Devin Haney is bursting with confidence as he prepares for his match against Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on ESPN+. pay-per-view. Haney (29-0, 15 KOs), the undisputed lightweight champion, is the betting favourite to defeat Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs), the previous three-division champion, just because bookmakers think Haney is more talented. “There is nothing that Loma can do better than me. I'm better than him in every aspect, every attribute,” Haney said in an interview with BoxingScene.com and other reporters. “We have to see what version of Loma shows up. I'm prepared for whatever he brings to the table. I've been studying Loma for years, and now I'm dissecting him. I know what type of Loma will show up, and we're going to be ready for what he brings.” When it comes to the tale of the tape matchup versus Lomachenko, who is 11 years older than Haney, the 24-year-old will have a number of advantages. Officially, Lomachenko is one inch taller than Haney (5'8"), but to the unaided eye, Haney appears to be a little bit taller. Haney will also have a reach advantage of about six inches. Haney should look even more physically intimidating when he enters the ring after rehydrating. “I'm a big lightweight at the end of the way,” said Haney. “He has fought taller guys, but at the end of the day, size doesn't matter when you get in that ring. We both weigh in at 135. Loma has fought bigger guys. The best man is going to win that night, and it's going to be me. “With each training camp and fight, I am getting better. It's a blessing. My body is maturing and I am getting stronger. I'm 24 years old now and my man strength is definitely coming in. I feel great. I am excited. “I'm a young hungry lion who is going into his prime and ready for whatever he brings.

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has expressed his interest in returning to the octagon to face the current champion, Israel Adesanya. Rockhold believes that he poses a unique set of challenges for Adesanya and is confident that he could reclaim the belt. After three years away, Rockhold made his UFC 278 return in August of last year and lost to Paulo Costa by decision. He suffered his third straight loss, and following the defeat, he declared his retirement from combat. But shortly after a bit of deliberation, he requested and was granted his UFC ejection, and he is scheduled to fight in opposition to Mike Perry at BKFC 41. The former UFC fighter Luke Rockhold said he is not ruling out a comeback, but it is unlikely to occur under an extended deal. Rather, he only intends to contend with Israel Adesanya because he anticipates the middleweight champion will face many difficulties against him. “I’m not opposed to it, on my terms, for sure,” Rockhold said on Just Scrap Radio. “I’ve always been intrigued by an Israel fight, I think he is awesome and an amazing fighter. I think I’m getting better and I can test him, my striking has gotten so much better over the years, and as long as I’m in shape and I get things, I think I present a lot of problems for Izzy.” Although Luke Rockhold's return to the UFC remains uncertainty, he still expects to fight Israel Adesanya just before his professional career is concluded. Adesanya, at the same time, has reclaimed his title as middleweight champion after defeating Alex Pereira by KO at UFC 287. Adesanya is a great champion, according to Rockhold, however, he is convinced that he can be defeated. “I thought it was insane. The mental ability to go in there after three losses and stay composed and do his thing,” Rockhold concluded. “He put everything into it and people say what they say but he took the shots, got compromised, and landed the blows. All the credit to Izzy, I have nothing but respect and I like watching the kid fight. He’s f*****g awesome, a true champion.” Rockhold's return to the UFC would certainly add another exciting element to the middleweight division, which has already seen some incredible matchups in recent years. A fight between him and Adesanya would be highly anticipated, with fans eager to see if Rockhold can reclaim the belt he lost to Michael Bisping back in 2016. Of course, whether or not the UFC will grant Rockhold's wish remains to be seen. But if he does get his shot at Adesanya, it will undoubtedly be a fight to remember.

The UFC has been on a roll lately, and it looks like they're not slowing down anytime soon. Fans can now look forward to another exciting event as a bantamweight bout between Cody Garbrandt and Mario Bautista is reportedly in the works for August 19 with the location for the card still to be determined. Mario Bautista issued his intention to face former champion Cody Garbrandt following his excellent submission victory over Guido Cannetti at UFC Fight Night 221 in March. It appears that his desire has come true. Garbrandt recovered from a difficult run in recent years, which included a quick stop at flyweight, with his most recent match after defeating Trevin Jones by a unanimous decision at UFC 285 in March. Garbrandt was able to pick up a win after suffering consecutive defeats against Rob Font and Kai Kara-France. It served as an essential victory for Garbrandt, who was formerly in control of the UFC bantamweight championship before sustaining three straight defeats, two of which came at the hands of T.J. Dillashaw, a former teammate. Garbrandt will now want to continue his recent winning streak after defeating Jones. When it comes to Bautista, he is presently on a four-fight undefeated streak of his own, winning three of those matches through submission. which includes submission victories over Benito Lopez and Brian Kelleher. The 29-year-old Bautista hasn't had a defeat since Jones stopped him with a rear naked choke in 2021. For Bautista, a win over a former champion like Garbrandt would be a huge feather in his cap. It would show that he's capable of beating top-level competition and put him on the fast track to title contention. Overall, this is a fight that fans won't want to miss. Both Garbrandt and Bautista are exciting fighters with plenty of skills, and the matchup promises to be a thrilling one. As we get closer to August 19, fans can look forward to more news and updates about this exciting bantamweight bout.

UFC featherweight contender Max Holloway has expressed interest in a cross-sport boxing match with Gervonta "Tank" Davis, following Davis' win over Ryan Garcia at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last weekend. Davis, who is mentored by Floyd Mayweather, has been praised by Holloway for following Mayweather's recipe to the key. Holloway believes that a boxing match between Davis and an MMA fighter would be a big draw, and has even offered to engage in some sh!t talking with Davis to promote the fight. However, he has also called on the fight to be conducted without a hydration clause, citing Garcia's inability to properly rehydrate before his fight with Davis as a significant disadvantage. While Holloway's proposal is unlikely to come to fruition, given UFC President Dana White's lack of interest in allowing cross-sport fights, it is clear that the idea of MMA fighters facing off against boxers remains a popular topic of discussion in combat sports circles. Whether or not such fights ever become a reality, they are likely to continue to generate buzz and speculation among fans and fighters alike.

Usyk-Fury Fight: Why it Matters for Boxing Oleksandr Usyk's promoter, Alex Krassyuk, has not given up on the idea of making the Usyk-Tyson Fury fight happen. The fight would be an opportunity for boxing to crown its first fully unified heavyweight champion of the four-belt era. While Krassyuk hopes Fury will eventually realize the importance of this fight, he acknowledges that Fury is a "complex personality." Nevertheless, Krassyuk believes that if Fury doesn't take the fight, it would be a major mistake for his career. Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) is set to face another opponent next, either former champ Andy Ruiz Jr. or Chinese contender Zhilei Zhang. Meanwhile, Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) is headed toward an obligatory defense of his WBA belt against Daniel Dubois. The negotiations for an Usyk-Fury fight ended in March, mostly over money. But Krassyuk and K2 Promotions are still interested in making the fight happen, and they hope Fury will come around. While Fury is currently the WBC champion, an Usyk victory would make him the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, something that hasn't been accomplished since Lennox Lewis in 1999. Boxing fans around the world are eagerly anticipating this fight, which would be a major event in the sport. The winner would go down in history as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. As Krassyuk put it, "his main assignment is to perform for the boxing fans." So let's hope Fury realizes the importance of this fight and gives the fans what they want.

Becoming Undisputed: Josh Taylor’s Quest for Redemption In the world of professional boxing, winning a world championship is the ultimate goal. But for Scottish fighter Josh Taylor, winning one title was not enough. He set his sights on becoming an undisputed champion, holding all four major world titles simultaneously in the super lightweight division. Taylor achieved his goal in 2019, defeating Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez to claim the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO titles. But his reign as undisputed champion was short-lived, as he struggled in his first title defense against Jack Catterall. Despite winning a close, controversial split decision, Taylor was criticized for his performance and spent a year trying to secure a rematch with Catterall. However, the business of boxing got in the way, and Taylor was forced to drop his titles one by one due to mandatory challenges. Now, with just the WBO title remaining, Taylor has watched as Prograis and Subriel Matias claimed the WBC and IBF titles respectively. But Taylor still sees himself as the true undisputed champion, stating that he only dropped his other titles due to mandatory challenges. Taylor’s quest for redemption continues on June 10th when he faces Teofimo Lopez, the current WBA, WBO, and Ring Magazine lightweight champion. If Taylor can defeat Lopez, he hopes to prolong his stay at 140 pounds and reclaim his rightful place as the undisputed champion. Despite the setbacks, Taylor remains confident in his abilities and his status as the top fighter in the super lightweight division. “I’m still the man at 140,” he declared. For Josh Taylor, becoming an undisputed champion was just the beginning of his journey. With his eyes set on reclaiming his titles and proving himself as the best in the world, his quest for redemption continues.

There is a lot of buzz around UFC Vegas 72 since it will feature the comeback of MMA phenom Caio Borralho. Since joining the promotion, Borralho has gone undefeated, and he is now on a 12-fight winning streak. Since his second professional fight in 2015, the Brazilian has never lost. He will face Michael Oleksiejczuk in the co-main event, and if he wins convincingly and extends his winning run to 13, he may face rated opponents in the future. Since making his debut in the ring after impressive victories on Dana White's Contender Series, "The Natural" has been a fighter to keep an eye on. Borralho has won all three of his UFC fights by decision. He defeated Gadzhi Omargadzhiev by technical decision before defeating Armen Petrosyan and Makhmud Muradov by unanimous decision. A pair of top-10-ranked bantamweights are set to headline UFC Fight Night 223 this Saturday, April 29 at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The announcement of Jake Paul's contract with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in January of this year generated a lot of buzz in the world of combat sports. Notably, a number of fighters, including as PFL lightweight contender Clay Collard, have declared their willingness to engage in an MMA match with the former YouTube star-turned-boxing sensation. PFL welterweight champion Ray Cooper III recently threw down the gauntlet, challenging Paul to his first-ever MMA match in August, adding to the expanding number of challengers. Cooper, an experienced fighter with a strong record, is anxious to face Paul in the cage and demonstrate his superiority in the sport. "I’m open in August, fight a real fighter." Cooper claims that he would fight a "real fighter" because "The Problem Child" has mainly competed in boxing battles against former MMA competitors like Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva. Fans and detractors have questioned Paul's readiness to go against current MMA fighters in the ring or octagon, where the rules and nature of the sport are very different. Jake Paul and recently retired UFC star Nate Diaz will face battle on August 5th at the American Airlines Centre in Dallas.

Chris Eubank Jr., a middleweight contender, acknowledges that his boxing career depends on the outcome of his impending rematch with former world champion Liam Smith. In January, Smith shocked everyone by increasing his weight and eliminating Eubank in four rounds. On June 17, in Manchester, their rematch is slated to take place live on Sky Sports Box Office. Eubank claimed that he didn't have any pressure before the first fight. He is under a lot of pressure for the rematch, though, as another defeat might mean the end of his professional career. "It's always interesting sitting across the table from a man you're going to fight in a few months, looking into his eyes, especially when that man has a win over you which he does," Eubank Jr told Sky Sports News. "This is a rematch, a very serious fight for me now, I cannot afford any mistakes, so I'm ready for the challenge. I may have, not underestimated him, but there wasn't as much pressure on me in the last fight. Now on the flip side all the pressure is on me, I have to go out there and perform, my career is on the line. "I've never been in this situation before where I'm fighting a man who has another win over me, so I'm interested to see how that might affect my preparation, my mindset, my performance on the night." On the other hand, Eubank is refusing to confirm that he'd announce his retirement if Smith is able to pull of another win. "I get asked this question every time I fight," Eubank said. "It seems like once you hit 30-years-old it's like, 'if you lose are you going to retire?'. "No, I don't have that mentality, I don't bring that into the universe, I don't talk about retirement. I'm going to do everything I can to win, if by some miracle he's able to pull off another win I won't say 'I'm going to retire'. As a fighter you fight, as long as my body can keep going through these training camps I'm going to do that."

Eddie Hearn, the promoter for Anthony Joshua, has travelled to Saudi Arabia to further negotiations for a possible fight in December with Deontay Wilder. It has been widely reported in boxing over the past few weeks that the Middle Eastern country hopes to host a heavyweight spectacle at the end of this year. The Saudis want to stage the undisputed heavyweight world title bout in December, provided Oleksandr Usyk wins his mandatory defence against Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury triumphs in his fight this summer. However, they have a highly ambitious idea to schedule Joshua vs. Wilder and Fury vs. Usyk on the same night. The top four heavyweights would go off on the same show in the proposed event, which would be the first of its type in boxing history. Of course, the majority of boxing fans are quite doubtful of the idea, but negotiations with the representatives of all four boxers are still going on in an effort to make it happen. On Thursday, Hearn posted a picture showing that he’d arrived in Riyadh after previously stating that he was set for meetings over the idea this week. The idea will now be to advance talks and attempt to make the dream event a reality. Last week, AJ told the Metro: “He is good, I respect him, I don’t undermine him. That will make me raise my game. “I respect what he has done and what he has done in this division. It is hard to become a champion and he did it so I have to respect that. “It’s going to be a tough fight but I am confident in myself. I’m a better, more well-rounded athlete, a better, more well-rounded fighter. “In terms of it getting delivered [from my side], I honestly believe it is 95 per cent there.” And when asked about the potential fight with Joshua, Wilder told ESNews: “Let’s make it happen. If that’s what’s going on, let’s make it happen. “Let’s put it like this, I’ll keep it sweet – I’mma give Saudi their first knockout victim. I can deliver that for them. “They haven’t had that much excitement as far of knockouts. I’mma bless them with it. “Any Deontay Wilder fight you can expect that, but this one’s gonna be real special.”

Mixed martial arts fans have been buzzing with excitement following the news that ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong has a meeting lined up with UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. According to Sityodtong, the meeting will take place in Los Angeles and could potentially lead to the Cameroonian fighter signing with the Singapore-based promotion. Ngannou has been a dominant force in the UFC’s heavyweight division since his debut in 2015. He rose to fame with his devastating knockout power and has since become one of the biggest stars in the sport. He claimed the heavyweight title in March 2021 with a stunning second-round knockout of Stipe Miocic and successfully defended it in January 2022 with Ciryl Gane. However, Ngannou’s relationship with the UFC has been somewhat contentious. He expressed frustration with the promotion’s pay structure which put his contract issue in jeopardy. He also hinted that he could explore other options if the UFC didn’t offer him a satisfactory deal. After being under negotiation for a long time, Francis Ngannou’s contract was terminated and the former champion left vacating the heavyweight division title. Afterward, the promotion scheduled Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane to compete for the open championship. 'Bones' eventually submitted 'Bon Gamin' in round one to win the championship. The freshly minted champion's defense is already being prepared by the UFC, as Jones named out Stipe Miocic after the victory. While things are now back to normal with the promotion, this is not the scenario for Ngannou. The former champion, though, has remained remarkably silent. Ngannou had earlier hinted at a two-fight contract in Africa against Deontay Wilder, but it never manifested. The former UFC champion could soon be signed, according to Chatri Sityodtong of ONE Championship. There, the promoter said that they will be discussing it on Saturday. Additionally, he thinks he might secure Ngannou the highest offer to date. Sityodtong's remarks have merit because "The Predator" has already said that he's probably going to make a move with the PFL or ONE Championship. “Francis, we’ve been in discussions, I like Francis,” Chatri Sityodtong stated on The MMA Hour. “I think he brings a lot to the table… He has a bunch of offers on the table. He’s waiting for our final offer, we’ve given him, well my team did it, but I’m going to meet Francis this Saturday in [Los Angeles]. For sure, ONE can give him the largest offer on the table out of all those bids.” He continued, “It has to work for him, it has to work for us. I just believe that when meeting somebody, you get the energy… I think there’s going to be big news on Francis shortly, he’s taking his time.” If Ngannou were to sign with ONE Championship, it would be a major coup for the promotion. He would bring star power, knockout power, and a wealth of experience to the heavyweight division. He would also be a major draw for fans in Africa, where ONE Championship has been looking to expand its reach. Of course, there are still many questions to be answered. What exactly is the “biggest offer on the table” that Sityodtong referred to? Only time will tell. But one thing is certain – the MMA world will be watching closely as this story unfolds.

Lou DiBella’s promotional company’s long-running “Broadway Boxing” series may have finally found a permanent streaming home in DAZN. This Thursday night, DAZN will stream a six-fight card from Sony Hall in New York, featuring top talent such as Tsendbaatar Erdenebat, Brian Ceballo, and David Lopez. The International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter is confident that this partnership will be beneficial for both DAZN subscribers and the fighters. “It’s a grassroots, club-level boxing show, but it’s a high level of that kind of show,” DiBella told BoxingScene.com. “And my understanding is that [DAZN] has been looking at more developmental stuff with other promoters. Offering more content to your subscribers is a win for your subscribers. I think it’s a real plus for the service and it’s a real plus for the fighters.” DiBella praised DAZN for investing in club-level boxing, particularly in Manhattan, where costs can quickly mount up. He also credited Larry Goldberg and Boxing Insider for putting their money where their mouth is and trying to re-establish televised-quality club boxing in New York. However, to do a club show in New York, one must be willing to deliver a certain level of quality of fight. The New York commission is known for being one of the hardest commissions in the country to get a fight approved by. DiBella emphasized the importance of bringing a high level of talent to the show, and Goldberg’s partnership with Sony Hall, which provides excellent lighting for television and a lively crowd. “The fighters fighting on this ‘Broadway Boxing’ card are excited that this is being distributed by DAZN because DAZN does have cache in terms of being one of the biggest players in boxing. And there’s a lot of talent on this little, six-fight card [Thursday] night. And if you can offer those cards with regularity, it’s a real selling point to DAZN subscribers.” For fans of club-level boxing, this partnership between DiBella’s “Broadway Boxing” series and DAZN is exciting news. With regularity, fans can expect more high-quality fights and rising talent to be featured on the platform.