Oscar De La Hoya has found his “big name” UFC opponent, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury’s heavyweight showdown could be delayed and a potential Conor Benn opponent isn’t believing in the hype. Here are five boxing stories you might have missed this week...
Former UFC Champion Alvarez In “Serious” Talks To Fight De La Hoya
Former Bellator and UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez claims he’s in “serious talks” to face boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya in the latter’s July 3rd comeback.
Eleven-time world titlist and six-weight world champion De La Hoya confirmed last month that he was returning to the ring at the age of 48, with a fight against a “big name” UFC star in the works. Now it looks like Alvarez is that star, with the 37-year-old telling MMA Fighting, “Recently we’ve been hearing from Oscar De La Hoya’s guys.
“Look, I’m fixated on the ONE Championship belt. I’m laser, laser focused on making history and getting my world title, but I feel like there’s gonna be a lull. The champion is gonna sit for a bit—I think he’s having a baby. If that happens, Oscar De La Hoya and them guys have been reaching out and, hell, I’d love to get in there and mix it up with him. That’d be a hell of a fight and I’ve got everyone here in Philadelphia backing me, and the whole Philadelphia boxing [community] to back me up.”
Frank Warren Says Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury Likely For August/September
Tyson Fury’s co-promoter Frank Warren has warned that the heavyweight unification showdown between Anthony Joshua and Fury could be delayed until late August or even September, despite indications from Eddie Hearn that the fight could happen in July.
Speaking to TalkSport, Warren said, “I’m seeing all these various stories, ‘It’s gonna be Wembley on July 24,’ and so forth. But I don’t see how any of that can happen in July or even early August from my perspective.
“Robert McCracken is AJ’s trainer, he’s also our Olympic team’s head coach, so he’s gonna be in Japan – I think the Olympics start on July 23, and I don’t know what the quarantine period is.
“He can’t be in two places at once. That’s if Robert McCracken’s still training AJ, maybe he’s not training the Olympic squad, I’m not sure. That’s one issue.
“I don’t believe this fight will go on until – if it’s late August we’ll be very lucky, maybe September.”
Fury Says Billy Joe Saunders Gives Canelo A Boxing Lesson
Not many people are giving Billy Joe Saunders much of a chance when he faces pound-for-pound superstar Canelo in a super-middleweight unification clash on May 8, but one man who is confident that the WBO champion will come out on top is Tyson Fury.
Speaking to Behind The Gloves, the Gypsy King said, “Pound-for-pound means if everyone was the same weight, the same height, or the same size, and we know that doesn’t exist. So pound-for-pound, if I jumped out of that hotel window, could I fly like an eagle if I had wings? That’s what it’s like saying.
“Bull s***. I don’t agree with anything like that because they have weight categories for a reason. Unless he’s going to come up to my weight category and give me a fight, which is not going to happen. Anyway, it’s [Canelo vs. Saunders] a top fight at middleweight or super middleweight. I think Billy Joe gives him a boxing lesson. That’s what I’m here to see. That’s what I think will happen.”
Joseph Parker Could Land World Title Shot If He Beats Dereck Chisora
Promoter Eddie Hearn says that if Joseph Parker comes out on top in his heavyweight showdown with Dereck Chisora next month, the Kiwi will be right on the brink of challenging for a "fragmented" world heavyweight belt.
AJ and Fury have signed a two-fight contract and Hearn believes Parker would be well positioned to challenge if the belts are vacated in 2022.
“Joseph Parker is right up there, since his win over Junior Fa. He's top five, top six with a couple of governing bodies now.
"If he beats Chisora, when these belts become fragmented in probably 2022, this is a really important fight for him."
Shawn Porter Fires Warning To Conor Benn
After Conor Benn blitzed Samuel Vargas at the weekend, former two-weight welterweight champion Shawn Porter was named as a potential opponent for the future, but the American has warned that Benn won’t be able to ‘blow through’ the world’s best welterweights like he did the Colombian
Speaking on the Ringside Toe2Toe podcast, ‘Showtime’ Porter said, “When you're getting in the ring and you're blazing through guys, in a round or two, it's great.
"It looks phenomenal, but you really don't know. You can use that and say, 'I'm just going to blow through those guys', but nobody blows through Shawn Porter, nobody blows through Kell Brook, nobody blows through Errol Spence Jr.
"When that doesn't happen, you need to know that you've got some other tools in your tool box, and you can go to those things to weather whatever storm that we're going to bring you.
"That's what I say when Nigel Benn says, 'my son is ready for Shawn Porter, my son is ready for world championship contention'. Has he been through things yet in the ring, if he hasn't grown enough yet in the boxing ring as a professional?”
