Boxing
VIDEO: ANTHONY JOSHUA TO ENFORCE IMMEDIATE REMATCH IN BRITAIN
SkySports in UK has reported that Anthony Joshua intends to enforce a rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr after his stunning loss and promoter Eddie Hearn wants to stage the second fight in the UK.
Britain’s heavyweight star
suffered a shocking knockout defeat to Ruiz Jr in the seventh round as his
unbeaten record and world title reign was ended on his US debut at Madison
Square Garden in New York.
Joshua received a major setback in his bid to secure massive fights with WBC champion Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, with his immediate priority now a return bout against the Mexican.
“I train hard, I stay dedicated and just got beat by a good fighter tonight,” Joshua told Sky Sports Box Office. “It will be interesting to see how far he goes, so good luck to him, but I’ve got to bounce back.
“This is all part of the story and the journey.
After flooring Ruiz Jr in the third round, Joshua was then dropped twice himself, and would topple to the canvas on two further occasions in the seventh before the fight was waved off.
“Fire at heart, boxer by trade, but look he done well,” said Joshua. “He done what he had to do. Everyone has come out for a good night of boxing. It’s got people talking, so more life to the heavyweight division.
“You know when your legs are all over the gaff, you’re just trying to stabilise your mind, your whole body. It’s the first time really like that in a heavyweight fight. The one with Klitschko I was just tired, but he’s a very grounded fighter.
“With me, they can’t box with me, so they just look for big shots, so I’ve just got to work on being a bit stronger on my base. Congratulations to the first ever Mexican heavyweight champion.”
Asked about a rematch, he replied: “I’ve got to get that solid armoury. This is the risk we take, but we’ll bounce back.
“He’s the champ for now. Just put that in mind, he’s the champ for now. I shall return.”
Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn intends for Joshua to return to Britain for his second fight with Ruiz Jr.
“AJ will be back 100 per cent. We’ll make the rematch in the UK, November, December, but tonight belongs to Andy Ruiz.
“He made history. It was a massive heavyweight shock tonight.”
Ruiz Jr had endured the first knockdown of his career, revealing how it spurred him on to produce a massive upset.
“That was my first time getting dropped on the floor, but you know what, it just made me stronger, and it made me want it even more, and I just had to knock him down back,” he said.
Discussing a rematch, he added: “Of course man, right now I just want to celebrate. I just made history baby for Mexico.”
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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