Boxing

Boxing fans have been hoping to see a fight between Ryan Garcia and Gervonta "Tank" Davis for quite some time now, but it appears the two already got into it outside of the ring.

Per TMZ Sports, Garcia said on Instagram Live that he recently got into an altercation with Davis at a nightclub and he claimed Davis grabbed his chain before security intervened.

"There's so many security guards there," Garcia said. "I knew he wasn't gonna take my chain or do anything really. He just wanted to seem tough."

The incident started because Garcia and one of his friends approached Davis' table and asked him when they were finally going to set up their much-anticipated fight.

"I guess he got offended by that," Garcia said of Davis. "Got all worked up."

After Davis let go of Garcia's chain, the two of them continued jawing at each other. The incident appears to have added some extra fire to the rivalry.

"Outside the ring, you can act tough all you want," Garcia said. "Inside the ring, it all changes. I'm not with the acting tough. I'm tough only when I need to be."

Garcia improved to 23-0 with his sixth-round knockout victory over Javier Fortuna in July. Davis last defended his WBA "regular" lightweight title in May with a sixth-round TKO of Rolando Romero to remain undefeated at 27-0.

In June, Garcia's promoter Oscar De La Hoya said he intends to make Davis a "multi, multi, multi, multimillion-dollar offer" for a matchup between the two boxers. It should be just a matter of time before Garcia and Davis settle their differences in the ring.

Anthony Joshua's manager suggested Monday that a fight between Joshua and reigning WBC world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury isn't dead despite the two sides failing to reach a deal.

Fury announced Monday that he pulled his offer for a fight against Joshua off the table after the two sides couldn't reach an agreement by his self-imposed deadline.

According to ESPN's Mike Coppinger, Fury said the following Monday on his Instagram stories: "Well, guys, it's official. D-day has come and gone. It's gone past 5 o'clock Monday. No contract has been signed."

In response, Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, said: "There were various positive calls today between promoters and broadcasters who are all working hard to finalize the fight. There has been no talk of a deadline between the parties, but we are moving at pace to try and conclude the deal."

Two weeks ago, Joshua's camp announced that the boxer had agreed to Fury's terms for a fight, although nothing was made official at that time.

Coppinger noted that while the two sides agreed to a 60-40 purse split in favor of Fury, there were several other obstacles that were never resolved, including Fury having pay-per-view deals with ESPN and BT Sport, and Joshua having a contract with DAZN.

Fury expressed his desire to fight Manuel Charr if no deal with Joshua could get done, and Hearn expressed his belief that Fury wanted to fight Charr all along, per Coppinger.

Ultimately, the one huge remaining fight for Fury is a heavyweight title unification match against Oleksandr Usyk, and any fight before then would be a tuneup of sorts for Fury.

Fans have long anticipated a Fury vs. Joshua fight, especially those in the United Kingdom, but it has lost some of its luster in recent years.

While Fury is 32-0-1 in his career, holds two victories over Deontay Wilder and continues to expand his star power by making some appearances for WWE, Joshua is seemingly headed in the other direction.

Joshua was once the toast of British boxing with a 22-0 record and multiple world titles in his possession, but a shocking loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019 changed the trajectory of his career.

Although Joshua won the WBA (super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles back from Ruiz in a rematch, he has lost back-to-back fights against Usyk by unanimous decision and split decision, respectively.

There would still be a great deal of interest in Fury vs. Joshua, but Fury vs. Usyk looks to be the big-money fight now. Fury seems to be positioning himself to be ready for that bout next year by winning a preparatory fight this year.

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. is set to return to the ring for another exhibition match.

The Global Titans promotion announced on Monday that Mayweather will take on YouTube star Deji on Nov. 13 at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. Deji posted an eight-minute video announcing the bout on his YouTube channel, which has 10.7 million subscribers.

Mayweather's exhibition tour continued this past weekend, as he defeated Mikuru Asakura by second-round TKO in an exhibition match in Saitama, Japan. Asakura is a YouTuber and MMA fighter who competes for Rizin.

Since his retirement from professional fights in 2017, Mayweather has continued to showcase his skills through a series of exhibition matches. He has fought kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa, YouTuber Logan Paul and retired boxer Don Moore. Mayweather's last sanctioned fight was a win against UFC star Conor McGregor, which improved his record to 50-0.

The 25-year-old Deji has competed in four exhibition boxing matches, per MMA Fighting's Alexander K. Lee. He fought against Jake Paul in 2018, and last month he earned his first win by defeating Fousey by third-round TKO (retirement). Deji is the younger brother of KSI, who defeated Logan Paul by split decision in a sanctioned bout in 2019.

Mayweather doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Last week, he indicated that a rematch against McGregor could be on the horizon.

"We don’t know if it’s going to be an exhibition or a real fight. But there’s been talks of both," he said.

However, McGregor pumped the brakes on the idea, posting "not interested" in a since-deleted Instagram post.

The first fight between Mayweather and McGregor was one of the most lucrative matches in history, so it likely wouldn't take much to convince both of them to run it back.

Boxing fans have been hoping to see a matchup between heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua for quite some time, but it doesn't appear that the all-English fight will happen anytime soon.

Fury announced on Instagram that the fight is off after a self-imposed deadline passed Monday without receiving a signed contract from Joshua for a proposed Dec. 3 fight in Cardiff, Wales.

"Well, guys, it's official. D-day has come and gone. It's gone past 5 o'clock Monday. No contract has been signed," Fury said in the video.

While Fury seems to be adamant that the fight won't happen, it could be another negotiating tactic. Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, who is Joshua's promoter, told ESPN's Mike Coppinger that talks are still ongoing.

"There were various positive calls today between promoters and broadcasters who are all working hard to finalize the fight," Hearn said Monday. "There has been no talk of a deadline between the parties, but we are moving at pace to try and conclude the deal."

While the two sides have reportedly been engaged in talks for weeks, some are wondering if Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) was ever truly serious about a fight against Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs). Joshua is coming off consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk, most recently losing last month.

Coppinger noted that many expected Fury to fight Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship after ending his short-lived retirement. However, Fury has expressed a desire to fight before the end of the year, while Usyk said he won't be ready to return to the ring until the spring.

Fury, who still holds the WBC heavyweight title, said on Instagram that he would fight against Manuel Charr (33-4, 19 KO) if the fight against Joshua didn't materialize. Charr wouldn't present nearly the challenge Joshua would, so Hearn believes that was the fight Fury was chasing all along.

A fight against Charr would likely be a confidence-building win for Fury as he waits for Usyk to be ready. Joshua could look for a similar matchup to bounce back from his latest setbacks before turning his attention to a bigger fight.

Jake Paul claimed Floyd Mayweather is "ruining his legacy fighting no-name guys" in his latest bid to goad the boxing legend into agreeing to a fight.

In a video he uploaded Sunday, Paul said he's willing to fight Mayweather and called their possible encounter "one of the biggest fights to make in boxing" (warning: video contains NSFW language):

Mayweather fought Jake's older brother, Logan, in an exhibition in June 2021, with the pair going the full eight rounds. Leading up to the event, Mayweather and Paul exchanged words before the situation escalated.

Since then, the two have maintained a steady war of words.

Most recently, Mayweather told TMZ Sports that Paul would "get demolished" by Canelo Álvarez and offered a backhanded compliment about the 25-year-old's resume.

"For what he's doing, as long as they keep getting YouTubers and keep putting him in there with MMA guys that's kind of over the hill, he's going continue to shine," he said. "So, I'm proud of him. I'm not really upset."

As much as Paul wants to step in the ring against Mayweather, he might be waiting awhile. The retired boxer has already lined up a matchup with Deji Olatunji in November.

In her professional boxing debut, MMA legend Cris Cyborg defeated Simone Silva by unanimous decision at Athletico Paranaense Arena in her hometown of Curitiba, Brazil, on Sunday night.

The eight-round match was the co-main event of Fight Music Show 2, and the promotion's middleweight championship was on the line.

Cyborg looked comfortable for her first time in a boxing ring. She brought her trademark aggression to Sunday's match, pressuring forward and throwing heavy combinations.

Silva initially looked overmatched, but she eventually settled in and started firing off counterpunches. She made Cyborg pay for her mistakes multiple times, but it didn't stop her from marching forward.

Cyborg had a smile on her face throughout the night as she was clearly enjoying herself. Silva landed a few hard punches late in the fight, but it only caused Cyborg to start throwing haymakers that found their target. The two women ended the fight with a back-and-forth flurry in a fun finish.

Cyborg is the former UFC featherweight champion and the reigning Bellator featherweight titleholder. She has also held titles in Strikeforce and Invicta FC on her way to a 26-2 (1 NC) record. She's currently on a six-fight winning streak, with her last loss coming in 2018 against Amanda Nunes.

Silva is a veteran boxer who entered Sunday's fight with a career record of 17-22. However, she has now lost each of her last 10 fights dating back to 2019.

It remains to be seen what Cyborg's next move will be. There isn't a clear top contender for her Bellator title. The 37-year-old has also developed a rivalry with PFL star Kayla Harrison, though some sort of deal would have to be worked out for a cross-promotion fight.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. reaffirmed his intention to remain retired and shut the door on a rematch with Manny Pacquiao in the process.

Following his second-round TKO of Mikuru Asakura in an exhibition Sunday, the undefeated legend explained he was happy to walk away from the sport on his terms. He contrasted his exit with that of Pacquiao as well, arguing that "boxing retired Manny."

Mayweather's last official fight was in 2017, and even that was against UFC star Conor McGregor and not a full-time boxer. He effectively closed the curtain on his career when he beat Andre Berto in September 2015.

There simply isn't a compelling reason for the 45-year-old to step back into the ring for a full-fledged comeback.

Mayweather alluded to the long-term health issues that have afflicted so many boxers before him. Why take the risk when you have nothing left to prove?

The former world champion has carved out a lucrative and less demanding path for himself, too.

"From this exhibition alone I will be making somewhere upwards of $15-20 million," Mayweather said to Charlotte Daly of the Daily Mail. in reference to his exhibition with Asakura. "That's just from this exhibition. So, it's cool. Nine minutes, $20 million, not bad."

When it comes to Pacquiao, the window has probably passed for another megafight approaching the status of their 2015 encounter.

Even at the time, it felt like Mayweather vs. Pacquiao would've been bigger if they had crossed paths years earlier, and the fight itself was widely considered disappointing. It didn't exactly leave fans desperately wanting more or questioning which of the two stars was superior.

In general, Mayweather has made his priorities very clear. He wants to make a lot of money without having to work all that hard. Why mess with a good thing?

Floyd Mayweather Jr. might be officially retired, but he can still win fights.

The legendary 45-year-old boxer faced 30-year-old Japanese MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura in what was supposed to be a three-round exhibition boxing match on Saturday, but he needed just two rounds to win in a stoppage on the Rizin 38 card in Saitama, Japan.

A big right hand by Mayweather sent Asakura to the floor, and the referee called the match:

According to ESPN's Marc Raimondi, Mayweather earned about $20 million from the fight.

It was the fourth exhibition bout for Mayweather, who ended his professional career with a 50-0 record. His last recorded win came over Conor McGregor in 2017.

The veteran confirmed he will face YouTube star Deji Olatunji in his next bout, while he told the crowd in Japan he would return for more matches.

"I'm happy we were able to give the people excitement tonight," he said. "Thanks for having me. I'll be back."

Asakura (16-3 with one no contest) got some good punches in during each of the first two rounds before getting knocked down in the second. He also sought advice from Mayweather's rival Manny Pacquiao, who was ringside for the fight.

Pacquiao—a native of the Philippines who came to show his support for Asian combat sports—went the distance against Mayweather in a 2015 fight before losing by unanimous decision.

After dominating the world of mixed martial arts for years, Cris Cyborg will test her skills in boxing for the first time when she takes on Simone Silva on Sunday at Fight Music Show 2 in Curitiba, Brazil.

Cyborg, 37, has accomplished plenty in her storied career. She's the only MMA fighter ever to become a "Grand Slam" champion, winning world titles in the UFC, Strikeforce, Invicta FC and Bellator, where she's the reigning women's featherweight champion. She 26-2 all-time and hasn't lost since 2018.

Despite the monumental achievements, Cyborg still has a burning desire to test her limits, and boxing has been on her checklist for some time now.

“I have some butterflies in my belly, but I like to feel this,” Justino said, per the Greg Beachem of the Associated Press. “I’ve had a lot of incredible fights, but it’s good for me to still have challenges. I always want to challenge myself. I never want to stop. Why not? Everybody has to do something uncomfortable. You can’t just sit on the couch and think about having a dream. You have to go for it.”

Cyborg, 37, will make that dream a reality in front of a hometown crowd The event starts at 1 p.m. ET Sunday and can be live-streamed on FITE.TV ($13.99) for viewers outside of Brazil.

Cyborg's opponent, Silva, is an unheralded fighter out of São Paulo, Brazil. She's 17-22 with just six knockouts and is on a nine-match losing streak. According to MMAFighting.com's Guilherme Cruz, Silva is still within the window of her 60-day medical suspension after getting knocked out by Jessica Camara on Aug. 13. Cruz notes that Organização Brasileira de Boxe will not oversee or sanction the fight, so the contest may be a glorified exhibition instead of a professional match.

Silva appears to be a carefully chosen opponent for Cyborg, who lacks formal experience in boxing but is nevertheless an accomplished striker, having won several MMA matches on the strength of her punches. Cyborg has also competed professionally in Muay Thai, where she holds a 2-1 record with both wins coming by stoppage.

If Cyborg wins on Sunday, she has the potential to move to top-tier opponents quickly due to her status as a combat sports icon. One dream opponent would be Katie Taylor, the undefeated lightweight champion. Cyborg says there have been discussions about meeting in the ring.

"Katie Taylor, our teams have talked about this fight maybe happening in the future," Cyborg said, per DAZN.com's Steven Muehlhausen. "It is an honor for me when they call me out. I have much respect for Katie Taylor, and her history, and everything she’s done for women’s boxing."

While a fight against Taylor would be a blockbuster event, it's still on far horizon for now. Cyborg has to focus on beating Silva and then deciding if she wants to focus solely on boxing or switch back to MMA. Look for Cyborg to make easy work of Silva and score a stoppage win within the first few rounds of the fight on Sunday.

Prediction: Cyborg via KO

Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be back in the ring for an exhibition against MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura on Sunday in Saitama, Japan.

Because of the time difference, the pay-per-view will begin Saturday night in the United States.

Time: 11 p.m. ET

Live Stream: FITE.tv

Fight Odds (via OddsChecker): Mayweather -700; Asakura +500

This is Mayweather's fourth exhibition fight, and the 45-year-old isn't exactly hiding what's driving him to continue putting on the gloves.

"From this exhibition alone I will be making somewhere upwards of $15-20 million," he told Charlotte Daly of the Daily Mail. "That's just from this exhibition. So, it's cool. Nine minutes, $20 million, not bad."

It's a good gig if you can get it.

Mayweather added he's "able to entertain people all over the world." This will be his second event in Saitama, and he has also hit Miami and Abu Dhabi on his post-retirement exhibition tour.

By and large, fans know what to expect from the unbeaten legend in these unofficial fights.

Mayweather wasn't the most electric pugilist in his prime. His defensive style was highly effective and served him well in multiple ways, but it was rarely thrilling to watch. Now, he's even less concerned with putting on a show.

Mayweather landed a total of 43 punches over eight rounds in his June 2021 clash with Logan Paul.

Asakura figures to be significantly overmatched as well.

The Japanese featherweight is 16-3 as a pro and 15 years Mayweather's junior. Still, boxing and MMA are two different disciplines, and there's only so much Asakura can do to bridge the gap on an opponent with so much more experience than him.

Tenshin Nasukawa learned that the hard way in December 2018. The decorated kickboxer couldn't even make it out of the first round against Mayweather. It was so one-sided that ESPN.com's Dan Rafael wrote at the time the spectacle "was downright embarrassing and at times looked almost staged."

Maybe Mayweather will be that aggressive with Asakura if he senses he can bring things to a close in a matter of minutes. But that's not the tone he struck at a press conference in June.

"We're going to treat him nice, we're going to let him go three rounds, we're going to let him try to land his shot," he told reporters.

"I may not let him land one punch, it's all up to me, it's all on what I want to do."

Fans shouldn't expect to see a three-round classic Saturday night.

Asakura will probably connect with a few good blows that aren't enough to put Mayweather on the mat. Mayweather, meanwhile, will do his part to get in some offense without tagging Asakura too much.

Especially since this is only a three-round affair, it should go the distance with Mayweather declared the victor in spirit.