Boxing
‘Am tired of losing’, says Anthony Joshua ahead of Oleksandr Usyk rematch
Anthony Joshua has said he is “done with losing” as he considers a coaching shake-up following his defeat by Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua, who lost the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles to Ukrainian Usyk, told iFL TV he was ready for “war” as he prepares for a potential rematch.
“I’m done with losing. I’m done with trying to learn the sweet science,” Briton Joshua, 32, said.
“[Usyk] might get thrown on the floor in the next fight because this is war.”
He added: “I’m heading into my 12th world title fight now and the learning is done. It’s done. It’s just war. I’m annoyed. I’m boiling up just speaking about it.”
Joshua has spent time in the United States since the loss and worked with leading trainers including Ronnie Shields, who was instrumental in Mike Tyson’s in-ring career.
He insisted he was not splitting from long-time coach Rob McCracken but instead needed to develop further by seeking other inputs.
“I need a new coach to learn from as well,” he added.
“I will not be basing myself in the States, I am a UK resident so I am not going out to the States to find a new coach.
“Rob’s in Lithuania so I need to find a new coach for certain points as I train 10 or 11 months a year. I need to step away and get some new teachings from trainers who have trained the likes of 13 or 14 world champions.
“I wish I had done these things sooner, but now I can go out there and add things to my game.”
Defeat by Usyk has put any immediate hopes of a clash with fellow Briton Tyson Fury, the WBC belt holder, on hold.
However, Joshua said he would use the setback as a catalyst to further success.
“Because you don’t hear from me, I may not be effing and blinding on Instagram stories and stuff like that, it doesn’t mean that I stomach losses,” he said.
“We’ve had some awkward conversations in the camp. It hurts, especially when you’ve got a winner’s mentality.
“I know from experience and track record, my mindset and my evaluation of losses and how I use them, it can catapult me to the next level.”
-BBC
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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