Tag: oleksandr usyk

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.’’

Mairis Briedis-Yuniel Dorticos WBSS final set for March 21 in Latvia

Mairis Briedis will face Yuniel Dorticos in the final of the WBSS on March 21 at the Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia, Briedis’ hometown.

Mairis Briedis will vie for the World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight championship in a familiar locale.

Briedis will face Yuniel Dorticos in the final of the tournament on March 21 at the Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia, Briedis’ hometown. The fight will be streamed on DAZN.

Briedis (26-1, 19 KOs) defeated Noel Gevor by a unanimous decision in the quarterfinals and then stopped Krzysztof Glowacki in three rounds in the semis to reach the WBSS championship match. Dorticos (24-1, 22 KOs) beat Mateusz Masternak by a unanimous decision and knocked out Andrew Tabiti in 10 rounds.

“I’m really looking forward to the final,” said Briedis, the tournament’s No. 1 seed. “It is fantastic for Latvia to be able to host an event of such magnitude. Millions and millions of eyes worldwide will be watching what’s happening at the Arena Riga on fight night.

“It is going to be a thrilling fight as I’m facing one of the very best cruiserweights on the planet. The stake is so high and both of us are only looking for one thing – to win it all.”

Dorticos, a Cuban emigre, is known for his punching power.

“Briedis, you better prepare yourself for war,” said Dorticos, the No. 2 seed. “Let’s give all the fans around the world a spectacular all-time classic. Come fight night you will know why I’m called the ‘KO Doctor’. The Muhammad Ali Trophy has my name engraved already.”

Oleksander Usyk won the inaugural WBSS cruiserweight tournament to establish himself as the top 200-pounder and then moved up to heavyweight. The winner of the March 21 fight also will be seen as the No. 1 cruiserweight.

Briedis lost a majority decision to Usyk in January 2018, which arguably was the toughest fight of Usyk’s career.

Here are the previous winners of the Muhammad Ali Trophy, signifying the tournament champion:

2018-19: Naoya Inoue, bantamweight
2018-19: Josh Taylor, junior welterweight
2017-18: Aleksandr Usyk, cruiserweight
2017-18: Callum Smith, super middleweight

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.

Tyson Fury calls Oleksandr Usyk ‘some cruiserweight bum’

Tyson Fury, angry that the WBO removed him from its rankings, had a nasty exchange with its president on Twitter.

Trash talk is a little bit like breathing for Tyson Fury. He has to do it. Yet, he hasn’t been able to draw Deontay Wilder into the rhetorical fray since their Feb. 22 rematch was announced about 11 days ago.

That’s a surprise, especially for Wilder, who has never been known not to respond. So far, there’s been silence from Wilder. Maybe training camp is keeping him busy. Maybe a reported bout with the flu has affected his vocal chords. Whatever the reason, there’s been hardly a word.

The restless Fury had to look elsewhere. He didn’t have to look for long.

Fury took a shot, a Twitter taunt, at Oleksandr Usyk, calling him “some cruiserweight bum.’’

Fury was angry that one of the acronyms dropped him from its rankings. Fury has a claim on the lineal heavyweight title, but as far as the World Boxing Organization is concerned, he is persona-non-grata. The WBO exiled him from their rankings when he decided to fight Wilder a second time.

The acronyms do this kind of thing all the time and it’s about as dumb as a franchise belt. But let them explain the unexplainable. As far as Fury is concerned, there is no explanation for Usyk being the No. 1 challenger to a belt held by Anthony Joshua after just one heavyweight fight.

WBO president Paco Valcarcel tweeted that his organization would like to see Fury fight emerging heavyweight Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan.

Say no more. Fury finally had another Twitter war.

“Maybe if you hadn’t removed me from number 1 ranked WBO! And put some cruiserweight bum with one fight at heavyweight then you could have a say!’, Fury said in a counter.

Valcarcel replied, which he might come to regret. He’s feeding the beast.

Anyway, Valcarcel said: “Champ we respect you a lot, but you aren’t available… that’s the reason WBO removed you from the rankings. By the way champ, good luck.’’

By the way, the real reason for the removal was that a sanctioning fee is not available.

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.

Pound-for-pound: What will the list look like in 2020?

Nos. 1 and 2 Vasiliy Lomachenko and Terence Crawford are still amazing in their early 30s but many gifted fighters are hot on their heels.

The Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list has been fairly stable since its inception. That could change in 2020.

Nos. 1 and 2 Vasiliy Lomachenko and Terence Crawford are still amazing in their early 30s but a number of gifted fighters — some much younger — are hot on their heels.

No. 3 Canelo Alvarez is always a threat to climb higher if Lomachenko and/or Crawford slip. No. 4 Naoya Inoue, only 26, already is No. 1 on some lists. No. 5 Oleksandr Usyk, now a heavyweight, probably will rise if he takes down the giants in the sport.

No. 6 Gennadiy Golovkin still lurks but is 37. No. 7 Errol Spence Jr., recovered from his car accident, has No. 1 pound-for-pound written all over him. No. 8 Juan Estrada is probably underappreciated. No. 9 Mikey Garcia shouldn’t be dismissed because of his loss to Spence. And No. 10 Artur Beterbiev, an imposing brawler, is on the ascent.

That’s a strong Top 10.

Beyond them, our Nos. 11-15 are all poised to move up if the opportunities are there. And hot young fighters like Gervonta Davis, Jose Ramirez and Teofimo Lopez are knocking on the door.

Bottom line: There are many talented, hungry fighters who dream not only if winning titles but also gaining recognition as the very best in the sport.

Check out our final Top 15 list of 2019 below. Check back next year. And let us know what you think.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Vasiliy Lomachenko
  2. Terence Crawford
  3. Canelo Alvarez
  4. Naoya Inoue
  5. Oleksandr Usyk
  6. Gennadiy Golovkin
  7. Errol Spence Jr.
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada
  9. Mikey Garcia
  10. Artur Beterbiev
  11. Josh Taylor
  12. Manny Pacquiao
  13. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
  14. Leo Santa Cruz
  15. Kosei Tanaka

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Tyson Fury, Shawn Porter, Julian Williams

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:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

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.