Boxing

ANTHONY JOSHUA showed off his football tennis skills after an intense training routine.The 32-year-old heavyweight boxer gave fans a glimpse of how he keeps himself in tip-top condition.
Anthony Joshua gave fans a glimpse of his impressive training routineCredit: Instagram / @anthonyjoshua
He leaped onto a 1.2 metre tall stack of boxes from a standing startCredit: Instagram / @anthonyjoshua
AJ’s caption was a nod to Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous goal celebrationCredit: Instagram / @anthonyjoshua
Joshua enjoyed some downtime from training with a game of football tennisCredit: Instagram / @anthonyjoshua
Posting a video to his Instagram story, Joshua stood in front of three exercise boxes, which added up to a height of 1.2 metres.
But from a majestic standing jump, AJ effortlessly leapt onto the top box in an immense display of power.
And he captioned the video “Siiiiiiuuuuuuuuuuuu” in a nod to Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous goal celebration.
Then after the business of training was taken care of, AJ enjoyed a light-hearted game of football tennis.
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AJ and a pal tried to whack each other off a balance beamCredit: Instagram / @anthonyjoshua
And so often used to coming out on top in the ring, he showed off some nifty footwork to also emerge victorious in the game.
The fun continued as Joshua and a pal faced off on a balance beam, with the pair trying to whack each other with foam sticks.
And again AJ came out on top.
Joshua though was in the losing corner last time out in the ring – an unanimous decision defeat to Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk.
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Plans of a rematch between the pair had been thrown into doubt after Usyk joined Ukraine’s territorial defence after Russia invaded his homeland.
But now Usyk, 35, has been given the green-light to leave the war torn nation and begin training for his rematch with AJ.
A source told SunSport late last night: “It is true. Usyk is moving to his training camp in Europe.”
That would appear to give the all clear for a mega-fight with Joshua sometime in June. More

NEW ZEALAND boxer Sonny Bill Williams flattened former Aussie Rules star Barry Hall by first round KO in a one-sided beating.Heavyweight Williams, 36, is a former rugby league player but showed he was serious about the fight game as he dismantled Hall inside two minutes to move to 9-0 as a professional.

Williams produced a punch-perfect performance to beat HallCredit: Getty
Hall dropped to the floor in the opening minute of the contest but the referee deemed it to be a slip.
Moments later though he was legitimately stung and forced to take a count on the mat.
The 45-year-old clambered to his feet but was a sitting duck for the fresher, younger, more technically sound Williams.
And the Kiwi only needed to wait a matter of seconds before clinching the KO with a vicious right hand to the temple.
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Hall was laid out on the canvas as the referee waved it off.
Williams immediately jumped up onto the top rope and celebrated the victory in front of a raucous crowd at the Aware Super Theatre in Sydney.
Hall had only fought once professionally before the defeat to Williams.
That came way back in 2019 when he claimed a draw against Paul Gallen.
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And it was Gallen who Williams called out after his spectacular knockout victory over Hall.
Williams also thanked trainer Andy Lee, as well as heavyweight stars Tyson Fury and Joseph Parker who he had been training with in preparation for the clash.
Lee, along with SugarHill Steward, has trained Fury for his two wins over Deontay Wilder. More

OLEKSANDR USYK is expected to leave Ukraine and start training for a blockbuster rematch with Anthony Joshua.Usyk, who joined the territorial defence after Russia invaded, was given permission by the nation’s Sports Minister to leave the country despite the ongoing war – although under the current law he was free to leave at any time because of his young children.
Oleksandr Usyk (second from right) is said to be leaving Ukraine to train for an Anthony Joshua rematchCredit: Instagram @andrii_nebytov
Usky beat Anthony Joshua in September but a rematch is on holdCredit: AFP
After fellow boxing hero Vasyl Lomachenko declined to leave for his own title fight with George Kambosos in June, it was not clear if Usyk would follow suit and stay or meet Joshua in the ring.
But a source told SunSport late last night: “It is true. Usyk is moving to his training camp in Europe.”
That would appear to give the green light for a mega-fight with AJ sometime in June.
Earlier this week, promoter Eddie Hearn predicted two-weight world champ Usyk would be ready to face the man he dethroned.
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Hearn said on Monday: “Is AJ vs Usyk happening now? I actually think it will. I actually think that fight will happen next and it will happen in June.”
The Essex promoter rowed back on those claims on Tuesday – saying the Lomachenko decision could sway Usyk – but there seems to have been another twist in the tale.
Hearn said yesterday: “I did think that Usyk actually would take the fight – that was kind of the vibe that I was getting again.
“But now with Vasyl Lomachenko [opting to stay in Ukraine], I think it makes it more likely that he won’t.
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“But all we wanna say is, ‘We’ll give you the time, it’s no problem, but we want to fight in between.’ So that’s what we’ve got to decide.”
Usyk is said to be reluctant to leave his brothers-in-arms – but some reports claim his team is worried he will lose his advantage over AJ if the Watford-born star is allowed to have an interim opponent to boost his confidence.
Lomachenko has faced a similar question after seeing his lightweight world title fight with Kambosos Jr shelved.
Kambosos said: “I respect your decision and I totally understand and I pray for you and your country.
“Please stay safe and once I wipe the floor with Devin [Haney], we will make this fight between two real champions. God bless.”
Vasiliy Lomachenko has elected to stay in Ukraine instead of face George KambososCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
Kambosos Jr is now targeting a match-up against America’s Devin Haney in an undisputed contest.
The Sydney native’s promoter Lou DiBella has declared he has nothing but admiration for Lomachenko.
He told ESPN: “How can anyone question, the fight he’s going through right now is much bigger than any boxing match.
“We made a deal with him, the deal was literally done before the invasion, we wanted to give him any chance within reason with our allowable timetable.
“We have nothing but the utmost respect for his decision. Kambosos wanted to make sure once we made that deal that Lomachenko had ample time to decide.
“We said all along we would try to make the biggest fights and we did that today.” More