Heavyweight boxing

EDDIE HEARN wants to book Dillian Whyte in a grudge match with Deontay Wilder if the Brit wins his make-or-break rematch with Alexander Povetkin next month.
Whyte was the mandatory challenger for the WBC title when Wilder was in possession of the belt, which he lost to Tyson Fury last February.

Dillian Whyte will rematch Alexander Povetkin next monthCredit: MATCHROOM BOXING

Eddie Hearn wants to see Dillian Whyte throw down with Deontay Wilder later this yearCredit: Getty

The Body Snatcher accused the American of ducking him and recently branded him a ‘coward’.
Hearn is eager for the pair to settle their beef this year, telling Sky Sports: “I would like to see Dillian Whyte fight Deontay Wilder, but he has to deal with Povetkin.
“Focus on the now, focus on the reality, and Deontay Wilder, I’m sure he’ll be in big fights but for us, we know our plans for 2021.”
Earlier this month, the Matchroom Boxing chief said: “First things first is March 6 for Dillian Whyte.

“If he loses that, then he can forget fighting Deontay Wilder, and he can forget fighting for a world championship, so he must win that fight.
“For me, outside of AJ against Fury, Whyte-Wilder remains one of the biggest fights in boxing. I would love to make that fight.
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“I think Deontay Wilder needs to get back in the ring. I certainly wouldn’t be looking to put him in with Dillian Whyte straight off the bat.

“He needs a fight in my opinion. Presumably he’s going to be working with a new team of trainers.”
Whyte’s pivotal rematch with Povetkin will take place at London’s Wembley Arena a fortnight on Saturday.
The Brixton banger was knocked out cold by the veteran last August, a defeat which left his world title hopes in tatters.
A second successive defeat to the 41-year-old would effectively end Whyte’s hopes of fighting for a world title.

Whyte hasn’t dwelled on the second setback of his professional career, telling The Daily Star: “I got over it straight away, it’s heavyweight boxing. I’m a heavyweight, I knock a lot of people out.
“I hurt a lot of people in sparring and everyone I’ve fought has been hurt at some point or knocked down at some point. So I understand that one punch can change everything.
“It wasn’t a massive shock, I was just disappointed because it shouldn’t have happened.
“Obviously I wasn’t happy with the way I fought. But listen, a lot of people sit at home and go, ‘Oh my god this is a massive shock, it’s this, it’s that’.
“But it’s two top guys in the world. It’s not an amateur vs a professional.
“Also, I had seven amateur fights. Povetkin had 200 amateur fights. I never even won the ABAs and he was an Olympic gold medallist.
“Everyone was shocked but I was like relax man, this is heavyweight boxing. All the heavyweight champions before me have lost at some point. That’s just the way it is.”

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UNIFIED lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez has suggested he could follow in Floyd Mayweather’s footsteps and leave Top Rank Boxing.
Despite recently shocking the world with a stunning performance against Vasily Lomachenko, Lopez is seemingly unhappy with his current promoters.

Teofimo Lopez has suggested he could soon leave Top RankCredit: Getty

Veteran promoter Bob Arum could soon lose Teofimo LopezCredit: Getty

And The Takeover has suggested he could soon move on to pastures new, telling ESPN: “I’m looking forward, and I’m moving forward
“If you can’t meet the terms, then like I said, I’m taking my talents somewhere else.
“Because you got the best fighter in the world on that display. It’s all paid dues.
“And that’s what we did; we paid our dues. I am your favourite fighter’s favourite fighter.

“That sets the tone, and I think that everybody needs to realise that.
“I am the truth. I am the best in the division. I can’t take it or leave it no more. It’s more so about it’s a takeover.
“I earned it. It’s not something that’s a given. You’ve gotta earn it.”
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Should Lopez make the shock decision to leave Top Rank, who landed him the fight with Lomachenko, he would emulate Mayweather’s acrimonious departure from Bob Arum’s stable in 2006.
Mayweather bought himself out of his deal with Top Rank for £538,000 ($750,000) and subsequently went on to become the biggest pay-per-view star in the history of boxing.
The Money man reflected on the decision during a 2018 interview with FightHype, saying: “As of today, the worst thing I ever did in my career was sign with Top Rank
“One of my family members was money hungry and went behind my back. That’s the worst thing I ever did.
“The worst thing I ever did was sign with Top Rank, because I was destined to be big anyway. I was destined to be a superstar anyway.”
Lopez’s apparent willingness to leave Top Rank will be music to the ears of Matchroom Boxing chief Eddie Hearn, who wants to win the purse bid for the 23-year-old’s next fight.

Floyd Mayweather bought himself out of his deal with Top Rank in 2006Credit: AP

During an appearance on the The Ak & Barak Show, Hearn said: “There you’ve got a guy like Teofimo Lopez, who’s aligned to ESPN, Bob Arum’s saying, ‘This is the max I’m gonna pay you.’
“Teofimo Lopez is going, ‘Hmm. You know what? Let’s see what the marketplace is saying.
“‘So, let’s see what Eddie Hearn and DAZN wanna put up for this fight. Let’s see what PBC wanna put up for this fight, if you don’t give me the money that I want.’ ”
He added: “Now we’re in a position where if that goes to purse bids, we can bid. You know, DAZN might win that bid.
“But then, all of a sudden, the arguments start with Bob Arum and Teofimo Lopez. ‘You know, you can’t fight on another network. You know, your contract says this. Your contract says that.’
“So, then you’ve gotta vacate the belt. As [Lopez] said there, ‘I ain’t vacating no belt.’
“So, this is gonna be a very interesting week. It just changes the dynamic of things.
“You know, it puts more pressure on Top Rank and Bob Arum to make that deal with Teofimo Lopez, while Teofimo and his father right now are probably sitting back, going, ‘We’re cool with purse bids.’ You know, so this week’s gonna be interesting.”

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ANTHONY JOSHUA has offered some words of wisdom to Josh Warrington following the Brit’s shock defeat to Mauricio Lara.
The former IBF featherweight champion suffered a ninth-round TKO loss to the unfancied Mexican last weekend, the first of his professional career.

Anthony Joshua gave Josh Warrington some words of wisdom during a recent FaceTimeCredit: Instagram

Josh Warrington was pleased with the FaceTime from AJCredit: iNSTAGRAM

Josh Warrington suffered a stunning ninth-round TKO loss to Mauricio Lara last weekendCredit: ©Mark Robinson Ltd

And a few days removed from his setback, Warrington received a heartfelt FaceTime from AJ – who knows a thing or two about being upset by an underdog.
Warrington shared a screenshot of their chat on Instagram with the accompanying caption: “Boxing school with @anthonyjoshua.”Lesson #1) Bouncing back after getting KO’d by a Mexican. Thanks for the call big man.”
Unified heavyweight champion Joshua shared his end of the conversation to his Instagram story.
His accompanying caption read: “You know what you gotta do. I got your back champ @J_warrington.”

The first defeat of Joshua’s career came in similar circumstances to Warrington’s, with the Olympian being stopped by Mexico’s Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019.

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AJ managed to bounce back from the monumental setback six months later, defeating Ruiz Jr via unanimous decision to reclaim the unified heavyweight titles.

Warrington, 30, will be hoping for similar success if he lands a rematch with Lara.
In a video on his official YouTube channel, Warrington said: “Credit to Mauricio Lara.
“I should’ve boxed, kept it clever and just stuck to my boxing.
“I could’ve made it a lot easier, but I got drawn into that fight. I played his own game.
“Full credit to Mauricio. He came, took an opportunity and seized it.

Warrington admits he made mistakes in shock loss to LaraCredit: ©Mark Robinson Ltd

“I still feel I’ve got what it takes to achieve my dreams and my goals.
“The Leeds Warrior’s not over yet. It’s a bit of a bump in the road, but it happens to the best of us.
“It’ll only give me more motivation to come back even stronger. Full credit to Mauricio Lara.”
In a separate statement, Warrington added: “Will we meet again in a boxing ring? Who knows.
“We only fought a couple of days ago. But, if the chance comes, I will jump at it.”

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ANTHONY JOSHUA is expecting the best version of Tyson Fury when they fight, despite seeing his rival ‘carrying a bit of extra weight’.
Footage emerged of Fury jumping into the freezing sea at Morecambe bay.

Unified heavyweight world champion Anthony JoshuaCredit: Instagram / Anthony Joshua

Footage emerged of Tyson Fury jumping into a the freezing sea at Morecambe bayCredit: Twitter @Tyson_Fury

Eddie Hearn discussed the video with AJ, who will not be fooled by what he saw, expecting the Gypsy King to be in ‘top shape’ come their fight.
Promoter Hearn told Seconds Out: “I think before he goes into any main camp he doesn’t look like AJ, ever.
“I said to AJ the other day, ‘Did you see Fury jumping in the sea? He looked like me!’
“The response from AJ was, ‘We’re gonna get the best Tyson Fury, so I don’t care if he’s carrying a bit of extra weight now, I’m training for the best ever Tyson Fury.’

“And, make no mistake, Fury will be in top shape for this fight.”
Talks between Joshua, 31, and Fury, 32, are still ongoing for a historic undisputed title decider in the summer.
Contracts between Hearn have been exchanged with opposing promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren.
A deal will be cut down the middle 50/50 but a venue is still being discussed.

Amid coronavirus restrictions, the Battle of Britain looks destined for a foreign fixture with the Middle East and Asia interested hosts.
For the first time in heavyweight history, all four of the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO belts are set to be at stake.
With a targeted June date, Joshua has not yet started his official training at Team GB’s Sheffield HQ.
But the unified champion is already in the gym at his former Finchley amateur boxing club in London ‘preparing for the fight of his life’.
Hearn said: “We’ve still probably got maybe four/five months to go. He hasn’t even started camp yet.
“I think the impressive thing from both these guys is they haven’t stopped training. AJ, since his last fight, he don’t wanna stop training.
“I even said to him, ‘What about a little bit of warm weather? Go and relax a little bit? You don’t wanna over-train.’ He said, ‘No, I’m fine at Finchley.’
“He’s sparring, he’s training, he’s preparing for the fight of his life.”

Tyson Fury strips down and dives into sea in Morecambe on bitter 3C day as he trains for Anthony Joshua fight More

ANTHONY JOSHUA vs Tyson Fury; a spiteful throwback rivalry to boxing’s dark age, a secretly scripted WWE-like ruse to sell tickets or a perfect blend of both?
The to-and-fro relationship between the two English giants has been almost as exciting as their separate rises to the top of the sport.

Tyson Fury pulled over for a chat with Anthony Joshua in Merbella last yearCredit: Refer to Caption

Eleven years ago, after their first ever meeting at AJ’s Finchley ABC gym, Fury gushed about his potential, his personality and his uppercut.
In the decade since, Gypsy King has also labelled AJ a ‘big stiff idiot’, dragged up the criminal record he accrewd as a wayward teen, dismissed him as ‘just another bare bum in the shower’ ripe for slapping and nothing more than a bodybuilder he could box rings around.
But he has also heaped praise on the WBA, IBF and WBO king.
Fury, the 32-year-old undefeated WBC boss, has praised his rival for securing the financial security of his family for generations in a sport he only picked up around 18.

When the 6ft 9in ace has shocked AJ with FaceTime calls, he has asked about his young son JJ and wished the whole Joshua family well.
Fury has the ability to confuse opponents outside the ring just as well as he can bamboozle them in it and Joshua knows that all too well.
‘He changes like the weather, you can’t take anything he says too seriously’ is the usual line AJ uses when pressed about the flirting that occasionally occurs between the pair.
When they met face-to-face in Marbella, Spain last summer – Fury and wife Paris pulling up alongside AJ walking along the pavement – the chit chat was painfully dull with Josh even admitting to waving to Mrs Fury and saying “hello”.

In filming for his ITV documentary Fury called up Joshua on FaceTimeCredit: ITV

Despite the apparent ‘bad b lood’ the pair usually seem fairly amicableCredit: ITV

It was hardly the lines Roberto Duran has since denied uttering to Sugar Ray Leonard’s wife before their sensational first 1980 fight.
Poor Juanita was supposedly told her husband would be murdered in the Montreal ring and then Duran would take her to bed to celebrate.
Mr Hands of Stone has tried to erase those quotes from history but Mike Tyson credits him as the Alexander the Great of psychological warfare – and the Planet’s Baddest Man should know.
Despite being a very different fighter to those two menaces, who had most of their early fights won before the opening bell, Fury has also made mindgames a crucial part of his arsenal.
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Tyson Fury is seen by man as the best heavyweight on the planetCredit: Reuters
Wladimir Klitschko must have thought he was getting into the ring with an unhinged maniac by the time their 2015 Dusseldorf bout came around.
Fury had recounted brilliant stories about beating Klitschko in a sauna stand-off five years earlier and having Klitschko’s iconic trainer at the time Emanuel Steward wanting to take the Brit on but being wary it would upset the Kazakhstan-born powerhouse.
But he had also arrived at one UK press conference a couple of months out from their November fight dressed as Batman – completely without reason or context – and faked a fight with an extra actor dressed as The Joker.
When it came to Deontay Wilder, Fury was again a master manipulator, jabbing away with praise and cajoling, while occasionally thundering in a backhanded insult to knock his rival off balance.

Joshua holds all the other heavyweight belts that Fury doesn’t haveCredit: Getty Images – Getty
AJ has rarely had to handle such needle and, when he has, it has definitely brought out a change in him.
The Dillian Whyte rivalry was brilliant to watch and almost cost AJ everything before he had really got started.
Following an unmissable build-up, AJ decided to trade with his fellow Londoner and former amateur opponent and was really wobbled before outgunning the Brixton man who, back in 2015, was expected to be a walk-over against the Olympic champ.
American pretender Dominic Breazeale dared to goad AJ and was brutally punished six months later, when Joshua showed he had learned to keep a cooler head under provocation.
Since then AJ’s scalp count has been long lost of respectful and foreign opponents who did not have the mean streak or language skills to ruffle his feathers.

Joshua and Fury have previously wished their respective families wellCredit: Rex Features
Carlos Takam, Alexander Povetkin, Joseph Parker all sang Joshua’s praises, the build-to the magnificent 2018 win over Klitschko was almost sickly sweet.
Andy Ruiz Jr did the same even after stunning him with a New York KO.
Shameless doper Jarrell Miller – who Ruiz Jr was brought in to replace – definitely caused a stir when he landed in London in 2019, making lurid and unfounded accusations about AJ being a drug cheat and a fake.
The Sky Sports episode of The Gloves Are Off between the pair, was allegedly so spiteful it has never been aired or leaked and that says plenty in a sport where all publicity is good promotion.
But Miller’s laughable list of doping bans before and since that UK trip just make it a crying shame Joshua never got his heavy hands on him.

Boxing fans are desperate to see the two Brit champions fight for all the beltsCredit: ITV
The upshot is Fury maintains the element of surprise when these two British heroes meet.
The clash in cultures will be thrilling as the AJBoxing brand – made up of marketing masterminds and backed by dozens of high-end sponsors – goes toe-to-toe with the no-nonsense Fury family comprised of fighting men like Fury’s dad Big John and even-bigger-little-brother Shane.
Both men could look across the press conference table and see a kindred spirit who has bravely signed up for a two-fight deal that will etch their names in history and keep even their great-grandchildren in designer clothes.
Or they could drag up dark long-glossed-over elements of the other’s past and lay them bare for the world to remember, in a bid to lure them into making a mistake once the bell goes.
Let’s just hope we find out either way.

Tyson Fury strips down and dives into sea in Morecambe on bitter 3C day as he trains for Anthony Joshua fight More

DEONTAY WILDER is ‘slowly imploding’ and needs to give up on a trilogy fight with Tyson Fury, according to Eddie Hearn.
The former WBC champion has not fought since last February, when he suffered a first professional defeat to the Gypsy King.

Deontay Wilder has been urged to get back in the ring after a year outCredit: Instagram / @bronzebomber

Eddie Hearn has claimed the Bronze Bomber is imploding in interviewsCredit: ©Mark Robinson/Matchroom

Fury is now in talks for an undisputed title decider with Anthony Joshua, despite Wilder believing he is still owed an immediate rematch.
As a result, the Bronze Bomber launched a legal dispute that is holding up confirmation of an all-British showdown.
But AJ’s promoter Hearn has admitted that Wilder will not get in the way of announcing the fight with Fury.
He told Sky Sports: “That’s a problem and a question really for Top Rank and Bob Arum.

He’s been out of the ring for a year now, and he’s slowly imploding in every single interview that he gives. He should get back in the ring
Eddie Hearn

“We’ve been assured by them, that it’s not going to be an issue in making this fight.
“I do believe that Deontay Wilder, he was supposed to be fighting in January.
“Now we’re middle of February, so how much longer is he going to wait?
“He’s been out of the ring for a year now, and he’s slowly imploding in every single interview that he gives. He should get back in the ring.

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“That’s a Fury problem, a Team Fury problem. We’re confident that it won’t impact our fight, or the announcement.
“I keep saying two weeks [until an announcement]. I’m bored of saying it now.
“People are bored of probably hearing it, but we are finalising the finest details of the contract and hope to make an announcement soon.”

Deontay Wilder vows to ‘clean out’ heavyweight division by facing Joshua and Ruiz Jr More

DEONTAY WILDER has named his three best ever knockouts – with bitter rival Tyson Fury bizarrely making the list.
In yet another blast at the man who stopped him to become the WBC heavyweight champion of the world, Wilder says Fury should have been counted out in their first clash.

Deontay Wilder believes Tyson Fury should have been counted out in their first fightCredit: Alamy Live News

In December 2018 Fury survived two knockdowns to claim a draw against Wilder – with many believing he had done enough to WIN the fight.
The one in the 12th round was particularly brutal, with Fury miraculously getting back to his feet and finishing the round stronger.
Fury of course got his revenge in their 2020 rematch by crushing Wilder in seven rounds.
When asked by ESNews what his three ‘coldest knockouts’ were, Wilder, 35, answered: “Bermane Stiverne II.

“I transformed there, I had an outer experience, it was so crazy.
“[Artur] Szpilka was another one.
“And the two knockouts with Fury, because I definitely knocked his ass out.
“It was amazing but I didn’t get the creditability.”

Stiverne managed to survive the full 12 rounds to lose on points against Wilder in 2015 before being blasted out in the first round of their 2017 rematch.

Fury incredibly rose to his feet after a devastating 12th-round flooring in the first fightCredit: Alamy Live News

Szpilka was KO’d in round nine in 2016 against the Bronze Bomber.
Wilder has been compared to deposed US president Donald Trump for his list of excuses after losing to Fury.
Fury’s co-promoter Bob Arum has blasted the Bronze Bomber for emulating the former American president with spurious excuses.
And the one-sided nature of the fight led to a stream of excuses, from heavy ring-walk outfits to claims his drinking water was spiked.
The Bronze Bomber also insisted dodgy gloves allowed Fury to cut his ears with his fingernails – despite zero evidence.

Wilder destroyed Bermane Stiverne in 2017 with a first-round KOCredit: AP:Associated Press

In 2016 Artur Szpilka was another victim for WilderCredit: AP:Associated Press

Fury battered Wilder in their rematch becoming the WBC heavyweight champion of the worldCredit: Reuters
And Arum claimed he is buying none of Wilder’s excuses.
He told talkSPORT: “Deontay Wilder has been spoiled by our former president Donald Trump who says you can say any lie, or any preposterous thing and maybe some people believe it.
“In Trump’s case, they believed it and stormed the capital. Deontay Wilder, again, irresponsible what he’s saying, totally.
“Whether it’s about Tyson Fury, Mark Breland – a tremendous guy – Deontay Wilder is not making any sense.”
Wilder has recently vowed to ‘clean out’ the heavyweight division and wants to start by facing Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr.
Fury is now in talks for an undisputed title decider with AJ, despite Wilder believing he is still owed a trilogy fight and as a result launched a legal dispute.

Deontay Wilder vows to ‘clean out’ heavyweight division by facing Joshua and Ruiz Jr More

ANTHONY JOSHUA and Tyson Fury’s fight for the ages is ‘on the verge’ of being announced with only a ‘handful’ of issues left to sort out.
Contracts between AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn have been exchanged with Fury’s backers Bob Arum and Frank Warren.

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury’s fight is ‘on the verge’ of being announcedCredit: Mark Robinson Ltd

Only a ‘handful’ of issues are left to sort out between Tyson Fury and Anthony JoshuaCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Hearn has been more vocal about a deal being imminent, much to the frustration of 89-year-old Arum.
But the Top Rank boss has ensured the two sides are closing in on an agreement, with just a few minor issues needing to be resolved.
Arum said on talkSPORT: “It’s very, very hard for Eddie to shut up.
“I told him, let’s get this over the line, let’s get this done, and then we’ll make a joint announcement.

“To stop Eddie is like stopping a raging river, he can’t keep his mouth shut.
“All I’ll say about what’s happening is that both Matchroom’s side and our side, which includes Queensberry and Robert Davis (the attorney for Tyson).
“The negotiations have been pleasant, it’s proceeding like every big fight does.
“We made changes, they accept some, they send it back, back and forth. And all I can say is that the issues are gradually dwindling.

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“That’s what you wanna do in this type of situation, you wanna diminish the number of issues.
“And now the number of issues is less than a handful, so I am very optimistic that this is gonna go over the line.”
For the first time in heavyweight history, all four of the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO belts are set to be at stake.
A deal will be cut down the middle 50/50 but a venue is still being discussed.
Amid coronavirus restrictions, the Battle of Britain looks destined for a foreign fixture with the Middle East and Asia interested hosts.

Tyson Fury alongside promoters Bob Arum and Frank WarrenCredit: Reuters

Anthony Joshua pictured with promoter Eddie HearnCredit: Reuters
Hearn revealed Joshua has overlooked the terms with an announcement now closer than ever before.
He told Sky Sports: “Contracts have been backwards and forwards. Only minor details to be resolved on both ends. We’re in a good place.
“AJ was in the office yesterday with us. We had a good meeting to finalise our side of stuff.
“We’re on the verge now of getting this fight done. We want to make sure the ink is dry, and then we’ll go out and finalise the site details.
“I’m going to keep quiet for now, which probably won’t last for too long, but in the meantime working hard to finalise what is the absolute biggest fight in boxing.”

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