Boxing

FRANK WARREN and BT Sport have offered out Eddie Hearn and Sky Sports for the biggest cross-company battle in British boxing history.
The Queensberry boss and his broadcasters challenged Matchroom and their TV partners to two five-fight shows that pit the best of each stable against the other.

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Frank Warren is keen to instigate the biggest cross-company battle in British boxing history involving Daniel DuboisCredit: PA:Press Association

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Eddie Hearn and Matchroom have been challenged to two five-fight shows that pit the best of each stable against the otherCredit: PA:Press Association

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Warren’s team would pit heavyweight sensation Dubois against Hearn’s Dillian Whyte
Star names from Warren’s team — including heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois, light-heavy star Anthony Yarde and middleweight machine Liam Williams — have been offered up to Hearn’s Dillian Whyte, undefeated Joshua Buatsi and American WBO champ Demetrius Andrade.
Hall of Fame promoter Warren believes the sensational showdowns are the perfect way to repay fight fans who have missed out on four months of boxing.
Warren told SunSport: “I haven’t thrown the gauntlet down.
“I have slung a suit of armour at them and said, ‘Let’s do it!’.

“To make this work you need two promotional companies and two promotional stables. We are on board, we are up for it, it’s just down to them.
“Like BT, Sky will want to give their subscribers the best and in BT they have a friendly company to deal with — plus they already share a number of sports well.

Everyone’s a winner in this. I think my guys will beat all of their guys and I’m sure their side will feel the same. It will be the biggest thing in British boxing history.
Frank Warren

British boxing fans, this is a promise from Queensberry Promotions:This CAN happen ✅These fights CAN be made ✅Don’t take no for an answer ❌ https://t.co/r2k8bDy3Jn
— Frank Warren (@frankwarren_tv) August 4, 2020

“There is no reason why they could not do the same for boxing.
“Everyone’s a winner in this. I think my guys will beat all of their guys and I’m sure their side will feel the same.

“There will be bookies’ favourites and upsets.
“This will be the most exciting time to be a British boxing fan — if they accept.
“It will be the biggest thing in British boxing history.
“For the two channels and promoters to cooperate on a 50-50 show would be the biggest thing ever.”

Queensbuy vs Matchroom

Frank Warren has his say on some of the potential crossover fights…

DANIEL DUBOIS vs JOE JOYCE
The winner will face Dillian Whyte. I think my unbeaten heavyweights Joe and Daniel have the beating of him. Whoever loses on October 24 meets Derek Chisora — and what better opponent to bounce back against.
LIAM WILLIAMS vs DEMETRIUS ANDRADE
This WBO middleweight world title is the only international fight on the list. It’s the fight Liam and Andrade want.
ANTHONY YARDE vs JOSH BUATSI
I fancy Anthony in this light-heavyweight battle with Buatsi because that narrow loss to Sergey Lovalev has given him the edge of experience. He was ten seconds away from being a world champ by beating a monster.
NATHAN GORMAN vs DAVE ALLEN
Dave has been on some big shows and lost a few fights, so this should appeal to him. Nathan is on the comeback trail. It looks at ideal fight for both heavyweights.
ARCHIE SHARP vs ZELFA BARRETT
I know a lot of neutrals would see this super- featherweight bout as 50-50 but I have to back Archie. We tried to make it happen when Zelfa was under contract with us.
JAMES METCALF vs ANTHONY FOWLER
Middleweight Metcalf is 21-0 now and people will want to avoid him. Fowler is 12-1 so doesn’t have that 0 to protect.
CHRIS JENKINS vs CONOR BENN
Conor doesn’t usually fight anyone with a pulse but, in fairness to him and his team, they did ask about this fight a while ago but we couldn’t agree terms. Now would be the perfect time to put this British welterweight title fight in the mix.
CHARLIE EDWARDS vs KAL YAFAI
I’ve read Charlie and Kal didn’t get on during their Team GB days. Charlie has a score to settle and Kal thinks he is the better super-flyweight. Let’s see.

Warren and Hearn have no working relationship despite being the two dominant UK figures in the sport.
But the rival firms have shared centre stage before and Warren has done deals with Eddie’s father, Barry — who founded the Matchroom empire — for almost four decades.
And Warren, 68, would happily deal with his fellow pensioner to give the new generation of fight fans a glimpse of the glory days they enjoyed.
He said: “I grew up watching the ‘Four Kings’ all fight each other: Tommy Hearns, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard. We can make that happen now for British fighters — we can do our very best version of it.
“People think that me and the Hearns could not work together but we have before and could again.
“Eddie is still working Barry’s money and I don’t care who I have to deal with to get this done.

I don’t think anyone actually gives a s*** what Eddie owns or promotes and I’m sure it is the same for me. Fans care about the fighters and the fights
Frank Warren

“I have known Barry for around 35 years. We were even partners in snooker in the early days, so I know him very well and would have no problem working with either of them.
“Eddie is saying he wants to own and control boxing, like the UFC do with MMA but that is very unhealthy.
“Monopolies in sport and business are very bad, competition is essential.
“I don’t think anyone actually gives a s*** what Eddie owns or promotes and I’m sure it is the same for me. Fans care about the fighters and the fights — and we can make it happen.
“It’s not about me and Queensberry or Matchroom and Eddie Hearn. It is about giving the British boxing fans what they are craving. Let’s get it on.
“We cannot stage the international fights we would like to because of the travel restrictions, and these — apart from one — are domestic fights.
“These are big-money fights, not cheap jobs, and the fans deserve them.

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Warren and his broadcasters BT Sports challenged Matchroom and Sky to two five-fight shows that pit the best of each stable against the other

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“We would love to do them in front of a live audience but, if not, we’ll just find a way to make them happen.
“We tested the water with our first three shows, just to get the sport back running again, and had total success with the health and safety plus testing.
“Now we want to take it to the next stage — and this is really delivering what the fans want.”

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MIKE TYSON is on the verge of making a sensational comeback – but will hope it proves more successful than his last exhibition fight.
Tyson, who was a year into his retirement, announced he would be competing in a series of exhibition bouts against his former sparring partner Corey Sanders in 2006.

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Mike Tyson boxed Corey Sanders in a 2006 exhibition

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Sanders was floored in the first minute
The heavyweight legend was deep in financial stress and would use the box office bonanza to pay off debts.
Tyson, who was already putting on public workouts in front of 2,000 fans at the time, boxed Sanders in Ohio.
He came to the ring without a head guard, though Sanders did wear one, while both had vests on.
The pair warned they would “hold back” to prevent an early stoppage to the “show”.

But 20 seconds into the bout Tyson floored Sanders after a quick combination, which promoted the referee to call an 8-count.
In the same opening round Iron Mike landed a perfectly timed right hand over the top almost dropping Sanders again.
But as Tyson landed the punch he actually helped keep his opponent from going down.

The youngest heavyweight champion of all time kept up the beating until the fourth and final round, hammering Sanders with hooks.

But much of the 6,000 paying fans fumed at the lethargic tempo, not even similar to a sparring session.
It was the last time Tyson laced up the gloves, but 14 years later he is preparing to make another comeback.
He has signed to face former four-weight champion Roy Jones Jr, 51, in an eight-round exhibition.
But the circumstances have changed since 2006.
Tyson insists he will stand to make nothing for the fight, instead donating the proceedings to charity.

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They will also not be wearing headgear, but will box in 12oz gloves.
The California State Athletic Commission, who have sanctioned the exhibition, have urged the headliners to avoid KO’s.
But just as Sanders found out, Tyson admitted he will be gunning to finish Jones before the final bell.

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Tyson has signed to box Roy Jones Jr over eight-rounds

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TYSON FURY was spotted training with brutal cross country runs as he continues to prepare for his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder.
The Gypsy King was pictured out for the gruelling run alongside fellow boxers Bob Howard and Isaac Lowe.

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Tyson Fury was seen training intensely as he prepares for his triology fight against Deontay Wilder
The trio were thought to be out in Morecambe, which Fury made his permanent home back in 2011.
His trainer Howard ran Lancaster Boys’ Club for two decades, and then Lancaster Boxing Club for a further five years.
The 51-year-old, who worked with the Gypsy King’s cousins Phil and Hughie, also trained Lowe who joined the pair on the run.
WBC International Featherweight champ Lowe, another Morecambe resident, featured on the undercard of Fury vs Schwarz.

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The Gypsy King was out on a cross country run alongside his trainer and fellow boxer Isaac Lowe
He previously fought before his fellow Brit’s bout against vs Fury at the Staples Center in Los Angeles last year.
Fury is keeping sharp ahead of his third clash with Wilder after battering the American into his first ever loss in February.
The WBC heavyweight world champion was training up to FOUR times a day during lockdown to stay sharp ahead of boxing’s return.
The 6ft 9in star, who once did 700 sit ups in an Instagram workout, is now back to more traditional methods after returning from Marbella.

Fury is gearing up for a busy 12 months after revealing that he had agreed to two fights against Anthony Joshua in 2021.
AJ is expected to defend his titles against Bulgarian veteran Kubrat Pulev next in December.
While Wilder’s camp recently confirmed they would not be stepping aside to allow the all-British showdown to occur at an earlier date.

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His co-manager Shelly Finkel told World Boxing News: “If I didn’t consider you a friend, I wouldn’t even answer this question.
“I wouldn’t respond to the question as I have answered this before.
“Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury are fighting. That’s it.”

Fury and Lowe have built up a big friendship over the years

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ANTHONY JOSHUA will defend his three world heavyweight titles against IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev in the first week of December – probably behind closed doors.
That’s according to Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn, who still hopes to hold Brit AJ’S bout with the Bulgarian 39-year-old at London’s O2 Arena.

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World champion Anthony Joshua has four months to prepare for his title defence against outsider Kubrat PulevCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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Two-time European heavyweight champ Kubrat Pulev is set to face Anthony Joshua, having challenged for the unified world title in 2014Credit: Instagram @kubratpulev
Hearn told ESPN: “We know AJ’s only going to fight once this year, so we want to give ourselves the best opportunity to bring in a crowd, and that would obviously be the later the better.
“But it’s still not a gimme at all. There’s still a very strong chance that AJ will have to fight behind closed doors.”
Joshua’s initial date of facing rank outsider Pulev at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20 was ditched due to the coronavirus pandemic.
And Hearn said of The 02: “Their regulations comply with the government, so at the moment they’re closed.

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“So they would need to open up. We’d need to get an understanding from the government what is allowed in arenas. Are you going to open at 50 per cent [capacity]?
“Are you going to open up 100 per cent? There’s a lot of work that has to go into that with the government and The O2.”
AJ might then have to meet the WBO’s No1 challenger Oleksandr Usyk before possibly closing on a title unifier with Tyson Fury, which would arguably be the biggest fight in British boxing history.

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ROBIN GIVENS wants no part of Jamie Foxx’s upcoming Mike Tyson movie and claims she was “disturbed” by her ex-husband’s book. 
The American actress – who divorced Tyson in 1989 after eight months of marriage – is worried about the biopic Foxx is set to star in as Iron Mike. 

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Robin Givens and Mike Tyson divorced after eight months together

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Givens was left distressed after reading her ex-partners’s biography “Fire and Fear: The Inside Story of Mike Tyson” released the same year they split. Written by Tyson’s friend Jose Torres, the youngest heavyweight champion of all time gloated about punching Givens. 
The book read: “It was when I fought Robin in Steve Lott’s apartment. She really offended me and I went BAM. She flew backwards, hitting every wall in the apartment. 
“That was the best punch I’ve ever thrown in my entire life.”
Tyson referred to Givens and her mother Ruth as “the slime of the slime” and called them “mean and vindictive” after accusing them of fleecing him following their divorce. 

In the years since the couple split, Iron Mike would box up until 2005, before retiring and falling into debt, depression and substance abuse. 
But he is planning a sensational comeback aged 54 after turning his life around in retirement. 

Oscar winning actor Foxx and director Martin Scorsese hope the biopic can provide proof that “everybody evolves”. 
But still haunted by her relationship with Tyson, Givens hopes to be excluded from the movie.

She told Sirius XM: “That was not a fun ex for me. 
“I had a good friend of mine [who] went and got the book that he wrote.
“I was reading it and there were so many things that are so not true that it’s hard not to feel deeply disturbed by it. 
“So, in a way I hope I’m stronger because of this but it’s a little upsetting.
“That’s going to be a tough one for me.
“To hear someone say, ‘The best punch I ever threw was against Robin and she bounced from one wall to the next and was out.’ 
“I’m literally praying that we’re in a climate where that’s not acceptable.”
Foxx has been training to transform his body fitting of a young Tyson and wants people to understand the feared puncher’s journey through the big screen.  

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He said: “Martin Scorsese who hasn’t done a boxing film since Raging Bull has agreed to take on the helm. 
“We want to show everybody evolves. Everybody comes from a good or bad place. 
“I think when we lay the layers on Mike Tyson in this story, I think everybody from young and old will be able to understand this man’s journey and the way we’ll place it.”

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MIKE TYSON is on the verge of making a sensational comeback – but will hope it proves more successful than his last exhibition spectacle.
Tyson, who was a year into his retirement, announced he would be competing in a series of exhibition bouts against former sparring partner Corey Sanders in 2006.

3

Mike Tyson boxed Corey Sanders in a 2006 exhibition

3

Sanders was floored in the first minute
The heavyweight legend was deep in financial stress and would use the box office bonanza to pay off debts.
Tyson, who was already putting on public workouts in front of 2,000 fans at the time, boxed Sanders in Ohio.
He came to the ring without a head guard, though Sanders did wear one, while both had vests on.
The pair warned they would “hold back” to prevent an early stoppage to the “show”.

But 20 seconds into the bout Tyson floored Sanders after a quick combination, which promoted the referee to call an 8-count.
In the same opening round Iron Mike landed a perfectly timed right hand over the top almost dropping Sanders again.
But as Tyson landed the punch he actually helped keep his opponent from going down.

The youngest heavyweight champion of all time kept up the beating until the fourth and final round, hammering Sanders with hooks.

But much of the 6,000 paying fans fumed at the lethargic tempo, not even similar to a sparring session.
It was the last time Tyson laced up the gloves, but 14 years later he is preparing to make another comeback.
He has signed to face former four-weight champion Roy Jones Jr, 51, in an eight-round exhibition.
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Tyson insists he will stand to make nothing for the fight, instead donating the proceedings to charity.

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They will also not be wearing headgear, but will box in 12oz gloves.
The California State Athletic Commission, who have sanctioned the exhibition, have urged the headliners to avoid KO’s.
But just as Sanders found out, Tyson admitted he will be gunning to finish Jones before the final bell.

3

Tyson has signed to box Roy Jones Jr over eight-rounds More

ANTHONY JOSHUA could barely fit in his shirt as he appears to be bulking up for his fight against Kubrat Pulev.
The WBA, IBF and WBO champion is set to face 39-year-old Bulgarian Pulev at the end of the year, after their initial June date was KO’d amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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Anthony Joshua could barely fit in his shirt as he appears to be bulking up for his fight against Kubrat Pulev

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Joshua is set to face Pulev at the end of the year
In the meantime AJ flew over to Marbella to rest and recover after injuring his knee while training, requiring a temporary leg brace.
A picture shared on Instagram shows the 30-year-old champion almost bursting out of his shirt.
Further snaps from his Spanish vacation, where he bumped into rival Brit champ Tyson Fury by chance, signalled return to the mammoth 18st KO artist.
AJ won his first world title in 2015 at 17st 6lbs, thrilled the planet with the 2017 Wladimir Klitschko win up at 17st 12lbs and out-muscled Carlos Takam at a giant 18st 2lbs six months later.

Joshua’s career-heaviest win was against Takam, who filled in for an injured Pulev, meaning the plan may always have been to bully the Bulgarian with added bulk.
AJ’s disastrous June 2019 loss to Andy Ruiz Jr – when he was a ripped 17st 9lbs Adonis – sparked a shake-up of his style, corner and size.
Joshua dropped almost a stone to outbox the Mexican over 12 one-sided rounds in December at a new slimline 16st 13lbs – his lightest in five years.

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His recent injury will have limited the amount of fitness and cardio work Joshua could have done over the summer.

He even posted a video drilling left hooks on the heavy bag while sitting down.
But it definitely looks like the dedicated heavyweight has done a lot more then just pack on a few accidental holiday pounds.

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