Boxing
MIKE TYSON CALLS FOR JOSHUA/TYSON FURY UNIFICATION FIGHT
Mike Tyson has admitted he would love to see Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua finally come to blows in a mammoth heavyweight unification fight.
Speculation of a big-money showdown between the pair has stepped up following the Gypsy King’s stunning knockout victory over Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas last month.
That win has paved the way for a huge unification fight between the pair with Joshua currently in possession of the WBA, WBO and IBF belts after he defeated Andy Ruiz Jr in their rematch Saudi Arabia in December.
Joshua is scheduled to fight Kubrat Pulev in June while Fury is expected to fight Wilder again but, if they keep hold of their titles, Tyson is backing them to come to blows at last.
Tyson, who was the first heavyweight to hold the WBA, WBC and IBF belts and later became the lineal champion, said in an interview with The Sportsman: ‘They’re in the best shape possible to be in and getting the most out of this sport as they can.
‘I don’t know, but I’d like to see that happen, though.
‘That’d be a great money fight too!’
But any chance of Fury being allowed to compete again is in danger following news that UK Anti-Doping will investigate him and his cousin Hughie Fury after allegations that a member of their team offered a farmer £25,000 to lie about how they each failed a drugs test in 2015.
If the Furys are found guilty of a potential new charge of tampering with the initial investigation – which led to backdated two-year bans for the Furys in 2017 for their nandrolone positives – then they would each be facing possible eight-year suspensions for a second offence.
But Joshua‘s next world heavyweight title defence against Pulev is also up in the air after it emerged it could be pushed back a month to July due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Joshua is scheduled to face the Bulgarian at Tottenham‘s new stadium on June 20, but that date could now be required by the club for a potential extension of the Premier League campaign.
Hearn, whose Matchroom organisation earlier confirmed the postponement of all boxing events in March and April, once again dismissed the prospect of any of his major bouts being staged behind closed doors.
Referring to the June 20 date, Hearn told Sky Sports News: ‘At the moment it’s still in place.
‘Obviously with the news of the Euros being cancelled (Euro 2020 has been postponed until next year) and the possible extension of the Premier League season, Spurs may need that stadium in June.
‘We do have an option to run that fight in July as well at the same stadium. Everything now is really a case-by-case situation and a day-by-day situation of trying to think on your feet.
‘June 20 is a long time away, it’s still in our plans and we have been speaking to Tottenham to make sure we’re all on the same page and that we know we have the same strategy moving forward.’
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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