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      Hulking Anthony Joshua poses with Eddie Hearn as promoter stops off in Texas to watch heavyweight in training for return

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA posed with Eddie Hearn as the promoter stopped off in Texas to watch the heavyweight in action ahead of his return. Joshua is fighting to revive his career following consecutive defeats to pound-for-pound star Oleksandr Usyk.
      Promoter Eddie Hearn with Anthony Joshua in Dallas, TexasCredit: @eddiehearn
      And he will do so on April 1 against Jermaine Franklin back at the O2 Arena for the first time in seven years.
      And for the first time in Joshua’s career, he will complete his whole training camp away from home after linking up with Texas’ Derrick James.
      Hearn is in America to promote Canelo Alvarez’s May 6 undisputed super-middleweight world title fight with Britain’s John Ryder.
      And he used the Stateside trip to meet up with AJ in James’ gym.
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      He posted on Instagram: “Popped to Dallas to see the big man @anthonyjoshua finish off his US camp..ready to fly back to the U.K. to prepare for April 1st.”
      Joshua, 33, lost the unified titles to Usyk, 36, in September 2021 and failed to regain them in the Saudi Arabia rematch last August.
      But he looks to bounce back against Franklin, 29, who was controversially beaten by Dillian Whyte, 34, in November.
      Hearn warned to expect a rejuvenated Joshua when he returns from his training camp in America.
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      He told DAZN in January: “This guy is out there, he’s in Texas, he’s working and grinding every day.
      “This guy’s got money in the bank, he’s got world championship belts on the wall, he don’t care about either of them.
      “He cares for the sport of boxing, he cares for regaining his world heavyweight title, and I’m telling you, he’s coming back with a vengeance.”
      Anthony Joshua in training to fight Jermaine FranklinCredit: Instagram More

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      ‘Who actually watched that?’ – Joshua Buatsi launches blistering attack on Eddie Hearn after leaving DAZN for Sky Sports

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      JOSHUA BUATSI has launched a blistering attack on Eddie Hearn after leaving him for Sky Sports.The 30-year-old was the quiet and respectful man of the light-heavyweight division, after clinching bronze at the 2016 Olympics and climbing to 16-0 as a pro under the Matchroom boss.
      Joshua Buatsi has launched a blistering attack on Eddie HearnCredit: PA
      Eddie Hearn has lost Joshua Buatsi to Sky SportsCredit: Getty
      But the Ghana-born Croydon ace – who has had his career stalled by injuries and inactivity – was raging when Hearn took his stable to upstart streaming app DAZN in 2021.
      And he was even more furious recently when Hearn claimed he had ducked a £1million world title shot against Russian champion Dmitry Bivol, leading him to jump ship back to Sky Sports and their new promoters BOXXER.
      At his hometown unveiling, Buatsi fumed: “Matchroom promised me a world title shot over and over again; ‘Beat Ricards Bolotniks (August ‘21) and you’ll get it’. Then it was: ‘Beat Craig Richards (May ‘22) and you’ll get it’.
      “But there were always excuses about writing to the WBA and then it never happened.
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      “I wanted to avoid this topic too but Eddie came out and said I turned down the Bivol fight for £1million.
      “But we had a conversation in confidence that he went public with but he only publicised half of the sentence.
      “He left out all the caveats they wanted included; the contract extensions and extra fights with Matchroom.
      “I took those unmentioned extras as two or three more years on DAZN, two more three years of no publicity and nobody seeing my fights.
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      “I thought I might win a world title on a channel that hardly anybody has access to, let alone watches.
      “So when Eddie comes out and just says ‘he turned down a world title offer and £1m’ that is not the truth.
      “There was a lot more to that offer but he just doesn’t want to tell the public, he just wants to shape their minds.
      “It’s unfortunate because most of the public believes what Eddie says but if you were to track and trace everything Eddie says everyday, you would go mad!
      “The story changes so frequently that people need to look a bit deeper.
      “If you just pick up and notice the pattern of this guy you cannot believe everything he says.”
      SunSport has contacted Matchroom and DAZN for a right to reply to Buatsi’s stinging criticism and he is not usually such a controversial or confrontational speaker.
      But he has been quietly fuming with his once-sparkling career nosediving under the radar since Hearn took a mega-money deal to leave Sky and take his table around the globe online – and he claims he is not the only one.
      We were in a great fight and then I wondered ‘who actually watched that?’ I didn’t even have the app!Joshua Buatsi on fighting Craig Richards on DAZN
      He said: “I understand why other fighters at Matchroom are getting frustrated because I felt that after Craig Richards.
      “We were in a great fight and then I wondered ‘who actually watched that?’ I didn’t even have the app!
      “If it had been on Sky Sports, all those well-known channels and numbers, it would have been widely watched.
      “After being in such a good fight, an all-English fight, I realised that I needed to be more seen in England.
      “I want the people of England to be saying to their friends and family ‘tune in to Spy Sports on Saturday, Buatsi is fighting’.
      “Even though I am young, I don’t want to be downloading apps and entering bank details every time I want something. Boxing fans need to be able to access the fights and the fighters.
      “I didn’t want to have to deal with this stuff really, around the new announcement, but it all links in.
      “When Matchroom left Sky and joined DAZN they took all of their fighters with them, the fighters did not get a say, they were not allowed to question the fact that it was a new app that needed time to grow and develop.
      Joshua Buatsi after signing with Eddie HearnCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Promoter Ben Shalom with Joshua BuatsiCredit: PA
      “None of that was offered, we were told we had to go.
      “My last two fights were good fights against good opponents but not many people saw them. So it’s not a strange idea to see what I am here.
      “Fighters work hard to get here, we have the skills and the heart to get here and then we want the recognition for it and I think that is fair.”
      Hearn is in Mexico promoting the undisputed super-middleweight fight between superstar champion Canelo Alvarez and Islington’s John Ryder.
      But he has claimed on his trip that his company has matching rights for Buatsi’s next bout, suggesting this battle is far from over.
      Buatsi said: “I was a free agent who has just now signed with BOXXER so Matchroom will say whatever they want to say.
      “Matchroom had matching rights for my next fight and I gave them third-party notice, they matched some parts of it but I stated they must match all of the points and they didn’t.
      “They can’t match some of the requests and not all. It doesn’t work like that.
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      “I told them what the important matters to me were and that they had to match them – because I am the fighter.
      “I chose to go with BOXXER because they could provide the certain things that I wanted.”
      Craig Richards was beaten by Joshua Buatsi on DAZNCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More

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      Tommy Fury’s dad predicts when Jake Paul rematch will happen but reveals there have been NO talks since son’s win

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      JOHN FURY revealed there have been NO talks for his son Tommy to rematch Jake Paul. Tommy edged the celebrity grudge match in Saudi Arabia by split-decision in February.
      Tommy Fury beat Jake Paul on pointsCredit: Reuters
      And Paul has maintained his desire to exercise his rematch clause to guarantee a second bout between the rivals.
      Rumours circulated for a date in July but Tommy’s father and coach John predicted the fight WILL happen despite negotiations not yet surfacing.
      He told The Express, via Free Bets: “It depends on what they want to do, but at the moment, Tommy’s put a hard training camp in.
      “We spent 10 weeks in camps, one, two months ready. So, you know, it’s probably going to be later on in the year.
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      “I’ve not spoke to people connected to either, you know, so I think Jake Paul’s having a rest, just like we are, and his team and his people, we’ll be on it in due course.
      “We’ve not spoken about anything yet.”
      Tommy had vowed to bury his bitter feud with Paul in the Diriyah desert before continuing to build up his boxing record the hard way.
      But after getting a taste of a mega-money payday, John wants his boy to cash in while he can.
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      John said: “I think at this moment in time conventional boxing will have to go on the backburner because boxing is a business, and you have to go where the money is.
      “Whoever is a big name, who brings stuff to the table we’re interested in. Yep, we’re interested in KSI, he can have it next if he wants.

      “We’re interested in the Salt Papi’s of the world, everybody with a name who thinks they can have a go, can have a go. Even with conventional boxing.
      “If they want to pay the same sort of money as these guys are paying, we’ll do the conventional boxing as well, but, after where we’ve been you can’t really box at York Hall, can you?”
      Tommy Fury celebrates his win over Jake PaulCredit: Reuters More

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      John Fury slams Logan Paul’s ‘absolutely disgusting’ mid-fight rant and says YouTuber ‘will do anything’ for views

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      JOHN FURY slammed Logan Paul for his “absolutely disgusting” mid-fight rant and said the YouTuber “will do anything” for views.John was cornering his son to victory against the American’s brother Jake in Saudi Arabia when Logan was interviewed between rounds.
      Logan and Jake Paul react to Tommy Fury’s winCredit: Reuters
      And in full voice, he shouted: “Tommy, if you can hear me, you a bitch, bro and you’re gassing out.
      “You a bitch, the whole Fury family are a bitch.”
      The comments did not go down well with John, who told The Express, via Free Bets: “Absolutely disgusting.
      “Him piping up in a fight like that is not professional, but it just shows you that you are dealing with adolescent children, aren’t you?
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      “Because the comments during the fight are just ridiculous. That’s not professional.
      “It doesn’t work, it’s bad for the viewers, it’s bad for everybody involved in it, in the game.
      “But it is what it is, they are what they are, they’re YouTubers. They’ll do anything.
      “They’ll give their left nut up for a viewing figure and he obviously thought it would enhance his status as a YouTuber coming out with all that stupidity. But we knew it was coming anyway.”
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      Logan, 27, revealed he tried to get into Tommy’s head with the goad only for it to backfire.
      He said on his podcast: “Some people seem to be upset that I cut a promo mid-fight.
      “What I was trying to do was – because I was on the mic – and you can hear it in the arena and I knew Tommy was sitting in his corner.
      “And Jake was losing, so I just tried to talk s*** and get in Tommy’s head. The issue is, it just p****d him off.
      “Because the round started and he just f****g unleashed a gnarly combination on Jake. I was like, ‘I just made him mad.'”
      Fury, 23, edged past Paul, 26, by split-decision and although they remain linked with a summer rematch, John said NO talks have taken place.
      He revealed: “It depends on what they want to do, but at the moment, Tommy’s put a hard training camp in.
      “We spent 10 weeks in camps, one, two months ready. So, you know, it’s probably going to be later on in the year.
      “I’ve not spoke to people connected to either, you know, so I think Jake Paul’s having a rest, just like we are, and his team and his people, we’ll be on it in due course. We’ve not spoken about anything yet.”
      Jake Paul was beaten on points by Tommy FuryCredit: Getty More

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      Tommy Fury to put ‘conventional boxing on the backburner’ after Jake Paul win as dad John calls out TWO YouTube stars

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      TOMMY FURY could put conventional boxing on the backburner with his dad John calling out a pair of YouTube boxing stars instead. John cornered and coached his son to victory over social media sensation-turned prizefighter Jake Paul in Saudi Arabia.
      Tommy Fury celebrates his win over Jake PaulCredit: Reuters
      Tommy had vowed to bury his bitter feud with Paul in the Diriyah desert before continuing to build up his boxing record the hard way.
      But after getting a taste of a mega-money payday, John wants his boy to cash in while he can.
      John told The Express, via Free Bets: “I think at this moment in time conventional boxing will have to go on the backburner because boxing is a business, and you have to go where the money is.
      “Whoever is a big name, who brings stuff to the table we’re interested in. Yep, we’re interested in KSI, he can have it next if he wants.
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      “We’re interested in the Salt Papi’s of the world, everybody with a name who thinks they can have a go, can have a go. Even with conventional boxing.
      “If they want to pay the same sort of money as these guys are paying, we’ll do the conventional boxing as well, but, after where we’ve been you can’t really box at York Hall, can you?”
      KSI, 29, has had six bouts with no defeats and one draw while Salt Papi, 29, is 3-0 with two knockouts.
      John said: “I think that Salt Papi is quite good. I’ve only seen bits of him, but he brings a lot to the table.
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      “So, if he wants it call me. If KSI wants it call me. Whoever wants it, call me. As long as the money is right and it makes business sense we are there.”
      Tommy, 23, is linked with a summer rematch against Paul, 26, but John admitted no official talks have yet taken place.
      He said: “It depends on what they want to do, but at the moment, Tommy’s put a hard training camp in.
      “We spent 10 weeks in camps, one, two months ready. So, you know, it’s probably going to be later on in the year.
      “I’ve not spoke to people connected to either, you know, so I think Jake Paul’s having a rest, just like we are, and his team and his people, we’ll be on it in due course.
      “We’ve not spoken about anything yet.”
      Jake Paul was beaten on points by Tommy FuryCredit: Getty More

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      Tyson Fury’s dad says he advised son to offer Oleksandr Usyk 70/30 deal and fight will be ‘a walk in the park’

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      JOHN FURY has claimed he advised his son Tyson to offer Oleksandr Usyk a 70/30 deal and said the fight will be “a walk in the park.” Usyk’s team believe they have called their rival’s bluff by agreeing to his lowball deal for a title unification on April 29 at Wembley.
      Oleksandr Usyk is still in talks to fight Tyson FuryCredit: Getty
      But Fury’s dad John has stood by their demand for the lions share believing his son is the star attraction.
      He told Boxing Social via Freebets.com: “Whoever he fights in the world is not going to make a quarter what he’s been offered.
      “So, you know, it makes good sense for him to take what’s on the table, or else Tyson won’t do it, because he knows his worth, and I know his worth.
      “I don’t get involved in his business, but I do give him a little bit of advice, and I say, look, stick to your guns.
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      “You’re the WBC champ, you’re the A-side, you’re the one putting 95,000 people on seats in the cold weather, and 60,000 in freezing cold conditions.
      “What does Usyk bring? If he fights Dubois or Joe Joyce, what’s he going to get paid for that?
      “We’re seeing nothing compared to what he can make with Tyson, because 30 per cent is a lot of money, when there’s a large amount the table.”
      Usyk’s team voiced concerns over Fury’s desire to actually fight or not, amid rows over a rematch clause.
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      But promoter Frank Warren spoke out to insist the heavyweight division’s first four-belt undisputed decider is ON.
      And Fury has even gone on a social media blackout to train for the bout, which is old man reckons will be easy pickings.
      John said: “He’s leagues ahead of them, he knows it. Usyk is a walk in the park, he could come back after two years and beat Usyk.
      “He’s been in one of the most dangerous fights in the world with Deontay Wilder, so Usyk poses no threat at all.”
      John Fury says son Tyson’s fight with Oleksandr Usyk is ‘a walk in the park’Credit: Rex More

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      Tommy Fury officially enters WBC world rankings after win over Jake Paul but fans aren’t impressed

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      TOMMY FURY has officially entered the WBC’s cruiserweight world rankings after beating Jake Paul. Fury edged past Paul by split-decision in their celebrity grudge match in Saudi Arabia.
      Tommy Fury has officially entered the WBC’s cruiserweight world rankingsCredit: Reuters
      The event was supported by the WBC and had a commemorative Diriyah belt on the line as well as a place in their rankings.
      And following the points win, Fury, 23, has been placed at 39, with Viddal Riley, 25, at 40.
      But fans hit out at the WBC’s decision to rank the 9-0 Love Island star above 8-0 Riley.
      One said: “Tommy Fury higher than Viddal Riley is nuts.”
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      Another added: “This is a joke, right?”
      One said: “Ain’t no way Tommy above Viddal.”
      Another argued: “That’s actually a good fight.”
      Even Riley replied: “Damn. That’s crazy.”
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      Viddal Riley is ranked below Tommy FuryCredit: Getty
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      Fury is linked with a rematch against YouTuber-turned boxer Paul, 26, but he maintained he wants to be remembered as “a proper boxer”.
      He said on BT Sport’s Chatterbox: “The money now is not really important. I’m in boxing for my name to go down in history.
      “I’ll be in boxing because it’s a passion of mine and I’ll always revert back to being that old man and saying, ‘Did I really give it my best shot?’
      “Because I know if I give it my best shot my name can go down in history. I can achieve winning one world title belt because there’s a lot worse men than me who have done it and I’ve got the drive and determination to get me there.
      “I’m still eager to learn, win titles and go down as a proper boxer. I don’t want to be known as one of these guys who made a lot of money fighting idiots and then retired and left the sport. 
      “I want to be remembered as Tommy Fury, ‘He made great money fighting YouTube stars and then stuck to boxing and retired with a world title’. That’ll be happiness for me and I will achieve it.”
      Tommy Fury beat Jake Paul on pointsCredit: Getty More

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      Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou is an absolute mismatch and a freak show, slams Tony Bellew amid fight talks

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      TONY BELLEW said Tyson Fury fighting Francis Ngannou is both a mismatch and freak show. Ngannou is eyeing a boxing switch after leaving the UFC following a breakdown in contract talks.
      Tyson Fury facing off with Francis NgannouCredit: BT SPORTS
      The ex-UFC heavyweight champion has confirmed discussions with Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder’s team.
      But Fury is also in the mix despite his ongoing negotiations to unify the division against Oleksandr Usyk.
      And Bellew has slammed the thought of the Gypsy King fighting anyone other than Usyk next, in particular Ngannou.
      He told talkSPORT: “He’s always going to want the Joshua one because it will be the biggest payday of his whole life, so he’s always going to want that fight.
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      “But, is there anything left in the sport to achieve if he beats Oleksandr Usyk? Absolutely not.
      “I’ve heard about the freak shows that he wants to face Francis Ngannou. That would be an absolute mismatch, that’s a joke.
      “He’s a former UFC heavyweight champion, that cannot be seen to be happening, so it’s Oleksandr Usyk or nobody else.”
      Ngannou, 36, appears to be closing in on a two-fight deal with Wilder, 37, with the pair talking up a blockbuster in Africa.
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      Meanwhile Joshua, 33, returns on April 1 at the O2 Arena against Jermaine Franklin, 29.
      Fury, 34, and Usyk, 36, are still going back and forth online over a undisputed title decider on April 29 at Wembley.
      And Bellew predicted: “Tyson Fury’s style has changed over these last few years he’s no longer this big awkward fighter, who uses his elusiveness as an advantage.
      “That change of style will play into Oleksandr Usyk’s hands, it really will, and I’m tipping Oleksandr Usyk to win.”
      Tony Bellew was knocked out by Oleksandr Usyk in 2018Credit: PA:Press Association More