Latest news with #undisputedChampion
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Aussie boxer given title chance due to pregnant pause
Cherneka Johnson has the chance to become undisputed world champion after the Australian boxer was called in to replace Denmark's Dina Thorslund, who has announced her pregnancy. Already the WBA bantamweight world champion, Johnson will have the biggest fight of her career, stepping into the ring on July 11 (local time) at Madison Square Garden to take on the IBF champion, American Shurretta Metcalf. Because of her pregnancy, Thorslund voluntarily relinquished her WBO belt, while the WBC approved her title as Champion in Recess. A victory would make 30-year-old Johnson Australia's first undisputed world champion in the four-belt era after George Kambosos fell short in his quest to pull off the feat against Devin Haney in 2022. The 10-round showdown with Metcalf (14-4-1, 2 KOs) is on the first-ever all-women's professional boxing card at the famous New York venue. It's headlined by the third battle between Ireland's Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano of Puerto Rico. Signing with an American promoter, it is the first fight in the US for Johnson (17-2, 7 KOs). "It's a dream come true to fight at Madison Square Garden," said Johnson, who is New Zealand-born but lives on the Gold Coast and fights under the Australian flag. "This feels like a true 'pinch me' moment. "Not only will I be defending my title, but I'll also become the undisputed champion ... the magnitude of this moment isn't lost on me, and I'm ready to rise to it." Meanwhile, Andrew Moloney's comeback fight has been locked in less than a year after he announced his retirement following a controversial loss. Australia's former super flyweight world champion was ordered to fight Mexico's Argi Cortes in an IBF eliminator, with the pair squaring off in Monterrey, Mexico, on July 19 (local time). The winner will become the mandatory challenger to Willibaldo Garcia, who edged fellow Mexican Rene Calixto to claim the vacant IBF crown. The chance comes less than a year after 34-year-old Moloney quit the sport in a rage after losing on points to Pedro Guevara for the interim WBC super flyweight title.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Josh Taylor was once great – but a career in turmoil poses an uncomfortable question
Josh Taylor was the undisputed champion of the world only three years ago and now those years seem ancient. On Saturday night, in front of a capacity crowd in Glasgow, Taylor was in the fight of his life to save his career against Ekow Essuman. He lost for the third time in a row. At the bitter end of twelve torrid and bloody rounds, all three judges went for Essuman, Taylor just dropped his head; it was tight, but just. And now Taylor has some serious decisions to make about a career in turmoil. In many ways it was a perfect storm of injuries, delays, tough fights, Covid restrictions and a hard career combining to send Taylor tumbling from his pedestal in 2021. Beyond the fall, his status is secure as British boxing's only undisputed male boxer in the four-belt era. Taylor is in the very best company. Taylor has never been hurt, smashed, beaten badly or suffered too much damage in his 22 fights, but they were hard fights from the very start of his career. Also, his sparring routine was once equally brutal, which is an established fact and not an accusation. In 2019 Taylor won the first of his four world title belts in just his 15th fight. It was a great win, the second in a sequence of six fights against unbeaten boxers, including five for world titles. Later that year, Taylor was majestic against Regis Prograis at a sold-out O2; Prograis was heavily fancied, an unbeaten American champion and part of a quality gang of fighters. Taylor took his belt and took his heart and soul. It possibly cost Taylor a bit of his own future, to be honest - it was a savage fight, Taylor at his finest. Then Covid slowed him down, stopped a few big fights from happening and he finally became undisputed champion at light-welterweight in 2021, but it was behind closed doors. That night in Las Vegas against Jose Carlos Ramirez was the last of the best of Taylor. It was just his 18th fight and he was only 30. He has fought four times since; beating Jack Catterall in controversy, then losing to Teofimo Lopez in New York, losing the rematch to Catterall and finally falling short against Essuman. There is no shame in that losing sequence, but Taylor will know in his heart that the old Taylor could have won all three fights. Against Essuman, who had been overlooked on both sides of the ropes, there were moments when Taylor was as sharp as ever and that is not an exaggeration. In the opening two rounds, Essuman was made to look vulnerable and struggled against Taylor's accuracy and variety. It was just two glorious rounds; the next ten were attritional and that is what Essuman likes and does so very well. Taylor thought he had done enough to win and in the privacy of his dressing room, surrounded by the men who care for him and prepared him, he talked about the end. However, dressing room declarations are emotional outbursts and are often reversed once the boxer returns to normal life. In the corridors at the SSE Hydro close to midnight, there were many prepared to whisper that perhaps it is time to walk away, to end one of modern British boxing's truly exceptional careers. The men in the Taylor business will hold their tongues, keep their feelings private until the boxer decides - that's the classy way. Taylor is not finished as a fighter but he is finished, at just 34, at the level he reached; his sequence of wins before and then during his world title reign is special. It is his decision now to decide how much he has left to chase what he will never get back; fighters get hurt and damaged hunting down a lost cause. Taylor deserves better and has already lived his boxing dream. Essuman is a very good fighter, worthy of a world title shot, but Taylor knew going in on Saturday night that even scraping a win would not be enough. It was unspoken, but understood that he had to win well and that might seem harsh on Essuman. In the last six months or so, fighters with shakier credentials than Essuman's record, have fought for versions of the welterweight world title and it is time he was shown some love, cash and respect. And Josh Taylor? Well, his position as a modern great is secure - his future less clear.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Boxing world champion Shields 'done' with MMA
Boxing world champion Claressa Shields says she is "done" with mixed martial arts after competing in three fights with the 30, is unbeaten in boxing and a multiple-weight undisputed champion, but has fought sporadically in MMA since 2021, achieving a 2-1 last MMA bout was a points win over Kelsey de Santis and the American says she will now be focusing on boxing."It was fun, but I don't have enough time to train for it. It takes six to eight months just to get ready to defend takedowns. Even though I got a lot better and put in the time, I broke my arm twice. It was fun, and I enjoyed every fight I did," Shields told Ariel Helwani, external."I'm already great in boxing, and to be great like that in MMA, I would have to train consistently for at least three to four years. "I did really well in MMA. It was fun, but it was too hard."Shields took a two-and-a-half-year break between her second and third MMA Michigan native recently added the undisputed heavyweight title to her world title has become world champion in five different weight classes and is undefeated in 16 Olympic gold medalist said she did have ambitions of becoming an MMA world champion, but admitted her family were keen for her to focus on boxing."My family never wanted me to do it," she added."I did it because I wanted to prove a point, and I proved that point to myself three times, though you could say twice because I won twice."
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shields to defend heavyweight titles against Daniels
Claressa Shields has won all 16 of her professional fights [Getty Images] Undisputed world heavyweight champion Claressa Shields will defend her belts against IBF light heavyweight champion Lani Daniels on 26 July in Detroit. Shields, 30, became the first undisputed women's heavyweight champion with a unanimous points win over fellow American Danielle Perkins in February. Advertisement The two-time Olympic champion added the IBF, WBO and WBA heavyweight titles to her WBC belt with her 16th professional win. Shields added to her undisputed titles in middleweight and light-middleweight to become boxing's first undisputed world champion in three weight classes. Shields was suspended by the Michigan commission in February after she tested positive for marijuana following her defeat of Perkins. The suspension was dissolved after evidence showed procedural errors occurred during the collection of Shields' samples. New Zealand's Daniels, 36, is a former IBF heavyweight champion. Advertisement She is unbeaten in her past nine bouts, including two draws. The fight will be held at Little Caesars Arena. More boxing from the BBC
