December 2026

DECEMBER 2026

The Ring Magazine - The Bible of Boxing, December 2026 • Volume 103, No. 12

64 STYLES MAKE FIGHTERS MICHAEL OLAJIDE JR. BROUGHT A MIX OF TALENT AND PERSONALITY THAT PRESAGED THE FASHION-CONSCIOUS FIGHTERS OF TODAY By Corey Erdman 78 THE SHORT WAY AFTER JUST FIVE PRO FIGHTS, CANADA’S TAMM THIBEAULT IS ALREADY A UNIFIED MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION By Diego Morilla 82 REMEMBERING “BAZOOKA” IF THERE EVER WAS A FIGHTER WHO LIVED UP TO HIS NICKNAME, IT WAS PUERTO RICAN LEGEND WILFREDO GOMEZ By Dom Farrell

REDEFINING FAN EXPERIENCES SELA’S GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

Building upon its transformative impact in the Middle East and North Africa, Sela continues to orchestrate a powerful symphony of international expansion, solidifying its position as a global powerhouse in sports and entertainment. The recent launch of its London headquarters served as a crucial milestone and hub for cultivating opportunities across the globe. A testament to Sela's global impact is its innovative and globally recognized sponsorship of Newcastle United Football Club, which remarkably earned the status of "The Most Award-Winning Football Sponsorship in the World in 2024" with more than 97 awards in a single year. This success highlights Sela's effective international partnerships and represents one aspect of its diverse global engagement, where redefining fan experiences are central to its approach. Another testament to Sela's international approach lies in its deep involvement in the world of boxing. The groundbreaking multi-year partnership with The Ring and TKO signifies a substantial commitment to elevating fan experiences worldwide by providing a

premier platform for established and emerging boxing talents, access to world-class training facilities and delivering top-tier boxing events. Both of these projects align with Sela's overarching vision of creating spectacular and impactful entertainment experiences. The company's proven track record in delivering high-profile events, from the vibrant Riyadh and Jeddah Seasons, Esports World Cup, Formula E, Six Kings Slam to landmark boxing matches like Crawford vs. Madrimov and Joshua vs. Dubois, provides a strong foundation for its global boxing endeavors. Sela's international strategy extends beyond single partnerships. It embodies a commitment to understanding diverse global audiences and tailoring experiences that resonate authentically. By forging strategic alliances, Sela is positioned to continue its trajectory as a leading force in the international sports and entertainment landscape. The global stage is now set for Sela to further amplify its impact and redefine global entertainment experiences.

DEPARTMENTS 6 OPENING SHOTS 9 RINGSIDE By Doug Fischer 12 BERNSTEIN ON BOXING By Al Bernstein 14 STEVE’S SOAPBOX By Steve Kim 16 BY THE NUMBERS By Don Stradley 19 RING RATINGS 48 PROSPECT WATCH: TONY HIRSCH JR. By Ruth Raper 58 NIGHT CLUBBER By Brian Harty

24 THE HEAVYWEIGHT WAIT, WAIT, WAIT IS OVER

THE ALL-BRITISH FURY-JOSHUA SUPERFIGHT IS FINALLY UPON US AND IS POISED TO MAKE HISTORY, BUT THE GYPSY KING’S HEART BURNS WITH AN EVEN GREATER DESIRE By Tom Gray 36 CONTROLLED DEMOLITION DANIEL DUBOIS’ RUTHLESS DESTRUCTION OF FABIO WARDLEY DEMONSTRATED THAT A FOCUSED “DYNAMITE” IS A SCARY THING INDEED By Gareth A Davies 42 IF YOU BUILD IT BIG, THEY WILL COME THE FURY-JOSHUA FIGHT WILL DRAW A MASSIVE CROWD, BUT TITANS HAVE BEEN CLASHING IN STADIUMS FOR MORE THAN A HUNDRED YEARS By Don Stradley 52 MEGAFIGHTS ONLY TEOFIMO LOPEZ SAYS HIS HOUSE IS NOW IN ORDER AND HIS FOCUS IS ON KNOCKING A CERTAIN “KING” OFF OF HIS THRONE By Joseph Santoliquito

60 HOW TO WATCH BOXING By Adam Abramowitz 70 MY FIRST TIME: NAOYA INOUE By Daisuke Sugiura 74 TRAINING DAY: RUDY HERNANDEZ By Adam Abramowitz 86 FIGHT OF FANTASY: HATTON VS. GARCIA By Anson Wainwright 88 THE FIGHT DOCTOR By Dr. Margaret Goodman 90 SLICE OF BOXING By Thomas Hauser 92 COMMISSIONER’S CORNER By Randy Gordon 94 FINISHING SHOTS 96 FIGHTLINE

THE RING (ISSN: 0035‐5410) Issue 12 December 2026, is published monthly by The Ring Magazine FZ, LLC, 475 Heffernan Drive, West Haven, CT 06516. Application to mail at Periodicals postage is pending at Milford, CT 06460. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Ring Magazine Subscriber Service Dept., PO Box 103, Cambey West Congers NY 10920‐0103 Phone 845‐719‐3120 subscriptions@ringmagazine.com RINGMAGAZINE.COM 1

Beyond the Bell: Riyadh Season 2026 Takes Sport to the Next Level

prioritize joy

In boxing, excitement begins long before the first bell. It starts the moment two fighters are announced for a title bout, when anticipation builds and fans begin to imagine what could unfold in the ring. Few know that build-up better than Riyadh Season, which has become a home for some of the world’s most talked-about sporting spectacles. In 2026, that ambition is extending across an even broader program of sport and entertainment. With 4 months of entertainment across 10 entertainment zones, this season is bringing together some of the biggest names and experiences in global sport. And for fans accustomed to the spectacle of a major fight night, there is plenty to explore. This season, sports enthusiasts can immerse themselves in a robust roster of action-packed events. As a Official Premium Partner of Riyadh Season 2026, stc group is proud to support a program featuring some of the biggest names in global sport and entertainment. The Six Kings Slam returns for a third year, with some of the world’s leading tennis players set to compete in a defining competition in Riyadh. In parallel, some of the biggest WWE Superstars will be convening for an ultimate showdown as part of the WWE Crown Jewel. For those who want to get a taste of the action beyond the stands, the WWE Experience will offer fans an opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of WWE, with 40 years of authentic memorabilia, championship titles, and exclusive merchandise.

Riyadh Season also intends to redefine the future of sports and entertainment through innovative formats and experiences. The second edition of the Kings League MENA is a prime example, injecting fresh energy into football through a faster-paced format with real-time fan interaction and new challenges that give audiences a more active role in the action. What ties these events together is the idea that sport is no longer confined to the competition itself. The spectacle around it matters just as much: the build-up, the atmosphere and the feeling of being part of a moment that stretches beyond the arena. Riyadh Season has increasingly made that sense of occasion part of its identity. Across tennis, wrestling, football and other sporting formats, the emphasis is on creating experiences that feel bigger than a single match or contest. For stc group, the partnership with Riyadh Season sits within a wider and growing presence across sport. From its role as an Elite and Founding Partner of the Esports World Cup in Riyadh and Paris, to powering the digital backbone of Saudi football stadiums, stc continues to strengthen the Kingdom’s position as a global hub for world-class sports and entertainment. Now, as the Official Premium Partner of Riyadh Season 2026, stc is continuing to support bringing all the action that sports fans know and love: The lights. The crowd. The anticipation. The champions. The mo ments that get people talking. At Riyadh Season, the bell has already rung.

BEYOND THE BELL: TURN FIGHT WEEK INTO A SAUDI ADVENTURE Every great fight weekend has its own rhythm. There is the anticipation of the weigh in, the buzz around the arena as fans swap predictions, and the electric moment when the lights dim before the main event. But in Riyadh, fight week has become about more than what happens between the ropes. It has evolved into a city- wide experience where world class boxing shares the spotlight with culture, cuisine, entertainment, and unforgettable travel experiences. Riyadh has firmly established itself as a global destination for boxing, having hosted some of the sport’s biggest names and most anticipated bouts in recent years. From heavyweight showdowns to championship fights featuring global stars, the Saudi capital has become a major fixture on the international boxing calendar. For fans travelling to Saudi for a fight, the event is an invitation to experience more, from Riyadh’s heritage, culture and entertainment to the diverse destinations beyond the capital. The fight is the beginning of the journey, not the whole itinerary. EXPERIENCE RIYADH BEYOND FIGHT NIGHT Before or after the fight, take time to discover a city where centuries of history meet bold ambition. Explore Diriyah, the birthplace of the Saudi state and home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of At Turaif, before enjoying dinner overlooking the historic district at Bujairi Terrace. Discover Riyadh’s contemporary side at King Abdullah Financial District, browse the Saudi National Museum, or spend an evening at Boulevard City, where restaurants, cafés, live entertainment, and fans from around the world create an atmosphere that extends the excitement well beyond the arena.

EXPLORE MORE OF SAUDI With so much to discover, it’s hard to stop at Riyadh alone. Saudi’s extensive domestic flight network makes it easy to turn a fight weekend into a longer holiday, connecting visitors to the ancient landscapes of AlUla, the crystal-clear waters of The Red Sea, and the coastal charm of Jeddah with just a short flight. Journey northwest to AlUla, where ancient history meets breathtaking natural beauty. Explore Hegra, Saudi’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, marvel at iconic landmarks such as Elephant Rock, wander through lush oasis landscapes, and unwind at luxury desert resorts beneath some of the clearest night skies. For a complete change of pace, head to The Red Sea, where pristine islands, turquoise waters, and world class resorts offer the perfect escape after an action-packed fight weekend. Spend your days snorkeling or diving among vibrant coral reefs, enjoying wellness experiences, or simply relaxing on untouched beaches. Or continue your journey to Jeddah, Saudi’s vibrant coastal city on the Red Sea. Stroll through the UNESCO listed historic district of Al Balad, discover a thriving culinary scene, explore the city’s waterfront and marina, or enjoy a sunset by the Jeddah Corniche. Combining heritage, contemporary culture, and seaside charm, Jeddah offers a memorable finale to your Saudi adventure. A boxing ticket may be the reason to visit Saudi, but it rarely becomes the highlight of the trip. From the energy of Riyadh and the heritage of AlUla to the crystal-clear waters of The Red Sea and the vibrant coastline of Jeddah, Saudi offers experiences that extend far beyond the arena. With world-class sporting events opening the door to a country rich in culture, adventure, and hospitality, there’s never been a better time to stay a little longer and discover more.

Hegra, AlUla

VisitSaudi.com

OPENING SHOT

FINISH BIG: Mexican super middleweight warrior Armando Resendiz threw down against Koen Mazoudier in what many hailed as an unexpected Fight of the Year nominee in Las Vegas on October 17. Returning from a high-profile defeat to countryman Jaime Munguia, Resendiz got off to a fast start against the plucky Australian fighter. However, in the middle rounds, Mazoudier bit down on his mouthpiece and gave “El Toro” some serious hell. With it all on the line, Resendiz came out blazing in the 10th and final round, staggering the underdog twice with brutal combinations in the closing seconds. The official result was a UD 10 for Resendiz: 98-92, 97-93, 97-93.

RINGMAGAZINE.COM 7

Cris Esqueda

RINGSIDE By Doug Fischer THE LONG ROAD TO FURY-JOSHUA

December 2026 Volume 103, No. 12

’ll admit it. I did not believe the powers that be would finalize Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua before the end of the year. I had my doubts about 2027, too. In fact, I thought the superstar British matchup was a lost cause numerous times during the decade. My cynicism didn’t come directly from the former heavyweight champs or their management. It wasn’t due to the sorry state of the sport, either. Even decades ago, when boxing was in a much healthier place, potential megafights somehow failed to come to fruition, including can’t-miss blockbusters in the glamour division. I was salivating over the prospect of the Mike Tyson-George Foreman dream fight coming true in late 1990 (or anytime in 1991, prior to Tyson’s incarceration). Like many hardcore fans, I thought THE fight to be made in 1993 was the Riddick Bowe- Lennox Lewis clash for undisputed heavyweight supremacy, but “Big Daddy” and his promoter, Rock Newman, had other plans and they weren’t going to let a WBC mandatory (or the threat of a repeat of the 1988 Olympic super heavyweight finals) get in the way. The industry left fortunes on the table by not pushing those heavyweight showdowns across

of Welsh soccer and rugby will witness Britain’s most famous and accomplished heavyweights since Lewis battle for the edge in their respective legacies. To paraphrase Sir Paul McCartney, it was a long and winding road, but Fury and Joshua have finally arrived. Their 10- year path to December 11 was chronicled on the covers of this magazine. April 2016 – The Fighter of the Year issue was Fury’s solo cover debut. He earned the honors by traveling to Germany and upsetting reigning unified Ring champ Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015. It was the first time an active heavyweight had significantly graced the cover since the December 2012 issue, which featured Wlad squaring off against Mike Tyson and the title “Klitschko vs. Legends.” (Don’t laugh at the mythical matchup theme; that issue sold well.) Fury did not capitalize on his victory. He suffered with mental illness and

Founder Nathaniel Fleischer (1888-1972) Owner His Excellency Turki Alalshikh

Editor-in-Chief Douglass Fischer Managing Editor Tom Gray Senior Editor Brian Harty Creative Director Lamar Clark Controller Deborah L. Harrison

THE RING (ISSN: 0035-5410) December 2026, is published 12 times per year by The Ring Magazine FZ, LLC, 475 Heffernan Drive, West Haven, CT 06516. Application to mail at Periodicals postage is pending at Milford, CT 06460 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Ring, Magazine Subscriber Service Dept., PO Box 103 Cambey West Congers NY 10920-0103 Phone 845-719-3120 subscriptions@ringmagazine.com Single copy price $9.99 in U.S.A., 10.99 Canada (£10.99 in the U.K.). Global Subscription price $60.00 for 12 issues plus S&H. Not responsible for the loss or non-return of unsolicited articles or photographs, which will not be returned unless accompanied by a selfaddressed envelope bearing the proper amount of postage. The entire contents of this magazine are copyright ©2026 The Ring Magazine FZ-LLC. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. Publisher is not responsible for the accuracy of the content of advertisements appearing in this magazine, nor the delivery or quality of merchandise or services offered. No endorsement of any such advertisement is intended or implied. Advertisers and agencies assume liability for claims arising from the content of their advertisements. FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES AND RATES: advertising@ ringmagazine.com. U.S. / Canadian and international distribution by Comag Marketing Group LLC, 155 Village Blvd #200, Princeton, NJ 08540. UK distribution by Seymour Distribution Ltd., 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, England, EC1A 9PT. Printed in USA. Subscription Inquiries Back Issues Inquiries Digital Orders Inquiries The Ring Magazine Subscriber Service Dept. PO Box 103 Camby West Congers NY 10920-0103 Phone: 845-719-3120 subscriptions@ringmagazine.com Send Editorial Comments To: comeoutwriting@gmail.com or P.O. Box 90254 Brooklyn, NY 11209

IT’S TIME! TO FIGHT SMOKING

the finish line, a frustrating reminder that boxing may be money motivated, but it’s ego- driven. That was true 30-plus years ago, and it remains so. But the egos involved with Fury-Joshua – and there are many – finally worked it out. We have a fight on December 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, where 80,000 tickets were sold in under an hour. The fans that pack the home

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RINGMAGAZINE.COM 9

RINGSIDE

July 2018 – Illustrated depictions of Joshua facing off against Wilder are featured on this cover with the title “Road To Undisputed.” Joshua outpointed Parker, adding the WBO strap to his IBF and WBA belts, and Wilder battled Ortiz to a late stoppage in defense of his WBC title. The next step seemed clear, but Wilder opted to stay on his side of the street and instead targeted the comebacking Fury for a December defense.

depicted Fury taking on the Hall of Famer he’s named after with the coverline “Tyson vs. Tyson.” Fury, our guest editor for the issue, had ascended to the stature that Klitschko held in 2012, but his domestic rival and three other world titles remained out of his grasp. December 2020 – A shared cover, Union Jack-colored logo and two coverlines said it all: “The Path To Undisputed” and “Fury-Joshua: The Fight Boxing Needs.” Both sides seemed sincere in their efforts to make it happen and it was reportedly very close. However, Fury had

addiction, and he also was denied a boxing license over a positive test for a performance-enhancing drug, leading to a protracted legal battle. He was out of the ring for the duration of 2016 and 2017. September 2017 – Joshua’s solo cover debut proclaimed it was “AJ’s Time” following his 11th-round stoppage of Klitschko in April, which was later selected as The Ring’s 2017 Fight of the Year. The epic victory before 90,000 at Wembley Stadium confirmed the 2012 Olympic champ as Britain’s No. 1 box office attraction. May 2018 – With his U.K. Anti- Doping suspension and mental health issues under control, Fury got back into the mix with the reigning titleholders in 2018. This cover featured the four unbeaten heavyweights with claims to the throne: Fury (“The Lineal Champ”), Joshua (“The Superstar”), Deontay Wilder (“The Puncher”) and Joseph Parker (“The Dark Horse”). Accompanying coverlines read: “Joshua- Parker Preview,”“Fury’s Comeback Begins,” and “Where’s the Wilder Love?” which acknowledged the American’s less-than-stellar WBC reign that was about to be put to the test with a defense against legit contender Luis Ortiz.

title “British Heavyweight Star Invades NYC.” AJ’s U.S. invasion was thwarted by Andy Ruiz. Meanwhile, Fury, who got up from two knockdowns to hold Wilder to a draw many thought he deserved to win, signed a co- promotional deal with Top Rank that introduced him to a wide American audience via two ESPN-televised bouts from Las Vegas in 2019. January 2020 – A retro-style cover previewed the Ruiz-Joshua rematch, which took place in Saudi Arabia. It was an homage to the September

July 2019 – Joshua’s second solo cover heralded his U.S. debut with the

Fury rematch. Fury “retired” again following the second loss to Usyk, but we all knew he would return. He’s the perennial comeback kid (even though he’s 38). It’s in his DNA. What took me a while to realize is that Joshua is cut from the same cloth. He won’t go away either. Joshua rebounded from the back-to-back losses to Usyk only to go through more trials and tribulations – the punishing KO to Daniel Dubois, looking shabby against Jake Paul, surviving a car crash that tragically took the lives of two teammates, almost getting blitzed by Kristian Prenga – but he’s still here. Kudos to Joshua and to Fury, whose return vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov was the cover subject of our April 2026 issue. “Tyson Fury’s Gamble” was the coverline because we thought a loss would have jeopardized the Joshua showdown. But now I understand that this matchup was destined to happen in spite of any setback, because I see them as opposite sides of the same coin. Neither man will ever give up on himself. I don’t like that it took this long for Fury and Joshua to share the ring, but given their pride and experience – as well as their diminished reflexes, mobility and punch resistance – there’s a good chance they’ll deliver a dramatic slugfest and make for a very special night.

1974 cover featuring Foreman vs. Ali, which also took place in an exotic (and controversial) locale. Joshua won the December 2019 “Clash On The Dunes” by careful unanimous decision. May 2020 – A celebration photo of Fury with the Ring and WBC belts over each shoulder accompanied the coverline “Long Live The King.” Unlike Joshua, Fury was spectacular in his February rematch against Wilder, who he dominated to a seventh-round TKO. Fury regained the vacant Ring championship and snatched the green strap that Wilder had held for five years.

a contractual obligation to face Wilder a third time and, following months of legal grappling, the American forced their grueling October 2021 finale. Meanwhile, Joshua stayed busy with a mandatory defense against former undisputed cruiserweight champ Oleksandr Usyk – and lost. He lost their 2022 rematch too. At this point, I figured Fury-Joshua was going the way of Tyson-Foreman and Bowe-Lewis. And despite Fury’s face next to Usyk’s grinning mug atop the cover to the April 2022 issue featuring the “Fights We Want To See in 2022,” I didn’t think we’d get that undisputed

heavyweight championship bout. Given Fury’s purse-split demands, periodic “retirements” and life-and- death struggle with debuting MMA champ Francis Ngannou, I probably would have been correct if not for Turki Alalshikh’s entry into the sport. Thanks to Riyadh Season, we got Fury-Usyk I and II in 2024 (and a clear Fighter of the Year in the triumphant Ukrainian). We also got The Ring’s return to print after being out of circulation for 2023 and 2024. The cover to our first issue back in hard copy, a special edition dated December 2024, featured the preview to the Usyk-

June 2020 – An illustrated cover

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BERNSTEIN ON BOXING

a polarizing figure who could have easily been dismissed as one of boxing’s many novelty acts – one who would wear thin and eventually fade away. In a deep pool of serious and competent British light heavyweight contenders, Whittaker came across as the court jester of the crowd with his frequent taunting and showboating. It did not seem likely that he would be the one who could finally pierce the wall that Bivol and Artur Beterbiev had put up. Several fighters from the U.K. had tried and failed. Callum Smith failed against Beterbiev but will get a second chance when he faces Bivol in December. As things have played out, Whittaker’s ability and ambition have sustained him,

on him is unknown. We have long since passed the age of nuance when it comes to public reaction – certainly in boxing. So, the difficult ending to the Wallace fight for Whittaker created a lot of doomsayers who declared him unable to compete on a championship level. Let’s dig into this in a more realistic way. When the “brand” has pushed you faster than you might be ready to be pushed, it will likely expose deficiencies. For fighters under less scrutiny, those deficiencies are viewed as correctable with experience. For those like Whittaker, who are in a title eliminator to face one of the best fighters on the planet, they are looked at as fatal flaws, maybe rightfully. Two

than an aberration. You do not, however, have to let those kinds of circumstances be your undoing. With a smart and realistic promoter (which Whittaker has in Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn) and the marketability that he brings to the table, he can still make his own path. With his track record of staying busy (by today’s standards anyway), he can make the most of the next 12-16 months with a Wallace redemption fight and a match with a higher-level fighter. If both of those tests are passed, no matter who sits on the throne of the division, it will be appropriate for Team Whittaker to roll the dice. With a somewhat limited time still available to him after Smith, Bivol will most certainly turn his attention to what he considers megafights – which Whittaker isn’t yet. That will likely either take him to Beterbiev or another weight class for David Benavidez. It may free up a crown that Whittaker can pursue or just give him time to evolve into the fighter who can handle a championship test against an aging legendary champ. When you are a polarizing figure, as Whittaker has made himself with his flamboyant behavior in the ring, it makes it even more difficult to get a fair reading. Behavior that seems to demean opponents endears you to some but is more likely to alienate others. Many who are anxious to see Whittaker humbled in the ring could have a hard time with objectivity. Will the humbling scenario win out, or can Whittaker take it the distance for a title and true stardom? In a world that includes lesser versions of Bivol or Beterbiev, or someone else as the challenge, a better developed version of Whittaker could succeed. The rubber will meet the road in the coming months, and boxing fans on both sides of the Atlantic will find out. Based on the journey to this point, I’m guessing the process of finding out will be at the very least quite entertaining.

and at age 29 it is possible (though hardly a sure thing) that he might end up as the last man standing at the barricade. Along with Willy Hutchinson, he is the youngest of the group, which also includes solid contenders Joshua Buatsi, Zach Parker and maybe even still Anthony Yarde. What separates Whittaker from all these

When the “brand” has pushed you faster than you might be ready to be pushed, it will likely expose deficiencies.

fighters is that they are all battle-tested. With only 13 pro fights under his belt, Whittaker found himself in with a fringe contender, a world title shot in sight. And that is where we started this column. It was looking like a dominant performance against Wallace for nine-plus rounds, but then things went horribly wrong and it took a lot of holding, extremely friendly refereeing by Kieran McCann and Wallace’s inability to finish to stave off disaster. While it is fair to say Whittaker unraveled a bit in the end of the fight, it is also fair to say he showed the grit to survive and get the win. He also had the awareness of the moment to immediately say there should be a rematch. It needs to be noted that Whittaker’s trainer, Andy Lee, later said that his fighter had been sick with COVID just a week prior to the event. Whittaker himself downplayed the illness as “a couple of sniffles,” not wanting to make any excuses, so the effect it had

things will help us know for certain. The first clue will come when he likely takes on Wallace again. Will Wallace’s success at the end of the first fight be a path to more success for him, or will Whittaker show it was an aberration and return to the dominance he showed for most of that fight? The second clue will come when he joins the rest of his British light heavyweight fraternity in a true test against a very legit top 10 fighter. Does he have the staying power, punch resistance and conditioning to handle such an opponent? It is possible that, with the vagaries of boxing, he will be able to get a title shot by some unexpected route. But even if it is against one of the other current top contenders who ascend to the throne in the division, it does not seem fruitful to take that step without answering the questions posed above. We live in a boxing world where winning a title eliminator when you are still considered a work in progress is closer to the norm

A s we all watched British light heavyweight contender Ben Whittaker stumble through the last round and a half against Australian Conor Wallace, staying just a half step ahead of disaster, a key question arose: Has the Whittaker brand exceeded the Whittaker reality? There were actually several stark realities on display at that point. First was that against his first fairly talented foe, Whittaker was in a life-and-death situation. Second was the somewhat astonishing fact that Whittaker vs. Wallace was an IBF title eliminator, meaning the winner could be matched against Ring Magazine champion Dmitry Bivol, of all people. Watching those final minutes unfold, those two things weighed heavily on my mind, as I suspect they did on the minds of supporters and associates of Whittaker. What to make of Ben Whittaker? By Al Bernstein

Whittaker started strong but was tested late by Australia’s Conor Wallace.

From here, across the pond in the U.S., boxing folk have observed Whittaker’s career and at various times been intrigued, bemused, skeptical, irritated or impressed. Sometimes all those feelings come within one fight. I don’t think it is even controversial to say he is best described as a talented enigma. He is, however, an evolving enigma, which is what makes him such a compelling figure no matter what side of the ocean you may reside. Even with an Olympic silver medal tucked in his pocket, he quickly became

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STEVE’S SOAPBOX

who was reared by the HBO/Showtime system, which gradually built and elevated boxers who were good enough to reach the financial stratosphere. This was when there was more activity for fighters to build their brands and expand their fan bases (Alvarez will end his career with right around 70 bouts) and there wasn’t full-blown piracy of pay-per-view. Regardless, the business always evolves and adapts with the times. And it will always need boxers who are talented, compelling and who – crucially – resonate with the public. Who are the guys who possess, as Larry Merchant has said in the past, “the right stuff”? I have three guys in mind who fit these criteria. They are not only highly accomplished inside the ring; they bring entertaining styles to the dance and thus far don’t give any real signs of being cringeworthy divas. Now, that could change in a few years, but for now, they are easy guys to hitch your wagon to. Jaron Ennis “Boots” is 29, but he really just arrived on the “elite boxer” scene. Although he became a unified Ring Magazine welterweight champion in April 2025, that accomplishment came after Crawford and Errol Spence had vacated the 147-pound division. Ennis (36-0, 32 KOs) waited patiently for his chance at stardom as he took a back seat to bigger names in the sport. And he seized that opportunity in late June when he challenged Xander Zayas, who came into their showdown with the WBA and WBO 154-pound belts around his waist. In what was an entertaining affair, Ennis started fast, scored a knockdown in the first and overcame getting rocked in the third to take back control and score a seventh- round stoppage. Just like that, he is now a two-division unified champion. But his junior middleweight achievement is different, given that this was on a much bigger stage than his

welterweight triumphs. It just felt like a star-making performance. The shootout with Zayas was Ennis in a nutshell: fan- friendly, risky, dangerous and ultimately effective. For whatever flaws he might have, you are mesmerized by the way he switch-hits and stays in the pocket with the ability to punch with both hands. He is boxing’s version of Evel Knievel – a daredevil. And he has proven to be a legitimate ticket-seller on the East Coast, both in his hometown of Philadelphia, nearby Atlantic City and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where the Zayas fight drew a sizable audience. He now has his sights set on adding another belt to his collection by facing reigning IBF beltholder Josh Kelly in his next outing. Jesse Rodriguez “Bam” is already one of the most highly decorated boxers in the sport. He is currently No. 4 in Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound rankings, and for good reason. Rodriguez (24-0, 17 KOs) has won major world titles from flyweight to bantamweight. He was a unified titleholder at flyweight and a unified Ring Magazine champ at junior bantamweight. In his last outing in mid-June, he moved up to bantamweight and dispatched Antonio Vargas in six to win the WBA title. The only thing that really holds Rodriguez back is size. Unfortunately for him, there has always been a bit of a glass ceiling in America for fighters below featherweight. But the 26-year- old native of San Antonio, Texas, has been able to earn the respect of hardcore fans with a series of technically brilliant performances that usually end in knockouts. His last six bouts have been stoppages of Sunny Edwards, Juan Francisco Estrada, Pedro Guevara, Phumelela Cafu, Fernando Martinez and Vargas – all but Guevara held world titles when they faced Rodriguez. There isn’t a more impressive streak in the sport. There is precision and beauty to what

he does. Rodriguez combines exquisite pivots and shifts to create openings for himself offensively and delivers punches with accuracy and power. He is must-see television for aficionados of the sport. There has been talk of Rodriguez further unifying the bantamweight class in the late fall, and then a possible showdown with Naoya Inoue in 2027. Regardless of where Bam challenges The Monster, it would be a significant matchup, one that would draw international interest. Like Ennis, Rodriguez has been able to sell tickets in his home state of Texas and places like Glendale, Arizona, which has a large Mexican-American population. Abdullah Mason Mason (21-0, 18 KOs) is by far the youngest of the three at age 22. From the very moment he signed with Top Rank in 2020, the rangy southpaw had the look of a future champ. After several years going through TR’s tried- and-tested developmental system, he was put into position to face Sam Noakes in November 2025 for the vacant WBO lightweight title. In what was a hard-fought affair in Saudi Arabia, Mason gutted out a tough 12-round decision to win his first world title. Then, on the Fourth of July, he took on the difficult Albert Bell (a late replacement for Joe Cordina) in what was a homecoming bout at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Early on, the tall and angular Bell boxed effectively. It looked like Mason’s reign would be short-lived. But by the late rounds, Mason closed the gap with intelligent pressure and wore Bell down with fast, powerful punches. In the final round, Mason finished him off. It was a stirring effort. In his initial performance in Cleveland, Mason drew around 10,000 patrons, and his bout was the initial telecast of the TNT cable network’s “The Fight” series, meaning he played to a much larger audience than usual. This young man seized the moment on a big stage.

THE DYNAMIC TRIO By Steve Kim

generation of pro boxers. I don’t think social media has done any favors for some of these boxers (Ryan Garcia excluded), but you could probably make that statement for society as a whole. Regardless, where have the likes of Mike McCallum gone? With Terence Crawford retired and Canelo Alvarez heading into the sunset of his Hall of Fame career, you wonder who the next generation of stars are in North America. And can another even be developed in today’s marketplace? You could argue that the likes of Haney, Stevenson, Garcia and “Tank” (should he actually return to the ring) are the marquee names. They are all in their physical primes and have been involved in major events. But they are really no longer up-and- coming boxers. They have been firmly established for at least a few years running. But the sport of boxing is like a conveyor belt, where the next group of fighters is always arriving to disrupt the hierarchy. The truth of the matter is that there may never be another Alvarez, who I have described in the past as the last true pay-per-view franchise in the United States. He is the final fighter

A s I penned this in early October, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis were engaging in a menage-a-tweets with one another, threatening to send each other fight offers and demanding that these theoretical offers be accepted. They may or may not fight one another by the end of the year – or even the beginning of 2027. In a nutshell, it’s the modern-day boxing business, which is a lot of posturing and financial leverage flexing on social media. But there really isn’t a lot of action inside the ring. In short:

It’s tiresome. I fully admit that I am now at the “get off my lawn!” stage of my career. I actually embrace being a full-blown cynic. Can you blame me at this point? I find this generation of boxers to be a bit annoying and – to be blunt – unlikable. They come off as petulant or entitled. Or both. Am I wrong for feeling this way? I’m not trying to tell you that the fighters I grew up watching in the 1980s and ’90s were perfect by any stretch. I always got the sense that they were flawed men like the rest of us and certainly more relatable to the public than this

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BY THE NUMBERS: MARVIN JOHNSON By Don Stradley • Illustration by KronkAAArt

rounds with Matthew Saad Muhammad »

Johnson’s legacy as a crowd-pleasing warrior could be summed up by his two bouts with Saad Muhammad, who fought in those days as Matthew Franklin. Their first bout, in July 1977 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, ended Johnson’s undefeated run when Saad Muhammad scored a TKO in the 12th round. It had been a competitive contest and the scorecards were split three ways, though the United Press reported that Johnson was on his way “to an easy victory.” Muhammad’s win was considered an upset, since Johnson seemed ready for a title shot and stardom. When Johnson won the WBC belt in 1978, Saad Muhammad was in line for a title shot. Johnson could’ve taken an easier opponent for his first defense, but he wasn’t about to sidestep anyone and probably thought he could avenge his previous loss. The rematch turned out to be a condensed version of their first bout, with Johnson getting out to an early lead and Saad Muhammad coming on strong and scoring a TKO at 1:44 of Round 8. Johnson objected to referee George DeFabis stopping the bout, but he was not in any condition to continue. Saad Muhammad, exhausted and barely able to see from his battered eyes, praised Johnson as “the best light heavyweight I ever fought.” The final bloody round was chosen as The Ring’s 1979 Round of the Year. fight in Serbia » Sometimes you should just stay home and have food delivered, which Johnson learned in 1978 when he went to Serbia to fight Lottie Mwale, a Zambian amateur star at the beginning of his pro career. As Johnson told the story on his return home, his camp had signed for a 10-round fight. After eight, however, the referee inexplicably stopped the bout and awarded it to Mwale by decision. “We thought [Mwale] had retired and couldn’t come out for the ninth,” Johnson said. “The referee said something to us, but we couldn’t understand the language. He went over and raised [Mwale’s] hand.” Johnson took the loss as a fluke and harbored no bad feelings about Serbia. “The people were very nice,” he said.

Marvin Johnson was only 33 years old when he retired in 1987, yet he’d long been known in the boxing world as “Pops.” Granted, he’d always seemed mature for his age, thanks partly to a soft-spoken demeanor and a hairline that began retreating when he was 20. Also, this gutsy southpaw from Indianapolis, Indiana, was competing among an absolute firestorm of light heavyweights, engaging in contests that one writer described as “mini holocausts,” the sort that could add years to anyone’s visage. Here’s his story by the numbers.

straight wins after losing to Michael Spinks » The boxing intelligentsia of 1981 believed Johnson’s career was over after a dramatic knockout loss to Michael Spinks in Atlantic City. A left uppercut from Spinks left Johnson unconscious at 1:22 of Round 4. Even though he’d dominated Spinks right up to the last moment, it was Johnson’s fifth loss and the sort of bludgeoning knockout from which fighters don’t recover easily. Yet he came back. And it was during this part of his career that Johnson became a beloved cult hero. He became Pops. Johnson had considered quitting and even applied for factory work, anything to pay the bills and take care of his wife and children. Yet he knew he could make more money through boxing. A year after the loss to Spinks, he began fighting his way back up the ladder one rung at a time. And he was candid about his motives, often saying that he wasn’t trying to make history, but was only trying to make money. Over the next half-decade, he scored impressive wins over perennial contender Eddie Davis and future titlist Prince Charles Williams. In 1984, The Ring selected Johnson as Comeback Fighter of the Year. This late- career hot streak culminated with his win over Stewart for the WBA title in 1986. “The critics said I couldn’t do it,” Johnson said. “They called me old, but I’ve been called old ever since I was 16.” Johnson retired with a record of 43-6 with 35 knockouts. By then he had a regular job at the Marion County jail as a corrections officer. Steady income was nice, and his reputation as one of the best fighters of an era was solid. The World Boxing Hall of Fame inducted him in 2008, but a call from the International Hall of Fame is yet to happen. If thrills count, Pops should’ve been enshrined in Canastota years ago. He taught us all to never give up, to have faith in one’s talent, and above all else, to stay out of Serbia.

bronze medal » Johnson, a recent graduate of Crispus Attucks High

School, was one of four American boxers to win medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics, defeating opponents from West Germany and Cuba before losing to a Soviet fighter in the semifinal. The Russian, Vyacheslav Lemeshev, went on to win the gold medal. On his return from Germany, Johnson described his placing as a disappointment. “The bronze medal – it’s not what I wanted, but it’s better than nothing,” he said.

fight winning streak to start his pro career » Turning pro in May 1973, Johnson collected wins over such journeymen as Gary Summerhays, Ray Anderson and Tom “The

Bomb” Bethea. Johnson’s turf was Indianapolis and Philadelphia, where he became a fan favorite. His flashy robes and carefully groomed mustache were eye- catching, but it was his aggressive style that made Johnson stand out. “The appeal I have doesn’t really have anything to do with me,” Johnson said, “but with the way I fight.” By 1987, while Mike Tyson, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns were all providing thrills and earning millions of dollars, World Boxing magazine dubbed Johnson “boxing’s most entertaining fighter.”

turns as light heavyweight titlist » Johnson won his first light heavyweight title in December 1978, traveling to Italy to defeat WBC titlist Mate Parlov by TKO in 10. He would lose the belt four months later to Matthew Saad Muhammad in an unforgettable eight- round brawl. Not one to waste time, Johnson picked up the WBA light heavyweight belt in November 1979, stopping the rugged Argentine titlist Victor Galindez in 11 at the Superdome in New Orleans. Again, Johnson turned the title over in his first defense, losing to Eddie Mustafa Muhammad in Knoxville, Tennessee, in March 1980. Almost six years passed before Johnson’s third title win, a seventh-round TKO of Leslie Stewart in Indianapolis for the WBA belt. The win put Johnson in the history books as

the light heavyweight division’s first three-time title winner. The third win may have been the sweetest for ol’ Pops, considering his long climb back to contention. Stewart, younger and quicker but not as experienced as Johnson, claimed the many cuts he suffered were from headbutts but took responsibility for the loss. As he put it, he’d allowed Johnson to apply too much pressure. “And when he smelled blood, his instincts came out,” said Stewart. “He was like an animal.” Johnson even overcame his first-defense curse, successfully defending his title with a 13th-round TKO of Jean-Marie Emebe. Then he was off to Trinidad and Tobago, where he lost the title in a rematch with Stewart. “The mental situation is taking its toll,” he’d said before the bout. The loss was Johnson’s swan song.

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Ring Ratings Through fights of October 17, 2026

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Sebastian Fundora scored a last-gasp knockout over Ermal Hadribeaj in October.

RECENT FIGHT RESULTS (Ratings shown are positions going into the fight; resulting moves are in red.)

MEN H: Daniel Dubois (No. 1) TKO 2 Fabio Wardley (No. 5, 4) 175: Radivoje Kalajdzic (in at No. 8) UD 10 Craig Richards

122: Sebastian Hernandez (No. 4) SD 10 Kyonosuke Kameda 118: Takuma Inoue (No. 2) UD 12 Tenshin Nasukawa (No. 9, 1) 115: Ricardo Malajika (No. 7, 3) SD 12 Tomoya Tsuboi (No. 6, 1)

175: Imam Khataev (No. 4) KO 1 Padraig McCrory 168: Osleys Iglesias (No. 2) TKO 7 Oliver Zaren 168: Armando Resendiz (No. 7) UD 10 Koen Mazoudier 154: Sebastian Fundora (No. 3) TKO 12 Ermal Hadribeaj (No. 9, out) 147: Eimantas Stanionis (No. 6) TKO 2 Kaine Fourie 135: Floyd Schofield (No. 7, 4) UD 12 Lucas Bahdi (No. 8) 135: Shakur Stevenson (No. 1) and Raymond Muratalla (No. 2, out, moving up) 126: Angelo Leo (No. 3, out, inactivity) 122: Sam Goodman (No. 2, 1) UD 12 Ryosuke Nishida (No. 6, 1)

112: Rene Calixto (in at No. 10) SD 10 Jose Luis Regalado 112: Sergio Mendoza (in at No. 3) TKO 5 Ricardo Sandoval (No. 1,

108: Thanongsak Simsri (No. 2, 105: Ryusei Matsumoto (No. 4,

1) TKO 2 Mark Vicelles

1) UD 12 Russell Acosta (No. 10, out)

WOMEN 130: Kiria Tapia (No. 5) TD 5 Juliana Basualdo 130: Leila Beaudoin (No. 1) UD 10 Brisa Abigail Rosario Alfonzo 102: Shiori Yotsumoto (No. 4) TKO 4 Ran Higuchi

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RINGMAGAZINE.COM 19

MEN’S RING RATINGS Through October 17, 2026 CHAMPIONSHIPBELTS: RING IBF WBA WBC WBO | H NEW TO RATINGS

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 175 POUNDS

LIGHTWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 135 POUNDS

JR. LIGHTWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 130 POUNDS

FEATHERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 126 POUNDS

JR. FEATHERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 122 POUNDS

HEAVYWEIGHTS WEIGHT UNLIMITED

CRUISERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 200 POUNDS

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 168 POUNDS

C OLEKSANDR USYK

C JAI OPETAIA

C DMITRY BIVOL

C (VACANT) 1 CANELO ALVAREZ

C (VACANT) 1

C (VACANT) 1 EMANUEL NAVARRETE Mexico • 40-2-1 (33 KOs) 2 O’SHAQUIE FOSTER U.S. • 25-3-0 (12 KOs) 3 ANTHONY CACACE Ireland • 25-1-0 (9 KOs) 4 CHARLY SUAREZ

C (VACANT) 1 RAFAEL ESPINOZA 2 BRUCE CARRINGTON U.S. • 18-0-0 (10 KOs) 3 U.S. • 27-2-1 (20 KOs)

C NAOYA INOUE

Ukraine • 25-0-0 (16 KOs)

Australia • 31-0-0 (24 KOs)

Russia • 25-1-0 (12 KOs)

Japan • 33-0-0 (27 KOs) +1 SAM GOODMAN Australia • 23-1-0 (8 KOs)

+2 WILLIAM ZEPEDA Mexico • 34-1-0 (27 KOs)

1 DANIEL DUBOIS

1 DAVID BENAVIDEZ U.S. • 32-0-0 (26 KOs) 2 GILBERTO RAMIREZ Mexico • 48-2-0 (30 KOs) 3 CHRIS BILLAM-SMITH U.K. • 22-2-0 (14 KOs) 4 MICHAL CIESLAK Poland • 28-2-0 (22 KOs) 5 NOEL MIKAELIAN Armenia • 28-4-0 (12 KOs) 6 BADOU JACK Sweden • 29-4-3 (17 KOs) 7 VIDDAL RILEY U.K. • 14-0-0 (7 KOs) 8 RYAN ROZICKI Canada • 21-2-1 (20 KOs) 9 LEONARDO MOSQUEA France • 19-0-0 (12 KOs) 10 ROBIN SIRWAN SAFAR Sweden • 20-0-0 (13 KOs)

1 DAVID BENAVIDEZ

Mexico • 63-3-2 (39 KOs)

Mexico • 28-0-0 (24 KOs)

U.K. • 24-3-0 (23 KOs)

U.S. • 32-0-0 (26 KOs)

2 OSLEYS IGLESIAS

+2 ABDULLAH MASON

2 AGIT KABAYEL

2 CALLUM SMITH

Cuba • 16-0-0 (15 KOs)

-1 MURODJON AKHMADALIEV

U.S. • 21-0-0 (18 KOs)

Germany • 27-0-0 (19 KOs)

U.K. • 31-2-0 (22 KOs)

Uzbekistan • 15-2-0 (12 KOs)

3 CHRISTIAN MBILLI

+4 FLOYD SCHOFIELD

+1 BRANDON FIGUEROA

3 TYSON FURY

3 ANTHONY YARDE

France • 29-0-1 (24 KOs)

3 JUNTO NAKATANI

U.S. • 20-0-0 (13 KOs) +1 ANDY CRUZ Cuba • 7-1-0 (4 KOs) +1 SAM NOAKES U.K. • 19-1-0 (16 KOs) +3 JADIER HERRERA Cuba • 18-0-0 (16 KOs) -3 ANDRES CORTES U.S. • 26-0-0 (13 KOs)

U.K. • 36-2-1 (25 KOs)

U.K. • 27-4-0 (24 KOs)

Japan • 32-1-0 (24 KOs) 4 SEBASTIAN HERNANDEZ Mexico • 22-1-0 (19 KOs) 5 RAMON CARDENAS U.S. • 28-2-0 (15 KOs) 6 RYOSUKE NISHIDA Japan • 11-2-0 (2 KOs) 7 BRYAN MERCADO VAZQUEZ Mexico • 33-2-0 (27 KOs) 8 ALEX SANTISIMA Philippines • 14-2-0 (8 KOs) 9 TITO SANCHEZ U.S. • 16-0-0 (10 KOs) 10 JUN IKEGAWA Japan • 11-1-3 (4 KOs)

4 LESTER MARTINEZ

+1 NICK BALL U.K. • 23-1-1 (13 KOs) +1 RA’EESE ALEEM U.S. • 23-1-0 (12 KOs) Spain • 21-0-3 (8 KOs) +1 OMAR TRINIDAD U.S. • 21-0-2 (14 KOs) +1 LORENZO PARRA Venezuela • 24-1-1 (18 KOs) +1 CRISTOBAL LORENTE

4 FILIP HRGOVIC

4 IMAM KHATAEV

Guatemala • 21-0-1 (17 KOs)

Philippines • 19-0-0 (11 KOs)

Croatia • 21-1-0 (16 KOs) +1 FRANK SANCHEZ Cuba • 26-1-0 (19 KOs) +1 EFE AJAGBA Nigeria • 21-1-1 (15 KOs) +1 MOSES ITAUMA U.K. • 14-1-0 (12 KOs) +1 MURAT GASSIEV Russia • 34-2-0 (27 KOs) -4 FABIO WARDLEY U.K. • 20-2-1 (19 KOs)

Australia • 13-1-0 (12 KOs)

5 JAIME MUNGUIA

5 RAYMOND FORD

5 JOSHUA BUATSI

Mexico • 46-2-0 (35 KOs)

U.S. • 18-2-1 (8 KOs)

U.K. • 20-1-0 (13 KOs)

6 DIEGO PACHECO U.S. • 26-0-0 (19 KOs) 7 ARMANDO RESENDIZ

6 RYAN GARNER

6 NAJEE LOPEZ

U.K. • 20-0-0 (10 KOs)

U.S. • 17-0-0 (14 KOs) 7 WILLY HUTCHINSON U.K. • 20-2-0 (14 KOs) 8 H RADIVOJE KALAJDZIC U.S. • 31-3-0 (22 KOs) 9 -1 LERRONE RICHARDS U.K. • 19-2-0 (4 KOs) 10 -1 ALBERT RAMIREZ Venezuela • 23-0-0 (19 KOs)

7 EDUARDO NUNEZ

Mexico • 17-3-0 (11 KOs)

Mexico • 29-2-0 (27 KOs)

8 JACOB BANK

8 LUCAS BAHDI

8 JAMES DICKENS

Denmark • 20-0-0 (11 KOs)

Canada • 20-1-0 (15 KOs)

U.K. • 37-6-0 (15 KOs)

9 HAMZAH SHEERAZ U.K. • 24-0-1 (19 KOs) 10 BEKTEMIR MELIKUZIEV

9 H JOSE VALENZUELA U.S. • 16-3-0 (10 KOs) 10 H DZMITRY ASANAU Belarus • 14-0-0 (7 KOs)

9 HAYATO TSUTSUMI Japan • 9-0-0 (6 KOs) 10 TSENDBAATAR ERDENEBAT Mongolia • 15-0-0 (6 KOs)

+1 ALBERT GONZALEZ

U.S. • 18-0-0 (11 KOs)

10 H LIAM DAVIES

10 JUSTIS HUNI

Uzbekistan • 17-1-0 (11 KOs)

U.K. • 19-1-0 (10 KOs)

Australia • 13-1-0 (7 KOs)

MIDDLEWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 160 POUNDS C (VACANT) 1 CARLOS ADAMES 2 YOENLI HERNANDEZ Cuba • 11-0-0 (9 KOs) 3 AARON MCKENNA

JR. MIDDLEWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 154 POUNDS

WELTERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 147 POUNDS

JR. WELTERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 140 POUNDS C SHAKUR STEVENSON U.S. • 25-0-0 (11 KOs) 1 DALTON SMITH U.K. • 19-0-0 (14 KOs) 2 KEYSHAWN DAVIS U.S. • 15-0-0 (10 KOs) 3 ALBERTO PUELLO 4 GARY ANTUANNE RUSSELL U.S. • 19-1-0 (17 KOs) 5 ADAM AZIM U.K. • 15-0-0 (12 KOs) 6 SANDOR MARTIN Spain • 43-4-0 (15 KOs) 7 SUBRIEL MATIAS 8 MARK CHAMBERLAIN U.K. • 18-1-1 (13 KOs) 9 ERNESTO MERCADO U.S. • 19-0-0 (18 KOs) 10 ARTHUR BIYARSLANOV Canada • 21-0-0 (17 KOs)

BANTAMWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 118 POUNDS

JR. BANTAMWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 115 POUNDS

FLYWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 112 POUNDS

JR. FLYWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 108 POUNDS

C (VACANT) 1 JARON ENNIS

C (VACANT) 1 DEVIN HANEY

C (VACANT) 1 SEIYA TSUTSUMI

C (VACANT) 1 FERNANDO MARTINEZ

C ( VACANT) 1

C (VACANT) 1

+1 MASAMICHI YABUKI

+1 THANONGSAK SIMSRI

Dom. Rep. • 25-1-1 (18 KOs)

U.S. • 36-0-0 (32 KOs)

U.S. • 33-0-0 (15 KOs)

Japan • 13-0-3 (8 KOs)

Argentina • 18-1-0 (9 KOs)

Japan • 20-4-0 (18 KOs)

Thailand • 41-1-0 (36 KOs) -1 RENE SANTIAGO Puerto Rico • 16-4-0 (9 KOs)

2 VERGIL ORTIZ

2 RYAN GARCIA

2 TAKUMA INOUE

2 DAVID JIMENEZ

+1 ANTHONY OLASCUAGA

U.S. • 24-0-0 (22 KOs) 3 SEBASTIAN FUNDORA U.S. • 25-1-1 (17 KOs) 4 ISRAIL MADRIMOV

U.S. • 26-2-0 (21 KOs)

Japan • 23-2-0 (5 KOs)

Costa Rica • 18-1-0 (12 KOs)

U.S. • 12-1-0 (9 KOs) 3 H SERGIO MENDOZA

3 TEOFIMO LOPEZ

3 JESSE RODRIGUEZ

3 KENSHIRO TERAJI

3 SHOKICHI IWATA

Ireland • 21-0-0 (10 KOs)

U.S. • 23-2-0 (13 KOs)

U.S. • 24-0-0 (17 KOs)

Japan • 26-2-0 (16 KOs) +3 RICARDO MALAJIKA S. Africa • 18-2-0 (12 KOs) -1 PHUMELELA CAFU S. Africa • 12-1-3 (8 KOs) -1 ANDREW MOLONEY Australia • 29-4-0 (18 KOs)

Mexico • 28-1-0 (24 KOs)

Japan • 17-2-0 (14 KOs)

Dom. Rep. • 25-1-0 (11 KOs)

4 ERISLANDY LARA

4 JACK CATTERALL U.K. • 33-2-0 (14 KOs) 5 BRIAN NORMAN JR. U.S. • 29-1-0 (23 KOs) 6 EIMANTAS STANIONIS

4 RIKU MASUDA

4 MIEL FAJARDO

4 DAIYA KIRA

U.S. • 32-3-3 (19 KOs)

Uzbekistan • 11-2-1 (7 KOs)

Japan • 11-1-0 (9 KOs) 5 CHRISTIAN MEDINA Mexico • 27-4-0 (19 KOs) 6 DAIGO HIGA Japan • 21-4-3 (19 KOs) 7 JOSE SALAS Mexico • 17-0-0 (11 KOs) 8 ANTONIO VARGAS U.S. • 19-2-1 (11 KOs) 9 U.S. • 15-0-0 (8 KOs)

Philippines • 14-3-2 (12 KOs) -4 RICARDO SANDOVAL

Japan • 5-0-0 (4 KOs)

5 TROY ISLEY

5 XANDER ZAYAS

5 REGIE SUGANOB

U.S. • 17-0-0 (6 KOs)

Puerto Rico • 23-1-0 (13 KOs)

U.S. • 27-3-0 (18 KOs)

Philippines • 19-1-0 (8 KOs)

6 AMARI JONES U.S. • 17-0-0 (15 KOs) 7 CHRIS EUBANK JR. U.K. • 35-4-0 (25 KOs) 8 JESUS RAMOS JR. U.S. • 24-1-0 (19 KOs) 9 JAHI TUCKER U.S. • 17-1-1 (7 KOs) 10 GEORGE LIDDARD U.K. • 15-0-0 (9 KOs)

6 JOSH KELLY

6 KYOSUKE TAKAMI Japan • 10-1-0 (8 KOs) 7 CARLOS CANIZALES 8 MASATAKA TANIGUCHI Japan • 21-6-0 (15 KOs) 9 AARON DE LA CRUZ Mexico • 15-0-0 (10 KOs) 10 ERIK BADILLO Mexico • 19-1-0 (8 KOs)

-1 JOSELITO VELAZQUEZ

U.K. • 19-1-1 (9 KOs) 7 BAKHRAM MURTAZALIEV Russia • 23-1-0 (17 KOs) 8 ABASS BARAOU Germany • 18-2-0 (9 KOs) 9 +1 CHARLES CONWELL U.S. • 22-1-0 (17 KOs) 10 H JOSHUA KEVIN ANTON U.S. • 15-0-0 (12 KOs)

Lithuania • 17-1-0 (10 KOs)

Mexico • 23-1-1 (15 KOs)

7 ROHAN POLANCO

-1 TOMOYA TSUBOI Japan • 3-1-0 (2 KOs) 8 WILLIBALDO GARCIA Mexico • 23-7-2 (13 KOs) 9 THEOPHILOUS ALLOTEY Ghana • 15-0-0 (11 KOs) 10 SIKHO NQOTHOLE S. Africa • 22-3-0 (13 KOs)

-1 YOALI MEJIA MOSQUEDA

Dom. Rep. • 18-0-0 (10 KOs)

Mexico • 16-0-0 (12 KOs)

Venezuela • 28-4-1 (20 KOs)

Puerto Rico • 23-3-0 (22 KOs)

8 RAUL CURIEL

-1 ABRAHAM R. PEREZ

Mexico • 18-0-1 (14 KOs)

U.S. • 15-0-0 (7 KOs)

9 ALEXIS ROCHA U.S. • 27-2-1 (16 KOs) 10 ROLANDO ROMERO U.S. • 17-3-0 (13 KOs)

+1 MICHAEL ANGELETTI

-1 ARVIN JHON PACIONES

Philippines • 13-0-0 (7 KOs)

-1 TENSHIN NASUKAWA

-1 SHO NOGAMI Japan • 8-0-0 (4 KOs)

Japan • 8-2-0 (3 KOs)

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