Latest news with #heavyweightboxing
The Independent
21 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Fabio Wardley can reach the top of heavyweight boxing – but a risky fight stands in his way
It has been nearly a decade since Tyson Fury changed the heavyweight landscape one night in Dusseldorf. Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko to win three versions of the world heavyweight title in 2015, just six months later Anthony Joshua won a version and the rest is history. 'What a time to be a heavyweight and dream of winning the world title,' said Fabio Wardley. It is indeed a great time to be a heavyweight, especially a British heavyweight. On Saturday night, at Portman Road, Wardley will walk just a bit closer to the dream when he fights in front of his hometown fans for the right to be a serious contender. It might also be the night that we find a local hero – and the British boxing business loves a local idol. On the same night, in Barnsley, a confirmed hometown hero, Callum Simpson, fights outdoors at Oakwell. I truly believe that quality fighters like Wardley and Simpson topping bills, at their home grounds, on the same night is bad for the sport. In the opposite corner to Wardley will be the unbeaten Australian, Justis Huni, a respectable fighter with enough dreams of his own. The Australian scene is thriving right now, and a genuine leading heavyweight contender would add to the business. It would be a lucrative crown; Wardley would also make tremendous gains in a multi-million-pound heavyweight boxing boom. They should be applauded for accepting the fight and it is far more than just the money. They are two unbeaten prospects in a bout that neither needed to take; in previous decades they would have crossed the street to avoid contact. Their promotional and management teams both believe the other camp has made a mistake and that always leads to a good fight. The summer of heavyweight showdowns and announcements is about to start; in July, Daniel Dubois has a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed title. Joshua, Joseph Parker, the avoided New Zealander, and six or more of the leading contenders, will all be hoping for a call to join Riyadh Season, which will enter its third year of delivering the previously undeliverable, once it starts again. The landscape for the big men by Christmas will be very different and Wardley and Huni are fighting for a place on the very top table; a lot of names need a big name and those are the rules of action in Riyadh. There are no poor veterans from the previous two seasons of fights. Wardley is still only 30 and started his journey on the white-collar circuit; his progress as a professional was gentle, not groundbreaking. He is now a long, long way removed from the free-swinging dangerman in grainy footage clobbering topless doormen at dinner shows inside nightclubs. There were some early signs that the raw edges had been refined, clear signs that he was putting as much brain as there was brawn behind his punches. Last March, he kept his British heavyweight title with a brutal draw against Frazer Clarke. It showed Wardley had the stamina, the smarts and the guts to go the distance; a few months later, he stopped Clarke in a round. That was his last fight, his most significant in every way. Wardley is no longer just a white-collar convert. Huni has been all about promise in his 12 fights as a professional. He has not had to break a sweat, but the promise is there, a mixture of his youth, his decade on the top international amateur circuit and his obvious desire. Too often, in the boxing business, we look too deeply for a fighter's strengths and weaknesses; Huni has burning desire and that goes a long, long way. We foolishly search for facts about stamina, rounds, punch aggregates, personal bests on the track, and what we should be doing is looking at what the boxer wants and how he is acting. And, in my opinion, desire is a massive factor. The bad news for Huni and his gang is that Wardley is also all about desire. As I said, this looks like a great scrap. Wardley can win a hard, hard fight and Huni can win a smarter fight.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Anthony Joshua faces off with ex-champ who survived assassination attempt as Eddie Hearn opens up on new two-fight deal
ANTHONY JOSHUA faced off with forgotten heavyweight Mahmoud Charr - as Eddie Hearn confirmed plans for a two-fight deal. AJ has been out of action since a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September while an elbow injury - which needed surgery - has sidelined him. 5 5 But promoter Hearn revealed talks with Saudi boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season for a pair of bouts are underway. He 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-Scull, when we had our meeting, and that's the plan really. "We want to box sometime this year, October, November, December.' Dubois, 27, now rematches Oleksandr Usyk, 38, on July 19 at Wembley two years after his stoppage loss to the Ukrainian. Usyk is coming off two wins over Tyson Fury, 36, last year which led to the Gypsy King's surprise retirement in January. Hearn still hopes Fury will return to face Joshua, 35, while London's undisputed title clash will also factor into their next move. He said: 'We'll see what happens with Dubois-Usyk. We'll see what happens with Fury. "If we don't fight those guys, maybe we'll fight one of those guys next year.' Another name hoping to put himself in the mix to fight Joshua is Lebanon-born German Charr - who changed his name from Manuel to Mahmoud. How Tyson Fury's second season of Netflix reality show can be key to finally securing Anthony Joshua fight Charr long held the WBA's secondary heavyweight title but lost it to Kubrat Pulev in December - not returning since. He now resides in Dubai where AJ was recently on holiday before also travelling to Oman on a visit. Charr went face-to-face in a tense stare down with Joshua and said: 'There's only one giant in Syria." The 40-year-old has a 34–5 record, notably losing to Vitali Klitschko in 2012. But his career - and life - was almost ended in 2015 when he was targeted in a drive-by shooting in a kebab shop in Essen. He miraculously survived and lived to see his shooter, Youssef Hassan, sentenced to five years in prison after also undergoing two hip operations. Charr was astonishingly back in the ring just nine months later - to cap off a truly incredible comeback. He was 32 bouts into his career when his life was almost taken from him, following a cowardly assault from a Facebook troll. The attacker had been provoking the fighter online, posing videos of his losses on social media. But when Charr offered to face the man behind the screen in person, he was subject to an assassination attempt. Charr had two tune-ups fights afterwards but later needed a double replacement, undergoing surgery in 2017 at the age of just 32. He told SunSport in 2022: "I am not afraid of anyone. Fear is a feeling and feelings can be controlled. Fear exists only in your mind." 5 5
The Independent
7 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Purse bids ordered for Kubrat Pulev's defence of WBA regular heavyweight title against Michael Hunter
Kubrat Pulev is set to face Michael Hunter for the WBA regular heavyweight championshipafter the organisation ordered purse bids to made by Tuesday, May 27. 44-year-old Pulev earned the belt by defeating Manuel Charr in December 2024, effectively becoming the WBA's secondary champion. Hunter, 24-1-2 (17), is currently ranked number two in the WBA's heavyweight ratings. Number one, Fabio Wardley, has been bypassed as he is currently set to fight Justis Huni in his hometown of Ipswich on Saturday, June 7, live on DAZN. As such, the WBA says that Hunter is the 'division's top available contender'. Announcing their intention to set up a fight between Pulev, 32-3 (14), and Hunter, the WBA stated: 'The World Boxing Association (WBA) has officially called a purse bid for the heavyweight world title bout between reigning champion Kubrat Pulev and mandatory challenger Michael Hunter. The purse bid is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27, in Houston, Texas, and will be conducted by WBA Championships Committee Vice-Chairman Julio Thyme. It added: 'After granting both camps a negotiation period that failed to produce a deal, the WBA has moved to the next step in the process. Formal notice was sent through official channels, outlining all terms and conditions of the purse bid procedure.' The purse will be split 75/25 in favour of champion Pulev. Oleksandr Usyk is the current holder of the WBA's super heavyweight title, which is viewed as being on par with the other three organisations' main belts. Coincidentally, Usyk will be fighting for all four equivalent belts this summer, when he aims to reunify the division with a rematch against IBF champion Daniel Dubois on Saturday, July 19, which will be live on DAZN. Former undisputed champion Usyk was forced to vacate the IBF title shortly after unifying all four belts following his split decision win over Tyson Fury. That was because Usyk prioritised a rematch with Fury over facing his mandatory challenger, Dubois. Dubois subsequently defeated Anthony Joshua in September 2024, elevating the Brit to world champion status and leading to another unification bout in the heavyweight division. Usyk previously defeated Dubois with a ninth-round stoppage in August 2023.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Usyk's Reputation Could Be Stolen By Dubois
World heavyweight titlists Oleksandr Usyk and his archrival Daniel Dubois will face off for the undisputed crown at London's Wembley Stadium on July 19. The unvanquished Ukrainian Usyk bears the WBC, WBA, and WBO titles in his name and is eyeing becoming the four-crown undisputed heavyweight titleholder for the second time. Elsewhere, the British Dubois is the IBF bearer. Advertisement The 38-year-old Ukrainian boxer vacated the IBF crown last year, ahead of a December rematch with Fury, while Dubois upgraded to title-holder and defended the belt against a fellow compatriot, Anthony Joshua last September. 'I'm grateful to God for the opportunity to once again fight for the undisputed championship,' said Usyk, who has a 23-0 record, in the statement released on Sunday. 'Thank you, Daniel, for taking care of my IBF belt – now I want it back.' Daniel Dubois will have the opportunity to avenge his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk when the heavyweight adversaries share the ropes once again. He asserted his status by viciously knocking out Anthony Joshua under the Wembley arch last September, and is hopeful for a similar result as he returns to the same venue for a showdown with Usyk. Advertisement However, with the rematch date now set, former heavyweight champion Carl Froch has a contrary opinion. He believes that Usyk should not be fighting since his legacy may be tainted if he loses the fight to Dubois. 'I don't think Usyk should keep fighting, and I remember saying last time, just retire. Once you've beaten Tyson Fury, just retire, you're done. I'd feel bad for Usyk if something goes wrong, because Usyk is the far superior athlete. Far more skilled, talented fighter, big champion, undisputed cruiserweight champ. For him to live on to 38/39 in the ring. But it would be a terrible end to Usyk's legacy if he lost,' said ex-World Champion Carl Froch in an exclusive interview with
The Sun
07-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
‘Turn the camera off' – Anthony Joshua asks reporter ‘why are you asking me that?' in very awkward interview
ANTHONY JOSHUA snapped when asked about the upcoming blockbuster fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois. Usyk, 38, and Dubois, 27, are scheduled to lock horns on July 19 at Wembley Stadium for the undisputed heavyweight crown. 3 3 3 Joshua, 35, has history with the two fellow heavyweights as he lost to both of them - twice against the undefeated Usyk. The Brit was asked to give his thoughts about the highly-anticipated rematch and he didn't seem at all keen to talk about it. Joshua told iFL TV after a long awkward pause: "I think it's going to be good... "I've got a few thoughts about it but I feel like I don't want to talk too much. "Because it's not my fight, it's their fight. Don't want to promote their fight. I'll be honest with you, I don't want to talk about it." The reporter tried to press after Joshua 's unexpected response to his question. That's when AJ appeared to snap as he stated: "Why are you asking me? Turn the camera off if you're going to ask me about it. "You're asking me in front of a bright light in front of the media to promote your channel and their fight... I'm not doing it." Joshua has not fought since he was knocked out by fellow Brit Dubois in September at Wembley. The two-time world champion has not been able to resume full training due to an elbow injury which has left him "unable to punch properly".
