Boxing
ANTHONY JOSHUA, TYSON FURY BUMP INTO EACH OTHER AT SPANISH RESORT
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have met in Marbella as both British heavyweight champions holidayed amid rumours of a superfight between the pair.
WBA, WBO and IBF title holder Joshua and WBC king Fury are strongly rumoured to be ready to rumble in one of the richest fights in boxing next year.
The Londoner revealed that he had bumped into Fury as his arch-rival drove along the Spanish coast, even rolling down the window of his car for a chat.
Sharing a photo of the tantalising coming-together on his Instagram page, Joshua added a fist punch and wrote: ‘Sweeeeeeeeeeeet Caroline!! Ohhhh ohhh ohhhhh.’
And Fury responded in kind, with a tantalising nod to next year’s proposed fight, as he promised on his Instagram story: ‘2021 it’s going off’.
Joshua’s song lyrics refer to the classic Neil Diamond hit that has become synonymous with huge sporting events and would undoubtedly ring out should a scrap between the titans materialise.
Joshua wore a facemask and baseball cap as he talked to Fury, who donned sunglasses and a backwards cap for his spin in the sun.
Fury posted the picture on his Instagram story and added: ‘2021 – it’s going off.’
Both fighters are taking a break as they await their next contests, with Fury set to defend his belt in a trilogy fight against Deontay Wilder on December 19 in Las Vegas, when he will be a hot favourite to beat the man he knocked out in February.
Joshua is also expected to see off veteran Kubrat Pulev when the Bulgarian ex-champion challenges him later this year.
Former super-bantamweight kingpin Gamal Yafai, who is signed to the same Matchroom stable as Joshua, and Dave Coldwell, who trained former cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew, were among those to react with excitement to the snap.
Agent Michael Jarman joked that Fury ‘clearly didn’t want to step out of his car.’
Joshua, who is a year younger than Fury at 30, was pictured dining with a group of friends in the resort on Saturday before posing with an 87-year-old super fan.
-Daily Mail
U.S. immigration authorities have arrested Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in Los Angeles and plan to deport him, they said on Thursday, just days after he lost a high-profile bout to American rival Jake Paul.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Chavez was determined to be in the country illegally last week after he made fraudulent statements on a 2024 application for permanent residence. He is married to a U.S. citizen, it said.
Michael Goldstein, a lawyer for Chavez, said more than two dozen immigration agents arrested the boxer at his home in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on Wednesday.
“The current allegations are outrageous and appear to be designed as a headline to terrorize the community,” Goldstein said.
Homeland Security said that the 39-year-old boxer, son of Mexican world champion fighter Julio Cesar Chavez, is suspected of ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, which Washington has designated a foreign terrorist organization.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. speaks at press conference in anticipation of his fight against Jake Paul at Avalon Hollywood Theater. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images/File Photo
His wife, Frida Munoz Chavez, was previously married to the son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison. The son, Edgar, was assassinated in 2008.
Chavez is the target of a Mexican arrest warrant on allegations of involvement in organized crime and firearms trafficking, DHS said.
In Mexico, Chavez’ family said in a statement they “fully trust in his innocence.”
Chavez lost to influencer-turned-boxer Paul, 28, last weekend before a sold-out crowd in Anaheim, California, in a unanimous decision after 10 rounds.
He was allowed to enter the United States temporarily in early January under former President Joe Biden, DHS said. He had previously overstayed a tourist visa, it said.
The agency said Chavez was convicted in Los Angeles in 2024 on weapons charges. Goldstein denied he was convicted, saying he pleaded not guilty and was granted mental health diversion which will result in dismissal of the charges.
Chavez won the WBC middleweight championship in 2011, but lost the title the next year.
His career has been overshadowed by controversies including a suspension after testing positive for a banned substance in 2009 and a fine and suspension after testing positive for marijuana in 2013.
His record stands at 54 wins, six losses and one draw, with 34 knockouts.
Reporting by Brendan O’Brien and Bhargav Acharya, Lizbeth Diaz, Angelica Medina, Diego Ore and Kylie Madry in Mexico City, Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Berkrot
-Reuters
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Manny Pacquiao will come out of retirement to face Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight championship on July 19 in Las Vegas, the 46-year-old Filipino boxer said on Wednesday.
Pacquiao is the only boxer to win world championships in a record eight weight divisions while he was also the oldest welterweight world champion in history at the age of 40 in 2019.
A Filipino senator from 2016 to 2022, Pacquiao had retired from boxing in 2021 while he also ran for president in 2022.
“I’m back. On July 19, I return to the ring to face WBC Welterweight Champion Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Let’s make history,” Pacquiao wrote on Instagram.
The southpaw, who has 62 wins, eight losses and two draws in a 72-fight career, was also elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.
Barrios, a Mexican-American boxer, has 29 wins in 32 bouts, winning 18 by knockout and losing twice.
-Reuters
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The body of Segun Olanrewaju, the Nigerian boxer who slumped and died in the ring in Ghana on Saturday is still in a mortuary in Ghana. The President of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), Dr Rafiu Oladipo, informed Sports Village Square that an autopsy will be conducted on Wednesday.
He said that the NBB of C is closely monitoring the events in Ghana, even as the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade has asked for updates on the sad incident.
On Monday, a delegation of the NBB of C visited the family of the late boxer in Sango Otta in Ogun State. Oladipo said he was still in shock at the death of the boxer who he considered fit having fought last December 29.
He revealed that one of the members of the Nigerian delegation to Ghana stayed behind to follow up on the autopsy.
He narrated that the late boxer took part on Thursday in the mandatory weigh-in which is normally conducted 24 hours before a fight. Additionally, a medical check-up is also to be conducted.
“But in this instance, there was no medical check. On this ground, Oladipo blamed the Ghana Boxing Authority.
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