Boxing

RICKY HATTON has urged fans not to worry about his comeback fight against Marco Antonio Barrera. The British boxing hero faces Mexican icon Barrera in an exhibition bout on November 12 in Manchester.
Ricky Hatton training alongside his son CampbellCredit: @rickyhitmanhatton
It will be his first time in the ring for ten years but Hatton put fans at ease who are worried about his health and safety.
He told Sky Sports: “My fighting days are behind me.
“There’s very little risk involved. I think that’s what fight fans worry about when fighters make comebacks.
“They’re worried about seeing their heroes get beat or hurt. They don’t want to see the champions of yesteryear getting bashed up.
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“With an exhibition, there’s very little chance of that happening.
“You’ve got the big gloves, less rounds and there’s an understanding with two professionals. It’s a celebration.”
Hatton, 44, is one of the most celebrated fighters from UK shores and lost only three times in 48 fights.
Two of those were against all-time greats Floyd Mayweather, now 45, and Manny Pacquiao, 43.
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But the final fight in his career came two years after defeat to Pacquiao, losing to Vyacheslav Senchenko, 45, in 2012.
Now a decade later, he will return to the same Manchester arena where he became beloved by fans.
Hatton said: “My ringwalks are always very special. The ringwalk was the one thing that I miss from boxing.
“For any boxer when he comes out the changing room and does that walk to the ring, it’s the most nerve-wracking thing.
“When you retire, that’s the one thing you miss. That adrenalin rush, the roar from the crowd, that nervousness as you’re making your ringwalk.
“It’s the most nerve-wracking thing of any fighter’s preparation before the fight.
“But when it’s gone you miss it and I’m going to get the chance to feel it again so I can’t wait.”
Marco Antonio Barrera and Ricky Hatton ahead of their exhibitionCredit: Mark Robinson More

EDDIE HALL turned down “big money” fight offers after making “seven-figures” against Hafthor Bjornsson – but ruled out a boxing return.Hall was beaten on points over six rounds by bitter strongman rival Bjornsson – known as Thor – in March in Dubai.
Eddie Hall has ruled out a boxing returnCredit: Instagram
And despite making up to £1million for the super-heavyweight grudge match, the British star doubts he will fight again.
Hall, 35, told The Mirror: “I don’t think so. Doing that fight with Thor was literally the sole reason, it was good timing for me.
“Covid had just kicked off, all the TV production stopped and then I got a contract under my nose for seven-figures to fight Thor.
“I’ve been offered more fights with some big names for big money and I’m just not interested.
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“I can make more money doing what I do now and I enjoy what I do now, that’s the important thing for me.
“I’m spending time with my wife and my son and I’m enjoying myself.
“Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed boxing but it’s like with the strongman, you’ve got to be dedicated.
“From seven in the morning till 10 at night, you’ve got to be 100 per cent committed.
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“I’m just at a point in my life where I want to relax a bit and spend time with my family a bit more.”
Bjornsson, 33, held talks for an exhibition fight with Tyson Fury, 34, but after it was scrapped, he too hung up his gloves.
Thor said on his YouTube channel: “I’ll admit there was a time when there was talks between Tyson Fury and I, his team and my team, there was build-up but that never went through.
“Now I’ve made a hard decision and the reason why it took me so long to make this video was because this is actually a very difficult thing to talk about.
“I’ve made a decision to move on from boxing, to not compete in boxing again, to say goodbye to boxing and just not fight again.
“I had a good run, I did it for two-and-a-half years. It was nice to do so, because when I first started I had a lot of people not believing in me.”
Eddie Hall was beaten by Hafthor BjornssonCredit: Probellum More

OLEKSANDR USYK has been warned there is “no telling” what Tyson Fury will do next – so he should fight Deontay Wilder instead. Usyk, recovering from his latest win over Anthony Joshua, has set Fury a deadline of March 4 to agree a historic unification bout.
Oleksandr Usyk has been urged to fight Deontay Wilder next instead of Tyson FuryCredit: AP
Deontay Wilder during his 2021 loss to Tyson FuryCredit: Getty
The Gypsy King first returns against Derek Chisora in a bout to help him prepare for his Ukrainian rival.
But it was only in April that Fury announced his retirement, a common theme throughout his career.
So Wilder’s coach Malik Scott has advised Usyk to look at the American, who knocked out Robert Helenius in his October return.
Scott told ESNews: “I think he should hold off on Fury and wait for us, just fight us.
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“One, because there’s no telling what Fury’s going to do. There’s no telling.”
“Plus I’m just greedy, I like the position that my guy, Deontay, is in right now – mentally, physically, spiritually.
“He’s just in a very dangerous space right now, and I want Usyk to fight the most dangerous fighter in the world.
“Like I said, don’t nobody respect Usyk on US soil the way that I do – but I also know who I’m training is the most lethal fighter in the history of the sport.”
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Usyk, 35, ruled himself out of the heavyweight division’s first four-belt undisputed decider having returned to his war-torn home for the first time.
It left Fury, 34, to take an unpopular trilogy bout with Chisora, 38, on December 3, despite his pair of one-sided wins in 2011 and 2014.
Usyk is ready to return next year straight into the super-fight with Fury, but only on his terms.
He said: “Right now my team is in conversations with Tyson Fury, and he is a really unpredictable person, so we can’t guarantee when.
“For me, the idea would be to fight maybe early February or the beginning of March, like March 4, because I am an orthodox Christian.
“During the great fasting before Easter I do not fight, so it should be all before or then after orthodox Easter.”
Oleksandr Usyk, promoter Bob Arum and Tyson FuryCredit: Getty More

ANTHONY JOSHUA has reacted to Tyson Fury’s explicit rant with YouTuber True Geordie. Podcaster True Geordie probed Fury on his third fight with Chisora, the man he twice beat in 2011 and 2014.
Anthony Joshua has reacted to Tyson Fury’s explicit rant with YouTuber True GeordieCredit: Getty
And it led to the Gypsy King firing insults at the host – real name Brian Davis.
In response, heavyweight rival Joshua told SPORTbible: “Listen, there’s one thing being the champion of the ring and there’s another being the champion of the people outside of the ring.
“We need to conduct ourselves in better fashion because there’s youngsters that are watching us.
“I’m not the judge who can say what’s right or wrong, we just have to try and conduct ourselves in better fashion when we can, when we’re in front of the camera.
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“When we can, just try. Try, try, try, that’s for the up-and-coming fighters.”
Fury, 34, faces Chisora, 38, on December 3 at Tottenham’s stadium, in a bout criticised by fans due to his pair one-sided wins in the past.
It came after talks with Joshua, 33, collapsed and Oleksandr Usyk, 35, ruled himself out of a unification until next year.
In the now-viral interview, the Gypsy King was told that fans did not really care about him fighting Chisora.
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Fury signed off the interview by telling True Geordie: “I think you’re a t****r. You little t***pot.
“And I won’t be doing any more interviews with you little t***pot, bearded, bald-headed t***er.
“Kiss my b**ls, you little w**ker. You little s***house.”
True Geordie’s heated podcast with Tyson Fury More