Boxing
Joshua back to his best with KO win over Swede Wallin
Anthony Joshua rolled back the years to dominate Otto Wallin at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena early Sunday, with the Swede’s corner stopping the fight in the break between the fifth and sixth rounds.
With soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo sitting ringside alongside former UFC champion Conor McGregor, the two heavyweights entered the ring well after 2 a.m. local time (2300 GMT) and Joshua immediately got to work, landing jabs and straight right hands on the southpaw Swede.
Joshua, a two-time unified heavyweight champion, dictated the fight from the centre of the ring, forcing his opponent to circle on the outside where Wallin struggled to land any offense.
Joshua, who twice beat Wallin on points as an amateur, hurt Wallin in the fifth, throwing thunderous hooks with both hands to leave the Swede unsteady on his feet as he headed back to his corner, and he never re-emerged as his team told the referee he could not continue.
Improving his record to 27 wins and three losses, the 34-year-old Joshua said he was delighted with the result but declined to say that he was back to his old self.
“I respect Otto. Throughout the whole build-up, I was telling everyone I need to focus on the man in front of me, because I respect what he’s bringing to the table,” Joshua said in the ring after the fight.
“Not so much a throwback fight. Just another day in the office.”
The stoppage was the first in Wallin’s professional career and only his second loss, following a defeat by Tyson Fury in September 2019.
In the co-main event, New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker put on a brilliant disciplined display to pull off a sensational unanimous decision win over American Deontay Wilder.
-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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