Boxing
Anthony Joshua dreams replicating Mohammad Ali in Usyk rematch…trains under Floyd Mayweather’s watchful eyes
Former boxing heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua has heaped praise on Floyd Mayweather for helping him prepare for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
Just like the great Muhammad Ali before him, Joshua is hoping to win back the world heavyweight championship for a third time this year.
He has lost his titles twice to Andy Ruiz in 2019 and Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in 2021.
In the last bout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, he was comprehensively beaten and thus lost his WBA, WBO and IBF world titles.
Amid speculation about what changes he may make to his coaching team, which according to talkSport, include potentially swapping Rob McCracken for an American trainer, Joshua has now appeared to partner with former pound-for-pound king Mayweather.
The duo were pictured in a gym together on Joshua’s Instagram, with the Brit thanking the 50-0 superstar for imparting some much-needed wisdom as he honed his jab.
In the aftermath of the loss, ‘Money’ told reporters he did not see Usyk’s win as an upset simply because the Ukrainian was not as high-profile a name as Joshua.
“It was just that, Anthony Joshua was on TV,” he said. “Everybody seen him.
“Usyk was a hell of a fighter, a gold medallist if I’m not mistaken but he was behind the scenes.
“Two guys with crazy amateur backgrounds and one guy is not being seen and another guy is being seen, then we call it an upset.
“No, it’s just that he was working behind the scenes and another guy was working in front of everybody. Finally, they had to meet up and Anthony Joshua came up short.”
Mayweather was in London back in December 2020 to watch Joshua dispatch of Kubrat Pulev in dominant fashion to retain his world titles.
Now, with the belts settled firmly in Kiev, the 31-year-old AJ will need all the help of his prestigious mentor to get them back.
-talkSport
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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