Boxing

ANTHONY JOSHUA and Tyson Fury are ‘training like animals’ for their historic undisputed title fight, Tony Bellew said. The heavyweight champions are nearing the completion of talks with an announcement imminent for their August 14 unification in Saudi Arabia.
Tyson Fury and brother Tommy pictured in MiamiCredit: Instagram / @tommyfury
Anthony Joshua training for his fight with Tyson FuryCredit: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyjoshua/
Joshua, 31, has kicked off his camp where it all started for him, Finchley Amateur Boxing Club.
But Fury, 32, has been in America, starting in Las Vegas, then Texas before jetting off to Miami with his brother Tommy, 21.
And while it appears the WBC champion is relaxing in the sun, Bellew warned not to be fooled with the hard work being put in off camera.
He told talkSPORT: “Believe you me, he is in training. He looks in great shape.
“He is sparring, he’s training and he is doing everything he possibly can to be in the best shape of his life.
“Don’t believe all the hype and the smoke that they create around the training of him being in Vegas without his shirt on and all the bling.
“It’s nonsense! These guys are training like animals, believe you me. I know AJ is for the absolute fact.”
The last undisputed heavyweight champion was Lennox Lewis, now 55, but he only reigned with three of the four world titles.

At the time, the WBO version was not considered a major honour.
But for the first time in heavyweight history, all four titles are set to be contested for in the blue ribband division, allowing for the only ever four-belt champ.
And with Lewis’ record set to be broken, Bellew, 38, compared Joshua to the British boxing legend.
He said: “AJ is the best athlete the heavyweight division has seen since Lennox Lewis, he is that good of an athlete.
“So he is 365 days of the year, in shape and in camp. For Fury, he likes to get ready before the fight and he will be in camp.
“But he is not in Vegas through choice; he is in Vegas because that is where the camp is set up.
“That’s where SugarHill will want him; SugarHill is a brilliant coach, trained by the legend that is his uncle the great Emanuel Steward.
“So these guys have got it all to do, I just can’t wait until we get it finally done. Put them face-to-face, at the press conference, and let the circus begin.”
Tony Bellew pictured with Anthony JoshuaCredit: Reuters
Trainer Sugarhill Steward with Tyson Fury in Las Vegas More

MIKE TYSON put his 21-year grudge with Floyd Mayweather aside and hailed the retired legend as better than every current fighter. Tyson previously refused to acknowledge Mayweather as the best of all time and once revealed the 5ft 8in American would be his dream opponent outside of heavyweight.
Mike Tyson hailed Floyd Mayweather as better than every current fighterCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Floyd Mayweather fights Logan Paul on June 6Credit: Rex
But he changed his tune while in discussion with ex-UFC champion Henry Cejudo and actor Mario Lopez on his podcast.
Cejudo, 34, questioned whether the attention Jake, 24, and Logan Paul, 26, are creating in boxing will force champions to fight each other.
But Tyson, 54, backed Mayweather, 44, as still the best of the lot and insisted there is a reason even the greatest has decided to fight a YouTuber.
He said: “Listen, Floyd’s a better fighter than all of those guys right now.
“Floyd right now, even though he’s 40-something, he’s still better than all the fighters now and he’s still fighting a YouTuber.
“And making more money than the champions are making.”
Mayweather faces Logan in an exhibition bout on June 6 in Miami and projected he will make a guaranteed £72million.
Logan has only once fought as a professional but lost to online rival KSI by split-decision in 2019.

🥊 MAYWEATHER VS LOGAN PAUL: Where will the fight take place, what TV channel and live stream will it be on?
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His brother Jake on the other hand is 3-0, all by knockout, and won on Tyson’s undercard in November.
Iron Mike, who made his comeback in an exhibition draw with Roy Jones Jr, has always hailed the Paul brothers as good for boxing.
But he admitted it is easy to understand the jealousy other fighters have for the novice yet ultra popular pair.
Tyson said: “These guys make boxing so awesome. The boxers, the real champions, they don’t have that many views.
“They’ll be happy if they have a million views. These guys are 80million views. I was like, ‘God damn, man. How do you do that?’
“That’s why everybody wants to kill them, because they see this little white guy, blonde hair, blue eyes, getting all the f***ing money, talking all this s***.
“Everybody wants to kill them. I get envious when I see these guys, I’m like, ‘What the f*** are they doing?’
“That’s why you want to kick his ass because you get envious of them, it’s easy to hate these guys.”
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BOXING fans will have to fork out a whopping £35 to watch Floyd Mayweather’s clash with YouTube star Logan Paul.Showtime have announced the hefty fee for the PPV in America while also confirming that the exhibition bout will be eight-rounds instead of six.
Showtime Sports have announced their price for Floyd Mayweather against Logan PaulCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The Showtime US PPV price for Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul on June 6th will be $49.99. They’ve also revealed that the exhibition is an eight-rounder.— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) May 13, 2021

Mayweather vs Paul is set to take place on June 6 in front of a sold-out crowd at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
And those unable to bag a ticket for the event Stateside will have to stump up a staggering £35.58 ($49.99) to watch the contest.
Fanmio will broadcast the PPV across the globe and SunSport previously revealed that the price is set to be the same for UK fans.
The news comes after social media star Paul will earn £14million for his exhibition fight against the undefeated boxer, 44, next month.
And yet the 26-year-old will still receive less than a fifth of Mayweather’s reported purse, which is said to be a lucrative £72m.
It will be Paul’s third bout in a boxing ring, the other two coming as a mix of amateur and professional contests.
The 26-year-old drew an amateur fight against fellow internet star KSI in 2018, before turning pro and losing their rematch the following year.
Meanwhile, Mayweather – widely regarded as the best boxer of his generation – retired from the sport with a perfect 50-0 record.
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The duo were scheduled to square off inside the ring in February, only for the dust-up to be postponed to allow fans to attend.
The PPV details come after Logan and brother Jake revealed they have hired security after Floyd’s threat to ‘kill’ The Problem Child.
Mayweather came to blows with the younger Paul last week in Miami after the YouTuber stole his hat.

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LOGAN PAUL impressed WBA regular light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal during sparring for his bout with Floyd Mayweather.The YouTuber, 26, goes toe-to-toe with the undefeated boxer, 44,  in an eight-round exhibition at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 6.
Logan Paul impressed world champ Jean Pascal with his sparring skills ahead of his fight against Floyd MayweatherCredit: YouTube
Paul – who will earn £14million for his exhibition fight against Money next month – has faced heavy criticism from many in the boxing world.
Tony Bellew even warned boxing authorities to put a stop to the American’s fight career – but WBA light-heavyweight champ Pascal has now leapt to his defence.
The Canadian will co-feature on Paul’s bout with Mayweather in a rematch from his split-decision win over Badou Jack back in 2019.
And Pascal recently sparred with social media star Logan and admitted he has a newfound respect for the Maverick.
He told Radio Canada: “First of all, it’s not a circus because any boxer who trains to get into a ring deserves our respect.
“Boxing is a very difficult sport. It’s like going to war. You never know what’s going to happen and you never know if you’re going to come back.
“The reason Logan Paul has all my respect is that right now he’s training with me in Puerto Rico. He moved his training camp to Puerto Rico.
“I did sparring with him and I can tell you that he impressed me. For a beginner he is very good. He is very agile. He is versatile.
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“[Mayweather’s card] is the biggest boxing platform at the moment. I am very proud and honored to be a part of it.
“Yes, people know Jean Pascal, but they know Floyd Mayweather even more. Non-boxing fans know Logan Paul a lot more.
“So, the event will have a new audience watching boxing.”
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TONY BELLEW has warned boxing authorities to put a stop to Jake and Logan Paul’s fight careers – and claims neither would dare call him out.The now-retired former WBC cruiserweight champion, 38, is among a host of ex-professional fighters to blast the YouTuber brothers who are now earning mega-money as boxers.
Boxing chiefs have been warned to put a stop to Jake and Logan Paul’s fighting careersCredit: Getty
Tony Bellew insists it’s only a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurtCredit: Alamy
Jake, 24, took his record to 3-0 after controversially knocking out ex-UFC star Ben Askren last month in the first round.
Meanwhile Logan, 26, will earn £14million for his exhibition fight against Floyd Mayweather next month.
But Bellew has warned the authorities to end the pair’s antics before somebody gets seriously hurt and boxing is damaged forever.
Speaking to BBC Headliners podcast, Bellew said: “First and foremost, what they are doing, they are not detracting from boxing at all and let’s get one thing straight – these guys aren’t fighters.
“If I go play football at Goodison Park tomorrow does that make me a footballer? I wish it would because I’d definitely just walk in and tell them I’m playing.
“The fact of the matter is these guys aren’t fighters and aren’t true boxers, they are someone who is having a go at a sport and competing a little bit.
“Now I’ve got no problem with that but they shouldn’t actually attach themselves and call themselves professional boxers or fighters in any kind of magnitude or substance because it’s wrong what they are doing to the sport by claiming they are these fighters.”
He continued: “I’m all OK with you making a few quid and doing alright but the only thing I’m going to say, and no-one has ever touched upon it before but you are going to hear it now for the first time.
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“This is all good when they are making a few quid and everyone is making some money but understand that someone is going to get hurt doing this and then it’s going to come back on boxing.
“You need to take it seriously. Boxing is a professional, dangerous and brutal business – do not mess about and try to think this is showbusiness, cameras and lights and fun and games.
“There is nothing funny about being in a ring with another man who wants to take your head off your neck. I’ve been there and done it.
“I’ve fought with ten inch open gashes above my eye, broken noses and broken hands, it’s nothing to brag about but believe you me that someone will get hurt in one of these fights.
“That’s when it will come raining down and boxing will be called a joke of a sport and a disgrace and ‘this is wrong’ – so just stop it now.
“The guys are stupid and putting their lives at risk.”
Bellew then called for stricter rules in boxing before a person can be classed as a ‘pro’, saying: “Boxing is the only combat sport in the world when a guy can just go up and apply to be a professional fighter with zero experience. 

“A coach can walk in, be working in a lifestyles gym or a no-mark gym anywhere in the world and say ‘I’m a boxing coach now’ with no qualifications.
“Put something in place where these guys have got to pass tests because honestly there are journeymen who would wipe the floor with these clowns.
“It’s disrespectful to the sport to think these guys are fighters. They are not fighters.”
When asked whether he would rise to the bait if either of the much-maligned brothers called him out, Bellew said it would take a lot more than social media jibes to get him back in the ring.
And even though he believes Mayweather’s comeback is more about the fame game than money, he still insisted the 50-0 legend will destroy Logan with ease.
Bellew added: “They would not shout my name – they understand the rules of boxing. You don’t play with people like me.
“He’s [Mayweather] not a joke but he understands the importance of fame. He’s been retired for how many years, went to Asia and knocked out the pizza boy and he’s spanked how many other people.
Jake Paul entered elite company
“You can’t mess around with people who are real fighters. This guy is going to get his backside handed to him off Floyd Mayweather. He’s gonna get played with and get absolutely schooled.
“The difference is that Floyd is a man of nine or ten stone. You come knocking on my door and I’m a man who is 17st and I can put 17st on the end of my fist. 
“If my fist of 17st hits you on the chin then you just don’t wake up. So don’t play with people like me as it’s dangerous and it’s wrong.
“I wouldn’t rise, no, unless someone confronts me personally – that’s the only way you’re gonna get the best out of me.
“All this social media, it’s water off a duck’s back. I’ve got skin as thick as a rhino’s backside and it doesn’t bother me.
“But if you come to me and bring it to me in my face then you’ve got to remember for every action there is a reaction and that’s just the way it goes.”
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