Boxing
DILLIAN WHYTE COULD BE ANTHONY JOSHUA’S NEXT OPPONENT
Unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua could face fellow British fighter Dillian Whyte next, say the BBC Radio 5 Live Boxing team.
Joshua reclaimed his three world titles by beating Andy Ruiz Jr on points in a rematch in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
The 30-year-old previously beat Whyte, 31, in 2015.
The WBO said Joshua must now face mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk while IBF equivalent Kubrat Pulev is another potential next opponent.
But BBC boxing correspondent Mike Costello, boxing expert Steve Bunce and former super-middleweight champion Richie Woodhall all said on the 5 Live Boxing podcast that a rematch against Whyte might be Joshua’s first fight in 2020.
Whyte beat Joshua as an amateur in 2009 and his only professional defeat in 28 bouts was a seventh-round knockout by his fellow Briton at the O2 Arena in London.
After having a charge for a doping violation dropped by UK Anti-Doping on Friday, Whyte beat Poland’s Mariusz Wach on a unanimous points decision on the undercard of the Joshua-Ruiz bout in Riyadh.
“Dillian Whyte at Wembley next year makes all the sense in the world,” said Bunce after Woodhall and Costello both suggested the all-British fight.
“Ukad have cleared him, Whyte and Joshua have got an old beef – that’s perfect.”
WBC champion Deontay Wilder is set to face Britain’s Tyson Fury in a rematch on 22 February.
Joshua said he is no longer interested in calling out American Wilder for a fight with all four world titles on the line but will fight Wilder and Fury “if the opportunity presents itself”.
“Once their rematch is out of the way they can start mentioning my name,” he said.
“I can’t keep on fighting all the champions, the best in the division and then other people who say they want to step up don’t step up.
“All challengers are welcome to take on this current unified champion.”
Costello said Joshua’s win over Ruiz and the fact many bookmakers were offering near even odds in any contest against Wilder or Fury showed he was “back on the top table” after his shock defeat by Ruiz in June.
“We are on the cusp, possibly, of having this great heavyweight era that we’ve been talking about for so long over the next two years,” he added.
Joshua was meant to face Pulev in Cardiff in October 2017 but the Bulgarian withdrew through injury and was replaced by Carlos Takam, who Joshua stopped in round 10.
Bunce also said Joshua could well “fight a guy like Pulev next” before possibly facing the winner of a bout between Usyk and Britain’s Dereck Chisora in the summer and then a third fight in November or December.
Joshua said on Sunday that defending his belts “on home soil would be big news” after promoter Eddie Hearn revealed he had been in discussions over a fight at Tottenham’s new 60,000-capacity stadium, most likely against Pulev.
“It would be mega,” Joshua added. “Looking at how many people came out here shows there is still a big interest in the heavyweight division, especially now we are taking the belts back.
“Sometimes it would be better against a Brit, but if not I follow the mandatories and defend them that way.”
Regardless of the opponent, Woodhall said Joshua’s next fight “will not be too far away” because he has a “feel-good factor” after beating Ruiz.
“He’s got that hunger back and he wants to keep boxing because he knows that if he’s boxing regularly, he’s boxing at his best.”
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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