List of All Articles with Tag 'boxing'

Deontay Wilder has hit out at Andy Ruiz Jr, labelling his prospective opponent a ‘short, fat fighter’ as talks between the heavyweights stall. Wilder last fought in October, knocking out Robert Helenius in the first round, a month after Ruiz Jr outpointed Luis Ortiz. Wilder, 37, and Ruiz Jr, 33, have since been linked to one another, but a bout between the Americans seems no closer to being confirmed. Wilder has now blasted Ruiz Jr, telling ES News on Thursday (29 June): “Me and Andy are two different people. Andy was only a champion for the blink of an eye. I’m a five-year, 10-title-defence champion. “What I possess is power, I put people on the edge of their seats every time, people come to see my God-given talent. On the other hand: Andy, what are we seeing from him? A short, fat fighter with small hands that make him look fast. That’s it. “You ain’t putting nobody on the edge of their seats, ain’t nobody getting excited. The only reason this fight would be exciting is because they wanna see how fast I would knock him out. Andy’s a one-round fight.” Wilder, who held the WBC heavyweight title and was unbeaten before losing the belt to Tyson Fury in 2020, also took aim at Ruiz Jr’s father. Addressing Andy Ruiz Sr’s claim that Wilder had offered Ruiz Jr a 70/30 purse split, Wilder said: “Let’s ask Andy’s dad, ‘What was the offer given?’ Because we ain’t talked about no money, so how does he know if it was a 70/30 offer? “I didn’t talk to Andy’s daddy about any type of money whatsoever. Andy’s gonna be 33 years old, f***ing broke, can’t support his children, because his daddy made decisions for him – decisions that he should’ve made for himself. “I hate when people try to make decisions for fighters. They’re the ones risking their lives; his daddy ain’t risking his life, but he wanna grab the money. What percentage is he getting out of his son? Let’s ask that, since you wanna talk about money. “Stop allowing your son to miss out on things, because if he misses out on this one, that’s gonna be the end of his career – and then it’s gonna be on you. They’re talking about 50/50? You ain’t nowhere compared to me. Stop that.” Wilder is also in talks with Anthony Joshua over a potential clash in Saudi Arabia at the end of this year or early in 2024. Prior to his knockout win over Helenius, Wilder suffered back-to-back stoppage defeats by Fury. The Briton took the WBC title from the “Bronze Bomber” in 2020 and retained the gold against Wilder in a 2021 rematch. The pair previously fought to a controversial draw in their first clash, in 2018. Meanwhile, Ruiz Jr shot to fame by stunning Joshua to win the unified heavyweight titles in 2019. The Mexican-American beat the Briton via TKO to claim the belts, which Joshua regained on points in a rematch later that year. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder’s teams meet in London for talks over Saudi Arabia fight Tyson Fury’s ‘game-changing’ return to be announced in ‘next week or so’, Frank Warren says Marshall vs Crews-Dezurn live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend Ben Whittaker on his life-changing moment: ‘I was bleeding and crying – it flipped a switch’ Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder’s teams meet in London for fight talks Dillian Whyte responds to claims he ‘turned down’ Anthony Joshua fight Miami Heat mascot hospitalised after Conor McGregor punch

Anthony Joshua’s team have removed a rematch clause that was at risk of derailing a rematch with Dillian Whyte, according to Eddie Hearn. Joshua and Whyte have been in talks over a 12 August clash, eight years after “AJ” knocked out his fellow Briton to avenge an amateur defeat by Whyte. However, the latter this week expressed frustration with a rematch clause inserted by Joshua’s team – one that has now been removed, per Hearn. The 44-year-old, who promotes both heavyweights, told Boxing Social on Thursday (29 June): “Firstly, a lot of people talk about rematch clauses. When there’s such a huge A-side in the fight, you have to do your job as a promoter. Every huge name that I’ve worked with in boxing has a rematch clause in their fights. “Secondly, it’s me that requests that. Let me tell you the main reason why: Anthony Joshua is about to fight Deontay Wilder for $50million or $60m; he’s choosing to take a dangerous fight a few months before, where if he loses, he’s quite out in the wilderness – and also loses [the opportunity of] the Wilder fight in December. “So if we’re giving that opportunity to someone else, of course we’re gonna look for a rematch clause. Not against my will, but probably against my advice, Anthony Joshua came out last night and said: ‘I don’t give a f*** about the rematch clause, I’m gonna knock him out, so just tell him to sign the contract. Give him a complete, simple contract.’ “Dillian Whyte replied and said, ‘I’m not gonna do any promotion around the event, I don’t want a rematch clause,’ so we’ve just gone back now and given him no rematch clause, 12 August, done. The worry I have is: I sent that email, and 10 minutes later, Sky Sports are running a story... It’s like, do you want this fight, or is this some kind of mission to land another fight? “The great news now is: They have the contract, no rematch clause, 12 August – absolutely nothing in the contract of any regard that’s gonna cause anyone any problems. Let’s see. I don’t think they’re gonna sign it; I hope they do. AJ wants this fight bad, it’s the fight that he wants. “But we want to announce on Saturday. It’s Thursday now, we’ve got 48 hours. I’m not gonna put a deadline [on it], because it starts rattling people, but the deadline’s on us to announce the fight – and other opponents that we’ve got ready to go. I know Dillian loves a big fight, it’s there for him. Hopefully he signs.” Whyte, 35, last fought in November, narrowly outpointing Jermaine Franklin to bounce back from a TKO loss to Tyson Fury last April. Joshua, 33, also beat Franklin on points in his most recent fight. The former two-time world champion defeated the American at London’s O2 Arena in what was a crucial win after two straight losses to Oleksandr Usyk. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Tyson Fury’s ‘game-changing’ return to be announced in ‘next week or so’, Frank Warren says Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang rematch date revealed as Briton eyes revenge Marshall vs Crews-Dezurn live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend Dillian Whyte reveals why Anthony Joshua rematch is being delayed Carl Froch criticises Tyson Fury legacy – and sets challenge to prove greatness Dillian Whyte responds to claims he ‘turned down’ Anthony Joshua fight

The Tampa Bay Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks will meet in a rubber match on Thursday afternoon.Arizona took the win in Game 1, 8-4, but Tampa Bay evened up the series on Wednesday, winning a tight 3-2 decision.Thursday's matinee matchup features two pitchers we haven't seen much of ...

An incredibly violent fight broke out in a gym.

Savannah Marshall will bid to reclaim her status as a world champion this weekend, as the former middleweight title holder moves up a division to challenge Franchon Crews-Dezurn for her undisputed belts. Marshall was unbeaten until she suffered a decision loss to Claressa Shields last year, a result that saw the Briton lose her WBO middleweight title as Shields became undisputed in the division. Now, the Hartlepool fighter takes on another American in Crews-Dezurn, who will put all four of her super-middleweight belts on the line against Marshall in Manchester. The event marks another big night in women’s boxing, with Natasha Jonas also in action and seeking to become a two-weight world champion. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? The fight will take place on Saturday 1 July at the AO Arena in Manchester. The main card is scheduled to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET), with ring walks for the main event due at approximately 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? In the UK, the event will air live on Sky Sports and on the broadcaster’s website and Sky Go app. In the US, ESPN+ will air the fights live. Odds Marshall – 1/4 Crews-Dezurn – 16/5 Draw – 14/1 Full odds via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Franchon Crews-Dezurn (C) vs Savannah Marshall (WBC, WBO, WBA and IBF women’s super-middleweight titles) Natasha Jonas vs Kandi Wyatt (vacant IBF women’s welterweight title) Zak Chelli vs Mark Jeffers (super-middleweight) Ben Whittaker vs Vladimir Belujsky (light-heavyweight) Callum Simpson vs Boris Crighton (super-middleweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Dillian Whyte reveals why Anthony Joshua rematch is being delayed Carl Froch criticises Tyson Fury legacy — and outlines what he needs to become ‘the best of a generation’ The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings How to watch Marshall vs Crews-Dezurn online and on TV this weekend Natasha Jonas to face Kandi Wyatt in bid to become two-weight world champion The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings

Savannah Marshall will bid to reclaim her status as a world champion this weekend, as the former middleweight title holder moves up a division to challenge Franchon Crews-Dezurn for her undisputed belts. Marshall was unbeaten until she suffered a decision loss to Claressa Shields last year, a result that saw the Briton lose her WBO middleweight title as Shields became undisputed in the division. Now, the Hartlepool fighter takes on another American in Crews-Dezurn, who will put all four of her super-middleweight belts on the line against Marshall in Manchester. The event marks another big night in women’s boxing, with Natasha Jonas also in action and seeking to become a two-weight world champion. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? The fight will take place on Saturday 1 July at the AO Arena in Manchester. The main card is scheduled to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET), with ring walks for the main event due at approximately 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? In the UK, the event will air live on Sky Sports and on the broadcaster’s website and Sky Go app. In the US, ESPN+ will air the fights live. Odds Marshall – 1/4 Crews-Dezurn – 16/5 Draw – 14/1 Full odds via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Franchon Crews-Dezurn (C) vs Savannah Marshall (WBC, WBO, WBA and IBF women’s super-middleweight titles) Natasha Jonas vs Kandi Wyatt (vacant IBF women’s welterweight title) Zak Chelli vs Mark Jeffers (super-middleweight) Ben Whittaker vs Vladimir Belujsky (light-heavyweight) Callum Simpson vs Boris Crighton (super-middleweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Dillian Whyte reveals why Anthony Joshua rematch is being delayed Carl Froch criticises Tyson Fury legacy — and outlines what he needs to become ‘the best of a generation’ The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings What time does Marshall vs Crews-Dezurn start in UK and US this weekend? Natasha Jonas to face Kandi Wyatt in bid to become two-weight world champion The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings

Dillian Whyte has claimed that a rematch clause is holding up a potential summer clash with Anthony Joshua, as talks between the Britons’ teams continue. Eddie Hearn, who promotes both heavyweights, suggested last week that the planned 12 August bout would not go ahead, citing Whyte’s financial demands as the reason for the fight collapsing. However, Whyte has hinted that negotiations are ongoing. The 35-year-old, who beat Joshua in the amateurs but was knocked out by “AJ” in a 2015 professional bout, told Talksport: “It’s like this, [Hearn] said, ‘We’re gonna send a simple contract,’ and then they sent a very complicated contract with a lot of hoops and a lot of hooks to hook me in. “I don’t want that, I just want a simple contract, simple fight, winner moves on and has a big fight in Saudi Arabia. This fight for me is about the opportunity, it’s not about the money; that’s why I’m taking the fight for the money they’ve offered me. “But now they’re trying to put a rematch clause in there that ties me up for a year and messes everything up. I’m not interested in that. I just want a straightforward fight, winner moves on, that’s it. “What I don’t like is: Eddie’s out there talking nonsense; ‘Oh, we’ve got two other guys waiting to go.’ Mate, no one cares, just shut up. No one cares about who you’ve got ready to go. “It’s a proper fight, let’s get the fight made, stop talking about all these back-up plans.” Joshua has been in talks over a December fight with Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia, but Whyte’s comments suggest that the “Bodysnatcher” would want to take Joshua’s place in that contest if he were to overcome AJ. Whyte last fought in November, narrowly outpointing Jermaine Franklin, who was also beaten on points by Joshua in April. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Dillian Whyte responds to claims he ‘turned down’ Anthony Joshua fight Carl Froch criticises Tyson Fury legacy — and outlines what he needs to become ‘the best of a generation’ The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings

Former world champion Carl Froch believes that current world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury can cement his legacy with wins against Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk. The WBC champion has not fought since his tenth-round TKO victory against Derick Chisora in December 2022. Fury had been set to fight Usyk in April but that fight fell through in March after the pair were unable to agree terms. The 34-year-old claimed to send a draft contract to fellow Brit Joshua in May for a fight in September but promoter Frank Warren has since confirmed that that fight will not be happing next for Fury. For Froch, though, who became just the eighth Brit to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame earlier in June, Fury must fight have fights with both Joshua and Usyk before he retires if he wants to earn his place as the best fighter in modern heavyweight boxing. “I can’t give him a massive legacy,” Froch said, speaking to William Hill. “He’s fought Deontay Wilder three times, and he nearly got done in the first one which was a draw. He nearly got done again in the third, and it was three great fights against a guy who is not a massive heavyweight. “He’s a massive puncher but because he’s not that big and heavy, Tyson Fury can keep him out of the way, lean on him and just control the fight, so it’s quite easy for Fury to do what he does because he’s so big. “If he fights Usyk and he fights Joshua and makes mincemeat of them, then he’ll be the best of a generation.” Joshua appears to be edging closer to a summer rematch with long-time rival Dillion Whyte while Usyk is set to take on Daniel Dubois in August after Usyk’s team won a purse big to hold the fight in Poland against the 19-1 Brit who is the WBA mandatory challenger. For Fury, however, there is no clear opponent for a summer fight with Froch suggesting that the heavyweight champion still wants to fight Usyk but will need to lower his demands to ensure a financial agreement is met in the future. He added: “If Tyson Fury really wants to fight Oleksandr Usyk then why is he demanding a 70/30 split, and then when it gets agreed turning round and saying that the fight isn’t happening? His bluff was called, and he realized he couldn’t get ready in six weeks when he was trying to look like the bigger man. “I do think Tyson Fury wants to fight Usyk. He’s very confident and he’s got every reason to believe that he can beat Usyk because he’s twice the size of him and he’s a great fighter. He’s an unbelievable heavyweight.” Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More ‘Test plans for Champions League final at Wembley to destruction’ says FA chair Behind the scenes, laughter is turning to anger in the Fury vs Usyk saga Tyson Fury claims UFC has offered him ‘hybrid fight’ with Jon Jones Tyson Fury promises ‘imminent’ announcement of ‘big fight’ Joe Joyce on knockouts, oil painting, and teaching 60-year-olds to swim The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings

Dillian Whyte has rubbished claims that he priced himself out of the chance to fight Anthony Joshua. Promoter Eddie Hearn said on Wednesday that talks between the British heavyweight rivals had fallen through. Joshua is eyeing a 12 August bout in order to stay sharp ahead of a potential December clash with Deontay Wilder, and Whyte – whom Joshua knocked out in 2015 – was the preferred opponent. Hearn said an offer was made to Whyte but the 35-year-old’s camp made it clear that the price was “nowhere near their expectations”. However, Whyte was responded by saying that no negotiations took place over the proposed bout. “They’re talking rubbish,” Whyte said, according to the Daily Mail. “All I got, after Eddie talked publicly and often about making me an offer to fight AJ, was a very short email late in the evening on Friday 2 June. “I absolutely 100 per cent want to fight AJ and called Eddie to discuss the offer but couldn’t get hold of him. I messaged him too. I didn’t hear back from him so I sent him an email to confirm I wanted the fight. “I didn’t turn down the offer or propose a counter-offer. All I did was ask normal questions on his three-line email so-called offer. “Even before I emailed, Eddie was already saying publicly that his offer was unacceptable. So, why make it in the first place? "Let’s be very clear here, I told him I wanted the fight, I didn’t turn it down and I didn’t price myself out and in fact have not had a single discussion about it with Matchroom since the ‘offer’ and I didn’t make any demands." Agit Kabayel has already been linked with Joshua while Jarrell Miller, who was due to box ‘AJ’ in 2019, has also been linked. Read More Anthony Joshua vs Dillian Whyte falls through with new opponent needed by ‘this weekend’ ‘He’ll finish you with a sledgehammer’: What it’s really like to get punched by Anthony Joshua Joshua vs Whyte off as ‘AJ’ seeks new opponent by ‘this weekend’ Dillian Whyte offers damning update on Anthony Joshua fight The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings

The heavyweight division is a bad pantomime now with Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, a chorus of fighters, a few promoters and some hefty backers all trying to work out what part of the dancing horse they are. Moving away from the ugly sisters, there is every chance that the gap between the last championship fight and the next will be the longest in over 50 years. This break is not common, ignore people telling you that. Fury defended his WBC title last December against his old, old friend, Dereck Chisora, and Usyk beat Anthony Joshua for the second time last August in Saudi Arabia to retain his IBF, WBA and WBO titles. Fury has no date, just social media plans, and Usyk is due to defend in Poland in late August against Daniel Dubois. It is hard to find a solitary reason for the break and even more difficult to put the blame on just one single person. There are a lot of people on the stage, and they all have a role to play. And to be honest, during the last six months they have all said too much. Sure, greed, rivalries, stupidity, lies and ego are at the very core of the problem, but boxing at the highest level has always had the same flaws, the same fluid obstacles. The standard excuses are there to overcome - that is how boxing works. Fury and Usyk for all the tarnished marbles was meant to have been signed and sealed last September. It was scheduled for April and is now a plan for December. Both boxers have insulted the other, and the theme of their mutual abuse is simple: greed. Obviously, both deny they are the greedy, money-grabbing party in the sad affair. Actually, the righteous outrage from both sides is comedy gold at times. Fury’s father, the unstoppable “Gypsy John” Fury, has demanded that Usyk apologise for his criticism. He has warned that if there is no apology, there might be a straightener in a field somewhere, man-to-man. There is honour at stake. It is endless mirth, it really is. c. Some of boxing’s wisest, richest and smartest brains have been involved in this ongoing lunacy. The men and women in the Fury camp blame Usyk, and the men and women in the Usyk camp blame Fury. The two main players in the Fury business, Bob Arum and Frank Warren, have a combined total of 98 years of promotion; they are both battling this madness. There is, according to some insiders, a one-off offer on the table from the government of Saudi Arabia for Fury and Usyk to fight there at the end of the year. Usyk has signed his deal. This offer is non-negotiable, and we know this because the media flown out to Saudi by the Saudi government have reported it as fact. As a guide to the way boxing works, there are seldom any facts involved when deals are being made, broken and made again. The real insiders are furious that Usyk and Fury, the biggest fight in boxing, is not yet across the line. The sanctioning bodies, who get paid a fee for fights, have promised to get tough with their heavyweight champions, but have not said a word or done a thing; everyone is holding out for a slice of the Saudi cash pie. ‘Hey, it’s a business,’ they will say, but that little claim is wearing very thin. Fury, meanwhile, has mentioned 10 possible opponents in his social media rants in the last few weeks, including a plan to fight two UFC icons in one night. Usyk and Dubois went to purse bids, which is one of boxing’s ancient rituals, and Usyk’s team won. The fight is scheduled for August. Looking in from the side of the crowded stage is Joshua. His fight with Fury was announced by Fury on 10 June, 2020; it would have been a fight for the ages, for all the belts and all the bragging rights. It never happened and it has come close a couple of times since then. Joshua, meanwhile, will fight in August and it might be Dillian Whyte. There is a rumour that Whyte wants too much for the fight; the flip side of that rumour is that Whyte was offered too little. In America, Deontay Wilder, twice beaten in classics by Fury, has not fought since last October. There is a plan, under the Saudi deal, for Wilder to fight Joshua in Saudi Arabia on the same night as Usyk and Fury fight. There is, so the paid publicists insist, a total purse of $400million on the table for the four boxers to split. It must be a strong table. There are bold plans right now for the deadlock to be broken soon and some concrete dates and fights to finally be announced. The traffic, as they say in the world of espionage, is heavy. Let’s hope for some fights – the old game needs the best heavyweights back in action and out of the back end of that horse suit. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Tyson Fury claims UFC has offered him ‘hybrid fight’ with Jon Jones Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones Why has Saudi Arabia become big player in world sport and what does future hold? Tyson Fury claims UFC has offered him ‘hybrid fight’ with Jon Jones Tyson Fury promises ‘imminent’ announcement of ‘big fight’ Joe Joyce on knockouts, oil painting, and teaching 60-year-olds to swim

VIDEO: Referee gets knocked out during kickboxing match.

Tyson Fury has claimed that the UFC has offered him a ‘hybrid fight’ with Jon Jones. WBC heavyweight boxing champion Fury has been linked with Jones, who holds the UFC heavyweight title, in recent weeks, since claiming that he would win a fight with the American. Fury, 34, has also long been linked with Francis Ngannou – Jones’s predecessor as UFC heavyweight champion – and the Briton has now addressed the chances of either bout materialising. “I’ve been in talks with Francis Ngannou for a hybrid fight,” Fury said on a Twitter Spaces stream on Friday (16 June). “There’s talks of me and Jon Jones doing a hybrid fight, as we talk right now. I received an offer from the UFC yesterday. “So, you never know what’s going to happen. The future’s bright for sure, and there’s a lot of options out there. “It seems, at the moment, I’m struggling to get an actual boxing opponent. Mauricio Sulaiman, the president of the WBC (World Boxing Council), did an interview on a podcast recently, and he said: ‘Tyson’s a victim of his own success. He’s that good, people don’t want to fight him. They’d rather fight someone else.’ “That’s what I’m experiencing right now. I think I’ve called out everybody in the top 15 in the heavyweight division in the last six months, and I’m still without an opponent, as we speak today.” Fury last fought in December, retaining the WBC heavyweight title with a TKO win against Derek Chisora, whom he had already beaten twice in the past. The “Gypsy King” was then in talks to fight unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, but negotiations fell apart in March. Meanwhile, Jones last fought in March, returning to the UFC after a three-year absence to move up a weight class and fight for the vacant heavyweight belt. The 35-year-old submitted Ciryl Gane in the first round to claim the gold. Jones is a former multiple-time light-heavyweight champion in the UFC, and he is seen by many fans and pundits as the greatest fighter in mixed martial arts history. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones Conor McGregor denies allegation he sexually assaulted a woman at NBA Finals Nate Diaz ‘looked like he was dying’ in training for Jake Paul fight, sparring partner says UFC fan favourite Max Holloway to return with ‘Korean Zombie’ fight in Singapore