Boxing

MOSES ITAUMA – remember the name.The wonderboy cancelled his own 18th birthday on Thursday to get a headstart on topping the Baddest Man on the Planet and becoming history’s youngest heavyweight world champion.
Moses Itauma believes he can fight for the world title by 2025Credit: Jamie McPhilimey
All-time great Mike Tyson was the undisputed world heavyweight champ from 1987 to 1990Credit: Getty
The prodigious heavyweight – a three-time European and now World youth champion – chose instead to train alongside light-heavyweight brother Karol, 22.
So SunSport and Francis Warren of Champion Sports Management, who guide the pair, visited with balloons and bunting.
The giant southpaw groaned as he entered trainer Dan Woledge’s Ropes and Glory Chatham gym to the fanfare, where he wants to be far more focused on breaking Mike Tyson’s record of 20 years, four months and 22 days.
But he warmed up when that milestone was mentioned, he told us: “Me and my brother have talked about me breaking that record and just looking at the dates and the maths, it is very doable.
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“Karol told me ‘if anyone can do it then you can’ and I believe I can do it.
“The current world champions now are in their thirties and the ones that are coming up, supposedly to replace them, I reckon I can do all of them.”
Tyson Fury, 34, holds the WBC crown and is expected to share an undisputed decider with WBA, IBF and WBO king Oleksandr Usyk, who turns 36 on January 17 in the spring.
Mandatory challengers, former champions and established contenders like Joe Joyce, Daniel Dubois, Filip Hrgovic, Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz will then fight for the titles.
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So Itauma, raised in Kent by his Slovakian mum and Nigerian dad, knows exactly the time frame he has to shatter one of Tyson’s most incredible feats.
Already showing plenty of boxing maturity, he said: “It’s not easy to get a world title shot, I can only get in there and fight, so I will not get angry at the things I cannot control.
“20th May, 2025 is the day to do it by and it sounds miles away but it will come around quickly.
“Physically I am still a boy compared to the lot ahead of me so I am working on growing into being a man. I think I will be alright.”
A cruel childhood and the genius of trainer Cus D’Amato turned Mike Tyson from bullied Brooklyn pigeon fancier to undisputed icon and multi-millionaire before he could ever understand it.
Moses is carved out of a different sized stone but has also sacrificed his childhood to become a boxing behemoth.
“I never really celebrated a birthday since I was about 15,” he said with a baritone voice Barry White would have been proud of.
“I was a very big kid, by 14 I was probably about 6ft 4in tall and 17st. I have always felt like an adult since then.
“I haven’t grown too much physically but now I feel like I am maturing, mentality, into being a man.”
Despite his freakish frame, Moses hated bullying and was often the last line of defence at school.
“I was the justice system,” he said. “There were times when I had to bully the bullies because I hated seeing that stuff. I never liked seeing anyone being picked on.”
Big brother Karol led his sibling into their childhood St Mary’s ABC gym when he was 14 and Moses was nine.
If anyone is going to beat Mike Tyson’s record it is my brother. I know how he ticks and at times it is crazy to be a part of it.kAROL iTAUMA
At 9-0 in the pro ranks and a veteran of heavyweight undercards featuring the likes of Dubois and Joyce, he might be concerned about his not-so-little bro.
“I haven’t had to protect him since he was about 13,” he laughed.
“There’s no trepidation from me, even as his big brother.
“If anyone is going to beat Mike Tyson’s record it is going to be my brother.
“I know how he ticks inside and at times it is crazy to be a part of it and to witness it unfold.
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“I really think he is going to do it, I genuinely think he is the only person standing in the way of himself.
“I am just excited to see it all unfold, people will take notice of the debut and then they will start to recognise this talent that we have been watching grow into the man he has become.” More

MANNY PACQUIAO will be back in action next year following a successful return to the ring.The former eight-weight world champion laced up his gloves earlier this month for an exhibition with South Korean martial artist DK Yoo, which he won via unanimous decision.
Manny Pacquiao retired from boxing after a decision defeat to Yordenis Ugas last AugsutCredit: AP
Pacman returned to the ring earlier this month for an exhibition boutCredit: AP
The pride of the Philippines will return to the ring next year under the RIZIN bannerCredit: RIZIN
But the pride of the Philippines has announced will get back in the squared circle next year under the RIZIN banner.
Pacquiao was a surprise guest at RIZIN 40 in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve and revealed he’d “agreed to fight in RIZIN next year.”
An opponent hasn’t been set for Pacquiao’s maiden fight in the promotion, although the boxing great is “excited to fight a Japanese fighter.”
RIZIN chief Nobuyuki Sakakibara – the former head of the now defunct Pride Fighting Championships – was quick to quiz Pacquiao on his willingness to face “any Japanese fighter.”
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But Pacman doubled down on his willingness to fight anyone Sakakibara presents him.
Pacquiao teased a fight in RIZIN in September when he attended a press conference to promote old rival Floyd Mayweather’s clash with Mikuru Asakura.
That led to talk of a rematch between the pair, although Pacquiao doesn’t foresee it ever coming to fruition.
He told FightHype: “I’m willing to have a real fight with him, not an exhibition.
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“We need to answer those questions in the minds of the fans.
“I was affected the first year because people were asking me, ‘When is the rematch?’
“Up until now, they’re asking when is the rematch with Mayweather.”
Pacquiao brought the curtain down on his Hall-of-Fame career last September following a unanimous decision to defeat Yordenis Ugas.
Manny Pacquiao is keen on a rematch with Floyd MayweatherCredit: AFP
He said: “My boxing career? My boxing career is already over.
“It’s done because I’ve been in boxing for a long time and my family says that it is enough.
“I just continued [to box] because I’m passionate about this sport.
“I will just support other boxers for us to have a champion again.” More

IT’S far too fanciful to believe that when Martin Luther King said “we must accept finite disappointment — but never lose infinite hope” he had boxing fans in mind.Lovers of the noble art are constantly irritated beyond measure, because they so rarely get the opportunity to see the best fighting the best.
Colin Hart reckons boxing fans deserve to see Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury in 2023Credit: Getty
A year ago, this column chose six fights British punters would like to have watched in 2022.
They were Tyson Fury v Anthony Joshua, Terry Crawford v Errol Spence, Anthony Yarde v Joshua Buatsi, Josh Taylor v Gervonta Davis, Mairis Briedis v Lawrence Okolie, as well as Gennady Golovkin v Chris Eubank Jr.
All potential box-office hits. But I did warn that — because of the cynicism and greed of the world governing bodies and the intransigence of rival TV companies — few, if any, would happen.
Surprise, surprise none of them did.
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So it’s pointless for me to suggest future match-ups because, despite the new year about to dawn, the situation in 2023 isn’t going to change.
But at least promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren assured us we can now look forward to a world heavyweight unification battle between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in the spring.
Warren said: “It looks like March and we hope to get the deal done in the next few weeks.
“They both want it to happen and there won’t be broadcast problems.
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“We will still need to decide on a venue.”
Wembley Stadium has been mentioned — and it would certainly draw another 94,000 crowd — but if the Saudis badly want to stage it, then it will be another desert dust-up.
There is no doubt the heavyweights will dominate again next year — and there are so  many mesmerising and mouthwatering possibilities open to the big boys.
Imagine Deontay Wilder against Joshua, a Joe Joyce-Danny Dubois return, Joshua-Joyce, Wilder-Dubois, Dubois-Joshua, or Joyce-Wilder.
And if Fury should beat Usyk he could defend against British rivals, Joshua, Joyce and Dubois. Well, we can dream, can’t we?
At least boxing gets off to a cracking start next month when Russian-born Canadian Artur Beterbiev defends his WBC, IBF and WBO light-heavyweight titles against Anthony Yarde at Wembley Arena on January 28.
Beterbiev, who turns 38 a week before they clash, is a scary, ferocious puncher with a remarkable record — having won all of his 18 pro fights by knockout.
It’s not surprising he is a massive 1-7 favourite to keep his belts. And if Yarde does find a way to win, it’s doubtful  there will be a bigger upset in the next 12 months.
At least the Ilford man now has James Cook, the former British and European super- middleweight champion, giving him sound advice.
Cook told me: “Nobody in the  division  is fitter than Yarde.”
Yarde runs eight miles on London’s roads twice a week, starting at 3am, when the air is at its purist and there is no traffic.
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It takes him an impressive 1hr 15min.
But, as the immortal Joe Louis memorably said before defending against Billy Conn: “He can run,  but he can’t hide!” More

TYSON FURY has claimed he will have Oleksandr Usyk running “like a little b****” when the pair face off. The Gypsy King is set to face off with Usyk in the heavyweight boxing division’s first ever four-belt unification bout.
Tyson Fury has claimed he will win the four-belt unificationCredit: Getty
He has given a run down of how the fight will go against Oleksandr UsykCredit: AFP
But Fury believes he has the advantage and has already given his prediction of how the fight will go.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Fury said: “I’m going to try my heart out to do this Usyk fight for the undisputed championship.
“It’s a fight that he wants so he says. And I want, we all put it all on the line again and we’ll see who wins.
“I don’t think he’s big enough and strong enough to stand up to the punches, and he’s a natural lighter man.
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“When we were both younger, as amateurs, Usyk was a middleweight at the same time I was super heavyweight and weighed 110 kilos.
“It’s a challenge, but he’ll be running away like a little b—- all night. And I will hunt him down and when I get hold of him he’ll be crushed.”
The fight between the pair has been backed to sell out a record-breaking 95,000 seats if it is held in the UK by former cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson.
He said: “The timing is perfect. It has to be the first quarter. The potential date has been set. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t fight each other next.
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“I think it’s the perfect match-up for two unorthodox fighters, and it’s going to split opinion.
“If the fight happens, it’ll exceed the 95,000 sellout with Fury and (Dillian) Whyte if they did it here in the UK. So, I think that fight will be big.”
Fury’s championship defence against Whyte in April saw him draw a crowd of 94,000 to Wembley.
The fight will see Fury put his WBC belt up against Fury’s WBA, IBF, and WBO belts which he won – and defended – from Anthony Joshua. More