Boxing
AMOSUN, DALUNG, MUHAMMED OTHERS TO CHEER ANTHONY JOSHUA FIGHT
The Governor of Ogun state, IbIkunle Amosun and the Minister of Youth and Sports Solomon Dalung are among a top Nigerian government delegation who will be at the ringside on Saturday night to cheer Anthony Joshua against Cameroonian-French Carlos Takam in an IBF and WBA challenge billed for the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
The Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed is also on the Federal Government’s entourage.
This move which was at the behest of the Ogun State Government is geared at supporting the reigning IBF champion who hails from Sagamu when he faces the former WBC Silver heavyweight champion.
Takam replaced Joshua’s original challenger Kuburat Pulev who made a last minute withdrawal following a shoulder injury.
Nigeria last month eliminated Carlos Takam’s native country, Cameroon from the 2018 World Cup.
Dalung said that with the two Nigeria and Cameroon having a healthy rivalry in the sporting world, Nigerians will be happy if Anthony Joshua defeats the Abuja 2003 All-Africa Games bronze medallist.
“Of recent, Nigeria has enjoyed the upper hand against its West African neighbours Cameroon. The Super Falcons defeated the Indomitable Lioness in their backyard to claim the 2015 CAF Africa Women Cup of Nations.
Few weeks ago, the senior men’s basketball team beat Cameroon to advance to the semi finals of the FIBA Africa Cup Championship.
The success of the Super Eagles against the Indomitable Lions where they snatched four points from the available six to eliminate Cameroun from the 2018 World Cup is still fresh in our memories.
“Another win by Anthony Joshua will confirm our superiority and how far our sportsmen have gone in recent years.”
A confident Joshua who took part in Wednesday’s open workout session at the St David’s Hall in Cardiff has promised to give his fans something to cheer about as he defends his world titles.
Despite being a last minute replacement for Pulev, Joshua will not be expecting an easy ride against Takam who has recorded 35 wins and just three losses in the 39 fights as a professional since 2005.
“I will be conveying the goodwill message of President Muhammadu Buhari to him when I see him after the fight. It is imperative for him to understand how much the government and the people of Nigeria are proud of his achievements as our son.”
The current unified world heavyweight champion, having held the IBF title since 2016, and the WBA (Super) and IBO titles since April 2017 boasts of a flawless professional record of 19 fights, 19 victories and all of them coming through knockouts.
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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