Heavyweight boxing

ANTHONY YARDE is just one win away from unified light-heavyweight glory in his own back yard. All that stands in the Londoner’s way is boxing’s only champion with a 100 per cent knockout ratio.

Yarde, 31, challenges Artur Beterbiev, 38, for the Russian’s WBC, IBF and WBO world titles on Saturday at Wembley Arena in the capital.
It is a massive fight that brings two of the sport’s biggest punchers together.
Ahead of the anticipated clash, SunSport breaks down how the two big hitters compare.
Beterbiev comes from a well-schooled amateur background, having won world and European championships.
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He went to the 2012 Olympics but was beaten by current unbeaten heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, 36.
In the professional ranks, Beterbiev has wasted no time in making his mark, with 18 KOs in as many fights.
He became IBF champ in just his 12th bout by beating Enrico Kolling, 32, and has since added two more belts to his collection.
Along the way, he has taken the scalps of Oleksandr Gvozdyk, 35, Marcus Browne, 32, and Joe Smith Jr, 33.
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But perhaps Yarde will take confidence from Beterbiev’s fourth-round win over Callum Johnson in 2018.
Now-retired Brit Johnson had Beterbiev down in the second but failed to follow up and was taken out himself.
Yarde has vowed not to let the same opportunity slip if it presents itself on the weekend.
And the Londoner should know, having had Sergey Kovalev in all sorts of trouble in his 2019 WBO title challenge.
But Yarde failed to put Kovalev, 39 away in round eight and was stopped himself in the 11th.
It was the first time he tasted defeat until Lyndon Arthur, 31, edged out a split-decision in 2020.
Although Yarde brutally made up for it in their rematch a year later, closing the show in four rounds.
He returned in a keep-busy bout in November, taking three rounds to get rid of German Stefani Koykov, 30.
Artur Beterbiev is the WBO, WBC and IBF championCredit: Getty
Anthony Yarde knocked out Lyndon Arthur in their rematchCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
It was Yarde’s 22nd KO in his 23 wins, meaning he has a stoppage ratio of 88 per cent.
Although not even that is enough to match Beterbiev’s unrivalled punching record.
What Yarde does have on his side is youth and activity.
Despite Beterbiev’s storied career in the amateurs, he has amassed only 83 rounds in the pros, such is his power.
And having only had 18 bouts, Yarde is on paper the more experienced in the paid ranks with 25 fights to his name.
The two stand the same at 6ft, but Beterbiev carries a one inch reach advantage with a length of 73in.
It makes for a genuinely enticing affair which all-but promises to be decided within the scheduled 12-round distance.
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Artur Beterbiev and Anthony Yarde ahead of their fightCredit: Getty More

DEONTAY WILDER said Tyson Fury’s fight with Oleksandr Usyk will be won by whoever is going to “cheat the hardest.” The unbeaten champions are in talks for the heavyweight division’s first four-belt undisputed title decider.
Deontay Wilder speaks during a press conference in New York City in OctoberCredit: AFP
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury are in talks to fightCredit: Getty
Usyk, 36, puts up the WBA, IBF and WBO belts he won and then retained in his pair of points wins over Anthony Joshua, 33.
Fury, 34, meanwhile took the WBC belt from Wilder, 37, in their 2020 rematch and defended it a year later in a trilogy bout.
But Wilder infamously levelled several baseless cheating accusations at Fury and appears to still stand by them.
Asked about the Usyk fight, he told ESNews: “I don’t know. That’s a 50/50 fight. Depends on who’s gonna cheat the hardest.
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“That’s what it is, it depends on who’s gonna cheat the hardest.”
Wilder also accused Fury of cheating in their 2018 draw, claiming the Brit had “something hard” in his glove.
When he was stopped in seven rounds two years later, the American also claimed his water was “spiked”.
Perhaps the most memorable excuse of them all was blaming the 45lb ring walk attire he wore to the ring for slowing down his legs.
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Even after Fury’s epic 11th round KO against Wilder in their trilogy, the former champion was still full of bad blood.
He said: “You got analysts that say, ‘If he did have something in his glove why did you not go to the authorities?’
“I wish I was in front of them and I would grab their collar and put them close to my face so we can be eye to eye, face to face, so much that my breath touch their face.
“I would tell them, ‘Why the f*** would I go to the authorities when I have an opportunity to release my own energy and put my hands up on on him in the possibility of trying to kill him and get paid millions of dollars doing it?’ Why would I go to the authorities?”
Tyson Fury beat Deontay Wilder twiceCredit: Reuters More

DEONTAY WILDER is adamant a showdown with Anthony Joshua will NEVER come to fruition.The pair, 37 and 33 respectively, were on course to throw down in 2018 when they held all the heavyweight marbles.
Deontay Wilder was on course to fight Anthony Joshua in 2018Credit: AP
But he turned down a showdown with AJ in order to face Tyson FuryCredit: REUTERS
Now the Bronze Bomber has turned the tables and claimed Joshua doesn’t want to fight himCredit: GETTY
The fight, however, fell through when Wilder opted to face Tyson Fury – who he fought to a controversial draw.
But the former WBC heavyweight king insists Joshua was to blame for their mouthwatering showdown going by the wayside.
The Bronze Bomber told ESNEWS: “Joshua don’t want to fight me; it’s plain and clear.
“I don’t know why people keep asking about that.

“Everybody should’ve known when the $50 million was offered, and he didn’t take it.
“Even moving forwards, Joshua don’t want to fight.
“They should have known then there was something fishy about it.
“There’s certain information that I know and certain information that the public receives from others.”
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Wilder admitted he swerved a historic undisputed showdown with AJ in a fiery Twitter spat with The Gyspy King just over two years ago.
And his admission was music to the ears of Joshua, who had been on the receiving end of repeated claims he ducked the American.
The former two-time unified heavyweight champ said: “It makes the ultimate sense.
“It’s hard because at the time when people are talking and you see lots of media stuff, you start to believe what that person is saying.
“When time goes by, naturally the truth will always reveal itself. I get a lot of stick but I take it with a pinch of salt.
“He admitted it. We made him a lucrative offer but he wanted to face Fury.
Anthony Joshua is set to return to the ring on April 1Credit: GETTY
“So be it. If that’s what he wanted to do, fine. But he dragged my name through the mud.
“While Wilder was trying to make me look like a bad person, that I didn’t want to enhance the sport, or fight certain fighters, I just had to roll with the punches.
“He has come out and said it himself. We offered him a really good deal but he wanted to fight Fury.
“People can take it how they want, and see what the truth is now.”
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Joshua is set to return to the ring on April 1 for a do-or-die showdown with Jermaine Franklin – his first outing since his back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
Wilder, meanwhile, is on course for a May melee with former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. More

EBANIE BRIDGE’s brutal blows inside the ring have earned her a boxing world title – a lavish house to boot.The Aussie became the queen of the IBF’s bantamweight division last March with a decision win over Maria Cecilia Roman.
Boxing world champion, OnlyFans star and piano player Ebanie Bridges has given her fans a glimpse of her homeCredit: INSTAGRAM@EBANIE_BRIDGES
The Aussie has framed pictures of women in their underwear on her wallCredit: INSTAGRAM@EBANIE_BRIDGES
She also has a super-expensive Steinhoven piano in her front roomCredit: INSTAGRAM@EBANIE_BRIDGES
Bridges has a shrine to her boxing achievements – which is next to Tyson Fury and Barry Hearn’s biographiesCredit: INSTAGRAM@EBANIE_BRIDGES
And she’s used her purses to make quite the swanky home – which she recently showed off on Instagram.
The Blonde Bomber, who moved to Leeds from Sydney to foucs on her boxing, gave her legion of followers a peek at her living room on Tuesday morning, uploading a quick sweep through to her stories.
Bridges’ living room was decked out with an expensive black Steinhoven piano and framed photos of a woman in a bra and in lacy lingerie.
The 36-year-old then panned around to show off memorabilia from her fights.
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The shrine to her achievements in the ring included framed shorts with various pictures from her fights.
Placed below the photo frame was Bridge’s IBF world title, which sat proudly next to a number of boxing books.
Bridges’ collection includes both of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s autobiographies.
It also included the autobiography of Matchroom Boxing founder Barry Hearn – whom she boxes under.
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Fan favourite and OnlyFans model Bridges last took the ring in December on the undercard of Josh Warrington’s IBF featherweight showdown with Luis Alberto Lopez.
She retained her title with an eighth-round TKO victory over countrywoman Aussie Shannon O’Connell.
After her first title defence, an elated Bridges said: “I’m very satisfied with this win.
“I hope I did Australia proud. I hope everybody knows who the queen of Australian boxing is now.”
A few weeks removed from her victory, Bridges revealed she’d fought with a BROKEN hand.
Alongside a picture of her swollen hand, she wrote on Instagram: “Booked in for surgery on my hand this Friday.
“A lot of my camp was done with one hand. A lot of my sparring only using my left hand.
“But there was no way I was pulling out of that fight cos I knew I could batter her with one hand if needed and I wanted to.
“But now time to sort this.” More