Boxing
No special treatment for Tyson Fury at London airport as he returns to England
Tyson Fury is back on British soil after his epic victory over Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas – but there was no special treatment awaiting the Gypsy King at Heathrow Airport.
He was pictured by The Sun in the queue at Terminal Three on Tuesday morning with the rest of the general public for passport control on his homecoming.
Fury, who lives in Morecambe near Manchester, has spent the last two days celebrating in Las Vegas after defeating fierce rival Wilder for a second time.
Fury clinched a second victory over Wilder with an 11th round knock-out in a heavyweight fight for the ages.
After sending Wilder down in the third, the American responded with two knock downs in round four but Fury rose to his feet on both occasions.
He sent Wilder to the canvas again in the 10th before delivering the winning blow one round later.
And in the aftermath, Fury declared himself the best heavyweight of his generation.
‘When it comes down to it, every time I’ve delivered. I can only be the best of my day, I’ve done that: I’m the best fighter in my era,’ Fury proclaimed.
‘Without sounding too sharp and clever, I believe that I could beat any man in history, any man born I believe I’ve got a really good chance of beating him.’
Fury spent the following days lapping up the celebrations in Vegas before heading back to England to enjoy some downtime and consider his next move.
The obvious candidate to fight next is Oleksandr Usyk in a heavyweight unification bout. Usyk holds the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles since defeating Anthony Joshua in London last month.
Fury’s father, John, has even told his son not to bother fighting anyone else aside from Usyk for his next bout.
‘He’s got to go for Usyk or nothing in my idea. It’s Usyk next or nothing,’ he told talkSPORT. ‘I wouldn’t bother with the rest of them, they’re not in Tyson’s class.
‘Would Dillian Whyte deal with Deontay Wilder? No. So why would you want to put him in with my son and get him knocked out?
‘At the end of the day, he just got knocked out by a 42-year-old man (Alexander Povetkin) via a slap by the back of his hand.
‘Tyson can’t get up for them kind of fights. He wouldn’t raise his game for that fight as he’s not big enough. And then he goes in there with a lacklustre attitude and you don’t see the best of Tyson.
‘You only see the best of Tyson when he’s against the best. A challenge like he had (against Wilder) and it was a great fight. For me, I told him: Usyk or don’t bother.
-Daily Mail
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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