Mar 21, 2025, 07:51 AM ET
After a failed try to face Errol Spence Jr. in 2024, Sebastian Fundora is again within the ring to defends his WBC and WBO junior middleweight titles in opposition to Chordale Booker Saturday night time in Las Vegas, in what’s perceived as a tune-fight for the champ. However will Fundora be capable of get the opposite champions and completely unified the 154-pound department through the top of 2026?
Greater than two years for the reason that combat used to be introduced, Chris Eubank Jr. and Connor Benn will in the end meet in London in April. The nontitle middleweight combat used to be postponed in October 2022 when Benn examined certain for 2 banned ingredients. The Eubank-Benn contention is going again to the Nineteen Nineties, when their fathers fought two times in the similar middleweight department. Can Benn win bragging rights or even prevent Eubank?
On March 29 in Las Vegas, Mikaela Mayer defends the WBO welterweight belt in opposition to Sandy Ryan in a rematch in their 2023 bout by which Mayer took away the identify through majority resolution. Can Ryan get her revenge?
After competing 4 instances in 2024, heavyweight Richard Torrez, a silver medalist for the U.S. within the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, returns to the hoop on April 5 for his first combat this 12 months to stand his maximum notable opponent but. Torrez, who has stopped 11 of his 12 fighters thus far (he additionally has a DQ win over Joey Dawejko in December), faces Guido Vianello in Las Vegas in his first combat headlining a boxing card. Can Torrez display that he is already be the most efficient present American large guy?
One week later, on April 12, Jaron Ennis and Eimantas Stanionis combat to unify two welterweight titles in a fight between undefeated combatants. Ennis is a -700 favourite in keeping with ESPN BET, and he will have to be victorious if he fights to his possible.
Previous this month, former welterweight champion Keith Thurman returned to the hoop for the primary time since 2022 to defeat Brock Jarvis in Australia through third-round TKO. Whilst the efficiency used to be spectacular, Jarvis is some distance from an elite fighter within the 154-pound department. However can this win catapult Thurman to the highest once more and earn him a chance to win every other international identify?
Mike Coppinger, Timothy Bardley Jr., Nick Parkinson and Andreas Hale resolution those questions and extra, looking to separate what is actual and what is no longer.
Actual or no longer: Sebastian Fundora will turn out to be undisputed junior light-weight champion in 2026
Sebastian Fundora is the WBC and WBO junior welterweight champion. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu by the use of Getty Pictures
Now not actual. Fundora will have to breeze previous Chordale Booker on Saturday in his first protection of his WBC and WBO titles, in what quantities to a stay-busy combat. Fundora waited round for Errol Spence Jr., a high-profile combat that used to be first deliberate for October 2024 however then postponed time and again till it used to be in the end scrapped.
Fundora scored a significant dissatisfied when he outpointed Tim Tszyu in a brutal and bloody combat Tszyu authorised on 11 days’ understand closing March. Sadly, Fundora hasn’t fought since that combat and hasn’t been ready to construct at the momentum.
The actual problem right here for Fundora, who’s a towering 6-foot-5 1/2 at 154 kilos, will probably be job. The opposite two titleholders at junior middleweight are Bakhram Murtazaliev (IBF) and Terence Crawford (WBA).
Crawford is headed to 168 kilos and a September combat with Canelo Alvarez and can finally end up relinquishing his identify at 154 kilos. The WBA may all the time reinstate Jermell Charlo, its champion in recess, as complete champion. Yoenis Tellez, like Charlo and Fundora, is with PBC and is the WBA period in-between champion.
So if Fundora is to turn out to be undisputed champion subsequent 12 months, he may ostensibly combat Murtazliev this summer time adopted through a showdown ahead of the top of 2026 in opposition to Tellez or Charlo to completely unify. However it is extremely onerous to consider two extra unification fights coming in combination for Fundora in 2026. — Coppinger
Actual or no longer: Sandy Ryan will avenge her shut defeat to Mikaela Mayer within the rematch
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Mikaela Mayer will get majority-decision win to turn out to be new WBO champ
Mikaela Mayer wins the principle tournament by the use of majority resolution to dissatisfied Sandy Ryan and turn out to be the brand new ladies’s WBO welterweight champion.
Actual. Ryan misplaced to Mayer closing September, however the victory used to be overshadowed when any person threw crimson paint at Ryan hours previous as she left her lodge in New York to trip to Madison Sq. Lawn for the combat. Ryan accused any person from Mayer’s crew of wearing out the assault, however Mayer denied the accusation. The incident unquestionably unsettled Ryan within the ultimate hours ahead of the welterweight identify combat, and also you ponder whether it impacted her efficiency. Mayer gained a majority resolution with scorecards of 97-93, 96-94 and 95-95.
If Ryan can execute her sport plan within the rematch and make the most of her depth, she will regain the WBO belt and get candy revenge.
“This time, I will be able to be absolutely ready for no matter comes my approach,” Ryan advised ESPN in January. “What came about ahead of the combat closing time intended I did combat in anger, and it obviously affected my efficiency. The sector will see a targeted, decided and gifted fighter within the form of her lifestyles.” — Parkinson
Actual or no longer: Conor Benn will KO Chris Eubank Jr.
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Chris Eubank Jr. slaps Conor Benn with an egg all the way through face-off
Chris Eubank Jr. hits Conor Benn all the way through their face-off forward in their combat in April.
Now not actual. Eubank will not be in completely convincing shape, however he has measurement and enjoy on his facet, which will have to imply he’s the only handing over a KO end, no longer Benn.
Benn is leaping up two weight categories to make this combat greater than two years after it used to be cancelled in October 2022 because of Benn trying out certain for a banned substance. Since then, Benn has been limited to 2 appearances in 3 years, each resolution wins in opposition to fighters out of doors of the welterweight height 15.
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Whilst Eubank suffered a major setback when former international champion Liam Smith stopped him in 4 rounds in January 2023, he appeared spiteful within the rematch when he halted Smith in Spherical 10 in September of that 12 months. Smith, a former junior middleweight international champion, went into the rematch at the again of 4 successive stoppage wins and used to be totally ruled through Eubank, who threw a staggering 448 punches greater than Smith, in keeping with CompuBox. Eubank went directly to sign in a seventh-round stoppage win over Kamil Szeremeta in October.
Benn will hope to duplicate Smith’s feat within the first combat, however he has no longer crushed somebody of Eubank’s caliber. Benn is anticipated to make a livid get started, and Eubank is aware of this, so Eubank would must be very careless to lose this grudge combat through knockout. What’s much more likely is that Eubank withstands an early hurricane and makes use of his awesome energy to forestall Benn in the second one part of the combat. — Parkinson
Actual or no longer: Keith Thurman will win a identify at junior middleweight
Keith Thurman is a former welterweight unified champion with 30 wins and only one loss in his profession. AP Picture/Frank Franklin II
Now not actual. Sure, Thurman gave the look of the “One Time” of outdated in opposition to Brock Jarvis to finish a three-year hiatus. However … it used to be Brock Jarvis, who’s some distance from an elite junior middleweight. At 36, Thurman’s window of being an elite boxer seems to have closed as his résumé is suffering from extra combatants who’ve retired (Manny Pacquiao, Shawn Porter, Robert Guerrero, Josesito Lopez) than actively competing. He will have just one loss in his profession, however he’s in a department filled with younger, hungry combatants salivating so as to add his identify to their résumés.
It is onerous to peer Thurman beating Vergil Ortiz Jr., Israil Madrimov or Bakhram Murtazaliev given his fresh inactiveness. Even along with his flaws, unified champion Sebastian Fundora, who’s 5 inches taller and has an 11-inch achieve benefit, can be a bodily nightmare for Thurman to take care of. I would like to peer how he offers with any person like former champion Tim Tszyu or younger contender Xander Zayas ahead of catapulting him into the area of authentic identify contenders. Thurman nonetheless has so much to turn out to reclaim the consideration of his run from 2015-2017, when he reigned as a welterweight titleholder, and time merely is not on his facet. — Hale
Actual or no longer: Richard Torrez Jr. is the most efficient present American heavyweight
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Richard Torrez Jr. wins through DQ after Joey Dawejko’s mouthpiece falls out
Richard Torrez Jr. claims victory after Joey Dawejko’s mouthpiece excessively falls out, forcing a disqualification.
Actual. I will’t assist however really feel a little of pleasure once I see an American heavyweight fighter with possible bobbing up in the course of the ranks. That is why I am fascinated about Torrez. He is an Olympic silver medalist for excellent causes. He’s a southpaw like unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, rather brief for the department at 6-foot-2 with very good hand and foot velocity. He does not possess the similar technical talents as Usyk, however Torrez is deceptively suave along with his setups and assaults, catching his opposition off guard. He pushes a frantic combating tempo, swarming his pageant, staying shut sufficient to the fireplace with out getting burned.
Torrez’s stamina turns out elite at this degree of pageant, however we can get a definitive resolution as soon as his pageant improves. Then again, his aggregate punching, general energy, willpower and need to win are top-notch, as he has 11 KO wins in his 12 professional fights. Positive, he is been combating some journeymen, however who does not at this level in his profession? He’s scheduled to stand his hardest check thus far, Italy’s personal 6-foot-6 Guido Vianello on April 5, in a combat that are meant to supply a barometer of the place Torrez is trending. I believe he’s the most efficient heavyweight right here in The us on the present second. Every other contender for perfect American heavyweight, Jared Anderson, who I consider is probably the most professional, turns out to have hassle with motivation to succeed in the very height of the heavyweight department. — Bradley
Actual or no longer: Jaron Ennis will defeat Eimantas Stanionis to unify two welterweight titles
Jaron “Boots” Ennis, proper, is coming off a unanimous resolution win over Karen Chukhadzhian in November. Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Actual. Ennis has this abnormal ebb and drift the place someday he looks as if a long term corridor of famer after which he turns in a efficiency that leaves us questioning if we’ve got been hoodwinked into believing in his possible. Ennis’ closing day trip in opposition to Karen Chukhadzhian in November no doubt falls into the latter class as he underwhelmed within the 1/3 protection of his IBF welterweight identify. However I believe this inconsistency is extra about Ennis combating to the extent of his pageant than being overhyped, and Stanionis goes to determine the onerous approach why Ennis is a long term top-five pound-for-pound fighter.
The Philadelphia transfer hitter is just too gifted and nonetheless has so much to turn out. He is aware of that everybody is staring at, and “Boots” has a tendency to show it up when the highlight is shining on him. He is a bit an excessive amount of of the whole thing for Stanionis to take care of for 12 rounds, and Ennis seems incentivized to position on a dominant efficiency.
Inactiveness is usually a burden on this combat for Stanionis. Since 2020, Stanionis has fought six instances whilst Ennis has competed in 10 fights. It is a nice alternative for Ennis, as he is greater than able to delivering a super efficiency to unify the titles. — Hale
