Boxing

LENNOX LEWIS has launched a stinging attack on Eddie Hearn over Anthony Joshua’s potential shot at an undisputed blockbuster.Joshua takes on Francis Ngannou in March, with the victor in line to face the winner of next month’s historic bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, in which all four belts will be on the line.
Lennox Lewis launched an attack on Eddie HearnCredit: Getty
Lewis has told Hearn there are more deserving fighters than Anthony Joshua to have a shot at the undisputed titleCredit: Alamy
However, heavyweight legend Lewis insists AJ should NOT get a shot at being the heavyweight king.
Instead, the former champ, 58, thinks there would be a “better case” for the winner between Joseph Parker or Zhilei Zhang to get the chance.
The two will fight each other on March 8 on the same card as AJ’s bout with former UFC star Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
And Lewis told promoter Hearn that, despite not being a big names as AJ, Parker and Zhang are more deserving of the opportunity.
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He wrote on X: “Ok @EddieHearn I know this is the promoter in you speaking, so I’ll break it down like the boxing fan I am.
“If AJ beats Ngannou, which he should, does that elevate him to a shot at undisputed? Beating Wallin & Ngannou?
“There’s a much better case for the winner of #ParkerZhang.
“And if AJ gets through Ngannou, and Usyk wins undisputed, is the appetite for #usykJoshua3 out there?
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“If Fury becomes undisputed, the man says he’s vacating all belts but the WBC and ring so Fury in effect becomes last undisputed until someone else can Thanos them back together.
“I still want to see AJ fight Fury and Wilder… those are big fights.
“But like I told Mike Tyson, if you keep fighting guys like Lou Savarese, you will NEVER be ready for me.”
Hearn responded to Lewis as he insisted that the “dream has always been undisputed”.
He wrote: “Break down whatever you want. His Excellency [Mohammed bin Salman] confirmed the plan. Winner of #JoshuaNgannou v winner of #FuryUsyk.
“The dream has always been Undisputed and we are one win away from challenging for it.
“No problem with you preferring Parker or Zhang getting a shot at Undisputed over AJ.”

ANTHONY JOSHUA VS FRANCIS NGANNOU: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE CROSSOVER BOUT More

DEONTAY WILDER and Otto Wallin were changed men after fighting Tyson Fury, claims his dad John.The Gypsy King went the distance with both fighters, before fighting Wilder a further two times.
John Fury claims Deontay Wilder and Otto Wallin have not been the same since fighting Tyson FuryCredit: Getty
Fury fought Wilder three times, beating him twiceCredit: Reuters
Wallin lost via unanimous decision to Fury in 2019Credit: Reuters
He faced Wilder for the first time in 2018 and survived a last-round knock-out to secure a draw, before going on to fight Wallin 10 months later.
Fury suffered a nasty cut over his right eyebrow following a clash of heads with Wallin but survived until the final bell, winning via unaminous decision.
He later fought Wilder twice, stopping the American in their rematch before knocking him out in their trilogy fight.
Both boxers fought on the same card last month in Saudi Arabia with Wallin defeated in five rounds by Anthony Joshua, while Wilder lost to Joseph Parker, and John Fury feels neither boxer is the same fighter they were before fighting his son.
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He told Seconds Out: “Otto Wallin was s*** scared of Anthony Joshua. Fair play to AJ, he looked like a man on a mission. Wallin never turned up, just like Deontay Wilder never [vs Joseph Parker].
“I’ve never seen anything as bad as Wilder in my life. I was looking at two different people in Wallin and Wilder – those were not the people who fought Tyson. Tyson probably took everything out of them.”
Fury, 35, is set to fight Oleksandr Usyk next in an undisputed heavyweight clash on February 17.
Last tine out Fury struggled to a points win over former UFC champion Francis Ngannou and his dad has warned he will need to alter his style for the challenge of Usyk.
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He said: “He needs a different style altogether with Usyk, he’s totally different.
“If you go back to, many years ago, you can watch it on the internet, it’s Gerry Cooney-Michael Spinks.
“Michael Spinks is a blown-up light-heavyweight weighing just over fourteen stone at the time.
“Gerry Cooney is six-foot-seven, eighteen stone, look what happened.
“These are speed-men, you just can’t have that straight-up, going forward, looking to land a bomb on these kind of fighters because guess what?
“They can see it coming and they will avoid it.
“Usyk is very good, he is a good mover, he’s got a brain, he’s got good footwork and the style for Deontay Wilder and Francis Ngannou isn’t going to cut it for a man like Usyk.” More

ANTHONY JOSHUA brutally warned Francis Ngannou about the power he possesses and the damage it has caused. The pair collide in a humongous heavyweight clash on March 8 in Saudi Arabia.
Anthony Joshua brutally warned Francis Ngannou about the power he possessesCredit: Getty
Ngannou comes into just his second boxing bout having dropped Tyson Fury on his debut in October.
He was controversially beaten on points as his stock rose sensationally overnight.
But AJ was quick to point out the destruction he has also caused the likes of Otto Wallin, Robert Helenius and Dillian Whyte.
Joshua, 34, told Boxing News: “He has longer arms than me. He’s stocky and big.
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“But I think people underestimate me, they think they can just come and put pressure on me because I am not mentally all that or this.
“And as much as there is hype around Ngannou, he still has to come through me. He is looking at someone who knows how to fight.
“I am a power puncher myself. I break peoples’ eye sockets.
“I broke Wallin’s nose and eye socket, Helenius got sparked out, and I f***ing ruined Dillian Whyte’s career with an uppercut. The list goes on.
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ANTHONY JOSHUA VS FRANCIS NGANNOU: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE CROSSOVER BOUT
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“He has to deal with me and that is what is going to make it a good fight.”
Ngannou, 37, earned himself another massive payday in the ring for the performance he put on against Fury, 35.
And now Joshua, 34, has the chance to one-up his great British rival by attempting to beat the MMA star in more convincing fashion.
He said: “There is an element of that. It’s all about perception in boxing.
“It just changes the whole perception if I can go out there and have a good fight. ‘Oh, AJ’s the king!’ my fans will roar louder.
“But I’ve still got a massive training camp to complete, I’ve still got to get through the fight first!
“Let’s get there first before we start thinking ahead.”
Joshua knocked out Dillian Whyte in 2015Credit: Getty
Joshua stopped Robert Helenius last AugustCredit: Matthew Pover Matchroom Boxing
Otto Wallin was battered by AJ in five roundsCredit: Getty More

ANTHONY JOSHUA has been warned he will wake up in hospital if his defence is not watertight when he faces Francis Ngannou.The London 2012 legend, 33, was back to his ferocious best on December 23 when he disfigured Otto Wallin in five ruthless rounds.
Anthony Joshua has received a brutal warning from Francis NgannouCredit: Getty
The UFC legend floored Tyson Fury back in OctoberCredit: Getty
But he has not been really whacked by a prime heavyweight puncher since Andy Ruiz Jr stunned him in 2019.
Ngannou, the 37-year-old former UFC heavyweight champ, claims to have the planet’s hardest punch – following a scientific test that rated his right at 96 horsepower – and dropped Tyson Fury in October.
And the 19st Cameroon KO artist has politely told AJ to book himself a recovery room on a Riyadh ward if he cannot avoid all of his punches for all 10 March 8 rounds.
From underneath a stunning gold-embossed African cape, he said: “If I catch him then he’s going to sleep.
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“Remember this is the heavyweight division and everyone is quite strong so you should keep your chin away.
“If you put your chin in the right position and get hit – even by a lightest fighter – then you might wake up in the white room.
“So you better keep your chin away and fight smart.”
Ngannou worked in a sand mine while still a poor schoolboy, didn’t even see a proper gym until he was 22 and smuggled himself illegally to Europe – across the Sahara and Mediterranean Sea – before spending time in a detention centre.
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ANTHONY JOSHUA VS FRANCIS NGANNOU: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE CROSSOVER BOUT
So we should not be surprised that he accepted a narrow points loss to Fury with a huge smile, when thousands of fans inside the 26,000-seater arena, and at home, were angry his hand wasn’t raised.
He brilliantly explained: “I come from Africa. I come from a continent with 1.3bn people and 60 per cent of them are just youths and not many of them have the opportunity to accomplish their dream. I was living the dream.
“From where I started, from where I was born, to get there that night and accomplish that dream I’ve been carrying for 25 years, do you think I would let some f***ing judges take that pleasure away from me? No.
“I was happy with my achievement, I was happy with achieving my dream after all those years, all the obstacles I had, all the horrors on the way.
“I was there fighting in front of my family. They were there ringside, before the VIPs, it was them.
“My mum was there, my brothers, my sisters, they were there watching, they were on top of the world.
“When the camera turned around, away from the ring, they were the first people who were there. Why wouldn’t I be happy?”
Ngannou’s journey from his tiny village of Batie is inspirational and he is proudly investing personal time and influence – as well as hard-earned purses – in his home.
So he is excited to be fighting our Nigerian-Brit, who has the west-African home of his parents – that borders his own – etched on his giant shoulder.
And he is hilariously polite in trying not to offend the six British newspaper reporters peppering him with questions about the Saudi Arabia shootout between Cameroon and Nigeria.
He smiled: “We are both African descendants, we are both looking back and thinking of our culture and community, what we are doing, how we can improve and what it could be and that’s why we talk about a potential rematch in Africa. But, at the end of the day, we both win.
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“We are both bringing something to our communities, we are contributing to the new generation.
“I call this ‘Black Excellency’ – sorry, no offence to you white guys.”
Andy Ruiz Jr was the last prime heavyweight puncher to whack AJCredit: Getty More

JOE JOYCE is set to return to the ring in March against a man that was previously banned for six months for BITING David Price.The 38-year-old is looking to bounce back from a nightmare 2023 that saw his heavyweight world title dreams suffer a crushing blow.
Joe Joyce is due to return to the ring in March in BirminghamCredit: Getty
The Juggernaut was dealt a first career defeat when he lost via TKO to Zhilei Zhang in April in the sixth round.
Joyce cashed in his rematch clause to face the giant Chinese star again – but this time the bout only lasted until the third round before he was knocked out.
That left the Olympic silver medallist’s career hanging in the balance, but instead of retiring, it has now been confirmed that he will step back into the ring.
Joyce, who is 15-2, looks set to make his return on March 16 in Birmingham against Kash Ali, according to several reports.
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His 31-year-old opponent has a record of 21-2 but is most famous for the shocking incident back in March 2019.
The boxing world was left stunned when Ali was disqualified in the fifth round of his fight against Price in Liverpool.
He first appeared to nibble Price’s shoulder in the third round while the pair were clinched against the ropes.
Then, as he trailed on the scorecards going into the fifth, Ali was enjoying his best stint of the fight but soon found himself on the receiving end of a sustained attack by his Liverpudlian opponent.
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And in a desperate attempt to recover, Ali grabbed Price and clinched him to the ground – but when the two fell to the floor, the Birmingham man bit him again, this time on the stomach.
Referee Mark Lyson immediately disqualified Ali, with the shamed star then confronted by an enraged thug and showered with beer by furious fans while being escorted out the arena by security.
Ali is believed to have sank his teeth into Price at least four times during the bout and he would later admit his “embarrassment” while publicly apologising.
The disgraced fighter return to the ring that November and beat Artur Kubiak via TKO.
Ali went on to win his next five fights but suffered defeat last time out in July when he lost on points after six rounds with Bohdan Myronets.
He looks set to fight Kash Ali on his return to the ringCredit: Getty
He was previously banned for six months after being disqualified for biting David PriceCredit: Alamy Live News More

OLEKSANDR USYK is gearing up for his world title clash with Tyson Fury.And ahead of the heavyweight bout, his five sparring partners have been revealed.
Oleksandr Usyk’s five sparring partners have been revealedCredit: Getty
Usyk is preparing for his bout with Tyson Fury next monthCredit: EPA
Usyk faces The Gypsy King on Feb 17 and is hoping to become the undisputed champ with all four belts on the line next month.
And to do so he will have to make sure he is training to reach his absolute best – that includes his sparring.
The Mirror have revealed the five men who are braving the Ukrainian’s fists during his camp and it could spell trouble for Fury.
Usyk has collected a number of hard hitters and heavyweight fighters to get him ready for the big fight.
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Sanel Hasonivic
Sanel Hasonivic is one of Usyk’s sparring partners ahead of his fight with Fury.
The 6ft 8in heavyweight has an impressive 7-1 record and has won six of his fights by knockout.
The 25-year-old Serbian sent a message to Fury after his sparring sessions with Usyk.
He said: “After some serious sparring, I believe you will emerge victorious in the fight against Tyson Fury!”
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TYSON FURY VS OLEKSANDR USYK: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE UNDISPUTED HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT
Mariusz Wach
Mariusz Wach is another giant that is helping Usyk prepare in his bid to be the undisputed world champ.
Wach has experience against some of the biggest names in heavyweight boxing including Dillian Whyte.
But it was his challenge for the unified heavyweight world titles against Wladimir Klitschko in 2012 that gained him the most attention.
The 44-year-old narrowly lost out on points and will be a valuable sparring partner for Usyk.
Emmanuel Odiase
As far as experience training with the best goes, Emmauel Odiase is hard to beat.
Despite only making his pro boxing debut in October – with a win against Emre Altintas – the German heavyweight has sparred with some huge names.
Odiase previously worked with Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora as well as helping Usyk in the past as he prepared for his fight against Daniel Dubois.
Volodymyr Katsuk
A fellow Ukrainian, Volodymyr Katsuk, is another who has helped big name fighters in the past.
The 35-year-old worked with Klitschko previously and has a record of 5-1 in the ring by himself.
Katsuk also helped Robert Helenius’ spar in preperation for his fight with Wilder back in 2022.
Darren Sealy
Perhaps the most unusual name on the list is that of Darren Sealy.
The unknown British fighter stands at a whopping 6ft 9in and is relatively new to pro boxing.
Sealy made his professional debut last year against fellow Brit Phil Williams, but wasn’t able to come away with a win.
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Although he was part of Francis Ngannou’s team that helped him prepare for what was a shock performance against Fury in October.
However the most notable thing about Sealy may actually be that he an aspiring actor as well as a heavyweight boxer.
Sanel Hasanovic has been training with UsykCredit: Instagram
Mariusz Whyte (R) has previously fought Dillian Whyte (L)Credit: Getty
Emanuel Odiase has sparred with a whole host of big name fightersCredit: Instagram @emaodiase
Volodymyr Katsuk previously trained with Wladimir KlitschkoCredit: X @VladimirKatsuk
Darren Sealy was part of the Francis Ngannou’s training camp for his fight against Tyson FuryCredit: Instagram @darrensealy More