World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is plotting his next move, with Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker both seemingly in the running to face the king.

The chasing pack watch with interest, knowing their own futures might be at the mercy of Usyk’s choice. Derek Chisora, the IBF’s leading contender, is among them. But does the ageing warhorse really deserve a shot and, furthermore, is Chisora challenging Dubois or Usyk something the sport really needs?

There’s plenty of action to digest as Mikaela Mayer and William Zepeda marched on and the journey of Pat Brown began.

In This Week, we go back to 1990 and a fight that birthed one of the most underrated fighters of the decade, Terrible Terry Norris.

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Tributes to George Foreman, Colin Hart and Livingstone Bramble are paid this week. 

Foreman was a gigantic presence in every possible way - to such a degree that we presumed he’d go on forever.

The loss of Hart, the doyen of British boxing journalists and friend of the podcast, hits particularly hard but comfort is found in the life he cherished.

There’s also time to reflect on the performances of George Kambosos and Skye Nicholson, a look ahead to the weekend’s action, and in This Week we look back on the

rematch between Matthew Saad Muhammad and Hart’s personal favourite, John Conteh.

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Should Nick Ball have been thrown out of his fight with TJ Doheny after booting him in the leg? 

That question, alongside analysis of the fight, is in sharp focus this week.

We also examine the £100,000 fine dished out to Chris Eubank Jnr and explain both why it was so high and where the money goes.

And in This Week we go back to the Nineties and a Mike Tyson undercard that featured one of the most unappreciated technicians of them all - Mr Ricardo Lopez.

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In this week’s episode we talk to one of the greatest of all boxing writers, Don McRae about his new book and reflect on victories for Harlem Eubank and Lauren Price, who may have ended the careers of Tyrone McKenna and Natasha Jonas.

McRae, in a teaser for an in-depth interview in the bonus podcast, details the process of writing what he believes will be his final boxing book: The Last Bell.

In This Week in History we go back to 1980 and a hectic world lightweight title fight between Jim Watt and Charlie Nash in Glasgow.

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The two biggest talking points of the weekend were triggered by the decisions of referees - Steve Willis to deny Lamont Roach a knockdown and Marcus McDonnell to disqualify Paddy Donovan.

But were they right calls? The fights, that saw Lewis Crocker win in bizarre circumstances and Gervonta Davis snatch a draw, are also broken down.

We brace ourselves as the build-up to Chris Eubank Jnr-Conor Benn begins and, in This Week, we go back to 2007 and Kevin Mitchell winning a British humdinger.

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Dmitry Bivol gained revenge over Artur Beterbiev following another close and high quality encounter. Did the right man win this time? We also wonder if in fights like these judges should be encouraged to score rounds level if they’re struggling to find favour.

We look at each of the undercard fights in detail with gushing praise for both Callum Smith and Joshua Buatsi in particular.

There’s also time for a look ahead to next weekend when Gervonta Davis takes on Lamont Roach and, in Belfast, Paddy Donovan dukes it out with Lewis Crocker.

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In a bonus free-for-all reaction pod we look back on the Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev card and a rivalry that may always feel like unfinished business.

There were talking points galore elsewhere, too. From the titanic clash between Callum Smith and Joshua Buatsi to Martin Bakole’s dramatic fall, via Hamzah Sheeraz stealing a draw and is Agit Kabayel coming the fore, we discuss them all.

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Matt and Alex reflect on Jack Catterall’s loss to Arnold Barboza on Saturday which dented his immediate hopes of a world title challenge while handing the magic beans to Barbosa on his climb to the top. 

It was a weekend for upsets and progress with Reece Bellotti, Jazza Dickens, Pat McCormack and Keyshawn Davis all starring. 

Where Top Rank’s boxing stars of tomorrow will be showcased is up for discussion as we look at the wider broadcasting landscape with the ESPN and Top Rank relationship nearing its end.

And we take a trip back to the 1980’s with the pulsating rematch between Livingstone Bramble and Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini remembered in This Week.

This is the first of four pods planned during this big fight week for Patreon and Apple + subscribers with a detailed preview of Saturday’s undercard from Saudi, a forensic look into the rematch between Beterbiev and Bivol and finally a big fight reaction pod on Sunday morning. To get these for less than a fiver each month subscribe now.

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