Heavyweight boxing

ANTHONY JOSHUA has stayed in Sheffield for the entirety of his training camp for Oleksandr Usyk after buying a three-bedroom house.The 31-year-old is preparing to defend his WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight belts against the unbeaten Ukrainian at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next week.
Anthony Joshua is looking in incredible shape for his world title fight against Oleksandr UsykCredit: Instagram @anthonyjoshua
British star Joshua puts his WBA, WBO and IBF titles on the line at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next weekCredit: Instagram @anthonyjoshua
Joshua is looking in great shape for the dust-up, with fans left stunned by his leaner physique.
And AJ’s new trimmed look could be due to him having more time to train in Sheffield alongside Rob McCracken at the English Institute of Sport.
During previous training camps, Joshua has stayed in a humble flat in the Steel City, with the British star returning to London on the weekends.
But according to the Daily Mail, the two-time world champion bought a three-bedroom house in Sheffield last year, with the boxer spending his whole time there ahead of his bout with Usyk.
Joshua believes the reduced time on the road back to the capital will make an important difference.
Speaking to the news outlet about his lighter build, Joshua said: “I’m tired. There is a lot of fatigue in camp. Right now, you can see light at the end of the tunnel.

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“I have been heading through it and there are long weeks ahead, but you are saying to yourself, ‘Come on, nearly done, just stick with it. It is round the corner’.
“I wish the fight was tomorrow, because it’s fatigue on the brain, fatigue on the body, staying consistent for such a long period of time during camp.
“But I am a professional, dedicated to this cause. This is me. I am a fighter.”
And Joshua, who has revealed a fight to face Tyson Fury WILL happen in the future, has spoken of his respect for fellow 2012 Olympic gold medallist Usyk.
He added: “Talent-wise I love the challenge of this guy because he has done well and he wants it.
“He is a God-fearing man, very religious, comes from a lineage of great champions like Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, Vasyl Lomachenko. He puts the effort in and gets results.

“Yeah, he’s passionate and dedicated to his cause, which makes him a confident person. He likes to have laughs, and has fun with his work.
“I have seen mad people and he isn’t a mad person. He is just fun. He is having fun because he knows what he is doing.
“Believe me, there is a lot of respect there.”
Fans stunned by Anthony Joshua’s ‘lean’ physique ahead of Oleksandr Usyk fight More

OLEKSANDR UYSK is a fully-fledged heavyweight after packing on the pounds for his eagerly-anticipated clash with Anthony Joshua.The undefeated Ukrainian will challenge AJ for the unified heavyweight titles a week on Saturday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Oleksandr Usyk will challenge Anthony Joshua for the unified heavyweight titles next week
The former cruiserweight king has beefed up for his crack at heavyweight gold
And the Olympian’s promoter Alexander Krassuyk reckons he’s a full-fledged heavyweightCredit: GETTY
Usyk, 34, underwent a rigorous weight-lifting programme ahead of his debut in the division in October 2019 and has put on more muscle ahead of the Tottenham tussle.
And the former undisputed cruiserweight champ’s promoter – Alexander Krassuyk – reckons he’s more than ready to mix it with the division’s big boys.
In an interview with ESPN, Krassuyk said of his countryman: “He has been working hard.
“Building his body for the heavyweight division, and he’s a true heavyweight now.
“No one can say he is a cruiserweight fighting as a heavyweight like Chris Byrd was. Oleksandr is a natural heavyweight now.”
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has been impressed by Usyk’s transformation but is adamant he’ll never be a ‘real heavyweight’.

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The Matchroom Boxing chief said of the slick southpaw: “I think that Usyk will never be a fully-fledged heavyweight – a real heavyweight in terms of size.
“What he will always have is a huge amount of skill.
“It takes time for people to bed into heavyweight, so put it this way, it would’ve been a lot easier fight for AJ a year-and-a-half ago.
“Now Usyk has fought a real heavyweight contender in Chisora, that will actually help him to start to understand what needs to be done.
“But AJ’s a different kind of beast. A good big guy will always beat a good small guy, so we’ll see.”
Joshua is anticipating a tough challenge from the fleet-footed Usyk and is relishing the tactical showdown with his fellow Olympic gold medallist.
He told the BBC: “On paper, he sits number two, behind Wladimir Klitschko.
“They’re very different technically, but on paper, he’s an Olympic gold medallist, he reigned for over 10 years, he’s number one.

“But Usyk is number two because of his success at cruiserweight and then his success so far at heavyweight.”
“One of his strengths is that he’s getting in the ring with me.
“I’ve got to give him credit for that, it’s going to be tough.”

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Fans stunned by Anthony Joshua’s ‘lean’ physique ahead of Oleksandr Usyk fight More

DEONTAY WILDER believes boxing fans are being deprived of the best bouts because fighters are making ‘excuses’ not to face one another.The biggest criticism the sport has received over the last decade is that big fights aren’t being put together or are being made too late.
Deontay Wilder is frustrated by the lack of big fights taking place in boxingCredit: PBC
Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao is one of the fights that took forever to makeCredit: AP
The Bronze Bomber admits he can’t wait to retire from the sportCredit: Ryan Hafey/ Premier Boxing Champions
The long-awaited Fight of the Century between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is a testament to the latter fact, with the fight being made after the pair’s primes.
That trend, sadly, has continued, much to the frustration of former WBC champ Wilder.
He told 78SPORTSTV: “You have so many guys coming up with excuses to avoid fighters, the best not fighting the best.”
Wilder’s frustration with the fight game is so strong that he’s looking forward to hanging up his gloves.
He continued: “Sometimes I’m just like, ‘I can’t wait for the point in time where I do retire.’
“I don’t think I’m gonna miss it… Once I retire, they’re gonna miss me.”

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Wilder, 35, is currently gearing up for a Las Vegas trilogy fight with bitter rival Tyson Fury, whom he’ll meet on October 9.
The Bronze Bomber suffered a seventh-round TKO defeat to The Gypsy King in their February rematch.
And he’s taken their war of words to the next level by branding the Wythenshawe warrior ‘one of the biggest cheats in boxing’.
He said: “Look at Tyson Fury’s rap sheet, he’s one of the biggest cheats in boxing, but do you ever hear about it?
You have so many guys coming up with excuses to avoid fighters, the best not fighting the bestDeontay Wilder

“They don’t care.
“When it’s all said and done, all over for me, I can look myself in the face, in the mirror and say, ‘I did it the right way.”
Olympic bronze medallist Wilder is hellbent on avenging his first professional loss in devastating fashion, saying: “My mind is very violent.
“We built a whole facility to commit a legal homicide and that’s just what it is, my mind is very violent at this time.
How Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder stack up ahead of the trilogy fight
“I can’t wait, when you’re contemplating and pre-meditating about harming a man and you see that person, what you’ve been thinking and feeling will come out.
“The only thing about it is, at that point in time, I have to wait until I get in the ring to really release because I can’t do it on the outside, it’d defeat the purpose.
“The baby’s got to eat, but when I do get in the ring, this is what I love about it, I’m able to release everything I’ve been feeling, everything I’ve been thinking, and get paid to do it.”

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TYSON FURY insists rival Anthony Joshua hasn’t fought a heavyweight in his prime as tensions continue to rise between the two Brits.AJ has met several big names in the ring during his illustrious career, but the Gypsy King doesn’t believe any of them were in tip top shape.
Tyson Fury has questioned Anthony Joshua’s boxing CVCredit: PA
The Gypsy King has a victory against Wilder to his nameCredit: Reuters
Speaking to Manchester United icon Gary Neville on The Overlap YouTube channel, Fury, 33, discussed the prospect of a fight with Joshua, 31.
He said: “I do think that the best boxers do fight each other eventually, but it’s not gonna happen when everyone calls for it.
“It only happens when, say, one boxer’s on the slide and one’s in his prime. Then you get them wanting to fight each other.
“But you very rarely get two prime fighters fight each other. Because one of them is always a bit wary that they’re gonna lose.”
Boxing fans are desperate to see Fury and Joshua face each other in a massive heavyweight clash for the undisputed world title next year.
But Fury will need to overcome American Deontay Wilder in their trilogy fight on October 9 before he can begin planning for Joshua.

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And AJ must defend his belts against undefeated and undisputed former cruiserweight champ Oleksandr Usyk on September 25.
Fury then questioned Joshua’s boxing CV, adding: “Anthony Joshua’s fought not one heavyweight in his prime.
“They’re all former good men, back in the early 2000s, late 2000s, but not in 2020-odd. They were good men 10 years ago.”
AJ has defeated several big names during his career, including Dillian Whyte, Joseph Parker, Andy Ruiz Jr and Wladimir Klitschko.
But the latter, then 41, was already on the decline when he faced Joshua after Fury ended his long reign as world champ two years earlier.

The Gypsy King also boasts a win against Deontay Wilder, widely regarded as one of the top three fighters in the heavyweight division.
Fury is also concerned a fight between him and Joshua will never happen, even though AJ has called his British rival out on numerous occasions.
Fury added: “I was never optimistic about AJ happening. This was always going on in the background and they knew all that.
“Eddie Hearn knew it, Joshua knew it – they all knew it. All of a sudden, it’s my fault because I’m a s***house, please.
“I don’t think the fight will happen. We’ve been trying to do this fight since we were 22 years old and I’m now 33.”
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OLEKSANDR USYK’S manager has revealed that the Klitschko brothers have not reached out ‘even once’ ahead of his heavyweight showdown with Anthony Joshua. Usyk, 34, will aim to follow in the footsteps of his countrymen Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko by beating Anthony Joshua to become a world heavyweight champion for the first time.
In 2018, Usyk became the fourth male boxer in history to become the unified cruiserweight champion of the world by holding the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO titles simultaneouslyCredit: Getty
Usyk’s last fight was when he beat British heavyweight Derek Chisora by unanimous decision at the SSE Wembley Arena back in October 2020Credit: Getty
The Ukrainian takes on the two-time unified world heavyweight champion, 31, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 25 September for the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles.
The Klitschko brothers successfully won and defended all four major world heavyweight titles until Vitali retired in 2013 and Wladimir was beaten by Tyson Fury in 2015.
They are among the most successful champions in boxing history and their support could have given Usyk a huge advantage against Joshua ahead of their highly-anticipated title fight.
Wladimir was beaten by Joshua by TKO in their title fight at Wembley Stadium in 2017 and would be able to give Usyk some useful tips if he had reached out, as many expected he would.
Speaking to My Betting Sites, Usyk’s manager Sergey Lapin claimed that the Klitschko brothers’ silence will make no difference to Usyk’s preparation.
Lapin said: “Oleksandr has worked incredibly hard in training and will prove against Joshua that he is the best around, helped by the addition of trainer Anatoly Lomachenko who has brought his game to the next level.

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“As for the advice from the Klitschko brothers, our fellow Ukrainians, we haven’t seen them in our training camp even once.
“Oleksandr has his own story, and he has been writing it for a long time, from the moment he came to the gym at a young age. He does not need anyone else.”
Lapin is confident of his client’s ability to beat Joshua, despite the world champion from Watford being the favourite going into the fight.
“More than two years have passed since Oleksandr’s transition to heavyweight – and today he is in optimal physical and mental condition to face Anthony Joshua.
“In our world, everyone always needs to prove themselves, which is what Usyk does time and again when everybody doubts him.
“And we, his team and loved ones, believe in his victory for two reasons – one, because he has one of the best techniques in boxing and two, because he uses his legs to the maximum which makes him so tough to face.
“But of course, AJ is a great boxer, he has passed a difficult path in his career. So we wish him good preparation and are waiting for him in the ring.”
MUTUAL RESPECT
Joshua is also known to have a good relationship with Klitschko, with the pair demonstrating a great mutual respect when speaking about one another since their fight in 2015.
He even went as far as saying Wladimir Klitschko is the hardest puncher he has ever faced, despite losing by TKO to Ruiz Jr. He said: “This guy’s a beast, he’s a beast.”
After his defeat, Klitschko took to Twitter to post the message: “Really enjoyed the fight, I hope you did too. Thank you for your amazing support. I can truly feel it. Respect&congrats to @anthonyfjoshua.”

Usyk has won 13 of his 18 professional fights by knockout and remains undefeated, compared to Joshua who has won 22 of his 25 fights by knockout but was beaten by Andy Ruiz Jr. in a shock defeat in 2019.
Tyson Fury’s co-promoter Frank Warren recently backed Usyk to win if the fight goes to 12 rounds, saying: “Anthony Joshua must be the favourite for the fight. He’s the bigger guy, much bigger, and he’s a bigger puncher.
“Having said that, if he [Joshua] doesn’t get rid of him, and if he’s still there after five or six rounds, then it gets to the end of the fight, if that goes 12 rounds, I would fancy Usyk to get the decision because to get there, he’s going to have to outbox him.”
AJ bounced back from his defeat against Ruiz to win the rematch and then beat Bulgarian heavyweight Kubrat Pulev by knockout in December 2020Credit: PA
Fans stunned by Anthony Joshua’s ‘lean’ physique ahead of Oleksandr Usyk fight More