Boxing

THE Fury name promises to live long in the boxing memory with the fighting family full of talent.
Eldest Tyson currently reigns as the WBC heavyweight champion after dethroning Deontay Wilder this year – following their 2018 draw.

Tyson, Hughie and Tommy pictured in a throwback snap

Cousin Hughie came close to doing the same in 2017 but was edged out on points against Joseph Parker.
The youngest, Tommy, made a name for himself in 2019 a totally different way after gaining notoriety in ITV’s popular Love Island villa.
Here SunSport compares the Furys physical attributes and career achievements.
Tyson
At 6ft 9in, the Gypsy King stands the tallest and also has the longest reach with 85inches.

He turned pro in 2008 as an 18-year-old upstart but 12 years and 31 unbeaten fights later he has won the world title twice.
Fury upset the heavyweight applecart in 2015 after dethroning long reigning champion Wladimir Klitschko.
But after a battle with depression and substance abuse, he was forced to vacate the unified belts.
Following almost three years out the ring, Fury returned to the ring and this February completed his miraculous comeback by clinching the WBC crown.

Having also won the Ring Magazine belt, the Gypsy King is considered by many the No1 heavyweight – but needs a decider with Anthony Joshua to settle the debate.

WBC champion Tyson is the eldest of the fighting Furys Credit: Rex Features

Hughie
Tyson’s cousin and former sparring partner already looked to be the heir to his throne following his first 20 straight wins.
But after losing for the first time, against Parker, Hughie has been beaten twice since.
The setbacks did come against world-level opposition, though, in Alexander Povetkin and Kubrat Pulev.
At only 26, Hughie still has plenty of time to learn from the defeats, but needs a noteworthy name on his record to remind the division of his threat.
He stands at 6f 6in, inheriting some of Tyson’s height, and shares a similar slick, back foot boxing style.
Hughie returns to ring on Saturday, facing Mariusz Wach on Anthony Joshua’s undercard

Tyson’s cousin Hughie is a former world title challenger Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Tommy
Before the light-heavyweight went on the hit reality TV series, he won his first two pro bouts.
Due to the career of Tyson and Hughie, Tommy debuted with much fanfare.
His summer on the small screen helped him quickly step out of his siblings’ shadow, and he already has an army of fans.
Tommy then promised to return to the ring and he did so successfully last December, winning in the first round.
He boxed only once this year, amid problems posed by the coronavirius pandemic, earning another knockout to his name.
Tommy is being primed for a big 2021 having emerged as one of promoter Frank Warren’s most popular fighters.

Love Island star Tommy has won all four of his pro fight Credit: Rex Features

Anthony Joshua says he is prepared to fight Pulev until the final bell as AJ, Pulev and Bob Arum discuss the upcoming fight More

BRITISH boxing is going to keep booming into 2021 thanks to the UK giants leading the charge.
The heavyweight division is regarded almost as a separate sport – because of the mega money and noise the biggest boys make, compared to the rest of the divisions.

What’s next for AJ after he faces off against Pulev?Credit: �Dave Thompson/Matchroom

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And three Brits are at the top of the Christmas tree at the end of this year, with a befuddling muddle of unmissable fixtures set for the coming months.
Anthony Joshua holds the WBA, IBF and WBO titles and has to fight Kubrat Pulev tonight to keep the IBF happy.
Next up, chronologically, is the WBO’s mandatory man Oleksandr Usyk, who was instantly made the main man after cleaning out the entire cruiserweight division and moving up from 14st 4lbs.

But back in June, AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn revealed the Watford ace and the Gypsy King have agreed the finances for two-fight deal for 2021.
The first all-English clash will be an undisputed decider – to crown the first total ruler since Lennox Lewis – most likely to be in the Middle East.
The second should be held back in Britain but is likely to lose the WBO belt so Usyk – who is a Matchroom stablemate of AJ’s – can fight for that honour.
And Fury, who has not boxed since his brilliant February win over Deontay Wilder, will not be allowed to warm up before diving into the dream double.

Hearn said: “I’ve mentioned it to Team Fury, if he has a warm-up fight then we fight Usyk. 

Tyson Fury is set to face Anthony Joshua twice in 2021Credit: Getty Images – Getty
“He’s not got the style that he needs a warm up. Straight in, and I think he’s happy with it.
“To have this fight in the UK we are dependent on having 90,000 here at Wembley.
“It’s going to be Saudi, Qatar and Abu Dhabi – they will be the three bidders from the Middle East. If we do the fight here we are totally dependent on the crowd.”
Bulgarian 39-year-old Pulev reckons he ruins all of these pipe dreams, by chinning Josh so convincingly he doesn’t even snap up a rematch.
Then Pulev fancies, with AJ’s three major belts, he can dive into an undisputed decider with Top Rank stablemate Fury, with all four belts on the line.
But Pulev’s best chance of beating Joshua came and went in 2017, when he was scheduled to fight him in Cardiff before a shoulder injury sidelined him.
The 2012 Olympic ace has cleaned out the division since then, only missing out on the iconic green and gold strap because Wilder ducked him for almost two years, until the Gypsy King dethroned him.

Oleksandr Usyk has earned his right to face JoshuaCredit: Mark Robinson
Joshua was warned against overlooking opponents, when he planned the Wilder battle in the 2019 build-up to the first disastrous Ruiz bout. 
But the fact the Fury financial agreement was revealed in June means he cannot duck talk out of the biggest fight in British boxing history.
“I don’t get involved in the show,” he said. “When it’s serious, I will be ready to rock and roll.
“I’m training hard and ready to defend my titles, all in the name of the undisputed championship.
“I’m fighting my mandatory so I don’t have to give up my titles so I can fight for the undisputed championship.
“If I didn’t want to fight for the undisputed championship, I would have vacated my IBF and taken an easier fight.
“People want to see the undisputed championship so I have to fight tough guys like Pulev along the way to get myself in position.”
If Fury does insist on a tune-up clash before leaping into AJ, then Josh will move on to division’s boogieman in southpaw stylist Usyk.
The Ukraine great dealt with Derek Chisora at Wembley Arena on Halloween, with Joshua ringside and cheering for his North London pal.

Ukrainian Usyk could be Joshua’s next opponentCredit: ©Mark Robinson Ltd

And Hearn explained how the genius leftie will not wait around for his shot at heavyweight gold.
He said: “If we get the Fury fight made, we are going to be applying to the WBO to make that for undisputed and if they say no we have to go to you and try to make a deal
“If we can’t make the Fury fight for any reason, then we will fight Usyk 100 per cent. They’re kind of waiting to see what happens.”

Anthony Joshua suffers stunning KO vs Kubrat Pulev in Fight Night Champion game simulation More

ANTHONY JOSHUA faces possibly one more hurdle before finally securing a fight with Tyson Fury.
Joshua faces Kubrat Pulev in a mandatory title defence this Saturday, returning to the ring after a year out.

Anthony Joshua defends his heavyweight crown against Kubrat Pulev Credit: PA:Press Association

Many feel it is just another obstacle on AJ’s way to what would be an undisputed title decider against Fury.
But Pulev has travelled over from Bulgaria with intentions of scuppering the Battle of Britain and handing Joshua another crushing defeat.
Here those closest to the pair predict how the fight will play out.
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Dillian Whyte
Whyte – who lost to AJ in 2015 – sees this as nothing but a warm up fight for his rival.
He told SkyBet: “You know what? It is a run-out for Joshua He’s just had two hard fights back to back, emotionally more than physically.
“So smart business, the Pulev fight. Pulev is old now and he was never really great in his heyday.
“He [Joshua] is happy to take care of his mandatory duties. So it’s a keep-busy fight.”

Prediction… Joshua

Dillian Whyte has no doubts Joshua will beat Pulev Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

Tyson Fury
The Gypsy King had little to say on the outcome – but noted if Ruiz could knockout Joshua – which he did in June 2019 – so can Pulev.
Fury said to iFL TV: “It’s heavyweight boxing, especially someone as big as they are, either could win.
“If Andy Ruiz can knock Joshua out, then Pulev definitely can.
“Pulev’s a lot bigger guy and punches probably harder than Ruiz does.”
Prediction… sitting on the fence

Tyson Fury has sat on the fence when predicting Joshua vs Pulev Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
David Haye
The Hayemaker is in no doubt Joshua gets the job done and insisted he would have learned from his rivalry with Ruiz.
Talking to Sky Sports, Haye said: “I think he wipes the floor with Pulev. I think he’s significantly better.
“In his last fight against Andy Ruiz Jr, he’s looked as good as he’s ever looked for me.
“He stuck to a game plan, he shed a lot of the unnecessary bulk and he was just lean and mean and fast and that’s the new AJ that I think has the best shot against anyone.”
Prediction… Joshua

David Haye reckons AJ ‘wipes the floor with Pulev’ Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Joseph Parker
New Zealand’s Parker lost his WBO belt to Joshua in 2018 and he has backed the Brit star to keep hold of it against Pulev.
He told SecondsOut: “I know Pulev will come game, that’s a fight he’s wanted for a while.
“But Joshua, we’ve seen him come back from losing to Andy Ruiz and putting on a good display of boxing.
“I think he’ll just be too quick and too experienced.”
Prediction… Joshua

Joshua’s former opponent Joseph Parker thinks Pulev will lose Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Bob Arum
Pulev’s promoter has taken confidence from Ruiz’s upset over AJ last year and predicted Joshua will again end up KO’d.
Arum told Betway Insider Blog : “Pulev has the ability to corner Joshua and to take him out, so I believe not only is Pulev going to win the fight but he’s going to win it by knockout.
“We promoted Ruiz 30 times and most of the time he had trouble impacting opponents with his power.
“So, the fact he devastated Joshua so badly indicates to me Joshua has a big weakness and that is his inability to take a punch.”
Prediction… Pulev

Promoter Bob Arum backs Pulev to upset Joshua Credit: Reuters
Eddie Hearn
Joshua’s promoter, like Arum, is confident in his man and believes the job could be done inside the distance.
Hearn said: “I think it’s going to be back and forward for the first five or six rounds, and then I think AJ is going to mark him up and bash him up.
“I think he’s going to knock him out. It’s going to be a great performance from AJ.
“This is one of the most important fights I’ve been involved with because we know what’s coming at the end of it. We just got to win on Saturday.”
Prediction… Joshua

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn backed AJ to beat Pulev Credit: Reuters
Chris Eubank Sr
The former maverick world champion has no affiliation to either side, but backed the underdog to emerge victorious and cap off an unprecedented year.
Eubank said to the Express: “All things being normal, AJ has the better boxing IQ as proven in his contest against Andy Ruiz Jr, in a rematch I couldn’t see him winning because I thought he would try to use his power.
“Instead, he used his boxing IQ and took the championship titles back in impressive boxing form. If all is normal then AJ is no doubt the favourite.
“But because nothing is normal in these peculiar times, I suspect Pulev might win this fight and if I were a betting man, which I’m not, that’s where my money would be.”
Prediction… Pulev

Chris Eubank Sr believes Pulev could stun Joshua Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Peter Kadiru
Joshua’s sparring partner, German Kadiru, has no doubts the champ will be too much for the ageing challenger.
Kadiru told SunSport: “I’m absolute sure that AJ will knock Pulev out.
“AJ is in his prime, totally fit and has improved constantly. Pulev on the other hand is already 39 years old.
“In the heavyweight division anything is possible but AJ is a huge favourite.”
Prediction… Joshua

Joshua pictured with his sparring partner Peter Kadiru

Anthony Joshua shows off explosive power and speed in training video just days before Kubrat Pulev showdown More

ANTHONY JOSHUA is the reigning WBF, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight world champion… but it appears that he is not one of boxing legend Mike Tyson’s five favourite fighters.
The 54-year-old was heavyweight king during his 1990s pomp and returned to the ring after 15 years in November, drawing with Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition bout.

Mike Tyson didn’t include AJ as one of his five favourite fighters

But Brit hero AJ doesn’t appear to excite him in the way that others do, including compatriot Tyson Fury and former WBC champ Deontay Wilder.
And there was even a mention for pudgy Mexican-American Andy Ruiz Jr, the man that Joshua, 31, defeated in Riyadh in December 2019, ahead of AJ himself.
Tyson said on his show Hotboxin’: “I respect Tyson Fury, I respect Deontay Wilder, I respect all of those guys.
“Andy Ruiz also, this guy named [Vasyl] Lomachenko – he’s a f***ing animal, man. He’s a master, it’s like he’s dancing.

‘There’s also Gervonta Davis, there’s quite a few guys that are good fighters.”
The Baddest Man on the Planet also bemoaned what he sees as the ‘political’ nature of pro boxing in 2020, expressing his eagerness to see the biggest matchups in the sport happen.
He continued: “The situation is whether they will fight each other. Promoters are not allowing them to fight each other. I’d love to see them fight each other but the promoters don’t want to do it.
‘It [boxing] is very political now. That’s why I think in the next couple months or so you’re going to find that there are some new players in the game and it’s going to get really serious.”

I don’t know. My ego says, ‘nobody would beat you’ – but you look at him and… he just looks beautiful.
Mike Tyson on Anthony Joshua

Tyson did have praise for Joshua when asked about him earlier this year, however.
He said: “He’s really clean, he really looks clean, he’s a clean guy, he’s a clean fighter, he’s a good puncher.
“You just wish the best for him.
“I don’t know. My ego says, ‘nobody would beat you’ – but you look at him and… he just looks beautiful.
“He just looks like a fighter, you know? He looks like he was born to do what he has to do. He needs more experience of course, but that will come in life.”

Tyson’s comeback reeled in an incredible £60million for Triller with over 1.6million pay-per-view buys.
Iron Mike could fight again with a trilogy bout with Evander Holyfield ‘going to happen’ according to the 58-year-old and even John Fury being rumoured as an opponent.
Joshua returns to the ring this weekend against Kubrat Pulev – his first outing since his Saudi scrap with Ruiz 12 months ago.

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FLOYD MAYWEATHER will be paid 25 times more than YouTube personality Logan Paul for their exhibition bout, it has been astonishingly claimed.
The pair are set to meet in the ring in February next year after a verbal war of words.

Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul are set to meet in the ring in FebruaryCredit: Instagram @fanmio

And entertainment reporter Daniel Keem has claimed that Mayweather, nicknamed Money Man, will receive a much bigger slice of the purse when they do battle.
It has been claimed that Mayweather is guaranteed $5million (£3.7m) plus 50 per cent of all PPV sales.
In comparison, Paul will receive just $200,000 and a measly 5 per cent of PPV.
“My sources are pretty dead on,” Keem revealed on his YouTube channel DramaAlert.

“And my source gave me a text message yesterday saying Mayweather is getting paid $5million up front and 50 per cent of all the sales of the pay-per-view.
“Logan is only getting paid $200,000 up front and only 5 per cent of all the sales of the pay-per-view.”
When Mayweather, 43, fought his exhibition fight with Tenshin Nasukawa in Japan in 2018, he earned around £6.8m.
While Logan Paul made around £680,000 for his 2019 boxing match against fellow social media personality KSI.

It has been claimed Mayweather will be paid 25 times more than Paul for their exhibition fightCredit: Instagram @floydmayweather

Logan Paul made around £680,000 for his fight with KSI in 2019Credit: Getty Images – Getty

But Keem has a theory why Logan Paul has apparently agreed to the terms.
He said: “So Logan Paul is getting wildly underpaid for this. Why would Logan Paul agree to this?
“I personally think it’s clout. This is going to be such a big match, he might not make a ton of money with this contract – but it might be worth it for him to have the opportunity to be a legend.”

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