Heavyweight boxing

ANTHONY JOSHUA left London Marathon runners stunned with a surprise appearance at the side of the track. Joshua appeared to be unbothered by the ongoing speculation surrounding his fight against Tyson Fury.
Anthony Joshua was handing out water to the runnersCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
Those who recognised him were left stunnedCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
Many paused running to take a photoCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
England star Jill Scott got in on the actCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
Anthony Joshua had a beaming smile as he stood trackside
The Brit, 32, took time out of negotiations to make a track side showing at the London Marathon to hand out drinks to the competitors.
He could be seen with a beaming smile as he handed drinks over to the participants as they went past.
At least 42,000 runners have been confirmed at the event, with a host of celebrity participants among them.
The former WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO belt holder is scheduled to fight WBC belt holder Fury in December.
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However, Fury publicly declared the fight was off due to Joshua and his team not signing the fight contract on his Monday deadline.
Fury branded his compatriot a ‘coward’ is a stunning rant on social media.
However, negotiations remain ongoing over the December 3 bout.
Joshua lost the chance to become a unified heavyweight world champion in the Fury fight after failing to recapture his belts with back-to-back defeats to Ukrainian heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk.
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Fury has reportedly lined up new opponents if the Joshua fight collapses.
Among them is Andy Ruiz Jr., who handed Joshua his first ever defeat in heavyweight boxing. More

JOE JOYCE is ready to fight BOTH Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury in December. AJ and Fury are still in talks for a December 3 Battle of Britain at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
Joe Joyce is ready to fight both Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury in DecemberCredit: Getty
But the Gypsy King had grown increasingly frustrated with Joshua yet to return the contract.
So Joyce has offered himself up as an alternate option for either heavyweight star if negotiations collapse.
He tweeted: “If Fury and AJ aren’t fighting then I’ll step in.
“December 3rd is tight for me @Tyson_Fury, but @EddieHearn you can give your new best mate @frankwarren_tv a call and I’ll take the 17th slot with AJ.
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“Easy fight to make!”
Joyce announced himself further to the blue ribband division by becoming the first man to stop Joseph Parker.
It was a career-best win, which Fury watched from ringside and Joshua is sure to have taken notice of.
It earned him the WBO “interim” title, guaranteeing himself a shot at Oleksandr Usyk’s belt.
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Usyk, 35, beat Joshua, 32, on points twice in the space of 11 months but ruled himself out of a unification bout with Fury until next year.
So Fury, 34, reacted by offering AJ an unlikely title shot in Wales, with talks ongoing.
It leaves Joyce, 37, momentarily on the outside, although he will take any of the three tops names, refusing to be picky.
He told SunSport: “The dream next fight would probably be Usyk, or Fury, or Joshua.
“There’s all the top names and they’re obviously great, exciting fights.
“I’m at the top of the division now in the elite level, so I will fight anyone.”
Tyson Fury watched from ringside as Joe Joyce beat Joseph ParkerCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Anthony Joshua is still in talks to fight Tyson Fury in DecemberCredit: Getty More

JOHN FURY said his son Tyson’s life was “crumbling by the second” during his brief boxing retirement. Unbeaten Fury claimed he was hanging up his gloves after knocking out Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April.
John Fury said his son Tyson’s life was ‘crumbling by the second’ during his brief retirementCredit: Reuters
But John revealed it took just a month until his son began to feel the affects of not having boxing in his life.
He told the Daily Mail, via Free Bets: “Tyson has been in and out of retirement since he turned pro.
“Aged 15, years ago. He will fall out with boxing for a week and then he loves it again. 
“He loves boxing. Tyson has got nothing else without boxing. He loves the game so much.
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“He said to me, ‘I was retired for four weeks and my life has fallen to pieces. I can feel my life crumbling’.
“He said, ‘My life was crumbling by the second’. He said he kept walking into the gym and smelling the gloves.
“Smelling the sweat and looking through the window thinking I want to get back in the game. 
“He said he realised he was not done yet and not by a long chalk. So I said to him, ‘Son if you feel like that, keep going until you don’t feel like it anymore’.”
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Fury first reigned as heavyweight king in 2015 after upsetting Wladimir Klitschko in Germany.
But he fell into depression and battled substance abuse, which led to almost three years out of the ring.
It sparked one of sport’s greatest comeback stories, as Fury lost TEN STONE to return in 2018 and win the heavyweight title again two years later.
Fury still holds the WBC belt and is seemingly out of retirement again as he continues talks to face Anthony Joshua, 32, on December 3.
And dad John insisted his son will be back in the shape of his life.
He said: “At the minute, you’ve got the best Tyson. He’s in the pump of his life. I think he just wanted to capitalise on how he feels.
“He trains hard, twice a day still. I do think at this moment in time, Tyson Fury is unbeatable. 
“I’m not just saying it because he is my son, but he has given me the right to sit here and big him up.
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“He’s won everything. He’s won every professional title there is to win. He’s cleaned up all over the board. You will be seeing a lot more of Tyson.
“Everyone is expecting to see this man come out of the woodwork and actually give him a good fight but I ain’t seen him yet.”
Tyson Fury alongside promoter Frank WarrenCredit: PA More

JOE JOYCE already has an established advantage over his heavyweight rivals… with FIVE TIMES the average human bone density. Joyce announced himself further to the blue ribband division by becoming the first man to stop Joseph Parker.
Joe Joyce has five times the average human bone densityCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
It was a career-best win, which Tyson Fury watched from ringside and Anthony Joshua is sure to have taken notice of.
Parker, 30, landed some massive shots during the Manchester thriller but Joyce, 37, just walked through them.
But it is no wonder the 2016 Olympian has such an iron chin – because of his miraculously strong bones.
He told BT Sport’s Carl Frampton: “I did a test in Middlesex, at the Saracens ground.
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“And all the rugby players had the same test in the DEXA scan and the next highest was like times three, but I was like times five.”
Joyce admitted he does not want to rely on his granite chin for too long, despite it being a lethal weapon.
He said: “I prefer not to get hit, yeah it helps. If I do get hit, I can keep moving forward.”
Joyce’s sparring partner Johnny Fisher has witnessed first hand just how strong Joyce’s chin is.
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He said on From The Corner: “Joyce is a very very special, unique individual.
“And I’ve seen him sparring in Vegas, getting left hook after left hook after left hook.
“Someone landed four left hooks on Joe Joyce’s chin, and he didn’t even move.”
Joyce’s win earned him the WBO “interim” title, guaranteeing himself a shot at Oleksandr Usyk’s belt.
Usyk, 35, beat Joshua, 32, on points twice in the space of 11 months but ruled himself out of a unification bout with Fury until next year.
So Fury, 34, reacted by offering AJ an unlikely title shot on December 3 in Cardiff, with talks ongoing.
It leaves Joyce momentarily on the outside, although he will take any of the three tops names, refusing to be picky.
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He told SunSport: “The dream next fight would probably be Usyk, or Fury, or Joshua.
“There’s all the top names and they’re obviously great, exciting fights.
“I’m at the top of the division now in the elite level, so I will fight anyone.”
Joe Joyce is the WBO ‘interim’ heavyweight championCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More

ANTHONY JOSHUA has been warned against fighting Joe Joyce – or else risk being knocked out. Mike Tyson first boxing coach, Hall of Famer Teddy Atlas, was impressed by Joyce’s 11th-round KO over Joseph Parker.
Anthony Joshua has been warned against fighting Joe JoyceCredit: Getty
Joe Joyce celebrates after knocking out Joseph ParkerCredit: PA
And he predicted the 2016 Olympic silver medallist would be too strong for former sparring partner AJ.
Atlas said on his podcast: “If he fights Joyce, he is getting knocked out.
“This man Joyce, is too big, too strong and too tough for Joshua and too hungry right now at this point in his life for Joshua.
“He’s done great things, but he’s not hungry. Like the great Marvin Hagler would say, maybe he’s been sleeping in silk sheets too much now.
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“It’s hard to sleep in silk sheets and still get up at 5am in the morning, and do rope work and then get in the ring with another man, who is trying to destroy you.”
Joshua, 32, is coming off two consecutive points losses to Oleksandr Usyk, most recently in August.
But he landed shock talks with Tyson Fury, 34, after Usyk ruled himself out of a unification bout with the Gypsy King.
Negotiations are still ongoing for a December 3 WBC title bout at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
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Joyce, 37, meanwhile remains an alternative for either British star, although Atlas doubts AJ would accept the fight.
He said: “Joshua would never get in the ring with him. That’s not a knock on him, he’s a smart guy.
“Joshua knows his limitations now, so he ain’t getting in there with Joyce.”
Teddy Atlas backed Joe Joyce to KO Anthony JoshuaCredit: Getty More

TYSON FURY is eyeing a December dust-up with Andy Ruiz if his Battle of Britain with Anthony Joshua fails to come to fruition.Negotiations over the pair’s long-awaited showdown are still ongoing – despite Fury claiming AJ had missed his Monday deadline.
Tyson Fury is in talks to face Anthony Joshua in a December domestic dust-upCredit: Getty
A deal for the pair’s long-awaited grudge match, however, hasn’t been finalisedCredit: GETTY
Ex-unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr could potentially face Fury if the AJ fight doesn’t come throughCredit: GETTY
Team Fury, however, have contingency plans in place for the WBC heavyweight champion’s December 3 return – which includes a potential clash with Ruiz Jr.
Dad John revealed to The Daily Mail: “We’re looking at other people.
“Look at Andy Ruiz, Luis Ortiz and Filip Hrgovic, or whoever wants to fight. It’s a good business.”
Former unified heavyweight champion Ruiz Jr revealed his desire to face Fury ahead of his decision victory over Luis Ortiz earlier this month.
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He said: “I want to focus on four more years in boxing and give it all I’ve got, fight the top contenders.
“I hope and pray that Tyson Fury doesn’t retire because it would be an honour to fight him.
“It’s a bucket list fight. It would be a blessing to fight him.”
Fury, 34, performed a U-turn on his Monday deadline to AJ on Thursday, saying: “My promoter Frank Warren convinced me to let Queensberry carry on negotiating with your team this week, despite me knowing that you were never going to do this fight.
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“So the deadline was Monday. “I allowed Frank to continue doing meetings with your team and your broadcasters and all that.
“Now we have BT, DAZN and ESPN all on the same page. They are happy with everything, they are all ready to rock and roll.
“You guys ask for a lot of stuff, you want to be co-promoters when you’re a voluntary challenger.
“Guess what, I said give it them, let them be co-promoters.
“You wanted full transparency, even though you’re not an equal shareholder in this party. You know what I said?
“Give them full transparency, I’ve got nothing to hide, I’m not trying to rob anybody, I’ve not robbed anybody of a penny in my life.
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“So now you’ve got full transparency, everything is clean and fair.
“Now, Joshua, the ball is really in your court son.”
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ANTHONY JOSHUA won’t sign up for a short-notice domestic dust-up with Tyson Fury as he doesn’t want to commit “financial suicide.”That’s according to the Gyspy King’s dad, John, who doesn’t believe Joshua’s team will allow him to take the fight.
Tyson Fury is still in negotiations to face Anthony JoshuaCredit: GETTY
Fury vs Joshua is currently targeted for December 3Credit: GETTY
But the Gypsy King;s dad John doesn’t foresee the fight coming to fruitionCredit: INSTAGRAM
WBC heavyweight king Fury threw AJ a shock championship lifeline earlier this month after his Brit rival’s second consecutive defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
Despite Fury publicly claiming the deadline for their December domestic dust-up has passed, negotiations for the biggest fight in British boxing history are still ongoing.
But Fury’s old man cannot see it happening.
The 58-year-old told The Daily Mail: “I can understand why [they are stalling on the contracts]. He is their Golden Boy.
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“A defeat to Tyson Fury, financially… it would financial suicide for them wouldn’t it. That’s why they don’t want it.”
John insists Team Fury would understand if Joshua declined the fight in order to spend time with his family following his long and gruelling training camp for his August rematch with Usyk.
He said: “You know what. If he came up with a viable explanation saying that, ‘You know what I’m not ready for it.
“‘I just come off a defeat and want some time out to spend some time out with the family.’
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“We’d understand that if he just says the truth – which is the truth. He said somewhere else he’s just come off a bad defeat.
“He’ll be a bit depressed over that, you know, and we can understand that. Why, don’t he just say that.”
Fury and Joshua were set to do battle last year after agreeing a blockbuster two-fight deal in March 2020.
But former WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder scuppered the undisputed bout when he won his arbitration for a trilogy fight with Fury.
Joshua is seemingly champing at the bit to get his hands on Fury, although John believes the fallen champion is having serious “doubts” about the fight.

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He said: “I think Joshua’s sort of like getting doubts about fighting the Gypsy King.
“You know they’ve had that contract now, for well over a month. Nothing’s happened.
“But what they want, you see, is a to and fro for next two years or twelve months.
“Twelve months or two years back and forth, like they did with Deontay Wilder. We don’t want that.
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“Tyson’s capped it off and put a deadline on it as he wants it signed up.
“He wants to get in camp, and then get it under way. Get the fight on and give the fans what they want. We aren’t interested in back and fros.”
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