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Promoter Kalle Sauerland, who collaborates with social media sensation KSI, thinks a deal for a future matchup with light heavyweight contender Tommy Fury is quite likely. Back in February, Fury stunned everyone by defeating undefeated YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul in a hard-fought split decision. On May 13, KSI will make a comeback to the ring to take on Joe Fournier, an unbeaten boxer. To discuss a potential matchup with KSI, Sauerland recently met with Tommy Fury's father and trainer, John Fury. "Had a great meeting with (Fury's dad) John, we both like the fight. It's about getting a deal done now. Look, John seems to be like a very simple person to deal with which I like, straight shooter," Sauerland told Pro Boxing Fans. "We had a good meeting, it was nice to go up to Morecambe and yeah, I'm confident we can get it done. But we're not overlooking obviously Joe Fournier first." The rematch with Paul is another problem. Although Paul has the option of challenging Fury to a rematch right away, there hasn't been much discussion of a follow-up fight lately. The present contractual scenario for a Paul-Fury rematch is unknown to Sauerland. The impending confrontation with Fournier is the immediate concern for KSI and Sauerland before they cast too far into the future. "Let's get a deal done first. I'm sure they've got a few other options on the table as well. I hope we can get it done but at the same time we've got to focus on the Fournier fight. It's not unsimilar to the situation Jake Paul was in and we don't want to make the same mistakes and we won't," Sauerland said

When Josh Taylor makes the journey from his native Scotland to New York City this summer to face Teofimo Lopez for the WBO 140-pound championship, he will be following in the footsteps of his late forefather, Ken Buchanan. Naturally, there is one significant distinction between Taylor's situation and that of his illustrious predecessor: Taylor anticipates victory in his contest. The first undisputed boxing champion of Scotland, Buchanan, travelled to America in 1972 to take on Roberto Duran, but was controversially defeated after Duran down him with a low punch at the conclusion of the 13th round. After the interval, Buchanan was unable to get out of his corner. Buchanan passed away earlier this month at the age of 77. “My fight with Teofimo Lopez ends up the same way, except it’s me knocking him out,” Taylor told analyst Mark Kriegel during an ESPN broadcast of a 135-pound bout between Shakur Stevenson and Shuichiro Yoshino at Prudential Center in Stevenson’s hometown of Newark, New Jersey. “I’m completely 100% confident that this fight doesn’t go past six to eight rounds.” Taylor-Lopez is set for June 10 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The ESPN programme marked Taylor and Lopez's first-ever "face-to-face" interaction. Lopez appeared via satellite from Las Vegas, where he was attending the UFC 287 event that featured Israel Adesanya as the main event. Both fighters have experienced setbacks in their professional careers: In a contentious victory over Jack Catterall last year, Taylor was clearly in difficulty. Since his shocking defeat to George Kambosos in their lightweight title unification match in 2021, Lopez has not appeared the same.

Belal Muhammad is willing to look for fascinating middleweight matches if he is denied a crack at the welterweight championship. With nine straight victories, Belal Muhammad (22-3-1) is presently undefeated. He just defeated Brady. Just before that, he defeated Vicente Luque, Stephen Thompson, and Demian Maia by unanimous decision. Additionally, he was the main event of a Fight Night show alongside Leon Edwards, resulting in a No Contest outcome. Muhammad, who is rated #4 at welterweight, won't be having the next championship chance since Colby Covington is now the top challenger. If Jorge Masvidal had defeated Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of UFC 287 last Saturday, he might have been considered in contention for a title shot. Although he has spoken about presumably facing Kamaru Usman next, he is considering moving to 185 pounds to take on Khamzat Chimaev or Sean Strickland if it fails to work out. “At that point, I’m just going to go up to 185, honestly,” Muhammad told reporters backstage at UFC 287. “I’m going to go look for Chimaev again. He moved up. I can fight at 185 – I’m not worried about it. So I’ll move up, look for him, (and) maybe he’ll finally come out and play that game. I made it to the top at 170. (At) 185, I’ll do the same thing. “If I’m not going to get a title fight, just give me the fights that really get me excited. Give me like a Sean Strickland – somebody that I dislike, somebody that I hate, that would be fun to punch in the mouth.” Since neither Chimaev nor Strickland has a middleweight opponent lined up right now, Muhammad may decide to step up and take on either of them at 185 pounds, particularly when the UFC decides against giving him a championship opportunity. According to Dana White, the organization intended Muhammad to face Shavkat Rakhmonov as his next bout, but Belal refused since he was unwilling to square off with someone below him in rankings since knocking out Sean Brady in October. If a matchup between Muhammad and Chimaev does come to fruition, it is sure to be an exciting fight that will have fans on the edge of their seats. Muhammad's grit and determination will be put to the test against the explosive power of Chimaev, and the winner will undoubtedly take another step toward UFC stardom.

Mixed martial arts fans around the world are eagerly anticipating the rescheduled bout between heavyweight contenders Arjan Bhullar and Anatoly Malykhin, which is now set to take place at ONE Fight Night 12 in July. The contest is going to be staged in Bangkok, Thailand's iconic Lumpinee Stadium. The highly anticipated title unification matchup was originally scheduled for March 2023 but had to be postponed due to a shift in broadcaster commitments. While talking to MMA Fighting on Monday, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong ensured the information. “It’s going to happen officially now July 15,” Sityodtong said. “That’s the word that I got just literally a few hours ago.” In April 2021, Bhullar defeated former champion and Filipino-American Brandon Vera via a TKO in the 2nd round of the bout to win the heavyweight title. But the Canadian Indian sensation was essentially sidelined for a protracted period due to prolonged negotiations regarding a contract with ONE Championship and an injury to Bhullar that occurred soon after. Bhullar, who has since recovered back to full health, aims to extend his present four-fight unbeaten record, which includes his two wins within the UFC until he left the promotion to accept a contract as a free agent with ONE. Malykhin maintained his flawless track although moving up to the top with three consecutive victories in his division. In Bhullar's absence from work, he defeated Kirill Grishenko to win the interim heavyweight title. Just recently, Malykhin created history by becoming a double world champion by taking the ONE light heavyweight championship from Reinier de Ridder, a Dutch submission expert, just in December. He presently has a career finishing percentage of 100% and a record of 12-0. The rescheduled bout between Arjan Bhullar and Anatoly Malykhin is shaping up to be an unforgettable clash between two heavyweight contenders with vastly different fighting styles. Both fighters will be looking to make a statement and secure a victory, so MMA fans should mark their calendars for ONE Fight Night 12 in July and tune in to witness the action unfold.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez has finally achieved his dream of becoming a world champion. He won the vacant WBO featherweight title after defeating former champion Isaac Dogboe over twelve rounds in Tulsa on Saturday night. Following his title win, Ramirez was approached with the possibility of making his first defense in Miami, which has a large Cuban community. Ramirez, who has gradually crept into the hearts of Cubans with his results and career, is excited about the prospect of fighting in front of a home crowd. Ramirez is hoping the world title win will lead to major fights in the future, including a possible showdown with two-division champion Shakur Stevenson. The two boxers have already faced each other in the Olympics, with Ramirez coming out on top. At the moment, the boxers are two divisions apart, with Stevenson making his lightweight debut this Saturday night. However, because of their mutual promoter in Top Rank, Ramirez and Stevenson have become very friendly. Their friendship won't prevent a future encounter if they ever find themselves in the same weight class. “Shakur wants to face me, and that is a matter of someone wanting to remove a thorn from their side, but we have both grown a lot. He will continue to grow. For the cameras, for the show, to sell himself, he shows himself as he should: a bit arrogant. They like that in the American market, but personally he is a tremendous fighter," Ramirez said. “We have a tremendous relationship. We talk a lot on Instagram. For the Valdez fight, he asked me if I knew of any sparring partners here in Las Vegas so he could work. He arrived that day, he started training. It seems that he is well focused. Afterwards, we had a chance to talk. We talk about our respective fights. I wanted to play ping pong, but we couldn't. They say if he doesn't win, he doesn't leave the gym. So, it is about much more than a publicity photo for him." Overall, Ramirez's victory is a significant milestone in his career, and he is looking forward to future opportunities to prove himself as one of the best boxers in the world.

Ruben Villa Signs Multi-Fight Deal with Top Rank, Returns to Ring on May 13 Featherweight prospect Ruben “Drac” Villa has signed a multi-fight promotional contract with Top Rank, one of the biggest names in boxing promotion. Villa, a 25-year-old southpaw from Salinas, California, will make his comeback in an eight-round bout on May 13, on the undercard of the Janibek Alimkhanuly-Steven Butler WBO middleweight title fight at Stockton Arena in Stockton, California. Top Rank chairman Bob Arum expressed his confidence in Villa’s abilities, saying, “Ruben Villa has everything it takes to become a world champion. He’s a young, talented southpaw who has already tested himself at the sport’s highest level. His future is very bright.” Villa, who holds a record of 19-1 with 6 KOs, spoke about his excitement to fight consistently on ESPN and his eagerness to win a world title as soon as possible. He added, “I look forward to fighting in Stockton, where my hometown fans will be out in full force.” Villa’s manager, Rick Mirigian, also expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership with Top Rank, saying, “Villa will be a world champion very soon. This partnership was the perfect fit, and we thank Top Rank for a tremendous deal for Ruben to prove he belongs with the top featherweights.” Villa captured the WBO International featherweight title in May 2019 with a unanimous decision over Luis Alberto Lopez, who is now the IBF featherweight world champion. He then defeated top Mexican contender Jose Enrique Vivas four months later. These victories earned him a shot at Emanuel Navarrete for the WBO featherweight world title in October 2020. Although Navarrete dropped Villa in the first and fourth rounds, Villa outboxed him for long stretches. However, Navarrete's two knockdowns proved to be crucial as he won a unanimous decision by scores of 114-112 2x and 115-111. Villa has only fought once since the Navarrete loss, knocking out Horacio Garcia in the ninth round last April. Villa’s first fight under the new deal with Top Rank will be an opportunity for him to get back on track towards his goal of becoming a world champion. With his talent and determination, it’s only a matter of time before we see him rise to the top of the featherweight division.

Alex Pereira's knockout loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 may have resulted in a facial fracture, according to a video that YouTuber Dr. Brian Sutterer posted on Sunday. Pereira was knocked out by Adesanya in their rematch at UFC 287 last Saturday in Miami, losing his UFC Middleweight Title to the man he defeated. Following some early success against Adesanya, he was caught off guard with a powerful right-hand counter that knocked him out. A number of post-fight clips revealed that Adesanya's knockout strike had taken a toll on Pereira's face. Based on his observations of Pereira's facial swelling in comparison to the usual human's facial anatomy, Dr. Sutterer believes Pereira may have suffered a major fracture. Dr. Sutterer notices a deformation on Pereira's jawline caused by Adesanya's knockout strike. Pereira has not been publicly diagnosed with any medical difficulties, although that information may become public in the coming weeks as medical suspensions are issued. Prior to his loss at UFC 287, Pereira was unbeaten in his UFC career. He recently defeated Sean Strickland and Bruno Silva before facing Adesanya in back-to-back battles. Pereira is expected to return by the end of 2023, but a facial fracture could throw that timeframe off. Meanwhile, he will concentrate on his physical and mental rehabilitation after one of the most horrific knockouts in UFC history.

WBA Champion David Morrell to Defend Title Against Sena Agbeko on Showtime PPV Undercard David Morrell, the WBA "regular" super middleweight champion, will defend his title against Sena Agbeko as part of the Showtime Pay-Per-View undercard for the highly anticipated lightweight fight between Gervonta “Tank” Davis and "King” Ryan Garcia. The event is set to take place on April 22 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Morrell, who holds a record of 8-0 with 7 KOs, is coming off a dominant stoppage win over mandatory challenger Aidos Yerbossynuly in November. If he is successful in his upcoming defense, Morrell has his sights set on facing the WBC's interim-champion, David Benavidez, at the end of the year. “I’m very excited to be the co-main event of this incredible night for boxing,” said Morrell. “On April 22, I’m going to dispatch my opponent in sensational fashion. And after this fight, I want the ‘Mexican Monster’ David Benavidez." Agbeko, with a record of 27-2 and 21 KOs, has won his last four contests and 12 of his last 13. He picked up a unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten Isaiah Steen in his last outing on ShoBox. “I’m very thankful to my entire team for this incredible opportunity to fight for the title,” said Agbeko. “This is a stern test against one of the best super middleweights in the world. I want to win the belt and be the fighter that everyone is going after. I have a great team behind me and I can’t wait to properly introduce myself to the boxing world on April 22.” The co-main event of the night promises to be an exciting matchup between two talented fighters. Boxing fans around the world will be eagerly anticipating this event, which has the potential to be a fight for the ages.

Shakur Stevenson reportedly received $3 million for his knockout victory over Shuichiro Yoshino in last week's main event at Top Rank. Yoshino suffered his first professional defeat when Stevenson stopped him in round six of the 12-round main event. Shakur Stevenson, the super featherweight kingpin, is now 20-0. Yoshino's toughest opponent thus far was Shakur Stevenson, whom he failed to defeat. Shuichiro Yoshino remains one of Japan's most regarded fighters and is anticipated to bounce back stronger after this defeat. Here's a breakdown of Shakur Stevenson vs. Shuichiro Yoshino's Purse and Salary. According to rumors, Shakur Stevenson was entitled to 70% of PPV sales with a $1 million guaranteed base price. It means 'Fearless' has earned up to $3 million from his recent fight with Shuichiro Yoshino. Previous boxing earnings for Shuichiro Yoshino have not been revealed. Yet, he may have received the largest salary of his career. He was guaranteed $400,000 if he owned 30% of the PPV shares. The Japanese star appears to have made roughly $500k from his fight with Shakur Stevenson. If the ESPN PPV hadn't clashed with UFC 287 Pereira vs Adesanya 2 at the Box Office, the combatants could have made more money. UFC 287 drew a lot of attention from fight fans, which seemed to overshadow Shakur Stevenson's fight tonight. Yet, the American fighter walked away with a tidy $3 million paycheck.

Leon Edwards is currently under fire from Colby Covington for refusing to offer him a championship opportunity regardless of UFC President Dana White has previously declared him a potential contender. At UFC 286 in March of this year, Edwards successfully dispatched Kamaru Usman by majority decision. The current welterweight champion has indicated that Covington, 35, does not meet the standards of a championship opportunity and that he is not enthusiastic about facing him. Edwards discussed Colby's absence and their future battle with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour: “He’s getting rewarded for not taking fights. When it was me, I got removed from the rankings. So this Dana White privilege is definitely real.” After Edwards successfully defended his title at UFC 286, it was UFC President Dana White who declared during the post-fight press briefing that Covington would serve as Edwards' upcoming opponent. After UFC 287 over the weekend, White appeared to reaffirm his commitment to the Covington vs. Edwards bout, even speculating that it would take place at the O2 Arena in London, England, in July. "London has been incredible to us. It's been amazing. We're supposed to have a Fight Night in July. I want it to be a pay-per-view." Covington responded on Twitter to Edwards' refusal to allow him a crack at the championship by saying that he doesn't think he earned it. Covington drew analogies from the past and stated that he would continue to fight for the chance to win the welterweight championship. "Don’t want to give me a title shot mumble mouth? I recall the British not wanting to give Americans our freedom either... So we took it. See you in July junior." If the fight with "Chaos" emerges, the event will probably shift away from being a UFC Fight Night to a pay-per-view as "Rocky" is the current welterweight champion and battles out of England. The UFC may make greater money and attract a lot of attention with Edwards vs. Covington. It remains to be seen how the fight will play out, but one thing is for certain: there will be no shortage of drama in the lead-up to the potential fight. Whether fans love him or hate him, Covington has established himself as one of the most polarizing figures in MMA, and his feud with Edwards is only adding to his reputation as a trash-talking, controversy-courting fighter.

Ryan Garcia and Gervonta "Tank" Davis' lightweight grudge bout is less than two weeks away. On April 22, the showdown of unbeatens will be broadcast live on Showtime pay-per-view from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Davis' chief trainer Calvin Ford is developing a strategy to punish Garcia during the bout. "Tank just needs to listen and do what he’s been doing all along. I’ve seen the journey to here a long time ago. That night is his night. We’ll walk through that fire or that desert or whatever we have to walk through," Ford said. “I’m still looking for that fighter to bring the best out of Tank. No one has seen the best out of him yet. Coaches that have been around us for years know that people haven’t seen all that he can do. I don’t train Tank for knockouts, I train him for punishment. Hector Luis Garcia got a glimpse of it in the last fight. I want him to punish Ryan." Garcia has a size and reach advantage. In June 2021, Davis increased his weight to the 140-pound junior welterweight limit and defeated the much larger Mario Barrios. Ford believes that his fighter won't use the same strategies against Garcia. “I wouldn’t say the Mario Barrios fight is the example of how Tank fights a taller fighter like Ryan Garcia, because each fighter fights differently. He was able to handle what Barrios wanted to do, but we’ll see if that’s how Ryan wants to fight. Whatever you want to bring, you better come bring it," Davis said. “He’s taking pages out from some of the greatest in the sport. We’ve got a lot of different people coaching different parts of his game and everyone is doing their part.”

Shakur Stevenson was taken aback when ESPN's Bernardo Osuna gave him a post-fight statement from Devin Haney in the ring on Saturday night. Stevenson believes Haney will easily defeat Vasiliy Lomachenko next month, but he had anticipated that Haney would give up his four lightweight titles and compete in the 140-pound weight class instead. Haney claimed that he will stay in the lightweight class following a victory over Lomachenko and would want to meet Stevenson in what would be an intriguing matchup between unbeaten American lightweights. Stevenson, 25, from Newark, wants to compete for the IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO 135-pound titles in one fight, not just the WBC one, so he hopes Haney means what he says. In the main event of ESPN's three-bout show, Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) defeated Tokyo's Yoshino (16-1, 12 KOs) to become the mandatory challenger for one of Haney's four belts according to the WBC. “Tell him come on,” Stevenson told a group of reporters after he stopped Yoshino. “If that’s what he wanna do, I mean, I don’t know why would he watch [the Youshino fight] and say that? I never seen Devin Haney really even hurt anybody before. He ain’t really got the punching power, so if he watched that he could tell that I could punch. I don’t know what would make him say, ‘Let’s do it.’ Maybe he’s just a competitor. Maybe I just gotta respect that.” Haney is regarded as one of the sport's top technicians. The undisputed lightweight champion, a native of Oakland, defeated Australia's George Kambosos Jr. (20-2, 10 KOs) in both of his most recent bouts, both lasting 12 rounds. If Stevenson gets that chance later this year, he still has a sneaking suspicion that he'll shock a lot of people by soundly defeating Haney. “I think it’s gonna be easy work,” Stevenson said. “I think I’m gonna smoke him. I think I’m gonna shock everybody by smoking him, making it a real easy fight. Everybody’s gonna be like, ‘Damn, dude is who he say he is.’ ”