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Lennox Lewis was the last man to hold all four major belts in the marquee division 24 years ago. Right now we are fast approaching a new king of the division being crowned when Frank Warren promoted Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk meet on February 17 for the WBO, WBA, WBC and IBF titles.

It has been strongly suggested that whoever wins that fight will then be matched up against the winner of Anthony Joshua versus Francis Ngannou on March 8, though Lewis doesn’t think either of those men is deserving of the shot.

He has said that the fight is a ‘spectacle’ that adds nothing to Joshua’s resume and that Ngannou shouldn’t be in a position to challenge for undisputed after just two fights and that the winner of Zhilei Zhang versus Joe Parker would be more fitting.

Anthony Joshua

Speaking to Seconds Out, Frank Warren has now responded to those comments.

Warren was then asked if he fought Anthony Joshua deserved a shot at the undisputed should he beat Ngannou – a contest one fellow UFC star thinks is 50/50.

Fans will certainly agree with that.

Anthony Joshua faces Francis Ngannou later this year.

Anthony Joshua has proven several times that he has the fire and willpower to overcome adversity in the ring.

After being dropped by Wladimir Klitschko in 2017, Joshua rallied to stop the legendary Ukrainian at Wembley Stadium, but that wasn’t the first time that the 2012 Olympic gold medallist hit the canvas.

When Joshua was still an amateur, Price was a heavyweight prospect in the professional ranks who had captured a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics.

Anthony Joshua

At this time, the heavy-handed pair helped each other out by sparring and during one session, Price was able to floor Joshua. The Watford man recalled the incident when preparing for his fight with Eric Molina eight years ago.

“Yes, he dropped me in sparring, and I continued training and that’s why I am here now,” said Joshua when speaking to Sky Sports in 2016.

“In a sense, you have to look at these things as a blessing in disguise because in boxing, a lot of people get dropped, get hurt and then go on and do great things.”

Tyson Fury is set for another significant payday when he steps into the ring with Oleksandr Usyk.

The WBC heavyweight champion is set to take on Usyk on Saturday, February 17. All four heavyweight belts will be at stake to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.

Fury was last in the ring for his showdown with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in October, with the bout in Saudi Arabia reportedly earning him $50m (£39m). American outlet Forbes has previously stated that the heavyweight champion’s net worth is $62m (£48.73m) but this was last updated in May 2022.

The latest set of public accounts for Tyson Fury Ltd, dated from April 2021 to March 2022, showed that he made a £13m profit and finished the year with £43m in the bank. His estimated earnings after defeating Derek Chisora in December 2022 were claimed to be up to £130m after two fights in that calendar year. This may have increased to around £170m following his clash with Ngannou, while Fury’s estimated purse for the fight with Usyk is £60-80m.

Outside of the ring, Fury’s family were the subject of the Netflix documentary, At Home with the Furys. He has also released best-selling books and launched his Furocity Energy drink.

Long-standing rival Anthony Joshua is the other marquee name in the heavyweight division, headlining stadium fights during his two championship reigns. Forbes estimated Joshua’s worth to be $53m (£41,64m) as of May 2023, around £7m less than Fury.

Joshua lost his unified heavyweight title in a two-fight series with Usyk, which reportedly earned him a combined £75m. Comeback wins over Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius are claimed to have paid £10m apiece and the 34-year-old closed 2023 with a convincing win over Otto Wallin to put himself firmly back in the title picture.

‘AJ’ is set to face Francis Ngannou in March and it has been suggested that the Olympic gold medalist will be paid £31m. A win would put him in contention to face the victor of Fury’s clash with Usyk. Away from the ring, Joshua launched his management company 258 MGT, invested in property and has been involved in lucrative sponsorship deals, including Under Armour.

Former unified heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has once again criticised Anthony Joshua for choosing Francis Ngannou to face him in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 8.

Lewis claimed that his compatriot was losing credibility by choosing the Cameroonian as his rival. The legendary British boxer is in the news not for what he achieved almost 25 years ago, but because he couldn’t resist when asked about fellow countryman Anthony Joshua’s choice of Francis Ngannou for his next fight.

According to Lewis, Joshua is losing credibility and, with his countryman returning to boxing after a period of inactivity for personal reasons, his opponents should be of a higher calibre. Joshua has fought three times in 2023. He has won each time, most recently against Otto Wallin. Now, for his fight on March 8, he has chosen the recently arrived Cameroonian Ngannou. Ngannou has only one professional fight under his belt, against Tyson Fury, in which he stood up to the champion in every round and left Fury on his knees.

That fight gave him enough confidence for Joshua to put his name in the ring with him. Both men are set to earn a huge purse for the Riyadh event. Ngannou is a martial arts specialist. He is a former MMA cage champion who moved up to the UFC heavyweight division. In 2021, he defeated Stipe Miocic to become UFC champion, but he later left the UFC. He has only lost three fights in the UFC and is now looking to make a name for himself.

Anthony Joshua

It’s not the first time Lewis has criticised Joshua for some of his decisions he’s made. He did so in 2018 when Joshua was one of the top boxers at the moment and the momentum was in favour of a fight with Fury or Wilder, two of the most powerful boxers at the time who Joshua was unwilling to face. As far as Lewis is concerned, Joshua’s real rivals at the moment are Fury and Zhang Zhilei, who holds the interim WBO heavyweight title. Joshua’s decision is somewhat reflective of the direction boxing has taken in recent times, with many boxers seeking spectacle and big paydays rather than any other official goal with belts and legacy on the line.

It’s a general trend, and not just AJ’s, and it’s reflected in the fight with Ngannou, an opponent who can be attractive but at other times hasn’t earned the merit needed in other times to be given opportunities like this. But that fight, or a series of fights over the next few months, has set up some interesting match-ups. Wilder’s underperformance in Saudi Arabia last December meant Joshua couldn’t fight him the next time around. He had to find another opponent. And, of course, Fury is busy with the most eagerly awaited fight of all, against Usyk on February 17, again in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom Arena will be the site of the ‘Ring of Fire’, as the fight has been dubbed. It will make history. There is barely a month to go before both fighters put a huge chunk of their careers on the line. Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) and Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) will put their belts on the line. The Briton is defending his WBC title in that division, while the Ukrainian is defending his WBA, WBO and IBF belts. Less than a month to go.

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.

Boxing is a fragmented sport. Arguments are the norm between fighters and fans and getting on the same page with anyone is a rarity. Yet, even with so many differing opinions, practically everyone expected Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford to be a competitive fight.

Two top-five pound-for-pound level stars with effective skills and undeniable wills? No matter which side of the fence you found yourself on, their showdown was about as 50/50 as you can get.

Boxing is a fragmented sport. Arguments are the norm between fighters and fans and getting on the same page with anyone is a rarity. Yet, even with so many differing opinions, practically everyone expected Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford to be a competitive fight.

Two top-five pound-for-pound level stars with effective skills and undeniable wills? No matter which side of the fence you found yourself on, their showdown was about as 50/50 as you can get.

Once the opening bell rang, their undisputed clash was tit-for-tat. But outside of that, Crawford dominated.

Terence Crawford

Both acrimonious and despondent over how things played out, Spence went the formulaic route, immediately activating his rematch clause. But, since announcing his decision, talks have seemingly gone nowhere. Additionally, Spence recently revealed that he underwent cataract surgery.

With a cloud of foggy haze surrounding their sequel, Jaron Ennis has offered to step in. Crawford though, hasn’t appeared interested. Still, Ennis continues to poke and bother Crawford every chance he gets.

Roy Jones Jr. has paid attention to everything that’s taken place. Although he doesn’t have any say so in terms of who Crawford should fight, he does have an opinion.

“There’s nothing for him, just sit back and wait,” said Jones to BoxingScene.com when asked what Crawford should do next. “Why would you take the chance fighting Jaron Ennis?”

Over the last few years, just about everyone, including Jones, has used superlatives when describing Ennis’ skill level. But, even with elite talent & a welterweight title, Ennis isn’t the most popular name around.

For Crawford, it’s all about the dollar signs. The 36-year-old believes his legacy is set and is looking for another gigantic payday before hanging up his gloves for good.

While fans may want to see them get it on, Jones is of the belief that the 26-year-old isn’t worth the headache.

“You the man now, you’re 36 years old. You done proved yourself over, and over, and over again. Fighting Jaron Ennis would be harder because you got everything to lose and nothing to win.”

Spence went the formulaic route, immediately activating his rematch clause. But, since announcing his decision, talks have seemingly gone nowhere. Additionally, Spence recently revealed that he underwent cataract surgery.

With a cloud of foggy haze surrounding their sequel, Jaron Ennis has offered to step in. Crawford though, hasn’t appeared interested. Still, Ennis continues to poke and bother Crawford every chance he gets.

Roy Jones Jr. has paid attention to everything that’s taken place. Although he doesn’t have any say so in terms of who Crawford should fight, he does have an opinion.

“There’s nothing for him, just sit back and wait,” said Jones to BoxingScene.com when asked what Crawford should do next. “Why would you take the chance fighting Jaron Ennis?”

Over the last few years, just about everyone, including Jones, has used superlatives when describing Ennis’ skill level. But, even with elite talent & a welterweight title, Ennis isn’t the most popular name around.

For Crawford, it’s all about the dollar signs. The 36-year-old believes his legacy is set and is looking for another gigantic payday before hanging up his gloves for good.

While fans may want to see them get it on, Jones is of the belief that the 26-year-old isn’t worth the headache.

“You the man now, you’re 36 years old. You done proved yourself over, and over, and over again. Fighting Jaron Ennis would be harder because you got everything to lose and nothing to win.”

Gervonta Davis hasn’t fought since his impressive seventh-round knockout of Ryan Garcia last April and now Shawn Porter isn’t sure that he will be able to make the super fight many fans want to see, claiming ‘neither of them want it right now.’

Davis is one of the brightest and biggest stars in boxing right now. He has won titles in three weight classes from super featherweight to light welterweight and is a hard puncher with great IQ who has stopped the likes of Leo Santa Cruz and Yuriorkis Gamboa.

The current lightweight champion last fought at a catchweight against Garcia and after his one fight at super lightweight against Mario Barrios in 2021, he said he would not go back up to 140lbs, which is where one opponent fans want to see him face is currently fighting.

Gervonta Davis

That man is Devin Haney, the unified champion, and speaking to ProBox TV, Porter has said that should the two meet it would have to be at a catchweight, while Haney has said Davis only talks when he has a fight scheduled.

Porter then claimed there might be one man Haney would take on at 140lbs right now.

For his part, Davis has opened the negotiations for a fight with Haney by saying he wants ‘two Ferraris.”

Afew days ago, the possibility of Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney facing each other in the ring emerged in what would be an unmissable show between two undefeated fighters in Saudi Arabia.

Davis, 29, is currently the WBA lightweight champion with a record of 29 wins – 27 of them by knockout – to reflect his growing stature in boxing.

Haney is also the WBC super lightweight world champion and while the 25-year-old has more victories with 31 in total, he is not as decisive as Davis with 15 knockouts.

However, ‘Tank’ posted a long list of demands that he would need to be granted in order to accept the bout, as he is reluctant to formalize the fight.

With a series of messages posted from his X account, Davis defended his stance of waiting to accept the challenge and revealed his long list of demands before signing, although he acknowledged the possibility that the fight could take place in Saudi Arabia.

Gervonta Davis

The pairing would be ideal as they are two young figures in US boxing, both undefeated, with great knockout power and also built with a similar frame.

What is Gervonta Davis asking for to accept the fight against Devin Haney?

Davis‘ detractors accuse him of making such demands because he’s afraid to take on someone like Haney. Even still, he is insisting on a lavish gift to convince him.

“If they want me, they have to send something to my door: two Ferraris or something. Before I even think about going over there,” Davis wrote on X.

April will mark a year since ‘Tank’ last took on a fight since he clearly knocked out Ryan Garcia at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a bantamweight fight, where he thoroughly dominated the former Mexican-American champion.

Haney last fought in December 2023 when he stripped Regis Prograis of his super lightweight title.

Turki Al-Alshikh, advisor to the Royal Court of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is the man who is acting as a promoter for this potential fight, as he has also done with similar major functions in the Middle East.

Francis Ngannou can cause a “massive upset” by defeating Anthony Joshua in their heavyweight showdown in Saudi Arabia, according to veteran promoter Frank Warren.

British boxer Joshua heads into the March 8 fight looking to back-up his commanding stoppage-win over Sweden’s Otto Wallin in December as he continues his quest to become a three-time world champion.

But Warren believes Joshua will have his work cut out in a 10-round bout against the 37-year-old Cameroonian fighter Ngannou.

Best known as a mixed martial artist, Ngannou stunned many observers with an early knockdown of Tyson Fury, promoted by Warren, before suffering a controversial split-decision loss to the World Boxing Council heavyweight champion in October.

And Warren believes Ngannou’s punching power could pose problems for another British boxer in the 34-year-old Joshua when they meet in Riyadh.

Anthony Joshua

“Joshua’s come into this after his last fight against Wallin,” Warren said Wednesday.

“He’ll be a big favourite going in, but I know that if he gets caught on the whiskers (chin) then this fella (Ngannou) could cause a massive upset because he can whack.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how he takes the fight and to see if he fights on the outside or the inside. Ngannou’s game is getting on the inside. He’s a big man, he’s strong.”

Joshua’s victory over Wallin was his third win of 2023 but Warren said his two defeats by Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, the man who deprived him of the World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and and World Boxing Organisation belts, were proof of an enduring vulnerability.

“The two fights to Oleksandr Usyk, we can see what they are,” said Warren.

“People have seen him (Joshua) wobble a few times in fights, that happens with him. I’m not saying there’s a confidence issue, but there wasn’t that when he was such an emphatic fighter.”

Fury and Usyk will clash for the undisputed heavyweight title in Saudi Arabia on February 17.

The winner will be crowned the heavyweight division’s first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis, who held all the major belts from 1999 to 2000.

Teofimo Lopez is at it again. After conquering Vasyl Lomachenko and Josh Taylor, he’s setting his sights higher. This time, it’s Terence Crawford in his crosshairs. But why Crawford? Lopez’s ambitions aren’t just about titles; they’re about breaking records. He’s hinting at a fight bigger than the $50 million Crawford-Spence showdown.

Remember their epic earnings? Lopez thinks he can top that. But how? He’s confident, but is this just another callout, or is there something more? This isn’t just about boxing; it’s a financial gambit. Can he pull it off?

Teofimo Lopez is at it again!

Teofimo Lopez has once again targeted Terence Crawford, setting the stage for what could be a monumental clash in the boxing world. “Do I want Crawford? Absolutely,” Lopez declared, his voice resonating with determination and clarity. His aim? Not just another victory, but a fight that redefines the financial landscape of boxing.

“I aim for greatness. What is that? Fighting the best,” Lopez continued, emphasizing his quest for excellence. Crawford, with his impeccable record and status as a top pound-for-pound fighter, fits the bill perfectly.

Lopez’s confidence is not unfounded. He has a history of backing up his words with action in the ring. “Crawford says he’s the best, I know I’m the best, let’s make the fight happen,” he asserted, showcasing his readiness to take on the elite. However, Lopez acknowledges that before this dream fight can materialize, there’s an immediate hurdle that needs attention. “First things first though, we got to knock this guy out of the way. He’s in front of me, Jamaine Ortiz.”

Teofimo Lopez

His words reflect a fighter who understands the magnitude of the bout he’s proposing – a fight that could potentially eclipse the Crawford-Spence fight on the financial Richter scale.

Financial incentives for Crawford

 Acknowledging Crawford’s stature as a formidable fighter, Lopez said, “But I am going to be honest G with you man, I know that you are a great fighter, I’m a great fighter, you like tough competition, and so do I man.”

He underscored his readiness to rise to Crawford’s weight class, hinting at a significant move. “I think we can make more money than you made with Spence,” Lopez added, laying out a lucrative proposition. This statement underlines Lopez’s willingness to face the best and challenge himself beyond his current division, reflecting his ambition and strategic thinking in the sport.

Will this potential mega-fight redefine the financial and competitive landscape of boxing? What are your thoughts on this potential showdown?