This is a remarkably packed week of boxing. In the span of four days, there will be more than a dozen broadcasts and streams.
The highlights are the five world title fights: Junto Nakatani vs. Ryosuke Nishida in an IBF/WBC bantamweight unification bout; Jai Opetaia defending the IBF cruiserweight title and lineal and Ring Magazine championships against Claudio Squeo; Franchon Crews-Dezurn defending her WBA and WBC super middleweight belts against Citlalli Ortiz; Keyshawn Davis making the first defense of his WBO title against Edwin De Los Santos; Beatriz Ferreira defending her IBF lightweight title against Maria Ines Ferreyra.
(There’s a sixth title fight if you wish to include the interim WBA heavyweight title bout involving Fabio Wardley and Justis Huni.)
There’s plenty for us to cover! Let’s start off with the most notable of them all:
Pick it: Junto Nakatani vs. Ryosuke Nishida
When to Watch: Sunday, June 8 at 4:30 a.m. Eastern Time (9:30 a.m. BST)
How to Watch: ESPN+
Why to Watch: Junto Nakatani has his eyes on a potential superfight in Japan with undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue. And therefore boxing has its eyes on Nakatani, a very talented 27-year-old who has won titles at 112lbs, 115lbs and 118lbs – and is now looking to add another belt in this unification bout with fellow bantamweight titleholder Ryosuke Nishida.
Nakatani, 30-0 (23 KOs), scored wins earlier in his career over future titleholders Masamichi Yabuki and Seigo Yuri Akui. In 2020, Nakatani knocked out Giemel Magramo to win a vacant flyweight title, which he then went on to defend twice. Nakatani soon moved up to junior bantamweight and, in 2023, dominated Andrew Moloney and scored a highlight-reel 12th-round knockout to capture another vacant belt.
Again, his reign was brief. After one defense, Nakatani jumped up to bantamweight in February 2024 and seized the WBC title from Alexandro Santiago via sixth-round TKO. Nakatani then dispatched Vincent Astrolabio in one round in July, Tasana “Petch CP Freshmart” Salapat in six rounds in October, and unbeaten contender David Cuellar in three rounds in February.
Sharing this main event at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo is Nishida, 10-0 (2 KOs), a 28-year-old who also hails from Japan.
Nishida’s fourth pro fight was a 2021 decision win over Daigo Higa, a former flyweight titleholder who remains a contender at 118lbs. Nishida captured the IBF bantamweight title in May 2024 with a unanimous decision over Emmanuel Rodriguez, a good two-time titleholder whose only previous losses had been to Inoue (a stunning second-round win in 2019) and Reymart Gaballo (a controversial split decision in 2020). Nishida has made one successful defense, knocking out the 16-0 Anuchai Donsua in seven rounds in December.
The co-feature will spotlight Tenshin Nasukawa in his own rise toward a title shot at 118lbs.
Nasukawa, 26, is a former kickboxing star from Japan who was initially known among boxing fans for his exhibition against Floyd Mayweather Jnr in 2018. Nasukawa turned pro in earnest in 2023 and is now 6-0 (2 KOs). In February, he outpointed former bantamweight titleholder Jason Moloney. Nasukawa is ranked No. 1 by the WBC, No. 2 by the WBA and WBO, and No. 4 by the IBF.
Nasukawa’s opponent is Victor Santillan, 14-1 (5 KOs), a 29-year-old from the Dominican Republic. Santillan lost a split decision in June 2023 to former title challenger Sho Ishida. He returned in June 2024 with a wide decision over the 9-3 Alfree Ramirez. This will be Santillan’s first fight in about 11 months.
Also on the stream: the second pro fight of bantamweight Tomoya Tsuboi, 1-0 (1 KO), who won an amateur world championship in 2021. Tsuboi will face Van Thao Tran, 18-1 (10 KOs).
More Fights to Watch
Thursday, June 5: Albert Ramirez vs. Michael Flannery (ESPN+ and PunchingGrace.com)
The broadcast begins at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (midnight BST).
This fight at the Casino de Montreal in Canada is headlined by unbeaten light heavyweights Ramirez and Flannery.
Ramirez, 20-0 (17 KOs), is a 33-year-old from Venezuela coming off a pair of victories over names recognizable for past losses. In August, Ramirez stopped Adam Deines after seven rounds; Deines was taken out in 10 by Artur Beterbiev in 2021. And in February, Ramirez put away Marko Calic in the third round; Calic’s other defeat was a TKO7 to Joshua Buatsi in 2020.
Flannery, 13-0 (11 KOs), is a 28-year-old from the U.K. and now living in Thailand, where almost all of his professional fights have taken place. In January, Flannery won via third-round TKO over the 8-2 Rattawut Thongaram.
Also on this show: Christopher Guerrero, 14-0 (8 KOs), against Williams Andres Herrera, 17-4 (7 KOs), in a welterweight bout; Arthur Biyarslanov, 18-0 (15 KOs), against Antonio Collado, 19-1 (3 KOs), in a junior welterweight bout; and Mehmet Nadir Unal, 12-0 (10 KOs), against Jan Czerklewicz, 14-2 (3 KOs), in a light heavyweight bout.
Friday, June 6: Josh Kelly vs. Flavius Biea (Channel 5 in the U.K., TrillerTV in the U.S.)
The broadcast begins at 4 p.m. Eastern Time (9 p.m. BST.)
Kelly is a 31-year-old from Sunderland, England, who competed in the 2016 Olympics, losing to eventual welterweight gold medalist Daniyar Yeleussinov. He turned pro in 2017 and was moved quickly – perhaps too quickly. In 2019, Kelly was held to a draw against Ray Robinson. And then in early 2021, Kelly was stopped in the sixth round by David Avanesyan.
Kelly has since moved up to junior middleweight and won six straight, including a wide decision over the 19-0-1 Troy Williamson in 2022. Kelly was supposed to face Liam Smith last September on the undercard of Daniel Dubois-Anthony Joshua. When Smith pulled out with an illness, Kelly instead took a narrow majority decision over a late replacement, the 13-0 Ishmael Davis. Kelly-Davis was at middleweight, but Kelly, now 16-1-1 (8 KOs), will be returning to 154lbs for the Biea bout at Utilita Arena Newcastle.
Biea, 24-1 (12 KOs), is a 35-year-old from Romania. Biea’s pro career began in 2013 and kicked off with 12 victories before he suffered a 12th-round TKO loss to the 23-2 Valentyn Golovko in December 2017. Biea’s scored another 12 victories since, most recently stopping the 34-7-2 Darleys Perez after two rounds in April 2024 and doing the same to the 33-19-1 Jonathan Jose Eniz after seven rounds in May 2024. That means Biea will be returning from a yearlong layoff.
Friday, June 6: Brandon Moore vs. Stanley Wright (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (1 a.m. BST).
This show is the annual event coinciding with the International Boxing Hall of Fame induction weekend and will be held at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.
Moore, 17-1 (10 KOs), is a 31-year-old heavyweight from Florida. He’s coming off an ugly, bizarre eight-round disqualification win over Skylar Lacy in February. That marked three straight wins for Moore following his May 2024 loss to Richard Torrez Jnr via fifth-round TKO.
Wright, 14-0 (11 KOs), is a 34-year-old from North Carolina. In January, he won a unanimous decision over the 11-0 Jeremiah Milton.
The co-feature will spotlight Franchon Crews-Dezurn, a former undisputed champion who lost that throne to Savannah Marshall and has since regained the WBA and WBC belts. Crews-Dezurn, 9-2 (2 KOs), will defend against Citlalli Ortiz, 4-1 (1 KO).
Also on this show: Joshua James Pagan, 12-0 (4 KOs), against James Bernadin, 13-2-1 (6 KOs), in a lightweight bout; and Joseph Hicks, 12-0 (8 KOs), against Wendy Toussaint, 16-3 (7 KOs), in a junior middleweight bout.
Friday, June 6: Khalid Twaiti vs. Emanuel Moreno (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at 9 p.m. Eastern Time (2 a.m. BST).
Twaiti, 14-0 (5 KOs), is a 29-year-old bantamweight from Brooklyn, New York. Last October, he won a wide decision over the 15-1 Emmanuel Rodriguez – not to be confused with the Emmanuel Rodriguez who lost his bantamweight world title to Naoya Inoue.
Emanuel Moreno, 10-0 (3 KOs), is a 20-year-old from Wichita Falls, Texas. He’s only ever beaten one foe with more wins on their record than losses. That was a six-round decision in May 2024 over the 6-2 Luis Alberto Lopez – not to be confused with the Luis Alberto Lopez who lost his featherweight world title to Angelo Leo. Since then, Moreno’s defeated fighters with records of 5-27-1, 10-63-1 and 28-34.
The fight will headline at The Owl’s Nest in Houston, Texas.
Saturday, June 7: Fabio Wardley vs. Justis Huni (DAZN)
The main broadcast begins at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (7 p.m. BST). A preliminary stream begins at 11:30 a.m. ET (4:30 p.m. BST).
Wardley, 18-0-1 (17 KOs), is eyeing a shot at a heavyweight title.
His 2024 was dedicated solely to a pair of fights with Frazer Clarke. The first was an entertaining draw in March of that year. Their rematch in October ended with Wardley scoring a sensational opening-round knockout, one that left Clarke’s face dented, his jaw broken, and our mouths agape.
Wardley, now 30 years old, had been ranked No. 9 by the WBA before the Clarke rematch and No. 6 after it. However, the sanctioning body for some reason decided to elevate Wardley all the way up to No. 1 by the end of the year. Wardley leapfrogged several fighters to get there: Martin Bakole, Tyson Fury, Michael Hunter, Lenier Pero and Agit Kabayel. Keep in mind that this was in December, before Fury’s latest retirement or Bakole’s loss to Joseph Parker.
The WBA’s primary titleholder is Oleksandr Usyk, who also owns the WBC and WBO belts and is the lineal (and former undisputed) champion. Usyk will have a rematch with IBF titleholder Daniel Dubois on July 19 to re-unify all four belts. The WBA’s secondary “regular” titleholder is Kubrat Pulev, a 44-year-old who outpointed Mahmoud Charr for that belt in December.
Wardley had been hoping this June date would be with Pulev. Negotiations for that failed to produce an agreement. The WBA has ordered Pulev to defend against Michael Hunter, a former Usyk opponent at cruiserweight and the first person to defeat Bakole, in a fight expected to take place August 23.
Wardley instead signed to take on Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller for the WBA’s tertiary – how often does that word get used on a boxing website? – “interim” belt.. And when Miller pulled out of the fight, Justis Huni stepped in to perform in the main event at Portman Road, a soccer stadium in Wardley’s hometown of Ipswich, England,
Huni, 12-0 (7 KOs), is a 26-year-old from Brisbane, Australia. He is listed at 6-foot-4, one inch shorter than Wardley. Although he’s a late replacement opponent, he’s had about six weeks to prepare for the bout.
“I didn’t come all the way over here just to take part,” Huni told BoxingScene’s Jake Donovan last week. “I’ve really come over here to cause an upset and crash this homecoming party Fabio has planned.”
Huni fought three times in 2024. In March of that year, he struggled early against Kevin Lerena and then got hurt late, but he was successful enough in-between those difficult patches to win a unanimous decision. Lerena, who once dropped Daniel Dubois three times in a single round before being stopped soon after, is a former cruiserweight contender who now has a bridgerweight belt.
After that, Huni notched a pair of second-round stoppages, defeating the 9-0-1 Troy Pilcher in July and the 11-6 Leandro Daniel Robutti in December. Huni kicked off the new year by keeping the string of two-round victories going, dispatching the 10-1 Shaun Potgieter.
The undercard also includes scheduled bouts between junior welterweights Pierce O’Leary, 16-0 (9 KOs), and Liam Dillon, 15-2-1 (3 KOs); and heavyweights Nelson Hysa, 22-0 (20 KOs), and Patrick Korte, 22-4-1 (18 KOs).
Saturday, June 7: Keyshawn Davis vs. Edwin De Los Santos (ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+)
The main broadcast begins at 10 p.m. Eastern Time (3 a.m. BST). A preliminary stream begins at 5:10 p.m. ET (10:10 p.m. BST).
Davis, 13-0 (9 KOs), won Olympic silver at lightweight in 2021, has been featured prominently as he developed from a prospect toward title contention, and fulfilled those lofty expectations in February, when he knocked out Denys Berinchyk to capture the WBO belt at 135lbs.
For his first defense, the 26-year-old Davis will be returning to Scope Arena in his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia, where he performed last November with a two-round obliteration of the 29-1 Gustavo Lemos. That was particularly impressive as Lemos came in rather overweight and was coming off a debatable decision loss to Richardson Hitchins.
Davis’ fellow lightweight titleholders are Vasiliy Lomachenko (IBF), Gervonta Davis (WBA), Shakur Stevenson (WBC). Lomachenko might retire, which would lead to the elevation of interim IBF titleholder Raymond Muratalla, who like Keyshawn Davis is promoted by Top Rank. Gervonta Davis is expected to have his rematch with Lamont Roach Jnr on August 16. Stevenson will face unbeaten contender William Zepeda on July 12, though Stevenson and Keyshawn Davis are friends who have said they will not fight each other.
One fighter who has been calling for a fight with Keyshawn Davis is the man who defeated him in the Olympics: Andy Cruz, who turned pro later than Davis and is 5-0 (2 KOs). Cruz is scheduled to face Hironori Mishiro, 17-1-1 (6 KOs), on the undercard of Hitchins vs. George Kambosos Jnr on June 14. Cruz-Mishiro is an IBF elimination bout, positioning the winner to challenge either Lomachenko or Muratalla.
Davis has been saying publicly that it’s too early for a fight with Cruz. His top-rated contenders in the WBO rankings are Sam Noakes, 17-0 (15 KOs), and another Top Rank lightweight, Abdullah Mason, 18-0 (16 KOs), who will be performing in the co-feature to Davis-De Los Santos.
This will be the second title shot for De Los Santos, 16-2 (14 KOs), a 25-year-old from the Dominican Republic. He lost a unanimous decision to Stevenson in a November 2023 bout for the vacant WBC belt. That was a dreadful watch, given that both fighters combined to land just 33 power punches over the course of 12 rounds.
De Los Santos does have a few good wins on his ledger, putting together a nice run after suffering his first pro defeat – a split decision loss in early 2022 to the 13-0 William Foster down at junior lightweight. De Los Santos returned to 135lbs, knocked out the 12-0 Luis Acosta in two rounds, stopped Jose Valenzuela in three rounds (Valenzuela went on to win a title at 140lbs), and widely outpointed the 17-2-2 Joseph Adorno.
It has been more than a year and a half since De Los Santos last fought. He says the time off after the Stevenson loss has been good for him. But in Davis, he will be in against a titleholder who has been much more active.
In the co-feature, the aforementioned Abdullah Mason will take on Jeremia Nakathila, 26-4 (21 KOs). This is Mason’s third fight since his dramatic two-round battle with Yohan Vasquez on the undercard of Davis-Lemos, in which Mason was dropped twice in the first round but stopped Vasquez in the second. Mason is still a prospect, but this bout with Nakathila can be considered a step up as he continues to grow into a contender.
Nakathila was shut out by Stevenson in 2021, stopped former titleholder Miguel Berchelt in 2022, and suffered a pair of second-round losses to Raymond Muratalla and Ernesto Mercado in 2023. Nakathila scored three wins in 2024, including a first-round TKO of the 5-1 Tafadzwa Mushando in November.
The preliminary undercard will feature several prospects, including both of Davis’ fighting brothers.
Older brother Kelvin Davis, 28, is a junior welterweight with a record of 15-0 (8 KOs). He will face Nahir Albright, last seen losing a majority decision to Keyshawn in October 2023, though that result was overturned when Keyshawn tested positive for marijuana.
Younger brother Keon Davis, 23, is a welterweight with a record of 3-0 (2 KOs). He will fight Michael A. Velez-Garcia, who is also 3-0 (2 KOs).
Other fighters on the stream include middleweight Troy Isley, 14-0 (5 KOs), against Etoundi Michel William, 16-1 (12 KOs); welterweight Delante “Tiger” Johnson, 15-0 (7 KOs), against Janelson Figueroa Bocachica, 17-3-1 (11 KOs); and middleweight Euri Cedeno, 11-0-1 (10 KOs), against Abel Mina, 18-3-1 (9 KOs).
Saturday, June 7: Beatriz Ferreira vs. Maria Ines Ferreyra (DAZN)
The main broadcast begins at 9 p.m. Eastern Time (2 a.m. BST). A preliminary stream begins at 5 p.m. ET (10 p.m. BST).
Ferreira, 32, is the IBF lightweight titleholder. She won Olympic silver representing Brazil in Tokyo in 2021 and then returned for the Paris Games in 2024 and took home a bronze medal. Each time, she lost to the lightweight gold medalist, Kellie Harrington.
Ferreira turned pro in November 2022. Within a year and a half, she was fighting for the vacant IBF belt that had formerly belonged to undisputed champion Katie Taylor. Ferreira won the belt in April 2024 with a six-round unanimous technical decision when her opponent, Yanina del Carmen Lescano, suffered a cut from an accidental head butt and could not continue. Ferreira made her first defense in December, shutting out Licia Boudersa and moving to 6-0 (2 KOs)
Ferreyra, 11-0-1 (6 KOs), is a 28-year-old from Argentina. She needed just 10 seconds to stop the 7-0-2 Johen Paola Gonzalez in September. And in her most recent appearance, Ferreyra went the full 10 rounds en route to a clear unanimous decision over the 15-8 former title challenger Lizbeth Crespo.
A couple of Brazilian prospects will be on the undercard: Keno Machado, also known as Keno Marley, will be making his professional debut after competing in the Olympics as a light heavyweight in 2021 and a heavyweight in 2024. The amateur heavyweight division is similar to the professional cruiserweight limit, and that’s where Marley will be competing as he takes on Sean Sparks, 2-0 (2 KOs). Also, Luan Almeida, a lightweight who is 5-0 (4 KOs), will face Tony Aguilar, 13-1-1 (4 KOs).
Among the other prospects competing on this show in separate bouts at the Caribe Royale Orlando in Florida are junior featherweight Chavez Barrientes, 10-0 (6 KOs); bantamweight Bree Howling, 8-0 (2 KOs); junior middleweight Antraveous Ingram, 10-0 (5 KOs); middleweight Alexis “Chop Chop” Chaparro, 4-0 (4 KOs); junior middleweight Sebastian Juarez, 7-0 (5 KOs); and bantamweight Reina Tellez, 11-0-1 (5 KOs).
Saturday, June 7: Callum Simpson vs. Ivan Zucco (Sky Sports in the U.K., Prime Video in the U.S.)
The broadcast begins at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (7 p.m. BST).
Simpson, 17-0 (12 KOs) is a 28-year-old super middleweight prospect from Barnsley, England, where he’ll be headlining in front of his hometown at the Oakwell soccer stadium. This will be Simpson’s third fight of 2025. In January, he took the 19-2-1 Steed Woodall out in five minutes and then, just three weeks later in February, put away the 13-2 Elvis Ahorgah in five rounds.
Zucco, 21-0 (18 KOs), is a 29-year-old from Italy. In December, he won via second-round stoppage over the 21-5 Kasim Gashi.
The undercard includes super middleweight prospect Mark Jeffers, 20-0 (7 KOs), against Sean Hemphill, 18-2 (11 KOs), whose defeats came against David Stevens (KO8 in January 2023) and William Scull (UD8 in May 2024).
Saturday, June 7: Justin Pauldo vs. Juan Carlos Burgos (ProBox TV)
The broadcast begins at 5 p.m. Eastern Time (10 p.m. BST).
Pauldo, 18-2 (9 KOs), is a 30-year-old lightweight fighting out of Houston, Texas.
One of those losses came early in his career, a split decision against the 3-0-1 Efrain Cruz back in 2015. And in February 2024, Pauldo lost another split decision, this one to the 30-2 Miguel Madueno. (A third-round TKO loss to the 13-1 Austin Dulay in 2019 was overturned and ruled a “no contest,” and Dulay suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, though no further details were immediately available online.)
Pauldo bounced back from the Madueno defeat with an eighth-round knockout win over the 17-1-1 former junior lightweight titleholder Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in February. Pauldo-Rakhimov took place as an undercard bout the Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas, and that’s where Pauldo will be back this Saturday in the main event.
Burgos, 36-8-3 (22 KOs), is a 37-year-old from Mexico. If his name is faintly familiar, that’s because he’s been around forever. Burgos turned pro in 2004, and in his prime he was a contender, losing a decision to Hozumi Hasegawa in a fight for a vacant featherweight belt back in 2010, battling to a draw with junior lightweight titleholder Roman Martinez in 2013, and dropping a wide decision to junior lightweight titleholder Mikey Garcia in 2014.
Over the years since, Burgos has settled into being a sturdy-chinned measuring stick for up-and-coming contenders and prospects. He lost decisions to Devin Haney in 2018, Hector Tanajara in 2020, Xavier Martinez and Starling Castillo in 2021, Keyshawn Davis in 2022, and a debuting Andy Cruz in 2023. (Burgos also held Angel Fierro to a draw in 2022.)
In Burgos’ last appearance, he ended a 19-month layoff and knocked out the 30-21-1 Rodolfo Hernandez Montoya in two rounds in April.
The co-feature on this show will pit welterweight prospect Emiliano Moreno, 11-0 (6 KOs), against Erick Bone, 29-7 (15 KOs).
Moreno’s last appearance was in February, when he was awarded an absurdly premature stoppage win over Cesar Francis; that was subsequently overturned into a “no contest.”
Bone has been in with a number of notable fighters, losing to Shawn Porter and Chris Algieri in 2015, Miguel Vazquez in 2016, Sergey Lipinets in 2018 and Giovani Santillan in 2023. Bone has won two straight since the Santillan defeat.
(Note: jeetwin55.com is owned by ProBox.)
Saturday, June 7: Mickey Bey vs. Oscar Escandon (Millions.co and the Millions app)
The broadcast begins at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (midnight BST).
This show at the Newtown Sports and Events Center in Pennsylvania is headlined by Mickey Bey, a former lightweight titleholder originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and now living in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bey, 25-3-1 (13 KOs), is 41 years old and past his peak. There were a pair of significant bumps in the road in 2013. A knockout win over a 7-2 opponent was overturned after Bey tested positive for extremely high levels of testosterone. He was suspended for just three months, though, and returned for a fight with John Molina Jnr. Bey was well-ahead on the scorecards going into the 10th and final round when Molina stopped him with just a minute to go.
But in September 2014, Bey took a split decision over Miguel Vazquez and won the IBF belt. He vacated the title without ever defending it and then lost to the new beltholder, Rances Barthelemy, via split decision in June 2016. Bey spent 27 months away before returning with a quick win over a gimme opponent, then had a 15-month layoff before dropping a split decision to George Kambosos Jnr.
Bey spent nearly four years away before coming back in October 2023. He’s beaten two foes who have lost far more than they’ve won. Bey’s last bout was about a year ago.
Escandon, 27-10 (18 KOs), is a former title challenger whose best days were also long ago. The 40-year-old from Colombia, and now living in San Jose, California, stopped Jesus Cuellar in seven rounds in 2011 but dropped a pair of split decisions to Nehomar Cermeno in 2013 and Moises Flores in 2015. After knocking out Robinson Castellanos for an interim featherweight belt in 2016, Escandon unsuccessfully challenged Gary Russell Jnr in 2017 and was put away in the seventh.
Including that loss to Russell, Escandon has gone 2-8 since then, all of his losses coming by KO or TKO. Although most of those have come against recognizable names, the manner of defeat is concerning.
Bey-Escandon is listed on BoxRec as taking place at junior lightweight.
Saturday, June 7: Yanis Kurylenko vs. Andrii Boryshpolets II (DAZN)
The broadcast begins at 10 a.m. Eastern Time (3 p.m. BST).
These two junior welterweights first fought in December, with Kurylenko winning a split decision. Their rematch is the main event at the Sport Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine. Kurylenko is 13-1 (8 KOs). Boryshpolets is 11-3 (4 KOs).
Saturday, June 7: Terry Washington vs. Lito Dante (BXNG TV)
The broadcast begins at 10 p.m. Eastern Time (3 a.m. BST).
Washington, 3-0 (3 KOs), is a 21-year-old junior flyweight. Dante is 35 years old and is 21-14-4 (12 KOs). They will headline at Soboba Casino Resort in San Jacinto, California.
Saturday, June 7: Dante Ettore vs. Armond Richard II (Combat Sports Now)
The broadcast begins at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (midnight BST).
This lightweight bout is a rematch of a fight Ettore won via split decision in April 2024. Ettore is 11-2-2 (7 KOs). Richard is 7-1-1 (3 KOs). They will headline at the Columbus Athenaeum in Ohio.
Sunday, June 8: Jai Opetaia vs. Claudio Squeo (DAZN)
The main broadcast begins at 5 a.m. Eastern Time (10 a.m. BST). A preliminary stream begins at 3:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. BST).
Opetaia, 27-0 (21 KOs), is making the sixth defense of his lineal cruiserweight and Ring Magazine championships, as well as the fourth defense of his IBF belt (split between two reigns). He wants unification matches at 200lbs but has been taking keep-busy bouts in the meantime.
The 29-year-old from Gold Coast, Australia, is at least keeping busy at home: This is his second straight fight at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Broadbeach.
Opetaia first won those titles in July 2022, when he defeated Mairis Briedis by unanimous decision. But he made only one defense of the IBF belt before ditching it, swayed instead by the big payday he received to fly to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to face Ellis Zorro in December 2023.
Opetaia remained the lineal and Ring champion all the while and then regained the still-vacant IBF title in May 2024, back again in Riyadh, earning it with another unanimous decision over Briedis. He fought in Saudi Arabia one more time in October, stopping Jack Massey in six rounds.
Opetaia was originally supposed to defend in January against the unheralded Huseyin Cinkara, 22-0 (18 KOs), whom the IBF somehow decided was worthy of being its mandatory contender. Cinkara had to pull out with an ankle injury. Instead, Opetaia knocked out the 10-0 David Nyika in the fourth round. This fight with Squeo was originally scheduled for May 13 but was postponed by about four weeks when Opetaia suffered a minor injury in April.
The Cinkara defense still looms. WBC titleholder Badou Jack is tied up with a mandated rematch against Noel Mikaelyan. Unified WBA/WBO titleholder Gilberto Ramirez is defending against Yuniel Dorticos on the June 28 undercard of Jake Paul-Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr. Assuming Opetaia handles Squeo on Sunday, will he be able to land a big fight before 2025 is over?
Squeo, 17-0 (9 KOs), is a 34-year-old from Italy who is ranked No. 14 by the IBF. He is nicknamed “The Red Bull” due to his hair color but sadly has not yet earned a sponsorship from the beverage company.
Squeo will be fighting outside of his home country for the first time, and this is also his first bout scheduled for 12 rounds. Four of his bouts have been scheduled 10-rounders, and the longest any of his fights have gone was a 10-round unanimous decision over the 17-2-1 Niklas Rasanen in April 2024. Squeo had to get off the canvas early in that bout with Rasanen. He faced much less friction in his last outing, a second-round TKO of the 16-18-2 Orlando de Jesus Estrada in October.
The undercard includes light heavyweight prospect Conor Wallace, 15-1 (11 KOs), against Dylan Colin, 14-1 (4 KOs); and heavyweight prospect and 2024 Olympian Teremoana Jnr, 7-0 (7 KOs, against Jaipal Singh, 6-0 (4 KOs).
Also scheduled are separate bouts featuring junior middleweight Ben Mahoney, 15-0-1 (8 KOs); featherweight Tyler Blizzard, 9-0 (4 KOs); welterweight Danny Keating, 9-0 (5 KOs); super middleweight Max McIntyre, 7-0 (6 KOs); light heavyweight Austin Aokuso, 8-0 (3 KOs); and super middleweight Xavier Fletcher, 5-0 (4 KOs).
Sunday, June 8: Fabio Turchi vs. Milans Volkovs (ESPN+)
The broadcast begins at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time (6:30 p.m. BST.)
Turchi, 24-3 (16 KOs), is a 31-year-old cruiserweight from Florence, Italy. He’ll be performing in front of his hometown at the Piazza Santa Croce.
Volkovs, 11-3-2 (6 KOs), is a 25-year-old from Riga, Latvia.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter. David’s book, “,” is available on Amazon.