Heavyweight boxing

JOHNNY NELSON reckons David Haye should look at Evander Holyfield’s shocking ring return before committing to fighting Tyson Fury.The boxing pundit believes Holyfield’s first-round stoppage loss to UFC ace Vitor Belfort should serve as a serious warning for the British former world champion. 
Johnny Nelson reckons a David Haye fight with Tyson should just be one-offCredit: Getty
Nelson believes Evander Holyfield made one comeback too many when taking on Vitor BelfortCredit: AFP
Haye, 40, goaded the Gypsy King after beating Joe Fournier in his return bout after three years away, saying, “I know his (Fury’s) Kryptonite, I know what he can’t handle.”
But Sky Boxing guru Nelson, 54, told Sky Sports: “David calling out Tyson Fury – it’s made headlines, it’s made people talk about it. 
“How serious is it? I don’t know. It’s always ‘what if’ for fighters.
“David looks in amazing condition at 40 years old and I think a rest from the sport has probably done his body good and done his mindset good.
“He’s a very Zen person now, so he’s probably put a lot of things into perspective, in regard to his future and what he wants to achieve in boxing.
“You’ve got to look at David’s last two performances of his career and how he performed. 

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“The rest would have done him a world of good and that fight with Fournier was two mates having a spar, but David knows what he is capable of doing.
“I think the reality of training hard in camp for a few months could kick in, and make him realise how much he has actually bitten off. 
“But maybe he’s got that impetus, that energy and that fire in his belly for a fight with Tyson Fury?
“Coming back to fight Tyson Fury, if he’s serious, it’s just for that fight. It’s not for a career.”

Haye, whose fight record includes 26 knockouts, had to pull out twice from arranged bouts with Fury. 
And plans for an all-British battle were eventually kiboshed after the Londoner had a shoulder op in 2013. 
Nelson was sharing his thoughts days after Holyfield’s exhibition clash with ex-UFC champ Belfort was on the same bill as Haye’s bout with Fournier. 
And concerns for former four-time world heavyweight champion Holyfield, 58, were compounded when he was brutally defeated by Belfort – who is 14 years younger – in a first-round demolition. 
Holyfield made the same mistake most ex-fighters do when you think ‘I can do it.’Johnny Nelson – Sky Boxing pundit
Nelson added: “We saw Evander Holyfield and we all got lost in the nostalgia of what Evander used to be capable of doing.
“Then reality kicked in, he’s a 58-year-old man who clearly has no punch resistance. 
“He looked the part, but that’s about it.
“Evander made the same mistake as most ex-fighters do when you think, ‘I can do it.’ 
“Is David Haye at the same stage as Holyfield? I don’t believe so.
“Holyfield had been away from the sport long enough for people to forget his last few fights and remember his heyday. 
Tyson Fury is the WBC title holderCredit: PA
“But you’ve got to be realistic with yourself and say, ‘Right, can I really do this?’
“David Haye is not making a comeback as a fighter. What he’s said is – ‘I want to fight Tyson Fury.’
“If he’s saying he wants to come back and dominate the heavyweight division, then you’d reply, ‘Come on David.’

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Tyson Fury promoter Frank Warren admits David Haye fight would be ‘huge’ More

ANTHONY JOSHUA will be on the wrong end of a decision if his showdown with Oleksandr Usyk goes the distance.The Watford warrior will defend his unified heavyweight titles against the undefeated Ukrainian a week on Saturday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Anthony Joshua will defend his unified heavyweight titles against Oleksandr Usyk next weekend
And promoter Frank Warren reckons Usyk could spring a major upsetCredit: PA
The footwork of the fleet-footed and elusive Usyk will be Joshua’s biggest problem to overcome on fight night.
And Tyson Fury’s co-promoter – Frank Warren – reckons the former undisputed cruiserweight champion could dance his way to a points victory over AJ.
He told iFL TV: “He proved it at cruiserweight.
“He was fantastic, and he’s made his mark in that weight division. He was a superb cruiserweight.
“He’s done everything you could ask for. He’s come up a weight and fought Chazz Witherspoon, went seven rounds, and he fought Derek Chisora.
“So now that he’s [Usyk] is up there and comfortable, I don’t think he’s a natural heavyweight.

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“I bet you if he still needed to, he could probably still make cruiserweight. Who knows?
“But 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.”
Warren reckons the undersized Usyk will look to negate Joshua’s power by getting in close and working on the inside.
The Queensbury Promotion’s chief continued: “He’s [Usyk] obviously a very smart operator, and you know how he’s going to fight.
“He’s going to get inside, get underneath AJ’s jab, and if he can do that and work inside, he can give him a lot of problems.
“We don’t know because we want the big fight.”
Victory over Usyk will see Joshua do his part to preserve the long-awaited Battle of Britain with Fury, who will face Deontay Wilder in a trilogy fight three weeks on Saturday.

And the Olympic gold medallist has vowed not to break under the immense pressure on his shoulders.
He told Sky Sports: “With Usyk, I don’t really fold under pressure.
“On September 25th, it’s time to practice everything I know.”

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Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk – Official Fight Trailer More

TERENCE CRAWFORD is set to defend his WBO welterweight title in a mouth-watering clash with former champ Shawn Porter.T-Bud will lock horns with the old IBF and WBC 147lb titleholder on November 20 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.
Terence Crawford will be back in action on November 20Credit: Getty
T-Bud will be welcomed back to the ring by former welterweight champ Shawn PorterCredit: AP
The fight was due to go to a purse bid on Tuesday, but Top Rank and the PBC eventually ended up hashing out a deal.
An elated Crawford told ESPN: “I’m very excited.
“Now I can show my talent and maybe I can show something for the general public, something that they’ve never seen before.
“Because I don’t believe that I’ve showed them my best yet.”
Porter is champing at the bit to share the ring with the undefeated Crawford, who he reckons he has a serious edge over.
The 33-year-old told ESPN: “It’s extremely big… experience means nothing if you don’t use it.

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“But my record speaks for itself.
“Everyone’s seen what I’ve done, every experience that I’ve had, I’ve held onto them and I’ve used them to my advantage.
“When you consider the experience in this fight and me having more experience than Terence Crawford, that is a fact.
“When I say the fight between me and Terence Crawford is going to be great, it’s gonna be great.
“When I say I have what it takes to beat him, don’t sleep on that, believe that. I do!”

Crawford, also 33, hasn’t set foot inside the ring since his fourth-round TKO victory over Brit Kell Brook in November 2020.
Porter, meanwhile, was last in action last August, cruising to a unanimous decision victory over Germany’s Sebastian Formella.
Crawford will be hoping to retain his WBO crown in order to set up a long-awaited showdown with IBF unified welterweight champ Errol Spence Jr.

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Terrance Crawford knocks out Kell Brook with vicious combination punching More

JAKE PAUL’s showdown with Tyron Woodley reportedly only generated HALF the pay-per-view buys his brother’s bout with Floyd Mayweather did.The YouTuber turned boxer defeated the former UFC welterweight champion via split decision in their bout late last month.
Jake Paul’s clash with former UFC star Tyron Woodley did in the region of 480,000 to 500,000 PPV buysCredit: Getty Images – Getty
That figure was HALF of the buys generated by Logan Paul’s clash with Floyd MayweatherCredit: Getty
Paul’s clash with The Chosen One was projected to be as successful as his older brother Logan’s exhibition with Mayweather, which garnered one million pay-per-view buys.
But according to Wrestling Observer, Paul vs Woodley raked in less than 500,000 buys.
They claim the buys for the former Disney star’s fourth professional bout was in the range of 480,000 to 500,000.
Both Jake and Logan’s respective last outings were promoted by Showtime Sports.
Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza was optimistic Paul vs Woodley would be a success, tipping it to do ‘slightly below’ the Mayweather vs Paul numbers.
Hours before the show got underway, Espinoza told MMA Junkie: “I think we’ll be pretty close to 15,000 in the arena.

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“That’s probably a few tickets short of a sell-out.
“Less than 500 tickets, maybe closer at the time.
“The pre-buys are bigger than just about anything we’ve done lately short of Mayweather Paul.
“So it’s tracking within line with, but slightly below, Mayweather-Paul.
“Now look, I’m not saying it’s gonna hit a million buys.
I’m over itJake Paul on a potential rematch with Tyron Woodley
“Because you have to take tracking with a large grain of salt.
“It’s a few thousands buys and trying to predict, five, six or seven hundred thousand. But the indicators are very good.”
Paul, 24, fought through adversity in his eight-rounder with Woodley to preserve his undefeated record.
The Problem Child agreed to have an immediate rematch with the Missouri mauler, but only if he honoured the pre-fight tattoo bet they made.
Jake Paul’s boxing ‘hit-list’
But he’s since moved on as Woodley has yet to get ‘I love Jake Paul’ inked on his skin.
When asked if he’s still open to the rematch, Paul told ESPN: “I’m over it.
“I’m leaving Tyron in the past. He didn’t live up to the bet — he didn’t get the tattoo.”

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Frank Warren says Jake Paul and Tommy Fury in talks over sensational boxing fight More

TYSON FURY’S promoter claims a fight with David Haye would be “huge” – but says Anthony Joshua is still the “only fight” everyone wants.Haye, 40, insists he has the right style to beat the undefeated world champ, having returned with a win on Saturday.
David Haye won against his friend Joe Fournier but says Tyson Fury is the only man he’d officially come out of retirement to meetCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Tyson Fury is preparing for Deontay Wilder and still aims to take on Anthony Joshua but a bout with David Haye has not been ruled outCredit: Rex
And Fury’s UK promoter Frank Warren suggested a long-awaited clash with the Gypsy King was not totally fanciful.
Haye beat businessman-turned-boxer Joe Fournier on points on the undercard of 58-year-old Evander Holyfield’s farcical one-round defeat against Vitor Belfort.And Warren told iFL TV: “I’ve got a lot of respect for David but he’s 40. I mean, he’s not a youngster but he’s not 58.
“He suffered some bad injuries and certainly against Tony Bellew… I’m in shock to be quite honest because I fancied David Haye (to win). 
“Having said that, he obviously had these injuries and he shouldn’t have been in the ring in the first place.
“I don’t know whether he’s got rid of the injuries or not.
“I’m sure he’s calling out Tyson because him and Tyson, let’s get it right, would be a huge fight.

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“But I think he’s got to do a bit more before talking about Tyson Fury.
“For No 1, he’d have to get rated, and to get rated you’ve got to fight a rated fighter.”
Warren, though, stressed, another all-British fight remains the big one for Fury – against AJ.
Frank Warren believes David Haye could take on Tyson Fury if he was totally free of injuries and took on another ranked fighter firstCredit: Getty
He said: “Fury and Joshua is the only fight we want to see.
“But they’ve got to deal with what they’ve got in front of them first because we’ve been down this road for about a year now.”
Haye officially retired after Bellew twice beat him but claims he has unearthed “big fat dosser” Fury’s “kryptonite” – and that’s the only official fight he’d come back for.
He said: “I know how to beat Tyson Fury, I really do. I’m being deadly serious.

“I understand why he’s so effective and no-one else can see it. I’m good enough still to do it. I would have done it back in 2013. He knows it.”
Unbeaten Fury is off social media as he prepares for his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder on October 9.
But his management team responded to Haye calling him by posting a picture of the 6ft 9ins champ standing over the Londoner at a 2013 press conference, along with the words: “There’s only one”.
David Haye says he knows secret to beating Tyson Fury after calling out old rival for shock fight aged 40 More