Boxing stock watch: July’s biggest winners and losers after a month of chaos and contradictions

Forget the actual drought across large parts of the United Kingdom this summer, the boxing drought is the one concerning us over at Uncrowned. 

OK, it’s not been that bad, but it’s safe to say the schedule over July was pretty dry.

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The long-awaited “Battle of Britain” between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua still had a stranglehold on a lot of the headlines, with both men featuring in bizarre tune-up fights, but were their wins good enough to get them on July’s winners list? Let’s find out.

WINNERS

Kristian Prenga

I know, I know: getting knocked out in the second round of a heavyweight fight doesn’t usually land you a spot on any winners lists. But this wasn’t any old second-round defeat for Albania’s Kristian Prenga. 

Prior to his meeting with Joshua in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Prenga had more Google searches for “Who the hell is Kristian Prenga” than punches thrown throughout his career. He was hand-picked to be Joshua’s fall-guy; a splash of oil to get rid of any ring rust ahead of announcing Fury vs. Joshua.

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But for the first three minutes of their heavyweight bout, Prenga didn’t just ignore the script, he ripped it up, dropping AJ twice and pushing him to the brink of retirement. 

The less said about the second round the better — no folks, Prenga didn’t take a dive — as he succumbed to the second defeat of his professional career following a heavy-handed onslaught from Joshua.

But after Prenga packed his bags in Jeddah, he flew home with an increased reputation and a genuine chance at making a move in boxing’s wide-open heavyweight division.

After all, what’s a loss in the land of the giants?

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Jacob Bank

After running to 19-0 competing solely in Denmark, Jacob Bank made his super middleweight breakout in Jeddah this July, routing Pawel August over eight uncompetitive rounds. 

This type of exposure — on the Joshua-Prenga undercard — was just what the 25-year-old Dane needed at this stage of his career. He’s now being lined up to challenge Hamzah Sheeraz for the WBO world title at 168 pounds.

Not since the heyday of Mikkel Kessler have we seen a Danish fighter draw the kind of interest Bank is currently managing — and if he’s able to enjoy a slither of the career that the former three-time super middleweight world champion Kessler did throughout his career, then Bank will have done something right.

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Abdullah Mason

WBO lightweight champion Abdullah Mason was made to think on his feet in July, rallying in the second half of his first world title defense to stop Albert Bell in impressive fashion.

Bell was a late-replacement for Joe Cordina in Cleveland, but Mason was able to solve the puzzle set by the game unbeaten challenger, eventually stopping his foe in the final round.

After shining against Sam Noakes for the vacant strap last November, Mason ticked even more boxes in this title defense, going through the gears when necessary like champions do, in a mature performance for a 22-year-old fighter.

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Closing the show in such emphatic style is a massive selling point for a fighter and should never be undervalued.

Diego Pacheco

After three decision victories, Diego Pacheco is back on the knockout train and making a much-needed statement in the super middleweight division.

The unbeaten 25-year-old allowed Steven Nelson, Trevor McCumby and Kevin Lele Sadjo to hear the final bells in 2025, stalling his worth as one of the top contenders in the 168-pound division. But under the wing of new trainer Buddy McGirt, Pacheco’s 11th-round stoppage of Immanuwel Aleem should act as a springboard toward the champions of the division in the latter part of this year.

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His promotor, Eddie Hearn, is on the same train of thought. “Is there a better fight than Diego Pacheco against Jaime Munguia for the WBA super middleweight title?” Hearn asked after his charge moved to 26-0.

I mean, yes, there are. But we get Hearn’s point.

Murat Gassiev

It’s 2026 and Murat Gassiev is a heavyweight world champion.

I’m not sure many would have had that on their boxing bingo cards this time last year, but such is the fluid movement of the heavyweight scene that this has become possible within the WBA.

Gassiev was impressive in stopping Kubrat Pulev for the “Regular” title back in December, and has now rubber-stamped his position as a full world champion following Oleksandr Usyk’s decision to relinquish his stranglehold on the division.

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Gassiev knocked over Peter Kadiru in front of a home Russian crowd in July, following the withdrawal of Tony Yoka, joining Agit Kabayel and Daniel Dubois as the heavyweight division’s post-Usyk crown-wearers. 

LOSERS

Tyson Fury

July ended with fewer people interested in Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua than existed at the start of the month. 

And you can’t blame the boxing — or wider — public for that.

Waiting a decade for this “Battle of Britain” heavyweight contest has been jarring enough, without now having to endure two more tune-ups for both men.

Fury “beat” 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in a glorified Thai sparring session behind closed doors in July. Simply put, these aren’t the movements of a fighter that still “has it” at the highest level.

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Anthony Joshua

See above. But it was almost even worse for Joshua.

Huge questions are now being asked over Joshua’s punch-resistance as an aging heavyweight, having suffered two knockdowns and a couple more hairy moments against Kristian Prenga in Jeddah.

Joshua closed the show well in the second round, but any suggestions that he is a shadow of his former self have all but been confirmed in the most unforgiving of divisions.

We all know — or think we know — that a fighter’s power is the last thing that goes, and Joshua will need to lean heavily on this belief if he is to win another big fight in his career.

Errol Spence Jr.

Not every fighter is still clinging on to their careers by their fingertips. Case in point: Errol Spence Jr. decided to call his quits in July, following a lopsided decision loss to Tim Tszyu in Australia. 

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Spence had been out of the ring for three years since his career-defining loss to Terence Crawford in 2023, and it showed over 12 lackluster rounds in Sydney. 

But let’s not kick a man while he’s down.

After his decision to hang up his gloves, Spence’s career can now be celebrated; a former welterweight king who, at his best, was a key cog in pound-for-pound top 10 conversations. And if it wasn’t for a life-changing car accident in 2019, who knows the further heights he could have scaled.

Hamzah Sheeraz

There’s a danger that WBO super middleweight champion Hamzah Sheeraz is becoming one of those frustrating fighters who only raises his level to that of his opponent. 

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The 27-year-old squeaked through a title defense via majority decision against German southpaw Simon Zachenhuber on the Joshua-Prenga undercard, looking flat and uninspired over 12 forgettable rounds. 

It’s all well and good being an official ambassador for Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season, but these gift-wrapped opportunities will soon dry up if Sheeraz drops his title or continues to flatter to deceive. 

His performance against Edgar Berlanga in July 2025 was sensational — and very much is the blueprint he must return to for future genuine superstardom at 168 pounds.

Joe Joyce

Why Joe Joyce was fighting in Russia against an unbeaten heavyweight prospect in July is beyond me.

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After looking lethargic and lacking power throughout, Joyce appeared to signal that he no longer wanted to fight in the 11th round and stepped backward. His opponent, Artem Suslenkov, took full advantage before the referee stopped the contest.

It’s now five losses in six for the “Juggernaut,” who is slowly slipping into life as a punchbag for up and coming heavyweights. Not the career-ending chapter that Joyce — an Olympic silver medalist from 2016 — deserves. 

At age 40 with a 16-5 (15 KOs) record, hopefully conversations are being had by those who have both Joyce’s ear and trust about his imminent future.