Boxing
ANTHONY JOSHUA TELLS ARAB NEWS: ‘INSHALLAH’ WE WILL BE SEEING A WIN FROM ME ON SATURDAY”
Anthony Joshua told Arab News being in Saudi Arabia has helped him feel relaxed ahead of his do-or-die clash on Saturday in Diriyah.
“I feel relaxed, I’m a frequent traveler to the Middle East, especially with my
family here, the food’s been good and I love the sun.
We’ve got a big event on
Saturday, I’ll be competing for the world heavyweight title and this will be
the time I’ll become two-time heavyweight champion of the world.”
When asked what his favourite part of being in Saudi Arabia was, he added: “I would say the weather, I just love the sun — I’m a sun baby — I need that sunshine and energy so I’m happy to be here. You could put me anywhere, but Saudi sun is good sun.”
The former world heavyweight champion has even been picking up some Arabic
during his trip to the Kingdom.
“The main one (Arabic word) is ‘Inshallah’ — this is what I’m saying,
‘Inshallah’ we will be seeing a win from me on Saturday.”
And Joshua was grateful for the opportunity to learn about a new part of the
world while trying to reclaim his belts and become a two-time world heavyweight
champion.
“I made sure when I came here, you have to claim the land and you have to take
part in the land, I’ve learned about old Diriyah, I went to a local school and
I’ve mixed with the local people — I think it’s important to do so, rather than
just tucking yourself away as I love to learn about new cultures,” he told Arab
News.
“Thank you for hosting me Saudi, for being so welcoming, it’s good to be here
and I don’t think it will be my last time.”
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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