Boxing
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk: Saturday’s Riyadh showdown
British heavyweight boxing titleholder Tyson Fury and Ukrainian challenger Oleksandr Usyk are set to battle for the undisputed heavyweight world championship this Saturday at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena.
As per a media statement released on Wednesday, the winner will claim the four championship belts in a unification match for boxing’s most prestigious global organisations: the World Boxing Association (WBA), the World Boxing Council (WBC), the International Boxing Federation (IBF), and the World Boxing Organisation (WBO).
The four belts prominently display images of boxing legends such as Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. The statement further noted that both Fury and Usyk aim to etch their names alongside these iconic figures in boxing history.
Saturday’s highly anticipated match will mark a milestone in modern boxing, being the first time that the four belts will be unified in a single fight. This event pays homage to the esteemed legacy of past champions who have shaped the sport’s championship titles.
It appears that size plays a significant role, as southpaw Usyk gives up 15 centimetres (6 inches) in height to Fury, who stands at 2.06 meters (6 feet 9 inches), as well as 18 centimetres in reach and nearly 22 kilograms (49 pounds) in weight. “To win this, I don’t need to be heavy, I need to be fast, and quick,” Usyk told Ring magazine in February. “You never see a fat wolf in the forest.”
His flawless record of 21 victories and zero losses as a professional, with 14 of those wins coming by knockout, speaks volumes, and he also won Olympic gold in London in 2012. “I respect Usyk as a man,” said Fury ahead of the showdown.
-insidethegames
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- WAFCON6 days ago
BREAKING: CAF Postpones WAFCON 2026
- DIPLOMACY2 days ago
Trump calls on Australia to give asylum to Iranian women’s soccer players
- World Cup2 days ago
Iraq coach calls for delay to World Cup playoff amid travel shutdown
- DIPLOMACY2 days ago
Morocco Backs Gulf Security, Condemns Iranian Attacks Against Brotherly Arab States
- OBITUARY2 days ago
Breaking! Former Super Eagles Coach Adegboye Onigbinde Dies Four Days After Clocking 88
- OBITUARY1 week ago
Nigerian Sports Journalism Mourns Oyeniyi Oyeleke and Tonex Chukwu
- OBITUARY1 day ago
Nigeria’s Sports Community Mourns Adegboye Onigbinde, A Life Devoted to Football
- World Cup2 days ago
1990 World Cup Winner Riedle Backs Spain, France, Brazil for 2026 Glory