A former sparring partner of Mike Tyson said he thinks the former world heavyweight champion will “pull his punches” during the upcoming fight with Jake Paul as he could “seriously hurt” the YouTuber.
Tyson is due to fight Paul on November 15 in Arlington, Texas in the first event of its kind to be live streamed on Netflix.
It was scheduled to go ahead in July but was postponed after Tyson sustained a health scare.
Everyone seems to have had their say on the fight, from Joe Rogan to former world super-middleweight champion Carl Froch and just about everyone in between.
But an insider claims that Tyson will “pull his punches” when the two finally meet in the ring.
“For me, it’s going to be a glorified sparring session,” Joe Egan, Tyson’s former sparring partner, said when speaking with TalkSPORT.
“When Mike boxed Roy Jones Jr he hit Roy with a body shot and sunk him and Mike knew he could hurt Roy Jones.
“Anybody that Mike hits is going to hurt, probably knockout as well but he carried Roy Jones.
“I never believed Mike Tyson could carry anybody because when I sparred him at Catskill, every punch he threw was with bad intentions. He was a vicious, ferocious, savage heavyweight.
“To see him mellow with age is wonderful and to see what he did with Roy Jones is incredible.
“Jake Paul was on that undercard and when he saw Mike pull his punches they probably felt confident. You’ve got to admire him for getting in the ring with Mike Tyson but I don’t think Mike will go full force on him.
“I don’t believe that because if Mike went full force on Jake Paul, he could seriously hurt him, never mind about the age.”
Middleweight contender Chris Eubank Jr says he is targeting “mega fights” with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and long-time rival Conor Benn over the next 12 months.
Eubank (33-3-0 24 KO) will end more than one year of inactivity when he returns to the ring to fight Kamil Szeremeta (25-2-2 8 KO) on October 14 on the undercard of the undisputed light-heavyweight fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dimitrii Bivol in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The British fighter’s last bout was in September last year when he avenged his fourth-round stoppage loss to domestic rival Liam Smith by knocking out the Liverpudlian in the 10th round of the rematch.
Eubank had been in negotiations to fight unified super-middleweight champion Canelo next, but the Mexican opted for Edgar Berlanga, whom he fights in Las Vegas on September 14. The 34-year-old insists he didn’t back out of the opportunity to challenge Alvarez but would rather get some fights under his belt before taking on the pound-for-pound superstar.
“There were discussions, but we couldn’t come to terms on the business side of things. I’ve been out of the ring for 12 months – I wasn’t looking to fight Canelo for a payday,” he said. “I want to beat this guy. Get me some nice solid fights over the next six months and then I’ll take him out in May.”
Benn, on the other hand, represents a different target for Eubank. The pair were booked to fight in October 2022, taking a family rivalry into a new generation following the epic wars contested by fathers Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr at the start of the 1990s (Eubank won the first before the rematch was drawn).
With Benn a natural welterweight and Eubank a middleweight, the bout was agreed at a 157lb catchweight – a weight that Eubank tortured himself to make despite health warnings from his famous father.
Three days before the fight, it was revealed that Benn had failed a drug test and while both fighters were happy to proceed as Benn had yet to receive a provisional suspension, the British Boxing Board of Control refused to license the bout and it was canceled.
While Benn has spent much of the past three years challenging his various suspensions and the fight does not appear close, Eubank said the “chapter is not closed”, but warned his rival that any leverage he might have once had is gone.
“I imagine it’s going to happen in the next 12 months. As soon as he gets his license back and his career back on track, that fight will happen,” Eubank Jr said. “[Benn] has no say in anything now. He’s lost all his privileges. You can’t fail a drug test and come back and say ‘I still want weight clauses and rehydration clauses’.
“Now you take what you get. Now you’re the bad guy. “Now it’s not just about how our dads fought. Now we have our own beef. We have our own story. We have our own history.”
Tyson Fury will knock out Oleksandr Usyk in their December 21 rematch.
That is according to Billy Joe Saunders. Fury suffered the first loss of his career as Usyk won a split decision. The result appeared close, but in truth, Usyk dominated most of the fight. He controlled the earlier and latter parts of the fight, while Fury’s success came in the middle rounds. The Ukrainian almost knocked out Fury in the round, but the referee controversially imposed a standing eight count instead.
Usyk defied the pre-fight narrative that Fury would overpower him. He walked down the Gypsy King, despite the latter being 40 pounds heavier and having a seven-inch reach advantage. Fury is expected to come more on the front foot, as he did against Deontay Wilder in the second/third fights, where he stopped the Bronze Bomber. That was a departure from the first fight, where Fury was boxing on the back foot. Saunders felt that if Fury pressed the action, he would come out victorious.
“I don’t think there’s anyone out there than can outbox Usyk. Tyson Fury, he can beat Usyk three times in one night with one simple game plan. It’s very, very simple how to beat him. You have to use your size. You have to use your physical advantages. Every attribute you have you need to use to full effect with this man,” Saunders said
Saunders also made comments that suggested that things were not all going well in camp. Reports indicated that Jai Opetaiahad dropped Fury in camp. The IBF Cruiserweight Champion was brought into camp to mimic Usyk’s southpaw style. Since he is a cruiserweight, he would have been much like Usyk. But Opetaia left camp early after claims he dropped Fury.
Johnny Nelsonbacked up comments that Fury had been dropped. However, coming into the fight, Fury was praised for his physique. He also trained from after the Francis Ngannou fight last year since the Usyk fight was rearranged twice. Although Fury suffered a cut, which saw the Usyk fight being rescheduled, there were no excuses from Team Fury. But Saunders suggested that there were issues in camp.
“I’m not making any excuses for him, but I know what went on in camp and what didn’t go on in camp. I know that, even when it came to sparring and other bits and bobs, there was stuff missing out of it that needs to be rectified this time. He’s asked me to go away [for] training camp with him, so I’m delighted to say I will be going away with him. I believe Tyson will win the next fight. And I believe that he will win by knockout as well,” Saunders stated
Nevertheless, if Fury comes on the front foot, it does play into Usyk’s hands. He is known for being a counter puncher, something which allowed him to sit in the pocket in the two Anthony Joshua fights. Should Fury press the action, Usyk has more of a target to hit, leaving Fury with a tough task.
Robert Garcia feels Floyd Mayweather could still beat some active champions.
Mayweather retired from boxing with a 50-0 record, making him one of the best boxers ever. His biggest career win came against Manny Pacquiao as he beat the best welterweight of his generation. His last pro fight was a stoppage win against Conor McGregor. Since then, he has had various exhibitions.
He boxed John Gotti III last month, as Mayweather hinted at three more possible exhibitions. Oscar De La Hoya was very critical of Mayweather. He felt the exhibitions were harming his legacy. Oscar also suggested the exhibitions were due to money problems. Reports indicate that a Miami jeweler has sued Mayweather for a sum of around $4 million, which is outstanding.
“It was so embarrassing. Floyd, you’re 50 years old. You’re a legend in this sport. I’ve stood up for you in countless interviews, including Shannon Sharpe’s podcast last week. But you have to stop embarrassing yourself with these exhibitions.
“I know life is hard, I know life is expensive, but come on, put your legacy first. Nobody wants to remember you like this. And it gets worse. Your jeweler filed a lawsuit against you in Miami and many are saying you’re going to have to sell off your assets. I hate seeing this happen and I’ve always said, ‘It’s hard to make money, but it’s even harder to keep it.’ Floyd, I’m rooting for you, come on, let’s turn it around,” De La Hoya said
But there is a scenario in which Mayweather boxes professionally again at 47. Pacquiao is being tipped to fight Mario Barrios, who is the current WBC Welterweight Champion. Pacman had an exhibition against Rukiya Anpothis year.
However, he looked far from the boxer who was an eight-division champion. But if Manny does box again and beats Barrios, there may be a call for a Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch. Garcia even suggested there were several names Mayweather could still beat.
“Whatever you say, whatever anybody wants to think, Mayweather could, because he’s still active, he’s still in shape, he could fight real fight. Not real fighters like Vergil [Ortiz], Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, but Mayweather could still beat a lot of champions. Maybe at welterweight, he could beat most of the champions right now. He’ll probably beat [WBA regular champion] Eimantas Stanionis, [WBC champion] Mario Barrios, [WBO champion] Brian Norman Jr,” Garcia stated
Nevertheless, there is no pressing need for Mayweather to fight professionally again. He has nothing else to prove in the sport, as he would risk losing his undefeated record. That is a large part of Mayweather’s brand and what makes him marketable. Mayweather is also making millions by having exhibitions against non-pro boxers. While he may receive criticism, Mayweather has never shied away from taking fights where he can earn lucrative purses. He still has plenty left in the tank based on how he looked during his exhibitions.
Scottie Scheffler birdied four of his last five holes to ensure he takes a five-shot lead into the final round of the Tour Championship on a day when Shane Lowry posted the tie low score.
Collin Morikawa is the only player within nine shots of the world number one having also finished strongly with three birdies in the last four holes at East Lake for a 67.
Scheffler’s third round 66 leaves him within touching distance of the 25 million dollars FedEx Cup prize having missed out after leading into the season-ending tournament last year.
He also had a six-shot lead heading into the final round two years ago but was overhauled by Rory McIlroy.
“I feel like I’ve done a lot of stuff well and played solid, so I’m looking forward to the challenge of trying to finish off the tournament tomorrow,” he said.
The strongest finish came from Sahith Theegala, who jumped into third place – four behind Morikawa – with five straight birdies to finish his round, part of a run of seven birdies and a bogey in his last eight holes en route to a 66.
Theegala recovered from a double bogey six on the third hole after he called a two-stroke penalty on himself for feeling he clipped the sand in a bunker during his backswing.
“Pretty sure I breached the rules, so I’m paying the price for it, and I feel good about it,” Theegala said.
Xander Schauffelle slipped back to fourth on 16-under-par with a 71, while Lowry jumped up to eighth – a further three strokes back – as he equalled the lowest round of the day with a 65 along with Viktor Hovland.
McIlroy is tied for 10th, 15 strokes off the pace, after adding a 68 to his opening rounds of 69.
Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams are former rivals but also close friends. So when the latter arrived on site at the US Open, it seemed likely that she was going to watch the Dane in action.
But instead Williams was seen on Arthur Ashe watching Jannik Sinner and also Tommy Paul play. This jokingly annoyed Wozniacki. The former World No.1 sealed passage through to the Last 16.
“I hope so. I’m gonna text her. I’m pretty mad at her for not showing up at my match I saw she was watching Tommy. We have to talk about that a bit later,” said Wozniacki post match.
She defends her points that she accrued on her return last year and has battled a pretty open section of the draw. With Elena Rybakina falling by the wayside, Wozniacki has had it pretty comfortable and likely will until the latter stages.
But still a player no doubt looking to the end not the start, she wasn’t sure on her plans for the rest of the season but presumably may even prolong it if results continue.
She infamously took off the rest of the 2023 season after making her return which in a hunt for ranking points isn’t exactly the best move. As well as all the drama surrounding wildcards. But now putting that behind her, she is thriving again.
Caroline Wozniacki to Serena Williams at US Open:
“I’m pretty mad at her for not showing up to my match. I saw her watching Tommy. I think we have to talk about that a bit later” 😂
Jannik Sinner addressed the upset defeats suffered by his rivals Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 US Open as he continued his title bid with a dominant victory.
The world No 1 reflected that the surprise losses prove “anything can happen in this sport” as he outlined his approach of staying focused on himself.
Alcaraz crashed out of the hard-court major in a stunning straight-set second round defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp on Thursday. The 21-year-old Spaniard, who was seeded third, won the previous two Grand Slams at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Djokovic, who was the defending US Open champion, followed Alcaraz out of the tournament on Friday after a four-set third round loss to Alexei Popyrin. The 37-year-old Serbian claimed the gold medal at the Paris Olympics in his previous event.
With the exit of his two biggest competitors, Sinner emerged as the clear favourite to win the men’s singles title at the US Open.
The 23-year-old Italian star solidified this status by steamrolling Christopher O’Connell 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium court in the third round at Flushing Meadows.
Sinner broke the 30-year-old Australian five times and did not face a single break point on his own serve in a one-sided contest. He now holds a 2-1 record against O’Connell, who is currently ranked 87th in the world.
In his on-court interview after his victory, Sinner gave his reaction to the upsets of Alcaraz and Djokovic.
“As we see, anything can happen in this sport,” Sinner said. “I try to stay on my side of the net. Taking it day by day. Each opponent is a tough challenge. Trying to enjoy every moment on the court.
“There have been a couple of upsets. Let’s see what’s coming. I’m happy to still be here and hopefully play as many matches as possible.”
On the match, Sinner added: “For sure, today was a great match. I knew I had to play very solid throughout the whole match. We played a few times.
“The serve was working well today. I’m happy about my performance. Obviously thanks everyone for the support. It’s been amazing.”
Sinner will face either Tommy Paul or Gabriel Diallo in the last 16 of the US Open as he continues his bid to add a second Grand Slam title to his 2024 Australian Open crown.
It wasn’t that long ago that the career of Anthony Joshua as a pinnacle-level heavyweight looked quite uncertain.
Two years ago to the month, Joshua had what appeared to be a breakdown in the ring following a second agonizing defeat to Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian had, nine months earlier in London, dished out 12 rounds of punishment on the unified world champion to take his WBA, WBO, and IBF titles, so the immediate rematch was AJ’s chance at revenge and to reclaim his straps.
There was a marked improvement from Joshua on that August night in Jeddah, but it was still not enough as Usyk put his foot on the gas in the championship rounds to shade a split decision and retain his three belts. Joshua reacted by throwing one of the belts out of the ring before grabbing the mic and launching an expletive-laden rant – actions he later said he regretted.
In the post-fight press conference, the former champion hid under his baseball cap and looked visibly broken. Questions were asked about whether he would ever mentally recover sufficiently to the point where he could once again rule the heavyweight division.
After some rest and recovery, Joshua hopped on a plane to the United States and returned to the lab, restarting his work with then-trainer Derrick James in Texas to build a third version of AJ – one that could take him back to the top of the heavyweight tree.
Joshua had been in a similar position before. For the first 22 fights of his professional career, AJ was a wrecking ball bulldozing its way through the heavyweight division. It was an approach that was perfectly effective as the British fighter raced to his first world title.
Then came the first fight with Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019 and the humiliation of getting stopped by a late replacement while using that same aggressive, attack-first strategy that had served him so well – on his American debut, no less. Joshua went away and focused on becoming a more well-rounded fighter. He continued to work with long-time trainer Rob McCracken but also brought in some outside voices.
AJ the brawler was being replaced by AJ the boxer. He entered the rematch with Ruiz six months later with a far more methodical and conservative strategy – and it worked as Joshua 2.0 eased to a points victory in Saudi Arabia to reclaim his belts.
But it came at an expense: Joshua had lost his edge. That imposing, fearsome knockout artist was nowhere to be seen. In his first fight as two-time champion, he took far too long to stop an ordinary Kubrat Pulev when he had the Bulgarian in trouble in the third round; it took AJ another six rounds to get it done.
Nine months later, in September 2021, was his first fight with Usyk. If there was ever a fight, the old Joshua need to come out, it was against the Ukrainian. Instead, he tried to outbox Usyk and stayed gun-shy throughout, and soon enough, the result was inevitable.
“When I looked at Mayweather he had two phases of his career – Pretty Boy and then Money May. And he just became smarter, so I was just trying to get smarter as a fighter, that’s all,” Joshua told the Boxing Social podcast.
“When I got beat by Ruiz, I had my health issues, but I kind of knew that at some stage I’m probably gonna come unstuck. Why? Because I didn’t feel like I was learning. I was fighting but I wasn’t learning.
“So that’s why after the first Ruiz fight I went through that rebuilding phase. Completely changed my style – stick, move, hit and don’t get hit. Then I tried to take that further on in my career with Usyk. He is the master of that s**t.”
Between Usyk fights, Joshua parted ways with McCracken and joined forces with Robert Garcia. It was a partnership that lasted just one fight: the Usyk rematch, and while there were visible improvements to his boxing skills, it still wasn’t enough.
That’s when Joshua made his way to Dallas to work with James and his stable of champions, including former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. It was time to start building Joshua 3.0.
At a critical time in his career, Joshua needed to marry his newfound and still developing skillset with the aggression and power that had been the foundation of his early years. He worked with James for two fights; an understandably cagey points win over Jermaine Franklin and a more encouraging stoppage of Robert Helenius.
Then along came Ben Davison. The trainer had established a strong reputation having guided the early part of Tyson Fury’s comeback, including his first fight against Deontay Wilder – and he’s continued to refine Joshua 3.0.
The aggression and spite were back in December for his impressive stoppage win of Otto Wallin, who took Fury to the scorecards, and he showed no mercy in March’s two-round destruction of Francis Ngannou – who also took Fury to the scorecards.
These are all encouraging signs from the past 12 months, but it’s fair to say this latest version of Joshua has yet to be truly tested by a top-tier opponent.
That test will come in three weeks when AJ faces IBF world champion Daniel Dubois in the headline bout of a stacked card at Wembley Stadium in London.
Dubois (21-2-0 20 KO) is in the form of his career and is improving quickly. He earned the IBF’s interim title in June with an eight-round stoppage of the unbeaten Filip Hrgovic, six months after a gusty final-round knockout of Jarrell Miller. He was later elevated to full champion when Usyk vacated the belt having agreed to a rematch with Fury.
‘Dynamite’ is more powerful, athletic, and better skilled than any of Joshua’s post-Usyk opponents. He has the tools to formulate and execute a game plan capable of defeating AJ. He is also full of confidence and belief.
Joshua, the more experienced fighter on this sort of stage, is considered the favorite and the best version of the two-time champion would be expected to emerge victorious.
Having gone through, in his words, several “rebuilding phases”, AJ will need to implement all he’s learned during his career. If he combines the more cautious stick-it-and-move approach with his spiteful finishing, then Dubois should be no match.
Should he secure an impressive stoppage, his chances in an Usyk trilogy bout would look much brighter – or indeed, his prospects in a long-awaited showdown with Fury.
Floyd Mayweather may end up making a pro comeback next year if the right opportunity presents itself.
Mayweather’s last professional fight was a win over Conor McGregor in 2017, taking his record to 50-0. Since then, he has had numerous exhibitions. His most recent exhibition was a fight against John Gotti III. Mayweather is now 47 years old, but a comeback could happen. That all depends on what happens with Manny Pacquiao. Pacman faced off against Rukiya Anpo in a three-round exhibition this year.
Pacman is now 45 years old and has been linked with the Mario Barrios fight. Barrios is the current WBC Welterweight Champion. If the fight happened with Manny getting the win, it could lead to a rematch with Mayweather. They fought in 2015, and Mayweather won a unanimous decision win. Pacquiao later complained that he had a shoulder injury, as questions remained over whether he was a 100 percent.
The rematch never happened, but there is a narrative for it. A win for either of them makes them the older welterweight champion in history. Manny currently holds the record at 40 when he beat Keith Thurman to win the WBA Welterweight Title in 2019. A rematch would also generate a huge purse, especially if the Saudis decided to put their money behind it. But that all depends on how Manny would do on a comeback.
“Manny Pacquiao is a different animal. Tom Brady always comes out of retirement and does what he does. It’s Manny Pacquiao. Yes, do you worry about him? He’s facing a young guy who is at the best of his abilities right now. Barrios is a good boxer, and he’s strong. But it’s Manny. His C-game and D-game are a lot better than many guys’ A-game.
“If Manny’s coming back, he believes he can win, but it will be interesting to see. After seeing him inside the ring last time when he struggled against Ugas, I thought that was enough, but sometimes guys have got to get their [behind] whooped to say, OK, I’m done,” Tim Bradley stated
After Mayweather beat Gotti, Floyd indicated that he had further fights lined up. He ruled out facing Julio Cesar Chavez, stating that the Mexican is too old. Chavez is now 62, making the fight less of a spectacle. Mayweather also revealed that he has the potential for three more exhibition fights. Although that may happen, a Manny fight could eclipse that if the money is right.
“Gotti is tough as nails. He’s my guy. But we had to put on a show for the people. And I want to thank Gotti for being a man of his word and we ran it back twice. He’s one of the legends I look up to and he paved the way for me. But the two getting into the ring to box? He’s older now, and if I do an exhibition with him it’s not going to look good for me. We just got a call about a three-exhibition deal and it’s a crazy number. …So, we don’t know,” Mayweather said.
Terence Crawford has vacated the last of his welterweight titles, with Eimantas Stanionis elevated to full WBA champion, the sanctioning body has announced.
Crawford (41-0-0 31 KO) became the undisputed welterweight world champion last July when he defeated Errol Spence Jr, adding his rival’s IBF, WBC, and WBA titles to his WBO belt. The victory made ‘Bud’ the first male fighter of the four-belt era to become undisputed in two divisions.
Since then, though, Crawford has gradually lost grip on the four belts. The IBF stripped the Nebraskan of its title in November for failing to fight mandatory challenger Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, who was subsequently promoted from interim to world champion.
The other three sanctioning bodies followed suit more recently in response to Crawford leaving 147lbs to compete at super-welterweight, where he defeated WBA title holder Israil Madrimov on August 3 to become a four-weight world champion.
The WBC acted first by awarding its world title to interim champion Mario Barrios before the WBO did the same with Brian Norman earlier this month.
Now the WBA has completed the same steps and announced the news in a short statement posted to its website.
“Terence Crawford decided to remain as champion in the super welterweight division of the World Boxing Association (WBA), and vacate his welterweight belt, according to what he formally communicated to the pioneer organization,” the statement read.
“The American sent a letter in which he informed his decision to keep the 154-pound belt and vacate the 147-pound belt, which will leave Lithuanian Eimantas Stanionis as the only welterweight champion.
“Crawford won the title last August 3 with his victory over Israil Madrimov, in Los Angeles, and at that time he was champion in two different divisions. Now he has decided that he will stay in super welter and continue his career in that category.
“The pioneer body received the communication and responded to Crawford with a letter signed by the director of the championships committee, Carlos Chavez, in which he acknowledged receipt and sent a wave of thanks and recognition.”
With the belts now fragmented and evenly shared across the division, the hope is now for unification fights to eventually crown a new undisputed champion. However, those plans have already hit several obstacles, with Ennis and Norman at a stand-off over contract negotiations.
According to Ennis’ promoter Eddie Hearn, three separate offers have been sent to Norman – the last worth around $1.5 million – but have all been rejected. While Norman has claimed the offer was accepted, Hearn insists that’s not the case, accusing the WBO champion of “cloud chasing” and not having the belief he can beat Ennis.
Hearn also revealed that as talks with Norman stalled, a separate offer had gone out to Stanionis, who also turned down the terms.
There is another potential short-term obstacle for Ennis as the IBF has ordered him to fight mandatory challenger Karen Chukhadzhian, despite Boots beating him in a shutout points win just last year. Hearn responded by accusing the IBF of “ruining boxing”.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73356709/2153593899.0.jpg)
