Boxing

THE risk of Dillian Whyte scrapping with Alexander Povetkin ahead of their fight is so high the Brit brawler might have to live in a WINNEBAGO.
The heavyweights are due to fight this coming Saturday.

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Whyte and Povetkin meet this Saturday
But there are fears of an impromptu scrap between them before then.
That’s because they’re both due to stay in the same hotel because those involved in the fight must remain in a ‘bubble’ to limit the risk of people catching coronavirus.
Hearn said: “We are looking at the possibility of hiring a Winnebago and parking it in the private area that we have in the hotel car park because I don’t think it’s safe for Whyte to be around Povetkin in fight week.”
Such a move would need special permission from the authorities due to the tightly-regulated rules.

Hearn added on Sky Sports: “If we don’t separate these guys they will be rolling down the hill towards the A12.
“It is a serious, serious point I’m making to the British Boxing Board of Control. We need to make sure those two are separated and segregated.
“I’m not worried about Povetkin, I’m worried about Whyte because he has already told me: ‘If I see this guy in my face on fight week in that hotel, I can’t be responsible for my actions’.
“So we need to make sure that we don’t have issues. Keep them apart to make sure the fight goes ahead.

“We are looking at contingency plans which includes the Winnebago, and we are seeing if everyone is happy in terms of quarantining.
“The corridors [in the hotel]? You can’t get one big heavyweight down there, let alone two!”

White has been training in Portugal while Povetkin recently arrived in the UK with Hearn taking a cheeky dig at the Russian’s “rascal clobber”.
The heavyweight and his team wore matching tartan tracksuits and flat caps for the journey over.
It was revealed earlier this week that the prestigious WBC Diamond belt would be on the line.
Speaking to Sky Sports, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said: “I’m very excited about it
“I believe that this fight has all the merits for the WBC to award the prestigious ‘Diamond’ belt.

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“Both are sensational fighters. Povetkin and Whyte are former ‘Silver’ champions of the WBC.
“They have been training in extreme circumstances and they are very professional.
“The WBC is delighted to be part of the fight as the WBC ‘interim’ championship and also to award the ‘Diamond’ belt, which is a special trophy to recognise this great bout.”

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TYSON FURY endured one of the most gruelling workouts in his career… as he participated in a seven-mile wheelchair race.
The Gypsy King has been entertaining fans in his hometown of Morecambe after training with his old man on the sandy beach.

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Tyson Fury took part in a seven-mile wheelchair race

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The heavyweight champ, far left, described it as one of the toughest workouts
Adorning fans flocked to the seafront to watch him in action but nobody could expect what he was going to do next.
Just 36 hours after hitting the pads, Fury was seen using his upper arm strength to race along the coast.
Uploading video footage to Instagram, he wrote: “One of the hardest workouts I’ve ever done. 7 miles in a wheelchair. It was mega hard.”
Fury appeared to come second out of the group of three in the snippet of footage shown on social media.

The 32-year-old is preparing for his next fight, having won the WBC title against Deontay Wilder in February.
The pair are signed to a trilogy bout, which was targeted for December.
US promoter Bob Arum warned the rematch could now be backdated as far back as February.
But according to Fury’s UK matchmaker Frank Warren, the Gypsy King is desperate to fight again before the year’s out.

And he has been instructed to find the unbeaten heavyweight a bout before 2020 is over.
Warren said: “Tyson made it very clear – I’ve got to give him a fight by the end of the year.
“I don’t want him fighting behind closed doors.
“But Tyson’s been in lockdown since February so, by December, it’s ten months out of the ring.”
Fury’s chances of immediately defending his belt against 34-year-old Wilder relies on when fans are allowed to return.
The heavyweight division’s hero is not ruining out fighting in front of an empty arena.

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Fury has been keeping his fans entertained in Morecambe

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It comes just 36 hours after he was working out with his dad on the beach

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Warren said: “The only way the Wilder fight works financially is in front of  a crowd.
“In the meantime, let’s think about what works health-wise for Tyson.
“So a fight here, behind closed doors, is something to look at.”

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FLOYD MAYWEATHER has well and true lived up to his ‘Money’ nickname by dominating the list of highest earning boxing fights of all time.
The pay-per-view king divided opinions throughout his 50-0 career but always delivered results in the ring – both with his performances and pay cheques.

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Floyd Mayweather dominates the list of richest boxing fights of all time
Heavyweight legend Mike Tyson was also well compensated through his up and down campaign – earning roughly £400m in total.
Here SunSport lists the highest grossing fights of all time.
1. Mayweather vs Pacquiao, May 2015
Dubbed ‘Fight of The Century’, fans’ five-year wait for the two pound for pound kings to meet finally ended in 2015.
Unfortunately, despite the longwinded build-up the bout did not deliver in terms of excitement – but did so in revenue.

Mayweather’s tactical masterclass as he outpointed Pacquiao sold a record 4.6m PPVs and recorded the highest gate in history.
Their purses were also unprecedented, as the fight became the richest of all time.

Mayweather vs Pacquiao breakdown

PPV – £333million
Gate – £58.7m –
Mayweather’s purse: £223.5m
Pacquiao’s purse: £122m
Total: £678m

2. Mayweather vs McGregor, August 2017 
After it was announced UFC star McGregor would cross over to face Mayweather, it was instantly called ‘The Money Fight’.
And it lived up to its name as the figures show.

But it did not manage to surpass the PPV and gate record previously set two years before by Mayweather and Pacquiao.
Mayweather, who won in ten rounds, matched the purse he made against PacMan, while McGregor’s net worth skyrocketed after  his commendable boxing debut.

Mayweather vs McGregor breakdown

PPV – £325m
Gate –  £44m
Mayweather’s purse: £223.5m
McGregor’s purse: £70m
Total: £662.5m

3. Mayweather vs Canelo, September 2013 
When Canelo challenged the pound-for-pound No1, boxing fans tuned it to see if the puzzle to beating Mayweather could finally be solved.
But yet again Money’came out on top with a points decision and laughed all the way to the bank as the fight broke a then PPV record with 2.2m sales and £120m in revenue.
Despite over 16,000 packing into MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the gate for the headliner only brought in £20m.
Still it ranks as the third richest fight in boxing history, with Canelo going on to become a star of his own since the humbling defeat.

Mayweather vs Canelo breakdown

PPV – £120m
Gate – £20m
Mayweather’s purse:  £65m
Canelo’s purse:  £9.7m
Total: £214.7m

4. Mayweather vs De La Hoya, May 2007
When Mayweather stepped up to light-middleweight to beat De La Hoya – it was the last time he would do so as the B-side fighter.
The win cemented the brash American – then known as ‘Pretty Boy Floyd’ – as the sport’s No1.
It initially broke box office records and Mayweather adopted the Money nickname afterwards.
Although a lucrative rematch failed to materialise, it was one of many mega-money paydays for Mayweather.

De La Hoya vs Mayweather breakdown

PPV – £110m
Gate – £15m
De la Hoya’s purse: £42mMayweather’s purse: £20m
Total: £187m

5. Evander Holyfield vs Mike Tyson II, 1997
After Holyfield outboxed and stopped Tyson for the heavyweight title in 1996, it set up a lucrative rematch the following year.
But it would be remembered for all the wrong reasons, as Tyson twice bit Holyfield before being disqualified in round three.
Later known as the ‘Bite Fight’ it raked in 1,990,000 PPV buys – still the highest number bought for a heavyweight fight.
Their purses made up the highest combined figure for any fight until it was broken ten years later.

Holyfield vs Tyson 2 breakdown

PPV – £81.4m
Gate – £11.6m
Holyfield purse: £28.4m
Tyson purse: £24.3m
Total: £145.7m

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6. Lennox Lewis vs Mike Tyson, 2002
Lewis and Tyson finally settled the score in 2002 – but it came too late.
Tyson was a fading heavyweight while Lewis reigned as the undisputed champion, going on to win in round eight.
Highly priced tickets finally managed to sell with 15,000 attending the fight and breaking box office records.
Despite selling less than Tyson’s rematch against Holyfield, it still raked in £90m in PPV sales.

Lewis vs Tyson breakdown

PPV – £90m
Gate – £14.2m
Lewis: £14.2m
Tyson: £14.2m
Total: £132.6m

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CARL FRAMPTON reminded the world of his bludgeoning power by blowing away eight months of cobwebs with a TKO win.
The 33-year-old Irish icon became the highest-profile fighter to box behind closed doors when he stopped Darren Traynor in the seventh at York Hall.

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Carl Frampton is ready for another world title bid after beating Darren TraynorCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

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Frampton has bounced back from having two operations on his battered hands over ChristmasCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
And, after two operations on his heavy but battered hands over Christmas, it was the perfect way for Frampton to show the super-feather division he now aims to conquer he has not lost his crushing capabilities.
The former two-weight king rocked Traynor’s head back with the first couple of jabs he threw and a left hook connected flush when the Scot dropped his guard.
Traynor did not turn up to London to lose and he started the second with a rapid combination.
In the third, the Belfast hero really got his jab working in singles and doubles but lead right hand and follow-up left was the most impressive combination of the stanza.

Traynor had been stopped twice before the weekend but he ate a few Frampton power punches and remained firmly seated at the table.

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Frampton KOd Traynor in the seventh round to seal a brutal winCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
After a nightmare 2019, there were plenty of questions for Frampton to answer and he seemed happy to take his time and show his working out.
A rasping one-two was the ideal way to start the sixth for the odds-on favourite.
But Traynor kept marching forward and hurling fire until a sensational left hook to the gut flattened him completely out.

Frampton’s scarred fist slammed into Traynor’s stomach and his agonised howl filled the empty York Hall BT Sport had decorated so dramatically.
And an identical shot in the seventh caused Traynor to turn his back and surrender as the ref waved the increasingly one-sided clash off.
Frampton is now free to focus on cementing himself as Ireland’s greatest ever boxer by hopefully facing WBO champ Jemal Herring as soon as travel allows.

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But he admits he will need to be better to become a three-time champ.
Now 28-2, Frampton said: “Once I started landing my jab, I hurt him a few times with the jab and then the body shots in the second half of the fight.
“I know I need to be a lot better but it was good to get the rounds in. My hands are fine, no issues there, so onwards and upwards.” More