Hi there, friends, and welcome to what will be a new daily feature here at Bad Left Hook, as we’ll round up the news of the day every Monday-Saturday at 1 am ET. So in case you missed something, you can always check in here.
Top Stories
The split between Gennady Golovkin and Abel Sanchez remained the big story in boxing going into the weekend, as Sanchez continued to speak about the end of his relationship with Golovkin. The trainer called it “heartbreaking” to be “blindsided” by the news, and has said that the split is over money. Usually trainers and fighters just kinda go their separate ways, but this has been an ugly one. Golovkin has said nothing after his initial statement.
Eddie Hearn’s had a lot to say. He’s in California for the Rungvisai-Estrada 2 card, and responded to Luis Ortiz’s team saying Ortiz was “lowballed” by an offer to fight Anthony Joshua on June 1, and ripped into Jarrell Miller over the three failed drug tests, calling Miller “cowardly” and saying it was “cold-blooded cheating.” There’s some hope that Anthony Joshua’s opponent will be announced today, or at least sometime this weekend.
Friday night’s big DAZN card is set, as all the fighters made weight in Los Angeles. The card features a batch of real prospects, and is led by three fights at the top: Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs Juan Francisco Estrada in a super flyweight title rematch, Daniel Roman vs TJ Doheny in a 122-pound title unification fight, and Jessie Vargas vs Humberto Soto. And they all STARED AT EACH OTHER! Our live coverage will start at 7:30 pm ET on Friday.
Quick Hits
- Matchroom Boxing USA announced deals with three top prospects: American lightweight Devin Haney and Uzbek Olympians Shakhram Giyasov and Murodjon Akhmadaliev. Giyasov and Akhmadaliev both fight on Friday night’s show, Haney will fight May 25.
- Frank Warren also picked up a new client, signing heavyweight Joe Joyce to a co-promotional deal with an eye on a Joyce-Daniel Dubois fight in July for the British heavyweight title.
- The WBC tweeted that a fight between Errol Spence Jr and Shawn Porter “has been announced,” but PBC hasn’t put out anything official yet.
- Two fights in the works: Oscar Valdez vs Erick Ituarte for June 8 on ESPN, and Adam Kownacki vs Robert Helenius for a summer PBC card.
- Mikey Garcia is now officially the “champion emeritus” at lightweight for the WBC, and Luke Campbell will get to fight for the vacant belt this summer. Garcia discussed his decision to vacate and fight at 140 or 147 going forward.
- The expected Masayuki Ito vs Jamel Herring show is official for May 25 on ESPN.
- Deontay Wilder and Shawn Porter want PED users to get lifetime bans.