Lomachenko ends retirement, signs Top Rank deal for early 2027 return

Vasiliy Lomachenko signs with Top Rank for boxing comeback

Vasiliy Lomachenko is coming out of retirement and returning to Top Rank under a multi-year co-promotional agreement with his newly formed Loma Power Promotions. The 38-year-old Ukrainian is expected to fight in early 2027 at super featherweight, a division he has said is his natural weight class. His goal is to become an undisputed champion.

Lomachenko retired in June 2025 as IBF lightweight champion. He last fought in May 2024, stopping George Kambosos Jr. to win the title. Top Rank has promoted him since his professional debut in 2013, and the company has not confirmed a comeback opponent or date.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum called Lomachenko one of the most gifted fighters he has promoted and said the boxer is determined to become undisputed. Lomachenko said he had thought his boxing career was over, but credited his faith and the support of those around him for his return.

Devin Haney and Liam Paro set for Dec. 19 welterweight title unification

WBO champion Devin Haney will face IBF titleholder Liam Paro in a welterweight unification bout on Dec. 19 at Chase Center in San Francisco, Top Rank announced. The card will stream on DAZN pay-per-view, with former welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. meeting Abel Ramos in the 10-round co-feature.

Haney, 33-0 with 15 knockouts, is a three-division champion from the Bay Area. Paro, 28-1 with 16 knockouts, is an Australian two-division champion who won the IBF belt by defeating Lewis Crocker in June. Haney said he intends to win Paro’s title and become a unified champion at home.

Mizuki Hiruta signs with Most Valuable Promotions

Undefeated WBO super flyweight champion Mizuki “Mimi” Hiruta has signed with Most Valuable Promotions. The company has not announced the terms of the deal or the date of her promotional debut.

Hiruta, 11-0 with two knockouts, has made seven successful defenses of her WBO title and was named The Ring’s 2025 Female Fighter of the Year. MVP founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian said they want to help build her international profile and bring her to a wider audience.

Colby Covington criticizes UFC fighter pay after Zuffa Boxing offer

Former UFC fighter Colby Covington criticized UFC pay during an interview with Ozoon Canada, saying the emergence of Zuffa Boxing felt like “a big slap in the face” to UFC fighters. He objected to reports that boxer Conor Benn had been offered $15 million, and criticized Benn’s performance against Ryan Garcia.

Covington, 38, was on the UFC roster from 2014 to 2026. His remarks followed public discussion of UFC pay by former UFC champion Ronda Rousey and fighter Sean Strickland.

Dana White interested in Volkanovski-Gaethje fight

UFC CEO Dana White said he is interested in arranging a fight between featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. White said the matchup depends on Gaethje deciding whether he wants to continue fighting or retire.

White said discussions with Gaethje are ongoing, and that Gaethje must decide whether he wants another fight.

Dana White blames money for Makhachev’s delayed return

UFC CEO Dana White suggested that financial security could be behind welterweight champion Islam Makhachev’s decision to delay his return. White said he would like champions to defend their titles twice a year, while acknowledging that champions may fight less often than contenders.

No date has been announced for Makhachev’s next title defense. The division is preparing for an interim championship fight between Prates and Morales in January.

Caroline Dubois and Stephanie Han to unify three lightweight titles

Undefeated champions Caroline Dubois and Stephanie Han will meet on Feb. 20 in El Paso, Texas, with the WBC, WBO and WBA lightweight titles at stake. The fight at GECU Arena at the Don Haskins Center will air on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and ESPN in the United States.

London’s Dubois holds the WBC and WBO belts, while El Paso’s Han is the WBA champion. Dubois said she is aiming to add Han’s title and move closer to becoming undisputed. Han called the bout an opportunity to unify the division’s titles in her hometown.

Matchroom Media wins award for Katie Taylor farewell coverage

Matchroom Media won Sports Production of the Year at the Broadcast Sport Awards for its DAZN coverage of Katie Taylor’s farewell fight at Dublin’s Croke Park. Taylor defeated France’s Flora Pili on Sept. 5 in front of more than 82,000 fans, then announced her retirement.

In Ireland, 1.6 million people watched the event live on RTÉ and another 500,000 streams were recorded on RTÉ Player, according to Matchroom’s report. Matchroom and DAZN Boxing channels generated more than 150 million social media impressions and almost 95 million video views.

Conor Benn open to Manny Pacquiao fight in early 2027

Conor Benn said he is interested in fighting Manny Pacquiao in the first quarter of next year after turning down a proposed December bout. Benn told Sky Sports that the December timing was too soon and that he wanted to spend time with his newborn son and family.

Benn called Pacquiao an all-time great and said a stadium fight sounded appealing. Pacquiao has not set a return date, and talkSPORT reported that he had been discussing possible opponents for a proposed Cardiff card.

Frank Warren dismisses reports Tyson Fury is injured

Promoter Frank Warren dismissed reports that Tyson Fury had picked up an injury in training ahead of his Dec. 11 fight with Anthony Joshua in Cardiff. The reports followed former heavyweight champion Frank Bruno’s claim that he had heard Fury might be carrying an injury.

Warren told Boxing News he had heard nothing to support the claim, and talkSPORT said it understood the reports were wide of the mark. Fury and Joshua are scheduled to meet at Principality Stadium for the WBA “super” title.

Conor Benn calls out Manny Pacquiao for possible 2027 bout

Conor Benn said he is interested in a fight with Manny Pacquiao in the first quarter of next year after declining a proposed December date. Benn told Sky Sports that the bout was presented to him for December but he was not ready to make the weight and wanted to spend time with his family.

Benn described Pacquiao as an eight-division champion and said another stadium event appealed to him. Pacquiao has not announced a return date, and talkSPORT reported that he had been in discussions with potential opponents for a Cardiff card.

George Groves picks Jai Opetaia to stop Deontay Wilder

Former super middleweight champion George Groves predicted Jai Opetaia would stop Deontay Wilder in their scheduled heavyweight bout on Dec. 11 in Cardiff. Groves described Opetaia as a proven talent and said the fight is dangerous for Wilder.

Opetaia, a two-time cruiserweight champion, has won all 31 of his fights, with 24 knockouts. Wilder, a former WBC heavyweight champion, is 41 and has lost to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, according to Seconds Out.

David Benavidez says Opetaia must avoid Wilder’s right hand

Cruiserweight champion David Benavidez said Jai Opetaia could beat Deontay Wilder if he neutralizes Wilder’s right hand. Benavidez warned that the fight is dangerous because Opetaia has been hurt by slower opponents, while Wilder still has a fast right hand.

Opetaia is scheduled to face Wilder at heavyweight on the Dec. 11 Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua card in Cardiff. Benavidez and Opetaia have verbally agreed to a cruiserweight fight next year, according to Boxing News.

Derek Chisora says Usyk would lose to Benavidez at cruiserweight

Heavyweight Derek Chisora said Oleksandr Usyk would lose to cruiserweight champion David Benavidez if they fought at 200 pounds. Chisora said Usyk’s training situation had contributed to a decline in his performance.

Usyk stopped Rico Verhoeven in May and later vacated three heavyweight titles, according to Boxing News. Benavidez holds the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles and is scheduled to face WBC champion Michal Cieslak in a unification bout.

Derek Chisora says Anthony Joshua is “killing it” in training

Derek Chisora said Anthony Joshua has told him he is “killing it” in training ahead of his Dec. 11 fight with Tyson Fury in Cardiff. Chisora said he speaks with Joshua each Friday after the boxer’s training week.

Chisora said Joshua needs to knock out Fury in the first six rounds, while predicting Fury would bring a higher pace and punch volume if the fight goes longer. The winner will also receive the WBA world title, according to talkSPORT.