Aurelia Butler

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    in Boxing

    Eddie Hearn claims Gervonta Davis feels Conor Benn fight offer ‘not good enough’ as talks over huge bout stall

    EDDIE HEARN believes Gervonta Davis’ purse demands may very well have scuppered a fight with Conor Benn.Negotiations over a shock showdown between the pair began just days after Benn’s decision win over Peter Dobson in Las Vegas earlier this month.
    Conor Benn was on course for a shock clash with Gervonta Davis after his win over Peter DobsonCredit: GETTY
    Promoter Eddie Hearn entered talks with Davis’ team after the American’s X spat with BennCredit: AP
    Hearn had a sneaking suspicion Davis’ purse demands could potentially scupper the boutCredit: GETTY
    Two-weight world champion Davis, however, has seemingly pulled the plug on the showdown – with Team Benn now turning their attention to a clash with Danny Garcia.
    And speaking to SunSport earlier this month, Hearn revealed that Davis’ asking price for the fight could very well scupper the out-of-the-blue bout.
    The Matchroom Boxing chief said: “We’ve been speaking and going back and forth with numbers.
    “Gervonta is always gonna feel like the offer is not good enough.
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    “He made a lot of money against Ryan Garcia. But with pay-per-view upside and the gate, I think that fight can be huge.”
    Pitting surging welterweight contender Benn against the controversial Davis wasn’t on Hearn’s radar until the pair started going back and forth on X.
    He admitted: “It’s not one that I ever really anticipated, but actually, when you think about it logically, it makes great sense.
    “Conor is fighting a smaller guy who is very good and definitely the favourite on paper.
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    Conor Benn launched an x-rated attack on Gervonta DavisCredit: INSTAGRAM@CONORBENNOFFICIAL
    “For Gervonta, he’ll think Conor Benn is easy work.”
    Should Davis have a change of heart, Hearn has no doubt in his mind that the dust-up will do well at the box office.
    Watch Conor Benn ring out PINTS of sweat from T-shirt after going for pre-fight run ahead of Rodolfo Orozco bout
    He continued: “I think it does very well at the gate, I think the pay-per-view narrative of the Brit who’s got a huge following over here and a great profile.
    “And Gervonta is massive in America, I think it could do really well.
    “We’re looking to stage that fight in America but there’s a long way to go.”
    Benn’s attention is seemingly no longer focused on Davis, who he issued a blunt message to on social media after learning of his rejection of the fight.
    He said: ” P***y [cat emoij] don’t ever at me again. @Gervontaa.”
    Baltimore bruiser Davis, 29, hasn’t set foot in the ring since stopping Ryan Garcia in the seventh round of their Las Vegas showdown last April.
    Gervonta Davis stopped Ryan Garcia in the seventh round of their Las Vegas showdown last AprilCredit: GETTY More

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    Tyson Fury’s garlic-mad diet revealed as Gypsy King faces race against time to be ready for Oleksandr Usyk fight

    TYSON FURY will be knocking back extra servings of red meat and GARLIC to ensure he’s fully healed up for his historic showdown against Oleksandr Usyk.The Gypsy King was due to clash with the undefeated Ukrainian for all the heavyweight marbles last weekend before he suffered a HORROR CUT in sparring.
    Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s long overdue showdown was postponed to May 18Credit: EPA
    The fight was pushed back after Fury suffered a horror cut in sparringCredit: QUEENSBERRY PROMOTIONS
    An accidental elbow from sparring partner Agron Smakici delayed the fight
    Fury’s nutritionist George Lockhart has put him on a high protein and garlic diet to help heal the gaping woundCredit: INSTAGRAM@TYSONFURY
    An accidental elbow from sparring partner Agron Smakici re-opened the scar tissue left above Fury’s right eye from his 2019 clash with Otto Wallin and rendered him unable to compete.
    Saudi boxing kingpin Turki Alalshikh hastily rescheduled the undisputed showdown – the first in the heavyweight division for nearly 25 years – for May 18.
    Team Fury are pulling out all the stops to ensure the WBC heavyweight king makes the fight, with nutritionist George Lockhart implementing a diet high in protein and garlic to ensure he’s fighting fit for the Riyadh rumble.
    He told Betway: “High protein helps massively as the body needs to recover, rebuild and repair itself.
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    “Lots of protein, lots of water and fluid, and while it’s not sexy that is the type of foods that will help recover a bad cut.
    “A lot of red meats and stuff with iron in it. Not just meats but things with a lot of micro-nutrients in it, including garlic, spinach, carrots, onion, and mix everything together.
    “Garlic is a great source to help you recover quickly as it kills off bacteria and germs in a cut.
    “Like I said red meat is the key source of protein.”
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    Lockhart – the former nutritionist of UFC legend Conor McGregor – is acutely aware of the fact that Fury’s diet won’t solely aid the healing of his cut.
    He admitted: “I’m not one of those nutritionists which says food will solve everything.
    Tyson Fury takes part in gruelling training session ahead of cancelled undisputed Usyk fight
    “But it has a huge impact over time in terms of recovery and injuries of that nature, but the most important thing is time.
    “The doctor said that the cut will heal in three weeks.
    “People don’t realise that the normal person is fine with a cut like this but if you’re going to get punched in the face, it will take a long time.
    “Even May is close for this fight to be happening but I know he wants to take care of business so I think he will get it done.
    “A lot of people don’t realise that when you are injured, your body burns more calories because it is putting a lot more effort in recovering and help with whatever injury it is, including a cut.
    “Healing a cut and a sprained ankle though are two different things.
    Tyson Fury got in a career-best shape for his crack at undisputed gloryCredit: INSTAGRAM@TYSONFURY
    “For inflammation, fish such as wild salmon and omega 3 are key sources of nutrition to overcome an injury like a sprained ankle.
    “You actually need to stay away from red meats and Omega 6.”
    Fury, 35, got into a career-best shape ahead of his now-postponed date with destiny – something Lockhart believes he’ll replicate for the biggest fight of his career.
    He said: “I haven’t spoken to him much recently since the last fight got cancelled.
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    “He looks great and is in amazing shape. I saw the transformation; he’s looking lean and strong.
    “The thing about Tyson is, he is an animal, a beast, and will go in there with the reach, cardio, boxing IQ, power and size so it will be a very difficult night for Oleksandr Usyk.” More

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    I’m the greatest women boxer of all time… but now I want to be a world champion in a different sport

    CLARESSA SHIELDS is not shy of boasting about being the greatest women’s boxer of all time – but now she wants to go a step further. Shields has an almost unmatched CV in the sport, with double Olympic gold medals, two undisputed titles and belts in three different divisions to her name.
    Claressa Shields calls herself the ‘Greatest Woman of All Time’ in the ringCredit: Getty – Contributor
    But Shields has also crossed over to boxing
    But the outspoken American looked to better her legacy even further by crossing over to MMA in 2021 with the Professional Fighters League.
    Shields, unbeaten in boxing, is 1-1 in MMA but insisted she did not swap the boxing ring for the cage just to experiment.
    Instead, she wants to become a two-sport world champion as she sets her sights on the PFL title and the history that comes with it.
    She told SunSport: “That’s the ultimate goal. Manifestation is real, I believe in two or three years I will be fighting for the PFL world championship.
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    “I’ll still be a boxing world champion and the same time. So the goal is to be boxing world champion and be PFL champion at the same time.
    “And after that, I’d probably wash my hands with MMA but that’s the bigger goal.”
    Shields won her MMA debut by beating Brittney Elkin but she then suffered defeat for the first time since her amateur boxing days against Abigail Montes.
    She has not returned to the cage since, instead picking up a trio of boxing wins, including against arch rival Savannah Marshall.
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    But now Shields has her eyes on the PFL’s season, where stars fight in qualifying and knockout stages over four bouts to win the title and $1m cash prize.
    But more than just the money, Shields believes actively holding titles in both sports – which would be a historic first – cements her place as the best to ever do it.
    Anthony Joshua vows to win the undisputed title after Francis Ngannou fight
    She said: “Well, I’m already the greatest woman of all time in boxing, we know that.
    “But to be able to come over to a whole different sport in the prime of my career and win, when I’m able to win the PFL world championship, I think that ranks me as the greatest combat sports person ever.
    “And not even woman. I don’t know any champion who can do what I’m doing right now.
    “So I believe in three years when I actually get in the PFL tournament and I fight for the PFL world championship, when I win that rates me as the greatest combat sports person in history.”
    Shields makes her MMA return on Saturday in Riyadh against Kelsey DeSantis on the PFL vs Bellator undercard. More

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    Anthony Joshua gives brutal response after Francis Ngannou boasts about flooring Tyson Fury

    ANTHONY JOSHUA brutally shut Francis Ngannou down following a boast about flooring Tyson Fury. AJ faces the ex-UFC champion on March 8 in what will be only Ngannou’s second professional boxing bout.
    Anthony Joshua shut Francis Ngannou down following a boast about flooring Tyson Fury
    Ngannou was confronted by AJ in a face to face
    Ngannou dropped Tyson Fury on his boxing debutCredit: Getty
    In his debut in October, he astonishingly floored Fury but it was not enough to avoid a controversial split-decision loss.
    Ngannou still takes confidence from the performance and knockdown – which he doubts Joshua would have come back from.
    He said in a DAZN face to face: “Yeah, I have a doubt about that. Tyson showed that he’s very resilient.
    “I saw him come back from a knockdown that you wouldn’t believe.
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    “So I think he’s probably one of the most resistant person out there, and that’s not a disrespect to AJ.
    “I don’t believe that AJ would take what Tyson did.”
    But Joshua – with a stoic glare – hit back at Ngannou: “Who hasn’t knocked Tyson down? So many people have knocked Tyson down.”
    Fury, 35, has been floored seven times in his career but bounced back to his feet every time to remain undefeated.
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    Joshua was due to face Deontay Wilder, 38, in March but the deal went up in smoke after the American’s shock loss to Joseph Parker.
    And Ngannou, 37, was denied a rematch with Fury, who instead moved on to an undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk, now set for May 18.
    Anthony Joshua vows to win the undisputed title after Francis Ngannou fight
    So Saudi boxing chiefs acted fast to match the giant heavyweight pair together for another crossover clash in Riyadh.
    Joshua, 34, said: “They spoke about this fight before and I said ‘no, it’s a gimmick fight, it’s not something that I think is right — crossing over when I’m still chasing heavyweight glory’.

    “And then I think when they saw what happened with his last fight, the situation with Wilder, this opportunity presented itself.
    “I never turned down a challenge and I’m looking forward to it.”
    Joshua faces Ngannou on March 8Credit: PA More

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    KSI branded ‘the Donald Trump of boxing’ after guest appearance on Jonathan Ross

    KSI was branded “the Donald Trump of boxing” on The Jonathan Ross show for refusing to accept his defeat to Tommy Fury. The YouTuber-turned boxer was controversially beaten on points by Fury in October in his first loss in the ring.
    KSI was branded ‘the Donald Trump of boxing’
    Trump famously refused to accept defeat in the 2020 electionCredit: AP
    Tommy Fury edged past KSI in a controversial decisionCredit: GETTY
    He was fuming with the decision and suffered a further setback when his appeal to overturn the result was denied.
    KSI was probed on the fight by TV host Ross, who asked: “You were undefeated until you fought – and you will know him from Love Island – Tommy Fury in the ring and then you lost on points.”
    But the social media sensation replied: “Well, I technically don’t believe that I lost. I still think I won.”
    Comedian Jack Whitehall then compared KSI to former American president Donald Trump.
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    Trump infamously refused to concede defeat in the 2020 election to Joe Biden and instead blamed it on a baseless conspiracy.
    Whitehall quipped: “You’re like the Donald Trump of boxing.”
    KSI let out a laugh but doubled down when told “delusion is a great thing.”
    He said: “Yes, it definitely is. But I didn’t lose.”
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    KSI initially announced plans to take time out of boxing following the heartbreak of his first defeat.
    He has since confirmed he WILL fight again this year, eyeing a summer return, but remained cryptic when asked by Ross.
    He said: “You never know. I might dibble and dabble. I might fight again this year.”
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    Apollonia Llewellyn puts on busty display in barely-there bikini as fans say ‘you’re getting more and more beautiful’

    APOLLONIA LLEWELLYN was lavished with compliments from her fans after sharing a holiday photo.The boxing ring girl is now a well-seasoned traveller and posted a throwback of her visit to the Greek island of Santorini last year.
    Apollonia Llewellyn wowed fans with a throwback snap from a trip to SantoriniCredit: Instagram
    The ring girl is no stranger to posing in skimpy bikinisCredit: Instagram @apolloniallewellyn
    Apollonia loves flaunting her good looks on social mediaCredit: instagram @apolloniallewellyn
    Apollonia, 23, jet sets around the world and often shares pics from LA, as well as Switzerland, France and Spain.
    And her racy snaps always get fans talking, with many showering Apollonia with praise following her latest bikini post.
    The Yorkshire stunner posed in a blue and white bra that left little to the imagination alongside a skimpy thong which she covered with a tiny miniskirt.
    Fans loved the look with one saying: “Excellent 🔥”
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    Another added: “Damn you look good!!!😍”
    A third wrote: “Very gorgeous 😍”
    And another commented: “Stunning!! 🔥🥰”
    Apollonia recently wowed fans by flaunting her curves in a tiny thong bikini while taking a dip in a swimming pool.
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    She recently wowed her fans on a trip to a spaCredit: Instagram @apolloniallewellyn
    Apollonia is closing in on 600,000 followersCredit: Instagram @apolloniallewellyn
    Last week she gifted her fans with an early Valentine’s present by flashing her underboob in a see-through red lingerie set.
    A separate post saw her dubbed the “hottest babe in the world” after almost bursting out of another tiny bikini.
    Boxing ring girl Apollonia Llewellyn’s breasts in tight black and white PVC jumpsuit
    Inside Apollonia’s glamorous life as influencer, ring girl and model …
    Apollonia burst out of this tiny silver bikini as she drank her ‘morning juice’Credit: INSTAGRAM
    Conor McGregor was among 8,000 fans who enjoyed this see-through lacy outfitCredit: INSTAGRAM
    Thousands of Apollonia’s fans enjoyed the view on the ring girl’s holiday to New YorkCredit: INSTAGRAM
    Apollonia braved the snow in the Lake DistrictCredit: Instagram
    Apollonia really enjoyed this bowl of pasta on her summer holiday to SantoriniCredit: INSTAGRAM
    Apollonia invited fans to ‘sit and stare’ at this picture, and thousands took her up on the invitationCredit: INSTAGRAM
    Fans were worried Apollonia’s top had shrunk in the wash as she enjoyed this hearty breakfastCredit: INSTAGRAM
    Apollonia’s followers were in awe of the stunner’s new hairdo as she wowed in a tiny yellow bikiniCredit: INSTAGRAM
    Apollonia sent a cheeky message to her fans as she posed in this glamorous see-through numberCredit: INSTAGRAM
    Apollonia told fans ‘no caption needed’ as she squeezed into this skin-tight see-through playsuitCredit: INSTAGRAM
    Apollonia revealed he ‘idea of happiness’ is being ‘wind swept on the beach’ with this busty snapCredit: INSTAGRAM
    Apollonia left very little to the imagination as she ‘brightened fans’ Mondays’ in a skimpy wet T-shirtCredit: INSTAGRAM
    Apollonia shot to recognition as a member of the Misfits Boxing fight night team
    She has garnered her a huge social media presenceCredit: INSTAGRAM @apolloniallewellyn
    Apollonia has an army of Instagram followersCredit: Instagram @apolloniallewellyn
    She has turned down a staggering £100,000 to pose nude beforeCredit: Instagram @apolloniallewellyn
    The model insisted she isn’t money-orientedCredit: Instagram @apolloniallewellyn
    Apollonia shows off her jet setting lifestyle onlineCredit: Instagram @apolloniallewellyn
    She also holidayed in New YorkCredit: Instagram @apolloniallewellyn
    Apollonia is no stranger to a bikini pictureCredit: INSTAGRAM @apolloniallewellyn
    She has built a huge following on social mediaCredit: Instagram @apolloniallewellyn
    Apollonia works as a model alongside her social fameCredit: Instagram @apolloniallewellyn More

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    ‘I feel bad for Francis Ngannou’, says worried fans after Anthony Joshua shows off lean shape ahead of fight

    ANTHONY JOSHUA has fans already feeling sorry for Francis Ngannou after giving an inside look into his training camp. Joshua returns on March 8 in Saudi Arabia against Ngannou, who only made his boxing debut in October against Tyson Fury.
    Anthony Joshua in training to fight Francis NgannouCredit: @anthonyjoshua
    AJ had fans fearing the worst for NgannouCredit: @anthonyjoshua
    And he has been preparing for the crossover bout at new trainer Ben Davison’s gym in Harlow.
    AJ uploaded a snap in all black with a menacing look on his face – leaving some fans fearing the worst for Ngannou.
    One said: “I really feel bad for that Francis guy cause you’re ready.”
    Another added: “I feel bad for Francis he will feel the heat.”
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    One agreed: “Those eyes say it all.”
    Joshua, 34, stopped Otto Wallin, 32, in five rounds in his last fight in December, his first under coach Davison.
    Meanwhile Ngannou, 35, dropped Fury, 37, on his boxing debut but lost a controversial split-decision.
    It was still enough for him to earn the bout with AJ, filling in for Deontay Wilder, 38, after the American lost to Joseph Parker, 32.
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    Many were shocked by Ngannou’s performance and knockdown of Fury – but not Joshua.
    He said during a DAZN face to face: “I think if I box Tyson Fury a lot of similarities will happen in the fight so I am not surprised at all in terms of his style, who Fury is, it’s just a boxing match.
    “Well done to both of them, they put on an entertaining fight but that’s in the past. That’s how boxing is, and we move forward now.”
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    Olympics athletic event may never look the same with plans to trial radical new format

    THE LONG jump competition will undergo a radical change – as athletes take a leap of faith into the future.World Athletics bosses are trialling a new format where long jumpers use a “take-off zone” rather than a take-off board.
    World Athletics chiefs are planning major changes in the long jump eventCredit: Keith Campbell – The Sun Glasgow
    Trials will start taking place in the lower competitionsCredit: Getty
    Long jumpers will use a “take-off zone” rather than a take-off board.Credit: Getty
    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.
    If the tests are successful – and if the competitors fully embrace and love the concept – then it could become permanent for the event from 2026 onwards.
    Jon Ridgeon, 57, a former British athlete and now CEO of World Athletics, said: “We’re looking at all of the disciplines, particularly the field events, and going: ‘Right, how do we make them better?’
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    “At the World Championships in Budapest last summer, a third of all the jumps were no-jumps where athletes stepped over the front of the take-off board.
    “Well, that doesn’t work. That’s a waste of time. So we’re testing at the moment a take-off zone rather than a take-off board.
    “We’ll measure from where the athlete takes off to where they land in the pit.
    “That means every single jump counts. It adds to the jeopardy and drama in the competition.
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    “At the same time we’re working out ways we can get instant results so you don’t have to wait 20-30 seconds before the result pops up.
    “How can we speed up the whole competition? It’s a whole range of innovation we’re looking at based on hopefully robust data.”
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    Britain have had three Olympic long jump champions – Mary Rand (1964), Lynn Davies (1964) and Greg Rutherford (2012).
    The men’s world record is 8.95 metres set by American Mike Powell in Tokyo in 1991 while the top women’s mark of 7.52 metres was established in 1988 by Russian Galina Chistyakova.
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    Ridgeon – who won 110 hurdles silver at the 1987 World Championships in Rome ahead of Colin Jackson – accepts that the traditionalists may not be happy.
    Especially as the event was part of the 1896 Olympics for the men while women starting jumping at the 1948 London Games.
    Speaking on the Great British Bosses series on the Anything but Footy podcast, he said: “We’ll spend this year testing it in real life circumstances with very good athletes.
    “If it doesn’t pass testing, we’ll never introduce it.
    Measures have to pass testing
    “So, we aren’t going to introduce things on a whim because one of us thinks it’s a good idea.
    “Yes, it’s going to be based on good data. Yes, we’re going to test it really well.
    “If you have dedicated your life to hitting that take-off board perfectly and then suddenly we replace it with a take-off zone, I totally get that there might be initial resistance.
    “As long as it is based on good testing and good data, I think eventually it’ll work through.
    “It will not be without its controversy. You cannot make change in a sport that was basically invented 150 years ago without some controversy. But I think it’s worth doing.
    “Ultimately this is about not this year, but making sure we have got a sport that is hopefully fit for purpose for another 150 years.”
    In the summer of 2026, World Athletics will introduce a new global competition that will run in the years where there are no World Championships or Olympic Games.
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    This World Cup of Athletics will be staged with countries pitted against each other in semi-final and final stages. The host city will be announced this year.
    + Listen to the whole interview which is part of the Great British Bosses series on the Anything but Footy podcast More