Expensive nuts
At the Beverly Hills Hotel, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Jaime Munguia gathered to kickstart the promotion for their upcoming May 4 bout. However, it was the discussion around a non-existent fight that took center stage.
Canelo admitted that he was never approached with the rumored $55 million offer to face the undefeated ‘Mexican Monster’ David Benavidez. He also stated that he would require more than three times that amount to even consider the fight. “Benavidez has nothing valuable to bring to the table,” Canelo expressed. “I am the one with something significant. However, if any promoter I collaborate with presents me with an offer ranging from $150 million to $200 million, I would be ready to fight immediately.”
Benavidez, who appears to be making a transition to light-heavyweight due to Canelo’s seemingly high financial demands, expressed his thoughts on social media in response to his fellow countryman’s remarks.
He typed, seemingly furious, “Canelo, if I have nothing of value, why are you insisting on receiving 150-200 million to fight someone worthless? Hopefully, once you’ve earned that sum, you’ll have enough remaining to acquire some courage.”
Nevertheless, he subsequently stated, “Just be patient. Do not be taken aback when this fight takes place in September.” We hold onto our optimism.
Return of The Sauce
Subsequently, news surfaced on Thursday indicating that Benavidez’s scheduled 175lb bout against Oleksandr Gvozdyk is expected to occur on June 15.
Furthermore, it has been confirmed that Lawrence Okolie’s inaugural bridgerweight bout will take place against Lukasz Rozanski at the Podpromie Arena in Rzeszow, Poland, on May 24th.
After his defeat to Chris Billam-Smith in Bournemouth back in May last year, Okolie has been absent from the boxing ring. However, this upcoming fight presents an opportunity for the London fighter to seize the WBC title in a weight division beyond the 200lb category.
The world of boxing films had a significant day with the Ricky Hatton documentary, intriguingly named Hatton, receiving a Bafta nomination. A heartfelt congratulations to the remarkable trio – the Hitman, Billy Graham, and director Dan Dewsbury. Could it be possible that Hatton delivers a knockout blow with a body shot to triumph over the other nominations and emerge victorious?
Continuing with the focus on the big-screen world, a devoted Rocky fan made an impressive purchase on Thursday. In an auction, they spent an astounding $65,625 to acquire the iconic top hat and coat worn by Carl Weathers, also known as Apollo Creed, in Rocky IV. It remains uncertain if the fortunate bidder had any funds remaining for a snack of nuts.
Okolie vs. Chris Billam-Smith (Getty Images)
The weight is over
Following an enjoyable Wednesday, David Benavidez decided to adopt a different approach by reaching out to Turki Alalshikh on Instagram, seeking his assistance in securing a fight with Canelo. However, on Friday, it was revealed that Turki had different intentions. Instead of pursuing Canelo for a bout in Saudi Arabia later this year, Alalshikh proposed offering Benavidez the opportunity to face the victor of the Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol match, which is scheduled for June 1 and will determine the light-heavyweight champion. Although a rematch clause exists, the suggestion is that Benavidez could still potentially fight the initial winner in December.
In Sheffield, the boxers were busy with weigh-ins for the highly anticipated event featuring Dalton Smith versus Jose Zepeda on Saturday night. However, Troy Williamson faced an issue as he exceeded the super-welterweight limit by 4.2lbs in preparation for his British title eliminator against Ishmael Davis.
Davis took to social media that evening to announce that the fight had been cancelled due to Williamson’s refusal to agree on a morning weight.
Come and get it
As The Week settled down with a bowl of Cheerios and a cup of tea, a fresh post suddenly popped up on Ishmael Davis’ social media. This time, the Black Panther was brimming with excitement as they triumphantly declared (in all capital letters) that the ‘FIGHT IS BACK ON, SEE YOU TONIGHT’.
Ultimately, everything turned out fine as he showcased an outstanding performance against Williamson, securing a unanimous decision victory and earning the status of mandatory challenger for the British title.
After defeating Jose Zepeda with a powerful body shot in the fifth round, Dalton Smith wasted no time in shifting his focus to Adam Azim. The fight between them has been mandated by both the BBBoC and EBU, and a purse bid is expected to take place soon.
Smith, the European 140lbs champion, expressed, “I rarely single out individuals, but I must inquire, Adim Azim, where are you currently situated?” Adding to the sentiment, Smith’s promoter Eddie Hearn echoed, stating, “If Azim is interested in the match, we couldn’t be more thrilled. We would emerge victorious without a doubt. The only scenario where it doesn’t happen next is if Adam Azim declines to face Dalton Smith.”
Divisions confirmed
After several months of anticipation, the crucial details of the Queensberry v Matchroom event were finally unveiled in a video released on Sunday afternoon, following Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn’s agreement.
Warren and Hearn jointly agreed on the weight divisions of heavyweight, light-heavyweight, middleweight, and featherweight. Afterwards, as an unexpected twist, Turki was given the opportunity to select his preferred weight category, and unsurprisingly, he opted for the heavyweight division as well.
He stated that the promoters have given permission for new signings to be made, which aligns with reports suggesting that Zhilei Zhang, who is already affiliated with Queensberry, will be included in the card and will face Deontay Wilder.
In addition, Turki has intentions to host a similar show at Wembley in September, promoting Riyadh Season. This move signifies a significant shift in their sporting strategy, considering that all their previous events have only taken place in Saudi Arabia.
Ben Shalom shared some positive news for British boxing on Sunday, revealing to Sky Sports that Joshua Buatsi, his boxer, has reached an agreement to finally square off against his long-standing light-heavyweight competitor, Anthony Yarde.
Okolie joins up with Joe
After a few bouts with Sugar Hill Steward, Lawrence Okolie has announced his collaboration with trainer Joe Gallagher.
The start of fight week in Las Vegas marked Tim Tszyu’s highly anticipated Sin City debut, with his match against Sebastian Fundora just days away. However, the focus shifted to a different fight for the Australian as his manager, Glenn Jennings, disclosed that discussions for a bout with Terence Crawford are still underway, capturing the attention of Monday’s news headlines.
Sign me up! There’s a good chance that the fight between Crawford, the current WBO champion in the 147lbs category, and Tsyzu, who holds the 154lb belt, will happen before the year ends. Crawford strategically secured his position as the mandatory challenger for Tszyu’s title by using his own championship status. So, if Tszyu manages to defeat Fundora this Saturday, the much-anticipated fight could be on the horizon.
Jennings is confidently expressing his support for his fighter. In an interview with the Jai McAllister YouTube channel, he stated, “We have complete faith that if Tim gets the opportunity to battle Crawford, we will come out victorious. Our team is fully committed to achieving nothing less than complete success.”
Exclusive to the USA
By Tuesday, many people would typically begin thinking about what they will watch over the weekend. The Easter weekend offers numerous shows to choose from, but one of the most noteworthy is undoubtedly the clash between Tszyu and Fundora. This event holds significant importance for the sport since it marks the first boxing show to be aired on Amazon Prime as part of their agreement with Al Haymon’s PBC.
Unfortunately, as reported on Tuesday, individuals residing outside the United States will encounter difficulties accessing the show. Boxing Scene disclosed that a representative from PBC confirmed that presently, their pay-per-view events, including this one, can only be accessed within America. It is rather unfortunate that they lack a means of globally broadcasting their content to virtually every screen.
The idea of expanding the availability of non-PPV shows to more territories starting later this year was proposed. However, for the time being, it appears that viewers in the UK might have to cancel their plans of watching Saturday’s broadcast.
