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      Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury will NOT go ahead until Deontay Wilder gives green light, claims Derek Chisora

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA and Tyson Fury will not fight each other without Deontay Wilder giving them the green light, claimed Derek Chisora. Wilder was dethroned of his WBC belt in February 2020 but already had an immediate rematch clause in the contract.
      Derek Chisora says Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury will not go ahead until Deontay Wilder gives the green lightCredit: /Mark Robinson#3/ Matchroom Boxing
      But Fury’s side argued it expired in October, allowing them to instead begin talks for an undisputed title decider with AJ.
      Wilder is still fighting his case through a mediator and Chisora expects the American to have the final say on the Gypsy King’s future.
      He told DAZN: “My opinion, I keep telling everyone, you have to understand Deontay Wilder signed a three-fight deal with Tyson.
      “Pandemic came, and shut everything down, AJ had his fight with Kubrat Pulev, and the whole hype thing happened with his fight with Fury.
      “But don’t forget the three-fight deal with Wilder. It’s not going to happen because he has to fight with Wilder before everything else.
      “So Wilder says I’ll stand aside for 80 million. The fight only happens when Tyson Fury fights Deontay Wilder.”
      Should Fury, 32, be allowed to go ahead with his unification with Joshua, 31, Wilder, 35, is expected to at least be compensated financially.
      But, he has been given new life in his hopes for redemption as negotiations for the Battle of Britain drag on.

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      Fury and AJ signed a fight agreement in March with promoters then left to secure a date and venue.
      Eddie Hearn is adamant a deal to host the historic headliner is close to completion with hosts Saudi Arabia choosing from three weekends in late July or early August.
      But Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum had a contrasting opinion and astonishingly claimed the fight was ‘dead in the water’.
      Arum told The Telegraph: “It will take months for the Saudis to do their due diligence on such a huge deal.
      “It is not just a site fee, there are ancillary demands from the Saudis stretching into the broadcast deals and other things, it could take months for it all to play out.
      “It could even take until 2022 the way it looks right now. The fight in July or August is dead in the water as far as we are concerned.
      “The two fighters need to go and have other fights this summer while the negotiations for that fight in the Middle East conclude.
      “It is absurd what Hearn is saying that it is a done deal.
      Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are still in talks to fightCredit: The Sun
      Tyson Fury is still in an arbitration process with Deontay WilderCredit: Richard Pelham
      Tyson Fury beat Deontay Wilder in FebruaryCredit: The Sun
      “If we had just done a site deal without all the other complications that have arisen, we would have a fight by now.
      “Tyson Fury is fuming about it and is refusing to keep waiting.”
      Arum and Fury flew to California this week for arbitration with Wilder and the promoter admitted mediation could instead turn to fight talks.
      But in another twist, according to The Athletic, a site deal worth more than £108m is expected to be completed this weekend.
      It would see, for the first time in heavyweight history all four belts on the line, with Riyadh in Saudi, the hosts in early August.
      Joshua’s promoter Hearn, the driving force behind the talks, is even confident the fight will finally be announced by next week.
      He said to iFL TV: “I believe we announce this fight next week. I do.
      “Because, if we don’t, I do agree with Bob, by then why wouldn’t that be done? I don’t think there is a reason it won’t be done, to be honest with you.”
      Tyson Fury shows off slick skills in training More

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      Derek Chisora’s most controversial moments, from kissing an opponent to throwing a table and dressing like Bronson

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      BOXER Derek Chisora’s has never been afraid of courting controversy inside and outside the ring.Del Boy, 37, faces off against Joseph Parker on Saturday in Manchester for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title.
      Derek Chisora is one of boxing’s more controversial figuresCredit: Getty
      Chisora faces off against Joseph Parker on Saturday
      One of boxing’s more colourful characters, he has divided opinion throughout his career.
      From kissing a rival during a weigh-in to dressing up like famed offender Charlie Bronson, here’s Chisora’s most controversial moments.
      BITING
      Channeling his inner Mike Tyson, Chisora shocked fans in only his four professional bout when he bit an opponent.
      The unlucky recipient of the man nicknamed War’s gnashers was a Paul Butlin in a 2009 fight, who let out a yelp in the ring during the incident.
      The ref didn’t spot the incident, so Chisora got away with it on the night. But he was later fined £2,500 and slapped with a four-month ban.
      In 2009 Chisora was lucky to escape disqualification after biting opponent Paul Butlin’s earCredit: Sky Sports
      [embedded content]
      PLANTING A SMACKER
      When you face-to-face with a foe what’s the last thing you would do?
      Yes, kiss them flush on the lips and show them so love!
      That’s exactly what Chisora did to Carl Baker during the 2010 weigh-in. “I’m going to make you my girlfriend,” he quipped before sealing his words with a kiss.
      During a weigh-in in 2010, things got heated between Chisora and Carl BakerCredit: Action Images
      [embedded content]
      DISRESPECTING THE KLITSCHKOS
      Chisora didn’t win himself any fans when he disrespected then-heavyweight champ Vitali Klitschko at a weigh-in in 2012.
      A petulant slap caught his opponent off-guard as they went toe-to-toe.
      On fight night, when in the ring waiting for the first bell, Chisora also. spat water into the face of Vitali’s brother Wladimir, who was ringside.
      The incident gave Klitschko more reason to beat him.
      Vitali Klitschko gets a slap off ChisoraCredit: EPA
      Klitschko lands a right hook on Chisora in their 2012 title boutCredit: AP:Associated Press
      AND HE WASN’T FINISHED…
      Still smarting from his defeat to Klitschko, Chisora wasn’t in the mood for a heckler.
      And when David Haye decided to diss him at the after-fight press conference, a massive brawl between the two took place.
      Chisora had his BBBofC licence taken away from him, however, that didn’t stop him securing a Luxembourg licence to fight Haye just months later.
      David Haye and Chisora square up to one another at a press conferenceCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      The pair sorted out their differences in the ringCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      DILLIAN WHYTE DEBACLE
      In 2016, the build-up to Chisora’s first fight with Whyte was tense.
      Both men slung cusses at one another, and when they met to film Sky show ‘Gloves Are Off’ it all got a little heated.
      Chisora threw a glass of water in Whyte’s face as security stepped in to keep the pair apart.
      Chisora and Dillian Whyte clash while filming Sky show ‘Gloves Are Off’Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk
      Security had to step in to separate the feuding twoCredit: Lawrence Lustig
      TABLE SERVICE
      And the two rivals weren’t done there.
      Just two months later, Chisora and Whyte met again at their last press conference before the big fight.
      As the trash-talking escalated, Derek wasn’t happy. He picked up a table and launched it at Whyte.
      The bout was allowed to go ahead, but the BBBofC took away the British title prize.
      Chisora was also fined £3,000.
      Chisora threw a table at Dillian Whyte during one press conferenceCredit: Reuters
      [embedded content]
      CALL THE COPS
      In 2015, Whyte was pulled over by the police in his Bentley near Hyde Park in London.
      It later transpired Chisora was driving without a valid driving licence, insurance and MOT certificate.
      Initially, he was given six points on his licence, however he appealed blaming his insurance broker.
      At a hearing in 2017, Chisora avoided a driving ban by claiming he thought he was insured after a payment had left his account, paying for two drivers.
      Del Boy was lucky to escape a driving banCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Chisora always cuts a controversial figureCredit: PA:Press Association
      SPARED JAIL
      All the way back in 2010, when Chisora was beginning his journey, he was lucky not to be sent down for assaulting ex-girlfriend Yalda Kontratchy.
      The heavyweight star reportedly went ballistic when he uncovered text messages on her mobile phone from another man and stormed into a jealous rage.
      Yalda revealed: “I thought he was going to kill me. He slapped me across the face, then put me face-down on the bed and started slapping all over my back and my bum.”
      He was given a 12-week sentence suspended for two years, ordered to pay £1,500 in compensation and £500 costs and complete 150 hours community work.
      The court also heard previous convictions for public order offences, assaulting a police officer and possession of an offensive weapon.
      Chisora was lucky to escape prison for assaulting ex-girlfriend Yalda KontratchyCredit: Andrew Styczynski – The Sun
      HE STILL HASN’T GROWN UP
      Although this wasn’t as harmful as his previous incidents, it shows Chisora is still as unpredictable as ever.
      Just ask former opponent – the Ukraine fighter Oleksandr Usyk – who saw first-hand the madness War generates.
      Ahead of their Halloween showdown in 2020, Chisora fancied a bit of dress up.
      And he chose the stage of the weigh-in in a sure-fire attempt to intimidate Usyk.
      At a press conference for his last fight against Oleksandr Usyk Chisora came in fancy dress on the eve of HalloweenCredit: Mark Robinson

      Chisora painted himself white, donned a hat and a mock moustache – hinting a look of famed prisoner Charlie Bronson.
      The tactic didn’t work, however, with Usyk beating Bronson, we mean Chisora, by unanimous decision after 12 rounds.
      What awaits Parker next?
      Derek Chisora and Joseph Parker share breakfast together before ‘Spider Man’ gatecrashes pre-fight meeting More

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      Mike Tyson was challenged to DEATHMATCH by UFC legend Royce Gracie – but boxer refused as ‘there was no way I’d win’

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      UFC legend Royce Gracie challenged Mike Tyson to a ‘no-holds-barred’ fight ‘to the finish’, a new memoir has revealed.The boxing icon tore apart the heavyweight division in the late 1980s before a rape conviction, along with excessive partying and further personal life problems, rocked his career.
      Brazilian MMA star Royce Gracie (right) was a pioneer of UFCCredit: Getty
      Mike Tyson was challenged to a huge match-up by the UFC legendCredit: instagram.com/miketyson
      While Iron Mike was preparing his comeback to the ring, the MMA promotion UFC was founded and Brazilian fighter Gracie, now 54, won three fights on its first night in late 1993.
      And his desire to be seen as the top fighter on Earth led to a stunning challenge for the Baddest Man on the Planet.
      In a memoir by sports writer Fiaz Rafiq,’ To The Top: Enter the Octagon, the Ring and Entertainment’, it is revealed: “[Tyson] was challenged by the Gracie Brothers, in particular Royce, back in the early 1990s.
      “The UFC champion’s perception was that Tyson was the best boxer in the world, but he refused to accept that Tyson was the best ‘fighter’.
      “The Gracies had a point. They had been beating all-comers from various styles long before the Octagon was first engineered.
      “And Royce wasn’t going to rest until he did everything within his means to provoke the heavyweight champion into accepting a real fight in a no-holds-barred setting.
      “To settle the matter once and for all, Royce formally challenged the most feared boxer of our time to a fight to the finish, and so did his elder brother Rickson.”
      Gracie felt that Tyson, 54, was beatable despite his huge frame and ferocity – yet the proposition was declined with Iron Mike feeling there was ‘no way he’d win’.
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      To The Top: Enter the Octagon, the Ring and Entertainment is out May 3
      Rafiq wrote: “For Royce, any fight was a matter of who could implement their own strategy, and much of the Gracie style was developed to avoid even the chance of their opponent landing a lucky punch.
      “What Royce lacked in brute force, he clearly made up for in technical skill, as his opponents – including a professional boxer – quickly discovered.
      “‘There’s only one way to find out,’ he told me, as a smirk crept across his face followed by loud laughter. Sadly for posterity, Tyson declined.”
      In fact, Gracie came back a few years later with a fresh proposal, which was dismissed by a boxing world that is now clamouring for YouTube brawlers such as Jake Paul and crossover events like Conor McGregor’s match with Floyd Mayweather.
      Rafiq continued: “In Iron Mike’s case, one rejection wasn’t enough for Royce.
      “In 1997 the Gracie’s challenge made the headlines again, after the publication of a one-page advert in Men’s Health in America, in which the UFC champion once again challenged the former heavyweight boxer ‘officially’. Anywhere, anytime, no rules!

      “Years later I asked Royce about the famous challenge, and discovered that the heavyweight had been, at least in theory, willing to put up.
      “‘I heard that my brother tried to bring him in [to the UFC],’ Royce explained. ‘He had accepted but people around him – the lawyers, managers, and the Commission – said no way, because boxing had too much to lose.
      “But he had accepted and he wanted to do it. I talked to him before and he’s like, ‘I’d love to try this stuff out, man’.
      “But people around him did not allow him to do it. If he lost a fight, if it happened, well, boxing was already in the decline in America so it wouldn’t be good for boxing’.”
      To The Top: Enter the Octagon, the Ring and Entertainment by Fiaz Rafiq is published by Pitch Publishing, released May 3 and priced at £20 in hardback or £9.99. Ebook available in bookstores and following this Amazon link.
      Mike Tyson reveals what it takes to be part of his entourage and will include anyone who has a purpose in life More

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      Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua ‘dead in the water’ claims Bob Arum despite Eddie Hearn claiming fight was ‘done deal’

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      TYSON FURY’S undisputed blockbuster fight against Anthony Joshua is ‘dead in the water’ according to the Gypsy King’s US promoter Bob Arum.Both fighters had signed their deals for the £108million heavyweight showdown.
      Legendary promoter Bob Arum says his man Tyson Fury’s fight against Anthony Joshua won’t happen this July or AugustCredit: Getty
      It was then a case of sorting a date and venue – with Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn recently claiming it was a ‘done deal’ and disputing Arum’s earlier claims of problems.
      A July or August fight in Saudi Arabia was believed to be the chosen way forward.
      But now Arum, speaking to The Telegraph says the fight between the pair this year is OFF – and says both boxers should take on other opponents first.
      The 89-year-old said: “It will take months for the Saudis to do their due diligence on such a huge deal.
      “It is not just a site fee, there are ancillary demands from the Saudis stretching into the broadcast deals and other things, it could take months for it all to play out.
      “It could even take until 2022 the way it looks right now.
      “The fight in July or August is dead in the water as far as we are concerned.
      “The two fighters need to go and have other fights this summer while the negotiations for that fight in the Middle East conclude.”
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      Tyson Fury is seemingly desperate to get the Joshua fight sorted – but things are taking time to get doneCredit: Reuters
      Joshua will be hoping to become undisputed champ when, or more, if, he fights FuryCredit: Getty

      That could open up the possibility of Fury having the trilogy fight against Deontay Wilder – he has been involved in the mediation process after Wilder lodged a complaint to bag that bout.
      Arum went on to describe Hearn saying it is a ‘done deal’ as ‘absurd’, and revealed that Fury is ‘fuming about it and is refusing to keep waiting’.
      But contradictory to what Arum is saying, The Athletic is reporting that ‘a site deal worth more than $150 million is expected to be completed this weekend’.
      It adds that Riyadh will host the heavyweight clash.
      Arum’s latest words might not sit well with Hearn, who has continually insisted things are on track for the two Brits to collide this summer.
      Eddie Hearn has claimed he is the ‘only one’ working on the unification fight
      Sources: Despite Bob Arum’s claims that Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua is in serious jeopardy, a site deal worth more than $150 million is expected to be completed this weekend that will land the undisputed heavyweight championship tilt in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in early August— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) April 29, 2021

      The Matchroom boss previously told talkSPORT: “It’s definitely taking a little bit longer than we anticipated, both guys have accepted the deal that’s come in from the Middle East, we’re papering that deal.
      “It’s not as easy as just a 24-hour turnaround of a long-form agreement for a fight of this magnitude.
      “Bob Arum said, ‘Eddie Hearn, he’s run out of time’. We’re supposed to be partners on this fight.

      “The only one I see doing any work on this fight at all is me. And I won’t stop until we’ve got the fight made.
      “So we’re on the verge. We have an agreement, we have a signed contract, we have a site agreement that’s been accepted and now we put it in a long-form agreement and you get an announcement next week.”
      Despite the apparent uncertainty, Fury is continuing to prepare for the possibility of fighting Joshua.
      The 32-year-old uploaded some sparring footage wearing tight red shorts, writing alongside: “Practice makes perfect, imagine @anthonyjoshua face getting smashed up with theses clean rights.”
      Fury had recently vowed to QUIT in the corner if his fight with Joshua goes past three rounds – such is his confidence in an early night.
      But he might not even get that chance if Arum is correct in what he is saying.
      Eddie Hearn say Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury fight deal is on verge of completion and blasts Bob Arum for casting doubt More

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      Tyson Fury in X-rated rant against Eddie Hearn and offers him one of his Versace shirts to ‘give him a bit of swag’

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      TYSON FURY has launched an extraordinary X-rated rant at rival promoter Eddie Hearn.But during the shocking Instagram video, the WBC heavyweight boxing champ decided to offer Hearn one of his ‘Versace shirts’.
      Tyson Fury clearly has a bee in his bonnet about Eddie Hearn after an X-rated rantCredit: Instagram / @gypsyking101
      Fury seemed to be angry at Hearn questioning his time spent in Las Vegas.
      The Gypsy King has been training with SugarHill Steward as he waits for his unification blockbuster against Anthony Joshua to be signed and sealed.
      And he is also supporting close friend Billy Joe Saunders as he prepares for his unified super-middleweight clash against Canelo on May 8.
      In the clip, Fury begins: “This is another message to Eddie ‘the t*t’ Hearn.
      “Eddie, talking about me, living in the hotel in Las Vegas, wearing the Versace shirts.
      “Yes I’m absolutely guilty, here in my 6,000 sqft hotel room, I’m wearing Versace every day.
      “You know, if you keep s***ing Canelo off you’ll be able to get a couple of these shirts yourself.
      “Or if you want, I can borrow you a couple, don’t worry about it, and maybe give you a little bit of swag too.”
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      Eddie Hearn has been invited to borrow one of Fury’s Versace shirtsCredit: /Mark Robinson#3/ Matchroom Boxing

      The 32-year-old then predicted his mate Saunders can deliver one of boxings biggest shocks and beat Canelo.
      He added: “Anyway, keep s***ing Canelo off, and when my boy Billy Joe Saunders gives him an absolute boxing lesson and knocks him out, you’ll have egg on your face.
      “You’re backing the wrong horse, you’re backing the wrong horse, backing the Mexican over the Brit. You sausage.”
      Earlier in the day Fury used Instagram to slam Hearn for saying Canelo ‘can’t be beaten’ – despite the Mexican losing to Floyd Mayweather in 2013.

      Eddie Hearn slams Tyson Fury for swanning around Vegas suite in terrible Versace shirts calling everyone a dosser More

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      Craig Richards out to banish underdog tag with monstrous win over feared Russian Dmitry Bivol in WBA world title fight

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      HAVING knocked down every one of his title goals so far, Craig Richards has just one more to go – his WBA world light-heavyweight duel with Dmitry Bivol. Richards, an 11/1 underdog, hasn’t been favoured by many. Bivol is as tough, well-schooled and as assassin-like as they come in the ring.
      Craig Richards challenges Dmitry Bivol for the WBA light-heavyweight titleCredit: /Mark Robinson#3/ Matchroom Boxing
      Craig Richards’ last win came against Shakan Pitters for the British titleCredit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
      But the Matchroom Elite Gym fighter promises his hand will be raised, just like four of his stablemates before him over the past six weeks in Conor Benn, Ted Cheeseman, Felix Cash and Joe Cordina.
      Trained by Peter Sims, brother of Tony, Richards details his journey from ‘survival mode’ – without the same Olympic hype the likes of Lawrence Okolie, Joshua Buatsi, Josh Kelly and Cordina had – to world title challenger in just a matter of years.
      He says in an exclusive chat with SunSport: “I was getting on buses on my own from a young age and if you ask Peter when he met me, because I dedicated myself to boxing I couldn’t work.
      “So I was in a small survival mode where I was getting on three trains and a bus to get to Essex, two hours and 20 minutes every day before my debut.
      “I’ve had to kick doors down the hard way, I wasn’t an Olympian, when I come through I didn’t have someone pulling me through like my father.
      “I’ve put myself in this position. I’ve had to earn the right to be here and it’d be a shame to come this far… to only come this far.”
      Richards is well-aware of the risk fighting someone like Bivol brings.
      The Russian is 17-0, picked up his first boxing title in his fourth fight and has been at least an interim champ from his seventh onwards.

      🥊 CHISORA VS PARKER: TV, live stream and start time info ahead of the big fight
      Often-touted as one of the best pure boxers in the game, he holds wins over former world champion Jean Pascal, current WBO titleholder Joe Smith Jr and grizzled veterans in Sullivan Barerra and Isaac Chilemba.
      Richards’ best win came in his last outing against against Shakan Pitters, stopping the Birmingham fighter in nine rounds.
      But ‘Spider’ as the South Londoner is known, also knows he’s failed to perform in lower-stakes fights, which is why he’s confident Bivol’s skill level will ramp him into top gear.
      “For me, if you look at my career, whenever I fight someone I’m supposed to beat, I’m flat. It’s whenever I’m the underdog I perform, go out there and get the stoppage,” he adds.
      Dmitry Bivol is defending his WBA title against Craig Richards on SaturdayCredit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
      “I need big fights to get the best out of me, and there ain’t much bigger than Dimitry Bivol.
      “He does plenty well, he’s world champion. He has flaws, though. I need to exploit those flaws, take away his strong points. With Shakan as well, 14-0, British champion, I said he did things well, but I took them all away and I did the job comfortably and easy.
      “This won’t be as easy, I know that. But it’ll get me through my gears, I’ll be in highest possible gear, I promise.
      “We asked for the fight, I was in and around the ranking anyway, like No 5. I’ve been in the top 10 with the WBA for the last two years.

      “First of all Eddie said ‘cor blimey!’, then he spoke to Bivol’s team, they showed interest and negotiations went from there.
      “And here we are, I’m going to win the rounds, box very well, and when it’s time to show it I’ll get him out. I carry my power both late and early, I get stronger as the rounds go on.
      “People doubted me before, you were wrong before and it’ll be the same thing again and you’ll all stop doubting me. It’ll be one of the biggest wins in British boxing history.”
      Outside the ring, Richards is a much more passive person. He talks to kids at schools, gives back to communities in Penge and Lewishman where he grew up, and it’s clear he wants to change the way youths think today.
      Knife crime and gang violence has always been prevalent in London, so much so that it’s even become a bit of a cliche that the young, tearaway, disadvantaged kid uses boxing to escape a much darker life path.
      Craig Richards is an 11/1 underdog in his clash with Dmitry BivolCredit: /Dave Thompson#3/ Matchroom Boxing
      Richards is clear on the matter. Gang violence is something he was never interested in, but growing up where he did, it was often inescapable.
      “You also get involved in things that are nothing to do with you, it’s all postcode wars and stuff,” he explains. “You end up with trouble with boys and you don’t know how you’re drawn in.
      “When you grow up in South London it was hard not to get involved in certain things. You get on a bus and then 10 boys get on a bus and try and rob you.
      “Then you get labelled as being part of a gang, all because of your postcode. It’s stupid and I’ve had friends die, been involved in bad stuff, stabbed. It’s all just a waste of time.
      “Youth today need to understand they’re wasting them time with that. That’s why I go into schools so I can tell all of them that. I want that culture to change.

      “When I was a kid all I did was watch boxing, I didn’t want to be tangled up with the other stuff. I didn’t even watch football, which is what most kids my age did.”
      There are two huge motivating factors for Richards heading into his clash with Bivol – his mother and grandad, who passed away not long after his first title win against Alan Higgins in 2017.
      “My grandad was anti-boxing. He was telling me to get a job and go to university and before he passed away I had my first title fight.
      “I went to his house, he had the poster on his wall so I managed to get his blessing before he died.
      Craig Richards is hoping to upset the applecart in his clash with Dmitry BivolCredit: PA
      “And as for my mother, it’d be nice if I could give her everything she ever wanted.”
      And as for any final words from the 30-year-old, they assume the same confidence the previous 17 minutes of his sermon did while sat on the ring apron at the Matchroom Gym in Essex.
      “Prediction? Richards win,” he says. More

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      Watch Derek Chisora HUG Joseph Parker at face-off as Kiwi champ vows to get nasty after Joshua and Whyte defeats

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      JOSEPH PARKER admits he has been a Brit of of a pushover for his English conquerors – but has vowed to get nasty with Derek Chisora.The popular New Zealand heavyweight charmed UK fight fans when he visited Cardiff in 2018 to lose his WBO title to Anthony Joshua.
      Derek Chisora attempted to hug his opponent Joseph Parker at Thursday’s face-offCredit: /Mark Robinson#3/ Matchroom Boxing
      Joseph Parker is out to impress British fans after defeats to Anthony Joshua (left) and Dillian WhyteCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      And he was roughed up and bullied to the second points loss of his career six months later by Dillian Whyte.
      During lockdown the 29-year-old and his family produced brilliant viral videos to keep people around the world smiling.
      He certainly couldn’t hide his grin during Thursday’s face-off as Chisora, 37, leant in for a playful hug.
      But he knows he has to swap comedy skits and his gap-tooth smile for dark arts and violence on Saturday.
      When asked about Chisora labelling him ‘too nice’ to be a serious fighter, Parker said: “That’s not unfair, he is probably right.
      “There is always an element of me being too nice and I feel I have probably been like that in a few fights. It is down to me to change that.
      “It’s a character trait that is hard to change, but I think it will come with practicing how I want to be and what I want to do in the fights, in my sparring sessions.
      “In the past I may have said I will be a bit more rough and aggressive but I haven’t really done it.
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      “This time I will be nice before and after the fight but I will be rough inside the ring and in the fight.
      “And I feel like I have practiced it enough now that I will have no problem pushing and shoving Derek and anyone else around the round.
      “I want to box and be smart when it’s right and fight fire with fire when the time calls. If he tries to rough me up I will be able to show him what time it is.
      “I am not going to let these guys push me around and walk all over me anymore. I am here to show these guys that I mean business.”
      Parker left his beautiful home to move to Tyson Fury’s Morecambe and train alongside the Gypsy King with his coach and cousin Andy Lee for this fight.
      And the Samoan has adapted to their close-knit way of life, despite the vast difference between their chilly Lancashire base and his Polynesian paradise.
      Parker spoke of his time training with heavyweight champ Tyson FuryCredit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
      He said: “The Traveller community does feel like a tribe and in New Zealand we have diverse communities with Maoris, Samoans and Tongans and everyone sticks with their tribe.
      “With Tyson and Andy Lee, I feel like I fit right into not necessarily their tribe but we understand each other.
      “We get along very well and I feel very fortunate and blessed to train alongside them. It’s something new and something different. It’s always great to learn from cultures and tribes.”
      Parker and the 6ft 9in WBC king struck up an unlikely friendship after the Kiwi outpointed cousin Hughie Fury in 2017.
      Tyson barged into the ring after the bout to complain about the controversial majority decision – but they were all filmed topless and dancing a dodgy Haka a few hours later back at the fight hotel, forging a bond that has led to Tyson ruling out a clash with his buddy.
      Parker said: “The fight with Hughie Fury was the first time I ever met Tyson.
      “And then after it was the result they didn’t want, they were able to put that aside and come to the room and just chill and celebrate and do the most awful Haka I’ve ever seen by anyone.
      “I stopped doing it because I knew it was that bad.
      If I want to fight Fury I can keep calling him out. If he doesn’t want to fight him that’s his own decision.Joseph Parker

      “But I feel that’s the point where we started this great friendship and sort of brotherhood.
      “I’ve always said I would love to fight the best, but he’s made it clear to me that he will never fight me and he doesn’t see a reason to fight me and he’ll fight everyone else and I respect that.
      “If I want to fight him I can keep calling him out. If he doesn’t want to fight methat’s his own decision. I think he’s just chasing other guys.”

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      Mike Tyson was challenged to DEATHMATCH by UFC legend Royce Gracie but boxer refused as ‘there was no way I’d win’

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      UFC legend Royce Gracie challenged Mike Tyson to a ‘no-holds-barred’ fight ‘to the finish’, a new memoir has revealed.The boxing icon tore apart the heavyweight division in the late 1980s before a rape conviction, along with excessive partying and further personal life problems, rocked his career.
      Brazilian MMA star Royce Gracie (right) was a pioneer of UFCCredit: Getty
      Mike Tyson was challenged to a huge match-up by the UFC legendCredit: instagram.com/miketyson
      While Iron Mike was preparing his comeback to the ring, the MMA promotion UFC was founded and Brazilian fighter Gracie, now 54, won three fights on its first night in late 1993.
      And his desire to be seen as the top fighter on Earth led to a stunning challenge for the Baddest Man on the Planet.
      In a memoir by sports writer Fiaz Rafiq,’ To The Top: Enter the Octagon, the Ring and Entertainment’, it is revealed: “[Tyson] was challenged by the Gracie Brothers, in particular Royce, back in the early 1990s.
      “The UFC champion’s perception was that Tyson was the best boxer in the world, but he refused to accept that Tyson was the best ‘fighter’.
      “The Gracies had a point. They had been beating all-comers from various styles long before the Octagon was first engineered.
      “And Royce wasn’t going to rest until he did everything within his means to provoke the heavyweight champion into accepting a real fight in a no-holds-barred setting.
      “To settle the matter once and for all, Royce formally challenged the most feared boxer of our time to a fight to the finish, and so did his elder brother Rickson.”
      Gracie felt that Tyson, 54, was beatable despite his huge frame and ferocity – yet the proposition was declined with Iron Mike feeling there was ‘no way he’d win’.
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      To The Top: Enter the Octagon, the Ring and Entertainment is out May 3
      Rafiq wrote: “For Royce, any fight was a matter of who could implement their own strategy, and much of the Gracie style was developed to avoid even the chance of their opponent landing a lucky punch.
      “What Royce lacked in brute force, he clearly made up for in technical skill, as his opponents – including a professional boxer – quickly discovered.
      “‘There’s only one way to find out,’ he told me, as a smirk crept across his face followed by loud laughter. Sadly for posterity, Tyson declined.”
      In fact, Gracie came back a few years later with a fresh proposal, which was dismissed by a boxing world that is now clamouring for YouTube brawlers such as Jake Paul and crossover events like Conor McGregor’s match with Floyd Mayweather.
      Rafiq continued: “In Iron Mike’s case, one rejection wasn’t enough for Royce.
      “In 1997 the Gracie’s challenge made the headlines again, after the publication of a one-page advert in Men’s Health in America, in which the UFC champion once again challenged the former heavyweight boxer ‘officially’. Anywhere, anytime, no rules!

      “Years later I asked Royce about the famous challenge, and discovered that the heavyweight had been, at least in theory, willing to put up.
      “‘I heard that my brother tried to bring him in [to the UFC],’ Royce explained. ‘He had accepted but people around him – the lawyers, managers, and the Commission – said no way, because boxing had too much to lose.
      “But he had accepted and he wanted to do it. I talked to him before and he’s like, ‘I’d love to try this stuff out, man’.
      “But people around him did not allow him to do it. If he lost a fight, if it happened, well, boxing was already in the decline in America so it wouldn’t be good for boxing’.”
      To The Top: Enter the Octagon, the Ring and Entertainment by Fiaz Rafiq is published by Pitch Publishing, released May 3 and priced at £20 in hardback or £9.99. Ebook available in bookstores and following this Amazon link.
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