The Opening Bell; A boxing podcast

Powerful people think they know what Boxing needs and are preparing to mould it to their own wants and beliefs. But are they right? In this special bonus pod, Alex and Matt explore the latest moves from Dana White and TKO/Zuffa while wondering what this means for the future of the Sport and those around it. Including the latest fight news with analysis and opinion. This bonus pod is and early rele...

THE POND, THE ATLANTIC AND TYSON FURY | WARRINGTON-WOOD II I SMOKIN’ BERT COOPER Tyson Fury is back with promises of domination and soundbites aplenty. But will Arslanbek Makhmudov really find competing with him as difficult as swimming the Atlantic in bad weather? And is Fury really planning to do his fighting without a trainer? And when will John Fury just grow up? Elsewhere at heavyweight, Fabi...

Nick Ball is the latest fighter to understand what makes Brandon Figueroa so effective following last gasp drama in Liverpool. Elsewhere, the WBC is again under fire over sanctioning fees. Is the industry about to turn its back on the alphabet groups? Floyd Mayweather, meanwhile, is chasing money again as he files a lawsuit designed to earn him north of $300m. We also catch up on the hairline of J...

BALANCE OF POWER | SUPREME SHAKUR | JOSH KELLY | TYSON FURY | BALL vs FIGUEROA As 2026 gathers pace in the boxing world, figures like Dana White, Eddie Hearn, Turki Alalshikh and Oscar De La Hoya are jostling for power. Will those sizeable egos be able to work together or are we facing a new battle: Zuffa vs DAZN? Shakur Stevenson turned on the style to dominate Teofimo Lopez and signal his arriva...

TEOFIMO LOPEZ vs SHAKUR STEVENSON | DEONTAY WILDER vs DEREK CHISORA | BAKHRAM MURTAZALIEV vs JOSH KELLY It’s a Teofimo Lopez fight week which can mean only one thing: We have no idea which Teofimo Lopez is going to turn up. As well as studying the form for his showdown with Shakur Stevenson, we look ahead to Josh Kelly’s date with destiny and wonder if now is the time for those bags of potential t...

TANK GOES MISSING | ORTIZ vs OSCAR | CRUZ vs MURATELLA | ZUFFA MAKE MOVES The career of Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis is surely over following the latest charges placed against his name… That he’s nowhere to be found won’t help, either. Zuffa prepare to show the boxing world what they’ve made of but is the signing of Jai Opetaia a more accurate indicator of their long-term plans? Vergil Ortiz made his own...

DYNAMITE DALTON SMITH | TYSON FURY RETURNS | ANTHONY JOSHUA | INOUE vs NAKATANI Reflections on the inspirational performance from Dalton Smith out in Brooklyn where he stood tall to upset Subriel Matias in five violent rounds. The almost inevitable comeback of Tyson Fury was all but confirmed over Christmas but what do his predictions about future brain damage tell us about the lure of fighting? J...

LESSONS IN POSITIVITY | JOE GALLAGHER Joe Gallagher, one of the heroes of 2025, tells The Opening Bell how he found the mental strength to beat cancer. There were times, he admits, when his pride was dented but not once did he allow fears about the worst case scenario to linger. ‘It was always f*** cancer, I will beat you,’ he tells us. From the long nights in hospital to the days he forced himsel...

https://www.patreon.com/c/TheOpeningBellPodcast/home 2025 has been some year in boxing. A strange, noisy, unforgettable year that demanded our attention whether we wanted to give it or not. There were great nights in packed stadiums where fighters shone and reminded us why we keep coming back. Skill, courage, timing, the simple beauty of it all when everything clicks. And then there were the momen...

Boxing fans got what they wanted when Anthony Joshua knocked out Jake Paul, breaking his jaw in two places. Or did they? That Paul lasted into the sixth round has only given the supposed imposter an even bigger platform to shout from. That he suffered a broken jaw is now his most treasured badge of honour. What did it all really say about both, though? Was Paul better than we expected? Was Joshua...

JOSHUA vs. PAUL - WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? | DIEGO PACHECO | TERENCE CRAWFORD | MICHAEL CARBAJAL Anthony Joshua is really going to fight Jake Paul, it seems. But what can we expect? A real fight? A gruesome mismatch? Or, dare we even think it, an upset of the ages? Before we get stuck into the most obscure of main courses we chew on the other talking points. Like… Terence Crawford vs. WBC; Jimmy’s Corne...

This week we welcome Sky Sports lead commentator Andy Clarke to the pod for a peer in and around the current state of boxing across the world. Currently in Dubai for the IBA championships, Andy’s experiences in both amateur and professional boxing means he’s well placed to discuss the challenges facing the Sport today. Tune in and enjoy and once again thanks to those supporting the pod for less th...

WEIGHT OF THE MATTER | BEN WHITTAKER | KATIE TAYLOR | WBC CONVENTION Out at the WBC Convention in Bangkok, the current system of weighing in the day before the fight has been examined in-depth. Is it time for authorities to now switch weigh-ins back to the same day? Also in Bangkok, the ratings meetings got underway, Katie Taylor confirmed plans to do battle with Ronda Rousey and, at the gala dinn...

Devin Haney dominated Brian Norman Jr last weekend, won a world belt in a third weight class, only to be met by criticism from Conor Benn. Does Benn warrant a shot at Haney and, should he get one, can he win? We also look ahead to a busy weekend in Britain when Ben Whittaker makes his Matchroom debut in a contest surely designed for him to make a statement and remind fans what all the fuss is abou...

Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez might not have been top of the bill in Saudi Arabia but, wow, his talent again suggested there are few - if any - below him when it comes to all-round brilliance. The headliner was David Benavidez proving his light-heavyweight prowess against Anthony Yarde. What does that emphatic stoppage mean for the man on the wrong end of it and is Benavidez wise to move up in weight agai...

Star Spotting in Saudi The stars, present and future, are out in Riyadh as we preview a night of top world championship boxing. The big questions are; Can Anthony Yarde make it third time lucky against the hipsters bogey man David Benevidez? Is Devon Haney as good as he thinks is and does Brian Norman Jnr have the answers? Is Abdullah Mason boxing’s next big thing or will Sam Noakes rise to the oc...

Two days after Conor Benn humbled Chris Eubank Jnr, it was announced that Anthony Joshua would fight, gulp, Jake Paul on December 20. Now there’s a sentence that would have astonished pretty much everyone only one year ago. But it doesn’t end there. Joseph Parker failed a test for cocaine; Oleksandr Usyk has lost a belt; and, wait for it, Fabio Wardley is a world heavyweight champion. In an effort...

EUBANK JR vs BENN II | ITAUMA NEXT FIGHT | VERGIL ORTIZ | KASH FAROOQ Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn are preparing to fight again so strap yourselves because we’ve got plenty to talk about. Who will have learned more from the first fight and be able to exhibit the most improvement? Will the BoMac factor make a difference? Where are the fighters heads at? And will Senior be there at all? Meanwhile,...

EUBANK JR & THE AMBULANCE | BUATSI-PARKER DECISION | FALL OF TANK | PEAK GGG Chris Eubank Jr is doubling down on claims that his ambulance was blocked after his gruelling win over Conor Benn. What are the implications of the new footage? Last weekend, Joshua Buatsi was called the winner over Zach Parker after a forgettable 10-rounder that reignited debate over the quality of judging in the UK. We...

Examining the bombastic rise of Fabio Wardley which has now astonishingly left Joseph Parker scrambling for breath in the rubble below. But should Parker be punished too severely for rolling the dice again? And we also wonder whether Oleksandr Usyk will really entertain a contest with Wardley at this stage of his career. It looks like we’re heading for Derek Chisora-Dillian Whyte III, yet another...

Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley each risk their position in the heavyweight sweepstakes while knowing only the winner of their collision will be invited to challenge Oleksandr Usyk. Parker will rightly be the favourite but is the New Zealander’s ‘renaissance’ being overstated when one examines his recent opponents more carefully? Throw in Wardley’s astonishing will to win, alongside the potency he...

IN-DEPTH WITH DAVID PRICE | AUDLEY HARRISON | JARON ENNIS In a searingly honest interview, Olympic medalist and former British heavyweight champion David Price reflects on his eventful career, detailing the highs of the early days and how he reset to cope with what followed. He’s taken back to 2012 and his bombastic knockout of Audley Harrison, a night when Price looked on the brink of conquering...

MEMORABILIA FAIR THIS SATURDAY (11th October 2025) AT DICK COLLINS HALL, ROBERT STREET, LONDON, FROM 1:30PM TO 5:30PM. Has Dave Allen bitten off more than he can chew with Arslanbek Makhmudov or is the threat that awaits the British heavyweight somewhat overrated? Ben Whittaker has made the switch from Boxxer to Matchroom but can Eddie Hearn work his old magic with his current box of tricks? What...

In a special episode, Matt is joined by Tris Dixon as they take a deep dive into the state of boxing in 2025. Is the sport in rude health, as those currently earning handsomely from the involvement of Turki Alalshikh always suggest, or is the sport struggling in the midst of a new era? Up for discussion is the length and frequency of boxing shows, the positives and negatives of the Saudi invasion,...

The countdown to Chris Eubank Jr-Conor Benn II officially began last week as the press conference, such as it was, almost immediately boiled over into chaos. Eubank’s astonishing claims painted some dreadful pictures that British boxing could have done without. And it leaves some seasoned observers preparing to watch happens next through their fingers. In far more warming fare, Alex and Matt were...