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      Anthony Joshua to fight Kubrat Pulev in front of 1,000 fans at Wembley in huge boost with ticket details revealed

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA will be cheered on by 1,000 fans when he defends his world titles against Kubrat Pulev at Wembley Arena.
      He returns to the ring for the first time since he reclaimed the belts from Andy Ruir Jr last December.

      A thousand fans have been given the green light to attend Anthony Joshua’s fight with Kubrat PulevCredit: Getty

      Now he will be the first star to fight in front of a crowd since the coronavirus pandemic struck after his promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed a crowd will be allowed at the event on December 12.
      Hearn said: “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see fans returning to our live boxing events.
      “Whilst the team have done an incredible job over the last ten months we live and breathe through the energy and atmosphere that a live crowd generates.
      “It’s so fitting that they can return for an AJ fight, when through the last few years he has broken all kinds of attendance records in the UK and beyond.

      “This is such a positive move for boxing and all sport. Welcome back!”
      Tickets go on sale this Friday and are priced between £100 and £1000.
      Fans will be required to wear face coverings at the event and groups of those wishing to attend must also be from the same household.
      AJ and Pulev headline a card that also includes Lawrence Okolie’s world title challenge against Krzysztof Glowacki.

      Hughie Fury also battles Mariusz Wach, Martin Bakole fights Sergey Kuzmin and Souleymane Cissoko faces Kieron Conway as well on the action-packed night.
      Joshua has also vowed to fight Tyson Fury to lift the spirits of a sports-mad nation after lockdown.
      The two British world heavyweight champions have agreed to meet in a 2021 blockbuster after years of anticipation – as long as he is successful against Pulev.
      Speaking exclusively to Sun Sport, AJ said: “Yes, the Fury fight is the one everyone wants and it will happen, 100 per cent. 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.
      “Everyone has been through some tough s**t this year with the virus. People have been suffering with their health and financially.
      “So it will lift every boxing fan, every sports fan, when this fight happens.”

      Anthony Joshua looks shredded in training ahead of Pulev fight in Under Armour ad More

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      Lennox Lewis reveals 15-year-old Mike Tyson was a ‘giant’ and ‘knocking people out easy’ after meeting rival in sparring

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      LENNOX LEWIS has revealed that 15-year-old Mike Tyson was a ‘giant’ who was ‘knocking people out easy’.
      The Lion memorably beat Iron Mike when they collided in 2002 but they first shared a ring together as teenage sparring partners.

      Lennox Lewis sparred Mike Tyson for a number of days in Catskill, New York

      The Brit later shared a ring with Iron Mike in a 2002 grudge match

      Lewis prevailed with an eighth-round knockout against Tyson

      The British icon left Canada with his first trainer Arnie Boehm to drive to Tyson’s New York base after winning the World Junior Championships.
      And Lewis lifted the lid on his first experience meeting the Baddest Man on the Planet – who at the time was a year younger than him at age 15.
      He told the Guardian: “I liked him. We got to know each other pretty well. We spoke, we went down to the town, went to a dance together.
      “He was a giant because during training in the Catskills you’d watch him knocking people out easy. I thought he was great.

      He was a giant because during training in the Catskills you’d watch him knocking people out easy. I thought he was great
      Lennox Lewis on teenage Mike Tyson

      “When the time came I knew we would meet in the ring. I wanted to know if what Cus (D’Amato) said would come true.”
      Both Lewis and Tyson went on become heavyweight champion of the world numerous times and finally fought in 2002.
      Brit star Lewis came out on top with an eighth-round KO but they were also involved in a infamous press conference brawl ahead of the fight.
      Tyson was forced to pay a fine for biting his rival’s leg during the scuffle – which almost saw the mega-fight cancelled altogether.

      Yet despite this, Lewis wasn’t left feeling too apprehensive at facing Iron Mike after he was promised it would be his easiest fight.
      He added: “Yes and no. Yes, because TV made him look like King Kong. But, no, because Manny [Lewis’s legendary trainer Emanuel Steward] always told me Tyson would be my easiest fight.
      “I’d say: ‘Come on, now. He’s going to be a little difficult.’ But Manny said: ‘No. It’s your easiest fight.’”

      Lewis lifts lid on Mike Tyson press conference brawl and reveals ‘first three punches were mine and first bite was his’ More

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      Anthony Joshua claims Tyson Fury showdown can lift spirits of nation after coronavirus lockdown

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA says he will fight Tyson Fury to lift the spirits of a sports-mad nation after lockdown.
      The two British world heavyweight champions have agreed to meet in a 2021 blockbuster  after years of anticipation.

      Anthony Joshua says he will fight Tyson Fury to lift the spirits of the nationCredit: Getty

      It promises to be the biggest fight in the nation’s boxing history.
      Joshua first defends his WBA, IBF and WBO belts against Kubrat Pulev at Wembley on December 12.
      Then he will switch focus on trying to secure a date to face the Gypsy King.
      On the potential unification showdown, AJ said: “Yes, the Fury fight is the one everyone wants and it will happen, 100 per cent.

      “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.

      “Everyone has been through some tough s**t this year with the virus.
      People have been suffering with their health and financially.
      “So it will lift every boxing fan, every sports fan, when this fight happens.”

      Tyson Fury is the WBC heavyweight champion of the worldCredit: Rex Features

      Tyson Fury believes Anthony Joshua took his defeat to Ruiz with class and respect More

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      Anthony Joshua tells rival Tyson Fury the only way you’ll sell out Wembley is by fighting ME

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      THEY have been on a collision course for five years now.
      And if Anthony Joshua had met Tyson Fury sooner, then 99 per cent of the crowd would have been urging on AJ.

      Anthony Joshua still believes he is the biggest draw in boxing – ahead of heavyweight rival Tyson Fury

      Joshua was the undisputed people’s champion. Fury the big bad-mouthing wolf.
      We would all have expected Joshua to attack and for Fury to dance as well.
      But now, with the two British world heavyweight champions expected to announce a two-fight deal in 2021, all bets are off.
      Gypsy King Fury has become a folk hero — fighting back from drug problems and depression to obliterate Deontay Wilder and win the WBC crown in their second epic meeting in Las Vegas in February.

      Yet Joshua, who won back his WBA, IBF and WBO belts with a professional, but cautious, display against Andy Ruiz Jr last year, is adamant he is still the biggest draw in boxing.
      Joshua has been reluctant to talk about Fury in the past but — in this, his only exclusive newspaper interview before he defends his titles against Kubrat Pulev at Wembley Arena on Saturday week — he claims the Mancunian cannot rival him in a popularity contest.
      AJ said: “Tyson Fury is a talented, talented guy and he deserves all the praise he is getting right now but it is interesting when you talk about his popularity.
      “Because if Fury could have sold out 90,000-capacity stadiums, then he would have done. But he never has had the ability to attract those large numbers, not until he fights me. I have had those sorts of crowds against Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin at Wembley.

      The WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion is making his final preparations to fight Kubrat PulevCredit: Instagram @anthonyjoshua

      A two-fight deal has been agreed between Joshua and WBC king FuryCredit: Instagram @gypsyking101

      “I will fight Fury because in 50 years time, people will remember your character and I always want to be remembered as a risk-taker.
      “I fought for the world title in my 16th pro fight and even though people will say Charles Martin wasn’t a great champion — and he wasn’t — that win put me in the company of great fighters.
      “Then I beat Klitschko, a great champion, still early in my career.”
      After almost nine months without live audiences at major events, we can still recall Joshua as the Pied Piper of British sport.
      He sold out Wembley and Cardiff’s Principality Stadiums four times in 2017 and 2018 — unprecedented pulling power for a British fighter.
      And tickets for a Joshua-Fury showdown will be gold-dust. So what sort of fight can we expect when the two Brits finally get it on?
      Might Fury, 32, — for so long renowned as a defensive master craftsman — attack Joshua, as he so successfully attacked Wilder in a comprehensive seven-round demolition?
      Joshua said: “No I don’t believe he will. Fury is intelligent and what you saw against Wilder was a gameplan for a specific fight being executed very well.

      “He had identified Wilder’s weakness, that he cannot fight on the back foot, and he exploited that.
      “Fury knows I can fight on the back foot or front foot.
      “He knows if he tries to take it to me the same way, then he will suffer because I can counter that with my jab, with right hands from distance.
      “But, yes, people want this fight even more now they have seen we can both fight in very different styles.”
      Joshua, 31, avenged his shock defeat by unfancied Ruiz by out-boxing the Mexican-American in Saudi Arabia last time out.
      He added: “Fury surprised some people with the way he attacked Wilder — and I think I surprised some people by beating Ruiz in the boxing connoisseur’s style.
      “I was under a lot of pressure going into that fight. I was coming off a loss. So I stuck to a gameplan.
      “I wasn’t going to give anyone the chance to write me off — because they would have done if I’d lost again.”

      The longer I wait for Fury, the better prepared I’ll be
      Anthony Joshua

      While there is plenty of social media trash-talking from Fury, Joshua claims it was very different when the pair had a rare meeting while on holiday in Marbella this summer.
      Joshua said: “I was taking a stroll in Marbella and Fury was driving along when he saw this big black guy and realised it was me, so he pulled over!
      “He wished me luck against Pulev and I wished him luck against Wilder (when a third Fury-Wilder fight was on the cards).
      “I said hello to Fury’s wife and it was all very respectful — nothing like it is on social media.”
      Despite all the talk of Fury, Joshua is not complacent about the threat posed by 39-year-old Bulgarian Pulev — who pulled out of a fight with AJ through injury in 2017.
      Joshua said: “Pulev is named after a great Bulgarian warrior and he has that warrior spirit, he carries the hopes of his nation.
      “He is tough, he has a great jab and he will dig deep. He has found a way to beat every opponent, except Klitschko, but I know I have prepared well and I should be victorious.
      “I know lockdown has been tough but for me it has been a blessing.

      Joshua and Pulev were due to go head to head in 2017 before the Bulgarian pulled out with an injuryCredit: AFP or licensors

      Fury stunned the boxing world with his blistering performance to dethrone Deontay Wilder in FebruaryCredit: AP:Associated Press

      Fury and Joshua bumped into each other in Marbella earlier this year – and it was all very respectfulCredit: Refer to Caption
      “I have concentrated on training, on improving my boxing, all year. I haven’t had to do much commercial or promotional stuff, I have had more time with my family and more time to train seriously. And the longer I wait for Fury, the better prepared I’ll be.”
      Joshua is hoping a select crowd of 1,000 will be allowed into Wembley Arena for the Pulev fight.
      With London in Tier 2, promoter Eddie Hearn is waiting to hear whether the venue will be granted a safety certificate for spectators.
      Hearn is worried that Joshua may suffer without his usual huge crowd and pre-fight fireworks.
      But Joshua, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist, said: “I had a long and successful amateur career and I was used to fighting in small halls — I’ll draw on that experience.
      “I don’t know yet whether it’s safe to have fans inside but they would be lucky people to witness a world heavyweight title fight in such an intimate space.”
      When Joshua finally meets Fury, the tickets will be more precious still.

      The Watford star has used the coronavirus lockdown to focus on improving himself and get even betterCredit: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyjoshua/

      AJ will not have a sell-out roaring home crowd to cheer him on next Saturday

      Tyson Fury believes Anthony Joshua took his defeat to Ruiz with class and respect More

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      Frank Warren brands rival Eddie Hearn’s comments on Daniel Dubois injury ‘c***ish’

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      FRANK WARREN has labelled Eddie Hearn’s bid to cast doubt over Daniel Dubois’ career-threatening injury as ‘c***ish’.
      Following the Saturday night round-ten stoppage loss to Joe Joyce, the 23-year-old is nursing a broken orbital and a bleeding left retina.

      Eddie Hearn has been slammed over his comments about Daniel Dubois’ eye injuryCredit: Getty

      Frank Warren says his fellow promoter’s remarks were ‘c***ish’Credit: Getty

      Half of the boxing community has rallied around the broken young heavyweight, who seemed to suffer the crucial blow in the third, while another section of former fighters has labelled him a quitter.
      Warren admits he has been guilty of questioning rival fighters’ courage in the past but the Queensbury promoter went X-rated on Hearn’s suggestion that Team Dubois are lying about the injury.
      “I’ve been at a fight before and said ‘he’s swallowed’, I’ve been guilty of that,” Warren confirmed. 
      “But if someone is injured and afterwards you have some t*** sitting in his office saying we are all lying about it, I find that a real personal affront. It is a c***ish thing to say about a fighter. 

      “It is all very well and wise to be clever after the event but who gives a f***ing s*** what Hearn says? Who is he to believe anything?
      “I do not agree in any shape or form that a fighter should be in there to give his life or inflict life or career-damaging injuries to satisfy some t***, so he can go and pass judgement on bravery. 
      “Daniel’s Peacock Gym has a statue outside for a young man, called Bradley Stone, who gave his life to boxing.
      “So we could do without Hearn’s ill-advised and stupid comments because saying somebody is lying about an injury, as serious as this, just shows you how naïve and stupid he is.”

      Warren also urged his bitter rival to remember Anthony Joshua getting pounded by Andy Ruiz Jr in New York last year.
      AJ was stopped on his feet in round seven, when he failed to walk toward the referee on instruction, and was rightly commended for battling on from round three with a concussion.
      Warren said: “I didn’t doubt for one minute that Anthony Joshua didn’t want to go on, the referee asked him and he didn’t want to .
      “But I didn’t say he was lying about being concussed. To say what Hearn said is outrageous.”
      Dubois now faces an agonising wait to find out if he needs surgery to repair the cheekbone damage and possibly a titanium plate like former welterweight world champion Kell Brook, who suffered similar injuries to both eyes.
      Anthony Ogogo, the 2012 Olympic bronze winner who lost sight in one eye after an identical 2016 injury – that he now regrets fighting on with – has reached out to Dubois out on social media to offer support.
      And eye specialist Dr Rahila Zakir, from the Western Eye hospital in London, is waiting for the painful swelling to go down before making a crucial decision on Dubois’ career.

      Daniel Dubois was stopped in the tenth by Joe Joyce on SaturdayCredit: Richard Pelham – The Sun
      Warren added: “The doctors have said, if he had carried on, there was a strong chance of losing or having problems with his eyesight. 
      “He would have been in the same position as Anthony Ogogo basically.
      “Daniel was feeling that pain from early in the fight. Rather than people criticising him, go back and watch the fight. His eye was closed for at least three rounds. He was in a lot of pain.
      “He did the right thing and I’m glad he did it. I always err on the side of being safe rather than sorry.
      “We can all point fingers but it should be about the fighter’s safety. 
      “Anyone who thinks a boxer has to lose his eyesight to prove a point does not deserve to play any part in this sport.”

      SunSport’s pound for pound top ten

      Dubois vs Joyce – Round by round More

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      Anthony Joshua defends Daniel Dubois after Brit was accused of ‘quitting’ against Joe Joyce

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA has offered his support to Daniel Dubois and reckons the heavyweight hope was right to concede defeat against Joe Joyce.
      Dubois, 23, suffered his first professional loss when he took a knee in the tenth round of Saturday’s all-British bout — after sustaining a broken left eye socket.

      Daniel Dubois was accused of ‘quitting’ against Joe JoyceCredit: Richard Pelham – The Sun

      Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has leapt to his defenceCredit: Instagram / @anthonyjoshua

      Some fighters criticised Dubois for surrendering.
      But world champion Joshua says he wants to speak to the Londoner and tell him he is not regarded as a ‘quitter’.
      Joshua added: “If Daniel needs someone to speak to, he should call me.
      “It is easy for people to criticise from outside the ring — but some people have been out of order.

      “Daniel took a massive risk in taking that fight, as did Joe Joyce.
      “They both knew the dangers and they both put it all on the line.
      “I hear people talking respectfully about tapping out in MMA fights.
      “Then when a boxer stops because his eyeball is about to fall out, they call him a ‘quitter’ — are they serious?

      AJ, who defends his heavyweight titles against Kubrat Pulev on December 12 before eyeing an all-British unification showdown with Tyson Fury, added: “Daniel’s time will come. I believe I will fight both him and Joyce.
      “Joyce is underrated. He had a top amateur pedigree and it shows.
      “This is a great time for British heavyweight boxing — it has never been stronger — and those two guys are both a huge part of it.”

      Dubois, 23, suffered a broken left eye socket in his lossCredit: Richard Pelham – The Sun

      Dubois vs Joyce – Round by round More

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      Savannah Marshall on becoming world champ, binge-watching The Crown and trying to ‘knock Tommy Fury’s head off’

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA and Eddie Hearn partied until 6am after the Brit reclaimed his heavyweight belts by beating Andy Ruiz Jr last year.
      Savannah Marshall was crowned WBO middleweight ruler last month – but the most rock ‘n roll thing she has done since her historic win is curl up on the sofa to binge watch The Crown on Netflix.

      Savannah Marshall was too good for Hannah Rankin and won the WBO middleweight title last monthCredit: PA:Press Association

      Savannah Marshall with her coach Peter Fury (right) and his son Hughie (left)

      The Hartlepool-born 29-year-old told SunSport: “I boxed on October 31, I won the world title and I can’t celebrate.
      “I can’t go out. I can’t have a drink or even go out for meals. I’ve just been watching The Crown!
      “I’m only on season two, episode two. Phillip has just been playing away in the South Pacific – but they’re proper oddballs aren’t they.
      “I love the Queen’s sister, she just doesn’t give a f***. I’ve been on Wikipedia seeing who is related to who!”

      Marshall became the first British world amateur champion in 2012 and repeated her feat eight years later in the paid ranks with a cracking KO of Hannah Rankin.
      The North-East ace stopped the Scot in seven Wembley Arena rounds, with a masterclass of footwork and power punching.
      But she credited her trainer, Peter Fury – uncle to Tyson and Tommy – for her meteoric rise.
      She added: “I’ve been with Peter now for three years.

      Savannah Marshall tried to knock Tommy Fury’s ‘head off’ in sparringCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

      “My last amateur fight was at the Rio 2016 Olympics and you only have to watch my face to see how much I’ve changed.
      “Not just the way I box but also my demeanor, my confidence.
      “Just being around him, the way he looks at life, his philosophy, I think it’s rubbed off on me.
      “I honestly feel like with Peter in my corner I could conquer the world.”
      Fury also trains his son Hughie and was keen to work with Marshall just after her professional debut in Las Vegas.
      The World champ has lifted the lid on when she first stepped foot in the maestro’s gym, where she tried to knock 6ft Love Island star Tommy Fury’s ‘head off’ in sparring.
      Marshall continued: “Peter didn’t know anything about me but he said to Tommy ‘don’t you dare hit her’.
      “So we were sparring and I was trying to knock Tommy’s head off and he wasn’t allowed to hit me, but he was just untouchable.
      “I couldn’t lay a glove on him, he was just dodging!
      “iI just totally opened my eyes to professional boxing because like I said, I couldn’t lay a glove on Tommy.
      “I thought wow I’m training like a world class heavyweight man.”
      The Hartlepool star’s heroics against Rankin came just two weeks before a groundbreaking female-led show with three women’s world-title fights on one card.
      Katie Taylor, Terri Harper and Rachel Ball set Wembley alight for the historic triple-header – but women’s boxing hasn’t always been on fire.

      Rachel Ball, Katie Taylor and Terri Harper shone in a historic women’s triple-header in NovemberCredit: �Mark Robinson Photography Ltd

      Claressa Shields (right) has won 77 of 78 amateur fights and remains undefeated in all ten since going proCredit: AP:Associated Press
      And Marshall, who first stepped into a gym at 11-years-old, knows the struggles of trying to make it in a man’s world.
      She revealed: “We went to a boxing club in Sunderland and I was 13 at the time.
      “We went to spar and when I got there, the coach was this old man, like an old-school boxing coach.
      “I remember him pointing at me from across the gym, and he said ‘what’s that?’
      “At the time, I just pretended I didn’t hear it. My coach went, ‘what do you mean? She’s my female boxer’.
      “He said ‘there’s no girls allowed in this gym’.
      “I wasn’t allowed to spar because I was a girl and I just had to watch. I didn’t like sparring but if that was my favorite thing that could have ruined my dreams.”
      Marshall has always been a sport nut and her family have been in her corner every step of the way.
      She recalls her mum, Christine, saving up for her first pair of boxing gloves for a Christmas present when she was 11-years-old.
      The middleweight ruler said: “I think my mam just thought it was a phase and I remember when I first asked for gloves we never ever had money.
      “They were expensive and I remember my mam saying ‘we’ll see, if you carry on going I’ll buy you a pair of boxing gloves’.
      “I had been there for about six months and over Christmas I got a pair of baby blue boxing gloves.”
      The Brit now hopes to fight undisputed queen Claressa Shields from America next year, who she already beat as an amateur.
      She said: “I think that is the biggest fight in female boxing. I don’t think that there’s anything that will top that.”

      Tyson Fury believes Anthony Joshua took his defeat to Ruiz with class and respect More

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      Lennox Lewis reveals 15-year-old Mike Tyson was ‘giant’ and ‘knocking people out easy’ after meeting rival in sparring

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      LENNOX LEWIS has revealed that 15-year-old Mike Tyson was a ‘giant’ who was ‘knocking people out easy’.
      The Lion memorably beat Iron Mike when they collided in 2002 but they first shared a ring together as teenage sparring partners.

      Lennox Lewis sparred Mike Tyson for a number of days in Catskill, New York

      The Brit later shared a ring with Iron Mike in a 2002 grudge match

      Lewis prevailed with an eighth-round knockout against Tyson

      The British icon left Canada with his first trainer Arnie Boehm to drive to Tyson’s New York base after winning the World Junior Championships.
      And Lewis lifted the lid on his first experience meeting the Baddest Man on the Planet – who at the time was a year younger than him at age 15.
      He told the Guardian: “I liked him. We got to know each other pretty well. We spoke, we went down to the town, went to a dance together.
      “He was a giant because during training in the Catskills you’d watch him knocking people out easy. I thought he was great.

      He was a giant because during training in the Catskills you’d watch him knocking people out easy. I thought he was great
      Lennox Lewis on teenage Mike Tyson

      “When the time came I knew we would meet in the ring. I wanted to know if what Cus (D’Amato) said would come true.”
      Both Lewis and Tyson went on become heavyweight champion of the world numerous times and finally fought in 2002.
      Brit star Lewis came out on top with an eighth-round KO but they were also involved in a infamous press conference brawl ahead of the fight.
      Tyson was forced to pay a fine for biting his rival’s leg during the scuffle – which almost saw the mega-fight cancelled altogether.

      Yet despite this, Lewis wasn’t left feeling too apprehensive at facing Iron Mike after he was promised it would be his easiest fight.
      He added: “Yes and no. Yes, because TV made him look like King Kong. But, no, because Manny [Lewis’s legendary trainer Emanuel Steward] always told me Tyson would be my easiest fight.
      “I’d say: ‘Come on, now. He’s going to be a little difficult.’ But Manny said: ‘No. It’s your easiest fight.’”

      Lewis lifts lid on Mike Tyson press conference brawl and reveals ‘first three punches were mine and first bite was his’ More