
Andreas HaleMar 13, 2026, 07:52 AM ET
- Andreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas' free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM's Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z's Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film "Bridges" in 2024.
The boxing calendar is filling up quickly, with major fights already announced featuring some of the sport's biggest names, including Tyson Fury, David Benavidez, Deontay Wilder, Alycia Baumgardner and Oleksandr Usyk.
But several other potential matchups rumored for this year remain in limbo.
Will Devin Haney fight Ryan Garcia or Rolando "Rolly" Romero -- or both? Is the Floyd Mayweather vs. Mike Tyson exhibition still happening?
And will Gervonta "Tank" Davis return to the ring amid his legal troubles to face Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz in a long-anticipated rematch?
Andreas Hale answers these questions and more as he tries to bring clarity to some of the most intriguing storylines in boxing today.
What's the latest on the Floyd Mayweather-Mike Tyson exhibition?
Since the announcement last September that Mayweather and Tyson were set to meet in an exhibition this year, details surrounding the event have been scarce. There have been no updates regarding where the fight will be broadcast/streamed, and sources close to the event told ESPN that reports of an April 25 date in the Democratic Republic of Congo were "extremely premature."
Mayweather has since announced that he will face Manny Pacquiao on Sept. 19 at Sphere in Las Vegas, leaving the status of the Tyson fight unclear. As of right now, the Tyson fight is still penciled in to happen, but there are no concrete details.
Tyson did appear on "The Ariel Helwani Show" on Wednesday and said he "believes" the fight will take place April 25 in Africa and "in the same ring Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in." Ali famously knocked out Foreman in the eighth round of the "Rumble in the Jungle" at 20th of May Stadium on Oct. 30, 1974, in Zaire, which is now recognized as the Democratic Republic of Congo. While sporting a cast, Tyson said he sprained a hand in training and wasn't sure if the injury would affect the scheduling of the Mayweather fight.
Mayweather has been silent on the matter but posted on social media in early March that he would be in a separate boxing exhibition against kickboxer Mike Zambidis this June in Athens, Greece.
Who will Devin Haney fight next: Ryan Garcia or Rolando Romero?
Haney, the WBO welterweight champion, has narrowed his options to two opponents for his next fight: Garcia, the WBC champion, and Romero, the WBA titleholder.
Sources have told ESPN that an offer is on the table for a May 30 unification fight between Haney and Romero. However, the decision now rests with Haney, who is also considering a more lucrative rematch with Garcia -- following their April 2024 no-contest after Garcia failed a drug test. Garcia claimed the WBC title with a one-sided unanimous decision over Mario Barrios in February and has stated that he would be interested in a Haney rematch. Garcia's promoter, Golden Boy's Oscar De La Hoya, has suggested that he isn't interested in the rematch, considering that his fighter dropped Haney three times and initially won a majority decision before the result was overturned.
Haney appeared on "Inside the Ring" and confirmed that negotiations were taking place for a unification fight with Romero. He said he is "working on it" with Premier Boxing Champions, Romero's promoter, but added that the deal wasn't done yet. Sources have told ESPN that it's likely that Haney is also waiting to see an offer from Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.
Realistically, the fight with Garcia isn't going anywhere. Haney could face Romero in May and unify the titles, which would likely make a fight with Garcia even bigger. Garcia is also pursuing a fight with WBO junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson, but weight could present an issue as Stevenson has yet to fight at 147 pounds.
Is Gervonta Davis returning this summer against Isaac Cruz?
Maybe. Although there have been reports of advanced negotiations for a Davis-Cruz 2 fight at 140 pounds this summer, there are significant hurdles that will need to be cleared before the fight can be made. Davis is facing legal issues stemming from an October 2025 domestic incident with ex-girlfriend Courtney Rossel. Davis was arrested in January on charges of battery, false imprisonment and attempted kidnapping, two weeks after a warrant had been issued for his arrest, and was out of jail the same day after posting an $8,500 bond.
It is not yet confirmed when Davis will next appear in court, but this looming legal situation will have a bearing on whether and when Davis decides to return to the ring. Davis is also reportedly dealing with a knee injury that could affect his return. In a since-deleted post on X after he was pulled from a fight with Jake Paul in November, Davis mentioned the injury and that he would be back in the ring as "soon as my knee gets better."
A rematch with Cruz, whom Davis battled to a unanimous decision victory in December 2021, could be another entertaining fight, but Davis has a lot to deal with in his personal life before he resumes his career. Not to mention that he has repeatedly discussed early retirement from the sport, which makes a timeline for his return hard to predict.
Is junior welterweight the strongest division in boxing?
The 140-pound division has the strongest and deepest collection of fighters right now with ESPN's No. 4-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, Shakur Stevenson, perched at the top after his dismantling of Teofimo Lopez Jr. in January to become a four-division champion. For the most part, junior welterweight is stacked with fighters in their primes. ESPN's top five fighters in the division -- Stevenson, Lopez, Keyshawn Davis, Richardson Hitchins and Dalton Smith -- are either undefeated, current world champions or have held world titles in other weight classes.
But the division is also extremely deep with Subriel Matias, Gary Antuanne Russell, Alberto Puello, Arnold Barboza Jr. and Andy Hiraoka making up the bottom five. And that doesn't even include Cruz, Lamont Roach Jr., Adam Azim and Emiliano Vargas. The division is extraordinarily stacked with youth, power and skill along with proven champions, exciting fighters on the rise, and fighters who aren't quite out of their prime years. There are no easy fights at 140 pounds, and there's always the looming return of Davis to add to a loaded division.

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