Heavyweight boxing

TYSON FURY claims he’s been trying to fight Anthony Joshua for the last SEVEN YEARS and has vowed to “annihilate” him mentally and physically.The British rivals have desperately tried but failed to get a deal over the line in the past.
Tyson Fury claimed he has been trying to fight Anthony Joshua for the last seven yearsCredit: Getty
Anthony Joshua was called a ‘p***y’ by Tyson FuryCredit: Getty
And Fury even presented AJ with the chance to settle their score as recently at this September.
But Joshua, 33, instead returns on August 12 in a rematch with Dillian Whyte, which could set up a super-fight against Deontay Wilder.
It has left Fury somewhat in the lurch and venting his frustration.
He told the Out Of Interest podcast: “I’ve been trying to fight Joshua since 2017 but he’s a little bitch, a p***y, so I don’t think you’ll see it.
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“To fight a man like me you’ve got to have big b******s, and it you don’t have that, forget about it. Because you can’t even enter my world.
“I will annihilate that motherf****r. Physically, mentally and emotionally. So he ain’t man enough to fight somebody like me.”
Joshua rematches Whyte, 35, at the O2 Arena knowing a loss will KO his blockbuster with Wilder, 37, in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile Fury, 34, is linked with a crossover bout against ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou, 36.
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It is rumoured to be next for the Gypsy King and the man himself confirmed offers have been sent his way.
Fury said: “I think there’s been a lot of talk of me and Ngannou fighting each other.
“He wants to come to boxing and he wants to fight me, he was even at one of my last fights and got up on the ring and confronted me.
“There’s potential. We’ve had a lot of offers from the Middle East at the moment to host that fight over the summer.”
Francis Ngannou is linked with a fight against Tyson FuryCredit: Getty More

ANTHONY JOSHUA and Deontay Wilder are closing in on a super-fight sure to divide opinions. The question of whether Wilder’s feared power or Joshua’s brute strength will prevail has raged on for over five years.
Anthony Joshua has sparred with Deontay Wilder’s old opponent Gerald WashingtonCredit: @gwgallonegro
Wilder knocked Washington out in 2017Credit: @gwgallonegro
But promoter Eddie Hearn revealed a deal is now in place for the pair to finally settle the score, eyed for December in Saudi Arabia.
It would promise to pit two of the heavyweight division’s top stars against each other in a true clash of styles.
And one man with inside knowledge on the duo is heavyweight veteran Gerald Washington.
The American in 2017 was knocked out by Wilder, 37, and three years later he was hired as a sparring partner for Joshua, 33.
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And breaking down the blockbuster bout, Washington, 41, admitted he sees only one winner.
He told ESNEWS: “I sparred everybody. I’m not trying to get hit by them, but I got wobbled by Wilder. I didn’t get wobbled by Joshua.
“I got Wilder in that. I see Joshua getting caught.”
Hearn previously revealed Joshua’s purse could be as much as £60m for the Middle East mega-fight.
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But AJ must first beat Dillian Whyte, 35, after the pair announced they will rematch on August 12 at the O2 Arena.
Hearn told talkSPORT: “I don’t know how the Whyte fight goes, but we’ve been told categorically that the deal on the table is not the deal if he loses to Dillian Whyte.
“They didn’t want him to fight Dillian Whyte. It was almost like, ‘Please, don’t fight Dillian Whyte.
“You don’t need to. We’ve got this fight in December. But AJ was like, ‘No. I want to fight.’
“If he wins on August 12, he’ll go into the Deontay Wilder fight with loads of momentum and again it’s just adding to that incredible CV.
“I think he should be praised for the fact he wants to give you a real fight instead of just a tick-over fight until he fights Deontay Wilder – this is very dangerous.”
Joshua beat Dillian Whyte in 2015 and will face him again nextCredit: AFP More

ANTHONY JOSHUA is risking a £60million payday against Deontay Wilder by first returning to settle a score with Dillian Whyte. Promoter Eddie Hearn has a deal in place for Joshua to face Wilder in Saudi Arabia, which is set for the end of the year.
Anthony Joshua is in training for his next fightCredit: Instagram/@anthonyjoshua
Deontay Wilder and Joshua have a deal in place to fight in DecemberCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And he previously revealed his purse could be as much as £60m for the Middle East mega-fight.
But AJ must first beat Whyte after the pair announced they will rematch on August 12 at the O2 Arena.
Hearn told talkSPORT: “This one is wild because AJ has got the Wilder fight locked in for December.
“We had meetings last week with the Saudis. Obviously, that’s one of the biggest fights in boxing, and he wanted to fight in the interim.
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“You know, he’s been working with Derrick James, he wanted to have that fight and he was insistent it was Dillian Whyte.
“I wasn’t over the moon because I know it’s dangerous. It’s a fight that is built off emotion, they don’t like each other.
“You saw what happened last time at the O2, it’s going to be an absolute firefight on August 12. That’s why it’s so dangerous.
“You’ve got that Deontay Wilder fight in December, he could’ve just waited and had an easy, gimme fight at the O2 – but he’s decided to roll the dice.”
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Joshua’s history with Whyte, 35, dates back to their amateur days when he was beaten in a thriller.
But AJ got revenge in 2015 when the pair rematched in the professional ranks with a seventh-round stoppage.
The two have continued to feud ever since and have finally got a deal over the line to decide their trilogy once and for all.
But a defeat for Joshua, 33, would KO his blockbuster bout with Wilder, 37.
Hearn said: “I don’t know how the Whyte fight goes, but we’ve been told categorically that the deal on the table is not the deal if he loses to Dillian Whyte.
“They didn’t want him to fight Dillian Whyte. It was almost like, ‘Please, don’t fight Dillian Whyte.
“You don’t need to. We’ve got this fight in December. But AJ was like, ‘No. I want to fight.’
“If he wins on August 12, he’ll go into the Deontay Wilder fight with loads of momentum and again it’s just adding to that incredible CV.
“I think he should be praised for the fact he wants to give you a real fight instead of just a tick-over fight until he fights Deontay Wilder – this is very dangerous.”
Joshua beat Dillian Whyte in 2015Credit: AFP More

JAKE PAUL reckons the heavyweight division is an absolute “shambles” due to the big names not fighting one another.Pound-for-pound king Oleksandr Usyk was due to face Tyson Fury in an undisputed heavyweight title fight in the spring.
Tyson Fury’s undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk collapsed in the springCredit: REUTERS
The Gypsy King has also yet to share the ring with fellow Brit Anthony JoshuaCredit: PA
YouTube sensation Jake Paul believes the division is in disarrayCredit: EPA
But their historic showdown fell through following a very public and back-and-forth negotiations.
British boxing fans have also been denied a mouthwatering domestic dust-up between Fury and former two-time unified champion Anthony Joshua.
And YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul, like many others, reckons boxing’s once premier division is now trailing the lighter weight classes.
During an appearance on talkSPORT, he said: “For me the heavyweight division’s in shambles.
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“The heavyweight division right now is the only division that’s not stepping up to the plate and making the big fights happen.
‘The lightweight division’s doing it, obviously Errol Spence vs Terence Crawford [at welterweight].
“But for some reason in the heavyweight division we’re not getting it.
‘We’re not getting Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua, we’re not getting Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk, we’re not getting Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder, we’re not getting Deontay Wilder vs Andy Ruiz Jr.
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‘Like, what are these guys doing?”
Paul, 26, reckons the entire of sport boxing would benefit if the big boys at heavyweight put it all on the line.
He roared: “Come on, let’s make the sport a better place.
“You guys get paid to fight, so get in there and stop ducking each other.”
Although Paul believes the likes of Fury, Joshua and Wilder are to blame for fights not being made, he doesn’t just lay at the feet of this current crop of heavyweights.
He added: “Honestly a lot of the times it goes back to the promoters in boxing blocking everything and wanting to make the most money.

“And who owns the rights to air the content on what platform.
“A lot of times it’s DAZN vs Showtime vs ESPN and it’s all these big parties that get involved.
“But it’s up to the fighters to say, ‘No, let’s push this forward, let’s make this happen regardless of all these crazy things going on.’
“That’s why I give a lot of props to Ryan Garcia, because he was the reason the Gervonta Davis fight happened.
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“He compromised a lot to make it work.”
Former Disney star Paul is currently gearing up to face UFC legend Nate Diaz in a Dallas dust-up on August 5. More

BOXING fans are up in arms over Anthony Joshua vs Dillian Whyte’s PPV price.The Brits are set to clash again at the O2 Arena on August 12.
Fans are not happy with the PPV price for Anthony Joshua vs DIllian WhyteCredit: Getty
DAZN are charging the fee on top of their subscription priceCredit: Getty
They last fought in December 2015 when AJ stopped Whyte in the seventh round to retain his WBC heavyweight belt.
But Joshua’s stock has fallen after losing his world titles to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021, while he also failed to impress in his most recent win against Jermaine Franklin.
So boxing fans cannot understand why the PPV for the fight will cost £26.99.
DAZN are showing the contest and fans have taken aim, suggesting the bout is not worthy of such a big fee.
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One fan wrote: “Are they having a laugh, that ain’t worth it,not PPV fight.”
Another added: “Waste of money.”
A third said: “They won’t get that from me, I pay the monthly fee and then they try and shaft us for £26.99 for two fighters who have lost form.”
And another commented: “Daylight robbery 😂”
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There is a lot of history between the pair with Whyte winning their 2009 amateur showdown that happened above a North London pub.
But AJ got revenge with a 2015 pro barnstormer for the British heavyweight title.
Both reformed bad boys are now millionaires enjoying the backend of their fight careers but both sound desperate to roll back the years and roll around the floor fighting.
“I’ve been clear that my plan is to be active this year,” said Joshua. “August 12 is the date, I’ll be ready to fight. I look forward to dealing with business.”
Whyte – who knows Joshua has a mega-money December clash with Deontay Wilder waiting in Saudi Arabia – is desperate to spoil the party.
The Jamaica-born brawler got a rematch clause ripped out of the original contract, in the hope he can stun the London 2012 legend and take his place in the Middle East.
He said from his Florida training camp: “I’m looking forward to returning to the London O2 on August 12 and going to war. It’s 1-1 so this is the decider!” More

ANTHONY JOSHUA and Dillian Whyte’s bitter trilogy clash has finally been confirmed for August 12.The all-London rubber match should have happened in April after Brixton brawler Whyte beat Jermaine Franklin.
Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte will renew their rivalry later this summerCredit: TIMES NEWSPAPERS LTD
The pair have fought twice before, once in the amateurs and once in the pro ranksCredit: GETTY
AJ came out of the professional domestic dust-up victoriousCredit: NEWS GROUP NEWSPAPERS LTD
But, in a surprise move that left the Body Snatcher raging, 33-year-old AJ cautiously outpointed the unknown American instead.
After a couple of weeks of tense negotiations, 35-year-old Whyte has accepted what he feels is a poor deal, just for the chance to fight his oldest foe.
The football stadium sell-out shared promoter Eddie Hearn has always promised has been swapped for an O2 clash in the middle of the school summer holidays.
And that cut in earning potential has added fuel to Whyte’s fury over being overlooked in the Spring.
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Whyte won their 2009 amateur showdown that happened above a North London pub. 
But AJ got revenge with a 2015 pro barnstormer for the British heavyweight title.
Both reformed bad boys are now millionaires enjoying the backend of their fight careers but both sound desperate to roll back the years and roll around the floor fighting.
“I’ve been clear that my plan is to be active this year,” said Joshua. “August 12 is the date, I’ll be ready to fight. I look forward to dealing with business.”
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Whyte – who knows Joshua has a mega-money December clash with Deontay Wilder waiting in Saudi Arabia – is desperate to spoil the party.
The Jamaica-born brawler got a rematch clause ripped out of the original contract, in the hope he can stun the London 2012 legend and take his place in the Middle East.
He said from his Florida training camp: “I’m looking forward to returning to the London O2 on August 12 and going to war. It’s 1-1 so this is the decider!”
Team Joshua will be hoping AJ will be able to showcase his work with new coach Derrick James and blow Whyte out of the water.
But former WBC heavyweight title challenger Whyte is adamant he won’t be cannon fodder for AJ to get his mojo back before a Saudi showdown with Wilder.
He told talkSPORT late last month: “Listen, I’m no warm-up fight for no-one.
“I’ll give anyone hell on the night.
“One advantage I have over anyone fighting AJ is I’m able to get in his head mentally.
“I’m able to offset him and I’m able to drag him into a scrap because we have that energy and we have that history.
Anthony Joshua got back to winning ways with a scrappy win over Jermaine Franklin in AprilCredit: THE TIMES
Dillian Whyte scraped past the American in a razor close fight last NovemberCredit: GETTY
“Just that alone makes me a massive danger for him and they don’t wanna risk the Wilder fight.”
Joshua knows his domestic dust-up with Whyte could be a potential banana skin on his road to becoming a three-time heavyweight champ.
The Watford warrior said: “What am I doing this fight for?
“I want to become three-time heavyweight champion of the world.
“I want to test myself.
“I’ve been through a lot and I want to see what I have left to give.
When I say what I have left to give, I am not resting on what I have, I am building on what I have and I want to see how far I can take myself.
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“I know what it takes, I know what this game is about and I’m going to push myself beyond the limits where I’ve been before.
“Hence why I find myself in Dallas because I’m trying to find an environment that can stimulate me, motivate me and push me onto higher highs.” More