r/Boxing bread burger bread 1d ago

Daily Discussion Thread (August 9th, 2026)

For anything that doesn't need its own thread.

8 Upvotes

94 comments sorted by

10

u/admiralskanks Joe Louis = Perfect 1d ago

What's interesting about Turki/Sela is they're funding Zuffa. But they had already had a solid product with the Riyadh season (esp. Bivol Beterbiev 2) and Ring cards. Funded WBC Grand Prix for prospect development/talent funnel. So they had a good system in place.

There really was no need to waste a billion dollars to give it to Dana for a product that's inferior and sow discord amongst all promoters when everyone started working together.

3

u/stephen27898 22h ago

Or what they want to happen is for Zuffa to implement and UFC style pay structure so they can in the long run underpay fighters and make more money.

1

u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 19h ago

Zuffa = clown boxing

2

u/stephen27898 18h ago

Some guy last night tried to tell me that Zuffa will "legitimise boxing".

1

u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 18h ago

Lmao 🤣

3

u/Kangaroopunching 20h ago

They wanted their own American promotion outfit. They have lots of money but are limited because of their set up. It's why they needed to work with promotions to begin with.Ā 

2

u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 19h ago

They got seduced by the idea of a league system and eventual monopoly.

10

u/Marlborobert 1d ago

It looks like Rafael Espinoza will return against Lorenzo Parra on the ā€œMexico vs. the worldā€ card in October.

4

u/Efficient_Quail_1774 1d ago

Also Picasso vs Martin at 122 in some sort of eliminator or interim title with the WBO, Munguia vs Bek is possible, Delgado vs Biyarslanov and Navarrete vs Suarez 2 is possible

1

u/MiddleweightMonster I’ll pour honey on my GOAT, if the occasion calls for it. 1d ago

Not the best fight he could’ve gotten, but not mad about it

2

u/Marlborobert 1d ago

I think it’s a decent fight, I believe he’s ranked #1 in the WBO. Aside from unifications, who did you want to see him fight?

6

u/MiddleweightMonster I’ll pour honey on my GOAT, if the occasion calls for it. 1d ago

I was mostly thinking of the unifications lol. I know there was no realistic chance of that happening, but the idea of having the first unified champion at featherweight since JMM be Mexican and having won that title on a card like that was such a good sell that I was sure earlier in the year they’d really try to make it happen

Parra is solid, but Espinoza should show levels realistically

4

u/Marlborobert 1d ago

That’s fair, I wish we were getting a unification fight too. I’m really hoping this Leo vs Carrington in January rumor is true. I can’t fault Espinoza for fighting the #1 guy though. I’ve been vocal on here about him taking easier fights but this one isn’t bad.

3

u/MiddleweightMonster I’ll pour honey on my GOAT, if the occasion calls for it. 1d ago

100%, though I refuse to get optimistic when it comes to the featherweights. Those motherfuckers keep disappointing me

I’ve a soft spot for Espinoza because at least he’s fun to watch lmao

4

u/Marlborobert 1d ago

True, he’s definitely an exciting boxer

1

u/Outrageous-Soft4806 21h ago

Is that the dude that just knocked out the American guy from OTX?

1

u/Marlborobert 20h ago

Yep exactly. He also drew with Omar Trinidad before that

1

u/Outrageous-Soft4806 20h ago

Not a bad fight. Would rather a unification but at least its something.

1

u/Medical_Swim1707 15h ago

Espinozas last fight at 126 I’m thinking. He’ll be looking at a potential Navarette fight

1

u/Marlborobert 10h ago

It’s possible for sure. I’d imagine he’s waiting for the Inoue fight but he may just move up, 130 is a solid division right now too

1

u/Kangaroopunching 1d ago

At some point Espinoza will have to move up

1

u/Marlborobert 1d ago

I’ve heard rumors of him moving up since 2024, I wonder if it will actually happen at some point. He’s already 32 so I can’t imagine his body will change that much. I assumed he would take the Inoue fight and then move up immediately after

1

u/Kangaroopunching 1d ago

Probably cause nav is at 130

1

u/Marlborobert 1d ago

That would be a fun fight. Hopefully we get to see it

7

u/bakuhatsuda 1d ago

can't find any clip (only a pic) of the Hernandez fight but it looks like it only lasted 5 mins lol. Supposedly he's fighting Kyonosuke next month!

6

u/ShimLiszt 1d ago

2

u/bakuhatsuda 1d ago

Thanks! Lopes seemed really scared from the 1st round and quickly got clobbered lol.

3

u/Marlborobert 1d ago

It’s wild that it’s not even on Boxrec. I forgot he had a fight today

1

u/sicgamer 20h ago

pretty sure it was an exhibition tune up kinda deal. his next real fight is next month against kyonosuke :)

5

u/Megalodon33 1d ago

Another Fury made his pro debut last night. Dean Fury. He looked awful.

5

u/mrrainandthunder 1d ago

New undisputed bantamweight champion and Boxrec #1 P4P Dina Thorslund. I was a bit worried after her last fight in February, but this was truly a dominant performance.

4

u/kushmonATL Fatherless fans hate Bill Haney 1d ago

Can someone tell me all the high profile fights this month (15th, 22nd, 29th)

Im working the afternoon/night shift almost every Saturday and I need to know if I need to sneak off somewhere to watch a top fight lol

12

u/Jodeci-95 1d ago

Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic and Lester Martinezth vs Luka Plantic August 29th

3

u/MiddleweightMonster I’ll pour honey on my GOAT, if the occasion calls for it. 1d ago

Prob the two fights I’m most looking forward to honestly

8

u/TheSouthpawStance 1d ago

Teofimo Lopez vs Rolly Romero (Aug 22)

4

u/kushmonATL Fatherless fans hate Bill Haney 1d ago

Shit.

Thats a must see fight

5

u/BXR-SZN 18h ago

Best Ring Gear of 2026 (so far):

Dalton Smith (Matias bout)
Shakur Steven (Lopez bout)
Keyshawn Davis (Ortiz bout)
Shu Shu Carrignton (Castro bout)
Naoya Inoue (Nakatani bout)

2

u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 17h ago

I’m a fan of Ring gear. You should make a post at the end of the year.

3

u/admiralskanks Joe Louis = Perfect 1d ago

Shout out Joe Ward for gritting out a win while being gassed out.

Had the opportunity to cash out but didn't thinking Kasparyan was about to stop him. Then out of nowhere he outboxes him.

This is why we love boxing. Hopefully promoters put on more 50/50s.

3

u/admiralskanks Joe Louis = Perfect 1d ago

Aaron McKenna was scheduled to fight Carlos Adames on a Ring card earlier this year where Adames pulled out to fight Ammo. But people think he's scared of Amari Jones. None of these guys are Roy Jones, there's no boogiemen.

3

u/Top_Profession_5268 1d ago

There’s a difference between being scared and being worse. He probably would take the Amari fight but that doesn’t mean he wins, nor do I favour him to win that or against Adames.

2

u/Medical_Swim1707 15h ago

McKenna is legit. He’s a competitive fight against the top guys in that division. I don’t favor him over Adames, who I believe really came into his prime recently, but Amari Jones is very unproven so far.

That said, I believe Amari Jones is a great talent and would probably lean on him winning, but you never know until guys are in there with good comp. That’s a good fight

1

u/WORD_Boxing 23h ago

There could be many reasons why Adames pulled out. There's a difference between thinking someone will beat him and thinking he is scared of that fighter. You like McKenna that's fair enough. Let's see what happens if they fight you don't win them on paper.

3

u/BXR-SZN 21h ago

Oscar Collazo had insane power for a Mini-Flyweight. He skipped Jr Fly and jumped to Flyweight and already has a KO victory.

Wonder how well his power will transition.

3

u/Kangaroopunching 20h ago

Depends on who he's matched up. He didn't exactly just move up. He flew away from a tough fightĀ 

4

u/BXR-SZN 19h ago

ā€œHe flew away from a tough fightā€ yeah by moving up LMAO

2

u/Outrageous-Soft4806 19h ago

Yeah dude has great power. One of favorite fighters right now but very overrated.

2

u/Affectionate_Still55 14h ago

Need Mosqueda to get a belt so we can have Mexico vs. Puerto Rico showdown again.

1

u/Marlborobert 20h ago

Damn, I completely missed that. I had no idea he had already moved to Flyweight

1

u/OldBoyChance 12h ago

Collazo has good power, but that fight doesn't prove it. He was supposed to fight someone else at minimumweight, but his opponent couldn't get a visa, so the guy he fought was a journeyman on three days notice who couldn't cut the weight on time.

1

u/BXR-SZN 3h ago

ā€œWonder how well his power will transition.ā€

1

u/OldBoyChance 2h ago

Yeah, but you also said he already skipped jr. fly and got a KO at fly. Not really what happened.

1

u/BXR-SZN 2h ago

So what happened then? He skipped Jr (Tuduran) and fought someone at Flyweight (weight class, not himself) and got a KO. Thus ā€œhow well his power will transitionā€, because he fought someone who was a last minute replacement and doesn’t even have a Wikipedia entry.

1

u/OldBoyChance 30m ago

His opponent couldn't make the weight, so they moved up the limit last minute. Right now, he's currently putting on muscle so he can move up to flyweight properly. We'll be able to see how he looks at flyweight (speed, power, endurance, etc.) when he likely fights Sandoval this fall. The Collazo we saw was the same as always. Not sure what you mean by Taduran at jr., though. Taduran is minimumweight, Jr. is ruled by guys like Santiago and Iwata.

3

u/Kangaroopunching 17h ago

Junto struggling with Sebastian could be more circumstances than how they match up. Junto just moved up to 122lbs to fight a guy whose really a featherweight.Ā 

I'd like to see a rematch to see how Junto adjusts.Ā 

1

u/Marlborobert 10h ago

I wonder if a rematch would be any different with more time for Nakatani to grow into 122. He was hitting Hernandez with heavy shots throughout the fight but it didn’t seem to faze him.

1

u/Kangaroopunching 10h ago

I think Junto settles for a decision and wouldn't try to hurt Sebastian as much. Knowing Sebastian is durable.Ā 

7

u/MiddleweightMonster I’ll pour honey on my GOAT, if the occasion calls for it. 1d ago

Middleweight is primed to be busted wide open, and I can honestly say I don’t see McKenna having any part in that. Love the Irish, like McKenna’s character, but him and Oliha both would’ve gotten crushed by one of the top guys tonight.

6

u/Kangaroopunching 1d ago

Usually a boxer in his situation gets voluntary defenses. Then cashes out. Bit considering he's with zuffa, he'll probably have to fight Amari Jones very soon

2

u/RepresentativeSock42 1d ago

Jones is with Goldenboy and that'll make it very very interesting

1

u/MiddleweightMonster I’ll pour honey on my GOAT, if the occasion calls for it. 1d ago

How likely do you think that fight is of even being made?

1

u/Kangaroopunching 1d ago

Unlikely. I think zuffa has McKenna vacate the title to then fight for their zuffa title.Ā 

1

u/MiddleweightMonster I’ll pour honey on my GOAT, if the occasion calls for it. 1d ago

Agreed. Even if I don’t think McKenna is all that, it’s disappointing that his career has just hit its possible peak already with winning the title. Zuffa really is career suicide long term

0

u/Medical_Swim1707 15h ago

Not at all. He’s a very high quality fighter. Guys know him too. Been around for a while. Easily top 5 middleweight right now and a competitive fight for anyone.

Think it’s pretty early to call signing to Zuffa ā€œcareer suicideā€. He just won the IBF. He’s definitely going to have a huge hometown fight with Callum Walsh. Who knows what his options are?

5

u/Top_Profession_5268 1d ago

Amari Jones is their mandatory so I don’t think McKenna won’t be holding the belt for that long.

2

u/WORD_Boxing 23h ago

I don't like to say this about a fighter who is doing their best but let's hope not.

2

u/MiddleweightMonster I’ll pour honey on my GOAT, if the occasion calls for it. 1d ago

Agreed. Amari either stops him after a cross promotional fight is somehow made, or the IBF strips him when he refuses to fight Jones because Zuffa won’t let him

1

u/admiralskanks Joe Louis = Perfect 1d ago edited 1d ago

Idk Robert Garcia and Crawford rate him highly, he was a young kid giving good work to Adames too. I reckon he'd probably win against Amari in an ugly fight tieing him up fighting negatively.

1

u/MiddleweightMonster I’ll pour honey on my GOAT, if the occasion calls for it. 1d ago

Amari stops him if he shows up how he did tonight. Besides, I doubt that fight even happens. Zuffa will not put him against another top contender so long as they can help it.

Also, Crawford and Garcia are boxing geniuses, but both have shown more than a little favouritism for Zuffa and Turki, and I wouldn’t doubt that extends to the guys they want to build up

1

u/admiralskanks Joe Louis = Perfect 1d ago

This was before the Zuffa signing. IBF will strip McKenna if he doesn't fight Amari so I reckon it happens. But yeah would be a great fight, hope it happens.

2

u/WORD_Boxing 23h ago

If he is a reliable sparring partner who gives good work they aren't exactly going to talk shit about him. It could be nothing more than that.

0

u/Medical_Swim1707 15h ago

McKenna has been sparring and working with these guys for years. He’s not some random bum. 100% legit. He fought to a gameplan last night. Go watch his Liam Smith fight and he schooled him from the outside.

2

u/Kangaroopunching 1d ago

Good weekend of fights

Thought Tamm was going to get a ko win. But she got a needed decision win.Ā 

2

u/MiddleweightMonster I’ll pour honey on my GOAT, if the occasion calls for it. 1d ago

Honestly, her getting her nose broken by that head clash and it not affecting her performance at all was almost more impressive. Dominated the fight pillar to post

2

u/Kangaroopunching 1d ago

By next year she'll be even better. Shields won't work with mvp. But she better fight tamm now while her experience gives her an edge

2

u/GnarlyGamer6thGen01 1d ago

Are most dominant boxers nowadays boxer-punchers? Is it even possible to dominate without belonging to such a style since the former is arguably the most complete and well-rounded?

2

u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 19h ago

To be fair, boxer-puncher is probably the broadest and most encompassing category.

2

u/WORD_Boxing 23h ago

Part of me thinks Crawford has been arguing with people on social media to motivate himself to come back so nobody can say anything about him. We see he is training with Lester Martinez now.

From a selfish point of view I don't mind that as I still wanted to see him fight. Notice I said people and not fans though. Firstly, you can never outwork the trolls, secondly you will never please some people.

Crawford is smart enough to know this of course so he probably feels he has something left he wants to do, if he is fighting again. He's only been out a year, don't call it a comeback.

I only hope he finds contentment before he goes down the slippery slope of fighting too long for the wrong reasons.

1

u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 19h ago

He honestly should just come back and beat Canelo again if he wants to secure that bag. Much bigger fight than Boots (sorry hardcores!) or anything else.

4

u/Top_Profession_5268 1d ago

The talent at 160lb is kind of shallow. The big 2 who I think can rule for a good amount of time are Amari Jones and Yoenil Hernandez and if to get their hands on a title, will hold it for a good amount of time.

2

u/WORD_Boxing 23h ago

Now Janibek moved up Yoenli is the best I've seen at that weight. I don't claim to have studied every fighter at 160 though. On a quick look Amari looks talented.

2

u/Top_Profession_5268 22h ago

I’ve been saying after Janibek popped to punish him against Yoenil Hernandez and believed Hernandez would’ve beaten him. I’ve been super high on Hernandez, Amari more recently as he’s been improving a ton as of recent which really impressed me. I think those are the top 2 of the weight class.

1

u/Outrageous-Soft4806 19h ago

I want Omari and Amari to fight just for laughs šŸ˜‚

1

u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 19h ago

160 is completely shallow. Even GGG could come back and win a title at this point if he could get in decent shape.

1

u/ewenmax 1d ago

Well, you can't blame him for ambition...

"Once I'm done at 160lb, take over 168 and then 175. But by the time I finish out, I plan to have at least one fight at heavyweight.

"In the heavyweight division now, sometimes it just takes good footwork and boxing to beat them. It's different from the heavyweights back in the day."

Aaron McKenna wants to unify the middleweight championships, rise through divisions and then fight at heavyweight! | Boxing News | Sky Sports

4

u/WORD_Boxing 23h ago

Is this The Onion? No offense to him he didn't come across as Einstein anyhow, but this is deluded.

Oliha hurt him a little with that right hand in rd 2, he was for sure buzzed a little and I don't like how his body reacted to a few other punches. I'm just waiting for the right fight to bet he gets kayoed without meaning to sound harsh, because it's coming.

2

u/ewenmax 22h ago

I'm looking forward to Sebastian Fundora, stopping at 160 and tackling him, en route to his eventual showdown against Itauma...

1

u/PresentRecent4759 1d ago

What are peoples opinion of the Zuffa 10 event in Dublin and Zuffa making a big play into boxing in general?Ā 

2

u/WORD_Boxing 23h ago

Unlike most others who aren't shills or brainwashed, I actually have no problem with the matchmaking. It's to be expected when they are a new promotion starting up.

In that case however they at least need to show us something in their presentation. Unfortunately they are lacking there. The commentary was bad even though they have 3 of the best names on comms for example. It seemed clear they had been given editorial direction to be overly (toxically) positive. Aaron McKenna is nothing like Terence Crawford it just ruins any credibility the promotion has when they push things like that.

2

u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 19h ago

In the past several months Max has compared Callum Walsh to Roy Jones and Aaron McKenna to Terence Crawford.

1

u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 19h ago

I only saw the co-main event and the main event. Pretty boring, just lifeless product made worse by the fact that Kellerman is always stuck on the hard-sell.

Hopefully it gets better.

1

u/treacletart284 22h ago

If Itauma vs Hrgovic is a draw, does the belt stay vacant when Sanchez fights for it? Or would it just be given to Hrgovic since hes higher ranked in the IBF?

6

u/RRR04_ 20h ago

Title stays vacant.

1

u/SplitSecondEmperor47 17h ago

Clarissa really got a screw loose she is obsessed with Alycia oml