Boxing
ANTHONY JOSHUA ENTERS FULL TRAINING MODE AHEAD OF TYSON FURY BOUT
Eddie Hearn has confirmed that Anthony Joshua’s training camp for his fight with Tyson Fury is in full swing.
It has been revealed that both heavyweights have signed a two-fight deal, with the first expected to be held this summer, but other details such as a venue are still unknown given the constant changing situation due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The highly-anticipated bout will unify the heavyweight division – with Joshua holding the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO titles and Fury holding the WBC belt.
Joshua has been ticking over since his dominant victory over Kubrat Pulev back in December with lighter training at his old amateur club Finchley ABC. But now he’s turning it up a notch ahead of the biggest fight of his career.
He is planning on heading to the EIS in Sheffield along with trainer Rob McCracken to continue his training camp.
And Eddie Hearn is optimistic that all the remaining details of their deal can be ironed out by the end of next week, with both fighters having to agree on a venue.
‘We can’t wait. AJ has started his training camp and Fury has been training very hard. They all want the fight,’ he told reporters.
‘They are going to be presented with a few proposals on where to do the fight and everyone has to agree on where to do it.
‘There is no other fight out there that comes close for either guy. July is the date.
‘Really I think end of next week it will be done.
‘Talks have progressed extremely well and we’re closing in on securing the venue and there will be an announcement in due course.
‘We’re at the stage where it’s probably best not to say much more than that.’
The Middle East remains the most likely destination owing to its ability to pay the most lucrative site fees, with operators in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Dubai all in talks with Hearn, who set off on a worldwide tour recently to look at the options for the fight.
There is also interest from Singapore, China, the US and a fringe possibility of Wembley Stadium, but that would be dependent on the UK Government’s ruling on large events once a date has been set.
Tyson Fury recently posted a photo from his training camp looking in great shape having slimmed down even further.
The ‘Gypsy King’ has been training alongside Joseph Parker, who fought Joshua back in 2018. Parker is better placed than most to help Team Fury ahead of the potential undisputed fight with the Watford-born fighter.
The New Zealander fought Joshua in 2018 and while he lost his WBO belt to the Brit in the unification bout, Parker was the first man to take him the full 12 rounds in the professional ranks.
The 29-year-old will be hoping to benefit from the training himself though, having recently appointed Andy Lee as his new trainer ahead of a big fight on May 1 against Derek Chisora.
-Daily Mail
U.S. immigration authorities have arrested Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in Los Angeles and plan to deport him, they said on Thursday, just days after he lost a high-profile bout to American rival Jake Paul.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Chavez was determined to be in the country illegally last week after he made fraudulent statements on a 2024 application for permanent residence. He is married to a U.S. citizen, it said.
Michael Goldstein, a lawyer for Chavez, said more than two dozen immigration agents arrested the boxer at his home in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on Wednesday.
“The current allegations are outrageous and appear to be designed as a headline to terrorize the community,” Goldstein said.
Homeland Security said that the 39-year-old boxer, son of Mexican world champion fighter Julio Cesar Chavez, is suspected of ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, which Washington has designated a foreign terrorist organization.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. speaks at press conference in anticipation of his fight against Jake Paul at Avalon Hollywood Theater. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images/File Photo
His wife, Frida Munoz Chavez, was previously married to the son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison. The son, Edgar, was assassinated in 2008.
Chavez is the target of a Mexican arrest warrant on allegations of involvement in organized crime and firearms trafficking, DHS said.
In Mexico, Chavez’ family said in a statement they “fully trust in his innocence.”
Chavez lost to influencer-turned-boxer Paul, 28, last weekend before a sold-out crowd in Anaheim, California, in a unanimous decision after 10 rounds.
He was allowed to enter the United States temporarily in early January under former President Joe Biden, DHS said. He had previously overstayed a tourist visa, it said.
The agency said Chavez was convicted in Los Angeles in 2024 on weapons charges. Goldstein denied he was convicted, saying he pleaded not guilty and was granted mental health diversion which will result in dismissal of the charges.
Chavez won the WBC middleweight championship in 2011, but lost the title the next year.
His career has been overshadowed by controversies including a suspension after testing positive for a banned substance in 2009 and a fine and suspension after testing positive for marijuana in 2013.
His record stands at 54 wins, six losses and one draw, with 34 knockouts.
Reporting by Brendan O’Brien and Bhargav Acharya, Lizbeth Diaz, Angelica Medina, Diego Ore and Kylie Madry in Mexico City, Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Berkrot
-Reuters
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Manny Pacquiao will come out of retirement to face Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight championship on July 19 in Las Vegas, the 46-year-old Filipino boxer said on Wednesday.
Pacquiao is the only boxer to win world championships in a record eight weight divisions while he was also the oldest welterweight world champion in history at the age of 40 in 2019.
A Filipino senator from 2016 to 2022, Pacquiao had retired from boxing in 2021 while he also ran for president in 2022.
“I’m back. On July 19, I return to the ring to face WBC Welterweight Champion Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Let’s make history,” Pacquiao wrote on Instagram.
The southpaw, who has 62 wins, eight losses and two draws in a 72-fight career, was also elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.
Barrios, a Mexican-American boxer, has 29 wins in 32 bouts, winning 18 by knockout and losing twice.
-Reuters
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The body of Segun Olanrewaju, the Nigerian boxer who slumped and died in the ring in Ghana on Saturday is still in a mortuary in Ghana. The President of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), Dr Rafiu Oladipo, informed Sports Village Square that an autopsy will be conducted on Wednesday.
He said that the NBB of C is closely monitoring the events in Ghana, even as the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade has asked for updates on the sad incident.
On Monday, a delegation of the NBB of C visited the family of the late boxer in Sango Otta in Ogun State. Oladipo said he was still in shock at the death of the boxer who he considered fit having fought last December 29.
He revealed that one of the members of the Nigerian delegation to Ghana stayed behind to follow up on the autopsy.
He narrated that the late boxer took part on Thursday in the mandatory weigh-in which is normally conducted 24 hours before a fight. Additionally, a medical check-up is also to be conducted.
“But in this instance, there was no medical check. On this ground, Oladipo blamed the Ghana Boxing Authority.
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