TIM BRADLEY WARNS CANELO THAT TERENCE CRAWFORD IS LIKE ONE PAST OPPONENT: "HE'LL MAKE YOU PAY"

Image credit: Matchroom / PBC

Terence Crawford wants a fight with Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez before he retires despite the weight he would give away.

Recently undisputed at welterweight, the American would have to jump up three weight-classes from his last bout to face the undisputed Canelo, who holds all four belts at super-middleweight,

The Mexican hasn’t been overly keen on the bout, saying he would get no credit for the win.

Speaking to FightHype, Hall of Fame fighter turner analyst Tim Bradley questioned that given he recently faced Jermell Charlo, another man coming up in weight.

“This is the problem with Canelo, the fact that he fought against Charlo right. Charlo coming from 154, moving up a couple weight divisions to face Canelo. He just went in there and laid an egg. He went in there and survived. He just felt like ‘I’m not on Canelo’s level.'”

He believes the opponents are incomparable, highlighting the skills of Crawford as enough to ‘make Canelo miss’ like Floyd Mayweather once did.

“The difference is the mentality of Crawford. He’s a top pound-for-pound guy. Charlo was never a top pound-for-pound guy. The skillset of Crawford and what he brings. He’s a competitor man. He wants to fight Canelo, and I think he’ll do well against Canelo I really do. Am I nervous for the fight if they were to fight? Hell yeah. Canelo can punch and all it’s gonna take is one. Hit a guy like Terence who’s coming up like three weight classes to be able to face him.

However, just like we saw with Floyd back in the day, man, he was able to outbox him. He was able to out-think him. I think Crawford has the ability to outbox him and out-think him. Make him miss, make him pay. As long as he’s not catching too many of them and he’s using his legs and and defence to get outta the way, he should be able to beat him, man.”

Mayweather beat a 23-year-old Alvarez by majority decision back in 2013. The Mexican would go undefeated for almost a decade before falling shot again to Dmitry Bivol at light-heavyweight.

Crawford returns to action on August 3 to fight WBA Super-Welterweight Champion Israil Madrimov – his first test of how many more divisions he has in him.

- Kerr Furgoson 

REMATCH WITH TSZYU OR FIGHT WITH SPENCE? FUNDORA HAS MANY OPTIONS

Tim Tszyu, left, suffered a cut in Round 2 and lost a split decision to Sebastian Fundora on Saturday. Esther Lin/PBC

 Sebastian Fundora, blood still sprayed all over his long torso, soaked in the biggest victory of his career when Errol Spence Jr. stepped through the ropes.

Fundora, the 6-foot-5 ½, 154-pound "Towering Inferno," just pulled off the upset with a split-decision win over Australian star Tim Tszyu to capture two junior middleweight titles on Saturday in Las Vegas inside T-Mobile Arena.

It's a fight Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) wasn't even a part of until 11 days out, when he received the call to replace Keith Thurman, who ruptured his biceps.

Fundora, 26, broke his nose in the opening round and lost the first two on all three scorecards. But when Tszyu leaned over to attack toward the end of Round 2, he collided with Fundora's left elbow, suffering a big cut on his hairline that didn't stop bleeding.

It's no accident Spence was ringside and immediately thrust into the ring just two months after he underwent cataract surgery. Clearly, there were at least plans in place for Spence to fight the winner. All three boxers fight under the PBC banner.

And if it's not going to be Tszyu, it should be Terence Crawford who receives the first crack at Fundora. As the WBO's "super" champion at 147 pounds, Crawford was able to position himself for a mandatory shot at a new weight, and it's expected the fight with Fundora will be ordered this week.

Fundora now owns two belts, and if he wants to fight Spence, he can vacate the WBO strap and still defend the WBC title.

"It's time to get it on," Spence said. "He gotta face the big dog now. ... He got a pretty good height, but we'll see. We'll break him down like we always do."

Elsewhere at 154 pounds, there's Uzbek Israil Madrimov, who won the WBA title last month with a TKO victory over Magomed Kurbanov. Madrimov, between his athleticism and power, appears to be a formidable fighter.

Vergil Ortiz Jr., too, now resides at 154 pounds. He'll fight for the second time at junior middleweight April 27 vs. Thomas Dulorme. There's also the IBF title, whose vacancy will be filled by a Jack Culcay-Bakhram Murtazaliev fight on April 7 in Germany.

Jermell Charlo remains ESPN's No. 1 boxer at 154 pounds -- for now -- but he's no longer the undisputed champion. In fact, he has yet to compete at junior middleweight since he defeated Brian Castano in a May 2022 rematch.

As Tszyu said, Fundora is the "new king of 154," a shocking development after he was KOed by Brian Mendoza in an upset last year. And if everything plays out as it should, Tszyu will land his deserved rematch next. Just don't count on it. -- Mike Coppinger

Pitbull adds new dimension to stacked 140-pound division

As Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz said in the ring following his dominant beatdown of Rolando Romero Saturday night, he is now a player at 140 pounds.

Or did you miss the WBA junior welterweight belt he took from Romero with his eighth-round stoppage?

"There is going to be a Mexican champ at 140 pounds for a long time," said Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs), of Mexico City.

Might there be a unified champ at the weight class? Should that be Cruz's next goal?

Teofimo Lopez holds the title for the WBO, while Devin Haney holds the WBC strap. A fight with Subriel Matias, the IBF's champ, could be a great matchup that could tap into the rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Plus, it's a division boasting the likes of Ryan Garcia, Lopez, Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez.

Then there's the matter of Gervonta Davis, the WBA's lightweight champ. "Tank" handed Cruz his most recent defeat five fights ago, by unanimous decision, on Dec 5, 2021, in Los Angeles. That was for the WBA's "regular" lightweight title.

"I don't have anything to say to Gervonta, really," Cruz said. "He can [say] whatever he wants, but we silenced the doubters tonight. If he isn't scared, let's go for the rematch."

And of Garcia, who has his own fight with Haney upcoming?

"Ryan Garcia can say whatever he wants," Cruz said. "I'll make him eat all the trash he talks, just like I did with Rolly."

After Cruz's performance against Romero, he's in position to create his own immediate path.

"I'm very happy and humbled to win this title for my family and for Mexico," he said. "I was prepared for this. I wasn't here to just fight; I was here to terminate him. I did my talking right here in the ring.

"Damn, it feels good to be a world champion." -- Paul Gutierrez

"Boom, you're blinded completely," said Tszyu, the son of Hall of Fame boxer Kostya Tszyu. "This is boxing and this is part of the sport. Congratulations to Fundora, he's the new king of 154."by

As the new ruler of the junior middleweight division, Fundora will have bountiful, lucrative options. The fight that makes the most logical sense is an immediate rematch with Tszyu.

After all, it was a close fight, and Tszyu faced trying circumstances with a gruesome cut that spooled blood into his eyes for the duration of the fight. It was also a thrilling fight, one that desperately calls for a return bout.

Tszyu was forced to adjust to Fundora, a far different opponent than Thurman, on 11 days' notice. Fundora, meanwhile, was preparing for Serhii Bohachuk, a fighter who owns a style and frame similar to Tszyu's.

Tszyu gave Fundora a shot at his title and deserves a chance to exact revenge. It's also what the fans called for on social media after the bout. But this is boxing, and as in life, fairness has nothing to do with it.

- Mike Coppinger Paul Gutierrez

JOSEPH PARKER STAYS IN TITLE PICTURE WITH WIN OVER ZHILEI ZHANG

Joseph Parker, right, has rebounded from his 2022 knockout loss to Joe Joyce with victories over top-five heavyweights Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang. Photo by Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing via Getty Images

 Joseph Parker was floored twice by Zhilei Zhang but otherwise outboxed his foe for large stretches of the heavyweight fight to earn a majority-decision victory on Friday evening in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

One judge scored it 113-113 but was overruled by 114-112 and 115-111 tallies for Parker, who upset Deontay Wilder via decision in December. The victory over Zhang is Parker's second consecutive over a heavyweight rated in ESPN's top five and completes a shocking turnaround for the 32-year-old New Zealander.

Parker, a former heavyweight titleholder, was brutally knocked out by Joe Joyce in Round 11 of their September 2022 meeting and was practically written off as a heavyweight contender.

But following three wins over domestic-level opposition last year, Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) punctuated the campaign with a dominant victory over Wilder in a major upset. And now, Parker is positioned for another crack at a heavyweight title on the heels of another upset win.

"This is a great win," said Parker, who entered the ring rated No. 4 by ESPN at heavyweight. "Zhang is a tough man, knocked me down twice. ... I'm very happy. .... We have a rematch [clause], so we're gonna do it again."

Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) dropped Parker in Round 3 after a straight left hand connected flush. Parker, 32, beat the count with a bloody and busted up nose and then continued to outbox the 40-year-old China native.

Parker consistently beat Zhang to the punch with his superior speed and mobility. Zhang weighed 291½ pounds while Parker was 247½. And while there was far more pop behind Zhang's shots, there wasn't nearly enough activity.

That was until Zhang caught Parker again, this time with a sharp right hook that produced the knockdown in Round 8. But Parker again rose to the canvas with a clear head and returned to his jab and movement.

Parker was able to split Zhang's guard with quick one-twos and used his feet to circle around the southpaw. And as Zhang sat on the stool before Round 12, his corner instructed him to score another knockdown. Instead, Zhang landed zero punches in the final round.

Zhang, though, will be afforded another crack at Parker due to the rematch clause. ESPN's No. 5 heavyweight, Zhang's previous loss was a controversial decision defeat to contender Filip Hrgovic in 2022, another bout where he scored a knockdown in defeat.

Following the setback, Zhang scored back-to-back inside-the-distance wins over Joyce, including a spectacular third-round KO in the September rematch. The pair of wins solidified Zhang as ESPN's No. 5 heavyweight, and he was favored to defeat Parker, too.

Instead, it's Parker who is now regarded as the best heavyweight after Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua.

Parker won a heavyweight title in 2016 when he scored a majority-decision win over Andy Ruiz. Parker made two successful defenses before he dropped the belt to Joshua via decision in 2018.

Parker lost his next fight, too, a decision setback to Dillian Whyte that seemed to end any hope of a future title shot. But now, Parker is well-positioned while the trio of top heavyweights settle bragging rights as he looks toward another bout with Zhang.

Ball floors Vargas twice but settles for draw

Rey Vargas had to get off the canvas twice to hold on to the WBC featherweight world title after his fight with Nick Ball was scored a split draw.

Ball overcame an 8½-inch height disadvantage to drop Vargas in Rounds 8 and 11, but it was not enough to win his first world title.

Vargas, who was walked to the ring by boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, held on to the belt in his first defense after scores of 114-112 for Vargas, 116-110 for Ball and 113-113.

TIM TSZYU COULD FACE ERROL SPENCE, TERENCE CRAWFORD OR CANELO ALVAREZ

No Limit Boxing 

A potential big-money, career-defining fight could be on the cards for Tim Tszyu if the recently elevated WBO junior middleweight champion is able to overcome Brian Mendoza this weekend on the Gold Coast.

Tszyu (23-0, 17KOs) will return to the scene of his June demolition of Carlos Ocampo, where he showcased power, precision and efficiency before flooring the Mexican after just 77 seconds. The dominant performance was expected to finally land Tszyu a highly-anticipated fight against Jermell Charlo for the American's quartet of belts at 154 pounds.

"He's the man, I'll give him that, and I'm just under," Tszyu said of Charlo after his win over Ocampo. "I've got this interim belt, but I'm not satisfied. It's not just the belts, I want the name Charlo on my wrist."

Tszyu and Charlo had initially been slated to fight in January, but those plans were scuppered when Charlo suffered a broken left hand during training camp. By mid-year, the WBO had mandated Charlo to fight Tszyu before September 30, but the bout again failed to eventuate with Charlo instead opting to face Canelo Alvarez at supermiddleweight - a fight he would ultimately lose via a lopsided decision.

The WBO has since promoted Tszyu from interim champion to regular champion and this weekend he will defend that strap and title for the first time. There already appears to be plenty at stake for the Australian.

CANELO ALVAREZ TROUNCES JERMELL CHARLO TO RETAIN UNDISPUTED TITLE

Getty

LAS VEGAS -- Canelo Alvarez pushed and pushed for the knockout that eluded him in his three previous fights, but it never materialized on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

That was no fault of his own.

Alvarez floored Jermell Charlo in Round 7 with an overhand right, the second knockdown of the challenger's career, but there weren't many more opportunities for the KO in what ended up being a lopsided unanimous-decision victory for Alvarez, who made the third defense of his undisputed super middleweight championship.

Charlo wasn't willing to engage and rarely threw a punch. He moved away from Alvarez's power shots all night but never attempted to make him pay.

Two judges scored the fight 118-109 with the other tally 119-108.

"Nobody can compete with this Canelo," said Alvarez, ESPN's No. 4 pound-for-pound boxer. "Two months in the mountains [training near Lake Tahoe] without my family. I still love boxing. I love boxing so f---ing much. Boxing is my life. Boxing made me the person I am today."

Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) entered the ring the undisputed junior middleweight champion and had never competed above 154 pounds before. He was stripped of his WBO title once the fight started and said he would return to 154 pounds where he still holds three titles. Australian star Tim Tszyu will defend the WBO belt on Saturday against Brian Mendoza.

ALVAREZ TO FIGHT CHARLO IN LAS VEGAS IN SEPTEMBER

Reuters 

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez will take on undisputed light middleweight champion Jermell Charlo in Las Vegas on Sept. 30, the super middleweight champion announced on social media on Friday.

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