After calling out Tyson Fury multiple times, WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will be fighting mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin. The bigger news is that Wilder will be making his fourth title defense far away from home-in Russia.

Making Povetkin Comfortable

According to Andrey Ryabinsky, Povetkin’s promoter, they had two choices in making the bout: one was to make more money and the other was making Povetkin feel comfortable. He chose the latter and now he says the rest is up to his fighter.

To achieve that, Rabinsky won the purse bid held last month. Lou DiBella, who represents Wilder, offered $5.1M for the bout while Rabinsky’s bid was $7.1M. Although Wilder is entitled to 70% of the purse as champion, Rabinsky’s winning bid allowed him to force Wilder to fight outside the United States. And that he did.

Rabinsky announced to media earlier this week that the fight will take place on May 21st in Moscow. Wilder, who was earlier rumored to vacate the title if he were to fight abroad, confirmed via promoter Lou DiBella that he was more than willing to go to Moscow, defend his title and take the lion’s share of the $7.1M purse.

Really Wanted The Fight

Getting to fight in Moscow for the world title should be more than enough motivation for Povetkin who has been chasing Wilder since last year. Povetkin has won four fights in a row after losing a WBA version of the heavyweight title to Wladimir Klitschko in 2013. During that winning run, Povetkin defeated four legitimate heavyweights in Mariusz Wach, Mike Perez, Carlos Takam and Manuel Charr.

Povetkin flew all the way from Russia to be at Deontay Wilder’s fight against Artur Szpilka last January 16th at the Barclays Center in New York, USA. Although it was unified Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury who took centerstage by challenging Wilder by creating a scene during the post-fight interviews, Wilder already declared that he was ready to fight Povetkin after being criticized for taking voluntary title defenses.

Knockout Artists

The athletic Wilder is unbeaten in 36 fights and has knocked out all but one of his opponents, including 18 in the very first round. This incredible punching power though is paired with an erratic style owing to the fact that Wilder didn’t start to box until ten years ago.

On the other hand, Povetkin is 30-1 with 22 KOs with his only loss coming to Wladimir Klitschko. The former 2004 Olympic Super Heavyweight gold medalist owns impressive wins over current or former world champions Chris Byrd, Marco Huck, Ruslan Chagaev and Hasim Rahman. Povetkin is 6-1 in his last 7 bouts and all those wins have been by knockout. With a similarly heavy hitter opposite Deontay Wilder, experts do not think this fight between knockout artists will go the distance.

Opening Odds

Although this fight could very well be a 50-50 bout because of both men’s KO power, Wilder opened as a very slight -125 favorite against Povtekin who opened at +120. Without doubt, this will be the toughest fight for the untested Wilder not only because he is facing a former world champion but also because he will be fighting in his opponent’s home country.

They’re calling this bout the battle of the “Dad Bods” because of how these two heavyweights look. But don’t let their looks deceive you, because Frank Mir and Mark Hunt are two Top-10 heavyweights in the UFC, ranked #9 and #10 respectively.

Frank Mir and Mark Hunt face each other at the main event of UFC Fight Night 85 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia on March 19th.

Looking To Extend Careers

Mir will be looking to get back on the winning track after a disappointing loss to Andrei Arlovski last September. He appeared to be on his way to recovering from four consecutive losses between 2012-2014 and had  won back to back fights against Antonio “Big Foot” Silva and Todd Duffee, both by knockout, before losing to Arlovski.

The New Zealand born Hunt challenged Fabricio Werdum for the UFC Heavyweight title in 2014 but was knocked out in the second round. Like Mir, Hunt is 2-2 in his last four bouts. After suffering a lopsided loss to top contender Stipe Miocic in May 2015, Hunt rebounded by showing his old devastating form in a first round KO  win over Antonio “Big Foot” Silva at UFC 193 last November  in Melbourne, Australia.

With the heavyweight picture starting to pick up, these aging veterans are looking to extend their careers with a win over the other. According to sports books, this match-up is as close as it gets.

Who Takes This?

The odds are pretty close in this contest. Hunt is a slight -175 favorite in most books while Mir is a +150 underdog. While Mir has all the natural advantages in height ( 6’3” to 5’10” ), reach ( 79” to 72” ) and age ( 36 vs 42 ), Hunt has the heavier hands between the two. Frank Mir’s striking defense is below average at 38% or 3.87 significant strikes absorbed per minute. Against a heavy hitter like Hunt, that’s too many punches to absorb, especially in a five round bout. On the other hand, Mir is one of the best submission experts in the Heavyweight division. His best chance of winning this contest would be submitting the Super Samoan on the ground. However, Hunt has excellent takedown defense at 68% and Mir only has a 48% takedown accuracy. Mir’s also an excellent striker but with a granite chin, Hunt will not likely get knocked out. Instead, experts are picking Hunt to knock out Frank Mir in the third round.

Shortly after annexing the WBA Junior Featherweight title from fellow Briton Scotty Quigg, Carl Frampton has been ordered by the WBA to face former champion Guillermo Rigondeaux next.

Jackal vs. Jackal

Rigondeaux was stripped of the same WBA title for inactivity but the organization has maintained that the Cuban Jackal should get the next title shot after Frampton-Quigg last weekend. Frampton outpointed Quigg in a Junior Featherweight title unification bout in Britain and went home with two world title belts on his waist. Should the Frampton-Rigondeaux fight happen, it will be a battle between two fighters nicknamed as the Jackal.

Super Fight With Santa Cruz

Shortly after winning that All-England battle, Frampton expressed his desire to fight featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz next. Santa Cruz retained his world title by stopping challenger Kiko Martinez a few hours after Frampton defeated Quigg. A Santa Cruz-Frampton battle would be a big fight in the smaller weight classes and it would have the appeal that Guillermo Rigondeaux never had because of his fighting style.

The undefeated Rigondeaux is considered as one of the best technical boxers in the sport. However, his hit and run fighting style hasn’t impressed the American audience, forcing the big networks to shy away from his fights. Rigondeaux will face unheralded James Dickens in Liverpool on March 12th and barring any major upset, he will be the WBA’s mandatory Junior Featherweight challenger.

No Decision Yet

Given the circumstances right now, plus Frampton’s desire to move up in weight, fighting Santa Cruz would make more sense, especially since the 16-0 ( with 10 KOs) Rigondeaux is seen as the more dangerous opponent. Aside from being ordered to fight Rigondeaux, the IBF also ordered Frampton to defend his belt against Shinji Wake. While Frampton says he wants to keep both belts and remain a world champion, he isn’t getting a break from the alphabet bodies and may be forced to relinquish one or both world titles.

Frampton and his team haven’t made a decision yet, but his promoter Barry McGuigan admitted that Frampton’s next bout won’t be fighting Scott Quigg in a rematch. McGuigan also added that Frampton was unscathed during the Quigg fight and is in tremendous shape that he can fight again very soon. However, he says they are weighing all their options right now while letting Frampton take a much needed break first.

A showdown between the Top 2 welterweight contenders has been booked by the UFC. Per reports, Rory MacDonald and Stephen Thompson will butt heads at UFC Fight Night 89.

#1 vs. #2

As announced by UFC President Dana White on Friday, #1 ranked welterweight Rory MacDonald will square off against the 2nd ranked 170 pound fighter in the UFC’s roster, Stepehn Thompson at UFC Fight Night 89 on June 18th in Ottawa. White made the announcement during the press conference of “Unstoppable” where he enumerated the promotion’s list of events for spring and summer. The venue for UFC Fight Night 89, which will be shown via FS 1 and streamed over UFC Fight Pass, as well as the full fight card have yet to be determined.

Protege Versus Sparring Partner

MacDonald is coming off a July 2015 5th round TKO loss to current UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, in a back and forth fight that MacDonald was winning until he suffered a broken nose in the final round that led to the stoppage. The Montreal based striker is 18-3 in the UFC and was considered as the protege of former champion Georges St. Pierre.

Thompson meanwhile, is coming off the biggest win of his career. The Wonder Boy stopped former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks in the first round during their encounter at UFC Fight Night 82 last month. The victory was Thompson’s sixth consecutive win since losing to Matt Brown. It brought him up to #2 in the rankings and set up this likely #1 contender’s match-up  What makes this match-up interesting is that Thompson was a former sparring partner of GSP.

The Next Title Shot

While the speculation is that Conor McGregor will be gunning for Lawler’s 170-pound title at UFC 200, the winner of this bout should get the next crack at the Ruthless One simply because these are two legit welterweights who are number 1 and 2 in the 170-pound rankings. MacDonald has been knocking at that 170-pound title and has been turned down by Lawler twice- the first in a #1 contender match-up at UFC 167 and the second one at UFC 189 last July. Those two are MacDonald’s only losses since 2010.

Thompson asked for a title shot after stopping Hendricks last month. His ranking zoomed up to #2 after that career-defining victory. Thompson’s karate-based striking should pose all sorts of trouble for MadDonald but MacDonald has the experience advantage going for him.

Top Rank President Bob Arum announced on Friday that a deal that would pit Vasyl Lomachenko and Nicholas Walters was already agreed upon. According to Arum, the two featherweight fighters will fight possibly on April 30 at either Madison Square Garden in New York or at a venue in Chicago.

Weight Not an Issue

Lomachenko and Walters are two of the top fighters in boxing’s lower weight classes. The two were originally scheduled to face each other last year but after Walters missed weight in a fight with Miguel Marriaga, the Jamaican Axe Man decided to move up to 130 pounds. Lomachenko meanwhile, defended his 126-pound title against Romulo Koasicha last November and won by knockout. Walters meanwhile, made his 130-pound debut last December but figured in a controversial draw with Jason Sosa.

Although Arum says the fight is a go, he says they have yet to decide on which weight class it will be fought at. Walters previously said making 126 again won’t be a problem if there’s a big fight there but considering he missed the cut the last time he fought there, the fight is likely going to be at 130, where Lomachenko says he plans to move up to anyway.

Disparity in Experience

If you look at the fighter’s records, there is a huge professional experience disparity between the two. Walters is unbeaten in 26 bouts with 21 KOs while Lomachenko is a mere 5-1 with 3 KOs. But don’t let the numbers deceive you because Lomachenko is considered as the greatest amateur boxer of all-time. Lomachenko ended his amateur career with a record of 396-1, with his only loss coming at the hands of Albert Selimov and which he avenged twice. He earned a questionable title shot in only his second pro fight. He lost that one though to Orlando Salido but won the same WBO Featherweight title in his next fight when he defeated the highly touted Gary Russell Jr in June of 2014.

Walters meanwhile is one of the biggest punchers in the sport. He was the former WBA Welterweight champion before losing the title on the scales against Marriaga last year. Walters ended 2014 with a one sided KO win over former BWAA Fighter of The Year Nonito Donaire Jr. Walters also owns a fifth round KO win over former world champion Vic Darchinyan.

As the UFC said, it’s on.

Nate Diaz will be stepping in to face Conor McGregor at the main event of UFC 196 after UFC Lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos suffered a foot injury that will sideline him from the event.

Not A Title Fight

The Stockton fighter took the fight on an 11-day notice but McGregor agreed to fight Diaz at a weight of 170 pounds to level the playing field. The bout will remain a five rounder, but it won’t be for a world title, which was the very reason why Conor McGregor is here in the first place.

After winning the featherweight title in December, McGregor chose to move up in weight and challenge Dos Anjos for the 155 title, in the hopes of becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold two world titles simultaneously. But with Dos Anjos out of commission, McGregor not only will miss that opportunity, he will also be facing a different challenge in Nate Diaz.

The Right Choice?

One half of the UFC’s popular Diaz brothers, Nate was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 5. Although ranked #5 in the UFC Lightweight rankings, Diaz fought at welterweight in his last bout. He’s just 2-3 in his last five fights but was impressive in his most recent outing where he defeated Michael Johnson by unanimous decision. Although he’s not as polished as a fighter Dos Anjos is, Nate Diaz is as tough as they come.

Critics questioned the decision to give the fight to Diaz as Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis and even Urijah Faber offered their services to fight McGregor. But given Diaz’s marketability and his natural trash talking skills, he was the correct business choice and perhaps the safest one to keep McGregor’s train going.

Who Takes This?

McGregor opened as a big -390 favorite in many sports books with Diaz a +350. Those numbers may seem too overstated considering that McGregor is fighting two weight classes above his division.

However, not only is Diaz taking the fight on short notice, he’s taking on one of the best stand-up fighters in the game today. The 25-pound weight jump may look too huge for Conor McGregor but Diaz himself fought at 155 for most of his career. He isn’t too big for McGregor to handle so size won’t be much of a factor here.

On their feet, McGregor is the better and smarter striker. Diaz though is tough as nails and won’t back down from anybody so it’s interesting to see what gives here. Diaz has good submission skills and is a jiu jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie while McGregor’s ground game is still considered suspect. The question here is if Diaz can take McGregor to the ground. That’s always easier said than done. Having said those, Conor predicted a first round KO of Diaz. Given Nate’s reputation as a tough guy, it won’t be easy. However, we still expect McGregor to finish Diaz in three rounds.

The wait is over. Anthony Joshua will be fighting for a world title sooner than we expected.

Matchroom Promoter Eddie Hearn announced last Monday that a deal pitting Joshua against newly crowned IBF Heavyweight champion Charles Martin has been finalized. The two will fight on April 9th at the O2 Arena in London.

Unlike other big fights that are tough to make, this one was worked on only for a couple of weeks according to Hearn. Martin was willing to take on all comers while Joshua never hesitated when the opportunity to become a world champion was presented. As a result, Britain will be cheering for a second current heavyweight champion two months from now.

Joshua turned pro in 2013 after capturing Olympic gold in 2012. The 6-6, 245-pound Joshua has boxed only a total of 32 professional boxing rounds in a career that has been a perfect 15-0 with 15 KOs. Seven of those total rounds came against amateur rival Dillian Whyte last December 13th where Joshua avenged a 2009 amateur defeat. The bout will mark the first time the 26-year old prospect headlines an event in London.

Martin won the vacant IBF title when he defeated the previously unbeaten Vyacheslav Glazkov via TKO last January 16th. Martin though didn’t put Glazov down during the fight. Instead, Glazkov injured his ACL and dislocated his knee during a slip and was unable to continue. Despite that circumstance, Martin is undefeated at 23-0-1 with 21 KOs.

Glazkov was unified Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s mandatory challenger for the IBF belt  but after Fury vacated the title to fulfill his contractual obligation to rematch Wladimir Klitschko, the next highest ranked contender was elevated to the title bout. That was Martin and he made the most out of his chance.

Joshua, the Commonwealth Heavyweight titleholder, ends fighting for a world title ahead of his planned schedule. But with the opportunity to fight a guy like Martin, his chances to become a world champion in 2016 are much higher than waiting for Tyson Fury. Should he go on to win the IBF belt, a possible Fury-Joshua title bout late this year could be next provided Fury repeats over Wlad. Should that happen, it could be the biggest fight in British boxing history with two British World Heavyweight champions slugging it out for the undisputed world title.

When Anthony Pettis lost to Eddie Alvarez at UFC Fight Night Boston last month, he immediately asked the UFC to book him a “real fight” ASAP. Well the UFC heard him so now they’ve matched him against a dangerous opponent in Edson Barboza.

As announced at “UFC Tonight”, Pettis will take on Barboza in a lightweight bout at UFC 197 which will be headlined by  the UFC Light Heavyweight title bout between current champion Daniel Cormier and immediate former champion Jon Jones. The event will be held on April 23th, 2016 at a venue still to be determined.

Pettis is in a must-win situation after suffering the first back to back losses of his career. After losing his crown to current Lightweight king Rafael Dos Anjos, Pettis lost a tough grappling match-up against former two-time Bellator Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez last month. Pettis criticized Alvarez for turning their bout into a grappling affair with Showtime unable to launch his vaunted striking attacks. He literally begged the UFC to give him an immediate “real fight” in obvious reference against Alvarez’s style and now the promotion has granted his wish.

Pettis’ opponent will be Edson Barboza, the decorated Muai Thai Striker from Brazil. Although Barboza was 1-2 in 2015, his overall UFC record is 10-4. This six time Fight of The Night Winner (5-1 record) is currently ranked #8 in the UFC Lightweight standings. He is considered one of the more dangerous strikers in the 155-pound weight class and his style may be the perfect match-up to that of Pettis’.

Pettis complained about Eddie Alvarez dragging him to the mat last month. Now he gets an opponent who will surely oblige in a stand up battle. Having said that though, Barboza may be more than what Pettis asked for. Although he struggled last year, he is far from being finished at 30 years old. But if Pettis wants to return to the top of the rankings, this one is the fight that will take him there again.

The UFC’s lightweight division is loaded with talent and with an ambitious guy like Conor McGregor going for Dos Anjos on March 5th, the title picture could become complicated. But should Dos Anjos send McGregor packing back to his weight class and Pettis beats Barboza convincingly, he may get the next title shot over Eddie Alvarez who is begging for one after beating Gilbert Melendez and Pettis.

The rematch between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier will take place at UFC 197 on April 23rd, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

UFC officials confirmed the matchup last weekend after finalizing the venue. The UFC initially wanted to book the event at Madison Square Garden in New York, Jones’ home state, where MMA is illegal. But after they were unable to secure the necessary injunction within the state, the UFC decided to book it at the MGM Grand Arena.

The Jones-Cormier UFC Light Heavyweight title bout will headline the event while a second title fight between flyweight king Demetrious Johnson and Olympian Henry Cejudo will serve as its co-main event.

Hard To Look At Posters

Shortly after the official announcement of the rematch, Jon Jones said it was hard to look at the UFC 197 posters because “his belt” is hanging on the shoulders of the man he defeated at UFC 182. Although Jones beat Cormier handily during their first meeting, he will be the challenger to D.C. in this rematch because the UFC stripped him of the title and suspended him indefinitely following his involvement in a hit-and-run accident in April 2015. Cormier won the title later that year by beating Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and has since defended it once against Alexander Gustafsson. But with Jones’ reinstatement last October, the former champ has been aching to get his gold back. Now he has a date.

Dictating The Terms

Although the rematch between the two was inevitable, Cormier didn’t want to fight Jones in New York, saying as “champion, it was his decision where the fight would be held. Jones and his camp also wanted to dictate the negotiations according to their terms but in the end, Cormier got his wish not to fight in New York while Jones got his wish of getting an immediate opportunity to reclaim the title he never lost inside the Octagon. The question now is how both fighters have changed since their first meeting.

Different Fight, Same Result?

During their first fight, Jones closed the betting lines at -170 while Cormier was a close +150. But after Jones’ rather easy dispatching of D.C., oddsmakers have installed him as a big favorite at -340 against D.C’s +260 when the lines opened. The reason is because while Cormier has fought twice since their meeting and won both times, he hasn’t shown anything different as a fighter.

Size Problems

Cormier says he knows where he went wrong in the first fight and will make the adjustments at UFC 197. D.C. has always been known for his wrestling and stamina but against an elite striker like Jones who has a massive height and length advantage over him, he could be in trouble. Cormier easily controlled Anthony Johnson and negated Rumble’s power by taking him to the ground but that was because Johnson isn’t really a big light heavyweight.  Against the taller Gustafsson, a good striker who gave Jon Jones a scare during their bout, Cormier had all sorts of trouble before pulling off a close shave split decision victory.

Jones’ Edge and Driving Problems

Jones carries a 5-inch height advantage and a 12-inch reach advantage over Cormier and that’s easily the biggest factor in this match. Experts aren’t even acknowledging Jones’ ring rust, considering that he hasn’t fought since January 3rd, 2015. Jones has been training like a mad man and has been lifting weights like he’s planning to throw Cormier around the ring like a rag doll.

Jones was recently flagged for driving without license and insurance but officials said the incident won’t affect his current probation. Will continued distractions like this pile up and affect Jones’ preparations? That remains to be seen but should be one factor to be considered.

Unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin will face the IBF’s mandatory challenger Dominic Wade on April 23rd, in preparation for his highly anticipated showdown with Canelo Alvarez later this year.

Preorder your #GolovkinWade tickets now if you haven’t already, use promo code ‘GGG’ https://t.co/QrxRd23Qrh pic.twitter.com/s4qBhSQyya

— Gennady Golovkin (@GGGBoxing) February 13, 2016

Weight and Wait

Golovkin and Alvarez were ordered by the WBC to negotiate a bout after the latter’s victory over Miguel Cotto last year. However, because of Canelo’s insistence to fight at a catchweight of 155 pounds, both camps failed to reach an agreement. Surprisingly, instead of stripping Alvarez of the title,  the WBC allowed both fighters to take a tune-up fight and postpone their negotiations until after their respective bouts. Last week, Alvarez announced that he will be fighting welterweight Amir Khan on May 7th. Now Golovkin has booked an earlier date and will have to wait for Canelo to take care of business.

Second Choice

The IBF had Taureano Johnson ranked on top of Golovkin’s challengers but after suffering a shoulder injury during his title eliminator bout against Eamon O’Kane, Wade was next in line and he immediately grabbed the opportunity to face one of the sport’s most feared punchers. Undefeated in 18 fights, Wade has good power (12 KOs) and an impressive amateur background. But he’s untested in the pros with his biggest win coming over 41-year old former champion Sam Soliman.

Undisputed

Golovkin meanwhile is on a mission to become undisputed middleweight champion. He is currently the WBA (super), IBF and interim WBC middleweight king. The WBO champion is Billy Joe Saunders while the WBA (regular) is Daniel Jacobs. However, it’s Canelo Alavarez’s WBC and Ring middleweight titles that he wants the most not only because those belts are more prestigious but because Alvarez is the biggest fish who would give him his richest payday ever. However, with Canelo’s insistence to fight at 155, it remains to be seen if the two parties can book a fight, even with the “waiting period” given to them.

Biggest Underdog Ever

When Mike Tyson fought Buster Douglas in 1990, Iron Mike was an incredible 49-1 favorite and we thought we’d never see those odds again in championship boxing. But Golovkin was a ridiculous 100-1 favorite when the betting lines opened, making this a real life Rocky Balboa movie in the making. Having said that, let’s remember that Douglas beat Tyson in 1990. However, Golovkin has knocked out his last 22 opponents and experts aren’t even concerned on who Dominic Wade is. After all, this is a tune-up fight for a Canelo Showdown later this year.