Boxing

TYSON FURY is NOT interested in receiving a knighthood… but does have his eye on a slightly different title.The WBC heavyweight champion, 34, defended his strap on two occasions in 2022 – against Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora.
Tyson Fury knocked out Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in AprilCredit: Getty
King Charles could knight Fury like many other sportspeople have beenCredit: Getty
It takes his professional record to 33 wins, one draw and no defeats.
In the wake of his 10th round stoppage of Chisora earlier this month, former England striker Wayne Rooney called for Fury to be knighted.
But The Gypsy King has no interest in the honour and would hilariously rather King Charles name him the “Emperor of the North of England”.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Fury was asked about the possibility of being knighted, to which he replied: “A few sportspeople have it.
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“Sir Mo Farah, Sir Steve Redgrave, Sir Lewis Hamilton, Sir Andy Murray.
“Well if all them people have had it, then I’d like something that no one else has had, especially a sportsperson.
“I’m a normal man but a limited edition, so I’d like something different.
“Maybe King Charles could make me the Emperor of the North of England.”
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Fury is expected to face Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed crown in the first four months of 2023.
Promoter Bob Arum recently confirmed the pair had agreed not to take any interim bouts, with Fury’s team expecting Usyk’s WBA mandatory – Daniel Dubois – to be delayed in order to get the undisputed fight on.
And while many believe Usyk will be one of Fury’s toughest tasks to date, he is unequivocal in the belief that he will destroy the Ukrainian, 35.
The Brit added: “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.” More

TYSON FURY has been backed to sell out a record-breaking 95,000 seats if he was to fight Oleksandr Usyk in the UK. The unbeaten champions are in talks for the heavyweight division’s first four-belt unification.
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury are in talks to fightCredit: Getty
Former cruiserweight champion Johnny NelsonCredit: Action Images – Reuters
And the Middle East is the frontrunner to host with a hefty fee to bring the pair over being tabled.
But former cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson believes the occasion is worthy of a stadium sellout in the UK – with Wembley Stadium the biggest venue in the country.
Nelson, 55, told Sky Sports News: “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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“He has an amazing reputation. Tyson Fury has defied all the odds and is continuing to do so.
“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, 34, packed out 94,000 at Wembley in April when he knocked out Whyte, 34, in what was the biggest crowd in British boxing history.
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And in December he brought 60,000 over to Tottenham’s stadium for his ten-round beating of Derek Chisora, 38.
Usyk, 35, was ringside and faced off against Fury and the two are ready to put all four titles on the line by March of next year.
The Ukrainian is coming off consecutive victories over Anthony Joshua, 33, were he won and retained the WBA, IBF and WBO belts.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk facing off at TottenhamCredit: JAMIE MCPHILIMEY More

OTTO WALLIN versus Anthony Joshua is the “perfect fight” for both stars, says the Swede’s promoter.Wallin, 32, left Tyson Fury needing 47 stitches in their 2019 bloodbath in a bout that raised his profile despite suffering a defeat on points.
Eddie Hearn is currently searching for Anthony Joshua’s next opponentCredit: PA
Otto Wallin’s promoter is adamant his man is the ideal opponent for AJCredit: Getty
Since then the heavyweight has racked up four straight victories in between a cancelled bout with Dillian Whyte.
Rydell Booker was his last victim in May as he recorded a unanimous decision victory.
Wallin would love a rematch with Fury, who is now the WBC champion, but the Gypsy King is instead closing in on a unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk.
That has led to claims that talks are underway with Eddie Hearn over a potential showdown with fellow Brit boxer AJ.
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Joshua, 33, is expected to return in March after suffering back-to-back setbacks against Usyk and Hearn is in the process of matching him with an opponent.
Now Wallin’s promoter, Dmitry Salita, has explained why he feels a showdown between his man, who has been defeated once in 26 bouts, and the former two-time world champ would be ideal for all concerned.
Speaking to VegasInsider, he said: “Both Otto and Joshua want to fight Tyson Fury.
“Otto gave Tyson the hardest fight of his career landing more punches against him than Klitchko and Wilder 1 put together.
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“Joshua wants to warrant a fight with Tyson after losing to Usyk.
“I believe that Otto vs Joshua is the perfect fight for both. 
“Eddie is attaching Joshua to lots of big names, we’ll see how serious Joshua is based on the opponent he selects next.”
Salita insists that AJ is still a “special fighter” but is adamant it would be his man with his arm raised in victory after a potential clash.
He added: “It’s (AJ vs Otto) a very interesting fight.
“Joshua is obviously one of the elite guys in the division. Does he still have what is necessary to compete at an elite level?
“Otto wants to be heavyweight champ and showed he is world class in his fight vs Tyson and subsequent quality wins after that.
“I pick my guy Otto to win by UD. Otto is smart, focused, has a very good chin and is still very fresh. He did not have too many fights where he took punishment.
“His only loss is a controversial one to one of the greatest heavyweights of our generation.
“Joshua was a unified heavyweight champ, Olympic Gold Medalist. He is definitely a special fighter.

“Based on the last several performances it looks like he may be losing a step in some things.
“I did see some technical improvement with Garcia which was made in a short amount of time. We will see if he is still legitimate based on the level and performance on his next opponent.”
The Swede left Tyson Fury needing 47 stitches in their 2019 bloodbathCredit: Getty More

ICONIC boxing promoter Bob Arum has worked with some of the hardest-hitting fighters of all time – but one stands out among them all. Arum has been in the business stretching over seven decades, dating back to the 1960s.
Mike Tyson pictured fighting Evander Holyfield in 1996Credit: AP:Associated Press
Derek Chisora was stopped in ten rounds of his trilogy fight with Tyson FuryCredit: Jamie McPhilimey
It has seen him work with some of the best the sport has ever seen, including Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
And Arum has somewhat of a specialty in heavyweight boxing, doing business with Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, George Foreman and current champion Tyson Fury.
But it is the frightening undisputed bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue – nicknamed The Monster – whose punch packs the most power.
And Arum claimed only 19 stone Fury, 34, can handle Inoue’s power due to their 11 STONE weight difference.
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He told GiveMeSport: “The only guy who might be able to handle Inoue is Tyson Fury because he’s a little too big for him.
“But this Inoue, I mean he’s scary. He is like a loaded rifle. I get such a kick out of this guy.
“You really begin to feel sorry for his opponent halfway through his fights.”
Inoue, 29, is a three-weight champion, rated among many as one of the best in the world, with 21 knockouts in his 24 consecutive wins.
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He recently stopped Britain’s Paul Butler, 34, to reign as undisputed champion with all four belts in the 8st division.
Arum added: “I’ve never seen anybody with the concussive power, pound-for-pound, that Inoue has.
“I mean, never, particularly at that weight. He sets the guy up and boom he knocks them out the guy can’t move. He is really something special.”
Naoya Inoue knocked out Paul ButlerCredit: Getty
Tyson Fury pictured with promoter Bob ArumCredit: Getty More

EDDIE HEARN has revealed talks over a showdown between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder are ongoing.The long-awaited grudge match is closer than it’s been since the duo held all the heavyweight marbles four years ago.
Anthony Joshua was on course to face Deontay Wilder in 2018Credit: GETTY
But the pair’s long-awaited showdown is seemingly closer than everCredit: GETTY
Promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed talks over the grudge match are still ongoingCredit: MATCHROOM BOXING
Hearn reached out to Wilder’s representatives ahead of Joshua’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in August to gauge their interest in setting up the fight and is still in contact with them over the lucrative bout.
The Matchroom Boxing chief told iFL TV: “The communication lines are good now, between me and Shelly Finkel [Wilder’s manager].
“We’ve had a lot of talks, a lot of chats [but] until the training team is confirmed for AJ, we really won’t make any opponent selection because we want the input of a trainer.
“We’ve got three or four guys that we are talking to and ready to try and make a move for.
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“But at the end of the day, we’ve got to make sure that the training team are comfortable with that.”
Former long-reigning WBC champion Wilder was recently ordered to face ex-unified king Andy Ruiz Jr in a final eliminator by the Mexican sanctioning boy,
And Hearn expects The Bronze Bomber to fight the trimmed-down Ruiz next.
He continued: “I’m guessing that is what he is going to do next.
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“At the same time, we’d like Dillian Whyte to fight Deontay Wilder in the interim or AJ in the summer.
“We will have to see but it looks like Wilder will fight Ruiz and AJ will fight at the end of March/April and Dillian Whyte may fight as well.
“And I think they’re all going to come together in the summer.”
Joshua, 33, is confident he’ll share the ring with Wilder before it’s all said and done, telling GQ: “Let’s look to the future.
Anthony Joshua is set to return to the ring in MarchCredit: GETTY
“It will definitely happen.
“We’re in the same division, we’re in the same era, that means the fight has to happen.
“2023 is looming, it’s a big year for boxing, and that fight will definitely happen.”
AJ hasn’t set foot in the ring since his second successive defeat to Usyk but is planning to return in late March. More

TYSON FURY fears a fight with Anthony Joshua is “DONE” forever – just like his grudge match David Price. The British rivals have come close to getting a deal over the line before, only for it to face total collapse.
Tyson Fury fears a fight with Anthony Joshua is ‘done’ foreverCredit: Getty
Oleksandr Usyk twice beat Anthony JoshuaCredit: AP
In August 2021, they agreed a historic unification bout until Fury, 34, was ordered into a trilogy bout against Deontay Wilder, 37.
Joshua, 33, then went on to twice lose to Oleksandr Usyk, 35, who is now in line to fight Fury for the undisputed crown next year.
The domino affect is something the Gypsy King is all too familiar with following the breakdown of his grudge match with David Price a decade ago.
Fury told iFL TV: “Me and David were simmering real good, real good simmering, coming to a boil as well. One fight away, from that massive, massive showdown.
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“Big, big, big British rivalry, and he got beat off Thompson, rematched and got beat, then he was done wasn’t he. There was no more rivalry.
“After that he fought one of my common opponents, Christian Hammer, and got knocked out by Hammer as well.
“Then it was totally dead in the water. That is what has happened with Joshua, we were supposed to fight, over in Saudi, in 2021.
“Wilder won that arbitration court case and I had to fight this mandatory.
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“So I had to fight Wilder, nearly got done, twice down in the fourth round.Then Joshua had to fight Usyk, lost and lost and now it’s done.”
Price, 39, retired in 2021 but was called out to a shock stadium fight by Fury, who is currently in talks to fight Usyk for all the belts.
Meanwhile, Joshua is set to return in the spring on 2023 following his consecutive losses.
David Price pictured in 2017 with Tyson Fury More