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Matty Harris Making Waves in Heavyweight Division with Fourth Consecutive First-Round Finish British heavyweight Matty Harris has been turning heads in the boxing world with his impressive performances in the ring. The 23-year-old secured his fourth consecutive first-round finish in his last fight against Milos Veletic on the Harlem Eubank card at York Hall in London last month. Despite being only five fights into his professional career, Harris has already been tipped to reach the top of the division. Harris made his professional debut in November 2021, going the full four rounds in a points victory. However, since then, he has been dominant, stopping all of his opponents in the first round. In his most recent fight, he dispatched Veletic in just 23 seconds, showcasing his power and accuracy in the process. Harris' promoter, Kalle Sauerland, head of Wasserman Boxing, has been effusive in his praise of the young heavyweight. Sauerland has described Harris as carrying "dynamite" in both hands and as the "standout" young heavyweight in the division. With such high praise coming from a respected figure in the sport, Harris' future looks bright. Despite his impressive start to his professional career, Harris remains focused on continuing to improve and make a name for himself in the heavyweight division. With his combination of power and technical skill, he has the potential to become a major force in the sport in the years to come.

Chris Algieri Speaks Out on Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Boxing Chris Algieri, a former world champion boxer, has shared his thoughts on the issue of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in the sport. Algieri faced Amir Khan in 2015 and Conor Benn in 2021, both of whom have since tested positive in doping tests. Benn's results led to his fight with Chris Eubank Jr being pulled at the last minute, and a resolution with the British Boxing Board of Control still not reached after six months. Khan's test was taken after his retirement bout with Kell Brook in February 2022, and he has been banned for two years. In an interview with iD Boxing, Algieri stated that there is "a lot of drug use in the sport" and that it is only getting worse. He expressed his disappointment at the situation and the effect it has on the integrity of the sport. Algieri's comments come at a time when boxing is facing increasing scrutiny over the use of PEDs. Despite the efforts made by anti-doping agencies and governing bodies, the problem persists, with some fighters continuing to test positive for banned substances. The issue of PEDs in boxing is a complex one, with many factors contributing to the problem. Some fighters may turn to PEDs to gain a competitive advantage, while others may do so to aid their recovery from injury. In some cases, fighters may be unaware that the supplements they are taking contain banned substances. Algieri's comments highlight the need for continued efforts to combat the use of PEDs in boxing. This includes education and awareness programs for fighters and coaches, as well as increased testing and harsher penalties for those who are caught using banned substances. As the sport of boxing continues to evolve, the importance of maintaining its integrity grows. It is imperative that all those involved in the sport work together to ensure a level playing field and a clean sport for all fighters.

Andy Ruiz Jr, also known as ‘The Destroyer’, is open to the possibility of facing WBC world champion Tyson Fury, following Bob Arum's comments about a potential fight between the two. Arum, who is the Top Rank boss, recently mentioned that a bout between Ruiz and Fury could take place this summer, as Fury looks for his next opponent after failing to secure an undisputed clash with Oleksandr Usyk. Ruiz, who last fought in October 2020 when he outpointed Luis Ortiz, originally appeared to be in line to face Deontay Wilder in a final eliminator for the WBC world championship. However, negotiations between the two fighters stalled, making a shot at the full world title more likely for Ruiz. Upon hearing the news, Ruiz took to his Instagram account to share a post with quotes from Arum, along with an image of the WBC Belt with a crown over it. If he manages to secure a fight with Fury, it won't be the first time he faces a British boxer in the ring. In 2019, Ruiz made history when he stopped Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden to become the first Mexican heavyweight world champion. However, he later lost the rematch against Joshua that same year. Ruiz's fighting style has always been exciting, and a potential fight with Fury would undoubtedly be a must-watch for boxing fans worldwide. While nothing has been confirmed as of yet, it will be interesting to see if this fight comes to fruition and whether Ruiz can add another world title to his name.

In what is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated boxing matches of the year, former UFC star Nate Diaz is set to make his professional boxing debut against none other than YouTube sensation turned-professional boxer, Jake Paul. Scheduled to take place on August 5 in Dallas, this fight promises to be one for the ages, as both fighters bring their unique skill sets to the ring. The event consists of an 8-round, 185-pound fight that will certainly take shape in American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas. Known for his brash personality and viral social media presence, Jake Paul has garnered a massive following and is sure to bring his A-game to the ring. For Jake Paul, this fight marks another opportunity to showcase his boxing abilities after getting dropped against Tommy Fury via split decision in February. The YouTuber (6-1) already has notable winnings including former UFC fighters Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, and Anderson Silva. Nate Diaz becomes 4th athlete from UFC to square up in the boxing ring. Since the loss against Tommy Fury, Jake Paul has been consistently eyeing a fight against Nate Diaz. He quotes: “People tell me Nate has been training with Andre Ward for years, that he has insane stamina, that he refuses to back down. Good for F*cking Nate. I haven’t forgotten about the slap backstage in Arizona, and on August 5th, a ‘Problem Child’ is going to piece up and knock out the ‘Stockton G.’” Following fighting out the final year of his UFC agreement last year, Diaz has become a free agent, and as a result, there has been much conjecture about who and where he is going to compete. However, it has been widely speculated that Diaz wanted to enter the boxing ring. He will now ultimately get the opportunity. Throughout the last few years, Diaz and Paul have fought a nasty verbal battle, but now they'll square up in the ring to figure out their differences. And while he may be making his professional boxing debut, Diaz is no stranger to the sweet science, having trained extensively in boxing throughout his career. He is sure to bring his all to the ring as he looks to make a statement in his new venture. “Besides Canelo, he’s the biggest thang in boxing,” Diaz said in a statement. “I’m here to conquer that. I’m the king of combat sports, and then I’m headed back to get my UFC belts. I f*cked up Conor for acting out and now here I am again, like a superhero of the Real Fight game, the king of the Real Fight game.” Whether you're a die-hard Jake Paul fan or a Nate Diaz loyalist, there's no denying that this fight is set to be a must-see event. So mark your calendars for August 5 and get ready for what promises to be a night of unforgettable boxing action.

Where Francis Ngannou will wind up after leaving the UFC in search of better opportunities will continue to be one of the biggest topics in the first half of 2023. In recent interviews, Ngannou has stated repeatedly that his objective is to box first — the most likely opponent at the time being Deontay Wilder — and then return to the cage. Professional Fighters League and One Championship are the two most likely landing destinations. Now there's a chance he'll be available on Amazon Prime in Singapore. Boxing coach John Hutchinson works with One champion Anatoly Malykhin at Tiger Muay Thai (12-0) and he has invited Ngannou to come to ONE. “When that little soft bum Arjan comes out of hiding,” Hutchinson wrote. “We promise it will be over very fast in a powerful blink of a eye. Making room faster than ever for the real fight to happen. @Francisngannou you should of stayed where your at when you had the chance. Your about to face the biggest challenge @anmalykhin ... Contract pending let’s see who’s the undisputed king is …” The savage knockout artist is favoured to unify the Heavyweight title against Arjan Bhullar this summer, and Hutchinson believes he'll meet "The Predator" after that. Despite concerns that Ngannou made a catastrophic mistake by quitting the UFC, it appears like he is on the verge of setting up many high-profile matches. Perhaps his fight purse demands weren't so outlandish after all!

After her tight defeat at UFC 287 on Saturday, UFC veteran Cynthia Calvillo is reportedly no longer on the promotional roster. UFC Roster Watch, the account responsible with tracking the most recent additions and subtractions to the UFC active roster, broke the news of Calvillo's UFC roster status. Calvillo was defeated by Loopy Godinez in a split decision at UFC 287 last Saturday. It was a close battle, with fans divided over who won between the two strawweights. Calvillo has now lost five consecutive fights, with her previous victory being in June 2020 against Jessica Eye. After four consecutive losses at flyweight, she decided to return to 115lbs. Calvillo made her UFC debut in March 2017, submitting Amanda Cooper in the first round. Before signing with the UFC, she competed on LFA's inaugural night against current UFC fighter Montana De La Rosa. She had a strong start to her UFC career, winning three straight fights before falling to former strawweight champion Carla Esparza. She then defeated Eye, Cortney Casey, and Poliana Botelho before falling to Katlyn Chookagian and Jéssica Andrade.

Promoter Kalle Sauerland, who collaborates with social media sensation KSI, thinks a deal for a future matchup with light heavyweight contender Tommy Fury is quite likely. Back in February, Fury stunned everyone by defeating undefeated YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul in a hard-fought split decision. On May 13, KSI will make a comeback to the ring to take on Joe Fournier, an unbeaten boxer. To discuss a potential matchup with KSI, Sauerland recently met with Tommy Fury's father and trainer, John Fury. "Had a great meeting with (Fury's dad) John, we both like the fight. It's about getting a deal done now. Look, John seems to be like a very simple person to deal with which I like, straight shooter," Sauerland told Pro Boxing Fans. "We had a good meeting, it was nice to go up to Morecambe and yeah, I'm confident we can get it done. But we're not overlooking obviously Joe Fournier first." The rematch with Paul is another problem. Although Paul has the option of challenging Fury to a rematch right away, there hasn't been much discussion of a follow-up fight lately. The present contractual scenario for a Paul-Fury rematch is unknown to Sauerland. The impending confrontation with Fournier is the immediate concern for KSI and Sauerland before they cast too far into the future. "Let's get a deal done first. I'm sure they've got a few other options on the table as well. I hope we can get it done but at the same time we've got to focus on the Fournier fight. It's not unsimilar to the situation Jake Paul was in and we don't want to make the same mistakes and we won't," Sauerland said

When Josh Taylor makes the journey from his native Scotland to New York City this summer to face Teofimo Lopez for the WBO 140-pound championship, he will be following in the footsteps of his late forefather, Ken Buchanan. Naturally, there is one significant distinction between Taylor's situation and that of his illustrious predecessor: Taylor anticipates victory in his contest. The first undisputed boxing champion of Scotland, Buchanan, travelled to America in 1972 to take on Roberto Duran, but was controversially defeated after Duran down him with a low punch at the conclusion of the 13th round. After the interval, Buchanan was unable to get out of his corner. Buchanan passed away earlier this month at the age of 77. “My fight with Teofimo Lopez ends up the same way, except it’s me knocking him out,” Taylor told analyst Mark Kriegel during an ESPN broadcast of a 135-pound bout between Shakur Stevenson and Shuichiro Yoshino at Prudential Center in Stevenson’s hometown of Newark, New Jersey. “I’m completely 100% confident that this fight doesn’t go past six to eight rounds.” Taylor-Lopez is set for June 10 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The ESPN programme marked Taylor and Lopez's first-ever "face-to-face" interaction. Lopez appeared via satellite from Las Vegas, where he was attending the UFC 287 event that featured Israel Adesanya as the main event. Both fighters have experienced setbacks in their professional careers: In a contentious victory over Jack Catterall last year, Taylor was clearly in difficulty. Since his shocking defeat to George Kambosos in their lightweight title unification match in 2021, Lopez has not appeared the same.

Belal Muhammad is willing to look for fascinating middleweight matches if he is denied a crack at the welterweight championship. With nine straight victories, Belal Muhammad (22-3-1) is presently undefeated. He just defeated Brady. Just before that, he defeated Vicente Luque, Stephen Thompson, and Demian Maia by unanimous decision. Additionally, he was the main event of a Fight Night show alongside Leon Edwards, resulting in a No Contest outcome. Muhammad, who is rated #4 at welterweight, won't be having the next championship chance since Colby Covington is now the top challenger. If Jorge Masvidal had defeated Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of UFC 287 last Saturday, he might have been considered in contention for a title shot. Although he has spoken about presumably facing Kamaru Usman next, he is considering moving to 185 pounds to take on Khamzat Chimaev or Sean Strickland if it fails to work out. “At that point, I’m just going to go up to 185, honestly,” Muhammad told reporters backstage at UFC 287. “I’m going to go look for Chimaev again. He moved up. I can fight at 185 – I’m not worried about it. So I’ll move up, look for him, (and) maybe he’ll finally come out and play that game. I made it to the top at 170. (At) 185, I’ll do the same thing. “If I’m not going to get a title fight, just give me the fights that really get me excited. Give me like a Sean Strickland – somebody that I dislike, somebody that I hate, that would be fun to punch in the mouth.” Since neither Chimaev nor Strickland has a middleweight opponent lined up right now, Muhammad may decide to step up and take on either of them at 185 pounds, particularly when the UFC decides against giving him a championship opportunity. According to Dana White, the organization intended Muhammad to face Shavkat Rakhmonov as his next bout, but Belal refused since he was unwilling to square off with someone below him in rankings since knocking out Sean Brady in October. If a matchup between Muhammad and Chimaev does come to fruition, it is sure to be an exciting fight that will have fans on the edge of their seats. Muhammad's grit and determination will be put to the test against the explosive power of Chimaev, and the winner will undoubtedly take another step toward UFC stardom.

Mixed martial arts fans around the world are eagerly anticipating the rescheduled bout between heavyweight contenders Arjan Bhullar and Anatoly Malykhin, which is now set to take place at ONE Fight Night 12 in July. The contest is going to be staged in Bangkok, Thailand's iconic Lumpinee Stadium. The highly anticipated title unification matchup was originally scheduled for March 2023 but had to be postponed due to a shift in broadcaster commitments. While talking to MMA Fighting on Monday, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong ensured the information. “It’s going to happen officially now July 15,” Sityodtong said. “That’s the word that I got just literally a few hours ago.” In April 2021, Bhullar defeated former champion and Filipino-American Brandon Vera via a TKO in the 2nd round of the bout to win the heavyweight title. But the Canadian Indian sensation was essentially sidelined for a protracted period due to prolonged negotiations regarding a contract with ONE Championship and an injury to Bhullar that occurred soon after. Bhullar, who has since recovered back to full health, aims to extend his present four-fight unbeaten record, which includes his two wins within the UFC until he left the promotion to accept a contract as a free agent with ONE. Malykhin maintained his flawless track although moving up to the top with three consecutive victories in his division. In Bhullar's absence from work, he defeated Kirill Grishenko to win the interim heavyweight title. Just recently, Malykhin created history by becoming a double world champion by taking the ONE light heavyweight championship from Reinier de Ridder, a Dutch submission expert, just in December. He presently has a career finishing percentage of 100% and a record of 12-0. The rescheduled bout between Arjan Bhullar and Anatoly Malykhin is shaping up to be an unforgettable clash between two heavyweight contenders with vastly different fighting styles. Both fighters will be looking to make a statement and secure a victory, so MMA fans should mark their calendars for ONE Fight Night 12 in July and tune in to witness the action unfold.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez has finally achieved his dream of becoming a world champion. He won the vacant WBO featherweight title after defeating former champion Isaac Dogboe over twelve rounds in Tulsa on Saturday night. Following his title win, Ramirez was approached with the possibility of making his first defense in Miami, which has a large Cuban community. Ramirez, who has gradually crept into the hearts of Cubans with his results and career, is excited about the prospect of fighting in front of a home crowd. Ramirez is hoping the world title win will lead to major fights in the future, including a possible showdown with two-division champion Shakur Stevenson. The two boxers have already faced each other in the Olympics, with Ramirez coming out on top. At the moment, the boxers are two divisions apart, with Stevenson making his lightweight debut this Saturday night. However, because of their mutual promoter in Top Rank, Ramirez and Stevenson have become very friendly. Their friendship won't prevent a future encounter if they ever find themselves in the same weight class. “Shakur wants to face me, and that is a matter of someone wanting to remove a thorn from their side, but we have both grown a lot. He will continue to grow. For the cameras, for the show, to sell himself, he shows himself as he should: a bit arrogant. They like that in the American market, but personally he is a tremendous fighter," Ramirez said. “We have a tremendous relationship. We talk a lot on Instagram. For the Valdez fight, he asked me if I knew of any sparring partners here in Las Vegas so he could work. He arrived that day, he started training. It seems that he is well focused. Afterwards, we had a chance to talk. We talk about our respective fights. I wanted to play ping pong, but we couldn't. They say if he doesn't win, he doesn't leave the gym. So, it is about much more than a publicity photo for him." Overall, Ramirez's victory is a significant milestone in his career, and he is looking forward to future opportunities to prove himself as one of the best boxers in the world.

Ruben Villa Signs Multi-Fight Deal with Top Rank, Returns to Ring on May 13 Featherweight prospect Ruben “Drac” Villa has signed a multi-fight promotional contract with Top Rank, one of the biggest names in boxing promotion. Villa, a 25-year-old southpaw from Salinas, California, will make his comeback in an eight-round bout on May 13, on the undercard of the Janibek Alimkhanuly-Steven Butler WBO middleweight title fight at Stockton Arena in Stockton, California. Top Rank chairman Bob Arum expressed his confidence in Villa’s abilities, saying, “Ruben Villa has everything it takes to become a world champion. He’s a young, talented southpaw who has already tested himself at the sport’s highest level. His future is very bright.” Villa, who holds a record of 19-1 with 6 KOs, spoke about his excitement to fight consistently on ESPN and his eagerness to win a world title as soon as possible. He added, “I look forward to fighting in Stockton, where my hometown fans will be out in full force.” Villa’s manager, Rick Mirigian, also expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership with Top Rank, saying, “Villa will be a world champion very soon. This partnership was the perfect fit, and we thank Top Rank for a tremendous deal for Ruben to prove he belongs with the top featherweights.” Villa captured the WBO International featherweight title in May 2019 with a unanimous decision over Luis Alberto Lopez, who is now the IBF featherweight world champion. He then defeated top Mexican contender Jose Enrique Vivas four months later. These victories earned him a shot at Emanuel Navarrete for the WBO featherweight world title in October 2020. Although Navarrete dropped Villa in the first and fourth rounds, Villa outboxed him for long stretches. However, Navarrete's two knockdowns proved to be crucial as he won a unanimous decision by scores of 114-112 2x and 115-111. Villa has only fought once since the Navarrete loss, knocking out Horacio Garcia in the ninth round last April. Villa’s first fight under the new deal with Top Rank will be an opportunity for him to get back on track towards his goal of becoming a world champion. With his talent and determination, it’s only a matter of time before we see him rise to the top of the featherweight division.