Boxing
ANTHONY JOSHUA-ANDY RUIZ JR REMATCH SET TO PRODUCE ‘A-WIN-WIN’ SITUATION!
The much anticipated rematch of Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia could produce an unexpected result hitherto not known to the public.
Both boxers could walk off the ring as champions! Former British boxer and multiple world championships winners in two weight categories has told a British newspaper, Metro that Joshua could be forced to relinquish one of the heavyweight world titles if he wins on December 7
Joshua is attempting to gain revenge over Ruiz Jr and reclaim the WBO, WBA (Super) and IBF belts he lost to the Mexican last June.
But with mandatories set to be called for the IBF and WBO titles, Haye thinks the winner will have to give up one of his belts.
What this means is that the loser of the rematch will claim a belt.
‘Usyk, that’s an ideal situation,’ Haye said on Derek Chisora’s next fight.
‘Whoever wins that title fight [between
Ruiz Jr and Joshua], whether they relinquish a belt or not, we don’t know.
‘There’s speculation it’s going to happen. If it does happen, Derek is in a good position ranking wise, particularly after his performance here and after winning that WBO strap.
‘Parker is a great fighter, but we tried to get it for tonight and he got a spider bite.
‘He’s in training, I would have loved that fight to happen.
‘If we can reschedule that for another time, Derek would love that.’ Chisora is bidding for another world title tilt in 2020 after his knockout win over David Price on Saturday night.
The 35-year-old has enjoyed a renaissance in his heavyweight career in the last year after linking up with Haye.
Price stepped up to replace Joseph Parker against Chisora and the British fighter is hopeful he can reschedule his clash with the former WBO champion.
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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