Boxing

BOXING stars Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia have agreed to a mega-fight deal – in what will be the seventh bout between them. The amateur rivals boxed each other six times in the unpaid ranks and turned professional level at 3-3.
Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney boxed each other six times in the amateursCredit: X
And according to ESPN, they have finalized terms to renew their rivalry on April 20 in Las Vegas.
Haney formerly held the undisputed lightweight titles at 135 pounds before making his move to super-lightweight.
And he won his first piece of gold at 140 pounds in December by beating Regis Prograis, 35, over 12 dominant rounds.
Haney, 25, is set to put his title on the line against Garcia, also 25, who will challenge for his first world honor.

Garcia – who has over 10 million Instagram followers – fought twice last year.
In April, he was stopped in seven rounds by long-time rival Gervonta Davis, 29, in a blockbuster believed to have sold 1.2 million pay-per-views.
Garcia bounced back from his first loss by taking out Oscar Duarte, 28, in eight rounds of his comeback bout.
He called out former sparring rival and WBA champion Rolando Romero after the win.
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But as talks stalled, Garcia turned his attention to Haney until linking up with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.
Garcia admitted Mayweather convinced him to instead target Romero again, sparking confusion among the camps.
But Romero, 29, instead signed to face Isaac Cruz, 25, on March March 30 to kick off Amazon’s Prime’s debut in PPV boxing.
So Garcia went full circle and negotiations were again picked up with Haney – with an announcement now imminent.
Garcia is set to have his fight with Haney confirmedCredit: Getty
Haney will defend his title against GarciaCredit: EPA More

ADAM AZIM is joining Hamzah Sheeraz by following Amir Khan’s blueprint to becoming world champion. Khan, who became an overnight sensation after winning silver at the 2004 Olympics aged 17, reigned as the light-welterweight champ.
Adam Azim, left, with Amir Khan and brother Hassan
And he did so with the backing of adoring British and Pakistani fans up until his retirement in 2022.
Now Khan is helping bring through the next generation of stars, with Azim and Sheeraz the latest pair of multi-cultured prospects.
And Azim has promised both will live up to their huge billing and fill the boots vacated by Khan.
He told SunSport: “Myself and Hamzah Sheeraz are the next wave of British-Pakistanis who are going to go on and become world champions.
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“Amir Khan created the blueprint and it’s now up to us to follow it. Trust me when I say we’re the real deal.”
Azim, 21, is regarded as one of the most exciting talents on the British circuit with European light-welterweight title to his name already at 11-0.
And both him and 7-0 older brother Hassan, 23, idolise mentor Khan.
Sheeraz, 24, on the other hand has had his run-ins with the English icon but the pair have since patched things up.
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The middleweight – managed by Khan’s uncle Taz – stands 6ft 3in and has 14 knockouts in his 18 unbeaten fights.
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He returns in his biggest step up to date on Saturday night against former world title challenger Liam Williams, 31.
Sheeraz has his sights set on championship aspirations himself having earned a No4 ranking with the WBC and No5 in the WBO’s.
Middleweight prospect Hamzah SheerazCredit: Rex More

TEOFIMO LOPEZ retained his WBO super-lightweight world title with a controversial win over Jamaine Ortiz on Thursday.The 26-year-old put on a show in Las Vegas – in more ways than one.
Teofimo Lopez walked out into the arena dressed like a ringmasterCredit: Sky Sports boxing
Lopez had a circus-themed ringwalk with a juggler and some clownsCredit: Sky Sports boxing
A sword swallower was also involvedCredit: Sky Sports boxing
He walked out to ‘The Greatest Show’Credit: Sky Sports boxing

Fans branded his extravagant ringwalk as “the best of 2024” after he acquired the services of a CIRCUS.
Lopez, who was dressed as a ringmaster, walked out to ‘The Greatest Show’ from hit movie ‘The Greatest Showman’.
And he was surrounded by different circus acts – including a sword swallower, a juggler and two clowns on stilts.
Boxing fans were left stunned by his incredible entrance, with one person tweeting: “Teofimo Lopez with a spectacular ring walk. This is what will draw more fans to the sport!”
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Another added: “TEOFIMO LOPEZ IS WINNING THE BEST RING WALK OF 2024.”
A third wrote: “What a ring walk by Teofimo Lopez 🤣.”
While a fourth commented: “This was entertaining!”
Lopez won by unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the bout 117-111, 115-113, 115-113.
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After the fight, he said: “I am champion. I am king. Glory is next for me. None of these guys want to fight me.
“I’ll fight (Terence) Crawford at a catchweight. I’m here. I’m ready. I’ve always been ready.
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“I’m younger, prettier, and a two-time unified champion at 25.”
The ring walk included a bearded lady More

DEONTAY WILDER has broken his silence on Francis Ngannou replacing him to fight Anthony Joshua. Wilder at long last had put pen to paper on a deal to face Joshua in Saudi Arabia in March.
Deontay Wilder broke his silence on Francis Ngannou replacing him to fight Anthony JoshuaCredit: ESNEWS
But on the night they both returned in December, the American suffered a shock defeat to Joseph Parker.
So Joshua – who beat Otto Wallin moments later – instead turned his attention to ex-UFC champion Ngannou.
Wilder, now back in training and looking for redemption, had little to say when probed on the crossover clash on March 8 in Riyadh.
He told ESNews: “Fun fight. I look at it as a fun fight. May the best man win.”
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Ngannou made his boxing debut in October and astonishingly floored Tyson Fury despite losing a controversial points decision.
Fury, 35, progressed into an undisputed title decider with Oleksandr Usyk, 37, now postponed till May 18 due to an eye injury.
So Ngannou, 37, has been forced to wait for a rematch and instead turned his attention to Joshua, 34.
And Wilder, 38, meanwhile is plotting a comeback following his loss to Parker, 32, as he reflected on the loss.
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He said: “I’m about to shock the world for the second time, for sure.
“We’re just picking up the pieces, a lot of lessons have been learned and a lot of blessings have come in the midst of the lessons.
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“It’s just something I needed. I’ve been doing a lot of things for a lot of people for the last several years.
“Now we’re just trying to be selfish at this point in time. We’re not really calling it selfish, we’re calling it self-focussed.” More

TEOFIMO LOPEZ broke down in tears before turning on the booing crowd after controversially beating Jamaine Ortiz. Lopez was deemed lucky to retain his WBO super-lightweight title in Las Vegas on Super Bowl week.
Teofimo Lopez broke down in tears after defeating Jamaine OrtizCredit: Getty
As the unpopular unanimous decision was read out, the brash American began to emotionally shed tears.
But before long, the crowd inside the Michelob Ultra Arena began to boo the champion as he got on the mic.
Lopez, 25, said: “Hey, people, people, humans, humans. Listen up, man. Listen up. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you can boo all you want.”
Final punch stats revealed Lopez landed 78 of 384 punches thrown with 21 per cent accuracy while Ortiz connected with 80 of his 409 attempts with 20 per cent success.
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Lopez continued his rant by hitting out at Ortiz’s tactics.
He said: “We cannot for one second claim these people, these fighters that don’t want to come and fight.
“You go to blood, sweat and tears, the three codes of conduct. Sugar Ray Robinson award.
“If you ain’t ready for this life, get the f*** out of my sport. I am a champion. I bleed for this, I sweat for this, and I cry for this every time.”
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Several felt the challenger deserved the upset victory and the 140lb title – none more so than the man himself.
Ortiz, 27, said: “I believe I won the fight.
“What can I say, I came out on the short end of the stick once again. He couldn’t hit me – he wasn’t landing any shots on me.”
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Lopez has already set his sights on pound-for-pound star and welterweight champ Terence Crawford.
He said: “I am champion. I am king. Glory is next for me. None of these guys want to fight me.
“I’ll fight Crawford at a catchweight. I’m here. I’m ready. I’ve always been ready. I’m younger, prettier, and a two-time unified champion at 25.”
Lopez controversially beat Ortiz on pointsCredit: Getty
Lopez retained his WBO titleCredit: Getty More

OLEKSANDR USYK has delivered a chilling warning to Tyson Fury ahead of their rescheduled fight.The Ukrainian and the Gypsy King were finally set to clash in a MASSIVE unification fight on February 17 in Saudi Arabia.
Tyson Fury has been sent a chilling message by Oleksandr UsykCredit: EPA
The Gypsy King suffered a cut in sparring that forced to fight to be postponedCredit: X @Queensbury
But boxing fans were left devastated last week when the eagerly-anticipated showdown was postponed.
The bout was called off after Fury suffered a freak cut in sparring just two weeks before fight night.
It has now been rescheduled for May 18 with the WBC champion currently back home in Morecambe with his family.
Meanwhile, Usyk responded to that disappointing cancellation news by continuing with his training camp in his quest to gain all four titles.
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And when asked by BBC Sport if he had a message for Fury, Usyk said: “Tyson, hi my brother.
“Don’t be afraid. I will not leave you alone.”
Usyk, who beat Anthony Joshua for his world titles prior to retaining them against AJ and then Daniel Dubois, revealed this week that he has missed the birth of his fourth child while training in Spain prior to the fight postponement.
And with a potential £8million penalty on the line, Usyk said: “I’m not judging anyone. But the thing is we have to treat this more seriously, this is very important and we have to be cautious.
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“We have to treat this professionally. We have to spend every minute in the ring with the intention of having respect for our opponent.
“To judge someone for his mistakes is a weakness. I feel very well and even if someone is trying to play me they are playing by my rules.
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“I sacrificed all the dates I wanted to spend with my family, Christmas, New Year, the birthday of my second son and the birth of my daughter.
“I should have been around my wife.”

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TYSON FURY will be “fearing the worst” going into his rescheduled clash with Oleksandr Usyk following his nasty eye cut.The Gypsy King and the Ukrainian were finally set to clash in a MASSIVE fight to unify the heavyweight division on February 17 in Saudi Arabia.
Tyson Fury suffered a cut in sparring that caused his fight with Oleksandr Usyk to be rescheduledCredit: X @Queensbury
George Foreman suffered a similar injury before Rumble in the Jungle was delayedCredit: Getty
However, that eagerly-anticipated showdown has now been postponed after Fury suffered a freak cut in sparring just two weeks before the opening bell was due to ding.
The bout has now been rescheduled for May 18 with the British Gypsy King returning to his Morecambe home from Saudi to be with his family.
However, Sun Sport’s boxing expert Colin Hart believes that the nasty gash that scuppered the first scheduled showdown will be causing Fury more pain mentally than physically.
The veteran journalist, who has covered the sport for over 50 years, drew comparisons to George Foreman’s infamous Rumble in the Jungle defeat to Muhammad Ali back in 1974.
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Foreman suffered a cut while training in Zaire on September 17 – just eight days before he was due to defend his title.
But he received 11 stitches after being caught by the elbow of his sparring partner which resulted in the fight being delayed by five weeks to October 30.
And Ali’s iconic rope-a-dope tactic resulted in him emerging triumphant over the powerhouse in one of the most famous bouts in history.
Hart said: “There’s no doubt the 36 day lay-off affected George physically and psychologically far more than Ali who sparred and trained normally while the sullen Foreman brooded reclusively waiting for his cut to heal.
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“Usyk must be purring like a cat because Fury – back home in Morecambe – is bound to be at a distinct disadvantage as the result of the three-month delay.
“As Foreman discovered, Tyson’s preparation will now be severely disrupted – a major problem being when he eventually starts serious sparring he will fear the cut being reopened.”
Oleksandr Usyk on incredible sacrifices made for postponed Tyson Fury undisputed fight

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