More stories

  • in

    Chris Eubank Jr reveals Billy Joe Saunders is demanding £5M to face rival in rematch fight and blasts ‘I’m the A-side’

    CHRIS EUBANK JR claims rival Billy Joe Saunders wants £5million to face him in a huge rematch between the British pair.The two fighters faced each other in November 2014, with Saunders inflicting a first professional defeat on Eubank Jr.
    Saunders defeated Eubank Jr in November 2014Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
    But Eubank Jr now believes his stock is higher than Saunders’Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
    Discussing a potential rematch with Fight Night via talkSPORT, Eubank Jr, 31, said: “I heard him say he’s demanding £5m.
    “The funny thing is he’s not in a position to be demanding anything, he has no belt, he has no credibility in the sport after quitting against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez after saying he’d die before taking a knee in the ring.
    “He lambasted Daniel Dubois after an eye injury, a real eye injury. There was nothing wrong with Saunders, he got a blackeye but there was no smashed orbital bone, there was no broken eye socket, there was no proof of that – that was all a sham.
    “That’s why he’s been MIA [absent from boxing] for the last few months because of the shame in what he did.
    “He has no credibility, he has no power in the sport so he can’t be saying he wants £5m, he’ll get what he’s given.
    “I’m the A-side and once he understands that we can talk.”

    JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
    Saunders, 32, lost the first fight of his professional career and his WBO super-middleweight world title to Canelo in May.
    Eubank Jr, meanwhile, has won his last four fights following his second pro defeat to fellow Brit George Groves in February 2018.
    Eubank Jr added: “It [the rivalry] used to burn inside, now he’s not on my radar. He has nothing – he has no respect, he has no belt.
    “It’s not something that’s super important to me. Obviously he has a win over me so I want to avenge that but I’m not going to go out of my way, I’m not going to break my back to make that fight.
    “He needs me. I’m his only option, he has literally no one else to fight. Whereas I have an untold amount of names and fights that are available to me over the next year or two. Huge, huge fights.
    “As long as things are on my terms we can make it happen and I’m sure we will at some point in the future.”

    The son of former two-weight world champ Chris Eubank Sr is yet to win a major world title since turning professional a decade ago.
    Eubank Jr has been WBA interim and IBO champ during his career but few in the boxing world class those belts as genuine world titles.
    And becoming world champ at super-middleweight level looks a near impossible task thanks to Canelo unifying the division.
    Saunders used Eubank Jr’s lack of a world title to hit back at his comments, writing on Instagram: “You never won a world title because your s**t.
    “You got £75k last time we boxed and your day took £30k [of that cash].
    “BUM. I’m your pay day little boy and you may never get a chance to get that W bk [win back], boxing bin men.”
    David Haye ‘to come out of boxing retirement aged 40 for comeback fight against Joe Fournier’ on Oscar De La Hoya’s undercard More

  • in

    Upcoming boxing fights 2021: Fixture schedule – Haye vs Fournier, Joshua vs Usyk CONFIRMED, Fury vs Wilder 3 DATE

    BOXING is set for a brilliant few months of ring action with some of the biggest names in the sport in action – including Canelo Alvarez, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua lacing up their gloves.Check out SunSport’s extensive boxing schedule for 2021 below…
    Full boxing schedule 2021
    📺 Fite TV PPV (UK) – Triller Fight Club PPV (US) 📺
    🗓 September 11, 🇺🇸 Las Vegas, Nevada

    Evander Holyfield vs Vitor Belfort (exhibition – 8 rounds)
    Anderson Silva vs Tito Ortiz (8 rounds – cruiserweight)
    Andy Vences vs Jono Carroll (10 rounds – super-featherweight)
    David Haye vs Joe Fournier (8 rounds – heavyweight)

    📺 BT Sport (UK) 📺
    🗓 September 11, 🇬🇧 London, England

    Sunny Edwards vs Jayson Mama (12 rounds – flyweight, IBF title)
    Callum Johnson vs Marko Nikolic (10 rounds – light-heavyweight)

    📺 Showtime (US) 📺
    🗓 September 18, 🇺🇸 Las Vegas, Nevada

    Stephen Fulton Jr. vs Brandon Figueroa (12 rounds – super-bantamweight, WBO, WBA, WBC titles)

     📺 Sky Sports Box Office (UK) – DAZN (US) 📺
    🗓 September 25, 🇬🇧 London, England

    Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk (12 rounds, – heavyweight, WBA, WBO, IBF titles)
    Lawrence Okolie vs Milan Prasovic (12 rounds – cruiserweight, WBO title)
    Callum Smith vs Lenin Castillo (10 rounds – light-heavyweight)
    Campbell Hatton vs Izan Dura (6 rounds – super-featherweight)
    Florian Marku vs Maxim Prodan (10 rounds – welterweight)

     📺 Sky Sports (UK) 📺
    🗓 October 2, 🇬🇧 London, England

    Chris Eubank Jr vs Sven Elbir (10 rounds – middleweight)
    David Avanesyan vs Liam Taylor – 12 rounds – welterweight)
    Richard Riakpohre vs Krzysztof Twardowski (12 rounds – cruiserweight)

    📺 Fite TV PPV (UK) – Triller Fight Club PPV (US) 📺
    🗓 October 5, 🇺🇸 New York, U.S.

    Teofimo Lopez vs. George Kambosos Jr (12 rounds – lightweight, IBF/WBO/WBA titles)

     📺 DAZN (UK & US) 📺
    🗓 October 9, 🇬🇧 Liverpool, England

    Liam Smith vs Anthony Fowler (12 rounds – super-welterweight)
    Ted Cheeseman vs Troy Williamson (12 rounds – super-welterweight)
    Kieron Conway vs James Metcalf (10 rounds super-welterweight)
    Shannon Courtenay vs Jamie Mitchell (10 rounds – bantamweight, WBA title)
    Luke Willis vs Rylan Charlton (8 rounds – lightweight)
    Solomon Dacres vs Kamil Sokolowski (6 rounds – heavyweight)
    Peter McGrail vs TBA (4 rounds – bantamweight)

    📺 ESPN/Fox PPV (US) 📺
    🗓October 9, 🇺🇸 Las Vegas, Nevada

    Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder III (12 rounds – heavyweight, WBC, The Ring titles)
    Efe Ajagba vs Frank Sanchez (10 rounds – heavyweight)
    Robert Helenius vs Adam Kownacki (12 rounds – heavyweight)
    Jared Anderson vs Vladimir Treshkin (8 rounds – heavyweight)

     📺 Sky Sports (UK) 📺
    🗓October 16, 🇬🇧 Newcastle, England

    Savannah Marshall vs Lolita Muzeya (12 rounds middleweight, WBO title)
    Hughie Fury vs Christian Hammer (10 rounds – heavyweight)

    📺 Sky Sports (UK) – ESPN (US) 📺
    🗓October 23, 🇺🇸 Atlanta, Georgia

    Jamel Herring vs Shakur Stevenson (12 – super-featherweight, WBO title)

    📺 Fox PPV (US) 📺
    🗓November 6 🇺🇸 Las Vegas, Nevada

    Canelo Alvarez vs Caleb Plant (12 rounds -super middleweight, WBC/WBO/WBA/IBF titles)

    📺 Sky Sports (UK) – ESPN (US) 📺
    🗓December 18 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Glasgow, Scotland

    Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall (12 rounds – super-lightweight, IBF/WBC/WBO/WBA titles)

    Results
    🗓 September 4, 🇬🇧 Leeds, England

    Mauricio Lara DREW/w Josh Warrington RD2 – CUT (12 rounds – featherweight)
    Katie Taylor def. Jennifer Han UD10 (10 rounds – women’s lightweight, WBC/WBO/IBF/WBA title)
    Conor Benn def. Adrian Granados UD10 (12 rounds – welterweight)
    Maxi Hughes def. Jovanni Straffon UD12 (12 rounds – lightweight)
    Ebanie Bridges def. Mailys Gangloff UD8 (8 rounds – super-bantamweight)

    🗓 August 29, 🇺🇸 Cleveland, Ohio

    Jake Paul def. Tyron Woodley SD8 (8 rounds – cruiserweight)
    Daniel Dubois def. Cusumano TKO1 (10 rounds – heavyweight)
    Tommy Fury def. Anthony Taylor UD4 (4 rounds – light-heavyweight)
    Amanda Serrano def. Yamileth Mercado UD10 (10 rounds – featherweight, WBC, WBO titles)
    Charles Conwell def. Mark DeLuca TKO3 (10 rounds – super-welterweight)
    Montana Love def. Ivan Baranchyk TKO8 (10 rounds – junior welterweight)

    🗓 August 21, 🇺🇸 Las Vegas, Nevada

    Yordenis Ugas def. Manny Pacquiao Jr (12 rounds – welterweight, WBA title)
    Robert Guerrero def. Victor Ortiz UD10 (10 rounds – welterweight)
    Mark Magsayo def. Julio Ceja KO10 (10 rounds – featherweight)

    🗓 August 14, 🇺🇸 Frisco, Texas

    Vergil Ortiz Jr. def. Egidijus Kavaliauskas TKO8 (12 rounds – welterweight)

    🗓 August 14, 🇺🇸 Carson, California

    John Riel Casimero def. Guillermo Rigondeaux SD12 (12 rounds – bantamweight, WBO title)

    🗓 August 14, 🇬🇧 Essex, England

    Joshua Buatsi def. Richard Bolotniks TKO11 (12 rounds – light heavyweight)
    Joe Cordina def. Joshuah Hernandex KO1 (10 rounds – super-featherweight)
    Kash Farooq def. Luis Gerardo Castillo UD10 (10 rounds – bantamweight)
    Hopey Price def. Claudio Grande UD6 (8 rounds – super-bantamweight)
    Raymond Ford def. Reece Bellotti TKO3 (8 rounds – featherweight)
    Michael McKinson def. Przemyslaw Runowski UD10 (10 rounds – welterweight)

    🗓 August 7, 🇬🇧 Essex, England

    Kid Galahad def. Jazza Dickens TKO11 (12 rounds – featherweight, IBF title)
    Fabio Wardley def. Nick Webb TKO1 (10 rounds – heavyweight)
    Alen Babic def. Mark Bennett RTD5 (8 rounds – heavyweight)

    Credit: Getty Images – Getty
    🗓 July 31, 🇬🇧 Essex, England

    Leigh Wood def. Xu Can TKO12 (12 rounds – featherweight)
    Chris Billam-Smith def. Tommy McCarthy SD12 (12 rounds – cruiserweight)
    Jack Cullen def. Avni Yildrim UD10 (10 rounds – super-middleweight)
    Anthony Fowler def. Rico Mueller TKO8 (10 rounds – super-welterweight)

    🗓 July 24, 🇬🇧 London, England

    Joe Joyce def. Carlos Takam TKO6 (12 rounds – heavyweight)
    Hamzah Sheeraz def. Ezequiel Gurria TKO5 (10 rounds – super-welterweight)

    🗓 July 17, 🇺🇸 Brooklyn, New York

    Jermell Charlo DREW w/ Brian Castano SDD12 (12 rounds, super-welterweight, WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF, Ring Magazine titles)

    🗓 July 9, 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, California

    Gilberto Ramirez def. Sullivan Barrera TKO4 (12 rounds – light-heavyweight)
    Joseph Diaz Jr. def. Javier Fortuna UD12 (12 rounds – lightweight)

    🗓 June 26, 🇺🇸 Atlanta, Georgia

    Gervonta Davis def. Mario Barrios TKO10 (12 rounds – super-lightweight)
    Erickson Lubin def. Jeison Rosario TKO6 (12 rounds – super-welterweight) More

  • in

    Tyson Fury will make switch to MMA after boxing career and can go far ‘with the right training’, claims dad John

    JOHN FURY has revealed his son Tyson will transition into MMA when he calls time on his boxing career. The Gypsy King is 33-years-old, but according to dad John he still has plenty of fight left in him.
    Tyson Fury has not fought since February 2020Credit: PA
    And dad John fancies him as an MMA fighter as well as a boxerCredit: PA
    Fury Jr steps into the ring again on October 9 as he meets Deontay Wilder for the third time.
    But when asked how Tyson would fare in MMA during an interview with JOE’s Youtube channel, John said: “With the right training, he does very well.”
    Tyson’s dad went on to say: “I’ve seen him excel in different sports, wrestling. I’ve got some sort of an idea what Tyson was from that.
    “And he likes to get involved, Tyson, and I know what he’s like from being a kid.
    “He can use more than his hands, believe it or not. And he’s quick and light on his feet. And his balance is good.
    “And I do believe if a top MMA trainer took him on, he could do big things with him. Ask Darren Till, he’s done the work with him.”

    JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
    Tyson previously teased an appearance inside the octagon in 2019, telling fans during a WWE event that he would be eager for a cage fight.
    And dad John said: “I think the rougher it gets for Tyson the better he likes it.
    “It brings what we call something different to his job, doesn’t it? It gives him more goals to achieve and more things to look at and address.
    “And I think that’s what Tyson wants. And when he does finally retire from boxing, he’ll probably go to that and probably come back to boxing, whatever he does. But he will engage on that, you’ll see.”
    When it comes to boxing Fury’s record is an impressive one.

    He’s yet to taste defeat as a professional, with 30 wins from 31 bouts – and one draw.
    A switch to MMA is not likely to come any time soon though, with fans desperate for an all-English bout of the ages between Tyson and Anthony Joshua.
    And John once again chimed in on the matter, revealing that his son was targeting a bout with Joshua before the end of the year.

    Deontay Wilder shadow boxes in a river as he prepares for Tyson Fury trilogy More

  • in

    Triller set £9.99 PPV price for David Haye’s comeback boxing fight against Joe Fournier on FITE TV

    BOXING fans can watch David Haye’s comeback fight against Joe Fournier for £9.99 on pay-per-view. British heavyweight icon Haye retired in 2018 following consecutive defeats to Tony Bellew.
    David Haye’s comeback fight against Joe Fournier will cost £9.99 to watch on UK PPVCredit: PA
    How David Haye and Joe Fournier stack up ahead of their clash
    But he will return to the ring on September 11 at the age of 40 as part of the Triller undercard for Oscar De La Hoya’s clash with Vitor Belfort.
    It has been announced that Haye’s battle against Fournier WILL count on his pro record, which stands at an impressive 28-4.
    However, the eight-round duel will set fans back £9.99 if they want to watch it on PPV through FITE TV in the UK, SunSport can confirm.
    On the undercard, Anderson Silva, 46, will fight fellow former UFC champion Tito Ortiz, also 46, in a boxing bout.
    And headlining the night will be the return of De La Hoya – after 13 years out – with the ex-boxing champion facing MMA star Belfort.

    SUN BINGO PLAY NOW FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN A SHARE OF £15k (18+| T&Cs apply)
    Haye’s opponent and friend Fournier – who fought on Triller in April – helped set up the fight.
    And Haye claims he is being paid MORE to face Fournier than he did to fight old foe Bellew.
    He told iFL TV: “It’s more than the pay [for the Bellew fight. More than the pay. It’s crazy.
    “It’s more than what I got [paid] for Bellew one. I know, that’s what I’m saying. It’s crazy dough.
    “So what am I going to say to that? ‘No, I’m not going to fight Joe Fournier for that?’ What would people think if I didn’t fight him for that?

    FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN NEW CUSTOMER DEALS

    “What would they think? They’d think, I’ve got something wrong with me.
    “I don’t. I’m really healthy, really good.
    “I’ve just got to go through the motions and do what I do and let the universe even itself out. And yeah, it’s a good month’s work.”
    David Haye ‘to come out of boxing retirement aged 40 for comeback fight against Joe Fournier’ on Oscar De La Hoya’s undercard More

  • in

    Canelo Alvarez REFUSES to rule out fighting Jake Paul and tells YouTuber to ‘keep improving’

    BOXING superstar Canelo Alvarez has refused to rule out a fight with YouTuber Jake Paul.The unified super-middleweight champion of the world has been the subject of a number of callouts from the social media star turned boxer.
    Jake Paul recently revealed his desire to take on boxing super-middleweight king Canelo AlvarezCredit: Getty
    And the pound-for-pound king has refused to rule out facing the YouTuberCredit: MATCHROOM
    Mexican mauler Canelo initially shut down the prospect of fighting the younger Paul brother by slamming YouTube fights.
    But the pound-for-pound king has seemingly performed a U-turn by leaving the door open to facing The Problem Child.
    When asked what he thinks of a potential fight with Paul, the 31-year-old said: “Not right now.”
    The Guadalajara gladiator then said: “He’s not ready.”
    When asked if he thinks the fight ‘might be a good option’, Canelo replied: “If he wants someone to fight, we have this guy right here [Points to a friend].”
    He added: “He needs to keep improving. Good luck.”

    JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
    Despite only being 4-0 in his professional boxing career, the cocksure Paul believes he will one day share the ring with Canelo.
    And he’s adamant he’d get the better of the hard-hitting Mexican.
    He told Maxim: “I’m very confident. He’s a killer at 168 pounds.
    “But people forget that I naturally walk around at about 205, so there’s a big weight difference.
    “There’s a big height advantage.
    “At the end of the day, this is a business. If Canelo sees that, he’s going to want to get in on the business.”
    Jake Paul’s boxing ‘hit-list’
    Paul, 24, earned the biggest victory over his short-lived boxing career last month against former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
    The BJ Flores-trained cruiserweight registered a split-decision victory over The Chosen One in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio to retain his unbeaten record.
    Canelo, meanwhile, was last in action in May against Brit Billy Joe Saunders, whom he stopped in the eighth round to claim the WBO super-middleweight title.

    FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN NEW CUSTOMER DEALS

    Jake Paul hints he might take a break after 18 months of fighting More

  • in

    Watch Eddie Hearn smash punch machine challenge and BEAT ex-cruiserweight world champ Tony Bellew

    EDDIE HEARN showed it’s not just his boxers that pack a mean right hand by BEATING Tony Bellew’s score on a punch machine.Matchroom Boxing chief Hearn and former WBC cruiserweight champ Bellew tried their hand at setting a new high score on DAZN Boxing Show’s punch machine on Saturday night.
    Eddie Hearn planted a heavy straight right on the punch bagCredit: DAZN
    Tony Bellew drilled the bag with a nasty left hookCredit: DAZN
    Eddie Hearn scored an impressive 935 on the punch bagCredit: GETTY
    When challenged to crack that bag, Hearn said: “I’m gonna take my jacket off.
    “Right, okay, I’m gonna hit it with a straight right hand down the pipe.”
    And the promoter stunned viewers by unleashing a powerful right hand that racked up a score of 935.
    An impressed Bellew said: “Heavy-handed, that. Well done, Ed.”
    Moments later, the retired Bellew tried bettering his former promoter’s score with his famous left hook.
    Hearn said: “Your left hook was always the equaliser.”

    JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
    The Bomber caught the bag with a corker of a hook but wasn’t happy with his connection, saying: “That’s not gonna register as well.”
    An excited Hearn responded by saying: “Oh please let me beat him.”
    And his wish was granted as Bellew’s strike only registered 926 points, nine short of the Matchroom bigwig’s.
    Boxing fans were quick to comment, with one saying: “F******g hell, Eddie’s got a dig on him.”

    Another said: “He hits harder than Warrington for sure lol.”
    And another said: “Eddie been spending time with the Reynoso camp.”
    One remarked: “Eddie Hearn V Logan Paul? Huge PPV event.”

    FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN NEW CUSTOMER DEALS

    Eddie Hearn confirms that Anthony Joshua v Oleksandr Usyk pay-per-view cost will be £24.95 More

  • in

    Mike Tyson, 55, will fight Lennox Lewis, 56, next after stunning boxing return, claims ex-mobster Michael Franzese

    HEAVYWEIGHT legends Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis will FIGHT each other in the near future, according to Michael Franzese.Ex-mobster Franzese claims the two former world champs will meet in the ring for a second time for an exhibition bout in December.
    Mike Tyson has been linked with a rematch against legendary rival Lennox LewisCredit: Instagram
    Lennox Lewis defeated Mike Tyson in their legendary encounter back in 2002Credit: Rex
    Speaking on his Sit Down podcast, Franzese said: “He’s going to be fighting again in December.
    “Lennox Lewis, and I can tell you he’s in great shape.”
    Tyson and British legend Lewis had a heated rivalry and an infamous build-up to their blockbuster fight back in 2002.
    But it was The Lion who stood tall after a stunning eighth-round knockout win over the American superstar.
    And Franzese, a former capo [captain] of the Colombo crime family, claims their long-awaited rematch is not far away.
    Tyson returned to boxing last year as he took on Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition fight that saw both fighters going through the full eight rounds, which led to a split-decision draw.
    BETTING SPECIAL – GET 20/1 ON ENGLAND TO BEAT ANDORRA

    Iron Mike, whose last professional fight took place in 2005 when he lost to Kevin McBride, also stated that he would like to share the ring with British superstars Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua after facing Lewis.
    Tyson recently said: “I just want to get the exhibition over Lennox Lewis and probably my next one will be with Joshua or Tyson.”
    But The Baddest Man on the Planet also wants to rekindle his infamous feud with Evander Holyfield.
    The 55-year-old bruiser wants to go one-on-one with Holyfield one last time before he officially wraps up his legendary career.

    Tyson previously said: “I want Holyfield and I want Lennox Lewis this year.
    “I want both of them, I want to get them both this year. I also want to box an exhibition with Tyson Fury.
    “If I do that — even if I can get those two guys [Lewis and Holyfield], I’ll say, ‘This is a wrap, I’m just gonna live life’.

    “And that’s just exhibitions. I’m gonna break all my professional true records with exhibitions.”
    Holyfield is also set to make a stunning return to the ring next weekend against former UFC light-heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort.
    Oscar De La Hoya was initially set to face Belfort in the main event of Triller’s latest Fight Club card before he contracted Covid-19.
    And in a bid to save the card, the promotion turned to The Real Deal.
    Mike Tyson shows off blistering speed in new training video as heavyweight boxing legend teases ring return More

  • in

    Eddie Hearn rubbishes claims ‘absolute unit’ Anthony Joshua is looking ‘small’ after trimming down for Usyk fight

    EDDIE HEARN has rubbished suggestions Anthony Joshua is looking ‘small’ ahead of his clash with Oleksandr Usyk.The Watford warrior is sporting a much trimmer physique for his unified heavyweight title defence against the Ukrainian at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 25.
    Anthony Joshua is looking lean and mean ahead of his showdown with Oleksandr UsykCredit: Instagram @anthonyjoshua
    AJ’s trimmer frame has led some to say he’s looking ‘small’Credit: Instagram @anthonyjoshua
    But promoter Eddie Hearn insists the unified heavyweight champion is still ‘massive’ as everCredit: INSTAGRAM@EDDIEHEARN
    But Matchroom boxing chief Hearn has dismissed suggestions AJ has lost too much size, telling Pep Talk UK: “He doesn’t look small to me.
    “He looks massive. He looks like an absolute unit, to be honest with you.
    “His legs look huge, and powerful, and fast. With them, it’s never a case of, ‘I’m going to drop weight. What am I weighing today?’”
    Hearn says Joshua’s smaller frame is down to him moving away from heavy lifting and focusing more on the fundamentals of the sweet science.
    He continued: “The difference in the training over the years [for Joshua] is that he’s gone from a guy that was lifting weights and doing a lot of power stuff to a guy that is boxing.
    “More sparring, more time on your feet, more time in the ring, more time on the pads, more rounds on the bag.

    BETTING SPECIAL – GET £60 IN FREE BETS ON ANY WORLD CUP QUALIFIER WITH BETFAIR
    “That’s what’s going to get you fitness over time.
    “Before, he was extremely explosive, but after the tank was empty, how do you go through those championship rounds?
    “When he boxed Dillian [Whyte], when he boxed [Charles] Martin, and when he boxed [Wladimir] Klitschko, he didn’t really know what he was doing.
    “He was just big, strong, and tough with attributes and good fundamentals.
    “Now he’s well-rounded and knows and understands the game.
    “That makes you so much more difficult to beat.”
    Joshua has shed some of his trademark muscles in order to be ready to go 12 hard rounds with the smaller and fleet-footed Usyk.
    He doesn’t look small to me. He looks massive.Eddie Hearn on Anthony Joshua’s trimmer physique
    He told Sky Sports: “I do look at my weight but I’m not trying to make weight because I’m a heavyweight.
    “I tailor my training. I am getting a lot of experience, I’ve been fighting good fighters for a long time, I’ve studied them and learned about their training camps.
    “I’ve learned how to condition my body for specific fights. I’m looking trim for this fight.
    “I’m fighting a guy who is a 12-round fighter. So it would be silly of me to go in there bulky with my muscles screaming for oxygen.
    “I’ve been training like a 15-round fighter in this camp. I will be well-conditioned to fight. That is key.
    “What happens when I train that way? My body adapts and takes its natural form. This is the form it has taken.”
    AJ is relishing his Tottenham tussle with his fellow London 2012 Olympian, saying: “The date is set and we are fully locked in.

    “September 25, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, I put it all on the line again and it’s time to defend my crown.
    “We are two Olympic gold medallists who have fought our way to the top and never avoided challenges.
    “The stadium is exceptional, the atmosphere will be electric, I’m honoured to be the first person to fight in such an awe-inspiring venue.”

    FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN NEW CUSTOMER DEALS

    Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk – Official Fight Trailer More