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All Star Boxing Kicks off 2023 Season with High-Stakes Triple Crown International Card All Star Boxing has announced the launch of their 2023 season with an exciting triple header set to take place in Panama City on April 14th. The event will feature three title fights, including a main event clash between world ranked contenders Gerardo Zapata and Carlos Ortega. Zapata, currently ranked WBO #13, will be facing local fan favorite Ortega, who is ranked #12 in both the WBA and WBO. The 10-round bout is set to take place at the Coliseo de Combates Pandeportes and will air live on ESPN+ (USA/Canada) & ESPN Knockout (LatAm). Felix “Tuto” Zabala, President of All Star Boxing, expressed his excitement about returning to Panama City after 18 years. “It’s only right to celebrate the anniversary of the show with a high-stakes, triple crown international card," he said. In addition to the main event, the co-feature will be a 10-round WBA FEDECENTRO welterweight fight between Derrieck Cuevas of Puerto Rico and Damien Rodriguez, a Cuban residing in Panama City. Cuevas, a former WBA Fedelatin champion, recently signed with All Star Boxing and will be defending the belt he won in December of 2022. The third title fight of the night will be an 8-round tilt for the vacant WBC Fecarbox light heavyweight title. Cuban prospect Yunior “Bronco Man” Menendez, who boasts a record of 6-0 with 5 KO’s, will take on Juan Carlos Chavarria of Costa Rica, who also has an impressive record of 6-1 with 6 KO’s. This high-stakes, triple crown international card promises to be an exciting start to All Star Boxing’s 2023 season. Fans around the world will be tuning in to watch these top-ranked contenders battle it out in the ring.

Tyson Fury’s trainer, SugarHill Steward, has confirmed that the heavyweight champion is capable of getting ready for a potential fight with Oleksandr Usyk on April 29, but will have to train extra hard to be ready for the challenge. Fury’s handlers have been in talks for weeks to secure an undisputed showdown with the WBO, IBF, IBO, and WBA champion, but negotiations are still ongoing, and there are details that need to be worked out. The World Boxing Association has now ordered both sides to present signed contracts by April 1, or they will order Usyk to make a mandatory defense against WAB ‘regular’ champion Daneil Dubois. This makes the April date less likely to come off as planned. However, Steward believes Fury is capable of getting ready in time. “It’s a short bit of time, but I believe Tyson has the ability and the physical attributes to handle the situation,” he said in an interview with Sky Sports. Fury has indicated that his strategy will be to knock Usyk out. Steward confirms that a knockout win will be their overall goal in the fight. “Absolutely. The gameplan is always a knockout. It’s setting it up, using certain punches, certain movements to make your opponent move into that knockout punch,” he said. Steward further explained that setting up knockouts requires watching the opponent and making adjustments. “Every fight is adjustments and watching what your opponent does and making adjustments. It’s not just one gameplan ever. It’s seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13. We’re only doing 12 rounds but you’ve got an extra one in the bag always,” he said. Fury’s potential bout against Usyk has generated a lot of excitement in the boxing world, with many eagerly waiting to see who will come out on top. Fury is known for his exceptional boxing skills, while Usyk has a reputation for being a tough opponent. If Fury is able to get ready in time, fans will be treated to what promises to be a thrilling fight. And with Steward in his corner, Fury will have the support of one of the best trainers in the business, who will be working tirelessly to help him achieve his goal of knocking out Usyk.

In the world of mixed martial arts (MMA), trash talking, and callouts are commonplace. However, when Colby Covington, a former interim welterweight champion in UFC, issued an ultimatum to Leon Edwards, it was clear that the stakes had been raised. Covington has been very vocal in his desire to fight Edwards, who is currently ranked #1 in the welterweight division, ever since Dana White publicly announced that the American is next to face Leon Edwards in his second title defense bout. Whereas Edwards has his plans. He has accused Colby Covington of being privileged as he doesn’t stand next in line for the title statistically. With a potential fight between Burns and Masvidal scheduled, the Englishman must be looking at the winner for his next fight. Now, Covington has threatened to have Edwards stripped of his title if he continues to refuse to fight him. He said that the welterweight champion has no power to make any changes to the situation. "He gets stripped, he gets stripped of the title. He will get stripped. He's not the draw in this division, Mike, I'm the draw. Look at the numbers over the weekend, I didn't even fight, and my numbers towered over the main event." Chaos again mentioned that in his opinion, Rocky is not appealing and fails to offer the same or more entertainment factor in comparison to him. The 35-year-old said that the winner has no opportunity to make decisions and cited Conor McGregor, a former two-division fighter, as an example, saying: "There's no personality, no charisma. Same thing with Marty [Kamaru Usman], you know. Marty needs a belt to be relevant, he's not relevant either. Neither one of them are relevant, so for Leon to sit there and act like he's Conor McGregor. You're not Conor McGregor, bro. You don't get to call the shots, dude, like, you're a nobody." This is not the first time that Covington has used aggressive tactics to secure a fight. In 2019, he called out Usman after winning his interim title, and the two eventually faced off in one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year. While Covington lost that fight, he has continued to be a major player in the welterweight division and has been looking for his next big challenge. The question now is whether Covington's ultimatum will have any effect on Edwards. If Edwards does agree to the fight, it could be a major opportunity for him to prove that he is among the best welterweights in UFC. Whatever he decides, however, one thing is clear: the drama and excitement in the welterweight division of the UFC are far from over.

In one of the most interesting super middleweight matches on the boxing calendar, Jermell Charlo is clear about his allegiance. On March 25 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Showtime Pay-Per-View, two of the sport's top super middleweights, Caleb Plant of Ashland, Tennessee, and David Benavidez of Phoenix, Arizona, will square off in the arena for a 12-round, 168-pound fight. The fight pits two of the finest fighters in the division against one another in what should be an entertaining clash of styles: Plant's technical skill against Benavidez's volume-punching, come-forward approach. The undisputed 154-pound champion Charlo recently chimed in on the contest, giving Plant the advantage and calling Benavidez "one-dimensional." “Y’all already know, look, I’m rockin’ with Plant,” Charlo said in a video posted by StageFrontVIP. “Plant’s got the boxing skills, Benavidez [is] just one-dimensional. “He gonna come forward and he gonna put a lot of pressure, but y’all know—hey, styles make fights, and so it’s gonna be a good one. But y’all know I’m rockin’ with Plant.” Last month's press conference to announce Plant-Benavidez set the tone for their battle, with both competitors attempting to irritate one another. The 26-year-old Benavidez was much more outspoken and wasted no time in voicing his dislike for Plant, 30. Plant (22-1, 13 KOs) recently defeated Anthony Dirrell with a single punch at Barclays Arena in Brooklyn, New York. This was his first fight since being stopped by Canelo Alvarez in the 11th round of their 168-pound undisputed title bout in November 2021 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. In his most recent fight, Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) defeated David Lemieux at Glendale, Arizona's Gila River Arena in three rounds. After breaking his hand, Houston boxer Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) had to cancel his battle with Tim Tszyu of Australia. Later this year, the two are anticipated to square off. Tszyu's performance last weekend, a ninth-round stoppage of Tony Harrison inside nine rounds in his hometown of Sydney, gave him more impetus for that fight. The only combatant to have defeated Charlo is Harrison.

A highly anticipated battle has been postponed on the boxing calendar. Media outlets have verified that Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue withdrew from his bout for the 122-pound championship against Stephen Fulton Jr. due to an undisclosed injury he sustained during training camp. Inoue, who three months ago became boxing's fully unified bantamweight champion, moved up to the junior featherweight category in preparation to face Fulton on May 7 at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, where Fulton holds the WBC and WBO 122-pound titles. Tuesday, Philadelphia's Fulton tweeted a confirmation that their fight would be rescheduled. Inoue's injury led to a postponement, as first reported by Mike Coppinger, who said Tuesday that Fulton-Inoue will now take place this summer. Inoue, 29, is frequently regarded as one of boxing's best three fighters, pound-for-pound (24-0, 21 KOs). He became the first undisputed 118-pound champion of the four-belt period of boxing on December 13 when he knocked out Englishman Paul Butler (34-3, 15 KOs) in the eleventh round. While Inoue heals from his injury, the 28-year-old Fulton (21-0, 8 KOs) will have to stretch his layoff period to more than a year. In his most recent fight, which took place on June 4 at The Armory in Minneapolis, Fulton comfortably outboxed former WBA 122-pound champion Daniel Roman (29-4-1, 10 KOs) en route to a 12-round unanimous decision victory. After defeating Roman, Fulton thought about stepping up to the 126-pound featherweight limit for a fight with Brandon Figueroa. Fulton, however, told Premier Boxing Champions president Al Haymon that he preferred this career-defining fight against Inoue over a rematch with Figueroa once the Inoue fight became a viable option. The 12-round, 122-pound title unification battle between Fulton and Figueroa (24-1-1, 18 KOs) took place in November 2021 at Park MGM's Dolby Live in Las Vegas. Fulton won by majority decision.

Even though Khamzat Chimaev is shifting his focus to the middleweight category, he will continue to respond to welterweights who continue to mention him. Colby Covington addressed a potential clash against Chimaev in a press conference before UFC 286 on Saturday after UFC president Dana White stated for months that was the fight the company wanted to schedule. Because the match was obviously canceled, Covington has been named the top contender at 170 pounds, while Chimaev is expected to make his middleweight comeback in October. He’s a f****** joke,” Covington said about Chimaev. “The guy f****** sucks at fighting. He’s unprofessional and I don’t want to ever hear that guy’s name again.” “Colby’s lying, he doesn’t want to fight,” Chimaev said on his YouTube channel. “I swear with everything I have.” Chimaev seems to be devoting his attention to middleweight for the time being, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't seize the chance to compete against Covington if it came up. He thinks that if Covington genuinely wanted to fight him, they could decide on a weight class and make it happen. But, Chimaev is skeptical that this potential pairing of opponents will ever come to pass. Although White was sure that the Chechen brawler will compete once more in October with the forthcoming UFC 294 card scheduled for Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21, Chimaev still hasn't scheduled his next fight.

Iuri Lapicus, an MMA fighter with ONE Championship from Moldova, passed away on Friday after being injured in a motorcycle accident in Italy. He was 27. "The ONE Championship team is heartbroken over the tragic passing of Iuri Lapicus," the company told ESPN in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones at this difficult time." According to reports, Lapicus has been identified as the rider who lost control of his motorcycle and slammed into a car on Friday in Pogliano Milanese, close to Milan. A 69-year-old woman who was also involved in the collision didn't sustain any significant injuries. According to Il Giorno, the MMA fighter went into a coma after being brought to a hospital in Milan. 3 days later, he passed away. Lapicus competed in many promotions before ONE Championship and won his first 14 fights as a professional fighter. He was defeated by Christian Lee in the first round of a welterweight title bout in October 2020. Before getting his shot at the crown, he defeated Marat Gafurov and Shannon Wiratchai. Since 2019, Lapicus has competed five times in ONE Championship. In 2021, he was 2-2 with a no-contest against Eddie Alvarez.

Dan Azeez celebrates his European light-heavyweight title win in Paris by exploring the city and taking photos with his belt. The Londoner won the title after defeating Thomas Faure in a stressful fight week. Azeez had to overcome challenges like missing his Eurostar train to Paris and losing his new fight shorts in the post. Despite these setbacks, Azeez persevered and won in France. Azeez explains that he chose to fight in Paris because he wanted the experience of fighting abroad. He also wanted to defeat a Frenchman in his home country, which he achieved. Azeez decided to stay in Paris for a few days after the fight to explore the city and take photos with his belts. He is seen carrying them around Paris in a Sainsbury’s carrier bag and plans to buy a proper backpack for them. Azeez’s promoters, Boxxer, are set to add another light-heavyweight, Joshua Buatsi, to their ranks. This has fueled speculation that Azeez and Buatsi could fight this year. Azeez is not opposed to the idea of fighting Buatsi, even though they are friends. He sees it as a compliment that they are being put on the same level, as he had struggled as an amateur while Buatsi had excelled. Azeez hopes to secure a world title fight soon, as it is the only belt he has yet to win. He is on the cusp of elite level and is ready to step up to the world scene. Azeez plans to continue working on his craft with Buddy McGirt in America in the next few weeks. He wants to be fully prepared for any future fights and is determined to build on his success in France.

Eddie Hearn Changes Tune, Believes He Can Beat Jake Paul in the Ring Eddie Hearn, the British boxing promoter and managing director of Matchroom Sport, has had a change of heart when it comes to a potential fight with Jake Paul. Hearn, who previously admitted that he believed Paul would come out on top if they were to ever fight, has now confidently stated that he believes he would be the victor. In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Hearn said, “I think I’d knock him out in two rounds.” He went on to explain that he had been watching Paul’s fights and analyzing his strengths and weaknesses. Hearn said that he was confident he could exploit those weaknesses and come out on top. The shift in Hearn’s attitude towards a potential fight with Paul is significant. The two have been engaged in a war of words for some time now, with Hearn previously expressing reluctance to fight the brash YouTuber. However, it appears that Hearn has had a change of heart, perhaps fueled by Paul’s victories over former UFC fighters Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva. Despite Hearn’s newfound confidence, a fight between him and Paul is far from a done deal. Paul has been vocal about wanting to fight professional boxers, and will be looking to avenge his sole defeat to Tommy Fury, as well as fight longtime rival in KSI. Additionally, Hearn is a busy man, managing some of the biggest names in boxing, including Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. Regardless of whether a fight between Hearn and Paul ever materializes, the change in Hearn’s attitude is notable. It’s a testament to Paul’s growing profile and the impact he’s had on the sport of boxing. Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Paul has brought a new level of attention to boxing, and it seems he’s even managed to convince one of his biggest detractors that he’s a force to be reckoned with in the ring.

Danny Garcia: From Disinterest to Desire On December 5th, 2020, Danny Garcia was handed a world opportunity to fight unified welterweight champion, Errol Spence Jr. However, despite his efforts, the Philadelphia native failed to secure the victory, which ultimately led him to confess that his love for boxing had dissipated. Additionally, his struggles to make the 147-pound weight limit forced him to make several changes. After taking some time away from the sport to recharge mentally, Garcia moved up in weight to the junior middleweight division. The added seven pounds to his frame proved to be beneficial, as he dominated Jose Benavidez Jr. in his junior middleweight debut in July of 2022. Despite his success, Garcia is not interested in staying in the 154-pound division for long. He craves a showdown against Erislandy Lara, the WBA titleholder at 160 pounds. Garcia has yet to end Lara’s title reign, but he is already looking ahead to bigger and better things. Garcia believes that a victory over Lara will lead to countless big-time showdowns, including a rematch with Spence and fights against top middleweights such as Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin. Garcia’s confidence in his ability to take a punch and box from the outside will be a bit too much for Lara to handle, according to the now-vivacious contender. Throughout his career, Garcia has always been willing to play the waiting game. With a long list of highly ranked contenders and current champions mentioning his name, Garcia has moved away from his normally stoic demeanor. If everything goes according to plan, Garcia believes that the dam will ultimately break, leading him to partake in countless big-time showdowns. Danny Garcia’s journey from disinterest to desire has been a fascinating one. He has made the necessary changes to his career, moving up in weight and recharging mentally. Now, he is looking to make a name for himself in the middleweight division, and he is willing to face anyone to achieve his goals. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this talented boxer.

UFC president Dana White has recently announced that the promotion is working on a highly anticipated welterweight matchup between Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov. This announcement has sent shockwaves through the MMA community, as both fighters are known for their exceptional skills and exciting fighting styles. Dana White spoke regarding what might make sense for Muhammad after UFC 286 on Saturday night. Muhammad had been clamoring for something like a matchup versus Colby Covington or possibly the opportunity to conclude some unresolved issues with Leon Edwards following the first battle ended in no result. Meanwhile, White disclosed that the organization is already planning for Muhammad vs Shavkat Rakhmonov to square off. Belal Muhammad will not receive a championship opportunity as compensation for his nine-fight winning streak; instead, he will face one of the UFC's fiercest and fastest-rising welterweights. “What’s next for Belal? Rakhmonov — we’re working on it,” White said at the UFC 286 post-fight press conference. In his last outing, Rakhmonov defeated Geoff Neal to raise his record to 17-0, which includes five consecutive victories in the UFC with a 100% finish rate. Rakhmonov called for his bout versus Covington, however, it now looks like he'll meet Muhammad in a contest between two welterweights with stellar records in the division. Muhammad, meantime, is currently on a remarkable nine-fight unbeaten run and also is showing up from a crushing victory over the formerly unbeaten Sean Brady. Before that, "Remember the Name" overcame Stephen Thompson and atoned for his humiliation at the hands of Vicente Luque. If this matchup does come to fruition, it will be a significant opportunity for both fighters to move up the ranks in the welterweight division for becoming the next title contender as Colby Covington is next in line to face Leon Edwards. Although being defeated 2 out of 2 times in a title fight, Chaos has been awarded again with the opportunity.

In the world of mixed martial arts, controversies and claims of unfairness are not uncommon. One such claim has recently emerged from Jafel Filho, who is alleging that Muhammad Mokaev, his opponent at UFC 286, tapped to not one but three submission attempts. This claim has caught the attention of the MMA community, and fans and pundits alike are waiting to see what happens next. The fight ultimately carried and generated several fascinating tales, even though neither guy had anything at risk outside their victory bonus. But first probably most important, Mokaev appeared to have a seriously injured shoulder before he began fighting after choosing physical therapy over surgery to take part in the event. The injury drama grew inside the third round when Mokaev's knee was severely fully extended because of Filho latching on to the tight kneebar and cranking out the submission. Mokaev persevered through the obvious discomfort and probable tendon tears to wrestle his way to Filho's back and apply a face crank that eventually caused the former Shooto champion to concede shortly before the final buzzer. Earlier during the first round, when Mokaev was mostly on the peak in Filho's guard, the two players engaged in an odd conversation. The Dagestani-born fighter seemed to tap Filho on the back multiple times when they were in a somewhat basal state. That was immediately seized upon by fans as a potential flashpoint for debate. Although Filho didn't look like he was responding at either the time as if the bout had finished. Although Filho continued to hunt for chances to use his hips, Mokaev continued to wrestle in defense. No one made any arguments, and the referee missed it. In perspective, it appears that Filho wishes the decision to be re-evaluated. The Brazilian claimed in an interview with MMA Fighting that he honestly felt Mokaev tap three times. “[Mokaev tapped] at least three times,” Filho said of his loss at UFC 286. “I felt him tapping on my back like he was hiding, with malice. There was another situation I went for the guillotine and then attacked his injured shoulder, he tapped and I loosened it up a little bit. “I was looking at the referee the entire time. The kneebar, I felt him tapping with his foot and the referee asked him, ‘Tap?’ I loosened it, and he was able to twist his knee a little bit.” In a brief interview on The MMA Hour podcast with Ariel Helwani, Mokaev was quick to defend the debate. “Listen, Ariel, if I didn’t tap to my knee, do you think I would tap to—what he said? Guillotine, right?” Mokaev laughed when asked about the phantom tap. “Guillotine wasn’t even locked. How the hell people would actually believe I would tap to this guillotine that can’t put me to sleep? Filho reported that his manager Andre Pederneiras is analyzing the tape to decide if he should challenge and try to get the verdict overturned. The Brazilian flyweight stated he recognizes Mokaev as a fighter and doesn't have any animosity against him, but he'd adore facing the English-Russian fighter again in the future.