Boxing

Subterms

    More stories

    • 263 Shares129 Views

      in Boxing

      Anthony Joshua willing to ‘bet all my money’ he will fight Oleksandr Usyk next as he’s unsure of Tyson Fury’s plans

      by

      ANTHONY JOSHUA has cast doubt on fighting Tyson Fury in 2021 and says he ‘would bet all his money’ that the Oleksandr Usyk fight is more likely to happen.
      The WBA, WBo and IBF heavyweight champ will defend his belts in just over a week’s time against Kubrat Pulev.

      Anthony Joshua thinks there is more chance of fighting Oleksandr Usyk than Tyson Fury in 2021

      Fury says two fight with Joshua were ‘agreed’ – but thinks have gone quiet sinceCredit: Instagram @gypsyking101

      Providing he can navigate his way past the teak-tough Bulgarian, an undisputed Battle of Britain against Fury is what fans want tio see.
      But Usyk is the WBO’s mandatory challenger and is keen to not let that opportunity pass him by. That could force AJ to vacate that belt to chase Fury.
      But Joshua doesn’t appear to confident of getting the all-Brit scrap over the line.
      Speaking to ESPN the 31-year-old said: “When I look at Fury, great talent, but I don’t know whether he’s coming or going.

      “I don’t know if he’s going to fight Wilder, or if he’s not going to fight Wilder, if he’s going to fight [Agit] Kabayel, or if he’s not going to fight Kabayel.
      “He announced he was going to fight me, then the deal didn’t get signed and we’re not fighting.
      Joshua added that he ‘goes off people who are serious’ and hopes that Fury deep down wants the fight.
      “Honestly, I’m keen to test myself. I’m keen to compete with him, no problem. But whether he’s ready, that’s a whole other story because of the issues he faces during his career.

      Oleksandr Usyk is the WBO’s mandatory challenger for Joshua’s beltsCredit: Mark Robinson Ltd

      “I don’t know what will happen in 2021 but if I was to bet all my money on it I would say Usyk because he is with Matchroom.
      “[It’s a] straightforward fight, and his track record shows when he says he is going to fight someone, he does.”
      While the Watford champ has his doubts, he is clearly desperate for the fight to happen in 2021.

      And he told excluisvely told SunSport that he believes fighting Fury can lift the spirits of the nation after the coronavirus pandemic.
      He said: “It will be huge for the nation.
      “I am a risk taker, I have always taken risks and never dodged fights with anyone.
      “I want to be remembered as a fighter who gave the fans what they want.
      “But I don’t just want to be part of a great event — I want to win another great fight.”
      Joshua has even said he would be prepared to take a PAY CUT to get the deal over the line.
      He has already missed out on an £8million payday when he fights Pulev at Wembley Arena in front of just 1,000 fans.

      Bob Arum says that Tyson Fury will fight Deontay Wilder next year if Anthony Joshua loses to Kubrat Pulev More

    • 238 Shares199 Views

      in Boxing

      Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev tale of the tape: Weight, height, reach and record of the two heavyweight stars

      by

      ANTHONY JOSHUA takes on Kubrat Pulev in the first defence of his second reign as world heavyweight champion.
      The Bulgarian is Joshua’s IBF mandatory title challenger and will try his hand at collecting the WBA, WBO and IBO straps as well.

      Anthony Joshua is the younger, fresher fighter against Kubrat Pulev

      Joshua hasn’t been in the ring since his dominant points win over Andy Ruiz Jr last December.
      AJ’s clash with Pulev will take place at Wembley Arena in front of 1,000 fans, Matchroom announced earlier this week.
      But how do the heavyweight pair stack up against each other?
      Age
      One of the most talked about factors heading into Joshua’s clash with Pulev is the challenger’s age.

      At 39, Pulev has been around the block and fought anyone who has come his way, including Joshua’s pal Derek Chisora in 2016.
      AJ is 31 years old and right in the middle of his physical prime, coming off the back of a brilliant win Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia.

      Joshua beat Andy Ruiz Jr in his last fight a year ago Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      Pulev has been knocked out as a professional, by Wladimir Klitschko in 2014, further adding wear and tear to his ageing body.
      But Joshua has also been stopped, though he showed brilliant mental fortitude to come back in the rematch.

      Physicality
      If Joshua’s going to win this fight in as eye-catching a manner as possible, he’s going to have to strongman Pulev, which isn’t necessarily an easy thing to do.
      Pulev is just two inches shorter than Joshua, while AJ also has a three-inch reach advantage.

      The pair were supposed to fight back in 2017 before injury forced Pulev outCredit: Reuters
      But Pulev is as strong as an ox and hits incredibly hard, too.
      Joshua is much quicker than Pulev, both with his hands and feet, and should look to bamboozle the world title challenger with speed and precision early on.
      Once Pulev has been softened up, Joshua can go for a KO in the middle rounds of the fight.
      Record
      Both fighters have one loss each on their records, with Joshua’s coming last year against Andy Ruiz Jr in New York.
      The Olympic gold-medallist was knocked down four times in his fight with Ruiz Jr, who eventually stopped Joshua in the seventh round.

      Joshua beat Joseph Parker on points back in 2018Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      Pulev was brutally KO’d by Klitschko in the 5th round of their world title clash seven years ago.
      Pulev does have decent wins over Chisora, Hughie Fury and Tony Thompson, however.
      Joshua’s best victories include Klitschko, Dillian Whyte, Joseph Parker, Alexander Povetkin and Ruiz Jr in their rematch. More

    • 288 Shares139 Views

      in Boxing

      Claressa Shields opens up on shock MMA switch to PFL and reveals plan to train with UFC legends Jon Jones and Holly Holm

      by

      CLARESSA SHIELDS will attempt to juggle her career as the face of women’s boxing with a new venture into MMA.
      The three-weight champion, who also has two Olympic Gold medals, has signed for the Professional Fighters League.

      Boxing star Claressa Shields, 25, has made the move across to MMA Credit: Jose Pineiro/SHOWTIME

      PFL have fighters compete in a fight-twice-in-one-night play-off system, with the winners advancing to the championship where they compete for a $1million (£750,000) cheque.
      And Shields will make her debut in the promotion next summer, with plans to feature in their NFL-style season in 2022.
      Here SunSport’s Jack Figg speaks to the 25-year-old boxing sensation, who reveals her plans to train with UFC legend Jon Jones and Holly Holm.
      JACK FIGG: Claressa, why the move into MMA after such a dominant boxing career?

      CLARESSA SHIELDS: Timing is everything and the conversation with PFL was very lucrative and very nice.
      We had an understanding on what I stand for, what they stand for and it all kind of meshed together.
      The conversation wasn’t like, ‘Hey, come over here, fight against our top girl, spend two months getting ready then go back to boxing’.
      It was more, ‘Come over here, sign a three-year deal and trust us that you’re going to get fair and competitive matches and play a part in helping build your brand up’.

      The PFL season is something that drew me to it too, it’s equal with the men and women who both get the chance to fight for a million dollars.
      You can control your own destiny and that’s something that intrigued me.

      Shields is a three-weight world champion and two-time Olympic gold medal winner in boxing Credit: Jose Pineiro/SHOWTIME
      JF: So, are you committing to MMA long-term?
      CS: Well, three years, yeah. For right now.
      After three years, we’ll see what happens, but I’m hoping I can learn so much this year and have great teaching and coaching that by 2022 I’ll be ready for the PFL full season.
      JF: Are you training in MMA right now?
      CS: I’ve been doing wrestling behind the scenes for a while now.
      I fly out to Albuquerque, New Mexico, tomorrow to train with Jonny Bones [Jones] and Holly Holm and their wonderful team of coaches for 11 days.
      That will be great training also.
      I’m hitting the bag for five minutes and five rounds and working on my wrestling with no breaks.
      It’s way different, when I get down to Albuquerque I think we’ll do more mixing it up, but I didn’t want to self-teach myself as I could teach myself bad habits.

      The American has two Olympic gold medals to her name Credit: Jose Pineiro/SHOWTIME
      JF: The JacksonWink gym in Albuquerque is prestigious, could that be your MMA team full-time?
      CS: That’s a possibility. Right now I’m just seeing who I have the best chemistry with, who understands me.
      I’ve heard great things about the gym myself. Jonny Bones and Holly Holm are great friends of mine and I think it will be a great camp.
      For those who want to watch, go to my Claressa Shields GWOAT channel on YouTube. They can follow it behind the scenes.

      UFC legends Jon Jones and Holly Holm will train with Shields
      JF: How will you manage you boxing and MMA career?
      CS: I will fight February in boxing, then I plan on fighting towards the end of the year in boxing and fight in June in MMA.
      But, then I don’t know when I’ll fight again in MMA. I’ll fight two fights in MMA but I don’t know exactly when.
      I definitely plan on having two boxing matches and two MMA fights next year.
      JF: You’re going from boxing superstar to MMA beginner, how is that feeling?
      CS: Yeah, I’m starting over but I’m still strong, I still have boxing and a lot of girls who do MMA, they’re terrible at boxing.
      I just have to catch up on the other things, wrestling, jiu jitsu, and the Muay Thai, kickboxing stuff.
      But, having a boxing advantage that will definitely play in my favour in every fight that I have.

      Shields with former UFC champion Joanna JedrzejczykCredit: @claressashields
      JF: If you become a champion in MMA, due to your boxing achievements, where does that leave your legacy?
      CS: I think it leaves me in the top one or two combat fighters ever. As boxers do not come over to MMA and do well.
      That’s known, it’s not a stereotype, it’s a fact. But I’m going to be the one to break that.
      JF: Will you still train in MMA when you have a boxing match coming up?
      CS: I can box in my sleep. That’s easy. I’m going to be doing my MMA training throughout, I won’t stop doing it.
      I’m going to try and at least do it two or three times a week.
      I train multiple times a day, it went from twice but now it’s three of four, depending on how I feel.
      Boxing is the same repetitive work; bag drills, strengthening your core, pad work and now of course I can add MMA into my second session where it’s technical stiff and just learning. More

    • 225 Shares99 Views

      in Boxing

      Mike Tyson hits back at Floyd Mayweather over boxing title criticism and says more belts means extra money

      by

      MIKE TYSON has hit back at Floyd Mayweather’s claims that there are too many belts in boxing.
      Undefeated former champ Mayweather, 43, won 15 world titles in his 50-fight career, across five weight divisions.

      Mike Tyson has hit back at Floyd MayweatherCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      But he recently told the sport’s various organisations to ‘sort their s*** out’, saying that ‘everybody’s a champion” and accusing them of taking extra money from fighters.
      Tyson, 54, and old foe Roy Jones Jr came out of retirement on Saturday night to fight for the WBC Frontline Battle Belt, despite it being an exhibition scrap.
      The match ended in a draw but Tyson has opened a war of words with Mayweather over his comments.
      Reported by Essentially Sports, Tyson said: “Boxing never has too many belts because every time it’s a championship fight, it’s more money for the fighter.

      “There’s never enough belts you know?
      “To say there’s one champion and there’s 10 guys, how long will it take for the champion to fight the 10 guys?
      “Plus they gotta go through each other… It’s good to have three champions because then everybody can get paid… Everybody makes money.
      “That’s what this business is about. Money.”

      Mayweather angered Tyson by saying: “The WBC, the WBA, the IBF and the WBO, y’all have to clean this sh** up. Y’all have to clean this up.

      Floyd Mayweather claims there are too many belts in boxingCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      “This is bad for boxing. Ain’t a such thing as no super champion.
      “You guys are just taking extra money from all these fighters, getting extra money from sanctioning fees. And this goes for my company as well.
      “We gotta clean this sport of boxing up. This s***, this don’t look good.”

      Mike Tyson says he’s happy he’s not knocked out and Roy Jones says everything hurt as it made contact with Tyson after their fight More

    • 250 Shares159 Views

      in Boxing

      Daniel Dubois should watch greats like Muhammad Ali and Ken Buchanan to see why he is being dubbed a ‘quitter’

      by

      DANIEL DUBOIS must be distraught that his boxing brothers added insult to his eye injury by branding him a quitter. When Dubois dropped down on one knee, allowing the ref to count him out, he not only lost his British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles to Joe Joyce, but the respect of many fellow pros. Carl […] More

    • 263 Shares129 Views

      in Boxing

      Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg smoke ‘blunts’ on Mike Tyson PPV… and fight fans slam ‘I ordered boxing not a concert’

      by

      WIZ KHALIFA and Snoop Dogg both smoked what appeared to be a huge blunts on stage ahead of the Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr’s fight. But fans were not too overwhelmed with the live performances by the artists or French Montana. With an undercard full of fights, viewers who purchased the pay-per-view wanted to […] More

    • 225 Shares159 Views

      in Boxing

      Anthony Yarde vows to learn lessons from Sergey Kovalev defeat to school Lyndon Arthur in Commonwealth title fight

      by

      ANTHONY YARDE has vowed to learn learn the lessons from his defeat to Sergey Kovalev in the hopes of schooling Lyndon Arthur. The British light-heavyweight challenges Arthur for the Commonwealth title this Saturday. It comes a year on from his first loss, when he travelled back from Russia having been just a punch away in […] More