In this week’s mailbag, we tackle your thoughts on the announced fight between light heavyweight titleholder David Benavidez and Anthony Yarde, where Jaron “Boots” Ennis fits in at junior middleweight; Ricky Hatton’s comeback, who’s to blame for the delay in the Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev rubber match and whether Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua should just go straight into their mega-event rather than letting it marinate even longer.

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I think Anthony Yarde could be a tough fight for David Benavidez for the first half of the fight. He is a big hitter, so Benavidez will want to be careful. Thus far, Benavidez hasn't fought punchers at light heavyweight. Benavidez-Yarde should be fun. 

-damned1974

Owen Lewis’ response: David Morrell Jnr made his bones at super middleweight, but if the man who entered his bout with Benavidez with a record of 11-0 (9 KOs) isn’t a puncher, who is? 

Yarde is a puncher, that’s certainly true. But his last two wins have come on points, and his most recent fight – against Lyndon Arthur, who Yarde had knocked out in four rounds in 2021 – was even close on the cards. I don’t doubt that Yarde could hurt Benavidez if he lands his best punch, but Yarde has been stopped twice before and has considerably more mileage on his body than the 28-year-old Benavidez. 

Though Benavidez-Yarde is a fine fight, I’ve been frustrated with how Benavidez has had to sit on the shelf in wait of a shot at the king, first with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez at super middleweight and now with Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev at 175lbs. 

Before this fight with Yarde was made, many suggested Benavidez vs. Callum Smith, and the fighters’ teams tried to make the fight. I didn’t see much point – Smith has tested himself against the elite twice and come up well short each time, though he’s beaten everybody else soundly. To me, Benavidez has earned a spot on the pound-for-pound list with his run of wins over Caleb Plant, Demetrius Andrade, Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Morrell, and he wouldn’t be proving anything new by beating Smith. 

The lone question I have about Benavidez isn’t whether he can beat Yarde or Smith, but whether he can beat Beterbiev or Bivol. I suspect he can, but it’s impossible to know definitively until he fights one of them. I hope he gets the chance.

MAKE BOOTS VS. BAKHRAM AT 154

If Jaron “Boots” Ennis wants to be great, he will go for Bakhram Murtazaliev – the boogeyman at 154lbs that no one even talks about. But if Ennis prefers to go the easy route, he will take out Xander Zayas because of his lack of experience. I personally would like to see Ennis with someone like Erickson Lubin, Serhii Bohachuk or – why not – Conor Benn. I’m really interested in how the new weight will suit him. 

-SSDnv

David Greisman’s response: I’ve been so excited about the depth in the junior middleweight division, and there are even more sharks that are entering the picture. 

I harkened back to the days when 154lbs was essentially a round-robin tournament – back when the names included Brian Castano, Jermall and Jermell Charlo, Terrell Gausha, Tony Harrison, Jarrett Hurd, Erislandy Lara, Erickson Lubin, Jeison Rosario, Austin Trout and Julian Williams –  and so many of the titleholders and contenders faced each other.

But we’re not getting enough of that right now. Not yet, at least.

Today’s junior middleweights include, in alphabetical order: Charles Conwell, Ennis, Sebastian Fundora, Lubin, Israil Madrimov, Murtazaliev, Vergil Ortiz Jnr, Jorge Garcia Perez, Jesus Ramos, Yoenis Tellez, Keith Thurman, Tim Tszyu and Xander Zayas. There’s the potential for Conor Benn to come to 154lbs after his rematch with Chris Eubank Jnr. And there are prospects still on their way up such as Callum Walsh.

Some of them have already fought each other. But many of them don’t have their next fights announced. The pool of talent is deep. It’s time to see which of them will sink or swim.

NOT CONCERNED ABOUT RICKY HATTON’S COMEBACK

I wouldn't worry about this (“Ricky Hatton moves to reassure fans he will be just fine ahead of December return”). If anything, it will give Ricky Hatton a good reason to get in shape. He is fighting a guy in his age group who has been stopped in his last two fights. For him, it can be low-risk and high-reward.

-mjh1969

Eric Raskin’s response: While I am, as a general rule of thumb, opposed to 46-year-olds who haven’t boxed for real in 13 years and who recently suffered an “undisclosed eye injury” stepping into the ring, I do agree that this particular matchup appears to be low-risk for Hatton. I have long advocated for older boxers, if they insist on competing, taking on opponents in their own age group, and Hatton is doing that, thankfully.

I’m not so sure I’d call this “high-reward,” however. Defeating Eisa Al Dah — who, according to BoxRec, was stopped in his last fight, but not his last two — will not propel Hatton toward a meaningful bout. And I wouldn’t want it to. I hope this is a one-and-done situation.

The upside for Hatton is twofold, and your comment hit on half of it. It’s great to have something like this to motivate Hatton, who has struggled at various times to maintain a healthy weight, to get in shape. The other positive is that I presume it will bring him joy and satisfaction to be in the spotlight again, to get back out there in front of cheering fans.

I’m still going to have concerns for Hatton (and for Al Dah, for that matter), as each passing year post-prime brings with it new physical vulnerabilities. But you’re right that the concerns are relatively limited because of the choice of opponent for “The Hitman.” I just hope one fight is all he needs to make this particular itch go away.

DON’T BLAME BIVOL FOR DELAY IN BETERBIEV RUBBERMATCH

I don’t think it is Dmitry Bivol who is delaying/postponing the third fight with Artur Beterbiev (“Artur Beterbiev asks Dmitry Bivol of a trilogy bout: ‘How old do I have to be?’”). Bivol strikes me as a straight talking, no-nonsense kind of guy who believes in his skills and is not afraid of fighting anyone. It has to be the managers or promoters with conflicting agendas, maybe trying to extract some extra money for the third fight. 

-bronkobugarski

Lucas Ketelle’s response: Nothing about Bivol’s resume gives the impression he is delaying a fight with Beterbiev. Facing Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, and Beterbiev twice will give you that leeway. In fact, Bivol, with two wins over Beterbiev, could be in the running as fighter of the decade. 

Often, it is the people involved with the dreaded “business of boxing” that hold back and stagnate fights for profit margins. In this case, we have too little information to understand what is happening. Beterbiev, a typical stoic and silent figure in boxing, made an Instagram post, and Bivol has yet to really respond. Without knowing the full situation, it is hard to comment or understand. The one thing we all hope for is that the trilogy will happen sooner rather than later.

NO MORE DELAYS OR INTERIM FIGHTS BEFORE JOSHUA-FURY

There’s no use in marinating Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury anymore. Joshua got upset by Oleksandr Usyk twice and smashed to bits by Daniel  Dubois, and Fury has also been beaten twice by Usyk and looked dreadful against Francis Ngannou. There’s no use in kicking the can down the road anymore, especially when these guys are past their best. Fury is as flaky with retirement (in and out) and Joshua’s getting surgery. They should just make it now and call it a day. There’s no runway to “build” a fight for these two. The Brits will eat it up regardless. They should just make it already and call it a day. 

-TintaBoricua

David Greisman’s response: To me, Fury’s latest retirement was always a negotiating ploy, a way to get more money or a better percentage split for whatever fight gets offered next.

If he’s truly planning a return in 2026, then it’s best for Fury to avoid cutting off his nose just to spite his face. Fury-Joshua remains a huge event even though neither man is atop the heavyweight division anymore. And as you said, the window to make that fight isn’t going to be open forever.

Joshua is turning 36 this October. Fury is nearly 37. Both are at the stages of their careers where they can opt to focus on what’s most lucrative, not on what would add to their legacy. If Oleksandr Usyk defeats Daniel Dubois on July 19, and if Usyk retires within the next year, I just don’t see the value in Joshua or Fury going after those vacant titles instead of taking on each other.

But there’s one exception. If Dubois beats Usyk, then I could see Fury returning and challenging “DDD” for one more shot at becoming undisputed. That would be a huge fight as well, and win or lose, the Joshua fight would remain a possibility down the line.

Similarly, I could see Joshua wanting a rematch with Dubois. He’s 1-1 in major sequels, beating Andy Ruiz but losing to Usyk. Yet if Joshua is to return, I think he’d want at least one tuneup before meeting Dubois.

All of which is to say: Your points make sense right now. Let’s wait until July 19 to see whether the landscape has changed.

Want to be featured in the mailbag? Comment or ask a question in the comments section below. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. We also may select readers’ comments from other BoxingScene stories.