Heavyweight boxing

NEW ZEALAND boxing fans were left gutted after the ring announcer for Joseph Parker’s win over Junior Fa told the packed arena they are going into a seven-day lockdown.
The country’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced the measures on Saturday night (NZ time) and the MC passed the message on to the crestfallen crowd.

The ring announcer at Joseph Parker vs Junior Fa told the crowd Auckland is going back into lockdownCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Parker and Fa met at the Spark Arena in Auckland after their initial 2020 bout was postponed because of coronavirus.
The 12,000 capacity arena was packed with fans as the island nation have managed to contain the virus and New Zealanders currently face far fewer restrictions than Brits as a result.
But the buoyant mood was shattered when the announcer told the crowd Auckland would be locking down for a week from the following morning.
The measures have been implemented after a new local case of coronavirus of unknown origin emerged.

And the person had visited several public venues since they became infectious last Sunday.
As a result, Ardern said: “Based on this, we are in the unfortunate but necessary position to protect Aucklanders again.”
It comes just a fortnight after the North Island city’s 2million residents had to lock down for three days after a family of three tested positive for the highly contagious UK variant.
Fans online were stunned by the announcement during Parker’s 109-119, 113-115 and 111-117 points win.

Mad enough, room full of fans at the Parker v Fa boxing in Auckland yet they are going back into lockdown later. Lucky to get the boxing on with a cried.
— Mr. Jonny (@Voyeurism1011) February 27, 2021

Can you imagine announcing to a boxing crowd they are going back to lockdown… brave announcer & way to kill the fight mood #ParkerFa
— Iseult Cody (@iseultcody) February 27, 2021

Iseult wrote: “Can you imagine announcing to a boxing crowd they are going back to lockdown…
“Brave announcer and way to kill the fight mood.”
And Mr Jonny added: “Mad enough, room full of fans at the Parker vs Fa boxing in Auckland yet they are going back into lockdown later.
“Lucky to get the boxing on.”
Parker did not look happy with his performance after the win.
And Fa said: “I loved the fight.
“I try to be a role model and I hope I influence people to be kind.
“That was a tough fight, all credit to Joe. I learned a great lesson but I did not get caught with too many punches.”

After the new lockdown announcement, Joseph Parker-Junior Fa organisers are now rushing through the fight schedule to get this crowd of around 12,000 out of Spark Arena by 11:30pm. The main event was originally due to start at 11:10pm. pic.twitter.com/Za9wSfVCsR
— Matt Manukia (@MattManukiaTVNZ) February 27, 2021

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MIKE TYSON’S emotional meet-up with British boxing favourite Frank Bruno will hit our screens in a few days.
It is 31 years since the two warriors fought in the ring – a one-sided affair that saw Bruno stopped by the referee in the fifth round.

Mike Tyson and Frank Bruno boxed twice with the American former monster winning both world title clashes but remain friends

A new programme will air on February 26 on NOW TV and Sky Documentaries that will show how two brutally broken men rebuilt themselves and finally found peace again.
And the two 50-something year olds have another thing in common – the money in their banks, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Here SunSport takes a look at amassed their respective £7.5million fortunes in and out of the ring.
Mike Tyson
Iron Mike is believed to have earned at least £415MILLION from his 56-fight career.

Like many sporting superstars, Tyson spent his money as quickly as he earned it on big expensive houses, flashy cars and even pet tigers.
In 2003, Tyson was forced to file for bankruptcy, with media at the time reporting he had £20m worth of debt.

Mike Tyson made a boxing comeback in December when he drew with Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition boutCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Tyson now runs a multi-million pound cannabis ranchCredit: Instagram

But the self-titled ‘Baddest Man On The Planet’, who has admitted battling a cocaine addiction since the age of 11, has managed to turn things around.

Tyson has starred or held minor roles in a number of movies, most notably in The Hangover film franchise.
He even had his own animated TV show called Mike Tyson Mysteries.
More recently he produces a podcast called Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson which is one of the more popular combat sports-related podcasts out there.
Hinted in that title, Tyson has cannabis to thank for his financial recovery. He runs his own weed ranch called the Tyson Ranch, where he grows and sells his own brand of weed as well as weed-based wellness products.
Cheat Sheet say the Tyson Ranch sells over £360,000 worth of weed a month, but that Tyson smokes £29,000 worth with his guests.
And he is believed to have earned £7.5m from his grand return to boxing in December, when he drew with fellow Hall Of Famer Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition bout.

The 54-year-old can smoke as much as £40,000 worth of weed with friendsCredit: Instagram

In 1989 a prime Mike Tyson butchered Bruno in their first clash in Las Vegas
Frank Bruno
Bruno will go down in history as one of Britain’s best-loved boxers ever.
After two unsuccessful world title challenges – including the brutal fifth-round stoppage loss to Tyson in 1989, the gentle-giant Londoner finally got his hands on the WBC heavyweight title in 1995 by beating Oliver McCall.
But six months later he would lost that strap – to old rival Tyson who was making his way back to the top after time in jail after being found guilty of rape.
Bruno’s £7.5m net worth has been carefully managed from his boxing career, but he has also dabbled in some other ventures.
In 2017 he told the Sunday Telegraph that he had ‘a few investments running’ in the stock market.
In that interview he admitted he was ‘paid to bang HP sauce bottles on the table for a TV advert’ during his boxing career.

Frank Bruno is much loved by the British publicCredit: Louis Wood – The Sun
Bruno has also starred in pantomimes and done many voice-overs for TV – including his famous catchphrase ‘Know what I mean Harry’.
He credits having ‘a good accountant’ for keeping his finances in order and has told up-and-coming boxers to ‘save wisely, stay humble and focus on your job ahead of you’.
But in his book Let Me Be Frank the 59-year-old revealed he was betrayed by ‘someone close to him’ who took £300,000 from his bank account.
It came in 2003 when he was in a Romford hospital being treated for his bipolar disorder.

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IT IS 25 years on from the fight that ended Frank Bruno’s career — but he has now learned to love former foe Mike Tyson.
Iron Mike — the Baddest Man on the Planet — halted the British hero’s six-month WBC heavyweight title reign by battering him into retirement in March 1996.

Mike Tyson pictured during his 1989 win against Frank BrunoCredit: AFP – Getty

Frank Bruno in his loss against Mike Tyson in the 1996 rematchCredit: Getty Images – Getty

It was the second defeat inflicted on him by Tyson in Las Vegas, the first coming seven years earlier.
But Bruno, 59, claims the pair are bound together by brotherly love after he flew to meet him in the USA for a new Sky documentary.
Bruno told SunSport: “It was sad watching what happened to Mike after he retired — but I had my own situation going on for a lot of that time too.
“Back then, people with mental health problems did not really come forward to talk about it.

“So it was very sad with Mike. Because underneath the bad-boy image, the massive puncher, he is not a nasty guy — he is a very good and humble person.
“It’s just a shame when you get in the ring with him that he turns into an animal!
“If you think I have been through a hard time, you need to check out Mike and see what he has been through. But now he is happy.
“I don’t feel any malice towards Mike, I feel far more like a brother to him.”

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The sibling-like rivalry between the pair goes back 40 years, to when a 19-year-old Bruno was taken on a tour of US gyms — and sparred with a wayward teen dragged off the mean streets of Brooklyn to live and train in the Catskill mountains in New York.
That early meeting with the quiet, lisping 15-year-old — who was being morphed into history’s youngest heavyweight champion (20) by trainer Cus D’Amato — meant Bruno, unlike most of Tyson’s victims, was never afraid of the human tornado.
With his trademark booming laugh, Bruno added: “If someone pulled a gun on me and held it to my head, yes I would be scared.
“If a crocodile walked up my garden path and into my bedroom, I would be s***ing myself.
“But going in the ring with Mike Tyson was OK.”
Until Bruno finally became a world champion in 1995 by beating American Oliver McCall at Wembley Stadium, plenty of fans wrote him off as a glass-jawed nearly man who had more catchphrases than title wins.

Mike Tyson and Frank Bruno filmed a Sky documentary

Frank Bruno has now learned to love former foe Mike Tyson
He admits the doubters hurt him more than he let on — but he also knows his never-say-die style has secured his status as a national treasure.
Bruno explained: “Sometimes you have to lose to really win.
“I won it the hard way, nothing came on a plate.
“Looking back now, it might have been nice to not have Mike Tyson right there waiting for me around every corner!
“But I am still just thankful for getting that title finally — and for all the fans who supported me through those years.”
Bruno v Tyson is available on Sky Documentaries and NOW TV from tomorrow at 9pm.

Mike Tyson meets Frank Bruno in March 1987Credit: Getty Images – Getty More

TYSON FURY boasted that he can beat Anthony Joshua ‘with one arm tied behind my back’ despite 16-months out the ring.
The pair are in talks for an undisputed title decider, where the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO belts will all be on the line for the first time in heavyweight history.

Tyson Fury boasted that he can beat Anthony Joshua ‘with one arm tied behind my back’Credit: —

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are in talks to fightCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Fury last fought in February, when he dethroned Deontay Wilder, 35, two years after their contentious draw.
Joshua, 31, won as recently as December, knocking out Kubrat Pulev, 39, in a mandatory defence.
With negotiations progressing for a June headliner, it will mean Fury, 32, goes into the biggest fight of his life with a 16 month layoff.
But he claims even the ring rust does not make up for the skill disparity between himself and AJ.

Fury told ESPN: “He only fought in December, so December – June is only six months out the ring.
“So, he’ll be a full year ahead of me in activity. But, I’m that much in front of him with skill, a year of inactivity doesn’t really do that much.
“But you can never beat being match-fit and being active and being out regular, any fighter will tell you the same.
“If you’re out regular and you’re match-fit, then you should be able to beat people that are inactive, that’s for sure.

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“But I don’t make excuses, I had three-years out the ring, came back and beat Deontay Wilder’s ass.
“So, I’m sure I can beat Anthony Joshua with one arm tied behind my back, even after being out the ring for 16 months.”
SunSport understands a deal is set to be announced at the start of March and a non-disclosure agreement is keeping discussions top secret.
But it has not stopped Fury from voicing his concern over terms failing to be agreed, and revealed plans to fight twice in 2021, with or without AJ.
And if a mega-money Battle of Britain cannot commence, the unbeaten heavyweight wants to return as early as April.
Fury explained: “If that fight doesn’t happen this summer, it’s got to happen sooner or later.
“But Top Rank has to give me two fights this year. I will fight two times on ESPN. I don’t care who it is.

Deontay Wilder was beaten by Tyson Fury in their rematchCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Anthony Joshua knocked out Kubrat PulevCredit: ©Mark Robinson/Matchroom
“If it’s not Joshua, we’re looking to fight in April or early May, and the end of the year.
“If it is Joshua, then June and the end of the year. Bang, bang. So, 2021 is looking bright.”
Saudi Arabia, which hosted AJ’s December 2019 rematch win over Andy Ruiz Jr, is leading the race to hold the fight.
But America, Qatar, Dubai, Singapore and China have all expressed their interest in hosting.
With the coronavirus fall-out unlikely to let 90,000 fans back into Wembley stadium for a while, the UK has to hope to host the rematch of the planned two-fight rivalry.
Fury usually spends the final leg of his training camp in the US, with his last four fights being held Stateside, having not boxed in the UK since 2018.

Tyson Fury in preparation to fight Anthony JoshuaCredit: Instagram / @gypsyking101

Anthony Joshua in preparation to fight Tyson FuryCredit: Instagram / @anthonyjoshua
But the WBC king has already started his preparations at his Morecambe base, but fans have been given limited access.
It came after he gave up social media for lent, between February 17 and April 3, as well as diet and Coke Zero.
Fury revealed: “I’m taking an absence from fizzy drinks and social media, they were my two give-ups for lent this year.
“I usually drinks 2-3 cans of like, diet or zero sodas and I’d look at Instagram, Twitter usually everyday.
“So to give them two things up, I’d thought it’d be a good challenge for 40 days and 40 nights.
“Neither of them so far have been tough. I can give up anything.
“If I can get back from 400-odd-pounds down to 250, I can do anything.”

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