Josh Taylor makes his welterweight bow at 146.8lbs
Yesterday all the fighters on the Land of the Brave' card weighed-in in Glasgow.
Taylor is determined to get his career back on track and will be fighting for the vacant WBO Global Welterweight Championship – 12 x 3 Minute Rounds.
He weighed in at 146.8 lbs while his opponent Ekow Essuman was 146.4 lbs
The WBO Inter-continental and WBA International Heavyweight Championships – 10 x 3 Minute Rounds will be contested by Moses Itauma – 254 lbs and Mike Balogun – 241 lbs
The vacant WBC Silver Featherweight Championship – 12 x 3 Minute Rounds features Nathaniel Collins – 125.6 lbs and Lee McGregor – 125.4 lbs
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, MAY 23: Nathaniel Collins v Lee McGregor Weigh-in 'Land of the Brave' at the Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow, Scotland on the 23rd May 2025. Queensberry Promotions. Credit: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry.
The WBA Continental & vacant Commonwealth Cruiserweight Championships – 12 x 3 Minute Rounds will be contested by Aloys Jr – 199 lbs and David Jamieson – 198.4 lbs
The vacant BBBofC Scottish area Middleweight Title – 10 x 3 Minute Rounds will be contested by Aston Brown – 159.6 lbs and Reece Porter – 159.4 lbs
Also on the card is a 4 x 3 Minute Rounds Super-Welterweight Contest between Drew Limond – 148.8 lbs and Ezequiel Gregores – 150 lbs
And an 8 x 3 Minute Rounds Super-Lightweight Contest between Luke McCormack – 143.2 lbs and Samir Cuentas – 144 lbs
4 x 3 Minute Rounds Light-Heavyweight Contest between Alex Arthur Jr – 171 lbs and Robbie Chapman – 171 lbs
4 x 3 Minute Rounds Lightweight Contest between Luke Bibby – 135.3 lbs and Cesar Ignacio Paredes – 134 lbs
4 x 3 Minute Rounds Lightweight Contest between Lee Welsh – 133.1 lbs and Tony Morton – 134.6 lbs
6 x 3 Minute Rounds Super-Bantamweight Contest between Marcus Sutherland – 127.3 lbs and Dylan Nixon – 127.4 lbs
4 x 3 Minute Rounds Welterweight Contest between Reese Lynch – 141.6 lbs and Jonatas De Oliviera – 140.1 lbs
Like this:
Like
Related
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Loris Karius lifts lid on relationship with Diletta Leotta after she revealed moment he locked himself in her room
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LORIS KARIUS has spilled the beans on his glam romance with TV stunner Diletta Leotta. The ex-Liverpool goalkeeper explained the difficulties of living miles apart from his wife and how he's able to make up for his absence. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 11 Loris Karius lifts lid on relationship with Diletta Leotta after she revealed moment he locked himself in her room Credit: Instagram / @dilettaleotta 11 Karius has a daughter with stunning wife Diletta Credit: Instagram / @dilettaleotta 11 Karius says his wife is more famous than he is on the streets of Milan Credit: Instagram / @dilettaleotta Karius, best remembered for that Champions League final meltdown against Real Madrid, has swapped Anfield heartache for happily-ever-after with Italian stunner Diletta, 33, who fronts the footie on DAZN. The pair first met in 2022, welcomed baby Aria in 2023 and tied the knot in a plush 2024 bash straight out of a fairy tale. But it's not all roses and romance, they're juggling marriage and parenthood from different countries. Karius now plays for German Bundesliga two side Schalke after leaving Newcastle while Diletta's continues her DAZN gig in Milan. But according to the goalkeeper his wife loves it and creates an atmoshphere where its right for them to feel the love even from a distance. He told Sport Bild: 'Diletta even advised me to extend at Schalke. "She thinks the club is great and she likes everything she has seen here so far. "Diletta also thinks that royal blue is the perfect choice for my sporting success. She is fully behind this decision." BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Karius however admits it's tough not seeing little Aria every day but FaceTime is saving the day. He added: 'But of course it's hard for me when I can't see my little daughter Aria for days. Glamorous sports presenter Diletta Leotta shocks in full see-through outfit as she leaves little to imagination "But that's what FaceTime is for and we see each other regularly - as often as possible." The 32-year-old goalkeeper also admitted he's open to a second child even though he's not planned anything yet. He added: "We would love to have a second child, we don't know when yet and nothing concrete is planned so far." The goalie also revealed that his missus is the real celeb in the family – especially in Milan. He added: 'She gets recognised more than me. She's a superstar over there.' But Karius wasn't quite ready for the full Italian family welcome. On meeting Diletta's clan in noisy Sicily, he fled the lunch table and locked himself in the bedroom for a lie-down. His wife Dilette revealed on a podcast: 'He was shattered by life, bless him. 'He said, Please stop, I need a break. "He went upstairs to his room locked himself in and threw himself on the bed destroyed by life." Since his Liverpool nightmare, Karius has done the rounds – Besiktas, Union Berlin, Newcastle and now Schalke in Germany's second tier, where he just signed a deal until 2027. 11 Diletta Leotta is one of DAZN top footie presenters Credit: Instagram / @dilettaleotta 11 She was in the U.S working during the just ended Club World Cup Credit: Instagram / @dilettaleotta 11 Every now and then she'd drop a stunning photo on her Instagram page for her followers Credit: Instagram / @dilettaleotta 11 The presenter first met Karious in 2022 and now they have a daughter Credit: Instagram / @dilettaleotta 11 Diletta admits Karius couldn't handle meeting her family for the first time Credit: Instagram / @dilettaleotta 11 She's happy to stay in Milan while her husband stays in Gelsenkirchen playing for Schalke Credit: Instagram / @dilettaleotta 11 Italian television presenter and model, married to German professional footballer Loris Karius Credit: Instagram / @dilettaleotta
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Eubank Jr-Benn 2: Five fights we want to see before the end of 2025
Over halfway into 2025 we have seen some incredible fights, from Oleksandr Usyk knocking out Daniel Dubois at Wembley to Chris Eubank Jr's war with rival Conor Benn . But there is still plenty of time for more memorable nights in boxing before the end of the calendar year. Whilst some star-packed cards have already been announced to be shown live on DAZN , we would love to see these five fights take place before we see 2026. Ramirez-Opetaia The cruiserweight division rarely has unified champions, let alone undisputed kings, so seeing three of the four major belts combined at 200lbs would be interesting in itself. Two-division world champion Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramírez is just the sixth example in the four-belt era, having combined the WBA and WBO titles with victory over Chris Billam-Smith in November 2024. Jai Opetaia holds the IBF strap, having briefly lost it over sanctioning body politics, and whilst the Aussie has made a lot of noise about unifying with another champion at cruiserweight, a belt-uniting fight has yet to materialise. Zurdo and Opetaia called each other out after their wins in June, with the two currently clear as the best two fighters at 200lbs. With Jake Paul sniffing around in the cruiserweight division and calling out world champions, it would be preferred to see two title holders go head-to-head, rather than take the money 'The Problem Child' offers. Ball-Inoue Naoya Inoue has worked his way up the divisions, crushing everything in his path. Undisputed at both bantamweight and super bantamweight, the Japanese fighter they call 'The Monster' has more than earned his name. Already lined up to fight Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September, Inoue is on a roll, having already fought twice in 2025. Victory over the former unified super bantamweight champion would leave the 30-0 fighter either waiting for countryman Junto Nakatani to step up to 122lbs, or he could move up to a new division. Nick Ball has been identified as the perfect welcome for Inoue at featherweight – the diminutive Scouser is three inches smaller than the undisputed super bantamweight champion. Inoue has admitted as much, telling The Ring magazine: 'Ball is a fighter who has used his physical strength as a weapon. But he's not tall, and in fact he's smaller than me. So maybe he's not a natural featherweight. 'Still, he's a guy who has risen in the featherweight division by defeating bigger opponents, so I think it will be a fun fight." Speaking before his win over Ramon Cardenas in May, In that same interview Inoue revealed that the plan was for him to fight in May and September, before facing Ball in December out in Saudi Arabia. Turki Alalshikh has stated that he wants the fight, and so has Ball. A featherweight scrap to see out the year seems to be on the cards. Stevenson-Davis Shakur Stevenson strengthened his credentials as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters currently active with his impressive win over William Zepeda at the start of July, showcasing an ability to innovate as he exchanged big blows with his opponent. That is another feather in the cap of the three-division world champion, but in a fractured lightweight division, a unification bout must be on the cards for Stevenson. He has previously unified at super featherweight, but recent developments at 135lbs have completely changed the landscape of the major belts. Vasyl Lomachenko, who Stevenson often exchanged barbs and callouts with, has retired, whilst Keyshawn Davis' inability to make weight for his fight with Edwin De Los Santos cost him the WBO belt. As one of the so-called new kings of American boxing, Stevenson must fancy himself against another – Gervonta 'Tank' Davis - the WBA champion at 135lbs. If Davis can redeem himself in his rematch with Lamont Roach in August, having controversially drawn with his fellow American back in March, perhaps we will see two of American boxing's biggest names finally share the ring at the tail end of this year. Victory over another huge name would launch him into contention as one of the best active fighters across all the divisions. Eubank Jr-Benn 2 In a world where overhyped boxing matches can produce a snoozefest, the first clash between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn delivered a British boxing classic. Taking the rivalry shared between their fathers, Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn, the pair built upon the family history to spark a personal feud. Neither fighter held back in what evolved into an all-out brawl, with any doubts over Benn stepping up 13lbs or Eubank Jr being limited by the 160lbs weight limit quickly forgotten about. Of course, that weight limit, and the rehydration clause that prevented Eubank Jr from weighing 10lbs more on the morning of the fight than his initial measurement, caused medical issues for 'Next Gen', who was taken to hospital after the fight. Just as the first fight was shrouded in doubt, initially scheduled for 2022 before a positive drugs test for Benn, the rematch has seemingly come under threat of falling through despite being contractually agreed. Turki Alalshikh's announcement of the fight for Saturday, September 20, took both fighters' camps by surprise. Matchroom Boxing chief Eddie Hearn implied that radio silence from Eubank Jr's team indicated that the fight would not go ahead, but it appears that the fight will be merely pushed back to November this year. Although a defeat for Eubank Jr could fuel talk of a trilogy, a rematch later this year could finally close a chapter of British boxing history. If it produces the same level of quality as the first meeting, then a lot of fans will be left very happy. Bivol-Beterbiev 3 Some trilogies are not needed, one fighter simply completing a whitewash over another. That is not the case for Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev , the two light heavyweights finding their perfect dancing partners. Both undefeated heading into their first meeting , Beterbiev edged a majority decision . With little to separate the pair, a rematch was set up for four months later. It was another majority decision win, but this time for Bivol, who became the second undisputed champion at 175lbs in the four-belt era – after Beterbiev. At one win apiece and not much between them in either fight, a trilogy was instantly suggested and worked towards, to the detriment of Biviol as he was forced to vacate his WBC strap in order to pursue a third Beterbiev fight. Talk of the rubber match has subsided since February, with discussions over the location of the fight a major stumbling block. It is clear that Bivol and Beterbiev are currently head and shoulders above the rest of the light heavyweight division, but boxing fans want to see a definitive king at 175lbs. Whilst Bivol is no spring chicken at 34, Beterbiev is arguably moving further and further away from his prime at 40 years of age. For the best fight possible, it should take place sooner rather than later. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
David Haye, Tony Bellew: Can Aloys Junior be Britain's next cruiserweight star?
Aloys Junior is back in action this Saturday as the chief support for Ryan Garner's battle with Reece Bellotti, live on DAZN. 'The Animal' lost his first fight as a professional but has since strung together a run of 10 wins, with nine of those victories coming via stoppage. His knockout of David Jamieson in May was one of the most impressive of 2025 to date, and fans will anticipate a similar stoppage when he faces fellow Brit Ellis Zorro at the Bournemouth International Centre. With names such as Viddal Riley and Cheavon Clarke leading the way at domestic level for British cruiserweights, Aloys Junior's trajectory is very promising. One of boxing 's youngest weight classes, cruiserweight titles have only been handed out since the 1980s. Eight British fighters have gone on to become world champions at 200lbs, with a lot of overlap between them. Can Aloys Junior one day rub shoulders with the following champions? Glenn McCrory Glenn McCrory became the first British fighter to hold a world title at cruiserweight in 1989, when he defeated Kenyan Patrick Lumumba via unanimous decision. He would successfully defend his title once, before losing it to American Jeff Lampkin in 1990. A brief spell at heavyweight culminated in a bid for the British and European titles in boxing's biggest division – with belt holder, a young Lennox Lewis, making short work of McCrory with a second-round knockout. His final fight saw McCrory drop back down to cruiserweight to try and win his IBF title back against incumbent, American Al Cole. The County Durham fighter was soundly beaten in a unanimous decision victory for the reigning champion. Even before retiring, McCrory started working as a boxing commentator for Sky Sports. After finishing his career inside the ring, McCrory would continue working for Sky for a total of 27 years. It took Carl Thompson two bites at Ralf Rocchigiani before becoming the WBO 's world champion at cruiserweight. He was knocked out by the German in 1995 in his hometown of Manchester, but two years later he travelled to Germany to defeat Rocchigiani via split decision and became the first of many Brits to hold the WBO strap at 200lbs. The two successful defences of his title came against two-division world champion Chris Eubank, a unanimous decision victory followed by a retirement in the corner for the eccentric challenger. Eubank would retire from the sport shortly after, following a run of three straight defeats. Thompson would take on another Brit after defeating Eubank twice – Johnny Nelson. Nelson stopped his compatriot in the fifth round, seeing the WBO cruiserweight title remain in Britain. Remaining at cruiserweight for the rest of his career, Thompson was unsuccessful in getting another title shot, although he would win a minor world title in the form of the IBO belt. The highlight of the latter stages of his boxing life was in 2004. In a fight billed as youth versus experience, 40-year-old Thompson handed 23-year-old and future cruiserweight champion David Haye the first defeat of his career. Johnny Nelson Another cruiserweight champion that converted into a common presence on Sky Sports, Johnny Nelson still holds the record for longest reign as a world title holder at 200lbs. Nelson lost the first three fights of his career, but soldiered on, and the Yorkshireman had to show the same persistence when it came to claiming a world title. A split decision draw in 1990 prevented Nelson from taking the WBC cruiserweight strap off Carlos de León in his hometown of Sheffield, whilst two years later a trip to Las Vegas to face IBF champion James Warring ended in defeat. Undeterred, Nelson would have to wait another seven years before getting a shot at Carl Thompson for the WBO belt. A fifth-round knockout saw Nelson take possession of the title, and he held the world championship until his retirement in 2006. He made 13 successful defences of his title across six years and five months, the longest reign of any cruiserweight world champion. After retiring Nelson has become one of the faces of Sky Sports boxing as a pundit on their shows. Enzo Maccarinelli The only non-Englishman on this list, proud Welsh fighter Enzo Maccarinelli is another Brit to have won the WBO cruiserweight title. After picking up the interim version of the title with a stoppage win over Marcelo Fabian Domínguez at the Millennium Stadium in July 2006, Maccarinelli had his eyes set on the full champion – fellow British fighter Johnny Nelson. He had meant to be fighting Nelson for the full championship on the undercard of Joe Calzaghe 's win over Jeff Lacy three months prior; but injuries for Nelson prevented the fight materialising, with the WBO champion retiring soon after. That saw Maccarinelli upgraded to full champion, with the Swansea boy going on to make four successful defences of his title. In 2008 a unification bout was set up with another British cruiserweight champion – David Haye, the WBC and WBA title holder at 200lbs. A second-round stoppage for Haye saw Maccarinelli lose his world title status. Haye himself would relinquish all three belts as he immediately moved up to heavyweight in his next fight. Interestingly, Maccarinelli is another British cruiserweight that took up punditry after his fighting days were over, continuing the trend with work for talkSPORT, BBC Wales, and S4C. David Haye Having positioned himself for a world title shot in the first five years of his career, David Haye quickly moved on from cruiserweight after claiming three of the four major titles. His knockout of Jean-Marc Mormeck earned him unified status with one swift blow, picking up the WBA and WBC straps at 200lbs. That meant for the first time there were two simultaneous British champions at cruiserweight, paving the way for Haye to face Enzo Maccarinelli. It took Haye just two rounds to stop the Welshman, becoming just the third person after Evander Holyfield and O'Neil Bell to hold three titles concurrently at cruiserweight. Haye was the fourth successive Brit to hold the WBO cruiserweight title, the torch having passed through Carl Thompson, Johnny Nelson, and Maccarinelli. Deciding not to aim for undisputed status at cruiserweight, Haye stepped up to heavyweight. He'd become a two-division world champion by defeating Nikolai Valuev and earning the WBA strap at heavyweight in 2009. Two successful defences later, Haye would face one of the biggest names in the sport, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. The dominant Ukrainian controlled the fight, taking a wide unanimous decision victory. Haye would finish his career against another British cruiserweight champion, albeit at heavyweight. He was stopped twice by Tony Bellew, spelling an end to a solid career. Following in the footsteps of Glenn McCrory, Johnny Nelson, and Enzo Maccarinelli, Haye took up punditry in retirement, predominantly working for TNT Sports. Tony Bellew Tony Bellew is unique on this list in previously campaigning as a light heavyweight before stepping up to cruiserweight. He twice fought for world titles at 175lbs, losing to WBO champ Nathan Cleverly in 2011 and WBC title holder Adonis Stevenson in 2013. He would move up to cruiserweight shortly after his second world title bid, moving back into championship contention in 2016. This time he was victorious, defeating Ilunga Makabu for the vacant WBC cruiserweight strap. He'd make one defence before stepping up to heavyweight to twice take on, and defeat, David Haye. After beating Haye back-to-back, he dropped down to cruiserweight to face undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk, in what proved to be his final fight. He suffered a knockout defeat, becoming the first in a long line of Brits to lose to the Ukrainian. Yet another cruiserweight-turned-pundit, Bellew can be seen providing analysis and commentary live on DAZN. Lawrence Okolie Two-division champion Lawrence Okolie is currently campaigning to become a title holder in a third weight class after moving up to heavyweight. An Olympian for Team GB in 2016, Okolie's transition to fighting professionally produced six knockouts in his first seven paid bouts. In his eighth he defeated fellow Brit Isaac Chamberlain to earn the WBA continental title, the first in a slew of belts. Quickly he would add the British, Commonwealth, European, and WBO international straps to his collection, positioning himself well for a shot at a world title. He stopped Krzysztof Głowacki in the sixth round to earn the vacant WBO title at cruiserweight, defending his championship on three occasions. Okolie's victory saw the WBO title at 200lbs back in British hands for the first time in 13 years, and it would remain in the United Kingdom when he was defeated for the first time as a pro. Although the A-side, Okolie was the away fighter when he took on Chris Billam-Smith, fighting in his opponent's hometown stadium, AFC Bournemouth 's Dean Court. Okolie's clinch-heavy style was heavily penalised by the referee, who took two points off, whilst a further three knockdowns for 'The Sauce' meant Billam-Smith became a world champion. His next fight was for another world title, winning the WBC title at bridgerweight in 2024. Shortly after earning his second world championship, Okolie moved to campaign at heavyweight, where he is already rated at number one by the WBC. Chris Billam-Smith Chris Billam-Smith remains Britain's most recent champion at 200lbs, having relinquished his belt to Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramírez in November 2024. Having worked his way up the British cruiserweight ranks, Billam-Smith took his opportunity against Lawrence Okolie in May 2023 to become WBO world champion. He would defend his title twice before attempting to unify with WBA champion Ramírez. 'CBS' was unsuccessful, but rather than step up to heavyweight, or the newly founded bridgerweight division, Billam-Smith has remained at 200lbs in the hope of building back up to world title contention. His victory over fellow contender Brandon Glanton in April has certainly not done his chances any harm, with 'The Gentleman' now ranked first with the WBO, third with the IBF, fourth with the WBC, and ninth with the WBA. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
