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Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are nearing the end… but the next generation of top UK heavyweights is ALREADY here – and talents like Moses Itauma and Johnny Fisher can prove they are superstars in Saudi

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have put the United Kingdom at the forefront of heavyweight boxing for the past decade, with both men involved in some of the biggest nights the sport has ever had.

Who can forget Fury returning from a three-year layoff before knocking out Deontay Wilder twice? Or how about Joshua getting up off the canvas to stop Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium?

But nothing – other than those memories – lasts forever. Joshua was dominated by Daniel Dubois in September at the same venue he stopped Klitschko on that miraculous April night in 2017, and his promoter Eddie Hearn has admitted the 35-year-old is coming towards the end of his glittering career.

Fury will try to reclaim his titles from Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night in a fight that should determine the best heavyweight of this era. But Fury is now 36 and Usyk will be 38 next month. Tyson Fury Anthony Joshua

The pair delivered a thrilling fight the first time around in May, with Usyk emerging victorious on points, but it is fair to ask how many more times they can realistically go to the well for one last big performance.

It would not be a surprise to see either man or potentially even both walk away after Saturday’s fight, leaving fans wondering who the next generation of elite heavyweights will be. They may well get their answer if they tune in to watch two intriguing match-ups on the undercard.

Itauma and Fisher are undefeated and have been making waves in the UK. Now, on the biggest stage of all, they will get the chance to prove they are the future of the heavyweight division.

Itauma has already fought on two Fury undercards in Saudi Arabia, and has looked the real deal on both occasions. But McKean, who has just one loss on his record and was once considered as an opponent for Joshua, will be a step up in class.

Itauma was born in Slovakia and had to deal with racism in his early years before moving to the UK to live in Kent.

He grew up in poverty, but found his home in the boxing gym. It quickly became apparent that he had talent in abundance, despite throwing up in his first training sessions.

Having turned professional just one month after his 18th birthday, Itauma has already racked up 10 wins, with eight coming inside the distance.

His last outing was the most impressive of the lot as he demolished former world title challenger Mariusz Wach in just two rounds.Anthony Joshua

Itauma has previously spoken about breaking Mike Tyson’s record of being the youngest heavyweight champion in history. That ambitious goal looks out of reach unless he can grab a belt in the next four months, but a win over McKean would put him in the mix for some big fights in 2025. And one potential option could be a domestic showdown with Fisher if he can get past Allen on Saturday night.

Fisher may be six years older than Itauma, but his career has progressed more steadily due to his limited amateur background.

He has already built a large following of fans, though, while his dad has become a social media phenomenon with his ‘Bosh!’ videos.

Fisher and his dad don’t seem to take themselves too seriously away from the ring, but it’s a different matter when it comes to boxing.

Known as ‘The Romford Bull’, Fisher has stopped 11 of his 12 opponents and has gathered a reputation for being a devastating puncher. Just ask Alen Babic, who lasted less than a round when he took on Fisher in July.

If Fisher can do a similar job on the usually durable Allen this weekend it would be a major statement.

Allen has been in the ring with Dillian Whyte, as well as Olympic medalists David Price, Tony Yoka and Frazer Clarke, and has not been a pushover despite losing all of those fights.

He fancies his chances against the somewhat untested Fisher, but the momentum is with the man from Essex as he eyes arguably his biggest win to date.Anthony Joshua Tyson Fury

How the heavyweight landscape will look after this weekend is unclear. A win for Usyk would cement his status as the best heavyweight on the planet. He would have nothing more to prove and has even teased a possible return to cruiserweight.

Meanwhile, a Fury victory could set up a trilogy bout or a meeting with Joshua before both men likely sail off into the sunset.

What is more certain is that the end is nigh for this era of heavyweight boxing.

Dubois announced himself as a major player in boxing’s blue-riband division by beating Joshua, but there may have been some concerns over a lack of worthy challengers, with the likes of Whyte and Derek Chisora also on the way out.

Fortunately, Itauma and Fisher look ready to step up to the plate, and they can show they are superstars in the making with convincing wins on Saturday night.

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury face off for the first time in Riyadh ahead of their rematch for the unified world heavyweight championship on Saturday

The sheer intensity of Oleksandr Usyk’s rivalry with Tyson Fury was encapsulated in an epic staredown that closed out the final press conference ahead of Saturday’s world heavyweight championship rematch.

They locked eyes onto each other and neither would break away from the face off. The minutes ticked by in what felt like, probably, the longest boxing face off in recorded history.

It lasted for a mesmerising 11 minutes and 13 seconds.

Neither boxer wished to show a crack of weakness in their determination to win this weekend’s clash and none of the people crowding around them on the press conference stage particularly wished to get in between the two best heavyweight fighting men on the planet.Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk
Fury, his eyes wide, sweat glistening on his brow under his hat, barked at Usyk as finally a cautious tide of bodies swept between them and began, inch by inch, second by second to bob the two men apart and then slowly away.

Morecambe’s Fury has cut a menacing figure in the build-up to this fight, his chance to avenge the first defeat of his professional career.

Usyk beat him on a split decision in May to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, the first of the four-belt era.

Though Usyk subsequently had to vacate the IBF championship, Saturday’s Sky Sports Box Office rematch is a chance for Fury to win back three of the world titles, the WBC, WBO and WBA belts, which he has held at different times in his stellar career.Tyson Fury Oleksandr Usyk

But he also wants to settle a personal score. If he can overcome Usyk, there’ll no professional opponent whom he hasn’t beaten.

Fury has locked himself away in “beast mode” in training camp. He was just as fierce and uncharacteristically self-contained at the final press conference on Thursday.

He slowly leant to the microphone and spoke solemnly. He promised he’d put Usyk “in the hurt locker for sure”.

“I’m going to dish out a whole lot of pain,” Fury intoned. “I’ve got nothing to say apart from there’s going to be a whole of pain and hurt in this fight.

“This time I’m serious… watch me go to work.”

People sell cars all the time. And most of us mere mortals accept a loss on a used car. Celebrities, on the other hand, can slap their name on a ride and sometimes turn a profit. Who can blame them? Apparently, Bugatti can. Rumor has it Floyd “Money” Mayweather got blacklisted from buying new Bugattis because he flipped at least one of his ultra-rare Veyrons. Here’s how it all went down.

2011-2015: Floyd Mayweather’s Bugattis arrive

Mayweather bought two Bugatti Veyrons: a 2011 Grand Sport and a 2015 Grand Sport Vitesse. The combined price? Well north of $6 million. (Source: The Drive). This is in-line with his claim of buying two of every supercar, a white ones for his Vegas house, a black ones for his LA house. “Money” indeed.

2017: Time to flip

Mayweather listed both Bugattis for sale through Luxury Auto Collection. The 2011 Grand Sport was priced at $2.45 million. The 2015 Vitesse, which he reportedly bought for $3.5 million, went up for $3.95 million. (Source: The Drive, Men’s Health)Floyd Mayweather

2018: No takers? No new Bugatti for Mayweather

Mayweather struggled to sell his 2015 Veyron at auction, dropping the price to $2.3 million, still above its fair market value. He was visibly upset it didn’t sell and told press he was trying to buy the new Bugatti (Bugatti Chiron). But around this time, rumors swirled that Bugatti had blacklisted him for reselling his cars at a profit. (Source: Daily Mail, Marca.com)

2019: Another Veyron sale

Mayweather sold a Grand Sport to rapper Lil Uzi Vert for $1.7 million. This was much less than Mayweather originally paid—$3.3 million—but still marked him as someone who regularly offloaded Bugattis. (Source: TMZ)

2024: Mayweather still holding onto at least one Bugatti

While covering a breach-of-contract lawsuit, Yahoo Autos revealed the court was considering confiscating Mayweather’s remaining Bugatti Veryon. If true, this means he still owned one in November 2024, and has been unable to upgrade to a Chiron. (Source: Yahoo Autos)Floyd Mayweather

Blacklists: Fact or Fiction?

Bugatti won’t confirm if Mayweather is actually banned, which is par for the course. Automakers rarely announce bans unless they’re as notoriously petty as Ferrari. Even the infamous Tom Cruise “Bugatti ban” is likely exaggerated. Yet with Bugatti’s long waitlists and so few used cars on the market, even a “soft ban” could make buying a new Bugatti nearly impossible. That’s because you need to remain in the company’s good graces to get a build slot.

Mayweather is a legend with deep pockets, but his flipping habit could clash with Bugatti’s exclusivity culture. The brand might see him as a liability. Then again, who wouldn’t want Floyd “Money” Mayweather flashing their car on Instagram? If you were Bugatti, would you risk it? Or keep him off the list?

A landmarked, $49.5 million Gilded Age mansion in the heart of Manhattan has caught the eye of famed boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr.

After recently touring the city’s most expensive rental, as Gimme Shelter exclusively reported — a $150,000-a-month Soho penthouse owned by former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick — Mayweather has moved his house hunt to Midtown, we can reveal.

The retired boxing champ, who boasts 30 million followers on social media, is also a real estate investor whose massive portfolio includes 1,000 units of affordable housing, as well as luxury assets in the city.

He was recently spotted looking at 9 W. 54th St., a 50-foot-wide brick and limestone mansion off of Fifth Avenue, across the street from the Museum of Modern Art. The mansion is a combination of two separate townhouses.

The current seller bought the building for $55 million in 2019.

Floyd Mayweather

The property was built in 1898 for JP Morgan’s cousin and business partner, James Goodwin. It was designed by the famed architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, whose other landmarks include the University Club of New York, the original Penn Station, the Brooklyn Museum, the New York Public Library and the main campus of Columbia University.

The five-story neo-Georgian pad comes with 11 bedrooms.

Original details include 12 fireplaces, hand-crafted woodwork and millwork, multiple columns, wood floors and stained glass. There’s also a walk-in safe for the original owners’ silver in the octagonal dining room and a 17-foot-deep bank vault with bullet-proof windows, as the building also once served as headquarters for the US Trust Company.

It is currently zoned for mixed use, so it can serve as an office, a gallery, a private club or an embassy — otherwise, it can be transformed back into its original single-family mansion status, the listing notes. The mansion comes with large rooms and lots of original details

It all opens with a wood-paneled entry gallery, a library, a reception room and other great spaces. Two staircases, with original skylights above, lead to a parlor floor with ceilings just under 14 feet high. Two large rooms here have floor-to-ceiling windows, along with five Juliet balconies with “tree-lined street views” of MoMA’s sculpture garden. There’s also a library, a butler’s pantry in the dining room and a glass conservatory overlooking a garden.

Floyd Mayweather earned roughly $3.3 million per minute for a quick night’s work after his career had ended.

Mayweather pocketed a mammoth $1.2 billion in estimated earnings from his professional boxing career, where he retired as a true icon with 50 wins undefeated.

Some of his biggest nights saw him generate obscene revenue, setting up a generational worth for himself fighting the likes of Manny Pacquiao in 2014 and Conor McGregor in 2017.

He eventually hung up his gloves after battering Irish UFC superstar McGregor in 2017, with many expecting he would indeed leave the sport behind.

But Mayweather was always hungry for more, and although his professional career was over, ‘TBE’ decided there was still a route to making money.Floyd Mayweather

His first exhibition came in 2018 when he took on Japanese star Tenshin Nasukawa in Japan where he earned a big purse.

In 2021, Mayweather took on Logan Paul where he earned a guaranteed $30 million for an unscored exhibition.

In his third non-professional encounter that year, he defeated Don Moore.

But the American landed a second staggering exhibition for another appearance in Japan, having been approached by promotion RIZIN.

Bu it was upon discovering the purse he would receive that sent the boxing world into a frenzy.

He had managed to negotiate $20 million for his latest comeback appearance, a staggering fee given he wouldn’t even risk his perfect record.

It was expected he would breeze past his Japanese opponent, given his sensational talent and natural ability, despite being past his prime years at the age of 45.

A huge crowd packed into the venue in Saitama, a sign that star power and a chance to see the legend in action alone would still see him pick up purses.

Mayweather was under an illusion it would be routine, but he was caught by a surprising hand in a fast-paced opening round.

But that was the one and only time of real adversity as he rallied in the short format and began to show his true class.

And he earned his money and impressed the crowd in the second round as he upped the tempo and began landing at will.

The final seconds of the second period ticked away, but the breakthrough moment came.

Mayweather landed a left hand which shook his opponent’s boots but he shook his head.

Although just before the bell sounded, the former five-weight world champion unleashed a booming right hook.

It found the target and sent Asakura on to the canvas on the seat of his shorts, and the fight was quickly stopped.

It saw him earn a mind-blowing $3.3 million per minute of action, but it was little surprise to his team who had helped him reach that position.

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It was the Olympic debut of women’s boxing. The summer of 2012, Claressa Shields was an unknown 17-year-old from Flint, Mich., who had endured abuse and poverty, but found a home in the boxing gym. Carried by her talent and determination, she was the only U.S. boxer to win gold at the 2012 London Olympics. In 2016, she won gold at the Olympics in Rio, making her the only U.S. boxer, male or female, to win two Olympic gold medals in the sport. Today, she is a champion professional fighter.Claressa Shields

Shields’s story is coming to movie screens in “The Fire Inside,” directed by Rachel Morrison, which opens on Dec. 25. Actress Ryan Destiny, who spent months preparing for the daunting role, portrays Shields, and actor Brian Tyree Henry portrays Shields’s trainer, Jason Crutchfield.

“This story needs to be told and deserves to be out in the world,” said Morrison, who had experience in shooting action as director of photography on “Black Panther.” “I hope people get excited to learn some stories they don’t know.”

Morrison had not seen Shields fight before taking on the directing position, but has since been to all her fights, “including the last one, where she went up two weight classes to fight as a heavyweight and she took the girl down in two rounds,” Morrison said. “Women’s boxing is incredibly exciting.”

 

Tyson Fury is contractually bound to a trilogy fight with OIeksandr Usyk if he beats his rival this weekend, reports mirror.co.uk. The two heavyweight rivals are set to renew their rivalry on Saturday night, with Usyk looking to go 2-0 up in the series.

The Ukrainian became the first man to defeat Fury in a professional setting after securing a split-decision victory in Riyadh back in May. With just days to go until the rematch, Fury appears to be as confident as ever and is targeting a vicious knockout. With Usyk potentially planning on a move back down to cruiserweight, defeat on Saturday night would mean the Ukrainian will have to stick around at heavyweight a little longer after Fury’s promoter Frank Warren revealed a third fight between the two giants is ‘contracted.’

When asked whether a trilogy bout between Fury and Usyk ‘trumps’ potential fights with Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, Warren told Boxing News: “Oh it does because it’s contracted. And whatever happens, that would be the case if Tyson wins… providing nobody retires.”Anthony Joshua Tyson Fury Oleksandr Usyk

The news serves as a real blow to Joshua – who recently ruled himself out of a February 22 rematch with Dubois owing to fitness concerns and the chance to face Fury next – regardless of the result this weekend.

‘AJ’ was knocked out by ‘Dynamite’ back in September, but is still hoping for an all-British showdown with Fury.

‘The Gypsy King’ himself has also distanced himself from a potential fight with Joshua claiming he will go for the decider against Usyk if he wins this Saturday.

“When I win on Saturday night, I think there’s got to be a trilogy next year for sure,” Fury told Al Arabiya. “Joshua’s in tatters at the moment. He has got to pick up the pieces from his last fight. But the fight with Usyk – one on Saturday and the one afterwards – would be fantastic for me.”Anthony Joshua Tyson Fury Oleksandr Usyk

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to lock horns again on December 21 with the Brit attempting to avenge his defeat by the Ukrainian in May. With Fury seemingly focused on Usyk, the Brit has recently revealed his tactics for the mouthwatering sequel this weekend.

In an interview ahead of the release of the boxing game ‘Undisputed,’ Fury said: “I needed to get Wilder out of there or he got me out of there and that’s the type of fight it had to be. It had to be a 50/50 gunsling with the biggest puncher in history or else he’d have chinned me in round nine. Going into the rematch with Usyk, it’s going to be the same. I’m going to roll the dice and it’s going to be you or me… best foot forward and swing away. I’ve never been afraid to get knocked spark out. I’ve always put it on the line every time.”

Tyson Fury’s head coach SugarHill Steward has suggested John Fury will not be in his son’s corner for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday in Riyadh.

Fury, 36, is targeting revenge against WBO, WBA (Super) and IBF heavyweight world champion Usyk, having narrowly lost their first encounter on points last May.

John was in the corner for that fight, alongside trainers Steward and Andy Lee, and the cutman.

Speaking at the open workouts on Wednesday, Steward appeared to confirm John would not return to the corner.

“Just myself [will be in the corner], Andy Lee and the cutman,” Steward said. “Pretty much that’s it.”

The comments will come as a surprise to many, despite calls for Fury to make changes.

There was criticism about the chaotic nature of Fury’s corner in his first encounter against Usyk, with his father John and both coaches giving him instructions all at once.Tyson Fury

Fury, who suffered his first pro defeat in 36 fights against Usyk, had already said this week he was unsure if his father would be in his corner.

“I don’t know,” said Tyson when asked about his dad’s involvement. “I don’t get involved in all that.”

Fury’s assistant coach Lee also said he did not know whether John would be involved while, earlier this month, promoter Frank Warren told BBC Sport he expected Fury Sr to be in the corner once again.

While Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion for almost 30 years six months ago, the Ukrainian has since dropped the IBF title for the rematch.

Before the last Usyk v Fury bout, John appeared to headbutt a member of Usyk’s team on the Monday before the fight, but is yet to be seen this week in Riyadh.

Before Conor McGregor lost the high-profile civil lawsuit in the Dublin High Court, he was supposed to face Michael Chandler. After the court proceedings, he was rumored to face featherweight king Ilia Topuria in his return. Now, the͏ former du͏al-͏wei͏ght ch͏ampion ͏pu͏t an e͏͏͏nd to the spe͏culation when he a͏nnounced he wo͏ul͏d be c͏lashing w͏͏i͏th the m͏averick Logan ͏Paul in Ind͏ia someti͏me ͏next ͏year. Thi͏s revelation sent shockwaves thr͏o͏ugh th͏e M͏M͏A co͏mmunit͏͏y, as͏ ͏fans͏ ͏had͏ ͏long b͏een a͏ntici͏pati͏ng M͏c͏Greg͏or’s r͏et͏u͏rn to co͏m͏petition in MMA. Neve͏rthe͏less, th͏is͏ w͏i͏͏͏ll͏ m͏ark McGregor’s ͏sec͏ond box͏in͏g ͏e͏n͏deav͏or, f͏ollowing his͏ lo͏ss to Floyd M͏ayweather, however the fight with Paul will be an exhibition bout. ͏’Money’ M͏ay͏w͏eat͏her def͏eate͏d M͏cGr͏ego͏r͏͏ via technic͏al kno͏c͏k͏o͏ut, and y͏ears afte͏r thei͏r fight, Stephen A. Smith ͏revealed the se͏cret behind the͏ kno͏ckout.

While having a conversation with ESPN and Shannon Sharpe, Stephen A. Smith revealed the art of boxing used by Floyd Mayweather to knock out Conor McGregor back in 2018, “Floyd Mayweather told me this. He was in the preview of the fight to Conor McGregor. I never forget this. I go interview Floyd “Money” Mayweather for ABC. He says, ‘Stephen A, he don’t stand a chance. I’m going to keep him around’, and he told me everything that was going to happen.”Floyd Mayweather

He further added, “He says, ‘I’m going to stay right in his chest.’ I said, ‘What are you talking about? You don’t do that with anybody.’ He said, ‘With him, I’m going to. He’s a striker, he’s used to clipping people. I’m going to be in his chest, he’s going to have to push me off and then swing. Plus, he’s going to have to circle around backwards to gain leverage to punch. By about the third or fourth round, his legs are going to be gone, and he’ll be target practice. I’ll keep him around until like the eighth or ninth round for entertainment purposes, and then I’ll finish him.’ And that’s exactly what Floyd did.

Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor fought for 10 rounds out of 12 on August͏ 26th, 2017. ‘The Notorious’ started strong, but Mayweather’s experience as well as his gas tank helped him to slow McGregor down in the later rounds. Mayweather͏ secured a TKO vict͏ory in the 10th round, maintaining his unde͏fe͏ated͏ record and improving͏ to 50-0. Regardless, Mayweather was a seasoned boxer but what about Logan Paul? Can he defeat McGregor? Stephan A. Smith had an answer to that question as well.

Stephen A. Smith revealed his winner for Conor McGregor vs. Logan Paul match Floyd Mayweather

Who do you think will get the victory between Conor McGregor and Logan Paul? Well, according to Smith, even though Conor McGregor has more fighting experience, it will be Logan Paul, who will get the victory. Arguing his stance at the ESPN Stephan stated, “I think Logan Paul is going to beat him. Logan Paul is going to win because I don’t think Conor is a boxer; he’s a striker.”

He further added, “He’s just sitting up there, not even throwing. You ain’t clipping Logan Paul like that. No, you have to do more than that.” He further added, “I just think that Logan Paul is bigger. Um, he’s a much bigger man, and he’s a more experienced boxer.” It’s a valid point, considering Conor McGregor stands at 5 ft 8 inches (173 cm), while Logan Paul is significantly taller, measuring 6 ft 2 inches (188 cm).

Manny Pacquiao is still looking to make a return to the ring.

Pacquiao was last in action in August 2021 when he lost a WBA welterweight title fight to Yordenis Ugas in Las Vegas.

Despite now being 46-years-old and it being over three years since he stepped through the ropes, ‘Pac-Man’ has made it no secret that he still intends to compete once again.

One fight that Pacquiao has craved for nearly a decade is a rematch with Floyd Mayweather, after the duo battled it out in the ‘Fight Of The Century’ back in May 2015.

It was a fight that had been years in the making, even if a lot of fans felt it had come several years too late. The event set a number of records commercially, and saw Mayweather add to his undefeated record with a unanimous decision win.floyd mayweather Manny Pacquiao

Mayweather retired in 2017 with a perfect 50-0 record. Pacquiao insists the rematch could still happen, but has told Seconds Out that it may have to be an exhibition.

“I can fight Floyd again. He wants an exhibition.”

Pac-Man has revealed he is willing to do that but only if his own condition is met – that there is an awarded winner rather than the typical exhibition style of calling it a draw.

“I said ok I can fight [an] exhibition, but there has to be [a judges’] decision.”

Both Mayweather and Pacquiao have taken part in several exhibitions in recent years, but it may not appeal much to traditional boxing fans.

Instead, Pacquiao could turn his attention to another star, after revealing that he would be open to a fight against Gervonta Davis as well as continuing to chase a record-breaking welterweight world title shot against Mario Barrios.

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