Boxing
Anthony Joshua trains with Mike Tyson’s former coach in America
Anthony Joshua has met with several American-based trainers as he considers a shake-up to his coaching set-up following his defeat by Oleksandr Usyk.
According to BBC sports reports, the former heavyweight champion has faced calls to part ways with long-time coach Rob McCracken since losing his WBA (Super), WBO and IBF titles to Usyk last month.
Joshua has met Virgil Hunter, Eddy Reynoso and Ronnie Shields in the US.
“I guess he didn’t feel it was the right [gameplan against Usyk] so he wanted to make a change,” said Shields.
Hunter is based in Oakland, California and trained the likes of multiple-weight world champion Andre Ward and Amir Khan.
Joshua has close ties within Hunter’s camp with British fighter Joshua Buatsi also training under the veteran coach.
Reynoso is famous for guiding boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez to the top of the sport and the 44-year-old also trains WBC super featherweight champion Oscar Valdez and Joshua’s former opponent Andy Ruiz Jr.
Shields, who is based in Texas, confirmed rumours Joshua was on the hunt for a new trainer after welcoming him into his gym this week.
“They reached out to me and they asked if I would be interested in taking a look at AJ and that he wanted to come down to Texas and see if things would work out between him and I,” Shields told ThaBoxingVoice. “I said, ‘No problem, I would love to see if we had a connection together’.
“He said, ‘European boxing is different from boxing in the US’. He realised he had to come to the US to get something different.
“He told me, ‘Listen, I know people don’t think I’m a dog. I’ve got to be a dog in this next fight’. And that’s his words. He told me, ‘I just need you to show me how to be the best dog you can teach me to be’.”
Shields has worked with a slew of heavyweight champions including Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield.
Jermall Charlo works under Shields and posted several videos on his Instagram of Joshua speaking with his coach and doing some light training.
Joshua has not made a final decision on his coaching staff, which also includes assistant trainers Angel Hernandez and Joby Clayton.
After his defeat by Ruiz Jr, Joshua added Hernandez to his team and the 32-year-old could yet stay with McCracken as his head coach.
A switch to the US would see Joshua have to move his training headquarters away from Sheffield where he has spent his entire professional and amateur career.
McCracken has trained Joshua since his amateur days, but was heavily criticised for the gameplan against Usyk.
Joshua was completely outclassed by Usyk and convincingly beaten after deciding to try and outbox the former undisputed cruiserweight champion.
-BBC
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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