Boxing News Roundup (May 22, 2019): Pacquiao-Thurman, Callum Smith next fight, more

By Scott Christ@scblh1

Badlefthook.com

If you missed anything yesterday, time to catch up.

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Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman formally announced their July 20 pay-per-view fight, and we’ve got the full presser for you. Thurman threatened to retire Pacquiao in two months, which Manny laughed off, basically, saying he can’t be intimidated. Thurman also said he feels his skills and talent will just be too much for a 40-year-old Pacquiao.

After the announcement was expected for a couple weeks, what with N’Dam having been suddenly ranked at 168 pounds by the WBA, Callum Smith is set to defend his WBA super middleweight title against Hassan N’Dam on June 1 on the Joshua-Ruiz card. It’s certainly not the sort of fight anyone was looking for for Smith’s first title defense after eight months of inactivity, but it could be worse, he could be fighting Steve Rolls.

We don’t have much for BIG FIGHTS!!! this weekend, but ESPN does have a world title main event on Saturday, and we took a look at Masayuki Ito vs Jamel Herring.

Quick Hits

• This week’s rankings went up. Not a lot of movement, but there generally won’t be a LOT of movement week-to-week, I suppose. Some of you have asked for P4P to be added, and after getting a mild taste of the discussion P4P brings, I think I’m probably gonna pass for now.
• 41-year-old Zab Judah is fighting again on June 7, when he faces Cletus Seldin, and he’s hoping a win will put him back into the world title mix at 140.
• Caleb Plant and Mike Lee will also fight July 20 at Vegas’ MGM Grand, and they officially announced their FOX fight, which will air as a lead-in and last chance to push the pay-per-view before Pacquiao-Thurman.
• Devin Haney returns Saturday on DAZN, facing Antonio Moran, and the 20-year-old lightweight prospect says he’s aiming to be a multi-weight champion and pound-for-pound star.
• Chris Algieri never did lose the WBO 140-pound belt that he won back in 2014, and he’s hoping to get it back, starting with a win over Tommy Coyle on June 1.
• Former lightweight titleholder Terry Flanagan has signed with MTK Global.
• On Thursday night, lightweight Ikram Kerwat will become the first female boxer to headline a UFC Fight Pass card, which I suppose is history-making. We’ll have live coverage of the card on Thursday at 10 pm ET, and if Smitty isn’t on the call, we riot.
• A few fights coming: D’Mitrius Ballard will face Elias Espadas in a June 20 Golden Boy Facebook main event, Rocky Fielding and Martin Murray return July 12 in Liverpool on ESPN+, and Golden Boy is working on a Diego De La Hoya vs Ronny Rios interim featherweight title fight for July 13.

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