Heavyweight boxing

DEONTAY WILDER has predicted the winner of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk.And he has also revealed how Anthony Joshua could have WON his rematch against the Ukrainian on Saturday.
Deontay Wilder has given his prediction for Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr UsykCredit: Getty
Wilder has revealed how Anthony Joshua could have beaten Usyk on SaturdayCredit: Getty
Heavyweight boxing fans are braced for an epic unification announcement after Usyk defended his belts against AJ in Saudi Arabia.
The man known as “The Cat” put in another dominant performance as he beat Joshua on a controversial split decision.
And Usyk now has his sights set on WBC champion Fury – who will come out of retirement for another bout for the right price.
A highly-anticipated fight is now being touted for December.
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But one man who feels it will not be a close affair is Wilder.
The American fought Fury three times, drawing the first battle before losing the next two.
And Wilder reckons “The Gypsy King”, who stands at 6ft 9in will simply be too big for 6ft 3in Usyk to handle.
He also claims the Ukrainian has issues around stamina.
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And Wilder feels Joshua would have won back his belts on Saturday had his own fitness levels been better.
Wilder declared: “I think Fury will be too big for him.
“He just uses his size all the time, no matter what, and a lot of other things.
“I think Usyk’s too small, that’s my opinion. I think he has a stamina problem as well.
“You saw with Joshua, if he had enough stamina it would probably be a different result.” More

EDDIE HEARN thought Anthony Joshua was about to beat Oleksandr Usyk during the ninth round of their rematch on Saturday night.The Matchroom chief saw his man rock Usyk – only for the Ukrainian to come roaring back in round ten.
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Anthony Joshua in their rematchCredit: AFP
Eddie Hearn thought that his man was going to finish UsykCredit: PA
Hearn, 43, has graciously admitted that AJ was deservedly beaten by Usyk… but he thought it was about to be stopped in his man’s favour in round nine.
Speaking to Sky Sports Box office, Hearn said: “Firstly, what a performance from Oleksandr Usyk.
“In the ninth round I ran over, I thought we had him.
“The tenth round was one of the best rounds I’ve seen to turn the right, not back around because it was very close at that point, but what Usyk did in the tenth, 11th and 12th was incredible and that was the difference.
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“AJ didn’t start fast enough but he fought a much better fight. He hurt Usyk badly in the ninth and I thought he was going to come on strong, but Usyk came out like a train and, as I said, that tenth round was the moment he decided to regain the fight.
“It was an incredible performance. He’s just too good, and there’s no shame in it.

“The tenth round, the 11th round, that’s why he’s the pound-for-pound No1.”
Quizzed on how he scored the fight, Hearn added: “I felt it was. 115-113 to Usyk.
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“They asked me what I thought when I got in (the ring).
“They thought it was close, I thought it was close but I felt Usyk won the fight because of the tenth, the 11th and the 12th.
“Going into those rounds I had it very close, possibly AJ one round up after the ninth, but the championship rounds showed a championship fighter, a pound-for-pound great and that was the difference.
He just exploded because he lost and he was devastatedEddie Hearn on AJ ring rant
“It was a great performance from Anthony Joshua.”
AJ, 32, was criticised after the fight for throwing the belts out of the ring and hijacking the mic for an impromptu speech.
But Hearn believes his fighter’s response was “human”.
He said: “You saw the reaction from AJ, and that was from a human who wanted to win so badly with so much pressure on his shoulders.
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“I think he just exploded because he lost and he was devastated, and he’s given everything to try and win this fight.
“He couldn’t win the fight, he’s a competitor, he’s a winner but this man’s too good.” More

DEONTAY WILDER’s padman was on the receiving end of a vicious uppercut during a recent training session at the UFC Performance Institute.Wilder has made the MMA promotion’s state-of-the-art training facility his base for his return to the ring in October.
Deontay Wilder is hard at work in the gym ahead of his return to the ringCredit: ESNEWS
The former WBC heavyweight champion accident caught his padman with an uppercutCredit: ESN NEWS
The punch snapped back his trainer’s head
The heavy-handed American is seemingly more motivated than ever to return to the ring with a bang after his brutal trilogy loss to Tyson Fury last year.
And padman Don House ended up feeling the full force of a stinging uppercut on his chin.
Wilder, 36, accidentally landed the shot on House while working on close-range punching against the ring apron.
As soon as he landed the punch, he said: “Oh s***.”
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House, however, shook it off and said: “Don’t worry, keep going. I ain’t knocked out. I’m rolling with it.”
Boxing fans were quick to comment, with one saying: “Man I’d be scared to hold them mitts.”
Another said: “His right hand has the motion of a piston.”
And another said: “Fury, somehow, ate those punches.”
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Another chimed in: “Oh yea he looking good.”
Former long-reigning WBC heavyweight champ Wilder will be back in action on October 15 against Finnish man-mountain Robert Helenius.
The fight will be his first since his 11th-round KO defeat to Fury last October.
He said: “It’s been a long journey for me and as of today it continues. I
” thought so many times about whether I should stay out of the business or come back.
“Once I got my statue in my hometown and saw so many people arrive and celebrate with me and my family, to see all the emotions, grown men crying in front of their children and saying he is a real true king, made me feel like my job is not done.
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“So, here I am once again, looking forward to returning to the ring.
“I am looking forward to coming to Barclays Center, a place where I have had my most devastating knockouts and a place I consider my second home.”
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TYSON FURY has claimed Anthony Joshua “found his level” in defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.The 32-year-old Brit lost by split decision to the unbeaten Ukrainian in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
Fury has claimed AJ ‘found his level’ in defeat to UsykCredit: The Times
Joshua was beaten by Usyk again in their rematch on Saturday nightCredit: Getty
Joshua’s third professional defeat – and second in a row – has ended talks of an all-British dust-up with Fury for the time being.
And while Fury now enters negotiations over a potential undisputed bout with Usyk, he has also piled in on AJ’s ability.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “There’s no disrespect to Joshua – but at top-level, world-class boxing, he just can’t cut it.”
He then went on to add: “I don’t respect Usyk. I don’t think he’s a great fighter. I’ve seen more excitement in Morecambe on a Friday night.
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” Without being disrespectful to Joshua, he’s found his level. He’s lost three of his last five, so clearly he’s come up wanting at a high level.
“I didn’t take anything from that fight, Joshua found his level.
“Usyk didn’t land a worthwhile punch in 12 rounds. It was tip-tap b*******! He couldn’t knock the skin off a rice pudding.”
Fury was then quizzed on where AJ’s legacy sits following the back-to-back losses against Usyk.
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To which he simply responded: “It’s in tatters.”
Fury also told Usyk that his team have just one week to negotiate the undisputed fight or he will stay retired.
The Gypsy King claimed he was hanging up his gloves after knocking out Dillian Whyte in April.
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But following Usyk’s win over AJ, he revealed he would face the Ukrainian for the unrealistic price of £500million.
He elaborated on that position by adding: “They have a week. It’s August 24. They have a week to submit their offers.
“I want it in writing with proof of funds. This fight is purely about money. I’m happily retired. I don’t need money, I’ve got plenty of money.” More

PROMOTER Frank Warren has named the two heavyweights Anthony Joshua should fight before he is ready to take on Tyson Fury.The 32-year-old Brit was beaten by Oleksandr Usyk for a second time at the weekend as the Ukrainian clinched a split decision victory in Saudi Arabia.
Anthony Joshua was beaten by Oleksandr Usyk for a second time on Saturday nightCredit: Getty
Tyson Fury is now expected to face Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight titleCredit: Reuters
The result leaves Fury and Usyk on a collision course towards an undisputed title fight, with AJ set to return in a non-title bout at the end of the year.
It will be the first time since 2015 that Joshua is not competing for the world heavyweight championship, and the identity of his next opponent remains up in the air.
But Warren, who promotes Fury, feels two men he represents would be the perfect test in the form of Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce.
Speaking to talkSPORT, the 70-year-old was asked if Fury-Joshua could still happen, to which he said: “That is something Tyson has to decide if he wants to do that.
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“He [Joshua] has to earn redemption. He’s coming off two losses, two significant losses.
“For me, if he wants to get redemption he has to fight a Daniel Dubois or a Joe Joyce.”
Dubois captured the WBA regular title last time out with a commanding KO win over Trevor Bryant in the US.
Meanwhile, Joyce is the mandatory challenger for Usyk’s WBO strap, but is putting that position on the line against Joseph Parker on September 24.
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Joyce and Dubois fought each other back in 2020, with the former getting the better of his fellow countryman.
The Olympic silver medallist stopped Dubois in the 10th round after inflicting a nasty eye injury on the young heavyweight with his superb jab.
Dubois does not currently have a fight lined up, but is being linked with a clash against Dillian Whyte. More

ANDY RUIZ JR has shown off his breathtaking hand speed as he prepares for a heavyweight showdown with Luis Ortiz.The Mexican-American, 32, will take on the experienced Cuban, 43, in Los Angeles on September 3.
Andy Ruiz Jr showed off his rapid hand speed during trainingCredit: @premierboxing
The Mexican is looking to put himself back in contention for a world title shotCredit: @premierboxing
And he seems to be in good shape ahead of the contest with less than two weeks to go until fight night.
Ruiz’ Jr’s promoters PBC showcased a clip of him training in the gym as he rattled off some furiously quick punches on the pads.
He is looking to position himself for a huge fight or world championship bout – with opponent Ortiz’s only defeats coming at the hands of Deontay Wilder.
Ruiz Jr has lost to Joseph Parker and Anthony Joshua, but did make history for Mexico in 2019 when he became the country’s first ever heavyweight champion.
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He stunned AJ by dropping him four times on the way to a KO victory in New York – one of the biggest ever shocks in boxing’s blue-riband division.
However, over the six months that followed Ruiz piled on the pounds and failed to train properly.
He subsequently lost the belts in Saudi Arabia at the end of 2019 as Joshua outboxed him over 12 rounds.
Ruiz then spent nearly 18 months out of the ring as he recovered from the devastating loss to AJ.
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But he returned to action in May 2021, securing a unanimous decision victory over Chris Arreola.
However, he was dropped in the second round of that contest, so there remains question marks over his sharpness.
If Ruiz comes through the tough challenge of Ortiz, he has been linked with a showdown against Wilder next year.
Both Ruiz and Wilder are promoted by PBC – making a clash between the two a logical fight to make.
Wilder is set to return to action for the first time since his second loss to Tyson Fury when he faces Robert Helenius on October 15.
Ruiz stopped Joshua in 2019 but then lost his world title belts in the rematchCredit: Marc Aspland – The Times More