Boxing News Roundup (May 9, 2019): Joshua-Ruiz, Spence-Porter, Pacquiao more

Miss anything on Wednesday? Let’s get you caught up.

Top Stories

Golden Boy are saying that “1.2 million people worldwide” watched Canelo-Jacobs through DAZN. That doesn’t mean 1.2 million people in the US, obviously, as “worldwide” gives that away, and since not everyone knows this, yes, DAZN is available in other countries. Specifically, DAZN, which launched in the United States last September, is available in Canada, Japan, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland, with Spain and Brazil coming this year.

The next big primetime USA hours fight on DAZN is June 1, when Anthony Joshua faces Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden. Joshua says he wants to “demolish” Ruiz, and Ruiz continues doing his best to convince doubters that he can really fight, which he can.

And now from DAZN over to the PBC welterweights.

Errol Spence Jr vs Shawn Porter is likely headed to Brooklyn on August 3, headlining a show on FOX. Spence is IBF titleholder, Porter is WBC titleholder. It’s a terrific FOX main event if the deal gets done, which it should. I don’t think there’s anything to hold it up, both guys seem like they want it and it’s been rumored for weeks now.

Manny Pacquiao’s fight with Keith Thurman may in fact happen on the rumored July 20, but the Filipino Senator is attending to his political duties for at least the next few days, so there’s been no movement there..

Quick Hits

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

• We got some fights added to the schedule today, as Rey Vargas will face Tomoki Kameda on July 13 on DAZN, and Jazza Dickens will headline against Nathaniel May on July 12 on ESPN+.
• The current plan for IBF lightweight titleholder Richard Commey is to have him defend against Ray Beltran on June 28. Commey is coming off of a hand injury that prevented him from taking a unification bout in April with Vasiliy Lomachenko, and now even if he beats Beltran, he’ll soon after have a new mandatory challenger in either Teofimo Lopez or Masayoshi Nakatani, who meet in an eliminator on July 19.
• As for Lomachenko, he’s now also being targeted by Miguel Berchelt, the WBC titleholder at 130. Berchelt returns Saturday on ESPN (10 pm ET) in a rematch with Francisco Vargas. The card’s top four fighters held a media workout on Wednesday.
• Speaking of Saturday fights, Julian Williams just doesn’t like anything about Jarrett Hurd’s style. They meet in the FOX main event on Saturday (8 pm ET).
• The WBA have officially ordered super bantamweight titleholder Daniel Roman to defend against Murodjon Akhmadaliev, which was expected. Roman was able to fight TJ Doheny to unify the WBA and IBF titles on April 26, with the agreement that the winner of that fight would have to face Akhmadaliev.
• Mahmoud Charr vs Trevor Bryan is headed to purse bid. Finally, the heavyweight world title fight we’ve all been waiting for.
• Eddie Hearn spoke at length about Daniel Jacobs’ future, the WBC ordering Lomachenko-Campbell, Oleksandr Usyk’s injury, and more.
• Callum Smith expects that his size will be a big help if he fights Canelo Alvarez. Well, I mean, yeah.
• Showtime Sports did a “Day in Camp” feature on Ruben Villa, who headlines ShoBox this Friday (10:30 pm ET). It’s a really good video, if you have 15 minutes to get to know a bit more about a featherweight prospect, I recommend it.
• Hughie Fury has taken a page out of GGG’s playbook and set himself up for a May 25 fight with a 35-year-old Canadian guy nobody knows.
• Kind of just a nice story, we don’t get a lot of just nice stories: Martin Murray, a four-time world title challenger who turned his life around with boxing after four stints in prison as a young man, has received a US visa after 13 years of trying. He doesn’t know if he’ll ever actually fight in the States, but he’s excited just to be able to visit as a family and come cheer on friends who are fighting.