Heavyweight boxing

OLEKSANDR USYK has sought advice from the legendary Klitschko brothers as he sent out a warning to Tyson Fury. The Ukrainian star is in talks to fight Fury next year in what would be the first ever four-belt heavyweight unification.
Wladimir Klitschko with Oleksandr Usyk and brother VitaliCredit: Twitter
Tyson Fury is in talks to fight Oleksandr UsykCredit: Getty
Wladimir, 46, and Vitali Klitschko, 51, know all about reigning over the blue ribband division, once simultaneously owning all the titles.
So Usyk, 35, has had a word with the pair ahead of his proposed undisputed decider with Fury, 34.
He told Parimatch: “I have been talking to both of them, of course.
“Wladimir supports me with advice about the sport and the techniques and Vitali supports me with advice about life and the sport, of course.
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“I listen to it carefully and I decide what to use. Me and my team determine the strategy.”
Vitali, now the mayor of Kyiv, retired in 2013, a year after his last fight.
Meanwhile, Wladimir walked away in 2017 following his thrilling loss to Anthony Joshua, 33.
It was only two years prior that he was stunned in defeat to Fury, with Vitali in the corner that night.
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So Usyk is ready to enact revenge for his countrymen and finally get one over on the Gypsy King.
He said: “I’ve been coming for Fury for a long time and we’ve been watching him since he’s fought as an amateur and later a professional.
“Since when I fought at cruiserweight, I’ve been watching him.
“Fury is hurling insults at me, but I know what to do in the ring. If I pay attention to anybody who’s trying to offend me, I will feed my anger.
“Rage doesn’t help when fighting, it just worsens the condition. I’m motivated by the opportunity to fight this giant.
“Though there are some people who are not so optimistic in my chances, it has no matter for me. I’m doing my job.
“I choose my way as a samurai does. The way consists of many objectives, but the essence is your way that you have to make.”
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are in talks to fight in 2023Credit: REUTERS More

TYSON FURY mocked his dad John’s shock friendship with Anthony Joshua and ordered them to “sever ties”. AJ has been full of praise for John over the years and claimed he would even be up for a pint of Guinness one day.
Tyson Fury mocked his dad John’s shock friendship with Anthony JoshuaCredit: Reuters
Anthony Joshua has been full of praise for John FuryCredit: PA
But son Tyson, 34, is not a fan and wants the surprise friendship over.
He told iFL TV: “He keeps blowing my dad off like, ‘Oh, I think John Fury’s a legend, he’s a top bloke.’
“Whatever you’ve got going on with him, I don’t like it sever ties with the old p****. Man’s a p****, s***house.
“All of a sudden he’s my dad’s best friend, ‘Oh, I want to go out for a drink with John Fury,’ he said.
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“I was like what the f***! Why doesn’t he want to go for a drink with me? Because I would punch him in the mouth.”
The hilarious rant came after AJ claimed John would not let Tyson retire without the pair finally fighting.
Joshua, 33, said: “I don’t think his dad will let him not fight me. His dad’s a proper guy. I like his dad.”
The two-time heavyweight champion is yet to return following consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk, 35.
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Usyk is now in talks for the division’s first four-belt unification against Fury, set for the Middle East.
It leaves AJ frozen out of the title picture and further than ever from a fight with the Gypsy King.
But John admitted he would be honoured to sit down for Joshua, as their mutual respect strengthens.
He said: “I’d be privileged to go out for a drink with AJ. I’m my own man, I say what I want to say.
“This is a sport, we’re in a boxing game, AJ is a nice kid.
“He’s given us a lot of pleasurable nights, he has been a good world champion and let me tell you something, if the kid gives me props, I can only thank him can’t I?
“I’d only be a p***k to say anything else wouldn’t I? But I am me, my son is him, I know my son is the best in the world by a country mile, but it don’t stop me liking anybody and AJ is a likeable guy ain’t he?”
Tyson Fury pictured with his dad JohnCredit: PA More

TYSON FURY got a crowd of his loyal fans to take aim at Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua during a recent speaking event.The WBC heavyweight champion is currently doing a speaking tour around the country following his tenth-round TKO victory over Derek Chisora.
Tyson Fury took part in a speaking engagement at the O2 Arena this weekendCredit: INSTAGRAM@NAVSTA
The Gypsy King got the fans singing song about Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr UsykCredit: INSTAGRAM@NAVSTA
Fury got fans to call Joshua a ‘p***y and Usyk a ‘dosser’Credit: GETTY
The topic of his undisputed title fight with Usyk – which is slated for early next year – came up during his speaking engagement in London on Saturday night.
And, unsurprisingly, he took repeatedly took aim at the undefeated Ukranian.
Fury, 34, got his adoring crowd to sing in unison: “Usyk is a dosser!”
It didn’t take long for The Gypsy King to turn his attention to Brit rival Anthony Joshua.
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Fury lead a chant of “AJ is a p***y”, which his legion of supporters got in on.
Negotiations over Fury’s historic undisputed dust-up with Usyk are still ongoing – with the fight currently in the pipeline for late February or early March.
The pair took part in a heated face-off following Fury’s glorified sparring match with Chisora earlier this month.
A fired-up Fury said: “Where’s Alexander Usyk, the rabbit?!
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“Hey, rabbit! Usyk, you’re next little b****, you’re next. You are next!
“Me and you, sucker, next. Me and you! You’re getting it, little sucker. Rabbit! P***Y!
“Look, a 15-stone little midget beat a bodybuilder. But I ain’t a bodybuilder, sucker. I’m gonna write you off!”
And after sizing up the undefeated Ukrainian, Fury is confident he’ll get the better of the former undisputed cruiserweight champion.
He said: “The man who made him cry after the fight like a little girl, ‘I’m 18 stone.’ So? I’m 20 stone.
“I’ll beat him, I’ll take that little sausage out.
Tyson Fury is on course to face Oleksandr Usyk early next yeaCredit: REUTERS
“He ain’t got no kryptonite to me. He’s f**k all to me the little f***er. I’m gonna make him dance.
“We’ll see how good he is.” More

ANTHONY JOSHUA has been urged to take “a year out” to find himself following his back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk.The Watford warrior, 33, came up short in his bid to reclaim the unified titles from the undefeated Ukrainian in August, suffering a split decision defeat.
Anthony Joshua is in a rebuilding phase of his career following back-to-back losses to Oleksandr UsykCredit: GETTY
AJ is currently on the fringes of the world title pictureCredit: GETTY
Former WBO cruiserweight champ Johnny Nelson believes AJ should take a year outCredit: Getty
The second successive defeat to Usyk prompted Joshua to part company with trainerRobert Garcia and seek out a new head coach.
And former WBO cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson reckons he should take time out to get his coaching team in order and rediscover his mojo before returning to the ring.
He told iFL TV: “AJ is at the crossroads now where he’s going to different trainers, and then he said, ‘I might take a year off.’
“I think he should take a year off.
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“I think he should sit back, reset, spend time at many, many gyms, training, submerse himself in it, feel comfortable with it and say, ‘Now I’ve reset, now I can do this.'”
Nelson believes the losses to Usyk have left a mental wound on AJ which only time out will heal.
He added: “Look at what he’s achieved. He started boxing when he was 18 years old.
“He’s achieved ridiculously good things, but he’s still broken. He’s still not over the two losses from Usyk.
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“He still has got to get his strength back, his belief back. AJ, he needs to reset. He needs to think, ‘I need to be back here again.’
“He needs his motivation to fight, and he needs them for the right reasons because it’s not for the dollars.
“He has more money than you and I will ever spend.”
Joshua is currently on course to return to the ring in late March, although an opponent for his comeback fight has not yet been finalised.
Anthony Joshua is expected to return to the ring in late MarchCredit: GETTY
It’s understood bouts with Dillian Whyte, Deontay Wilder and Otto Wallin are all on the table for the former two-time unified champion.
Promoter Eddie Hearn recently told the DAZN Boxing show: “At the moment, AJ’s plans are he is due to fight in late March, and we’re locking that in.” More

ANTHONY JOSHUA has been warned he “can’t afford another loss” if he wants to throw down with Tyson Fury.The former two-time unified heavyweight champion is in a rebuilding stage of his career following back-to-back losses to pound-for-pound king Oleksandr Usyk.
Anthony Joshua is in the rebuilding phase of his careerCredit: Getty
AJ is out of the world title picture following back-to-back losses to Oleksandr UsykCredit: GETTY
Barry Hearn believes a third defeat would be catastrophic for AJCredit: GETTY
Defeat in his comeback fight early next year would be catastrophic for Joshua’s hopes of returning to the world title picture.
And Barry Hearn – the father of AJ’s promoter Eddie – believes another loss would spell curtains for the Brit’s career.
The Matchroom founder told Sky Sports: “He is at a crossroads in his career.
“He can’t afford another loss.”
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WBC heavyweight king Fury has been hot and cold about a historic domestic dust-up with AJ over the last few weeks.
But Hearn believes the fight has to come to fruition for the sake of British boxing history.
He said: “The fight we all want to see eventually is AJ against Fury.
“You’ll get stories – Tyson will say the fight is never going to happen, Joshua will say he’d rather fight Dillian White.
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“Forget all of that.
“This fight has to happen, and I think it does happen at the tail-end of 2023, for all the marbles.”
SunSport understands Joshua, 33, is on course to return to the ring in late March.
An opponent, however, has yet to be finalised – with talks still ongoing.
Hearn said: “I think Dillian [Whyte] is on the list.
“There’s a few other names – Deontay Wilder might be there, Otto Wallin. It’s his call.”
Despite being eager to get back in the win column, AJ has no intention of hastily rushing back to the ring.
He said last month: “I don’t know [when I’ll be back].
“I was supposed to be in the ring this year, I’m going to be in the ring next year.
“I’ll be in the ring when I’m in the ring.
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Anthony Joshua is expected to return to the ring early nextCredit: GETTY
“I don’t want to make statements today and then I’ll get held to the cross.
“Do you know what I mean? When I’m ready, I’ll be back in the ring.” More

MIKE TYSON broke down in tears as he revealed how “bad motherf***er” Muhammad Ali inspired him to be a boxer.Tyson, 56, has made no secret of his admiration for fellow boxer Ali, widely considered to be the greatest in history.
Mike Tyson got emotional talking about Muhammad Ali on his podcastCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
Tyson revealed how much of an influence Ali was on his careerCredit: Reuters
Ali, who died aged 74 in 2016, was a household name with his incredible fighting technique and confident manner.
Tyson himself was once considered to be the best heavyweight around, with punters even dubbing him the “Baddest Man on the Planet.”
But both Tyson and Ali paid homage to each other when they appeared on a US talk show in 1989.
Joining fellow boxing icon Sugar Ray Leonard on the Arsenio Hall show, Tyson and Ali both named each other as victors if they met in a hypothetical fight.
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And on an episode of his podcast Hotboxin’, the encounter was brought up by Tyson’s guest, rapper Cordae.
He said: “It was like some talk show and you were like, still even to this day I like it, you were in the middle of your prime, it’s safe to assume.
“And they was like, who would win between you two and you was like ‘man every head must bow, every tongue must profess, this man is the greatest of all time’.”
This reminder saw Tyson begin to shed tears as he reflected on Ali’s influence over his own boxing career.
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Tyson declared: “Ali is a bad motherf***er… How can you see a motherf***er and the motherf**ker inspires you like this.
“Don’t even touch you, don’t even say a f***ing word to you. F**k man! To this day, I can’t figure it out, motherf***er!”  
Tyson’s gushing tribute to Ali comes just days after admitting he “wanted to kill” opponents while on an American talk show.
Tyson added: “Just think about who I am. I don’t want to go back there anymore.
“I don’t want to be in that poverty state of mind anymore.
“Not from a physical perspective, I don’t want to be poverty-stricken here [pointing to his own head].
“The more you hurt them, the higher you go in life. That’s just my mentality, the more you hurt them, the more people love you.” More

TYSON FURY has performed yet another U-turn on a showdown with Anthony Joshua – once again insisting he’d fight his Brit rival for “free.”The long-awaited Battle of Britain was on course to take place this month after Fury handed AJ a shock world title lifeline in September, although negotiations failed to bear fruit.
Tyson Fury offered Anthony Joshua a shock world title lifeline in SeptemberCredit: INSTAGRAM@TYSONFURY
Fury vowed to never fight AJ after the domestic dust-up didn’t come to fruitionCredit: GETTY
But the Gypsy King has performed a U-turn, insisting he’d fight the Brit for “free”Credit: PA
WBC heavyweight king Fury, 34, has since repeatedly shot down the prospect of sharing the ring with the Watford warrior.
But he’s seemingly had another change of heart, telling iFL TV: “I’ll fight Joshua free of charge, no problem.”
“The money is irrelevant, you can’t take it with you and I couldn’t spend what I’ve earned in 50 lifetimes. So what good is it?”
“I’m still the same old G, I’ve got a free shirt on, a free suit and a pair of trainers from f***ing ASDA!
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“So what does it matter?”
The failed short-notice domestic dust-up paved the way for Fury to renew his rivalry with Derek Chisora in a Tottenham trilogy, which he won via tenth-round TKO.
And he refused to entertain talk of facing AJ after battering Del Boy, saying: “The man’s a sausage and it should have been him here tonight.
“But he had poor old Derek take a good hiding again stepping in his boots.”
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Despite Fury’s constant toing and froing over their dream showdown, Joshua has remained optimistic about the fight coming to fruition.
He told iD Boxing: “Well, on my behalf, I would like the opportunity.
“Because the longer we leave it, it’s not good for anyone.
“So, yeah, I would like the opportunity. Good luck with his next fight if he comes through.
“Then I think he’s going to go on to undisputed, and then I’ll be fighting somebody else.
“Then hopefully, we both come victorious, and then we look to fight each other.”
Tyson Fury is closing in on an blockbuster undisputed title fight with Oleksandr UsykCredit: REUTERS
Fury is currently in negotiations to face unified heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk in an undisputed title fight in the spring.
Joshua, meanwhile, is set to return to the ring in late March for what will be his first outing since consecutive losses to undefeated Ukrainian Usyk. More

JOE JOYCE wants a summer fight with Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk – and slammed Anthony Joshua for “gloating” about their amateur bout. Joyce is the WBO mandatory challenger and primed for a shot at the world titles next year.
Joe Joyce, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set for a busy yearCredit: Jamie McPhilimey
But firstly Fury, 34, and Usyk, 35, are set to meet in the heavyweight division’s first four-belt undisputed decider.
It leaves Joyce, 37, waiting in the wings for a summer showdown against the winner of the historic unification.
He told Sky Sports: “I’m planning to have a fight in March, while all the others are taking a fight.
“For the summer one – go for a big one, like Usyk or Fury. I’ll be ready because I’ll have had one at the beginning of the year to get me going.”
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Joyce has called for a British blockbuster against former sparring partner Anthony Joshua, 33.
The pair have history dating back to the amateurs, when AJ recorded a 2011 stoppage win in the final of the ABA Championships.
Joyce had beaten southpaw Dominic Akinlade to progress – a matchup not greatly suited to prepare him for Joshua.
In the years since, AJ has referenced the decade-old victory.
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But Joyce said: “When I fought Joshua I still had the southpaw mindset so I was walking on to his right hand and got three counts in the first round.
“We can right them wrongs in the pros. They [the referees] are not going to jump in prematurely in the pros.
“I won’t have to fight twice, I’ll fight once and beat him! He was gloating. That’s what kind of triggered me.”
Joshua is coming off consecutive points losses to Usyk but will make a return in early 2023.
Joyce is ready to settle their score in the ring but claimed his rival is not so keen.
“He never mentions my name for some reason,” Joyce said of a potential Joshua fight.
“I don’t know if he’s going to want to take it but maybe the public’s going to call for it, the fans are going to call for it eventually and get it made.
“Joshua’s still very marketable and sells out stadiums. I’m getting to that level now so it would be good to have a showdown in London, north versus south.”
Anthony Joshua pictured with Joe Joyce at the 2016 OlympicsCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd More