Tag: dereck chisora

Oleksandr Usyk’s co-promoter: Usyk will fight Anthony Joshua in 2020

Anthony Joshua’s next move remains uncertain, yet Oleksandr Usyk’s co-promoter is confident Usyk will still fight Joshua sometime in 2020.

The waiting game for Antony Joshua’s next move continues, yet Oleksandr Usyk’s co-promoter is confident Usyk will still fight Joshua sometime in 2020.

Whether Joshua will relinquish any of his heavyweight belts or show up at Tyson Fury’s training camp as a sparring partner for the Fury-Deontay Wilder rematch is still anybody’s guess. But Alexander Krassyuk says that at some point during the next 12 months Joshua will fight Usyk.

“This is a fact,’’ Krassyuk told Sky Sports. “The question is whether it happens in the next fight or the other. At this stage, we wait for AJ’s decision.’’

Joshua might opt to fight Kubrat Pulev in a mandatory title defense sometime this spring. There are reports that Joshua and Pulev have until Jan. 31 to strike a deal.

If they reach an agreement and Joshua loses his WBO belt as a result, Krassyuk said Usyk will probably fight Joseph Parker instead of Derek Chisora for the vacant title.

“Chisora is impossible for the title,” Krassyuk said. “In case it turns out that the WBO title is vacant, Usyk will be happy to fight for it. And Joseph Parker is the highest available contender.’’

Anthony Joshua, Kubrat Pulev in negotiations for title fight: report

Anthony Joshua, who holds three major heavyweight titles, and IBF mandatory Kubrat Pulev reportedly have set a deadline to make a deal.

It’s looking more and more as if Anthony Joshua will fight Kubrat Pulev next.

Joshua, who holds three of the four major heavyweight titles, and IBF mandatory Pulev reportedly have set a deadline to make a deal.

An IBF spokesperson told Sky Sports, “I have just been told that the Pulev and Joshua camps have asked until January 31 to negotiate.”

Joshua was ordered by both the IBF and WBO, whose titleholder is Oleksandr Usyk, to face his mandatory challengers immediately. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, has been working with the organizations to come up with a solution that would allow Joshua to keep both belts.

In that process, Pulev seems to have emerge as the favorite to challenge for a title next.

Meanwhile, Oleksandr Usyk, the former cruiserweight champion, reportedly has been offered a fight against longtime contender Dereck Chisora in London. Usyk presumably would fight Joshua if he beats Chisora and Joshua does the same against Pulev, although a lucrative showdown with the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury II winner looms.

Hearn said the working date for Usyk-Chisora in March 28.

Another possibility is that Joshua is forced to vacate the WBO title. Usyk could then face No. 2-ranked Joseph Parker for the vacant title.

Pulev (28-1, 14 KOs) lost to Wladimir Klitschko by a fifth-round knockout in 2014, his only title shot. The 38-year-old Bulgarian was scheduled to challenge Joshua in 2017 but had to pull out because of an injury. He regained his mandatory status by outpointing Hughie Fury in 2018.

Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) defeated Andy Ruiz Jr. by a wide decision on Dec. 7 to regain the titles Ruiz took from him by knockout in June.

Joseph Parker ready to fight Usyk for vacant title if Joshua opts for Pulev

Joseph Parker could get a shot at the WBO title if Anthony Joshua opts to fight Kubrat Pulev instead of Oleksandr Usyk.

If Anthony Joshua opts for his IBF mandatory over the No. 1 WBO challenger, Joseph Parker could be the beneficiary.

Joshua has been ordered by both sanctioning bodies to fight their mandatories – Kubrat Pulev (IBF) and Oleksandr Usyk (WBO) – immediately, which means he might have to give up one of his three heavyweight belts.

That would set up a bout between Usyk and WBO No. 2 Parker for that organization’s vacant title.

Parker is tentatively scheduled to fight next month in the United States, although neither an opponent nor a site has been announced. Usyk reportedly is considering a fight with Dereck Chisora while waiting for Joshua’s situation to sort itself out.

“Usyk is a very tough fight,” said David Higgins, Parker’s manager. “He’s a southpaw, he would dissect Anthony Joshua. We know this, but if you’re the better boxer and you get a world title shot, you have an obligation to take it. Joseph being old school will not take a backward step, so if that does happen, Joseph will be straight in and he’ll fight Usyk.

“Usyk is a very skilled professional. I respect him and his manager, but it would be a good fight. Hopefully, we might see that this year.”

Parker (26-2, 20 KOs) was scheduled to fight Chisora on the Josh Taylor-Regis Prograis card Oct. 26 in London but pulled out because of what he said was a spider bite.

The Kiwi, who held the WBO title between 2016 and 2018, recovered after a few weeks and wanted to reschedule the Chisora fight before the end of 2019 but the fight didn’t materialize. Thus, Parker will have been out of the ring for seven months if he fights in February.

“Chisora spent two years calling out Joe and now he’s running a mile, so it’s a bit silly really,” Higgins said. “Joe fights the man in front of him and he would fight Chisora tomorrow, but Chisora has gone from wanting to fight to a U-turn.

“I’m not sure about the Usyk-Chisora thing. Joseph would fight either of them.”

Parker stopped Alexander Flores and then Alex Leapai after losing consecutive decisions to Anthony Joshua (who took his title) and Dillian Whyte.

Who’s the best heavyweight? Hint: He comes from Manchester

The debate over who is the best active heavyweight will rage until someone emerges as No. 1 in the ring.

Anthony Joshua seems to think that he’s the best heavyweight in the world simply because he holds three of the four major belts.

Not necessarily. We all know that who you beat – and lose to – is more important than what you wear around your waist. The opportunity to fight for titles often has as much to do as your connections as your ability.

With that in mind, here is how I rank the top three big men in boxing.

  1. TYSON FURY
    Record    : 29-0-1 (20 KOs)
    Defeated: Dereck Chisora (twice), Wladimir Klitschko
    Lost to: No one
    Drew with: Deontay Wilder
    Titles held: Lineal, IBF, WBA and WBO
    Background: Fury has by far the most impressive victory among active heavyweights, a wide decision over longtime heavyweight titleholder Wladimir Klitschko to become lineal champion in 2015. The Gypsy King had to walk away from boxing to deal with personal problems, losing his titles as a result, but he came back to draw with Deontay Wilder in an entertaining fight that many observers thought he deserved to win in 2018. I scored it 113-113. In that fight, Fury went down twice and got up twice. That included a hellacious knockdown in the final round that seemed to finish him off. Fury clearly is the best boxer among these three. And, as he demonstrated against Wilder, he’s resilient. Best victory, best boxer, best heavyweight. Of course, Wilder might have something to say about that when they fight again on Feb. 22 in Las Vegas.
  2. DEONTAY WILDER
    Record    : 42-0-1 (41 KOs)
    Defeated: Luis Ortiz (twice)
    Lost to: No one
    Drew with: Tyson Fury
    Titles held: WBC (current)
    Background: The perception that Wilder can’t box is overstated. He certainly boxes well enough to set up the hardest punches in the sport almost every time he steps into the ring. Forty-one knockouts in 43 fights say a great deal. And, for what it’s worth, he boxed well enough to outpoint Bermane Stiverne to win his title by decision in 2015. He has made 10 successful defenses. Wilder also proved in his first fight with Luis Ortiz that he’s tougher than some might’ve expected. The Cuban had him in real trouble but he survived and won by KO in the 10th round. Ortiz outboxed Wilder in the rematch until a huge right put him down and out in Round 7. This is what Wilder does. A lot of people seem to think that the Bronze Bomber’s limited skill set – if that’s what it is – will bite him in the behind one day. Could that day be Feb. 22?
  3. ANTHONY JOSHUA
    Record    : 23-1 (21 KOs)
    Defeated: Dillian White, Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, Alexander Povetkin, Andy Ruiz Jr.
    Lost to: Ruiz
    Titles held: IBF, WBA and WBO (current)
    Background: Joshua deserves credit for easily outpointing Andy Ruiz Jr. on Dec. 7 to regain the titles he lost to Ruiz by knockout this past June. The knockout artist turned himself into a safety-first boxer to win by scores of 118-110, 118-110 and 119-109. Great game plan, great execution. The performance wasn’t scintillating but it was thorough. Joshua also deserves recognition for surviving a knockdown to retire a 41-year-old Klitschko in 2017. All that doesn’t mean we can forget what happened in the first Ruiz fight. Joshua didn’t simply get caught by a big punch, which happens in the division. He was put down four times and, in the opinion of many, quit in the seventh round. A victory over a particularly heavy Ruiz in the rematch was only the first step in the process of rebuilding his reputation.

Usyk vs. Chisora discussions underway for February

Promoter Eddie Hearn said on Friday that he is trying to finalize an Oleksandr Usyk vs. Dereck Chisora matchup for February.

Oleksandr Usyk’s next test at heavyweight could be Dereck Chisora.

Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that negotiations were underway for that matchup today after the weigh-in for the Radzhab Butaev vs. Alexander Besputin card that will take place this Saturday in Monte Carlo.

Hearn said he is trying to pin Usyk-Chisora for February.

“I was just backstage talking to Usyk trying to get the Chisora fight over the line for February,” Hearn said. “That’s a big fight. That’s a big heavyweight fight. Usyk’s now established as a big star in the weight division.”

After some delay due to a biceps injury, Usyk, the former unified cruiserweight world champion, made his heavyweight debut in October with a seventh round stoppage of Chazz Witherspoon at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Hearn said Usyk appears to have bulked up since the fight.

“Will that slow that down, will that increase his power? What we saw against Witherspoon was that the size was an issue,” Hearn said. “He got a couple (punches) on the arm, a mouse under the eye, where all of a sudden he’s thinking, this is a different game. When you get hit by (Deontay) Wilder or (Anthony Joshua) AJ or any of those guys… but does he have the skill or speed to counter that?

Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs) is coming off a stoppage win over David Price in October. He is riding a three-fight win streak since getting knocked out by Dillian Whyte in 2018.

“Against Chisora I think it’s such as an interesting fight,” Hearn said. “We know that Usyk is going to pick off Chisora but he’s a right handful. He’s a big lump and he can punch. And you’re gonna get a lot of answers in that fight, in my opinion.”