Davis — and that's putting it lightly. The former WBO lightweight world champion looked pretty content on the scales weighing 4.3 pounds overweight for his contest with Edwin De Los Santos, like a 420-pound guy might well do in his return to WeightWatchers following an all-inclusive trip to Mexico. The fight was canned, and if losing out on a cool $1 million dollars wasn't bad enough, Davis lost plenty more in terms of respect, as he instigated an altercation with rival Nahir Albright in his locker room following Albright's win over his brother, Kelvin Davis. Advertisement Davis had a successful boxing future in the palm of his hand, but this self-destruction — and more importantly, lack of remorse — may well be a sign of worse things to come as he moves through his career. Galal Yafai The youngest of the Yafai brothers was attempting to make history alongside Anthony Joshua and James DeGale by becoming only the third British male to win an Olympic gold medal and a world championship. But that dream — for now — was comprehensively ripped out of his hands by Mexican challenger Francisco Rodriguez Jr., who beat the Briton from pillar to post over 12 uncompetitive rounds in Birmingham, UK. Advertisement Yafai lost his unbeaten record and his WBC interim title at flyweight, but above all, the mystic that he could potentially be one of the boogeymen in the 112-pound division. Francisco Rodriguez Jr. dominated Galal Yafai in one of the biggest upsets of June. (Ben Roberts Photo via Getty Images) Jaime Munguia 'Same piss, different pot,' when it comes to fighters A-samples and B-samples. It's not often that a B-sample in boxing acts as Monopoly's get-out-of-jail-free card, and Mexico's Jaime Munguia found that out the predictably hard way this month as his adverse finding of exogenous testosterone was confirmed. Team Munguia has spun the Wheel of Excuses, landing on contamination — and I'll be surprised as anyone if we reach an honest conclusion to this debacle before Munguia is allowed to enter the ring again as a professional. Advertisement Boxing's grey area continues to cover more and more ground on the map. Boxxer We all remember our first break up, don't we? But unlike Emily Appleby round the back of the bike sheds in 1996, Boxxer's first heartbreak with platform Sky Sports looks to be playing out a lot more publicly. Boxxer, and their lead promotor Ben Shalom, were plucked out of relative obscurity four years ago to lead the media giant's boxing content, and this lucrative deal worth £36 million looks — according to a number of sources — to have come to an end. It felt like Boxxer were attempting to push custard up a hill from the word go as they followed on from the "glory years" of Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing, and Sky Sports will now go in the direction of one-off contracts on an ad-hoc basis for fights they wish to broadcast. Advertisement Boxing purists The great Vasiliy Lomachenko announced his retirement from the sport at the age of 37, leaving a hole in the heart of the boxing community. In his pomp, the Ukrainian was as near perfect as you could imagine from a fighter, something his 18-3 professional record will never truly illustrate. 'Hi-Tech's' smooth, technically mesmerizing style left opponents bamboozled and — during a four-fight run between 2016-17 — quitting on their stools, unable to come close in attempting to solve his puzzle. It's unlikely we'll see a fighter so accomplished as an amateur and professional any time soon.
The Independent
23-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Biggest boxing upsets of 2025 so far: The nights no one saw coming
In a whirlwind stretch of high-stakes matchups and unexpected outcomes, boxing fans were treated to a series of jaw-dropping moments that turned the sport's hierarchy on its head. From the bright lights of Times Square to the fight-hardened rings of Glasgow, London, and Las Vegas, established names stumbled while hungry challengers seized the spotlight. Here is a look at the biggest upsets that boxing has seen so far this year. Ryan Garcia vs Rolly Romero Times Square, New York, 2 May – What was supposed to be a credible-yet-comfortable fight for Ryan Garcia to set up a rematch with Devin Haney morphed into an unexpected upset against an old rival in Rolly Romero. The two met on a historic, albeit lacklustre, card at Times Square, which also featured Devin Haney vs Jose Ramirez and Teofimo Lopez vs Arnold Barboza Jr. Turki Alalshikh made an informal deal that both Haney and Garcia had to win their fights to unlock the rematch they were both after. Their first fight was overturned to a No Contest after Garcia failed a drug test. Perhaps a victim of taking his eyes off his opponent and instead looking ahead to Haney, with whom he had been clashing all fight week, Garcia got dropped in the second round by a left hook from Romero. The shot did not genuinely hurt Garcia, but his initial eagerness to let his hands go had disappeared, which allowed Romero to take control of the fight and take a comfortable points win on all three scorecards: 115-112, 115-112, 118-109. The fight was expected to deliver fireworks, but Garcia's confidence was knocked out of him, and Romero claimed perhaps the biggest upset of the year so far. Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman Hydro Arena, Glasgow, 24 May – Josh Taylor made his first appearance at welterweight, hoping to reignite his career and become a two-weight world champion, after back-to-back losses to Teofimo Lopez and Jack Catterall at super-lightweight. His opponent, Ekow Essuman, was in rebuild mode after losing an upset of his own to Harry Scarff in 2023, jumping at the opportunity to have a name like Taylor's on his resume. Taylor was met with rapturous applause by his home crowd and certainly gave them something to cheer about in the opening rounds, pushing the pace and hurting Essuman, who found himself backed onto the ropes. But the former undisputed champion had his success stunted by a well-timed right hand that temporarily muted the Glasgow crowd. Still, Taylor continued to find success in his work rate, punctuated by pockets of work from the Nottingham fighter who looked to be weathering the storm well. The pace began to slow into the seventh round, and a clash of heads opened a cut above the left eye of Taylor, which seemed to add a heap of coal to 'The Engine'. Essuman continued to pile on the pressure and began to find a home for more of his shots as Taylor's stamina began to falter, heading into the championship rounds. The final two rounds would prove to be decisive for the scorecards, and Essuman found the extra 10 per cent that Taylor could not. The 36-year-old won via unanimous decision to claim the most important victory of his career against Britain's first and only undisputed champion in the four-belt era. The scorecards read 116-113, 116-112, 115-113. Watch over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters with a DAZN subscription. More information here. Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas, 31 May – Caleb Plant was looking to regain his momentum against a relative unknown in Resendiz, who had not yet fought at the level Plant had been operating at for years. After suffering defeat at the hands of David Benavidez and Canelo Alvarez in two of his last three fights, Plant had a comeback victory against Trevor McCumby before taking on Armando Resendiz. That match was supposed to be the prelude to a grudge match against Jermall Charlo, who fought and defeated Thomas LaManna on the same card. The fight was a close affair in the early goings as Plant used his jab and counter left hook to good effect, and Resendiz took the front foot, looking for hooks to the head and body. Plant's signature defensive skills seemed to be absent as he continued to get caught with heavy hooks from his more explosive opponent. The highlight of the fight came in the sixth round when Resendiz detonated a short right hand that wobbled Plant, who desperately tried to hang on, but got hit with two clean hooks before finally managing to get his arms around the Mexican. The jab was Plant's primary weapon, which he continued to score with throughout the fight, but he struggled to follow up, smothering his work, while Resendiz was able to get off some impressive shots on the inside. Plant said after the fight that he thought he had done enough to win, but Resendiz was the more imposing fighter, landing heavier and more eye-catching work to sway the judges in his favour for a split decision: 116-112, 116-112, 113-115. Skye Nicolson vs Tiara Brown Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, 22 March – Skye Nicolson was set up to defend her WBC featherweight strap for the third time against an unbeaten but untested Tiara Brown, in the hopes of getting a unification bout next. Nicolson had looked unbeatable, and one could argue had not lost a round since acquiring her green and gold belt in June 2024. Brown, a former police officer in Washington DC and Florida, had not fought for a world title, but had an infectious confidence that would help propel her towards one of the biggest upsets the female game has seen this year. The WBC champion made a bright start with her signature counter shots and foot movement to keep a charging Brown at bay. But this would not last for long as Brown was intelligent in cutting off the ring and throwing cuffing left hooks, as the Aussie southpaw tried to pivot away. This stifled Nicolson's movements and forced her to fight on the inside, which played into Brown's hands. She landed a high volume of body punches and right uppercuts to the champion, who looked uncomfortable up close. Brown used her unconventional footwork to her advantage, sliding between orthodox and southpaw to close the space down that Nicolson was desperate to find. Her unrelenting pressure and punching were something Nicolson had not yet faced and did not seem prepared for. Nicolson did land effective work but simply could not match Brown's output and lost a split decision: 94-96, 93-97 and 96-94. With that, Brown claimed an unlikely victory behind enemy lines to acquire her first world title. She collapsed in tears after the result was announced. Liam Smith vs Aaron McKenna Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, 28 April – Liam Smith was fighting for his career after suffering a knockout defeat to the event headliner Chris Eubank Jr in their rematch last year. He took on a young Irish prospect in Aaron McKenna, but many thought Smith's experience at the top level and resilience would be enough for him on the night. Smith knew he had to close the gap to the much taller McKenna and came out with a high guard, stalking the Irishman in the early going. But McKenna's youth and skill allowed him to rattle off sharp, fast combinations to Smith's head, which began to find the target through the Liverpudlian's defences much earlier than he would have liked. Even when Smith managed to close the distance, where he is usually so effective, he was coming off second best in the exchanges as McKenna sank in heavy hooks to the head and body. McKenna had the lead through the first six rounds but handed a lifeline to Smith when he had a point deducted for the use of his elbows. Still, the Irish prospect's dominance forced Smith onto the back foot, on the end of McKenna's lashing combinations, and in the 12th round, a left hook to the body dropped Smith to one knee. But such is Smith's bravery, proven time and time again, that he rose to his feet and threw the kitchen sink at McKenna. McKenna emerged as the shock victor, regardless, beating a bona fide world titlist and proving himself to be a legitimate contender, winning a unanimous decision: 119-108, 117-109 and 118-108.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Richardson Hitchins has the antidote to boring boxing
Richardson Hitchins put on one of the finest performances of 2025 in his Saturday victory over George Kambosos Jr. Richardson Hitchins showed Saturday that the science of boxing is rarely sweeter than when hit-and-don't-get-hit concepts are applied appropriately. There are plenty of recent instances when boxers have confused the above, have gotten the ratio all wrong, and have fought with a style that focuses less on hitting and more on just not getting hit. Period. Advertisement Against William Scull on May 3, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the face of boxing, failed to land a jab in six of the 12 rounds, landed 56 shots in total, and the 152 punches he threw in the fight as a whole were the fewest for a 12-round bout in data-cruncher CompuBox's entire 40-year history. "Canelo" won, but it was one of the most forgettable fights of the modern age. That same weekend, Devin Haney and Jose Ramirez combined to produce one of the most boring bouts in boxing history, throwing a total of 503 punches between them — the sixth-fewest for a 12-round bout, per CompuBox. Haney earned the decision on the scorecards. Shakur Stevenson, meanwhile, has routinely faced criticisms that his performances against Robson Conceicao, Edwin de los Santos and Artem Harutyunyan over the past three years were tiresome, despite a winning result each time. It is perhaps this ongoing trend that prompted the sport's chief financier, Turki Alalshikh, to implore boxers to fight with more positive intent. Advertisement "I don't want to see any more Tom and Jerry-type boxing matches where one fighter is running around the ring, and the other is chasing him," Alalshikh proclaimed to his 7.1 million followers on X last week. "We can longer support these kinds of fights." While volume punchers like William Zepeda, Jesse Rodriguez and David Benavidez will presumably be exempt, together with knockout punchers like Naoya Inoue, Daniel Dubois and Gervonta Davis who also maximize excitement, Alalshikh's sentiment puts defensive maestros in a predicament. CompuBox rates some defensive wizards in boxing like Chris Eubank Jr., Dmitry Bivol and Terence Crawford, who typically limit their opponents to 6.5 punches landed per round, 6.8, and 7.7, respectively. But they do this while also exhibiting an exquisite attack. Advertisement It is time we add IBF super lightweight champion Hitchins to that list — especially after he finished George Kambosos Jr. in style. As CompuBox notes in data it sent to Uncrowned for this feature, Hitchins has been posting impressive numbers, both defensively and offensively, through his past four fights. Courtesy of CompuBox He's doubled the weight class average in key metrics at a time when his level of opposition keeps rising. In his past four bout, Hitchins averaged 34% punch accuracy with his jab (double the division average of 17%), while limiting his opponents to 7.9 punches per round (half the division average), during his wins over Kambosos, Liam Paro, Gustavo Lemos and Jose Zepeda. Advertisement Against Kambosos specifically, Hitchins appeared punch perfect, landed his ramrod jab, and showed incredible footwork from the beginning of the fight. He marked the eye of his Australian opponent, seemed to use less energy and made Kambosos miss before making him pay with power punches thrown from the pocket. He targeted the body, having studied Vasiliy Lomachenko's gameplan in the Ukrainian's win over Kambosos last year, and dug his left hand into Kambosos' ribs again and again. In the fifth round, the investment to the midsection paid dividends as Kambosos grimaced and reeled backward in pain, as Hitchins laid all kinds of punches onto the chin. Kambosos tried to give Hitchins work in a mid-fight comeback, but, really, it was the beginning of the end as the American leathered his jaw in the seventh with lunging left hooks thrown from the hip. Advertisement A body shot in the eighth, which he had teased throughout the fight, landed with such venom that Kambosos crumpled to the floor. The referee counted him out. It was all over. Hitchins got only the 8th knockout of his 20-fight career as a pro, his first since 2022, against arguably the biggest name he's ever been in the ring with. The victory was a crucial one because it reinforces Hitchins not only as a legitimate world champion, but also as an undefeated American capable of creating significant matches in the 140-pound division — potentially against the likes of his old amateur rival Gary Antuanne Russell, or fellow super lightweight world champion Teofimo Lopez. Advertisement Above all, though, it showed that one can still be a defensive master of their craft in boxing, while producing fan-friendly performances that will please even the fiercest of critics. It showed that Hitchins, and other fighters who can box, remain exciting — and have a lot to offer sports and entertainment. Though it remains to be seen whether Hitchins can repeat his Kambosos masterclass against an even bigger name like Lopez, few may bet against him when considering CompuBox's notes about Hitchins' exploits in recent years, which follow a clear theme. The Kambosos performance, you see, wasn't an exception. This is who Hitchins is — a fighter amongst the sweetest of the sport's new-age scientists.
