Tag: oleksandr usyk

Anthony Joshua says he would like to defend his titles in Nigeria

New heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua wants to fight one day in his ancestral homeland of Nigeria.

Boxing is hitting the road and Anthony Joshua is among those who has his bags packed and is ready for what he hopes will be a heavyweight title defense in Nigeria one day.

Joshua’s dream of fighting in his ancestral home were revived Saturday when he reclaimed his belts in a redemptive rematch victory over Andy Ruiz Jr. in Saudi Arabia.

“Africa’s rooting for me for sure, so I would definitely love to fight out there,” Joshua told The Telegraph after he arrived in London to a warm U.K. homecoming Monday.

Joshua’s immediate itinerary appears to include at least one home date. The first defense of his reclaimed belts, a mandatory against Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev or Russian Oleksandr Usyk, is expected to be in London, possibly at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April or May.

Then the road beckons.

Joshua, an Olympic gold medalist at the 2012 London Games, grew up admiring Muhammad Ali, who was a world champion in every way. Ali traveled, defending his title all over the globe, including a memorable victory in Zaire over George Foreman in 1974.

Joshua visited Nigeria earlier this year. While there, he thought about Ali-Foreman, the legendary “Rumble In The Jungle”. It was then that he decided he wanted to fight where his mother was born.

“People had been telling me I should go back for ages,’’ said Joshua, who was born in the U.K. and then spent a few years as a student at a Nigerian boarding school. “It was crazy because they don’t have 24-hour electricity, but they still know me and support me.

“I went to the ghettos of the ghettos where it’s not all about egos and beef, it’s about people who are hungry to survive. It was one of the best things I’ve done. ‘’

The five best heavyweights on the planet – in order

The heavyweight division is still coming into focus. Here are my five best in the division, in order.

The heavyweight picture is still coming into focus.

Anthony Joshua just boxed circles around Andy Ruiz Jr. in their rematch to reclaim his position among the best big men. Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury are dancing a second time in a fight that should make things clearer.

And there are others looking in from the outside who believe they can emerge as the king in boxing’s traditional glamour division.

With all that in mind, here are my five top heavyweights – in order – at the moment:

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Eddie Hearn on Anthony Joshua’s likely immediate future: ‘Pulev, then Usyk’

Eddie Hearn said that if Anthony Joshua is determined to hang onto his three belts, he’ll likely fight Kubrat Pulev next.

Anthony Joshua might have had to pay a baggage fee, along with all those sanctioning fees, for the trunk of title belts he took home from his redemptive decision over Andy Ruiz Jr. on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua had all but one of them safely back in his wardrobe, which is where they might stay for at least awhile.

Joshua is in no mood to relinquish any of them.

For weeks, there was talk that at least one of the belts would be vacated, whatever that means. Rooms go vacant. Belts don’t. It would be nice if the sanctioning bodies just vacated the word, put vacate on permanent vacation. But that’s about as likely as an end to those sanctioning fees. Anyway, let’s just say that it sounds as if Joshua isn’t prepared to move out of any corner to his regained position at the top of the heavyweight division.

Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn anticipated that Saturday’s winner would give up at least one of the belts. The promotional idea, perhaps, was that Oleksandr Usyk would have a quick and easy path to the first available belt. But Joshua wasn’t ready to give up anything to Usyk or anybody else.

On Sunday, the WBO ordered Joshua to face Usyk in a mandatory title defense. Then the IBF quickly followed with its own mandatory, ordering Joshua to face Kubrat Pulev. Hearn was expected to sort out those orders and presumably a few more during the next few weeks. He foresees Joshua back in the ring in spring.

“I think April or May,’’ he told Sky Sports. “That’s a realistic date.’’

By then, Joshua and Hearn should have a better idea about the only heavyweight fight that matters: Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury. Wilder holds the only other significant belt. Fury calls himself the lineal heavyweight champion. A Fury-Wilder rematch looms in February at a still undisclosed location.

For Joshua’s projected return in spring, Hearn expects Pulev.

“A.J. will want to maintain the belts, and if that’s the case, I think it will be Pulev, and then Usyk,’’ Hearn said.

Pulev, a Top Rank-promoted Bulgarian, was scheduled to fight Joshua on Oct. 28 in Cardiff, Wales. But he withdrew because of a shoulder injury.

WBO orders Anthony Joshua to defend title against Oleksandr Usyk: report

Anthony Joshua barely had time to savor his victory over Andy Ruiz Jr. when the WBO ordered him to defend its title against Oleksandr Usyk.

Could Olexsanr Usyk be next for Anthony Joshua?

Joshua barely had time to grasp what he accomplished by outpointing Andy Ruiz Jr. in their rematch Saturday in Saudi Arabia, winning back three heavyweight titles, when the WBO ordered him to defend its belt against Usyk.

Joshua (23-1, 21 knockouts) must face Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) by early next June, according to the Daily Mail.

Joshua, who was stopped by Ruiz  last June, thoroughly outboxed him in the rematch to win a wide decision to regain the clout that comes with holding heavyweight titles.

In a perfect world, he’d fight the winner of the Feb. 22 fight between Deontay Wilder, who holds the fourth major belt, and Tyson Fury to unify all the titles. It’s not that easy, though.

If Joshua decides not to defend against Usyk, he could be stripped of the belt and any immediate chance of becoming undisputed champion. In that case, Usyk, the mandatory challenger, could fight someone (Derek Chisora? Joseph Parker?) for the vacant title.

However, Usyk, a cruiserweight-turned-heavyweight who was 2018 Fighter of the Year, is an attractive opponent for Joshua. He could possibly take that fight and, if he wins, take on the Wilder-Fury winner afterward.

Another option for Joshua is a third fight with Ruiz, as Joshua suggested immediately after the fight.

Joshua is likely to take some time to enjoy his victory and then sit down with his advisors to plot out his future. All possibilities undoubtedly will be considered.

 

 

5 things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving holiday

There is a lot to be grateful for in boxing. Here are five things that make me feel fortunate on Thanksgiving.

We all have a lot to be grateful for on this Thanksgiving. Here are five things in the boxing world that make me feel fortunate.

  1. A heavyweight who can knock out a Tyrannosaurus rex. I can understand where the purists are coming from. Deontay Wilder doesn’t have the sublime skill set that normally separates the great fighters from the rest. All I know is how I feel when Wilder lands those bombs to end his fights instantly. There is nothing like it in sports. I’m going to enjoy him as long as he’s around.
  2. The spirit of the underdog. The oddsmakers generally know what they’re doing when they make one fighter a favorite – sometimes a prohibitive favorite – over another fighter. Thank goodness not every underdog buys into the prevailing wisdom. I think we’re all inspired by the fighters who overcome the odds, the “Rockys,” if you will. I’m thinking of you Andy Ruiz Jr. and Julian Williams.
  3. The talent at the top: Non-fans ask me occasionally, “What happened to boxing? Where are the great fighters?” They’re there. Uber-talents like Vassiliy Lomachenko, Terence Crawford, Canelo Alvarez, Naoya Inoue, Oleksandr Usyk, Gennadiy Golovkin, Errol Spence, et al would’ve been successful in any era and are a joy to watch. I just wish more sports fans were aware of that.
  4. An abundance of dates. The dying sport certainly produces a lot of shows, both on television and streaming services. ESPN, ESPN+, Fox, Showtime, DAZN and others have made major investments in the sport. And the quality of the cards has generally been very good. If we could only keep MMA fighters and YouTubers out of the picture.
  5. The fighters themselves. They will always be what I’m most grateful for. These young (sometimes not-so-young) men and women risk their very well being to pursue their dreams and entertain us every time they step through the ropes. From the superstars to the journeymen, they need to know that we appreciate them and what they do. I’ll always admire them.

Joseph Parker still hoping deal with Derek Chisora can be made

Derek Chisora’s manager, David Haye, is targeting Oleksandr Usyk for his fighter but Joseph Parker remains in the running.

Joseph Parker is holding out hope that he’ll fight Derek Chisora yet.

Parker, the former titleholder from New Zealand, was set to fight Chisora on Oct. 26 but pulled out because of what he said was a spider bite. Chisora went on to stop David Price in London, giving him some momentum in his quest to fight for a title.

David Haye, Chisora’s manager, says he wants his fighter to face Oleksandr Usyk next but Parker still wants Chisora. Both Chisora and Parker are promoted by Eddie Hearn.

Parker told Sky Sports that he expects to learn his fate this week.

“He hasn’t won a world title, Chisora, so I think they are trying to look for the fastest and the best way of getting there, and they think Usyk is the best way of getting to a world title,” said Parker, who is ranked No. 4 by one sanctioning body. “But, firstly, it doesn’t make sense, because he’s not ranked and there’s a lot of guys ranked before him. I’m not sure why they want that fight. Obviously the fight was locked in for us both, and I couldn’t control what happened with the illness, but I want to reschedule the fight.

“I’m healthy, I’m fit, I’m ready to go. I know I can smash him, I know I can beat him. He’s going to bring a lot of pressure, but I know I’ve got better boxing skill and better movement than the other guys he’s faced. I told him before that I will retire him and I’ll be his last fight. Lock in the fight, I’ll put in a great show. He will get his money that he wants, but I will put him into retirement. He’s had a good career.”

Parker’s manager, David Higgins, also hopes a Parker-Chisora fight will come together.

“We’ve been advised by Joseph Parker’s promoter Matchroom, led by Eddie Hearn, that we’re going to get some answers next week on who Joseph might fight next, where and when,” Higgins told Sky Sports. “We’re sitting tight, leaving that in the hands of Eddie Hearn and Matchroom. The obvious answer is Derek Chisora. There has been talk of Chisora-Parker for two years now. Chisora has been baying to make that fight happen. On our front, the deal is done. We have a three-fight contract with Matchroom, so the terms are all agreed. It’s an easy one. Chisora wanted it, Parker wanted it. The only thing standing in the way is the Machiavellian David Haye.

“Joseph Parker is an old-school boxer, who fights the guy in front of him and is fearless. I think Chisora is arguably the same, however, enter David Haye the master thief of heavyweight boxing. He was lucky to be heavyweight champion and ‘stole’ the belt in a bizarre spectacle against a giant, somewhere in eastern Europe.”

Haye reiterated that Usyk is his prime target.

“It was all scheduled, four weeks prior to the fight, he gets bitten by a spider and the fight doesn’t happen,” Haye told Sky Sports. “That was Parker’s opportunity for the fight. It could still happen, but for me, Usyk is definitely the frontrunner, the fighter that I want, the fighter that Derek wants.”

Oleksandr Usyk could face Derek Chisora next, says manager

Oleksandr Usyk said he wanted to fight for a title after his successful heavyweight debut but might face Derek Chisora first.

Oleksandr Usyk didn’t waste any time. He went from a predictable victory in his heavyweight debut to saying he wanted a shot at a title in his next fight.

Not so fast.

It’s beginning to sound as if Usyk is altering his timetable.

Usyk manager Egis Klimas said the former cruiserweight-turned-heavyweight would be interested in a bout with Derek Chisora. No title there. But Chisora would keep Usyk busy in what would also be a chance to get some more experience at his new weight.

Usyk plans to be Saudi Arabia on December 7 for the Andy Ruiz Jr.-Anthony Joshua rematch on DAZN. Three of the major belts are at stake in that one. The fourth is at stake on November 23 in champion Deontay Wilder’s rematch with Luis Ortiz in Las Vegas on pay-per-view.

“We don’t know what happens on December 7,’’ Klimas told Sky Sports. “But if it is possible to fight in between and not to wait for another six months, I think Chisora will be a good fight for Usyk.”

Usyk, who held all of the cruiserweight belts, is already the mandatory challenger for one of the heavyweight belts held by Ruiz, who upset Joshua on June 1 in New York.

Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn has said that the December 7 winner will probably vacate one of the belts.