Boxing
Why Anthony Joshua is taking on Tyson Fury 
Anthony Joshua has entered the WBC heavyweight rankings in sixth and believes that his chance against the champion may not come again
Following his split decision loss loss to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk last month in Saudi Arabia, Anthony Joshua is believed to feel that his chance to fight Tyson Fury may not come again if he misses the offer from the fellow British who is the WBC belt holder.
This is further affirmed by his promoter,
Eddie Hearn, who was quoted by the Manchester Evening News as saying that Anthony Joshua believes this is his only chance to face Tyson Fury.
Many expected that the next big move in the heavyweight division would see Fury fight Usyk in a unification bout, but it is Joshua who appears to have been given that chance.
As it currently stands, according to Manchester Evening News, Frank Warren an English boxing manager has confirmed that negotiations are ‘90% done’ but has urged those with an interest to be cautious as a fight can never be guaranteed to be taking place with all of the moving parts involved in such negotiations.
Hearn’s Matchroom team are currently in negotiations with Warren, who represents Fury and the British promoter explained the reasoning behind the fight when speaking on Sky Sports News.
The Mathroom chairman said: “He (Fury) thinks: ‘this is my only chance’. Because if he fights Usyk, win or lose I think he’ll retire or you never know with Fury, he could just never fight again.
“The reason he accepts these terms is he feels this is the only chance he’ll get to fight Tyson Fury.” He added. “So therefore, okay, it would have been better to come off a victory but we’re here and (Joshua thinks) I can beat him and I feel good.
“When he drew to (Deontay) Wilder, we offered Fury the fight against AJ and we offered him 60-40 and he said no and he said I’ll only take 50-50
“That’s one of the reasons I wanted to push back on some of the terms. But in the end it was AJ who overruled and said no just accept it.”
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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