Author: quyen1

Joshua and Ngannou will compete in a heavyweight match tomorrow night. The photocall comes before that.

Four extremely affluent athletes seem spot on in a billion-pound lineup alongside a Saudi magnate.

Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo and promoter Turki Alalshikh joined boxers Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Francis Ngannou in Riyadh.

In Riyadh, Cristiano Ronaldo and Turki Alalshikh joined Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Francis Ngannou.Joshua, who is reportedly worth £200 million, made a rare combined appearance with his £125 million foe Fury.

Their total wealth is slightly more than half of Ronaldo’s reportedly acquired £600 million.

With an estimated net worth of £70 million, Alalshikh—nicknamed His Excellency—is the group’s richest member, with £5 million. Ngannou, on the other hand, is the least wealthy.

A boxing source said: “This is literally a billion dollar picture.

“When you look at those stars and how much they are worth, as well as Mr Alalshikh, the mind boggles.

“He holds the influence and the purse strings. Saudi is looking to overtake Vegas as the fight capital of the world and Alalshikh is a massive part of that.”

The picture was taken in advance of Joshua’s heavyweight matchup with Ngannou, a former mixed martial arts champion, on tomorrow night.

WBC champion Fury is in Saudi Arabia on May 18 to face IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk. He is come to support his brother Roman, who is competing on the undercard.

He posted online: “I want the winner after I smash the rabbit.”

Alalshikh also hinted at a future collaboration with Ronaldo, who, after joining the Saudi team Al-Nassr in 2022, is now the highest-paid football player in history.

The Portuguese megastar has a reported £173million salary, plus multiple deals with sponsors including Armani and Tag Heuer.

AJ — who has said he wants to become a billionaire — is raking in about £10million a fight, and the bankable star enjoys a string of commercial tie-ups.

“This is literally a billion dollar picture”

Boxing Source

Fury’s earnings rocketed when he beat then-world champ Wladimir Klitshcko in 2015.

The Gypsy King now commands huge purses for each fight, with claims he will bank about £100million for the Usyk showdown.

Cameroon-born Ngannou was reportedly paid about £500,000 for his last UFC heavyweight bout – but his earnings have soared since he switched to boxing.

He knocked Fury down in their fight last October before losing on points.

Fury and Ngannou battled each other in Saudi last year.

Joshua will face Ngannou this week after the UFC champ managed to knock Fury down in their fight.

Which heavyweight has the strongest punch was disclosed by Itauma.

After being compared to Mike Tyson, MOSES ITAUMA is considered the heavyweight boxing champion of the future.

The 19-year-old defeated Dan Garber last week to improve his record to 8-0.

Tyson Fury has touted Moses Itauma for greatness.

He and Anthony Joshua have also fought.

Having previously trained under the greatest in sparring sessions with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, he has a bright future ahead of him.

When asked if the Gypsy King strikes harder than Joshua, Itauma had a surprising answer, despite the fact that she thinks the Gypsy King is the superior boxer.

In response, he stated on talkSPORT: “No, but he’s so special. Joshua gave me a rather severe blow.

“I sparred him [Joshua] when I was 16. I only did a couple of rounds, but that was enough.”

When they sparred, Fury gave the young fighter some advice, and he thinks he held his own against the world champion.

Itauma further disclosed that there was an unspoken understanding between the two celebrities and him not to knock each other out.

“I haven’t wobbled,” he continued. We are large men. It just takes one shot for either of us to knock the other person out.

“Let’s say, I go in there and I knock someone out in sparring, they can’t spar for six weeks and I’m going to struggle to get a sparring partner.

“You don’t really learn from knocking people out in sparring.”

Itauma continued: “If I go in there, he’s just tapping and I’m trying to knock him out, I’ll look like a… you know.

“If he goes in there and tries to knock me out, but I’m going easy, it doesn’t make sense. So you have an unspoken agreement.

“You feel out what the first minute is like and you gauge it from there.”

BOXING fans took another gut punch following the collapse of Tyson Fury’s fight with Oleksandr Usyk.

The historic title unification would have seen all four heavyweight belts at stake for the first time in history.

 

But despite terms being agreed, talks broke down at the 11th hour amid a row over financials for a potential rematch.

It proved to be a far too familiar story with yet another blockbuster bout facing the KO.

Here, SunSport runs down five infamous tales of when fights failed to materialise.

Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua

Eerily similar, Britain’s two best had everything in place to unify the belts in Saudi Arabia in August 2021.

But Fury was contracted to a trilogy bout against Deontay Wilder, which the American forced through following a lengthy court case.

AJ instead went on to fight and lose to Usyk, who kept onto the belts in their subsequent rematch.

It set him up to replace Joshua in a fight with Fury – who had beaten Wilder again – but we have all seen the sad state of recent affairs.

Although in a shock twist, AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn hopes the collapse of talks with Usyk could see Joshua instead fight Fury next.

 

Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder

The year is 2019 and it is Fury looking on from the outside with Joshua and Wilder owning the WBA, IBF, WBO and WBC titles respectively.

And sports streaming service DAZN and Hearn were ready to prise Wilder over to jump ship.

He was said to have been offered a three-bout deal – including a pair of fights with AJ – worth around £80m.

But Wilder opted to reject it and stay with PBC and Showtime, going on to twice lose to Fury in their trilogy epic following their 2018 draw.

The Bronze Bomber remains on the comeback trail with a score-settling showdown with Joshua among his current options.

Lennox Lewis vs Vitali Klitschko II

Lewis was taken to the brink of defeat by Klitschko in their 2003 classic.

But Klitschko was pulled out in round six following a horror cut, declaring Lewis the winner.

The Ukrainian was ahead of the judges scorecards and in control of the bout, causing demand for a rematch.

Klitschko went on to defeat Kirk Johnson and become mandatory for Lewis’ WBC title.

 

But the British legend would later announce his retirement in 2004, causing the rematch to fall through.

Lennox Lewis vs Riddick Bowe

The heavyweight stars looked on course for a big rematch after Lewis beat Bowe in the 1988 Olympics.

But the two could never see eye to eye in the professional ranks, meaning their super-fight went to waste.

Quite literally when Bowe held a press conference in 1992 to throw his WBC belt in the bin to avoid facing Lewis.

It meant Lewis was crowned the champion by the WBC but he never got the chance to share the ring with Bowe again.

Only last year did the two appear to squash their near-four decade long feud as Bowe approached Lewis at a fight night and shook his hand.

Mike Tyson vs George Foreman

Foreman was on a comeback trail in the 90s while Tyson struggled to keep consistency in his career.

They even shared the same card in 1990 and looked on a collision course to clash.

But Tyson would spend three years in jail for a 1992 while Foreman became the oldest heavyweight champ in history aged 45.

But by the time Tyson was released, Foreman soon lost his titles and later admitted he never really wanted to fight Iron Mike.

He told ESPN in 2019: “If he missed you with his left, then missed you with his right, he’d bite you. I didn’t want to have anything to do with that. I didn’t want him.”

Mike Tyson’s next opponent could be James Toney, with the former cruiserweight world champion dropping a hint on social media that it’s going to be him.

Former heavyweight world champion Tyson returned to the boxing ring last November, for the first time in 15 years, when he took on Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition fight.

 

‘Iron Mike’ isn’t done either and there has been multiple reports over the months about him stepping back in the ring again.

Just this week the 54-year-old revealed that his second exhibition fight would be on May 29th in Miami, though no opponent was named.

Previously a huge third fight against Evander Holyfield has been discussed but former heavyweight title challenger Toney suggested it could be him, with a post on Instagram.

Toney, who won world titles at cruiserweight, super middleweight and middleweight during his professional career mocked Tyson saying, “You better not wear a mini-skirt to our fight. No jokes. Lights Out!”

The caption related to the video of ‘the baddest man on the planet’ in a parody of the 1989 Bobby Brown hit Every Little Step.

In 2010, Tyson joined comedian Wayne Brady in a spoof of the original video and 11 years on Toney obviously wants his potential opponent to take things more seriously.

Tony did beat John Ruiz for the WBA version of the world heavyweight title in 2005, with a unanimous decision victory, however the win and title were taken away from him.

The fight was turned into a no contest when the American failed a drugs test, though he was allowed to keep hold of the IBA heavyweight title.

 

He later fought Lennox Lewis conqueror Hashim Rahman for the WBC world title but failed to become champion for a second time, with the pair fighting to a majority draw for Rahman.

Tyson recently revealed that if he could have fought any boxer from any era then it would have been the undefeated Floyd Mayweather.

Iron Mike would have surely loved to have ended Money’s undefeated run and said ‘I wish he was my weight.’

The 50-0 boxer is due to have his own latest exhibition fight when he takes on YouTuber Logan Paul at some point in the near future.

Anthony Joshua will step into the ring with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou on Friday, March 8. Joshua has returned to form over the last year and will be looking to get the better of Ngannou, who lost a close fight to Tyson Fury on his boxing debut in October. Joshua has said he is aiming for a knockout win, while Ngannou is also confident in his powers ahead of the bout.

Anthony Joshua

Image credit: Getty Images

Anthony Joshua wants to “make a statement” and knock out Francis Ngannou when they face off in Saudi Arabia this week.

 

Joshua will be looking for a fourth successive victory after beating Otto Wallin last time out on December.

 

But former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou could pose a tricky test.

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Ngannou impressed on his boxing debut in October as he knocked down WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and only lost via a split decision.

“I believe I can knock him out,” Joshua told Sky Sports ahead of fighting Ngannou on Friday, March 8.

“Definitely. I would love to knock him out and make a statement.

“Physically I feel strong, feeling good. Strong enough to get the job done and mentally I’m in a place where I’m ready for war. I’m looking forward to the challenge.

“Mentally I don’t worry so much about my opponent and look at what my opponent can bring to me and think, ‘how can I overcome these challenges they present?’ I work really hard to up my game and look forward to showing everything I’ve worked on.”

 

Joshua has put himself back in contention for a world title shot after his recent winning streak.

He could be in line to fight the winner of May’s undisputed heavyweight clash between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, a clash which will be live on TNT Sports Box Office.

How to watch UFC 299: O’Malley v Vera 2, Page makes debut – Exclusively live on TNT Sports

But first he will need to get past Ngannou, who believes he has the power to knock out Joshua.

“I believe if I land on anyone, I will knock them out. The question is how to land? That’s the hardest thing.

“Almost everyone in this division can knock anyone out, but how do you land or carry that power and energy from first round to fifth round to 10 rounds and still hit someone hard or knock somebody out after all the fatigue? It’s a chess game.”

Asked about Ngannou’s belief that he could deliver a knockout, Joshua said: “I’m optimistic and I think, ‘brilliant, I want that’. I want someone in front of me who thinks they can knock me out.

“But let’s see how good they really are. I want to be right in front of them, making it difficult for them to achieve their goal and see how much they really want it.

“This Friday it’s going to go down, so I can’t wait for the opportunity to show my skills and combat this person who thinks he can knock me out.”

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JOHN FURY claims Mike Tyson accepted his offer of a boxing clash when the pair met in Saudi Arabia.

The two bumped into each other in February while watching Tommy Fury’s win over Jake Paul.

 

They warmly embraced by shaking hands with Fury delighted to have met his idol and the man he named his son Tyson after.

And now the duo could meet again in the ring with Fury claiming Tyson has accepted his invitation to fight.

He told the Mirror via FreeBets.com: “I did say to him in the podcast [not yet released] me and you should do something and fight.

“You know what he said? ‘Yeah I would love that’. When he said that to me that is the highlight of my life.

“If I can get in the ring, punch-for-punch, whatever he wants to do if I get carried out or die on a stretcher that is my life completed.

“Because who is better than a man who meant a lot to me because I named my son after him. Tyson is the heavyweight king so I think the world of him.

“He is a great guy, a man’s man with no bull**** and he has learned from his experiences knowing what people are now. He is a rough ride like me we have both learned a lot haven’t we.”

The pair recently enjoyed dinner together alongside Tyson Fury, Derek Chisora and legendary announcer Michael Buffer.

 

Tyson, 56, has not fought since coming up against Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition bout in November 2020.

But he is keen to return to the ring and admitted he would even be willing to compete in WWE.

He is even eyeing a clash with Logan Paul, claiming he would “kick his ass”.

Tyson said: “Have you ever seen me wrestle before?

“I would do it! I would kick his ass, yes I would do it. Even though I love him, though.

“This is what I found out about WrestleMania: Everybody says ‘that’s fake, that’s fake.’ But the check is real.

MIKE TYSON broke down in tears the day after seeing his hero Muhammad Ali take a pasting from Larry Holmes.

The former undisputed heavyweight champion returned from a two-year layoff in 1980 at the age of 38 to challenge Holmes for the WBC and Ring Magazine titles.

 

Father Time had well and truly caught up to The Greatest – who had been struggling with vocal stutters and hand tremours – who was beaten from pillar to post until trainer Angelo Dundee halted the fight in the tenth.

 

A 14-year-old Tyson watched on in horror with trainer Cus D’Amato as Holmes battered his hero and was stunned into the silence

 

Iron Mike told Boxing Arabia: “We went to see Muhammad Ali fight Larry Holmes on closed circuit. [Holmes] beat the s**t out of Ali.

“We all went back home, 30 miles south, nobody said a word in the car for 30 miles.

“We got in the house, went to our beds, all went to sleep, nobody said nothing.

“The next morning [Tyson’s trainer Cus D’Amato] is on the phone with Ali.

“I’m hearing him say, ‘He’s a bum, Ali, why you let that bum beat on you?’”

 

D’Amato eventually passed the phone on to Tyson – who vowed to avenge his fallen hero.

 

He said: “I was on the phone, I said [to Ali], ‘When I get big I’m gonna avenge you.

 

“‘I’m gonna knock him out for you.’

“Ali said, ‘Yeah I’m the greatest fighter ever and I took medicine.

“And I got sick and I’m gonna come back and knock out Holmes.’

Ali’s words, however, didn’t have the desired comforting effect on a teenage Tyson.

He said: “I’m on the phone crying.

“He thought he was making me happy but he was making me sad cause he ignored the fact of me saying I’m gonna avenge you.”

Tyson got his opportunity to avenge Ali eight years later when he fought Holmes in Trump Plaza, Atlantic City in January 1988.

Ali was in attendance for the fight, and told Tyson seconds before the tussle: “Get him for me.”

“Get him” Tyson did as he overwhelmed Holmes and stopped him in the fourth round to retain the WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles.

Mike Tyson’s legacy in heavyweight boxing is iconic, mainly due to his achievement of becoming the youngest world champion in the division’s history.

 

His reputation as a powerful puncher and swift mover allowed him to secure 44 knockouts out of 50 wins, with 35 of those victories occurring in the early rounds. Notably, Tyson successfully defended his title nine times during his tenure in the heavyweight division.

Recently, Tyson was enlisted by MMA star Francis Ngannou to assist him in preparing for his debut in professional boxing. This endeavor is made particularly challenging as Ngannou is set to face the undefeated world champion and namesake of Tyson’s legend, Tyson Fury. Despite skepticism from many quarters, with few believing that a former UFC champion could transition effectively to boxing, Tyson exudes confidence in his new trainee.

In a conversation with ES News, Tyson commended Ngannou’s training progress as “beautiful” and confidently asserted that they were poised to “shock the world.”

Tyson hinted that if Ngannou manages to connect a punch, it could potentially result in a knockout, adding to the intrigue surrounding the crossover bout.

 

Is Iron Mike just trying to drum up promotion for Fury vs Ngannou?

Consensus says this fight should be a mismatch. After all, Ngannou is still a novice who shouldn’t be able to compete with an elite amateur heavyweight let alone the best heavyweight boxer in the world. However, his great punching power is what makes things interesting. If Ngannou is skillful enough to capitalize on a Fury mistake, who knows what can happen?

But, again, simply having a nuclear weapon is an altogether different circumstance than being able to deploy it.

Tyson Fury’s decision to face Ngannou has attracted criticism from both boxing fans and fellow fighters, as it implies that Fury might not defend his WBC world title in 2023. This crossover event will be recorded in the professional records of both fighters and promises substantial earnings as they collide in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

 

If Tyson’s prediction materializes, it could be one of the most monumental upsets in boxing history. Such an outcome would prompt Fury to provide explanations for his performance, leading to a significant decline in his reputation. However, the majority of the sports community views Tyson’s claim with skepticism, with Fury expected to maintain his undefeated record and proceed to engage in more conventional heavyweight clashes in the future.

“Listen, if you’re asking me if I was 20 years old, then yes, there’s no doubt.”

Mike Tyson has claimed he would have beaten British duo Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury in his prime.

 

 

Tyson won his first world title at the age of 20 and went on to become undisputed heavyweight champion.

 

His standout wins are against Larry Holmes, Frank Bruno, Trevor Berbick and Michael Spinks.

The boxing legend returned in 2020 to fight fellow American Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition and has insisted he will fight again.

Joshua and Fury – who currently own the heavyweight division with all four major world titles – were set to face off before a court arbitration ordered Fury to face Deontay Wilder in a rematch.

Fury will fight Wilder for a third time on October 9 while Joshua is in action against Oleksandr Usyk in September.

Tyson, 55, believes there would be ‘no doubt’ about the outcome had he fought both men in his prime.
“Yes. Listen, if you’re asking me if I was 20 years old, then yes, there’s no doubt.” Tyson said on his Hotboxin’ podcast.

“They’re really good fighters and I respect all these skills. It would have been very tough fighting them.”

 

Tyson admitted he was impressed by Fury’s performance in his first fight against Wilder, which ended in a dramatic draw.

“In the first fight I was hoping for Tyson Fury, I always pulled for him because he was named after me, that is the natural thing to do, right?

 

“He amazed a lot of people by getting up. He showed he is tough, he got up and won the final round. I thought it was over, then he got up and it was like Rocky, he then fought back. It was amazing, it made me a fan. It takes great fortitude and belief.

“Hey, I really like him. You know what he is? He’s really a breath of fresh air,” Tyson said when talking about AJ.

“He’s really clean, he really looks clean, he’s a clean guy, he’s a clean fighter, he’s a good puncher.

“You just wish the best for him. I don’t know. My ego says, ‘nobody would beat you’ – but you look at him and… he just looks beautiful.
“He just looks like a fighter, you know? He looks like he was born to do what he has to do. He needs more experience of course, but that will come in life.”

The American took a heavy beating and got knocked out inside seven rounds. Prior to his defeat, the “Bronze Bomber” insisted he would have knocked out Tyson at his peak.

“Me vs. Tyson in ’86, I’d kick the hell outta that guy,” Wilder said. “Listen, I’ve got to keep it real. I know people always go back to the old school or look at the new school and there’s no school where I’m not number one on earth.”

Replying to what he said, Tyson was unsure as to whether he would be able to deal with the one punch power Wilder possesses.

“I don’t know. I love the fact that he thinks that, because that’s the way I would think as well. “He’s supposed to think that way, he is the heavyweight champion of the world and that’s something very special.”

January 22, 1988, the stage at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City was all set to witness one of the biggest heavyweight showdowns yet. Then 21-year-old Mike Tyson (50-6-2, 44 KOs) placed his WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles on the lines as he locked horns with Larry Holmes (69-6, 44 KOs). However, this fight had an iconic backstory that would give sports movies a run for their money. As Tyson vs. Holmes turns 36, here is a recap of the fight that was rightfully called ‘Heavyweight History.’

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Tyson was fresh off a 7th-round TKO victory against Tyrell Biggs (30-10, 20 KOs) when he was pitted against Holmes.

‘The Easton Assassin,’ on the other hand, had lost his previous two fights against Michael Spinks (31-1, 21 KOs). Moreover, he had defeated boxing legend Muhammad Ali (56-5, 37 KOs) a few years prior—a loss that Ali had not forgotten. Ali went inside the ring to wish both fighters ahead of the fight but he had a few words in particular for Tyson. “Remember what you said, get him for me,” he said.

These words were enough to set Tyson off like a cannonball. He was sure to showcase his boxing prowess from the get-go and dominated most of the first three rounds despite Holmes trying to slow him down. The fourth round saw Holmes get back at Tyson by hitting him multiple times with a left jab. However, the young Tyson quickly picked himself up and took Holmes to the ropes. He then went on to hit Holmes with a left jab–right-hook combination, quickly sending him to the canvas.

While the world witnessed one of the most iconic showdowns in boxing history, many believed that Holmes was too old to be pitted against a prime Tyson. HBO analyst Larry Merchant even referred to the matchup as “a bull in an antique shop.”

A promise was made

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The fight was a culmination of a promise that Tyson made Ali years prior.

 

Ali faced Holmes at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1980. He came out of a 2-year hiatus for the showdown, billed as ‘The Last Hurrah!’. But Ali’s advancing Parkinson’s made it hard for him to keep up with the younger Holmes. He was defeated in the tenth round via a stoppage.

Tyson, then 14, watched the fight live on TV with his trainer, Cus D’Amato. He was crushed to see his idol losing the fight in that manner.

“Cus had wanted me to beat him so bad. I was offended by how bad he beat up Ali,” Tyson recalled. “He said to Ali, ‘I have this young black kid who is going to be heavyweight champion someday, and I want you to talk to him.’”

D’Amato then handed the phone over to Tyson, who made a promise to the boxing legend.

“When I grow up, I’ll fight Holmes, and I’ll get him back for you,” he said.

Now, 36 years later, Tyson vs. Holmes remains one of the most sensational fights in boxing history, not only as a spectacle of Tyson’s pugilistic prowess but also a reminder of the vow to one of the greatest boxers of all time.