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Retired boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. is reportedly expected to announce an upcoming exhibition fight against Victor Ortiz.

According to ESPN’s Salvador Rodríguez, the bout will take place Aug. 24 at Plaza de Toros Mexico in Mexico City, which is the largest bullring in the world, holding over 41,000 spectators.

Mayweather and Ortiz had an official fight against each other in September 2011. Mayweather was victorious via fourth-round knockout.

At the time of that contest, Ortiz was 29-2-2 and coming off a WBC welterweight title win over Andre Berto.

Meanwhile, Mayweather had not fought in 16 months, but he made a huge impact upon returning to the ring by beating Ortiz for the WBC welterweight title.

Mayweather went a perfect 50-0 in his career, but the win over Ortiz was perhaps his most controversial victory.

After the fighters were separated due to Ortiz hitting Mayweather with an illegal headbutt, Ortiz hugged Mayweather in an apparent attempt to apologize. Once he let go, Mayweather caught Ortiz with an unexpected punch, prompting Ortiz to look toward the official. Mayweather then punched Ortiz again, resulting in a knockout.

Mayweather went on to beat the likes of Miguel Cotto, Canelo Álvarez, Manny Pacquiao and even UFC star Conor McGregor after that, while Ortiz’s career was never quite the same.

The loss to Mayweather was the start of a three-fight losing streak for Ortiz. He also went on to lose a rematch to Berto and a bout against Robert Guerrero.

Ortiz went just 4-4-1 after the Mayweather fight and retired following a win over Todd Manuel in 2022.

While Ortiz has been out of boxing for the past couple of years, Mayweather has continued to take part in exhibitions even after retiring following his win over McGregor in 2017.

Mayweather’s exhibition opponents since 2018 have included three Japanese kickboxers and MMA fighters, YouTuber and WWE Superstar Logan Paul, and most recently John Gotti III, who is the grandson of notorious mobster John Gotti.

John Fury, father of Tyson Fury, has issued an apology following an altercation with a member of Oleksandr Usyk’s team on Monday, just five days before the highly anticipated heavyweight title bout.

The confrontation, which occurred in Saudi Arabia and resulted in John sustaining a bloody forehead, was widely captured on camera.

Footage shared by iFL TV and Usyk’s nutritionist, Mykola Tkachenko documented the incident, which involved John headbutting Stanislav Stepchuk, a member of Usyk’s camp.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are scheduled to fight in Riyadh on May 18, aiming to determine the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years, provided the match doesn’t end in a draw.

Both fighters are unbeaten, with Fury holding the WBC title and Usyk being the unified champion.

John Fury, a former boxer and bare-knuckle fighter, is involved in the coaching teams for both Tyson and his half-brother Tommy Fury.

Known for his outspoken nature during fight weeks, John has often made headlines in recent years.

Following the incident, John expressed his remorse in an interview with Seconds Out: “Sincere apologies to everybody involved, to be honest with you. It’s just the way we are. Emotions and tensions are running high.”

He added, “He was a very disrespectful fella, wasn’t he? Everybody knows, if you come close in a fighting man’s space, you’re gonna ‘cop for something’, aren’t you?

 

Oleksandr Usyk did enough to earn a split decision victory in his fight with Tyson Fury on Sunday.

Two judges scored in his favour – 115-113 and 114-113 with the other giving it to Fury at 114-113.

Usyk’s victory is boxing’s first undisputed world heavyweight championship in 25 years, an unprecedented feat in the four-belt era.

Britain’s Fury was the early aggressor but Usyk gradually took charge and the staggered “Gypsy King” was saved by the bell in the ninth round before recovering.

Usyk was undisputed at cruiserweight and he is now undisputed at heavyweight.

Tyson Fury who feels he won the fight says he is ready for a rematch in October.

Oleksandr Usyk wants that rematch too.

Usyk in reaction to the victory said: “Thank you so much to my team. It’s a big opportunity for my family, for me, for my country. It’s a great time, it’s a great day.

“Yes, of course. I am ready for a rematch.”

The Ukranian joins the likes of Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Mike Tyson as undisputed heavyweight champion, the first since boxing recognised four major belts in the 2000s.

With the win, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion can legitimately claim to be the best of this era.

What next for AJ? Where does Deontay Wilder fit into the landscape? We take a quick look at the current heavyweight picture after another big weekend of boxing; the live action continues on Sky Sports on June 15 when Chris Billam-Smith faces Richard Riakporhe at Selhurst Park

has accomplished a staggering amount during his 35 pro-fight career, enough to cement himself among the all-time greats. The heavyweight championship division Fury rules over today is part of perhaps the most-storied lineage in all of sports, one that dates back to 1885.

That’s when John L. Sullivan, once the bare-knuckle champion, became boxing’s first-ever heavyweight champion under the Marquess of Queensberry rules. He held that distinction until his landmark fight with James “Gentleman Jim” Corbett in 1892. Following Corbett’s 21st-round KO victory in New Orleans, the championship lineage that extends to today was established. As pro-wrestling legend Ric Flair says, “To be the man, you have to beat the man.”

Now more than ever, with four titles in each weight class, the lineal championship helps to identify who is “the man.” This Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Fury defends the lineal championship against Oleksandr Usyk in boxing’s first undisputed heavyweight championship fight since Lennox Lewis-Evander Holyfield in 1999

Through 139 years of heavyweight boxing history, just 38 men have had the honor of calling themselves the lineal champion in the sport’s glamor division, the title that bestows each individual “baddest man on the planet” status. Four of those fighters were two-time lineal champions — Floyd Patterson, George Foreman, Holyfield and Lewis — and only one won the title three times: Muhammad Ali.

Even former cruiserweight lineal champ Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), 37, of Ukraine, who defeated Anthony Joshua twice and currently holds three of the four heavyweight titles, nor Joshua, despite his lengthy run as unified champion, have ever possessed the heavyweight lineal championship. Though lineages can always be debated.

After Fury upset Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 to win the lineal heavyweight championship, he didn’t fight for another 2½ years as he battled substance abuse and depression. During that time, Anthony Joshua collected the three belts Fury vacated and produced a string of impressive defenses. His second reign was ended by Usyk, who defeated Joshua twice.

Fury, 35, ESPN’s No. 10 pound-for-pound fighter, knows all of this, of course. His historical knowledge of the division gives much-needed context toward exactly what he’s looking to accomplish, and how this monumental fight with No. 3 ranked Usyk might impact his legacy.

“You gotta understand the game you’re in, the division you’re in,” Fury told ESPN, “the people who came before you so you can understand who you are and where you’ve come from and what journey you’re on. I believe that.

“You’re just talking about elite, elite, elite men. That’s why not all of these champions can be on that list as lineal champions. Only the best of the best of the best can be lineal champions. That’s why this fight, it means a lot to me, because if Usyk can beat me, puts his name on that list. If he can’t beat me, he’s not even gonna be on the list of lineal champions ever.”

Fury will look to gatekeep Usyk from that hollowed list of great fighting big men in a bout that’s nearly deadlocked per ESPN BET (Usyk at -105, Fury at -115). Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, told ESPN last month that the rematch is planned for Oct. 12 or 13 in Riyadh. Fury’s goal across these two upcoming fights with Usyk: “Keep ’em off that list.”

“Only way that they get on that list is if I retire before them and then they get a chance to do it,” Fury said. “While I am the gatekeeper, no one shall pass.”

“Do you know who has a lot of knowledge like this, though? Mike Tyson,” Fury added. “Mike is the historian. I trust myself as I know a lot about heavyweight boxing. But Mike can go back to like 1845. Mike is incredible.”

Ahead of the summit meeting to crown boxing’s first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era, “The Gypsy King” showed off his immense knowledge of the heavyweight division with his thoughts on many of those 37 other lineal champions who came before him.

Regarded as boxing’s first-ever superstar, Sullivan was a cultural icon of late 19th century America. He was bestowed the championship on Aug. 8, 1887 in Boston, though his 75th-round KO victory over Jake Kilrain in Mississippi is largely recognized as the first-ever heavyweight championship fight. That was the final heavyweight title bout contested under the bare-knuckle, London Prize Ring Rules. It was also one of the first sporting events in the United States to gain national news coverage. Sullivan’s first defense of the recognized championship was his final fight, a 21st-round KO loss at the hands of Corbett. Both men wore five-ounce gloves.

“John L. Sullivan was a pioneer in this game,” Fury said, “and he made it possible for all of us people after him and even today to be able to do what we’re doing.”

There are some, including Fury, who believe Sullivan wasn’t the first champion at all. Fury credits James “Jem” Mace as the inaugural heavyweight champion. And there is a legitimate claim. Mace had defeated Tom Allen in 1870 in Louisiana, but anti-British entailment led many to disregard him as champion in the bare-knuckle days.

“Mace was a gypsy like me,” Fury said. “He had to be, he was brilliant. He was a three-time world champion. Three different divisions: middleweight, welterweight, heavyweight. Before Queensberry rules. It’s actually debated [who was the first champion]. Some people don’t say it’s John L. Sullivan. … I’m not gonna go into it, that’s a topic for another day.”

 

James Corbett | 11-4, 2 NC, 3 KOs) | 1892-97

Corbett fought just 20 times, but nine of his opponents ended up in the International Boxing Hall of Fame just like him. Prizefighting was still illegal in 21 states during his title reign, which included just one successful defense. A 14th-round KO loss to Bob Fitzsimmons in 1897 in Carson City, Nevada, ended Corbett’s run. He challenged twice more for the heavyweight championship in a pair of stoppage defeats to James J. Jeffries.

“Corbett was a good guy. Corbett and Jeffries, all of these guys, they were all good guys back in the day,” Fury said. “They had a very weird style, what we’d say today. They were sort of like men who just punched each other to pieces. They were good, tough men back in the day. Different, different era, different time of boxing, but all good men.”

Bob Fitzsimmons | 61-8-4, 6 NC, 57 KOs | 1897-99

No. 8 on The Ring Magazine’s list of the top 100 punchers, Fitzimmons was boxing’s first three-division champion. He weighed just 167 pounds when he defeated Corbett and lost the title in his first defense, an 11th-round KO loss to Jeffries in Brooklyn.


James J. Jeffries | 19-1-2, 2 NC | 1899-1905

Best known as the “Great White Hope” who came out of retirement to lose to Jack Johnson in a second heavyweight title bid, Jeffries went on a tour of exhibition bouts around the U.K., ahead of his first defense. That came against Tom Sharkey in a rematch. Jeffries made seven more successful defenses before he retired in 1905. Five years later, in 1910, he returned to fight one last time, a 15th-round TKO defeat to Johnson in what was promoted as the “fight of the century.”


Marvin Hart | 28-7-4, 20 KOs | 1905-06

Following Jeffries’ retirement, Hart won the vacant title in July 1905 with a KO win over Jack Root in Reno. Before that win, Hart had already defeated Johnson on points. Hart was knocked off in his first defense, a 20-round decision defeat to Tommy Burns.


Tommy Burns | 47-4-8, 35 KOs | 1906-08

The Canadian Burns made 13 defenses before he met Johnson, who scored a 14th-round TKO victory in Sydney, Australia, when the police stopped the bout.

With that landmark victory, Johnson became boxing’s first Black heavyweight champion. Johnson made seven defenses before a 26th-round KO loss to Jess Willard in Havana, Cuba. Johnson is regarded as one of the 10 best heavyweights ever and among the most important figures in sports history.

 

While Garcia is embroiled in the scandal of testing positive for drug tests twice during his fight against Devin Haney, and has requested a B sample test, scheduled for May 22, Garcia made the bold proposal to Shields, who is engaged to boyfriend Tony Rich.

Since his fight against Haney was announced, Garcia has been linked to numerous women, some famous and some relatively unknown; however, each date seemed aimed at the purpose of gaining Shields’ attention.

In a post on the X-platform, Claressa Shields shared a screenshot of her text message exchange with Randy said, “Boy oh boy! I run 6 miles, do 100 ab wheel rollers, train my SCOC boxing kids….then I wake up to s*** like this @RyanGarcia and all I’m doing is minding my business.”

Meanwhile, in text messages, Garcia appears to have made the initiative, saying, “If we had a baby, the baby would be superhuman.” To this, Shields maintained her polite demeanor and responded, “You need help Ryan,” referencing Ryan’s erratic behavior.

Ryan Garcia says goodbye to his children in emotional video before entering rehab

Garcia has accustomed his fans to generating controversy by criticizing his opponents and displaying erratic behavior on his social media, expressing a barrage of confusing and offensive ideas to many. Now, he has surprised everyone with a unique and special moment with his young children before undergoing a rehabilitation process to recover his mental and physical healis looking for the path that will return him to boxing and allow him to get into the ring again in a professional fight. The controversial boxer has experienced a series of negative events that he himself has caused and that will keep him away from the world of boxing for some time.

Garcia has accustomed his fans to generating controversy by criticizing his opponents and displaying erratic behavior on his social media, expressing a barrage of confusing and offensive ideas to many. Now, he has surprised everyone with a unique and special moment with his young children before undergoing a rehabilitation process to recover his mental and physical health.

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Ryan Garcia says goodbye to his children before his rehabilitation

Ryan Garcia is suffering the consequences of his social media posts, his behavior exposed to everyone is pushing him further and further away from professional boxing, it seems that he is the only one responsible for ending his boxing career by giving himself a knockout.

Garcia has been suspended for doping for a year after testing positive for Ostarine before and on the same day of his fight against Devin Haney last April. At the time, the fighter stated that he would move to the UFC after learning of his boxing suspension. Will the UFC accept someone as controversial and problematic as Ryan?

Ryan received a hard blow after learning of the message from the president of the World Boxing Council, Mauricio Sulaiman. Due to Garcia’s racist comments on social media, the WBC decided to expel him from the organization.

“Exercising my authority as president of the WBC, I am hereby expelling Ryan Garcia from any activity with our organization,” Sulaiman shared on his social media.

And if that wasn’t enough, Ryan seems to embarrass his family, Garcia’s parents took to social media to claim that their son requires assistance.

“Our family unequivocally does not support any statements he has made regarding race or religion – these do not reflect who Ryan truly is and how he was raised,” read the family’s statement.

Now that Ryan has agreed to begin a rehabilitation process to recover his mental and physical health, he said goodbye to his children in a unique moment of tenderness that is very rare to see Garcia, in the clip the boxer is lying on his bed, while his two little ones hug him and smile being happy with their father. The scene is so heartwarming that it seems he is not as controversial a person as he has proven to be.

Now that Garcia seems to have hit rock bottom, he will be looking for a way to get back in the ring through a rehabilitation process. Let’s hope to see Ryan back in the ring very soon, demonstrating his boxing skills in a spectacular fight.

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Claressa Shields will move up from middleweight to take on WBC women’s heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in Detroit on July 27; the American, who has been fight in MMA, is aiming to become a four-weight world champion

Claressa Shields has her sights on becoming a four-weight world champion after stepping up to challenge women’s WBC heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse.

The 29-year-old has been competing in mixed martial arts with Professional Fighters League since August last year, winning her most recent fight in February with a split-decision verdict over Kelsey DeSantis.

Shields will return to boxing on July 27 to face Lepage-Joanisse at the Litte Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, where she successfully defended her undisputed middleweight world champion status against Maricela Cornejo in June last year.

“This is a significant and unique fight where I am moving up two weight classes against a very tough champion in my quest to become world champion in my fourth weight division,” Shields said.

“I plan to do what I do best: bring that GWOAT energy and continue putting women’s boxing on the map.

“I’m excited to bring another entertaining fight to Little Caesars Arena. Last time 12,000 fans filled the arena, and this time we’re going to lift the roof off the building.”

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Shields, who is 14-0 (2) as a professional, has already been a world champion at light-middleweight, middleweight and super-middleweight.

The clash with Canada’s Lepage-Joanisse (7-1 (2)) will see the vacant WBO light-heavyweight title on the line as it will be fought at that division’s limit of 12st 7lb.

 

However, the WBC class that as heavyweight for their women’s title, with the 28-year-old Lepage-Joanisse having won that belt via a split-decision victory over Abril Argentina Vidal in March.

“It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s Claressa or someone else,” Lepage-Joanisse said. “My life is all about challenges.”

Watch Richard Riakporhe challenge Chris Billam-Smith for the WBO cruiserweight world title at Selhurst Park, live on Sky Sports on Saturday June 15

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