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      ‘We used to be pals.. until he backed my rival’ – Tyson Fury reveals betrayal caused him to fall out with Derek Chisora

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      TYSON FURY has revealed he fell out with Derek Chisora after his heavyweight pal backed Dillian Whyte to beat him earlier this year.Fury, 34, knocked Whyte out in devastating fashion at Wembley Stadium back in April, finishing the contest with a sixth-round uppercut.
      Fury and Chisora will meet for a third time on December 3Credit: Getty
      But in the days leading up to the bout, Chisora surprisingly picked underdog Whyte to beat the WBC champion.
      Del Boy and The Gypsy King had become good friends after their two fights in 2011 and 2014 – both of which were won by Fury.
      However Fury, who will take on Chisora for a third time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 3, now claims they have fallen out following his old pal’s backing of Whyte.
      Speaking in his autobiography – which is out on November 10 – Fury said: “Now I’m due to fight Derek Chisora on December 3 — having already beaten him twice.
      READ MORE IN BOXING
      “Chisora and I used to be pals but when it came to my Wembley showdown against Dillian Whyte, Chisora tipped the other bloke to knock me out.
      “I couldn’t get my head around that. How can you claim to be someone’s friend and then back another fighter to send him to the canvas?
      “I really had no idea what was eating him at the time. Perhaps it was jealousy.”
      Fury remains unbeaten as a professional, winning 32 of his 33 bouts to date.
      Most read in Boxing
      His only blemish came in a controversial draw with Deontay Wilder in December 2018 – a result he put right in their subsequent two contests as Fury knocked his American rival out on both occasions.
      Meanwhile, Chisora has lost 12 of his 45 pro contests – including seven times since Fury’s second win over him in 2014.
      But last time out Del Boy clinched arguably the best win of his career – a split decision victory over Kubrat Pulev.
      Despite that, though, Chisora remains a huge underdog heading into the contest.
      And if Fury has his hand raised in December, he is expected to face Oleksandr Usyk for all the belts in Saudi Arabia in March. More

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      ‘Everything was foggy, the experience frightened me’ – Tyson Fury reveals devastating impact of Deontay Wilder’s punches

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      TYSON FURY has revealed the devastating impact of ex-rival Deontay Wilder’s punches.The Gypsy King, 34, met the Bronze Bomber, 36, in a trilogy.
      Fury experienced short-term memory loss after his third fight with WilderCredit: EPA
      The Brit was knocked down multiple times before rising up to secure two wins and a drawCredit: Rex
      The boxer’s new autobiography Gloves Off, is out on November 10
      Los Angeles played host to the first fight in 2018, which ended in a split draw, despite the thrilling contest which saw Fury rise from the ashes like The Undertaker late on in Round 12.
      The pair then fought again in 2019 and Fury defeated Wilder via technical knockout, picking up the WBC heavyweight title.
      A trilogy fight was then held in 2021, with both fighters landing heavy shots.
      Both scored knockdowns but Fury retained his title with a knockout.
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      However, Fury experienced some side effects to his gruelling fights with boxing’s most devastating puncher.
      Fury experienced short-term memory loss and his head was covered in “tennis ball-­sized lumps”.
      In an extract from his autobiography, Gloves Off, Fury recalled: “So while getting my face punched in for a living has put millions of pounds in the bank, a fighter needs to know when their time is ­up — and mine is near.
      “Walking away from boxing may be the hardest thing I ever do.
      Most read in Boxing
      “All I know is that I don’t want to overstay my welcome, ruin my legacy, or die from a big right to the side of the head.
      “And believe me, an ending like that has felt worryingly real at times.
      “I even experienced short-­term memory loss following that bruising encounter with Wilder in 2021, when, in the hours after the win, my head covered in tennis ball-­sized lumps, it was impossible to remember how many times I’d gone down.
      “Everything was foggy, and the experience frightened me.
      “No way do I want to end up living out my days in a wheelchair, or eating my dinners through a straw.
      “After that fight with Wilder, I told my promoter Frank Warren that I planned to retire.”
      Despite the evident shock to Fury’s system, he fought again earlier this year against fellow Brit Dillian Whyte.
      Fury retained his WBC title inside a packed-out Wembley Stadium, finishing off with another KO.
      He will fight again at the end of this year, facing off against Derek Chisora in a trilogy fight, and could even go further and take on Oleksandr Usyk in a unification fight for the ages.
      Fury says it won’t be long before he retires from boxingCredit: Reuters
      Walking away from boxing is the hardest thing he will have to do, says FuryCredit: instagram More

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      Boxing can be a tough sport – but I just find it hard to walk away, reveals Tyson Fury

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      MY boxing life has been made up of two careers.The first took place between 2008 and 2015, a period in which I was unable to recognise the psychological demons dragging me down.
      Walking away from boxing is the hardest thing I have ever tried to do, says Tyson FuryCredit: instagram
      The boxer’s new autobiography Gloves Off, is out on November 10
      Tyson Fury says boxing will have a void of charisma when he finally hangs up his glovesCredit: Reuters
      They pulled on me like a rucksack full of stones, despite the fact I was on my way to becoming the heavyweight champion of the world.
      The second career kicked off in 2018 after a brutal battle with my mental health, a war I’m still locked into today.
      Through sheer will I was able to overcome my issues and return as the planet’s most entertaining pugilist.
      But then I started to think I should leave the stage while still at the peak of my powers.
      READ MORE TYSON FURY
      While I’ve long been admiral of HMS I Don’t Give A Crap, the most entertaining showman since the days of Muhammad Ali and the greatest fighter of my generation, it’s important to know that, as far as I’m concerned, boxing has always been a business with a shelf life.
      Statistically the people that stay in the game for too long have a tendency to get damaged, really damaged, and I don’t want that happening to me.
      There’s also a risk that my career has been shortened by the way in which I’ve lived my life.
      Health and nutrition was not exactly a priority for large chunks of my time as a pro: I ballooned in weight between bouts and then, during the mental health breakdown that started in 2015, I boozed, binged and tried cocaine.
      Most read in The Sun
      There was even an attempt at ending it all a year later when I pointed my Ferrari at a bridge and slammed on the accelerator, though I changed my mind at the last second and pulled ­away — thank God.
      When I eventually asked for help I was diagnosed as bipolar, paranoid and suffering from anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
      I later recovered, but my mental health issues remain a constant work in progress — from time to time I can have suicidal thoughts, though I now understand what’s needed to keep my demons at arm’s length.
      So while getting my face punched in for a living has put millions of pounds in the bank, a fighter needs to know when their time is ­up — and mine is near.
      Walking away from boxing may be the hardest thing I ever do.
      All I know is that I don’t want to overstay my welcome, ruin my legacy, or die from a big right to the side of the head.
      And believe me, an ending like that has felt worryingly real at times.
      I even experienced short-­term memory loss following that bruising encounter with Wilder in 2021, when, in the hours after the win, my head covered in tennis ball-­sized lumps, it was impossible to remember how many times I’d gone down.
      Everything was foggy, and the experience frightened me.
      No way do I want to end up living out my days in a wheelchair, or eating my dinners through a straw.
      I wanted to leave boxing at the peak of my powers, but have been tempted back, says Tyson FuryCredit: EPA
      Tyson Fury fully intended to quit boxing for good after beating Deontay Wilder in 2021Credit: Rex
      After that fight with Wilder, I told my promoter Frank Warren that I planned to retire.
      But then…Bang! he approached me with the opportunity to fight at Wembley Stadium in April 2022.
      Wembley was a showcase venue, an opportunity to bow out in style.
      And after the hardship and pain of the coronavirus pandemic, I felt I owed it to the fans.
      Boxing deserved a hell of a party, and with my triumph over Dillian Whyte, I gave them a showdown for the history books.
      I told the world it would take half a billion to drag me back into the ring.
      At one point, I was so confident that nobody was going to cough up the cash that I threw down a bet with Piers Morgan on live TV.
      He said, ‘How about if you do fight again, you have to give me a million pounds?’ Piers couldn’t believe his luck when I agreed, though I also knew that if there was a £500million fight on the cards, I wasn’t going to feel that sad about giving him a million of it. (Though he’ll get it in pound coins and fivers.)
      The other fight I’ve been interested in is a showdown to stop the nation in its tracks.
      Tyson says his battle with mental health is a never ending fightCredit: PA
      A match with Anthony Joshua would fall into this category, and in September 2022, I even offered to battle him in the UK with a 60-40 split in earnings.
      I wanted it to be a moment in sporting history, a fight for Britain.
      But so far we haven’t been able to make it happen.
      Now I’m due to fight Derek Chisora on December 3 — having already beaten him twice.
      Chisora and I used to be pals but when it came to my Wembley showdown against Dillian Whyte, Chisora tipped the other bloke to knock me out.
      I couldn’t get my head around that. How can you claim to be someone’s friend and then back another fighter to send him to the canvas?
      I really had no idea what was eating him at the time. Perhaps it was jealousy.
      I have a potential meeting with Oleksandr Usyk next year. I don’t rate his chances against me either.
      Sure, Usyk has beaten AJ twice now, but he’s hardly a killer.
      When I do finally retire, there’s bound to be a void in boxing, in the same way athletics got boring once Usain Bolt had disappeared from the scene — there’s no one around with the same charisma.
      With that in mind, staying on the stage is bloody tempting.
      You might be wondering, ‘Well, hang on, what about those risks you were talking about earlier — the ones that made you consider retirement in the first place?’ And sure, a purse is worthless if you die or get seriously injured in the process, but the thing is, I don’t plan on doing either of those things. I plan on winning.

      ADAPTED from Gloves Off by Tyson Fury, published by Century on November 10 in hardback and audiobook.

      MY PAL ROBBIE
      TYSON says he’s not impressed by celebrity but has bonded with stars like Robbie Williams — after he recorded a song on the singer’s Christmas album.
      Fury said: “Robbie’s a top bloke and we had plenty in common.
      Tyson says he has forged a bond with singer Robbie WilliamsCredit: instagram
      “Robbie and me are both people that have hit the top, having worked hard for something all our lives — him: pop stardom; me: the world heavyweight championship — only for the realities of our success to become massively destructive and very different to what we’d expected at the beginning.”
      Read More on The Sun
      Tyson said another “genuine” person was singer Ed Sheeran, who he met after a gig.
      He said: “We are both very similar in character. Ed is grounded.” More

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      I held my baby for first time, then midwife plucked her from me – her fight inspired me to win mine, says Tyson Fury

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      TYSON Fury has revealed for the first time how the near-death of his baby daughter sparked his greatest win in the ring.Athena was born prematurely last year — just weeks before the Gypsy King’s epic 11th-round KO of Deontay Wilder.
      Tyson Fury says his daughter Athena’s fight for health inspired his boxing success
      Wilder punches Fury during the WBC Heavyweight Championship in 2018Credit: Getty
      The Gypsy King and wife Paris never gave up on daughter AthenaCredit: Richard Dash for GoPr
      Here, in exclusive extracts from his new book Gloves Off, Tyson reveals the incredible tale…
      I am The Gypsy King — a bona fide legend and a once-in-a-lifetime superhero.
      But boxing isn’t my entire world. The reality is I’m a husband, a dad, a son, a brother, an uncle.
      My family are my armour and Paris and my six beautiful kids are always in my thoughts because they’re so precious to me.
      READ MORE ON TYSON FURY
      On the eve of my 2021 fight with Deontay Wilder I slept on a hospital floor as our youngest child, Athena, fought for her life shortly after being born.
      I had a split draw with Wilder in 2018 and beat him in 2020.
      I hoped that my rematch against him in 2021 would be a Hollywood-style ending to my dark days of depression.
      But then Athena was born prematurely at the beginning of August 2021 in the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, just two months before the fight.
      Most read in The Sun
      At first everything went well with the birth. I held my new daughter for the first time, and everything was perfect.
      There had been no signs of anything being wrong during the pregnancy.
      Then the midwife plucked her out of my arms and within minutes everything was kicking off.
      Apparently her heart was beating too quickly, and at first I didn’t think anything of it.
      Then everybody around us seemed to be panicking.
      My baby’s life was hanging in the balance and my name and what I did for a living wasn’t going to change a thing.Tyson Fury
      Athena was hooked up to a machine, doctors were pushing buttons and taking readings and her heart rate had rocketed to 300 beats per minute, when it should have been closer to 120bpm, and there was nothing the nurses could do to fix the problem.
      They injected her with something that seemed to slow everything down, to around 140bpm, but then she spiked all the way up again.
      The consequences were terrifying.
      If Athena’s heart rate couldn’t be steadied she would probably die from a cardiac arrest.
      Watching the medical staff rushing around her and Paris was horrible, though I knew they were both in safe hands.
      After being born, I’d died and been resuscitated three times – the NHS had kept me going well enough.
      Still, that did little to ease the sense of total helplessness I was experiencing.
      I saw nurses sedating Athena; someone was putting a tube down her throat to assist her breathing; and while everybody seemed to be acting calmly amid the chaos, there is nothing a parent can do in a situation like that, other than to watch and pray.
      I’d been reduced to nothing.
      My baby’s life was hanging in the balance and my name and what I did for a living wasn’t going to change a thing.
      ‘TERRIFYING’
      In the end, it was decided that Athena should be blue- lighted to the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, and once there, her heart rate was stabilised.
      It was so hard to see her on an incubator, with several tubes and wires coming out of her body.
      She looked so tiny and vulnerable, and even though her situation had improved, the doctors were warning us we weren’t yet out of the woods.
      Athena’s heart rate was still all over the place, and at any given moment she might die.
      As Paris recovered and Athena started her battle, I bedded down in the Ronald McDonald House, an accommodation for parents attached to the hospital.
      Nothing could dissuade me: I was crashing there until Athena had stabilised. But every day my head span.
      Though it was the last thing on my mind, at some point, I was going to have to think about the upcoming fight with Deontay Wilder.
      If it was to go ahead, my preparation would have to happen at breakneck speed.
      Athena was in ICU weeks before the showdown with Deontay WilderCredit: Instagram
      Little Athena was fighting for her life while Tyson was trying to prepare for his title bout
      The boxer’s new autobiography Gloves Off, is out on November 10
      Once my schedule was pieced together, I estimated I had around four weeks to get into fighting form. It wasn’t long, but I could still make it.
      At the Alder Hey Hospital the doctors were giving Athena ­life-saving treatment.
      The good news was that she’d been taken off the incubator and there were some signs of improvement, so whenever Paris and Athena were resting, I went to work.
      To tackle Wilder, I needed to make the most of every opportunity, and a day or so after the birth, I started a jog around the hospital with Dad.
      I wasn’t in the best of shape at the time because I’d been struggling to eat well, what with being in and out of Alder Hey.
      I’d also not long recovered from Covid and my lungs felt like two sheets of sandpaper whenever I put in a shift.
      Puffing a little, I’d probably only done around three miles when my phone started ringing. It was Paris. She was hysterical.
      ‘The baby’s died,’ she screamed. ‘The baby’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead . . .’
      I sprinted to the ward as fast as I could, fearing the worst.
      My chest burned, my legs were in agony, and as I ran I tried my best to console Paris.
      ‘It’s going to be alright,’ I panted down the phone. ‘Let the doctors do their job. Don’t worry . . .’
      It hurt me to see her in the cot, attached to a bleeping machine. Tyson Fury
      When I made it to her bedside, there seemed to be a hundred medics crowding around Athena.
      Apparently, she’d become completely unresponsive while Paris was holding her, then her heartbeat had faded away to nothing.
      Athena was resuscitated, but Paris was now losing it.
      A nurse was trying to calm her as the specialist staff went to work. I couldn’t believe what was happening.
      Eventually, to our enormous relief, and with the grace of God the doctors were able to steady Athena.
      We were told she would have to remain in hospital until she’d made a full recovery.
      In the end it would take three weeks before she was allowed home and for much of the time I slept at the Ronald McDonald House, or on the floor of the hospital ward, feeling exhausted, praying for her to pull through safely, knowing that some parents never got to take their babies home.
      It hurt me to see her in the cot, attached to a bleeping machine.
      A lot of the time Paris and me would sit there, staring at our baby.
      Keeping the worrying news from the kids was a tough job too.
      All of them were excited to meet their new sister – Venezuela, Prince John James, Prince Tyson Fury II, Valencia Amber and Prince Adonis Amaziah. We didn’t want to tell them that Athena had nearly died because we didn’t want to worry them.
      After what felt like an age, Athena had recovered enough for us to leave hospital at the end of ­August.
      I immediately went back to work, even though I probably could have postponed the fight.
      It’s not as if I didn’t have a good reason for requesting a delay.
      Sleeping rough on the floor of a hospital wasn’t the best way to prepare for anything, let alone a world heavyweight title bout against a man who was talking up my murder.
      But what was the point in looking for excuses? It was now or never. I’d had a tough time for sure, but not as tough a time as Athena – and she’d shown the strength and willpower to fight her way back to life.
      I would turn her battle into fuel.
      Read More on The Sun
      And I did. I beat Wilder with an eleventh round knockout – in one of the most epic fights of all time.
      It was Athena’s successful battle which inspired me to win mine.”

      Adapted from GLOVES OFF by Tyson Fury, published by Century on 10th November in hardback and audiobook.

      Tyson Fury v Derek Chisora for WBC & lineal Heavyweight Championship of the World will be broadcast exclusively on BT Sport Box Office. Tickets for the event at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Dec 3 are available now at ticketmaster.co.uk

      Tyson Fury and his family
      Fury recording his debut single – the Neil Diamond classic Sweet CarolineCredit: PA
      The couple with their six children More

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      Jake Paul ready to challenge Tyson Fury in WWE… but first wants to settle ‘unfinished business’ with his brother Tommy

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      JAKE PAUL is ready to challenge Tyson Fury in the WWE… but first wants to settle his “unfinished business” with brother Tommy. Paul’s older sibling Logan recently crossed over to professional wrestling and challenges for the WWE title on November 5.
      Jake Paul is ready to challenge Tyson Fury in the WWECredit: Esther Lin
      Tyson Fury pictured with younger brother TommyCredit: Instagram
      Fury, 34, has also had a WWE run and, in September, made a cameo appearance on the Clash at the Castle pay-per-view in Wales.
      Paul, 25, is open to starring alongside the Gypsy King but only after fighting his brother Tommy, 23, in the boxing ring.
      He told Sky Sports: “Maybe a wrestling event, maybe we go WWE.
      “I definitely want to take out his little brother though, Tommy. I think that’s still a big fight and there’s unfinished business.”
      READ MORE IN BOXING
      The celebrity rivals have TWICE signed for a grudge match but Fury has withdrawn both times.
      An injured rib last December and US visa issues this August saw the 2019 Love Islander pulled out of the PPV paydays.
      Fury’s hopes of negotiating again were dashed after Paul agreed to face UFC legend Anderson Silva, 47, this weekend in Arizona.
      Paul last fought in December, knocking out Tyron Woodley, 40, four months after beating the ex-UFC champion on points.
      Most read in Boxing
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      That added to KOs over online rival AnEsonGib, ex-NBA star Nate Robinson and retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren.
      Heavyweight Hasim Rahman Jr, 31, initially signed as a substitute for Fury in August but pulled out due to a weight disagreement.
      It has left Paul believing pro boxers are now too afraid to risk their record and reputation against him.
      He said: “They know if they get hit with this right hand then they’re going to be turned into the biggest meme on the internet.
      “So they just don’t want to take that risk when it comes down to it.
      “Losing to me is probably the worst fighter to lose to in the world.”
      Jake Paul and Anderson Silva fight over eight roundsCredit: Esther Lin More

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      I’m an ex-world champ and Jake Paul’s sparring partner… I was sceptical at first but left impressed, says Chad Dawson

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      FORMER world champion Chad Dawson admitted he was sceptical about sparring Jake Paul at first – but was won over in the ring. Dawson, who won the light-heavyweight title three times, has spent his second successive training camp with Paul in Puerto Rico.
      Former world champion Chad Dawson with Jake Paul
      He was first employed before the YouTuber-turned boxer signed to fight switch-hitting heavyweight Hasim Rahman Jr in August.
      And Dawson, 40, wanted to find out first-hand if the hype was real about Paul, who is 5-0 with four knockouts.
      He told Yahoo Sports: “When I initially got the call to come work with him, I was kind of iffy.
      “I wasn’t sure if it was just a publicity stunt, and when I thought about it, I was like, ‘Ah, I don’t know.’
      READ MORE IN BOXING
      “But I have to admit, I was curious.”
      When Paul’s fight with Rahman was cancelled amid a weight row, he instead lined up Anderson Silva for his return, this weekend in Arizona.
      Dawson, a southpaw like Silva, was one of the American’s chief sparring partners for this camp and was left convinced.
      He said: “I’ve been impressed. I’ve been very impressed, and I was shocked at his work ethic and his general ring knowledge.
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      “He moves like he’s been boxing for well over two or three years. And he’s thinking in there, too.”
      Paul, 25, last boxed in December, knocking out Tyron Woodley, 40, four months after beating the ex-UFC champion on points.
      That added to KOs over online rival AnEsonGib, ex-NBA star Nate Robinson, 38, and retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren, also 38.
      But Silva, 47, will be his first opponent with a recognised boxing record, with four wins and one loss in the ring.
      Paul’s trainer BJ Flores believes it will be their coming out party, having continued to develop in dress rehearsals in the gym.
      Flores said: “I’d say he is a prospect and someone to definitely watch out for.

      🥊 Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva: Ring walk time, live stream, TV channel, undercard for toughest test
      “Regardless of how long he’s boxing, the one thing you really have to respect that he does have what very few people have, real punching power.
      “That’s one thing like I said that no matter who’s been in camp, Chad Dawson, Richard Rivera, who just arguably beat Badou Jack.
      “Every single person who has been in camp with him and sparred with him says this kid has real, real power.
      “He’s somebody to watch out for regardless of his skill level. And you’re going to see a much improved skill level on [Saturday].
      “One thing you have to do with Jake is really be conscious of both hands.
      Read More on The Sun
      “People have seen the right hand, but the left hand is also strong and has been developing.
      “Everybody says the same thing: ‘He can really, really punch.’ ”
      Jake Paul sparring ahead of his fight with Anderson SilvaCredit: @jakepaul More

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      Jake Paul could get shock world boxing ranking by WBC… paving way for YouTube star to challenge for WORLD TITLE

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      JAKE PAUL is set to be considered for a world ranking by the WBC -which would pave the way for him to challenge for a world title. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman announced Paul would earn himself a top 15 rating had he beaten heavyweight Hasim Rahman Jr in August.
      Jake Paul could earn himself a WBC ranking by beating Anderson Silva
      The bout eventually got scrapped amid a weight row with the YouTube star instead returning against Anderson Silva.
      And Sulaiman revealed, with new rankings set to be unveiled soon, a win for Paul over the weekend could see him placed in the top 15.
      He told Fight Hype: “Jake Paul has a record in professional boxing and he has been improving the level of opposition.
      “Of course the WBC ratings committee is open to consider fighters for rankings considering all of the different variables which are activity, level of opposition, results and so on.
      READ MORE IN BOXING
      “So let’s see what happens Saturday. At the convention, the rankings will be addressed and the whole committee will meet.
      “Twenty four people from all over the world meeting to come up with an official ratings for November, so we will keep an eye on Jake Paul to see what happens.”
      Per the WBC’s rules, a fighter must be ranked within their top 15 for the right to challenge for their world title.
      Meaning, if Paul, 25, beats Silva, 47, and is in fact placed in the ratings, he would be free to compete for a championship belt.

      🥊 Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva: Ring walk time, live stream, TV channel, undercard for toughest test
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      Paul last boxed in December, knocking out Tyron Woodley, 40, four months after beating the ex-UFC champion on points.
      That added to KOs over online rival AnEsonGib, ex-NBA star Nate Robinson, 38, and retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren, also 38.
      But Paul returns in Arizona in the biggest test of his career and drew comparisons to boxing greats Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather.
      Sulaiman said: “People did not like Muhammad Ali, half of the people that watched him wanted him to lose.
      “They called him a traitor and all of these names, but today he is regarded as the greatest athlete in the history of humanity.
      “Floyd Mayweather, a lot of people didn’t like to see him and wanted him to lose.
      “People may want to see Jake Paul lose but they are going to tune in.
      “It’s very easy to criticise and simply bully people in the cyberspace because of personal situations, but what Jake and Logan Paul have done is a miracle so let’s support them.”
      Jake Paul ahead of his fight with Anderson SilvaCredit: Esther Lin More

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      Anthony Joshua was permanently ‘scarred’ by Andy Ruiz and could soon say ‘goodbye’ to boxing, says Carl Froch

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA’S spectacular defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr left him permanently “scarred” – so much so he could soon walk away from the sport, Carl Froch has claimed.AJ was battered by short-notice foe Ruiz Jr in his ill-fated American debut in June 2019, suffering four knockdowns on his way to a seventh-round TKO defeat.
      Anthony Joshua suffered a seven-round TKO loss to Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019Credit: GETTY
      Joshua exacted his revenge six months later but has had his killer instinct questioned sinceCredit: AP
      Carl Froch believes Joshua was permanently “scarred” by his defeat to Ruiz JrCredit: GETTY
      Joshua, 33, exacted his revenge in their rematch six months later and scored a brutal knockout of Kubrat Pulev before suffering back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
      The former two-time unified heavyweight champion has been accused of showing a lack of killer instinct since that fateful night at Madison Square Garden, which British boxing great Froch believes has a had lasting effect.
      The Cobra told William Hill: “When you’ve made it and you’re world champion and you’re pretty much financially secure, you start to almost question being a boxer.
      “I think that’s Anthony Joshua ’s problem now. He got beat up by Andy Ruiz Jr and that’s mentally scarred him – he knows he can get hurt, he knows he can get stopped.”
      READ MORE IN SPORT
      Joshua’s route back to world title contention is a long one following his second consecutive decision defeat to Usyk in August.
      And Froch wouldn’t be surprised if the Olympic gold medallist calls it a day in the near future.
      He said: “AJ’s got to be worth £100million, minimum. If you’ve got what you want out of life and you’ve achieved it, why are you going to go back into the ring and get your head punched in?
      “Why would you? It’s a dangerous sport. You have to weigh up whether the risk is worth the reward.
      Most read in Boxing
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      “‘What am I fighting for? Some more money that I don’t need and that I’ll never spend? What’s the risk?’ It could be goodbye.”
      Froch had the same conversation with himself after his knockout of George Groves at Wembley in the summer of 2014.
      He said: “I just think when you get to a certain level in boxing and you’ve made your money, and your legacy is secure, like me when I boxed at Wembley and chinned Groves, I had nothing else left to do.
      “You’re at the top of that mountain and all you can do is go down over the other side.”
      Joshua dismissed the notion of retirement after his Saudi showdown with Usyk and is set to return to the ring early next year.
      And promoter Eddie Hearn recently revealed AJ is leaning towards a trilogy fight with Dillian Whyte for his comeback bout.
      AJ is eyeing a trilogy fight with rival Dillian WhyteCredit: THE SUN
      He told The DAZN Boxing Show: “In terms of names, talking to [Joshua] the other day, he wants to fight Dillian Whyte, really.
      “Dillian Whyte fights on November 26 against [Jermaine] Franklin, who is talking a tremendous game, and we’ll see how that plays out.
      “I think Dillian Whyte is the frontrunner [for Joshua] if he comes through.
      “Otto Wallin is a guy that has reached out numerous times.
      “That’s a good fight for him as well. Then there’s the [Deontay] Wilder situation.
      “I’m not saying that’s going to be the fight for January or February, but it’s definitely a fight that he’s looking at.
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      “The feeling for AJ is the value of – and by the way, none of them are easy fights – a tune-up is sometimes they’re as dangerous as each other.
      “I don’t think he wants to start dropping out of the top 15 and top 10 of the governing bodies and just looking for an easy touch. I think he wants a real fight, and those are all real fights that you could see.” More