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Christian Mbilli’s promoter believes the unbeaten WBC super middleweight champion is ready to do more than defeat Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on September 12. He believes Mbilli can take over as boxing’s biggest star.

Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) will defend his WBC title against Canelo in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in one of the biggest fights of his career. The Canada-based fighter was elevated to full champion after Terence Crawford vacated the belt following his retirement.

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Last Updated on 2026/06/18 at 1:02 PM

Charlo (34-0, 23 KOs), 36, has fought only twice since 2021 and has repeatedly seen long layoffs interrupt his career during what should have been some of his prime years. His most recent appearance came in December 2024, when he defeated Thomas LaManna by fifth-round stoppage.

Mazoudier (15-4-1, 6 KOs) enters as the Australian super welterweight champion but is largely unknown outside his home country. The 30-year-old from Sydney has won six straight fights since suffering a ninth-round stoppage loss to Nikita Tszyu in August 2024.

The matchup is widely viewed as a tune-up fight designed to position Charlo for a more significant bout later this year if he comes through successfully.

Also added to the card is a super featherweight clash between former unified super bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton and Australia’s Liam Wilson.

Fulton (23-2, 8 KOs) will be looking to rebound from a one-sided unanimous decision defeat to O’Shaquie Foster on December 6. The Philadelphia native was thoroughly outboxed over 12 rounds in his bid to capture the WBC interim lightweight title, dropping his second fight in his last four outings.

Wilson (18-3, 10 KOs) has rebuilt momentum since being stopped by Oscar Valdez in March 2024. The Australian contender has won five consecutive fights, including a fourth-round knockout of Rodex Piala in January to retain his WBO International super featherweight title.

The Fulton-Wilson bout is scheduled for 12 rounds and represents a significant opportunity for Wilson to score the biggest victory of his career against a former world champion.

The July 26 event marks one of the biggest boxing cards staged in Australia this year, with Tszyu attempting to secure a career-defining victory over former welterweight champion Spence in the main event.

Bill Haney says a fight between Devin Haney and Keyshawn Davis would determine who is boxing’s No. 1 fighter, but stopped short of saying whether his son would give up the WBO welterweight title to pursue a showdown with Shakur Stevenson.

The comments come as Devin Haney weighs his next move amid growing speculation about potential fights against either Shakur or Keyshawn, who recently became the WBO’s mandatory challenger at welterweight.

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Last Updated on 2026/06/18 at 10:48 AM

Manny Pacquiao has competed in 73 professional bouts to date, but there is one man who is thankful that his scheduled showdown with the Filipino icon did not take place, labelling his withdrawal as a ‘blessing in disguise’.

A true pound-for-pound legend of the sport, many fighters dream of sharing the ring with one of boxing’s most accomplished combatants; the only boxer to have held a world title in four different decades and the only eight-division world champion.

Pacquiao is now chasing another feat, hoping to break his own as the oldest welterweight champion of all time, having last held the WBA welterweight title at the age of 42 years old before losing it to Yordenis Ugas, who stepped in as a challenger when Errol Spence Jr pulled out.

Speaking on The Art of Ward Podcast, Spence admitted that he is glad the fight with ‘Pac-Man’ did not go ahead, fearing that the eye injury, which caused his withdrawal, could have seriously impacted both his career and life.

“All through camp I was feeling bad, I was feeling super bad, I was messed up. I’ll say this again, I don’t know if it is life, God or whatever it was; I got hit in my eye during sparring and I really was still sparring during that time and all of that.

“I went to Vegas and I had to do the eye test, it was cloudy, I was seeing clouds, it was messed up and I went to go to the eye doctor and I think he saw it, but he wanted me to tell him, so he was like, ‘do you see any clouds?’, and I was like ‘nah, I don’t see nothing’.

“He said, ‘you sure?’ And I said ‘nah, I don’t see nothing, it looks clear, I am good’. I was trying to get the approval, but he was like ‘man, your eye is messed up’.”

“I was trying to tell the doctor to let me fight and that I will be good, that I will sign whatever you want me to sign, I told him that I will make sure that he [Pacquiao] don’t hit me in my eye!

“He was like, ‘nah, man, if you get hit in your eye the right way, you could be blind in your eye. I can’t let you fight’.

“I think that was a blessing in disguise because, if I would have took that fight and something would have happened, I would be wearing a patch over my eye right now and I wouldn’t have had the fights that I have had and made the money that I have made.”

Spence returns to action against Tim Tszyu next month, ending a three-year stretch of inactivity with an intriguing test up at super-welterweight. 

Ennis moved up from welterweight last year after capturing the IBF and WBA titles at 147 pounds, belts that had previously been held by Crawford. In his first appearance at 154 pounds, ‘Boots’ made an immediate statement by stopping Uisma Lima inside the opening round.

Now, Ennis faces the toughest test of his brief run in the division when he takes on undefeated WBA and WBO champion Xander Zayas.

Offering his thoughts on the matchup, Crawford praised Zayas for taking on such a challenge at this stage of his career but ultimately sided with Ennis to get the job done.

“Man, that is a tough fight, especially for Xander at this point in his career, but it shows his heart and his confidence that he has in himself. He is ready to go make history for his country, and he is going to do real well in that fight,” said Crawford to Jai McAllister’s channel.

“I just think that, right now, it is a little bit too early for him.”

A victory for Ennis would move him a step closer to becoming the undisputed champion at 154 pounds. Sebastian Fundora currently holds the WBC title, while Josh Kelly is expected to make the first defense of his IBF belt against Caoimhin Agyarko on July 25.

Zayas, meanwhile, will be looking to prove that Crawford’s assessment is wrong by handing Ennis the first defeat of his professional career and establishing himself as the leading force in the division.

Ennis and Zayas are scheduled to meet on June 27 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, with the unified super welterweight titles on the line.

The World Boxing Organization confirmed that Miguel Cotto Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions have formally requested approval for former world title challenger Luis “Flechita” Castillo to step in as a late replacement opponent for Collazo’s WBO minimumweight title defense scheduled for Saturday in California.

Castillo, a 25-year-old Mexican contender, holds a professional record of 22-1-1 with 14 knockouts. However, because he is not currently rated by the WBO at 105 pounds, the sanctioning body must first determine whether he can be added to its rankings before approving the championship bout.

In a statement released Tuesday, WBO president Gustavo Olivieri explained that the organization’s Ratings and Championship Committee will meet on Wednesday morning to review the request.

“The Ratings and Championship Committee will convene tomorrow morning to carefully evaluate the request, the relevant factual circumstances, and the merits of the athlete,” Olivieri wrote. “Upon completion of its review, the Committee will render the appropriate ruling.”

Collazo had originally been scheduled to defend his WBO title against Canoy in what many viewed as one of the most compelling fights in the minimumweight division. Canoy’s inability to secure a work visa forced promoters to quickly search for a replacement in an effort to keep the champion on the card.

Castillo previously challenged for a world title in 2024, losing a unanimous decision to then-WBA minimumweight champion Knockout CP Freshmart. Since that defeat, the Mexican has rebuilt momentum with several victories, putting himself back into the conversation at world level.

Collazo, 29, unified the WBO and WBA minimumweight titles with a seventh-round stoppage victory over Thammanoon Niyomtrong in November 2025. The Puerto Rican southpaw is regarded as one of boxing’s top fighters below the major weight classes and is aiming to continue his run toward further unification bouts.

If approved by the WBO committee, Castillo would have just days to prepare for the biggest opportunity of his career.

The details surrounding Moses Itauma‘s highly-anticipated return to the ring have finally been revealed.

While Oleksandr Usyk may be the current king of the heavyweights, Itauma is viewed as the future of the division, having won all 14 of his professional fights to date, 12 of them coming by knockout.

After gaining prominence with stoppage wins over the likes of Dillian Whyte, Demsey McKean and Mariusz Wach, he picked up the biggest win of his career so far back in March when he knocked out Jermaine Franklin inside five rounds at the Co-Op Live in Manchester.

Following that victory, attention quickly then turned to who the 21-year-old would face next as he continues his journey towards a world title shot in the near future.

The long-rumoured opponent was Filip Hrgovic, and it has now been reported by Sky Sports that he will indeed take on the Croatian, with the fight understood to take place on August 29 at London’s O2 Arena.

Hrgovic has won 20 of his 21 professional fights, with his only blemish coming when he was beaten by Daniel Dubois back in June 2024.

He has defeated a trio of Brits since that loss, claiming points wins over both Joe Joyce and David Adeleye, before a third round stoppage victory over Dave Allen at the Eco-Power Stadium in Doncaster in May.

That has now led to the clash with Itauma, and Allen himself has revealed his prediction for the contest having felt what it was like to share the ring with ‘El Animal.’

Discussing the situation, Simon Jordan questioned whether White’s involvement would actually help get the fight over the line.

“Do we think Dana flapping his gums helps the fight that still seems to be a little bit up in the air?” Jordan said on talkSPORT Boxing while debating Fury’s future and the growing influence of Zuffa Boxing.

The broadcaster suggested the situation has become increasingly complicated because of the various parties already attached to the fight, including Riyadh Season, Queensberry, and TKO.

Jordan believes the biggest concern is not whether Fury and Joshua want the fight, but whether the business interests surrounding it could delay or derail progress.

“My worry is the politics get in the way of this fight happening,” Simon said.

Despite concerns that Fury could move away from longtime promoter Frank Warren, Jordan argued that existing contractual and commercial arrangements may prevent a clean break.

He suggested that Queensberry could still remain involved behind the scenes, particularly if Fury takes a tune-up bout before facing Joshua.

Others on the panel raised questions about how a move to Zuffa could affect existing agreements and where the fight would ultimately take place. There has already been speculation that a Fury-Joshua fight could be staged outside the United Kingdom despite previous suggestions that Wembley Stadium was the preferred destination.

While Jordan acknowledged the growing uncertainty, he stopped short of predicting the fight would collapse.

“There’s too much money in this fight for it to not happen,” Jordan said.

Fury is expected to return in a warm-up contest later this summer before pursuing a fight with Joshua, which remains one of the biggest attractions in world boxing.

“Come to Saudi July 25th, I’ll welcome you in the ring if you’re serious. Now I know the fight’s signed, he’s more than welcome to step in the ring,” Joshua said on social media, inviting Fury to enter the ring after his tune-up against Prenga.

Joshua’s invitation comes just three months after he declined an opportunity to do the same thing himself.

Following Fury’s 12-round unanimous decision victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Fury invited Joshua into the ring for a face-off. Joshua opted against taking part and left without engaging in the confrontation. Now the roles have been reversed.

With Joshua preparing to face Prenga and his fight with Fury reportedly locked in for later this year, it is Joshua extending the invitation. Rather than entering Fury’s ring, Joshua wants Fury to step into his after the July 25 contest.

Before that can happen, Joshua must first get past Prenga, who has been selected as the opponent for his first appearance since stopping Jake Paul in March. The Albanian heavyweight enters the bout with a 20-1 record and has built his reputation on his punching power.

The Fury fight has been one of boxing’s most discussed matchups for years. Negotiations fell apart on multiple occasions during both men’s championship reigns, leaving fans frustrated as opportunities came and went.

That appears to have changed. Fury returned from retirement in April with a points win over Makhmudov, while Joshua’s Saudi Arabia appearance is being positioned as the final step before their long-awaited meeting.

If both men come through the remainder of the year without losses, the first Joshua-Fury clash could finally become a reality before the end of 2026.

“For me, he looked good. I don’t think it was close like a few people have been saying to me. I don’t find it was close. He definitely won clearly by a few rounds, but he was definitely getting hit,” Cordina said to the InsideRingShow when discussing Mason’s win over Noakes.

Cordina made it clear that he does not see himself as a comparable opponent to Noakes.

“No disrespect to Sam Noakes, I’m not Sam Noakes,” Cordina said. “I’m a lot faster than Sam Noakes. I’m a lot smarter than Sam Noakes. I’m not just going to plug forward and just try to bully him. I’m going to use my boxing brain.”

The former two-time IBF super featherweight champion believes his experience at the highest level gives him advantages that Mason has not yet faced.

“I haven’t had 180 odd amateur fights and been to the Olympic Games and won a European medal. I’m one of six people in Britain to ever do it, and then won two world titles within 16 fights,” said Cordina. “I haven’t done all that for not having a boxing brain, a good IQ, and being an average fighter.”

Cordina (19-1, 9 KOs) earned the #1 ranking with the WBO after moving up to lightweight and defeating Jaret Gonzalez Quiroz by a 10-round unanimous decision in July 2025 and Gabriel Flores Jr. by a 12-round unanimous decision last December in Stockton, California.

The 22-year-old Mason enters the fight as the younger, more active fighter and will likely be favored by many heading into the July 4 showdown. Mason has stopped 17 of his 20 opponents and is viewed by many as one of the sport’s brightest young talents.

The fight for Cordina represents an opportunity to prove that experience, ring IQ, and championship pedigree can still overcome youth and momentum. On July 4, he will get the chance to test that theory against one of boxing’s fastest-rising lightweights.

“I’m not Sam Noakes.” 👀

Joe Cordina says Abdullah Mason will be getting a different challenge this time around.#InsideTheRing | Latest episode available on DAZN 📺 pic.twitter.com/l5DVgUYhOi

— InsideRingShow (@InsideRingShow) June 17, 2026