Boxing Scene

IBF cruiserweight belt holder Jai Opetaia wants the winner of Saturday’s WBO cruiserweight title fight between champion Chris Billam-Smith and challenger Richard Riakporhe. On May 18 the unbeaten Opetaia won the IBF belt for a second time by defeating Latvia’s Mairis Briedis in Saudi Arabia, and while the Australian southpaw is keen to eventually move

The European Boxing Union (EBU) held its annual General Assembly last weekend in Tbilisi, Georgian Republic. The EBU female title will now be called the Enza Jacoponi title to honor its General Secretary. Jacoponi began in her current position in 1990 and is worthy of representing the championship. The EBU will keep its policy of

The World Boxing Association Thursday ordered undisputed junior-featherweight champion Naoya Inoue to next meet the sanctioning body’s mandatory challenger, former unified champion Murodjon “M.J.” Akhmadaliev. By virtue of his standing as a four-division and two-time undisputed champion, Japan’s Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) is squarely in the pound-for-pound No. 1 boxer discussion with unbeaten, two-time undisputed

Despite Richard Riakporhe being the betting favorite and having hometown advantage for his fight with WBO cruiserweight titleholder Chris Billam-Smith, his trainer, Angel Fernandez, says that there is no pressure on his fighter’s shoulders ahead of the fight at London’s Selhurst Park this weekend.  Mark Tibbs was in Riakporhe’s corner as he battled his way

Richard Riakporhe has “Deontay Wilder kind of power”, according to Dan Azeez. Riakporhe on Saturday challenges WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith at Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park – Azeez fights Croatia’s Hrvoje Sep on the undercard – and does so with a reputation as a fighter whose power will eventually take him to heavyweight. The 34 year

I like Saturday night’s PBC pay-per-view card quite a bit. I like its depth, I like the talent on the bill, I like the superstar potential atop the card, and I think all four fights have action upside. Buuuuuuutttt … if you’re in the market for 50/50 matchmaking, you won’t find any of it here.

Chris Billam-Smith and Richard Riakporhe each weighed in at the cruiserweight limit of 200lbs ahead of their rematch on Saturday at Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park. Billam-Smith, 34 and the WBO champion, seeks to avenge his only career defeat, via split decision in 2019. The rivals – Riakporhe is also 34 – refused to break an

LAS VEGAS – Former welterweight champion Shawn Porter believes Frank Martin could provide Gervonta Davis with an acid test. “The Ghost” is a hefty underdog in Las Vegas, but he is talking a good fight and Porter believes that Martin, 18-0 (12 KOs), could present Davis with some problems in the MGM Grand on Saturday

Chris Billam-Smith is taking the conviction of his victory over Lawrence Okolie into Saturday’s rematch with Richard Riakporhe. The WBO cruiserweight champion makes the second defence of the title he won from Okolie at Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park, aware that when they fought in 2019, Riakporhe outpointed him to inflict his only defeat. When he

LAS VEGAS – Gervonta “Tank” Davis takes center stage on Saturday night in Las Vegas, headlining the 100th show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In a business destabilized for many by huge investment from the Middle East, there are moving parts aplenty in boxing. Stephen Espinoza has seen plenty during his time in boxing,

Julio Cesar Martinez has been suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) after a banned substance was discovered following testing surrounding his March 30 victory over Angelino Cordova, The Ring has reported. The testing was carried out by the NSAC therefore all presiding offices under the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) are obligated to

New International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Ana Maria Torres made her debut as a super flyweight in 1999 and retired having made her mark in the sport in 2012. By the time she called it a day, she had not lost for five years. She twice held the WBC super flyweight title in 2007

The latest Daily Bread Mailbag is here and, this week, the one and only Stephen “Breadman” Edwards reviews Deontay Wilder’s chances of one day making it into the Hall of Fame, casts his eye over ‘Tank vs. Frank’, and – for the last time, folks – discusses the allegations surrounding Ryan Garcia. Hi Breadman, I

Claressa Shields secured her boxing legacy years ago.  The double Olympic gold medallist and current undisputed middleweight champion has already beaten every viable contender at 160lbs and 168lbs and rather than lapping the field, the 29-year-old has started to search for the type of challenges which will put her in rarefied air. Shields,14-0 (2 KOs),

Lamont Roach Jr. is excited for his championship homecoming when he defends his WBA super featherweight title in Washington on June 28. Roach, who won the crown from Dominican southpaw Hector Luis Garcia last November on the David Benavidez-Demetrius Andrade bill in Las Vegas, headlines at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington against Irishman

If Tom Brady can thrive at 45, Manny Pacquiao believes he can, too. Confirming a report published earlier Saturday on ESPN.com, two boxing officials connected to the deal told BoxingScene that eight-division-champion Pacquiao is in “serious negotiations” to stage his first bout in three years by fighting for the WBC welterweight belt against Mario Barrios.

CANASTOTA – The King of the Four Rounders, Butterbean – Eric Esch – has revealed that his health became so poor that he stopped going out. Today weighing 280lbs, with a goal to reach 250lbs within six months, the 57-year-old got up to more than 400lbs in his fighting career, and his health declined to the point

Junior middleweight Xander Zayas has arrived at an interesting but not-uncommon inflection point in his boxing career. With a record of 18-0 (12 KOs) and set to headline his first show in Saturday’s 10-rounder against former titleholder Patrick Teixeira, Puerto Rico’s Zayas can no longer be called a prospect. Yet at age 21, and without