From the announcement of one of the biggest fights of the year to a Twitter beef between a MMA star and a British boxing legend, there’s been plenty going on in the sport this week. Here are five stories you might have missed.
Errol Spence vs Terence Crawford Talks Restart
The undisputed welterweight showdown between IBF, WBC and WBA champion Errol Spence Jr and WBO champion Terence Crawford could be back on track, with the Dallas Morning News claiming that the pair have resumed talks.
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Talks between the undefeated pair, widely considered to be two of the best fighters on the planet, come after a breakdown in negotiations late last year.
Earlier this month, ESPN’s Mike Coppinger reported that Spence and Crawford had been speaking directly to one another over the phone in a bid to salvage arguably the biggest fight to be made in boxing.
Crawford was last in action in December, stopping David Avanesyan in six rounds while Spence hasn’t been seen since defeating Yordenis Ugas by 10th-round TKO last April.
Haney To Defend Undisputed Lightweight Titles Against Loma
Devin Haney will defend his WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO lightweight titles against three-weight former world champion Vasyl Lomachenko at Las Vegas’ MGM Arena on May 20th.
The fight between the unbeaten American and the supremely talented Ukrainian is one of the best that could be made in boxing today.
Haney is one of the sport’s brightest stars and has barely put a foot wrong in 29 professional contests. Lomachenko meanwhile was until recently regarded as one of the finest boxers on the planet. He fell to a unanimous decision defeat against Teofimo Lopez in 2020 but since then has responded with three victories on the trot.
"Lomachenko is a good fighter and future Hall of Fame candidate," Haney said. "I take nothing away from him or what he has done in the sport of boxing.
"Although he didn't give me a shot when I challenged him in 2019, I won't be petty. This is the fight the fans really want, and I made it happen. I've gotten two times better since the Kambosos rematch and, believe it or not, the better my opponent is, the better I perform.
"I can't wait for this fight. I know Lomachenko has an extremely high boxing IQ, and I will show the world on May 20 that I'm the best fighter on the planet. I'm ready to defend my undisputed title in devastating fashion."
Stephen Fulton vs Naoya Inoue Rescheduled
The WBC and IBO super-bantamweight showdown between title-holder Stephen Fulton and challenger Naoya Inoue has been rescheduled for July 25th in Tokyo.
The fight between the two unbeaten stars, one of the best match-ups in boxing, had been set for May 7th in Yokohama, but had to be postponed after Inoue suffered an injury in training.
It will be the Japanese boxer’s first fight at 122lb since relinquishing his four belts at bantamweight and moving up. He became undisputed at bantamweight after stopping Paul Butler in December, clinching the WBO strap in the process.
With that win, Inoue became the first-ever Japanese boxer to claim undisputed championship status in the three or four-belt era, and the first boxer in history to stop all four major sanctioning organisation champions inside the distance.
Conor McGregor Calls For Eddie Hearn To Make Carl Froch Fight
The war of words between former UFC champion Conor McGregor and former boxing world champion Carl Froch ramped up this week, with the former calling for promoter Eddie Hearn to make a fight happen between the two.
The pair have shared animosity towards one another for a while now, with the beef reaching boiling point during Anthony Joshua’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk last September. While Froch was on punditry duty for Sky Sports, McGregor tweeted: “That Froch tick little scrawny pencil neck.
“I’ll grab his head and twist it clean off at a 1er with my bare hands.
“Little wally of a thing I’ll slap you around you little toffee nose t*** pot.”
The Cobra then responded, “Who is this mouthy little p***k talking to?
“I will drag you outside with that wispy beard and show you how the big boys do it!!”
This week, speaking on his podcast, Froch On Fighting, Froch claimed he could get the upper hand on the Irish MMA star if they fought, stating, “I'd fight Conor McGregor in the cage. I could be getting myself in trouble here or into a position I can't wiggle out of, but I think I'd take him on in the cage. He's too small.” =
It didn’t take long for the quote to get Notorious’ attention, with McGregor tweeting the quote alongside the caption, “@EddieHearn, get this signed up lad.”
Derek Chisora Claims He Is In Talks For Trilogy Fight With Dillian Whyte
Derek Chisora has claimed that he is in talks for a third fight with British heavyweight rival Dillian Whyte.
The pair shared an all-time classic in 2016 which Whyte won by split decision. Their rematch in 2018 was almost as thrilling but that time the Bodysnatcher was able to stop Chisora in the 11th round.
Speaking to Sportsmail at a presser for this weekend’s heavyweight contest between Anthony Joshua and Jermaine Franklin, Chisora stated that the duo were “pushing to get a deal done” and insisted that he would stop Whyte this time around.
Chisora, 39, has lost four of his last five bouts, and was last seen facing Tyson Fury in another trilogy fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December, losing by way of a tenth round knockout.
Whyte meanwhile bounced back from his own knockout loss to Fury last year by beating AJ’s upcoming opponent Franklin via majority decision in November.
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