Heavyweight boxing

ANTHONY JOSHUA and Tyson Fury have yet to decide whose name will appear first on their fight poster.
The biggest fight in the history of British boxing is close to being finalised, with both fighters’ teams confident an agreement will be announced within the next fortnight.

Anthony Joshua knocked out Kubrat Puelv in his last outingCredit: PA

Tyson Fury celebrates his stunning victory over Deontay Wilder last FebruaryCredit: PA

But according to Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, the small matter of whose name will be first on unification title fight poster has not yet been resolved.
Hearn told Boxing Scene: “Still to be discussed. I’m looking forward to that one.
“I suppose you have whose name is first, who goes to the ring first, who has the first changing room, who will weigh in first.
“Jokes aside, that’s not something that will necessarily be solved in one phone call. But it will be a discussion point over the next week or so.”

Matchroom Boxing chief Hearn doesn’t expect the matter to be solved until face-to-face meetings are permitted to take place.
He added: “I can’t imagine a Zoom coin flip. It’s better to paper it and discuss it and come to an amicable agreement.
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“For me AJ is the bigger draw globally. But again, we are not interested in a debate where the fight falls apart because of things like that.

“We just need to box that off. In any unification fight this is always a conversation that can be arduous.”
Hearn, 41, is optimistic the long-awaited Battle of Britain will be announced in the coming weeks, saying: “All moving in the right direction.
“When we put the contract together it took time because we were trying to work to a contract that wouldn’t come back with hundreds of comments and it didn’t.

Eddie Hearn is confident the long-awaited Battle of Britain will soon be finalisedCredit: PA

“There are still minor details to iron out but we have Top Rank’s comments and are working through those now.
“There’s no deadline. We expect the fight to take place in June, I wouldn’t rule out early July but June is where we want to be.”
Joshua vs Fury is expected to take place outside of the United Kingdom due to the coronavirus pandemic.
And according to Hearn, a number of countries have expressed an interest in hosting the blockbuster bout.
He said: “The next two weeks, we hope for an official announcement, and then we go out and decide where this thing will take place.
“We’ve had offers from the Middle East. We’re talking to Qatar, we’re talking to Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, we’re talking to Singapore, we’re talking to China, we’re talking to America.”

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ANTHONY JOSHUA vs Tyson Fury now has four Middle East bidders trying to host the biggest fight in British boxing history.
The all-English heavyweight clash for all of the four major world titles is planned for June with around £200million expected to be in the pot.

Anthony Joshua’s fight with Tyson Fury is getting closer after the first contract draft only needed ‘minor tweaks’Credit: PA:Press Association

With no fans allowed in British events in the near future, AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn and Fury’s team of Frank Warren and Bob Arum are fielding offers from countries willing to pay massive for the privilege.
Saudi paid £100m to have AJ’s December 2019 rematch win over Andy Ruiz Jr there and that sort of fee will comfortably fill the 90,000-packed Wembley void Covid-19 has created.
Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai are believed to be the other three in the race and Hearn expects a deal to be confirmed this month.
The Matchroom boss said: “We expect the fight to take place in June. I wouldn’t rule out early July but June is where we want to be.

“Our plan is to start to go to various sites and close the deal.
“We have offers coming in every day from loads of places. We don’t want to waste our time seeing what is real and isn’t real until the fight is signed. End of February is a good marker to get it done and finalise a venue.
“We have actually had four offers from the Middle East now so you’d have to say there’s a very good chance of the fight taking place there.
“The offers from Saudi aren’t in the hope they can generate X million at the gate. It’s government-backed to bring the biggest fight in the world to their territory.

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“We get multiple offers from the same country because everyone wants to make money out of this. But there are four offers from within the Middle East.”
Hearn and Team Fury exchanged the first draft of the contract last week and the Essex matchmaker was surprised how few arguments arose over the minor details.
He said: “We’ve had the contracts back from Top Rank. Nothing major, just some minor bits and pieces that have to be discussed with both parties. All moving in the right direction.
“When we put the contract together it took time because we were trying to work to a contract that wouldn’t come back with hundreds of comments and it didn’t.
“There are still minor details to iron out but we have Top Rank’s comments and are working through those now.”
Once the mega-money deal can be agreed and a venue confirmed, the minute details that are all about ego will need to be addressed.

Which giant star will have their name and face first on the poster? Who will walk to the ring first and have to wait while getting cold? Will a simple coin toss be enough to decide?
Hearn admitted: “Jokes aside, that’s not something that will necessarily be solved in one phone call.
“But it will be a discussion point over the next week or so.
“I can’t imagine a Zoom coin flip. It’s better to paper it and discuss it and come to an amicable agreement.
“For me AJ is the bigger draw globally. But, again, we are not interested in a debate where the fight falls apart because of things like that.
“We just need to box that off. In any unification fight this is always a conversation that can be arduous.”

It is still unclear where Joshua and WBC king Fury will face off with four Middle East bidders hoping to land the mega showdownCredit: Rex Features

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EDDIE HEARN believes the Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury fight is not under threat following a Panorama investigation into one of the sport’s biggest powerhouses.
MTK Global, the management firm behind world champions like Fury and Billy Joe Saunders, had its origins and huge fortune examined by the BBC show on Monday night.

Eddie Hearn has insisted that Panorama’s doc will have no bearing on the summer’s mega-fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson FuryCredit: PA:Press Association

Daniel Kinahan, who co-founded the original version of the company then known as MGM, has no criminal record but has been named in the Irish high court as the head of a global cartel.
The Dubai-based Irishman parted with MTK in 2017 but has remained an advisor to a host of fighters who proudly sing his praises.
But when Fury revealed in June that Kinahan had agreed the financial terms for the two-fight AJ rivalry with Hearn, on his behalf, the backlash in the Irish media forced Fury’s Top Rank promoters to claim Kinahan had ended abruptly his interest in boxing.
The revelations in ‘Boxing and the Mob’ have now cast doubt over that statement and more investigations are expected to follow – although there is no suggestion of any criminality associated with the promoters.

When asked if the fallout from the show could jeopardise this summer’s plans for the biggest fight in British history to take place in Saudi Arabia, Hearn said: “No. No impact. 
“The fight is much bigger. It’s so big it will be the only thing discussed in my opinion amongst the fans. 
“Whether that’s the same for the media I don’t know. But no impact on the fight at all. 
“Right now, the emails and phone calls are with Bob Arum (Fury’s US promoter) and Top Rank and Tyson Fury’s Team. He’s within his rights to appoint whoever he wants”.

Daniel Kinahan, pictured, was the subject of a BBC Panorama investigation aired on Monday nightCredit: Refer to Caption

Tyson Fury has worked with Irishman Kinahan in the pastCredit: PA:Press Association
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Hearn and his Sky Sports backers work regularly with MTK, as does rival Frank Warren.
Both promoters were mentioned in the episode but Matchroom boss Hearn has felt no hangover and insists it’s business as usual.
When asked if his world had changed on a call to promote Josh Warrington’s February 13 comeback, he said: “No. My world hasn’t.
“That news broke to the boxing world quite a long time ago.
“I think it reached a bigger audience than the normal for boxing. For me, business as usual. 
“We are so focused on the schedule and making the fights. From February 13 we have a show every week until the last one we are planning which is May 8”.
When Hearn was asked if any of his partners or sponsors had expressed alarm at the allegations, he said: “No”.

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CANELO ALVAREZ would knock out a prime Floyd Mayweather, his training partner Ryan Garcia has claimed.
The four-weight world champion took on Money in September 2013 when he was a fresh-faced 23-year-old.

Floyd Mayweather got the better of Canelo Alvarez seven years ago – when the Mexican was aged just 23Credit: Getty

Ryan Garcia reckons this version of Canelo Alvarez would beat a prime Floyd MayweatherCredit: Getty

Mayweather, however, proved to be a bridge too far for the then-unbeaten Canelo, who was outboxed for 12 rounds on his way to suffering a unanimous decision defeat.
The Mexican has come on leaps and bounds since that loss, going on to claim titles at super-middleweight and light-heavyweight.
And Garcia reckons this current version of Canelo, rated as the best lb-for-lb boxer in the world, would wipe the floor with the Mayweather of old.
In an interview with ESPN, the interim WBC lightweight champion said of a fantasy fight between the pair: “Canelo wins.

“At his best, he is much smarter and knows how to manoeuvre in the ring much better.
“Pretty Boy was good but if he went directly against Canelo, he would be knocked out. He would have to box and [Saul] is a big guy by nature.”
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Garcia has immense respect for Mayweather’s skills inside the ring, although he’s not a fan of how he conducted himself once he made it to the top of the sport.

He said: “What I had a problem with [when it came to] Floyd was how he represented himself when he got to the top.
“He threw around the image of glorifying money. I don’t like that.”
Despite being soundly beaten by Mayweather, Canelo is adamant things would be different if they were to share the ring again.

Canelo Alvarez believes he’d get the better of Floyd Mayweather second time aroundCredit: Getty – Contributor

The Mexican superstar said: “It’s different now. I’m [a] different fighter. I think he’s good too but I’m a different fighter now.
“Maybe [it would be a] different fight.”
Canelo, 30, is currently preparing for his February 27 defence of the WBA (Super), WBC, and Ring super-middleweight titles, which he’ll defend against mandatory challenger Anvi Yildirim.
Mayweather, meanwhile, was set to be in action a week earlier against YouTuber Logan Paul, who he was scheduled to meet in an exhibition fight.
The contest, however, has been postponed and currently doesn’t have a new date.

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UNBEATEN heavyweight star Joe Joyce has warned Tyson Fury not to fight the same way against Anthony Joshua as he did against Deontay Wilder.
The 35-year-old British, Commonwealth and European champion believes the Gypsy King cannot fight in the same aggressive manner that saw him stop the Bronze Bomber.

Tyson Fury hasn’t fought since stopping Deontay Wilder last FebruaryCredit: AFP – Getty

Anthony Joshua has repeatedly spoke of his desire to fight the Gypsy KingCredit: PA:Press Association

Fury, 32, went into his rematch against the American looking for the knockout as he showed the former WBC champion no respect safe in the knowledge he could handle his power.
But Joyce has stated that Fury must change his tactics against WBA, WBO and IBF king Joshua, who is a more technically gifted boxer than Wilder.
Commenting on the eagerly-anticipated contest, Joyce – who has sparred both Fury and AJ – stressed that the two-time Ring Magazine champ has to fight on the outside.
Asked about the bout, he told BT Sport: “That’s a tough fight, a 50-50 fight. I don’t even know how it’s going to go.

“For instance, Fury-Wilder I, he [Fury] was more elusive. In Fury-Wilder II, Fury came forward. So I wonder what he’s going to do against Joshua?”
Pressed on whether Fury should fight how he did against Wilder in their rematch, Joyce said: “It’s a 50-50 fight, and hopefully, we see something spectacular.
“I’m not sure that’ll be a wise idea against Joshua, though.”
Before adding: “I know Joshua can come forward, and when he does, he’s very dominant and gets very powerful and dangerous when he comes forward.

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Unbeaten heavyweight Joe Joyce has stated that Fury cannot fight aggressively against AJCredit: Richard Pelham – The Sun

“But he’s also learned to be on his back foot and just like pick the shots and be very similar to like how you know like careful and safe the [Wladimir] Klitschko style behind the jab and the classic boxing style.
“I’m sure it’ll ignite and there will be some big punches. Someone may get knocked down and get back up.
“Everyone can keep on speculating but until the fight happens, you don’t really know. He’s [Joshua] got such big arms. His entire guard is tight.
“Obviously, Fury can be loose and unpredictable, so shots can come from anywhere.
“So it’s going to be very interesting which way it’s going to go.”
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn recently declared that the domestic dust-up could take place as early as June.
He told iFL TV: “I hope that we can finalise contracts in the next two weeks.

“And then the plan from there is to go out and start discussing with the various sites that have approached to stage this fight.
“What we wanna do is make sure we’ve got a deal papered to move forwards and start having these conversations, and then lock in the venue and the date.
“There isn’t a lot to be sorted. We’re in a good place. I believe we’ll have these contracts finalised in the next couple of weeks.
“I believe this fight will take place in June.”

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