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Simon Jordan: Anthony Joshua 2.0 has clear path to world title but Tyson Fury prediction still stands

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Anthony Joshua

Simon Jordan is now taking a more favourable view about the future of Anthony Joshua’s boxing career.

Following AJ’s impressive win over Otto Wallin in December, and Deontay Wilder’s defeat to Joseph Parker on the same card, the talkSPORT host believes a pathway has been cleared for the Brit to become a three-time heavyweight world champion.

Speaking on the talkBOXING podcast after confirmation AJ vs Francis Ngannou is signed for March 8, Jordan began: “Joshua dealt with Otto Wallin.

“But what we haven’t learned about this ‘Joshua 2.0’ is whether he can take a shot and come back from it in the way he had to against Wladimir Klitschko.

“That’s the overriding question.”

At this point Oliver asked directly if Jordan believes AJ will win a heavyweight world title again and he replied: “Yes. I think the pathway’s been cleared for him.

Anthony Joshua

“Does he win a world title against Tyson Fury? I’m not sure. I don’t think so.”

Oliver interjected: “But it’s a closer fight than you originally thought?”

And Jordan agreed: “Only because of what we’ve seen from Fury in his recent fight [vs Ngannou].

“And we’ve seen people suggesting the reason why he’s meeting people in the middle of the ring is because he can’t move about anymore.

“The Fury we’ve seen against Dillian Whyte and Deontay Wilder – that Fury beats Joshua.

“The Fury we’ve got now may not do it, but I still think he does.

“But I go on with your question of, ‘Do I think he [Joshua] wins a world title?’

“Does he win a world title against Oleksandr Usyk? I think Usyk does him again.

“Now, because a pathway’s been cleared, does he win a world title against Filip Hrgovic – who I think is a strong fighter but not a real risk for Joshua compared to what Fury and Usyk are – yes I now do because the landscape has changed…

“Hrgovic lost to Zhilei Zhang and got the result, and wasn’t particularly impressive against Demsey McKean.

“And in his most recent fight against Mark De Mori, well f*** off, it wasn’t a fight for him, was it?

“I think Hrgovic is a decent fighter, but there’s levels in this game and Joshua is on a different level to Hrgovic.”

 

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BOXING

Francis Ngannou vs Anthony Joshua estimated purse is revealed: How much is it worth?

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Anthony Joshua

To think there are UFC fans out there that are still saying Francis Ngannou “fumbled the bag” when he rejected to sign a new contract in order to do his own thing is beyond understanding. He already won more than whathe earned during his entire UFC career with a single boxing match against Tyson Fury. After that spectacular debut, he landed another mega fight against Anthony Joshua as his second-ever boxing match. Riyadh sports events organizers are the ones we can all thank for that, they know what type of events people want to see worldwide. But there are many lingering questions about this event that still need to be covered.

How much is the Ngannou vs Joshua purse worth?

According to a recent report from Forbes, the estimated purse of the Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou purse will be worth an estimated $70 million. That won’t be split into two equal parts, Joshua is the one with the most prestige in boxing and he is the biggest box office draw. From that purse, the Brit is getting a reported $50 million while Ngannou is getting $20 million. All of this will be before pay-per-view sales. Once we know how well the fight does with viewership, we will know a more exct number of how much each fighter is getting paid for this event.

Ngannou vs Joshua date, venue and start time
Anthony Joshua

With both parties confirmed to have agreed on this fight, we can already offer some more details of the event that is taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A place that has slowly become the world’s boxing capital. Ngannou and Joshua will face each other on Friday, March 8 in a 12-round fight. This event is taking place on a Friday because the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit is taking place on the same weekend. The main event is starting at 13:30 PST but the undercard is expected to start four hours before that. As far as the broadcast goes, DAZN PPV will be the ones hosting the vent.

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua “switched off” after Deontay Wilder’s loss to Joseph Parker

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anthony joshua

Anthony Joshua lost focus after Deontay Wilder scuppered plans of their $100million two-fight deal by losing to Joseph Parke.

Former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua was expected to fight Wilder after his win against Otto Wallin last month, but the American suffered a shocking defeat to Parker at the same event. Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou has now replaced Wilder in the heavyweight equation as he fights Joshua on March 8 in Saudi Arabia.

‘AJ’ enjoyed a well-deserved holiday after his win against Wallin but had to cut it short and fly back to the UK after his fight announcement with Ngannou. Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua, has admitted the Brit switched off for a brief period when his fight with Wilder fell apart.

“AJ didn’t need a lot of convincing for the Ngannou fight, he is on a roll at the moment,” Hearn said on The MMA Hour. “He feels good after the Wallin fight. I think after Wilder lost, he kind of switched off for a week or 10 days. He had to cut his holiday short a few days ago to fly back and start camp.”

“He was going to do that anyway for Wilder, but I think when Wilder lost he maybe just switched off a little bit so he needed to switch back on. In Ngannou’s mind, this is the toughest fight of his career. Francis is a very dangerous man and they will be training with every ounce of their soul to be victorious.”

Joshua wants to beat Ngannou to set up a fight against the winner of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight world titles. ‘AJ’ has changed his tune on facing Ngannou having previously dismissed the “gimmicky” fight whilst discussing Ngannou’s crossover bout with Fury.

“It’s not a great look losing to Francis Ngannou and he’s going to do everything he can to avoid that. It’s never anything we anticipated because we presumed we were fighting Wilder in March. The only time I talked about Ngannou was after the Fury fight, but we didn’t get anywhere,” Hearn added.’

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BOXING

Isaac Cruz Gives Up On Davis Rematch, Targets Ryan Garcia: “Call Your Attorney And Quit Running, Poodle”

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Issac Cruz

Isaac Cruz has given up on his years-long pursuit of a rematch with Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.

For now.

The popular lightweight from Mexico City has a new target in his sights. Actually an old one, as Cruz hopes to unearth past business with Ryan Garcia.

“I am no longer waiting on Gervonta Davis/Abdul Wahid (Davis’ chosen Muslim name),” Cruz told BoxingScene.com in a quote provided through Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions. “Ryan Garcia has been calling us out for the last few fights. That’s the fight I want and what my promoter wants for me. Call your attorney, Guadalupe Valencia and quit running, poodle.”

Cruz (25-2-1, 17KOs) has won three straight since his narrow points loss to Baltimore’s Davis (29-0, 27KOs) in a December 2021 WBA ‘Regular’ lightweight title fight he accepted on five weeks’ notice. The 25-year-old contender has applied heavy pressure on a second bout versus Davis, with the benefit of a full training camp for both in preparation for each other.

The cries fell on deaf ears, even though both are under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) umbrella and Cruz has risen to the top of the WBA lightweight rankings.

Gervonta Davis

Cruz now turns to Garcia (24-1, 20KOs), who rebounded from an April 22 knockout loss to Davis with an eight-round knockout of Mexico’s Oscar Duarte last December 2 in Houston, Texas.

Garcia has since publicly called for—in order—a shot at WBA junior welterweight titleholder Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero (15-1, 13KOs), a high-profile showdown versus unbeaten two-division champ Devin Haney (31-0, 15KOs), and back to Romero, whom he hopes to face this spring.

A fight between Garcia and Cruz was previously ordered by the WBC in 2022 as a planned title eliminator. Garcia and Golden Boy Promotions publicly expressed interest in the fight. Cruz was unavailable at the time as was already committed to a fight versus Eduardo ‘Zurdito’ Ramirez.

With both free at the moment, Cruz believes there is no time like the present to pick up where they left off a couple of years ago.

“Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz was unavailable for various reason,” Sean Gibbons, Cruz’s rep and hype man, told Boxing Scene. “But the time is now. Pitbull has accepted Ryan Garcia’s challenge. This is the fight we want for Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz, no question. So, what’s your excuse now, Ryan?”

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BOXING

Usyk Shows Off Unique Training Method Ahead Of Tyson Fury Clash: “Lift Like A Beast”

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Oleksandr Usyk

Unified Heavyweight World Champion Oleksandr Usyk is preparing for his toughest test to date as he aims to become the first undisputed title-holder in the division since the dawn of the four-belt era.

As we’ve seen from the Ukrainian in the past, he has opted to use some unconventional training methods to ready himself for a showdown with Tyson Fury.

Usyk’s height and weight are a key factor for many as a reason to doubt whether he can defeat Fury, a man six inches taller than him, who weighed in over fifty pounds heavier than the Ukrainian in their respective last outings.

However, ‘The Cat’ is famed for his tremendous boxing IQ and masterful footwork, which aided him in victory over Anthony Joshua on two occasions.

Ahead of those clashes, Usyk used intriguing training techniques such as coin-catching, hammer throwing and juggling to improve his co-ordination and power and once again is taking a unique approach to training camp ahead of his battle with ‘The Gypsy King’.

On Instagram, the 36-year-old posted a video of himself throwing and catching kettlebells, once again indicating his talents in co-ordination, rhythm and strength – skills which he will attempt to showcase against his much larger opponent when they meet next month, captioning the clip with his own take on a famous Muhammad Ali

tyson fury and oleksandr usyk

The slick southpaw will face Fury on February 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in a historic contest, where the victor will truly cement their place amongst the greats in the history of the heavyweight division.

As the deadline approaches, further details are expected to be announced imminently with yet another blockbuster undercard hotly-anticipated.

catchphrase.

 

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua’s promoter reveals fresh plan for Tyson Fury fight and backs ex-champ to beat Gypsy King ‘all day long’

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Tyson Fury

EDDIE HEARN has backed Anthony Joshua to beat Tyson Fury “all day long” with their paths set to potentially cross.

Fury and Oleksandr Usyk unify all four belts for the first time in heavyweigh

t history on February 17 in Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile Joshua is set to return in March against ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou.

Hearn is pushing for Fury to beat Usyk so that AJ can finally commence a Battle of Britain with him afterwards.

He told Boxing Social: “I just want to fight Tyson Fury. I just think in that performance, in that mood, I think he beats him all day long.

“But hopefully Tyson can beat Usyk and we’ll be one step closer to that.”

Hearn was speaking after Joshua, 34, stopped Otto Wallin, 32, in five rounds in Saudi Arabia.

On the undercard, Deontay Wilder, 38, suffered a shock defeat to Joseph Parker, 31, which scuppered his £100million fight deal with AJ.

So Hearn had to look elsewhere for a blockbuster replacement and landed on Ngannou, 37, who dropped Fury, 35, in October.

Despite the knockdown, Fury escaped with a controversial decision to keep his historic unification with Usyk, 36, alive.

The deal is believed to include a rematch clause, meaning the victor could lose the IBF belt afterwards as Filip Hrgovic, 31, is in line to challenge.

Hearn wanted Joshua to fight Hrgovic for the vacant belt once Fury and Usyk rematch.

But until the belt become fragmented, AJ will instead face Ngannou.

 

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BOXING

Gabe Rosado Believes Terence Crawford Should Fight Jaron Ennis

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Terence Crawford

Diehards and those in boxing circles knew how special Terence Crawford was. It simply took the rest of the world a bit more time to catch up.

The world title reigns, dominant wins, and undefeated record were all notable but many were convinced that Crawford was doing it against tenuous competition. In order to shut his doubters up, Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) needed to not only get a big fight but also show out.

Errol Spence Jr. was Crawford’s shining moment. Not only did he bring three titles to the dance floor but his name and status were exactly what Crawford needed. As their July 29th clash grew closer and closer, fans and media members were scratching their heads when asked to make a prediction.

Largely, their vote was split down the middle, making Crawford’s lopsided win even more impressive. Now, with his second undisputed run, the pound-for-pound star is looking for only huge fights and even bigger paydays.

Jaron “Boots” Ennis, the smooth-hitting Philly star, doesn’t quite qualify as a big fight. Although Crawford was stripped of his IBF title and Ennis was immediately elevated, talks of a possible matchup between them haven’t taken place. And, unfortunately for Ennis, it doesn’t appear as though they ever will. With Canelo Alvarez being Crawford’s number one target, he’s ignored the brazen call-outs of Ennis.

Terence Crawford

Although most understand where Crawford is coming from, Gabriel Rosado doesn’t like it.

“In all honesty, Boots earned his spot,” Rosado told Sean Zittel of FightHype.com. “He beat the guys he was supposed to beat, and they’re in the same weight class.”

Ennis, 26, has the sort of buzz that’s seldom seen nowadays. Up until this point, not a single fighter has challenged him. The newly crowned welterweight belt holder spent his 2023 wiping the floor with Karen Chukhadzhian and Roiman Villa. Now, while unlikely, he’s hoping that Crawford will take him up on his offer and face him next.

At the age of 36, if you aren’t depositing a significant amount of money into his bank account, Crawford would rather pass on anyone not named Canelo Alvarez. With that said, getting older in the sport comes with the territory.

According to most, Crawford is viewed as the best fighter in the world. But, if he wants to hold onto that crown that’s dangling from his fingertips, Rosado believes he’ll need to prove himself against some of the young lions like Jaron Ennis.

“This is a young man’s sport. You the king, you on top, you pound-for-pound but now you got the young killer coming up. To stay in the game, you gotta fight those dudes.”

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BOXING

Teofimo Lopez Takes Aim At Terence Crawford: “You Beat Injured Guys … Fight Me”

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Terence Crawford

WBO Super-Lightweight Champion Teofimo Lopez has called out Terence Crawford for a fight due to his frustration at inactivity in the 140lbs division, and believes the record of the unified welterweight king is overrated.

Lopez defeated the poster boy of the super-lightweight scene, Josh Taylor, last June to become a two-division world champion and claim the WBO title, but has yet to fight since, despite links to showdowns with Ryan Garcia and a unification bout with Subriel Matias.

In an interview with Boxing Social, Lopez slandered Crawford’s wins after saying he had looked to fight him recently.

For now it seems that Crawford is tied up in a rematch with Errol Spence, although Spence’s recent eye surgery could allow him to fight in the interim. Meanwhile, Lopez will face Jamaine Ortiz next month..

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BOXING

Claressa Shields Accepts $700 Million Abstinence Challenge Despite Past Confession About Her Hardships to Abstain From S*x During Fight Camp

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Claressa Shields

Today, Claressa Shields took to X (formerly Twitter), accepting a challenge of abstaining from s*x in exchange for $700 million. However, a prior comment from the undisputed middleweight champion suggests otherwise. “Lol. I Used to do 6 weeks before a fight, Now I do 5 weeks sustaining from s*x. I think as you get older it gets harder for real,” wrote Shields in a tweet from May 18 this year.

Back then, the ‘Goat’ Shields was supporting Devin Haney’s claim about facing the same difficulty leading up to a fight. It’s worth mentioning that holding out from engaging in s*xual activities is a crucial part of an athlete’s preparation for game day. However, despite her past claims of facing difficulty in abstaining from s*x, the ‘Goat’ Shields decided to accept the challenge.

Claressa Shields says no problem

Earlier today, a user on X posed an interesting question, asking people whether they could live without s*x for two years in exchange for a whopping $700 million. The user wrote, “Could you survive? No s*x for 2 years and get $700 million, can you??” Shields, who has spoken on a similar matter before, quickly found the tweet, accepting the challenge in a heartbeat.

“I could do this with ease,” wrote Shields mere hours after the initial tweet from the user. Seemingly, Shields now has a better grip on her self-control and discipline. Moreover, as an elite-level athlete competing against the best in the industry, some would say – abstaining from s*x would be easy for her. On a separate note, here’s what Devin Haney said about the same topic.

Devin Haney: I used to do 8 weeks

On 20 May earlier this year, Devin Haney went toe-to-toe with Vasyl Lomachenko at MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas, taking home the fight via close unanimous decision victory. However, before the fight, on 16 May,  Haney appeared in The Pivot Podcast, where he shed light on his struggle with abstaining from s*x.

During the podcast, one of the hosts brought up the topic. So, Haney stated, “I used to do 8 weeks [Of abstaining from s*x before the fight]. But I couldn’t do it anymore because I’d start getting wet dreams closer to my fight.” Later in the podcast, Haney even revealed that he once had a wet dream on the day of a fight, so he could not continue doing it.

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Shakur Stevenson Makes His Pick for Anticipated Fight Between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev

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Dmirty Bivol

Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev, names synonymous with power and skill, are on a collision course. It’s a fight brewing with anticipation, a potential light heavyweight blockbuster for the undisputed title. Amidst this, the current lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, a keen observer and a rising star in the boxing universe, has thrown a curveball into the mix.

Without revealing his pick, Stevenson’s cryptic take has stirred the pot. Is it a prediction or a prophecy? Will this be an all-out brawl or a tactical masterclass?

Shakur isn’t in doubt

In a tweet that set the boxing world alight, Boxing Kingdom announced, “Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol is already signed, for KSA. The only obstacle is Callum Smith next weekend. This could implode like Joshua vs Wilder…” This revelation marks a significant moment in the light heavyweight division, as Bivol and Beterbiev are poised for a historical showdown. Bivol, holding the WBA (Super) and IBO light heavyweight titles, has displayed remarkable prowess in his recent defenses. Beterbiev, wielding the IBF, WBC, and WBO titles, stands as a formidable opponent, known for his knockout power and aggressive style.

Quick to respond, Shakur Stevenson, a rising star with a sharp eye for the sport, tweeted, “That’s a 🔥 fight.. I think I’m taking Bivol in that one”. Stevenson’s endorsement of Bivol brings an added layer of excitement to the bout. Bivol’s technical skill and strategic approach in the ring could be the key to countering Beterbiev’s aggressive, power-driven tactics.

The potential matchup between Bivol and Beterbiev isn’t just a fight; it’s a chess match with gloves, where every move could lead to a checkmate. The boxing world eagerly awaits this clash, where legacy and supremacy in the light heavyweight division are at stake.

The fight is already signed, but Callum Smith can spoil the plans.

Smith to derail Beterbiev’s path to Dmitry Bivol showdown

In a bold statement, Eddie Hearn, head of Matchroom Boxing, has predicted a surprising twist in the light heavyweight narrative. Speaking about the rescheduled bout between Callum Smith and Artur Beterbiev, Hearn stated, “He won’t get sanctioned to challenge for the World Title coming off a Callum Smith KO defeat.”

This prediction was revealed in a tweet after a fan urged Hearn to support the Bivol vs. Beterbiev fight. According to Hearn, when Smith and Beterbiev face off in Quebec City on January 11, he expects Smith to score a knockout victory. Such an outcome, Hearn suggests, would not only shock the boxing world but also jeopardize the much-anticipated clash between Beterbiev and Bivol.

Will Bivol and Beterbiev indeed face off in a legendary showdown? Or will Callum Smith’s potential upset rewrite the script entirely? What do you think? Will Beterbiev make it past Smith to face Bivol, or is an unexpected twist awaiting us in the ring? Share your thoughts
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