Latest news with #boxing
Russia Today
an hour ago
- Health
- Russia Today
World Boxing mandates sex chromosome testing
Any athlete who wants to compete in Olympic-style boxing will now have to undergo sex chromosome testing according to a decision by World Boxing, the new international body regulating the sport. The federation, which will oversee boxing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, has specifically stated that Algeria's Imane Khelif – an athlete whose eligibility to compete as a woman at the 2024 Paris Olympics was questioned – will not be able to participate until her genetic sex is verified. The new measure will 'determine the eligibility of male and female athletes that want to take part,' World Boxing announced on its website on Friday, explaining that the test is aimed at ensuring the 'safety of all participants and… a competitive level playing field for men and women.' The tests are in the final stages of development, the body said, adding the new rules will come into force on July 1. Those with 'Y chromosome genetic material… or with a difference of sexual development (DSD) where male androgenization occurs, will be eligible to compete in the male category,' World Boxing said. The procedure will involve an appeals process and additional tests in case of any disagreements. The decision to introduce the new rules was taken by the body's executive board in May, the organization said, citing what it called 'emergency circumstances' and 'physical risks associated with Olympic-style boxing.' National federations will be responsible for testing and can be subjected to sanctions if they fail to test or provide fake certifications. The 25-year-old Khelif found herself at the center of controversy at the Paris Olympics when she defeated Italian boxer Angela Carini in just 46 seconds in a preliminary bout, sparking outrage online. She went on to win the gold medal in women's boxing. According to Algeria, Khelif is not transgender but is affected by a medical condition characterized by a high level of testosterone and the presence of XY chromosomes. She failed a gender test and had been disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) – the federation that previously oversaw Olympic boxing. However, she was still cleared to compete at the Paris Olympics later. Khelif herself denied all the allegations and even filed a lawsuit over alleged 'acts of aggravated cyber harassment' by several prominent figures, including Elon Musk and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- Health
- The Sun
‘I was there to lose' – Confessions of journeyman boxer who LOST 96 fights but has WON battles with cocaine and booze
Jack Figg, Digital Sports Reporter Published: Invalid Date, JOURNEYMAN boxer Johnny Greaves battled drugs, booze, depression and abuse throughout his 100-fight pro career. The 46-year-old East Londoner admits he was 'no better than useless' as he lost 96 TIMES. 5 5 He would take some fights at the last minute, entering the ring on a stomach of lager, while also battling a debilitating cocaine habit and praying he would LOSE to guarantee further pay-days. Fans would SPIT on him as he walked into the ring and Greaves admitted that, at times, he was treated 'no better than a dog.' But, no matter how big a beating he took, he never missed a day working as a self-employed painter-decorator to put food on the table for his missus Vicky, daughter Ruby and son Teddy. When Greaves turned pro in 2007, aged 30, he'd already fought 50 unlicensed and 30 amateur bouts. But after being told he would earn just £800 a fight as a new pro, building up his name and needing to sell tickets, he swapped to the away corner. Knowing he could make almost £2,000 a pop as an opponent for up-and-coming stars, he forfeited his desire to be a champ. Greaves has relived his astonishing career for a new book called Bright Lights and Dark Corners And in an exclusive SunSport interview, Greaves revealed: 'At the time I was skint. I didn't have a lot of work on. 'Vicky and I had just moved into a place, Teddy had just been born with severe clubfoot, so he was in and out of hospitals every other day. 'I was struggling badly.' However, his decision kick-started one of the most celebrated journeyman boxing careers in Britain, with Greaves fighting up to 20 TIMES a year. Britain's next Tyson Fury set for world title & Taylor urged to fight on | Split Decision Recalling his 2008 points loss to Ryan Walsh, Greaves revealed: 'I'd just opened my third can of Fosters when my phone rang at 4.30pm on the Saturday. 'I took the fight, agreed the money and was in the ring boxing at the Excel Arena at about ten past six.' On another occasion in 2012, Greaves, who also has a coaching licence, was set to act as a cornerman for Jody Meikle at York Hall - only to fight opponent Eren Arif himself. Greaves added: 'I remember the promoter running out asking, 'What do you weigh?' I replied, '10st 6?' 'He continued, 'Do you want a fight?' I said, 'F***, what are you paying?' 'So we discussed the money, then I phoned the missus to meet me at the station with a bag, my shorts, boots and a gum shield. 'She passed the bag over the counter, I rushed back to York Hall and I was fighting about half an hour after that.' Greaves is very honest about the fight game, insisting money came first for him and winning could have affected his chances of earning. It's not what a lot of people think, how the boxing game works. But let's have it right - it's a business, it's not sport. Johnny Greaves He said: 'I don't wanna make it look like it's bent, but, look, I boxed nine world champions, I boxed over 20 British champions. 'I boxed the best fighters in the world - Anthony Crolla, Jamie Cox, Johan Perez. 'Or, you're boxing against young lads that look, let's have it right, if you win these fights, you're gonna lose work for yourself, you then become a risk, so you play the game. 'You don't let your hands go against these kids, you play through, get through nice and safe, get paid, lose on points, hopefully. "And then you fight again the week after.' But while he was boxing, Greaves harboured a secret not even his family knew. He was battling a cocaine addiction so fierce he would even take it on fight nights. He confessed: 'I'm disgusted about the way I went through things with the drugs through my career. 'Things were pretty crazy' 'Recreational drugs, nothing performance enhancing. If anything it's performance debilitating, to be honest. 'Getting through packets of cocaine, just just to control my nerves, control my moods. I had a habit and I'm really disgusted about it.' 5 5 In 2009, Greaves fought Oisin Fagan in Dublin on the back of a massive booze bender. Greaves recalled: 'I was on my own in a hotel room and up all hours of the night doing what I was doing. 'I got in and boxed the top Irish lad the next day. Things were pretty crazy then.' Greaves has now overcome his cocaine habit and has been working painting The Shard at London Bridge Station. He added: 'My family were always well provided for. My whole life has been about providing for my kids. 'But my release, getting away and forgetting about my life as a loser, would be to go and get smashed and forget about it.' The toughest part of my boxing career was dealing with the abuse that I was getting. Johnny Greaves He has also beaten his booze demons. But still suffers from depression, still bears the mental scars of fighting against vulgar, hostile crowds. And he said: 'I've always been weak mentally, suffered a hell of a lot with depression and suicidal thoughts, very low self-esteem. 'And look, when you're in front of crowds of 900 people all screaming and shouting and slagging you off and laughing at your record, it was emotionally tough. 'The toughest part of my boxing career was dealing with the abuse I was getting. 'Why would I want my son coming to watch me get beaten and suffer dogs' abuse from the crowd? 'I've had people spit on me when walking into the ring, it's a nasty game. I was treated no better than a dog at times. "I had 100 professional fights, I won just four. To anyone who doesn't understand the game, you're no better than useless. You're Not Alone EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers. It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes. And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women. Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now. That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign. The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives. Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You're Not Alone. If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support: CALM, 0800 585 858 Heads Together, HUMEN Mind, 0300 123 3393 Papyrus, 0800 068 41 41 Samaritans, 116 123 'People just don't understand the game and the business model of how boxing actually works. 'So dealing with things mentally and emotionally was tough.' Greaves had just one rule when he fought - his friends and family were banned from attending. He explained: 'Look, I'm there to lose. I don't want my wife and kids seeing that.' However, he made an exception for his final fight in 2013 when he BEAT Dan Carr at York Hall to bow out with a victory in front of 500 of his fans. Greaves beamed: 'I fought my heart out and trained like a beast. I would have boxed anyone in my last fight and been confident enough to win it. 'I would have boxed King Kong that last time and I'm pretty sure I would have at put up a good fight.' Greaves opens up on his astonishing career in his biography, Bright Lights and Dark Corners, which is on sale now. Detailing his boxing life in black and white helped him KO the demons that plagued his years in the ring. He said: 'This book has been a therapy session for me, it's about getting a lot off my chest.' Bright Lights & Dark Corners by Johnny Greaves is available to buy now at 5
South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Olympic champ Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to fight under new boxing body
Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to participate in upcoming events with the sport's new governing body. Advertisement World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes on Friday. The governing body specifically mentioned Khelif when announcing the policy, saying the Algerian gold medal winner must be screened before she would be approved to fight at any upcoming events, including the Eindhoven Box Cup next month in the Netherlands. 'The introduction of mandatory testing will be part of a new policy on 'Sex, Age and Weight' to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women,' World Boxing wrote in a statement. The fighters' national federations would be responsible for administering the tests and providing the results to World Boxing. 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, disqualified both fighters from its 2023 world championships after claiming they had failed an unspecified eligibility test. Taiwanese gold medallist Lin Yu-ting with her medal. Photo: Reuters The IOC ran the past two Olympic boxing tournaments after the banishment of the IBA for decades of misdeeds and controversy, and it applied the sex eligibility rules used in previous Olympics. Khelif and Lin were eligible to compete under those standards.
Forbes
7 hours ago
- Health
- Forbes
Jermall Charlo Vs. Thomas LaManna: Odds, Records, Prediction
In the past few years, Jermall Charlo has fought against more than just 160-pound foes in the ring. He's also battled against personal problems out of the ring, including mental health and legal issues, that he thinks have hampered his career. But he's looking to get himself back into boxing fans' conscience on Saturday when he takes on Thomas LaManna. Here's everything you need to know about Jermall Charlo vs. Thomas LaManna, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win. Since defending his middleweight title vs. Juan Macias Montiel four years ago, Charlo has only fought once (a solid decision win vs. Jose Benavidez Jr. at super middleweight in 2023), but he's been arrested at least three times since then and has been charged with DUI stemming from an alleged car accident in May 2024. He also told the New York Post in 2023 that he was dealing with mental health and substance abuse issues. 'Depression, self conflation, going from hot to cold really fast is shocking to you,' Charlo told the Post. 'Dealing with all kinds of cases of [being] bipolar, being by yourself, thinking that you shutting the world out is going to help you . . . It just feels like everybody is against you, I don't care if you're in the Uber, a cab, wherever, everybody is just against you. Why I felt like this, [I don't know]. I couldn't tell that some people weren't against me, it was just that at the moment it's the way you're feeling and I turned my back against pretty much the world. I just had to start getting help with it and it made me a lot better.' Now, nearly two years later, Charlo, at 168 pounds, is trying to get back on track in a new weight division. 'I just miss boxing, period,' he said. 'I miss getting up and just focusing on boxing, and I'm back to doing that at the highest level. The sky's the limit for me at this weight. I'm sparring bigger guys and I can lift more now. I'm squatting more than I ever did and using my body more than I ever did. I feel like this is the division I'm going to end my career in. You're going to see me go out and be more explosive than you've ever seen me before in my life.' If he looks impressive on Saturday, he potentially could face Caleb Plant, assuming he beats Amando Resindez in the main event of the card. But LaManna wants to ruin Charlo's plans. 'I've been in this same seat before, and I came up short when I fought Erislandy Lara,' LaManna said. 'I never want to go through that again. It messed me up. We all know what the task at hand is, and we're going to give this my best shot. I'm going to give it my all. We're going to upset the apple cart.' Here's more info on the Jermall Charlo vs. Thomas LaManna showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on Amazon Video (free with Prime subscription) beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday. Despite Charlo's absence from the ring, that hasn't stopped the oddsmakers from making him a heavy favorite. Entering his fight, Charlo is the -1600 favorite (bet $1,600 to win $100), while LaManna is the +850 underdog (win $850 on a $100 wager). Want more value for your money? I'd go with Charlo winning by decision at +140. If you were looking for a fun parlay for this weekend's action of boxing (and this is only for entertainment purposes), I might take Charlo beating LaManna by decision at+140, Caleb Plant to beat Armando Residenz by decision at +210 and Yoenli Hernandez to beat Kyrone Davis at -650. If all those hit, you'd win $758 on a $100 wager. Though we haven't seen Charlo (33-0, 22 KOs) in the ring since November 2023, he remains undefeated, and he probably shouldn't have too many struggles winning on Saturday. It's been nearly a decade since two of the best victories of his careers (vs. Austin Trout and Julian Williams) and a half-decade since decisively beating Sergiy Derevyanchenko, but he still showed plenty of skills in his last fight, nearly shutting out Jose Benavidez Jr. Say this for LaManna (39-5-1, 18 KOs): he's on a nine-fight winning streak after getting knocked out in the first round by Erislandy Lara in 2021. But his level of opponent in the past four years hasn't been stellar, and there isn't much reason to think he can pull off an upset against Charlo, especially if Charlo is still a reasonably elite fighter. Despite his well-documented issues, Charlo is still an impressive (and undefeated) fighter. It's hard to imagine that, at the age of 35 and with his inactivity, he's still in the prime of his career. But even a well-worn/older version of Charlo will still be too much for LaManna to handle. Say Charlo by decision, somewhere in the 98-92 range.
Forbes
8 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Caleb Plant Vs. Armando Resendiz: Odds, Records, Prediction
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 06: Canelo Alvarez punches Caleb Plant (L) during their championship ... More bout for Alvarez's WBC, WBO and WBA super middleweight titles and Plant's IBF super middleweight title at MGM Grand Garden Arena on November 06, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by) After losing two of his past four fights, Caleb Plant wants to prove on Saturday that he's still one of the best super middleweights in the world and that he can still compete for a world title. Armando Resendiz wants to prove that he also belongs in the 168-pound title picture. Here's everything you need to know about Caleb Plant vs. Armando Resendiz, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win. Plant has only lost to the best at 168 pounds (Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez), and at the age of 32, he must figure he's still got time to reclaim a super middleweight belt (he held one from 2019-2021). He's also looking to impress enough on Saturday that he'll get the chance for a big-money fight against Jermall Charlo, who's fighting journeyman Thomas LaManna on the undercard. 'First things first and that's handling business on May 31,' Plant said. 'If Charlo can handle his business, or whatever happens in the co-main event, I'm looking for that winner . . . If he's able to handle business, me and Charlo can run it . . . What I crave is to be a winner and a champion. I want to cement my legacy and show my children firsthand what it looks like to work hard at something. Have I fallen short a couple of times? Yeah, but I did it with integrity and the way a warrior would do it. If you fall short, you dust yourself off and you keep going.' Resendiz knows about dusting himself off. He's lost twice in his seven-year career, and although he seems to have a powerful punch, he's never faced a top-notch fighter who's in his prime. 'He's looking to seize his big moment and I remember what it was like when I had my big moment and how badly I wanted it,' Plant said. I'm expecting him to come in guns blazing. But we've got something for him.' Resendiz has confidence, though—especially since he's been working with respected trainer Manny Robles. "[That's] Here's more info on the Caleb Plant vs. Armando Resendiz showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on Amazon Video (free with Prime subscription) beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 30: Elijah Garcia (green/tan trunks) trades punches with Armando ... More Resendiz of Mexico (red trunks) during their middleweight fight at T-Mobile Arena on September 30, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by) At -2500 (bet $2,500 to win $100), Plant is the massive betting favorite vs. Residenz, while the Mexico native is the +1100 underdog (win $1,100 on a $100 wager). Neither money line has much value, but I wouldn't mind you taking Plant to win by decision at +210. If you were looking for a fun parlay for this weekend's action of boxing (and this is only for entertainment purposes), I might take Plant to beat Residenz by decision at +210, Jermall Charlo to beat Thomas LaManna by decision at+140 and Yoenli Hernandez to beat Kyrone Davis at -650. If all those hit, you'd win $758 on a $100 wager. Plant (23-2, 14 KOs) hasn't been extremely active, fighting just once in 2022, 2023 and 2024. He's also only won half of his last four fights (falling to Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez). But at the age of 32, he still could have several more years of fighting at a high level, and he already owns wins vs. Jose Uzcategui and Anthony Dirrell. The highlight of Resendiz's seven-year career was a TKO upset victory in 2023 vs. former unified champion Jarrett Hurd, who went in to that bout as a 6/1 betting favorite. Six months later, Resendiz got an opportunity to face prospect Elijah Garcia, but he was stopped in the eighth round. Now, Resendiz is coming off a victory vs. an opponent who was 5-2. Plant has plenty to fight for, but I don't think he's going to be super aggressive against a relatively unknown Resendiz who seems to have a good punch and a decent-enough chin. Plant is a strong technical boxer, and he'll be content to rack up the points en route to a fairly easy win. Say Plant by decision, somewhere in the 118-110 range.
