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      in Boxing

      Jake Paul called out to brutal bare-knuckle fight by champ and ex-UFC star Hector Lombard who PUNCHED rival in interview

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      JAKE PAUL was called out to a bare-knuckle fight by champion Hector Lombard, who is formerly of the UFC. Paul is 3-0 in his boxing career, all by knockout and has made a habit of calling out ex-UFC stars.
      Tyron Woodley pictured next to Jake PaulCredit: Reuters

      The YouTube star, 24, faces ex-champion Tyron Woodley, 39, on August 28 in his fourth and most challenging fight to date.
      But he is already being challenged by Lombard, who recently won the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s cruiserweight title.
      And the Cuban, who left the UFC in 2018 with an MMA record of 34 losses, ten wins, one draw and two no-contests, told Paul to choose the rules.
      Lombard, 43, posted on Instagram: “We do it at bareknucklefc or we do it in a boxing match Jake Paul?
      “I know you wanna make it happen the question is where do you want to do it??
      “I know you want to do it in a boxing match.. but do you have the balls to do it at BareknuckleFC???”
      Lombard won BKFC gold by beating fellow MMA veteran Joe Riggs, 38, but it was his post-fight brawl that grabbed the headlines.
      After Lorenzo Hunt, 38, got in the ring during his post-fight interview, the American was hit with a one-two combination.

      Paul most recently knocked out retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren, 36, in the first round of their fight in April.
      It added to his two highlight-reel wins over online rival ‘AnEsonGib’ and ex-NBA point guard Nate Robinson, 37.
      Woodley, who has seven KOs to his name, reigned the UFC’s welterweight division from 2016-2018 with four defences.
      But he departed the promotion this year off the of four straight defeats, leaving him without a win in three years.
      Tyron Woodley predicts third-round KO against Jake Paul More

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      in Boxing

      Jake Paul BETTER than brother Logan but should expect tough fight against ex-UFC star Tyron Woodley, says Rashad Evans

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      JAKE PAUL is better than his brother Logan, said Rashad Evans as he warned Tyron Woodley to expect a ‘tough fight’ against the YouTuber. Woodley faces Jake on August 28 and will become the social media star’s fourth professional opponent.
      Logan Paul with brother Jake and dad GregCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Former UFC champion Rashad EvansCredit: Getty – Contributor
      The American influencer is 3-0 in his career, all by knockout, and will take in both a weight and height advantage.
      Evans, 41, also warned his fellow ex-UFC champion that he is fighting the better Paul brother, but backed Woodley, 39, to win regardless.
      He told ESPN: “This one is tough for me because my heart is with Tyron.
      “I really, really want Tyron to win. But I think that this Jake kid, I think he’s got a little something. I think he’s better than his brother.
      “I think Jake is better than his brother and I think he may punch a little bit harder than his brother. He may be a little faster and things like that too.
      “So I think it may be a little bit of a tough fight because of the fact he’s going to be a little bigger than Tyron, but I can’t see Tyron losing.
      “I really can’t see Tyron losing. This Tyron that is being engaged right now, I think that this is the Tyron that can go out there and show that he’s the Tyron that he’s always been, that he is the five-time defending world UFC champ, and all those things.
      “Tyron’s got power, Tyron’s got hand skills, Tyron’s got all of those things.
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      How Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley compare ahead of their boxing match

      “So it’s just a matter of if Tyron doesn’t allow himself to be so caught up in the whole theatrics of it all, to get his mind away from what he needs to do inside the ring.”
      Paul’s last win was a first-round KO over Woodley’s old training partner Ben Askren, 36, in April.
      But Askren was two years retired and a renowned grappler with limited striking skills.
      Paul, 24, also has victories against online rival ‘AnEsonGib’ and basketball player Nate Robinson, 37.
      His brother Logan, 26, meanwhile drew and lost to British YouTuber KSI, 28, the rematch being his pro debut.
      But in early June, he took boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, 44, the distance in an exhibition bout, avoiding a KO loss.
      Tyron Woodley fights Jake Paul on August 28Credit: Reuters
      Mike Tyson admits he was ‘wrong’ about Logan Paul as he reveals he phoned YouTuber after Floyd Mayweather fight More

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      in Boxing

      Watch ex-UFC star Hector Lombard PUNCH rival Lorenzo Hunt in the face during interview after bare-knuckle fight

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      EX-UFC fighter Hector Lombard PUNCHED Lorenzo Hunt in the face during an interview after his bare-knuckle bout. The former Bellator MMA star had just beaten Joe Riggs for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship cruiserweight title.
      Hector Lombard punched Lorenzo Hunt in the face during an interview
      Hector Lombard had just beaten Joe Riggs for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship title

      Afterwards, American Hunt, who is 6-1 in BKFC and 3-5 in MMA, got in the ring to confront the newly crowned champion.
      But Lombard furiously reacted with a two-punch combination before security and his own opponent Riggs pulled them apart.
      The Cuban, 43, is now 3-0 in bare-knuckle, having last fought in MMA in 2018.
      He left the UFC after six straight losses, but was rival Bellator’s inaugural middleweight champ.
      Fellow veteran Riggs, 38, also fought in the UFC and Bellator, but left the cage in 2019.
      BKFC have a host of former MMA fighters on their roster, including Thiago Alves, 37, Paige VanZant, 27, and Chris Leben, 40.
      Now, Diego Sanchez, the first Ultimate Fighter winner, could also make the move to BKFC after first debuting in boxing.

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      Sanchez, 39, said: “If I ever get into the BKB, yeah, it would be fun. I never really liked the gloves in the UFC anyway.
      “So, I think it’s better. You got to pick your shots. You got to be smarter. We got to probably do a boxing fight first, warm these hands up.
      “We’re going to see. We’re going to keep everything open.”
      Paulie Malignaggi says BKFC with Luis Palomino would be a cool thing to finish his career on More

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      in Boxing

      Tyron Woodley vows to KO Jake Paul inside three rounds as he promises YouTuber will get ‘f***ed up’ in brutal prediction

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      TYRON WOODLEY has vowed to knock out Jake Paul inside three rounds in his professional boxing debut.The former UFC welterweight champion will lock horns with the YouTuber turned boxer on August 28.
      Tyron Woodley will lock horns with Jake Paul in a boxing match on August 28Credit: Reuters
      And The Chosen One has vowed to KO the YouTuberCredit: Getty
      Woodley, 39, goes into his clash with the social media star on the back of four consecutive losses – but is adamant he’ll put a beating on the cocksure Problem Child.
      When asked to make his prediction for the fight, Woodley told former UFC middleweight champ Michael Bisping: “I think [round] three.
      “First round sounds cocky, sounds dope, but I just know that if I’m fighting Tyron Woodley, everyone is going to tell him to cover up, weather the storm, clinch him, grab him, keep him away from you, stay at distance, watch out for the right hand.
      “I’ve got to set a couple traps, so I may need a round or two to set some traps, see what he responds to, and I think third round I should be able to clean up the deal.”
      Woodley has had to endure a barrage of trash talk from the younger Paul brother, who he faced off with earlier this month.
      And The Chosen One is relishing the opportunity to silence the former Disney star, who he reckons is being hyped up by his team.
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      How Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley compare ahead of their boxing match
      The Missouri mauler said: “At the end of the day, he’s going to get beat up.
      “He’s going to get knocked out.
      “Hopefully, it’s not too bad because what’s happening is, his people are gassing him up that he can win – he accepted this fight, and I was very surprised he accepted this fight.
      “They’re gassing him up, and they’re giving him that, ‘You’ve got the power, he’s old, he ain’t won a fight in a million years, you the younger, more hungry, he’s taking you lightly, you can beat him.’
      “They’re lying to this kid, and they’re gonna get him f***ed up.”
      Paul, 24, is 3-0 as a professional boxer following stoppage wins over AnEson Gib, ex-NBA star Nate Robinson and former UFC welterweight Ben Askren.

      Jake Paul has vowed to stop Tyron Woodley inside two roundsCredit: Getty

      The BJ Flores trained cruiserweight is brimming with confidence ahead of his clash with the MMA vet and reckons he’ll take out The Chosen One inside two rounds.
      He wrote on Instagram: “Tyron ran his mouth a little too much in the locker room when I knocked out his best friend Ben and earned himself a top spot on the Problem Child death list.
      “Tyron’s a seasoned striker who has fought the best MMA fighters in the world but will be dropped by a Disney teen star in 2 rounds.
      “Maybe this time Dana White will actually be a man of his word and put his money on his former champion instead of trying to undermine my success like a jealous ex.
      “Influencer vs MMA… let’s get it on. It’s Showtime.”
      YouTuber Jake Paul appears to be scared to look at opponent Tyron Woodley More

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      in Boxing

      Watch ex-UFC star Hector Lombard PUNCH rival Lorenzo Hunt in the face during interview after bare-knuckle bout

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      EX-UFC fighter Hector Lombard PUNCHED Lorenzo Hunt in the face during an interview after his bare-knuckle bout. The former Bellator MMA star had just beaten Joe Riggs for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship cruiserweight title.
      Hector Lombard punched Lorenzo Hunt in the face during an interview
      Hector Lombard had just beaten Joe Riggs for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship title

      Afterwards, American Hunt, who is 6-1 in BKFC and 3-5 in MMA, got in the ring to confront the newly crowned champion.
      But Lombard furiously reacted with a two-punch combination before security and his own opponent Riggs pulled them apart.
      The Cuban, 43, is now 3-0 in bare-knuckle, having last fought in MMA in 2018.
      He left the UFC after six straight losses, but was rival Bellator’s inaugural middleweight champ.
      Fellow veteran Riggs, 38, also fought in the UFC and Bellator, but left the cage in 2019.
      BKFC have a host of former MMA fighters on their roster, from Thiago Alves, 37, Paige VanZant, 27 and Chris Leben, 40.
      Now, Diego Sanchez, the first Ultimate Fighter winner, could also make the move to BKFC after first debuting in boxing.

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      Sanchez, 39, said: “If I ever get into the BKB, yeah, it would be fun. “I never really liked the gloves in the UFC anyway.
      “So, I think it’s better. You got to pick your shots. You got to be smarter. We got to probably do a boxing fight first, warm these hands up.
      “We’re going to see. We’re going to keep everything open.”
      Paulie Malignaggi says BKFC with Luis Palomino would be a cool thing to finish his career on More

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      in Boxing

      Watch Dustin Poirier’s impressive boxing and agility training as UFC star enters last stage of Conor McGregor fight camp

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      DUSTIN POIRIER is entering the final stages of his training camp as he prepares to fight Conor McGregor once again. The American faces McGregor on July 10 in Las Vegas and has started to taper down his preparations.
      Dustin Poirier is entering the final stages of his training camp as he prepares to fight Conor McGregor
      Dustin Poirier working on explosive power
      Dustin Poirier working on his boxing training
      Poirier knocked out the Irishman in January, almost seven years after initially being beaten, setting up for a blockbuster trilogy bout.
      With it all to play for next month, the ex-UFC interim champion has left no stone unturned in his Florida base at American Top Team.
      He has also been putting in the work with strength and conditioning coach Phil Daru, who helps work on agility and speed.
      Daru uploaded videos of Poirier working with a resistance band between his legs, footwork drills and power-based training with a medicine ball.
      Poirier’s head coach is former MMA fighter Mike Brown, but ex-boxer Dyah Davis acts as boxing trainer.
      Footage online showed the lightweight contender working on his punch combinations and southpaw footwork.
      Poirier knocked out McGregor in round two of Fight Island but only after targeting his legs with brutal kicks.
      Davis warned to expect a similar game plan in the trilogy – this time with a third-round finish.

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      He told MMA Junkie: “I take this approach as if a lumberjack, we’re in a forest.
      “The idea is to chop the tree down from the bottom and that’s exactly what we did. It’s a fight.
      “So we look for any weaknesses that we could take advantage of and that was one of them.
      “So we capitalised and we moved on from there and ended up finishing him with strikes.”
      Davis added: “I think it’ll play out similar to the second fight, maybe a little bit longer. I see us executing and getting a KO victory in the third round.”
      Conor McGregor was beaten by Dustin Poirier at UFC 257Credit: Sportsfile More

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      in Soccer

      Cristiano Ronaldo not first sport star to start war with sponsors as video of UFC ace Adesanya’s Monster feud goes viral

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO caused a stir by moving two Coca-Cola bottles during a Euro 2020 press conference – but he isn’t the first professional athlete to remove a sponsor’s product from the view of cameras.The Juventus hitman made headlines last week by removing the bottles of Coke ahead of a pre-match press conference.
      Cristiano Ronaldo caused a stir by removing two cans of Coca-Cola during a Euro 2020 presserCredit: UEFA Euro 2020
      The Portuguese forward moved the bottles of Coke from plain sightCredit: UEFA Euro 2020
      Ronaldo, 36, then picked up a bottle of water and shouted: “Agua.”
      The Portuguese’s actions made waves across the globe – so much so Coca-Cola’s share values dropped a staggering £2.84billion.
      But the ex-Man Utd man isn’t the first athlete to stick to event sponsors.
      A few days removed from Ronaldo’s stunt, footage of UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya removing cans of Monster Energy started doing the rounds on social media.
      Adesanya first removed an empty can of the energy drink during a press conference in Australia in February 2019.
      As he removed it, the Nigerian-born Kiwi asked: “Why don’t they fill these up? It’s silly.”
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      The clip also showed The Last Stylebender throwing away another empty can before speaking at the UFC 243 post-fight press conference.
      But unlike his previous removal, Adesanya didn’t say a word.
      The fan favourite took a more subtle approach in the UFC 253 post-fight press conference, opting to cover a can up with his belt.
      But he wasn’t so sly during the UFC 259 pre-fight presser, in which cameras caught him picking up a can and putting it on the floor.
      Adesanya has yet to explain why he repeatedly removes the cans of Monster.
      UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya regularly removes cans of Monster from plain sight

      But one thing is for sure, his actions don’t have anywhere near the same effect on Monsters’ share value as Ronaldo’s.
      Several Euro 2020 stars have followed in Ronaldo’s suit, with Italy and France midfielders Manuel Locatelli and Paul Pogba removing bottles of Coke and Heineken respectively.
      But UEFA has warned players they risk being fined if they move any items from the tournament’s sponsors from the view of cameras.
      Euro 2020 tournament director Martin Kalle, said: “It is important because the revenues of the sponsors are important for the tournament and for European football.
      “We are never fining players directly from the Uefa side, we will do this always through the participating national association and then they could look if they will go further to the player, but we are not going directly for the moment to the player.”
      Cristiano Ronaldo removes Coke bottles at Portugal press conference and shouts ‘drink water’ More

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      in Boxing

      UFC icon Tyron Woodley backed to ‘sleep Jake Paul quickly’ and ‘correct the world’ after YouTuber’s boxing breakthrough

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      TYRON WOODLEY has been backed by Michael Venom Page to ‘sleep Jake Paul quickly’ and ‘correct the world’. Paul faces the former UFC champion on August 28 in his fourth and toughest fight to date.
      Tyron Woodley fights Jake Paul on August 28Credit: Reuters
      Michael Venom Page backed Tyron Woodley to KO Jake PaulCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      The YouTuber is 3-0 all by KO and most recently beat Woodley’s friend and training partner Ben Askren in one round in April.
      But Askren, 36, had come out of retirement and was a renowned grappler with limited striking skills.
      Woodley, 39, reigned the UFC’s welterweight division from 2016-2018 with four defences and has seven KOs to his name.
      Bellator’s Venom Page is left expecting Paul, 26, to be stopped early having stepped up a class too high.
      He told MMA Fighting: “Tyron Woodley—if all goes to plan—should just sleep Jake quickly.
      “[Paul] will feel the difference between somebody that has been in the game a long time.
      “That’s experienced in terms of striking, whereas the argument with Ben Askren before, somebody that had not just retired, he checked out a long time ago and his strength was never his stand up anyway.
      “I saw it going that way.”
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      How Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley compare ahead of their boxing match

      Paul beat online rival ‘AnEsonGib’ on his boxing debut in January 2020 before following it up with a brutal KO of ex-NBA star Nate Robinson, 37.
      After then taking out Askren, the social media sensation has emerged as one of the most polarising figures in boxing, alongside his brother Logan 26.
      He was even ranked as the third highest-paid boxer over the last 12 months with only Canelo Alvarez, 30, and Anthony Joshua, 31, ahead of him.
      But Venom Page predicts Woodley will restore order and bring an end to Paul’s hot streak.
      He said: “This fight is very different.
      “I see Tyron Woodley going in there and correcting the world, because I feel like there’s a crazy shift right now with what’s going on.
      “But Tyron Woodley is gonna be the guy to correct that.”
      UFC manager Ali Abdelaziz says Conor McGregor is finished and will end up fighting Jake Paul More