Heavyweight boxing

EDDIE HEARN has flown into Saudi Arabia to hold advanced talks over a super-fight in December for Anthony Joshua. Hosts in the Middle East are hoping to pit the heavyweight elite against each other in a tournament-style format.
Anthony Joshua and promoter Eddie HearnCredit: PA
Eddie Hearn has flown into Saudi Arabia for fight talksCredit: https://www.instagram.com/eddiehearn/
It would see the prospect of Tyson Fury, 34, unifying the titles against Oleksandr Usyk, 36, after their failed talks to do so in April.
And Joshua, 33, would meet Wilder, 37, in an anticipated blockbuster years in the making.
The stunning and lucrative plan has now moved a step closer after Hearn landed in Riyadh for talks.
Joshua twice boxed in Saudi before, beating Andy Ruiz Jr, 33, in Diriyah in 2019 but losing to Usyk last August in Jeddah.
READ MORE IN BOXING
Both AJ, Wilder and their respected camps have given the mega-fight the green light.
And Usyk’s side are also on board with fighting Fury in the desert despite their collapse of talks earlier in the year.
A deal for the first ever four-belt undisputed decider broke down amid a row over the financials for a potential rematch.
Usyk is now set to face WBA mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois, 25, with Andy Ruiz Jr, 33, in talks to fight Fury in London.
Most read in Boxing
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST ONLINE CASINOS FOR 2023
But the Ukrainian’s promoter Alex Krassyuk has kept the door open to a future unification bout and passed the buck on their opposition.
Krassyuk told BT Sport Boxing: “Oleksandr Usyk and his team are known to be the easiest people to deal with in the world of boxing.
“So there’s only one thing still pending and it’s a complex personality who goes back and forth, playing his games to try and squeeze as much money as possible. That was the reason why Usyk called him greedy belly!”
Tyson Fury facing off with Oleksandr UsykCredit: REUTERS More

ANDY RUIZ JR appears to have confirmed he will be Tyson Fury’s next opponent.Fury hasn’t competed since December when he beat Derek Chisora and extended his undefeated streak to a whopping 34 fights.
Tyson Fury’s next fight appears to have been leaked by his next opponentCredit: Getty
Andy Ruiz Jr claims he will fight Fury on July 22 in the United KingdomCredit: Getty
Ruiz issued a story on Instagram teasing a fight with Fury
The Gypsy King was strongly linked with a heavyweight showdown against Oleksandr Usyk as well as fellow Brit Anthony Joshua but talks fell through on both fronts.
But the Mancunian bruiser’s next fight appears to have been leaked by Ruiz himself.
The Destroyer strongly hinted at an imminent clash with Fury as he took to Instagram and said the two have reached an “official” agreement.
The Mexican-American also wrote that the bout will take place on July 22 in the UK.
Read More on Boxing
Ruiz issued a picture of him and Fury with the following caption: “Tyson Fury vs Andy Ruiz is official! July 22nd.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn was the first to leak a potential showdown between the two heavyweights.
Hearn is also confident Fury will finally collide with his fighter Joshua in December to cap off a mouthwatering boxing year.
He said: “AJ wants to fight in the summer, we want him to fight.
Most read in Boxing
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST ONLINE CASINOS FOR 2023
“But at the same time he’s being spoken to about potential fights with Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury in December where maybe the people involved with those fights don’t want him to have another fight. And contractually he might not be able to.
“There have been no negotiations at all about this fight but I’m flying out there next week because there have been some discussions.
“I’ll tell you now, subject to the deal which will not be a problem with these people because we’ve done various fights with them, AJ will fight Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury in December – no problem at all.
“July, I can’t tell you about. I want him to fight. Derrick James wants him to fight.
“I believe all those other fighters involved will fight in the interim. So I think it would be good if AJ did too.” More

TYSON FURY is the only fighter holding up the potential four-man tournament from happening in December, claims Oleksandr Usyk’s manager.Talks have been going on for weeks for Saudi Arabia to host a mega night of boxing that would shake-up the heavyweight division.
Tyson Fury is the one allegedly holding up talks for the mega night in SaudiCredit: Getty
The landmark event would see Anthony Joshua battle Deontay Wilder before Fury and Usyk go one-on-one to unify the titles.
Both AJ and the Bronze Bomber have said they want to make it happen and have reportedly been easy to negotiate with.
However, Alex Krassyuk, who manages Usyk, says Fury’s “complex personality” has proven to be a major obstacle in the discussions.
Klismas told BT Sport Boxing: ““From my perspective and from my experience, AJ is not a very complicated person to deal with.
READ MORE IN BOXING
“Deontay Wilder and Shelley Finkel are very reasonable people … we got in touch with him a couple of weeks ago for the first time in 10 years and we had quite a long conversation.
“I don’t think it would be a big challenge for anyone to make a deal with him.”
He then added: “Oleksandr Usyk and his team are known to be the easiest people to deal with in the world of boxing.
“So there’s only one thing still pending and it’s a complex personality who goes back and forth, playing his games to try and squeeze as much money as possible. That was the reason why Usyk called him greedy belly!”
Most read in Boxing
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST ONLINE CASINOS FOR 2023
Both Krassyuk and Joshua’s Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn have confirmed talks for the four-man tournament have taken place.
But the Gypsy King blasted them on Instagram: “I can confirm that these rumours are absolute bulls***.”
Fury has since been linked to a return to the ring against Andy Ruiz Jr on July 22, although no confirmation has yet been made.
Usyk, who is expected to face Daniel Dubois next, saw talks collapse to fight Fury on April 29.
Krassyuk added that he feels the Brit is making a huge mistake in not taking on the Ukrainian as he added that discussions with Dubois’ chief George Warren have started.
He added: “Yes he is the champion and yes he has the right to do things that he wants to do, but at the end of the day he is a professional boxer and his main assignment is to perform for the boxing fans.
“That’s why I think that if this fight does not take place it would be one of the biggest mistakes Tyson Fury could make in his career.” More

ZHILEI ZHANG has punched his way into title contention as a top five heavyweight contender after battering Joe Joyce. The 2012 Olympic silver medallist stunned Joyce this month with a brutal sixth-round stoppage victory.

Joyce’s right eye was so grotesquely swollen the referee had no choice but to wave it off following advice from the ringside medic.
The win meant Zhang, 39, inherited the WBO interim title and mandatory position for Oleksandr Usyk’s title.
He also moved up to fourth in the Ring Magazine rankings with Joyce, 37, down to seven following the first loss in his career.
Usyk still leads the way at the top with the Ring, WBA, IBF and WBO belts to his name.
READ MORE IN BOXING
But he was unable to unify all four belts for the first time in heavyweight history as talks to fight Tyson Fury broke down.
As a result, Fury sits just behind with old rival Deontay Wilder named in second.
Anthony Joshua is placed in third but could leap above Wilder with the two in talks to fight in Saudi Arabia in December.
Andy Ruiz Jr sits in fifth and is in line to face Fury this summer following the collapse of the undisputed title decider.
Most read in Boxing
Dillian Whyte is sixth, a place above Joyce, and wants to rematch AJ in the summer having not fought since November,
Elsewhere, Luis Ortiz is eighth, Joseph Parker in ninth and Filip Hrgovic ranking just inside the top ten.
It means the likes of Daniel Dubois and Otto Wallin sit outside the Ring Magazine rankings.
Oleksandr Usyk with his heavyweight belts including Ring Magazine versionCredit: Reuters More

BOXING’S biggest earners per PUNCH have been revealed.And Anthony Joshua has posted an impressive figure despite losing his heavyweight titles to Oleksandr Usyk.
Anthony Joshua’s earnings per punch have been revealedCredit: Getty
AJ has clocked up more dosh per hit than legendary fighter Mike TysonCredit: EPA
The Brit has actually racked up a higher number than legendary fighter Mike Tyson.
But it’s another icon who tops the charts thanks to his money-spinning bouts.
Boffins at Betsperts have been analysing boxing fights since 2010 – specifically those which generated more than 1million PPV buys.
And they have now revealed the best-paid bruisers based on how many punches they have landed in that time.
READ MORE ON BOXING
There’s no room for current WBC king Tyson Fury, who ranks just 22nd on the list.
And Jake Paul also doesn’t feature as none of his fights have qualified under the 1m PPV rule.
As a result, top spot has gone to none other than Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather.
The legendary unbeaten American has taken on the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor.
Most read in Boxing
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST NEW CUSTOMER SIGN UP DEALS

And he’s landed a combined 1,876 punches while pocketing £448.9m in earnings.
That gives him an amazing £239,358 per punch, sending him clear of second-place McGregor.
The Irishman’s own total is £225,160, having raked in £24.98m from 111 punches.
And in third place is Joshua with £208,743.
The fan favourite has scooped £92.44m while landing 443 hits.
Floyd Mayweather tops the bill, with rival Conor McGregor secondCredit: Getty
Tyson Fury only ranks 22nd in the ultimate listCredit: AFP
That also puts him ahead of icon Tyson, who has had just one fight against Roy Jones Jr.
Even so, Iron Mike hit his opponent 67 times, amounting to £124,342 per punch after an £8.33m payday.
The top five is completed by Wladimir Klitschko, younger brother of Vitali, who has £115,215 from 94 punches against AJ at Wembley in 2017.
And the top 10 is rounded off by Alexander Povetkin (£106k), Manny Pacquiao (£96k), Caleb Plant (£82k), Jones Jr (£67k) and Joseph Parker (£65k).
Read More on The Sun
Interestingly, Canelo Alvarez – rated as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet – could only make 11th place with £65,446 per punch.
Brit Amir Khan is 13th with £63,387, while Deontay Wilder is 14th with £63,173. More