Boxing
Anthony Joshua weighs a career heaviest in tonight’s fight
Anthony Joshua and Jermaine Franklin fight on Saturday night. (Photo: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Anthony Joshua will head into Saturday’s fight with Jermaine Franklin at a career heaviest.
Joshua – who suffered his second successive defeat to Usyk in August 2022 – weighed in at 255.4lbs on Friday afternoon.
The former champion will be hoping his added weight will help him make a statement on Saturday and register his first win since against Kubrat Pulev in December 2020.
Meanwhile, Franklin has dropped 23lbs from his points defeat to Dillian Whyte in November 2022 and looked visibly learner in the torso and face as he took to the stage. He tipped the scales at just over 234lbs.
Franklin’s weight loss provides a clear indication of his game plan heading into Saturday’s bout. The American will be looking to match Joshua’s output – with the British heavyweight being forced to work 40 per cent harder in his second fight to Usyk than any of his previous fights.
Joshua’s weight has been a topic of conversation ever since he made the step up to professional boxing in 2013. Fans and pundits have often criticised the British heavyweight for being ‘too big’, ‘too heavy’ and ‘too sluggish’.
Some insist the 33-year-old has bulked up too much since the amateur days when he beat Roberto Cammarelle in 2012 to become Great Britain’s 29th and final gold medallist at London Olympic Games.
However, Joshua’s coaches are adamant he’s in perfect condition for facing Franklin at the O2 Arena on Saturday evening.
Meanwhile, Franklin weighed in 23lbs lighter than he was against Whyte in November 2022. His coaches insist the American’s weight loss will help him overthrow the two-time heavyweight champion.
Jesse Addison told Sportsmail earlier in the week that Franklin is heading into this fight ‘stronger, faster and more focused’ than ever.
While Lorenzo Reynolds said the American heavyweight is more conditioned than he was against Whyte and shut down claims his weight loss has diminished his power.
Reynolds told Sportsmail: ‘We are really happy with his [Franklin’s] weight. We are happy with his commitment. We are looking forward to an awesome fight this Saturday.’
When asked what the secret to his weight loss was, Reynolds said ‘time’. He said Franklin has had longer to prepare for his fight against Joshua than he did for the Whyte fight in November 2022.
Reynolds said: ‘This time we went down to a good state that has a lot of heat in Florida. We took advantage of every training opportunity. We had a very focused Jermaine.
‘We put him on a strict diet. He answered every test that we gave him. So we are expecting for him to do great on the final exam on Saturday night.’
Reynolds also said Franklin was lacking fitness heading into the Whyte fight – which he lost 115-115, 116-112 and 116-112.
However, Franklin’s strength and conditioning coach is confident that the American has ‘premium gasoline in his fuel tank’ this time around.
He told Sportsmail: ‘The Dillian Whyte fight showed us that he has a lot of heart. A lot of fighters lack heart but Jermaine showed that he had a lot of heart. But, the conditioning was lacking.
‘So, we went back and we made his weakness his strength. We had time to do that so we are confident in his cardiovascular system. We are confident that if the fight goes the distance, he has a lot of premium gasoline in his fuel tank.’
There have been concerns that Franklin’s weight loss could affect his power. However, Addison is adamant that his fighter is ‘stronger, faster and more focused’ than ever.
When asked whether Franklin’s weight loss will impact his power, Addison said: ‘Absolutely not. If anything he has gotten stronger.
‘He’s gotten faster and he’s more focused. We feel like the weight loss will be an advantage for Jermaine against Joshua.’
-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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