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Jamahal Hill is open to facing Alex Pereira if the Brazilian decides to move up to light heavyweight. After Hill became the UFC’s light heavyweight champion, Pereira hinted at moving up to face the newly crowned champion. He thought he would have success at 205lbs but of course, he is tabbed to headline UFC 287 in his first title defense as he rematches Israel Adesanya. Yet, with the status of Jiri Prochazka still uncertain, Hill says he welcomes Pereira trying to move up to fight him. “Come on in, come on in, come on in, bro. I’m here for everybody. Just put a dish on the plate so I could eat,” Hill said to Inside Fighting. Hill was quick to respond when asked how he thinks the conflict between him and Pereira will play out. “A dominant victory for me, dominant. I don’t care what nobody says, dominant, you know what I said, dominant. I will dominate him,” Hill added. Alex Pereira will surely need to defeat Adesanya on Saturday night in order to advance to face Jamahal Hill. But if he does, it will be a tremendous and exciting fight. Hill, on the other hand, believes he'd like to meet Jiri Prochazka next. He claims he has heard Prochazka will be returning sooner than planned and would love to fight him before facing Pereira.

Eddie Hearn Confident Anthony Joshua Will Challenge Tyson Fury for WBC Heavyweight Title Eddie Hearn, Anthony Joshua’s promoter, has expressed his confidence that the British boxer will want to challenge Tyson Fury for the WBC heavyweight title if the opportunity presents itself. However, Hearn also acknowledged that facing Fury in his next bout may not be the best move for Joshua's development with his new trainer, Derrick James. After defeating Jermaine Franklin on all three scorecards on Saturday night, Joshua’s first fight with James in his corner, Hearn admitted that there is still plenty of room for improvement. While Joshua is keen to take on Fury, Hearn said it was important to get the right balance between the opponent and how much the fight will generate in terms of viewership and revenue. Hearn believes that if Joshua does not fight a more challenging opponent than Franklin in his next fight, the paying public’s patience may be tested. Dillian Whyte, Joshua’s British rival, is eager for a rematch, but it remains unclear who Joshua will face in the second of what he hopes will be three fights in 2023. Hearn said, “I don’t think the public are necessarily gonna want him to have another two fights at the Jermaine Franklin level. They’re gonna wanna see him step up. If that’s Dillian Whyte, if that’s Tyson Fury, if that’s [Deontay] Wilder. And, you know, those guys will fancy their chances against AJ because they’ll think, ‘Oh, you know, there’s a chance that he’s not the fighter that he was,’ etcetera, etcetera. But I think AJ will box better against a high level of opposition, particularly people that are coming to win.” Although Hearn feels Joshua needs more time with James before facing Fury, he is confident that Joshua will ultimately take the challenge. The heavyweight division has been eagerly awaiting this match-up, and fans are hoping that it will happen soon. In the meantime, Joshua will continue to work on his skills, and we can expect to see him face tougher opponents in the coming months.

This Saturday, Adesanya will face Alex Pereira in an MMA rematch; that will be their fourth bout overall, counting kickboxing, so it's make-or-break time for him. Only six months had passed since the two had last fought, and Pereira came back in the last round while behind on the scoreboards by landing his trademark left hook. The referee ended up being forced to stop the match and award a new champion when the Brazilian followed it up with hooks. Before their fight this weekend, Israel Adesanya seems to be thinking about the issue surrounding Islam Makhachev's suspected use of an IV at UFC 284. The lightweight champion received an accusation of rehydrating with an IV after a challenging loss of pounds. After the dispute, Ali Abdelaziz, Makhachev's co-manager, claimed on Twitter that there is a "legal limit" to how much IV fluid a fighter may get. Abdelaziz also unintentionally suggested that an individual in the Dagestani camp had utilized more IV than as permitted by law. Both fighters have the exceptional striking ability, but Pereira has a size edge against the former champion. 'Poatan' apparently weighed more than 25 pounds over the 185-pound limit during their November fight. A person's well-being and athletic ability are likely to be seriously impacted by such a drastic weight loss, but there are plenty of techniques to get back to normal more quickly and effectively. One of these possibilities is to rehydrate using an IV, which is prohibited if it contains more than 100 ml in 12 hours. The Last Stylebender a few days prior tweeted that he wanted USADA to monitor Pereira around the clock after the official weigh-ins to guarantee that he wasn't rehydrating unlawfully: Adesanya resumed the IV usage topic yesterday along with tweeting the following message, seemingly mocking Makhachev and Abdelaziz:

For his opinions on Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis, Floyd Mayweather has been called a "f***ing dumbass" by Oscar De La Hoya. On April 22, two young, unbeaten boxers will square off in Sin City at a catchweight of 136 pounds in what could end up being the biggest boxing match of 2023. In their respective teams, Davis and Garcia each have very illustrious members, and now that the promotion is well underway, the trash talking has started. Recently, a video of Mayweather disputing the boxers' stardom was making the rounds. The 50-0 retired professional insisted there was no meaningful comparison. “Tank got his followers from kicking ass. Ryan Garcia got his from YouTubers. There’s a difference. So you wanna be a YouTuber, or you wanna be a fighter? Tank is a fighter.” Similar to Mayweather, De La Hoya is a multiple weight world champion. He responded to the video by underlining his opponent's exhibition career. “So Ryan Garcia’s not a fighter? He’s been fighting since he was six years old. He has 200+ amateur fights. “I don’t care where his followers come from, if they come from f***ing Mars, the fact is his followers are selling this fight. And plus, don’t you remember you fought YouTubers? Are you putting YouTubers down? You profited from them. I can’t with you dude, you’re a f***ing dumbass. I can’t wait. April 22, Ryan Garcia’s f***ing knocking out Tank Davis.” It doesn't matter that Mayweather and "Tank" are currently having a difficult and tumultuous relationship because we were once his protégé. Given that he and De La Hoya fought in 2007, far before exchanging these jabs outside of the ring, it adds still another level of drama to the contest. That evening in Las Vegas, Mayweather won the super welterweight world championship in what turned out to be the most lucrative boxing match of its time. All those involved in the commercial side of things will be pleased if the Davis-Garcia card even approaches that level of success. But for the fighters, the victory is everything.

Oleksandr Usyk has commented on the breakdown of talks for an undisputed fight with Tyson Fury and claims he is "happy" that the historic confrontation will not take place. To the dismay of boxing fans worldwide, it was revealed near the end of March that a four-belt unification between Fury and Usyk would not be the next fight after months of negotiations between the opposing camps. Usyk admitted in an interview with Volodymyr Kobelkov on his YouTube channel that he was glad to have some downtime, despite appearing to bend over backwards to try to get the fight going. “I am very happy, by the way. Even though it sounds weird, I am very happy that this fight is not happening and I am going home.” “You’ve got to understand me, I trained for three months straight. Then I get to come back home and spend time with my children and I just enjoy myself.” “It was supposed to happen, God tells me this was supposed to happen.” Unbelievably, Usyk agreed to a split of 70/30 in Fury's advantage. However, disagreements over the money share in a hypothetical rematch proved to be a brick wall, and his managers called off the fight. The WBA has mandated that the two sides begin contract discussions this month, thus the undisputed world champion now appears destined to face Daniel Dubois, the obligatory challenger. Uncertainty surrounds WBC Champion Fury's next move, but Queensberry stablemate Joe Joyce seems to be the front-runner to engage in a summer brawl with "The Gypsy King." The fight has also been mentioned in connection with people like Andy Ruiz Jr. and, of course, Anthony Joshua.

Canelo Alvarez claims he's "not thinking" about retiring as he prepares to defend his undisputed super middleweight belt against challenger John Ryder on May 6th in Guadalajara, Mexico. Canelo (58-2-2, 39 KOs) is shown in a video training this week for Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) doing a lot of head and upper body movement to improve on his defence. In an interview, Canelo said: “I’m not thinking about retirement yet.” That's significant for Canelo since WBO mandatory Ryder works hard and will camp in front of the Mexican star, unleashing relentless shots. Ryder flourishes in the trenches, where he can fire shots at will and wear down his opponents. If Canelo cannot match Ryder's prolific punch volume, he can at least adjust his upper body to avoid the punches. That is the logical explanation for Canelo's focus on defence rather than trying to rectify these obvious flaws. Ryder is important for Canelo because he can utilize him as prep for his rematch with Dmitry Bivol in September. Eddy Reynoso, Canelo's trainer/manager, indicated that they will employ counter-punching to defeat Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs), and he is convinced it will succeed. However, Canelo must overcome Ryder's fearsome challenge because this may be a nightmare for him.

Promoter Dmitriy Salita believes heavyweight contender Jermaine Franklin is still very much in the frame to become an elite fighter in his weight class. Franklin has now suffered back to back decision losses. Last November, he lost a close twelve round majority decision to Dillian Whyte - although some observers felt Franklin had done enough to win. And last Saturday night in London, Franklin lost a twelve round unanimous decision to former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua. Salita felt Franklin showed his worth in the two defeats. "Back-to-back world class performances for Jermaine," Salita told Sky Sports. "Once again last night Jermaine showed that he has the ability to be an elite heavyweight in the division. Jermaine will learn, grow and I believe has all the skills to be a heavyweight world champion. "Much respect to Joshua - he is a class act. I know he had the pressure of the world on his shoulders last night, but did a good job and put himself in the mix for mega fights in the division." Franklin displayed a world class chin, as he was able to take Joshua's best punches and was never in danger of going down. Joshua himself was coming off back to back defeats. The victory was the first for Joshua since stopping Kubrat Pulev in December 2020. "Deep, deep, deep down, I'm not happy because the ultimate goal is a knockout," said Joshua. "There's nothing that can top a knockout. There were opportunities. Opportunities where I pushed [for a KO]. But you know what as well, I'm fighting someone who came in with a plan to win, he had a good training camp. You saw him last time out [against Whyte]. He's done well to stay in there. "I can't blame Franklin for anything that goes on in that ring because it's all about me. I've got to take accountability, so if I didn't want Franklin to hold me, I've got to move my feet, create space. That's just down to me and if I would have created space, I would have been able to get that knockout, so it's not him. It's all me."

Daniel Dubois Cleared for Heavyweight Title Shot Against Oleksandr Usyk Daniel Dubois has been cleared by the WBA to challenge Oleksandr Usyk for the heavyweight title after his medical information was fully verified. The WBA has ordered a heavyweight title consolidation bout between Dubois and unified WBA, IBF, and WBO titlist Usyk. The parties have been given a 30-day negotiation period ending on May 2. Dubois (19-1, 18KOs) is represented by Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions and manager Martin Bowers. Usyk (20-0, 13KOs) is guided by Alex Krassyuk’s K2 Promotions-Ukraine and multiple-time BWAA Manager of the Year recipient Egis Klimas. The development comes after talks between Usyk and lineal/WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury for an undisputed heavyweight championship clash of the 21st century fell apart. The WBA stepped in to order a hard deadline for negotiations to conclude, given its overdue title consolidation fight. Dubois’ team petitioned to enforce the boxer’s mandatory status, at which point the WBA requested his full medical records to confirm he could compete in time to no longer hold up the process. The concern was over reports that Dubois suffered a torn ACL in his last fight against Kevin Lerena on the Fury-Chisora trilogy undercard. The win was his first title defense of the WBA ‘Regular’ heavyweight title he claimed in a sixth-round knockout of unbeaten Trevor Bryan last June in Miami. Ukraine’s Usyk holds the WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles, all of which have mandatory challengers waiting in queue for their respective shot at the unbeaten two-division champ. The WBA has confirmed that Dubois is fit to resume his career without interruption and is next up as the WBA ‘Regular’ heavyweight titlist. Usyk became a two-division titlist following his September 2021 win over Anthony Joshua in North London. The Ukrainian southpaw previously served as the undisputed cruiserweight champion before he moved up to heavyweights. Four wins have followed, including back-to-back victories over Joshua.

Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar has not set foot in the Octagon in almost seven years. 'The Beast Incarnate' has enjoyed a lucrative part-time run in WWE for more than a decade now. While rumors have often circulated of a potential MMA return, Lesnar has seemingly committed to professional wrestling for the most part in recent years. Interestingly, the two main promotions Lesnar has made his fortune are now in the process of merging. UFC parent company Endeavor has purchased 51% of the WWE's stock, making them the majority shareholders. In turn, it has been reported that the WWE and the UFC will form a $21.4 billion sports and entertainment conglomerate. Several people are speculating about potential crossover interactions between UFC fighters and WWE entertainers as a result of the announcement. If Lesnar decides to return to the UFC, he may want to wait until after UFC 287 is over. Gilbert Burns discussed the WWE-UFC merger during the UFC 287 media day. He also expressed his disdain for Brock Lesnar, citing 'The Beast's' pushing of Daniel Cormier at UFC 226 as one of the reasons. “I think UFC can learn so much from the WWE and vice versa," Burns said. "And it’s a good opportunity to slap Brock Lesnar in the face too, right? It’s a good opportunity. I’ve never met him, he’s lucky I’ve never met him. But ... I want to slap him because he cannot push ‘DC’ like that when he came all the way there in the Octagon. I want to slap him in the face.”

David Haye Calls for Anthony Joshua to Rematch Dillian Whyte Former two-division world champion David Haye has voiced his preference for Anthony Joshua to rematch Dillian Whyte next. While Joshua recently won a twelve-round unanimous decision over Jermaine Franklin, Haye doesn't believe it was an impressive enough performance to warrant a blockbuster bout with WBC world champion Tyson Fury just yet. Joshua and Whyte faced off in 2015, with Joshua winning by knockout in the seventh round. However, after Whyte won a tough twelve-round majority decision over Franklin last November, Haye thinks it's the perfect time for a rematch. "I'd like to see him in there with Dillian next, that would be nice, that makes perfect sense," Haye said. "That's not the performance to go in there with Tyson Fury. If he went out there and blitzed him in a couple of rounds, OK, but he needs a better performance than that to jump in with Tyson, in my opinion." Haye believes that Joshua needs a much stronger performance, like a win over Whyte, to create a buzz for a potential fight with Fury. He added, "That's a high-profile fight, lots of pressure, someone that's coming in that can punch. That will get everyone's juices flowing. And then the winner of that can look at Fury." While Joshua has expressed interest in fighting Fury, Haye thinks that Fury isn't interested in negotiating and that Joshua would be better off pursuing a rematch with Whyte. "Fury is not a person to negotiate with because he'll mess you around," Whyte said. "If he's being offered unified heavyweight champion and not taking it, what is Joshua going to offer him to take the fight? Nothing."

Anthony Joshua, according to Deontay Wilder's former WBC heavyweight champion Malik Scott, has become "gun-shy" after losing by knockout to Andy Ruiz in 2019. Last Saturday night in London, Joshua made his ring comeback. He defeated Jermaine Franklin in twelve rounds by unanimous decision. With the win, Joshua ended a two-fight losing streak in which he had lost consecutive decisions to Oleksandr Usyk. Derrick James, the new head coach, was cornering Joshua, a former two-time heavyweight champion. In his previous three fights, Joshua has had three different trainers. After the first defeat against Usyk, he broke off his relationship with career trainer Robert McCracken. and after the Usyk rematch, he distanced himself from Robert Garcia. “He comes across as a little bit gun-shy," Scott told Boxing King Media. "Ever since he fought Ruiz, even when he has looked at his best, in my opinion against [Kubrat] Pulev and Ruiz II, those were still real tactical, safety-first victories for him. “Ever since that [loss to Ruiz], he has been overthinking in the ring, for someone that big, someone that strong, that can be that imposing on his opponent, that is not a good thing. AJ is not a slick guy, he doesn’t punch a little bit hard, he punches very hard. He’s a fast guy, he’s actually known for being one of the latest heavyweights that puts their punches together very well. "But why hasn’t he been putting punches together well in his last three, four fights against smaller opponents? It is not a physical thing, I don’t think it is a trainer thing, I think this is a mental thing.” Can Joshua once again become the menacing puncher he once was?

Raul Rosas Jr., the up-and-coming fighter in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA), has been making waves recently with his impressive performances in the octagon. But with fame comes the inevitable backlash, and Rosas Jr. has been dealing with a fair share of haters and jealous fighters who criticize his style and belittle his achievements. Rosas reacted to objections he'd received regarding acquiring this kind of prominent chance by the UFC whereas ranked fighters as well as veterans with a great deal of fighting experience aren't granted the identical scrutiny ahead of his fight with Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287, that opens the pay-per-view main card. However, instead of taking the criticism to heart, Rosas Jr. has chosen to use it as motivation to continue his ascent in the MMA world. In a recent interview, he addressed his critics head-on, saying: “I don’t know who said that, but at the end of the day, they’re all just hating,” Rosas said. “They should take some notes if they want to be on the pay-per-view card. They should take some notes and learn some stuff from me. I already got in the UFC and I’m already on the pay-per-view, not like other regular fighters that are prelim fighters. I don’t want to say names, but yeah.” Even though Raul Rosas Jr. is only 18 years old and has only competed once in the UFC, he still talks trash comparable to an accomplished fighter. If there were a manual for developing a superstar, the UFC's roster would be full of competitors who regularly draw large audiences for pay-per-view events. Rosas received a great deal of media coverage because of his youth after his victory during the UFC's Contender Series and his triumphant octagon premiere three months later, but he doesn't think chance or coincidence had anything to do with the path he's taken to this point. Rosas is aware that, whether anyone wants to admit it or not, he pushed tirelessly to reach where he currently is: “I didn’t [expect it to happen this quickly], but I’m not surprised,” Rosas said. “Like I said, this spot on the pay-per-view wasn’t given, it was earned. I earned it through all my hard work and just everything I do. “I think I’m a pay-per-view fighter and I’m a perfect fighter to open up this pay-per-view card, because not only am I fighter, I’m a showman, a performer, and I’m going to go out there and put on a show and get the people turned up for the rest of the card.” Of course, not everyone appreciates his approach. Some fans and fellow fighters have criticized him for being too outspoken or not respectful enough of his opponents. But Rosas Jr. is quick to point out that he is not trying to be a people pleaser. He is simply being true to himself and his values.