Heavyweight boxing

EDDIE HEARN says Anthony Joshua “wants all the smoke” after agreeing to terms over a WBC heavyweight title clash with Tyson Fury.The Watford born Brit, 32, revealed on Tuesday he agreed to 60-40 purse split in unbeaten champ Fury’s favour.
Hearn says Joshua ‘wants all the smoke’ ahead of his Fury showdownCredit: PA
Joshua and his team have accepted terms for a fight with FuryCredit: Getty
Hearn shared the news Joshua has accepted the terms presented to themCredit: Instagram
It is expected to be the biggest purse in the history of British boxing.
If all goes to plan, the Battle of Britain will take place on December 3 and could be hosted at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
The announcement of the terms being agreed upon was delayed out of respect for The Queen, who sadly passed away last Thursday aged 96.
An official statement read: “258 and @MatchroomBoxing can confirm, on behalf of @anthonyjoshua, that we accepted all terms presented to us by Fury’s team for a fight Dec 3rd last Friday.
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“Due to the Queen’s passing, it was agreed to halt all communication. We are awaiting a response.”
Joshua’s promoter and Matchroom boxing chief Hearn, reposted the statement, and said: “AJ wants all the smoke!”

AJ will be heading into the December war with Fury, 34, off the back of two straight losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
He failed to reclaim the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles from the 35-year-old Ukrainian in Saudi Arabia last month, losing by split decision.
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In another major step towards making the Fury vs Joshua fight official, AJ has also been ranked No6 by the WBC.
The Mexican sanctioning body had previously always blanked AJ as he had never fought for any of their heavyweight titles. More

JARED ANDERSON is chasing a fight with British heavyweight Daniel Dubois.The American rising star is 12-0 as a professional and is rapidly rising towards the top of the division.
Highly-rated Jared Anderson is targeting a bout with Daniel DuboisCredit: Getty
Daniel Dubois boasts an 18-1 professional recordCredit: Getty
Anderson, 22, is targeting a big name for his next bout, and reckons Dubois could fit the bill.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I would love to fight a lot of people.
“Filip Hrgovic, Carlos Takam, Daniel Dubois… there’s a million names I could name, a lot of different people.
“All the contenders, prospects, all the ones coming out… Luis Ortiz, Andy Ruiz, all them, anybody. I’d love to fight anybody.”
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Further quizzed about Dubois in particular, he added: “I love that fight.
“I watched his Joe Joyce fight, I’ve seen why he lost. He’s still a decent fighter though.
“You can’t count him out. I believe I would beat him in good fashion if I don’t stop him.”
Anderson has won all 12 of his professional fights via knockout.
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He had been due to fight Christian Hammer at Wembley in April on the Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte undercard, only to succumb to injury.
Anderson was back in action last month against Serbian Miljan Rovcanin – needing just two rounds to clinch victory.
Grading his latest display, he said: “I gave myself a C+, maybe a B- at the most.
“I know my capabilities and what I’m good at. I think I’ve got so much more room to grow and so much more to accomplish.”
Dubois, meanwhile, was last in action in June when he defeated Trevor Bryan in Miami to win the WBA regular heavyweight title.
Triple D boasts an 18-1 record, his 2020 defeat to Joyce remaining the only blemish on an otherwise perfect CV. More

ANTHONY JOSHUA confirmed he has AGREED to a 60-40 purse split with Tyson Fury ahead of a potential December 3 fight.All terms presented were accepted last Friday, but all communication was halted due to the passing of The Queen.
Fury offered Joshua out for a fight later this yearCredit: Getty
Joshua, 32, has now been ranked at No6 in the WBC rankings for the first time everCredit: Reuters
WBC champ Fury will take home 60 per cent of what is expected to be the biggest purse in the history of British boxing, while Joshua has settled for 40.
A Twitter statement by 258MGT read: “258 and @MatchroomBoxing can confirm, on behalf of @anthonyjoshua, that we accepted all terms presented to us by Fury’s team for a fight Dec 3rd last Friday.
“Due to the Queen’s passing, it was agreed to halt all communication. We are awaiting a response.”
The Watford hero was also ranked No6 by the WBC.
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The Mexican sanctioning body have always blanked AJ as he had never fought for any of their heavyweight titles and was the WBA, IBF and WBO boss twice.
But, in order for 34-year-old Fury to make a voluntary defence of his crown on December 3 in Cardiff against his 32-year-old rival, it helps if Joshua is top-15.
Without the lofty ranking, the fight would have needed special dispensation as the WBC has a long list of contenders who have been paying sanctioning fees for eliminators and lesser belts.
But now the London 2012 golden boy is rated above the likes of considered Fury opponents like Otto Wallin (8) and Mahmoud Charr (19) little seems to stand in the way of a winter Battle of Britain between the two.
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Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua’s tale of the tape
When will Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua take place? All you need to know on blockbuster bout
Fury’s hall-of-fame promoter Frank Warren has placed cool-headed son George in charge of negotiations with Joshua rep Eddie Hearn and AJ’s management team.
Fury’s broadcasters BT Sport have also been convinced by the champ to consider a form of deal with Joshua’s DAZN app.
Joshua was training at his Loughborough University base on Monday.
And Fury was working out at his gym at Morecambe’s football ground at the same time.
SunSport understands Fury will start his dedicated fight-focused training camp in three weeks – regardless of who he is facing.
It isn’t only Joshua or Oleksandr Usyk who want a piece of Fury.

Luis Ortiz called out Fury despite losing to former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr.
Ortiz also issued a challenge to Joshua.
Veteran Cuban fighter Ortiz, who lost 111-114, 112-113 and 111-114 to Ruiz Jr, said: “Hey Fury and Joshua, I hear you both are looking for opponents.
“Well I am down to fight either one of you. Let’s see what you young lads can do against me.
“Give me my respect, all heavyweights have or will get dropped at some point.
“So to say I’m old because I went down and got up, then what does that say about Fury hitting the canvas or Joshua or Whyte or Wilder? Are they old?
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“I mean I did stand in front, toe-to-toe with a man who weighed in 25 more pounds than me and I mostly took the fight to him.
“And with all respect to Ruiz, I’d love a rematch with him.” More

ANTHONY JOSHUA has been urged to sack the “back slappers and a***-kissers” from his team.The Brit suffered a second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia last month.
Anthony Joshua lost to Oleksandr Usyk last monthCredit: Getty
AJ brought trainer Robert Garcia onboard for his last campCredit: Getty
AJ, 32, is now in talks to fight Tyson Fury in the UK later this year.
If he is to have success, former featherweight champion Barry McGuigan feels that he needs to make big changes.
The Irishman, 61, told Boxing King Media: “Joshua just needs to take a bit of time out, let his head chill, get his team sorted out, get rid of the back-slappers and the a***-kissers – and there are loads of those…
“Sack the whole God damn lot of them, take out half-a-dozen of the most important people in his team and that’s enough.
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“He needs to go back to basics, he’s always been a power puncher, and he needs to just get on with it.”
Joshua began working with trainer Robert Garcia ahead of his second Usyk bout, but this clearly wasn’t enough for McGuigan.
The “Clones Cyclone” also urged AJ to build his confidence back up.
He added: “Joshua has always been able to hit with power.
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“He has had a confidence issue since the Ruiz fight, but he needs to get back in there and start sparring again with good quality opposition, pick a number of low-key opponents – even if you blow them away again – to give him a bit of confidence.
“But ultimately, he needs to be aggressive. Whether he fights Usyk or whether he fights Tyson Fury, he has to be aggressive.”
The Gypsy King’s promoter Frank Warren confirmed that talks regarding a fight with AJ have been put on hold following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II last week.
He told talkSPORT: “It wasn’t appropriate obviously. That’s how we feel.
“We’ve put it on hold and will pick up on it in the next week or so.
“From our perspective, we don’t feel it is appropriate out of respect for what has happened.”
Barry McGuigan offered his thoughts on AJ’s situationCredit: Getty More

TYSON FURY and Anthony Joshua have both been called out by Luis Ortiz.That’s despite the 43-year-old suffering a heavy defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr earlier this month.
Tyson Fury has been called out by Luis OrtizCredit: Rex
Ortiz is also ready to take on Anthony JoshuaCredit: Getty
Veteran Cuban fighter Ortiz lost 111-114, 112-113 and 111-114 to Mexican ace Ruiz Jr in Los Angeles – his second defeat in four fights and third of his professional career.
Ortiz’s two other losses both came against Deontay Wilder – then the WBC champion.
And despite his setback against Ruiz Jr, who was almost two stone heavier, Ortiz has now set his sights on either Fury or Joshua.
The British pair are currently in talks to fight each other in December, potentially at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
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But talks are slow as both men look to secure the best deal possible.
And Ortiz hopes he will be considered by Fury or Joshua should both parties fail to reach an agreement.
Ortiz is confident he can hold his ground against the giants, and believes his performance against bigger man Ruiz Jr proves it won’t be an exhibition.
Ortiz said: “Hey Fury and Joshua, I hear you both are looking for opponents.
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Ortiz reckons he can stand his ground despite losing to Andy Ruiz JrCredit: Rex
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When will Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua take place? All you need to know on blockbuster bout
“Well I am down to fight either one of you. Let’s see what you young lads can do against me.
“Give me my respect, all heavyweights have or will get dropped at some point.
“So to say I’m old because I went down and got up, then what does that say about Fury hitting the canvas or Joshua or Whyte or Wilder? Are they old?
“I mean I did stand in front, toe-to-toe with a man who weighed in 25 more pounds than me and I mostly took the fight to him.
“And with all respect to Ruiz, I’d love a rematch with him.” More

ANTHONY JOSHUA could go over old ground in his proposed return fight in December. The former two-time heavyweight champion is on the comeback trail following consecutive defeats on points to Oleksandr Usyk.
Anthony Joshua lost for the second time to Oleksandr Usyk last month and wants a quick return to the ringCredit: PA
And Eddie Hearn hopes AJ can return before the end of the year in an arena bout.
Otto Wallin and  Zhilei Zhang – both of whom Joshua beat in the amateur ranks – are among the names he could possibly fight.
Hearn told DAZN: “Dillian Whyte is not a fight for December, but it is a fight for March and the summer, 100 per cent.
“It’s a big stadium fight in the UK. You’ve got Filip Hrgovic, who just won.
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“I think it was a poor performance from him. Zhilei Zhang looked good. Otto Wallin also had a close fight with Tyson Fury.
“Dillian Whyte is a very good fight. I want to give Dillian Whyte a fight in November, and then I would like to make the AJ fight, subject to the Tyson Fury stuff.”
Wallin, 31, gave Fury 47 stitches in 2019 but lost in a tight points verdict.
And Hrgovic, 30, only narrowly beat Zhang, 39, on the undercard of Usyk rematch with over AJ.
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The Ukrainian, 35, was expected to face Fury, 34, in the heavyweight division’s first four-belt unification bout.
But Usyk has ruled himself out until next year as he rests and recovers with family having returned to his war-torn home.
So Fury made the unexpected decision to call out beaten Joshua and claimed he had November 26 and December 3 booked for a bout.
Although talks between the opposing camps have been put on hold following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Tyson Fury wants to fight Anthony Joshua nextCredit: PA More