Boxing

MIKE TYSON insists he will exorcise the drug-fuelled demons of his final pro fight with his exhibition comeback.
The 54-year-old heavyweight legend fights Roy Jones Jr on November 28, 15 years after quitting the sport following two dismal defeats.

Mike Tyson has promised fans will see him at his old best against Roy Jones JrCredit: BT Sport

Iron Mike was gripped by a number of addictions and blew a reported £350m fortune in the early 2000sCredit: Getty

The heavyweight legend says he has a ‘ghost’ of himself at the end of his careerCredit: AP:Associated Press

At the start of the 2000s, Iron Mike was gripped by a number of addictions and blew a reported £350million fortune, partly on cocaine. 
The veteran still admits to smoking around £33,000 of cannabis a month but he claims his ring return will show how much a cleaner lifestyle has saved the planet’s former baddest man.
Tyson said: “When I quit boxing after my last fight I was just happy it was over. I was a totally different person back then.

“I was only fighting for money, I was on drugs. But now I have the desire and will to do this.

“That guy back then was a ghost of me. I feel great now and I want the world to see that.”
Jones, 51, is rightly considered one of the finest pound-for-pound fighters in history and was still active as recently as 2018.
And he claims the reason he has taken on the task is to tell children he once faced the legend.
So the Californian commission’s decision to limit the fight to two-minute rounds with 12oz gloves has angered him.

“The last guy to go in the ring for an exhibition with Mike got dropped in the first round, so I know exactly how dangerous this is,” he said.
“I am not happy that we are only fighting two minutes rounds, that is what the women do.
“We are two of the best to ever do it. Why cut it down? It just cheats the fans.
“All my life kids would ask me ‘did you ever fight Mike Tyson’ and now for the rest of my life i will be able to say ‘yes’”.

Mike Tyson fight with Roy Jones Jr to be on BT Sport pay-per-view More

OLEKSANDR USYK has warned Derek Chisora that he can knock down even the biggest fighters in the world of boxing.
The Ukrainian will make just his second outing in the heavyweight division when the pair do battle on Saturday night.

Usyk insisted that he is ready for the test that Chisora posesCredit: ©Mark Robinson Ltd

The Ukrainian defeated Chazz Witherspoon last time outCredit: USA TODAY Sports

Some have questioned former cruiserweight king Usyk’s ability to translate his success up a weight class.
But, already WBO mandatory heavyweight challenger, the 33-year-old is seeking to deliver a KO to those doubters, as well as Chisora, at Wembley Arena on Saturday night.
Speaking ahead of the bout, he told Sky Sports: “Be ready to stand tall and you don’t need to get [hit by] punches, then your chin will be alright.
“Every man has the same chin. You cannot work it out somehow in the gym. The shot should not be really hard to make a man fall down.”

Chisora, 36, has only been knocked to the canvas twice in his entire career – by Dillian Whyte and current manager David Haye.
But, undaunted, smaller man Usyk believes that size isn’t everything.
He added: “In case, the king of animals would be considered according to the size, then it would be elephant, not the lion.”
And after Haye questioned Usyk’s ability to step up a division and face Chisora’s ‘relentless aggression’, The Cat insisted that he is ready.

Chisora appeared to enjoy today’s questioningCredit: ©Mark Robinson Ltd

He said: “Everyone speaks about the test. The real test for me.
“David Haye mentioned the test. People say it’s going to be a test for me. All our life contains challenges and overcoming the challenges. It’s going to be a fight that I really want so much.
“That is exactly what I am expecting of Chisora now – and that is what I’ve been preparing for.”

David Haye says Derek Chisora is set to become WBO mandatory and fight Anthony Joshua if he beats Oleksandr Usyk More

GERVONTA DAVIS’ clash with Leo Santa Cruz will be shown free in the UK.
Channel 5 have bagged the rights to the fight which is going to be available on terrestrial TV this weekend.

Boxing fans in the UK will be able to watch Gervonta Davis’ fight with Leo Santa Cruz for free on Channel 5 early on Sunday morningCredit: AP:Associated Press

Floyd Mayweather’s protégé Davis, 25, battles Santa Cruz at Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Around 11,500 fans will be inside the venue to catch the action live.
The bout takes place on Saturday night in America which means it will be the early hours of Sunday morning here in the UK.
Coverage begins on Channel 5 at 2am with the ring walk expected around an hour later.

For those not wanting to be awake in the early hours to watch it as it happens, replays will be available on 5OD.
Showtime Sports are exclusively broadcasting the fight in the United States.
But fans will need to stump up a staggering $74.99 (£58.11) to watch it.
Davis’ WBA world lightweight title is on the line when he steps back into the ring for the first time this year.

The 23-0 Maryland southpaw knows the pressure is on to deliver on the big stage and is taking plenty of lessons from his trainer and mentor Mayweather.

He said: “Floyd has been there coaching me through what comes with having my first pay-per-view main event fight.
“There’s a lot of pressure on me and you have to live up to fighting on pay-per-view so you can fight on pay-per-view again.
“When I’m down or anything like that, he’s able to push me, because he’s been there before.
“There are things that only Floyd can tell me about because he has that experience.”

Santa Cruz goes into the fight with Davis as the heavy underdogCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Floyd Mayweather trains Gervonta Davis and shows him his tricks in the ring ahead of Leo Santa Cruz fight More

TEOFIMO LOPEZ’S excellent lightweight undisputed win over Vasiliy Lomachenko shook up boxing’s mythical pound-for-pound rankings.
Ukraine’s two-time Olympic king and three-weight world champ came up against a younger and bigger man in a weight class about three divisions above his natural home.

SunSport’s pound for pound top ten

Teofimo Lopez celebrated a stunning victory over the weekendCredit: Handout – Getty

Suddenly everybody’s P4P list – where skills and attributes are measured with weights out the window – had to be rewritten following the seismic shock.
Giant heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury will never fight little Loma or Japan’s own pocket rocket Naoya Inoue so how do we know who is the better and more complete fighter?
We don’t. And we never will. But it’s painfully fun to try and work it out.
1. Terence Crawford – WBO welterweight champion – 36-0
A three-weight world champion with the brains to box in either southpaw or orthodox stance and the power to win 27 of his 36 fights early.

Lightweight, super-light (undisputed) and welter have all been conquered and a super-fight with Errol Spence Jr should have happened by now but was delayed by boxing politics and Spence’s October 2019 car smash.
Feared champions like Ricky Burns, Ray Beltran, Victor Postol, Julius Indongo and Amir Khan have all fallen at Bud’s sword and poor Brit Kell Brook is next up.
Crawford is 5ft 8in and naturally slim and could lose some of his best attributes going up any bigger, so the hardest thing for the softly spoken Nebraska ace is finding worthwhile opponents for him to face.

2. Canelo Alvarez – WBA middleweight champion – 53-1-2

Alvaraez defeated Sergey Kovalev last NovemberCredit: Getty – Contributor
Quite rightly the Mexican legend is the clear leader at the top of many boxing fans’ lists but the controversial draw in the first Gennadiy Golovkin fight – and the failed drugs test before the second – have muddied the water for others.
It is spectacular that the flame-haired boy who started his career at the super-lightweight limit of 10st won the WBO light-heavyweight title from Russian powerhouse Sergey Kovalev, with a brutal body shot stoppage up at 12st 7lbs, last time out.
The 30-year-old has been accused of cherry-picking vulnerable opponents like Rocky Fielding and aging icons like Shane Mosley.
But the vanquished names on his CV – like Khan, Miguel Cotto, Golovkin, Danny Jacobs and Kovalev – should stand the test of time.
And the fact Floyd Mayweather outpointed him so handily in 2013 should just remind the world how good ‘Money’ was.
3. Tyson Fury – WBC heavyweight champion – 30-0-1

Deontay Wilder was dominated by British WBC heavyweight champ Tyson Fury in FebruaryCredit: Reuters
There are marks against Fury’s name also. Mainly the horrendous decision win over John McDermott when his professional career was just taking off and a lengthy doping ban that coincided with a hiatus due to mental health problems. 
But three of Fury’s performances either side of that 1000 day absence deliver him a top spot in this list.
The dismantling of 10-year champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, on his adopted home German soil was immaculate. It might have been less entertaining than Anthony Joshua’s win over the old master, but it was also three years earlier and much more one-sided.
Then came the two performances against Deontay Wilder, the original draw came after two lapses in concentration with clear signs of the 28st he ballooned up to still loitering around his waist.
And the second was a marvellous ‘up yours’ to those of us who doubted he had the power to out-bang the planet’s biggest puncher.
If The AJ fight can be made and Fury can dominate the unified boss, he will confirm his status as the finest heavyweight of his era and perhaps a few others also.
And his earlier mistakes will continue to fade with time and be overshadowed with unquestionable wins.
4. Naoya Inoue – WBA and IBF bantamweight champion – 19-0

Inoue has won 16 of his fights inside the distanceCredit: AFP or licensors
As mysterious as he is monstrous. Japan’s brutal finisher has battered his way through three divisions already and left his opposition in a heap.
A light-flyweight king inside six pro fights, super-fly boss by outing eight and now the unstoppable force at 8st 6lbs.
A terrifying 16 of Inoue’s wins have come inside the distance and four of his last five bouts didn’t reach the fourth.
Filipino veteran Nonito Donaire did take the 27-year-old the distance last time out in a November classic, showing younger future rivals how The Monster might be beaten.
But the 5ft 5in mystery man with the granite hands looks like carrying on his rampage unimpeded for now.
5. Vasiliy Lomachenko – 14-2

Lomachenko was on a 13 fight winning streak when he beat Luke Campbell last yearCredit: Getty Images – Getty
As an amateur, Loma racked up a 396-1 record – and avenged that solo defeat twice, for good measure.
So his new 14-2 pro score makes it seem like he was a hype job in a vest, who couldn’t handle the leap up from the unpaid ranks.
But the 32-year-old genius lost a world title shot in just his second pro fight and then raced to become a three-weight champion inside 12 bouts and the world eating out of his small but rapid hands.
A natural 9st fighter, it looked like he was fighting a 11st behemoth when he lost to 23-year-old Lopez and the brilliant young American is already looking to move up.
A drop in divisions will help Loma regain his rhythm and a fantasy fight with Top Rank promotional stablemate Inoue would rocket either minute master up higher.
6. Oleksandr Usyk – 17-0

Usyk finally faces Dereck Chisora on Saturday nightCredit: Getty – Contributor
The finest heavyweight at the 2012 London Olympics (Anthony Joshua won gold at super-heavy) and the undisputed cruiserweight king by July 2018.
The Ukraine southpaw now wants to join Evander Holyfield’s exclusive one-man club by becoming the undisputed king in the top tier too.
At just 6ft 3in, without Tyson Fury’s size or Deontay Wilder’s one-punch KO power, it will not be easy and his heavyweight debut against Chazz Witherspoon left him with too many bumps, bruises and unanswered questions.
But, like gym-mate Loma, if the ball-juggling, horse-riding mastermind can topple the bigger boys in the playground, he will rise through the P4P listings.
7. Teofimo Lopez – Undisputed lightweight champion – 16-0

Lopez claimed the WBO and WBA lightweight belts on Saturday to become undisputed lightweight kingCredit: Handout – Getty
The Brooklyn sensation doesn’t snatch Loma’s old No1 spot just for that one dominant points win, but he rockets into the list and looks on course to further his case.
The scintillating second-round KO of Richard Commey that earned him his IBF crown was either a fluke or a warm-up, to the Loma toppling, and it proved to be the latter in spades.
A rematch looks unnecessary and the champ has discussed trying his luck up at super-light.
With Top Rank stablemates Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez soon to clash for all four 10st belts, 23-year-old Lopez could reach immortality in record time.
8. Josh Taylor – WBA and IBF super-lightweight champion – 17-0

Scot Josh Taylor retained his belts with a first round victory over Apinun Khongsong last monthCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
In just 16 fights, the Tartan Tornado became the fighting pride of Scotland.
Six of Taylor’s last eight opponents were supposed to have been serious tests for the fearless 29-year-old.
But only last year’s 12-round fight-of-the-year contender with Regis Prograis seemed to take him out of third gear.
Ohara Davies was made to quit, ex-world champ Miguel Vazquez was stopped for the first time in his illustrious career, America sent red-hot prospect Ryan Martin over to halt the runaway freight train, he was sent packing in seven and Ivan Baranchynk lost a unanimous decision after being dropped twice.
Taylor’s form makes him the heavy favourite to beat WBC and WBO champ Jose Ramirez as soon as that undisputed decider can be made.
And then the Ben Davison-trained southpaw looks more than capable of packing on some more muscle and attacking the welters above him.
9. Manny Pacquiao – WBA welterweight champion – 62-7-1

Manny Pacquiao could face Conor McGregor next yearCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Even at 41 – with more defeats than some his P4P contenders have had competitive fights –  Pac Man deserves his place on the list.
An eight-weight legend who started off stuffing rocks into his pockets just to fight at 7st 10lbs way back in 1995, is still beating elite welterweight opponents 25 years later.
When he was still dreaming of decent meals instead of medals and belts, the Filipino lost his 12th fight.
But he now has the scalps of Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Adrien Broner and, as recently as July 2019, welterweight KO artist Keith Thurman.
But, if the southpaw hero takes up a bout with Conor McGregor next,  a money-spinning right he has more than earned, he slides right off this list and frees up a space for a serious star still making meaningful fights.
10. Gennadiy Golovkin – IBF middleweight champion – 40-1-1

GGG defeated Sergiy Derevyanchenko last time outCredit: AP:Associated Press
The fact GGG is 38 and has still only scorched through one division does count against him.
But would you back against the baby-faced assassin – with the iron chin, ramrod jab and rocket-right – if he faced an elite super-welter on the rise or if he ventured up to meet a 12st champ?
Barring his last bout against Sergiy Derevyanchenko, that ended in a kind UD for Golovkin, his record is packed with nothing but convincing wins and dodgy decisions.
Had the comical/criminal cards that robbed him in the 2017 Canelo clash been honest, the entire boxing landscape right now would be different.
Instead the superstar needs another ‘big drama show’ to keep himself on this list with champs like Errol Spence Jr, Artur Beterbiev and the Charlo twins banging down the doors.

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OLEKSANDR USYK was was ‘bossing’ Wladimir Klitschko in sparring and ‘slung out’ after just one round, Johnny Nelson revealed.
Former cruiserweight champion Nelson, now a Sky Sports pundit, watched Usyk spar the former heavyweight ruler in 2015.

Oleksandr Usyk was was ‘bossing’ Wladimir Klitschko in sparring and ‘slung out’ after just one roundCredit: Getty – Contributor

Usyk was all too much for his countryman and kicked out of sparring to save further embarrassment

Ukrainian legend Klitschko was preparing to face Tyson Fury, a fight he lost in November 2015.
But Nelson said Usyk was all too much for his countryman and kicked out of sparring to save further embarrassment.
He told Behind the Gloves in 2018: “I rate Usyk.
“When I saw him sparring with Wladimir when Wladimir was preparing for Tyson Fury, I said ‘Who is that guy? Who is he?’

“I had no idea, but I know there was something special about him.
“He did one round with Wladimir, and Wladimir slung him out and said, ‘get out, not while the press is here.’
“He was making it hard for Wladimir. He was like bossing Wladimir.
“‘Get him out. Get somebody else in.”

Klitschko pictured with Ukrainian countryman Usyk

Usyk became cruiserweight champion in 2016 and within two years he became undisputed with all four belts.
He knocked out Tony Bellew in 2018 and moved up to heavyweight last year, beating Chazz Witherspoon in round seven of his divisional debut.
The 33-year-old now faces Dereck Chisora, 36, on Saturday with his WBO mandatory position for Anthony Joshua’s belt on the line.

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