The Agnew Podcast- Boxing & Beyond

Ryan Garcia is dangerous again, but how much did the Conor Benn fight actually prove?
We start with Ryan Garcia’s second round stoppage of Conor Benn and go back to our predictions before the fight. What did we get right, what did we get wrong, and did Ryan look better than expected? Then there’s the post fight drama. Ryan called out Teofimo Lopez, Teo was in the building, but we never got the faceoff.
Then we get into Jai Opetaia vs. Noel Mikaelian. Jai got the ninth round stoppage, but Mikaelian also landed some real shots and gave Opetaia problems along the way. So was this just a tough night against a quality opponent, or did we finally see some holes once Jai had somebody bringing real heat?
David Benavidez entered the ring afterward and both men agreed they want the fight. We break down Benavidez vs. Opetaia, whether it realistically happens, who wins and why.
We also run through the Garcia vs. Benn undercard, including Alexis Rocha’s win over José Ramírez, Andres Cortes beating Mark Magsayo and Da’Mazion Vanhouter’s first round knockout of Raphael Akpejiori. Then we touch on Abass Baraou’s majority decision win over Giovani Santillan.
From there, we get into Turki Alalshikh’s seven fight wishlist: Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua, Jai Opetaia vs. David Benavidez, Shakur Stevenson vs. Devin Haney, Naoya Inoue vs. Bam Rodriguez, Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford 2, Filip Hrgovic vs. Rico Verhoeven and Terence Crawford vs. Ryan Garcia. Which fights are realistic, and which ones actually have us interested?
Then we get to the Crawford conversation.
Ryan Garcia questioned Bud Crawford’s résumé, which brings up a bigger question: did Crawford really miss the best competition of his era, or was Bud frozen out of certain fights and simply beat the best opponents he could actually get?
And finally, we get into Bud Crawford’s tweets. Crawford eventually explained what he was trying to prove, but did he actually make his point, or did the whole thing backfire?
Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn, Terence Crawford, Teofimo Lopez, Jai Opetaia, David Benavidez, Turki Alalshikh and everything happening around boxing right now. We’re getting into all of it.
Ryan Garcia, Conor Benn, Teofimo Lopez, Jai Opetaia, Noel Mikaelian, David Benavidez, Alexis Rocha, José Ramírez, Andres Cortes, Mark Magsayo, Da’Mazion Vanhouter, Raphael Akpejiori, Abass Baraou, Giovani Santillan, Turki Alalshikh, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney, Naoya Inoue, Bam Rodriguez, Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford, Filip Hrgovic, Rico Verhoeven.

The AP Gang is back and we got a lot to get into.
We start with Canelo Alvarez taking his training camp to Spain and whether changing locations can help him avoid the issues he felt affected his performance against William Scull.
Then we get into Andy Ruiz Jr. vs Damian Knyba. After another long layoff, Ruiz came back and took the loss but did anybody really expect the old Andy Ruiz? We talk about what went wrong and whether there’s realistically anything left for the former heavyweight champion.
Vito Mielnicki Jr. put together arguably the best performance of his career against Ammo Williams, so now the question is: where does Vito fit at middleweight, and where does Ammo go from here?
We also break down big performances from Eridson Garcia and Zaquin Moses, before getting into O’Shaquie Foster vs Emanuel Navarrete. Navarrete says Shock is going to run, we’re not buying it. We break down the matchup, Navarrete’s possible game plan and who we think wins.
Then we have some fun with Roy Jones Jr. vs Andre Ward. Would Ward have a better chance against prime Roy at 168 or 175? Either way… we think Roy might’ve cooked him.
Keyshawn Davis vs Richardson Hitchins is now in advanced talks for 147, and we get into what that matchup means for both fighters as they move into the welterweight picture.
Then it gets interesting: Terence Crawford vs Jaron “Boots” Ennis. After their back-and-forth on the Andy Ruiz telecast, we break down Crawford’s comments about Boots, Vergil Ortiz Jr., and Bud telling Boots to become undisputed at 154 and do it SOON. If Boots becomes undisputed next year, could a nearly 40-year-old Crawford actually come out of retirement to fight him?
We close with our predictions for Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn, take a look at the undercard, and talk about what a win could mean for Ryan Garcia’s career.
Canelo Alvarez • Andy Ruiz Jr. • Damian Knyba • Vito Mielnicki Jr. • Ammo Williams • Eridson Garcia • Zaquin Moses • O’Shaquie Foster • Emanuel Navarrete • Roy Jones Jr. • Andre Ward • Keyshawn Davis • Richardson Hitchins • Terence Crawford • Jaron Boots Ennis • Vergil Ortiz Jr. • Ryan Garcia • Conor Benn

The whole crew is back this week, and we start the show with a quick conversation about Denzel in Malcolm X, Jamie Foxx in Ray, Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland and Will Smith in Ali.
From there we get into Shakur Stevenson training with Floyd Mayweather and speculate on who Shakur could be preparing for with a fight announcement supposedly coming soon.
We break down what went wrong for Moses Itauma against Filip Hrgovic, including Itauma admitting he hadn’t prepared for 12 rounds and some of the things he said about Hrgovic’s chin before the fight. Then we talk Lester Martinez and whether we’re still seeing improvement or if he might be starting to show us his ceiling at 168.
Teofimo Lopez coming in at No. 5 in The Ring’s welterweight rankings leads us into a bigger conversation about where Teo actually fits at 147 and who he can beat. We also debate Ryan Garcia vs. Teofimo after Ryan said he wants to give Teo his “last lesson.”
We stay at welterweight with Richardson Hitchins calling out Brian Norman Jr. and then quickly backing away from the conversation. After that, we get into Jared Anderson explaining why he took the Martin Bakole fight against his team’s advice and whether there’s a bigger accountability problem with Jared.
We close the show with Vergil Ortiz potentially moving to 160. After leaving 147 without becoming champion and still not winning a full world title at 154, does moving up again actually help Vergil, or is he walking into an even tougher situation?

Was Quinton Randall ROBBED against Raul Curiel? We kick off the show debating the controversial decision and whether the judges took a win away from Randall.
Then we jump into William Zepeda vs Lamont Roach Jr. Zepeda’s relentless pressure earns him the WBC lightweight title, but what did the fight expose about Roach at 135 and how dangerous is Zepeda moving forward?
From there, things get HEATED. Keyshawn Davis turned down the opportunity to fight Devin Haney for the WBO welterweight title. Was it really a business decision… or did Keyshawn DUCK Devin?
We finish by looking ahead at two major fights. Claressa Shields returns August 15 against unified middleweight champion Kaye Scott as Shields looks to add another chapter to her historic career.
Then August 22, Rolly Romero defends his WBA welterweight title against Teofimo Lopez. Teo is coming to 147 looking to become a three division champion but Rolly has made a career out of ruining plans.

PBC’s new partnership with DAZN couldn’t have gotten off to a much rougher start. Jermall Charlo was forced off the card after being denied entry into Australia because of visa issues tied to his legal history, and Stephen “Cool Boy” Fulton came in a shocking 6.5 pounds overweight, leading to another canceled fight and leaving the card in disarray before the opening bell. Was this just bad luck, or a terrible first impression for PBC’s new era?
We then dive deep into Tim Tszyu vs. Errol Spence Jr. We discuss the exact point Spence began fading, his retirement announcement after the fight, and whether taking on an opponent like Tszyu after a three-year layoff was the right move. Should he have taken a tune-up first? We also look back at Spence’s legendary run, the risks he always took, and debate one of the biggest questions in boxing: Is Errol Spence Jr. a first-ballot Hall of Famer?
From there we touch on Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua’s chin after another shaky performance, Hamzah Sheeraz’s evolution from knockout artist to more complete boxer, and whether he has what it takes to dominate the loaded 168-pound division.
Josh Kelly successfully defended his IBF title, which naturally leads to a discussion about a potential showdown with Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Can that fight actually happen, and what would both sides need to agree on to finally make it a reality?
We also react to Bill Haney’s appearance on Mill City Boxing with Coach Dorsey, where he began building the argument that Keyshawn Davis has historically struggled more with skilled boxers than punchers. Is Devin Haney really the style that gives Keyshawn the most problems?
To close out the show, we give our full predictions for the William Zepeda vs. Lamont Roach Jr. card, including a spotlight on Houston’s own Quinton Randall, who takes on Raul Curiel in the biggest opportunity of his career. We discuss what a win would mean for Quinton and why this could be the fight that changes everything for him.

Andy Ruiz had the boxing world asking questions after his latest interview… and yeah, we had jokes. Before we get into the laughs, we break down his new multi-fight deal with Matchroom and what it means for the heavyweight division.
Then we dive into Terence Crawford’s comments on The Breakfast Club, where he revealed the only fights that really interested him after Canelo: a rematch with Canelo if the contract allowed it, or going for undisputed at 160 against the winner of Janibek.
We also react to Andy Cruz’s dominant third-round stoppage of Abraham Montoya and debate who’s the right first big test for him as he heads back to 130.
Next up, Eddie Hearn dropped a major update on Boots Ennis vs. Vergil Ortiz. According to Hearn, Boots made plenty of concessions the first time around. Now he’s a unified champion at 154, has leverage, has options, and isn’t rushing into anything. Is this still the next super fight… or is it already slipping away?
We also take a moment to honor Hannah Rapp after the tragic news of her passing. Rest in peace.
Chris Mannix says Devin Haney holds the keys to 147 because Ryan Garcia, Shakur Stevenson and Keyshawn Davis all want him. We don’t let that slide. We debate who actually wants who, whether Devin really controls the division, and if some of these callouts are more about timing than genuine interest.
Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn is officially on, and while it wasn’t the fight most fans were asking for, the business behind it is fascinating. Paramount, DAZN, Golden Boy and Zuffa Boxing all came together to make it happen. Could this be the blueprint for finally getting the biggest fights in boxing including the ones involving Shakur Stevenson?
We close the show with Errol Spence Jr.’s long-awaited return against Tim Tszyu at 160. After nearly three years away and with Ronnie Shields now in his corner, does Spence still have enough to make one more championship run?

On this episode, we kick things off with Andre Ward breaking down what it was really like fighting Sergey Kovalev. Ward said Kovalev was physically weaker than people think in the clinch, but his punching power was still serious. So we asked Cedric Agnew if he saw the same thing from his own experience sharing the ring with Kovalev.
Then we get into Sebastian Fundora saying he has more than one way to beat Jaron “Boots” Ennis that he can box with him or fight him on the inside. We debate whether Fundora actually has the tools to keep Boots at range or if that’s a dangerous game against one of boxing’s most complete fighters.
From there, we talk Oscar De La Hoya’s roadmap for his stable, including the proposed Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn fight, and whether Golden Boy is making the right moves.
Next up, we break down PBC’s new broadcast partnership with DAZN and what it could mean for boxing’s future. Then we tie that into Shakur Stevenson’s move to Zuffa Boxing after Shakur said there’s no reason the biggest fights can’t happen now that he has the financial backing behind him.
We close the show with Teofimo Lopez vs. Rolly Romero. These two have history dating back to sparring in 2017, but both fighters insist they’re completely different now. So we ask, has Teofimo declined since beating Lomachenko? Has Rolly quietly become a better fighter? And if both are true, is this actually a much more dangerous fight for Teo than people realize?

Mac sat this one out, so it’s just Q Ced and Val breaking down another big week in boxing.
We kick things off with Abdullah Mason’s win over Albert Bell. Did this performance prove Mason is the next star at lightweight, or did Bell expose some flaws? We break down Mason’s slow start, the adjustments he made, and how he took over the second half before getting the late stoppage.
Then we recap the rest of the card and discuss the standout performances from the undercard.
Next, we dive into Rayo Valenzuela vs. Edwin De Los Santos 2 on Zuffa Boxing 08. Four years after their first fight, was this redemption for Rayo, or is there still controversy surrounding the rivalry? We go back and forth on whether the result settled the debate once and for all.
We also discuss Oscar De La Hoya’s comments about trying to stop Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn. Is it really a fight nobody asked for? Does it make business sense? If the fight happens, where should it take place?
From there, we break down Richardson Hitchins’ recent appearance on the Mr. Versace Podcast, where he talked about his career and claimed Devin Haney doesn’t want the fight. We discuss whether Hitchins is simply missing the name recognition to land the biggest fights, what his path at 147 looks like, and what his future with Zuffa Boxing could be.
Then we get into Bill Haney’s comments about Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Bill believes Xander Zayas showed a blueprint for how Devin Haney could beat Boots, and we debate whether there’s actually a style that can give Boots serious problems.
To close out the show, we discuss Boots Ennis officially cracking Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound Top 10. Did he earn the spot? Were the changes to the list justified?

#AbdullahMason #AlbertBell #LightweightBoxing #ZuffaBoxing #RayoValenzuela #EdwinDeLosSantos #BoxingRivalry #OscarDeLaHoya #DevinHaney #RichardsonHitchins #JaronEnnis #XanderZayas #PoundForPound
 #BoxingNews #NextGenLightweights #RisingBoxingStars #AbdullahMasonHighlights #DevinHaneyVsEnnis #ZuffaBoxingEvents #BoxingRivalryRevisited #PoundForPoundRanking #LightweightDivision #TopRankBoxing #FutureOfBoxing #BoxingPodcast

We kick things off by congratulating Quinton Randall on earning his 17th pro victory after scoring a fourth-round TKO in front of his hometown crowd in Houston. Quinton breaks down the performance, what he felt in the ring, and why he believes there’s still another level to his game.
Then we dive into one of the biggest fights of the year as Boots Ennis vs. Xander Zayas delivered everything fans wanted. Boots scored an early knockdown, Zayas fired back and rocked him in Round 3, and from there Boots showed that Philly toughness by biting down on his mouthpiece and turning the fight into a war. We break down what changed, whether Boots really just “got lazy” like he claimed after the fight, and what this performance says about him as the new unified 154-pound champion.  
We also cover the entire undercard, highlighting who impressed us, who missed their opportunity, and the prospects you should be paying attention to.
After that, we react to Vergil Ortiz Jr. calling out both Boots and Xander after the fight. Would Ortiz actually be Boots’ toughest matchup? Could Boots handle Vergil’s pressure, or is Ortiz the one fighter who can expose him? We also discuss how Sebastian Fundora fits into the championship picture and which fight makes the most sense next.  
From there we look at Josh Kelly’s mandatory title defense and map out the current landscape at 154 pounds to see when boxing’s biggest names could realistically meet.
We also discuss Oleksandr Usyk giving up the WBC heavyweight title, which led to Agit Kabayel being elevated to full champion. Did Usyk avoid Kabayel, or is there more to the story?
We then break down Joe Cordina’s legal issues and how they cost him a major opportunity against Abdullah Mason. With Albert Bell stepping in instead, we debate whether Mason’s path just got a whole lot tougher and give our predictions for the entire card.
To close the show, we talk about the WBA placing Gervonta “Tank” Davis in champion-in-recess status for the second time this year, and we react to the reported agreement for Teofimo Lopez and Rolando “Rolly” Romero to meet for the WBA welterweight title later this summer.

We kick things off with Gervonta Davis jumping back on X and firing shots at both Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson. Love him or hate him, boxing gets a lot more interesting when Tank starts talking.
Then Quinton Randall breaks down Errol Spence’s recent comments about what went wrong during the Terence Crawford camp. Since Quinton was one of Spence’s main sparring partners for that fight, he’s able to separate facts from fiction and give firsthand insight into what really happened behind the scenes.
We also discuss Vergil Ortiz and Golden Boy getting back to the negotiating table. Was this whole situation blown out of proportion? With Golden Boy’s new DAZN deal in place, does Golden Boy need Vergil just as much as Vergil needs them? And if Vergil returns later this year, where does he rank among the top dogs at 154?
Speaking of 154, Boots Ennis and Xander Zayas finally collide this week. We react to some comments from Max Kellerman and debate who has more to gain from a victory. Does a win make Zayas a superstar? Does Boots get the credit he deserves? We also break down the keys to victory for both fighters.
Next, we preview Louis Crocker vs Liam Paro. Paro is moving into dangerous territory, Crocker enters as the underdog, and the outcome could have major implications for the welterweight division.
We also discuss the WBO’s latest stance on Devin Haney. A Keyshawn Davis mandatory appears to be coming in July, which could put Haney’s plans with Shakur Stevenson in serious jeopardy. Could Haney still find a way to make the Shakur fight happen?
And finally, Shakur says Haney is chasing a size advantage. Is Devin targeting Shakur now because of the weight difference? We examine the history of weight advantages, catchweights, and whether Shakur’s criticism holds up.