Heavyweight boxing

ANTHONY JOSHUA has appeared to aim a dig at former heavyweight champ David Haye over his ‘baby toe’ injury.Haye lost his chance to be crowned unified heavyweight king in 2011 when he was easily outpointed by Wladimir Klitschko.
Anthony Joshua is refusing to make excuses for his two pro defeatsCredit: Getty
David Haye is a two-weight former world champCredit: Getty
Haye blamed his injured toe for his defeat to Wladimir Klitschko in 2011Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
After the fight, the Brit stood on the press conference table to show off his injured toe, which he claimed affected his performance.
But many laughed it off as a poor excuses for fluffing his lines in his big chance in Hamburg, Germany.
Now, speaking to iFL TV about the time he sensationally lost to huge outsider Andy Ruiz Jr to suffer his first pro defeat, Joshua explained how he refused to look for excuses.
Ruiz Jr stepped in for Jarrell Miller, who failed a drugs test, and went on to shock the world by KO’ing AJ in the seventh round.
He said: “I was looking for a replacement. Realistically, at top level we need another 10 weeks to prepare for this style of fight, but whatever bring him on.
“It was interesting because I found out certain pieces of information two weeks after the fight as to why certain things were going the way they were going.

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“It gave me reason, so what people call excuses… I could have been like my baby toe was hurting. Ruiz had machine-gun bullets in his glove.
“Whatever excuse I could have thought of at the time, I could have come up with. I felt like I had reason, I handled it myself. Every day I woke up, I looked at myself in the mirror.”
As well as Haye blaming his little toe, Deontay Wilder accused Tyson Fury of having ‘loaded gloves’ after the American was battered around the ring in their second bout.
AJ went on to win back his WBA, WBO and IBF titles by easily outpointing Ruiz Jr in their rematch.
Is AJ going to beat Fury in a boxing match? I don’t believe soDavid HayeFormer two-weight world champ
But in September he lost them all over again to Oleksandr Usyk.
He has promised their rematch will be ‘a war’ and has been asking Mike Tyson’s old coach Ronnie Shields to turn him into DOG for the shot at redemption.
Meanwhile former two-weight world champ Haye has predicted that Fury would be too powerful and resilient for Joshua if they ever fought.
He told BT Sport: “I think from the strength of that performance, it would be very tough for AJ.
“Having watched AJ’s last performance against Usyk, the shots that Fury took down the pipe from Wilder, he was able to get back up and rough him up.
“The fact that AJ stood at range with Usyk having a boxing match… is AJ going to beat Fury in a boxing match? I don’t believe so.”
Anthony Joshua announces he is willing to fight Deontay Wilder next year More

MIKE TYSON has no regrets about smoking weed before his destruction of Andrew Golota – despite having the emphatic victory taken away from him.Iron Mike put an absolute beatdown on the Olympic bronze medallist in their October 2000 clash, which he viciously ended in the third round.
Mike Tyson scored a vicious third-round KO victory over Andrew Golato 21 years agoCredit: Getty
But the victory was overturned to a no-contest after Tyson tested positive for marijuanaCredit: REUTERS
But Iron Mike insists he has no regrets about enjoying weed before the boutCredit: EPA
Tyson’s demolition of the Polish pounder, however, was overturned to a no-contest when he tested positive for marijuana.
But the former undisputed heavyweight champion has no regrets, telling Yahoo: “I broke his cheekbone, his eye socket, his rib — I should have been doing this from the beginning.
“And I said, ‘Wow.’ I got fined for that, of course, but it was worth every bit of it.
“I think of it as an enhancer. It makes me better, even in the ring.
“The punches don’t hurt as much, it has a lot to do with my comeback, the psychedelics.”
Tyson, 55, wished he smoked his cannabis during his hall-of-fame career instead of drinking alcohol.

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The boxing legend, who is releasing a new strain of the drug, admitted: “My life was just miserable, I was out of control.
“I was fighting with everybody. If someone asked me for an autograph, I’d punch them in the face.
“I was just a mess, and then after I retired, I started smoking.
“What a mistake that was — I should have smoked my whole career. I should have smoked when I was fighting because it put me in this different state of mind.
“I’m very relaxed and the more relaxed you are, the better fighter you are at least in my case.”
Fan favourite Tyson made a sensational return to the ring last November for an exhibition bout with fellow great Roy Jones Jr.

And The Baddest Man on the Planet is reportedly set to return to the against YouTuber Logan Paul in February.
Paul has not yet been confirmed as Tyson’s opponent, although Iron Mike exclusively revealed his plans to return to the ring in February to SunSport.
He said: “I am going to have a return fight in February and we are pretty sceptical about the opponent, but it will be a really stimulating opponent.”
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ANTHONY JOSHUA has set his sights on a showdown with Deontay Wilder next year – despite a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk being on the cards.AJ is set to rematch the newly-crowned unified heavyweight champion early next year but is already thinking of a potential clash with Wilder, which has been years in the making.
How Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder stack upCredit: SUNSPORT
Anthony Joshua is set to have a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk early next yearCredit: GETTY
Deontay Wilder’s next move is unknown following his defeat to Tyson FuryCredit: REX
He told iFL TV: “If the fans can’t see I would take these fights with the fighters like Wilder in a heartbeat.
“And I want people to know that I would fight anyone in their prime or anytime.
“Give me a mandatory and I will fight anyone, I love the game and will fight anyone.
“I will take on any challenge providing politics aren’t an issue and the finances are there with these guys, people know what I am about.
“I think Wilder fought (Tyson) Fury thinking it was going to be easier than his previous fights and got caught in a trilogy web.
“But would I fight Wilder, yes I would.”

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Boxing fans around the world have been itching for Joshua and Wilder to share the ring for several years.
So SunSport thought it’d only be right to break down the potential showdown between the heavy hitters.
Age
Father Time is on the side of former unified heavyweight king Joshua, who recently turned 32.
Wilder is four years Joshua’s senior at the age of 36, which he turned on October 22.
Experience
Both men are well and truly seasoned professionals, although Wilder has had considerably more fights than his British rival.
Former WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder has 45 professional fights to his nameCredit: AP
Joshua, meanwhile, has 26 professional fights to his nameCredit: REUTERS
The American has taken part in 45 fights in his professional career, which began in November 2008.
Joshua, meanwhile, turned pro five years later and has made the walk to the ring 25 times.
Physical
Both men are towering and domineering figures, although the slight edge in height and reach go to American Wilder.
The Bronze Bomber stands at a staggering 6’7 and weighed a career-heavy 238lbs for his ill-fated trilogy fight with Tyson Fury.
Joshua, meanwhile, is a shorter 6’6 and tipped the scales at 240lbs for his September showdown with Usyk.
Wilder possesses a slight reach advantage over the Brit, with his arms stretching 83 inches in comparison to Joshua’s 82 inches.

Form
Both men are currently riding losing streaks, with Wilder having suffered back-to-back losses to WBC champ Fury.
Joshua is currently licking his wounds following his Tottenham tussle with Usyk last month, who danced his way to a unanimous decision victory.
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Anthony Joshua slams Tyson Fury’s promoter and rages ‘f*** him’ over claims he dodged fight More

DILLIAN WHYTE looks to finally be getting his heavyweight world title shot.But standing in the way of the Londoner getting his hands on that belt is the phenomenal Tyson Fury.

Promoter Eddie Hearn believes the WBC are likely to press the Gypsy King into defending that iconic green belt against the mandatory challenger.
And that is Whyte.
It’s not quite the ‘Battle Of Britain’ scrap that many boxing fans hoped for – but Anthony Joshua fluffed that chance when he lost to Oleksandr Usyk. That rematch has already been agreed.
Whyte was forced to pull out of his fight against Otto Wallin this weekend with a shoulder injury. But now Hearn thinks there is a much bigger prize around the corner.
Fury has tasted 31 victories in his 32 fights, with one draw and no losses.
Whyte, meanwhile, has won 28 of his 30 with two losses. They came against Joshua and a stunning shock KO loss to Alexander Povetkin.

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The Bodysnatcher atoned for that defeat by winning the rematch and sending Povetkin into retirement.
Both Brits have a similar KO ratio too – Fury with 22 stoppages in 32 with Whyte securing 19 in his 30.
But while Whyte is a hefty heavyweight, he is no match for the Gypsy King in this regard.
Fury is 6ft 9in with Whyte measuring 6ft 4in. And Fury’s 85in reach to Whyte’s 78in could mean a difficult night in store for the challenger.
Speaking about Whyte’s big chance, Hearn said: “That WBC fight, I think, will be called at the convention in about three weeks time. 
“I don’t think the Fury fight will happen until February at the very earliest anyway so I don’t think it will be an issue for him.
“He wanted to fight and anyone that knows Dillian Whyte knows that he is not going to shirk out of a fight.”
Tyson Fury is the current WBC heavyweight world champion
Dillian Whyte is the man that the WBC are expected to order the Gypsy King to defend against next
Eddie Hearn says that it is likely that Fury will fight Whyte next More

A BLOCKBUSTER showdown between boxing phenoms Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano is close to coming to fruition, according to promoter Jake Paul.Paul signed Puerto Rico’s Serrano to his Most Valuable Promotions a month after she competed on the undercard of his clash with ex-UFC star Tyron Woodley.
Kate Taylor’s long-awaited clash with Amanda Serrano could finally come to fruitionCredit: SPORTFILE
Serrano withdrew from the pair’s clash in August 2020 due to the size of her purseCredit: GETTY
And Jake Paul has claimed the pair’ long-awaited showdown is on course to come to fruitionCredit: TWITTER
The Problem Child snapped up the WBC, WBO, and IBO featherweight queen in a bid to help her bag the biggest fights available.
And after talks with promoter Eddie Hearn, a showdown with undisputed lightweight queen Taylor could soon be on the cards for the 33-year-old.
Paul tweeted: “The biggest female fight in history is on its way to being completed.”
Taylor and Serrano, who are regarded by many to be two No.1 and No.2 pound-for-pound fighters, were scheduled to meet in August 2020.
The mouthwatering bout, however, fell through after Serrano pulled out for financial reasons.
Serrano campaigned for the fight again after her unanimous decision victory over Yilameth Mercado in August.

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And Irish sensation Taylor is champing at the bit to get it on with the younger Serrano sister.
She told DAZN: “That’s a fight that has been talked about for the last couple of years.
“This fight has been brewing for a long time.
“It’s been scheduled a couple of times before.
“I was asked to prepare for that fight before and it fell through a couple of times and not because of me.
“I think that her and her team were the ones actually pulled out of the fight.

“I would obviously be very, very excited as well to step into the ring against Amanda Serrano.
“I actually think the fight is bigger now than it has been before.
“So if it happens, it’s going to be huge.”
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