Boxing
ANTHONY JOSHUA PLEDGES FINANCIAL BACKING TO BRITISH BOXING CLUBS TO REDUCE IMPACT OF COVID-19
Two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has pledged financial backing to British boxing clubs to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joshua has offered to support England Boxing, Welsh Boxing and Boxing Scotland after many amateur clubs across Britain were severely affected financially by the global health crisis.
The money is set to be distributed to the clubs in most need of support by the national federations, with an agreement in place that all funding is ring-fenced for the clubs only, as reported by Sky Sports.
Sports equipment company Under Armour will also match Joshua’s financial offer in products.
“We are delighted to receive and we thank Anthony for this much needed financial support and for drawing attention to the role and support the clubs offer in their local communities and with it the need for greater Government support to grass root boxing clubs,” said England Boxing chair Gethin Jenkins.
“This is all the more so, given that 40 per cent of our clubs operate in the highest 20 per cent of marginalised areas in the country.
“We will announce how clubs can access this funding in the coming days and we know it will be gratefully received by the membership so thanks once again for this vital support.”
Joshua currently holds the World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation, World Boxing Association and International Boxing Organisation heavyweight titles, having also done so between 2016 and June 2019.
During his amateur career, he clinched an Olympic gold medal at London 2012.
“Boxing helped shaped me, both physically and mentally,” Joshua said.
“It is no secret that without boxing and the family created around my amateur gym, my life could have been very different.
“The sport has given me a lot and I want to help highlight the issues affecting grass roots clubs and do what I can to keep the lights on for those most in need.
“I would like to thank the Federations of England, Wales and Scotland for their support in helping facilitate how the financial aid reaches the most effected clubs in their regions and also agreeing to make sure the money goes directly to clubs.
“I am not using this as an opportunity to criticise Government for its lack of funding towards boxing, these are unprecedented times, however I would like to use my platform to respectfully ask them to rethink their stance.
“Without support we will lose community hubs and potentially the stars of tomorrow.”
Britain has enjoyed relative success in boxing at the Olympics of late, with Nicola Adams clinching gold in the women’s flyweight at Rio 2016.
Joe Joyce took silver in the super heavyweight and Joshua Buatsi claimed bronze in the light heavyweight at the same Games.
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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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