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When Teofimo Lopez Jr. edged out Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020, it seemed the time of the young stars had arrived in and around the lightweight division. Lopez’s win was the marquee accomplishment for a crop of extremely talented youngsters that also included Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson, Ryan Garcia and Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Now, nearly four and a half years later, the careers of all of those young stars seems up in the air, and it feels as though none of them have capitalized on their potential, even as some have reached the heights of unified or even undisputed champion status.

Davis was the most recent of the group to step in the ring, fighting to a draw with Lamont Roach Jr. That Davis only managed a draw against a +900 underdog was shocking, but even more shocking was that he was lucky to manage even that result. After being hit by a few Roach punches in the ninth round, Davis took a knee, a by-the-rules knockdown. Instead, the referee decided there was no knockdown after Davis went to his corner to have hair grease wiped from his eye.Gervonta Davis Lamont Roach Jr

Had the knockdown been called correctly, Davis would have suffered the first loss of his career and lost his WBA lightweight title in the process. It was a terrible night for Davis, who has already faced a fair amount of criticism for failing to take on the best available opposition while becoming one of the faces of boxing.

To get to that high-profile status, Davis had to navigate multiple allegations of domestic violence as well as a hit-and-run incident that led to a brief house arrest, only for Davis to violate the terms of that house arrest and serve the rest of his sentence behind bars.

Davis’ most high-profile win is his April 2023 knockout of Ryan Garcia. Both fighters came to that fight undefeated and with considerable fanbases before Davis dropped Garcia in the third round before finishing him with a body shot in the seventh.

Garcia had entered that fight as a crossover star, having built a considerable following of non-boxing fans thanks to his embrace of social media. While many old-school boxing fans resisted the idea of a young, likable fighter using social media, rather than in-ring exploits, to bring fans in, it was a good thing to see a fighter embrace modern technology for more than petty internet beefs.

Unfortunately, the loss to Davis seemed to break something in Garcia. He quickly became an extreme right-wing conspiracy theorist on his social media, claiming to have evidence of elite pedophile rings and the existence of aliens.Gervonta Davis

Garcia’s odd behavior ramped up ahead of his April 2024 fight with Haney, who had become undisputed lightweight champion before moving up to junior welterweight and capturing the WBC title.

Garcia, a fighter who had previously sought treatment for mental health struggles and talked about issues with alcohol, was repeatedly seen drinking in nightclubs leading up to the fight while also continuing to spout conspiracy theories on social media. After better Haney that he would make weight for the fight, Garcia missed weight by more than three pounds — appearing to drink from a beer bottle as he weighed in — leaving him ineligible to win the title.

Garcia then won the fight with Haney, using his trademark left hook to drop Haney multiple times en route to a majority decision victory in the best performance of his career. While the result was already tainted as a result of missing weight, it was thrown out entirely after it was revealed that Garcia failed a pre-fight drug test for performance-enhancing drugs.

Such fights bring new audiences but need to take proper precautions, says Boris van der Vorst.

World Boxing (WB) President Boris van der Vorst on Monday expressed concern over pugilists’ safety being compromised in the recent surge of influencer boxing events and stressed on the need for the use of protective gear in these bouts.

Van Der Vorst’s comments gain significance in the light of the fight between YouTube influencer Jake Paul and former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, which went ahead last November after being postponed due to the 58-year-old boxing legend suffering an ulcer ailment.

Admitting that “even my daughters were hooked to the event,” and he himself had conducted a much smaller influencer boxing event in the Netherlands, Van Der Vorst indicated that not all precautions are taken over such high-profile bouts.

“Such fights are nice for newer audiences but the safety of the boxers is a big question. The event I sanctioned in the Netherlands had thicker gloves with head guards in order to guarantee a safe outcome,” Vorst told The Indian Express.

World Boxing was recently given provisional status by the International Olympic Committee, and replaces the International Boxing Association (IBA) as the premier world body of the sport. But the challenge for World Boxing will be to deal with issues like sporting integrity, governance and the recent controversy surrounding boxers like Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-Ting of Chinese Taipei competing in women’s categories at the 2024 Paris Olympics despite speculation about them being transgenders.Jake Paul Mike Tyson

Van Der Vorst has backed the International Olympic Committee’s Paris Boxing Unit’s rules that allowed both pugilists to participate but said boxers’ safety was “paramount”. World Boxing is in the process of drafting its competition rules.

“We have recognised for some time now that gender clarity is an extremely complex issue. There are significant welfare concerns and so we have established a working group of our medical committee on developing a policy based on sex, age and weight. Experts from other disciplines, including the Independent Council of Women’s Sport, are developing a policy that will determine the eligibility of boxers to participate in competitions,” he said.

Focus on transparent scoring system

One of the biggest problems with Olympic boxing over the years has been the divisive scoring system that often leaves the audience second-guessing the winner of a close bout.

“Lack of sporting integrity was one of the key concerns that the IOC had with the previous organisation. I think one of our main priorities is to restore the trust of all stakeholders, including IOC, fans, spectators, coaches, and boxers,” said Van Der Vorst.

Post the 2012 London Olympics, the scoring system that involves five judges giving points out of 10 to both boxers after each round has lacked clarity in the parameters considered. Mike Tyson

When asked if World Boxing will look at an alternative to the current system, its president said, “We want the best boxer to win, not the most influential one. The Paris Boxing Unit conducted a decent tournament at the 2024 Olympics. We have already done several projects which involve the usage of modern technology such as AI to make the scoring system more transparent and fair. We would explore all the avenues that could be useful in making scoring more transparent. We would also train the technical officials and referees.”

Established in 2023, World Boxing emerged as the alternative when the IOC banned Umar Kremlev-led International Boxing Association (IBA) on grounds of poor governance, corruption, and lack of efficient administration.

Subsequently, the IOC decided to keep boxing out of the LA 2028 programme. World Boxing, led by Van Der Vorst, started meeting national federations in order to campaign as an alternative to govern the sport. Despite facing some early resistance, WB garnered the support of India, the Netherlands, USA, Italy, Brazil and Britain.

“We have provisional recognition but it is a long road ahead of us. We have to deliver a better environment for the sport. We have met most of the requirements laid out by the IOC, like coming under CAS jurisdiction, and have applied for signatory status of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA),” explained Van Der Vorst.

Currently, World Boxing has 78 members from five continents. It has also formed four continental confederations – Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. It will conduct events such as the Boxing World Cup and the World Championships this year.

Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis tried to call out Terence Crawford’s hypocrisy in criticizing his controversial knee against Lamont Roach Jr.

One of the more controversial decisions in a championship boxing match in recent memory occurred on March 1, 2025, when Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis faced Lamont Roach Jr. for the WBA lightweight championship.

In what ended up being an extremely competitive fight, Davis (the reigning WBA lightweight champion who entered the fight with a perfect 30-0 professional record) took a knee out of nowhere in the ninth round after absorbing several of Roach’s shots.

After taking the knee, Davis went to his corner, had one of his coaches wipe his face off, then returned to the ring — all with no penalty.

Just about everybody watching the fight felt like the intentional knee should have been counted as a knockdown. However, referee Steve Willis ultimately decided not to rule it as such. And as a result of that point not being taken away from Davis, he escaped with a majority draw against Roach instead of a split-decision loss.Boxing: Terence Crawford fans flames with Gervonta 'Tank' Davis: "Come up  here with the big boys" | Marca

Much of the boxing world is claiming this was a horrible decision from Willis and that Roach Jr. got robbed of a much-deserved win. One of these people is pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford, who made a series of X posts that showed his dissent with the knockdown decision.

“Roach won and that should have been called a knock down. Let’s see what happens.”

He later added, “I never seen someone take a knee and they don’t count it as a knock down. Must of forgot the rules for tonight.”

Another X user replied to this second post with a video of Crawford going to a knee during 2019 fight against Egidijus Kavaliauskas, which wasn’t called a knockdown at the time. And Davis reposted this video, which is the only thing he has posted on his X account since the controversial draw.

Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach battled to a majority draw on Saturday at the Barclays Center, but many believe the result should have been different—and it may not be too late for things to change.

Davis took a knee in the ninth round in a move that should have cost him his WBA lightweight title, but the lack of action from referee Steve Willis allowed Davis to escape with his title.

However, the New York State Athletic Commission is reviewing the matter, and the result could be overturned.

According to a statement from the NYSAC, a “technical issue” prevented replay from being used during the ninth round when Davis clearly took a knee after taking a punch to the face, which should have resulted in a knockdown.

“During the round in question, following the commission’s request for the replay video, there was a technical issue preventing the commission from receiving it within the allotted time for review,” a commission spokeswoman stated in a statement to ESPN.Gervonta Davis Lamont Roach

“Therefore, the referee’s in-ring decision was relied upon, and the fight continued. The commission is dedicated to preserving the integrity of combative sports and is committed to working with all promotions and production teams—on behalf of the athletes, officials, and fans—to ensure technical issues do not occur in the future that prevent the delivery of ringside instant replay feeds to the commission’s officials when needed.”

If the officials reviewing the situation deem a reversal of the decision is in order, we could see the draw overruled. It is unlikely the fight would be changed to a no-contest and even less likely that Roach would be awarded the victory.

If Davis had been docked the point that comes with a knockdown, Roach would have won the fight by majority decision, and he’d be a two-division champion. Longtime boxing journalist Michael Woods reposted a video from Fight Hook News that shows the jab that might have caused the eye irritation he says led to Davis heading to the corner for a break.

Explosive Gervonta Davis (30-0-1) should have lost against Roach, but his knee to the ground was not penalised

The controversy, as almost always, appeared on a weekend destined for the great boxing fights. The one involving Sandor Martin had its own and meant the Spaniard’s defeat to Alberto Puello after a close decision. The one involving Gervonta Davis, directly,can be treated – and is treated in the United States of America – as a scandal, because the man who was called “the face of boxing” saw his ‘0’ in the loss column saved… for a questionable reason. ‘Tank’ used his knee on the ground, should lose a point for the fall, but it was not deducted. The lightweight champion explained that there was grease from his hairstyle (dreadlocks) in his eyes, which prevented him from seeing. The judges gave a draw and Lamont Roach was left without springing the surprise in a fight that he should win according to the scoring criteria.Gervonta Davis Lamont Roach Jr

The scandal is remarkable. The hairstyle is at the center of it all and that’s where the doubts begin. “I styled him on Wednesday. The fight was on Saturday. He was with the press, he trained in the gym and the weigh-in. There are no excuses. How much grease did I use?” explained the fighter’s stylist [found by LeebTheBrand on social media]. Gervonta explained that he put his knee on the canvas because he couldn’t see and had to ask for the towel from his corner. Something that is also not possible.

The bizarre situation came after a great combination at close range from Roach. After such a close fight, it was normal in such a close fight. But the referee did not deduct points and the scorecards reflected a draw. Davis was defending his crown. For more debate, boxing history shows stars being able to overcome similar situations to those of the Baltimore fighter

Weeks after causing uproar with her crip walk at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, Serena Williams once again tried dancing in public on Monday night, only to have daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian appear to shut her down at a star-studded TGL event.

The 43-year-old mother of two may have slightly embarrassed her eldest, known as Olympia, when ESPN cameras scoured the audience at the golf-simulator competition at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Seated in the front row alongside Philadelphia Eagles teammates Avonte Maddox and Dallas Goedert, Williams raised her arms and moved them along with the music over the apparent objections of Olympia.

Watch the video here:

Serena Williams Alexis Olympia Ohanian

READ: Serena Williams Opens Up About Regaining Her ‘Confidence’ After a Skin-Tightening Treatment

The seven-year-old attempted to contain her mother’s enthusiasm by pulling her arms back down, although Serena continued to smile and laugh throughout.

Later Serena posted a photo of herself seated with Olympia, who is seen flashing a ‘peace’ sign for the camera, and a video of them signing Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind together.

Serena Williams and Olympia pose together for sweet mother-daughter selfies  while showing support for their golf team LAGC

The adorable scene came just weeks after the tennis legend ignited controversy at the Super Bowl when she crip walked during fellow Compton native Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance. The fancy footwork is linked with the early days notorious Compton gang, the Crips.

Williams took further criticism because Lamar’s song, Not Like Us, is a diss track aimed at her rumored ex-boyfriend, Drake.

Monday’s girls’ night out wasn’t nearly so controversial, as Serena and Olympia appeared to be enjoying themselves at the virtual golf league event. Interestingly, Williams is an investor in the LA-based TGL team along with husband, Alexis Ohanian, and her sister, Venus.

But Williams and her daughter’s presence at the match may have more to do with the latter’s budding interest in the game.

The left-handed swinging Olympia is already hitting the links, as seen in a string of videos posted on social media.

The indoor golf league was launched with the help of PGA Legends Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, who have attracted a number of other celebrities in addition to Williams.

On Monday, for instance, former Cleveland Indians pitcher CC Sabathia, ex-New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred and Mets owner Steve Cohen were all watching from the crowd, as was PGA star Xander Schauffle.

Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens are finally off enjoying their honeymoon.

Biles and Owens were married in April 2023, but didn’t have time to get away until now. Biles, of course, was preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and Owens was busy with his career as an NFL defensive back. Well, the Olympics are in the past, and Owens is in the middle of the offseason, so now the two can enjoy warm weather and each other’s company.

Biles has been sharing content from the trip on social media. This weekend, she’s going viral for a photo of herself in a cheetah-print bikini posing poolside.

Jacaranda FM on X: "LOOK: Olympian Simone Biles and her husband Jonathan  Owens are finally on their honeymoon, and they're right here in South  Africa." / X

RELATED: Simone Biles’ Attention-Grabbing Poolside Photo Is Trending

Simone Biles wears leopard-print bikini during honeymoon in South Africa

“copycat 🐆,” Biles captioned the post.

Biles’ comments section exploded with people complimenting her on her appearance and attire.

“What’s the name of your swimsuit? I’m assuming you got all the pieces from this collection ! The first pic is my favorite ! ❤️” one person said.

“Just slayed this look 😍😍😍,” a second person added.

“Obsessedddd,” said a third.

“Girl why they saying you pregnant?” a fourth person asked.

“I KNOW THATS RIGHT! Meeeoow 😂🐆🔥,” added Kayla Nicole.

While Biles and Owens are living it up on their honeymoon, the seven-time Olympic gold medalist also made some headlines for a business endeavor last week.

Biles is joining Religion of Sports, the production company co-founded by Tom Brady, Michael Strahan and Gotham Chopra, as a creative partner and board member.

Biles had previously worked with the company for her Simone Biles Rising Netflix documentary in 2024, as well as her Simone vs. Herself series in 2021.

“If you asked me what I wanted to do when I was younger, I always wanted to be a nurse to help people,” Biles told Axios. “And obviously, that’s off of the table now, but I still feel like we can help people in our communities through storytelling.”

Serena Williams took the stage to dance alongside Kendrick Lamar during the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show.

The tennis legend joined the rapper’s show on Sunday dancing in a blue skirt and jacket with a white top to Lamar’s 2024 hit song “Not Like Us.” Lamar and Williams were raised in the same hometown of Compton, California.

PHOTO: Serena Williams dances on stage during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans.  (George Walker Iv/AP)

“I did not crip walk like that at Wimbeldon. Oh, I would have been fined!” said Williams in a video on X after the show.

“It was all love,” she added.

The singer’s comment referenced a similar dance she performed after winning women’s singles gold at the London Olympics in 2012, sparking debate at the competition held at the famed Wimbledon tennis venue.

“Super Bowl halftime show babyyyyyyyyy,” she captioned the video.

PHOTO: Serena Williams dances during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)

READ: Serena Williams Opens Up About Regaining Her ‘Confidence’ After a Skin-Tightening Treatment

Celebrity friends and family of the four-time Olympic gold medalist flooded the comment section, cheering on the tennis star’s surprise appearance. Former NBA star Dwyane Wade commented fire emojis, while Serena Williams’ sister Venus Williams commented “You did that!!! 💙✨”

PHOTO: Serena Williams is seen backstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show at Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9, 2025 in New Orleans. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

Williams shared a behind-the-scenes post rehearsing the dance with her daughter Olympia.

She gave fans another look at her preparation for the moment, sharing a video on Instagram which shows her practicing the routing before taking the stage. “Let’s go Super Bowl halftime??! I died a little! 💃🏿,” she captioned the post.

PHOTO: Serena Williams performs onstage during Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show at Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9, 2025 in New Orleans. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Earlier in the evening, Williams shared a message of support for Taylor Swift who was booed by some members of the crowd when she appeared on the stadium’s jumbotron.”I love you @taylorswift13 dont listen to those booo!!” Williams wrote on X.

The big game in New Orleans concluded with the Philadelphia Eagles beating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22, ending the Chiefs quest at three consecutive titles.

Anthony Joshua has given his immediate reaction to Joseph Parker stopping Martin Bakole in two rounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Bakole valiantly stepped in on two days’ notice to save the card’s co-main event when IBF Heavyweight World Champion Daniel Dubois took unwell.

Despite the lack of proper training camp, many in the sport backed Bakole to spring the upset due to his heavy hands. Parker was unfazed by the addition of a different big puncher in the opposite corner, and he was willing to trade with Bakole to prove it.

That paid off in round two when he landed an overhand right that shook Bakole and saw him stumble and fall off balance. Trainer Billy Nelson was quick to throw in the towel, seeing his man hurt and perhaps aware that the last minute travel had taken its toll.

Speaking on the DAZN broadcast, Joshua – who beat Parker to unify the heavyweight belts back in 2018 – had nothing but praise for his former rival and used his performance as an example as to how fortunes can turn.Joseph Parker

“I don’t just look at the fights that Parker’s had recently. The journey of Joseph Parker is one to be studied. How he’s risen to the top of the game, a slight setback – and in boxing you know how detrimental that is – and it takes a real man, a real man of courage and discipline, to come back and compete for the championship once again.

“He rose to the occasion. Credit to him and his team because he’s done an amazing job tonight.”

Parker said post-fight that he will fight anyone, and nobody will dare question that after beating three of the division’s biggest punchers in Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang and Bakole on the bounce.

Martin Bakole replaced Daniel Dubois suddenly, but Joseph Parker dispatched him in two rounds before the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol rematch for undisputed light-heavyweight title;

Joseph Parker took just two rounds to knock out Martin Bakole, a top-tier heavyweight who came in at the shortest possible notice to replace Daniel Dubois, at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.

Bakole was attempting a feat that was surely without precedent in the sport. When Daniel Dubois, the IBF world champion, fell ill just two days before he was due to fight Parker, Bakole decided to replace him.

Travelling from Kinshasa in the DR Congo, Bakole landed in Riyadh in the early hours of Saturday morning to take on Parker, another world-ranked heavyweight, later that night for the latter’s WBO Interim title.

Parker jabbed diligently at the 310lb behemoth. But Bakole cuffed him with a hard right just before the end of the first round.Joseph Parker

The two tapped gloves respectfully and then Bakole allowed himself a brief moment of celebration. He liked his start.

Fighting in gloves borrowed from Dubois, Bakole marched after Parker in the second round.

There were hints of danger from Bakole as he heaved punches at the body, then the head.

Bakole demonstrably shook off the New Zealander’s cross and came for him.

But Parker then bowled over his right. It clipped Bakole high on the head. That robbed him of his balance, his legs shivered out from under him and Bakole toppled over.

Bakole used the ropes to heave himself upright, but the referee would not let him continue, ruling him out at 2:17 of the second round.

“Martin Bakole, thank you for accepting the challenge of flying all the way here on short notice and giving me a good fight,” Parker said afterwards.

“I stayed calm, structured, composed and got the victory.

“I’m fit, strong, healthy and sharp. Andy Lee broke it down for me, I had to be patient.”

The WBO Interim belt means he should be the mandatory challenger for their world title, held by unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.

“How can I fight for the world title next?” he declared. “If Usyk wants a dance partner. I want to fight for a world title, I want to be champion of the world again.”

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