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Nate Diaz is ‘living his dream’ against Jake Paul

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz is allowing Nate Diaz to live his dream.

That is according to Zach Rosenfield, his long time representative and the president of Real Fighting, inc., the promotional company the two have founded.

Apparently you can ignore the disdain Diaz has shown in the lead up to this fight. His disdain of his opponent, of the route taken by said opponent to become a professional fighter, and of the job of promoting of having to promote their event. It’s just what makes Nate, Nate.

”He’s enjoyed it,” Rosenfield says about the experience of putting on this fight versus YouTube influencer/boxer, Jake Paul.

“He’s enjoyed the process of having partners rather than working for someone. Enjoying not leasing out his services. It’s nice to be your own boss.”

Nate Diaz and Jake Paul are business partners for this event

Diaz and Paul may be opponents, but they will also very much be partners in the event.

Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions and Nate Diaz’s Real Fighting, Inc. are 50/50 when it comes to anything involved with it.

Their joint venture will pool all the revenue it collects, cover all the event costs together, and then split the net equally between them.

While not uncommon with top boxers, this is pretty unheard of in MMA for a fighter to have this kind of say and stake in one of their own events.

Fighters are typically best viewed as something akin to day laborers, paid by a promoter to show up, perform and then wait for the next call.

Even the other MMA fighters that previously crossed over to box, operated as clear B-sides. 

Nate Diaz is not the b-side fighter against Jake Paul

Nate Diaz though gets the same A-side benefits as Paul. That means not only the same billing, but that he gets to stock the undercard with his RFI boxers, and that he will have joint-ownership of the footage with Paul once the fight is done.

It also means that Diaz and Paul are the ones splitting all the revenue coming in.

Nate Diaz’s cut is generous

And what will they be splitting? According to Rosenfield, Diaz will be getting a cut of everything: The pay-per-view, which they are partnering with DAZN for; The commercial (bar) pay-per-views; Tickets, with the gate projected to be over $3 million; Merchandise. And all levels of sponsorships, both in and out of the ring. 

“Next time you watch a fight,” Rosenfield tells me, “try to notice every single brand that’s associated with that fight. What’s on the canvas, the ring or cage, on the broadcast.

“Every single one of those was approved by the partnership of this fight and we will see [a cut of the revenues from it.]”

All of those sponsorship dollars apparently add up. Rosenfield told ESPN that the two boxers will earn seven figures each from just the sponsors that appear on the ring.

DAZN is the third partner in Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz

The third party involved in staging the event is DAZN, which holds the domestic and international broadcast rights of the pay-per-view and will be handling the broadcast production (cameras, crew, announcing team, etc.).

This will be available not just on their own streaming services, but multiple other platforms, including traditional cable and satellite as well as other OTT services, such as ESPN+, likely in the hopes that the increased availability of the fight will assist with sales.

According to Rosenfield, it is a very favorable deal – for all the parties.

“DAZN is very comfortable with it. With what the guarantee was and with the equitable partnership. After speaking to different distributors we felt that DAZN had the best vision.” 

That vision includes a large guarantee which industry sources reported to me as eight-figures “in the mid to high teens range.” (An amount they viewed as representing an overpayment by DAZN.)

After the broadcaster has recovered its expenses, every additional dollar made globally will be shared between the 3 camps in what was described as “an equitable split.”

Rosenfield also told ESPN that Paul and Diaz will each earn “well into the eight figures.” When I asked him about how much Nate stands to make, he was more vague but noted the deal was structured “very similar to that of a top boxer,” and that “fans would be shocked by the amount. It would definitely make you consider wanting to box.” 

Boxers get the lion’s share of revenue

As we have seen with recent boxing matches, like Tank Davis vs Ryan Garcia and Bud Crawford vs Errol Spence, a successful event can generate huge winnings for the participants.

Each of those men is thought to have earned 10s of millions dollars in their respective contests.

This isn’t because boxing generates more money than MMA (although those two matches were spectacularly successful) but instead because the boxers, specifically those who an event is centered around,  get the lion’s share of the revenue. 

It is not unheard of for the stars in boxing to collect seventy to eighty percent – or more – of an event’s revenue.

Based on the various projected revenue streams for this match, industry veterans told me an eight figure purse was not implausible. The DAZN guaranteed fee basically assures the event will be successful for the Diaz and Paul.

Easily the biggest pay day of Nate Diaz’s career

How successful is the question, but Diaz will surely be looking at what is easily the  highest payday of his career, dwarfing the slightly more than $4 million he supposedly earned in his rematch with Conor Mcgregor.

Depending on how well it sells on pay-per-view it could also possibly match or eclipse his entire career’s earnings in MMA (between $15 million to $20 million according to my estimation.)

With such large amounts being discussed, one would assume that other fighters would try to follow the same path as Diaz towards boxing gold.

The one problem is they are not Diaz – or Ngannou or McGregor. Interest in seeing these three box has been organic, with the fans themselves driving the talk.

This path isn’t open to many other MMA fighters

For other fighters, no matter how successful they are, the interest does not seem to be there, as Kamaru Usman found out when he tried to will a match with Canelo Alvarez that no one besides Usman wanted to see.

The big money to be found in boxing is therefore likely limited to just those few fighters.

In fact there is plenty of talk that perhaps this match was made too late. That the interest is no longer there for it. In which case, it demonstrates not only is there only a fewer MMA fighters fans are interested in boxing but the window for opportunity is likely short as well.

Timing of UFC departure is critical

This makes the matter of how one can exit the UFC in a timely fashion, all the more important. Very few fights are willing to take the risks or have to face the same hurdles that Ngannou and Diaz did in order to finish their contracts. Diaz had the added difficulty of operating under an older contract, one that did not have a sunset clause. 

While Diaz is amicable with the UFC now, his exit from the UFC was anything but. It took him 6 years to finish his 5-fight deal, with the last few years drawn out as the UFC seemed intent on compelling him to either fight Khamzat Chimaev or getting him to sign an extension in order to fight someone else.

Everytime he refused to do either he contract was extended again. Eventually he conceded to the Chimaev fight but, as fate would have it, that became a Tony Ferguson fight after Chimaev missed wait.

Few other fighters would be willing to go down that same road in order to be free of their contracts, and fewer still could expect that kind of good fortune waiting for them at the end. 

Nate Diaz remains one of a kind.

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz results

You can follow along with all the results and highlights from Paul vs. Diaz: Ready 4 War here.

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

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UFC and MMA news comes at you fast, so you’re bound to miss a couple of things throughout the week. Have no fear, Hitting The Links is here. Below you’ll find links to the big (and under-the-radar) stories we published this week. Maybe you’ll see something you missed.

Bloody Elbow nominated for Fighters Only World MMA awards

Bloody Elbow is honored to be among the nominees for the 15th Annual Fighters Only World MMA Awards (link)

Tim: Who should we send to accept this award on our behalf?

Zane: I’d say Nate, but frankly I don’t think putting a microphone in front of him around a bunch of MMA industry folks is a very good idea. Roxanne Modafferi already lives in Vegas, she writes for us, I’ll nominate her, since I know she’d have something nice to say.

UFC corruption makes Don King look like Santa Claus, MMA fighters tell ABC

The MMAFA made a presentation to the ABC yesterday dragging the UFC for its low revenue share and treatment of fighters. (link)

Tim: Does that make Dana the Grinch?

Zane: The Grink, maybe…

UFC fighter has ‘loose teeth’ after eating Derrick Lewis’ flying knee

Derrick Lewis did some heavy damage to Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC 291. (link)

Conor McGregor keeps angling for an imaginary UFC title shot

Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal and Michael Chandler all attempt to insert themselves into the BMF conversation after Justin Gaethje’s win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291. (link)

Gloves to gi: Decorated UFC champion joins IBJJF Masters World Championship

A long time UFC champion will be trading in his gloves for a BJJ gi. (link)

UFC champ Israel Adesanya admits it was wrong, ‘f—d up’ to question Robert Whittaker’s ethnicity

UFC champ Israel Adesanya says he’s learned from his mistakes and would no longer repeat the insults he threw at Robert Whittaker. (link)

Tim: Leave heritage out of trash talk challenge 2023.

Zane: This really opened up a whole can of worms that was probably best left unexplored all around. Hopefully lessons were learned.

UFC 291: Did Justin Gaethje actually set up his high kick?

Sure Justin Gaethje got an instant classic finish for his highlight reel at UFC 291, but how did he do it? (link)

Tim: Miguel Class is so damn good. Read his breakdown on Gaethje vs. Poirier NOW!

UFC legend Randy Couture explains why Bellator purchase makes sense for PFL

UFC legend Randy Couture sat down with Bloody Elbow to discuss PFL/Bellator sale rumors and more. (link)

Tim: Good get from our guy Eddie Mercado, check out this exclusive interview with ‘The Natural’.

New free agent Derrick Lewis would be insane to not go after Francis Ngannou in PFL

If Derrick Lewis is after the biggest fight, there is none bigger than ‘The Predator’. (link)

Tim: Evan Zirin is on the money, here. Lewis can make a mint from the PFL and then he can afford some boxer shorts with proper ventilation.

Zane: It really worries me how intent Lewis seems to be on going back to the UFC for a ‘title run’. The money is the prize in prize fighting Derrick!

Terence Crawford’s next fight? Top 4 options for the undisputed boxing champ

Terence Crawford unified his second division. But that’s never enough and we are already looking at what’s next for Crawford. (link)

Tim: Blaine Henry is new here. He’s a combat sports polymath, but boxing is properly his utmost specialty.

Conor McGregor has nothing to do with business firm’s link to illegal gambling operation

One of Conor McGregor’s business manager is in a lot of trouble, but it has nothing to do with the Irish sports star. (link)

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Nate Diaz and Jake Paul were talking smack to each other throughout their boxing fight, much like what we’ve come to expect from the UFC star during his career. But what was actually said? The two fighters revealed some of their back-and-forth in the ring.

Jake Paul and Nate Diaz reveal what they said to each other

Jake Paul called it a “memorable” evening, and said he did enjoy the antics and the exchange of smack talk against Nate Diaz.

“It was fun. I knew he was taking breaks, so I would pounce on him when he was doing (those antics). We were talking to each other the whole fight, man,” Jake Paul revealed in the post-fight press conference. “He was saying words that I can’t repeat here.

“I was like ‘where’s all that talk now?’ *Bop!* ‘Gotcha! Shut up!’ *Boom!*”

Diaz also revealed the gist of what he said, including on the times he attempted a single leg and a guillotine choke during the fight.

“I was just making fun of him. Telling him to do more shit,” Diaz said before chuckling.

“It’s easy to take him down and easy to choke him. He was talking about his wrestling credentials the other day, and I was, like, ‘What?’,” Diaz laughed.

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz MMA rematch?

With Paul getting the decision win, he improved to 7-1 in his boxing career, while Diaz officially dropped to 0-1 and a pro boxer.

Both fighters spoke about their supposed willingness to do a rematch in MMA, but it’ll be interesting to see if that actually happens.

For one thing, there’s a possibility that this is just posturing from Paul, who likes to talk a big game and stir things up. It doesn’t really make sense for Paul, who has no real experience in MMA, to put himself in a pretty terrible position when he can still earn good money in boxing. As for Diaz, he laid out one condition on a rematch and implied that the $10 million offer wouldn’t be enough. As Bloody Elbow reported earlier, Diaz likely earned a lot more than that for this match up.

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Jake Paul knocks down Nate Diaz

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz is finally over, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the bigger and more experienced boxer took the victory. Diaz pulled off some entertaining antics and for the most part, he just survived enough to make it a fun Diaz-type of fight. Paul managed to knock Diaz down in the fifth, but the long time UFC vet still showed that trademark grit and cardio to make it interesting through 10 rounds.

Paul won a wide decision over the UFC star, and improved his boxing record to 7-1.

Official Result: Jake Paul def. Nate Diaz by unanimous decision (97-92, 98-91 x2)

So who’s next for Jake Paul? The YouTuber turned boxer laid out some options right after the fight.

Who will Jake Paul fight next?

“I want to run it back in MMA,” Paul said after the victory. “Yeah, I want 10 million dollars, PFL, that’s the offer. I won one, now it’s your chance in your home territory, MMA. Let’s do it.”

“Let’s do it,” Diaz responded, before laying out a condition. “We’ll have to co-promote with Real Fight Inc. and we’ll do that.

“But I got a single leg in the first and a choke in the 9th, so I already won that battle,” Diaz joked.

Diaz co-promoted this boxing match with Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. In the details Bloody Elbow recently revealed, Diaz got a significant chunk of all the event revenue, which will lead to what is by far the biggest payday of his career. It would make sense for him to want similar splits on a possible MMA rematch. As his business rep also implied on the post-fight press conference, the flat fee of $10 million likely wouldn’t work, with Diaz reportedly earning more for this boxing match after including the other revenue streams.

While they both seem open to a possible MMA rematch, it does seem very unlikely for Paul to actually push through with it. Paul can easily earn good money staying in boxing where he’d actually have better chances of victory, and there doesn’t seem to be much incentive for him to make the switch to MMA —unless of course he can somehow convince PFL to completely eclipse his boxing paydays.

All that being said, Paul also laid out a more realistic next option. Paul lost to Tommy Fury in his previous boxing match, and he reiterated that he would be interested in getting that one back now that he has a different coaching staff behind him.

Watch Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz highlights

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Heavyweight MMA king Francis Ngannou appears at Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz saw another UFC veteran make an appearance when MMA heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou walked into the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas tonight August 5, 2023.

MMA Junkie was on the scene and got video:

Ngannou speaks after the fight ‘Jake Paul can’t fight Nate Diaz in MMA’

Ngannou signed to do a bit of boxing himself

Ngannou recently made headlines when he signed the biggest possible professional boxing debut against Tyson Fury.

As we reported at the time:

WBC heavyweight champ Tyson Fury has confirmed to Sky News that he will be facing former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou in a boxing match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 28. The bout will be contested under the 10 point must system with three judges ringside.

As Bloody Elbow’s John Nash reported earlier, Nate Diaz stands to make a career making payday tonight boxing against Jake Paul just as Ngannou stands to make more boxing Fury than he made in his entire career in the UFC.

Diaz will be getting a cut of everything: The pay-per-view, which they are partnering with DAZN for; The commercial (bar) pay-per-views; Tickets, with the gate projected to be over $3 million; Merchandise. And all levels of sponsorships, both in and out of the ring. 

Ngannou’s manager bragged that his man will do comparably well in his boxing debut.

“Let’s just say this: The bag is so big, he may actually just drop it on the way to the bank,” Ngannou’s manager Marquel Martin told MMA Fighting. “Let’s just say that. I don’t know what the haters are trying to say right now, I kind of just blocked it out, but they’ll just be proven wrong again. This is life-changing. This is exactly what we planned and visualized, so we’re happy.”

How big? Ngannou’s manager says its far more than everything he earned in his seven years with the UFC.

“Oh my god, (it’s bigger than career UFC earnings). I mean, by far. By multiples,” Martin said. “Just to make (this money) even while being champion, he would’ve had to fight multiple times just to (be in this ballpark).”

PFL signee Ngannou there to support Amanda Serrano?

Amanda Serrano is on the card tonight against Heather Hardy but announced earlier this week that she was returning to MMA and signed with the PFL.

“I joined the PFL PPV Super Fight Division because of their revolutionary format that empowers fighters like never before. The PFL’s commitment to promoting high-profile, pay-per-view events with some of the biggest MMA stars in the world showcases an incredible opportunity to elevate my career to new heights and prove my ability beyond just the ring. I may be known for boxing, but I’ve always loved and trained in MMA and Jiu-Jitsu, knowing those skills would only add to my ability when going against any opponent,” said Serrano.

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz results

You can follow along with all the results and highlights from Paul vs. Diaz: Ready 4 War here.

Live video stream

You can watch the FITE.TV live stream of this event below:

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

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Pros react to Jake Paul’s win over Nate Diaz

It was a tough outing for both men, but one of the clearly got the upper hand when Jake Paul fought Nate Diaz in the boxing ring. After 10 rounds, it was the YouTuber turned boxer who earned the unanimous decision over the MMA veteran, but it did not come with some hardships along the way. On Twitter, pro fighters reacted to the match.

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz results

You can follow along with all the results and highlights from Paul vs. Diaz: Ready 4 War here.

Jake Paul def. Nate Diaz by unanimous decision (97-92, 98-91 x2): Cruiserweight

Amanda Serrano def. Heather Hardy by unanimous decision (99-91, 100-90 x2): IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO women’s featherweight titles

Chris Avila def. Jeremy Stephens by unanimous decision (59-55 x2, 60-54): Super middleweight

Ashton Sylve def. William Silva by KO (Body shot) at 2:59 of round 4: Lightweight

Shadasia Green def. Olivia Curry by unanimous decision (99-91, 100-90, 100-89): Women’s super middleweight

Alan Sanchez def. Angel Beltran by unanimous decision (77-75, 78-74, 79-73): Welterweight

Kevin Newman II def. Quillisto Madera by unanimous decision (80-71, 79-72×2)(80-71, 79-72 x2): Middleweight

Jose Aguayo def. Noel Cavazos by majority decision (38-38, 39-37 x2): Welterweight

Luciano Ramos def. CJ Hamilton by unanimous decision (40-36 x2, 39-37): Super lightweight

Live video stream

You can watch the FITE.TV live stream of this event below:

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

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Jake and Nate scuffle at the final stare down

Things went Stockton style at the final pre-fight staredown with the two fighters hand-fighting, slapping, shoving and even throwing a kick for good measure.

Full Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz Event Preview

Join us tonight (August 5th) for the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz: Ready 4 War boxing fight card, which is happening from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. At 6-1, Paul is on the rebound following his first career loss at the hands of Tommy Fury earlier this year. Diaz is making his move to boxing after exiting the UFC with a fourth round submission victory over Tony Ferguson last September. Jake is the biggest draw in celebrity boxing, and Nate is the perfect retired MMA fighter to fit his mold.

The co-main event tonight is actually super-legit, as Amanda Serrano puts her IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO featherweight titles on the line against Bellator veteran, Heather Hardy. The 42-2-1 undisputed boxing champ is looking to further her legacy, and pad her pockets, as a staggering -2000 betting favorite. With a boxing record of 24-2, and a little bit of time spent in the MMA cage for the Bellator promotion, Hardy is entering into this contest as a +1000 betting underdog. Nobody is really expecting her to win, but hey what a great opportunity!

Also on this Ready 4 War fight card is another longtime UFC veteran in Jeremy Stephens. His opponent for the evening will be Diaz brothers training partner, Chris Avila. This one might actually turn out to be a war, given how descent Stephens looked in his last boxing bout with Jose Aldo, and the fact that Avila clocked in a couple of pounds over the contracted super middleweight weight limit.

Like a typical boxing card, the majority of fans are tuning in for the main event. Paul vs. Diaz is that match, but luckily we get a cool high stakes co-main for any purists out there. Filthy casuals probably don’t know the explosive potential of Stephens vs. Avila, but the degenerate hardcores know the deal. Is this card worth the price of admission? I guess that really depends on the viewer. Either way, we got you covered with the results and highlights.

The first bout of the evening is scheduled to get underway at 8 p.m. ET. The main event ringwalks are forecasted for 11 p.m. ET. The PPV price is $59.99, and can be streamed on ESPN+ or DAZN.

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz fight card results

Main card

• Jake Paul def. Nate Diaz by unanimous decision (97-92, 98-91 x2): Cruiserweight

• Amanda Serrano def. Heather Hardy by unanimous decision (99-91, 100-90 x2): IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO women’s featherweight titles

• Chris Avila def. Jeremy Stephens by unanimous decision (59-55 x2, 60-54): Super middleweight

• Ashton Sylve def. William Silva by KO (Body shot) at 2:59 of round 4: Lightweight

• Shadasia Green def. Olivia Curry by unanimous decision (99-91, 100-90, 100-89): Women’s super middleweight

• Alan Sanchez def. Angel Beltran by unanimous decision (77-75, 78-74, 79-73): Welterweight

Prelims

• Kevin Newman II def. Quillisto Madera by unanimous decision (80-71, 79-72×2)(80-71, 79-72 x2): Middleweight

• Jose Aguayo def. Noel Cavazos by majority decision (38-38, 39-37 x2): Welterweight
• Luciano Ramos def. CJ Hamilton by unanimous decision (40-36 x2, 39-37): Super lightweight

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

Join the new Bloody Elbow

Our Substack is where we feature the work of writers like Zach Arnold, John Nash and Karim Zidan. We’re fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. Please help us by subscribing today.

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Before Jake Paul fights Nate Diaz, we have Amanda Serrano defending her undisputed featherweight titles against Heather Hardy. This is scheduled for 10 rounds and is the most legit boxing spectacle offered on the card, thanks in large parts to the generational talent that is Amanda Serrano.

Serrano brings her 44-2-1 record into the fight with her only losses coming to Katie Taylor and Frida Wallberg. The loss against Wallberg was a controversial split decision (on Wallberg’s home soil of Sweden). The loss against Taylor was also very close (and also on enemy territory). That fight, which happened last year, saw Serrano unsuccessfully challenge for Taylor’s undisputed lightweight titles.

Heather Hardy has a 22-2 pro boxing record, with her two losses coming in her last two fights. Last year she lost a unanimous decision to Jessica Camara. In 2019 she lost a unanimous decision to Serrano, losing her WBO featherweight title in the process.

You can check out the first time they fought here:

Both these women have dabbled in MMA. Hardy is 2-2 in MMA with all her fights coming in Bellator.

Serrano is 2-0-1 in MMA with fights in iKON and Combate. She also has a 5-0 submission grappling record.

Amanda Serrano vs. Heather Hardy live play-by-play

Round 1

Hardy throws out a jab, which is answered by one from Serrano. Hardy swings hard and whiffs. Serrano nails Hardy with a huge shot to the body. Serrano backs her into a corner and starts working her up top and to the body. Her left hook to the body is money. Hardy is swinging and landing but barely moving Serrano. She’s bleeding and Serrano nails her with another huge left up top. Hardy throws a few jabs that fall short of their mark when the bell sounds.

Round 2

Serrano comes out popping the jab. Left to the body and right up top for Serrano. Serrano lands a three punch combo. Hardy responds but her punches don’t have much on them. Serrano is sticking the right at will to Hardy’s jaw. Big right then a left land for Serrano. Left to the body clearly bothered Hardy. Hardy is hanging in there and landing in the pocket, but again, not much on them and for ever one she lands, Amanda has hit her three or four times. Round over.

Round 3

Hardy throws a her jab and lands, then goes to the body. Serrano counters with a two punch combo followed by a left to the body. Hardy lands a right to the body but takes a right up top for her trouble. The women are trading in the center. Amanda is winning the exchanges but Hardy isn’t willing to give an inch. Hardy still swinging up top while Serrano keeps tenderizing the midsection. Serrano lands a big right as the bells sounds.

Round 4

Hardy lands a solid right to Serrano’s nose and the two go to work in the center trading. Amanda is the cleaner puncher but Heather is hanging in there. Serrano working up top with combinations. The right up top followed by an assault to the midsection is working for Serrano. Serrano walking her down and constantly moving her to the ropes. Round ends.

Round 5

Serrano lands a right to the jaw that turns Hardy’s head. Hardy swinging and missing. Serrano sticking and moving. Hardy lands two clean shots to Amanda’s nose. Serrano lands to the body with a left. Hardy is swinging and landing a little more up top. Serrano is fast and landing combos at will. Hardy pops her twice with a right. The women trade with Serrano landing a hard left up top. Hardy’s best round.

Round 6

Serrano comes out jabbing, then lands a five punch combo. Big flurry from Hardy, answered by Serrano landing two stingers up top. Serrano’s right has found a home on Hardy’s jaw. Hardy still throwing but her shots don’t have much pop on them. The women trading on the ropes. Serrano just landing a lot harder. Right to the nose of Hardy. Solid left overhand from Serrano. Big swing and a miss by Serrano to end the round.

Round 7

Both get to the middle and start trading. Left-right land clean for Serrano on Hardy’s jaw. Hardy going to the body more. Serrano steers her back to the ropes and works the left to the body. Hardy still throwing out a double jab. Serrano catches her with a clean left. Hardy lands a left of her own but eats three for her trouble. Serrano taking some clean shots in the phonebooth. Hardy landing but is answered with a big right from Serrano to end the round.

Round 8

Back to work in the center. Both throwing jabs. Serrano lands a right up top while Hardy works the middle. Hardy going low to the midsection more and more. Serrano lands a huge straight left that turns Hardy’s head. She shakes it off and keeps swinging. Hardy bobbing and weaving more and making Serrano miss. Hardy lands a big right. Left from Serrano. Big left again for Serrano. Hardy paws with a left and gets popped with a right to end the round.

Round 9

Round starts with the ref calling the ringside doctor to look at Hardy who says she’s fine. The ladies get to the center and start trading jabs. Amanda landing combos up top as Heather works her midsection. Heather eating a lot of combos and is bleeding from the mouth now. Serrano has her in a corner and is landing. Hardy works around to the center but Serrano is nailing her at will up top with huge punches. Ref stops the action to call the ringside doctor. 10 second warning. Hardy is a bloody mess to end the round.

Round 10

The ladies go to work in the center and they are slugging. Heather has managed to back Serrano into the corner but Amanda works her way out. They are going hell for leather in the center again. Amanda landing solid hooks up top and a huge shot to the nose. She has Hardy in the corner and is just nailing her. Hardy manages to get to the center. No defense from either as they go hard in the paint. Huge left for Serrano but Hardy stays upright. Outstanding scrap, even if it was one way traffic for Serrano. Props to Hardy for being tough as nails.

Official decision

Amanda Serrano defeats Heather Hardy via unanimous decision 99-91, 100-90, 100-90

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz Full fight card

Main card

• Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz; Cruiserweight
• Amanda Serrano vs. Heather Hardy; For Serrano’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO women’s featherweight titles
• William Silva vs. Ashton Sylve; Lightweight
• Chris Avila vs. Jeremy Stephens; Super middleweight
• Olivia Curry vs. Shadasia Green; Women’s super middleweight

Prelims

• Alan Sanchez vs. Angel Beltran; Welterweight
• Quilisto Madera vs. Kevin Newman II; Middleweight
• Jose Aguayo vs. Noel Cavazos; Welterweight
• Luciano Ramos vs. CJ Hamilton; Super lightweight

Start time and date

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz starts at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 5, 2023. The main event ringwalks are expected to take place at 11 p.m. ET.

Live stream

Those who purchased this event on FITE.TV can watch it right here!

Bloody Elbow excels at covering fight-related nonsense like this. We do it for the eyeballs and the ad revenue and to amuse our loyal audience who appreciates that nonsense is a big part of the combat carnival. 

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Before Jake Paul fights Nate Diaz, Ashton Sylve will hit the ring for the biggest test of his young career. Sylve is a 9-0 teenager (with a million instagram followers) who was signed to Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. Paul has booked him on his shows with a view to grooming him into a star he can promote once his fighting years are behind him.

Last time out he took a unanimous decision over Adam Kipenga on Paul’s Most Valuable Prospects show. Prior to that he beat Braulio Rodriguez via first round KO on the Paul vs. Anderson Silva undercard.

At Paul vs. Diaz, Sylve will face William Silva, a tough vet who should pose a decent challenge and threat to the youngster. The Brazilian Silva is 30-4 and a former opponent of Teofimo Lopez

William Silva vs. Ashton Sylve live play-be-play

Round 1

Silva comes forward lands a quick body shot. Sylve lands two up top and one to the breadbasket. Sylve lands again to the midsection. Two up top for Sylve. Silva lands a shot to the body and a big right up top. Sylve counters to the midsection. Silva with a good uppercut. The men tie up with Sylve breaking free first and landing a left on the break. Double left hook answered with a missed left, followed by a solid right to the jaw for Sylve. Another big right for Silva. Sylve with a combination ending with a body shot.

Round 2

Sylve comes out Southpaw and the two tie up. Left is landing for Sylve followed by a body shot. Right-left combo lands for Sylve. Sylve is fast and landing with everything he’s throwing right now. Sylve switches to orthodox and lands a good overhand right. Silva ties up. Three punch combo lands for Sylve. Sylve lands a 4-punch combo. Huge body shot drops Silva but the bell saves him.

Round 3

Silva comes out and throws an immediate left to the body. Sylve answers with a shot to the ribs. Sylve continues his assault to the body. Left hook narrowly misses for Silva. Quick left from Silva lands to Sylve’s jaw. Sylve confident and is working the body consistently. Left-right up top lands for Sylve. Left hook lands for Sylve. Both men pawing with punches in the center. Quick left lands for Sylve up top. Silva lands a two punch combo. Sylve responds with a nasty body shot that clearly hurt Silva to end the round.

Round 4

Sylve pawing with the jab. Silva comes in low and lands to the body. They tie up. Silva landing jabs up top. Sylve goes back to the body. Left hook lands for Sylve. Silva backs up Sylve into the corner but Sylve fights out easily. Sylve is teeing off on Silva after a huge body shot. Silva lands a big hook that turns Sylve’s head. Nice combo for Silva answered by another nasty body assault and two huge bombs up top. 10 second warning. Sylve lands a huge left to the body that puts Silva down. Silva isn’t getting up. Fight over. “He’s only 19!” is shouted from the booth.

Ashton Sylve defeats William Silva vis KO at 2:59 of round 4

Round 5

Coming soon…

Round 6

Coming soon…

Round 7

Coming soon…

Round 8

Coming soon…

Official decision

Coming soon…

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz Full fight card

Main card

• Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz; Cruiserweight
• Amanda Serrano vs. Heather Hardy; For Serrano’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO women’s featherweight titles
• William Silva vs. Ashton Sylve; Lightweight
• Chris Avila vs. Jeremy Stephens; Super middleweight
• Olivia Curry vs. Shadasia Green; Women’s super middleweight

Prelims

• Alan Sanchez vs. Angel Beltran; Welterweight
• Quilisto Madera vs. Kevin Newman II; Middleweight
• Jose Aguayo vs. Noel Cavazos; Welterweight
• Luciano Ramos vs. CJ Hamilton; Super lightweight

Start time and date

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz starts at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 5, 2023. The main event ringwalks are expected to take place at 11 p.m. ET.

Live stream

Those who purchased this event on FITE.TV can watch it right here!

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Jake Paul and Nate Diaz arena arrivals a study in contrasts

Jake Paul and Nate Diaz showed off their very different styles when they arrived in the American Airlines Arena in Dallas for tonight’s bout.

Jake Paul arrived riding a tank. Nate Diaz walked in, looking at his smart phone.

Fan reaction mixed

The Spun did a nice job of rounding up Twitter reactions. Here are a few.

“how’d he convince the city to drive a tank on public roads?” one fan pointedly asked.

“Whether you hate him or love him he definitely knows how to market,” another fan wrote.

“Nate Diaz going to parachute in or something?” asked a third.

“Did all this for a fight with a old, retired, mma fighter lol,” one more added.

MMA Mania had this to say:

“The decommissioned military vehicle fits with the repeated motif of this event: ready for war! Paul is showing up to go to battle with Diaz, a veteran who is best known for forcing opponents into ugly wars of attrition. What better vehicle to bring him to glory than a literal tank?!? Even Diaz would probably have to give him props for this one.”

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz results

You can follow along with all the results and highlights from Paul vs. Diaz: Ready 4 War here.

Live video stream

You can watch the FITE.TV live stream of this event below:

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Ashton Sylve impressed on the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz card

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz was the main event for Ready 4 War tonight, but those two weren’t the only guys fighting on the card. Before they got in the ring Ashton Sylve, who is signed to Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions company put on quite the show.

In the toughest bout of his young career Sylve dismantled William Silva and ended the fight with a crushing body shot. Check it out!

Long Beach, California’s Sylve improved his record to 10-0 with his 4th round win. Prior to this victory he beat Adam Kipenga and Braulio Rodriguez (on the Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva undercard).

Sylve, who is just 19, is the current jewel in the crown of Paul’s burgeoning boxing promotion company. In addition to having bona fide boxing skills, Sylve also looks to have a fair deal of promotional savvy about him. He’s got over a million followers on instagram (thanks to his association with Paul). So expect to see more of Sylve in the future, whether it’s on a card Paul is fighting on or a card Paul is promoting once he’s decided he’s done with putting on the gloves himself.

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz results

You can follow along with all the results and highlights from Paul vs. Diaz: Ready 4 War here.

Live video stream

You can watch the FITE.TV live stream of this event below:

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

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Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz is tonight! But before the main card gets underway (which includes undisputed featherweight champion Amanda Serrano defending her belt against Heather Hardy), we have a slew of fighters hoping to make the most out of the spotlight they will find themselves under.

The Ready 4 War prelim card has four fights set up to whet our appetites. They are:

• Alan Sanchez def. Angel Beltran via unanimous decision (77-75, 78-74, 79-73); Welterweight
• Shadasia Green def. Olivia Curry via unanimous decision (99-91, 100-90, 100-89); Super Middleweight
• Quilisto Madera vs. Kevin Newman II; Middleweight
• Jose Aguayo def. Noel Cavazos via majority decision (39-37×2, 38-38); Welterweight
• Luciano Ramos def. CJ Hamilton via unanimous decision (40-36×2; 39-37); Super lightweight

Hopefully these fighters know the assignment; put on a good show and try and get an emphatic win that can get their name (and highlight) into the big news coverage that will come later on in the show.

You can watch their bouts, and keep track of the results, right here.

Countdown Show

Live stream

You can watch the FITE.TV live stream here:

Post-fight show

Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz Full fight card

Main card

• Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz; Cruiserweight
• Amanda Serrano vs. Heather Hardy; For Serrano’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO women’s featherweight titles
• William Silva vs. Ashton Sylve; Lightweight
• Chris Avila vs. Jeremy Stephens; Super middleweight
• Olivia Curry vs. Shadasia Green; Women’s super middleweight

Prelims

• Alan Sanchez vs. Angel Beltran; Welterweight
• Quilisto Madera vs. Kevin Newman II; Middleweight
• Jose Aguayo vs. Noel Cavazos; Welterweight
• Luciano Ramos vs. CJ Hamilton; Super lightweight

Bloody Elbow excels at covering fight-related nonsense like this. We do it for the eyeballs and the ad revenue and to amuse our loyal audience who appreciates that nonsense is a big part of the combat carnival. 

We also do some of the most serious reporting and hard-hitting opinion pieces in the game. We’re independent and answer to you, our readers. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with the whole range and variety of what we do.

Table of Contents

Next week’s bout between Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte is off due to Whyte failing a VADA in-competition drug test. The event was supposed to take place on August 12th at the O2 Arena in London, UK. Now with the failed test, it is unsure if Joshua will stay on the card against a replacement or if he will remain on the card at all.

The announcement came this morning as Matchroom Boxing president Eddie Hearn posted to his X account that he was out of the fight with more details to come.

Anthony Joshua’s Options

Options for Anthony Joshua are somewhat slim. After the Andy Ruiz disaster, where Jarrell Miller failed a drug test, Joshua was knocked out and embarrassed on the world stage. Taking a short notice fight again will be something Joshua possibly wants to avoid, especially with a potential Deontay Wilder bout on the deck for January.

On the card, Filip Hrgovic is fighting for a IBF mandatory position, a belt held by Oleksandr Usyk. That would get Joshua the biggest results as far as his return to the title. Hrgovic is 15-0 and would present a big chance for both fighters. But with so much risk in that fight, I wouldn’t expect that fight to be made.

Andy Ruiz also threw his name into the ring (pun intended) when he said that the trilogy needed to be completed. In tradition to how Joshua and Ruiz’ history played out, a short notice tie breaker would be apt.

The most likely outcome will be Joshua sitting out and waiting until January to fight. The Deontay Wilder-Anthony Joshua fight is still among the biggest in boxing and would be a huge payday for both despite the lack of champion status.

Not the first time Dillian Whyte has failed a drug test

Dillian Whyte being pulled from the card is unfortunate. But this isn’t his first time he’s been in trouble for banned substances. In 2012, after his win over Sandor Balogh, Dillian Whyte failed a drug test for Methylhexanamine (MHA).

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) suspended Whyte for two years. Dillian Whyte would appeal the suspension and claimed he did not knowingly take MHA. The National Anti-Doping Panel accepted that Whyte may have unknowingly taken MHA but rejected the appeal saying he should have checked the supplement’s ingredients.

Whyte has gone on his Instagram Stories to say that he’s innocent and disappointed with the recent news. He also points out that this has happened to him in the past.

The event at the O2 could still have Anthony Joshua on it but with Dillian Whyte having failed a drug test in 2012, there will be no compromises on that matchup for the time being. Joshua staying on the card is still on the table but nothing has yet been confirmed.

Whyte issues statement

Per Bad Left Hook, Dillian Whyte has released a statement in response to the VADA failure.

“I can confirm without a shadow of (a) doubt that I have not taken the reported substance, in this camp or at any point in my life. I am completely innocent and ask to be given the time to go through the process of proving this without anybody jumping to conclusions or a trial by media.

“I insisted on 24/7 VADA testing for this fight, as I have done voluntarily and at my own expense for all of my fights for many, many years.

“This is not the first time that I have been reported as having an adverse finding for a substance which I have not taken, and as I did last time, I will again prove that I am completely innocent.

“In the meantime, all I can do is express my extreme disappointment to boxing fans, who will miss out on what was sure to be a great event.”

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This weekend features the return of boxing’s bastard son, Jake Paul. He will take on UFC legend Nate Diaz. Didn’t know it was happening this weekend? Well, it is. It seems as if nobody actually cares about the latest Jake Paul fight this weekend. The question truly is this: why are those who are paying attention so mad about it?

First thing is first: why do I say that this fight doesn’t matter? Aside from that he complete lack of interest online? Well normally when Jake Paul fights, I have someone who I’ve never talked about fighting with ask me what I think about the fight. This time, nobody has brought the fight up and when I mention it, they are surprised it’s here already. People have seemingly stopped paying attention.

But one man’s experience isn’t the rule. That’s why I did some research. I looked up Google Trends for the search term “Jake Paul” for the last five years. What I saw was pretty clear. See the tweet image below:

As you can see, during each of the Jake Paul fights, there’s a spike leading up to the fight and it subsided after the fight. Notice the end of the timeline. No pre-fight spike. Nobody is tuning in.

Jake Paul no longer matters

Jake Paul’s whole M.O. has been to play the heel. Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather did this masterfully in their rise. Where that worked for them is based in the fact that they were actually very good fighters. They’ve been at fighting longer than Paul. They could back up all their talk.

Paul took this playbook and adapted it to be a him versus boxing narrative. He was the outsider here to cause ruckus in the sport of boxing and shake things up. Except Jake Paul wasn’t fighting Gary Russell Jr. in his third pro fight like Vasyl Lomachenko. He was fighting Ben Askren, a wrestler.

Nobody tuned in to watch Jake Paul box because of his skill. They tuned in to see Jake Paul get humbled. Every time he stepped up in competition, going from Askren to Tyron Woodley to Anderson Silva and finally to Tommy Fury.

Once he was thoroughly beat by Tommy Fury, the need to tune in vanished. He will always have lost to Tommy Fury and in many’s mind, he will never beat a legitimate boxer.

Now that Jake Paul has lost his reason to get people to tune in, nobody will actually tune in. That may seem obvious but it makes all the sense in the world.

If the internet all of a sudden became free to everyone with good quality, nobody would pay for it anymore. The demand is for access to the internet. The internet is the product. For Jake Paul, the product was always the prospect of him losing.

Does it even matter?

There’s a small sect of people still raging about Jake Paul and how he’s so bad for boxing. “A disgrace to boxing!” is what they all cry not knowing that boxing’s history with gimmick fights is long and arduous. Heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey fought with Cowboy Luttrell, a pro wrestler. George Foreman fought five people in one night. Shaq and Oscar De La Hoya fought in 2009. The sport has always been at home with the sideshows.

After Paul’s loss, the question remains: why do we still care? Those small few who decry Jake Paul for whatever reason still have it in them to point out how Paul will never beat a real boxer. Everyone knows that. It’s why this card will probably do abysmal numbers.

This fight truly doesn’t matter.

Jake Paul doesn’t have a partner willing to engage in pre-fight shenanigans. Nate Diaz has walked out of press conferences, given little to no effort when he’s there and generally abstained from trash talk—today was the lone exception. With Paul’s product being the want to see him lose, the fight doesn’t matter. There’s no hype for it. There’s hardly any media attention outside of those directly involved.

Can Paul get back?

At 6-1 now, Jake Paul has had much success in the sport of boxing from the business aspect. He’s sold a lot of pay per views and sold a lot of tickets. (Side note: don’t let him fool you about selling 2 million pay per views against Nate Robinson. That was the co-main event for Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr.’s exhibition bout.) Paul’s product is truly done. We’ve seen him lose. The question is can he ever gain relevance again like before Tommy Fury? Probably so. But it will not be simple or easy.

First thing is first, Jake Paul has to keep improving at boxing and improve at a faster rate. While he’s fought and become a better boxer over the years, it’s not fast enough. He needs to get better. The focus here is on making his boxing skills the product.

Jake Paul and Logan Paul are actually fairly decent athletes. I won’t say they’re Olympic or World Champion threats but we’ve seen skills from them. But being a decent athlete doesn’t fit into the whole “1 punch 10,000 times” mantra from Bruce Lee. Paul needs to put in the work. He needs to become a better boxer. People don’t tune in to watch Terence Crawford or Canelo Alvarez be a spectacle. They tune in to see them be really good boxers.

Maybe he avenges his loss to Tommy Fury in some far flung rematch. Maybe he fights KSI and gets the last cash grab for this era’s generation of YouTube boxing. But the thing that has to happen for Paul to become relevant again is to reinvent himself. He needs a new product. That is what he’s always done, after all: find a new product to immerse himself in.

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Nate Diaz is not going to help promote the Jake Paul fight, well at least how the YouTuber wants it.

The Stockton native hasn’t engaged or bit on any of the smack talk from Paul, and ahead of their boxing match this weekend, Diaz walked out of yet another interview.

Nate Diaz abruptly ends interview with Jake Paul

Much like the promotional tour in his previous boxing fights, Jake Paul set up a “face to face” sit down with Nate Diaz, with Ariel Helwani moderating. The media event is designed to draw out last minute trash talk during fight week, but apparently Diaz is having none of it.

Watch Diaz hilariously walk out of yet another interview:

Jake Paul complained of lack of promotion from Nate Diaz

Diaz hasn’t engaged with any of the trash talk, nor has he been very active on social media about the fight. This led to Paul complaining of how “boring” Diaz has been during the lead up, and as the promoter, he seems to be worrying about the PPV buys for the event.

“That’s what I wanted – that’s why I signed up for this – is to give the people a show and to squash this beef,” Paul previously complained. “He talked a lot more shit to me before we signed up to fight. So, he’s kind of being a b—ch in that sense. I expected more out of him, and I expected him to carry that gangster attitude and to not take my insults. But he’s pretty much rolled over like a b—ch and has been quite boring, which pisses me off. But I’m used to carrying these promotions. It’s no different in this one.”

I’m not surprised motherf—

Jake Paul shouldn’t at all be surprised with Diaz walking out of this most recent face off. This has always been part of his trademark antics and personality, with both Diaz brothers infamous for marching to their own beat and having sort of an anti-establishment behavior.

Diaz won’t play ball just because a promoter asked them to. Paul also shouldn’t be surprised, because Diaz warned everyone in advance about this.

“That’s his problem,” Diaz previously said about Paul’s complaints. “I think my fighting from over the years promotes my fights, and I’m not gonna get into a little kid argument with the guy and act like it isn’t realer than it is.

“I don’t talk a bunch of s—t like he wants to do, I don’t want to see him talk s—t and go back and forth.”

“Don’t watch”

“I don’t care,” Diaz said. “I’m in an important point of my career where it’s like, I’m not trying to scare anybody, I’m not trying to fool anybody. If people want to watch, that’d be great. If they don’t, that’s fine too.

“That’s where [Paul] got me twisted. I’m not in a gimmick fight with him. Man, I only need him to know that I’ll whoop his ass. I don’t need the whole world. I don’t need to go begging for people to watch. Don’t watch.”

If Nate Diaz’s big payday is guaranteed and he doesn’t have much (or any) cut of the PPV, it also makes it extra hilarious that he’s completely indifferent about promoting the event.

For what it’s worth though, Diaz walking out on media obligations likely draws more headlines — like this one I’m typing now — than a full segment of him disinterestedly listening to Paul making ten different promises about getting a KO. Him not caring and saying “don’t watch” is also on brand for Diaz.

Nate Diaz may not promote things the traditional way, but for the most part, it works. Just don’t expect him to do something just because you asked him to.

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Terence Crawford had a career defining moment this past weekend when he dominated Errol Spence at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Crawford extended his record to 40-0 and became undisputed in his second weight class. But, as with every combat sport, there’s always the looming question: “What’s next?” Now that Crawford has achieved a new level of stardom, there will be many gunning for a shot at the man. Today, I want to look at the best options for Crawford as he moves forward in his hall-of-fame career.

Terence Crawford versus Errol Spence 2? Don’t count it out

There are three things certain in life: death, taxes, and businessmen getting in the way of the sport of boxing. With Terence Crawford and Errol Spence being such a highly touted bout and both fighters so high profile, a rematch clause was implemented in both sides. There is a very real possibility that we get to see a rematch of Crawford and Spence. After watching the fight, I don’t really see the need. But my opinion is not a legally binding contract and if Spence feels like he wasn’t at his best, he could activate the clause.

Of course, there’s always the chance that he pulls a Ryan Garcia and declines his rematch clause. Garcia had one in place with Davis and after getting finished, Garcia decided the weight cut was not worth it again and moved on to 140.

Errol Spence has long wanted to move to super welterweight, 153 pounds. It’s reported that if the clause is activated, the winner of the first fight, Crawford in our case, gets to decide the weight. If Crawford wants to fight Spence again, he could do so at 153 if he chooses. If Crawford doesn’t and wants to move on to the better names on the list, he can insist on fighting and defending his titles at 147. Spence may then decide that the fight is not for him and move on to super welterweight.

This one is, sadly, the most likely. Crawford was pretty clearly the better fighter. A rematch would be a cash grab or Spence having delusions of grandeur.

Jaron “Boots” Ennis: The Heavy Hitter

Jaron “Boots” Ennis is one of the better names Terence Crawford can fight. Undefeated at 31-0 with 28 knockouts, Boots is the IBF Interim World Welterweight champion. He’s next in line for Crawford. The IBF has made Ennis the mandatory challenger for the belt.

Additionally, his fight with Karen Chukhadzhian was a lackluster performance and many questioned if Boots was as good as we once thought. His fight with Villa, which is his most recent performance, was a tenth round knockout and a very impressive performance.

Ennis is the most logical choice for the Terence Crawford matchup. But there are fights that are more exciting.

Terence Crawford’s Choice: Jermell Charlo

As he battered Spence, Terence Crawford walked to the neutral corner and proceeded to tell Jermell Charlo he was next.

The callout was pure bravado but Charlo, who is the undisputed Super Welterweight champion, is a great matchup for Crawford. The catch: Jermell Charlo is going up to 168 to fight Canelo Alvarez in September.

Charlo’s record is 35-1-1 with 19 knockouts. He has power but isn’t above Crawford’s skills and if Crawford is chasing glory, a shot at his third undisputed weight class would be unprecedented. As of now, Terence Crawford is the only man to unify two divisions in the four belt era. Crawford has Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney, and Oleksandr Usyk breathing down his neck to become undisputed in two divisions. Charlo provides a one-stop-shop for a potential third conquering for Crawford.

Canelo is the catch. While his undisputed titles will not be on the line at 168, the timing might not add up yet. Their fight is slated for September and Charlo will not book a fight with Crawford while he’s got a fight with another pound for pound fighter. This means Crawford might have to move on to something else sooner and eye a fight at 154 in 2024.

The Most Exciting Choice: Tim Tszyu

Tim Tszyu is the most exciting choice for Terence Crawford. He’s the WBO Interim Super Welterweight champion, which is 154. This would have Crawford moving up in weight and fighting a contender for Charlo once his date with Canelo is through. He’d capture an interim title, not ideal for the best boxer in the world, and would corner Charlo into a fight with calls to unify the WBO title.

Tszyu is hell on wheels as well. He knocked out the former champion Tony Harrison in round nine. Harrison is the only fighter to beat Charlo. Carlos Ocampo was a first round finish, faster than when Spence did it. He beat Jeff Horn in 2020 in the eighth round. Every time Tim Tszyu fights, it’s fireworks. What else would you expect from an Aussie?

Tszyu would be the exciting fight and would be a way to test out the weight at 154. Crawford can win this fight and notch a quality name in his belt while making sure everything he brings to the table translates well another weight class up. Tszyu also fought last month which means both fighters would have similar layoffs. This one makes sense if you don’t do the Boots fight. And it’s the most fun.

There’s also the possibility that Terence Crawford stays at 147 for a bit and inch closer to Floyd Mayweather’s 50-0 record. At 40-0 he can clear out that division and fight Boots, Eimantas Stanionis, who is the WBA mandatory, Kell Brook, and Roiman Villa. Then there is the chance that Teofimo Lopez gets bored should he unify super lightweight and move up for his third undisputed division as well. He’s got Haney coming up, Regis Prograis, and Subriel Matias to clear out for that first. Should Lopez come up to 147, that would be another true super fight for both men and the biggest fight of the era.

Who do you want to see Terence Crawford fight next?

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Felix Verdejo found guilty

On Friday a jury found Felix Verdejo, 30, guilty of kidnapping resulting in death and the intentional killing of an unborn child (per a press release from the US Attorney’s Office for Puerto Rico). Luis Antonio Cadiz-Martinez was found guilty of aiding and abetting Verdejo.

Verdejo and Cadiz-Martinez abducted Keishla Rodriguez Ortiz on April 29, 2021 after she was lured into a Dodge Durango in San Jose, PR. Once she was inside the car Verdejo attacked her and injected her with drugs. She was then tied, with metal wire, to a cement block and thrown from the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge into the San Jose Lagoon.

Rodriguez Ortiz had been involved in an extra-martial affair with Verdejo. It is believed that she was pregnant with his child at the time of the killing.

Verdejo is now eligible to be sentenced to to multiple 99 year prison terms. There is no death penalty in Puerto Rico. Cadiz-Martinez may receive up to 30 years in prison. However, his sentence will likely be reduced after he agreed to testify against Verdejo. Verdejo and Cadiz-Martinez are due to be sentenced on November 3.

Verdejo’s boxing career

Felix Verdejo represented Puerto Rico at the 2012 Olympics. In his pro career he amassed a 27-2 record and held the WBO Latino lightweight title. His last fight was on December 12, 2020, when he was defeated by Masayoshi Nakatani via TKO.

Support for survivors of domestic violence can be found from the following organizations:

USA – The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

Canada – DAWN-RAFH Canada

UK and Ireland – Women’s Aid: 0808-2000-247

Rest of the World – HotPeachPages

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It took a while, but over the course of a 19-year MMA career, Nate Diaz turned himself into a top drawing attraction. The former Ultimate Fighter winner and one-time lightweight title contender racked up a host of performance bonuses in his 15-years with the UFC, but it wasn’t until a pair of high profile PPV matches with Conor McGregor in 2016 that he became a fighter fans really showed up for.

Even then, however, it seemed that Stockton’s own had a hard time getting the respect of UFC brass. Eventually pushing him to part ways with the world’s largest MMA promotion in search of big money fights in other sports.

This week, Diaz prepares to step inside the ring with noted celebrity pugilist Jake Paul. In a recent interview with ESPN, the 38-year-old talked about the build up to the event and what it’s been like doing his own fight promoting under his newly formed Real Fight Inc. promotional banner

Nate Diaz on carving his own path with his own promotion

One of the main reasons why Diaz started his own promotional fight company was to get a free hand in delivering his personal approach to combat sports. Something he believes will help draw fans in to this Saturday’s PPV event.

“Like I said before,” Diaz explained. “I’m doing stuff nobody’s ever done before. I think I’ve been doing that my whole career, so I plan on continuing for a long time.”

“I’ve had a lot of thoughts on the way things should go throughout my whole fight career, and people would put stops to it or say, ‘That’s not how it goes’ or something. And I was like, well, I need to be on my own then, and do my own thing. Because I like to make it, I like to run my show; it’s my show and I’m fighting on it, you know? So I think I have the experience and the time put in to call the shots on the way I think things should go. Because I like entertainment too in fights, and I know what I like to see.

“I’m putting out a lot of ways on how to do things, if you actually watch. But I copy the book from people too. You know, I watched what was happening,” Diaz continued. “Golden Boy f—king did his own promotion, Mayweather did his own thing. And my brother did stuff, I saw Chael Sonnen do stuff, and people do stuff. And with martial arts, you’re gonna take the whole package and it’s the art itself. Just the whole fight game. I know who people want to see fight, I know who I want to see fight, more[so] than other people.”

Despite his interest in running his own promotion, and all the notes he’s been taking from other successful promoters, Diaz doesn’t sound all that interested in building hype for his fight with Paul through trash talk. More than anything it seems that’s something he’s trying to avoid.

Nate Diaz feels no need for theatrics and beef

During the interview, Diaz was asked to respond to Jake Paul’s provocative comments towards him over the last several weeks, leading up to their upcoming fight. Apart from the usual bluster that Paul expects to knock Diaz out, the ‘Problem Child’ has also been expressing his frustration with Diaz’s seeming lack of interest in promoting their fight.

“That’s his problem,” Diaz responded, when asked about Paul’s frustrations with the lack of trash-talk. “I think my fighting from over the years promotes my fights, and I’m not gonna get into a little kid argument with the guy and act like it isn’t realer than it is.

“It don’t get no realer than this anyway. I don’t talk a bunch of s—t like he wants to do, I don’t want to see him talk s—t and go back and forth. He said something about me f—cked up at the press conference; I’m like, I wasn’t there for no argument. I don’t even want to go to a press conference to argue with nobody. If we’re gonna argue, we’re gonna fight, so let’s just stay the f—k away from each other before the fight, pardon my language.”

As for promoting the fight, Diaz has his sights set not on attracting viewers to the event so much as he wants to deliver a message to Jake Paul, loud and clear:

“I’m ready to go to war right now, and I’m ready to be cool until it’s time to have a fight,” Diaz explained. “I don’t care. I’m in an important point of my career where it’s like, I’m not trying to scare anybody, I’m not trying to fool anybody. If people want to watch, that’d be great. If they don’t, that’s fine too.”

“That’s where [Paul] got me twisted. I’m not in a gimmick fight with him. Man, I only need him to know that I’ll whoop his ass. I don’t need the whole world. I don’t need to go begging for people to watch. Don’t watch.”

The only thing Diaz is being provocative over is the amount of rounds that he and Paul are supposed to fight in their boxing match. While there was some static online over how many they’d prefer to fight, during the interview, Diaz claimed, “I don’t really care about the rounds. I’d rather have less rounds, but it’s just funny to see [Jake Paul] make a big deal over it anyway.”

“It was just funny because I was like, why do 8 rounds? [Paul] just fought 8 rounds a bunch of times, right? What’s the rules? I don’t really even know the rules for boxing. If it was like, a championship, I think championship fights are 10 rounds and 12 rounds. 10 and 12. Yeah, I don’t know and I wasn’t sure. So I was like, well, let’s do more rounds. It was just a little thought I didn’t really care about.”

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Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. have a rematch clause on their contracts, but they seem to be disagreeing on the weight division at the moment.

Crawford put on the fight of his life, dominating and repeatedly dropping Spence to become the new undisputed welterweight champion on Saturday night (highlights here). After the contest, Spence and his team expressed interest in a rematch, but he wants to move up a division.

Errol Spence Jr. wants the rematch at 154 lbs.

Spence remained respectful after the loss and gave Crawford his props, but he did note how he’d want the rematch to happen at 154 lbs.

“It was an off-night. The better man won tonight, and I’m not here to make any excuses,” Spence said at the post-fight press conference. “My timing was off. I couldn’t capitalize. His timing was a lot better than mine tonight.”

“It’s something I’ve got to talk to my management about, but hopefully (the rematch is) at 154,” he said.

“I’m not gonna stew over it at all. I did what I was supposed to do, regardless of the outcome. I promised everybody I was going to do it and I did it as a man. I’m not gonna sulk over this, I’ll get right back and get to it, hopefully at 154 lbs,” he said. “It was exciting. It’s something that I wouldn’t change for nothing. I’m definitely open to the rematch, and hopefully it’ll be at 154 lbs.”

Terence Crawford open to rematch at a higher division?

With their contracted rematch clause, the loser in Errol Spence gets to decide to activate it, while the winner in Terence Crawford has the say in the weight class. If it does proceed, Crawford does seem open to the idea of facing Spence at 154 lbs.

“It definitely don’t have to be at ‘47,” Crawford said. “Like I said, I’m in the hurt business. ‘47 was hard for me too. I was already talking about moving up in weight and challenging Charlo, so 54’ wouldn’t be out of reach for anything.”

Who’s next for Crawford and Spence?

The lucrative super-fight was years in the making. It’s very early to really tell if they’d finalize a rematch, but for what it’s worth, despite the fight ending up pretty lopsided, a repeat would likely still be big business for the two boxing superstars.

There is also a different option though. With both men also talking about the possibility of competing at 154 lbs, there would also be a big money fight waiting there, involving the division’s undisputed champion in Jermell Charlo.

Editor’s note: We fixed an error on the earlier transcript of Crawford’s quotes about how the rematch definitely “don’t” have to be at 147 lbs.

Jump to

Terence Crawford’s name is etched in history now. 

This was supposed to be close, with two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world facing off to establish who was the king of the welterweight division.

Instead, Errol Spence found himself outclassed and battered, knocked out in the ninth but dissected every step along the way.

This wasn’t just a great performance from Terence Crawford, it was an all-timer. It’ll be remembered for decades. He also became the first man to unify all four belts in two divisions, so that’ll go into the books too.

So how’d he do it? Let’s take a look.

The Breakdown: How Terence Crawford beat Spence

A quick note before we start: as always, there was the question of whether Terence Crawford would choose orthodox or southpaw stance against the naturally-southpaw Spence.

As it happened, he matched his opponent, making for a closed-stance matchup. 

The first round was pretty much as expected, the two sizing each other up, Errol Spence a little busier. There were some warning signs early in the second round already though that Crawford was starting to see a route.

Spence has been caught leaning in as he comes forward before, but it’s usually a marginal issue, something that an opponent can occasionally get a shot off on. Crawford caught him for it for the first time in the second.

Shortly after, Spence did get in close safely but was then immediately shoved back, which was worrying since he was supposed to be the bigger stronger man and needed to have the advantage inside.

The real blow to Spence’s confidence came right at the end of the round, though. He reached in with a body jab and then, anticipating a counter, drew back to make his escape.

Rather than just letting him go, Crawford chased him, throwing a 2-1 and clipping him with the jab hand. It wasn’t a particularly hard shot, but Spence was way off balance and fell.

It was close to the end of the round and once he made it to the bell it became clear he wasn’t physically particularly hurt by it, but the damage to his confidence became apparent quickly.

The problem was that one of Spence’s biggest advantages has always been his ability to move backwards very quickly if need be.

He’s comfortable in his ability to keep a constant smothering pressure on because, if an exchange does get uncomfortable, he can get to safety, reset, and resume the attack on more favourable terms.

He found out with that knockdown that that wasn’t going to be the case here. 

The other big issue? The jab. Spence lives and breathes off working in behind that punch, thrown in doubles and triples as he moves forward.

Now, Spence isn’t a fighter who necessarily needs his jab to land to work behind it (unlike Stephen Fulton, who had real trouble against Nayoa Inoue on Tuesday with a similar problem issue).

If his opponent is reacting to it and giving up space to deal with it, that’s enough. The problem was that Crawford really wasn’t bothered by it at all.

It barely landed, but even when it did he almost always in a good defensive position after Spence finished throwing it and closed the range.

The reverse, on the other hand, was not true. Crawford’s jab would interrupt Spence’s movement and posture constantly, and that massively exacerbated his problems with balance.

Let’s be clear here: Spence has never been a defensive fighter, no, but he’s usually been able to slip, smother or move with punches well enough to both avoid too much damage and to keep his offense rolling.

Here, because Crawford’s jab was so disruptive, he was mostly working off imperfect positions. That turned usually small gaps in his armour into big gaps, and led to the frankly ludicrous 60% connect rate on power punches registered by Compubox. 

Those interceptions were made easier by the fact that, while he isn’t a one-pace fighter in the sense of constantly throwing at one set speed all the time, he does tend to fall into certain beats of timing.

The actual attacks and combinations aren’t always the same, but he can get into certain rhythms, and end up always throwing on that beat.

He doesn’t have the easy knack of holding a movement for half a beat, or just a fraction, to react to the opponent’s own timing, and he felt very uncomfortable because Crawford does. 

If he’s not sure what’s coming, he’ll hold for just a second to see what’s up. If he is sure what’s happening, he can choose his moment precisely to deliver the most damage.

What that meant was that, after Spence threw a jab, Crawford knew when the next move was coming. He didn’t always know what it would be- that took a bit more work- but if Spence’s stance said a follow-up was coming, there was little chance of Crawford going too soon and falling short with his interception.

Likewise, if the stance said Spence would hold off or move away, Crawford would feel comfortable stepping or even leaning in a bit, knowing there wasn’t a hidden surprise to punish him- that also contributed to the first knockdown. 

The last big piece of the puzzle- and the ‘figuring out the next move’ play- for Crawford was, as expected, his famous trap-setting and baiting. Spence was always going to need to keep pushing to win, but because of early adversity he clearly didn’t feel he had time to get his bearings, and Crawford exploited that to the max.

In particular, he used his excellent active guard as a feinting tool. He’d put up one defence, knowing full well Spence would throw at the gap he thought it left. He’d then adjust, defend the shot, and counter (or, if he felt comfortable enough, just beat Spence to the punch). 

Watch for example the above, the first knockdown in the seventh. They’re close up in the middle of the ring, with Bud in a shell guard (that is, lead hand low, left hand by his chin). Spence sees an opening in that low lead hand, and throws an overhand left to the head.

Crawford slides back from it, but instead of pushing Spence back or circling away, he fades to the ropes. Spence senses a similar opening and throws the same punch, but this time Crawford brings his lead hand up in a short uppercut that staggers him, and follows it with a chopping overhand with the same hand that puts him on the floor. 

You can see a similar dynamic play out with that particular combination throughout the fight- particularly in the ninth, before the finish Crawford punishes the same looping left a couple of times.

There were numerous other pieces of bait dangled, though, and it was one of those that, in combination with pretty much all of the above factors, led to the finish. 

The Finish: How Terence Crawford got it done

Spence normally loves an opponent with a static high guard in front of him, as he can freeze it in place with a couple of shots upstairs then aim to work the body.

Terence Crawford knew this, and would throw up a high guard for Errol Spence to bite on throughout the fight. In the final exchange, he did it again. Spence came at it with a double jab, then paused.

At that point Crawford knew he had a beat of Spence’s typical rhythm free before anything else came, so he was ready to act on whatever it proved to be.

As it happened, Spence tried to batter past that high guard with the same overhand left. Crawford caught and countered with the right hand, and since Spence had overbalanced again in throwing it, it sent him staggering.

It was a formality after that- Crawford chased Spence, unloading, and referee Harvey Doc had no choice but to wave it off.

It was, ultimately, a performance that showed us the difference between the very good and the truly great. The errors Spence showed are not huge, and no opponent to date has been able to truly punish him for them. Crawford, though, made them look like gaping chasms.

The timing and the ability to adjust on show were truly remarkable, and Spence’s own adjustments were just too limited to make a difference. It was brilliant, and anyone who’s thinking about belittling Spence for how he looked here should have a word with themselves. He simply came up against a master.

What’s next for Terence Crawford and Errol Spence?

We know they have a rematch clause, so what’s next is probably that. It’s up to Errol Spence whether to activate it — but it’s up to Terence Crawford what division they fight in.

Since Spence indicated clearly that he’s no longer comfortable at weltwerweight and would prefer it at light-middleweight, that could be a snag—but Crawford also said post-fight that he’s quite happy moving to 154, so we could see it there. Probably before the end of the year, but a lot will depend on how Spence heals.

If they do choose to go a different way, the only really interesting opponent for Crawford remaining at welterweight is rising star Jarron Ennis.

That’s a fun fight because Ennis is a brilliant fighter in all areas, comfortable switching between them and much bigger than Crawford- but a performance like this does suggest it might just be a bit too soon for the younger man.

Still, Ennis would be itching to prove he’s elite himself. Since Ennis, while not with Al Haymon’s PBC platform, is associated with Showtime, it should be pretty makeable.

For Spence, meanwhile, 154lbs offers a number of opponents. Jermell Charlo, the unified champion, is seemingly off on an adventure up to 168lbs to fight Canelo.

If he doesn’t, or comes back down quickly, Spence would love that fight- but if not, the belts split, and he’ll have opportunities to start picking them up. So that’s definitely the future for him. Even if the rematch does happen, he’ll be campaigning at super-middle after that. 

Is a rematch necessary? Only Errol Spence can really decide. After a performance like that, it doesn’t seem much that he can do to close the gap, but he’s got his pride, and he is still very good. 

Worst case scenario, we get a repeat of a masterclass from Terence Crawford.

Jump to

UFC and MMA news comes at you fast, so you’re bound to miss a couple of things throughout the week. Have no fear, Hitting The Links is here. Below you’ll find links to the big (and under-the-radar) stories we published this week. Maybe you’ll see something you missed.

Who’s next for Naoya Inoue? Filipino champion confirmed for undisputed title fight after face off

Promoters confirmed that a Filipino champion is likely next for Naoya Inoue. (read more)

Stephie Haynes: Doesn’t matter, Inoue will mop the floor with them anyway.

Child boxing match involving 9-year-olds being promoted in West Virginia

A promotion in West Virginia is hosting a child boxing fight involving nine-year-olds. (read more)

Bissell: Our brains don’t stop fully developing until we are in our mid-twenties. The younger we are the more vulnerable they are. A hit to the head, even an innocuous looking one, at nine-years-old could have life-altering consequences.

Wilcox: This is really just a routine amateur kids boxing match but they’re promoting it like a pro fight.

WTF: Martial arts master goes Roadhouse in the streets

Martial arts don’t give you superpowers or make you an action star, but this guy somehow tried both. (read more)

‘I’m not used to losing’ – Tony Ferguson reveals firing ‘toxic’ coaches, says he’s still in his prime

Ahead of UFC 291, Tony Ferguson addressed his recent losing streak. (read more)

UFC 291: Alex Pereira responds to warning about Blachowicz’s power

Alex Pereira received a warning about Jan Blachowicz’s power ahead of their UFC 291 co-headliner, and here’s his response. (read more)

‘Enjoy trafficking women’ – Andrew Tate gets under UFC Hall of Famer’s skin

Controversial social media personality Andrew Tate continues to ruffle feathers. This time, he got under the skin of a UFC Hall of Famer. (read more)

Bissell: Andrew Tate is a pathetic boy in a men’s clothing who has built a shallow, yet glossy, life through basic and shameless exploitation plots. He deserves a punch in the face from someone who knows how to do it. Cerrone’s ‘human trafficking’ beliefs are probably coloured by the current right-wing moral panic over kidnappings. However, in calling out Tate he is actually calling out a very real human trafficker.

Stephie Haynes: While people are fawning over this callout, I’m gonna stay on the “Don’t give Cobra Taint a single molecule of stage or platform for any reason” side of the argument.

Jon Jones can’t ‘hold a candle’ to Tom Aspinall? – Champ delivers reality check to pundits

Is Tom Aspinall the next big thing at heavyweight? Jon Jones would like a word. (read more)

Bissell: I don’t think Jones has any interest in sticking around for the next generation of fighters. These fantasy match-ups with him and Aspinall and Pavlovich are fun to image, but will never happen.

‘Euphoria’ star signs with Jake Paul, but how good is he at boxing?

Javon Walton, known as “Ashtray” from Euphoria, has signed with Jake Paul’s boxing promotion. (read more)

Bissell: Ashtray will F— you up. If you know, you know.

UFC 291: New NBA owner’s call to Ari Emanuel ‘greased the wheels’ for Salt Lake City

With UFC 291, Salt Lake City is hosting its second UFC pay-per-view event in two years. (read more)

Wilcox: Zach Arnold’s concerns about Endeavor’s string pulling are well placed.

Vicente Luque cleared for UFC after brain hemorrhage

Vicente Luque will make his Octagon return with the specter of a serious brain injury hanging over him. (read more)

Bissell: I’ve covered dozens of deaths that have stemmed from brain bleeds. I’m so glad we avoided one of those here. Though, with the nature of the sport, the lack of education around brain injuries and the lax preparation for traumatic injuries that we see at some promotions, I fear it won’t be long until I’m writing about another death that could have been avoided.

55-year-old UFC Hall of Famer returns for grudge match against one-time CM Punk opponent

MMA is full of twitter beefs that never turn into actual fights, but at least one former UFC champ is getting his chance to settle a score. (read more)

Bissell: I don’t think anyone can win here.

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality UFC coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

Jump to:

Terence Crawford and Errol Spence finally fought, and after a pretty entertaining contest it was the former that shined. Crawford repeatedly dropped Spence, eventually earning a late TKO over his rival to remain undefeated and now become the undisputed champion at welterweight.

Crawford initially scored a knockdown in the second round, then twice again in the seventh, eventually forcing the referee to stop it in the ninth. It was a pretty masterful performance for Terence Crawford in a fight that has been years in the making.

After the loss, Spence said he will use the rematch clause on their contract and try to go again.

Watch Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford highlights

Watch video from the contest below:

Spence vs. Crawford results

Check out Bloody Elbow’s live play-be-play results and analysis to see all of what went down during The Fight of the Century.

Live stream and full event replay

FITE.TV has the rights to air this fight live in the following countries: Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Cambodia, Fiji islands, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Albania, Baltics, Iceland, Netherlands, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine. If you live in one of these places you can purchase and view ‘The Fight of the Century’ below:

You know you can count on us for quick, consistent quality coverage. Bloody Elbow is an independent, reader supported publication. Please subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our best work and learn how you can support the site.

Jump to

Terence Crawford (39-0-0, 30 KOs) has unified a division before, when he grabbed all the belts at 140lbs. He’s only got the one at welterweight though. Errol Spence (28-0-0, 22 KOs) holds the other three. More than that, though, these have been the two top fighters in the division for half a decade or more, and two of the kings of the sport. Whoever wins this rivalry puts a real crown on their legacy. It’s the big, big one for boxing this year, and it’s finally here.

Look out also for the title fight between the Filipino legend Nonito Donaire, looking to win yet another world title at age 40 as he takes on Alexandro Santiago. We’ll have a separate play-by-play of that fight.

The card can be viewed on Showtime in the US, on a $84.99 pay-per-view. It’ll air on TNT in the UK, and on Fite.TV in many other territories. The card will start at 8PM ET, with the main event expected around 11PM ET; but, as usual, stay tuned here for any updates to that main event time. Find all the details of how to watch the fight in our guide here.

Update: Okay, the card is live. Scroll down for live results and some thoughts or join me in the comments.
A note: it was completely unscheduled to the point of not even being on Boxrec, but there was an prelim after all. We’ve got results and highlights for you on that at the bottom of the page.

For the Donaire-Santiago title fight, find our separate play-by-play here.

UPDATE: Main event up next. Ringwalks imminent.

Errol Spence vs Terence Crawford: Live play-by-play

Round 1: The pageantry is over and we’re in the ring. Crawford opens southpaw, so both men that way to start. Both men trying to claim center ring, but Crawford as expected more willing to circle on the outside. Feeling out process early. Spence made the first real forway about halfway through the round, nothing significant but in a close round a couple of raids probably lands him the round. Crawford counters one of those raids with a left upstairs that backs Spence off, but still, 10-9 Errol Spence

Round 2: Spence presses more immediately in the second. Leans in and Bud holds. Then Spence overcommits a bit coming in and Crawford lands a counter combination. Spence responds by upping the volume more. Crawford, as usual, taking some time to see what Spence has. Crawford shoves Spence back, which could be noteworthy, Spence is supposed to be the bigger stronger guy. And Crawford drops Spence with a lead left! Spence tried to disengage and got caught off balance. Hunting him in the corner and the bell saves Spence! He looks recovered, but that’s a bad start. 10-8 Terence Crawford, 19-18

Round 3: Spence doesn’t look hurt, it was a flash knockdown, but Spence has to watch his balance. Now Spence tries to get it back, really bullying into the corner. Crawford shoves him off and backs him up again with a jab. It really could be significant that Spence does not appear to have the strength advantage. He’s pushing hard but he’s getting backed up and he isn’t finding safe routes to disengage. Caught again as he steps back. And a right hook wobbles Spence a bit with thirty seconds to go. Spence probably too eager to get the knockdown back, giving Crawford too many openings. 10-9 Terence Crawford, 29-27

Round 4: Once again Spence gets caught coming in too hard. Crawford starting to work the body now, and Spence’s nose is all bloodied up. He’s doing work himself, don’t mistake me., but all the sharpness is with Crawford. And a big left backs up Spence! Spence is not in a good way, Crawford is beating him up now. A minute and a half to go and Crawford is on fire. He’s making Spence look average. Spence is now in a bind- he knows he has to push but every time he does he’s geeting smashed up. Crawford works the body again.

The round ends with Spence on the backfoot, and this is becoming very one-sided. Spence has to find something. It’s not clear what that might be. Sounds like the referee called for the doctor to look at Spence in the break. 10-9 Terence Crawford, 39-36

Round 5: Yep, the doctor in the ring for Spence. He’ll let it continue though. Possibly an overabundance of caution by Harvey Doc, but better that than the opposite. Crawford lighting Spence up again when they do restart. Spence coming in with his jab, working the body, pulled up for low blows. Double jab and clubbing left by crawford. Then Spence comes in and eats a right hook. Quite frankly he’s panicking here.

Right hook to the body, right upstairs, and an uppercut, all by Crawford. Spence lands a big left and Crawford felt that for the first time. Crawford responds by pushing him back with a jab. Better by Spence in this round but still a clear 10-9 Terence Crawford, 49-45

Round 6: Crawford is willing to push forward consistently now. Spence responds by trying to work downstairs and back him up that way. The left over the top is a good punch for him, but Crawford landing almost at will. And a big right followed by a left buckles Spence briefly! The referee pauses it again to warn Spence for low blows again. Seems harsh. Probably helped him though, since Bud had him hurt. Crawford trying to up the tempo, and he is, but Crawford finding space for unorthodox punches that still carry power in close. Uppercuts are a money punch for him too. 10-9 Terence Crawford, 59-54

Round 7: Spence pushes again, needing to take over, but Crawford catches him and pushes him back very quickly. Spence becomes hesitant. Pushes forward again and gets dropped again! He has no answers for what’s coming at him. Huge lefts over the top, then a right. Harvey Doc watching carefully. Crawford backs off a bit now, letting Spence work and looking for counters. And a big right drops Spence again at the end of the round! 10-7 Terence Crawford, 69-62. This is an absolute beating so far.

Round 8: Crawford comes out walking Spence down, and wobbles him with a left over Spence’s jab. It’s hard to see a way back into this for the Texan. Now he backs off a bit and tells Spence ‘come at me’. Soence is in recovery mode, though. Or survival mode. Either way, he’s not willing to step in because he doens’t know how to stay safe when he does at this point. Crawford stabbing with body jabs and then wobbles Spence with a combination. Spence tries to respond, but he’s being wobbled by jabs. 10-9 Errol Spence, 79-71

Round 9: Terence Crawford looking relaxed. Spence… not so much. And a jab snaps his head back again. Everything Crawford lands is having an effect. Body jabs working him and now he picks up the pace and starts landing combinations. The referee and corner have to think about this. Spence runs in with a combination, misses and is clubbed with a left hook. And Now Crawford wobbles Spence, Harvey Doc stops it! Absolute domination!

Some aggro betweent he corners after the fight, sounded like they were disagreeing about the rematch. The boxers themselves were respectful though. But let’s not let that obscure just how good Terence Crawford was.

Live results and highlights

WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF welterweight title fight: Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford

Lightweight: Isaac Cruz SD Giovanni Cabrera 114-113 113-114 115-112

• Cruz (24-2-1, 17 KOs) is the more experienced of the two and wants to get the job done and get back to chasing a rematch with Gervonta Davis. Cabrera (21-0-0, 7KOs) is less experienced and less explosive but has a huge size advantage. This is a big chance for him, but also a big step up.
• Cabrera not interested in engaging in close at all. Cruz, on the other hand, is all about that. The early pattern is set. One man chasing, one man jabbing and moving.
• This is weird and janky and neither man fighting particularly well. Cabrera’s stance is all over the place but he’s keeping range effectively and cuffing Cruz over his stance a lot. But whenever Cruz does get inside he has the clear advantage.
• Cabrera starting to take over in the middle rounds, and Garcia showing his chin as he eats a number of big shots.
• Cruz deducted a point for a headbutt in the eighth. Ends the round hurting Garcia though.
• Split decision, which is a bit controversial. Cruz had that pretty comfortably. A lot closer than I expected, not great cards. Actually 114-113 to Cabrera is insane.

WBC bantamweight title fight: Alexandro Santiago vs. Nonito Donaire 115-113, 116-112, 116-112

• Nonito Donaire (42-7-0, 28 KOs) is a legend, he’s done it all. At aged 40, he’s looking for yet another world title. Alexandro Santiago (27-3-5, 14KOs) stands in his way.
• Our separate live thread for this fight can be found here.
• Donaire far more economical in the early rounds, Santiago having to work far harder, but the first two rounds were quite close
• In the third, Santiago decided to try to push Donaire back, and got clipped and hurt by Donaire’s signature left hook.
• Through five, it’s still pretty even- Donaire more efficient, Santiago working much more, landing fairly similarly. Every so often Donaire does land a shot that gets Santiago’s attention, though.
• Santiago probably winning most of the rounds, but not dominating them or anything. Through seven, still a battle of Santiago’s volume v Donaire’s power.
• Time told as the fight went on, though, and Santiago mostly took over in the back half of the fight as the older man’s reaction time visibly slowed by the round.
• In the end, Santiago did what he needed to, keeping the volume up and keeping himself safe enough as he did so. Good performance by him and he takes the belt home with him.

Light middleweight: Yoennis Tellez TKO-3 Sergio Garcia

• First up: Garcia- 34-2-0 is a Spanish veteran of the European scene. He was meant to be providing a stiff test to the highly-rated Alejandro Ramos, but with Ramos out, the bout was saved by Cuban prospect Tellez. At 5-0-0, this is a huge step up, especially since none of his pro opponents have a winning record.
• The first round set a pattern of Garcia pressing behind his jab with Tellez circling, but both men fairly cautious despite throwing a fair bit.
• A shock in the third, as Tellez caught Garcia as he dropped his hands, and dropped him! Garcia protests but he’s not recovered and Tellez tees off until the ref stops it! What a statement!

Super-middleweight: Steven Nelson UD Rowdy Legend Montgomery 99-91, 99-91, 100-90

super-bantamweight: Jose Salas Reyes TKO-4 Aston Palicte

Lightweight: Demier Zamora UD-8 Nikolai Buzolin- 80-72, 80-72, 80-72

Super-featherweight: Justin Viloria TKO-4 Pedro Penunuri Bogaro

Welterweight: Deshaw Prather UD Kevin Ceja Ventura: 57-56, 57-56, 57-56

Lightweight: Jabin Cholet TKO-2 Michael Portales

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Alexandro Santiago dominates Nonito Donaire to claim WBC title

Nonito Donaire looked every minute of his 40 years tonight against Alexandro Santiago. Santiago won on all three judges cards to claim the vacant WBC bantamweight title, a belt the popular Filipino fighter won in 2021 and defended on one occasion.

Nonito Donaire vs. Alexandro Santiago highlights

Play-by-Play Analysis

Round 1

Donaire aggressive and taking center ring. Santiago early jabs miss. Donaire stalking. Santiago landing jabs. Both fighters trade hooks. Left hook scores for Santiago. More jabs landing for Santiago, Donaire lands to the body. Santiago 10-9

Round 2

Donaire whiffs early. They trade jabs. Santiago lands a hook-straight combo. They trade left hooks. Donaire lands clean with a left. Santiago wins an exchange. Santiago lands to the body. 10-9 Santiago. 20-18 Santiago.

Round 3

Donaire stalking Santiago. They trade jabs. Donaire hurts Santiago with a left. Santiago is cut! Santiago recovers and survives. Donaire landing with a variety of punches. 10-9 Donaire. 29-28 Santiago.

Round 4

Donaire looking to capitalize on his strong third round. They trade jabs early. Advantage Donaire. Donaire lands a right. Santiago with a jab and a right. Santiago 10-9. 39-37 Santiago.

Round 5

Donaire again controlling the center ring. Santiago landing nicely with jabs. They trade jabs. Donaire missing with his power shots. Santiago landing a left hook and crowding Donaire. Hook to the body from Donaire. 10-9 Santiago. 49-46 Santiago

Round 6

Santiago pushing forward. Crowding Donaire. Donaire looking for the big left hook but nothing doing. Donaire coming forward. Landing a jab. Santiago using lateral movement to dodge the jabs. Santiago lands a right to the body, dodges Donaire’s answer. 10-9 Santiago. 59-55 Santiago

Round 7

Santiago ducks a left. Santiago fires off a six punch combo including a hard right hand. Another head butt and the ref calls a pause. Rules it an accident. Santiago circling away. Double jab from Donaire. Left hook to the body from Donaire. Santiago’s left eye bloody. Right hand over the top by Donaire. Santiago much busier. 10-9 Santiago. 69-64 Santiago.

Round 8

Both fighters looking the worse for wear going into the 8th. Santiago cut, Donaire swollen. Big right from the busy Santiago. Donaire lands a hook to the jaw. Serious combo landed by Santiago. Uppercut from Santiago. They trade hooks. Big right for Santiago. Left hook by Santiago. He’s beating up Donaire. Donaire moves forward, pushing Santiago off. Double left hook by Santiago. 10-9 Santiago. 79-73 Santiago.

Round 9

Donaire has a lot of ground to make up. Donaire coming forward early. Santiago lands to the body. Overhand right lands for Donaire. Santiago ripping to the body. Santiago landing a nice combo, starts to the body, ends in a double jab. Overhand right from Santiago. Donaire lands a big right, follows with a wild left hook that misses. Santiago landing a lot of shots to end the round including a nice uppercut. 10-9 Santiago. 89-82 Santiago.

Round 10

Santiago firing jabs and circling away. Double jab for Santiago. Donaire trying to corner his man. Pumping jabs and throwing to the body. Overhand right lands for Santiago. Double jab for Santiago. Donaire looking for the big right, whiffs. Santiago lands a jab, follows with a big right. 10-9 Santiago. 99-91. Santiago.

Round 11

Santiago looks dominant. Throwing jabs to the face and body. Big left hook for Donaire. Follows with a right. Vicious right from Santiago. 1-2 from Santiago. Donaire trying to answer. They hug and mug. Overhand right and left hook from Santiago. Santiago pumping the jab. One jab from Donaire. Four punch combo from Santiago. 10-9 Santiago. 109-100 Santiago.

Round 12

This is it. Donaire pumping the jab. Santiago making him miss with hooks. Santiago lands to the body. Jab-right from Donaire. They clinch. Chopping right from Santiago. A minute left. Left hook from Santiago. Another clinch. Donaire has no answer. 10-9 Santiago. 119-109 Santiago. We should have a new bantamweight champ!

Official decision

Alexandro Santiago def. Nonito Donaire via unanimous decision (115-113, 116-112×2).

Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford is up next!

The Fight of the Century for the undisputed welterweight title is coming right up. Find out how you can stream Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford here.

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Terence Crawford dominated Errol Spence

Terence Crawford had the biggest night of his life. In his superfight against Errol Spence, the 35-year-old put on a masterful performance to win the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF and The Ring welterweight titles, while retaining the WBO belt with a ninth-round TKO victory. On Twitter, pro fighters and pundits reacted to the memorable performance.

Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford results

Check out Bloody Elbow’s live play-be-play results and analysis to see all of what went down during The Fight of the Century.

Lightweight: Isaac Cruz SD Giovanni Cabrera 114-113 113-114 115-112

Light middleweight: Yoennis Tellez TKO-3 Sergio Garcia

Super-middleweight: Steven Nelson UD Rowdy Legend Montgomery 99-91, 99-91, 100-90

super-bantamweight: Jose Salas Reyes TKO-4 Aston Palicte

Lightweight: Demier Zamora UD-8 Nikolai Buzolin- 80-72, 80-72, 80-72

Super-featherweight: Justin Viloria TKO-4 Pedro Penunuri Bogaro

Welterweight: Deshaw Prather UD Kevin Ceja Ventura: 57-56, 57-56, 57-56

Lightweight: Jabin Cholet TKO-2 Michael Portales

Live stream and full event replay

FITE.TV has the rights to air this fight live in the following countries: Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Cambodia, Fiji islands, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Albania, Baltics, Iceland, Netherlands, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine. If you live in one of these places you can purchase and view ‘The Fight of the Century’ below:

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Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford are fighting tonight! And you can watch the whole card, live, right here.

The Fight of the Century is expected to crown a undisputed welterweight champion with Errol Spence wagering his WBA (Super), WBC, IBF and The Ring welterweight titles against Terence Crawford’s WBO welterweight title.

The co-main for this one sees Isaac Cruz taking on Giovanni Cabrera in a WBC and WBA lightweight eliminator match-up. Also on the card Nonito Donaire, coming off his crushing loss to Naoya Inoue, will look to get back in the win column against Alexandro Santiago. That fight is for the vacant WBC bantamweight belt.

Start time and date

This event takes place on Saturday, July 29, 2023. The main card is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The main event ringwalks are expected to take place at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford Live video stream

FITE.TV has the rights to air this fight live in the following countries: Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Cambodia, Fiji islands, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Albania, Baltics, Iceland, Netherlands, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine. If you live in one of these places you can purchase and view ‘The Fight of the Century’ below:

Viewers in the US can only watch Spence vs. Crawford via Showtime. Details on how to do that can be found here.

Full fight card

• – Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford; For the undisputed welterweight title
• – Nonito Donaire vs. Alexandro Santiago; For the vacant WBC bantamweight title
• – Yoenis Tellez vs. Sergio Garcia; Super welterweight
• – Steven Nelson vs. Rowdy Montgomery, 10 rounds, super middleweights
• – Jose Salas Reyes vs. Aston Palicte, 10 rounds, junior featherweights
• _ Jabin Chollet vs. Michael Portales, 6 rounds, lightweights
• – Justin Viloria vs. Pedro Borgaro, 6 rounds, junior lightweights
• – Demler Zamora vs. Nikolai Buzolin, 8 rounds, lightweights
• – Kevin Ventura vs. DeShawn Prather, 6 rounds, welterweights

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Preview

Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford is finally upon us. The so-called ‘fight of the century’ is expected to crown a undisputed welterweight champion with Errol Spence wagering his WBA (Super), WBC, IBF and The Ring welterweight titles against Terence Crawford’s WBO welterweight title.

The match-up is a dream fight for boxing purists and mainstream fans alike. Spence brings his 28-0 record to the party, which improved with a TKO win (his 22nd) over Yordenis Ugas in April 2022.

The slightly older Crawford is 39-0. He defended his title against David Avanesyan in December, winning by 6th round KO (the 30th stoppage of his career).

Before this epic clash, the undercard should deliver some great action. The co-main is Isaac Cruz vs. Giovanni Cabrera in WBC and WBA lightweight title eliminator (titles currently held by Devin Haney).

Also on the card Nonito Donaire, coming off his crushing loss to Naoya Inoue, will look to get back in the win column against Alexandro Santiago. That fight is for the vacant WBC bantamweight belt.

Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford Full Fight card

• Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford; For the undisputed welterweight title
• Isaac Cruz vs. Giovanni Cabrera; WBC and WBA lightweight title eliminator
• Nonito Donaire vs. Alexandro Santiago; For the vacant WBC bantamweight title
• Yoenis Tellez vs. Sergio Garcia; Super welterweight
• Steven Nelson vs. Rowdy Montgomery, 10 rounds, super middleweights
• Jose Salas Reyes vs. Aston Palicte, 10 rounds, junior featherweights
• Jabin Chollet vs. Michael Portales, 6 rounds, lightweights
• Justin Viloria vs. Pedro Borgaro, 6 rounds, junior lightweights
• Demler Zamora vs. Nikolai Buzolin, 8 rounds, lightweights
• Kevin Ventura vs. DeShawn Prather, 6 rounds, welterweights

Start time and date

Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford takes place on Saturday, July 29, 2023. The main card is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The main event ringwalks are expected to take place at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

Tickets

Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Tickets are available here.

Live streams and PPV price

Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford will be broadcast on Showtime PPV in the US for $84.99.

Showtime can be streamed on TV streaming services Amazon FireTV, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, XBOX One and smart TVs from LG and Samsung.

The app can also be installed on Apple, Android and Amazon mobile devices.

Showtime can also be bundled with subscriptions to Paramount+, Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV and traditional TV cable providers.

TNT Sport will carry the PPV in the UK for £19.95.

In Canada, and many other territories, the fight will be available on FITE.tv for $63.99 USD.

FITE.tv can be viewed on the following devices:

Web browsers

All major modern browsers including Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge.

Mobile devices and tablets

Install the FITE app from the iOS App Store, Android Google Play or Amazon.

Smart TVs

• Samsung TV
• LG TV
• Vidaa or VEWD via Hisense TV and selected TiVO boxes
• Vizio SmartCast TVs
• Netgem Set-Top Box
• AT&T TV Device

Gaming consoles and streaming devices

• Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV
• Chromecast
• Optimus Stream
• Playstation 4
• Roku
• Xbox One
• Xfinity Flex and X1 TV Box

Bloody Elbow offers quality coverage of major boxing main events for the MMA fan who appreciates the sweet science and likes to keep up here in the community. If you want to see more of this kind of work, please subscribe to the Bloody Elbow newsletter and learn how you can support the site.

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It’s finally here. Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr have been the giants of the welterweight division, and two of boxing’s biggest stars, for years now. Naturally, a clash between them has been demanded for years- but boxing’s promotional cold wars held it back. With Crawford a free agent now, though, they’ve finally been able to strike a deal – and unlike some delayed superfights, it’s not too late. Both fighters are still considered to be in their primes, and it will be the career-defining fight for both. Don’t get it twisted- this is as big as it gets in combat sport. 

The Preview: How did Terence Crawford and Errol Spence get here?

Of the pair, Terence Crawford (39-0-0, 30 KOs) is the smaller man, having won a title at 135lbs and unifying all the belts at 140 before moving up to the 147 lb welterweight division. That run earned him acclaim and the top spot on many people’s pound-for-pound lists- but it’s fair to say that his run at welterweight has underwhelmed.

Since moving up in 2016, and while all his wins are fine — there haven’t been any egregious blowouts against world-level no-hopers, they’ve all also been against opponents either well past their best or without real world-level experience. Sure, the disappointment is partly down to the fact that he’s quite clearly so good that he’s making credible opponents look foolish — but he does need this fight to really put a stamp on his run at this weight.

Errol Spence (28-0-0, 22 KOs) has by contrast been a welterweight his entire pro career, and he’s big for the weight. He reached world level back in 2017, beating Kell Brook in an excellent contest. His run since then has been more testing than Crawford’s, with wins against Danny Garcia and most recently Yordenis Ugas as well as their common opponent Shawn Porter. That’s resulted in him holding three of the belts- the WBC, WBA and IBF, to Crawford’s WBO. He has, though, also been quite inactive in recent years. That’s especially true since his very lucky escape shortly after his win over Porter, when he drove drunk and was thrown from his rolling Ferrari.

He somehow walked away from that with only some scratches on his face, though the week in the hospital has had fans questioning whether the trauma might affect his endurance. That is still open to question to some extent, but he looked very sharp in his win over Ugas last year, so it’s probably not something that’s affecting his fight preparation now. In any case, after all that, he has solid wins but not that defining one- so he’s just as up for this as Crawford is. 

It is, in short, as high-stakes as it gets- all the titles, and the question of legacy. Let’s  take a look. 

The Breakdown: How do Errol Spence vs Terence Crawford match up?

Of the two, Errol Spence’s gameplan is going to be the more predictable, because he’s all about one thing: getting and staying in his opponent’s face, and winning an attritional battle with gruelling physicality and thumping short (but constant) combinations. It would be very wrong to call him crude, but he isn’t subtle. 

Terence Crawford, meanwhile, is the more complete all-round boxer. He can and does box in close when he feels the need (or just wants to), but he’s also excellent on the outside- and he’s equally good boxing backwards and forwards. He’s also, of all boxers of the last decade or so, probably the most renowned for finding his opponent’s weaknesses as a fight goes on, and exploiting them. He also has some of the best finishing instincts in the sport.  In short, he’s both cerebral and brutal, and will be looking to use that to overcome the size disadvantage.

What that means is that, on a technical level, the advantage goes to Crawford in the sense that he’s going to be competitive whatever is happening in the fight. Even though Spence is bigger (though not actually longer- Crawford has the reach advantage), his outside game is really just about setting up how not to be outside. That means he’s not really trying to win on points there, and doesn’t do make too many adjustments with that in mind.

Against many opponents he’ll score points just because his jab is very good, but Crawford is longer and more technical than pretty much anyone Spence has been in against, and if he focuses on winning at distance, he has the advantages.

More specifically, Spence has a good jab but Crawford is excellent at messing with his opponent’s jab before delivering his own work, with handfighting and parries. Spence pressures extremely well, but he’s never faced anyone as well-versed as Crawford at anticipating approaches.

Similarly, while Spence is quite happy letting opponents come to him, he’s not that happy if he actually has to fight backwards. He’s very sharp at moving backwards, but only to get back to range, reset, and engage on the front foot again. If Crawford can get him into reverse mode and then keep up with him for a bit, he’ll have a good chance to score a few points without return. The reverse will not be true- even if Crawford spends much of his time on the back foot, he’ll be finding openings to land the entire time. 

Spence has been taking steps to mitigate these issues throughout his career, though, and produced probably a career-best technical performance against Ugas. Not that he was any more comfortable being backed up, necessarily- and he was on a few occasions there- but he was better at moving laterally or spinning out to get to safety more easily. And doing that can make an opponent turn to follow, opening opportunities for him to crash back in while they’re off-balance. That won’t be easy against Crawford, but it does give him more options than he would have had three or four years ago.

Where might Spence have the advantages? Well – in close. Although the height isn’t that different and Crawford’s reach is longer, Spence is very clearly the bigger, bulkier man of the two. And while Crawford is a clean, capable technical boxer, he is used to using physicality of his own to get his way in close. So if and when Spence does get the fight into his area of expertise, Crawford will have to contend with the toughest physical challenge of his career. 

It’s not just crude muscling, either- Crawford has dealt with muscle before, comfortably dealing with Jeff Horn and eventually stopping Shawn Porter. But both of those fighters are relatively basic with how they use their muscle. Spence will frame up, handfight, and use his feet to break an opponent’s posture before going to work, and if he can do that against Crawford it will be harder to bring his own strength to bear. Crawford is also good at this- but for him it’s a tool in the box, whereas it’s Spence’s main gameplan. 

It should also be noted that although Crawford may have the tools to score points in more areas than Spence, the reality is he sometimes doesn’t. His ability and willingness to give up certain battles to condition his opponents is legendary- but has occasionally come with rounds given up on the scorecards. Some observers had Porter up in their fight- to the disbelief of Crawford just he went out and finished it, and he was officially down to Kell Brook before he ended that fight. 

There have been others throughout his career. It’s true that, on those occasions, it never really felt like he wouldn’t get the job done in the end- but Spence is a different beast to any of those, and if Crawford finds himself giving up too much momentum, he may find it hard to make back the difference. 

Still, though, that comes with a flipside. Momentum is key to Spence’s game- but it’s also key to Crawford’s. That is, his opponents’ momentum. He is as good as anyone in the world at drawing his opponents on, persuading them to do certain things in certain ways, and then punishing those tendencies. Spence absolutely has to roll forward and try to impose himself- he can’t win if he doesn’t.

But, for all the talk of potentially boxing outside or circling or pushing Spence back, trying to build his own momentum is exactly what Crawford wants Spence to do. And, if he does find those openings, that’s when Spence’s relative lack of variety can bite him. Crawford can arrest his own momentum on a dime, do something different if need be. Spence may not be able to.

And there’s one more thing: Errol Spence is an attritional fighter. He seeks to break down his opponents by doing more damage than they can throw back- but he doesn’t do an awful lot to stop them throwing, or indeed landing fairly often. He is by no means an incompetent defender, but he’ll take two to land three, quite happily. Against most opponents- fine. Against Crawford, even if he can limit it two ‘take two’, he may find those two are much sharper punches than anything he can deliver.

Whereas Crawford, while no stranger to shipping shots himself if he thinks it’ll gain him something, is attempting to manage his opponent’s offence. He simply has more strategies to avoid damage, and that gives him an advantage even if Spence can overmatch his volume.

That’s the broad strokes, in a battle of advantages for both but probably favouring Crawford overall. Let’s take a look at some further details that may affect the fight:

Crawford is a renowned stance-switcher. He isn’t, however, someone who switches constantly to befuddle his opponents, the way a Tyson Fury or many MMA fighters might try. Instead, he tends to pick one stance and hold it for a while, see how it works for him. If he finds the matchup uncomfortable, he’ll switch to see what he can get there.

He does mostly box from southpaw these days, it seems- but he is perfectly capable of going orthodox if he thinks he can find better angles and openings that way. He’ll also often open in orthodox, let his opponent get a feel for him there, then switch- something he did against both Porter and Avanesyan. Spence is a southpaw himself, so that may affect his choices there. But don’t expect him to be constantly switching up, that’s just not his game.

Errol Spence closes distance very fast, but with a great deal of control. If there’s one thing that could surprise Crawford on the night, it’s that. Porter is a fast range-closer, yes, as was Yuriorkis Gamboa who gave Crawford trouble earlier in his career- but neither, especially Porter, as controlled about it. That does mean Crawford will have less space and time to make his famous reads. That may come into play.

On the other hand though, while Spence is controlled, he does make one error relatively consistently- he’ll duck forward over his front foot in the final phase of his approach. Expect Crawford uppercuts. Actually, look for other punches first- overhands or high jabs to persuade Spence to commit to the leaning-in approach as he slips them. Then expect uppercuts. 

Watch for a very high-level battle of very small angles. Spence got the upper hand against Ugas, in his last fight, simply by shifting his shoulders a lot. His feet would barely move, but he’d lengthen or flatten the set of his shoulders, thus altering the arc of his punches and making the angle of approach just slightly different. Ugas found this very hard to deal with. Crawford, meanwhile, makes a whole style of this- constantly changing angles with feet, torso and head. So he may have the advantage overall – but the speed with which Spence covers ground may mean Crawford is caught off-balance adjusting more than usual.

There’s been some talk of this going off like Hagler-Hearns, but as entertaining as that would be, it’s not all that likely. Neither fighter is a slow starter in the sense of being unwilling to engage early- but Crawford is very much going to be scouting the territory. pence will roll in from the start, but he’s also someone who tries to build momentum rather than come out full-throttle, so expect a bubble-up of momentum rather than an instant screeching collision. 

The Prediction: who wins Terence Crawford vs Errol Spence?

Well, it seems clear from all the above who I favor: Terence Crawford has more routes to victory. Now, that doesn’t mean this is a one-sided fight. Errol Spence does the things he does very well, and the nature of his style is that should he get on top, he might be the one walking away with a wide victory. Whereas Crawford is more likely to win narrow even if he seems in control the whole time, and a badly-timed dip in momentum could give Spence a fight Crawford felt in control of.

All that said, though, Crawford’s wider array of options and his capability of using a charging opponent’s strengths against them should give him a victory. I’ll go for Terence Crawford by unanimous decision, but frankly I would not be shocked by a late KO. 

What’s on the undercard?

No fat here, with only four fights scheduled for the entire card- so it’s all on the PPV show, no prelims. The legendary Nonito Donaire fights for a title once more at age 40, taking on Alexandro Santiago for the WBC bantamweight belt. Isaac Cruz, who caught the eye in 2021 with a credible losing performance against Gervonta Davis, squares off against the much bigger, and unbeaten though unproven, Giovanni Cabrera.

That’s an eliminator for both the WBA and WBC titles at lightweight, so the winner will have a good claim to challenge Devin Haney for all the belts. And slick Spaniard Sergio Garcia was supposed to be fighting Jesus Ramos in what would have been a tough test for both men- but with Ramos out, instead he’ll be facing completely unknown Cuban Yoenis Tellez. Given that this will be Tellez’ first fight against someone with a winning record, it’s an enormous step up, so Garcia should be winning handily- but sometimes this kind of thing does throw up a surprise. 

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Caleb Plant and Jermall Charlo stole some of the attention from the highly anticipated Spence vs. Crawford weigh-ins.

In an altercation that has now gone viral, the two boxers initially faced off backstage at the Terrence Crawford vs. Errol Spence weigh ins. Plant then lunged forward and hit Charlo in the face. Watch the clip below.

Caleb Plant slaps Jermall Charlos backstage at Spence vs. Crawford

Caleb Plant’s strike was more of a lunging open handed left hook than a traditional slap, and it seems to have caught Jermall Charlo off guard. The latter still seemed pretty heated in the parking lot minutes after, but fortunately, things didn’t escalate much after, with people managing to step in before things truly got out of hand.

Pros react: Conor McGregor slams Charlo

UFC star Conor McGregor has since reacted to the altercation, criticizing Charlo’s reaction to being hit in the face.

“Get right back here this second Sir, you’re going nowhere till we settle this dispute here and now. Wtf is going on there?” McGregor wrote in a tweet that has since been deleted. “Clean cracked and let’s him walk out? No. Nope. Nah. Not a f—in’ hope”

Other boxing personalities also reacted to the altercation from the Spence vs. Crawford weigh ins.

Charlo is the WBC middleweight champion, but hasn’t fought since June 2021, when he beat Juan Macias Montiel. Plant, on the other hand, is a former super-middleweight champion, but has lost two of his last three bouts to Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez.

A bout between the two popular fighters would probably draw, especially with a viral clip already getting the marketing going.

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Preview

Seniesa Estrada fights in Las Vegas on tonight, defending her WBC and WBA strawweight titles against Leonela Paola Yudica.

‘Super Bad’ Estrada is 24-0 with 9 KOs. She has held her WBA title since early 2021. She won the WBC belt won she beat Tina Rupprecht by unanimous decision in March.

Yudica is a former IBF flyweight champion who is coming off a win over Tamara Elisaget Demarco. She has a 19-1 record with 1 KO to her name.

Seniesa Estrada vs. Leonela Yudica results

• Seniesa Estrada def. Leonela Paola Yudica via unanimous decision (97-93 x3); for Estrada’s WBC/WBA women’s strawweight title (10 rounds)

• Andres Cortes def. Xavier Martinez via TKO, round 7 (3:00); junior lightweights (10 rounds)

• Abraham Nova def. Jonathan Romero via KO, round 3 (2:47); junior lightweights (10 rounds)

• Rohan Polanco def. Cesar Francis via TKO, round 4 (1:05); junior welterweights (8 rounds)

• Nahir Albright def, Carlos Balderas via majority decision (77-75, 77-75, 76-76); lightweights (8 rounds)
• Charlie Sheehy def. Kaylyn Alfred via TKO (round 3, 0:31); lightweights (6 rounds)
• Subaru Murata def. Juan Centeno via retirement, round 3 (3:00); junior featherweights (6 rounds)

Start time and date

Seniesa Estrada vs. Leonela Yudica takes place on Friday, July 28, 2023. The main card begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The main event ringwalks are expected to take place at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT.

Tickets

Seniesa Estrada vs. Leonela Yudica takes place at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV. Tickets can he purchased here.

Live streams

Seniesa Estrada vs. Leonela Yudica will be streamed on ESPN+. A monthly subscription to ESPN+ costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year. ESPN+ can also be included in The Disney Bundle with Hulu. The ad-supported version of that package is $13.99. The no-ads version is $19.99.

Bloody Elbow offers quality coverage of major boxing main events for the MMA fan who appreciates the sweet science and likes to keep up here in the community. If you want to see more of this kind of work, please subscribe to the Bloody Elbow newsletter and learn how you can support the site.