Heavyweight boxing

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

BOXING could be axed from the Olympics as soon as Los Angeles 2028, according to reports.Past events have helped give a platform to a number of future stars including former world champions Anthony Joshua and Nicola Adams.
Anthony Joshua and Nicola Adams won gold medals for Team GB in 2012Credit: Getty Images – Getty
But amid a public war between the International Boxing Association (IBA) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) the event could be no more in LA.
According to the Mail, boxing’s place at the Games is at risk as the IBA takes on the IOC.
The IBA were previously responsible for Olympic boxing, but have seen the IOC take over for the 2024 Games in Paris.
This will see the IOC take responsibility for the governance, refereeing and judging of Olympic boxing.
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It will also make them responsible financially.
The IOC have taken the step of writing to the IBA to reveal their concerns.
Their letter is said to have included the possibility of ditching boxing from the Olympics altogether.
It’s claimed that the IOC are not keen on having to work with the IBA’s Russian president Umar Kremlev.
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He is set to retain his position at the next election, however, keeping the IOC and IBA at loggerheads.
Olympic boxing has given a platform to plenty of stars of the future over the years.
British favourite AJ catapulted to stardom at London 2012, winning super heavyweight gold.
At the same Games, Oleksandr Usyk triumphed in the heavyweight category.
While the likes of Wladimir Kitschko, Floyd Mayweather and Joe Frazier are among countless other superstars to have competed in Olympic boxing. More

BOXING promoter Frank Warren has confirmed talks over Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua have been put on hold following the death of The Queen.Her Majesty passed away last Thursday at Balmoral aged 96.
Warren says talks for Fury vs Joshua have been postponed until after the Queen’s funeralCredit: PA
Joshua will take a 40 per cent cutCredit: PA
Football postponed Saturday, Sunday and Mondays fixtures, while Cricket and Rugby Union games went ahead.
But boxing promoter Warren has confirmed talks over the all-British heavyweight clash between WBC champion Fury and Joshua have been put on hold as a result of The Queen’s passing.
Talks will resume after The Queen’s funeral, which will take place on Monday, September 19.
Warren told talkSPORT: “We’ve put it all on hold at the moment.
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“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.”
Fury and Joshua could meet in the UK later this year.
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Joshua could be heading into the title fight off the back of two straight defeats to Oleksandr Usyk and three losses in his last five.
Joshua has been offered a 40 per cent split of what will be the biggest purse in the history of British boxing.
The Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, is one of the venues being talked about.
As is a clash at Wembley Stadium, in the capital. More

TYSON FURY’S US promoter Bob Arum has predicted a “massacre” if he faces Anthony Joshua next.The Gypsy King, 34, is keen to fight AJ before the end of the year.
Tyson Fury wants to fight Anthony Joshua before the end of the yearCredit: PA
Bob Arum believes AJ will want to face a different fighter to get his confidence backCredit: Getty
Joshua has been offered a 40 per cent split of what will be the biggest purse in the history of British boxing.
Fury is keen for the bout to happen in late November or early December but Joshua is stalling over accepting.
And Arum believes the former world champion is unlikely to take the fight following back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
Arum told Boxing Social: “I don’t think it’s gonna happen because, while Fury would want it to happen, I put myself in the shoes of Eddie Hearn and Joshua.
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“And after losing twice to Usyk, the first thing you want to do is to get him back in the ring and get him two fights where it restores his confidence.
“If he goes back in the ring now with Fury, it’s gonna be a massacre.”
AJ has adopted Usyk’s brutal swimming regime in a bid to get back to his best, claiming he “loves a challenge”.
But instead of a bout with Fury, his promoter Eddie Hearn is eyeing a rematch against Dillian Whyte, whom he beat in 2015 – or former champion Deontay Wilder.
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As result, Arum believes AJ will not go for the Fury fight despite being offered a fair financial package.
Arum added: “I think that [the purse split] is pretty fair, right? I mean, Joshua’s not a champion anymore.
“But again, let’s not jump – I don’t believe that Fury against Joshua will happen this year because everything that I know about boxing, from Joshua’s standpoint, indicates that it won’t happen.” More

OLEKSANDR USYK has been snapped playing a charity basketball game in Ukraine as he relaxes weeks after his win over Anthony Joshua. The Ukrainian boxer is not fighting any further opponents this year due to injury and wanting to spend time with his family.
Oleksandr Usyk has taken part in a charity basketball matchCredit: Instagram @usykaa
The Ukrainian beat Anthony Joshua twice and could face Tyson Fury next yearCredit: Instagram @usykaa
So while Joshua and Tyson Fury work out a date for their Battle of Britain clash, Usyk was instead enjoying a low-stakes basketball match.
Fury’s camp had wanted to see if a bout could be arranged with the Jeddah winner before the end of the year, but Usyk’s injury ended those plans.
Instead Fury looks set to fight AJ as their two teams try to organise a date for November or December.
The 34-year-old set social media alight as he surprisingly called out Joshua for a fight.
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His offer came only weeks after Joshua lost for a second time to Usyk.
The bout gives Joshua the chance to claim the WBC world title if he wins but the camps are still squabbling over dates.
But reports suggest a deal is in the offing, and the fight could be the biggest in British boxing history.
And in another twist, Usyk has even offered to train Joshua for the fight should it come to pass.
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Negotiations are currently on hold after the death of The Queen.
Fury’s co-promoter Frank Warren told talkSPORT they paused talks out of respect for Her Majesty.
He said: “We’ve put it all on hold at the moment. 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.” More

ANTHONY JOSHUA has copied Oleksandr Usyk’s brutal swimming training regime as he prepares for his Tyson Fury super-fight.The Brit, 32, has been offered a shot at unbeaten WBC heavyweight champion Fury despite losing his last two fights against the Ukrainian.
Anthony Joshua is hoping to bounce back from back-to-back losses to Oleksandr UsykCredit: Instagram
Anthony Joshua says ‘you know I love a challenge’ as he prepares to take on Tyson FuryCredit: Twitter
Oleksandr Usyk swam ten kilometres a day before the press conferenceCredit: AFP
And to prepare for the potential all-British clash, Joshua is taking a leaf out of his former opponent’s book.
Usyk’s manager, Egis Kilmas, claimed the Ukrainian, 35, was swimming ten kilometres in a swimming pool for five hours, a day before one of his press conferences with Joshua – something he has “never seen”.
And now Joshua has decided to accept the challenge from Egis Kilmas and hopped in a pool.
Joshua wrote: “You know I love a challenge.”
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Whether Joshua overcame the challenge is yet to be seen.
The Battle of Britain showdown with Fury will take place later this year, if all goes well.
AJ was offered a 40 per cent split of what would be a record-breaking UK purse to fight the Gypsy King.
A date in early November was initially put on the table but Joshua can only return by December at the earliest following last month’s points loss to Usyk.

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Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua’s tale of the tape
Fury also wants to include a rematch clause and AJ’s team are happy to comply, as long as they get the lion’s share in return if they win.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed they are willing to take the deal on offer after talks with Frank Warren’s son George.
He told iFL TV: “We just went back this morning and said, I spoke to AJ about that offer, we think, I think particularly he deserves more than 40 per cent.
“But, he’s happy. And I don’t make the decisions, he does. So I went back this morning and said, ‘We accept 60/40’.
“We want that reversed in the rematch, rightfully so because you’re champion here, you want the bigger split, which I think is fair.
“And we want to do the fight in December. Now interestingly, they have December 17th, Queensberry held at the Millennium, so that’s perfect.”
Fury’s Promoter Frank Warren backed the all-Brit bout to break the domestic PPV record with 2MILLION sales.
And if the price takes an expected hike to £30, it leaves £60million made in box office receipts alone.
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And the last time AJ boxed in Wales, beating Joseph Parker, 30, in 2018, around £10m was made by paying fans.
It means Joshua and Fury would be expected to clear well over £70m in PPVs and tickets sales. More