Boxing
Wilder gets six-month medical suspension as he targets Joshua
Deontay Wilder has been hit with a six-month medical suspension in the aftermath of his knockout defeat by Tyson Fury in Las Vegas, another major blow to the Bronze Bomber’s boxing career.
The American heavyweight was unable to exact revenge on the Gypsy King for his loss in their second bout, as Fury knocked Wilder down three times on his way to victory in their trilogy fight last weekend.
Wilder was immediately taken to a Nevada hospital to be checked over after the bruising encounter and he will now undergo surgery on a broken hand next week.
As a result of his injuries, the Nevada State Athletic Commission have suspended him until April 8, meaning he cannot return to the ring until that date unless he is medically cleared by a doctor beforehand.
It is unclear exactly when Wilder, known for his devastating right hand power, did the damage but he also has broken both a finger and knuckle.
Wilder is now expected to undergo surgery next week when he returns to his home state of Alabama.
His co-manager Shelly Finkel told The Sun: ‘Deontay broke his right hand behind the third knuckle and he has to have that fixed next week.
‘He has to have surgery, the knuckle is OK, it’s the bone behind the knuckle that broke. He’s sore but he was OK, he was home yesterday.
‘He’s healing and at this point, if everything is OK, after the hand surgery he’ll probably look to enter the ring mid next year, like April or May.’
Fury has also been handed a standard 45-day suspension following his victory, which was his first ever world heavyweight title defence.
Wilder has now suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time in his impressive career, after having previously not lost a single bout in 43 fights.
Fury’s win brought an end to their thrilling rivalry which started with their controversial draw in Los Angeles back in December 2018.
Their fight on Saturday was one of the best in recent years with Wilder knocking Fury down twice in the fourth round.
Fury floored the Alabama fighter in the third and 10th round, before referee Russell Mora intervened to stop the fight in the penultimate round.
Now their long-running trilogy has finally been concluded, all eyes are now focused on who each man will fight next.
The Gypsy King is next expected to fight mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte in 2022 – should the latter prevail in his fight with Otto Wallin on October 30 at the 02 Arena.
Despite failing to win in his last three fights, all against Fury, Wilder’s trainer Malik Scott has insisted the American has no plans to retire from the sport at this point.
Finkel even claimed that Wilder would be ‘interested’ in a fight with Anthony Joshua.
The British former world heavyweight champion is shaped up to face Oleksandr Usyk some point in early 2022 after activating his rematch clause following his defeat by the Ukrainian in London last month.
British fans will be desperate to see Joshua regain the WBA, WBO and IBF straps from Usyk in their rematch to set up an undisputed title fight with Fury in the future.
But, should he fail, a potential match-up with Wilder will be another highly-anticipated heavyweight bout every boxing fan will be pining to see.
Alongside a picture of the couple, she wrote on Instagram: ‘Deontay, to say I’m proud of you wouldn’t be justifiable for the heart and strength you shown in your performance.
‘A proven warrior through each and every round. You might not have gotten the belt but you gained respect and love of people around the world on an incredible historical fight.
‘You’re one hell of a man, a true warrior who God is continuing to prepare for greater heights to conquer & thrones to sit upon.
‘I know the weight of the crown can be heavy & trying, but God gives his HARDEST challenges to his strongets warriors & you’re nothing less than a King your ability to give it your all and never give up will never be questioned or gone unnoticed.
‘I love you more than I can ever express with words and the Lord knows our souls are forever connected in ways no one will ever understand.’
Boxing
Undisputed World Boxing Champion, Oleksandr Usyk detained and released in Poland
Undisputed heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk has been released after detention by law-enforcement officers at Poland’s Krakow airport, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday.
“I was outraged by this attitude towards our citizen and champion,” Zelenskiy said on the Telegram messaging app.
“Our champion was released and no one is detaining him anymore.”
It was not immediately clear why the 37-year-old Usyk was detained. The WBC, WBO and WBA champion, who also won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, has been a national hero aiding Kyiv’s war efforts.
Poland’s foreign and interior ministries did not immediately reply to Reuters’ requests for comments.
“Friends, everything is fine,” Usyk said in an Instagram post. “There was a misunderstanding that was quickly resolved. Thank you to everyone who was concerned.”
He added, “Respect to the Polish law enforcement officers who perform their duties regardless of height, weight, arm span, and titles.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X that his ministry will contact the Polish foreign ministry, as it considered the detention “disproportionate and unacceptable in relation to our champion.”
Polish TVP Info, a television news channel run by state broadcaster TVP, published a social media video on its website showing Polish law-enforcement officers walking the handcuffed Usyk through what appeared to be an airport.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the video.
Usyk beat Tyson Fury in May to become undisputed heavyweight boxing world champion in a thrilling contest at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
The 37-year-old Ukrainian is the first boxer to hold all four major heavyweight belts at the same time and the first undisputed champ since the end of Lennox Lewis’ reign in April 2000.
Usyk’s charity fund, Usyk Foundation, aids Kyiv’s forces in the war that Russia launched with a full-scale invasion against Ukraine in 2022. It buys, among others, ambulances and delivers humanitarian aid to the front line.
Usyk’s wife, Yekaterina Usyk, who posted a blurred photo of her husband surrounded by uniformed officers, said in an Instagram post in English that she was thankful her husband was free after a misunderstanding.
-Reuters
Boxing
Tyson says Paul will ‘run like a thief’ in the ring
Mike Tyson said he was fit and ready for his Nov. 15 fight against Jake Paul as the two boxers had a joint news conference in New York City on Sunday.
The match was originally scheduled for July 20 but was postponed after former heavyweight champion Tyson, 58, had an ulcer flare-up that forced some resting time.
“Iron Mike”, who has a 50-6 record with 44 knockouts, was one of the most feared heavyweights in history but has not fought a professional fight since 2005.
When asked why he returned to the ring so long after retirement, Tyson’s response was clear: “Because I can. Who else can do it but me? We have a YouTuber fighting the greatest fighter ever to live.”
“He may have been in the ring with people who have the same intentions, but the actuality, no.
“As soon as I catch this guy it’s going to be totally over, he is going to run. He is gonna run like a thief.”
Paul, who was booed and heckled by the crowd, claimed he would put Tyson to sleep.
“I am here to make 40 million dollars and knock out a legend,” Paul said.
“I love Mike and I respect him but we are not friends anymore until Nov. 15,” he said.
When asked if he was afraid of being in the ring with Paul, Tyson replied sarcastically: “I am terrified.”
YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul, 27, is 31 years his junior and has a 10-1 boxing record.
The fight will be streamed live globally on Netflix and will take place at the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys.
-Reuters
Boxing
Anthony Joshua’s opponent, Helenius gets two-year ban
Finland’s Robert Helenius has been banned for two years due to Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) for the presence and use of a prohibited substance for his bout against Britain’s Anthony Joshua in August 2023, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) said on Friday.
Former heavyweight world champion Joshua beat stand-in Helenius with a seventh round single-punch knockout at the London O2 Arena.
But Helenius’s sample from a voluntary drug test the day before the bout tested positive for clomifene, which the Finnish boxer said may have originated from consuming eggs and chicken.
Helenius, now 40, was provisionally suspended and UKAD said he was unable to provide proof that “the eggs and chicken meat he had consumed in advance of the bout originated from hens that had been administered clomifene”.
“Mr Helenius was therefore unable to identify the source of clomifene in his sample and therefore unable to reduce the applicable period of ineligibility of two years,” UKAD added.
However, UKAD said that since Helenius was provisionally suspended on Sept. 18, 2023, he has already served 10 months of his ban which will expire on Sept. 17, 2025.
-Reuters
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