Boxing
Stage Getting Set for Fury-Wilder Third Fight
Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder have verbally committed to a third fight, ESPN reported on Thursday night (May 20), days after an arbitration ruling halted fight talks between Fury and British champ Anthony Joshua.
After the independent arbitrator ruled on Monday that WBC heavyweight champ Fury (30-0-1, 21 knockouts) must face Wilder, plans for a unification fight between Fury and Joshua were put on hold, said ESPN citing multiple sources.
The Wilder and Fury fight could be held as early as July 24 in Las Vegas, the American sports broadcaster said, adding that Aug 14 has been set aside as a back-up date.
Boxing promoter Bob Arum told ESPN he expects the contracts could be signed in the coming days. Fury would get 60 per cent of the purse with Wilder receiving the lower sum.
The heavyweights fought to a draw in 2018 and Fury earned a technical knockout victory to win the World Boxing Council (WBC) title in 2020.
The arbitrator ruled that Fury was contractually obligated to give Wilder a rematch, with retired judge Daniel Weinstein upholding a claim lodged by Wilder that Fury must face him in a third fight by Sept 15.
While the arbitrator’s ruling is not a formal court order, it will be deemed enforceable by courts if Wilder and Fury are unable to reach agreement.
Monday’s ruling came just a day after Fury announced he had agreed to fight Joshua on August 14 in Saudi Arabia, where the WBC, World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organisation heavyweight belts will be up for grabs.
Neither Fury nor Wilder have fought since clashing in February 2020, when Fury outclassed the previously unbeaten American to win via a seventh-round TKO.
The two fighters had previously battled to an epic draw in 2018 at Staples Centre Arena in Los Angeles after Fury survived a 12th round knockdown.
-AFP
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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