Heavyweight boxing

EDDIE HEARN has revealed he was left in the lurch by Deontay Wilder’s team after making a fresh approach to them over a grudge match with Anthony Joshua.A blockbuster undisputed title fight between the pair failed to come to fruition in 2018 when both men had their hands on all the heavyweight belts.
Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will return to the ring on October 15Credit: GETTY
Eddie Hearn recently reached out to Wilder’s team to see if he still has an interest in facing AJCredit: AFP
Hearn has yet to hear back from Wilder or his co-manager Shelly FinkelCredit: AFP
The failed talks left a sour taste in the mouths of both fighters and their promoters, although Hearn recently reached out to Team Wilder to try to gauge their interest in a potential fight.
The Matchroom Boxing chief told SecondsOut: “I actually reached out to Shelly Finkel the other day.
“Because I have got so much money for Deontay Wilder in an offer, but they never come back to me
“I don’t know whether Deontay Wilder doesn’t wanna hear about that offer or whatever.”
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Joshua, 32, will be back in action on Saturday night in a do-or-die rematch with Oleksandr Usyk for all but one of the heavyweight belts.
And Hearn believes a shootout with Wilder could be in the offing if the Brit loses his Saudi showdown with the slick southpaw.
He continued: “But right now as I stand here, I’m honestly not thinking about any other fight for AJ than Saturday night.
“They all come through victory. I think if he loses, the Wilder fight is there.
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“If he wins, all he’s thinking about is that final fight with Fury to win all the belts.”
Former WBC heavyweight champ Wilder will be back in action on October 15 against ex-sparring partner Robert Helenius.
The fight will be the American’s first since he was brutally knocked out in the penultimate round of his trilogy fight with Tyson 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 been offered a route back into fighting after Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship president David Feldman declared he is on his “radar”.The Gypsy King announced his retirement from boxing following his knockout victory against heavyweight rival Dillian Whyte in April at Wembley.
Unbeaten heavyweight Tyson Fury confirmed last week that he has walked away from boxingCredit: Getty
But he was willing to return to the squared circle having entered talks with British compatriot Derek Chisora over a trilogy bout later this year.
However the domestic dust-up fell through, leading the unbeaten Mancunian to double down on his decision to hang up his gloves on his 34th birthday last week.
And while Fury’s glistening boxing career has come to an end, he has been offered the chance to continue fighting in BKFC.
A number of high-profile stars have signed deals with the American company in recent years, with former UFC ace Paige VanZant snapped up on a long-term contract in 2020.
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Meanwhile ex-boxing world champion Paulie Malignaggi fought once in 2019 where he was outpointed by MMA ace Artem Lobov.
And Fury could be the next to make the move to BKFC after he vacated the prestigious Ring magazine heavyweight title.
Speaking to talkSPORT, BKFC chief Feldman said: “I think it [signing Tyson Fury] is definitely possible, if they take us seriously because we are the new kid on the block, they might not listen to us.
“If they listen to us, then absolutely I think we can get a deal done.
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“He absolutely is on our radar, he would take this sport to a whole different level.
“You just saw it at Wembley Stadium with almost 100,000 people in there.
“I think Tyson Fury would take this to a whole other level and we would absolutely love to make a play for him.”
Feldman added: “I just wanna get some more of these boxers. We are going to make a play for some of these really good boxers.
“I can’t mention their names right now because it’s not done but we have two of the top 10 in the world we are negotiating with right now.”
Fury could follow ex-UFC ace Paige VanZant into the Bare Knuckle Fighting ChampionshipCredit: Getty More

DEONTAY WILDER has confirmed he WILL return to the boxing ring.The American has not fought since a devastating 11th-round KO defeat to his nemesis Tyson Fury in October last year.
Deontay Wilder will return to the boxing ring on October 15Credit: Getty
Robert Helenius will be Wilder’s first opponent since he lost for a second time to Tyson FuryCredit: Getty
That was the pair’s trilogy fight, with Fury winning the second and drawing their first meeting.
Wilder has been weighing up whether the time was right to hang up the gloves – but his fans will be delighted at his big announcement.
The 36-year-old will fight in Brooklyn on October 15 against Robert Helenius.
The Bronze Bomber said: “It’s been a long journey for me and as of today it continues.
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“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.
“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.
“So where all my Bombzquad people at? It’s time to put on your war gear. And let’s go to work, baby. Bombzquad is back!”
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Helenius, meanwhile, has won his last three bouts and targeting a step up to world level.
The 38-year-old Swedish heavyweight is new to boxing in the United States with most of his career to date being in Europe.
The fight will be a final eliminator for Wilder’s old WBC title, currently held by the Gypsy King.
But he will be forced to relinquish the belt after announcing his retirement from the sport.
Wilder has previously sparred against HeleniusCredit: Instagram @heleniusrobert
Wilder was out for the count as he lost to Fury for a second time last yearCredit: Getty More

ANTHONY JOSHUA vowed he won’t retire if he is beaten again by Oleksandr Usyk.Saturday’s heavyweight rematch will be Joshua’s last on Sky Sports before he switches to rival broadcaster DAZN.
Anthony Joshua is adamant he will not quit boxing if he losesCredit: Getty
Oleksandr Usyk has vowed to go for a knockout win in the rematchCredit: Getty

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Several Sky pundits have suggested he will walk away from boxing if he suffers a second consecutive loss.
But Joshua, 32, hit back: “I’m not thinking about retirement.
“I’ve got one of the biggest fights of my life coming up and, if I was thinking about retiring, it would be a massive doubt in my mind.
“People will always ask questions. But I still want to continue. I love it.
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“I’m competing with pound-for-pound fighters. If I was losing to some has-been, then, yes.
“But it’s crazy to talk about retiring when I lost to one of the best fighters in the world. What sort of nonsense is that?
“I respect people’s opinions, but I don’t want to retire.
“This is my 12th consecutive world title fight and, because this is world level, you’re up against world-level quality opponents.
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“This is my third Olympic gold medallist, but we are here to entertain.”
Usyk has warned Joshua that Saturday night’s opening bell will signal a return to the horrible 12th round he was almost knocked out in last September.
The 35-year-old Ukraine icon arrived at the Jeddah press conference in full Cossack warrior outfit – complete with scalped head, ponytail and handlebar moustache – before belting out a rousing ancient warcry.
Usyk sends message
And then – in stark contrast to his August media appearance in London, where he vowed the Saudi showdown was a clean slate and new contest – he told Joshua he will race out of the traps, pin the challenger back to the ropes and finish him off.
Usyk, who insists he didn’t even need to look for a KO at the Tottenham stadium 11 months ago – unloaded in the final Spurs stanza before the bell saved the Watford man and he staggered back to his corner.
And he reckons that terrifying moment in time is exactly where the two rivals will return to – almost one year and 3,000 miles later – this weekend.
“Of course I will be better for this fight,” he growled. “We learned each other in the first fight. I learned him and he learned me.
“But I don’t think we will both be new fighters, it’s not a new bout, it’s round 13, 14, 15 onwards, until it ends.
“We have had enough time to study each other and on Saturday night it will be a great night.”
AJ – dressed in a polar opposite outfit of his brand-sponsored sportswear – had to sit a few feet away and listen as his two-fight foe – who was fighting for Ukraine in the war against Russia as recently as March – detailed exactly how important this fight is.
Usyk – who has allegedly been cycling 100kms in the scorching heat, swimming five-hours-a-day and holding his breath underwater for over FOUR MINUTES to the point of passing out – said: “We were born to compete for life, belts, anything.
“He who does not compete does not live.
“All our lives are competitions for anything, for everything, for everyone. That’s why we are competing.”
The pair matched up very differently in the Jeddah press conferenceCredit: Getty
Joshua, whose steely and almost silent resolve has been overshadowed by Usyk’s showmanship and storytelling, had to settle for second place again as his nemesis stole the show.
The London 2012 Olympic champion and Watford hero had to sit agonisingly close to his old WBA, IBF and WBO belts on presentation, just out of his grasp in thick-glass cases.
But the streamline-minded ace insists this must-win duel is about so much more than the gold and leather straps that bloat the sport and keep the greedy sanctioning bodies fat.
He said: “It’s must win but I like the pressure.
“It has been tough and my team has pushed me, now I need to get the job done, using my instincts, I need to win.
“It’s competition, which I love, we set a goal and I will be disciplined enough to win.
“The belts mean something but only at the end of the process, I cannot skip the process.
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“I am looking forward to it, I want to compete, I have that competitive spirit.”
Hopefully that’s enough to beat Usyk’s warrior spirit. More

DEREK CHISORA is “sick of Tyson Fury’s b**s***” after The Gypsy King claimed he offered him £2million for a trilogy fight.Earlier on Wednesday, Fury, 34, labelled Chisora a “sausage” and slammed him for turning down £2m for a third bout.
Fury recently claimed he plans to stay retired despite talk of a Chisora trilogyCredit: Getty
Chisora, right, is currently in Saudi Arabia to watch Joshua’s rematch with UsykCredit: PA
But Chisora, 38, has now responded by insisting he is fed up of Fury changing his mind when it comes to being retired.
Speaking to iD Boxing, he said: “The guy [Fury], he doesn’t know what he is.
“One minute he wants to fight for free, one minute he wants to fight for £5million, one minute he’ll give his money to charity.
“You know what? I think the British public are tired of his f***ing b***s*** now.
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“If you’re going to retire, go ahead and retire and enjoy all the money you made, congratulations and go do what you need to do.”
He then went on to add: “Tyson is confused, man. You know, Tyson is a confused man right now.
“If I could see and tell you I know exactly what he’s doing, I would tell you, but I don’t know.
“He’s confused, he’s got bipolar, so we’ll see. Today he’s retired, tomorrow he’s not. So we’ll see.”
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Chisora, who beat Kubrat Pulev last month, has already lost to Fury twice in 2011 and 2014 – the first by decision and the second by stoppage.
But that hasn’t stopped the WBC champion from continuing to trash talk Chisora about turning down a trilogy.
And the Morecambe fighter also took aim at his management team – which includes rival Anthony Joshua.
Speaking on Instagram, he said: “I see Derek Chisora has been having a little pop; licking his wounds after losing £2million.
“God almighty, what a mistake, what a mistake. You’re probably going to get £375,000 for your next fight and your management team turned down £2million.
“What jokers, a pack of jokers. Honestly, there’s more brains in your little finger than your full management team will ever have.
“Where is someone like Derek Chisora going to get offered £2million ever again?”
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Fury first declared his retirement after knocking out Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium back in April.
He then followed through with that claim by vacating the Ring magazine title last weekend.
But he still has until August 26 to decide whether he will relinquish the WBC strap. More

CARL FROCH has claimed Anthony Joshua could retire if he is beaten by Oleksandr Usyk.Joshua, 32, is seeking to reclaim his WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO titles from Usyk having lost to the Ukrainian last September.
Anthony Joshua is aiming to reclaim his heavyweight world titles against Oleksandr UsykCredit: Getty
Carl Froch believes Joshua could retire if he losesCredit: Getty – Contributor

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But another loss would be Joshua’s third in five fights, after being knocked out by Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019.
And Froch believes another defeat could be on the cards for AJ, possibly via knockout.
The former fighter told the BBC: “If Anthony Joshua loses his rematch to Oleksandr Usyk and it’s a bad defeat – a conclusive points loss or a heavy knockout – it could be the end for AJ.
“I just don’t see where he can go after back-to-back defeats.
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“I wholeheartedly want him to win and I am not totally writing him off. He has all the physical attributes, he’s big enough and strong enough, but I have to be brutally honest and say I don’t think he will win.
“If Usyk can land with the same power and accuracy as he did last time, I don’t think Joshua will hear the final bell.”
Froch is not alone in his view, with former cruiserweight Johnny Nelson echoing the idea that Joshua will have nowhere to turn if he loses again.
Nelson claims Joshua’s “fighter mentality” means he would not want to linger in the heavyweight division, so could instead hang up his gloves if he is beaten.
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Nelson told Sky Sports: “It’s not in his DNA to want to hang around the heavyweight division knowing there’s a guy that’s in that division that can beat you. It’s a fighter’s mentality.
“He doesn’t want to hang about to be a backing dancer he wants to be the best guy, so if Usyk beats him I reckon he’ll walk away.
“So therefore this fight is so important for his career because he knows this might be the last big fight he’s in. It’s not in his DNA to stand back and be a gatekeeper for anybody.” More