Boxing
Anthony Joshua removes rematch clause from proposed fight with Dillian Whyte
Anthony Joshua, according to Manchester Evening News, has agreed to remove the rematch clause from his contract in order to secure a fight with his rival Dillian Whyte.
Initially, Whyte was the frontrunner to face the former heavyweight boxing champion on August 12 at The O2 arena, but talks for the highly anticipated domestic clash hit a snag when it was revealed that Whyte hadn’t spoken with Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn in a month.
Whyte insisted on the removal of the rematch clause before signing the contract for the fight. Hearn has now confirmed that they have revised their offer accordingly.
Hearn told Boxing Social (via the Mirror): “The great news is now they have a contract with no rematch clause for August 12. There is absolutely nothing in the contract of any regard that is going to cause any problems, let’s see.
“I don’t think they are going to sign it but I hope they do. AJ wants this fight bad. It’s the fight he wants but we want to announce it on Saturday, so we’ve got 48 hours.
“I don’t want to put deadlines to start rattling people but the deadline is on us to announce the fight and other opponents who we’ve got ready to go. I know Dillian loves a big fight and it’s here for him, so hopefully he signs.”
Joshua and Whyte have a history dating back to their amateur days over a decade ago. Whyte defeated Joshua then, but AJ avenged the loss in their professional rematch, knocking out Whyte to win the British heavyweight title. Both fighters were unbeaten at the time of their professional clash.
Hearn defended the inclusion of the rematch clause in Whyte’s initial contract, citing Joshua’s upcoming fight against Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia at the end of the year. He stated: “When there is such a huge A-side in the fight, you have to do your job as a promoter. Firstly, any huge name I have worked with in boxing has a rematch clause.
“Secondly, it was me that requested that. AJ is about to fight Wilder for £50 or £60 million, and he is choosing to take a dangerous fight a few months before. If he loses, he is out in the wilderness and loses the Wilder fight in December. If we’re giving that opportunity to someone else, of course, we are going to look for a rematch clause.”
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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