Heavyweight boxing

ANTHONY JOSHUA said a resurged Deontay Wilder is “more than ready” for a super-fight in 2023 and claimed: “It WILL happen now”. Wilder returned to the ring in emphatic fashion in October, knocking out Robert Helenius in a round.
Anthony Joshua said a resurged Deontay Wilder is ‘more than ready’ to fight in 2023Credit: Getty
Deontay Wilder after knocking out Robert HeleniusCredit: Getty
And it leaves long-time rival Joshua confident in sharing the ring with the American next year.
He said: “I think now, he is on a resurgence. I think he is realising that he has got three years left, so he wants to kind of tick off his hit list.
“Yeah, it will happen now, he’s more than ready now. Why not?”
Joshua, 33, is set to take the rest of the year off following consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, 35, with a return eyed for February or March.
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It came after talks broke down for a December 3 title fight against WBC champion Tyson Fury, 34.
Dillian Whyte, 34, who fights unbeaten Jermaine Franklin, 29, on November 26 now leads the race alongside Wilder, 37, to fight AJ.
Hearn said in Abu Dhabi: “I think the winner of Dillian Whyte against Jermaine Franklin is a very, very good front-runner for the next fight.”
Joshua failed in attempts to secure an undisputed title decider with Wilder in the past, while the pair were undefeated champions.
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But Hearn has recently been in talks with Wilder’s manager Shelly Finkel to revive talks and informed AJ of the development.
He revealed: “Definitely. He was one of the names I mentioned to [Joshua] tonight. He just wants to fight everybody.
“It’s just a case of, not an easy fight, but an easier fight, before he goes into a Deontay Wilder or maybe a Dillian Whyte.”
Anthony Joshua with promoter Eddie Hearn in Abu DhabiCredit: /Mark Robinson#3/ Matchroom Boxi More

ANTHONY JOSHUA could be in line for a blockbuster bout next summer.Promoter Eddie Hearn has tipped AJ for a mega showdown with the hard-hitting Deontay Wilder.
Anthony Joshua is set to return to the ring in early 2023Credit: Getty
Eddie Hearn has talked up the chances of a clash against Deontay Wilder, while Tyson Fury could be another possibilityCredit: AP
Dillian Whyte, who Joshua beat in 2015, is a potential candidateCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
But the Matchroom chief hasn’t hasn’t ruled out an all-British encounter with Tyson Fury or Dillian Whyte either.
Joshua is currently taking time out of the ring to battle his mental demons following two defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
Hearn sees him returning in early 2023, ahead of a mega showdown in the summer.
Speaking on a potential dust up with Wilder, Hearn told Fight Hub TV: “I see that as fight two for Anthony Joshua, probably, but it depends when he fights.”
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Joshua is expected to have a “bigger fight” next summer against one of the leading names in the heavyweight division.
Aside from Wilder a grudge rematch against Whyte, who AJ KO’d in 2015, is a possibility.
WBC champion Fury could also be a candidate after the pair failed to agree terms for a December showdown.
Hearn continued: “AJ, if he fights earlier in the year, he’ll probably have his bigger fight in the summer, and that fight will be Dillian Whyte, Deontay Wilder, who knows what happens with Tyson Fury.”
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But Hearn is also eager to make sure whoever Joshua faces in his comeback bout is no pushover.
He added: “But AJ is not really interested in just having tickover fights — sometimes those fights are really dangerous in the heavyweight division.
“(Joshua) loves the Wilder fight, I’ve said it could be the biggest fight in boxing.
“And I know the Fury fight’s big but AJ against Wilder is a huge fight.
“We will continue those conversations with Shelly Finkel (Wilder’s promoter) and hopefully we can work with Deontay Wilder.”
Joshua was scheduled to hold talks with Hearn in Saudi Arabia over the weekend regarding his return to the ring.
Joshua has not fought since losing his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in AugustCredit: Getty More

ANTHONY JOSHUA already has a “frontrunner” in contention for his next fight. AJ is set to take the rest of the year off following consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, with a return eyed for February or March.
Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn pictured in Abu DhabiCredit: /Mark Robinson#3/ Matchroom Boxi
Tyson Fury and Derek Chisora ahead of their trilogy fightCredit: Getty
Promoter Eddie Hearn has drawn up a list of candidates to potentially welcome Joshua, 33, back to the ring.
And either Dillian Whyte, 34, or Jermaine Franklin, 29, who fight on November 26, lead that list.
Hearn told Fight Hub TV: “I think Otto Wallin is a very fair fight for Joshua to come back to.
“A lot of these guys price themselves out. Filip Hrgovic is a great fight. He’s IBF mandatory.
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“I think the winner of Dillian Whyte and Jermaine Franklin is a very, very good frontrunner for the next one.”
Joshua was in line to make a quick return to the ring after shock talks to fight Tyson Fury on December 3 for the WBC title.
Fury, 34, had initially called out Usyk, 35, for a unification but the Ukrainian ruled himself out until next year.
So Hearn believes the Gypsy King took the opportunity to challenge a beaten-and-bruised AJ while expecting no answer back.
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Although Joshua did verbally accept the challenge – only for talks to collapse after a deal was not struck within Fury’s timeframe.
Hearn said: “He got his bluff called, and he accepted it, and he just sort of lost faith a little bit with boxing because he really wanted to fight Tyson Fury.”
Fury has now signed to fight Derek Chisora, 38, to complete their trilogy after his pair of one-sided wins in 2011 and 2014.
And it leaves Joshua to go back to the drawing board ahead of his comeback bout next year.
Hearn added: “I think that’s the main reason that he didn’t fight this year because it sort of messed up his mojo and made him think, ‘What are these people doing?
“They say they want to fight me. Now I’ve got a deadline. Chisora gets another month for the deal, and I had to sign it then.
“That’s why you’re going to fight maybe at the end of February but probably March.
“We were going through opponents tonight, and I think he’s going to have the rest of the year off probably and start camp at the beginning of January.”
Anthony Joshua is set to return in early 2023Credit: Getty More

TOMMY FURY marks his return to the ring on Floyd Mayweather’s undercard with a pair of keen eyes set to watch from ringside. Both Jake Paul and KSI will be in attendance in ringside to watch Fury fight 5-2 American Paul Bamba.

The 2019 Love Islander has been linked with both YouTubers-turned boxers for a future bout.
But it is ex-marine corps Bamba who Fury most focus on firstly as SunSport runs down the bout.
Fury is the more experienced of the two, with eight professional bouts to his name, compared to Bamba’s seven.
He also had 12 amateur bouts having started boxing at the age of 12 alongside his heavyweight champion brother Tyson, 33.
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Whereas Bamba only began training at 26 as a way to make money after being left homeless.
He had just four amateur contests before turning pro in 2021, and now has five wins in seven fights.
Both Bamba and Fury have four knockouts meaning they carry power but are not necessarily known as punchers.
Interestingly, Bamba has gone the eight round distance once before while his more experienced opponent has only gone six.
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It means the New Yorker could try and take the fight into the latter stages, where he may be more comfortable.
Bamba is also a southpaw, a style Fury has faced only once before in his 2018 debut against Jevgenijs Andrejevs.
He is also an inch taller than Fury, who is sure to have a longer reach at 80 inches.
Fury is by far the slicker and more well-versed boxer, meaning he will want to get in a rhythm early on.
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He does posses a nice jab and quick hands, which help set up his favoured right hand shot.
Fury goes into the bout as a heavy favourite but Bamba has warned he is a dangerous outsider with nothing to lose.
Tommy Fury and Paul Bamba ahead of their fightCredit: globaltitansfightseries More

ANTHONY JOSHUA “lost faith” in boxing after his fight with Tyson Fury collapsed and did not return this year after being left “p***** off.”AJ was in talks with his heavyweight rival for a December 3 title bout until talks broke down.
Anthony Joshua ‘lost faith’ in boxing after his fight with Tyson Fury collapsedCredit: Getty
Tyson Fury failed in talks to fight Anthony Joshua in DecemberCredit: PA
Fury, who set several public deadlines for the fight to be agreed, later signed to face Derek Chisora in a trilogy bout.
It left Joshua without an opponent and unmotivated to return until next year.
Promoter Eddie Hearn told Boxing Social: “He just sort of lost faith a little bit with boxing because he really wanted to fight Tyson Fury.
“That’s the main reason that he didn’t fight this year. He was just pissed off.
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“You know, he [Fury] got his bluff called really, we feel. What are these people doing?
“They say they want to fight me, now I’ve got a deadline, Chisora gets another month to do the deal, and I had to sign it then.
“So, that’s why you’re going to see him [Joshua] fight maybe the end of February, but probably March.”
Joshua, 33, has suffered consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk, 35, leaving him ready to take some time off.
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Usyk ruled himself out of a unification with Fury, 34, until next year having returned to his war-torn home of Ukraine for the first time.
So Chisora, 38, will instead challenge the WBC champion, despite his pair of one-sided loss in 2011 and 2014.
He was only given the shock title shot when negotiations between Joshua and Fury failed.
Hearn said in a Q&A in Abu Dhabi: “Basically what happened is Anthony Joshua lost to Oleksandr Usyk. We all saw that mentally that was a very tough defeat for him.
“Tyson Fury does what Tyson Fury does and came out on Instagram and stuck the bait out for AJ and called him out.
“And AJ told him, ‘I want the fight.’ Should he have accepted the fight? Maybe not at that moment.
“But ultimately, he’s the boss and he wanted to fight Tyson Fury. We started negotiations with Queensberry, which actually went quite well.
“But as things are going well, all of a sudden, Tyson Fury pops up on Instagram and says we’ve got to sign the contract by the end of the day.
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“He’s a bit backwards and forwards at the moment.
“And I think people over the last couple of weeks have just seen, maybe, a different side to him.”
Tyson Fury and Derek Chisora ahead of their trilogy boutCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More

TYSON FURY admitted he became grumpy and agitated while retired – leaving wife Paris happy to see him return to boxing. Fury announced he was hanging up his gloves after knocking out Dillian Whyte in April at Wembley.
Paris Fury with husband TysonCredit: Jamie McPhilimey
But it lasted just a matter of months with the Gypsy King set to fight again on December 3 in a trilogy bout against Derek Chisora.
Fury, 34, said on Good Morning Britain: “I think as a family it was great stuff for ten weeks. Everyone was really happy.
“I was doing all the school runs, dog walks, the rubbish. All that sort of stuff. All the home jobs that need doing.
“But then it just gets like, ‘Well, when’s dad going to go back to work again? Is he just going to stay here and do nothing forever?’
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“I think they were glad to get rid of me, to be fair.
“I got a little bit grumpy and a little bit agitated towards the end of my retirement and I thought, do you know what, I’ve got to get back to work.”
Fury’s return proved an unpopular choice amongst some fans, due to one-sided nature of his 2011 and 2014 wins over Chisora, 38.
But he is using the trilogy bout as a way to prepare for a title unification next year against Oleksandr Usyk, 35, with talks to fight ongoing.
Usyk ruled himself out of the clash this year after returning home to Ukraine for the first time since beating Anthony Joshua, 33.

Fury vs Chisora 3: Date, live stream and TV info for huge heavyweight bout
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But it has set the scene for the heavyweight division’s first four-belt undisputed decider in 2023.
Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas told SecondsOut: “Everything is done from our side – everything, absolutely.
“So, there’s only one guy who can say, ‘Yes, we’re going [ahead];’ that’s Fury.”
Tyson Fury and Derek Chisora ahead of their trilogy fightCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More

ANTHONY JOSHUA wants to complete his trilogy with Andy Ruiz Jr – in a fight promoter Eddie Hearn is dead against. AJ was first stunned by the Mexican-American underdog in June 2019 but won the rematch six months later.
Andy Ruiz Jr beat Anthony Joshua in their first fightCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Anthony Joshua beat Andy Ruiz Jr in their rematchCredit: Getty
But the pair never completed the trilogy decider, leaving the door open for a third fight.
Joshua, 33, is considering his next opponent for his comeback bout in early 2023.
And he held talks with Hearn while in Abu Dhabi, where Dmitry Bivol, 31, beat Mexican Gilberto Ramirez, 31.
Deontay Wilder, 37, and Dillian Whyte, 34, are among the frontrunners, but AJ also likes the sound of Ruiz, 33.
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Hearn said: “Definitely, I mean, (Wilder) was one of the names I mentioned to him tonight.
“I’m not just saying it, but I couldn’t say a fight to AJ that he doesn’t go. He said tonight about Andy Ruiz. 
“I said have you seen Andy Ruiz over there, he went, ‘Yeah, I’d love to fight him again’.
“I was like, ‘Why? You’re not fighting him again!’.  He was like ‘Why not?’ and I went ‘F*** off’. He’s horrible!'”
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Hearn added: “He saw Jalavov and said ‘I’d love to fight him’ and I go, ‘Why? He’s about 4-0!’
“He just wants to fight everybody. It’s just the case of whether he has.
“And it wouldn’t be an easy fight, but an easier fight before he goes into a Deontay Wilder or a Dillian Whyte basically.”
Anthony Joshua with Eddie Hearn in Abu DhabiCredit: /Mark Robinson#3/ Matchroom Boxi More