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ANTHONY JOSHUA AWAITS MIKE TYSON’S RETURN TO THE RING

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Even as the WBC confirmed that they would rank Mike Tyson if he returned to the professional ring, Anthony Joshua has admitted he would ‘love to see’ former heavyweight world champion make a comeback.

The 53-year-old has caused quite the stir in the boxing world having recently teased a potential return to the ring.

Tyson’s talk of reviving his boxing career 15 years after his last professional contest – a stoppage defeat against Kevin McBride – has largely divided opinion but Joshua is supportive of him fighting again.

Speaking to British GQ, unified champion Joshua said: ‘If he’s back in the ring, I would love to see it, I would definitely be one of the viewers, that’s for sure.

‘No matter what anybody has to say about Mike Tyson now, in terms of what he went through when he was fighting and some of the controversies he went through.

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‘The guy took himself from his neighbourhood – which wasn’t the prettiest of scenes – up to an amateur champion, youngest heavyweight champion, one of the most recognised faces of the sport of boxing.

‘In my opinion the only two faces in boxing that are recognised globally are Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.

‘So from where he started, to where he is now, he is my ultimate motivation.

‘He’s the closest guy to my generation so he holds a special place in my heart.’

Joshua’s comments come as WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman took a similar stance on Tyson’s possible return, even saying that the 53-year-old would be ranked by the governing body if he returns to a professional ring.

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Sulaiman told told Stats Perform News: ‘Mike Tyson was the youngest to win a world championship. Maybe he will be the oldest! He’s a tremendous, legendary figure. He’s an icon for the sport, an icon for the WBC.

‘He could knock out anyone with one punch, at any time! So of course we will support him. I don’t like to speculate. This is a topic we are all entertained by. An exhibition is one thing; if he comes back he has to be licensed and has to go through a thorough process.

‘I’m not going to kill the dream. I’m going to be very supportive of Mike Tyson, he deserves it. If the dream is to say “I will be ranked,” I am saying yes, we will rank him.

Speaking to British GQ, unified champion Joshua said: ‘If he’s back in the ring, I would love to see it, I would definitely be one of the viewers, that’s for sure.

‘No matter what anybody has to say about Mike Tyson now, in terms of what he went through when he was fighting and some of the controversies he went through.

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‘The guy took himself from his neighbourhood – which wasn’t the prettiest of scenes – up to an amateur champion, youngest heavyweight champion, one of the most recognised faces of the sport of boxing.

‘In my opinion the only two faces in boxing that are recognised globally are Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman (R) admitted they would rank Tyson if he revived pro career

‘So from where he started, to where he is now, he is my ultimate motivation.

‘He’s the closest guy to my generation so he holds a special place in my heart.’

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Joshua’s comments come as WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman took a similar stance on Tyson’s possible return, even saying that the 53-year-old would be ranked by the governing body if he returns to a professional ring.

Sulaiman told told Stats Perform News: ‘Mike Tyson was the youngest to win a world championship. Maybe he will be the oldest! He’s a tremendous, legendary figure. He’s an icon for the sport, an icon for the WBC.

‘He could knock out anyone with one punch, at any time! So of course we will support him. I don’t like to speculate. This is a topic we are all entertained by. An exhibition is one thing; if he comes back he has to be licensed and has to go through a thorough process.

‘I’m not going to kill the dream. I’m going to be very supportive of Mike Tyson, he deserves it. If the dream is to say “I will be ranked,” I am saying yes, we will rank him. 

Tyson is a former WBC champion and the youngest man to ever win a heavyweight world title

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‘Every world champion has a provision that he can come back, like Sugar Ray [Leonard], who was inactive. But Tyson’s case is different, he’s been away many years. But I am in full support of Mike Tyson. I believe this will bring entertainment and he’s doing it for charity. He wants to serve the world in this difficult moment.’

He added: ‘We need to first understand what it is. I think it’s an exhibition. The safety has to be top priority. It is great to see athletes promoting the sport. Mike Tyson had a very complicated life in boxing. 

‘Now to see him losing weight, active, healthy, is great and we have to support him. But we have to see if it is a real fight. I am hearing that it’s an exhibition and we are fully behind him. Don’t watch it, if you don’t like it.’

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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