CELEB NEWS

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Claressa Shields will move up from middleweight to take on WBC women’s heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in Detroit on July 27; the American, who has been fight in MMA, is aiming to become a four-weight world champion

Claressa Shields has her sights on becoming a four-weight world champion after stepping up to challenge women’s WBC heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse.

The 29-year-old has been competing in mixed martial arts with Professional Fighters League since August last year, winning her most recent fight in February with a split-decision verdict over Kelsey DeSantis.

Shields will return to boxing on July 27 to face Lepage-Joanisse at the Litte Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, where she successfully defended her undisputed middleweight world champion status against Maricela Cornejo in June last year.

“This is a significant and unique fight where I am moving up two weight classes against a very tough champion in my quest to become world champion in my fourth weight division,” Shields said.

“I plan to do what I do best: bring that GWOAT energy and continue putting women’s boxing on the map.

“I’m excited to bring another entertaining fight to Little Caesars Arena. Last time 12,000 fans filled the arena, and this time we’re going to lift the roof off the building.”

BOXING

Canelo Responds To New Offer To Make Terence Crawford Fight In Just 4 Words

Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez will soon be in the market for his next opponent. Terence Crawford continues to knock on the door.

There is currently a two-division gap between the pair of four-weight world champions, with many in the sport warning Crawford that packing on an extra 14 pounds will put him at too much of a disadvantage in the match-up.

It has done nothing to deter the pound-for-pound star, who remains adamant that he can beat Canelo to add to an already extremely impressive legacy.

Canelo has been less than enthusiastic about the match-up in the past, saying he will entertain talks but that he would get little from beating a smaller man.

Speaking recently on the Ariel and Ade show, Riyadh Season’s Turki Alalshikh, who has attempted to stage the fight in the past, said he wanted to speak directly to Alvarez.

We are ready to talk to Canelo Alvarez, but it must be directly. We do not want intermediaries who complicate negotiations.”

This was put to Canelo, who responded simply:

“I’m open to talk.”

The Mexican superstar stands by what he has said all along – if it makes business sense then he is open to the fight. Alalshikh is certainly in the best position in that regard having made a number of fights in his relatively short time in the sport that struggled beforehand.

Canelo has been clear that he will begin negotiations in January for his next fight. Fans can expect news relatively soon after. As for Crawford, he recently said he would likely fight on if he misses out on this match-up, despite many in the sport assuming he would retire.

BOXING

Anthony Joshua feels oleksandr usyk will defeat Tyson fury in rematch

Anthony Joshua is no longer a heavyweight titlist, but he remains one of the top draws in all of boxing. The man is extremely entertaining in the ring. More often than not, the towering Londoner delivers action. That’s why fans would love to see Joshua battle fellow former heavyweight titlist Tyson Fury in the near future. A Joshua-Fury match might not be the relevant battle fans have longed for over the years…then again, it just might be. Fury, after all, is battling Oleksandr Usyk later this month. Should he win the rematch against the brilliant Usyk, Fury will be a world titlist yet again.

That’s good news for Joshua, who would no doubt love to be able to fight for a world title once again. Ironically enough, Joshua – who has faced and been bested by Usyk twice himself – thinks Fury will lose to Usyk in the rematch, much as Fury lost to Usyk in their first fight. “I think it’s going to be a tough fight early on,” Joshua told Queensbury Promotions (via Business Day) and then I feel like Usyk will edge it again.” Joshua isn’t alone in his thinking, though the first fight between Usyk and Fury was extremely close.

Still, Joshua feels Usyk’s skills will once again lead him to victory over Fury. “He’s a class operator,” Joshua said of Usyk, “so I think Usyk’s one of the best out there. That’s why I think he’ll win.” Things may not work out the way Joshua predicts, but there’s no doubt Joshua knows that which of he speaks. For he’s faced Usyk for a full twenty four rounds. Unfortunately (for Joshua, at least) Usyk won both those fights in fairly dominant fashion. Yet there’s little doubt that Joshua knows what it’s like to face Usyk, perhaps better than anyone.

Whether or not Fury wins the Usyk rematch, there will still be interest in seeing he and Joshua throw down. Joshua won’t be able to fight Fury for any heavyweight titles, though, if Fury loses to Usyk a second time. The fight might then be considered a second tier affair, popular though it would undoubtedly be. Joshua is perhaps slipping, as his recent loss to Daniel Dubois might indicate. Fury might be considered a bit over the hill himself should he come up short against Usyk twice in a row. Still, the longed for Joshua-Fury fight will feel like unfinished businesses for each fighter should they never meet in the ring.

BOXING

Jake Paul claims he felt the presence of God and had “conversation” with him during Mike Tyson fight

Paul defeated Iron Mike in one of the biggest boxing events ever.

Time seems to be flying, as we are now nearing the one-month anniversary of one of the biggest boxing events in recent history. Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, after months of speculation and doubt, finally squared off on November 15. So many fans were intrigued that Netflix’s servers faltered under the traffic.

Ultimately, Paul defeated an old and slow Tyson, saddening most fans who wanted to see Iron Mike do damage. Instead, they saw the damage that Father Time does to every human being. No one was really sure what to expect going in due to Tyson’s age, Paul’s lack of experience against elite punchers and some of the questionable fights Paul has had in the past. Some still believe it was rigged.

Jake Paul explains how spirituality helped him beat Mike Tyson

Regardless of the conspiracy theories, Paul can say he beat Tyson in an official bout. In order to be able to pull it off, Paul has revealed that he got in touch with his spiritual side. So much so that he felt the presence of God while doing “breathwork”.

It’s a far cry from Paul at a younger age, as he claims he never used to believe or have faith. A lot has changed for Paul over the past few years, in a lot of different ways.

BOXING

UK’s Controversial Boxer Sends ‘Mouthy Little Tt’ Message to Gervonta Davis in Bold Callout

British boxer Conor Benn and WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis have been talking trash over the internet for quite some time. Previously, Benn’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, had even sent out a fight offer to Davis, but the Baltimore native refused the challenge. However, the fire to face off against Davis hasn’t died down for ‘The Destroyer.’

The 28-year-old found himself without a British boxing license in 2022 when the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) revoked it after Benn failed two drug tests ahead of his scheduled fight against rival Chris Eubank Jr. However, things are starting to look up for the Brit, as the suspension was lifted last month.

National Anti-Doping Panel was “not comfortably satisfied” with UKAD and the BBBofC had proved he had committed an anti-doping rule violation. Regardless, with his boxing license back in his hand, Benn appears ready for action. Speaking to Fight Hub TV recently, the Essex native ripped into Davis, describing their feud.

He’s just a mouthy little t**t,” Benn said. “He just wanted to pipe up and start talking. Pipe up and start talking then, you’re still four foot tall and still can’t get on a rollercoaster. I said, ‘listen, you keep talking s**t. My promoter’s going to get back to you in 48 hours.” Benn further claimed that after they sent Davis an offer to fight, Al Haymon didn’t let Davis accept the challenge.

BOXING

Floyd Mayweather confronted by angry mob in London over Israel support, witnesses say

LONDON (TNND) — A group of people confronted boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. in London after he expressed support for Israel, The Sun reported on Tuesday.

Up to 10 people were involved in “going after” him, and somebody “took a swing” at him after he “doubled down” on support for “the Jews,” the newspaper quoted witnesses saying.

“Someone said that Mayweather had been shopping when he was asked why he supported Israel. He doubled down and said he was proud to support the Jews,” one witness reportedly told the outlet. “Then someone took a swing at him because of that. It looked very targeted.”

That witness added that Mayweather Jr., who had been shopping in the central part of the city, was struck during the incident, according to The Sun.

“Floyd took a few hits during it, but his security was trying to push people back. I couldn’t really see Floyd trying to throw any punches back,” the outlet quoted the bystander as saying. “His guards were just trying to get distance between him and them.”

Another witness told The Sun someone shouted that Mayweather Jr. supports genocide.

“There was a massive argument going on. People were pushing trying to get him and slap his head. All these macho men were trying to fight him,” that bystander said, according to The Sun. “They ran him out and his security was pushing him trying to get him away. They were getting punched. He got rushed away in his Rolls-Royce. There were drinks thrown at him as he drove off.”

Mayweather Jr. didn’t provide much of a response to the claim he supports genocide, the outlet quoted the witness as saying.

“He was like, ‘Let’s get the f*** out of here,’” the bystander reportedly said.

Mayweather Jr. posted on Instagram Tuesday night “there’s no truth to the rumors going around,” writing that he’s “perfectly fine, and there’s really nothing more to it.”

“I wasn’t punched or touched in any way. What you’re seeing is just my security doing their job to keep things under control,” Mayweather Jr. said. “I was in the UK for a quick 48-hour stop to do some shopping, and unfortunately, people let jealousy and negativity fuel false stories.”

CELEB NEWS

‘We Will Miss You’: Simone Biles’ Former Coach Pens Heartfelt Note as Incredible Journey Comes to an End

They say it’s about the journey, and not the destination. Lucky for Simone Biles, both of these have been incredible for her. The gymnastics GOAT has spent a significant part of her life at the World Champions Centre, putting in the hours to perfect her skills, the results of which have been evident to the world at several Olympic Games. But these stupendous achievements were also a testament to the prowess of the people who helped guide the way. But all good things come to an end.

In her Instagram story from December 10, Biles’ former coach Cecile Landi shared an emotional message as her husband Laurent exits from the iconic gym. Cecile left the gymnastics training center months ago and is currently the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs. Now, with her husband also on his way out, the Landis’ time at the WCC has officially ended, and the former French Olympian is having a bittersweet moment.

“We had 7 amazing years at WCC,” she wrote in the recent social media update, highlighting how working with Simon has been incredible. Ever since the Landis joined the WCC in 2017, they’ve watched Biles blossom into the world’s best gymnast, with other stars like Jordan Chiles joining along the way. Cecile shared the original post of the official WCC Insta account, which also noted its emotions as Laurent looks ahead to the future.

“Farewell to Coach Laurent! You will be greatly missed at WCC. Lots of laughs and tears were shed as WCC is so grateful for the dedication,” reads the caption of the OG post, and Cecile also felt the sadness. “We will miss you,” wrote Landi in her IG update, as she noted her gratefulness for being able to be a part of the exhilarating ride. She also thanked all the athletes, staff, and owners of the establishment for their continued support of the Landis’ endeavors.

BOXING

Netflix’s Jake Paul-Mike Tyson Fight Demand Was ‘Off the Charts’ Despite Tech Glitches, Ted Sarandos Says

We were stressing the limits of the Internet itself that night,” the streamer’s co-CEO tells UBS’ Media & Communications Conference

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said demand for its live boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson on Nov. 15 was “off the charts,” despite some of its subscribers facing technical difficulties during the stream.

“We hate to disappoint a member for one second. So yes, there was some of that,” Sarandos admitted at UBS’ Media & Communications Conference on Tuesday. “But the real thing is, we had an enormous live audience: 108 million people watching live. You’d have to go back to the ’80s to get a live audience that big. It’s a Super Bowl-like audience that we were able to draw for this fight.”

He touted the match as the “largest streaming event in history” and “one of the largest live audiences in almost 40 years.”

“We were stressing the limits of the Internet itself that night,” Sarandos added. “We had a control room up in Silicon Valley that was re-engineering the entire Internet to keep it up during this fight because of the unprecedented demand that was happening.”

Sarandos also noted that the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano fight attracted 50 million people in the U.S. and 74 million around the world.

“A lot of records were set that night for a company that basically broke down during the ‘Love is Blind’ reunion about a year and a half before that,” he emphasized. “So that’s a lot of positive trajectory in a very short amount of time.”

The Tyson-Paul match was the latest live programming effort from Netflix as it looks to ramp up its advertising business.

“We severely undersold that fight,” Sarandos said. “If we knew the audience would be that big, we probably would have done a lot more selling on that fight.”

In addition to that fight night, Netflix is gearing up for two live NFL games on Christmas Day as well as WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” starting in January 2025, which have attracted “a lot” of advertising demand, according to Sarandos.

BOXING

Gervonta Davis Performs Major U-Turn On Fighting Shakur Stevenson

Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson match up to make one of the most intriguing style clashes in the sport.

Davis is a knockout puncher, Stevenson a defensive master. Should a fight happen soon, it would be a lightweight unification bout with two undefeated records on the line. Despite the massive intrigue, it has failed to materialise.

Fans had reason to be hopeful earlier this year when ‘Tank’ told Boxing News that Stevenson was on his hit-list for the future, but he has now seemingly had a change of heart.

Speaking to the media at the press conference to officially announce his March 1 fight against Lamont Roach Jr, Davis was asked if he was still interested in the fight and said he gains nothing from facing his championship rival.

“For what? What has Shakur done in the sport? He hasn’t done nothing. The young ones looking better than him. Keyshawn looking way more better than this n***a. Y’all keep screaming his name, he hasn’t done nothing. F**k y’all keep saying his name for?”

Davis then dismissed the idea that some would see the move as him being ‘afraid’ of Stevenson, who returns to the ring on February 22 against Floyd Schofield.

Afraid of what? Us fighters, if we’re afraid of somebody it gotta be somebody hitting us and hurting us. He don’t have no offence. Everything is defence. Defence only win in defence and football. That s**t don’t win in boxing.”

With the big puncher from Baltimore promising to retire at the end of 2025 after three more fights, fans will hope Shakur’s name re-enters in the mix before then.

BOXING

“You[’re] a Nobody”: Calls Mount Against Floyd Mayweather as He Reportedly Gets Chased Out of London Streets

Former five-division champion Floyd Mayweather is facing the repercussions of his support for Israel. According to various reports, the 47-year-old boxing legend was attacked by a mob as he shopped in a jewelry store in Hatton Garden, Central London. Several clips of the incident have surfaced online, and fans are having a field day with them.

Back in March, ‘Money’ Mayweather flew to Israel to show his support for the country, which is embroiled in an ongoing war. In fact, when the conflict in the Jewish nation first began, Mayweather pledged his allegiance on social media, suggesting he “stands with” the country. He even penned a strong message, sharing his views on the matter.

Why was Floyd Mayweather attacked?

“I stand with Israel against the Hamas terrorists. Hamas [does] not represent the people of Palestine but are a terrorist group that [is] attacking innocent lives,” Floyd wrote in a post supporting Israel. “I stand for all humans and wish for the safe return of all Americans and Israelis and any human that were kidnapped as hostages during these horrific war crimes.”

“This is not a time for politics. This is a time for safety first and foremost.” Regardless, his support for the country seems to have been the root cause of the attack against him on Tuesday in Central London. In a video surfaced on Instagram, Floyd Mayweather can be seen wearing a green jacket, and appeared visibly distressed, as his security escorted him.

Meanwhile, a large mob can be seen gathered around the former boxer, as his bodyguards rushed him into a blacked-out 4×4. According to reports, his car eventually sped out of the area, while some of his security team stayed behind. Several varying eyewitness reports are coming in about what happened during the incident.

The Sun reported that a source close to Mayweather had claimed that Floyd was “not touched” during the incident, but another eyewitness claimed the boxer “took a few hits.” Reportedly, everything began when Mayweather was out shopping and an individual asked him whether he supported Israel.

Mayweather seems to have responded “proud to support the Jews,” so the witness claimed someone around the former boxer swung at him. “Then someone took a swing at him because of that. It looked very targeted,” the source continued. “Floyd took a few hits during it, but his security was trying to push people back.”

The source claimed despite the attack they could not see Mayweather attack the people back—just his bodyguards trying to create distance between him and the parties involved. One post featuring the clip on Instagram was captioned, “Floyd Mayweather chased out of Hatton Gardens after making controversial comments.”

However, another post with a clip of the incident captioned the post, “Floyd Mayweather chased out of Hatton Gardens in London. The public [is] angry over his comments and support for Israel.” Regardless of the reason behind the attack, people online quickly started talking about it.

Fans allege even the mob was scared to attack Mayweather

Even though Floyd Mayweather faced outrage on the streets of London, fans online were rather supportive. One user felt the mob got aggressive after Mayweather got into his car. “Looks like they got aggressive after he was pulling off they knew better,” the user wrote. However, as mentioned before, the incident began while Mayweather was in a jewelry store. The clip showed bits and pieces of what actually happened—eyewitness testimonies claim things were much more heated.

Meanwhile, this user was not too pleased with Mayweather. “Don’t come to London underestimating it, ‘Money May.’ You[‘re] a nobody to the road men over here,” the user commented. Notably, a source told The Sun that some members of the crowd even “used racial slurs” towards him.

Another user thought one member of the mob became louder as Mayweather’s car got further. “Lol dude yelled louder the farther the car [drove] away,” the user commented. However, one eyewitness told The Sun, “There was a massive argument going on. People were pushing trying to get him and slap his head. All these macho men were trying to fight him.”