BoxingScene’s Midweek Mailbag: Tim Tszyu, Shakur Stevenson and much more

Published Thu Apr 10, 2025, 4:00 AM

In this week’s mailbag, we tackle your thoughts on Tim Tszyu’s next opponent, super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco pulling out of facing Christian Mbilli, and whether Janibek Alimkhanuly is being avoided or doing the avoiding.

We also cover the future for a pair of heavyweights (Richard Torrez Jnr and Joe Joyce), Serhii Bohachuk’s keep-busy bout, Shakur Stevenson’s negotiation tactics, and a nagging question about what counts as a national championship.

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.

BETTER FIGHTS FOR TIM TSZYU THAN FACING KEITH THURMAN NEXT

I’d like to see Tim Tszyu fight Jesus Ramos or Erickson Lubin. That would tell us a bit more about where he’s at in his comeback.

-steeve steel

Jake Donovan’s response: The good news is that at least one of those fights is bound to happen before the end of the year.

The plan going into last weekend was always for Tszyu and Keith Thurman to resurrect their clash previously scheduled for March 2024. It’s clear that Premier Boxing Champions needs to provide a lucrative option for Thurman; a Tszyu fight in Australia fits the bill.

From there, we can expect to see Tszyu – assuming he wins – returning to the healthier portion of the PBC stable. In my own interview with him a couple of weeks ago, he mentioned Ramos and Lubin both as viable options for the second half of 2025. Given his previous track record, he deserves the benefit of the doubt that at least one of those fights will come to fruition this year.

DISAPPOINTED IN DIEGO PACHECO FOR NOT FIGHTING MBILLI

Well this (“Matchroom withdraws Diego Pacheco from interim WBC title talks vs. Christian Mbilli”) is a bad look for Pacheco. Good thing modern boxing doesn't actually make fighters earn anything in this sport, and fighters can still earn decent money even after passing on important fights. Otherwise he might actually regret this.

-landotter

Jake Donovan’s response: The business side of the sport can get ugly in a hurry, no question. Still, it seemed clear this matchup wouldn’t move forward, whether as an eliminator (which already fell through) or an interim title fight.

A fair criticism would be to question why Matchroom once again let the process play out this long without hearing the purse bid results. It seemed obvious the play would be to just go the WBO route (Pacheco is already the No. 1 contender), so not exactly sure why they once again wasted the time of both Mbilli and the Eye of the Tiger Management team.

I was pleased to hear that Pacheco once again had a contingency plan in place, which means he will at least remain active. That’s the glass-half-full view. Matchroom will have to explain, however, why they continue to move laterally (and arguably backwards, if the next rumored opponent pans out) at a crucial point in the development of its 24-year-old contender.

JANIBEK ALIMKHANULY IS THE BOOGEYMAN

Janibek is the real boogeyman at 160lbs. He is a bad, bad MFer. Nobody at middleweight or junior middleweight will get near him. He deserves to be in the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez sweepstakes, and nobody at 154 or 160lbs is beating this guy.

-JohnnyCan

Owen Lewis’ response: Would Janibek give the best middleweights and junior middles the chance to get near him? He’s 32 years old, and though he’s fought plenty of undefeated fighters, recognizable names on his resume are sparse.

I’m personally not encouraged by Alimkhanuly’s zeal to move up and fight Canelo, for a couple reasons. First, though he’s a unified titleholder, there are other titlists in the middleweight division that he’s yet to fight. And second, Canelo is seemingly tied up until May 2026 given his fight with William Scull in May (sigh) and likely summit against Terence Crawford in September. Why is Alimkhanuly looking that far ahead when there’s more work to be done at middleweight?

Janibek told BoxingScene’s own Jake Donovan that he’s prioritizing unification, but I’m not too encouraged by him calling out Canelo before he’s really cleared out 160lbs.

I understand why Janibek would want a payday against Canelo, and he’d certainly be a more interesting opponent than Edgar Berlanga. But I still don’t think we know enough about him to judge whether he could give Canelo a tough night, and I don’t think he’s maximized his career at middleweight. If he is the real boogeyman at 160, as you say, I’d like to see him prove it against his fellow titleholders at 160.

JANIBEK CAN’T BE THE BOOGEYMAN IF HE’S AVOIDING OTHERS

So Janibek is just going to avoid Erislandy Lara and Carlos Adames at all costs, fight random European fighters, keep begging for a payday and claim everyone is ducking him. We saw this movie and how it played out.

-Spray_resistant

Tris Dixon’s response: What do they say, don’t hate the player, hate the game? But I couldn’t agree more. The progress of Janibek and Adames over the last 12 months means there is finally a high-profile and attractive match that can be made at 160lbs. It is the logical fight.

Sure, we can’t forget about Lara, but Adames and Janibek is a very real fight and a high-quality contest that would be fascinating. For me, it stands alone by some distance as the best fight in the division. The winner of that could then be in the Canelo discussion.

But the fact that Janibek is looking for Canelo makes you realize that is possibly more likely. Many fighters are content to wait for the gravy train than to stay active and earn the most lucrative of paydays. And if that is the flawed system, then why shouldn’t they? It’s infuriating.

NOT READY TO JUMP ON THE RICHARD TORREZ JNR BANDWAGON

Richad Torrez ain't ready for the big leagues yet. He needs a ton of work, and I still can't see the mustache being competitive against guys like Daniel Dubois or even a washed-up Deontay Wilder, let alone Oleksandr Usyk.

-A.B. Counterhooks

Owen Lewis’ response: Why the rush? Guido Vianello was a step-up fight for Torrez, and though Torrez faced adversity in the middle rounds, he won by wide scores. Torrez is 25. Dubois didn’t come into his own as a heavyweight until recently, and Usyk didn’t until his mid-30s! Heavyweights tend to have better longevity than those in the lower weight classes – there’s plenty of time.

Whether Torrez has the goods to win those fights after a sufficient runway is a different question, and given the ages of both men, I feel confident in saying he won’t fight Usyk before the lineal champion retires. The easy answer is no; Torrez didn’t blow Vianello away, and he’s even smaller than Usyk without a quality that really leaps off the screen like the Ukrainian’s footwork or engine.

But from having spoken to Torrez, I know he’s as committed as it gets, and confident in his skills to boot. Whether he’s ready for the big leagues or not, I do think we’ll see him testing himself against the best at some point.

SERHII BOHACHUK-MYKAL FOX IS A POINTLESS MATCHUP

Mykal Fox can’t crack an egg. Serhii Bohachuk beats the hot piss out of him. Why even make this fight (“Serhii Bohachuk-Mykal Fox nearly done deal for May 17”) unless Bohachuk is having trouble lining up a good fight and just wants to stay busy?

-PNUT901

Lucas Ketelle’s response: In a stay-busy type fight, Fox is a quality opponent. Fox was a tough opponent for Gabriel Maestre, who many felt he beat. Fox also upset unbeaten Fazliddin Gaibnazarov in 2019. Promoter Tom Loeffler keeps his fighters active. Though it might not be the big name some would want to see Bohachuk in with, at this level of event it’s a compelling fight. You also have to understand budgets, and the type of opponents you can get are limited. Though many might want to see Bohachuk in with a top-10 or even top-5 guy, I would simply rather just see him than not.

SHAKUR STEVENSON OVERVALUING HIMSELF WITH ZEPEDA OFFER

Shakur Stevenson is confused about his market value (“Shakur Stevenson still wants William Zepeda – but won't ‘bow down’”) because Turki Alalshikh overpaid him for a couple of fights. Probably not smart for him to bite the hand that was feeding him so well. I am not sure where he is going to get more money if Turki is cutting his purse – certainly not from Oscar De La Hoya. Might be a time to wake up to commercial reality.

-bronkobugarski

Tris Dixon’s response: It was an interesting exchange, that’s for sure. And while if what Stevenson is saying is true, I’d probably be more concerned if I were Matchroom. As far as I know, they had a two-fight deal with Stevenson, and one of them was against Josh Padley. It is hardly looking like a dream run between the pair, which I believe they hoped would lead them to a third fight – and one against Gervonta Davis.

But first with Padley, and now with difficulties sorting the Zepeda fight, it has not been an ideal period for either party. And if they go their separate ways after this, who could blame them? As brilliantly gifted as Stevenson is, he will find it hard to get Riyadh Season money elsewhere, so perhaps complaining about money there is not a wise strategy, because he doesn’t have an awful lot of chips to play with in his stack.

LOSS TO HRGOVIC DOESN’T MEAN JOE JOYCE NEEDS TO RETIRE

I always thought Filip Hrgovic would win this fight, so I don't see a problem for Joe Joyce. Joyce is still taking shots that would stop other heavyweights. Joyce needs to fight someone less durable, because he doesn't punch that hard. Not sure why they put him in with Hrgovic when he needed a win.

-Roberto Vazquez

Matt Christie’s response: The problem, from the point of view of those urging him to retire, is likely that ability to withstand hellacious punches and keep coming back for more. Boxing history has long dictated that the story doesn’t end well for that type of fighter.

Ultimately, though, the decision is up to Joyce. One naturally wonders if he has all the information to hand – about the effects of eating punches for years and years – to make that decision, but it’s not for us to sit here on the other side of the ropes and pass judgment on a boxer who not long so ago was lauded for that ability to take punches. Particularly if the reason is just to ease our own consciences for following such a brutal sport.

Not sure I agree that Joyce doesn’t punch that hard. That he cracked Daniel Dubois’ skull and knocked out Joseph Parker suggests there’s a bit of power there.

But I certainly hear what you’re saying about the difficulty of the assignment. Perhaps the answer lies in the options Queensberry has at heavyweight and whether they felt Joyce, at 39, has enough years left in him to start from levels below and be built back up. It felt like a Last Chance Saloon kind of deal to me, the kind where it was down to Joyce to prove that he was worth the effort and expense involved in making another run at a heavyweight title.

HOW CAN A FIGHTER HAVE SO MANY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS?

How can Elijah Lugo be a 26-time national champion when he is only 18? Doesn't add up, right? What does count as a national championship in the United States? You’d think there would only be one national championship per year.

-messimania

Ryan Songalia’s response: Great question. There are some purists who feel that only one national tournament per year should count toward national titles, and I’m there with you. As it is, USA Boxing has several tournaments throughout the year, with the biggest being the USA National Championships, which usually take place in December, and the National Junior Olympics, which are coupled with the Summer Festival. There are other tournaments throughout the year, particularly the year before the Olympics, with qualifiers for Olympic qualifying tournaments.

To help put it into context, let's look at just one year for Lugo: 2023. He won the National Golden Gloves in February in Missouri; then the following month he won the USA Boxing National Qualifier in Detroit; then came back in June to win the National Junior Olympics in Texas; then in August he won the National Junior Golden Gloves in Orlando; followed up in September with a win at the Last Chance Qualifier in Pueblo, Colorado; and then capped off the year by winning the USA Boxing National Championships in Louisiana.

That comes to six national tournament victories in just a single year. Stretch that across a decade, and factor in how the Lugo family never skips a tournament, and you can see how someone can accumulate all those tournaments. National tournaments are very helpful for sifting through who the top boxers are in the country, but also give opportunities to boxers who don’t have opponents in their regions to face.