Boxing’s biggest October winners and losers: Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis in jeopardy, Fabio Wardley jumps the queue

October is in the rear-view mirror, so if you’re sick of hurdling moldy pumpkins that have rolled onto the sidewalk, then sit down, hold my hand and we’ll walk through the month that was.

And as a guarantee to you, the cherished reader, this will be a Halloween-free space, so don’t arrive here expecting any ghoulish puns à la Oleksandr Oooooosyk, Badou Jack-o-lantern or Richardson Witchins.

(OK, starting from … now.)

Let’s see who won and who lost the month.

WINNERS

Fabio Wardley

From boxing on the white-collar scene to becoming the second-best ranked heavyweight in the world: It’s been a hell of a few years for Britain’s Fabio Wardley.

The past 12 months have seen the 30-year-old knock out Frazer Clarke, Justis Huni and Joseph Parker, impressively different in variation and under a mixture of pressures — now, he’s in negotiations to fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.

Visually, Wardley is elite. The power speaks for itself, but there’s more to him than that — a kind of effective awkwardness that keeps opponents guessing. His hands are quick, his combinations flow naturally, and he has that mix of mental and physical toughness you just can’t teach.

Whether or not these traits will cause Oleksandr Usyk problems will likely be seen next summer, but sometimes, it’s the ones you least expect — and those who are the least orthodox — that do the most damage.

Jaron “Boots” Ennis

“Boots” Ennis isn’t the first and won’t be the last boxer to be handed an easy win at a new weight. But as a superstar in waiting, you still have to do the business and beat what is put in front of you — and do it well enough to make a statement.

Ennis, 28, did that in less than two minutes against Uisma Lima in front of a home crowd in Philadelphia and put the super welterweight division on notice.

Next? Vergil Ortiz Jr. Ennis made that clear in the weeks since, and in his mind, October’s win over Lima was the first step toward becoming undisputed champion at 154 pounds.

George Liddard

Halfway through the month, George Liddard claimed the British middleweight title with victory over Kieron Conway on a lively night at London’s iconic York Hall.

At age 23, George Liddard entered the bout brimming with confidence, openly taunting Kieron Conway and vowing to do what Austin Williams and Souleymane Cissokho couldn’t — stop him.

Conway, 29, dismissed the talk, insisting the fight had come too soon for the youngster.

But Liddard backed up every word, delivering a composed yet ruthless display to halt Conway just 49 seconds into the 10th round — a statement performance from a fighter quickly making his name.

Arslanbek Makhmudov

Arslanbek Makhmudov crashed Dave Allen’s homecoming party in Yorkshire with a commanding performance that underlined the gulf in class between the two heavyweights.

Allen hoped to extend his recent resurgence with what would’ve been a career-best win over the bear-wrestling Russian giant in Sheffield. The atmosphere was electric — thousands turned out to back the cult hero Brit, who had even spoken of chasing a fight with Deontay Wilder if he could pull off the upset.

But Makhmudov, fighting on foreign soil and eager to reassert himself after two defeats in his past four bouts, never looked fazed.

Despite a two-point deduction, he controlled the action from start to finish, silencing the crowd and leaving with a comfortable win — the homecoming dream left in pieces, and Makhmudov’s name back in the heavyweight mix.

Mikaela Mayer

It was a Thursday night three-peat for Los Angeles’ Mikaela Mayer, as the 35-year-old made history by becoming a three-weight world champion.

Mayer added another chapter to her remarkable career in Canada, outpointing Mary Spencer to become a unified light middleweight courtesy of 100-90, 98-92, 98-92 scorecards.

Mayer was always in control of the contest inside the Montreal Casino, out-boxing the hometown favorite across 10 rounds with poise and precision.

At age 35, she’s edging closer toward the twilight of her career, but appears hungrier than ever to chase down more history. Claressa Shields? Lauren Price? Oshae Jones? The options are there for Mayer across a big range of weight classes.

Fabio Wardley stopped Joseph Parker during their heavyweight interim title fight in London.

(Richard Pelham via Getty Images)

LOSERS

Joseph Parker

This one hurts, so we’ll keep it brief.

After molding himself into one of the in-form heavyweights in world boxing, Joseph Parker rolled the dice when he could have simply sat, poured himself a whiskey, and waited at the table that Oleksandr Usyk was serving.

Fabio Wardley was the beneficiary, stopping the Kiwi after a hellacious flurry of punches in their 11th round, and subsequently leapfrogging Parker into the mandatory position for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.

Parker, true to the gentleman and competitor that he is, gave no excuses and doesn’t appear to hold any regrets.

He’s bounced back after three damaging defeats in the past, so who’s to say Parker can’t do it a fourth time?

Dave Allen

It wasn’t exactly a surprise that Dave Allen suffered the eighth loss of his professional career against the seasoned Arslanbek Makhmudov.

Allen came up short, once again, at a fringe European level, and never really looked like denting the defenses of the giant Russian.

Matchroom, Eddie Hearn and Allen, himself, took a gamble that he could gatecrash the top-10 heavyweight scene after a dogged win over Johnny Fisher, but Allen once again failed to deliver on the big occasion.

There’s plenty left for the likable Englishman, but any serious suggestion that he could be considered anywhere close to the best heavyweights in the world is now hard to stomach.

Gervonta Davis

Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ record in the winners and losers column now reads 1-2, but this could well be his first knockout loss.

The lightweight world champion is facing a new lawsuit amid fresh allegations that he attacked an ex-girlfriend — just two weeks before his scheduled fight with Jake Paul.

Fight promoters Most Valuable Promotions released a statement on Saturday confirming they’ve launched an internal investigation following the filing of the new lawsuit against the 30-year-old.

“At this time, we are gathering information and reviewing the details to ensure any decision we make is thoroughly vetted,” the statement read.

“We unequivocally condemn any form of violence and are committed to handling this matter with diligence and respect for all involved.

“We will make a determination on next steps once we have completed our review and consulted with the appropriate parties.”

Anthony Fowler

OK, this one is important.

Anthony Fowler has continued his descent into the world of conspiracy theories and has come under new fire this month for claiming he can treat his son’s autism.

The 34-year-old retired Olympian declared that a treatment called “chelation” — a dangerous process that removes metal from the body and is based on the discredited claim that children with autism have hidden metal toxicity in their body — has allowed his son to be calmer, and walk with him rather than running off and having tantrums.

It followed a relentless push from Fowler across social media platforms selling CBD products, recommending them to parents to use with their children, despite every British regulator advising against the use of CBD products for those under the age of 18.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that this is the latest craze of snake-oil pyramid schemes, with its success and growth relying on a plethora of desperate, retired athletes and faded stars to push its legitimacy.

Your pockets

Earlier this year, Turki Alalshikh promised that all Riyadh Season and The Ring shows (following Moses Itauma vs. Dillian Whyte) would be “free to DAZN subscribers,” starting with David Benavidez vs. Anthony Yarde on Nov. 22.

That promise has seemingly evaporated into thin air, as DAZN has officially listed the event as a pay-per-view, priced at $59.99 in the U.S. and £24.99 in the UK.

There are now confirmed reports that DAZN plans to launch a new “premium” subscription tier this month, which will include all pay-per-view events. This will come at an additional cost.

Oh, and while we’re at it, I have accidentally been paying for two DAZN subscriptions for the best part of six months this year, both linked to the same email address, yet coming out of different cards for two different packages.

Maybe more a reflection on my laissez-faire approach to bills, but you get the jist.

It’s a reminder that those in control of the sport rarely act with fans’ best interests in mind. Power, in boxing as elsewhere, tends to serve itself first.

As ever, Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” is a hint toward the truth. Turki Alalshikh is not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy.