Boxing
I WILL BATTER ANTHONY JOSHUA INSIDE FIRST ROUND, TYSON FURY FURIOUS VOWS
Tyson Fury has reacted to Anthony Joshua’s prediction of beating himwithin six rounds when they meet in the two anticipated heavyweight showdowns next year.
The Gypsy King is quoted by Mirror as saying that Anthony Joshua will not even get to the sixth round in the fights.
He didn’t mince his words when asked how long it would take him to see off Anthony Joshua to be crowned undisputed heavyweight champion.
The two Brits, who hold all four world title belts between them, have agreed in principle to fight twice in 2021.
The bouts would determine the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis’ reign ended 20 years ago.
WBA, IBF and WBO king Joshua has predicted he will beat Fury within six rounds when they meet next summer.
But the Gypsy King doesn’t reckon his opponent will get that long.
The two Brits, who hold all four world title belts between them, have agreed in principle to fight twice in 2021.
The bouts would determine the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis’ reign ended 20 years ago.
WBA, IBF and WBO king Joshua has predicted he will beat Fury within six rounds when they meet next summer.
But the Gypsy King doesn’t reckon his opponent will get that long.
Asked on Instagram how long it would take him, WBC champion confidently predicted: “I would batter Joshua within the first round.”
Joshua must first overcome mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev, while Fury is due to take on Deontay Wilder for a third time later this year.
Assuming they come through unscathed, the Brits could touch gloves next summer.
And Joshua has said he wants to “break Fury’s head”.
“I have a lot of respect for the man,” the former Olympic champion told Sky One. “He’s a good family man and a good fighter, but on the other hand, I want to break his head.
“First six rounds, I think, well I know I’m going to take him out then.
“I have had a shorter career, so I’m fresher. I’ve been in the deep end longer so I can handle the pressure and I believe I’m going to take him out.
“Fury drew the first (fight with Wilder) and then rejigged his game plan and took Wilder out and schooled him really but I think I’m faster than Wilder anyway. Call it what you want, I believe I’m better.”
Joshua and Fury are expected to return to the ring for their respective final hurdles in December but the dates remain fluid due to the coronavirus crisis.
Their bid to crown an undisputed champion was accelerated last weekend when Dillian Whyte was knocked out by Alexander Pokvetin.
Victory for Whyte would have guaranteed him a shot at Fury or Wilder before the all-British clash, but he must now go back to the drawing board.
The Londoner will first have to rematch Povetkin and may then have to wait a further 12 months for his shot.
Oleksandr Usyk will put his WBC heavyweight title belt on the line against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza, Ring Magazine announced on Friday.
The Ukrainian three-times undisputed champion holds the IBF, WBA and WBC titles after vacating the WBO belt.
The 39-year-old has not boxed since beating Britain’s Daniel Dubois at London’s Wembley Stadium last July.
“I respect his (Verhoeven’s) journey – he’s truly the ‘King of Kickboxing’. But this is boxing – a different game, with its own rules and its own kings,” said Usyk, who has a 24-0 record.
“I’m ready and looking forward to meeting him in the ring. It’s going to be a unique experience for both of us, and I know the fans are excited too. A big night is coming.”
The ‘Glory in Giza’ fight will be streamed live on DAZN.
“I spent 12 years as the undisputed heavyweight kickboxing champion and accomplished everything I set out to accomplish,” Verhoeven, 36, told The Ring.
“But staying at the top for that long didn’t take away from the hunger; it strengthened it. Usyk is the undisputed champion in boxing. That’s the kind of challenge that motivated me. Undisputed versus undisputed.”
Verhoeven has sparred in the past with former champion Tyson Fury and had one professional bout in 2014, which he won by a knockout.
-Reuters
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Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will face off in a professional rematch at the Sphere in Las Vegas in September, with the bout streaming globally on Netflix, the fighters and promoters announced on Monday.
The fight marks Mayweather’s return from retirement and will be the first professional boxing match held at the Sphere.
Mayweather, who holds a perfect 50-0 record with 27 knockouts, defeated Pacquiao in their 2015 encounter dubbed the “Fight of the Century.”
That bout generated a record 4.6 million pay-per-view buys and a $72 million live gate at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
“I already fought and beat Manny once. This time will be the same result,” Mayweather said in a statement.
Pacquiao, whose record stands at 62-8-3 with 39 knockouts, expressed confidence he would hand Mayweather his first professional loss.
“I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him,” the Filipino fighter said.
The rematch will stream to Netflix’s more than 325 million subscribers worldwide, continuing the platform’s push into live boxing.
The streaming platform has recently broadcast several high-profile fights, including Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson, which the company said drew 108 million live global viewers
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Former multi-weight world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather will come out of retirement this year for his first official fight in nearly a decade, his new promotion CSI Sports/Fight Sports said on Friday, though his opponent has yet to be decided.
Before his official return, Mayweather is set for an exhibition bout with fellow boxing great Mike Tyson, with the date and venue still to be announced.
“I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing – from my upcoming Mike Tyson event to my next professional fight afterwards – no one will generate a bigger gate, have a larger global broadcast audience and generate more money with each event – than my events,” Mayweather, 48, said in a statement on his new promotion’s website.
It will mark the American’s fourth comeback from retirement, following previous exits in 2007, 2015 and 2017 — the last after beating Conor McGregor to extend his record to 50-0. He has, however, fought several exhibitions since.
Across a three-decade career, Mayweather defeated many of his era’s top fighters and headlined the three highest‑grossing bouts in history, against Manny Pacquiao, McGregor and Canelo Alvarez.
-Reuters
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