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Abdul Wahid, Aka Gervonta Davis’ Coach Calvin Ford Released from Jail After Arrest Over Alleged Assault With Deadly Weapon

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Gervonta Davis

After Gervonta Davis’ (now Abdul Wahid) legal troubles, his coach, Calvin Ford, found himself in deep waters. Following Davis’ 44-day stint in a Baltimore jail, Ford, the esteemed coach of the prominent American boxing star, had found himself in a difficult situation with the authorities. However, after almost a month, the coach has finally been released.

On December 29, Baltimore police arrested Ford as he exited the Upton Boxing Gym in Baltimore, Maryland. This was in connection with an incident that took place in Las Vegas. The reason for Ford’s arrest was linked to felony assault charges in Nevada. Ford faced two charges of ‘assault with a deadly weapon. Fortunately, however, he has been released since and informed the fans about this through his Instagram stories.

Coach Calvin posted a series of pictures and videos on his Instagram stories after his release. One of the pictures was captioned, “Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing. You’ll see clearly soon enough.” Like the strong team that they are, Davis and his crew have been standing in support of the coach since the start of the fiasco started

Gervonta Davis

More details are yet to come regarding the conditions of his release. Soon after his release, though, the trainer reached the airport and came back to Baltimore with his team and his close ones. Many team members had vouched for his innocence since the arrest and had refuted the alleged charges.

Gervonta Davis’ Coach and Calvin Ford’s right-hand man defends Ford

Kenny Ellis, the second half of the dynamic duo responsible for Gervonta Davis’ training, addressed the situation in an interview with ‘Fannon International Boxing Channel’. Ellis provided detailed insights into Ford’s arrest, refuting the charges against him. When asked about the circumstances of Ford’s arrest, Ellis defended him, stating, “They picked him up on some false accusations that somebody accused him of doing.”

The host pressed for details on the charges. Responding to this, Ellis disclosed that Ford was accused of assault with a deadly weapon by two individuals. Ellis emphasized Ford’s innocence, stating, “It was assault with a deadly weapon from two people, and the question is if that happened and I was with Calvin, why am I not locked up.” He went on to add, “[I] want to let the people know that he’s been falsely accused, and the truth will rise to the top.”

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BOXING

Hearn: Joshua Demolished Wallin, I Believe He’ll Do The Same To Ngannou

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Anthony Joshua

Promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom had no issues with convincing his star boxer, former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, to fight MMA veteran Francis Ngannou.

Joshua was initially being positioned to face former WBC champ Deontay Wilder in a long-awaited fight.

That scenario was derailed when Joseph Parker won an upset twelve round unanimous decision over Wilder on December 23 in Saudi Arabia. Joshua appeared in the main event of that card and stopped Otto Wallin.

“Look, we were due to announce the Deontay Wilder fight in the ring that night,” Hearn told The MMA Hour. “Both guys had signed a contract to announce the fight and [Turki Alalshikh] was very excited. Obviously it was one of the most highly anticipated fights that could be made this fall. It’s four years in the making, everyone was really excited. Obviously Deontay Wilder lost. So from that moment, the cogs are turning in [Alalshikh’s] mind, ‘What are we going to do on March 8th, March 9th?’

“As soon as the fights finish, he’s like, ‘Right, let’s talk.’ And we had a meeting and I said to him, ‘I think [Francis Ngannou] is the biggest fight out there.’ I said it to you when I came on [The MMA Hour after Fury vs. Ngannou] — we’re talking about two giants in Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou, two men who look like they are carved out of stone, two devastating punchers. And I’ve always felt like it was the biggest fight out there. I told [Alalshikh] that and he felt the same, and these people move very quickly.”

Joshua vs. Ngannou is scheduled to take place on March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Hearn is expecting a very dominant victory by his man.

“Honestly, previous to the Fury fight, it wasn’t a fight that [Joshua] was interested in,” Hearn said. “Obviously we just boxed a guy in Otto Wallin that really gave Fury a really tough time, cut him, think he had 48 stitches — the fight should’ve been stopped, Otto Wallin should’ve won that fight. But it is what it is, and AJ went out and it was a mismatch. He demolished [Wallin]. And I believe we’re going to do the same here. So that performance over Tyson Fury, of course, that was really the point, the moment that made this fight credible.”

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BOXING

WHEN FRANK MET EDDIE: FRANK WARREN SAYS ANTHONY JOSHUA HAS ‘EVERYTHING TO LOSE’ AGAINST ‘DANGEROUS’ NGANNOU

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Anthony Joshua

Frank Warren has warned Anthony Joshua that he has “everything to lose” when he enters the ring to face former MMA star Francis Ngannou in March in Saudi Arabia. Ngannou produced a stunning performance in his debut in the boxing ring as he knocked down Tyson Fury in October. The Cameroonian lost the bout but Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn also warned that he is a “dangerous” opponent.

Frank Warren has told TNT Sports that Anthony Joshua has “everything to lose” when he steps into the ring with former MMA star Francis Ngannou.
The two fighters are scheduled for a bout on March 8 in Saudi Arabia.
Ngannou stunned the boxing world with his debut performance in the ring against world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in October. The Cameroonian knocked down Fury in the third round but the Brit went on to win the fight on a split-decision.
Joshua also impressed in his last fight where he stopped American Otto Wallin in the fifth round in Saudi Arabia last month.
Speaking to TNT Sports expert Steve Bunce in the ‘When Frank Met Eddie’ show, Warren and Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn discussed the upcoming fight and both men are expecting Ngannou to impress once again.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Hearn when asked about Ngannou’s display against Fury. “I was in Mexico and everyone was messaging me saying: ‘Are you watching this? He’s just dropped him.’
Anthoy Joshua
“I got it so wrong. I thought it was a mismatch and the fight was a farce and I was so wrong. Tyson might have been a little below par but Ngannou comes in as a debutant and I know he’s a stand-up fighter in MMA but it’s not professional boxing.
“It was unbelievable. I just didn’t believe in any sporting arena that a novice in that field could go in and even compete with the top of the top.
“Imagine any other sport where someone could just go on with a little bit of similar experience and I thought he was unbelievable.
“The dangerous thing about Francis Ngannou is that he really believes. He believed that he could beat Fury then, imagine what he’s believing now.
“Now we’ve got tape of Francis Ngannou, only 10 rounds. It must be difficult going in fighting a guy that you’ve never seen box before.”
Warren added: “Tyson wasn’t at his best that night, he trained hard for it but he wasn’t at his best. AJ has everything to lose in this fight. He’s come off a really good win, looked good, done the business in style and he’ll be the favourite on the night.
Three weeks prior to the showdown between Joshua and Ngannou, Oleksandr Usyk will face off against Fury to decide who will be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
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BOXING

Anthony Joshua: “I Am The Top Heavyweight In The UK”

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Anthony Joshua

Heavyweight boxing in the United Kingdom is in good hands. Once dominated by the Americans, the likes of Tyson Fury, Daniel Dubois, Joe Joyce, Dillian Whyte, and a long list of others have wrestled things back in favor of the Brits.

Currently, thanks to wins over Deontay Wilder, and Wladimir Klitschko several years ago, Fury is viewed as the heavyweight division’s top dog. Anthony Joshua, however, is vexed whenever Fury is given that sort of praise. When it comes to his home soil, he refuses to accept that anyone is better than him.

“I am the top heavyweight in the UK,” said Joshua during a recent presser.

The conjecture surrounding who’s the best heavyweight in the United Kingdom will be cleared in the next few months. Fury will take on Oleksandr Usyk for a shot at undisputed, with the loser likely to enforce their immediate rematch clause. Joshua, in the meanwhile, won’t simply sit back without jumping in on the action.

Anthony Joshua

Officially, the former unified champ will square off against Francis Ngannou on March 8th. As long as everything goes according to plan, Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) envisions a matchup with the winner of Fury vs. Usyk.

Before giving thought to how Joshua would do in a third fight with Usyk or a showdown against Fury, his desires may come across as bemusing. The fighters represented in the United Kingdom are great in their own right, but the rest of the world has plenty of their own heavyweight talent.

Although countless contenders reside all across the globe, Joshua isn’t losing any sleep. Of course, Zhilei Zhang, a native of China, Filip Hrgovic, hailing from Croatia, and Jared Anderson, the loquacious American – are all legitimate threats. Joshua though, is focusing on what’s taking place in his neck of the woods.

“I’m not really too concerned about the world,” continued Joshua. “I’m trying to conquer where I live.”

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua told “pointless” Francis Ngannou fight is “bad for boxing”

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Former world champion Carl Froch has told Anthony Joshua his fight with Francis Ngannou is a waste of time.

Joshua will take on ex-UFC heavyweight world champion Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on March 8. The Brit had planned to take on Deontay Wilder in the Middle East but the American slipped to a shock defeat against Joseph Parker last month.

Ngannou stepped in after impressing the boxing world on his professional debut when he dropped Tyson Fury in the third round before losing on points. Joshua knows victory could earn him a shot at the winner of Fury’s clash with Oleksandr Usyk which takes place next month.

But Froch sees no point in him facing Ngannou instead of a legitimate contender. “It’s bad for boxing because who wants to watch it? Because when Joshua wins, what’s he done? What’s he achieved? F*** all,” he told Lord Ping. “All he wants is bragging rights to say he did a better job than Fury, but no one cares. Joshua Ngannou is a pointless fight. It’s doing nothing for boxing.

“Sure, it keeps him ticking over while he waits for the winner of Fury versus Usyk, but why not fight a real boxer; fight Zhilei Zhang, fight Joe Joyce, fight Daniel Dubois. There are fights available to Joshua against top contenders and real boxers. But instead he’s jumping in with Ngannou in a pointless exhibition.”

Joshua, however, insists Ngannou represents a danger to his dream of becoming a three-time champion. “He brings two arms, a body, but his mind is different to everyone else. In terms of his frame and make-up I’ve seen people like him many times before,” he said.

On his thoughts when the Ngannou fight was offered, Joshua added: “No problem. Every fight leads to somewhere, so this fight is my everything and we will see where it leads me. My main focus is Ngannou and getting through an intense training camp. I have got to take his mind and his spirit, it will be explosive. We can both trade and it will be a good fight.”

 

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BOXING

‘Abdul Wahid’ Aka Gervonta Davis Reportedly Has an Opponent for Return Post-Conversion to Islam

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Gervonta Davis

The former WBA lightweight champ, Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, sparked numerous headlines when he converted to Islam a few days back. Reports said that he took the name Abdul Wahid after his conversion. ‘Tank’ is making headlines once more recently. But this time the fans may be even more excited since it’s about his upcoming matchup. A recent update on ‘X’ revealed that Davis may take to the ring on 30 March this year.

It also revealed that the famous Puerto Rican boxer, Subriel Matias, will be ‘Tank’s’ next rival. However, the scrap between the two is still in its preliminary stages. The update further revealed that the IBF super lightweight world title will be on the line for this fight. Its caption read:

However, this update came from a rather unpopular account on ‘X’ named ‘NDJ’, who calls himself a boxing fan. This is why several fans questioned the source of his information and doubted its authenticity.

But a look at the current scenario will reveal that another noted boxing star may come up as Gervonta Davis’ next rival. It also won’t be wrong to say that the fans will have their minds blown if this one materializes.

Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney’s online beef may end up in an in-ring clash

Gervonta Davis

Lately, the noted WBC super lightweight champ, Devin Haney, fired a shot at Davis through one of his ‘X’ updates. He implied that Davis has always tried to duck a fight against him despite multiple offers. His update also highlighted the post of the former two-time welterweight champ boxer, Shawn Porter, who stated that a ‘Tank’ vs. ‘The Dream’ fight will never happen despite the massive interest of fans.

But Davis fired back at both Haney and Porter with a single ‘X’ update. He wrote:

Well, nobody knows where this beef between these three will stop. But Davis may have given out an indication that he is ready to accept Haney’s challenge. Most boxing fans will probably love to hear that a Davis vs. Haney bout is awaiting them.

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BOXING

Conor Benn Includes Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis While Demanding Fights With “Big Names”

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Gervonta Davis

Conor Benn’s frustration is explainable. Once poised to rule over boxing in England, today, he finds himself at the lower end of the barrel, looking for fights that match his caliber. In his yearning for better fights, he exclaims, “Just make it happen!”

In October 2022, the biggest fight of his career, against his oldest rival, Chris Eubank Jr., was called off. Days before the event was to happen, he tested positive twice for a banned substance, clomifene. Initially suspended for it, the WBC cleared his name from the charge, citing over-consumption of eggs as being responsible for the heightened clomifene levels. However, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) and UKAD disagreed, disallowing him from fighting in the UK. While he recently fought in the US, his opponent was relatively unknown. He has also been unable to secure the fights that will push him toward the big leagues. To Boxing Social, the undefeated fighter expressed his disappointment and frustration.

“What more do you want me to do?” questions Conor Benn

In his career, before the drug fiasco, he was someone everyone wanted to fight and do business with. After the drug fiasco, the fighter still believes he is a big draw. “I’m a promoter’s dream. What more do you want me to do? I’m the most wanted man in Britain, the most wanted man in the welterweight division,” states Conor Benn. Currently promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, Benn has so far managed to fight once against Rodolfo Orozco last year.

Gervonta Davis

Come 3rd February, at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, he will fight undefeated Peter Dobson. However, his yearning for the elite names remains as he looks for fights, “From Haney, from Brook, from Eubank, from Gervonta, from Taylor, from Kelly. What more do you want me to do?” laments Benn who is now seeking fights against Devin Haney, Kell Brook, Chris Eubank Jr., Gervonta Davis, Josh Taylor, and even Josh Kelly.

After almost a year of being away, the undefeated fighter now demands the big fights, against the big names. “I ain’t fought for a year and a half, I’m still there, still top of people’s tongue, still at the forefront of people’s minds. In these mega fights. You know, so it’s like, it’s frustrating not because of Eubank because I couldn’t care less about it. Just a big name. Just anyone. Like any of the names mentioned. Just make it happen,” states Conor Benn.

On his path to these elite fights, his promoter and he believes the upcoming February clash will open those doors for them.

Ticket to the big names

In late December, the potential of a Chris Eubank Jr. fight fell flat for the promoter-boxer duo. Looking past it, they announced the upcoming Peter Dobson fight. Was the fight to prove Benn’s relevance in the ring, or was it strategic? Hearn said, “This is a big night for Conor where he can send a message to the world champions and elite names that he’s ready to take them on in 2024.”

Despite the fight not being the one he was chasing, Benn assures to undertake it with dedication. “I was disappointed when my previous fight fell through, but in this sport when one door shuts, another one opens. This setback has brought me back to where I need to be, and I’m here to put the entire 147 [lb] division on notice,” said Conor Benn recently.

 

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BOXING

Devin Haney Accuses Gervonta Davis Of Only Talking When He Has A Fight Scheduled

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Gervonta Davis

WBC super-lightweight champion Devin Haney is continuing to show his willingness to fight the biggest names in the sport, this time declaring his aspirations to fight Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, in what would be a first defence of his 140lb title.

Haney took part in one of 2023’s biggest boxing events last year, outpointing pound-for-pound great Vasyl Lomachenko to put his own name into the conversation of being the best fighter on the planet.

‘The Dream’ then vacated his undisputed lightweight throne to pursue multi-division championship status, and he was successful in his attempts, whitewashing Regis Prograis in another spellbinding display to silence any doubters.

Meanwhile, Gervonta Davis took part in arguably the biggest event of 2023, knocking out Ryan Garcia and furthering his claim to have become the ‘face of boxing’ after reports of astonishing pay-per-view sales.

Gervonta Davis

Now, it seems that the two could meet with Haney offering to fight ‘Tank’ at 140lbs, a division where Davis has also previously held a world title, and there is interest from Saudi to stage the fight.

Although on social media, Haney appeared to doubt the authenticity of Davis’ apparent ambition of facing him, claiming that he only calls him out when he has a fight lined up.

Perhaps the only man who doesn’t want to see this fight is Sandor Martin, the WBC mandatory challenger who has now signed with Top Rank and will be expecting to face Haney next, but for the rest of the boxing universe Haney-Tank is a clash that simply must happen.

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BOXING

Murodjon Akhmadaliev Backs Terence Crawford, Not Naoya Inoue, as The Best Fighter in The World

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Terence Crawford

Who you got? Naoya Inoue or Terence Crawford.

The imaginary, yet salient pound-for-pound number-one fighter in the world is currently an open debate. Of course, there are a few fighters that are shuffled into the mix.

Oleksandr Usyk, the heavyweight division’s unified champion, has always garnered consideration. So has Canelo Alvarez. But for the most part, the debate is between Crawford and Inoue.

Murodjon Akhmadaliev is somewhat close to the conversation. After all, Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) currently fights in his division and just ran through someone who beat Akhmadaliev in Marlon Tapales. It’s a tough call for the 28-year-old when asked to give his own opinion. He didn’t rush into giving his answer. He paused and thought long and hard before pontificating who he believes is the best fighter in the world.

“There’s no doubt that Inoue is a great fighter,” Akhmadaliev told BoxingScene.com. “But if I had to choose, I would choose Terence Crawford as the best pound-for-pound fighter.”

The two have a ton of differences between them. They compete in completely different weight classes, are from two different sides of the earth, and fight nothing alike. They recently did, however, make history.

Crawford’s cataclysmic knockout win over Errol Spence Jr. last year crowned him as the first male to become undisputed in two weight classes. Inoue recently joined him a few weeks ago after grabbing every title in the super bantamweight division.

Moving up in weight has been practically a walk in the park for the Japanese star. Still, even with no one being able to take him down, Akhmadaliev has a hard time putting Inoue above Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) on his pound-for-pound rankings.

“He has more tools than anyone else,” continued Akhmadaliev. “He has probably the highest ring IQ and he proves it in the ring against the best. He’s that great.”

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BOXING

Turki Alalshikh Wants Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis To Fight in Saudi Arabia in 2024

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Gervonta Davis

The most powerful figure in boxing, some say, wants two highly regarded American boxers to join the lucrative jamboree that is all the rage these days in the Middle East. (photo by Ryan Hafey)

In a long interview with DAZN published this week, Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment in Saudi Arabia, issued a generous invitation to boxers Devin Haney, the WBC 140-pound titlist, and Gervonta Davis to fight on a card sometime later this year in the oil-producing nation. Presumably, Alalshikh would also want to see the two fighters take on each other as well.

“I want him (Davis) and I send message now from you to [Davis’ advisor Al] Haymon: ‘Let’s do job [together], brother,’” Alalshikh said. “But Haney I want to see in my country and I send message from you now to him. I will try to do it in 2024. And Davis of course we want him in our country.”

Thanks to Alalshikh and his ability to dip into Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth, boxing has seen numerous high-profile fights made in the past few months, including the stacked heavyweight-laden card on Dec. 23 that featured Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder in separate fights. The country will notably host the undisputed heavyweight championship between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Uysk on Feb. 17, followed by a “crossover” bout between Joshua and former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in March.

Gervonta Davis

Alalshikh has been bullish about his commitment to boxing, saying recently that he wants to actively bring about the sorts of fights that have long been considered impossible because of business politics. One example: the undisputed light heavyweight championship between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

Haney is a free agent whose last fight took place under Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, while Davis has long been backed by Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champion.

Both Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) and Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) are relatively recent converts to Islam. Alalshikh has spoken fondly of Muslim boxers, such as Beterbiev.

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