Boxing
SAUDI ARABIA SPLASH MEGABUCKS ON TYSON FURY NEXT FIGHT
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Nigerian boxing landscape has been thrown into uncertainty following reports that the Nigerian Boxing Federation (NBF) is considering steps to regulate professional boxing—an area traditionally overseen by the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBBofC).
Reacting swiftly, the NBBofC has dismissed the reports as misleading, warning that any such move could destabilise the established structure of the sport in the country.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Board reaffirmed its statutory authority as the sole body responsible for the regulation, control, and sanctioning of professional boxing in Nigeria.
“The attention of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control has been drawn to insinuations that another body intends to assume regulatory authority over professional boxing in Nigeria. We wish to categorically state that such claims are unfounded and should be disregarded,” the statement read.
The Board stressed that the NBF’s mandate is confined strictly to amateur boxing, in line with global sports governance frameworks, and does not extend to the professional ranks.
NBBofC President, Rafiu Ladipo, warned that any attempt by another organisation to assume control of professional boxing could trigger administrative conflicts, weaken regulatory standards, and expose athletes to unnecessary risks.
The Board also cautioned promoters, managers, and boxers against engaging with unauthorised bodies claiming regulatory powers.
“We advise all promoters, managers, and boxers to remain vigilant and not be misled by such insinuations. The NBBofC remains fully committed to its responsibility of regulating and sanctioning professional boxing in Nigeria in accordance with established rules and international best practices,” the statement added.
Observers within the boxing community note that clarity in regulatory authority is critical—not only for safeguarding athletes but also for ensuring fair competition and maintaining Nigeria’s credibility within the global boxing ecosystem.
For now, the NBBofC has reiterated its resolve to continue overseeing professional boxing in the country, even as stakeholders await further clarification on the reported position of the NBF.
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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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