Author: quyen1

The 71-year-old had begged Iron Mike to call off his comeback – but has now changed his mind after seeing him sparring.

 

 

Tyson is back in the gym as he plans to compete in a four-round exhibition bout to raise money for charity.

Foreman pleaded with the 53-year-old to keep his gloves off as he has already done so much for the sport.

But when asked if he had seen the clip of Tyson sparring, Foreman revealed he has had a change of heart.

He told iFL TV: “I was so happy. He looked like he had turned the clock back at least 20 years.

“He was looking fit and those punches were coming sharp.

“If he’s able to go into the woods and dedicate himself to that for about 10 months, he could come back and really be a top contender.”

 

 

Foreman became the oldest world heavyweight champion when he beat Michael Moorer, aged 45.

But the 71-year-old claimed Tyson has the ability to break his record and predicted he will not draw the line at exhibition bouts.

He added: “That’s what they do, that’s the way it happens.

“I called Dick Sadler, my original trainer back in the 1960s, I’d just won a gold medal, I said I just want to do exhibitions, that’s all, and learn more about boxing.

“Next thing you know, I’m in with the heavyweight champion of the world.

“So it starts off talking about exhibitions, but then it gets bigger and bigger.

 

 

“And Tyson, I would like to see him back in the ring.

“He’s an older fella, but a record is always waiting to be broke.”

But Ricky Hatton has called for Tyson to cancel comeback plans as he fears the 53-year-old could pick up a “serious injury”.

Days after stunning the world with his majority decision win over Devin Haney on April 20, Ryan Garcia sent a warning to internet personality and WWE star Logan Paul.

Garcia, 25, appeared on the PBD podcast and accused Paul and fellow YouTube star KSI of being ‘culture vultures.’

When asked if he would fight Paul, King Ryan insisted that he would ‘do worse.’

 

‘I will destroy Logan Paul,’ he said. ‘I’ve already sparred him [and] he didn’t hurt me once. He was way bigger than me, and I was whooping his ass.’

Garcia may have referred to a video entitled ‘I taught @loganpaulvlogs how to knock Floyd Mayweather out’ uploaded to his YouTube channel on April 1, 2021.

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Ryan Garcia claimed that he would destroy Logan Paul and ‘already whooped’ him in sparring

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Garcia went on a tirade against Paul and his fellow YouTuber KSI, calling them ‘culture vultures’

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King Ryan campaigned against Paul and KSI’s ‘Prime’ drink before fighting Devin Haney

In the near-seven-minute-long video, Garcia helped Paul train for his fight against Mayweather in June 2021. The pair also sparred for a few rounds, with much of the footage not included in the vlog per Paul’s camp’s request.

Garcia’s advice came in vain as Paul failed to knock Mayweather down in the exhibition despite having a significant size advantage. Mayweather showcased his superior experience, landing 40.2 percent of his punches to Mayweather’s 12.2.

Three years later, Garcia and Paul’s relationship has gone bitter as the Victorville, California native went on a tirade calling out the Prime co-founder.

‘They’re leachers, man,’ Garcia said when asked about his issue with Paul and KSI. ‘They don’t stand for nothing, bro. They’re puppets – and at the end of the day, I don’t like people like that. These dudes are culture vultures. These dudes are wack.’

Additionally, Garcia accused Paul of using the George Floyd murder to elevate his platform.

‘You joined every movement you thought was possible for your platform [to grow]. He used the whole black empowerment movement [and] what happened with George Floyd for his benefit. And he got a lot of love for that, right?’

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In 2021, Garcia posted a video where he trained Paul for his fight with Floyd Mayweather

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The pair sparred but did not release much of the footage per Paul’s camp’s request

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On April 20, Garcia scored three knockdowns to beat Haney via majority decision in Brooklyn

‘He took a guy off his channel for talking about Jesus,’ he continued, referring to Paul’s controversial statements about Christianity towards George Janko.

Garcia was on the hot seat behind a controversial buildup to his fight with Haney in Brooklyn, New York. His Bizarre social media behavior led fans to worry about his mental health, as Garcia’s posts went as far as claiming he got murdered after getting his ‘throat slit.’

On fight night, Garcia put on one of the most impressive performances of his career. Garcia scored three knockdowns to give Haney, who was 31-0 going into the fight, his first career loss.

‘You really thought I was crazy?’ Garcia said in his post-fight interview. ‘You done lost your whole mind.’

David Haye has admitted that it is difficult to place boxing legend Mike Tyson in the top five heavyweight boxers of all time.

Tyson, 53, was widely revered for his devastating punching power and incredible speed when he was a menacing force during the 1980s.

But ‘Iron’ Mike, who remains the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title, struggled with problems outside the squared circle and began to decline.

Haye, 39, took to Twitter to reveal his personal picks for the top 10 heavyweight boxers of all time.

The ‘Hayemaker’ revealed that his choices didn’t include any “current active fighters” or any “fighters under 45.”

Haye placed the legendary Muhammad Ali, who is often considered the best boxer of all time, top of the pile.

And boxing legends Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield finished third and fourth respectively.

Haye ranked Tyson sixth in his list after putting him behind fourth-placed George Foreman and fifth-placed Larry Holmes.

The British former boxer said it was hard to rank someone in the top five “if they have never had a fight which they was losing to come back to win.”

Haye told BBC Radio 5 Live: “How many fights has he had where he was behind on points, where he got put down, hurt, and came back?

“That’s the question. I haven’t seen him get through many problems, ever.

“There was never a fight that I remember where Tyson was having some problems and brought it back around — the moment he started to lose or it got tough, it went the other way.

“Many fighters have had tough fights where they’ve been on the brink of losing and found a way, I haven’t seen that with Tyson.

“I find it hard to say someone is in the top five of all time if they have never had a fight which they was losing to come back to win.

“You can’t be an on-top fighter and win all the fights you’ve won, and never really suffer punishment and pain and come back to win.”

Max Holloway has claimed Ilia Topuria is ‘super questionable’ and hit out at the Spaniard’s demands over a fight.

Topuria holds the featherweight title, a belt Holloway wants back having just demolished Justin Gaethje with an iconic KO for the BMF belt at UFC 300.

Now Topuria is insisting the BMF accolade will be on the line if he is to grant ‘Blessed’ a shot at him in his first title defence.

He posted a lengthy message on X, attempting to put Holloway in his place, writing: ‘The only thing questionable about me is whether I finish you by KO or submission.

‘I just beat the guy that beat you not once, not twice, but three times. You now have the one thing that keeps you relevant and that would grant you a money fight, the BMF belt. I no longer fight for money but for legacy.

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Max Holloway knocked out Justin Gaethje to win the BMF title at UFC 300

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UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has had a meteoric rise throughout the company

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‘Winning that belt while holding my title will cement me as the first. The first to hold both belts. The first to knock out Volk and what most certainly will happen when we fight, the first one to put you to sleep. Something to calm you down is this: God doesn’t shame anyone.

‘You will have a worthy defeat against a champion who will be remembered for eternity. I decide who, when, and where. If you don’t like the terms I’m sure Ortega will oblige.’

When asked about Topuria’s statement, Holloway told Jim Rome: ‘That’s not a very ‘BMF’ way to say it. A ‘BMF’ wouldn’t say, ‘I’m not going to fight this guy unless…’ That’s kind of un-‘BMF.’ Doesn’t sound ‘BMF’ the way he’s trying to demand it and saying, ‘I’m not going to fight.’

‘A ‘BMF’ fights whatever, fights whoever, whenever, any weight, any time, and that’s not a tone of a ‘BMF.’

‘That was always my main goal. My main goal was always fighting Ilia,’ Holloway added. This was a fun fight. Shout out to Justin Gaethje. Justin Gaethje’s a legend, ‘The Highlight,’ he had everything to lose. He gave me the shot and this happened. But in my mind it was always, no matter what, win, lose, whatever it is, even until today, I wanted to fight Ilia.

‘People always ask me, ‘What are your thoughts on Ilia?’ The only thing that comes to my mind is it’s questionable. The dude is super questionable. Every other 145 contender that they wanted to fight [Alexander Volkanovski], they went through me.

‘They fought me or they had to fight me. That’s one guy that eluded me. I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but he did and he got the title shot.

‘He beat a guy I couldn’t figure out’, Holloway said of Topuria’s win over Volkanovski. ‘He fought the guy once, I fought the guy three times, and I saw him say that slick stuff took him nine minutes for what took me 90 minutes and I couldn’t do it. Something crazy like that.

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Gaethje hit the ground in the final round after a right overhand by Holloway at UFC 300

‘That’s funny. Last time I checked, when I was your age, I already had title defences, buddy. So it looks like you’ve still got some catching up to do.’

Despite his desire to fight Topuria next, Holloway warned that he has plenty of irons in the fire and could easily challenge elsewhere.

He continued: ‘There’s options. Especially in this sport, it’s always great to have options,’ Holloway said. ‘I’m ranked at a higher weight class now. I’ve got my weight class at [145] sitting right there, knocking on the door. Conor’s coming back. Ilia’s there, Islam’s there. Dustin’s fighting Islam. It should be fun.

‘Like I’ve been saying, that [145] title’s what I want. I want it back. But whatever way the UFC wants to push me, they’re going to push me. I’m waiting. I’m all ears.’

A bizarre viral moment from boxer Mike Tyson led to concerns from fans of his as he prepares for a fight against Jake Paul in a few months.

Tyson’s running form in a video captioned ‘I’m coming for you’ had some worried about the health and physical shape the former heavyweight champion is currently in.

But the boxer’s ex-trainer, Brad Rowe, told USA Today Sports that there’s no need to fear for Tyson’s health.

‘Mike is a unicorn,’ Rowe said. ‘He is stiff and uncoordinated in so many aspects of training.

‘When he enters the ring, he turns into a ballerina. It’s unexplainable.’

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Mike Tyson’s running form in a viral video has some boxing fans concerned for his health

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But a former trainer says that Tyson is in great shape and is dedicated to properly training

Rowe recalled the start to the boxer’s training regimen leading up to his 2020 fight with Roy Jones Jr.

The trainer said he was afraid that Tyson might hurt his hamstring due to the intensity of his exercising.

‘Day 1 he’s like, “No, f–k you. I’m sprinting,”‘ Rowe recalled. ‘So I was like, ‘All right. Let’s pray for no injuries today.’

He continued: ‘We’d go to this tennis court and he would like jog around the corners and sprint the straightaways and I’d be, like, I didn’t want him doing it.

‘Because especially with someone older, an athlete like that that’s not used to that explosive moment.’

Tyson is training for a match against Jake Paul on July 20, his first competitive match in some time.

Before the fight, Tyson has seemingly been focused on growing his cannabis business – all while subtly trashing boxing these days.

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The 57-year-old former heavyweight Tyson is set to fight against Jake Paul on July 20

In an exclusive interview with The New York Post in 2022, Tyson revealed that shady business dealings in boxing surrounded his issue with the sport.

‘The problem with boxing is everything is never on the table,’ Tyson exclaimed as he slammed his hands onto the table.

‘There’s s–t always under the table. Until we get rid of that problem, boxing will always be a mess, and only the elites will make money.’

Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh has revealed the three fights he wants to make happen – including a bout between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

As it stands, Fury is currently preparing for his undisputed world heavyweight title fight against Oleksandr Usyk next month, while ‘AJ’ has just beaten Francis Ngannou.

However, despite their previous or upcoming arrangements, fans have continued discussing a potential bout between the two – with Turki Alalshikh also offering his view.

During an ‘Ask Me Anything Q&A’ on Reddit, Alalshikh revealed the three bouts that he’d like to organise in the future – having played a big role in boxing’s current landscape.

Alalshikh claimed that Fury vs Joshua, Terence Crawford vs Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez vs Artur Beterbiev are the three fights he’s keen to make happen.

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Anthony Joshua (left) and Tyson Fury (right) have been tipped to share the boxing ring in 2024

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Saudi powerbroker Turki Alalshikh (pictured) is keen to organise a bout between the two Brits

Given Alalshikh’s power over the sport of boxing, it’s more than likely that some – if not all – of those bouts come to fruition later in the year.

The Saudi boxing chief has already orchestrated Fury’s upcoming bout with Usyk, as well as Joshua’s victory over former UFC champion Ngannou.

Last month, Alalshikh teased a ‘huge’ show at Wembley for later this year – with many suggesting it could be the bout between Joshua and Fury.

He said: ‘I’m talking, thinking and studying with Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn to do something huge in Wembley in the third quarter as a commercial for Riyadh Season.

Just one week before his comments, Eddie Hearn revealed that Joshua and Fury could sign a two-fight deal to finally face each other.

‘This is a gentleman called Turki Alalshikh, who is obviously a very influential figure in sports and entertainment in Saudi Arabia,’ Hearn said on The Sports Agents podcast.

‘He’s also the biggest fight fan I’ve ever met. And quite amazingly, he’s now talking about staging two Fury vs AJ fights – one in Saudi Arabia and one at Wembley Stadium.’

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Alalshikh is also targeting a super-fight with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (pictured) later this year

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The Saudi boxing chief ideally wants to see Alvarez face-off against Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford

Joshua and Fury have both fought at Wembley before, experiencing some of their best nights in boxing at the iconic venue.

AJ beat Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley in 2017, rising from the canvas to stop the Ukrainian in the 11th round of a back-and-forth contest.

He returned the following year to knock out Russia’s Alexander Povetkin in the seventh round.

Fury was also victorious at the national team stadium as he beat fellow Brit Dillian Whyte in 2022.

Lawrence Okolie has admitted his approach to boxing has changed after watching Ryan Garcia pull off a shock win against Devin Haney on Saturday night.

After weeks of erratic behaviour that included posting on social media about UFOs and demons, predicting an earthquake that would ‘destroy Hollywood and Las Vegas’, and proposing to a porn star in fight week, Garcia stunned the boxing world by dropping Haney three times on his way to a majority decision victory.

There were genuine concerns about Garcia’s welfare heading into Saturday’s fight after he struggled to keep his cool at Friday’s weigh-in where he missed weight, and he later claimed he was drinking and smoking every day in training camp, but he still put on the performance of his life to hand Haney his first professional defeat.

Reflecting on how things played out, Okolie revealed that he is now looking at the sport differently after seeing how Garcia held everything together when it mattered most.

‘It’s changed my mind about how I am going to approach my fight I can tell you that much,’ Okolie told Betway.

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Ryan Garcia shocked the boxing world by beating Devin Haney on Saturday night

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Garcia beat Haney despite worrying fans in the weeks before the fight by posting on social media about UFOS and demons

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Garcia also proposed to Australian porn star Savannah Bond (pictured) just days before the fight

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He posted on X that Bond had said yes to his proposal, just three months after his divorce from his ex-wife

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Garcia also struggled to keep his cool after missing weight on Friday, but then delivered the performance of his life

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Lawrence Okolie believes Garcia proved that what happens outside the ring ‘doesn’t matter’ and admitted he has now changed his whole approach to boxing

‘When it’s all said and done, it’s about the fighting and all of the stuff outside of the ring doesn’t matter. Hats off to Ryan, I thought he boxed brilliantly.

‘His passion and determination shined through, and I think that was one of the main differences because Devin Haney was still boxing well and fighting a good fight, but you could just tell that the energy was with Ryan Garcia no matter what.’

The fight remained close on the scorecards throughout, with Haney picking up rounds while boxing behind his jab, but it was clear Garcia had the edge in power.

Garcia hurt his opponent in the opening round with a left hook, and Okolie praised him for trusting his ability to keep finding that shot to get the job done over the distance.

Speaking on Garcia’s strategy, Okolie added: ‘I think it was also Ryan managing himself in-between rounds. He may have been tired but that shows experience too.

Ryan Garcia brags about ‘drinking and smoking every day’

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Okolie lost his world title to Chris Billam-Smith last year, but is set for another shot at glory against Poland’s Lukasz Rozanksi next month

‘He may have been tired and taken a few rounds off and then go for it. I think it was just someone who was managing 12 rounds very well and also, I think from the first round when he landed that first shot in the first 30 seconds of the round that he knew his left hook could do something and it showed.’

Okolie has his own shot at becoming a two-weight world champion when he faces Poland’s Lukasz Rozanski for the WBC bridgerweight title next month.

The Brit lost his cruiserweight belt to domestic foe Chris Billam-Smith in a scrappy fight that saw him knocked down three times and deducted points for excessive holding.

But Okolie has now insisted that his mentality has changed for his chance at redemption, and will hope this pays off when he takes on Rozanski on May 24.

Tony Bellew says he was thrust into boxing after being expelled from school for beating up his classmate after the violated their teacher.

The former WBC cruiserweight world champion attended Lawrence Community Primary before transferring to Childwall Comprehensive for his senior years.

However, it was at Childwall that Bellew was permanently excluded after stepping in to defend his teacher after a fellow pupil squirted a juice box in their face.

Bellew was asked to leave after ‘taking it too far’ by breaking the boy’s jaw and smashing his teeth. Although, he was later offered the chance to return to the school to attend their sixth form.

Speaking about the incident during a fireside interview with Kody ‘Big Mo’ Mommaerts for NMBS, Bellew said: ‘I didn’t really start taking boxing seriously until I was expelled from school.

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Tony Bellew says he was thrust into boxing after being expelled from school for beating up his classmate after the violated his teacher

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Bellew was asked to leave after ‘taking it too far’ by breaking the boy’s jaw and smashing his teeth. Although, he was later offered the chance to attend their sixth form

The former world champion went on to add: ‘I soon realised, I better do this [boxing] because it’s the only thing I am good at.

‘Believe it or not, I was expelled from school for guess what, fighting. That was the end of it. But, just to clarify, I wasn’t a bully or anything. Another pupil hit a teacher in the school.

‘Now, if it was my math teacher I would have applauded them and laughed all the way, but a young man decided to burst a carton of Ribena in a female teacher’s face.

‘I ended up breaking his jaw and knocking all of his teeth out. The school expelled me because I took the force too far. So, that went fantastically well. Only for the school to invite me back a year later and ask me to do sixth form.

‘I did the stupid thing and told them no, being the pig-headed fool I was. So, yeah. That was my career in boxing, it all started from there.

‘I had no qualifications and all I was good at was punching people in the face. But, it all seemed to work out in the end so I’m not complaining.’

Bellew enjoyed a successful career winning the ABA heavyweight title three times and securing with a record of 40 wins and seven defeats before turning pro in 2007.

Bellew became Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion in 2010 by beating Ovill McKenzie by TKO and claimed the vacant British light-heavyweight belt the following year.

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The fireside chat was part of NMBS ‘ annual gala dinner, on the evening of their national exhibition which sees executives from over 280 construction manufacturers gather

Then in 2014 he knocked out Valery Brudov to win the WBO international cruiserweight championship before facing Nathan Cleverley and Adonis Stevenson for the world title.

However, it wasn’t until 2016 that Bellew was crowned champion of the world – stopping his Congolese opponent Ilunga Makabu at Goodison Park after climbing off the canvas.

Since hanging up his gloves with a professional record of 30 wins, three loss and one draw, Bellew has taken up various roles working as an analyst and commentator for DAZN, The Zone, TalkSPORT and others.

Bellew also featured in ITV’s hit reality show I’m A Celebrity, being crowned the king of the jungle after undergoing several bush-tucker trials.

The former world champion also featured on Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins – opening up on camera about life after boxing.

Bellew opened up on his childhood while speaking to Kody Mommaerts, more commonly known as ‘Big Mo’ is an American entertainer and combat sports ring announcer.

He is currently the official Ring Announcer for the boxing promotion BOXXER which airs on Sky Sports, and BYB Extreme Fighting Series which airs on BEIN Sports XTRA and Fight Network.

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Bellew opened up on his childhood while speaking to Kody Mommaerts, more commonly known as ‘Big Mo’ is an American entertainer and combat sports ring announcer

The fireside chat was part of NMBS’ annual gala dinner, on the evening of their national exhibition which sees executives from over 280 of Britain’s leading construction manufacturers gather with over over 1000 independent builders merchant delegates generating over £10 million in additional sales.

Nikita Tszyu has overcome a nasty mid-fight moment to score a unanimous points win over Danilo Creati and retain his Australian super welterweight title at Sydney‘s Hordern Pavilion.

Tszyu (9-0, 8 KOs) caught Creati (8-2-1, 1 KO), with some powerful left hand shots in the first round in Wednesday’s clash, and the Italian-born challenger had a knockdown scored against him in the second, when his glove brushed the canvas.

Watched by his elder brother and former WBO junior middleweight champion Tim, who is reported to be likely to face Vergil Ortiz in August, Nikita went on to earn the win by scores of 100-88, 99-90 and 100-89.

It had earlier looked like being an early night for the champion as he continued to punish the challenger through the next two rounds after the knockdown, but Creati showed his toughness.

After landing several shots in the fifth, Creati jolted Tszyu with a big right hand in the sixth.

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Nikita Tszyu extended his undefeated record with another victory on Wednesday

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The Australian retained his title with a unanimous points victory in Sydney

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He wobbled the champion but Creati couldn’t follow up and the chance to spring an upset passed, though the challenger still landed some good one-off shots throughout the fight.

‘I wasn’t concerned, I’ve copped worse at the Hordern, I always get rocked here, whats with this place?’ Tszyu quipped.

‘It was great to go to 10 rounds, it was great to get that experience in.’

Tszyu regained the ascendancy in the latter rounds, pounding his opponent in the ninth and 10th, but Creati demonstrated tremendous conditioning and durability.

Tszyu was taken beyond the sixth round for the first time and Creati, whose only previous loss was to Michael Zerafa, retained his proud record of never being stopped as a professional.

Earlier, Malik Zinad became the first Libyan to qualify for a professional world title fight with a classy performance in his 12-round majority points win over New Zealand’s Jerome Pampellone.

ZInad, who improved to 22-0, displayed good skills and a strong chin to earn the win over Pampellone, who lost for the first time in 19 professional bouts.

In a women’s WBA super flyweight world title fight, Sydney-based challenger Linn Sandstrom suffered a unanimous points loss to Argentina’s Clara Lescurat.

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His proud older brother Tim watched on as he secured an impressive victory

The 35-year-old champion’s unrelenting body attack and quick combinations proved too much for Brazil-born, Sweden-raised Sandstrom who was brave but outclassed.

Lescurat, who made her fourth successful title defence, won by margins of four, eight and 10 points on the judges’ scorecards.

Cesar Mateo Tapia won the WBO Latino middleweight title with a unanimous 10-round points win over Venezuela’s Keiber Gonzalez.

Tapia, who was born in Mexico, raised In Sydney and resides in Florida, improved his record to 17-0 and inflicted a first professional loss in 21 professional bouts on Gonzalez.

Deontay Wilder could finally be set to end what’s been a long wait to fight Anthony Joshua, and according to his agent Shelly Finkel, is ‘hoping’ an offer to take on the British fighter will be made later in 2024.

The heavyweights have been circling eachother for years, with boxing fans eager to see Joshua and Wilder square off in the ring. But before a fight can be made, Wilder is set to return to the ring to avenge his defeat against Joseph Parker, as he takes on Zhilei Zhang during Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren‘s 5v5 event in June.

Joshua, meanwhile, is yet to announce his next opponent, after he claimed an emphatic knockout victory against Francis Ngannou in March. While it seems he is waiting to set up a fight against Tyson Fury, who will take on Oleksandr Usyk on May 18, reports from The Sun claim that Joshua could return to the ring in September.

 

Saudi boxing excecutive Turki Alalshikh is set to be coordinating the fight which will take place at Wembley and could see Wilder step in to face the British fighter, if he beats Zhang in the summer.

According to his promoter, Shelly Finkel, the former heavyweight champion is ready to step up to the occasion, if an offer is tabled.

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Deontay Wilder could set up a fight against Anthony Joshua in September at Wembley

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Joshua is yet to announce his next opponent but reports claim he could fight later this autumn

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Wilder (second right), meanwhile, is set to join up with Eddie Hearn (first right) to take on Zhilei Zhang (left) at 5v5

‘It’s speculation but if everything goes OK on June 1 like we hope and expect and that’s brought to us, we’re totally open,’ his manager Finkel told The Sun.

He added: ‘But no, there hasn’t been any direct conversation.’

In 2023, Eddie Hearn claimed that a bout between Joshua and Wilder had finally been ‘signed’ and ‘was set to be announced’ after the Day of Reckoning.

But those plans to announce the bout were scuppered, after the Bronze Bomber suffered a unanimous decision defeat by Joseph Parker in December.

Hearn said: ‘We had signed the Wilder contract. It was going to be announced tonight, but that’s boxing. It’s one that we believed we would win and if anyone was going to beat him, I was pleased it was Joe [Parker].’

Hearne and Wilder have previously not seen eye-to-eye, with Wilder insisting the promoter’s agency, Matchroom, ‘held Joshua back from agreeing a £40million deal to fight him’ in 2023.

While the pair have fired jibes back and forth over the years, with Hearn calling the 38-year-old’s loss to Parker ‘the most one-sided heavyweight fights ever,’ it now appears Wilder and the promoter have buried the hatchet.

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His promoter Shelly Finkel (left) admitted they are ‘hoping’ to receive an offer to fight Joshua

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Hearn (left) and Wilder have not seen eye-to-eye before, but seem to have buried the hatchet

In a shock U-turn, the Bronze Bomber has now announced a collaboration with the Matchroom promoter as he goes head-to-head with Frank Warren, in their blockbuster 5v5 card, which is set to take place on June 1.

During the evening, Wilder will look to avenge his defeat by Parker against Zhang, with his promoter Finkel, stressing that his 40-year-old opponent will be a tough match for Wilder.

‘Now we have a big fight in front of us and as long as he does what he’s supposed to, hopefully that’ll be history and then we’ll go forward,’ Finkel said.

He added: ‘Zhang is not someone you can play around with it’s a fight that if you’re going to beat this guy you’ve got to hurt him early and stop him from being too aggressive.’

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Wilder will be looking to avenge his defeat by Joseph Parker (pictured) back in December

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It seems fans may have to wait to see Tyson Fury (left) take on Anthony Joshua, with the Gypsy King set to take on Oleksandr Usyk later this year.

A fight between Fury and Joshua is reportedly one of three bouts that Saudi boxing chief Alalshikh wants to make.

And despite their recent commitments that have prevented the two from meeting head-on-head in the ring, that hasn’t stopped fans speculating about a potential fight.

Fury, meanwhile, looks like he will be engaged for the remainder of the year, having signed a rematch clause to fight Usyk. That leaves Joshua looking for another opponent and there is a chance Wilder could potentially set up a meeting with the Brit, if he beats Zhang this summer.