Aurelia Butler

EDDIE HEARN has defended the failure to make a historic Battle of Britain between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.A mammoth domestic dust-up between the pair is back on the table following Fury’s second straight loss to Oleksandr Usyk last month.Tyson Fury is at a career crossroads following back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr UsykCredit: GETTYA Battle of Britain with Anthony Joshua awaits Fury should he opt against retirementCredit: REUTERSEddie Hearn has defended the time it’s taken for the fight to become a realityCredit: GETTYBoxing fans worldwide have been dying to see the pair throw down for the best part of ten years and have taken aim at their promoters for not making the fight happen sooner.But Matchrom Boxing chief Hearn has defended all parties involved, telling Betfred: “[There’s] number of reasons [why it hasn’t happened yet].”The time it was going to happen, which was the time we signed for the fight, was when Tyson had his arbitration with Deontay Wilder for the rematch.”We signed to fight Tyson Fury and I believe Tyson was going to fight Anthony Joshua, but through the court ruling, he had to fight Wilder.READ MORE BOXING NEWS”That was taken out of our hands.”Fury and Joshua were at the peak of their powers when they were on course to fight for the heavyweight marbles in 2021.The pair, however, have lost a combined five fights since their two-fight series fell apart – although Hearn insists the duo are far from past it.He said: “Timing’s everything and I still believe both fighters are close to the prime of their careers.Most read in BoxingBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS”I know Tyson got beat, but he got beat by Usyk in a close fight. “There’s no shame in that and he’s still a great fighter. AJ’s still a brilliant heavyweight.Tyson Fury breaks silence on Oleksandr Usyk defeat in angry backstage rant after storming out of ring”So I think it’s a tremendous clash and right now, it’s very difficult to pick a winner in that fight, which is of course enthralling for boxing fans.”Hearn knows time is of the essence if Fury and Joshua are to finally duke it out.But he plans to give the Gypsy King plenty of time to lick his Usyk-inflicted wounds before making his move. When asked if any negotiations have taken place, the 45-year-old said: “It’s not something that we’ve talked through yet.”We’re only a couple weeks on from Tyson Fury’s defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.“If he does want to continue fighting, which I presume he does, then it’s an obvious fight to make. “It’s the biggest fight in the sport still and you get people telling you that it isn’t, but tell me a bigger fight? There isn’t one.”Eddie Hearn is eager to see Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua finally have it outCredit: GETTY More

DEONTAY WILDER is set to announce a shock boxing comeback in a snub to retirement. The American is coming off a devastating knockout defeat to Zhilei Zhang in June having lost on points to Joseph Parker six moths prior. Deontay Wilder is set to announce a shock boxing comebackCredit: GettyBoth meant he squandered the chance to finally face Anthony Joshua and left Wilder’s career in crisis. But according to Manouk Akopyan, the former WBC champion will continue fighting with a return bout set for April. It is claimed Wilder and his manager Shelly Finkel will announce the opponent in Los Angeles this Saturday.Pay-per-view platform BLK Prime are believed to be behind the fight. READ MORE IN BOXINGTerence Crawford, 37, fought on the unknown channel in December 2022, knocking out David Avanesyan, 36. Wilder, 39, was in line for a super-fight with Joshua, 35, last year with Saudi Arabia’s boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh fronting the money.A deal was already signed but the script was torn up after Parker, 32, secured a shock points victory. Zhang, 41, then stopped the Bronze Bomber in five rounds as part of Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren’s series of 5v5 match-ups. Most read in BoxingCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSWilder went radio silence following his consecutive losses but broke cover in November to confirm his desire to fight on. He told TMZ: “The best is yet to come. I had a lot of outside distractions that I had to get rid of.Horror moment referee gets punched in face as officials forced to storm boxing ring to break up chaotic fight”I took care of a lot of people and it got to the point where I couldn’t do it anymore.”I’ve got seven kids of my own, I can’t take care of everybody. Even the closest ones to me, I’ve been betrayed so many times.”It’s been a domino effect for the last five years. The thing about betrayal is it’s worse than heartbreak.”Wilder is coming off two lossesCredit: Getty More

LEGENDARY boxing promoter Don King has been jabbed with a £2.4BILLION lawsuit over a second Rumble in the Jungle.Last October marked the 50th anniversary of the historic heavyweight title fight between the late Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.Don King is being sued for allegedly scuppering an anniversary event for the Rumble in the JungleCredit: APOctober 2024 marked the 50th anniversary of the legendary fight between Muhammad Ali and George ForemanCredit: ALAMYKing is accused of laying waste to the tribute event before it was finalisedCredit: GETTYKing promoted the epic bout in the Democratic Republic of Congo and was keen to pay homage to it with a Rumble in the Jungle 2 in Africa.The 93-year-old is said to have enlisted the help of BYD Sports CEO Cecil Miller to put on a boxing bonanza in Nigeria, which was set to feature performances from musicians Alicia Keys and John Legend.But Miller has filed a $3billion lawsuit against the Hall of Famer for allegedly pulling the plug on the event after he was asked to co-promote.According to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Miller and CYD are suing for fraud, defamation, breach of contract and other allegations.READ MORE ON BOXING NEWSMiller’s lawyer, Anthony J.M. Jones, claims King decided to scupper the event as it inched towards coming to fruition.Jones told Fortune: “It’s confounding when you look at how many people were working on this.“This is just a sad day for the sport.”We are now in 2025 and there will never be a chance to do a 50th anniversary of a fight between Foreman and Ali – and to do it in Africa.”Most read in BoxingBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSDon King promoted the first Rumble in the JungleCredit: GETTYAccording to Fortune, King has yet to respond to the accusations.Court documents, however, have shown the American – who allegedly went radio silent after it emerged he doesn’t own the rights to the first Rumble in the Jungle – sent Miller a cease-and-desist letter.The heartbreaking chance meeting between Muhammad Ali and Colin Hart where boxing legend revealed ‘I’m not scared to die’In the letter, King accuses Miller “of falsely representing to government officials” that he authorised him to stage a 50th anniversary event.Miller’s lawyer has vehemently denied the accusations, branding King’s claims as an attempt at “sabotage”.Miller – who is said to have sought out several world champions to appear on the card – is seeking a whopping $3billion in total.This is made up of $600million – how much the $100m the fight grossed at the time would be worth today after inflation – and $2.4bn in prospective damages.But he’s also after a formal written apology from the controversial salesman, who is still, to this day, one of boxing’s most recognisable figures.I’m the last British reporter alive who was at Rumble in the Jungle… it was the most bizarre 10 days of my lifeOCTOBER 30th 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the Rumble in the Jungle, when Muhammad Ali confirmed his immortality by knocking out George Foreman to regain the world heavyweight championship, writes Colin Hart.That fabulous, mind-blowing fight that took place before an African dawn broke over Kinshasa has been described as the greatest sporting event of the 20th Century.Sadly, I’m the only British journalist who was at ringside that night who is still alive to tell the tale – of the most bizarre ten days of my working life.The first bell in Zaire sounded at 4am and the two men were each paid $5million – with president Mobutu Sese Seko putting up the money.Mobutu was probably the most terrifying, murderous dictator who ever ruled a nation on the African continent — and with Uganda’s Idi Amin as a rival, that is saying something.The Zairians were scared to death of him, with good reason – as the 20th of May Stadium’s walls pock-marked with holes from firing squads executing dissidents.He even threatened to shoot telex operators who were caught sleeping when journalists wanted to send their stories to editors back home.And that’s before the fight even started, with its throbbing tribal drums, 60,000 frenzied fans… and the debut of Ali’s iconic rope-a-dope.Read Fleet Street boxing legend COLIN HART’S full look back at the Rumble in the Jungle… More