Aurelia Butler

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    in Boxing

    Floyd Mayweather breaks down in tears over death of his long-time assistant who he says was the ‘sister I never had’

    FLOYD MAYWEATHER broke down in tears when emotionally discussing the death of his long-time assistant Marikit “Kitchie” Laurico.Kitchie worked with Mayweather for much of his 25-year unbeaten career and was one of his closest confidants.
    Floyd Mayweather broke down in tears when emotionally discussing the death of his assistant
    Marikit ‘Kitchie’ Laurico with MayweatherCredit: Instagram
    Mayweather called Kitchie ‘a sister’Credit: Instagram
    Kitchie sadly passed away in March 2023
    But she sadly passed away last March due to reportedly suffering health problems.
    Mayweather was left heartbroken following Kitchie’s passing and tearfully paid tribute to her on The Pivot Podcast.
    He said: “Kitchie was the only person in life that I could talk about anything to, that knew my deepest secrets.
    “There was no male or female in my life that I told more stuff to than her.
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    “She taught me a lot, she helped me a lot. Through rain, sleet, snow or hail, she had my back.”
    Mayweather revealed they had planned to celebrate Kitchie’s 50th birthday in Aruba and the most recent Super Bowl in Las Vegas.
    But she tragically passed away before they could fulfil their plans.
    Mayweather said she had been dealing with some health issues – but did not specify which – and had encouraged her to seek treatment just days before her death. 
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    He tearfully added: “We argue, we debate, we help each other. That’s a sister I never had. A best friend I ever had.”
    A statement posted to Kitchie’s Instagram account by her family last year revealed that she died on Friday, March 31.
    Floyd Mayweather breaks silence over Manny Pacquiao rematch
    It read: “On March 31, 2023, our brilliant star Kitchie abandoned the physical garment… the angels of Thy loving-kindness descended successively upon her and have ascended her to the spiritual world.
    “We thank all of you who have reciprocated genuine love and positive energy with her
    “We are grateful for your patience and honoring our privacy. Homegoing/ celebration of life arrangements for Kitchie are currently in progress, and updated information will be shared accordingly.” More

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    Boxing hero Glenn McCrory reveals he survived on a bag of rice a week when he hit rock bottom over false sex claims

    BOXING hero Glenn McCrory has revealed he survived on a bag of rice a week when he hit rock bottom over false sex claims.The former world champ and Sky Sports pundit also faced homelessness when his battle to clear his name wiped out his life savings.
    Glenn McCrory has revealed he survived on a bag of rice a week when he hit rock bottom over false sex claimsCredit: Central News
    McCrory with his world champion belt in 1990Credit: Getty
    Three waitresses alleged he touched their arms in a sexual manner at a dinner before the Anthony Joshua v Oleksandr Usyk world heavyweight title bout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September 2021.
    McCrory, 59, denied any sexual motive and insisted he was only trying to get their attention.
    He was cleared of all charges in just 90 minutes last September at Wood Green crown court, North London.
    And he has now teamed up with homeless charity CEO Sleepout to raise awareness of the plight facing record numbers in the UK.
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    Since 2010, rough sleeping has rocketed by 74 per cent and the charity stages annual sleepouts for business leaders to raise funds and awareness.
    This year’s fundraising drive is being kicked off with an event at Newcastle United’s stadium St James’ Park on March 21.
    Ex-cruiserweight Glenn, of Newcastle, said: “I know what it is like to hit rock bottom as I lost everything.
    “I was in the hands of the crisis team and my weight plummeted.
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    “Everything fell apart.
    “To not know what your future holds or where your next meal is coming from is absolutely terrifying.
    “People see those in the public eye and think they must have a great life, but anyone can have their world pulled from under them in a heartbeat – and I’m living proof.
    “You could lose your job, savings or family – or just become unwell – and the downward spiral starts.”
    Inside Jake and Logan Paul’s £3.2m two-story warehouse gym in Puerto Rico with boxing ring, weights and recovery zones
    Sleepout boss Bianca Robinson said: “Glenn’s story is heartbreaking but it is a stark reminder that everyone can be just a few steps away from being made homeless.”
    McCrory fighting Lennox Lewis at the Royal Albert HallCredit: PA
    The former world champion in action against Patrick Lumumba in 1989Credit: Getty More

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    Inside Jake Paul’s custom-made cage built in gym to train for MMA debut… as talks for Tommy Fury rematch take a twist

    JAKE PAUL has had a custom-made cage built in his gym in preparation for his MMA debut – which could be against a familiar face. The YouTube star has an 8-1 boxing record since making his debut in 2020 and has lofty ambitions of winning the world title.
    Jake Paul has a custom-made MMA cage built in his gymCredit: Professional Fighters League
    Jake Paul is preparing for his MMA debutCredit: Professional Fighters League
    The YouTuber-turned-boxer is signed to the PFLCredit: Professional Fighters League
    Jake Paul has a custom-made cage in his £3m gymCredit: Professional Fighters League
    Jake Paul poses in the PFL shortsCredit: Professional Fighters League
    But last year he also signed to the Professional Fighters League – a rival to the UFC – where he is set to make his MMA debut.
    Paul has a £3MILLLION two-storey gym in his adopted home of Puerto Rico, where he trains for his big-money boxing fights.
    And in the upstairs section – next to where brother Logan films his popular Impaulsive podcast – Paul has a section dedicated to MMA.
    He has even built an exact replica of the PFL’s SmartCage as his preparations to cross over from the ring progress.
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    It even features branding on the posts and was recently lit up with lights for a photoshoot.
    PFL CEO Peter Murray told SunSport: “He’s determined, so when he makes his debut in MMA it’s going to be massive.
    “Opponents are lining up and we’re looking forward to, with Jake and Nakisa [Bidarian], announcing that very soon.”
    A month before Paul, 27, announced his deal with the PFL, he suffered the first boxing defeat of his career.
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    He lost a split-decision to Tommy Fury, 24, in Saudi Arabia but has bounced back with two wins since.
    Paul returns on March 2 against 17-2 boxer Ryan Bourland, 35, while Fury meanwhile beat another YouTuber-turned boxer in KSI, 30, last October.
    Jake Paul calls out Tommy Fury to complete epic trilogy including MMA fight in £16MILLION deal
    But talks for the celebrity boxing rivals to rematch remain ongoing.
    Paul’s business partner Bidarian recently talked up a deal worth £16m.
    It would see Fury rematch the American in boxing and then complete a trilogy in MMA.
    And Murray added: “All I can tell you is, we’ve got the bank, we’ve got the platform, we have the biggest stars.
    “We have athletes from MMA, athletes from boxing lining up, the best of the best, they want in.
    “So we’re taking our time, making our selections in putting that fight together and for all involved, for everybody who is worth their weight in gold they will definitely get paid and it will be massive for the sport.”
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    Asked if there had been any talks with Fury’s camp, Murray replied: “There have been some conversations.”
    Fury’s team declined to comment when approached.
    Tommy Fury beat Jake Paul on pointsCredit: Getty More

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    Francis Ngannou’s coach FEARS for Anthony Joshua’s health after fight with ‘ungodly’ ex-UFC champ

    FRANCIS NGANNOU has so much “ungodly power” even his boxing coach fears for his opponents – in a brutal warning to Anthony Joshua. Former kickboxer Dewey Cooper has been the man tasked with honing Ngannou’s hands since joining the camp in 2017.
    Francis Ngannou in training to fight Anthony JoshuaCredit: @francisngannou
    Joshua faces Ngannou on March 8
    But along with Frenchman John Mbumba, their roles became even more important last year when Ngannou put on hold his MMA career to cross over to boxing.
    But Cooper admits neither him or Mbumba can take credit for the ex-UFC champion’s devastating power.
    Instead, he puts it down to Ngannou’s years spent working in sand mines in Cameroon for £1.50 a day from the age of ten.
    Cooper told SunSport in Saudi Arabia ahead of PFL vs Bellator: “As far as his punching power, no that was something that he naturally had.
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    “He dug sand mines as a kid all the way up to his early 20s.
    “Of course, his DNA, his Cameroonian heritage and that hard manual labour as a kid all the way up, I feel was the main attribute to that ungodly power.”
    Ngannou’s frightening power was once tested and found to be the equivalent to 96 horse power.
    That means it carries the same ferocity as a 12lb sledgehammer being swung at full force or being hit by a moving Ford Escort.
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    And if anyone knows the pain of Ngannou’s punches, it is poor old coach Cooper.
    He laughed: “I had to change my body shield three or four different times because he was killing me.
    ‘AJ ain’t knocking that thing out’, say shocked fans as Francis Ngannou shows off insane physique ahead of Saudi scrap
    “I was going home with injured ribs all the time but I finally got a really good body pad – and it still hurts even now.
    “But I’m just barley tough enough to take it. Remember, coaching Francis Ngannou isn’t for the weak or the meek.
    “The saying, ‘It felt like he got hit by a bus’, I feel that every training session, I’m used to it now.
    “It’s gigantic power, it’s enormous power and that’s gonna be on display March 8th and that’s for damn sure.”
    Ngannou, 37, astonishingly dropped Tyson Fury, 35, on his boxing debut but it was not enough to avoid a controversial split-decision loss.
    The performance and shock knockdown was still enough to earn the MMA star another blockbuster boxing bout, this time against Joshua, 34.
    It will be the second time Cooper has led the charge but his 11th bout in total with Ngannou.
    And he opened up about fearing the worst whenever Ngannou’s ruthless right hand lands – but showing no remorse before it.
    He said: “The Overeem fight was one that comes to memory and the Rozenstruik, absolutely. But, that’s after the knockout, after the relief of victory.
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    “That’s of course when the humanitarian side kicks in and you feel bad for the guys. But going into the fight, absolutely not.
    “We plan on dominating, I want to make sure people understand that, if it were my way I want him to dominate and smash everyone he fights, the same way he did previous opponents in mixed martial arts.”
    Ngannou pictured with boxing coach Dewey CooperCredit: Reuters More

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    in Athletics

    Olympics icon slams proposed rule change as an ‘April Fool’s joke’ as athletics bosses trial major new format

    ATHLETICS ICON Carl Lewis has slammed proposals to change the long jump event, saying: Is it April Fool’s Day already?SunSport revealed on Monday that World Athletics bosses are trialling a new format where long jumpers use a ‘take-off zone’ rather than a take-off board.
    Carl Lewis has criticised the new proposals to change the long jump formatCredit: AFP
    Lewis won four of his nine Olympic golds in long jumpCredit: Reuters
    The governing body says that data collected during the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest showed that a THIRD of all attempts were recorded as no-jumps.
    The rule experiment will take place throughout this year in lower-level competitions and jumps will be measured from the front of the take-off foot within that zone.
    It will not be part of the Paris 2024 Olympics programme – the competition will remain the same.
    Should it prove successful, if it has the full backing of the top stars, then it could be implemented from 2026 onwards.
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    Lewis – winner of four successive Olympic long jump titles between 1984 and 1996 – is not a fan of the concept.
    The American, 62, said: “You’re supposed to wait until April 1st for April Fool’s jokes.
    “Actually, it wouldn’t change the distances that much. You would just see more bad jumps measured.”
    Lewis’s displeasure is also matched by Britain’s leading female long jumper, Jazmin Sawyers, who reckons there are more cons than pros with the idea.
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    The reigning European indoor long champion believes the potential positives are that every jump would count, there could be bigger jumps and it may prevent slipping on the board.
    Yet from her perspective, the negatives are the difficulties to implement it at grassroots level – given the computer technology involved – and the chance it may encourage some to cheat.
    Sawyers also feels there will be less drama, no more super-imposed measurements on TV, the crowd won’t be able to tell if it is a big jump and hitting the take-off board remains “an essential element of the skill”.
    She said: “I think there are a lot of reasons not to do it.
    “I appreciate they’re trying to do something. But this how I view it. I don’t think this particular innovation is a good idea.
    “I’d also just like to say: Can we stop messing with the long jump? Can we just leave it alone?
    “Maybe just try it on some other event. Try something else. I don’t think this is what long jump needs. The idea of speeding up the measuring – that’s great.
    “At the British championship last weekend, it was taking over a minute sometimes to get each result and it was really slowing down the pace of the competition.

    “It made it a bit more boring. When it could have been a bit more exciting.
    “The idea of speeding up the measurement is great. I don’t think you will be able to do that if you bring in this take-off zone.”
    The Stoke leaper, whose personal best is seven metres, added: “We removing an essential element of the skill of long jumping. Part of the skill is that you have to hit the board.
    “If you remove that, it changes the event completely. I don’t think you can then compare the old records to the new records. It just becomes a different event when part of the skill isn’t hitting the board.
    “So much of the drama of the event is whether somebody will hit the board or not. It’s whether they were this close.
    “Was it a foul? Was it not a foul? That drama is removed and really we’re doing something different.
    “Yes, we’re still just jumping into sand. But the idea that we are trying to hit a certain mark is part of the skill.
    “If runners didn’t have to go at the gun and they could go whenever they felt like, and we just took the fastest time, it’d be just a time trial.
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    “It would be a different event. I think this will make it a different event.
    “I don’t think there is anything wrong with the long jump. I think having the board is part of the drama.”
    Carl Lewis ranked in the top five sportsmen of the 20th centuryCredit: EPA More

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    Floyd Mayweather breaks silence over Manny Pacquiao rematch and claims he was paid £3m just for ‘saying his name’

    FLOYD MAYWEATHER has broken his silence over rematching Manny Pacquiao – and claimed he earned £3million from just being called out. Mayweather beat Pacquiao in 2015 in what still stands as boxing’s richest ever fight having raked in over £500MILLION.
    Floyd Mayweather has broken his silence over rematching Manny PacquiaoCredit: The Pivot Podcast
    And a rematch has always been touted even after the legendary pair sailed off into retirement.
    More recently, Pacquiao announced that he would rematch Mayweather this year in an exhibition with MMA promotion RIZIN.
    Only now has Mayweather responded to the claim in an interview on The Pivot Podcast.
    He said: “When Manny Pacquiao spoke about that, he shouldn’t have because there’s a time and a place for everything.
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    “I’m not gonna say he’s right and I’m not gonna say he’s wrong. But it’s so crazy, when he spoke about it, I could’ve easily came out and said, ‘You spoke about it.’ I didn’t have to say nothing.
    “Just by you saying my name they gave me a cheque for $4million.”
    Mayweather refused to reveal who the alleged payment came from.
    But he took the chance to aim a dig at Pacquiao, who he rivalled with for over half a decade before settling the argument over 12 rounds.
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    Mayweather said: “But remember – he got famous because they said this could be the guy that could possibly dethrone the king.
    “Did it happen? Absolutely not. Was it easy? Absolutely.”
    I’m a boxing legend who fought Floyd Mayweather but rival champ was the hardest puncher… I can still feel the punches
    Mayweather retired two years after beating Pacquiao, officially walking away following his 2017 win over UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
    But he has continued to box in exhibition bouts since against stars of the social media, MMA and boxing world.
    His last was in June against the grandson of notorious mob boss John Gotti, which ended in a disqualification win for Mayweather.
    The pair have since announced they will rematch.
    Pacquiao meanwhile retired following his 2021 loss to Yordenis Ugas.
    But after a failed presidential election in the Philippines, the eight-division champion announced plans to make a comeback.
    He returns on April 20 in Thailand against Muay Thai legend Buakaw Banchamek but wants to make a run back into traditional boxing afterwards.
    Floyd Mayweather beat Manny Pacquiao in 2015Credit: Getty More

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    ‘AJ ain’t knocking that thing out’, say shocked fans as Francis Ngannou shows off insane physique ahead of Saudi scrap

    SHOCKED boxing fans declared there is no way Anthony Joshua can knock out Francis Ngannou – after the Cameroonian showed off his insane physique.The former UFC heavyweight champ steps into the boxing ring for a second time next month when he takes on AJ in Saudi Arabia.
    Francis Ngannou looks ripped and ready to face Anthony JoshuaCredit: https://www.instagram.com/francisngannou/
    The 37-year-old shared a brilliant video from his gymCredit: https://www.instagram.com/francisngannou/
    After massively scaring Tyson Fury in October, he is confident of causing plenty of problems for Joshua.
    And supporters are inclined to agree following the veteran’s latest Instagram post.
    Hulking Ngannou, 37, shared a video to his 6.6million followers of his trainer repeatedly slamming a weighted wall ball against his set of rock-solid abs in the gym.
    The fighter remains unmoved in his training shorts with a towel around his neck and headphones on.
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    Ngannou captioned the clip: “My face when they said that I don’t belong in boxing. Not born different, built different.”
    And that prompted a wave of responses with his followers feeling ominous for Joshua’s chances on March 8.
    One said: “AJ ain’t knocking that thing out I’m sorry.”
    Another wrote: “Only way you are beating this man is on points.”
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    A third added: “AJ has a mega problem not solvable.”
    A fourth typed: “AJ is in trouble.”
    Watford residents ask heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua ANYTHING!
    A fifth commented: “Legend says they had to add cement on the ball cause he was breaking them all.”
    A sixth responded: “AJ better aim for the face or win on points.”
    A seventh quipped: “Lmao couldn’t pay me to fight this man.”
    An eighth claimed: “Francis is too strong for boxing.”

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    A ninth put: “Absolute beast.”
    And a final user simply labelled him a “tank”.
    However, AJ fans sent a similar chilling warning to Ngannou after he posted his own content from inside his training camp.
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    Supporters do not have to wait long before the first bell in two-and-a-half weeks’ time.
    And they will have the choice to catch the blockbuster pay-per-view event on Sky Sports or DAZN.
    Ngannou had Tyson Fury down on the canvas in their October boutCredit: Getty
    The pair face off in Saudi Arabia on March 8Credit: PA More

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    Josh Taylor offers ‘ungrateful’ Jack Catterall cheeky present in another fiery press conference ahead of grudge fight

    JOSH TAYLOR offered rival Jack Catterall a cheeky present during their fiery press conference.The boxers are set to have their highly anticipated rematch in April in Leeds.
    Josh Taylor gave Jack Catterall a packet of crayonsCredit: Getty
    Catterall was not impressed by the offerCredit: Getty
    Catterall left the crayons behindCredit: Twitter @JoshTaylorBoxer
    The first fight ended in a disputed split decision win for Taylor at the OVO Hydro arena in Glasgow.
    No love has been lost between the two as tempers flared during their first face-off ahead of their rematch, at a press conference in Edinburgh.
    There were plenty of strong words shared between the fighters, but Taylor was able to show his cheeky side with one gimmick.
    The Scot, 33, was seen leaning over to give Catterall the crayons, which sparked a confrontation between the two.
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    Throughout the presser, he continued to bring up that he had given Catterall crayons during their encounter.
    He could be heard telling his rival to “go back to your crayons” as he pointed them out.
    After the press conference ended, Taylor shared a picture of the crayons in front of Catterall’s nameplate on social media.
    He wrote: “Jack Catterall you left your present. So ungrateful.”
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    Many of Taylor’s fans loved the joke as they responded to the post.
    One fan wrote: “This had me in bits!”
    Shocking moment Jack Catterall grabs Josh Taylor by the NECK in explosive face-off ahead of grudge rematch
    A second commented: “Top bantz.”
    A third posted: “Well funny that.”
    A fourth said: “Great banter.”
    Another added: “Hahaha, that is quite funny, to be fair.”
    The controversy over the first fight and bitterness shared between the two made an immediate rematch a no-brainer.
    But competing promotions and networks stood in the way of the grudge match.
    However, now, after two years, a deal has finally been agreed upon for the arch-rivals to settle the score on April 27. More