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WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman says there would be nothing standing in the way of Anthony Joshua facing the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk; Joshua currently sits No 1 in the WBC rankings behind champion Fury

The WBC would ‘accept’ Anthony Joshua going on to face the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s clash for the undisputed heavyweight championship, says president Mauricio Sulaiman.

Fury and Usyk will meet on May 18 in Saudi Arabia for all the belts before facing off again in a rematch expected to take place later in the year.

Joshua meanwhile awaits his shot after recording a devastating second-round knockout win over former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou during a week in which an encounter with one of the top two in the division had been repeatedly touted as the potential prize for victory.

Sulaiman says there would be nothing standing in the way of Joshua meeting Fury or Usyk down the line.

“The WBC was presented a sanction request which was to fight for the undisputed. The WBC accepted that sanctioning and we accepted the rematch they have requested,” Sulaiman told Sky Sports.

“But, if it is not anything to do with contractual or promotion, we would absolutely accept the winner to fight Joshua.

After losing to Gervonta Davis in April, Ryan Garcia is looking for a rematch, arguing that when they met, he wasn’t at his best.

In an interview with Fight Hub TV, ‘KingRy’ said he is better than Gervonta and will do whatever it takes to get a rematch.

“I wanna get my rematch at the right weight,” Garcia told Fight Hub TV. “He knows it wasn’t who I really was, I don’t really care what anyone says, I don’t fight like that.

“I’m way better than that, and I’m better than him. I don’t care if he beat me, I’m better than him. Give me my rematch and I’ll beat him.

“I’m going to build myself up again… If I’ve gotta go through a Teofimo Lopez or a Devin Haney to get that, then I’m gonna do it.”

The 25-year-old boxer indicated that he will continue to fight at between 140 and 147 pounds until he steps back into the ring against ‘Tank’, according to The Sportster.

The possibility of a rematch between the two doesn’t look that complex, as the Garcia-Gervonta fight reportedly had more than 1.2 million PPV buys and generated approximately $22.8 million from ticket sales.

Gervonta won’t fight again until 2024

In September, Gervonta said he would not fight for the remainder of 2023 and would focus on personal issues.

It should be recalled that the boxer is tied up in a legal matter related to a hit-and-run incident in May 2021.

And although he wasn’t initially expected to serve jail time, he ended up spending most of a 90-day sentence in prison.

Ryan Garcia might not have been able to handle Gervonta Davis’ body shot in their last fight! However, he seems to be really good at throwing them. In a recent pinch, one of Garcia’s security guards proposed a body shot challenge to Garcia. It’s something ‘King Ry’ is well aware of, having done in the past. However, this time, it resulted in him becoming the butt of the joke.

The viral challenge involves an individual delivering devastating body shots to someone, either wearing protective gear or otherwise. So, Garcia didn’t hesitate when the challenge was proposed to him by his guard. Hours earlier, the Victorville native turned to social media to share the clip of the challenge with his followers. Here’s what happened!

Ryan Garcia had to be stopped from punching the guard repeatedly

Turning to Instagram, Garcia shared the clip with a caption that read, “I do not know why he agreed to this @fiercereflex. [I am] Not sure if I will do this challenge again. He’s actually hurt.” Meanwhile, in the clip, Garcia addressed that his guard challenged him and claimed, “I haven’t done this in years. But it’s about time that I bring it back.

As he started punching his guard, who was wearing protective gear, Garcia seemingly lost control. Someone from Garcia’s team had to intervene to stop him after ten or so shots. Having absorbed so many ferocious blows, even the guard looked devastated. Despite that, fans decided to roast Garcia in the comments of the post.

Fan highlights Garcia lost control

Following the past few weeks, Garcia’s social media accounts have seen a bump in traffic because of his bizarre posts. And this one was no different. After the clip went live, hundreds, if not thousands of people, decided to pen their thoughts. One user poked fun at Garcia by claiming the guard is better at taking body shots than Garcia. It, of course, was a callback to when Garcia allegedly quit after taking a body shot from Davis. The user wrote, “He takes better body shots than you.”

The next user suggested Garcia had the Bohemian Grove incident imprinted in his mind while punching. Previously, during one of his X rants, Garcia had claimed he was taken to Bohemian Grove and forced to do certain things. The user wrote, “Bro was thinking about Bohemian Grove when punching.”

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The next user highlighted that Garcia had lost control during the challenge and could not stop punching. “Bro didn’t wanna stop,” the user commented. However, it’s worth mentioning that Garcia seemed to be concerned by the very end of the clip about his guard.

Someone else echoed the same sentiment, questioning, “wtf is wrong with Ryan? He didn’t want to stop.” It’s plausible that Garcia was putting on a persona for the camera.

Meanwhile, the last user mockingly suggested that after the clip, no one’s going to want to do the challenge with Garcia. The user wrote, “No one going to want to do the body shot challenge anymore.”

With all the drama surrounding his mental health, Ryan Garcia shared a comparatively normal post on social media. However, fans seem to have decided to make him the laughing stock because of the video. Let us know your thoughts.

 

While the world awaits Terence Crawford’s return to the ring, the Omaha resident has caught the aftermath of an accident on his way to Eppley Airfield, Omaha. The former two-division champion is in talks to fight Chris Eubank Jr. sometime in the summer. While there hasn’t been an official confirmation, the potential fight has signs of life.

Previously, Eubank Jr. seemingly confirmed rumors about their fight by sharing a makeshift flyer on social media. It puts Ring Magazine’s Trainer of the Year, Brian ‘Bomac’ Mcintyre, in a peculiar spot. Bomac had just started training Eubank Jr. and had been training Crawford since 17. Meanwhile, Crawford has put on a reporter’s hat as he filmed the crash on North 75 highway today and shared it on social media.

Terence Crawford isn’t expecting a ticket from the cops!

Turning to Instagram, the undefeated boxer shared two clips from the sight of the crash. From the snippets, viewers could see that emergency services arrived at the location and were trying to de-escalate the situation. Meanwhile, thick plumes of smoke billowed into the air from the fiery crash, creating a visible and ominous presence.

Crawford captioned the first clip with, “Damn hope they coo,” while he captioned the other, “You not giving nobody no tickets shut up!!!” It’s unclear whether the driver of the crashed vehicle survived or not, but in the first clip, people were seen carrying presumably a person to safety. While Crawford shared the shocking incident on social media, Floyd Mayweather seems to have found a solution for Crawford’s Canelo Alvarez situation.

Floyd Mayweather suggests a blockbuster showdown

For the longest time, since Crawford defeated Errol Spence Jr. ‘Bud’ has wanted a clash with the Mexican superstar. However, Canelo has scoffed at the idea, claiming he has nothing to gain from that matchup. Meanwhile, David Benavidez is in a similar conundrum, having chased a Canelo fight for months.

So, Floyd Mayweather has suggested Crawford and Benavidez should fight each other. “If they can’t get Canelo, then they can fight each other. Benavidez and Crawford,” Floyd told Fight Hype. He continued, “If both of you guys are chasing one fighter. If you feel like you’re chasing him and you can’t get that fighter, then you should say, ‘F**k it. We’ll fight each other.’”

With that said, there’s no official word on who Terence Crawford may fight next, but it seems more and more like Eubank Jr. will be his next opponent. Who do you think Crawford will fight next? Let us know in the comments below.

Ryan Garcia has found some new inspiration to put in a bit of hard work. While he has a thunderous left hook to dismantle and bring anyone down to the floor, Garcia now wants to train his right hand like Anthony Joshua to produce a jaw-dropping knockout. That’s not all. He also predicts a brutal end to his upcoming fight.

‘KingRy’ is slated to face Devin Haney on April 20, with the WBC super lightweight strap on the line. Despite his hand speed and vicious left hook, he continues to add weapons to his arsenal to conquer a technically skilled champion. However, it seems the 25-year-old doesn’t want to bridge the skills gap, but intends to finish the fight early. How can he pull it off?

Ryan Garcia takes a leaf out of Anthony Joshua’s book

The signs are visible in the training clips that Garcia shared recently on his social media handle. In one clip, the Victorville native is hitting the punching bag, showcasing his elite hand speed and the power behind his left hook. But in the initial seconds, you could witness him unloading some huge right-hand punches, producing a frightening sound as they land on the punching bag.

It seems Garcia wants to replicate ‘AJ’, whose devastating right punches left Francis Ngannou‘s face flat on the canvas and previously knocked the lights out of Otto Wallin. In addition, he wants to finish the fight early against Haney with a knockout win in the fifth round. Garcia wrote in the comments of the clip, “Training that right hand like Joshua did to knockout Francis. Ryan by knockout in the fifth.”

Similarly, in another training clip, the fans can witness the 24-1 record holder moving swiftly, akin to circling the ring and throwing punches in the air. Moreover, Garcia has hinted at bringing a similar version of him to the squared circle. The caption read, “Punching Air, moving my legs, as if I was fighting @derrickdjames1 @procoachhenry @daznboxing.

Despite his recent social media shenanigans, Garcia appears determined and focused, in these training clips. Currently, he is at a training camp in Dallas with his coach, Derrick James. It remains to be seen whether he can come on top against Haney with his speed. Whether Garcia’s left hook can overcome Haney’s boxing prowess and clinch the WBC title, only time will tell.

Boxing’s heavyweight division is red-hot as we head deeper into 2024, with Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk still holding all the major titles.

Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker both registered impressive wins in Riyadh last Friday night, and it’s time to see how those results impacted our rankings once the dust settled in the desert.

Here, furyjoshua.com assesses the landscape and ranks the best big men around.

Heavyweight rankings

Such is the influence of the sanctioning bodies in the sport, which sadly often defy logic to push their own agendas, it has never been an easy task to impartially rank the heavyweights. Our list ignores the so-called ‘alphabet’ ratings in favour of a non-partisan system which ranks fighters based purely on their skillset, ring achievements, title victories and potential.


1=. Tyson Fury (34-0-1)

Fury is still unbeaten and still at the top of our rankings, but he is no longer alone. Last time out, ‘The Gypsy King’ struggled desperately to get the better of boxing novice Francis Ngannou on a shocking night in Saudi Arabia in October 2023. Fury was down in the third round and only claimed a controversial split-decision victory by a whisker. Next up – at last – is that eagerly-awaited unification match vs Oleksandr Usyk, with the rescheduled date set for May 18 as Fury recovers from that cut eye sustained in sparring.

Next fight: Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk (May 18, 2024)


1=. Oleksandr Usyk (21-0)

The brilliant Ukrainian is now alongside Fury at the top of the heavyweight mountain, without lacing up a glove in anger since August. Many boxing pundits were shocked by what happened in Fury vs Ngannou, and you can add us to a very long list. Usyk moved up to 1= on our list with an unblemished pro record which includes an impressive stint at heavyweight already. Two wins over Anthony Joshua showed that Usyk could hang with the big boys, and he retained his belts with that stoppage of Daniel Dubois in August 2023. Next up is Fury in May, for ALL of the marbles.

Next fight: Usyk vs Tyson Fury (May 18, 2024)


3. Anthony Joshua (28-3)

Joshua made it four wins from four fights since those back-to-back Usyk losses as he blasted out the aforementioned Ngannou inside two rounds in Riyadh. AJ, having his second fight with Ben Davison heading up his corner, was back to the devastating finisher we saw earlier in his career as he put the former UFC star on the deck three times inside two rounds. The finish was a highlight-reel right hand which had referee Richard Gonzalez waving the fight off before Ngannou hit the canvas, and it signalled that Joshua is once again for real. A date with the winner of Fury vs Usyk beckons, but before that he could end up facing Filip Hrgovic if the IBF title becomes vacant in May.

4. Joseph Parker (35-3)

The former WBO champion continued his renaissance by recovering from two knockdowns to outpoint the giant Chinese star Zhilei Zhang on that Joshua vs Ngannou show in Riyadh. Parker was again smart and sharp as he boxed to the plan laid down by trainer Andy Lee, and he duly followed up that win over Deontay Wilder with another upset victory. There is a rematch clause, so Parker will need to beat Zhang for a second time to retain the title of mandatory contender for the WBO world heavyweight title.

Next fight: tbc


5. Deontay Wilder (43-3-1)

Wilder’s plans for that March 9 superfight with Joshua were destroyed in 36 uninspiring minutes as he lost pretty much every round to Parker in a one-sided defeat in December 2023. Deontay looked like a 38-year-old fighter who had been out of the ring for 14 months as he struggled to pull the trigger against an inspired opponent. Wilder’s post-fight interview left some doubt as to whether he’ll continue his career, but we would be surprised if he does not fight again and leaves on this sour note.

Next fight: tbc


6. Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1)

A lot of the good work Zhang did in battering Joe Joyce (twice) in 2023, was undone in Riyadh as he dropped a decision to Parker on the Joshua vs Ngannou card. ‘Big Bang’ did have Parker on the floor twice, but outside of that his workrate and punch output were woefully inadequate. Zhang appeared content just to rely on his punching power, and also appeared keen to conserve his stamina – a perceived weakness in the past. He will get another chance thanks to that rematch clause, but another loss to Parker would see him tumble down our list.

Next fight: tbc


7. Filip Hrgovic (17-0)

Hrgovic is the top-ranked contender for the IBF belt currently held by Usyk, and he is gradually moving up our list as he closes in on that title shot. The Croat’s latest win was hardly big news in isolation – he was a 1/66 shot to beat Mark De Mori, a man who had taught himself how to box by watching YouTube videos. De Mori was duly blasted out inside a round. It did not tell us much that we did not already know about the ‘El Animal’, who will be a big threat again to all in 2024. Next up could be a title shot against Joshua for the vacant IBF strap – if as expected it comes open after the first Fury vs Usyk fight.

Next Fight: tbc


8. Andy Ruiz Jr (35-2)

Ruiz is gradually falling down our list, mainly due to inactivity. He has fought only twice since that loss to Joshua in their world title rematch in Saudi in late 2019. Wins over Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz look okay on paper, but on both occasions Andy was pretty unimpressive for long periods and has something to prove. We’d love a Joshua trilogy or a Wilder match. In fact right now we’d love to see anything from Ruiz…

Next fight: tbc


9. Frank Sanchez (24-0)

Sanchez is a technically gifted fighter, one the purists will absolutely love. He showcased those talents once again with a seventh-round stoppage win over Junior Fa on the big Riyadh card. It took ‘The Cuban Flash’ a little time to get going, but once he did a trio of knockdowns followed to close the show in Saudi. A title shot at some stage soon surely beckons for this hugely talented Eddy Reynoso charge.

Next fight: tbc


10. Agit Kabayel (24-0)

Kabayel might have been the biggest surprise on that ‘Day of Reckoning’ show as he burst a giant bubble by taking the unbeaten record of giant Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov. The European champion was giving up a ton in terms of height, reach and weight but he fought the perfect fight. Agit worked his way into the bout after defusing those early Makhmudov bombs and then proceeded to break his opponent down with brutal body shots for a fourth-round stoppage victory.

Next Fight: tbc

Dmitry Bivol stands as a universally acknowledged force in the realm of boxing, consistently recognized among the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighters.

Despite his own acclaim, the WBA light heavyweight titleholder firmly asserts that the distinction of the world’s best boxer rests with Terence “Bud” Crawford.

In 2022, Bivol secured the coveted Fighter of the Year award, achieving this feat through impressive victories over Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto Ramirez.

However, his momentum waned in 2023, with only one bout, a unanimous decision win against Lyndon Arthur on December 23.

The first half of the year saw Bivol avidly pursuing a rematch with Canelo Alvarez, a pursuit that proved futile as Alvarez entered into a three-fight deal with PBC. Notably, the possibility of Crawford facing Alvarez began circulating as a potential matchup, gaining traction as both fighters expressed openness to the idea.

Bivol believes Crawford deserves Canelo fight

While Alvarez and Crawford contemplate the prospect of a clash, the logistical challenge arises, as it would necessitate Crawford, a 147-pounder, to ascend three weight classes to challenge Alvarez.

Despite the unconventional nature of this move, Bivol, reflecting on his own boxing journey, acknowledges Crawford‘s ambition without deeming it implausible.

“When I stepped into a boxing gym, the first rule was to respect weight classes,” Bivol told BoxingScene.com.

“But I don’t know what Crawford is going to eat. He’s the best fighter. Everything that he’s planning, shouldn’t look like it’s crazy.

“If he’s thinking about it, if he’s talking about it, it means it’s possible.”

As Bivol looks ahead to his own future, his primary focus centers on securing an opportunity to vie for the undisputed championship at 175 pounds.

Following his commanding victory over Lyndon Arthur, all indications point towards the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia financing Bivol‘s next bout against WBC, WBO, and IBF champion Artur Beterbiev.

ANTHONY JOSHUA is already back in training just TWO DAYS after brutally knocking out Francis Ngannou.

AJ dropped the MMA superstar three times in two rounds with the final right hand closing the show in dramatic fashion.

Now Tyson Fury is set to unify all four belts for the first time in heavyweight history with Oleksandr Usyk on May 18.

But the pair are contracted to an immediate rematch, likely ruling them out for a whole year.

So AJ will not sit out and wait with his eyes already set on a summer return.

He told iFL TV: “Whether it will be in the UK, who knows? But maybe June, June/July.”

After Fury’s first fight with Usyk, the winner could face being stripped of the IBF title due to their rematch clause.

It would leave No1 contender Joshua in line to challenge for the belt against interim champion Filip Hrgovic.

Probed on the potential bout, AJ, 34, said: “Let’s go!”

Joshua had initially signed to face Deontay Wilder, 38, until the American was stunned in defeat to Joseph Parker.

And Parker, 32, followed that up with a win over Zhilei Zhang, 40, on AJ’s undercard.

So the three heavyweight names are all options Joshua is considering for his next fight.

He said: “Wilder, Zhang, Parker. All of them.

Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua returned to training on Monday two after brutally knocking out Francis Ngannou in the main event of their ‘Knockout Chaos’ clash on Friday, March 8.

Joshua dropped the former UFC heavyweight champion three times in two rounds with the final right hand closing the show in dramatic fashion with Ngannou needing oxygen and a doctor before he got back up.

Now Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to meet in a bout on May 18 that will unify all four belts for the first time in heavyweight history.

However, the pair are contracted to an immediate rematch, likely ruling them out for the whole year and Joshua has expressed that he will not sit and wait with his eyes already set on a summer return.

Whether it will be in the UK, who knows? But maybe June, June/July,” he told iFL TV.

After Fury’s first fight with Usyk, the winner could face being stripped of the IBF title due to their rematch clause and that would leave number one contender Joshua in line to challenge for the belt against interim champion Filip Hrgovic.

Joshua had initially signed to face Deontay Wilder until the American was stunned in defeat to Joseph Parker in December. Parker followed that performance up with a win over Zhilei Zhang on the ‘Knockout Chaos’ undercard.

These three heavyweights are all options Joshua is considering for his next fight as he said, “Wilder, Zhang, Parker. All of them. Let’s go!”

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.

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