WBA reaffirms Teofimo Lopez’s mandatory defense against Jack Catterall

WBA orders Lopez to negotiate Catterall defense

The World Boxing Association has reaffirmed that welterweight super champion Teofimo Lopez must make a mandatory defense against Jack Catterall. The WBA said its Championships Committee rejected Lopez’s request for reconsideration after reviewing arguments from both camps and gave them 10 calendar days to agree on a date or propose another solution.

The order follows Lopez’s August win over Rolando Romero, after which he inherited the mandatory obligation created when Romero was elevated to super champion. Catterall won the WBA world title by defeating Shakhram Giyasov in May. The WBA said Lopez’s team had not submitted a formal request for special permission to pursue a unification bout.

TalkSPORT Boxing reported that a proposed February 6 unification fight between Lopez and Ryan Garcia could still happen, but that only Garcia’s belt might be at stake. It also reported that Lopez’s team says it filed a unification request on November 5, while boxing journalist Chris Mannix reported that Lopez plans to appeal.

Eubank Jr and Brook near agreement on comeback fight

Chris Eubank Jr and Kell Brook are close to agreeing on a fight, promoter Ben Shalom said, with February in Manchester under discussion. Shalom told talkSPORT that the sides had “pretty much agreed terms” and that only final details remained.

Seconds Out and Boxing News also reported that the fight could take place in February. Brook has not fought since beating Amir Khan in 2022, while Eubank has not fought since his 2025 rematch defeat to Conor Benn.

Ennis and Kelly set for February title unification

Jaron “Boots” Ennis will fight Britain’s Josh Kelly in a super-welterweight unification bout on February 27 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, the BBC reported. Kelly holds the IBF title, while Ennis holds the WBA and WBO belts. The winner will hold three titles, with WBC champion Sebastian Fundora holding the remaining belt.

Kelly enters on a nine-fight winning streak, according to the BBC, and won his world title by beating Bakhram Murtazaliev before defending it against Caoimhin Agyarko. Ennis is unbeaten in 37 fights with one no-contest and became a two-weight champion after beating Xander Zayas.

Two heavyweight bouts added to Fury-Joshua card

Martin Bakole will fight Solomon Adebayo and Da’Mazion Vanhouter will meet Michael Essomba on the December 11 Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua card in Cardiff, The Independent reported. The bouts join the previously announced heavyweight matchup between Deontay Wilder and Jai Opetaia.

The additions drew criticism from Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, who told iFL TV he questioned placing the two fights on the main card. Hearn said he would work to find Joe Cordina a separate fight in January.

Pacquiao ruled out of Fury-Joshua card

Manny Pacquiao will not appear on the December 11 Fury-Joshua card in Cardiff, BoxingScene reported, citing an official close to the situation. The source said Pacquiao could settle on an opponent for early 2027 within a week.

Pacquiao had been discussed for the card, including in connection with a possible fight against Shakur Stevenson, but BoxingScene reported that those plans had shifted. The report also said Pacquiao had been linked to a possible early 2027 bout with Conor Benn.

DTLA Fights announces November card at Ace Mission Studios

DTLA Fights is scheduled to return on November 21 at Ace Mission Studios, with 15 bouts and a global pay-per-view broadcast on Bash TV, FightNews reported. The card’s main event is a middleweight bout between Art Barrera Jr., who is 13-0, and Louis Hernandez, who is 13-5-1.

The announced matchups also include unbeaten lightweight prospect Julian Montalvo against Eloy Secundino Tello and bantamweight prospect Emiliano Cardenas against veteran Mario Hernandez. The card is to feature prospects from the Top Rank and Zuffa Boxing stables alongside veterans.

Adames puts WBC middleweight title at risk against Warburton

WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames is set to face Gerome Warburton in a 10-round bout in Riyadh, UFC.com reported. Adames is making his Zuffa Boxing debut, while Warburton enters after back-to-back decision wins over Nathan Heaney.

Boxing 247 reported that Adames weighed in at 165 pounds, five pounds above the middleweight limit, and that the WBC approved the arrangement. The report said Adames could lose his title if he loses, while a win would lead to an order to face mandatory challenger Meirim Nursultanov at 160 pounds.

Baumgardner rises to No. 4 in ESPN women’s pound-for-pound rankings

Alycia Baumgardner moved to No. 4 in ESPN’s women’s pound-for-pound rankings after defeating Elif Nur Turhan by unanimous decision in Arlington, Texas. ESPN reported that all three judges scored the bout 100-90, giving Baumgardner the IBF lightweight title and making her a two-division world champion.

Amanda Serrano dropped one place to No. 5, while Ellie Scotney and Dina Thorslund moved up and Mikaela Mayer fell to No. 9, ESPN reported. Baumgardner could remain at lightweight to pursue a four-belt unification against the winner of the February fight between Caroline Dubois and Stephanie Han.

Haney questions whether Garcia-Mayweather fight is real

Devin Haney expressed doubt about Ryan Garcia’s announced plan to fight Floyd Mayweather, telling Fight Hub TV that they would have to see whether the fight was real. Garcia has said the bout would take place on February 6 in Las Vegas and would be a sanctioned fight for his WBC welterweight title, talkSPORT Boxing reported.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said the organization could approve the bout if Mayweather passed medical examinations and held a boxing license. The reports also noted that Mayweather faces legal complications, including a lawsuit by CSI Sports.

Adrien Broner reportedly taken from Los Angeles concert

Former four-division champion Adrien Broner was found nearly unresponsive at a Los Angeles concert on Saturday night and taken away in a wheelchair, Fight Sports reported. The Los Angeles Fire Department said it received a medical distress call shortly before 10 p.m. and that crews were on scene for less than 10 minutes.

A source told Fight Sports that Broner was very drunk and that the incident was not a medical emergency. The outlet also reported that a bag worth between $50,000 and $100,000 was allegedly stolen while Broner was passed out; rapper Blueface denied that anyone from his crew was involved.

Hutchinson welcomes talk of Canelo fight

Newly crowned WBC light-heavyweight champion Willy Hutchinson said he would welcome a fight with Canelo Alvarez after reports linked the Mexican star to a March return. Hutchinson told Sky Sports Boxing that he would give Canelo “a boxing lesson.”

Boxing 247 reported that Hutchinson was among contenders named by Canelo trainer Eddy Reynoso for a possible March fight in Saudi Arabia. Hutchinson won the vacant title with a unanimous decision over Joshua Buatsi, while Canelo most recently beat Christian Mbilli for the WBC super-middleweight title, according to Seconds Out.

Gavin Gwynne targets title contention against Zelfa Barrett

Gavin Gwynne says a win over Zelfa Barrett would move him toward title contention as the pair prepare to fight for the WBA intercontinental lightweight title at Wembley Arena on November 14. The 36-year-old told BBC Sport Wales the bout was “must-win.”

Gwynne has held British, Commonwealth and European titles and won the WBA international belt after beating previously unbeaten Khaleel Majid in May. He said he switched from carpentry and construction work to boxing full-time only a few years ago and wants a world-title opportunity.