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Arum on Fury-Usyk: I Was Confident that This Fight Was Going to Happen; We Weren’t Dealing with Middlemen

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tyson fury and oleksandr usyk

Promoter Bob Arum says he knew a deal between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk was inevitable once Turki Alalshikh entered the picture.

Talks between Fury, the WBC titlist from England, and Usyk, the unified WBO, WBA, IBO, IBF champion from Ukraine, were repeatedly stymied in the past year, with Fury eventually pivoting to a fight with ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou; they fight this Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

But Fury and Usyk eventually announced their fight last month, and depending on Fury’s outing against Ngannou, that fight, according to multiple reports, could take place either on Dec. 23 or in January.

Arum, whose Top Rank co-promotes Fury, said he knew Fury vs. Usyk would finally be signed after Saudi Arabia’s Alalshikh, Chairman of The General Entertainment Authority and head of Riyadh Season, came on board. Arum cited Alalshikh’s “direct” access to Saudi Arabia’s state funds as a key reason why he felt so confident. Alalshikh’s GEA is also responsible for Fury Vs. Ngannou.

tyson fury and oleksandr usyk

“I think all credit goes to Prince Turki and his organization because he was able to secure this fight,” Arum told Fight Hub TV. “He’s a no-nonsense guy who directly controls the sovereign fund in Saudi Arabia for entertainment. So, the fighters knew that once they signed contracts, the money would be there and they weren’t dealing with any middlemen.

“Once Prince Turki was in the picture, I was convinced that this fight was going to happen because like Tyson’s experience in the Ngannou fight, when he signed it, most of his purse was already in his bank account. It’s no nonsense and it’s good on his business and I was confident that this fight was going to happen once Prince Turki for Saudi Arabia decided that that’s the fight that the Kingdom wanted.”

The signing of Fury-Usyk comes amid the fallout of another intriguing heavyweight bout that was expected to take place in Saudi Arabia involving former titlists Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua. But the backer for that fight, Skill Challenge Entertainment, was apparently unable to deliver the funds. Unlike Alalshikh, Arum said, Skill Challenge was simply a middleman.

“Of course, of course, the middleman, even if the middleman came from Saudi Arabia, like Skill Challenge, they can make a deal but then they’d have to go and get the funds from the sovereign fund,” Arum said. “And maybe yes they did it, when Usyk fought Joshua the second time, but you know, that wasn’t always going to be the case. Now with Prince Turki who controls the sovereign fund as far as entertainment, you’re not dealing with the middlemen, you’re dealing with the source.”

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BOXING

Deontay Wilder warns Anthony Joshua to avoid ‘major disaster’ as he sends AJ a video call-out message

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Anthony-Joshua and Deontay-Wilder

Deontay Wilder has now publicly pushed for the Anthony Joshua fight to get made in 2024.

The rival heavyweights who previously failed to finalise a bout in 2018 and 2019, have returned to talks in recent months.

Back when they first tried to agree a deal, the pair were heavyweight world champions and would have met in an undisputed showdown.

Now, both have lost their titles, but the fight remains a massive attraction.

Representatives for Joshua and Wilder agreed terms over the summer for a fight in Saudi Arabia this December.

However, this fell through following a switch in the landscape of boxing in Saudi, with the new entity in charge instead prioritising Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk, which is now signed and planned for December.

As a result, AJ and Wilder’s teams are working to find a new host in 2024, though it is not proving easy to replicate the funds they’d previously agreed in their Saudi proposal.

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said last week: “We were offered a deal that we accepted [but it fell through].

“It’s not my fault now that some of the alternatives may not be anywhere near the last number, so that makes us reconsider our options.

“So I don’t care about Deontay Wilder, he’s in his own problems, the guy ain’t fought for a year and his last fight was about 40 seconds. He don’t really wanna fight, I don’t think.”

These remarks have prompted a strong response from Wilder, who has made a direct video call-out message to Joshua for the first time in years.

Wilder said: “A fight that everybody is looking forward to and hopefully it happens – I’m doing everything in my power to make it happen – I’m referring to the Anthony Joshua fight.

“So Anthony, you’re hearing it from my mouth, here, personally, from the horse’s mouth himself.

anthony joshua and deontay wilder

“I’m here, I’m ready, I’m ready to go.

“I heard some things your promoter said that my last fight only lasted a short period of time and I ain’t fought in a year, so he don’t know if I wanna fight or not.

“But I’m letting you know right now, right here, I’m ready to fight.

“I’m ready to get in the ring man, let’s make this the best time of our lives.

“This would be a major disaster if we were never able to get in the ring and put our stamp down in history bro.

“When people think about classic great fights, I want them to think about us as well, being able to do that we’ve gotta get in the ring, that’s what it’s all about.

“The silliest thing I’ve heard is people saying you’re not ready.

“That’s the silliest thing because I don’t believe that, I believe you’re ready.

“I hope you’re ready, I think you’re ready, so let’s make this happen bro, me and you, making history happen.

“I’m looking forward to seeing your response bro, I’ll talk to you soon.”

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BOXING

Deontay Wilder: American heavyweight tells Anthony Joshua he is ‘ready to fight’ as talks continue

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Anthony-Joshua and Deontay-Wilder

The American heavyweight is in talks to face Joshua in 2024 after a fight in Saudi Arabia this year fell through.

Wilder, 38, addressed Joshua on social media after the Briton suggested they could share a bill with Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.

“I’m letting you know I’m ready to fight. Let’s make this the best time of our lives,” Wilder said.

“[It is] a fight everyone is looking forward to and hopefully it happens and I’m doing everything in my power to make it happen.”

Unified champion Usyk (21-0) is set to fight WBC champion Fury (33-0-1) in a long-awaited undisputed fight, but that bout is expected to be announced for 23 December in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua (26-3) said he intends to fight in December, but it is unlikely to be against former WBC champion Wilder.

Deontay Wilder And Anthony Joshua's

Promoter Eddie Hearn had suggested a fight between 34-year-old Joshua and Wilder was close in September before potential hosts in Saudi Arabia backed out of the deal.

Wilder (43-2-1) and Joshua have started negotiations from scratch as a result and there has been talk of the bout happening in the United States early next year.

There are no plans to combine the Usyk-Fury fight night with Wilder-Joshua at the moment. Wilder has not fought in the 12 months since his first-round stoppage of Robert Helenius, who was also Joshua’s last opponent.

Wilder has made clear he is keen to face Joshua, dismissing Hearn’s doubts about the Alabama fighter’s enthusiasm for the contest.

“Anthony, you’re getting it from the horse’s mouth himself: I’m here, I’m ready to go,” Wilder said.

“I heard some things your promoter [Hearn] said that my last fight only lasted a short period of time and I haven’t fought in a year and he doesn’t know if I want to fight or not.

“This would be a major disaster if we were never able to get in the ring and put our stamp down in history.”

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BOXING

‘Fastest hands in boxing’ – Fans stunned by Gervonta Davis’ hand speed in new footage and ask: ‘Has this been speed up?’

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Gervonta Davis

Gervonta Davis is now back in the gym.

The American boxing star has posted new footage showcasing his astounding hand speed on the pads and fans aren’t exactly sure whether the video has been sped up or not.

Davis has fought twice in 2023 – stopping Hector Luis Garcia in January and Ryan Garcia in April.

In June though, he was sent to jail and spent a total of 44 days behind bars.

Tank had initially avoided jail time over his November 2020 hit-and-run car crash which injured four people because he accepted a plea deal and pled guilty to four traffic offences.

However, not even a month after his sentencing, Davis was jailed after all as he violated the terms of his home detention order and was ordered to be incarcerated for the rest of his sentence.

He was released in July and has since been eyeing a ring return for either late 2023 or early 2024.

It has now been confirmed that he won’t fight again until the new year, but he is back in the gym regardless.

After posting his pad footage video on Tuesday, fans questioned: “Has this been sped up?”

One commented: “We know Tank got speed but the speed of his trainer is really impressive.”

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BOXING

Bernard Hopkins Views Gervonta Davis as The Pound For Pound Best

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Gervonta Tank Davis

No matter how many facts you pump into your argument, pound-for-pound lists are subjective. The boxing world is jam-packed with fantastic fighters and depending on what you prefer, your list can be shaped in a certain way.

For Bernard Hopkins, he’s always been a student of the game. It helps that he was a former multi-divisional champion and recently inducted Hall of Famer. When recently asked to name who he considers the best fighter in the world, Hopkins paused for a second before going into deep thought.

There’s a bevy of names to choose from. Of course, there’s Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez. Also, who can forget about Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, and Naoya Inoue? Their all deserving, but for Hopkins, neither of those fighters took the top spot on his list.

“Tank Davis,” Hopkins told ESNEWS.

Gervonta “Tank” Davis recently closed the curtains on his 2023, but not before putting together a terrific year.

To kick things off, Hector Luis Garcia stepped up both to the plate and up in weight. But, despite promising to stop the hype train, Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) wasn’t perturbed by his man’s words and would ultimately go on to stop the Dominican before the championship rounds.

Gervonta-Davis

Garcia, however, was just the appetizer before Davis went on to the main course. A few months after separating him from his consciousness, Davis squared off against Ryan Garcia. Bernard Hopkins, who works closely with Garcia, was confident that his young fighter was going to get the job done.

In the end, while he publicly backed the 25-year-old, Davis made the former champ eat his words. Outside of a few close rounds, Davis dominated, dropping Garcia on two occasions before eventually stopping him in the seventh.

With blood dripping down his nose as he remained on one knee, Hopkins couldn’t believe what he just witnessed. His 2023 campaign may have consisted of just two fights but the Baltimore native’s lopsided victory over a fighter that Hopkins watched develop, has him completely convinced that Davis is the best fighter in the world.

“Because of how he executed Ryan Garcia.”

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BOXING

“He Wouldn’t Care”: Devin Haney Reveals The Only Condition He Will Fight Gervonta Davis

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Gervonta Tank Davis

Five months ago, Devin Haney had successfully retained his undisputed crown against Vasyl Lomachenko. The MGM Garden was left divided, as Haney won against Loma by a controversial unanimous decision. On the other hand, another big lightweight fight between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia took place earlier this year. Davis won the bout by a 7th-round knockout against Garcia, as he delivered a straight liver punch. The next fight that had us hooked in was between these two individuals.

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Even Davis was ready for it, especially when he was asked about the prospects of him going against Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson. Even Haney appeared on the Danza Project where he admitted that he and ‘Tank’ would be the biggest fight and he wants to go for it. However, it couldn’t come to fruition. And now Haney has set different priorities for this matchup.

Devin Haney wants the Tank fight but at one condition

Much recently, Devin Haney sat down with the famous reporter Ariel Helwani for an episode of The MMA Hour. They even talked about the heated argument between Haney and Prograis’s trainer. During that conversation, Helwani asked the boxer who’d he choose to fight between Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson. He instantly stated that he and Davis had a bigger fight than Stevenson, so he’d obviously choose ‘Tank’. Then Helwani asked about the catchweight.

Devin Haney amd Gervonta Tank

Haney replied, “140. It would have to happen at 140.” Haney believes that since Davis has fought at this weight against Mario Barrios, so it shouldn’t be a big deal to come back for him. He also revealed, “He says- Tank is the type of fighter he says he doesn’t care about belts, right? He doesn’t fight for belts, he fights for money. So he wouldn’t care about belts at 135, he’d just want to make the money in fighting me. So, 140.”

Moreover, Devin Haney did not only address the Davis fight, he also talked about how Sean O’Malley called him out on social media. He mentioned that they belong to different sports, and boxing is his territory.

Haney addresses the Sean O’Malley situation

Devin Haney is currently preparing for his fight against Regis Prograis for the WBC super lightweight title. But before this announcement, back in September, the famous UFC fighter, Sean O’Malley, poked the undisputed champion. In a post made on X, he wrote, “Nothing will break me…” Under that post, O’Malley replied, “I would.”

This was considered the beginning of a beef by a lot of fans. But, on The MMA Hour, Haney revealed how he thinks that MMA fighters shouldn’t try their hands at boxing. He said, “It’s totally different. Whenever MMA guys come over to boxing, it’s not good for them. And it’s never going to be good for them.” He also added that he doesn’t disrespect MMA, as the same thing would happen to the boxers if they stepped inside the cage.

Overall, Haney doesn’t see a world where Sean O’Malley has a chance to beat him in a boxing match, and vice versa. However, the fans would definitely love to see a lightweight crossover event between these two. What are your thoughts about this? Tell us in the comments section

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BOXING

Terence Crawford fans flames with Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis: “Come up here with the big boys”

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Terence and Gervonta

Ever since defeating Errol Spence Jr. in dominant fashion a couple of weeks ago, Terence “Bud” Crawford has called out just about every top fighter within 20 or so pounds of his weight class.

He has floated the possibility of fighting Canelo Alvarez at a catchweight. He even jawed with Jermell Charlo during the Spence fight. Now, it appears he has Gervonta “Tank” Davis squarely in his sights.

Speaking on the Earn Your Leisure podcast, Crawford responded to a comment calling Davis a “champion”

Crawford is technically right: Devin Haney has all of the lightweight titles at this moment in time.

Gervonta Davis

Finding the right weight

In order to set up a fight between Crawford and Davis, “Tank” would have to move up substantially in weight. Crawford has already mentioned he would only stay at 147 pounds for a fight with Davis.

That means Davis would need to gain and train with 12 pounds of extra weight. Davis’ heaviest weight in a fight has been 140, but he only did that once. It would be a big ask from Davis, one he most likely wouldn’t be willing to accept.

Crawford has fought at 147 for the past six years and seems unwilling to drop down again. But if the money is right, anything is possible.

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BOXING

“We all know what happens” – Tyson Fury reveals prediction for Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder

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anthony joshua and deontay wilder

Tyson Fury believes that Deontay Wilder will easily defeat Anthony Joshua if they fight.

‘AJ’ and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ have been in talks for most of 2023, but no fight has been made official. A lot of that has to do with their Saudi Arabia plans blowing up. For most of the year, the bout was targeted for December and would be promoted by Skill Challenge Promotions.

However, the promoter failed to live up to their promises, forcing Eddie Hearn and others to look at new locations. Quickly, Las Vegas and London became frontrunners as they targeted the heavyweight clash for early 2024.

As of now, fans will have to sit and await an announcement that looks increasingly and increasingly less likely. Still, Tyson Fury has a prediction for the fight if it happens. In an interview with Boxing Social, ‘The Gypsy King’ stated the bout wasn’t that hard to predict.

While he would love for Anthony Joshua to pull off the upset, he believes that a Deontay Wilder stoppage is likely. Speaking in the interview, Fury stated:

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Fury: It’s Quite Embarrassing, Joshua is Begging To Be on My Undercard

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Anthony Joshua And Tyson Fury

WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has ridiculed his domestic rival Anthony Joshua for his recent statements which suggested a potential 2024 doubleheader event.

Joshua is currently trying to finalize a deal to collide with former champion Deontay Wilder in the first quarter of 2024.

According to Joshua, the management group which regulates boxing in Saudi Arabia are interested in positioning his fight with Wilder as the co-featured attraction to Fury’s undisputed fight with IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury shot down Joshua’s statements – claiming the former champ is “begging” to be a part of the card.

“It’s quite embarrassing really when you’ve got a former heavyweight world champion begging for a fight, begging to be on the undercard,” Fury told IFL TV.

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua

“Is he a child or what? He wants to go on my undercard? Him vs Wilder? Battle of the biggest loser? Go and get your own show.”

Fury vs. Usyk is being targeted to take place in the month of December in Saudi Arabia, but no date has been confirmed.

Fury will first return to the ring on Saturday night, in Saudi Arabia, where he faces former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in a non-title crossover boxing match.

Usyk revealed in recent interviews that he plans to be ringside to watch Fury’s performance in the fight.

However, Fury is irritated because he believes Usyk is attempting draw attention to himself.

“I say this, f— Usyk. It’s not about him. This is the Tyson Fury show. It’s about me and Francis Ngannou,” Fury told The Daily Mail.

“The African King is meeting the Gypsy King and you know, we are throwing it down. So, anything that happens after that, happens after that and anything before that, is not important.”

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Black History Month: Caroline Dubois on idols Claressa Shields, Simone Biles, Coco Gauff and Laila Ali

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Simone and Claressa

As part of Black History Month, Caroline Dubois has told Sky Sports News about her sporting idols and their influence on her boxing career.

The 22-year-old is no stranger to pressure, having already become the Youth Olympic champion and claimed four European Youth Championships.

Her professional career has started on a similarly successful footing. In her opening eight fights, she’s racked up five wins by knockout and three by decision, with the most recent victory earning her the IBO lightweight belt.

With this year’s Black History Month theme of ‘Saluting our Sisters’, we asked the British boxer which sportswomen inspired her rise and she told us about four Black sportswomen she idolised in Claressa Shields, Coco Gauff, Simone Biles and Laila Ali.

‘​​​​I needed to have someone like Shields when I was a kid’

Dubois’ first role model is fellow boxer Claressa Shields. The 28-year-old is the only fighter in the sport’s history – male or female – to hold all four major world titles simultaneously in two weight classes.

she is widely regarded as the world’s top pound-for-pound female boxer and is 14-0 with two knockouts as a pro.

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