Figueroa Loses WBA Featherweight Title on the Scale Before Facing Kameda

Figueroa Loses Title Without Throwing a Punch

Brandon Figueroa showed up for his WBA featherweight title defense against Tomoki Kameda over the limit and lost the belt before the opening bell. Only Kameda can leave Las Vegas as champion; a Figueroa victory would simply leave the title vacant.

Figueroa, 27-2-1 with 20 knockouts, is an attritional fighter built to grind opponents down over 12 rounds rather than end fights with one punch. If his body can no longer make 126 pounds and he is forced up to 130, he faces bigger, harder-hitting men without any of the leverage a champion carries.

Kameda, 42-5 with 23 knockouts, is a former WBO bantamweight champion fighting for the first time in 17 months. Bad Left Hook suggests a win could put him in the conversation for a fight with Naoya Inoue instead. Either way, the bout stopped being a title defense the moment Figueroa stepped off the scale.

Dubois Defends WBO Belt Against Wardley in London Rematch

Daniel Dubois defends his WBO heavyweight title against Fabio Wardley at The O2 in London, rematching the fight in which Dubois stopped Wardley in round 11 in May to become a two-time champion. Dubois, 23-3 with 22 knockouts, previously held the IBF heavyweight title before losing it to Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed crown in July.

Wardley, 20-1 with a draw and 19 knockouts, inherited the WBO belt as interim champion after Usyk vacated it. Prelims start at 11 a.m. Eastern, the main card begins at 2 p.m. Eastern on DAZN pay-per-view, with main-event ring walks expected around 5 p.m. Eastern.

Haney-Stevenson Talks Collapse Over Catchweight Dispute

The long-awaited Devin Haney versus Shakur Stevenson fight is reportedly dead after months of negotiations fell apart over a catchweight disagreement. Haney wrote on social media that he agreed to 145 pounds, that Stevenson went missing for days and tried to add a rehydration clause, and that he had wasted six months negotiating.

Stevenson offered a different account, writing that after agreeing to 144 and then 145 pounds, Haney's lawyer said at the last minute that Haney would only fight at 147. Tim Bradley placed the blame on Haney and his father and trainer Bill Haney, calling Devin the "biggest duck in boxing" on his YouTube channel.

The stalled talks leave Zuffa Boxing with a flagship signee in Stevenson who has produced no fights in six months. Promotional contracts typically let a company fulfill its obligations simply by offering bouts, meaning Zuffa could freeze the deal or extend its term without paying a purse if Stevenson turns down a 140-pound contender such as Richardson Hitchins or Ernesto Mercado.

Fundora Defends Super Welterweight Title in Lopsided Vegas Bout

Sebastian Fundora defends his WBC super welterweight title against mandatory challenger Ermal Hadribeaj in Las Vegas on the same card as Figueroa-Kameda. Fundora, 24-1-1 with 16 knockouts and The Ring's No. 3 junior middleweight contender, is coming off a sixth-round stoppage of Keith Thurman.

Hadribeaj, 23-0-1 and The Ring's No. 9 contender, earned the mandatory slot by upsetting Bakary Samake. DraftKings lists Fundora at minus-1400. A win keeps Fundora on track for a later meeting with the winner of a bracket involving WBA and WBO champion Jaron Ennis and IBF titleholder Josh Kelly, who are expected to fight in early 2027, with the two paths projected to collide later that year for undisputed status at 154 pounds.

The same card features Armando Resendiz against Koen Mazoudier at super middleweight, with Resendiz stepping in after Jermall Charlo withdrew with an injury. Both fighters weighed in at 168 pounds. The card streams on DAZN with no pay-per-view fee, with main ring walks expected around 11 p.m. Eastern.

Liddard Gets First Title Shot Against Soro in Monte Carlo

George Liddard challenges Michel Soro for the IBO middleweight title on December 12 at the Salle des Étoiles in Monte Carlo, on a Matchroom card streaming on DAZN. Liddard, 15-0 with nine knockouts, has won British, Commonwealth and European titles, while Soro arrives as champion after stopping Hassan Mwakinyo and having previously faced Brian Castaño and Israil Madrimov.

The IBO sits outside boxing's four major sanctioning bodies, so a win for Liddard would move him toward the sport's top level rather than prove he has already arrived there.

Women's Title Fights Set in Puerto Rico and Mexico

Litzy Vázquez meets Stephanie Piñeiro for the vacant WBC super lightweight title on December 5 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. The belt became vacant after Katie Taylor's retirement. Piñeiro, 10-1 with three knockouts, is 36 and the WBC's No. 2 ranked contender fighting on home soil.

Separately, Brianda Tamara faces Lucía Pérez for the WBC Silver welterweight title on October 24 in Teotihuacán, Mexico. The bout is for the WBC Silver belt rather than a full world championship, but it still pits a former Olympian in Tamara against a former world championship competitor in Pérez.

WBC Closes Doping Case Against Okolie

The WBC and Lawrence Okolie reached an Adjudication Agreement over an adverse finding under the WBC Clean Boxing Program, stemming from a sample collected April 8. Okolie says the substance entered his system through the actions of a third party without his knowledge, and the WBC cited that explanation along with his "unblemished testing history" in reaching the resolution.

Okolie said "clean sport has always been extremely important to me." He will remain available for additional testing and is expected to help the WBC with anti-doping education going forward.

Verhoeven Accepts Offer to Fight Wilder in Cardiff

Rico Verhoeven has accepted an offer to fight on the Fury-Joshua undercard in Cardiff on December 11. Verhoeven told talkSPORT he was offered a bout with Deontay Wilder and said yes, though he could not yet confirm his spot on the card.

Verhoeven's only professional boxing record is 1-0, against a little-known heavyweight in 2014, but he was surprisingly competitive against Oleksandr Usyk in May before being stopped in round 11. There are also reports Wilder could instead face Jai Opetaia on the same card, so nothing is locked in.

Pan American Boxing Championships Open in Puebla

The PanAmerican Boxing Championships run October 18-24 at the Gimnasio Miguel Hidalgo in Puebla, Mexico, drawing more than 180 athletes from over 30 nations. The event is the first qualification tournament for the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

Twenty continental titles are up for grabs across 10 weight classes each for men and women. Every bout streams on World Boxing TV in English and Panam Sports Channel in Spanish.