Boxing
Oleksandr Usyk already planning titles’ unification bout with Tyson Fury
Oleksandr Usyk is already planning for a fight against Tyson Fury, and wants to face the Gypsy King after his rematch with Anthony Joshua, Manchester Evening News has reported.
The Ukrainian looks set to take on Joshua once again next year, having dismantled the former champion last month to take the IBF, WBA and WBO belts.
Having had a rematch officially triggered, the pair look set to face each other again around March, ruling out a potential unification bout between Usyk and Fury in the immediate future.
The Gypsy King instead looks set to face Dillian Whyte after successfully defending his WBC crown against Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas.
A meeting with Usyk might not be too far away though, with the Ukrainian’s promoter telling Sky Sports that Fury will be his fighter’s next opponent after Joshua.
“It will be after Usyk defeats AJ in the rematch,” Alexander Krassyuk said.
Asked if Usyk was impressed by Fury’s performance against Wilder, Krassyuk added: “He was. And he was impressed with how the boxers fought without showing boxing skills. They were trying to [badly hurt] each other.”
All options could be open for Fury as he makes his next step following his Wilder trilogy, although a title defence against Whyte looks to be his most likely next step.
Promoter Frank Warren though hasn’t ruled out another all-British bout with Joshua next year, regardless of the former champion’s result in his rematch with Usyk.
A fight against the winner of that encounter would look to be the next logical step for Fury though, assuming he chooses to continue in his career, with some questioning whether he may choose to retire following his win over Wilder.
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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