Boxing

IT’S very difficult to take the desert dust-up between Tyson Fury and MMA star Francis Ngannou seriously. Because the Rumble in Riyadh a week tomorrow is a fake fight and simply a giant version of the Letdown in Las Vegas from seven years ago.
Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou face off in Saudi Arabia next weekCredit: Getty
That was when gullible punters on both sides of the Atlantic were led to believe Floyd Mayweather Jr – the greatest boxer of his generation – was in mortal danger when faced with Ireland’s Cage King, Conor McGregor.
They fell head-over-heels for the outrageous hype, which led to that mismatch becoming  boxing’s second-biggest pay-per-view event.
It became known as The Money fight. Floyd lined his pockets with £230million while Conor had to put up with his paltry share of £105m.
Neither could wipe the smile off their faces for months.
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Nearly a million British fans paid £19.95 to watch it, and what did they get for their investment?
Seeing Mayweather carry the  outclassed McGregor before putting an end to the bombastic Irishman and the dreary proceedings in the tenth.
The publicity machine in Saudi will be going full-blast next week attempting to persuade us WBC world heavyweight champion Fury is under serious threat. They certainly have a hard sell.
When it comes to the Queensberry rules, 37- year-old Ngannou is an unknown non-entity who has been out of his cage for two years. In fact, he’s been in action only twice in the last 3½ years.
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Ngannou has been training with boxing legend Mike TysonCredit: AFP
Mike Tyson has been drafted in to show him the rudiments of the noble art. He is doing his bit, claiming that the Cameroonian boasts fearsome punching  power that can flatten Fury.
It’s just not feasible that Ngannou is going to outsmart master boxer Fury, or do what Deontay Wilder couldn’t do in three fights and KO him.
But then the one-time Baddest Man on the Planet admitted that if Ngannou should win, it would be a bigger upset than when Buster Douglas knocked him out and took his world title in Tokyo 33 years ago.
Fury’s team are not in the least bit fearful he  is going to come to any harm because they have already announced he and Oleksandr Usyk, 36, have signed to have their unification fight in December or January.
Fury is by far Britain’s most popular champion but I’m afraid he has lost a lot of credibility by becoming involved in what is nothing more than a way to make easy money.
Some fans feel he is demeaning his world championship status and it will be interesting – with the Mayweather-McGregor charade in mind – how many will be suckered into paying TNT £21.95 to watch.

TYSON FURY VS FRANCIS NGANNOU: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE CROSSOVER CLASH
Even Muhammad Ali and George Foreman were involved in freak shows in the 1970s – though it was after they’d lost their world titles.
Foreman took part in an unsavoury stunt when he took on five much smaller men in one night in Toronto and beat them all – three by KO.
And Ali humiliated himself by going to Tokyo to take on Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki, who spent 15 rounds on the canvas kicking The Greatest’s legs.
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Whether it turns out  to be an Arabian night to remember, or one to forget, Fury was made a Saudi offer he couldn’t refuse – a crazy £34.5m to nobble Ngannou.
That should keep the Lancashire lad’s seven kids in Morecambe rock for some time. 
Tyson Fury is already in Riyadh ahead of the highly anticipated boutCredit: Reuters More

TYSON FURY flexed his hulking muscles in a post-training selfie with his team.The Gypsy King is in the final stages of training camp for his controversial crossover clash with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou later this month.
Tyson Fury will throw down with former UFC champ Francis Ngannou next SaturdayCredit: GETTY
Fury has been hard at work in the gym in preparation for the Saudi showdownCredit: Instagram / @tysonfury
Fury, with Blacklock directly to his right, flexed his hulking muscles following a gruelling workout with his team in SaudiCredit: INSTAGRAM@KRISTIANBLACKLOCK
Fury, 35, is refusing to leave any stone unturned ahead of the Saudi showdown – despite Ngannou being a boxing novice.
The Wythenshawe warrior has been put through his paces by long-time strength and conditioning coach Kristian Blacklock.
And Blacklock shared a post-training snap of Fury and the team to his Instagram page on Thursday.
A topless Fury flexed his traps as the rest of his team posed for the camera.
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Blacklock’s accompanying caption for the post read: “Couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate my birthday than being around my friends and team-mates.
“Thank you all for making my day special and thanks to everyone who has sent me birthday messages I’ve literally never had so many.”
Former unified heavyweight champion Fury commented on the post with flexing, a crown and love-heart emojis.
The undefeated Fury goes into his clash with Ngannou as an overwhelming favourite to win the lucrative ten-rounder.
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TYSON FURY VS FRANCIS NGANNOU: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE CROSSOVER CLASH
But MMA man-mountain Ngannou reckons he can shock the world and hand the Brit his first professional defeat.
He told The LadBible earlier this year: “He’s a great boxer.
“One of the best to ever do it. Personally, I think he’s a show guy.
“He’s a good show guy. He likes to have fun. He’s cool.
“And what I love about him, he’s a free man. He speaks free. He lives free.
“He’s not caged. And I like that attitude.
“Ten years ago, I wasn’t in the picture. Not even in the corner, like a dot. So I have my own chance.” More

BOXING fans are outraged after BoxRec released their updated pound-for-pound rankings.The list has sparked controversy with some notable names missing out on the top ten.
Chris Eubank Jr is controversially ranked ninthCredit: Splash
Tyson Fury barely makes the top 50 – coming in at number 48Credit: Reuters
Oleksandr Usyk is another surprise emission from the top tenCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Boxrec’s pound-for-pound list
Only one Brit makes the list – Chris Eubank Jr – and some feel he does not deserve his ninth-placed placing.
The middleweight recently enacted revenge on Liam Smith by stopping his countryman in the tenth round.
He lost to Smith in their first bout in January yet one unbeaten fighter is nowhere to be seen in the top ten – Tyson Fury.
In fact, the Gypsy King is shockingly placed at number 48, some way off the likes of Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua.
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That pair also miss out on the high places with Usyk ranking 15 and AJ 31.
That means Fury is ranked as the third-best heavyweight – which has left fans bewildered.
One slammed the list saying: “What a joke 💀”
Another added: “That list is now a joke because of his [Eubanbk] inclusion. I’m not even being hyperbolic.”
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A third wrote: “They gotta change their algorithm. I like CEjnr but that’s an absolute joke honestly.”
And another commented: “Ridiculous!!!” More

ANTHONY JOSHUA has reportedly flown back to Texas to start training for a December return fight. AJ most recently knocked out Robert Helenius in August after seven rounds and looked on course to face Deontay Wilder next.
Anthony Joshua is lined up for a December returnCredit: @anthonyjoshua
But after talks with Saudi Arabian backers broke down, promoter Eddie Hearn warned the blockbuster faces postponement.
And Hearn revealed AJ could instead be back in an interim bout in December after targeting March or April for a fight with Wilder.
Hearn’s Matchroom stable are eyeing a December 23 bill in Abu Dhabi for Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn’s grudge match.
So it could mean Joshua squeezes on the UNDERCARD which would be his first non main-event since 2015.
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According to DAZN’s Ade Oladipo​​​​, Joshua, 34, has gone back to Dallas to start training camp with coach Derrick James.
Hearn previously revealed how Joshua could fight on the night touted for Eubank and Benn’s blockbuster.
He said: “It could go on December 23, maybe even as well.”
Joshua could also turn his attention to IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic, 31, as an alternative to Wilder, 37.
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Tyson Fury, 35, and Oleksandr Usyk, 36, have signed for an undisputed title decider in Saudi Arabia.
So Hrgovic is in line to fight for the IBF “interim” belt which guarantees him a shot at the champion.
Or he will inherit the full title if the victor of the unification was to be stripped or vacated.
Hearn wants Joshua in a build-up fight before moving onto either Wilder or an IBF title shot.
He revealed:”I think realistically December/January will be the date for his next fight, and then he’ll fight Deontay Wilder or he’ll fight for the IBF world heavyweight title.
“He wants to become heavyweight champion, he wants to fight Deontay Wilder, he wants to fight Tyson Fury.
“But he also wants to stay active, and that’s what he’s asked me to do to try and get him in the ring as soon as possible.”
Anthony Joshua with promoter Eddie HearnCredit: Reuters More