Boxing

TYSON FURY has been granted permission to KEEP his beard for tomorrow’s heavyweight showdown with Oleksandr Usyk. Usyk’s team had wanted the Gypsy King to shave off his bushy beard for the Saudi rematch.Tyson Fury has been granted permission to keep his beard for the fightCredit: GettyOleksandr Usyk’s team wanted him to shave it due to concerns it could cushion a punchCredit: GettyThey suggested that it could actually cushion a blow to the face, which would benefit Fury during the fight.But officials have ruled in the Brit’s favour, allowing him to keep the beard.Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, told Sky Sports: “He has a beard and there’s been a lot of fighters over the years who’ve fought with beards, and that’s it.”In a separate dispute, the rival camps are at loggerheads over a replacement judge for Saturday’s bout.Read More in BoxingGerardo Martinez, Patrick Morley and Fernando Barbosa were originally set to score the historic clash.Barbosa was taken ill this week and did not fly to Riyadh.Steve Weisfeld of New Jersey is said to have stepped in to fill the void.However, Warren claims there is another judge who could be called upon because the camps are in disagreement.Most read in BoxingCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSThe 72-year-old has even suggested they could rely on a COIN TOSS to decide.Warren said: “This will get sorted. Use a bit of common sense, and actually both camps are very, very professional and know what they have to do.”Watch Tyson Fury’s terrifying rant as Gypsy King vows to put ‘f*****’ Oleksandr Usyk ‘in the hurt lockerFury and Usyk met for a press conference on Thursday which was followed by a face-off that lasted over 10 minutes.Usyk handed Fury the first defeat of his professional career in May.He won the fight by a split decision.Fury vs Usyk 2 – top storiesREAD MORE on all the build-up to the blockbuster fight in Riyadh..All the info:News, features and interviews: More

TYSON FURY, a boxing historian, is aware the record book shows he has less than an even-money shot at regaining his world title from Oleksandr Usyk.Fellow heavyweights Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali and Lennox Lewis achieved it in fights straight after being dethroned.Tyson Fury is set to do battle with Oleksandr Usyk once again on Saturday nightCredit: GettyMuhammad Ali famously took on Sonny ListonCredit: GettyMike Tyson’s rematch with Evander Holyfield went down in infamyCredit: AFPBut Patterson was also among the failures — along with Mike Tyson, Larry Holmes, Deontay Wilder and Jack Dempsey.Movie sequels are rarely as good as the originals but where the world heavyweight title is concerned, some of the return battles have been sensational.If Fury and Usyk provide the same edge-of-the-seat excitement — and controversy — when they meet again, it will captivate fans.It’s not difficult to pick out the most scandalous, outrageous and unforgettable clash since the first champion John L Sullivan laced on his gloves 135 years ago.READ MORE ON BOXINGEvander Holyfield defied the odds in 1996 and stopped Tyson in 11 rounds to lift the WBA belt.They met again in the same Las Vegas ring seven months later in the hideous Bite Fight.That nauseating image of Tyson chewing an inch of flesh out of Holyfield’s right ear, and spitting it on the canvas, is still fresh in my mind.Disqualified by referee Mills Lane, Mike claimed he did it in frustration because Holyfield had been head-butting him.Most read in BoxingBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSIt cost him a $3million fine and 12-month ban — and he never ruled the division again.Just as contentious was what occurred in Maine in May 1965, 14 months after Cassius Clay did the unthinkable by stopping Sonny Liston to become champ.Meet the AI boxing official who’ll be ringside for Fury v Usyk with fans convinced it ‘will eliminate judges completely’When they met again, Clay had changed his name to Muhammad Ali and Liston was favourite to crush the Louisville Lip.But that opening round left the 4,000-strong crowd shocked and bewildered. An innocuous Ali right cross clipped Liston and left him lying on his back.Ali stood over him yelling “Get up Sucker” — and it became known as the Phantom Punch.New York sports writer Jimmy Cannon wrote that the punch “couldn’t have crushed a grape”.Liston eventually got to his feet but referee Jersey Joe Walcott stopped the fight after two minutes and declared Ali the winner.Because of Liston’s long links to the Mob and doubts over that punch, arguments rage to this day about the fight being fixed.Fury vs Usyk 2 – top storiesREAD MORE on all the build-up to the blockbuster fight in Riyadh..All the info:News, features and interviews: ALI vs SPINKSRoll on thirteen years to Las Vegas, Ali barely bothered to train when challenged by Olympic gold medallist Leon Spinks having only his eighth pro fight.Astonishingly Spinks deservedly beat him on points.Seven months later in New Orleans Ali reversed the points decision and, for the third time, was top of the world.DEMPSEY vs TUNNEYMention the Long Count and any student of the Noble Art will know what you are talking about.Jack Dempsey, having lost his title to Gene Tunney in 1926, tried to get it back a year later.Dempsey floored Tunney in the seventh but didn’t obey the referee’s command to go to a neutral corner.It meant Tunney was on the canvas for about 14 seconds before getting up — and those extra seconds enabled him to recover and repeat another points win. Dempsey never fought again.PATTERSON vs JOHANSSONIn June 1960, Patterson KO’d Ingemar Johansson to become the first man to regain the heavyweight world title.It was sweet revenge for losing to Johansson the first time.PATTERSON vs LISTONBut two years later, Patterson was KO’d by Liston in just 126 seconds of the first round.Patterson, bidding to win back the title for a second time ten months later, lasted only four seconds longer against him.HOLMES vs SPINKSLarry Holmes had reigned for seven years and was expected to beat Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record.But in September 1985, Michael Spinks became the first world light-heavyweight champ to win boxing’s richest prize when he outpointed Holmes over 15 rounds.Spinks repeated his triumph seven months later.FURY vs WILDERWilder, despite picking himself off the floor twice and putting Fury down twice, found the Gypsy King too good.He suffered an 11-round KO in his bid to resurrect his title, in the third fight of their trilogy.LEWIS vs RAHMANIn April 2001, Lennox Lewis paid the price for not preparing properly to fight at Johannesburg’s 5,500ft altitude.And 20-1 outsider Hasim Rahman flattened him in five rounds to score one of the greatest heavyweight upsets.He had to take Rahman to court to force him to honour the return fight clause in the deal.Rahman’s eminence lasted just seven months — Lewis joined the short list of regainers by knocking him out in the seventh round in Las Vegas.READ MORE SUN STORIESIt’s highly unlikely there will be any ear-biting, disqualifications, long counts or Phantom Punches in Riyadh on Saturday night.Instead, let’s hope Fury and Usyk’s fight will be a memorable, quality contest with no disputes whoever is named winner.Fury vs Usyk 2: Ring walk time, TV channels and undercard – all you need to know for big rematch More

A NEW judge for Tyson Fury’s rematch against Oleksandr Usyk could be decided with a COIN TOSS.The rival camps are locked in a dispute over a replacement official as two potential judges have been drafted in to replace Fernando Barbosa.Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s replacement judge could be decided by a coin tossFrank Warren was the one who purposed with the solutionFury, 36, and Usyk, 37, will square off for a second time on Saturday night.Barbosa had been due to be one of the three judges on fight night but he was unable to travel to Riyadh due to illness.Two back-up officials, Steve Weisfeld and Ignacio Robles, have been flown in to fill the void.But the respective fighter teams are split on which judge should be used on fight night.READ MORE BOXINGThe Gypsy King’s promoter Frank Warren has now suggested a coin toss should settle the issue.Warren told Sky Sports: “One of the judges has taken ill of the three that were decided upon.”There are two standby judges, both of them are flying in and we’ve got to decide which one it’s going to be.”We want one of them and the other camp wants the other, so I’ve suggested we spin a coin.”Most read in BoxingFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSFury vs Usyk 2: Ring walk time, TV channels and undercard – all you need to know for big rematchWarren believes a resolution will eventually be found.He added: “This will get sorted. Use a bit of common sense, and actually both camps are very, very professional and know what they have to do.”Meet the AI boxing official who’ll be ringside for Fury v Usyk with fans convinced it ‘will eliminate judges completely’Weisfeld was a judge on Usyk’s first match with Anthony Joshua in 2021, scoring the Ukrainian a 116-112 winner.He has led an illustrious career stretching back to 1991, with over 2000 fights under his belt, and has largely avoided controversy in that time.Robert Ramirez Jr of Puerto Rico has been picked as the referee.But there has been late drama just under 36 hours before the fight is due to get underway.Fury has drastically changed his look since his May defeatThe other key points of contention at Friday’s rules meeting were the length of Fury’s beard, the position of the shorts and kissing a cross in the corner.Fury was a clean-shaven giant when he took on Usyk the first time, when the Ukrainian hero won via a split decision.However, he now sports a great big bushy beard, with Fury admitting he has not groomed anywhere from the eyeballs down.But the board in charge of the rules for the rematch state fighters must have their jawline visible for safety reasons.Usyk famously kissed a cross in his corner during the first fight and went out to deliver an inspired performance. But Fury’s team don’t want a “foreign object” in any corner, in order to eliminate any potential doubt and reduce online speculation.READ MORE SUN STORIESWarren said: “After the fight there was a lot of speculation, they weren’t sure what it was. “We just cut through it all. If there’s anything that is used other than water that goes to the fighter’s lips, then the inspector will take it away and hold it and if anything is seen to be not correct then they’ll deal with it, test it, whatever that may be, what they have to do.” More

TYSON FURY’S rematch with Oleksandr Usyk tomorrow night is set to be judged by an AI official.The Gypsy King’s bid to dethrone Usyk and claim back his world heavyweight titles is set to go down in Riyadh this weekend.An AI judge will run the rule over Saturday’s fightCredit: X @Turki_alalshikhThe AI judge will take several factors into accountCredit: X @Turki_alalshikhOleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury are ready for battleCredit: AFPAs usual, the 12-round contest will be judged by three officials.But in a boxing first, there will also be scoring from a robot judge.While the robot’s scores will NOT count towards the outcome of the fight, fans will be able to see how its card compares with those of the actual judges.Posting about the robo-judge, Saudi supremo Turki Alalshikh wrote on social media: “Ever wondered how AI could change the world of boxing?READ MORE IN SPORT”Meet the 4th Judge. An experimental AI scoring system debuting at Usyk2Fury on December 21.”Let’s see how this experiment unfolds.”Turki, 43, added a video explaining what is set to happen.A robotic-sounding voice said: “Hi. I’m the first ever AI boxing judge, and I’m here to bring fairness to the ring.Most read in BoxingBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS”I analyse every round, every move and every decisive moment during the fight, displaying real time metrics like aggression, landed punches, impact and defensive deployments.”With this data, I’m able to calculate a score and determine who should win the match.Fury v Usky 2 – Longest face-off in boxing history before fighters are forced apart”See you on December 21 for Usyk-Fury 2.”Turki’s post has received plenty of feedback on social media.One fan responded: “Incredible! This will eliminate judges completely.”While a second gushed: “Wow, that looks incredible, and this could end referees wild scorecards.”Although a third joked: “This is a video game parody from the 90’s.”And another warned: “Different sports but look at var and football. Technology and sports doesn’t always work. Be careful what you wish for.”The judges were required to determine Usyk’s victory over Fury back in May.On that occasion the Ukrainian triumphed via a split decision, despite most fans feeling that he’d comfortably won the fight.But on the contrary, Fury himself felt that he’d done enough to have his hand raised – and has promised this time not to leave it up to the judges.’I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A BAD MANHe said: “I’ve always been a bad man my whole life, and I’m still one today at nearly 40 years old, a few years off 40.”I’m going to go in there with destroy mode. Last time, I went to box him, I was being cautious.READ MORE SUN STORIES”Anybody can get caught as we have seen in a lot of these heavyweight fights.”But this time I’m not going for a points decision. I’m going to knock that motherf****r out.”Fury vs Usyk 2: Ring walk time, TV channels and undercard – all you need to know for big rematch More