Boxing

FRANCIS NGANNOU has sent a chilling warning Anthony Joshua’s way ahead of their crossover clash.The former UFC heavyweight champion will bid to shock the world once again when he locks horns with AJ in a lucrative Saudi showdown next month.
Former UFC champ Francis Ngannou will face Anthony Joshua in Saudi next monthCredit: GETTY
The Predator shocked the world in his boxing debut against Tyson Fury last OctoberCredit: GETTY
The MMA man mountain has vowed to take Joshua’s soul with a brutal KO victoryCredit: GETTY
Ngannou, 37, turned the combat sports world upside down when he cut and dropped WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in their Riyadh rumble last October.
The Predator is confident of landing the same shot that put Fury on the canvas in the third round of their ‘Battle of the Baddest’ on AJ.
And he believes the blow will take the “SOUL” of the former two-time unified heavyweight king and derail his bid to become a three-time champion.
During a recent appearance on the High Performance Podcast, the MMA man mountain said: “Never say never.
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“Nothing is impossible. We don’t know the strength of Anthony Joshua.
“Even though I don’t believe he has that strength, we’re going to find out.
“In two months, we’re going to find out. I’m going to be the one taking his soul.”
Ngannou firmly believes the shot that put Fury on his backside will render Joshua unconscious.
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He told MMA Fighting: “If AJ takes the punch that Fury took, I don’t guarantee that he’s standing up.
“I’ve heard that he doesn’t have a chin. I’m going to find out.”
Unlike Fury, Joshua, 34, has the benefit of having footage of Ngannou boxing to watch before their Kingdom clash.
And he insists he won’t make the same mistake as The Gypsy King, saying: “If Tyson underestimated Ngannou, I sure won’t.
“Francis has lost the element of surprise with me.
“We knew Francis had a reputation as the biggest puncher in the world but the surprise was how well he boxed.
“He was exceptional on the inside and made life very complicated for Tyson.
“So much so that I do belong to the opinion that he beat Fury.” More

TYSON FURY insists he’s only fighting Oleksandr Usyk for the money – not the opportunity to prove himself as the best heavyweight of his era.The Wythenshawe warrior faces the slick southpaw for all the heavyweight marbles in a historic Saudi showdown a fortnight on Saturday.
Tyson Fury will finally throw down with Oleksandr Usyk later this monthCredit: GETTY
The pair will fight for all the heavyweight marbles in a historic Saudi showdownCredit: EPA
The Gyspy King cares more about his payday for the fight than becoming undisputed championCredit: REUTERS
Fury, 35, will become the division’s first undisputed champion in over 25 years should he reclaim the WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO and Ring titles in the Riyadh rumble.
But The Gypsy King cares more about the career-high payday he’ll bank for the desert dust-up than permanently writing his name into the history books.
He told DAZN “This is no more important than any of the other fights I’ve had before. To me anyway.
“To him, it might mean something much more special, I don’t know. I’ve never spoke to him about it.
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“I’m just telling you the truth. The truth is, it’s exciting to me and attractive because of the amount of money I’m getting paid.
“Not because of the belts that’s on the line.”
Fury has won so many belts over the years that he’s become numb to having them wrapped around him.
He said: “If you ever get time to come to Morecambe when you’re passing, nip into my front room, I’ll show you 26, 27 belts that don’t see the daylight.
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“When you’re a young person and you haven’t won anything and you win a Central Area title, or an English title, or an Irish title, it’s everything to you. Wow.
“But I’m 35-years-old with an army of children and have been to hell and back.
“Why do I care about belts in a cupboard anymore?”
Fury will join an elite group including the likes of boxing icons Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali and fellow Brit Lennox Lewis should he have his hand raised in the Kingdom clash.
But he’s adamant becoming only the 26th man in 103 years to be the undisputed king of the heavyweights will be just another day at the office.
The WBC heavyweight king said: “It’s like walking up Everest ten times.
“[The] first time would’ve been fantastic, but when you’ve done it lots of times … does it really matter anymore?
“This is professional boxing. If it wasn’t about making money, as much as you can… We’re prize fighters. We’re pugilists.
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“We’re like high-paid escorts. You’ve got a very short window to earn as much money as possible.”
It’s understood Fury was paid around £40million for his last fight against Francis Ngannou and will earn even more against Usyk.
Tyson Fury could seemingly care less about the prospect of becoming undisputed heavyweight champCredit: Getty More

OLEKSANDR USYK has been “mullering” sparring partners and making them QUIT, claims Johnny Nelson. Usyk has assembled a squad of giant heavyweight replicas of 6ft 9in Tyson Fury in his secret Spanish training camp.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk ahead of their fightCredit: Getty
But he has been smashing them so brutally that they are being sent on their way one by one – according to ex-cruiserweight champion Nelson.
He told The Mirror: “I’m hearing in the Usyk camp he’s been mullering every one of his five sparring partners and they’ve had to take it down to six rounds and the guys are pulling out.
“They are big guys, the sparring partners don’t see it going any other way. I want to see [Tyson] touch down in Saudi and know that it’s on.
“After this weekend, that’s it. It’s fight week. I want the Brit to win, but I’m just telling you what I’m hearing.
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“I was there when Fury beat [Wladimir] Klitschko. Tyson is officially the best fighter in the world and he’s got people gossiping and wound up.
“If that [old] version of Fury still exists and he turns up, he beats Usyk. If he doesn’t, you’re going to see a passing of the torch.”
The pair of unbeaten champions collide on February 17 in Saudi Arabia in what is the first ever four-belt heavyweight unification.
Fury, 35, comes into the bout having been floored by ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou, 37, in October.
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He escaped with a controversial split-decision win but dad John was among those to question his son’s preperations.
And Nelson – who formerly held the WBO title – spoke out to say he heard whispers of Fury struggling in camp to fight Usyk.
He said on talkSPORT: “I’m hearing rumours of what’s happening in camp – I’m hearing that he’s getting turned over in the gym.
“So this thing about appetite when he’s in the gym, I mean, he got shown his a***.
“I’m hearing these things and I’m thinking has he taken his eye off the ball, or has time caught up with him?”
Former cruiserweight champion Johnny NelsonCredit: PA More

PARIS FURY has shared behind-the-scenes photos of husband Tyson Fury as he prepared for the promo trailer for his fight with Oleksandr Usyk.The behind-the-scenes pics come after the amazing trailer dropped yesterday.
Tyson and Paris dressed as characters from a WesternCredit: instagram
Tyson also dressed up as a gladiator as part of the shootCredit: instagram
Paris took fans behind the actionCredit: instagram
Paris shared a selfie in her dressing roomCredit: instagram
The video sees the two heavyweight champions face off in a fictional version of the Wild West.
As the two stare each other down as part of a Mexican standoff, they transform into pirates, gladiators, samurai and anime characters throughout the advert.
Paris Fury took to Instagram to share the behind-the-scenes snaps on her Instagram.
She wrote: “Wow!!! The fight of the century just dropped its advert!! It’s amazing to watch.
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“Had so much fun watching this be filmed, loved joining in the fun too.”
Her snaps included her and Tyson dressed as a cowboy Western couple.
Her story also featured a video of Tommy Fury dressed as a cowboy, with Paris saying he was too embarrassed to pose for a picture.
She also shared photos of Fury dressed as a gladiator, with a huge tusk protruding from his shoulder.
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Fury smouldered off setCredit: instagram
The end result was impressiveCredit: Twitter
The fight is billed as the Ring of FireCredit: Twitter
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The WBC champion also wielded a spiked mace as he posed in front of a green screen.
Posting another selfie on set which also included brother Shane, she wrote: “It was so fun from start to finish, seeing how green screens work, how hard filming is and how much goes into costumes.
“But how amazing to watch Tyson take centre stage and with his family getting to join in the fun.”
The Hollywood-esque trailer was narrated by Peaky Blinders star Paul Anderson.
The bout will take place on February 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The fight will be broadcast on TNT Sports Box Office and DAZN PPV.
Fury’s brothers, Shane and Tommy also joined in with the filming of the promoCredit: instagram More