Latest news with #DanielDubois
The Sun
7 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
‘Back to the grind in a few days' – Anthony Joshua shows off results of elbow surgery as boxing star closes in on return
ANTHONY JOSHUA has shown off the results of his elbow surgery as he plots his return to the ring. AJ went under the knife two weeks ago to fix the arm injury that has kept him out of action. 3 3 3 And Joshua has given a small glimpse into his recovery as he shadowboxed on social media. Posting to his Snapchat account, he posted: "2 weeks post operation. Back to the grind in a few days." Joshua, 35, was knocked out by Daniel Dubois, 27, at Wembley and looked to be targeting an immediate rematch. But that failed to materialise with Dubois now rematching Oleksandr Usyk on July 19 in London - two years after losing to the Ukrainian. Tyson Fury, 36, was last year beaten by Usyk, 36, twice and subsequently announced his retirement in January a month after losing the rematch. But AJ's promoter Eddie Hearn is hoping the unpredictable Gypsy King will make a U-turn and return to fight Joshua. Talks are ongoing with Saudi boxing boss Turki Alalshikh over a new two-fight deal. And Hearn told BoxingScene in late May: 'He's had the operation, which went very well, and now he's just sort of rehabbing it. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS 'I believe about six weeks till he can punch again properly, and that kind of lends itself to a September, October, November fight. "That gives us a chance to see what happens with Dubois against Usyk. "That gives us a chance to see if Mr. Fury will ever return, and maybe something else. "But he's definitely fighting this year and looking forward to it.'
The Sun
a day ago
- Business
- The Sun
Anthony Joshua lined up to fight two heavyweight rivals in new deal… but they are NOT Tyson Fury or Daniel Dubois
ANTHONY JOSHUA is in talks over a new two-fight deal - but it may not include Tyson Fury or Daniel Dubois. AJ has been out since September when he was knocked out by Dubois at Wembley. 3 An arm injury has ruled him out of returning - leaving Joshua to have surgery on his elbow in May. And promoter Eddie Hearn revealed talks with Saudi boxing boss Turki Alalshikh have taken place in the meantime. Hearn told BoxingScene: "We are actually discussing a two-fight deal with Riyadh Season. 'We've been doing that, [Turki Alalshikh] said that on the night of Canelo [vs. William Scull, May 3], when we had our meeting, and that's the plan really. "We want to box sometime this year, October, November, December.' Joshua, 35, snubbed a rematch with Dubois, 27, the IBF champion. Dubois now rematches Oleksandr Usyk on July 19 at Wembley two years after losing to the Ukrainian. Fury, 36, was twice beaten by Usyk, 38, in 2024 and announced his shock retirement in January. It dashes hopes of a British blockbuster with AJ but Hearn said: 'We'll see what happens with Dubois-Usyk, we'll see what happens with Fury. 'And if we don't fight those guys, we'll fight, and then maybe we'll follow one of those guys next year.' Two names also on Joshua's radar is Dillian Whyte and American Jared Anderson. Hearn said: 'Two guys that have been discussed, but nothing concrete." AJ knocked out Whyte in 2015 and they were due to meet in a rematch in August 2023. That was until Whyte returned "an adverse finding" in his pre-fight drug test - having to subsequently withdraw. He blamed the failed test on a tainted supplement and returned last year with wins in Ireland and Gibraltar. Anderson, 25, meanwhile was KO'd by Martin Bakole, 31, last August but beat Marios Kollias in his February comeback. 3 3
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
The Best European Heavyweights - That Don't Come From the UK
For what has seemed to be the longest of times, the heavyweight rankings have been dominated by UK fighters. A quick look at BoxRec underlines this. Of the top ten heavyweights in the world, five - Daniel Dubois, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Lawrence Okolie, and Fabio Wardley - are British. (Wardley, by the way, is fighting this weekend on DAZN, alongside #14-ranked Dillian Whyte who will appear in an undercard bout at Portman Road.) The concentration of nationalities becomes more fragmented as you move out from the top ten and into the top twenty. Eight of the twenty best heavyweights in the world come from the UK, with a further two more (Joe Joyce and Moses Itauma) in the top thirty. Looked at from a European perspective, seven of the continent's top ten heavyweights, and eleven of the top twenty come from the UK. There are many fine heavyweights within the continent, many of them beginning to encroach on UK dominance. Agit Kabayel (#3) The Bochum, Germany-based heavyweight, 26-0 (18), has been hanging around the heavyweight division for years, looking for a big fight that will put him within the world-championship level. If the world heard anything of Kabayel, it was in 2017 when he outpointed Derek Chisora over twelve rounds in Monte Carlo. But Kabayel has largely trodden water since then: his fight with gatekeeper Kevin Johnson in Magdeburg was a minor classic, and he had to pick himself off the floor to win the European title against Agron Smakici in another fight that some would call a 'thriller'. The problem is that Kabayel may have too much against him—he is a little on the short side at 6'3' and he can both spoil and slow down a fight, and punch when he wants, too. He also does not bring much in the way of public profile; his last few fights within Germany have taken place at smaller arenas such as the Seebuehne in Magdeburg or the RuhrCongress in Bochum. To put himself into the mix, Kabayel has travelled to Saudi Arabia for his last three fights and seemingly as the b-side in all of them: in 2023, he stopped Arslanbek Makhmudov in four rounds, then returned six months later to knock out Frank Sanchez in seven. Those two bouts gifted him a fight against Zhilei Zhang, whom he stopped in six rounds in February. That fight won Kabayel the interim WBC championship, but a match against one of the division's big names—Joshua, Fury, Usyk, Dubois—has yet to materialise. And given that Kabayel is now 32, his chances are slimming for him to make an impact against the next generation of heavyweights that are about to come through. Filip Hrgovic (#10) The 6'6' Croatian has done pretty much everything right so far. His last two fights have been against Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce, losing on a cut eye in the first and winning on points in the second. Hrgovic has also got victories over Zhilei Zhang, Rydell Booker, and Eric Molina to his name, and he has appeared consistently on Saudi cards. He has also, like many of the heavyweights today, come up by outscoring Kevin Johnson (Zagreb, 2018). Hrgovic is also no stranger to going on the road. Since beginning his career in 2017, he has visited Latvia, Germany, Croatia, the US, Mexico, Saudia Arabia, Austria, and the UK, winning all but one of his fights. But if Hrgovic fights so often on the road, then there may be little appetite in Croatia for him to fight. And while only defeated once, there seems little clamour for a Hrgovic fight. The Croatian may be too good at a level to be destined to be a spoiler in the heavyweight division, someone with name recognition brought in as a test for younger, fighters with larger fanbases. Kubrat Pulev (#12) Pulev, who beat Mahmoud Charr back in December (and Charr is now rumoured to be looking at a Joshua fight), is 44 years old. The Bulgarian heavyweight, 32-3 (14), has been inexplicably successful over the years, despite being railed by Wladimir Klitschko in five rounds in Hamburg in 2014, by Anthony Joshua in nine rounds in London six years later, and then outpointed by Derek Chisora in 2022. Somehow, Pulev has managed to hang in there at the top of the heavyweight division, possibly due to the large crowds he draws in Sofia, Bulgaria, and because he presents a reasonable-but-beatable name to the top heavyweights. But, at 44, it seems that Pulev's time is drawing to a close. If he ever defends his title again, it will likely be in Sofia and against a fighter that he should beat easily, keeping him somehow in the division's slipstream. Nelson Hysa (#14) Hyson, 22-0 (20), comes from Albania and is aged 40. Little is known about him apart from that. The only recognisable name on Hysa's record so far is that of Danny Williams, former British champion and WBC title challenger, whom Hysa outpointed in 2022. Williams, by the way, came into the ring that night with a record of 54-31 (41) and, after which, he won one and lost one, then finally called it a day. If that sounds too negative, Hysa is fighting this weekend on DAZN, when he will face Patrick Korte, 22-4-1 (18), on the undercard of Fabio Wardley and Justis Huni. Kristian Prenga (#16) Prenga, 18-1 (18) is also Albanian. Now based in the US, Prenga last fought in April when he stopped Willie Jake Jr in one round in Detroit. There are no notable names on his record and his sole loss came on points over eight rounds in the Netherlands against Giovanni Auriemma in 2017. Honourable mentions Mourad Aliev (#17), 13-0 (10), comes from France and is based in Germany. Undefeated and a former Olympian for France (disqualified), Aliev fights this weekend in Hamburg for the European title (exclusively on DAZN) against Labinot Xhoxhaj. Tony Yoka (#18), 14-3 (11), is still hanging in the heavyweight division, but only just. An Olympic gold medallist, skipped drugs tests, lengthy layoffs and inexplicable losses to Martin Bakole, Carlos Takam, and Ryad Merhy have stifled and dampened Yoka's progress. Most recently, he won a wide decision over Arslan Yallyev in Paris, but not many seem to have noticed. At 33, the door to heavyweight glory has probably mostly closed at this point, but he remains a big draw in France. It was a surprise to many when Labinot Xhoxhaj (#21), 20-0-1 (16), won the European title last November in Heidelberg, Germany, from Oleksandr Zakhozhyi. The two people probably most surprised were Xhoxhaj and Zakhozhyi. This weekend in Hamburg, Xhoxhaj makes the first defence of his title against Aliev in a bout to be shown exclusively on DAZN. Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. 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The Sun
6 days ago
- General
- The Sun
‘Doesn't make sense' – Joseph Parker has theory for Daniel Dubois' last-minute withdrawal as Brit gears up to face Usyk
JOSEPH PARKER can't help but feel the timing of his fight with Daniel Dubois falling through was a tad suspicious. The resurgent New Zealander was set to challenge Triple D for the IBF heavyweight title on a stacked Saudi Arabia card in February. 5 5 But his shot at becoming a two-time heavyweight champion was agonisingly ripped away from him just days before the Riyadh rumble as Dubois was struck down by a viral infection. Dubois, 27, insists he pulled out of the desert dust-up on doctor's orders. Although Parker, who ended up fighting Martin Bakole, can't help but think Oleksandr Usyk 's calls for an undisputed straightener may have played a small role in the Brit's withdrawal. Speaking exclusively to SunSport thanks to Casino Hawks, the 33-year-old said of the fight falling through: "I was left in the dark. "I guess you can't really [doubt him]. I mean, you just got to take his word for it, you know. "He wasn't feeling the best and he pulled out of the fight. "It just doesn't make sense, though, that Usyk was calling him out all week and then he pulled out of the fight. "And then now, they've made this big fight." JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 5 Dubois will challenge pound-for-pound king Usyk for all the heavyweight marbles in a historic unification bout at Wembley on July 19. And although he still has his suspicions about Dubois' pulling out, Parker won't continue to beat a dead horse. Fans hail brilliant moment stunned Joseph Parker discovers he's fighting Bakole He continued: "If a man says he's sick, he's sick. I've just got to take him for his word." Parker is seemingly in pole position to face the winner of the July joust as he's the mandatory challenger for the WBO strap he held for just under a year and a half. But he's refusing to count his chickens before they hatch, saying: "I know Frank Warren said a few things that I might be next to fight for undisputed unification. "But there were no discussions. And for me, it's just words at the moment. "It'd be nice to get something in writing and to get something solid. But at the moment, it's just words. "If it can happen, I'll be extremely over the moon."
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Doesn't make sense' – Joseph Parker has theory for Daniel Dubois' last-minute withdrawal as Brit gears up to face Usyk
JOSEPH PARKER can't help but feel the timing of his fight with Daniel Dubois falling through was a tad suspicious. The resurgent New Zealander was set to challenge Triple D for the IBF heavyweight title on a stacked Saudi Arabia card in February. Advertisement 5 Joseph Parker was set to face Daniel Dubois for the IBF heavyweight title in February Credit: GETTY 5 But Dubois pulled out of their Saudi showdown just days before they were set to throw heavy leather Credit: GETTY 5 Parker can't help but think Oleksandr Usyk's callouts had something to do with Dubois' withdrawal Credit: GETTY But his shot at becoming a two-time heavyweight champion was agonisingly ripped away from him just days before the Riyadh rumble as Dubois, 27, insists he pulled out of the desert dust-up on doctor's orders. Although Speaking exclusively to SunSport thanks to Advertisement READ MORE BOXING NEWS "I guess you can't really [doubt him]. I mean, you just got to take his word for it, you know. "He wasn't feeling the best and he pulled out of the fight. "It just doesn't make sense, though, that Usyk was calling him out all week and then he pulled out of the fight. "And then now, they've made this big fight." Advertisement Most read in Boxing Exclusive JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 5 Dubois will challenge pound-for-pound king Usyk for all the heavyweight marbles in a historic unification bout at Wembley on July 19. And although he still has his suspicions about Dubois' pulling out, Parker won't continue to beat a dead horse. Advertisement Fans hail brilliant moment stunned Joseph Parker discovers he's fighting Bakole He continued: "If a man says he's sick, he's sick. I've just got to take him for his word." Parker is seemingly in pole position to face the winner of the July joust as he's the mandatory challenger for the WBO strap he held for just under a year and a half. But he's refusing to count his chickens before they hatch, saying: "I know next to fight for undisputed unification. "But there were no discussions. And for me, it's just words at the moment. Advertisement "It'd be nice to get something in writing and to get something solid. But at the moment, it's just words. "If it can happen, I'll be extremely over the moon." 5 Joseph Parker is in pole position to fight the winner of the July rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois Credit: RICHARD PELHAM
