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SAUDI ARABIA SPLASH MEGABUCKS ON TYSON FURY NEXT FIGHT

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The Saudi Arabians are tabling a gigantic bid for Tyson Fury’s next fight, be it a second rematch with Deontay Wilder or a British bonanza against Anthony Joshua.

Four members of the Saudi royal family sat incognito at ringside here on Saturday night as Fury transformed not only himself with a phenomenal crushing of the biggest puncher in ring history but also the entire landscape of heavyweight boxing.

The Saudi party dressed in Western fashion was led by Prince Khaled, which will alarm Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn. It was with this high-ranking dignitary that he collaborated on AJ’s vastly enriching December rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr in Riyadh.

Khaled, who is delegated by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to bring to Saudi Arabia the major sports events, which can polish the nation’s troubled human rights image.

They consider nothing and no-one bigger now than the Gypsy King, who not only established himself as the pre-eminent heavyweight in the world today with the outstanding performance overseas by any British fighter in history but also reaffirmed his reputation as the ring’s great entertainer.

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The Saudis were given a preview of Fury the showman when he made a pilot appearance in WWE wrestling in Riyadh before Christmas and it seems not to matter to them whoever Fury fights, nor in what order. He is seen as the key to unlocking a floodgate of international tourism.

Joshua banked $85 million for regaining his collection of belts from Ruiz in a temporary arena there. Now they envisage a series of fights for Fury in the national stadium, the first in October, which could make him rich beyond the dreams of Croesus.

Who against? Well, Wilder expects it to be him. The Bronze Bomber said on Monday night he will trigger a rematch clause for the final part of a trilogy against Fury this summer.

‘The rematch is definitely going to happen,’ Wilder told The Athletic. ‘We’re going to get it on. I want to get right back to it.’

The man from Tuscaloosa is a proud warrior and regards himself as fighting for the honour of black America. Also, if he doesn’t meet Fury again he will be left bereft of a major fight.

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Fury expects the Bronze Bomber to gird himself for another battle. He is talking of their second rematch taking place at the newly constructed football stadium here, which is soon to be home to the relocated Angeles Raiders.

That is improbable since the overwhelming manner of Fury’s victory will inevitably reduce the US public’s box office appetite for a third fight. We all know the result already.

Fury’s co-promoter Frank Warren says: ‘We are receiving loads of offers for Fury. It could be back here but whether it’s Wilder or Joshua it would be huge back in London. Whoever, Tyson is now very much the A-side, the world’s No 1 attraction. We are way past all that nonsense about Joshua wanting 65 or 70 per cent of the purse. If anything, it’s the other way around now. 

‘Whether AJ will even want to take the fight, we don’t know. What he does know is that he would get knocked out even harder than Wilder now that Tyson has changed his style.’ 

That switch from dancing defence to deadly attack was as astonishing as the execution of the strategy, devised as it was in only eight weeks by his new Kronk trainer Javan SugarHill Steward.

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Be warned, all out there in the heavyweight gyms, when Fury says: ‘This is the way I’m going to be boxing from now on. I should have done this before.’

Perhaps even more extraordinary is his journey from public pariah – as a consequence of this devout Catholic’s Bible-based remarks – to being quoted now at sharply shortened bookmaker’s odds not only to win the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year Award but to be knighted.

That would have been inconceivable before this ring redemption as a second-time world champion, accomplished by seizing the WBC and Ring magazine belts while climbing out of a mental health pit of deep, chronic depression.

Warren says: ‘It has been an honour to help this man achieve one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history, if not the greatest.’

It is a privilege to have watched it and it will be thrilling to see it continue, wherever that takes him in a world which is now at his feet.

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Fury furiously vows to go ‘destroy mode’ in rematch with Usyk

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Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk - Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - May 19, 2024 Tyson Fury during press conference Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge/File Photo

Briton Tyson Fury said he will throw caution to the wind when he faces heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and aim for a knockout victory in their rematch.

In their first bout in May, Fury hit his stride in the fourth round and engaged in some showmanship as he caught Usyk with vicious body shots, but the Ukrainian battled back and turned the tide in the eighth round.

Usyk’s powerful punches to the head left Fury reeling and the previously undefeated boxer struggled through the final rounds of the fight before losing by split decision and relinquishing his WBC heavyweight championship.

The rematch will take place on Dec. 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the WBC, WBO and WBA titles on the line.

“I’m going to go in there with destroy mode. Last time I went to box him, I was being cautious. I boxed the head right off him,” Fury told TNT Sports on Saturday.

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“Let’s talk facts. Anyone can get caught, as we’ve seen in a lot of these heavyweight fights, but this time I’m not going for a points decision.”

Fury added that he is still keen on facing fellow Briton Anthony Joshua, despite the former champion’s knockout defeat at the hands of Daniel Dubois in an IBF title fight last month.

Joshua and Fury had been set to face off in a proposed ‘Battle of Britain’ bout in 2022, but the fight fell through.

“At the end of the day, it would be a travesty if we didn’t fight,” Fury said.

“No matter if he loses 20 more fights. If he doesn’t win another fight and has 10 years away from the game, it doesn’t matter, we have to fight.”

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-Reuters

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Anthony Joshua addresses retirement talk

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After Saturday’s night defeat to Daniel Dubois, Anthony Joshua’s boxing career looked heading to an end as the former two-time world champion was knocked out in the fifth round of their heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium.

 But a determined Joshua has said that he would not quit easily. He has played down any talk of retirement following his defeat.

 His defeat ended any immediate hope of becoming a three-time world champion. A British-record crowd of over 96,000 people saw Dubois retain his IBF World Heavyweight title with a victory that shocked the boxing world

The 27-year-old put in a dominant performance, flooring Anthony Joshua in the first round with a strong overhand right that he never truly recovered from.

Despite coming forward in the fifth round with a big straight right-hand, Dubois countered with devastating knockout blow.

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“Always walk with your head high, we rolled the dice, for the third time, 13 world title fights, not every one has been successful, but they’ve all been fun and entertaining,” Joshua was quoted by Independent as saying.

 He was talking about  his future. “You’re probably asking if I still want to consider fighting? Of course I want to continue fighting.

“We took a shot at success and we came up short. What does that mean now? That we’re going to run away? We’re going to live to fight another day. And that’s what I am – I’m a warrior.

“There were a few mistakes in there but that’s the name of the game. Fine margins will cost you at the top level.

“Also before I finish, we have to give credit our opponent Daniel. When I sign up to fight opponents, I don’t really like them in my head any more. But now that it’s done, I take my hat off to him and say well done.”

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Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, according to Manchester Evening News,  admitted this was the first time he’d seen the former two-time world champion hurt during their 11-years working together.

“It’s probably the only time in his whole career I’ve seen him really hurt, it’s not bad, having won two world championships and 13 world title fights, to the point he couldn’t get up,” Hearn added.

“It’s the first time in his career that he’s been properly hurt, you never want to carry on too long, but AJ doesn’t have many miles on the clock. When Ben comes to me and says, ‘he doesn’t look the same fighter any more’, and AJ will make that decision.

“We’ve seen the best AJ over the last year, it’s difficult to say that’s it. These are the closing chapters of his career. We have another fight with RS, Dubois is part of that plan. So too is Tyson Fury or another heavyweight. 2025 is going to be an interesting year for Joshua, against whoever, you’ll be entertained.

“Our interests are that he leaves this sport with legacy, money and his health in tact, knocked out like that you have to look at that. That was just a shot, trading with a huge right hand, it doesn’t matter who you are, you’re getting knocked out.”

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How dynamite Daniel Dubois demolished Anthony Joshua to retain IBF heavyweight belt

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 Daniel Dubois v Anthony Joshua - IBF World Heavyweight Title - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - September 21, 2024 Anthony Joshua in action against Daniel Dubois Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

Britain’s Daniel Dubois destroyed Anthony Joshua’s dream of becoming a three times heavyweight world champion with a fifth-round knockout to retain his IBF belt at a packed Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Dubois dropped his compatriot to the canvas in the opening round with a stinging right, the referee delivering a standing eight count, and the 27-year-old proceeded to tear up the pre-fight predictions as swiftly as he ripped into his opponent.

Joshua, 34, took another hammering in round two but managed to ride out the storm before round three came crashing down around him again.

With Dubois landing more fizzing right-handers, Joshua was literally on the ropes before being saved by the bell.

He could barely stand at the end of the fourth, after going down again with two minutes remaining, and then it was all over in the fifth with the painstaking rebuilding of his career suddenly in ruins.

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After landing a few promising blows, any signs of a fightback faded with a right to the chin that sent Joshua down, the former IBF, WBA and IBO champion this time unable to get back on his feet.

“I’ve only got a few words to say: Are you not entertained?,” declared Dubois after the biggest win, and first at Wembley, of a 24-fight career with two defeats.

“I’m a gladiator, I’m a warrior to the bitter end. I want to get to the top level of this game and reach my full potential.

“I’ve been on a rollercoaster ride. This is my time, this is my redemption story, and I’m not going to stop until I reach my full potential.”

RECORD CROWD

Organisers said a British post-World War Two record of 96,000 spectators attended the Saudi-funded fight at London’s Wembley Stadium.

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Among them were Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, singing three songs on his 52nd birthday ahead of a reunion next year, and Ukraine’s WBC, WBA and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Usyk has beaten both Joshua and Dubois already and will fight Britain’s Tyson Fury, also present, in a rematch in Saudi Arabia in December.

Joshua might have hoped to have a crack at the winner of that fight but instead faces an uncertain future with Dubois sending a seismic ripple through the familiar heavyweight landscape.

Dubois said he hoped for another shot at Usyk, who beat him in nine rounds in Wroclaw, Poland, last year.

Usyk previously held the IBF belt but vacated it for the Fury rematch, with Dubois the interim holder and upgraded to world champion in June.

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“Credit to him and his team. We rolled the dice of success, but we came up short,” said Joshua after his 13th world heavyweight title fight left him with a record of four defeats from 32 bouts.

He had first won the IBF belt in 2016 from Charles Martin at London’s O2 Arena. Joshua then lost it to Andy Ruiz in 2019 but won it back later that year. Usyk then took it from him in 2021.

“We keep rolling the dice. I had a sharp opponent, a fast opponent and a lot of mistakes from my end, but that’s the game.”

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said he expected to exercise a rematch clause.

“It’s a dangerous fight because he’s growing in confidence all the time but he’ll believe he can beat him,” he said.

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-Reuters

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