Boxing

ANTHONY JOSHUA will have “no problem” fighting Francis Ngannou before the end of the year, his promoter Eddie Hearn said. Tyson Fury signed to face Oleksandr Usyk in a undisputed title fight – eyed for December 23 – before facing ex-UFC champion Ngannou.
Francis Ngannou could fight in Saudi on December 23Credit: Reuters
Anthony Joshua with his promoter Eddie HearnCredit: RETUERS
But Fury was astonishingly dropped and left battered and bruised in his crossover clash with Ngannou, which he controversially won on points.
So, the heavyweight division’s first four-belt unification in Riyadh is now facing postponement until February.
But Saudi boxing bosses still want a Christmas cracker and have shifted their focus on Ngannou to headline the occasion.
Hearn wanted Joshua to fight before the year’s close and would be happy to start talks for him to face the MMA superstar.
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He told Boxing News: “We’d take that fight on December 23, no problem. We’re looking at that date for Joshua anyway.
“So maybe I’ll reach out to them and just say, ‘Listen, if you need an opponent for Francis Ngannou, AJ’s ready. December 23, no problem at all.’
“I’d like a bit more time promotionally to make that fight what it is, which is one of the biggest fights out there.
“But if that’s the date what was offered, then no problem.”
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Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang were names touted to face Ngannou.
But Hearn hit back: “Nah, Ngannou’s not fighting Zhang or Parker. There’s no point. What’s the point in taking a small fight now?
“You’ve had it off, take the biggest fight out there for the most amount of money and that is Anthony Joshua, maybe Deontay Wilder.”
Hearn had been leading talks for Joshua, 34, to fight Wilder in the Middle East but negotiations broke down with Saudi backers.
But the promoter is now looking to stage the blockbuster next year with AJ boxing in the interim, much to the anger of Wilder and his team.
Hearn previously held talks for Ngannou, 37, to fight Joshua although AJ was uninterested at the time.
But after his performance over Fury, which Hearn believes should have seen him win, Joshua’s mind could be changed.
Hearn revealed: “Now he’s beaten Fury, I think you’ve got every excuse you need to fight him.
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“And I know he’d fight him. But he wants to win the world heavyweight title, that’s all he wants to do.
“Ideally, it’s a path that takes him there. But if the Ngannou fight is massive, my advice would be to take it.”
Ngannou knocked down Tyson FuryCredit: Getty More

TYSON FURY is facing the curse that comes to so many middle-aged fighters when their desire and skills begin to decline.That’s the impression floundering Fury, a pro for 15 tumultuous and highly controversial years, gave in Riyadh last weekend.
Tyson Fury probably realises he’s damaged his reputation with a shocking showing and controversial win over UFC legend Francis NgannouCredit: AFP
The 35-year-old WBC world heavyweight champion produced a pitiful performance in getting a dubious split-decision verdict over novice Francis Ngannou that provoked considerable desert scorn.
Those of us watching on pay-per-view TV had the benefit of getting a close-up of Fury’s ­battered and bleeding features registering a mixture of shock and embarrassment.
He must have felt humiliated having suffered the indignity of being floored by MMA star Ngannou, who had never boxed under Queensberry rules in his life.
Nothing could have been worse for Tyson than to lose face in front of Larry Holmes, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson — four all-time great heavyweights who were ringside.
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I saw every one of that quartet find out the hard way that by their 30s their ambition had evaporated and their talent eroded. 
As the late, great Marvin Hagler memorably explained: “When you are a millionaire it isn’t easy to get out of bed at dawn to do road-work in the pouring rain when you’re wearing silk pyjamas.”
Tyson has had just one meaningful fight in two years — when he KO’d Deontay Wilder in their trilogy battle.
These days he seems to be focusing more on being a celebrity, making the nine-part Netflix docu-series ‘At Home with the Furys’ that aired in August to excellent reviews. 
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But rightly he suffered considerable criticism for his exhibition against Ngannou, who he was expected to beat with ease.
You didn’t need a sports science degree to realise Fury, at nearly 20 stone, was far from being in peak condition.
As a result he was lethargic, clumsy, his timing was all over the place, his punches lacked power and his reflexes were far from sharp. 
Fury has held his world title for five years and boasts of being better than Muhammad Ali.   
But amazingly, Cameroonian Ngannou — along with many others I made him the winner — bruised Fury and his ego to such an extent he has never been so subdued after a fight.
Deep down, Tyson must know he has tarnished his reputation and credibility.
A frustrated Oleksandr Usyk, who holds the WBA, IBF and WBO belts, will no doubt have to wait until January or February before he gets his long-awaited unification fight with Fury.
If he didn’t think it before, Usyk should now be firmly convinced he’s capable of out-boxing and out-thinking Fury.
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Sir Andy Murray, whose best days are long behind him, said this week he no longer enjoys playing tennis.
If Fury is of like mind about boxing, the Gypsy King will be sitting on an armchair and not a throne early next year. More

FRANCIS NGANNOU is being lined up for a shock return to the ring next month by Saudi boxing chiefs, it’s been claimed.Saudi was set to stage the first undisputed heavyweight title fight in 25 years between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk on December 23.
Former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou threw down with Tyson Fury last weekendCredit: Reuters
The boxing novice dropped Fury in the third round of their Saudi showdownCredit: Getty
Saudi boxing chiefs want The Predator to headline their vacant December 23 slotCredit: REUTERS
But both fighters have agreed to push back their long-awaited showdown to February following Fury’s embarrassing display against former UFC champion Ngannou last month.
Saudi boxing chiefs, however, are still keen on having another marquee fight take place in the now-vacant slot.
And it’s been claimed they’re contemplating having Ngannou top the bill of a stacked short-notice show.
That’s according to Boxing News, who claim former WBO champion Joseph Parker and surging heavyweight Zhilei Zhang are contenders to face the PFL pounder.
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They also claim the Saudis held “high-level talks about the clash” earlier this week.
Ngannou, 37, is the hottest commodity in combat sports following his virtuoso display in his split decision defeat to Fury, whom he dropped in the third round of their Riyadh rumble.
And he hopes to get another crack at the Gypsy King after he handles his business with Uysk, so much so he’ll WAIT for the pair to duke it out before deciding his next move.
The Cameroonian clubber told TMZ: “The rematch is what I want next the most.
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The stats from the fight show Fury landed more punches overall and in the majority of the rounds
“As for right now, I feel like there is a lot of options for me.
“But I want to choose wisely, and I would go for the rematch first.”
He added: “My best scenario in boxing is to wait for Fury.
“If Usyk can step out and let me fight Fury, I’ll fight Fury, then I’ll let them do whatever they do.
“I’ll go back, maybe do some MMA fight and come back with some people in boxing.
“I’m planning to fight potentially twice next year, [starting] maybe February or March.” More

TYSON FURY’S manager has opened up about Fury’s poor performance in his recent bout with Francis Ngannou.Fury fought MMA star Ngannou in the ‘Battle of the Baddest’ in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Tyson Fury was knocked down by Ngannou in the third round of the exhibition boutCredit: Getty
The WBC heavyweight champion put in a poor performance on the night, with many feeling he was lucky to secure a points victory.
Boxing novice Ngannou even knocked Fury down in the third round of the bout in what was very nearly the biggest upset in boxing history.
Speaking to Boxing King Media, Fury’s manager, Spencer Brown, was asked if there was anything in the lead-up to the fight that he felt may have affected his man’s performance in the ring.
Brown was keen to give credit to Ngannou and emphasised he was not making excuses, but did list some mitigating factors going into the bout.
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He said: “Some things people are right about. We were held up in a corridor for 45 minutes.
“That’s not an excuse, but you’re warmed up, you get ready, then he’s in a corridor, 45 minutes later we’re still there because the dancers were still on.
“Maybe he’s overdone it. We went to the Champion’s Dinner the night before – that’s probably my fault, but we were contracted to do it. Ngannou was there as well but I do hold myself responsible for that. It’s just not heard of that you do stuff like that.
“Maybe we’d have liked the fight earlier. It was very late at night. We’re not used to that. Should have perhaps prepared for that. But listen, Tyson’s a consummate professional. That was not Tyson what we saw.”
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Many will feel that the ill-advised preparation is a byproduct of hosting such an event in Saudi Arabia, which has only recently stepped into the boxing sphere.
The undercard bouts were held in a different arena in order for the Ngannou v Fury fight to have a lavish opening ceremony before it – which contributed to a less than electric atmosphere.
Still, Fury will need to deal with such issues going forward as he has signed a multi-fight deal with Saudi Arabia said to be worth £165million.
His proposed undisputed heavyweight clash with Oleksander Usyk is set to take place in Riyadh too, although it was all-but-confirmed after the Ngannou fight that it will now not be taking place on December 23. More