Heavyweight boxing

OLEKSANDR USYK has revealed why the negotiations for his fight with Tyson Fury broke down. The Ukrainian had been due to fight Fury in a heavyweight unification bout before negotiations collapsed.
Oleksandr Usyk lifted the lid on his why his Tyson Fury bout collapsedCredit: Instagram / @uskyaa
Fury is without a fight at the moment after previously being slated for the end of AprilCredit: Getty
In an interview with Volodymyr Kobelkov, Usyk lifted the lid on negotiations, saying: “I see that nothing is going on, he is trying to play us, and I said, ‘That’s all, bye’.”
Usyk’s agent Egis Klimas insisted Fury kept making more demands which made reaching a compromise impossible.
This is despite a reported 70-30 split in the purse, something Usyk has now confirmed.
Usyk revealed the real split in the purse before brutally putting down Fury’s claim of being “king”.
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He added: “He says, ’70/30, I am the king. It’s all thanks to me.’ I don’t respond to that. I understand that this is a mental game.
“The king is the king. And the king does not need to shout that he is the king.”
Despite the collapse, Usyk has kept his eye on the British boxing scene, revealing both the opponent and location of his next fight.
He said: “It will probably be Daniel Dubois at the end of the summer… I will go to Britain, I love it very much.
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“My first big achievements were in Britain. Then Anthony Joshua. I like this place, I like the fans, the people.”
Indeed, a WBA statement on Monday confirmed they had ordered the fight, with a negotiation period starting on April 4 and finishing on May 2.
It also comes after a savage comparison he made between Fury and boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
On Fury, Usyk declared: “He is trying very hard to copy the great Muhammad Ali.
“But the copy is very bad.” More

OLEKSANDR USYK has hit out at Tyson Fury by suggesting the Brit is trying to copy boxing legend Muhammad Ali.However, the Ukrainian boxer insisted that Fury is only a “very bad” copy of the American great.
Oleksandr Usyk has hit out at Tyson FuryCredit: Reuters
The Ukrainian suggested Fury is a bad copy of Mohammad AliCredit: Hulton Archive – Getty
A proposed fight between Usyk and Fury fell through in March with the two parties unable to agree a deal.
It is believed Usyk was even prepared to agree a 70-30 purse split in Fury’s favour to make the fight happen.
But according to Usyk’s agent Egis Klimas Fury kept making more demands which made reaching a compromise impossible.
Since the collapse of the fight the fighters have been quiet, and now Usyk has made his dig at the Gypsy King.
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He told Volodymyr Kobelkov on his YouTube channel: “He is trying very hard to copy the great Muhammad Ali.
“But the copy is very bad.”
On the breakdown of negotiations, Usyk added: “He says, ’70/30, I am the king. It’s all thanks to me.’ I don’t respond to that.
“I understand that this is a mental game.
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“The king is the king. And the king does not need to shout that he is the king.”
Usyk, 36, now looks set to instead face WBA mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois, 25.
But former WBC champion Deontay Wilder, 37, has thrown his name into the hat for a mega-fight with the WBA, IBF and WBO champion.
Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua, 33, said he would be willing to fight Fury after he beat Jermaine Franklin at the 02 Arena.
Fury has also been called out by Youtube Logan Paul for a cage fight.
Speaking to BT Sport, he said: “You know what I would do because I saw Tyson talking s***?
“I would fight Tyson in a MMA fight.” More

JOHN FURY has launched a blistering attack on Deontay Wilder following the American’s latest cheating allegations against Tyson.Former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder accused Tyson of cheating in their rematch by placing egg weights in his gloves – a claim he responded to by declaring the American had “lost his marbles!”
Deontay Wilder accused Tyson Fury of cheating in the first two of the three fightsCredit: ACTION IMAGES
The pair were cordial during a recent meeting Saudi – although Wilder since went on to brand Fury a ‘cheater’ againCredit: BOXING KING MEDIA
Fury’s dad, John, has slammed The Bronze Bomber over his baseless claimsCredit: GETTY
Despite having a nice meeting with Tyson in Saudi Arabia in February, The Bronze Bomber once again branded his old foe a “cheater” – an insult which dad John hasn’t taken lightly.
He told The Mirror: “I just think Wilder is a horrible, decrepit man I just don’t like him at all. He can’t take a loss.”
John, 58, insists he wouldn’t let Wilder’s words slide if he was a few years younger and reckons Tyson should’ve hit him in Saudi.
He continued: “If I was a young man like Tyson, we would have a roll around on the carpet.
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“I would have hit him both hands straight in the mouth, but I haven’t bred a son like me.
“Tyson’s a great boxer but he doesn’t have my fire.
“If a man insults me I will hit him straight in the mouth.
“I said to Tyson, ‘Why don’t you hit him?’ He should have been hit.”
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Wilder’s handling of his defeats to Tyson irks John, so much he even heaped praise on Jake Paul for how he accepted his defeat to Tommy.
He said: “Even Jake Paul handled his defeat well and has gone back to the drawing board.
“[Wilder] is now howling and screaming abuse, how can somebody cheat you when he has been knocked spark out?
“And all this glove business, everything is checked out with WBC officials.
John Fury reckons Jake Paul handled his loss to Tommy better than WilderCredit: GETTY
“Wilder for my money is a sore loser, and he will never get respect from me.”
Wilder, 37, returned to the ring last October against partner Robert Helenius in his first outing since being brutally knocked out by Tyson in their 2021 trilogy fight.
The American made light work of his former sparring partner, knocking him out in a round to pick up his first victory in nearly three years.
Former unified heavyweight champion Tyson, meanwhile, is currently looking for an opponent following the collapse of his undisputed title fight with pound-for-pound king Oleksandr Usyk. More

ANTHONY JOSHUA channelled his inner Muhammad Ali by recreating one of the boxer’s most conic photos.Student of the fight game Joshua is, like many boxers of today, a massive fan of the late Ali – who many still regard to be the greatest pugilist of all time.
Muhammad Ali had several iconic pictures taken of him during his legendary careerCredit: Getty

Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua tried creating the iconic snap this weekCredit: INSTAGRAM@ANTHONYJOSHUA
AJ threw several combinations as he shadowboxed underwaterCredit: INSTAGRAM@ANTHONYJOSHUA
The former undisputed heavyweight champion’s legendary career – which ended in 1981 – was thankfully documented by photographers.
Perhaps the most iconic photo of The Greatest is Flip Schulke’s 1961 snap of him shadowboxing underwater in a swimming pool.
And Joshua recently tried his best to recreate the snap.
Early on Tuesday morning, AJ shared a video of himself throwing combinations in a swimming pool to his Instagram story.
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But unlike Ali, the Watford warrior wasn’t completely submerged underwater.
Joshua, 33, returned to the win column last Saturday with a scrappy and bloody points victory over Jermaine Franklin at The O2.
Victory over the American snapped a two-fight losing streak for the former two-time unified heavyweight champion.
In his post-fight interview, he said: “Last time I grabbed the mic, it was a bit chaotic so I’m calm.
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“I appreciate every single person coming out this evening.
“Inside this squared circle, it’s a different type of energy in here.
“So I apologise to anybody watching and seeing that type of stuff because we’re sportsmen.”
He continued: “I respect Jermaine, I respect everyone here tonight.
“Eddie, thank you for this opportunity, fans and people watching at home, thank you as well.”
When asked who he’d like to fight next, including a potential fight with Tyson Fury, he said: “You know me, I like to provide for the fans.
Anthony Joshua returned to the win column last weekend with a scrappy win over Jermaine FranklinCredit: RICHARD PELHAM
“I know who the fans want. Who do the fans want? They said Fury?
“The ball is in his court, I will 100 per cent be honoured to compete for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world.
“I stand here and say that proudly, it would be an honour, so wherever you are if you’re listening.
“You know my management, you know my promoter.
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“We’ve had dialect before, so let’s continue this and hopefully we can get this on sooner rather than later.
“We ain’t getting any younger.” More

ANTHONY JOSHUA is splashing £25milllion of his mega-money fortune on a property on one of London’s most exclusive streets.The 33-year-old London 2012 legend earned around £20m for his decision triumph over Jermaine Franklin at the Greenwich O2 on Saturday night.
Anthony Joshua secured a comeback victory over Jermaine Franklin on SaturdayCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
He is set to splash the cash on a property on Bond StreetCredit: Google
Joshua earned £20million for his fight with Franklin at the weekendCredit: Google
And this week he is set to win another big-bucks battle a few stops down the Jubilee line for the posh 73 Bond Street.
The former WBA, IBF and WBO king is rumoured to be worth in excess of £170m thanks to his two world title reigns, giant broadcast deals with Sky and now DAZN, as well as his range of blue-chip sponsors.
And – while most of histories greatest boxers have been infamous for blowing their hard-fought earnings on wine, women and song – our AJ is wisely investing in bricks and mortar.
A source close to AJ said: “He has always had his eye on the bigger picture when it comes to business and wealth.
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“He eclipses most other stars when it comes to how to handle great wealth.”
Joshua’s next money-spinner in the ring could be a rematch against Dillian Whyte.
AJ knocked Whyte out back in 2015 – avenging his amateur loss to the Brit.
But Joshua also has his sights on WBC champion Tyson Fury – answering fans’ chants for the clash during his post-fight interview.
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He said: “You know me, I like to provide for the fans. I know who the fans want. Who do the fans want?
“They said Fury? The ball is in his court, I will 100 per cent be honoured to compete for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world.
“I stand here and say that proudly, it would be an honour, so wherever you are if you’re listening. You know my management, you know my promoter.
“We’ve had dialect before, so let’s continue this and hopefully we can get this on sooner rather than later. We ain’t getting any younger.”
Fury is searching for an opponent after negotiations for an undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk collapsed last month.
Meanwhile, Usyk, who beat Joshua in 2021 and 2022, is set to take on WBA mandatory Daniel Dubois.
He is now hoping to land big fights against the likes of Tyson FuryCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More

OLEKSANDR USYK has been ordered to face Daniel Dubois NEXT following the collapse of his undisputed clash with Tyson Fury.The Ukrainian, 35, looked set to take on Fury for all four world heavyweight titles before negotiations broke down last month.
Oleksandr Usyk is set to take on Daniel Dubois nextCredit: Reuters
WBA regular champion Dubois will now fight for the super title against UsykCredit: Reuters
Now Usyk is set to fulfil his mandatory obligations by taking on WBA regular champion Dubois.
The Brit, 25, has bounced back from defeat to Joe Joyce with four successive stoppage wins.
And he is now in line for a shot at unified champ Usyk – who boasts a perfect professional record of 20 wins and no defeats.
The WBA announced on Monday: “The WBA Championships Committee ordered the bout between Heavyweight Super Champion Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois.
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“The organization sent the communication to the parties today with a 30-day negotiation period starting on April 4 and ending on May 2 #UsykDubois.”
Fans have been left bitterly disappointed by the announcement as they fear Usyk will comfortably deal with Dubois.
Reacting on social media, one person said: “Daniel 🤷🏼‍♂️ there’s others who deserve the opportunity before he does.”
Another added: “Literally no one wants to see this.”
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And a third responded: “Dubois didn’t deserve this fight.”
Dubois was unconvincing last time out against Kevin Lerena as he was dropped three times in the first round before recovering to secure a third-round stoppage.
But the 25-year-old announced on Twitter that he is up for the challenge.
He tweeted: “Time to get what I’ve been working for my whole life.
“@usykaa you are a good champion but nobody has hit you like I will.
“See you soon. #AndTheNew.”
Usyk’s last fight saw him beat Anthony Joshua for a second successive time in Saudi Arabia in August last year.
Joshua recently claimed Usyk pulled out of negotiations with Fury after reading about The Gypsy King’s mind games in his book.
Tyson Fury’s negotiations with Usyk collapsed last monthCredit: Getty More

ANTHONY JOSHUA has revealed that Oleksandr Usyk quit negotiations with Tyson Fury after reading his book.Usyk was set to take on Fury later this month in arguably the biggest heavyweight bout of all time.
Joshua claims that Usyk pulled out of the fight after reading Fury’s bookCredit: Getty
Usyk and Fury were due to fight at the end of AprilCredit: Getty
He had initially agreed to all terms set by the Gypsy King – including a 70-30 purse split in “greedy” Fury’s favour – but talks broke down at the end of March.
And former heavyweight champion Joshua has hinted that Usyk called it quits after reading Fury’s book.
AJ told Boxing Social: “Usyk said he was reading Fury’s book, and he said stalling negotiations was a part of his (Fury’s) tactic.
“So when he read that he was like ‘I’m done with these negotiations’.
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“When you know someone, not only physically, obviously you’re going to fight them so you study their craft.
“But you know them mentally – why are you playing into their games?
“Usyk had these negotiations. I’m not playing into these games anymore.”
Usyk’s agent, Egis Klimas, claimed that Fury was entirely to blame for negotiations breaking down.
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In March, he said: “No matter how much Usyk compromised, he was pushed for more.”
The Ukrainian is now plotting a mandatory defence of his belts for the summer. More