Heavyweight boxing

JOE JOYCE has vowed to punish Joseph Parker for trying to duck out of their final world title hurdle.On April 23, in front of 94,000 Wembley fans at Tyson Fury’s win over Dillian Whyte, the heavyweight pair shook hands on a BT Sport clash.
Joe Joyce is ready to teach Joseph Parker a lessonCredit: Rex
But the 30-year-old Kiwi then ducked out of the deal to sign with promotional rivals BOXXER and Sky Sports.
Since Parker’s new backers failed to offer him a worthwhile opponent, he is now getting sent back over enemy lines to face the 36-year-old Juggernaut on September 24 in Manchester.
WBO No1 contender Joyce roared: “This fight has been a long time in the making.
“Parker realised he had nowhere else to go and eventually had to take this fight.
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“It’s No1 vs No2. The winner goes on to fight for the world title.
“It’s going to be a cracking fight and you will see why he tried so hard to avoid me.”
Former WBO champ Parker has failed to really impress since his 2018 loss to Anthony Joshua.
But, after back-to-back wins over Derek Chisora, he reckons Tyson Fury’s assistant trainer Andy Lee is finally getting the best out of him.
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He said: “On Saturday, September 24, the fans in Manchester will see the very best of me.
“And Joe Joyce will see exactly why I will become the heavyweight champion of the world again.
“I am working hard with my trainer Andy Lee, everything is going smoothly and I truly feel great.
“I have waited patiently to get this fight on and let me tell you now, the Juggernaut’s journey ends right here.
“He has nowhere to run.”  More

MIKE TYSON was forced to show BAPTISM PAPERS to prove he was 14 – as no one believed the teenage sensation’s age. The future heavyweight world champion was first mentored by the great Cus D’Amato in the boxing’s mastermind’s famous Catskill gym.
Mike Tyson was a two-time junior Olympic champion – but had to prove his age when he was younger as no one wanted to fight himCredit: Getty Images – Getty
At the time, Bruce Silverglade was head of the amateur circuit and tasked with matchmaking Tyson’s bouts.
But Silverglade – who now owns the world famous Gleason’s boxing gym – had to do all sorts to prove Iron Mike’s age.
He told SunSport: “I was involved in most of his fights.
“We had a hell of a time. He filled out when he was 14 years of age and in the junior Olympics, it’s based off age.
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“So at the time, ten-year-olds could fight 11-year-olds and so on. No one would ever believe his age, he was a man, he looked like a man.
“He was 14 and he looked like a fully developed man. So we would have birth certificates, baptism papers, passports.
“No one would believe he was a kid. We had a lot of problems, but he was great.”
Tyson was a two-time junior Olympic champion all before his 16th birthday.
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At that point he was coached by Teddy Atlas, who went on to have a Hall of Fame training career himself.
The pair would travel from the small Catskill village – upstate New York, which has a population of only 4,000 – to Gleason’s gym in Brooklyn for sparring.
Silverglade recalled: “In the Catskills, it was a very small gym, there was no sparring, so when he had to prepare for any of his fights, he would come here.
“Teddy Atlas – who was one of our trainers – was the one working with him at the time. So he brought Tyson into Gleason’s.
“They spent many, many hours training here at Gleason’s. He lived up in the Catskills which was an hour north of here.
“So obviously he didn’t train here on a daily basis but he’s from Brooklyn, it wasn’t far from here.”
Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion of all time in 1986, when he knocked out Trevor Berbick aged 20.
A picture of Mike Tyson aged just 13
And during his feared prime, he continued to split his time from the Catskill and Brooklyn.
So Silverglade got a front row seat to witness the iconic rise of Iron Mike.
But equally, following Tyson’s shock loss to James ‘Buster’ Douglas in 1990, the fall from grace was just as memorable.
Silverglade said: “The thing with Mike, until he lost in Japan as a pro, he won many of his fights just through intimidation.
“People read about him, they heard about how invincible he was, so people were intimidated by him before they even went in.
“One of the biggest upsets in my mind was Michael Spinks – I loved Michael Spinks, I was with him in 1976 up in Montreal when he won the Olympic gold medal.
Mike Tyson knocked out Trevor Berbick in 1986Credit: AFP
Mike Tyson knocks out Michael Spinks in 1988Credit: Getty
“I thought he was a terrific amateur, he was a great light-heavyweight champion, he became heavyweight champion, tough as nails.
“He went in with Mike Tyson and he lost in the first round. He froze up – he was like a dear in the headlights, through intimidation.
“But if you look at his record after his defeat in Japan, he had a losing record.
“Because people said, ‘Hey, he’s not invincible. He can be beaten’.”
Tyson retired in 2005 as a two-time heavyweight champ and remains one of the most celebrated fighters of all time.
And for Silverglade, who was inducted into the New York State Hall of Fame in 2015, he still runs the historic Gleason’s gym.
Pushing on for 40 years in charge, the gym owner has welcomed the likes of Muhammad Ali, Roberto Duran and Floyd Mayweather into his gym.
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And Silverglade said Duran and Tyson in particular – who both used Gleason’s to train for massive title fights – were cut from the same cloth.
He said: “Tyson was ferocious. My favourite fighter was Robero Duran because he was ferocious, Mike Tyson was similar. 
“When he sparred, he was there to win.”
Mike Tyson with Gleason’s owner Bruce Silverglade
Gleason’s owner Bruce Silverglade (left), Carl Frampton and Paulie Malignaggi in 2016Credit: Getty More

OLEKSANDR USYK will gift his Anthony Joshua rematch to his war-ravaged Ukraine compatriots on TV for FREE and still donate around £1million to his foundation from the broadcast profits.The 35-year-old hero spent time on the frontline after his nation’s heartbreaking invasion from Russia and had to be convinced to leave his ravaged home to take the August 20 rerun.
Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua will have a rematch on August 20Credit: Reuters
Usyk upset the odds to emerge victorious from their last fightCredit: Reuters
Usyk celebrates with his three new belts after being crowned world championCredit: Getty
The Jeddah defence of the WBA, IBF and WBO belts he snatched off of AJ in September will cost UK fans a record £26.95 on Sky Sports Box Office.
But Usyk, whose team retained control of the TV rights for Ukraine, has insisted on broadcasting the Rage on the Red Sea free of charge, in an effort to raise the spirit of his proud nation.
SunSport understands the southpaw champ has ensured the fight will be available across Ukraine on a streaming app, his own YouTube channel and local TV and radio channels.
The devout father-of-three could have banked millions by selling the Saudi showdown to a broadcaster but instead he is going to use the free broadcast to raise MORE money for his charity.
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Dozens of companies are expected to come forward to sponsor the broadcast stream and, in exchange for their logo appearing on the night-long show, they will make a sizeable donation to the cause.
The MEGOGO app will also carry a QR code throughout the entire broadcast that viewers will be able to connect with and make a direct personal donation.
A source inside Team Usyk explained to SunSport: “It was Usyk’s desire to make some kind of present for Ukrainian fans, in these hard times and to make this fight available for everyone.
“We are planning to collect over $1million in donations which the Usyk Foundation will use to help Ukraine.”
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After visiting London at the end of June for the UK leg of the press conference, Usyk gave an emotional account of the harrowing months he and his people had faced.
“I didn’t want to leave the country,” he said. “I want to live there, still. Straight after the fight I will go back to Ukraine.
“I really didn’t want to leave my country or my city.
“But I went to a hospital where soldiers were wounded and getting rehabilitation from the war and they were telling me, asking me to go and fight for my country and for my pride.
“They told me if I go and fight there I am even going to help our country more than if I stayed and fought in the war.
“It took me only one day of the war to understand completely everything I have, everything I have achieved, all my belts, all my titles, I can lose it in just one second.
“Russian soldiers went into a house of mine, broke a fence and all sorts of different things. They made living spaces and stayed there for a while.
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“Every day I was there I would pray to the Lord, please don’t let anybody try to kill me, don’t let anybody shoot me and please don’t make me have to shoot any other person.
“But if I had felt any danger, or that me or my family’s lives were in jeopardy, I would have to.” More

BOXING fans all said the same thing after seeing Deontay Wilder pose for pictures following his return to the gym.The former dominant WBC heavyweight champion has resumed serious training ahead of a potential return to the ring later this year.
Deontay Wilder hasn’t set foot inside the ring since his trilogy fight with Tyson FuryCredit: REX
The former WBC heavyweight champion recently returned to trainingCredit: INSTAGRAM@BADOUJACK
And boxing fans were left stunned by Wilder’s slim legs in this snap with Michael HunterCredit: INSTAGRAM@MICHAEBOUNTYHUNTER
Wilder, 35, recently posed for a snap with fellow contender Michael Hunter after one of his gruelling training sessions.

And boxing fans were in awe of how skinny the Bronze Bomber’s legs were.
One tweeted: “This don ain’t hit legs in his life.”
Another said: “Mad how skinny these man’s legs are.”
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And another said: “Surprised he can stand up on them toothpick.”
Another remarked: “No wonder them legs looked like linguine every time he took a shot.”
One chimed in: “Those legs are surely photoshopped right?!”
Another stunned fan wrote: “Is Deontay OK? He looks unhealthy, really thin.”
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Wilder hasn’t set foot inside the ring since his brutal 11th-round KO loss to Tyson Fury in their epic trilogy fight last October.
But the American recently dispelled suggestions of retirement by saying: “I can’t stop right here.
“I must continue my journey. I have to, I have to.
“I’m looking to resume my career for sure. I’ve got a lot of other things I’ve got to get out of the way.
“I’m taking away from my children if I come back, because now I’m able to enjoy my life fully like I want to.
“I sacrificed so much to be in this position in my life, to be able to life my life like I want for the rest of my life.”
Deontay Wilder is hellbent on returning to the ringCredit: GETTY More

ANTHONY JOSHUA will still plan to fight Tyson Fury if he loses his high-stakes rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.A multi-million-pound Battle of Britain will be in the offing should Joshua beat the slick southpaw in their Saudi showdown a fortnight on Saturday.
Anthony Joshua will rematch Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia later this monthCredit: GETTY
Joshua was turned over by Usyk in their Tottenham tussle last SeptemberCredit: REUTERS
But AJ hopes to still face fellow Brit Tyson Fury if he loses to the Ukranian againCredit: GETTY
But the Watford warrior, 32, won’t give up his pursuit of the biggest fight in the history of British boxing if he’s dusted up in the desert.
When asked who AJ wants next, promoter Eddie Hearn told the DAZN Boxing Show: “It’s just the Tyson Fury fight.
“The key for AJ is activity. It’s something that stabbed him because of the size of his fights. Win or lose over Usyk he wants to fight in December.
“A victory would take him to the undisputed fight against Tyson Fury, in my opinion.
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“It’s the biggest fight out there in boxing, the biggest fight of all time.”
Joshua, 32, suffered a lopsided points defeat in his Tottenham tussle with Usyk last September and has hired world champion coach Robert Garcia to help him get the better of the Ukrainian second time around.
Hearn said: “I think [Joshua] is confident about the gameplan, he’s confident about what he’s got to do, and I think he’s in a great place.
“He knows the mistakes he’s made in the past, and he knows that he’s got to rectify them, but he’s very confident.
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“I think he likes the addition of Robert Garcia, and we’re all confident for the fight.”
Joshua will become a three-time heavyweight champion with a win in the desert, although he won’t hold the belts aloft for too long.
He told JD Sports: “I feel like I’m not getting looked at as someone who is a dominant heavyweight in the division.
“This big Anthony Joshua goes and wins, becomes three-time, I’mma dash these belts.
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“Because you’ve gotta learn to respect me as a person. Quote that. I’m tired, I don’t want to be respected because of the belts I hold.
“I wanna be respected because of the man you see.”
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