Boxing
Tyson refuses to bite back at Hearn’s criticism
Mike Tyson, the one-time “Baddest Man on the Planet”, was throwing no punches on Wednesday in reply to criticism of his fight with YouTuber-turned boxer Jake Paul in Texas next month.
Boxer Jake Paul attends a news conference, ahead of a sanctioned professional fight versus Mike Tyson which is set to take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 20, in New York City, U.S., May 13, 2024. REUTERS/David ‘Dee’ Delgado/File Photo
Now 58, the former heavyweight world champion will step into the ring in Arlington on Nov. 15 against a man 31 years his younger but with only 10 professional fights to his name.
British promoter Eddie Hearn this month dismissed the bout at the 80,000 seat AT&T Stadium as “dangerous, irresponsible and disrespectful to boxing” and said he would not be watching.
“I’m in awe of him. He’s one of my favourite ever fighters, one of the greatest of all time, but he’s a 58-year-old man,” Hearn told the BBC. “You only need to speak to him and look at him to know this guy should not be in a ring again.”
“Everybody loves a dollar bill, including me, but sometimes the green-eyed monster can make you take some bad decisions and I think this is one of them.”
Tyson, who in 1997 was stripped of his licence after infamously sinking his teeth into Evander Holyfield’s ear, refused to bite.
“Well, that’s Eddie’s opinion, and that’s all I can say,” he told reporters in a video call from Las Vegas.
As for the fight, he had no doubt who would win.
“I’m doing well. I’m just looking forward to the fight. Really looking forward to it. When you think about it, regardless of me being how old I am, this guy only has 10 fights,” Tyson said.
“If I see this fight 10% of what I was, he only has 10 fights. He couldn’t match that. And that’s being sincere. If I’m 10%, he can’t match it.”
‘A NICE PERSON I AM NOT’
Tyson, who made and spent many millions through his career and filed for bankruptcy in 2003, denied money was the motivation and said he was just doing it for himself.
“This money from this fight is not going to change my lifestyle any,” he said.
“You know, I could use a buck like everyone else, but this is not for financial reasons. My life is not going to change, not one percentage after this fight. We will always be able to live this way. And I’m just doing it because I want to test myself.”
Tyson, who was convicted of rape in 1992 while maintaining his innocence, said things had changed for the better in his life but that still did not make him a nice man.
“I try to do the right thing, but a nice person I am not. So, anybody who has that kind of auspices that I’m a nice person, they’re going to be disappointed. I’m just not,” he said.
“I’m not a nice person. I don’t make people happy out of, you know, for no reason. I’m just who I am. I’m not trying to gain friends, that’s basically what I’m saying.”
Tyson, who has a 50-6 record with 44 knockouts, was one of the most feared heavyweights in history but has not fought a professional fight since 2005. Paul has a 9-1 record.
-Reuters
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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