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‘Talking’s been done’: Fury gets serious ahead of Usyk rematch

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 Heavyweight World Title Fight - Oleksandr Usyk v Tyson Fury - Press Conference - VIA Riyadh, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - December 19, 2024 Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury during the press conference Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

Tyson Fury insisted that there would be no joking around ahead of his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, as both heavyweights were subdued in a bizarre press conference on Thursday.

Usyk beat Fury on a split-decision in Saudi Arabia in May to become a four-belt undisputed heavyweight champion, and the pair will meet once again at the same Kingdom Arena venue on Saturday in Riyadh with the WBC, WBO and WBA titles on the line.

In a news conference before the bout, both fighters gave curt opening statements before engaging in a tense and drawn out faceoff that went on for over 11 minutes.

They were eventually separated by their entourages after a heated exchange.

Fury, garrulous even by the standards of a sport that thrives on trash-talking, was unusually quiet in the press conference and said he was fully focused on revenge.

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“I’m going to dish out a whole lot of pain,” a bearded Fury said.

“I’ve got nothing to say, apart from there is going to be a lot of hurt and pain in this fight, you watch. That’s all I got to say. Talking’s been done. The first fight I talked, I joked – all my career – this time, I am serious.

“I am going to do some serious damage. Watch me go to work. Can’t wait for Saturday night. Thank you everybody involved. God bless.”

Fury’s silence was the latest of a string of strange decisions in recent days, with the boxer not throwing a single punch during a public workout on Wednesday and reportedly banning his father from his corner for the bout.

Usyk, for his part, was typically business-like.

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“Now we have just a performance with lights and cameras. Everything will take place on Saturday…,” the Ukrainian said.

“Don’t be afraid. I will not leave you alone. See you on Saturday.”

Promoter Bob Arum said he had confidence in Fury’s ability to win the rematch, pointing to the Briton’s dominant victory over former WBC champion Deontay Wilder in the second bout of their trilogy.

“I’m not only Tyson Fury’s co-promoter but I’m a Tyson Fury fan,” Arum said.

“For anyone who watched the second Fury-Wilder fight, remember the first was a draw, Tyson knew what he had to do and he won that second fight in a one-sided way.

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“I’m looking forward to him fighting in that way and being successful on Saturday. That being said, he’s fighting a tough, tough, skilled Ukrainian.”

Promising 19-year-old heavyweight Moses Itauma and Australia’s Demsey McKean, a former sparring partner of two-times world champion Anthony Joshua, will fight on the undercard of the Usyk v Fury clash.

“I’m just a teenager from Chatham and it’s crazy that I’m here on the same table as Tyson Fury – I’m grateful,” Itauma said.

“I’m living this up as much as I can.”

-Reuters

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Boxing

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul get suspended for lasting the distance in Netflix super fight

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Winner, Jake Paul and Mike Tyson have been prevented from getting to the boxing ring .

Both have received an official ban from boxing after their Netflix Superfight

The bout went the distance but both boxers have received an official suspension from boxing.

The two fought in a huge, record-breaking event in front of 70,000 fans at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with Paul emerging with a unanimous decision victory on the scorecards after the eight-round bout went the distance.

Both he and Tyson will not be able to return to the ring right away. They have received the minimum suspension period, according to regulations followed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).

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Both Paul and Tyson are required to serve a suspension for 24 days. The rules stipulate that fighters must rest for three days per round fought and the pair completed a full eight.

There is, however the possibility of appealing the medical suspension – with the fighter in question having the option to request a hearing where they can must prove their fitness.

Regulations from the TDLR state: “Medical disqualification of a contestant is for their own safety and may be made at the recommendation of the examiningphysician or TDLR. A contestant who disagrees with a medical disqualification, medical suspension or rest period set at the discretion of a ringside physician or a disqualification or suspension set by the department may request a hearing to show proof of fitness.”

The co-main event undisputed title fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, which averaged 74 million viewers, also went the distance and means both women are suspended for 45 days.

Serrano, who lost on points to Taylor in the rematch, was left with a large cut from an accidental headbutt.

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Paul’s triumph once again received backlash, with some coming up with theories claiming Tyson pulled his punches and that it was “rigged” for the 27-year-old to win.

Although he admitted he decided against knocking Tyson out as he didn’t want to hurt him, Paul and his team emphatically denied the claims.

“You don’t realize my power, and my speed, and my agility, and my footwork to get out of the way of those punches,” Paul commented on the IMPAULSIVE podcast.

“All of a sudden he’s throwing at air. He can’t land those punches on me.”

In his only official comment after the fight, Tyson said he “lost but still won” after overcoming a serious health scare where he “almost died” back in June following an ulcer flare-up.

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He said there were “no regrets to get in ring one last time”.

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Netflix says 60 million households worldwide tuned in for Paul-Tyson match

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 Netflix (NFLX.O), opens new tab said on Saturday that 60 million households worldwide had tuned in for the highly anticipated boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, and the event peaked at 65 million streams, according to a statement.

The bout between the 27-year-old social media influencer-turned-prize fighter Paul and the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Tyson, which Paul won, was streamed live on Netflix.

Nearly 50 million households tuned in for the co-main event between Ireland’s lightweight champion Katie Taylor and Puerto Rico’s featherweight champion Amanda Serrano, according to Netflix.

“The bout is likely to be the most watched professional women’s sporting event in US history,” Netflix said in its statement.

There were some hiccups during the live-stream of the match, with over 90,000 users reporting problems on Netflix at its peak, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.

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However, the streaming platform was back up on Saturday after the outage that lasted roughly 6 hours in the United States.

-Reuters

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Former heavyweight champion Tyson has no regrets after fighting ‘one last time’

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Nov 15, 2024; Arlington, Texas, UNITED STATES; Mike Tyson (black gloves) fights Jake Paul (silver gloves) at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images/File Photo

Boxing legend Mike Tyson said he had no regrets about his defeat to social media influencer-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul, adding that he had nearly died in June because of health issues.

Tyson was beaten by unanimous decision on Friday at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, with fans largely disappointed as the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion showed his age and was never able to generate any offence against his younger opponent.

Initially set for July, the fight was pushed back after Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up.

“This is one of those situations when you lost but still won. I’m grateful for last night. No regrets to get in ring one last time,” Tyson wrote in a post on X.

“I almost died in June. Had eight blood transfusions. Lost half my blood and 25 lb (11 kg) in hospital and had to fight to get healthy to fight so I won.

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“To have my children see me stand toe-to-toe and finish eight rounds with a talented fighter half my age in front of a packed Dallas Cowboy stadium is an experience that no man has the right to ask for. Thank you.”

The bout was streamed live on Netflix, though hiccups during the livestreaming prompted more than 90,000 users to report problems at the peak, outage tracking website Downdetector showed.

The streaming platform was back up on Saturday, however, after the outage lasted about six hours in the United States.

-Reuters

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