Boxing
Finally, Anthony Joshua breaks silence after Tyson Fury’s win over Deontay Wilder
Anthony Joshua has posted a cryptic message on social media after Tyson Fury’s win over Deontay Wilder last weekend, which saw his British foe cement his status as the No.1 heavyweight on the planet
According to British newspaper, Daily Star, Anthony Joshua who has been silent since his defeat by Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk last month, has broken his silence after his main rival and anticipated challenger for unified titles, Tyson Fury last weekend beat Deontay Wilder.
Joshua posted a cryptic message on social media as the 32 year old continue reeling from his conclusive defeat at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk on September 25, in which he was outclassed by the masterful Ukrainian at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Despite generally failing to get close to Usyk over the 12 rounds, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn revealed last Saturday that AJ has already exercised his contractual right to an immediate rematch, which will give him the chance to reclaim his unified heavyweight titles early next year.
Following Joshua’s defeat it was up to Fury to ensure Britain maintained a world heavyweight title when he defended his WBC strap against Wilder on Saturday night.
And unlike his domestic rival he managed to do so, although not without a major scare along the way.
Fury was forced to pull himself off the canvas twice in the fourth round, despite flooring Wilder in the third.
The Gypsy King appeared on the verge of a shock defeat and was ultimately saved by the bell, which allowed him to regain his composure and stamp his authority on the contest again from the fifth onwards.
Over the next seven he battered and bullied a resilient Wilder, weakening his legs but never his spirit before the knockout blow came in the 11th.
It was a sensational performance from Fury in what proved one of the greatest heavyweight battles of all time, which must have been a difficult watch for Joshua on the back of his recent shortcoming.
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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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
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