Boxing
Boxing fans smell rat in Anthony Joshua’s bout with Usyk
Could there have been conspiracy? The poser comes to light following a deluge of social media comments insisting that Anthony Joshua’s fight with Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk was stopped seconds earlier than regulation time to avert a possible knock out of Joshua in the 12th and final round.
Last Saturday night, Joshua suffered a second career loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Usyk stunned the boxing world with a decisive and unanimous points victory to become the new heavyweight champion of the world.
The Ukrainian had an exhausted Joshua up against the ropes in the final 30 seconds of the bout and what has not gone unnoticed is the discrepancy between the nine seconds left on the on-screen clock and how rapidly the fight concluded.
As shown by DAZN, the final nine seconds – as per the clock – seemed to end in just three seconds with Joshua all at sea and on the verge of being knocked out.
It was noticed by fans online, with one asking: ‘Anyone notice at the end of the 12th round the bell range seven seconds early, was this to save Joshua getting {sic) knocked out?’
Another said: ‘They rang that bell five second early lol, saved Anthony Joshua from a 12th round KO.’
Another added: ‘Is it just me or did the bell go early in the 12th round? It could be a mismatch between the on-screen time and the actual fight clock but just seems a little suspicious, especially in London.’
Joshua’s rival Dilian Whyte also noted the seemingly early stoppage and added the referee should have stopped the fight, telling iFL TV: ‘I thought Usyk was going to win by TKO in the last round.
‘I thought they gave Joshua way too much time. He was just sat on the ropes, stood there and didn’t do anything. I thought that Usyk deserved a TKO victory.’
However, having watched the final round through bell-to-bell, Sportsmail can confirm that the 12th round did go a full three minutes.
Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, confirmed as much after the fight as he looked to quash the rumours: ‘I don’t believe it did, I saw that it did on the DAZN clock but I remember specifically the 10 seconds came and it was 10 seconds.
‘Because I remember hearing when there was 10 seconds to go, it wasn’t three seconds after the clock went so I don’t believe that was an early bell.
‘One for the BBBofC, not for me, but it wasn’t like “he is in trouble here let’s ring the bell”, again it is one for the board but what I do know is he got hit by a couple of shots but it wasn’t early.’
Hearn has confirmed Joshua will look to take on Usyk again in a rematch, with the hope that he can exact his revenge in much the same way he did against Andy Ruiz Jr, who handed the Brit his first career defeat.
The Matchroom supremo said after the fight: ‘He will want to go back in that rematch, and he will be the underdog in that fight but he has just been beaten by a pound-for-pound great.
‘Joshua lives and breathes boxing, he is already talking about training again and he will be in the gym and ready to get back in again.
‘You can criticise Anthony Joshua, but he has just fought a great and he is fighting the very best, and tonight he came off second best.’
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- WAFCON4 days ago
BREAKING: CAF Postpones WAFCON 2026
- OBITUARY5 days ago
Nigerian Sports Journalism Mourns Oyeniyi Oyeleke and Tonex Chukwu
- MLS1 week ago
Trump to Host Lionel Messi and Inter Miami at the White House
- World Cup5 days ago
‘I really don’t care’ if Iran plays in World Cup, Trump tells Politico
- World Cup4 days ago
Iraq’s World Cup Playoff in Doubt as War Disrupts Travel and Visa Processing
- FA Cup2 days ago
Eze thunderbolt guides Arsenal past Mansfield into FA Cup quarter-finals
- MLS3 days ago
Trump celebrates Messi
- World Cup3 days ago
World Cup 2026: U-20 World Cup Winner Ouahbi Takes Charge of Morocco’s Atlas Lions