Boxing
Floyd Mayweather to come out of retirement – again
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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Tyson Fury’s comeback fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov will take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 11, the Briton said in a social media post on Thursday.
Fury, 37, announced his return from his latest spell of retirement last month. It will be his first fight since losing to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024.
“He’s really got the bit between his teeth, he’s training hard in Thailand, he’s got himself in good shape,” Fury’s promoter Frank Warren told Sky Sports.
“He looks after himself, and he is in shape. He’ll be in fight mode, ready to go, and he’s out to prove a point.”
-Reuters
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British former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has paid tribute to his two close friends who died in a car accident in Nigeria last month.
Joshua, 36, sustained minor injuries in the crash in Nigeria, which killed his strength and conditioning coach, Sina Ghami and his trainer Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele.
“It’s tough. It’s really tough. I’m not going to sit here and show all of my emotions,” Joshua said in the video posted on social media.
“One day my time will come, and I’m not scared at all.
“It’s actually comforting knowing I got two brothers on the other side.
“I’ve lost people before, but I don’t think I’ve lost people like that. My left and my right.”
The accident occurred just a week after Joshua had knocked out Jake Paul in a bout in Miami. He is expected to fight fellow Briton Tyson Fury this year but his next bout has not been announced.
-Reuters
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Former World heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua narrowly escaped death after a last-minute change of seats moments before a devastating car crash that claimed the lives of two of his companions, according to revelations published by the UK newspaper Daily Mail.
The 36-year-old boxer had initially been seated in the front passenger seat of his SUV but switched to the back shortly before the collision, a twist of fate that may have saved his life.
The crash, which occurred on Nigeria’s notoriously dangerous Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, killed Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele just hours after they arrived in the country for a holiday.
The Daily Mail reports that the startling details emerged during proceedings at the Sagamu High Court, where Joshua’s long-time driver, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, was arraigned on multiple charges including dangerous driving causing death. Kayode pleaded not guilty, insisting the crash was the result of brake failure.
Court revelations also disclosed that the driver did not possess a valid driving licence at the time of the accident.
Kayode, who has worked for Joshua for more than three years, was granted bail in the sum of five million naira, with the court noting that Nigerian law allows bail to be secured through valuables rather than cash. His trial has been adjourned until January 20.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the driver’s lawyer, Olalekan Abiodun, said the journey had begun in Lagos with Joshua initially sitting in the front seat. According to him, the driver requested a seat change because Joshua’s size was obstructing his view of the wing mirror.
“He asked Anthony to move to the back seat so he could see properly,” the lawyer said. “Latif was originally at the back and then changed seats with Anthony.”
Outside the courtroom, emotions ran high. While Kayode’s wife was reportedly too distressed to speak, his 19-year-old son, Ifeoluwa Adeniyi, maintained his father’s innocence in comments to the Daily Mail.
“My dad is not a fast driver. He was following the speed limit when the brakes failed,” he said. “He tried to swerve to avoid a truck parked by the side of the road but ended up hitting it.”
He added that the group had been picked up from the airport and were only minutes away from arriving in Sagamu to visit Joshua’s family when tragedy struck.
Joshua, who was hospitalised following the crash, is understood to be in stable condition. The incident has sent shockwaves through both sporting and public circles, with the Daily Mail describing the seat swap as a chilling reminder of how narrowly the boxer escaped the same fate as his late companions.
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