Boxing
Why Tyson Fury disagrees with Anthony Joshua on December 17 fight date
The reason why Tyson Fury would not be happy with a December 17 fight with Anthony Joshua has now been revealed with the Gypsy King hoping to hold the bout in November.
Fury and Joshua are now seemingly closing in on announcing a fight date, paving the way for the WBC Heavyweight World Champion to face his long-time British heavyweight rival.
The pair have remarkably never faced one another despite a two-fight deal having been agreed in 2020 before Fury was ordered to fight Deontay Wilder in a trilogy fight by a US court.
This meant that last autumn Fury faced Wilder for a third time, claiming victory, while ‘AJ’ lost to Oleksandr Usyk in their first fight.
This year has seen circumstance make it appear as a fight could have been further away than ever, with Fury successfully defending his WBC belt and declaring that he would like to face Usyk in a unification bout in the wake of the Ukrainian’s win against Joshua last month.
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But after being called out by Fury, Joshua has said that he will be reaady in December for a potential fight. Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed his fighter is eyeing a December 17 clash at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. However, Fury is unhappy with this.
He said: “I have Nov 26th at Wembley or Dec 3rd [at Principality]. One is 11 weeks, and one is 12 weeks. If a professional athlete who’s shredded all year round can’t get himself in shape in three months, there’s a problem.”
Now, it has been revealed that the reason why Fury wants an earlier fight is so he can pursue a fight with Usyk in the early months of 2023.
Fury’s promoter Frank Warren says it is because Fury hopes to face Usyk in February or March and has set December 3 as the latest date he wants to fight this year.
Hearn said the Principality Stadium is the only suitable venue in the UK to stage the fight.
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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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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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