BOXING

Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s influence on Gervonta Davis is undeniable. It has helped the fighter affectionately known as “Tank” become one of the biggest attractions in boxing. But it also has burdened him with a decent amount of criticism from the so-called “hardcore” fight fan.

George Kambosos Jr. turned heads around the boxing world with a sensational upset victory over Teofimo Lopez, with Manny Pacquiao among those to share praise for Australia’s newest world titleholder.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is the king of boxing’s super middleweight division. David Benavidez, The Ring magazine’s top-ranked contender at 168 pounds, is confident he can come for the crown. Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs), who will takes on Kyrone Davis at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on Saturday night, is a potential opponent for Alvarez in a May 2022 bout for Alvarez’s WBA, WBC, WBO, The Ring and IBF titles.

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder delivered on the hype. The two boxers were meeting in the third and presumably final clash between boxing heavyweight icons. Fury and Wilder started the fight close with the two trading blows early.

The curtain has been drawn on one of boxing’s finest careers after Manny Pacquiao announced on Wednesday he was hanging up the gloves for good. The only boxer ever to win world titles in eight different divisions, the 42-year-old Filipino described retiring as the “hardest decision” he’s ever made.