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      Dillian Whyte slams boxing ‘bulls***’ as he opens up on three-line email offering Anthony Joshua fight

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      DILLIAN WHYTE is sick of his name being used in “bulls***” bluffs to save Anthony Joshua’s reputation.Promoter Eddie Hearn promised fight fans the winner of the Whyte and Jermaine Franklin November’s semi-final would fight AJ.
      Dillian Whyte did not hold back as he spoke exclusively to Sun SportCredit: PA
      But instead the London 2012 legend outpointed the American loser in an April 1 snorefest.
      And now the overdue third meeting between the 35-year-old Brixton Body Snatcher and 33-year-old Joshua – who lost their 2009 amateur slugfest but won the 2015 pro barnstormer – has been cancelled before it was even agreed.
      With Joshua being tied into a mega-money Saudi showdown with Deontay Wilder in December, Whyte always doubted the offer was genuine but played along with the talks.
      But now he has hit out at a string of issues that are leading boxing fans astray and potentially tarnishing his name.
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      “They’re talking rubbish,” Whyte told Sun Sport in response to Hearn’s claim he priced himself out of the August 12 O2 bout. “I haven’t turned down the fight. 
      “All I got, after Eddie talked publicly and often about making me an offer to fight AJ, was a very short email late in the evening on Friday 2 June. 
      “I absolutely 100 per cent want to fight AJ and called Eddie to discuss the offer but couldn’t get hold of him. I messaged him too. I didn’t hear back from him so I sent him an email to confirm I wanted the fight. 
      “I didn’t turn down the offer or propose a counter-offer.  All I did was ask normal questions on his three-line email so-called offer.
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      “Even before I emailed, Eddie was already saying publicly that his offer was unacceptable. So, why make it in the first place?
      “It is out of order to use me to boost AJ’s value in negotiations for the Wilder fight, without any intention to fight me. 
      “Heavyweight boxing is in an absolute mess at the moment and bulls*** like this doesn’t help.”
      Fans have been confused by the dozens of Hearn interviews claiming the highest earning British title fight in history is returning.
      The fight was on, then off and now Whyte is being accused of turning down a serious big-money offer, which the fighter categorically refutes.
      According to the no-nonsense heavyweight, too many untruths are being spread and he wants a few points made clear.

      The original June 2 ‘offer’ was a three-line email with barely any details to arrange such a huge show.

      Hearn went public on June 5 claiming an official offer had been made and talks were underway, which was way off.

      The money on offer – for an arena show in the middle of the school summer holidays when most ticket buyers are on holiday – is poor compared to the stadium spectacular fans have expected.

      Repeated efforts from Team Whyte to negotiate and come to an agreement were ignored.

      The Jamaica-born bruiser added: “Eddie has rightfully been talking about it being a stadium-filling blockbuster for years and I have chased this fight for eight years.
      “So I asked him why he would host the event at the O2 in the middle of August when most people are on holiday
      “He didn’t respond to my email or get in touch but carried on talking about ‘negotiations’ that simply weren’t happening and still haven’t happened.
      “There hasn’t been a single conversation with me, my lawyer or any of my team.
      “I chased him with a follow-up email on June 13, to tell him that the offer didn’t feel real and that AJ obviously didn’t want the fight and was going to wait for his Saudi payday in December.
      “I then did an interview with Sky on June 15 after which I got a short and weird response from Eddie saying that the numbers don’t work and that we should look at alternative options. 
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      “Let’s be very clear here, I told him I wanted the fight, I didn’t turn it down and I didn’t price myself out and in fact have not had a single discussion about it with Matchroom since the ‘offer’ and I didn’t make any demands.”
      Dillian Whyte is a VOW Nutrition athlete, the sports supplements Trusted by the Elite. More

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      I was born into poverty and grew up in a slum – now I’m a world champion boxer & multi-millionaire

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      A BOXER who was born into poverty and grew up in a slum defied the odds to become a world-champion fighter and multi-millionaire.Roberto Duran scooped titles at lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight in a iconic fighting career spanning over 30 years.
      The legendary Roberto Duran in 1973Credit: Getty
      The Panamanian is one of boxing’s greatest ever fightersCredit: Splash News
      Duran, 72, is considered by many as the greatest lightweight boxer of all time as well as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in boxing history.
      He racked up an astonishing pro record of 103-16 during his time in the ring, with 70 wins coming via knockout.
      But the boxer – famously known as ‘The Hands of Stone’ – did not have an easy route to the big time.
      Duran grew up in the slums of El Chorrillo, steps away from the Panama Canal.
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      Born into a life of poverty, he shined shoes and sold newspapers from the age of five to help support his family.
      Growing up in Chorillo, a tough district, he had to learn to fight to survive from a very young age.
      In the tough neighbourhood, Duran wanted to stay in one piece, according to The Ring magazine.
      The boxing legend felt he was too young to die and developed his trademark tenacity and courage by learning to fight hard.
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      Duran’s own words in the documentary film ‘I am Duran’, on the reason he became a boxer were: “My family didn’t have money to eat, we slept in an entrance way, that’s why I became a boxer.”
      Duran, who fought professionally from 1968 to 2001, enjoys legendary status in Panama and Latin America.
      The retired Panamanian boxer reportedly boasts a net worth of £2,349,600 according to Celebrity Net Worth.
      Duran’s finest performance arguably came against Sugar Ray Leonard in the 1980 Montreal match up when he became WBC welterweight champ.
      But their second fight months later was one of the most lucrative fights in boxing history at the time.
      Duran withdrew midway through the clash by famously saying “No mas” — “No more.”
      However, Duran still earned a reported £5million for the rematch.
      Duran’s last fight was a defeat on points to Hector Camacho in July 2001.
      After a number of premature retirements in the 1980s and 90s, Duran retired for good in early 2002 following a car crash in Argentina.
      During his career, the second-longest of any boxer in history, the 5ft 7in superhero inspired a downtrodden nation and redefined what it meant to be a fighter.
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      A movie about his career was released in 2016.
      Duran was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2006 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2007.
      Duran’s greatest victory was arguably against Sugar Ray Leonard in MontrealCredit: Getty
      Roberto Duran in 1973 ahead of a fight against Juan Medina in CaliforniaCredit: Getty More

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      KSI’s pal accuses Tommy Fury of ‘piggybacking’ off brother Tyson and Jake Paul after brutally snubbing fight

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      TOMMY FURY has been accused of riding the coattails of brother Tyson and bitter rival Jake Paul.TNT became a household name during his 2019 stint on Love Island but has continued to build his brand in the years since leaving the reality TV show.
      Tommy Fury rose to fame in 2019 after appearing on Love IslandCredit: ITV
      He continued to build himself up on the undercard of brother Tyson’s clash with Dillian Whyte last yearCredit: GETTY
      His feud with social media superstar Jake Paul boosted his public profileCredit: GETTY
      Viddal Riley has claimed Tommy is riding on the coattails of brother Tyson and PaulCredit: PA
      His public feud with social media sensation Jake Paul did wonders for his global popularity and culminated with a multi-million-pound payday in February.
      But fellow novice Viddal Riley insists Tommy would be a nobody in the sport if weren’t for the popularity of his brother and Paul.
      He told The Daily Mail: “Tommy without Jake [Paul] was fighting on his brother’s undercards getting a little relative touch.”
      Riley was recently publically snubbed by Tommy, who claimed the 25-year was “a lot lower” than himself in the boxing world.
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      But ‘The Rilest’ insists his numbers far outshine those put up by Tommy, saying: “I can fight anybody and they can get a high amount of views.
      “I fight guys that no one’s ever heard of and get a million views, Tommy can’t say the same thing.
      “He can only piggyback off the guys that do have names, and then claim that it’s his numbers. It’s just an excuse to say he doesn’t want to fight me.”
      Despite being publicly snubbed by Tommy, Riley – the former trainer of KSI – is still holding out hope of sharing the ring with the celebrity.
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      And he only sees their showdown going one way, saying: “If we fight I think Tommy Fury comes out worse than Anees Taj did on Friday.
      “I think Anees would knock out Tommy Fury. If he took the fight with me it would be very damaging.
      “I don’t know how much money it would take for him to take that hit on his brand but he couldn’t walk the roads the same again if he fights me and I think he knows that.
      “He will just start targeting JJ (KSI), someone I started training at the end of 2017.”
      Tommy’s proposed clash with KSI – who he nearly traded blows with last month – is seemingly “very close” to coming to fruition.
      And he hopes to use it to put an end to the YouTube boxing scene once and for all.

      He told Sky Sports: “Everybody knows what’s next for me, it’s being teased at the minute.
      “Hopefully, we can get this KSI fight over the line and I’ll knock off another YouTuber.
      “That’s my plan for this year. I want to end YouTube boxing within 12 months.
      “So that’s my plan. So we’ll see. I don’t know. I just take it one fight at a time.
      “All these guys are the same to me. There’s not one that stands out from the rest.
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      “They’re all about the same. So anyone can get it. I’m not bothered.” More

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      UFC’s Joe Rogan branded a ‘s**tbag’ by Tyson Fury for stirring up Jon Jones crossover fight as ‘offer’ is made to Brit

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      TYSON FURY has blamed Joe Rogan for the talk of a crossover clash with Jon Jones – branding the UFC commentator a “s**tbag”.The combat sports world has been abuzz about a hypothetical fight between boxing and MMA’s heavyweight kings ever since Rogan claimed Jones would have his way with Fury.
      Tyson Fury is currently flirting with a crossover fight with UFC heavyweight champ Jon JonesCredit: GETTY
      UFC commentator Joe Rogan first talked up the hypothetical fight on the podcastCredit: GETTY
      Gypsy King Fury has branded Rogan a ‘s**tbag’ for stirring up the fightCredit: Getty
      Gypsy King Fury, 34, flew into a fit of rage at the notion of Jones getting the better of him in a no holds barred fight, screaming down his iPhone and posting the footage to Instagram.
      And he lays the ensuing talk of a cross-sport clash squarely at the feet of multi-millionaire podcast Rogan.
      During a recent Q&A at Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA Gym in Phuket, Thailand, he said: “It was actually Joe Rogan, little s**tbag, who [started this].
      “Just out of the blue, there was no talk of me or Jon even fighting. Jon’s a great guy, probably the GOAT of MMA.
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      “[Rogan] said, ‘Oh if Tyson Fury goes in a room with Jon Jones he’s going to get absolutely smashed to bits.’
      “Like, if someone goes in the room with me and it’s no holds barred, you’re going to have to kill me to stop me.”
      Rogan’s insistence that mixed martial arts’ pound-for-pound king would have his way with Fury still irks the Brit.
      The WBC heavyweight champion said: “He didn’t say an MMA fight or a boxing fight, he said go in a room together and Tyson Fury’s not walking out.
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      “So I don’t know where it all started and Jon said something and I said something and we’ve being going back and forward.
      “There was never talk of me saying I was going to go in a cage with Jon Jones and go in there and get my arm snapped off.
      “No way. The thing was, I offered Jon, you want to walk in a boxing ring and make some real money then come and fight me.
      “But zero chance of me going in an MMA game and rolling around and all that. Zero.”
      UFC president Dana White has publicly entertained the prospect of Fury – who is without an opponent following the collapse of his historic undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk earlier this year – entering the octagon.
      Tyson Fury has claimed to have been offered a ‘hybrid fight’ with Jon JonesCredit: REUTERS
      And Fury sensationally claimed last week to have received an offer from MMA’s top promotion to throw down with ‘Bones’.
      During a Twitter Spaces, the Brit said: “I’ve been in talks with Francis Ngannou for a hybrid fight.
      “There’s talks of me and Jon Jones doing a hybrid fight as we talk right now.
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      “I received an offer from the UFC yesterday. So, you never know what’s gonna happen.
      “The future’s bright for sure. There’s a lot of options out there, and it seems at the moment I’m still going to get an actual boxing opponent.” More

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      Eddie Hearn reveals deadline for Anthony Joshua to make August return as Dillian Whyte fight collapses

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA must finalise a new opponent “this week” if he’s to stay on course for an August ring return.The Watford warrior’s domestic dust-up with long-time rival Dillian Whyte collapsed this week due to a purse dispute.
      Anthony Joshua’s proposed August rematch with Dillian Whyte collapsed this weekCredit: GETTY
      Promoter Eddie Hearn is hard at work trying to find AJ a new opponent for August 12Credit: INSTAGRAM@EDDIEHEARN
      Hearn admits the deadline to ensure AJ fights this summer is ‘this week’Credit: PA
      Team AJ are desperate for the former unified champ to take part in an August warm-up before a December dust-up with Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia.
      Promoter Eddie Hearn is hard at work trying to find a suitable short-notice opponent but admits the clock is ticking.
      The Matchroom Boxing head-honcho told iFL TV: “There’s two or three opponents that we’re looking at but I’m not going to tell you who they are.
      “But we need to do it this week.”
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      Saudi boxing chiefs are fearful their proposed multi-million-pound grudge match between Joshua and Wilder could go up in smoke if the Brit fights later this summer.
      Hearn revealed: “Saudi definitely doesn’t want us to fight in August, but we want to fight in August.
      “And I think it would be good for his career to fight in August, so that’s still the plan.”
      “I don’t think Saudi want him to fight,” he told Boxing Social. “Because they want him to be ready for Deontay Wilder in December.
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      “But we as a team, Derrick James, Anthony and 258 Management all feel that it would be beneficial for his preparation to have that fight in August.”
      Undefeated German Agit Kabayel is in contention to be the man standing opposite AJ at the O2 in 7 weeks’ time, although Hearn admits he’s finding it difficult to find a suitable opponent for the Olympian.
      He said: “[Agit Kabayel] may be on a long list. Anyone in the top fifteen.
      “I don’t mind being honest – AJ’s going to fight Deontay Wilder in December. That’s our 100 per cent focus.

      “So he needs a fight against someone who’s going to allow him to work on, under the lights, everything he’s been working on with Derrick James.
      “There’s no point fighting a fight that’s against someone he’s going to take out in a round.
      “And it’s difficult to fight an elite, top three or five guy when you’re fighting Deontay Wilder four months later.
      “So we’re in a bit of a difficult position.” More

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      Top ten pound-for-pound British boxers revealed by BoxRec with Tyson Fury at SECOND and Anthony Joshua not in top five

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      TYSON FURY is NOT Britain’s pound-for-pound best boxer – and Anthony Joshua doesn’t even make the top five. That’s according to website BoxRec whose algorithm rates records of professional and amateur boxers.

      They instead have former light-middleweight Liam Smith, 34, as the country’s No1 off the back of his January win over Chris Eubank Jr.
      It leaves unbeaten heavyweight champion Fury, 34, trailing in second as he looks to fight again having been out since December.
      Leigh Wood is up to third after he regained the WBA featherweight title in his rematch with Mauricio Lara.
      But Josh Taylor has sunk to fifth after he suffered defeat for the first time, in New York to American Teofimo Lopez.
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      Anthony Joshua, 33, is sixth in front of undefeated super-featherweight champ Joe Cordina.
      Following defeat to Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez in Guadalajara, John Ryder comes in at No8.
      On the cusp of a title shot, Jack Catterall is at No9 with Eubank squeaking in to top ten.
      The middleweight saw his rematch with Smith shelved after the Liverpudlian suffered an injury.
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      And despite talks to reschedule for September, there are also efforts in the background for Eubank to fight Conor Benn in Abu Dhabi.
      Benn failed a series of pre-fight drug tests in the initial October 157 catchweight clash.
      And he is fighting to clear his name with UK Anti-Doping in a bid to be re-licensed in Britain.
      Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn’s fight was axedCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More

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      Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder Saudi super-fight could be ‘signed off’ within the next two weeks, Eddie Hearn says

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      EDDIE HEARN said Anthony Joshua’s super-fight in Saudi Arabia against Deontay Wilder could be signed off within two weeks. The pair of heavyweight stars have been in talks for a December blockbuster in the Middle East.
      Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn in Saudi Arabia in 2019Credit: PA:Press Association
      Deontay Wilder is in talks to fight Anthony Joshua in SaudiCredit: Getty
      Joshua, 33, has twice boxed in Saudi before, beating Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 but losing to Oleksandr Usyk last August.
      So promoter Eddie Hearn has no doubt Prince Khalid’s Skill Challenge Entertainment will deliver on the mega-money fight.
      He told the DAZN Boxing show: “When Prince Khalid and those guys tell me it’s done, it’s happening, I believe them.
      “I didn’t believe them at first for the Andy Ruiz fight but I quickly realised that these guys are real.
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      “We hope to get, contractually, everything signed off in the next one-to-two weeks.”
      Wilder, 37, has not returned since knocking out Robert Helenius, 39, in round one of his October comeback bout.
      But Joshua did bounce back with victory over Jermaine Franklin, 29, in April which followed after consecutive losses to Usyk, 36.
      It was his first under coach Derrick James and Hearn wants AJ to have one more fight with the American before facing Wilder.
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      Talks were progressing with Dillian Whyte, 35, for a rematch of the grudge match Joshua won in 2015.
      But Hearn admitted the fight faces the KO over a financial demands.
      He said: “I don’t think it will be Dillian Whyte.
      “I just think talking about money and trying to find some middle ground, it’s difficult.
      “Obviously [Whyte] has his perceived value in that fight, we have the number that we think is right, obviously AJ wants to get paid.
      “It’s very difficult. I just don’t think financially – being completely honest – we can reach a deal with Dillian Whyte for that fight.”
      Anthony Joshua beat Dillian Whyte in 2015Credit: Reuters More

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      Tommy Fury trains 12 ‘hard rounds’ with brother Tyson but Love Island star is mocked by KSI as rivals close in on fight

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      TOMMY FURY trained 12 “hard rounds” with brother Tyson – but he was mocked by KSI as they close in on their fight.Fury is in the gym as he edges towards a deal to face YouTuber, rapper and boxer KSI.
      Tommy Fury in training to fight KSI
      Tommy Fury pictured in the gym with brother Tyson
      He posted a series of pictures alongside his brother with the caption: “12 hard rounds in the bag.”
      But KSI took the opportunity to mock the 2019 Love Island star.
      He took a clip of Fury’s exhibition bout against Rolly Lambert last year and wrote: “12 “hard” rounds.”
      Fury, 24, beat Jake Paul, 26, by split-decision in their celebrity grudge match in February in Saudi Arabia.
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      But Paul snubbed a rematch to instead return on August 5 in Texas against ex-UFC fighter Nate Diaz, 38.
      So Fury has turned his attention to KSI, 30, who revealed talks are progressing between them.
      He told his Misfits Boxing YouTube channel: “I am training for that fight.
      “Negotiations are going back and forth, we’re just waiting on Tommy essentially.
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      “We’ve just gotta do a few things to make sure it’s all perfect, but it’s very, very close.
      “I’m training, I’m getting ready for that fight, that’s what I want.”
      His manager Mams Taylor added: “We’ve gone back and forth and negotiated and now we’ve agreed to all the changes that they’ve requested.
      “I don’t think there’s anything more other than for the ink to dry for both guys to make this happen.”
      KSI is in training to fight Tommy FuryCredit: Getty
      Tommy Fury facing off with KSICredit: GETTY More