Heavyweight boxing

FORMER UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has sarcastically claimed he took a ‘dive’ in his rematch with Jake Paul.The Chosen One was on the receiving end of a viral KO in the sixth round of his second clash with the YouTuber, which some observers thought was fixed.
Tyron Woodley was on the receiving end of a viral KO from Jake Paul last monthCredit: AP
The Chosen One was accused of taking a ‘dive’ after the fightCredit: AP
But Woodley insists his ‘dive’ was the result of Paul’s vicious overhand rightCredit: REUTERS
Woodley, 39, has seen the claims he was paid to take a ‘dive’ and has jokingly concurred with his detractors.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour, he jokingly said: “Yeah, I took a motherf***in’ dive.
“But it wasn’t on purpose, that motherf***er hit me with some shit.”
Woodley became the butt of several jokes after the first clean KO loss of his combat sports career, with some of his fellow MMA fighters also firing shots.
But the Missouri mauler insists Paul would get the better of a lot of them.
He said: “A lot of people are saying that, ‘Oh, you lost to him again. You got knocked out.’
“He would literally f**k a lot of y’all up.
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“MMA fighters and other people that are just bumping at the gums. He’s an athletic kid that don’t have no job beyond this.
“He don’t have no kids, he don’t have no businesses he’s running.
“He can have the best trainer, the best coaches, the best nutrition, the most focus – he can separate himself.
“He don’t have the financial burden. Most MMA fighters, when we first start, we don’t have money. We do what we can do.
“We get whatever training we get can help us out to see a future in this.”
Woodley has already made peace with his spectacular defeat to the former Disney star but still can’t help lament the split-second he dropped his left hand in the sixth stanza.
He asked: “Why, man? Why did I drop my hand at that moment time.”
The former Strikeforce star later said: “Had I not dropped that hand, had I continued to fight the way it was going, we would’ve been looking at something different.
“So I just gotta, you know, take the bitter with the sweet and keep it moving.”
Woodley has vowed not to hang up his competitive gloves following the brutal loss and is currently targeting a showdown with former UFC welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy.
Tyron Woodley plans to compete again this year and is targeting a showdown with Dan HardyCredit: AFP
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TYSON FURY joked he cannot remember ‘ever looking in shape’ as he hit back at fears over his physique. Fury responded to concerned fans who claimed the WBC champion looked heavy in a recent training video.
Tyson Fury joked he cannot remember ‘ever looking in shape’Credit: Instagram
Tyson Fury sparring Joseph ParkerCredit: Instagram
But in response, he posted on Instagram: “I don’t remember ever looking in shape!
“They say he looks out of shape I say I’ve never been in shape.”
Fury, who most recently weighed 19st 11lbs before knocking out Deontay Wilder in their trilogy, has often made light of his frame.
He even posted a side-by-side with hulking heavyweight rival Anthony Joshua, 32, and claimed while AJ has six abs and two losses, he has ‘all the belts’ and zero defeats.
Ex-opponents Wladimir Klitschko, 45, and Wilder, 33, were also mocked by the Gypsy King for losing despite their ripped bodies.
Fury is now training again for his return, which his promoters Frank Warren and Bob Arum targeted for March 26 in the UK.
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He is due to face mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte, 33, with purse bids for the defence set for Friday.
But in a shock twist, Arum revealed there are still ongoing talks for Fury to fight Oleksandr Usyk, 35, in an undisputed title decider in the Middle East.
Usyk is due to rematch Anthony Joshua, 32, having initially won the belts in September, leaving the situation up in the air.
Arum told talkSPORT: “It is total chaos.
“What’s happening is just promises coming out of the Middle East about doing a unified fight with Usyk and Fury, and is Dillian Whyte gonna step aside.
“And people that have absolutely no contractual ties – like Frank Warren’s Queensberry and our Top Rank do – are getting involved.
“It’s a typical terrible kind of situation, but hopefully it’ll get sorted out and probably it will get sorted out with a purse bid on Friday.”
Oleksandr Usyk, Bob Arum and Tyson FuryCredit: Getty More

TYSON FURY is in talks for an undisputed decider with Oleksandr Usyk BUT it would mean mega-money step aside promises for Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte.AJ, 32, activated his rematch clause after the 35-year-old Ukraine genius schooled him for the WBA, IBF and WBO belts in September.
Anthony Joshua (left) has activated a rematch clause to fight Oleksandr UsykCredit: Getty
Tyson Fury is keen on fighting Usyk in a unification boutCredit: Getty
Dillian Whyte wants to fight Fury next but a deal is not close to being reached according to Eddie HearnCredit: Reuters
And Brixton Body Snatcher Whyte, 33, is the long-time mandatory challenger for the 33-year-old Gypsy King’s WBC crown.
But the undefeated Morecambe giant and his southpaw counterpart fancy parking their immediate challenges and meeting in the Middle East for all four of the major belts and a desert windfall.
The moving pieces and outrageous cash required to convince the two Londoners to wait their turn for world title cracks make the coup unlikely.
And the painstaking planning it would take to decide whether two-time former champ Joshua or frustrated challenger Whyte got their crack first makes it seem almost impossible.
But Joshua and Whyte’s shared promoter Eddie Hearn confirms the complicated cogs are slowly turning in a bid to make the multifaceted deal.
The Matchroom boss said: “We are all still moving toward Joshua vs Usyk, in a London stadium in April, and Fury vs Whyte.
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“But there are still people who would like to see Fury vs Usyk for the undisputed and would be willing to pay a lot of money for it.
“If there is a lot of money in the pot and there can be a plan put in place to make all the fighters happy then there is a chance it can happen, but the problem is time.
“A lot of things are needed to happen for that fight to take place. These conversations started a month ago but they are very complex.”
The order of the queue to face the winner of Fury vs Usyk would be a problem.
As would guaranteeing the newly crowned undisputed king did not retire at the very top and scatter all the belts around the division.
So even if Saudi Arabia or Dubai can stump up the tens of millions needed to pay Joshua and Whyte to step aside, it will take watertight contracts and military level planning to pull it off.
And with an already delayed Fury vs Whyte purse bid set to happen on Friday – and most likely be delayed again – Hearn admits time is another fearsome opponent.
“It is not just about compensation for the fighters”, he said. “It is about a plan.
“We would want Joshua and Dillian to be happy with the whole scenario.
“It is boxing, it is messy and there is a lot of money involved so it is getting even messier.
“We are not really nearing a deal for Whyte vs Fury, everybody knows that there are arbitrations and legal cases and appeals into various things and that explains the delay.
“The next purse bid is expected for Whyte and Fury on Friday but I expect that to be delayed again.” More

LAWRENCE OKOLIE reckons it’s a ‘sad’ state of affairs that Mairis Breidis has had Jake Paul’s name tattooed on himself to try and bag a fight with the social media star.IBF and Ring Magazine cruiserweight champ Breidis has been chasing a showdown with the YouTuber for the best part of a year and recently inked his name on his left leg.
Mairis Breidis has been chasing a fight with Jake Paul for nearly a yearCredit: GETTY
The IBF cruiserweight champ has even tattooed Paul’s name on him to try and land the fightCredit: INSTAGRAM@MAIRISBREIDIS
WBO cruiserweight champ was left baffled by Breidis’ latest bid to get Jake Paul’s attention
The bizarre tatt stunned WBO 200lb champ Okolie, who reckons the Latvian is chasing ‘clout’ from The Problem Child.
The boohooMan ambassador told SunSport: “I agree with you [that it’s a sad state of affairs].
“But I’m under the impression it’s fake. It’s the only thing that makes sense.
“If it’s real, it is a shame that a world champion tattooed another man’s name, that is an inexperienced boxer, former YouTuber, all for clout.”
Okolie, 29, can’t understand why Breidis is chasing a showdown with a YouTuber when big-money unification fights with himself and Ilunga Makabu are on the table.
He continued: “It’s sad, especially when there are several bigger paydays on the table with other boxers.
@font-face{font-family:’The Sun’;src:url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Regular.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Regular.woff’) format(‘woff’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Regular.ttf’) format(‘truetype’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Regular.svg#’) format(‘svg’);font-style:normal;font-weight:400;font-display:swap;}@font-face{font-family:’The Sun’;src:url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Medium.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Medium.woff’) format(‘woff’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Medium.ttf’) format(‘truetype’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Medium.svg#’) format(‘svg’);font-style:normal;font-weight:500;font-display:swap;}@font-face{font-family:’The Sun’;src:url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.woff’) format(‘woff’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.ttf’) format(‘truetype’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.svg#’) format(‘svg’);font-style:normal;font-weight:400;font-stretch:semi-condensed;font-display:swap;}@font-face{font-family:’The Sun’;src:url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Bold.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Bold.woff’) format(‘woff’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Bold.ttf’) format(‘truetype’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Bold.svg#’) format(‘svg’);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;font-stretch:normal;font-display:swap;}@font-face{font-family:’The Sun’;src:url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.woff’) format(‘woff’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.ttf’) format(‘truetype’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.svg#’) format(‘svg’);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;font-stretch:condensed;font-display:swap;}.css-qu9fel{border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-b9nmbi{margin-bottom:16px;border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-1qsre5o{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;}.css-q8gelu{margin-bottom:24px;}.css-7ysxcx{padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-7ysxcx:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-zkaekv{font-family:The Sun;font-size:24px;line-height:1.1666666666666667;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:semi-condensed;padding:1px 0px;}.css-zkaekv::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.24520833333333342em + -1px);}.css-zkaekv::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:-0.2333333333333334em;}.css-1lobn43{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(0,0,0,1);}.css-1lobn43 svg{fill:rgba(0,0,0,1);}Most read in Boxing.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-zdjvqv{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:space-around;-ms-flex-pack:space-around;-webkit-justify-content:space-around;justify-content:space-around;margin-top:calc(-12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(-12px/2);}.css-zdjvqv:before,.css-zdjvqv:after{content:”;display:block;}.css-1meuhfk{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-top:calc(12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(12px/2);}
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“It’s a bit of a weird one, a bit bizarre, but everyone has their own intentions in life and their own way of looking at stuff.”
Paul, 24, has so far not acknowledged Briedis’ attempts to entice him into a fight.
And Okolie reckons his numerous bids to convince the former Disney star to throw down have been a complete bust.
He continued: “I think he’s probably thinking about after boxing in terms of some sort of career maybe. I don’t know, really, it’s weird.
“Maybe he wants to boost his social media. I honestly don’t know the reason behind it.
“It did get everyone talking, which is good. But what is the end result of that?”
Hackney hitman Okolie is currently gearing up for his second defence of the WBO strap against Poland’s Michael Cieslak.
The pair’s clash will top the bill of a stacked card at the O2 Arena on February 27.
Lawrence Okolie is a boohooMan ambassadorCredit: BOOHOO
The WBO cruiserweight champ hopes to see people ‘reppin” the new activewear rangeCredit: BOOHOO
Lawrence Okolie spoke to SunSport ahead of the launch of boohooMan’s ‘Lightweight’ Activewear range, which is available now.
He said: ‘‘I’m really happy with this new Activewear range! The campaign pics look sick and it was really fun to shoot.
“The guys at boohooMAN have really upped the quality of the product recently and I think this range, along with a lot of recent releases, can easily match the big performance brands in the world.
“I hope to see everyone reppin’ the collection once it launches, either in the gym, outdoor training, or boxing!”
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JOSEPH PARKER insists he’ll never fight training partner Tyson Fury – despite his bid to become a two-time heavyweight champion.The former WBO titleholder has been one of Fury’s main training partners in Morecambe over the last few months.
Joseph Parker has in training with Tyson Fury in recent few monthsCredit: INSTAGRAM@JOEBOXERPARKER
Parker has been a sparring partner of the WBC heavyweight champCredit: INSTAGRAM
But the Kiwi insists he’d never fight the hospitable Gypsy KingCredit: INSTAGRAM
But the New Zealander would shelve his own ambitions of becoming a two-time heavyweight champ if it meant he’d have to face his good pal.
During an appearance on talkSPORT, he said: “We have a great relationship.
“He treats me like a younger brother, his whole family looks after me.
“I’ve based myself here in Morecambe now. I’ve stayed in his house, I’m using his gym.
“I think I’ll never fight him. I’ll let him do his thing and fight everyone else.”
Parker, 30, would prefer to compete for one of the other belts if the opportunity to fight Fury for his WBC strap came to fruition.
He said: “I’ll try to go another path and do my best to win the other belts if I can.”
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Parker is already back in full training following his unanimous decision victory over Derek Chisora last month.
And the Kiwi star is helping Fury prepare for his second defence of the WBC strap
He said: “I’m back into training, back into training camp with Tyson.
“We’ve got Sonny Bill Williams here doing some training for his fight, David Nyika back on board. It’s great to be back training.”
Fury, 33, plans to defend his title on March 26 but a deal to face mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte has not yet been finalised.
And co-promoter Bob Arum has hinted The Gypsy King could end up facing unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk next.
During an appearance on talkSPORT, the 90-year-old said: “It is total chaos.
Tysion Fury plans to defend his WBC heavyweight title on March 26Credit: GETTY
“What’s happening is just promises coming out of the Middle East about doing a unified fight with Usyk and Fury, and is Dillian Whyte gonna step aside.
“And people that have absolutely no contractual ties – like Frank Warren’s Queensberry and our Top Rank do – are getting involved.
“It’s a typical terrible kind of situation, but hopefully it’ll get sorted out and probably it will get sorted out with a purse bid on Friday.”
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LOGAN PAUL has trolled social media sensation Hasbulla after being called out by the Russian.Hasbulla, who shot to fame last year following a string of hilarious viral clips, jokingly challenged the YouTuber to a fight on Twitter last weekend.
Logan Paul was recently called out by viral sensation HasbullaCredit: TWITTER
The YouTuber responded to his fellow social media star on InstagramCredit: INSTAGRAM@LOGANPAUL
And he trolled him by comparing him to Dodgeball character White GoodmanCredit: INSTAGRAM@LOGANPAUL
Via his official cryptocurrency Twitter account, he said: “Hey @LoganPaul, I challenge you a fight for your NFT.”
It didn’t take long for Paul to get wind of the call-out, which he responded to on Instagram.
He posted a screengrab of the video to his story with the accompanying caption: “Called out by the king himself @hasbulla.”
Paul then mocked the social media star by posting another snap of his call-out video above a picture of Dodgeball character White Goodman, who was played by Hollywood A-lister Ben Stiller.
Hasbulla, 18, has yet to respond to Paul’s dig at him.
Dagestan’s Hasbulla has become a cult star in the mixed martial arts world and was even present at UFC 267 last October.
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UFC supremo Dana White even hinted the teenager could one day compete inside the octagon.
But Hasbulla himself has ruled out the possibility of ever setting foot inside the cage.
Last month, he said: “We didn’t discuss it and Dana White didn’t offer it.”
Hasbulla has become an international sensationCredit: Getty
“[Dana White] didn’t say anything about the UFC and fights.
“Yes, some people want to organise it, but they won’t be able to.
“Because it will be expensive and not too many people will be able to (pay for it). Plus, I don’t want it at the moment.”
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LEGENDARY US boxing promoter Bob Arum has sensationally claimed Teofimo Lopez ‘almost died’ while cutting down to 135lbs to fight George Kambosos last year.Lopez was beaten on points by Kambosos in a shock defeat at Madison Square Garden in November, which left Lopez battered and bloodied.
Lopez cut down to 135lbs to fight Kambosos, but ‘almost died’ in the processCredit: Getty
Lopez was outpointed by Kambosos in a major upset at Madison Square GardenCredit: Getty
And Arum has since revealed that Lopez shedding the pounds from light welterweight to lightweight could have resulted in a ‘fatality’.
He told FightHype: “First we want to get him healthy. He should have never been fighting at 135 [lbs] against Kambosos. 
“He almost had a fatality. He almost died because of the way he made weight.
“It’s not a joke. I think he’ll be okay at 140 [lbs]. He has some other physical problems that we’re working on him now and taking care of him. 
“Once those problems are solved, we’ll look for an opponent and get him back in the ring.”
And to avoid a repeat health scare, Lopez will bulk back up to light welterweight for when he next enters the ring.
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But as Arum alluded to, Lopez is currently experiencing ‘physical problems’ – and therefore doesn’t have a date in the diary for his next bout.
Those problems could well be the dangerous chest condition discovered in the aftermath of the Kambosos loss.
Not only could Lopez have died trying to make weight for the fight, but it was also claimed by a doctor that the condition – pneumomediastinum – could also have been fatal.
It involves having air in the space between the chest and the lungs, and was only diagnosed in the aftermath of Lopez’s defeat.
As a result Lopez could be out of action for some time, although could still return to the ring at some point this year.
The 24-year-old has previously mooted the possibility of an undisputed clash against Scottish light-welterweight world champion Josh Taylor. More

US BOXING promoter Bob Arum has claimed Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are in talks over an undisputed heavyweight clash in the Middle East. That would involve both Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte stepping aside for a bout to go ahead.
Fury is claimed to be in talks with Usyk over an undisputed clashCredit: PA
Joshua and Usyk are set to face off again this year in a rematchCredit: Reuters
Whyte has been ordered to fight Fury, but could step aside alongside JoshuaCredit: Reuters
Joshua has exercised his rematch clause with Usyk after being outpointed by the Ukrainian in September, while Fury is set to take on Whyte.
But according to Arum, both of those fights could be scrapped in favour of an undisputed bout, as reported by talkSPORT.
However, Arum has hinted that there is no guarantee that an undisputed clash for the ages between the two undefeated fighters will go ahead, with talks currently in ‘total chaos’.
Lennox Lewis was the last undisputed heavyweight world champion, all the way back in 1999.
But Arum warned: “It is total chaos. What’s happening is just promises coming out of the Middle East about doing a unified fight with Usyk and Fury, and is Dillian Whyte gonna step aside.
“And people that have absolutely no contractual ties – like Frank Warren’s Queensberry and our Top Rank do – are getting involved.
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“It’s a typical terrible kind of situation, but hopefully it’ll get sorted out and probably it will get sorted out with a purse bid on Friday.”
Arum was then asked who out of Usyk or Whyte he believes will be Fury’s next opponent.
To which he replied: “I have absolutely no idea. Who are these people in the Middle East? And what’s their backing and all of that stuff? That’s not clear.
“All I know is that the contract with Tyson Fury is with Frank Warren’s Queensberry and Top Rank.
“Nobody has talked to us about buying out rights or getting our permission to go ahead.”
Both Joshua and Eddie Hearn have previously confirmed that AJ will NOT step aside, with the Watford-born fighter still planning to fight Usyk in the spring.

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Elsewhere the purse bids for Fury vs Whyte have been delayed again in another setback to the all-British clash.
It’s the second time purse bods have been pushed back, with the delay making a March bout ‘unrealistic’, according to Hearn.
But other reports claim a date for that fight has in fact already been set for March.
World Boxing News claim that Frank Warren has booked the Principality Stadium in Cardiff for March 26, according to Arum.
Fury is targeting a UK homecoming after his last five fights have taken place Stateside.
But Arum’s latest comments suggest the Gypsy King could once again take to the ring on foreign soil. More