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      Lawrence Okolie plays down heavyweight fight with manager Anthony Joshua because ‘mum would never accept it’

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      LAWRENCE OKOLIE doesn’t see a heavyweight tussle with manager Anthony Joshua ever coming to fruition… because his mum Elizabeth would ‘never allow it’.The Hackney-born cruiserweight will fight for his first world title this weekend against Pole Krzysztof Glowacki.
      Lawrence Okolie is looking to add a world title to his collection on SaturdayCredit: Getty
      Anthony Joshua and Lawrence Okolie are both signed to 258 ManagementCredit: Instagram / @lawrenceokolie
      And although trainer Shane McGuigan is keen for Okolie to unify titles at 14st 4lbs first, there is already talk of a potential move to heavyweight.
      Okolie’s manager and mentor Joshua currently holds the WBA, WBO, and IBF world titles, making any imminent moves into boxing’s glamour division a little awkward.
      But ‘The Sauce’ insists there’s no way he will fight Joshua, who is expected to be at Wembley on Saturday night, because his mum Elizabeth is too big a fan of AJ.
      “I plan to unify, I play to move up to heavyweight,” Okolie said.

      “But I think that [Joshua fight] would be a conflict of interests.
      “It’s not really in my plans. He’s obviously someone who has been a massive inspiration to my life and boxing.
      “My mum, first and foremost, would never accept it. I think she would be rooting for AJ. That is not one I really look at. She loves him.
      “She knows the impact he has had, she has seen the change in me, they’ve spoken, she roots for him and supports him.
      “If I say ‘I’m pushing all that to the side and I’m going to go after the money or whatever’. I don’t think she would be too happy about it.
      Lawrence Okolie stopped Nikodem Jezewski in the second round of their fight in DecemberCredit: Getty
      “It won’t happen in my opinion unless AJ turned round and said “I want to…” but I can’t see that happening.”
      Joshua and 258 Management have guided Okolie’s career up until now, a CV which includes wins over Isaac Chamberlain, Wadi Camacho, Yves Ngabu and Nikodem Jezewski.
      Glowacki represents Okolie’s toughest task to date, but the 28-year-old is taking all the pressure in his stride.
      He added: “I don’t need people giving me pep talks like ‘This is your time’ and crying on the phone, it is straight forward and ‘Handle business and just win’.
      Lawrence Okolie takes on Krzysztof Glowacki on Saturday nightCredit: The Sun
      “Those things hit. That is the kind of energy we are going with.”
      “To be in a position like this people see it as pressure but I don’t see it negatively.
      “Having my face everywhere and people saying ‘Okolie this is your big moment’. It doesn’t make me feel pressure, it just makes me feel happy and like ‘Wow this is another time I’m centre stage’.” More

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      Floyd Mayweather insists £510m fortune ‘doesn’t make me bad person’ and boxer can’t feed family by saying ‘I love you’

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      FLOYD MAYWEATHER believes his vast wealth has not made him a ‘bad person’ as he prepares for a money-spinning clash with Logan Paul.The pay-per-view exhibition clash later this year will earn the 50-0 legend around $100million, he has predicted.
      Floyd Mayweather has insisted he is no bad person having made a huge fortune in boxing
      The man dubbed ‘Money’ regularly shows off his valuablesCredit: Instagram
      That would add to his hefty fortune worth an estimated £510m, which is believed to be significantly lower than its peak earlier in his career.
      Mayweather, also known as Money, is no stranger to flaunting his glitzy possessions but is adamant that he is not a bad person as a result.
      He told the Disruptive Entrepreneur Podcast: “Just because I talk about money doesn’t make me a bad person.
      “I like to have the finer things in life – money don’t make me, I make money.
      “I like to feed my family, we can’t feed our family just saying, ‘I love you’.
      “Money has put us in a position to have the finer things in life, so we are able to travel and have fun, live life and experience different things. When you’re able to make a lot of money, you’re able to do those things.”
      The 44-year-old was recently teased by Conor McGregor over his disappearance from the Forbes rich list.
      Ahead of a fresh payday against Paul, Mayweather stressed that there is no reason for him not to face an exhibition against the YouTube star.

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      When quizzed on why he is fighting the online sensation, he replied: “Why not?
      “I told y’all I was an entertainer, not just a fighter.
      “[It’s] something different, something I don’t mind doing, and something that the people want to see.”
      Mayweather is thought to be worth around £510millionCredit: Instagram / @floydmayweather
      Canelo Alvarez opens up on only defeat to Floyd Mayweather and admits he was inexperienced More

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      Canelo Alvarez vs Billy Joe Saunders will take place in front of 70,000 fans in Texas in huge boost for boxing

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      SAUL ‘CANELO’ ALVAREZ is set to fight Billy Joe Saunders in front of 70,000 fans in Texas, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.The Mexican will attempt to unify the WBC and WBA super-middleweight titles with Saunders’ WBO strap when they face off on May 8.
      Canelo Alvarez is set to fight Billy Joe Saunders in front of 70,000 fansCredit: AFP

      Canelo, who traditionally fights in Las Vegas, has seen his last two contests being held in other US states due to the coronavirus pandemic.
      And the 30-year-old will now return to the AT&T Stadium in Texas for the first time since beating Liam Smith there back in 2016.
      Hearn revealed his excitement at Canelo fighting on the same weekend as the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo that he missed out on last year.
      He said: “So you know we had some tough decisions to make, one of the biggest fights in boxing Saul Canelo Alvarez against Billy Joe Saunders the unification fight May 8th, Cinco de Mayo weekend.
      “Made a decision here at AT&T Stadium, Dallas, Texas, 70,000 people. Canelo Alvarez Billy Joe Saunders bringing big-time boxing crowds back.
      “This is going to be a Cinco de Mayo celebration you will never forget.”
      The AT&T Stadium, which is the home of NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys, boasts an 80,000 capacity.
      Cowboys owner, president and general manager Jerry Jones said: “We are proud to host a boxing match of this magnitude as we welcome back Canelo to AT&T Stadium to take on Saunders.

      “AT&T Stadium was built to house the greatest sporting events on the planet, and we feel we have another incredible boxing event on the horizon with this matchup taking place in Arlington on May 8.”
      Hearn was recently forced to deny Saunders had ‘ruptured his testicle’ after the Brit went on a social media wind-up earlier this week.
      But the Matchroom promoter did insist that the WBO champ could inflict a first loss on Canelo since he fought Floyd Mayweather in 2013.
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      Deontay Wilder ‘getting paid £7m to step aside’ so Tyson Fury can fight Anthony Joshua, claims boxing host

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA’s blockbuster undisputed heavyweight title fight with Tyson Fury has been made possible by Deontay Wilder ‘getting paid to step aside’, it’s been claimed.The biggest fight in the history of British boxing is close to being announced, although a venue and date still need to be finalised.
      Deontay Wilder sought legal action late last year to try and land a trilogy fight with Tyson FuryCredit: Reuters
      But WBC king Fury is closing in on a blockbuster showdown with Anthony JoshuaCredit: PA
      And ESPN’s Max Kellerman has claimed the fight has been made possible by former WBC king Wilder receiving a huge payoff.
      He said: “Don’t look too much in the contracts because Deontay Wilder has got to be getting paid to step aside.
      “When you get step aside money when you’re next with a contract, it ain’t a hundred grand.
      “It’s five to ten million dollars. So, Deontay is getting money just for waiting.”
      Wilder, 35, took legal action late last year in a bid to land a third fight with Fury, which he believes he’s contractually obliged to.
      Team Fury, however, insist the American’s rematch clause expired last October.
      In January, Wilder’s co-manager – Shelly Finkel – claimed they were still pursuing a third fight with The Gypsy King.
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      He told World Boxing News: “The mediation between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury has not yet ended.”
      But the imminent announcement of Joshua vs Fury suggests they’ve ended their pursuit of a third fight for the time being.
      The previously-undefeated Wilder hasn’t fought since his emphatic dethroning at the hands of Fury last February.
      A showdown with former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr has been mooted for the Olympic bronze medallist, who recently vowed to regain his title and clean out the entire division.
      Deontay Wilder hasn’t fought since being dethroned by Tyson FuryCredit: PA
      Deontay Wilder has vowed to clean out the heavyweight divisionCredit: AP
      In an interview with Marcus Watson, he said: “I’d love to fight guys I haven’t fought, you know, the ones at the top who I haven’t fought.
      “That’s what I want and I know that’s kinda lame a little bit, to not name a name.
      “But anyone I haven’t faced at the top, that’s you.”

      When asked about Joshua or Ruiz, Wilder responded: “Yeah. Any fighter that’s at the top that people haven’t seen me fight and people strongly want to see me fight, that’s who I want to fight.
      “I can sit here and name names all day, that’s the easy part.
      “I’m just going to go to the top and once you go to the top and it’s someone I ain’t fought, that’s who I want to fight.
      “I want to clean the division out, period.”
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      Boxing legend Mike Tyson reveals he once smashed someone’s car up with a golf club in huge blunder

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      MIKE TYSON once smashed someone’s car with a golf club but the boxing legend reckons it was an accident.Iron Mike is well known for his rollercoaster lifestyle and angry outbursts and the Baddest Man on the Planet revealed it sometimes spilled over onto the golf course too.
      Mike Tyson once damaged someone’s car with a golf clubCredit: AP:Associated Press
      Iron Mike is a keen golfer but sometimes let his anger get the better of him on the courseCredit: Alamy
      Speaking on his Hotboxin podcast alongside Mexican icon Canelo Alvarez, Tyson recounted an occasion that would have left his playing partners yelling: “FOOOOOUUUUURRRR!”
      The 54-year-old said: “One day I was playing golf, and I turned into the ball.
      “The thing (golf club) came out of my hand and BOOM on somebody’s car.”
      Tyson and Canelo discovered they share a mutual love for golf.
      And Iron Mike said getting to hang out with his mates while being competitive is the best part of the sport.
      In a separate chat on the pod, Tyson revealed Muhammad Ali is No 1 of three in his list of favourite fighters of all time.
      The heavyweight legend told current pound-for-pound No1 Canelo that Sugar Ray Robinson and Roberto Duran are his other two.
      And it was Duran’s iconic 1980 win over Sugar Ray Leonard which first inspired Tyson to become a boxer.
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      Tyson said: “Duran got me into fighting. I watched him fight Leonard and thought, ‘Wow, I wanna do this’.
      “Ali, Duran, Robinson, I love all of the fighters.
      “There’s not one fighter that could do everything, like one guy can do one thing, another guy can have a left hook that’s just better than everybody else, just looks better than anybody else even though he’s not a better fighter.
      “Fighting is weird, people look good fighting, even if they’re not a good fighter they look good losing, they just have that pizazz in them.
      “Some people are born like that, they just look good doing everything, even losing.”
      Ali – known as The Greatest for his impact not only in boxing but culturally – was who Tyson first idolised.
      But after discovering Duran, a vicious and ruthless character in and out of the ring, Iron Mike found a new hero.

      Mike Tyson’s brother is a brain surgeon who ‘saved a couple’ of his pals’ lives after they were shot More

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      Lawrence Okolie ready to KO undisputed dream and tear through heavyweight ranks just like mentor Anthony Joshua

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      LAWRENCE OKOLIE will be let loose on the big-money heavyweight division in 2022 to follow in mentor Anthony Joshua’s footsteps.The 6ft 5in Hackney cruiserweight bids for the vacant WBO title on Saturday against tough to beat – and spell – Krzysztof Glowacki.
      Lawrence Okolie will be let loose on the heavyweight division next yearCredit: PA
      He hopes to follow his mentor Anthony JoshuaCredit: Getty
      With the three other titles spread out around the division, the 28-year-old fears becoming undisputed champ is an unlikely honour.
      So ‘The Sauce’ and promoter Eddie Hearn are planning to tear into the top ranks where Okolie’s manager and friend AJ rules alongside fellow Brit Tyson Fury.
      The Matchroom boss said: “It is no secret with Lawrence that the end goal is to move up to heavyweight. Obviously, it is the most lucrative division in boxing.
      “He has the power and size to do that in time, but I feel he has a lot of unfinished business in the cruiserweight division, although he has only had a small number of fights compared to these seasoned world champions.
      “Next week will tell us a lot about Lawrence Okolie, because Glowacki is a world class fighter, he’s a top five cruiserweight in the world, he’s been a world champion and I’ve just got the feeling that Lawrence is going to absolutely demolish him.
      “And, if he does, that is such a huge statement I don’t see the need for many voluntary defences, because I only see him at cruiserweight for another year.”
      Okolie was flipping burgers in McDonalds in 2012 when AJ’s Olympic win came on the television and inspired him to change his life.
      Four years later he was at the Rio games, where he failed to medal, and was then snapped up by Watford’s WBA, IBF and WBO champ to lead his 258 management stable.
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      Okolie is on the cusp of being the first male world champ from that Team GB 2016 squad and the first protege from AJBoxing.
      And Hearn, who guided Joshua from raw 2012 Olympic golden boy to heavyweight king, is loving the similarities between the super-dedicated pair.
      “Listening to Lawrence reminds me so much of AJ, he said. “After the Andy Ruiz Jr loss AJ took full accountability for his career and himself to say ‘I’m going to make these changes for myself now because I think this is what I need to do’.
      “He’s obsessed with his own development now, so think about what he achieved before he put that into place.
      “The encouraging thing is Lawrence has put this in place before he’s even become world champion.
      “When AJ beat Charles Martin he didn’t have a clue what he was doing, compared to where he is now, in terms of his sleep, training, rest, recovery, psychology, the extra point one percent.
      “This is the level detail you have to go through if you want to be on top of your game.
      “It makes me feel very confident in Lawrence because he’s doing those things now before he becomes a world champion. He’s been around AJ and seen these little things.”

      Frank Warren says Tyson Fury at disadvantage the ‘longer it takes’ to finalise Anthony Joshua fight More

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      Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin to spend fight week on world’s first deluxe £143m super-yacht hotel

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      DILLIAN WHYTE and Alexander Povetkin will spend the build-up to their upcoming fight on the world’s first deluxe £143MILLION super-yacht hotel.The two heavyweights are set to clash again on March 27 in Gibraltar as the Brit goes in search of revenge against the 41-year-old Russian.
      Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin will spend their upcoming fight week in luxuryCredit: PA
      The pair will build up to their clash on the world’s first deluxe £143m super-yacht hotelCredit: Alamy
      Whyte was on the verge of securing a title shot as he took on the veteran last August with many expecting him to easily add routine victory to his record.
      But the Body Snatcher was stunned when he was knocked out by a stunning Povetkin uppercut in Eddie Hearn’s back garden.
      The rematch will be in more exotic surroundings as they head to Gibraltar for the clash dubbed ‘Rumble on the Rock’.
      It will take place in the Europa Sports Complex, a multi-purpose stadium, but they will spend fight week in luxury, according to the Daily Mail.
      The report states the pair and their camps will be living in the Sunborn Hotel – a giant ship that sits in the shadow of the Rock of Gibraltar.
      It stretches a massive 465 feet and is seven stories high, making it one of the biggest yachts on the planet.
      The Sunborn Hotel has 189 rooms that can cost up to £2,000 a night.
      And once guests cross an enclosed glass bridge that leads guests onto the ship, they can entertain themselves in the numerous restaurants, spa or casino on-board.
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      The huge Sunborn Hotel has 189 rooms that can cost up to £2,000 a nightCredit: Alamy
      It also has six hydraulic arms, which weigh eight tonnes apiece, holding the massive boat in place on the territory’s Ocean Village Marina.
      The report states it will ‘host to the pre-fight bubble for the heavyweight rematch’.
      That means all the fighters and their teams will be in close proximity ahead of the big night to ensure the event remains Covid-secure.
      Gibraltar’s government has already decided to mark the occasion by commissioning a special £2 coin.

      Dillian Whyte says he’s going for the knockout and isn’t considering a loss against Alexander Povetkin More

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      Anthony Joshua fight with Tyson Fury could head to mystery Far East venue after ‘bizarre’ last-gasp approach, says Hearn

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA and Tyson Fury’s mega undisputed world heavyweight title fight could finally have a venue – after a ‘bizarre approach’ from a country in the Far East.It emerged earlier this week that Joshua and Fury had signed a two-fight deal, with the first of those bouts to take place in June or July.
      Anthony Joshua could face Tyson Fury in the Far East after a ‘bizarre’ late approach, promoter Eddie Hearn has revealedCredit: PA
      Fury and Joshua will fight for all four belts in June or July this yearCredit: PA
      But a couple of key details missing from the fine print were where and when the huge clash would take place.
      Saudi Arabia appears to be a front-runner, while Eddie Hearn has previously said the US, Dubai, Qatar and Singapore are also options.
      However, the Matchroom mogul has now revealed he’s been taken back by an 11th-hour offer from a country in the Far East.
      He said: “I had an approach yesterday, not from the Middle East, but it was the most bizarre approach.
      “It was from a very wealthy individual and he wants to do something very special. We’ve had 20 approaches for this fight but you know which ones are serious.
      “But this one was just well out there. And it’s a realistic option, money is not an issue with this guy.
      “Commercially it’s a bit strange, but it’s not about that. It’s a trophy asset which says this is the biggest event in the world.
      “And that’s the mindset of an individual who wants to bring it to his own country. It’s not about selling tickets, it’s not about government investment… It’d be him saying, ‘I’d be paying for it.’

      “There’s a number for the fight, you hit the number, you get the fight and the number was not an issue for this individual.”
      Ideally, all parties involved with Joshua vs Fury are keen for fans to attend what’s been deemed the biggest fight in British boxing history.
      There are still Covid restrictions in place in the Middle East, however, springing the possibility that the fight could be delayed until November time.
      Hearn says the individual from said mystery country, will want fans in attendance too, even if it were just 1,000 spectators.
      Eddie Hearn says Joshua vs Fury MUST happen this summerCredit: PA

      “They would want fans, but it wouldn’t matter if it was just 1,000 people,” Hearn added.
      “I told AJ about it last night and he’s just like ‘I’ll leave it with you mate’. This is an event that you can showcase to the world.
      “It’s in Asia… not Macau.”
      Hearn is also adamant that the first of Joshua and Fury’s two fights won’t be delayed until the winter, like some reports have suggested.
      The 41-year-old explained: “We’ve had five offers already, if the offer in November or December was four times higher… would the fighters look at that? Yeah probably.
      “But we don’t want to get in that situation with interim fights, waiting too long, losing a belt.
      “One of the attractions, particularly to Saudi, is undisputed. That’s probably one of the biggest things and we might say to them, October or November we can’t guarantee it will be undisputed.
      “If the question comes back ‘Can we do it later in the year?’. The answer is no. That’s the date.”
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