Boxing

Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin III will take place on Saturday in Las Vegas, and Alvarez is going all out in workouts to make weight.

He posted video of him drenched in sweat following a recent session.

Alvarez is putting his super middleweight titles on the line against Golovkin. The weight limit is 168 pounds.

The 32-year-old Alvarez is 57-2-2 for his career. He's coming off an unanimous decision loss to Dmitry Bivol for the WBA light heavyweight title.

The 40-year-old Golovkin is 42-1-1 lifetime. He's won four straight matches, including a ninth-round TKO of Ryota Murata in April.

Alvarez and Golovkin fought to a split-decision draw in Sept. 2017. The rematch went Alvarez's way in Sept. 2018 via majority decision.

Anthony Joshua's team confirmed Tuesday that he has accepted the terms and conditions for a fight with heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury on Dec. 3.

Joshua's representation, 258 MGT, tweeted the news Tuesday and noted that it is awaiting a response from Fury after both sides agreed to temporarily halt communication last week in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's death.

Fury's promoter, Frank Warren, responded to the tweet, writing: "Contract will be with you very soon."

Because of their status as the two preeminent British heavyweights in boxing, Fury vs. Joshua has been a dream fight for quite some time. If it comes to fruition, it could potentially smash pay-per-view records in the United Kingdom.

The 34-year-old Fury is the reigning WBC and The Ring heavyweight champion, and he is viewed as arguably the top heavyweight boxer in the world by virtue of his 32-0-1 record.

Fury made up for a December 2018 draw against Deontay Wilder by beating Wilder in both 2020 and 2021. Most recently, Fury defeated Dillian Whyte by sixth-round technical knockout in April.

After announcing his retirement and relinquishing The Ring heavyweight title in August, Fury has seemingly gone back on the decision and has begun considering fights again.

Many assumed his next fight would be against Oleksandr Usyk, who holds the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight titles.

Usyk is a perfect 20-0 as a professional, and he is coming off back-to-back wins over Joshua, including a split-decision victory last month.

Fury vs. Usyk is perhaps the biggest possible heavyweight fight since it would unify all of the major heavyweight titles, but Fury vs. Joshua would likely generate more interest in the UK.

Joshua was once in the position of Fury and Usyk, as the 32-year-old began his career a perfect 22-0 and seemed unbeatable. He also accomplished what few others ever could, beating Wladimir Klitschko in 2017.

The Brit's career hit a speed bump in 2019, however, when he shockingly lost his world titles to Andy Ruiz Jr. by seventh-round TKO.

Joshua bounced back to beat Ruiz in a rematch and followed it up with a win over Kubrat Pulev, but he has now lost two straight to Usyk, bringing his career record to 24-3.

If Joshua is ever going to get another shot at Usyk, he would likely need a huge victory under his belt, and beating Fury would undoubtedly qualify.

There are perhaps only two massive fights still available to Fury, and if he can beat Joshua to set up a clash with Usyk, it would put the finishing touches on a legendary resume.

Jake Paul is scheduled to face MMA legend Anderson Silva in a boxing match next month, but he apparently already has his next opponent in mind.

Paul told TMZ Sports he expects to fight former UFC star Nate Diaz after his Oct. 29 bout against Silva.

"100 percent, 100 percent," Paul said when asked about Diaz. "I'll slap the Stockton out of him."

Diaz is coming off a fourth-round submission victory over Tony Ferguson this past Saturday in the main event of UFC 279. It was the last fight on his UFC contract, and he expressed a desire to test his hand at boxing during his time away from the company.

Paul, who hasn't fought since last December, isn't looking past Silva, calling him a "crazy tough opponent" who he respects.

WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo reportedly has reached a resolution to his recent legal issues.

According to TMZ Sports, prosecutors plan on dropping the felony charge against Charlo after he was accused of assaulting a family member during an incident last September in Fort Bend County, Texas. He was arrested and charged with felony assault in February.

A spokesperson for the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office told TMZ Sports they filed a motion to dismiss the case on Monday "based on the reason that we cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt."

"Evidence developed in a way that did not support the charge to conclusion," the spokesperson said.

Charlo's attorney released a statement on Monday addressing the matter.

"Nine witnesses came forward to say Charlo never hit his 21-year-old nephew," Kent Schaffer said. "Jermall is very happy. He can concentrate on preparing for his next fight now that this distraction has been removed."

Charlo hasn't fought since June 2021 when he defended his title with a unanimous decision victory over Juan Macias Montiel. It was his fourth successful title defense.

While Charlo can now put his legal issues behind him, his twin brother Jermell is still facing a misdemeanor charge of making a terroristic threat related to the case. Jermell Charlo, who is the undisputed light middleweight champion, is scheduled for a court hearing later this month.

Former NBA star Nick "Swaggy P" Young didn't get the result he was hoping for in his boxing debut this past Saturday when the fight was stopped after he was pushed through the ropes by Malcolm Minikon.

However, Young maintains that the fight was well in his favor prior to the stoppage, asserting on social media that he deserves more respect for his performance:

Young insinuated that the reason he fell through the ropes was because he collided with Minikon's elbow:

The sequence occurred in the middle of the fourth round of the unscored exhibition, ending the bout short of the scheduled five rounds.

Young was originally scheduled to fight rapper Blueface in a celebrity boxing matchup, but Minikon stepped in on two days' notice after Blueface failed to obtain a boxing license.

Jake Paul is taking on another former UFC star in Anderson Silva, and he wants UFC president Dana White to put his money on the line.

"Let's make a bet," Paul said in Monday's news conference, via TMZ Sports. "Let's put a mil, let's put two mil, let's put five mil on it. But I bet you won't, Dana, because you're a b---h."

Paul also said White owes him $1 million from his 2021 win over Ben Askren.

The YouTube star has made a habit of beating MMA competitors in the boxing ring, earning one win over Askren and two over Tyron Woodley. He will now face former UFC middleweight champion Silva on Oct. 29.

White was among the many who didn't expect Paul to even beat Askren in his third professional fight.

"I hope you can bet on this thing, cause I'll bet a million dollars that he loses this f--king fight," White said on Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson (h/t Damon Martin of MMA Fighting) in March 2021.

He later clarified to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports after the fight that he "never made an illegal bet ever."

Paul is still holding White to it and is looking to make some extra money on the side from his upcoming bout.

Jake Paul was his usual brash self during Monday's press conference to hype up his upcoming fight against UFC legend Anderson Silva.

The unbeaten boxer said he has played the MMA community "like a fiddle."

"Got them interested and watching," he said. "I got them in my hip pocket."

Paul also continued his cold war with UFC President Dana White. He claimed White still has an outstanding debt from a $1 million bet on Ben Askren to beat Paul and challenged the promoter to make an even larger wager on Silva.

Silva figures to be the biggest challenge Paul has faced to date. The 47-year-old is one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in MMA history, and he has already made the transition to the boxing ring. He's 3-1 as a professional, most recently knocking out Tito Ortiz last September.

Should Paul run his record to a perfect 6-0 on Oct. 29, he might be in line for another headline fight with an even bigger MMA figure down the line.

The boxing debut for Nick Young ended with the former NBA player landing on the wrong side of the ropes.

Swaggy P was pushed through the ropes in his bout against Malcolm Minikon in the Social Gloves 2 event:

The sequence ended the unscored exhibition in the middle of the fourth round, short of the scheduled five rounds.

Young said after the fight that Minikon hit him with an illegal headbutt that sent him flying, per Harry Davies of Mirror.

"I felt good, I hit him a lot, I felt I came and did what I had to do," Young said. "He hit me with a cheap shot and that's what you've got to do when you're losing. I don't want him getting a headbutt at the end and thinking he won off a headbutt, I don't know how you can think he won."

Young, 37, spent 12 years in the NBA and won a title with the Golden State Warriors in 2018. He last played with the Denver Nuggets in 2018-19.

He was scheduled to face rapper Blueface in a celebrity boxing matchup, but the original opponent failed to secure a boxing license. It forced Minikon to fill in on just two days notice.

Free-agent NFL running backs Adrian Peterson and Le'Veon Bell haven't had to go head-to-head on the field during their football careers, but there will be no avoiding each other in the boxing ring when they square off in an exhibition match Saturday night at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.

The pair are fighting on the undercard of the Social Gloves event headlined by Youtubers Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib. The five-bout card, which also features former Los Angeles Laker Nick Young taking on Blueface, starts at 11 p.m. ET and can be live-streamed on SocialGloves.tv or FITE.tv for $39.99.

Peterson, 37, and Bell, 30, are both making their boxing debuts. They're following in the footsteps of fellow NFL stars like Frank Gore and Chad Johnson by venturing into the squared circle.

Because the match is an exhibition and neither fighter has a resume to speak of (outside of their exploits on the gridiron), it can be hard to judge a favorite in this one. DraftKings Sportsbook tweeted out some hypothetical odds when the fight was announced, putting Bell at -155 and Peterson at +125.

Bell would seem to be the logical bet considering he's seven years younger than his opponent. Boxing is about as taxing as it gets on the lungs and legs, so Bell's youth may help him if the fight goes more than a couple of rounds.

Peterson might have an advantage in the power department. He looked chiseled at the weigh-in on Friday, tipping the scales at 218 pounds, per TMZ. Bell weighed in at just 204 pounds. Peterson can try to use that size to his advantage, leaning on Bell and sapping his strength or loading up on power shots if he thinks his counterpart isn't going to have the chin to withstand it.

The fight is billed as the "Battle of the Running Backs," but there seems to be a healthy amount of respect between the two.

“I don’t have any animosity against him or anything like that,” Peterson told the AP Pro Football podcast (via the Associated Press). “But, obviously, getting in the ring, up until that last second runs off, it’s going to be me and you. I got nothing but respect for him.”

Peterson hasn't ruled out trading the boxing gloves right back for a helmet and shoulder pads. The seven-time Pro Bowler and 2012 league MVP played in four games last year with Tennessee and Seattle. He told the AP joining a contender would be "the ideal scenario" as he chases that elusive Super Bowl ring.

Bell's football career is also on hold for now. He played in eight games last year with Baltimore and Tampa Bay, but he didn't latch on with a team in the offseason. He's focused on the task in front of him, noting Peterson can't ever be taken lightly, even in a new sport.

“I’ve just been doing a lot of, obviously, running, a lot of rounds on the mitts, a lot of sparring," Bell said, per Bad Left Hook's Wil Esco.

"I understand AP [is] one of those guys—look at his football career—he’s one of those guys that always come in shape, he’s always in better shape than everybody else, he works hard. So I just tried my best to meet that level, try to exceed that level if I can.”

The focus on conditioning is key, as that is often the determining factor in these exhibition fights. Peterson may be older than Bell, but he looked to be in great shape on Friday. Look for him to impress on Saturday in the exhibition.

UFC President Dana White said Friday he has no interest in discussing Jake Paul or the YouTube star's upcoming boxing match against UFC legend Anderson Silva.

"I don't care about that," White told TMZ Sports. "I literally was saying the other day, everybody keeps asking me about Jake. This guy's not even in my sport. I don't care."

White and Paul have engaged in a long-running war of words, which started with the YouTuber suggesting UFC fighters should receive better pay and benefits.

The UFC president took part in the verbal exchanges for a while, saying Paul should start his own MMA promotion if he has all the answers, but he's maintained a stance lately that he's ready to move on from the conversation for good.

"Stop asking me about Jake Paul, you guys. I don't give a s--t what Jake Paul does," White said in August.

Paul hasn't been so quick to let the rivalry fade, recently using previous footage of White discussing the potential of a Paul vs. Silva showdown to help promote the Oct. 29 fight.

While it doesn't seem like White will be interested in the bout, it does carry a fair bit of intrigue as the YouTuber continues to climb the boxing ranks.

Paul has yet to face a classically trained boxer, but he's steadily built himself in that direction.

First, he knocked out fellow YouTube star Ali "AnEsonGib" Al-Fakhri and former NBA player Nate Robinson. Then he moved on to MMA fighters, beating Ben Askren before back-to-back victories over Tyron Woodley.

Now he'll take on Silva, who's one of the most decorated fighters to step in the Octagon. He's also got some boxing experience, with a 3-1 record in four fights, most recently beating fellow longtime MMA fighter Tito Ortiz last September.

If Paul extends his record to 6-0 with a win over Silva, it'll be time for him to take on at least a semi-accomplished boxer if he truly wants to start making progress within the sport.