Heavyweight boxing

OLEKSANDR USYK doesn’t even care about Tyson Fury’s WBC world title any more – he just wants to beat him up.The 34-year-old Gypsy King turned down a mega-money Saudi Arabia offer to fight Ukraine’s WBA, IBF and WBO champ last year, to decide an undisputed ruler.
Oleksandr Usyk ‘needs’ to fight Tyson FuryCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
The Ukrainian is not even bothered about taking Fury’s belt – he just wants to fightCredit: AP
And when they tried to renegotiate for a Wembley showdown Fury made so many demands for purse splits and rematch clauses that the 36-year-old walked away and accepted on August 26 mandatory defence against Daniel Dubois instead.
London 2012 gold winner Usyk has always dreamed of replicating his four-belt cruiserweight dominance up in the blue-riband division.
But Fury will instead face MMA giant Francis Ngannou in a ten-round crossover exhibition in Saudi Arabia.
Usyk said: “I don’t think about Fury at all, I just need to meet him in the ring.

“I don’t care about the belt any more. I need him. The WBC title is just a little extra motivation but the people and the fans just need to see us fight.
“We need to fight, we need to fight. People will talk about this fight for 20, 30, 40 years so we need to have the fight.
Usyk has been called almost every possible expletive by the Morecambe showman, with “gap-toothed rabbit” the least offensive.
But the moustachioed mastermind is too cool to hurl insults when he would much prefer to throw his fists in Fury’s direction.
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“He’s beautiful,” Usyk said about the undefeated 20st superstar. “He’s funny.”
Team Usyk won the purse bid and are holding the bout in the Polish city of Wroclaw, where around 200,000 Ukrainians are believed to have taken refuge from the Russian invasion.
It is the closest the southpaw can get to fighting in his ravaged homeland and it sounds like he is keener than ever to put on a show for his people, on the weekend of their annual Independence celebrations.
“I think highly of Dubois,” he grinned in traditional Cossack clothes.
“He’s a nice guy and a good athlete.
People will talk about this fight for 20, 30, 40 years so we need to have the fightUsyk on facing Fury
“I have all the respect for him and his team but we need to finish talking and see each other on August 26.
“I am going to destroy my enemy and bring peace.”
Dynamite Dan is a 9-1 longshot with some bookies – after losing to Joe Joyce in 2020 and getting dropped three times in the first round of his December win over unknown Kevin Lerena.
But he wants to upset the applecart and odds with a destructive changing of the guard.
“Usyk has been a great champion but the belts will come home with me,” he said.
“I need to outdo him at everything, I need to unleash hell on this guy.
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“I was born for this. Everything has led to me getting here. I am different and you guys will see that.
“The bookies can say what they want, it takes the pressure off me. I am just ready to take those belts away with me back home.”
Usyk will take on Daniel Dubois on October 26Credit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More

PRINCE NASEEM HAMED’S son Aadam is set to make his professional debut on the Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois undercard.The heavyweights meet on August 26 in Wroclaw, Poland.
Prince Naseem Hamed’s son Aadam is set for his pro debutCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Aadam’s bout will be on the undercard of the clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel DuboisCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Prior to Usyk’s defence of his unified WBA, IBF and WBO belts, Aadam will take to the ring.
It is currently unknown who the 23-year-old will fight and at which weight category.
Former featherweight world champion Prince Naseem believes his youngest son is a “future star”.
The British legend said at a press conference: “We have been given an amazing opportunity for Aadam to be the co-main event.
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“I’m a very, very proud father. I have always been confident in myself and in the abilities of my son.
“I’m looking forward to Aadam climbing through the ropes and not flipping himself over them ropes and just basically showing how good he is.
“He is a future star in boxing, and I truly believe that, God willing.”
Aadam said: “It is an amazing opportunity for my debut, I am super excited and thank you to everyone that has come out and for the support.
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“I am really looking forward to getting out there and showcasing my skills.
“I have been training for a long time and the only question I have been getting asked is ‘when are you turning pro?’ or ‘are you going to actually fight?’
“And August 26 you are going to see that.”
Frank Warren promoted Prince Naseem during his heyday and he has landed his son the opportunity with him also working with Dubois. More

FRANCIS NGANNOU is threatening when he’s kicking in a cage – but when he steps into the ring with Tyson Fury he will be about as menacing as a water pistol.Fury faces former Mixed Martial Arts champion Francis Ngannou over ten rounds under Marquess of Queensberry rules in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 28.
Tyson Fury has hit the gym since his bout with MMA star Francis Ngannou was announcedCredit: Instagram / @tysonfury
Ngannou is deadly in a cage but should hold no fears for Fury in a ringCredit: AP
The clash promises to be a mismatch like the Mayweather-McGregor exhibition bout in 2017Credit: Getty
It’s just going to be a much larger version of the Floyd Mayweather Jr v Conor McGregor miserable mismatch in Las Vegas six years ago.
McGregor’s vociferous army of followers were laughingly convinced the UFC superstar was going to be too much of a brute for Mayweather to handle.
It turned out to be the biggest anti-climax since it was proved the Loch Ness monster didn’t exist.
McGregor was completely out of his depth. Mayweather managed to hold him up long enough until he felt the ringside customers and TV audience had got enough of their money’s worth before finishing him off in the tenth.
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Inevitably for the next three months we will be bombarded by tall tales that Fury will be facing a murderous beast.
But I will be surprised if Fury doesn’t do a Mayweather – toy with ferocious-looking Ngannou until he decides it’s time to take him out.
Mayweather earned more than £200million to put McGregor back in his place and Fury has been made an offer he couldn’t refuse to be part of this Mickey Mouse match-up.
The Gypsy King is by far Britain’s most popular fighter. But if social media is to be believed he has irritated and frustrated many of his fans due to his inactivity.
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He seemed to have embraced one of Sir Winston Churchill’s most significant remarks that Jaw-Jaw was better than War-War. 
Tyson hasn’t had a meaningful fight since knocking out Dillian Whyte and defending his WBC world heavyweight title in April last year in front of a record 94,000 Wembley crowd.
His supporters certainly won’t be happy he’s taken the easiest road to further riches, which Anthony Joshua has described as “this nonsense.” 
It will be interesting to see how many – in the present financial climate – will be prepared to fork out the £27 it’s likely to cost to see it on PPV in what, after all, is a gimmick event. 
Fury is simply following the golfers and footballers who are filling their pockets with immense amounts of Arabian gold.
Every boxing lover wanted to see Tyson in a unification fight with Oleksandr Usyk or a Battle of Britain punch-up with Joshua.
Fury’s supporters won’t be happy he’s taken the easiest road to further richesColin Hart
Given Fury’s commitments until next year it’s getting more unlikely we will ever see him fight those two – and nearly two years would have elapsed before he’s able to make another defence. 
He has a large family to take care of – he’s a professional so no one should criticise him for the millions he’ll take away from the Middle East. 
But I feel he has demeaned the world championship belt he’s held for three years by getting involved with Ngannou. 
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Fury should do the honourable thing and give up the WBC title to allow Deontay Wilder and Joshua – if he beats Whyte next month – to fight for it in December.
Then the winner could meet either Usyk or Daniel Dubois early next year and boxing can have the unified world heavyweight champion it craves. More

ANTHONY JOSHUA claims he didn’t learn “anything” under former coach Robert Garcia.The Watford warrior, 33, enlisted the services of the multiple-time world-champion trainer after being taken to school by Oleksandr Usyk in their Tottenham tussle in September 2021.
Anthony Joshua appointed Robert Garcia as his head coach after his first loss to Oleksandr UsykCredit: SNAPCHAT
Garcia failed to guide AJ to victory in his Saudi rematch with Usyk last AugustCredit: GETTY
Joshua believes he didn’t learn ‘anything’ during his tIme under GarciaCredit: GETTY
Their partnership, however, failed to bear fruit as AJ was bested in a rematch 11 months later – despite turning in a better performance.
But Joshua doesn’t believe their brief partnership benefitted him in any way, telling talkSPORT: “I recall when I was training for Usyk, and I had Robert Garcia on board.
“The fight date kept getting pushed back and the general conversation in the Usyk camp was, ‘We need this fight to happen soon, because we don’t want AJ to spend as much time as possible with Robert Garcia.’
“In my mind, I was like, I didn’t feel like I was being taught anything, so I didn’t think it mattered if I spent a year [with him].
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“I was still going to do my thing anyway.”
Joshua axed Garcia in the wake of the Saudi showdown and has since teamed up with Derrick James – the head coach of the undefeated Errol Spence Jr.
The former two-time unified heavyweight champion said: “With Derrick James, I soak up every second I’m in that gym.
“Whether I’m successful or not, [new trainer] Derrick James is the truth.
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“The time spent with him is very valuable. It all starts from the mind, it’s not just the mitts. He’s got a really good mindset.”
Confusion reigned in Joshua’s corner during his second showdown with Usyk as Garcia and trainer Angel Fernandez seemingly weren’t on the same page.
And AJ admits he only began working with Garcia after heeding the advice of Fernandez.
He said: “The situation I found myself in Garcia… I was actually working with Angel Fernandez and Angel knew that he needed to grow his experience.

“So I left it with him to decide who he felt he would connect with best.
“I believe that there’s not much point in the athlete in making a decision if the trainer doesn’t respect the other coach in the room.”
Joshua bounced back from consecutive losses to Usyk with a scrappy points win over Jermaine Franklin in April.
The Olympian will bid to secure a multi-million-pound December dust-up with Deontay Wilder by winning a rematch with bitter rival Dillian Whyte on August 12. More