Heavyweight boxing

JARRELL MILLER is to be offered as an opponent for Anthony Joshua after talks to rematch Dillian Whyte collapsed. AJ and Whyte were in negotiations to fight on August 12 but Eddie Hearn has come out to say the deal has broken down.
Anthony Joshua and Jarrell Miller before their cancelled fight in 2019Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
So promoter Dmitriy Salita will put forward shamed heavyweight Miller, 34, as an alternative for Joshua, according to Sky Sports.
The American blew the chance to challenge AJ for the world titles in 2019 following a disgraceful drugs scandal.
Miller blamed the failed tests on a tainted supplement and stem cell shots in his elbow.
He then received a contract with Bob Arum’s Top Rank stable but again tested positive for a banned substance.
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This time the former kickboxer put it down to a SEX PILL and was handed a two-year suspension.
After serving the ban, Miller did enrol in VADA testing which saw his licence in Las Vegas reinstated.
He has returned in four bouts since and one exhibition on Floyd Mayweather’s undercard, where he called out Tyson Fury, 34.
Joshua, 33, is looking to return in the summer in preparation for a super-fight in Saudi Arabia against Deontay Wilder, 37.
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And after talks with Whyte, 35, were KO’d Hearn named European champion Agit Kabayel, 30, as a potential opponent but NOT Miller.
He told Boxing Social: “[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.
“And it’s difficult to fight an elite, top three of five guy when you’re fighting Deontay Wilder four months later.”
Anthony Joshua beat Dillian Whyte in 2015Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd More

ANTHONY JOSHUA’s rematch with Dillian Whyte is reportedly being scuppered by a sensational £10million payday demand.The Brixton Body Snatcher was lined up as the second opponent of Joshua’s career rebuild after the former unified heavyweight champion’s scrappy win over Jermaine Franklin in April.
A rematch between Anthony Joshua and Dillia Whyte is in the pipelineCredit: GETTY
But Whyte has deemed the purse on offer to be ‘unacceptable’Credit: GETTY
The Brixton Body Snatcher is reportedly demanding £10million to face AJ againCredit: REUTERS
Negotiations over the bout – which is being targeted for August 12 – began earlier this month, but Whyte is unhappy with a reported £3m purse on offer for the domestic dust-up.
That’s according to No Smoke Sport, who claim the one-time WBC title challenger is “requesting a purse of around £10m” to renew his rivalry with AJ.
AJ promoter Eddie Hearn recently revealed that Whyte and his team branded their opening offer “unacceptable”.
The Matchroom Boxing chief told iFL TV: “So we spoke last night to his team and this morning.

“We made an offer, and they felt that offer was unacceptable.
“We may be too far out on the money to make that fight.”
Hearn is eager to have Joshua back in action in August ahead of a mouthwatering December dust-up with Deontay Wilder.
And he doesn’t want to deviate from those plans, so much so that alternative opponents are being eyed.
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He said: “We’re looking at two other opponents for August 12.
“The key for us, if we can’t make the Deontay Wilder fight is that it doesn’t have to be Dillian.
“AJ wants it, that’s the fight AJ wanted.”
The 44-year-old added: “If we’ve got the Wilder fight done, we can fight someone else from the top 15 on August 12.

“We still want a decent, proper fight to prepare for Deontay Wilder.
“But if we can’t get the Wilder fight done, then we need a much bigger fight on August 12, or we look at Tyson Fury in September.”
Joshua, 33, hasn’t set foot in the ring since his less-than-impressive points win over Franklin in April – his first outing since back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
Whyte, meanwhile, also faced Franklin in his last outing, which he won via a controversial majority decision verdict. More

RIDDICK BOWE has told Tyson Fury that Mike Tyson would “kill him” in a fantasy boxing match.Bowe is a former world champion, claiming the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles after beating Evander Holyfield in 1993.
Tyson Fury would be ‘killed’ by Mike Tyson, claims ex-champion BoweCredit: AP
Mike Tyson’s power would supposedly be too muchCredit: Getty
Riddick Bowe has backed Iron Mike over the Gypsy KingCredit: AP:Associated Press
He then lost his belts in a rematch a year later.
Bowe never faced Tyson but went to school with him.
He was asked by The Mayweather Channel who would win a hypothetical fight between the Gypsy King and Iron Mike.
Bowe did not hesitate to say give his backing to the 56-year-old.
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He explained: “I think because of Mike’s speed and his punching power, as long as someone is standing in front of him, Mike will destroy them.
“And Fury doesn’t move. So Mike would kill him.”
The current WBC heavyweight champion has been hailed by Tyson in the past.
He said: “Tyson Fury proved over and over again that he’s the best.
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“Fury is the champ, the reigning champ and is gonna be the champ for a long time.”
The 34-year-old last stepped in the ring to knock out Derek Chisora in December.
A fight against WBA and IBF holder Oleksandr Usyk has been proposed with Saudi Arabia keen to host the bout.
However, talks over the super-fight have collapsed due to a disagreement over finances for a rematch.
The Gypsy King has no fight lined up while Usyk is expected to face Brit Daniel Dubois next.
Fury has since hit out at Usyk, claiming: “He is running like a cheater.” More

TYSON FURY has been accused of trying to “squeeze out” every penny possible for a clash with Oleksandr Usyk because he’s scared of losing to the Ukrainian.The WBC heavyweight king demanded a whopping 70 per cent split of the purse for their proposed undisputed title fight earlier this year.
Tyson Fury demanded a 70-30 purse split before the collapse of his clash with Oleksandr UsykCredit: Reuters
Johnny Nelson reckons Fury made the demand because he ‘doesn’t believe’ he’ll beat UsykCredit: REX
Team Usyk agreed to the outrageous split but pulled the plug on the bout following more last-minute demands from the Gypsy King.
And former WBO undisputed cruiserweight king Johnny Nelson reckons Fury tried to get the biggest piece of the pie due to his fear of being turned over by the slick southpaw.
He told SecondsOut: “It sounds like Tyson Fury doesn’t believe he beats Usyk.
“So all the demands, all the negotiating, all the hustling might be to squeeze out as much as he possibly can financially.
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“I won’t be one of these fools who blow smoke up his a**. I see through it.”
Nelson reckons Fury deserves the bigger slice of the pie but insists his claim that he’s struggling to land a fight isn’t true.
He said: “You can fight, and you deserve the lion’s share, but I’m not buying that bulls**t [that no one wants to fight you].”
Fury, 34, hasn’t set foot inside the ring since his Tottenham trilogy fight with Derek Chisora last December.
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Saudi boxing chiefs are hoping to have the Wythenshawe warrior face Usyk in a multi-million-pound December dust-up.
But Fury’s dad John insists his son won’t agree to the fight until Usyk apologises for pulling the plug on their historic showdown.
He told Seconds Out: “Until he gets on and makes a proper video explaining what he did and tells the truth, he may never get the fight with Tyson.
“It’s gone past money now with Tyson, it’s gone past everything with us. They are taking the p**s.

🥊 Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk – Date, live stream, TV channel and all you need to know about heavyweight bout
“He’s a nobody, Usyk. Yes, he’s won a few belts off AJ [Anthony Joshua].
“But you’ve seen how AJ has been performing. AJ has not performed for a while now.
“And they’re judging what he done to AJ.
“Tyson will iron him out and everybody in the game knows it.” More

TYSON FURY has hit out at Oleksandr Usyk for “running” from their undisputed super-fight – but he does not hate his rival. The two looked on course to meet in the heavyweight division’s first ever four-belt unification bout.
Tyson Fury facing off with Oleksandr UsykCredit: Getty
But talks broke down amid a row over the finances for a potential rematch, leaving both men to move on.
Usyk, 36, has since signed with Saudi Arabia’s Skill Challenge Entertainment amid rumours of fighting Fury, 34, at the end of the year.
So the Gypsy King accused his rival of thinking only about the money
He said on Foxify Trade Twitter Spaces: “I would love to fight Usyk for the undisputed titles.
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“But at the minute Usyk is running like a cheater, he is running so fast, he can’t get away from me quick enough.
“The only reason this fight hasn’t happened is Usyk wants more bags, he wants more money.”
Usyk is now set to face WBA mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois, 25, while Fury searches for an opponent to return against.
But boxing bosses in Saudi are hoping for Anthony Joshua, 33, to fight Deontay Wilder, 35, with Fury facing Usyk.
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And the unbeaten WBC champion admitted he does not blame the pound-for-pound star for eyeing the mega-bucks.
He said: “So, I don’t blame him for that because at the end of the day it’s a short career and it’s a business.
“So, it’s not a personal thing of ‘I hate Usyk’ or ‘oh my god Usyk didn’t fight me’, for whatever reasons. This is strictly business.
“Usyk is waiting for the big money, the £100million he’s going to get from the Saudis for a fight in November or whenever it’s going to happen.
“So, I can’t hold it against him. I know he’s a family man and he’s got mouths to feed, so I wish him luck, it’s not personal, it’s a sport for one and a business for two.
“But, when we do finally meet, I’m going to annihilate him, that’s a fact.”
Oleksandr Usyk, Bob Arum and Tyson Fury in 2021Credit: Getty More

ANTHONY JOSHUA’s problems inside the ring stem from a lack of “heart”, a former world champion has claimed.The former two-time unified heavyweight champion has looked a shell of old self since his spectacular upset defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in the summer of 2019.
Anthony Joshua has been gun-shy of lateCredit: GETTY
His hesitancy to engage began after his 2019 upset defeat to Andy Ruiz JrCredit: GETTY
Shakur Stevenson claims the Brit is suffering from a lack of ‘heart’Credit: GETTY
Joshua, 33, has been somewhat hesitant to stay in the pocket since being chinned at MSG, a reluctance which was on show in his recent fights with Oleksandr Usyk and Jermaine Franklin.
Many have attributed the Watford warrior’s hesitancy to a fear of being knocked out, although former super-featherweight king Shakur Stevenson thinks otherwise.
During an appearance on The Breakfast Club, he said: “With him, I think he’s got a heart problem.
“Usyk is a little guy, and he’s supposed to impose his will, but he didn’t impose his will.
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“I think he has got potential though.”
Joshua bounced back from consecutive points defeats to pound-for-pound king Usyk with a scrappy win over Franklin in April.
Team AJ are hoping to have the Olympian throw down with long-time rival Dillian Whyte in August ahead of a December dust-up with Deontay Wilder.
But Wilder’s coach Malik Scott has suggested the multi-million-pound Saudi showdown is not nailed on.
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The Bronze Bomber’s trainer told ESNEWS: “That’s the buzz fight right now.
“And it’s looking like that might be the route we end up going.
“Deontay is in the position where so many big fights are lined up that anything or any opponent can possibly change.
“Andy Ruiz is definitely one of the main options right now and we’ll see where it lands at.

“In my opinion, I’d like to see it at the Crypto Centre and I like Vegas.”
He added: “We’ll see what happens, we’ve still got Anthony Joshua on the menu – all of them on the menu.
“Ruiz, Joshua, Usyk, and they all will get the same treatment. Big fights and exciting times.” More