Boxing
ANTHONY JOSHUA THROWS PUNCHES AT BOXING AUTHORITIES
BY LIAM MORGAN
Doping will only be taken seriously in boxing if a major incident occurs and the problem is “out of control” in the sport, according to unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
The Nigerian born Briton criticised organisations such as the World Boxing Association (WBA) for what he believes is their lack of action in tackling doping.
Joshua had been due to face Jarrell Miller for his International Boxing Federation, World Boxing Organisation and WBA heavyweight titles at Madison Square Garden on June 1.
But Joshua was forced to find another opponent after Miller tested positive for human growth hormone EPO and GW1516 in drugs tests conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.
Andy Ruiz stepped in to take on Joshua instead.
Miller has since been banned for six months by the WBA for his actions, which would have triggered a much longer ban under World Anti-Doping Agency regulations.
Joshua is among those to have criticised the length of the suspension, which does not prevent him from fighting but means he is unable to compete for titles and means he could be excluded from the WBA rankings.
The 29-year-old said the
ban was not enough of a deterrent, with five of the top-10 ranked heavyweights
having served doping suspensions.
“These are top guys,” Joshua said.
“How are they getting to the top?
“When you look down the list at everyone who has had it, how have they got to the top?
“It’s out of control but it is not taken so seriously by those in charge.
“Like racism in football, that’s happening but [is] not taken so seriously.
“Fury had his issues as well. He’s fighting again and it’s forgotten about.
“Maybe it will take something serious to happen.
“A death? I don’t know but something serious.”
Joshua’s last opponent, Russian Alexander Povetkin, twice tested positive in 2016 and a lifetime ban was later reduced to a year.
The Briton, who won super-heavyweight gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, said boxing authorities should consider introducing stricter punishments for doping.
“Rather than it being guys sitting down at the WBA and saying, ‘what shall we give him? Let’s say six months’, it would be better to know if whatever he was on, that is, say, a lifetime ban,” he said.
“Now the next person who uses human growth hormone thinks it’s a six-month ban.
“I haven’t fought in nine months. I could have taken human growth hormone after [the] Povetkin
[fight]
, got caught, taken six months out and still fight in June.
“It doesn’t put fear into fighters.”
-insidethegames
Oleksandr Usyk will put his WBC heavyweight title belt on the line against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza, Ring Magazine announced on Friday.
The Ukrainian three-times undisputed champion holds the IBF, WBA and WBC titles after vacating the WBO belt.
The 39-year-old has not boxed since beating Britain’s Daniel Dubois at London’s Wembley Stadium last July.
“I respect his (Verhoeven’s) journey – he’s truly the ‘King of Kickboxing’. But this is boxing – a different game, with its own rules and its own kings,” said Usyk, who has a 24-0 record.
“I’m ready and looking forward to meeting him in the ring. It’s going to be a unique experience for both of us, and I know the fans are excited too. A big night is coming.”
The ‘Glory in Giza’ fight will be streamed live on DAZN.
“I spent 12 years as the undisputed heavyweight kickboxing champion and accomplished everything I set out to accomplish,” Verhoeven, 36, told The Ring.
“But staying at the top for that long didn’t take away from the hunger; it strengthened it. Usyk is the undisputed champion in boxing. That’s the kind of challenge that motivated me. Undisputed versus undisputed.”
Verhoeven has sparred in the past with former champion Tyson Fury and had one professional bout in 2014, which he won by a knockout.
-Reuters
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Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will face off in a professional rematch at the Sphere in Las Vegas in September, with the bout streaming globally on Netflix, the fighters and promoters announced on Monday.
The fight marks Mayweather’s return from retirement and will be the first professional boxing match held at the Sphere.
Mayweather, who holds a perfect 50-0 record with 27 knockouts, defeated Pacquiao in their 2015 encounter dubbed the “Fight of the Century.”
That bout generated a record 4.6 million pay-per-view buys and a $72 million live gate at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
“I already fought and beat Manny once. This time will be the same result,” Mayweather said in a statement.
Pacquiao, whose record stands at 62-8-3 with 39 knockouts, expressed confidence he would hand Mayweather his first professional loss.
“I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him,” the Filipino fighter said.
The rematch will stream to Netflix’s more than 325 million subscribers worldwide, continuing the platform’s push into live boxing.
The streaming platform has recently broadcast several high-profile fights, including Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson, which the company said drew 108 million live global viewers
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Former multi-weight world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather will come out of retirement this year for his first official fight in nearly a decade, his new promotion CSI Sports/Fight Sports said on Friday, though his opponent has yet to be decided.
Before his official return, Mayweather is set for an exhibition bout with fellow boxing great Mike Tyson, with the date and venue still to be announced.
“I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing – from my upcoming Mike Tyson event to my next professional fight afterwards – no one will generate a bigger gate, have a larger global broadcast audience and generate more money with each event – than my events,” Mayweather, 48, said in a statement on his new promotion’s website.
It will mark the American’s fourth comeback from retirement, following previous exits in 2007, 2015 and 2017 — the last after beating Conor McGregor to extend his record to 50-0. He has, however, fought several exhibitions since.
Across a three-decade career, Mayweather defeated many of his era’s top fighters and headlined the three highest‑grossing bouts in history, against Manny Pacquiao, McGregor and Canelo Alvarez.
-Reuters
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