Boxing
Anthony Joshua/Tyson Fury projected bout revived
Anthony Joshua is fighting not only for his ring future on Saturday night but also for the oft-delayed mega fight with Tyson Fury.
By a supreme irony the world title heavyweight Battle of Britain craved by the boxing public has become possible because of the crushing collapse of Fury’s April 29 fight with Olexsandr Usyk to find the first undisputed world heavyweight champion for almost 20 years.
Joshua was already under pressure to avoid a disastrous loss to American slugger Jermaine Franklin at the 02 this weekend
Now he has been told by his promoter Eddie Hearn that the Fury fight is not only back on the table if he wins but that the deal is already done in principal.
Hearn says: ‘I truly believe that as long as AJ beats Franklin we will see him against Fury in the summer.
‘Both sides had a deal finalised for a December fight. That fight fell through but the contract is still with both sides.
‘Disputes over purse splits wrecked Fury-Usyk but we have an agreement in place of 60-40 in Tyson’s favour. He was going to get 70-30 against Usyk but everyone accepts that AJ is a bigger draw for the UK fans than Olexsandr.
‘I have had talks this week with George Warren (Fury promoter Frank Warren’s son and consigliere) and fundamentally the original contract is still in place.
‘And we all know that the timing is perfect now, as it happens because of the circumstances with Usyk. And that this is the very last chance for this huge fight to happen
‘I expect to be exchanging pilot contracts with Queensberry soon. Maybe as early as next week. AJ knows there’ s a big opportunity. At last. So much at stake now. But he also has his total focus on Franklin.
‘Who, by the way, is in absolutely ripped condition. Much better than for his fight with Dyllian Whyte.
‘Now I’m even more nervous about Saturday night.’
Fury vowed he would never again entertain a Joshua fight after the December cancellation. But with Usyk’s withdrawal the Gypsy King has the chance to resurrect one of the biggest Domestic fights of all time.
And, of course, at Wembley Stadium. With a huge pay day replacement
So, yet again, the circus is back in town. Hopefully this time with both Barnum and Bailey in unison in putting both sides under the big top. In a July/August spectacular.’
-Daily Mail
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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