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The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Potential opponents for Derek Chisora's farewell fight – from Oleksandr Usyk to Anthony Joshua
Derek Chisora 's next bout will be the 50th of a long career, and if he stays true to his word, it will also be his final fight. Shortly after his most recent bout, a win over Otto Wallin, Chisora took a novel approach to matchmaking, presenting three posters to the crowd and asking them to choose his next opponent. The options he presented included Daniel Dubois, Anthony Joshua, and Oleksandr Usyk, with the Co-op Live crowd seeming to prefer either Joshua or Usyk. Oleksandr Usyk – one last shot at glory Chisora's victory over Wallin in February saw the British veteran become the International Boxing Federation's mandatory challenger at heavyweight, although the title picture with the IBF is somewhat murky. That is complicated by the fact the IBF have ordered an eliminator between Frank Sanchez and Frank Ajagba, suggesting that Chisora could be bumped out of the queue. At the time of Chisora's win Dubois was the IBF champion, but he has since lost his strap to undisputed heavyweight king Usyk. One of the three options listed by Chisora after his most recent fight, Usyk also implied that he was open to facing the Brit in the aftermath of his win over Dubois. Usyk stated: 'Maybe it's Tyson Fury. Maybe we have three options – Derek Chisora, and Anthony Joshua. Maybe Joseph Parker. I cannot say now.' The pair first faced each other in 2020, where Usyk took a unanimous decision win over Chisora. Two of the judges had it very tight at 115-113 in favour of the Ukrainian, but five years later many would expect Usyk to be a clear winner. Martin Bakole – Chisora's chance to fight in Africa? A chance meeting between Chisora and Martin Bakole on IFL TV produced some very amusing quotes, with the former having a go at the latter for piling on the pounds in between fights. Having carved out a niche as the heavyweight division's boogeyman, Bakole's stock has dropped slightly after a knockout loss to Parker, followed by a subdued draw against Ajagba. Chisora is another vanquished Parker foe, and a contest between a heavy-hitting puncher like Bakole and a fighter who doesn't know when to quit in could produce a thriller. A major sticking point could be the choice of venue. In that aforementioned interview, Bakole said he wanted a big stadium fight in the UK, whilst Chisora has frequently spoke about his final fight being staged in Africa. Born in Zimbabwe, Chisora moved to the UK with his family as a teenager, whilst Bakole, of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has relocated to Scotland to help his boxing career. A return to Africa for both fighters could give Chisora the romantic farewell he is after. Fabio Wardley – passing of the torch Whilst not quite a prospect at the age of 30, Fabio Wardley has emerged as one of the faces of Britain's next generation of heavyweights. He claimed the interim WBA title at the start of June to cement his position as a top contender, but with all four belts in the possession of one man, it is a waiting game for Wardley. A fight with Chisora poses enough threat to make things interesting and attract a crowd, with both fighters proving they are strong ticketsellers. For Chisora, a fight with Wardley could represent a changing of the guard. If he wins, he goes out on a high, while there would be no shame in losing to a man 11 years his junior. For Wardley, not only would it be a big name on the CV but a step up in opposition, both in terms of quality and experience. Chisora's willingness to step into the ring with pretty much anyone has seen him pick up a few losses, but Wardley has not faced many seasoned veterans in the first 20 fights of his career so this could offer him a new challenge. Anthony Joshua – friends to foes Forty-nine fights into a professional career, you start to run out of opponents on a similar level to your own. Chisora is prone to getting into the ring with the same fighter multiple times, as evidenced by his losing record in a trilogy of bouts with Tyson Fury. When it comes to top level British fighters, there are not many that Chisora is yet to come to blows with. Chisora's longevity means he has shared the ring with names such as David Haye and Danny Williams, whilst he is well acquainted with Fury, Dillian Whyte, and Joe Joyce, prominent fighters of his own generation. One fighter he has not fought is Anthony Joshua, who happened to come through the same Finchley ABC gym as Chisora. Chisora frequently refers to Joshua as his brother, but the Zimbabwean-born boxer has called out the younger man before. With Joshua rebuilding following a shock loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024 and elbow surgery earlier this year, this all-British heavyweight clash could finally be made. Daniel Dubois – wounded former champion looking to rebuild In an ideal world, Chisora would be fighting Dubois for the IBF heavyweight title this year. However, the option to unify all four belts in boxing's glamour division came up for Dubois, and no heavyweight would turn that down. Dubois suffered another knockout loss to Usyk, demoting him back to contender status in the heavyweight division. At only 27, Dubois has plenty of time to get back into the mix, but appropriate opponents will be hard to come by. Chisora could then present the perfect challenge. An experienced fighter capable of asking questions of anyone, Dubois' credentials – especially the debate over a tendency to 'quit' - would truly be tested. Dubois was another of the three names listed by Chisora after his victory over Wallin, suggesting he is more than open to the fight. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
Straits Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Oleksandr Usyk starts boxing heavyweight title week with focus on war in Ukraine
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Oleksandr Usyk on July 14 during the presentation of piece of art destroyed during the war between Ukraine and Russia. – World heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk kicked off the big fight build-up in London on July 14 with a focus on war in his native Ukraine rather than anything he might face in the ring. The unbeaten 38-year-old Ukrainian boxer will face Britain's Daniel Dubois, who holds the International Boxing Federation (IBF) championship, at Wembley Stadium on July 19. This rematch will determine the undisputed heavyweight champion, with the Ukrainian's World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) titles also at stake. Usyk's first public appearance was in the city's Trafalgar Square to unveil a recreated Ukrainian 'Kestrel' mosaic alongside British entrepreneur Richard Branson. The original artwork, created in the now-Russian controlled port city of Mariupol in 1967, was severely damaged during the invasion that started in February 2022 and an identical copy has been funded by online retailer Rozetka and the Ukraine-wow agency. Organisers say it will tour internationally as a symbol of repair and hope. 'Russia destroyed in my city, in my country, Russia destroyed hospitals, Russia destroyed schools, Russia destroyed Ukrainian lives,' Usyk told the crowd, thanking Britain for its support for Ukraine. 'But we will survive. We will rebuild our country, like a mosaic, piece by piece.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump diagnosed with vein condition causing leg swelling: White House World Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. What is it? Singapore 5 foreigners charged over scheme to deliberately get arrested in S'pore to sell sex drugs here Asia Appointment of Malaysia's new chief justice eases controversy over vacant top judge seats for now Singapore Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for S'pore Singapore SPCA appoints Walter Leong as new executive director World US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, says new report Business Granddaughter of late Indonesian tycoon pays $25 million for Singapore bungalow The boxer then walked, surrounded by bodyguards and a scrum of fans, to nearby Pall Mall for photographs in front of a statue of 19th century nurse Florence Nightingale and the 1853-56 Crimean War memorial. The Nightingale statue was holding a prosthetic limb, painted in the blue and yellow colours of Ukraine, over her usual oil lamp. Branson, who stood alongside Usyk, is a backer of the Superhumans centre specialist clinic in Lviv that treats and rehabilitates war victims. Usyk, who was born in the Crimean city of Simferopol that was annexed by Russia in 2014, also launched a campaign through his foundation to raise funds to build four apartment buildings and house 64 displaced families in Ukraine. The boxer spends time in Ukraine when not training in Spain and frequently references the situation in his country, campaigning for peace. In June, he invited US President Donald Trump to live in his house in Ukraine for a week to help him understand what the country was going through. 'Only one week. I will give him my house. Live please in Ukraine and watch what is going on every night,' he told the BBC. 'Every night there are bombs and flights above my house. Bombs, rocket. Every night. It's enough.' Usyk and Dubois will have open workouts on July 16, a final face-to-face press conference at Wembley on July 17 and the public weigh-in on July 18. The fight, made by Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Season, is live on DAZN worldwide. Meanwhile, the trilogy fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano on July 11 was not only a win for the sport but could ultimately prove to be a game-changing moment for women's boxing. The highest-profile rivalry in women's boxing, one fuelled by mutual respect and fierce competition, has transcended the sport since they first met in April 2022 and perhaps helped take women at least a step closer to equal footing with men in the sport. Taylor swept the trilogy via majority decision on July 11 at New York's Madison Square Garden to retain her undisputed super lightweight championship. After the bout, Taylor's long-time promoter Eddie Hearn said: 'What they did tonight was give so many opportunities to so many great female fighters and big paydays and big opportunities.' REUTERS
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Imane Khelif SKIPS tournament just days after World Boxing announced that all fighters must undergo sex testing
Imane Khelif will miss the Eindhoven Box Cup - just days after World Boxing introduced mandatory sex testing. The Algerian, who was at the heart of a gender row at the Paris Olympics alongside Thailand's Lin Yu-ting, has missed the registration deadline. Olympic chiefs were satisfied to let athletes compete based on the sex stated on their passport but World Boxing has introduced more exacting measures in recent days. Their new policy requires all athletes over the age of 18 to undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test to determine their sex at birth and their eligibility to compete. Eindhoven Box Cup media director Dirk Renders said: 'The decision of Imane's exclusion is not ours. We regret it.' Mayor of Eindhoven Joren Dijsselbloem opposes World Boxing's ruling and recently wrote in a letter to them and the International Boxing Federation: 'As far as we are concerned, all athletes are welcome in Eindhoven. 'Excluding athletes based on controversial 'gender tests' certainly does not fit in with that. 'We are expressing our disapproval of this decision today and are calling on the organization to admit Imane Khelif after all.' Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by the International Boxing Association - the previous world governing body - for allegedly failing elgibility tests.
7NEWS
05-06-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Olympic gold medallist Imane Khelif misses tournament just days after new boxing rule
Olympic champion Imane Khelif will miss the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands less than a week after World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes. The Algerian boxer, who won gold at the Paris Games last summer amid scrutiny over her eligibility, did not register in time for the event before applications closed on Thursday. 'The decision of Imane's exclusion is not ours. We regret it,' tournament media director Dirk Renders said. Khelif had intended to return to international competition at the tournament in Hotel Eindhoven before World Boxing announced their new sex testing policy last Friday. Eindhoven mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem criticised World Boxing's decision, saying: 'As far as we are concerned, all athletes are welcome in Eindhoven. Excluding athletes based on controversial 'gender tests' certainly does not fit in with that,' Writing in a letter addressed to the Dutch Boxing Federation and the International Boxing Federation, he added: 'We are expressing our disapproval of this decision today and are calling on the organisation to admit Imane Khelif after all.' Khelif won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer amid international scrutiny on her and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, another gold medal winner. The previous governing body for Olympic boxing, the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association, had disqualified both fighters from their 2023 world championships after claiming they failed unspecified eligibility tests. The IBA was banished for decades of misdeeds and controversy and the IOC have run the past two Olympic boxing tournaments themselves, applying the sex eligibility rules used in previous Olympics. Khelif and Lin were eligible to compete under those standards. World Boxing have since been provisionally approved as the boxing organiser at the 2028 Los Angeles Games and have faced pressure from boxers and their federations to create sex eligibility standards. World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst apologised after Khelif was singled out in the governing body's announcement last week. Khelif planned to defend her gold medal at the LA Games, but some boxers and their federations have already spoken out against her inclusion.
The Advertiser
05-06-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Khelif misses Box Cup as mandatory sex testing starts
Olympic champion Imane Khelif will miss the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands less than a week after World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes. The Algerian boxer, who won gold at the Paris Games last summer amid scrutiny over her eligibility, did not register in time for the event before applications closed on Thursday. "The decision of Imane's exclusion is not ours. We regret it," tournament media director Dirk Renders said. Khelif had intended to return to international competition at the tournament in Hotel Eindhoven before World Boxing announced their new sex testing policy last Friday. Eindhoven mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem criticised World Boxing's decision, saying: "As far as we are concerned, all athletes are welcome in Eindhoven. Excluding athletes based on controversial 'gender tests' certainly does not fit in with that," Writing in a letter addressed to the Dutch Boxing Federation and the International Boxing Federation, he added: "We are expressing our disapproval of this decision today and are calling on the organisation to admit Imane Khelif after all." Khelif won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer amid international scrutiny on her and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, another gold medal winner. The previous governing body for Olympic boxing, the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association, had disqualified both fighters from their 2023 world championships after claiming they failed unspecified eligibility tests. The IBA was banished for decades of misdeeds and controversy and the IOC have run the past two Olympic boxing tournaments themselves, applying the sex eligibility rules used in previous Olympics. Khelif and Lin were eligible to compete under those standards. World Boxing have since been provisionally approved as the boxing organiser at the 2028 Los Angeles Games and have faced pressure from boxers and their federations to create sex eligibility standards. World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst apologised after Khelif was singled out in the governing body's announcement last week. Khelif planned to defend her gold medal at the LA Games, but some boxers and their federations have already spoken out against her inclusion. Olympic champion Imane Khelif will miss the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands less than a week after World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes. The Algerian boxer, who won gold at the Paris Games last summer amid scrutiny over her eligibility, did not register in time for the event before applications closed on Thursday. "The decision of Imane's exclusion is not ours. We regret it," tournament media director Dirk Renders said. Khelif had intended to return to international competition at the tournament in Hotel Eindhoven before World Boxing announced their new sex testing policy last Friday. Eindhoven mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem criticised World Boxing's decision, saying: "As far as we are concerned, all athletes are welcome in Eindhoven. Excluding athletes based on controversial 'gender tests' certainly does not fit in with that," Writing in a letter addressed to the Dutch Boxing Federation and the International Boxing Federation, he added: "We are expressing our disapproval of this decision today and are calling on the organisation to admit Imane Khelif after all." Khelif won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer amid international scrutiny on her and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, another gold medal winner. The previous governing body for Olympic boxing, the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association, had disqualified both fighters from their 2023 world championships after claiming they failed unspecified eligibility tests. The IBA was banished for decades of misdeeds and controversy and the IOC have run the past two Olympic boxing tournaments themselves, applying the sex eligibility rules used in previous Olympics. Khelif and Lin were eligible to compete under those standards. World Boxing have since been provisionally approved as the boxing organiser at the 2028 Los Angeles Games and have faced pressure from boxers and their federations to create sex eligibility standards. World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst apologised after Khelif was singled out in the governing body's announcement last week. Khelif planned to defend her gold medal at the LA Games, but some boxers and their federations have already spoken out against her inclusion. Olympic champion Imane Khelif will miss the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands less than a week after World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes. The Algerian boxer, who won gold at the Paris Games last summer amid scrutiny over her eligibility, did not register in time for the event before applications closed on Thursday. "The decision of Imane's exclusion is not ours. We regret it," tournament media director Dirk Renders said. Khelif had intended to return to international competition at the tournament in Hotel Eindhoven before World Boxing announced their new sex testing policy last Friday. Eindhoven mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem criticised World Boxing's decision, saying: "As far as we are concerned, all athletes are welcome in Eindhoven. Excluding athletes based on controversial 'gender tests' certainly does not fit in with that," Writing in a letter addressed to the Dutch Boxing Federation and the International Boxing Federation, he added: "We are expressing our disapproval of this decision today and are calling on the organisation to admit Imane Khelif after all." Khelif won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer amid international scrutiny on her and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, another gold medal winner. The previous governing body for Olympic boxing, the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association, had disqualified both fighters from their 2023 world championships after claiming they failed unspecified eligibility tests. The IBA was banished for decades of misdeeds and controversy and the IOC have run the past two Olympic boxing tournaments themselves, applying the sex eligibility rules used in previous Olympics. Khelif and Lin were eligible to compete under those standards. World Boxing have since been provisionally approved as the boxing organiser at the 2028 Los Angeles Games and have faced pressure from boxers and their federations to create sex eligibility standards. World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst apologised after Khelif was singled out in the governing body's announcement last week. Khelif planned to defend her gold medal at the LA Games, but some boxers and their federations have already spoken out against her inclusion. Olympic champion Imane Khelif will miss the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands less than a week after World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes. The Algerian boxer, who won gold at the Paris Games last summer amid scrutiny over her eligibility, did not register in time for the event before applications closed on Thursday. "The decision of Imane's exclusion is not ours. We regret it," tournament media director Dirk Renders said. Khelif had intended to return to international competition at the tournament in Hotel Eindhoven before World Boxing announced their new sex testing policy last Friday. Eindhoven mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem criticised World Boxing's decision, saying: "As far as we are concerned, all athletes are welcome in Eindhoven. Excluding athletes based on controversial 'gender tests' certainly does not fit in with that," Writing in a letter addressed to the Dutch Boxing Federation and the International Boxing Federation, he added: "We are expressing our disapproval of this decision today and are calling on the organisation to admit Imane Khelif after all." Khelif won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer amid international scrutiny on her and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, another gold medal winner. The previous governing body for Olympic boxing, the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association, had disqualified both fighters from their 2023 world championships after claiming they failed unspecified eligibility tests. The IBA was banished for decades of misdeeds and controversy and the IOC have run the past two Olympic boxing tournaments themselves, applying the sex eligibility rules used in previous Olympics. Khelif and Lin were eligible to compete under those standards. World Boxing have since been provisionally approved as the boxing organiser at the 2028 Los Angeles Games and have faced pressure from boxers and their federations to create sex eligibility standards. World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst apologised after Khelif was singled out in the governing body's announcement last week. Khelif planned to defend her gold medal at the LA Games, but some boxers and their federations have already spoken out against her inclusion.
