Boxing

ANTHONY JOSHUA’s showdown with Oleksandr Usyk has been made ‘even harder’ by the Ukrainian’s training camp with Vasily Lomachenko’s dad Anatoly.The former cruiserweight king has linked back up with Lomachenko’s old man ahead of his unified heavyweight title clash with Joshua on September 25.
Oleksandr Usyk is set to train with Anatoly Lomachenko (second left) ahead of his clash with Anthony JoshuaCredit: Instagram / @usykaa
And Tony Bellew reckons Usyk’s camp with Lomachenko will make things harder for AJCredit: Reuters
Anatoly helped prepare The Cat for his undisputed clash with Murat Gassiev in July 2018, and former WBC 200lb champ Tony Bellew reckons their reunion will make Joshua’s night a lot ‘harder’.
During an appearance on talkSPORT, he said: “It’s a hard fight, I’m not gonna lie. It’s a very, very hard fight.
“If anything, it’s just got even harder because Usyk has now gone back with Lomachenko’s father.
“That makes it even harder because they will create a game plan that is gonna try and negate everything good that Anthony Joshua does.
“They’re gonna try and take everything away from him.
“That’s what Usyk does so well. He takes away your strengths before he looks at implementing his own strengths.

CASINO SIGN UP OFFER: GET £10 FREE BONUS WITH NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED

“And by taking away your strengths, you’re lost. The things he does with his feet – he’s exceptional.
“So I think it’s a really hard fight, I think it’s really dangerous.”
Despite believing AJ will face one of the tougher tasks of his career in Usyk, The Bomber reckons his fellow Brit will see off the Ukrainian.
He added: “I think Anthony Joshua will be down on points when he catches up with him.
“I think he will catch up with him between rounds six and ten – I really do.
“I just think the size is too much, I just think the speed and the power will be too much.
Tony Bellew reckons Anthony Joshua will get the better of Oleksandr UsykCredit: Getty

“The thing about Anthony Joshua is he’s now becoming a student of the game.
“He’s putting in extra time, studying. He’s watching the old school fighters.
“He’s a consummate professional, the best-conditioned heavyweight in the world.
“Physically, I would say the best athlete the heavyweight division has seen in 20 years. Without a shadow of a doubt.
“All he needs to click up on now is his actual boxing IQ and that’s getting better and better.
“He’s gonna have to implement speed and force against Usyk. There is no other way around it.

“There’s no easy way to beat this guy.”
Joshua, 31, is brimming with confidence ahead of his clash with Usyk, so much so he’s adamant the Olympian won’t bring anything new to the table.
A fired-up Joshua said of Usyk’s skills: “I fear none of them.
“He don’t bring nothing I ain’t seen before. Two hands, two legs, a brain and a bit of heart.
“He’s a good fighter, I’m challenging myself in training. So yeah, let’s get it on.”
Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk CONFIRMED for September 25 by Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn More

TYSON FURY experienced ‘suicidal thoughts’ for two weeks after his sensational stoppage of Deontay Wilder last year – and he expects to experience them again after his trilogy fight with the American.The Gypsy King completed a fairytale return from the depths of addiction last February when he stopped the previously unbeaten Wilder to claim the WBC heavyweight title.
Tyson Fury ended Deontay Wilder’s reign as WBC heavyweight king last FebruaryCredit: Getty
But The Gypsy King suffered from ‘suicidal thoughts’ for two weeks after his Vegas victoryCredit: Reuters
But the grips of depression consumed him once again after he returned home from his Vegas victory.
Fury, 32, told Gareth A Davies: “After every extreme high, there’s got to be an even lower low for me.
“When I beat Wilder, like last time, I returned home and for the first ten days the only think I’d think about was suicidal thoughts.
“It was a very low time for me and it took me two weeks to get right again.
“And this is after every extreme high with somebody who’s on a mental health patient-level like myself, there’s always going to be extreme lows.
“So the higher the high, the high, the lower the low. And that’s 100 per cent true. But it’s knowing how to manage and maintain these problems.
“And that’s the word that the key factor here, it’s the maintenance word.
“Because if you can know yourself and know that you’re going to get well again in a few days, then you’re going to be OK.”
CASINO SIGN UP OFFER: GET £10 FREE BONUS WITH NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED

Fury expects to feel the same way after his July trilogy fight with The Bronze Bomber.
He said: “I already know what’s going to happen every time. Every single I’ve ever had, and it’s not just me,
“I believe and I’d say that 85 per cent of boxers are the same.
“You’re in your own head. I’m sure we’ve all heard that saying before, ‘I’m stuck in my own mind.’ That’s where you go and it just takes time to get back right again.”
Tyson Fury will renew his rivalry with Deontay Wilder on July 24 in Las VegasCredit: Alamy

Fury’s loving family are often his saving grace when he’s down in the dumps, as well as getting back into the swing of things in the gym.
He said: “It’s not going to happen in one day or one hour.
“It takes time and I get back well again quite quickly. The routine does it for me. It’s a massive change.
“I go from headlining in Las Vegas being the king of the world, to doing the bins in Morecambe Bay. It’s a massive change.
“I go from being out here for ten to 12 weeks training every day and having my food cooked and being kept like a top-class racehorse, to go back home to become dad again.
“The adjustment – dad, school runs, bin days, that sort of stuff. Cooking, cleaning, All the normal stuff that you’d do as a husband and a father.”
Fury will renew his rivalry with Wilder on July 24 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
YOU’RE NOT ALONEEVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:

Tyson Fury trains in Deontay Wilder’s old WBC belt as he taunts rival ahead of world title clash More

UNBEATEN super-featherweight star Chris Colbert believes Deontay Wilder should have prioritised a fight against Anthony Joshua instead of Tyson Fury.The WBA interim champion, 24, has declared that the Bronze Bomber has no chance of winning back his WBC belt in his trilogy bout against the Gypsy King.
Deontay Wilder is preparing to face Tyson Fury in their trilogy bout next monthCredit: Ryan Hafey/ Premier Boxing Champions
WBA interim super-featherweight champ Chris Colbert believes Wilder has no chance against Fury
Wilder and Fury meet inside the ring for a third time on July 24 in Las Vegas with the British star knocking the American out in February 2020.
But the 2008 Olympic bronze medallist’s compatriot has stated that he should have looked to challenge WBA, WBO and IBF king Joshua.
Quoted by BoxingNews24, he said: “Tyon Fury is just a better person. You got to take that and run with it.
“He [Deontay] should have fought somebody else.
“He should have fought Joshua, and he would have had a better shot. Joshua lost too.
“Joshua got knocked out. They both got knocked out. He’s [Wilder] not getting his belts back.
“That is not happening. I’m seeing Fury all day. I’ve been since the first fight because, skill-wise, I think Tyson Fury has got it.”
And Colbert, who is 15-0 inside the squared circle, has insisted Wilder has made an error in hiring Malik Scott to be his new trainer.

Colbert believes Wilder should have targeted a dust-up against Anthony JoshuaCredit: Social Media – Refer to Source

He remarked: “Fury is going to beat on him. He can’t f*** with Fury. How are you going to learn from somebody you knocked out?
“I’m trying to figure out what is he [Malik Scott] going to teach him? He [Wilder] said Malik Scott is a boxing genius.
“Why is he looking so terrible in his fights? He don’t look good in his fights. If you’re a boxing genius, you have a mindset of what you can do.
“He won’t have a mindset of what you can do. He went in there with Wilder, and Wilder hit his glove, and he dropped to the ground
“Tyson Fury is special. I don’t think anybody f**** with him.”
Watch Deontay Wilder’s wild reaction after bench pressing 310lbs before warning Tyson Fury to ‘get your weight up’ More

BRITISH boxing legend Ricky Hatton has revealed he’s open to making a sensational return to the ring – and The Hitman has set his sights on an exhibition with fellow great Oscar De La Hoya.The Manc mauler hung up his gloves in 2012 after a brutal ninth-round loss to Vyacheslav Senchenko but has got himself back in decent shape.
Ricky Hatton retired from boxing in 2012 but is open to taking part in an exhibition boutCredit: AP:Associated Press
And The Hitman has set his sights on boxing great Oscar De La HoyaCredit: Getty
And after seeing legends Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr roll back the years last November, the former two-division champion is interested in lacing up his gloves again.
The 42-year-old wrote in his Metro column: “I am all for these dream fights we keep hearing about.
“I have youngsters coming up to me, saying, ‘I’ve watched your fights on video but I never got to see you live!’
“And I think that is why I’m a fan of these exhibitions.
“You’re not going to see your heroes get seriously hurt, it is a chance to see them showcase their skills one last time and you can raise a bit of money for charity too, so I’m all for it.
“There’s a couple of picks that spring to mind for me.
CASINO SIGN UP OFFER: GET £10 FREE BONUS WITH NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED

“If we are talking domestically, I would still love to see Joe Calzaghe vs Carl Froch.
“They very nearly came close to fighting, Joe was coming to the end, Carl was coming to the forefront.
“There is always those what-ifs, so if it were an exhibition between those two I think that would be quite a nice one for fight fans.
“If you are looking at heavyweights, we saw the talk of Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield.
“Tyson blew the cobwebs off against Roy Jones Jr and Evander always looks in wonderful condition every time you see him on social media.
“He’s always training, he’s always on the pads. But I’m not sure if Evander has enough of his ear left to do 8 or 10 rounds!”
Hatton, 42, reckons he can still give a decent account of himselfCredit: Getty

“I’ll have a move about with Oscar De La Hoya if the opportunity comes!
“Oscar was a hero to a lot of people in boxing so it would be interesting even if it is only an exhibition.
“To share the ring with him and find out first-hand how good he was and maybe still is.”
Hatton will have to wait to get his hands on De La Hoya as the Olympic gold medallist will take on former UFC light-heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort in September.
The pride of Hyde is also interested in facing former fan favourites Miguel Cotto and Sugar Shane Mosley, adding: “Miguel Cotto would be a good one, Shane Mosley still looks after himself.
“The list goes on, me and Cotto, me and De La Hoya, De La Hoya vs Juan Manuel Marquez maybe!
“There are so many more. And I think I speak for all fight fans when I say we’d love to see a couple of these.”
Ricky Hatton talks about his defeat to Floyd Mayweather More