Breaking
Tag

Boxing

Browsing
Uncategorized

Joshua eyes Fury fight for ring return

By
Anthony Joshua 

Anthony Joshua has set his sights on a blockbuster showdown with Tyson Fury for his ring return, launching a scathing attack on his heavyweight rival while expressing his desire to get back into action.

The former two-time world champion took to Instagram to voice his frustration with Fury, calling The Gypsy King a ‘dippy mate’ whilst praising Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley for their willingness to fight each other rather than wait around for opportunities.

Joshua posted a message on his Instagram story on Tuesday in which he said he was proud of Parker for being a competitor and not waiting around for unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. He also gave respect to Wardley, but used the opportunity to take shots at Fury.

The 35-year-old finished his message by saying he will hopefully be back in the ring ‘sooner than later to punch Fury repeatedly and avoid his flicker jab with ease.’

Joshua’s comments come as he continues to seek his next opponent following his knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois at Wembley last September. The former champion has been out of action for almost a year after rejecting an immediate rematch to undergo elbow surgery.

His absence from competition has seen the IBF drop him from their heavyweight rankings, where he had previously been sixth. Usyk remains champion, with Nigeria’s Efe Ajagba and Moses Itauma both climbing the ladder in the latest rankings.

Joshua had been linked with a bout against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul early next year, but the American has since announced he will instead face Gervonta Davis in an exhibition in November, leaving Joshua without a confirmed opponent.

Anthony Joshua

Promoter Eddie Hearn has indicated that Joshua is not expected to return to the ring before the end of the year, with early 2026 targeted for a comeback. Any fight is likely to serve as preparation for a career-defining contest.

“Any fight he has next is likely to be a warm-up for that roll-the-dice fight. We hope, in an ideal world, that’s Tyson Fury. If not, it will be against one of the top five heavyweights,” Hearn said.

The promoter admitted there is no rush for Joshua’s return, despite his lengthy absence from the ring.

“I don’t think there’s any value in us saying it will be in December,” Hearn said.

“He’s been travelling about a bit, but he’s back in training following an elbow operation. These big fights take time, and every AJ event is massive.”

Talks have taken place over a potential fight in Ghana, with Hearn saying the country could host Joshua’s return.

“There has been an offer to do a fight there and I think it would be incredible for AJ to fight in Africa,” he added.

However, Fury appears to be playing hard to get whilst waiting for a trilogy fight with Usyk. The self-proclaimed Gypsy King is technically “retired” and just waiting for the right opportunity, which seemingly means Usyk, Joshua or no one else.

The long-awaited clash between Joshua and Fury has been discussed for years but has never materialised, with both fighters pursuing different paths. Joshua’s latest comments indicate he is ready to finally settle their rivalry in the ring.

Keep Reading
By
Uncategorized

I’m not afraid of death Claressa Shield

By
Claressa Shields

I’m not afraid of death

I just don’t want to be there when it happens, I don’t want to die without any scars

Keep Reading
By
Uncategorized

The Problem with Claressa Shields Telling the Gays to “Stay in

By
Claressa Shields

The Problem with Claressa Shields Telling the Gays to “Stay in Their Lane” About Her Fashion Choices

Claressa Shields is no stranger to clapping back, whether she’s inside the ring or trading punches with trolls online. This time, the two-time Olympic Gold Medalist sparked backlash after directing frustration at the Gayes. 

In a video that recently made rounds, Shields is seen getting herself together in her bathroom before deciding to draw a line in the sand. “I don’t have nothing against the gays,” she said before pivoting to, “but y’all boys that wanna be girls, y’all need to leave me the f*** alone. What I should be wearing. If my hair should be down or up…I don’t need y’all coming up in my world telling me how I should be a woman or carry myself.” 

The irony rewrites itself though chile, because while she claims support for the community, she mirrors back shade in the same breath. She even doubles down, expanding her criticism in the video to “Black women, White people, and dudes that want to be girls,” all of whom, in her words, “need to do better.” 

We’ve seen it before, being in the public eye and managing the scrutiny that comes with it can be messy. And despite Claressa spending her career stacking medals or becoming the only woman in history to hold all four major world titles in boxing, Shields has also found herself in the middle of one of hip-hop’s most surprising breakups. When text receipts surfaced tying her to Papoose, Remy Ma’s longtime partner, the internet (and Claressa herself) dragged her straight into their chaos.

From there things only got messier online for everyone involved. Round 1: Remy vs Papoose. Round 2: Remy vs Claressa. Round 3: Papoose vs Eazy The Block Captain, Remy’s alleged new love interest. And somewhere mixed in all of that, Claressa became part of a storyline bigger than boxing again. 

If we’re keeping it real though, this kind of spectacle isn’t new for Claressa. The internet has been critiquing everything about her— her love life, attitude, and how she presents herself. Every time she steps out, whether it’s a hot pink dress inspired by Beyoncé or a gaudy Gucci swimsuit under a fur coat in the middle of a Detroit summer, there’s commentary that has inevitably followed.

Scroll through her or Papoose’s Instagram comments and you’ll find the proof: “Why she dressed like that?” “That diamond chain doesn’t have to match with every outfit.” She walk harder than him.” “It’s too early for Halloween.” It’s constant policing of how she carries herself. And yet, with all this heat coming from all directions, she chooses to laser focus on the gays? That’s where the frustration feels misplaced.

Claressa Shields

Instead of addressing the broader culture nitpicking her lifestyle, or even narrowing it down to a general (and fairly important) “I don’t like when men comment on women’s bodies or their choices as a woman,” she singled out a group that wasn’t alone in making the comments. The result feels tone-deaf, because truthfully, it’s the masses.

No one’s saying Claressa has to let strangers dictate how she moves, and boundaries are fair. But when those boundaries start to sound like they’re conveniently singling out a specific group, when in actuality the noise is coming from all corners, the intended message lands incredibly wrong. 

Unfortunately whether Claressa likes it or not, the critiques will keep coming from every angle, regardless if the Gayes “stay in our lane” or not. 

Keep Reading
By
Uncategorized

Promoter reveals why Anthony Joshua can’t afford to turn

By
Anthony Joshua

Promoter reveals why Anthony Joshua can’t afford to turn down Jake Paul mismatch fight

Having missed out on a controversial fight with Jake Paul for the time being, Anthony Joshua likely cannot afford to be left waiting by the Ohio native again, it seems.

Yet to book his own return to the ring, former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua has been left without a dance partner for a planned end-of-year comeback.

Most notably, the Watford star was lined up to potentially fight the polarizing Jake Paul in his boxing return, however, the influencer has now pivoted to a fight with lightweight champion Gervonta Davis.

With Joshua now expected to make his comeback at the beginning of next year instead, he has been warned that a fight with Paul in the immediate future is one he cannot afford to miss out on again.

Eddie Hearn gives reason why Anthony Joshua should fight Jake Paul

Confirming plans for his client Joshua to return to the ring at the beginning of next year, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has spoken candidly regarding the failed fight with Paul.

Revealing, however, how Paul and his business partner Nakisa Badarian are still hopeful of booking the former against Joshua, Hearn revealed a fresh timeline for a potential clash.

And if presented the opportunity to finally face off with Paul in the ring, Joshua has been encouraged to do so by his promoter.

“I explained to Nakisa that if Jake Paul gets chinned by Gervonta Davis, we can’t fight you, mate,” Hearn told The Ring. “I know it’s an exhibition, so that probably won’t happen, but we have to wait and see what happens there first.

“But when you look at the current heavyweight picture, we can’t really turn down a Jake Paul fight because it’s easier than all the other warmup fights out there and it’s three times the money,” Hearn explained.

Anthony Joshua backed to fight Tyson Fury next summer

Anthony Joshua 

 

 

Maintaining how the team at Matchroom must carefully put together Joshua’s next couple of fights, Hearn remains optimistic nevertheless, that a pairing between the Olympian and former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is still possible.

Failing time and time again in the past to put the two British stars together in the ring, Hearn claimed ideally Joshua would finally face off with Morecambe native Fury in the summer of next year, following an initial warm-up fight in his return to the squared circle

“All that’s in my mind in an ideal scenario is to fight Tyson Fury next year,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “That’s the big focus.

“From a common-sense perspective, the fight has to happen in 2026, but common sense and Fury’s decisions don’t always gel together,” Hearn continued. “He’s got to want to come back. It’s a personal decision.”

Keep Reading
By
Uncategorized

Anthony Joshua expects January return; Jake Paul remains in play for 2026

By
Anthony Joshua 
LONDON — Anthony Joshua is set to sit out the rest of 2025 before a comeback fight against a “top 20” opponent in late January.
That is the roadmap laid out to The Ring by Joshua’s long-time promoter Eddie Hearn after trying and failing to secure a lucrative novelty fight with Jake Paul.
Instead, the Youtuber-turned-boxer has agreed to face three-division world champion Gervonta Davis, a lightweight who is seven divisions smaller, in November leaving Joshua short of options for the final quarter of 2025.
Joshua has been out of the ring for nearly a year since he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium. He has spent time in Africa and also had elbow surgery but seemed close to agreeing to a money-spinning Paul showdown.
Now, in lieu of that, it seems certain that the 35-year-old two-time heavyweight champion will spend some more time on the sidelines before kicking off the final chapter of his career in 2026.
Hearn made no secret that given the length of Joshua’s absence, his next outing will represent something of a warmup before he goes all out in the summer with an all-British superfight with currently retired Tyson Fury still the promoter’s target.
He told The Ring: “Without Jake Paul, I would say Joshua will probably fight in January, if not very early February. It’s September now, he’s only just getting back into training so I think it’s quite unlikely that December will be the date.
“The next fight for AJ is the comeback. He’s going to be coming back, getting the cobwebs off and getting himself some momentum. … Hopefully that will be Tyson Fury, but if it’s not it will be someone in the top five.
“He will be gambling so the next one is a warmup, is how I see it. He understands the process and it’s not about the money, it’s about preparing yourself for the big fight and to win the big fight.”
On a likely opponent, Hearn added: “It’s not going to be some geezer who lost for the Southern Area title. He’s still going to be fighting someone in the top 20 in the world and they’re all dangerous.
“But he fully understands what he wants and needs after this time out and I think Fury will be the same. I think Fury will want a comeback fight before AJ, too.”
Hearn also said that Joshua might yet fight Paul in 2026 after positive talks with MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian in the wake of the arranged Davis clash. However, the Matchroom boss did explain that Paul losing badly to 5-foot-5 Davis in the exhibition might damage those chances beyond repair.
“I had a long call with Nakisa,” Hearn said. “They want to do the AJ fight after Gervonta.
“I explained to Nakisa that if Jake Paul gets chinned by Gervonta Davis we can’t fight you, mate. I know it’s an exhibition so that probably won’t happen but we have to wait and see what happens there first.
“But when you look at the current heavyweight picture we can’t really turn down a Jake Paul fight because it’s easier than all the other warmup fights out there and it’s three times the money.”
Keep Reading
By
Uncategorized

Carl Froch Delivers Honest Verdict On Deontay Wilder vs Anthony Joshua: “His

By
Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder

Carl Froch Delivers Honest Verdict On Deontay Wilder vs Anthony Joshua: “His Legs Have Gone”

Carl Froch has spoken about the potential heavyweight clash between two former heavyweight world champions, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.

Both of these big men are huge punchers who have knocked out a combined 68 opponents out of the 81 men they have faced.

However, when Joshua last fought back in September 2024, it was he who was stopped by then IBF champion Daniel Dubois, having rebuilt well following back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk that left him without any belts in 2022.

Wilder suffered defeat twice to Tyson Fury out of the three times they fought, and then went on to lose to Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker. He got back to winning ways back in June when he beat Tyrell Herndon and is now making one last push for world honours.

Joshua is also set to return following an elbow injury and is looking to get back into world title contention, potentially against someone like Martin Bakole who he has been linked with, though a fight with Wilder could also make sense.

Someone who has been extremely vocal about Joshua and Wilder over the years is former super-middleweight king Froch, who has again weighed in with a breakdown on how the bout may go.

Speaking on his own YouTube Channel, Froch admitted that he thinks that the fight is now well past its sell-by date.

“I’m not interested in seeing Wilder fighting again from what I’ve seen. His punching power seems to be gone, his legs seem to be gone as well, when he gets clipped he struggles. I just don’t see why these fighters need to carry on and destroy their legacy and ruin it. That’s AJ and Wilder. I don’t think these fighters should be fighting anymore.”

Eddie Hearn revealed this week that Joshua’s return will be a carefully chosen one before bigger fights in 2026, meaning his next fight is unlikely to be against Wilder.

Keep Reading
By
Uncategorized

Joshua won’t retire next year – Hearn

By
Anthony Joshua 

Anthony Joshua will not retire next year as initially planned, with his promoter Eddie Hearn now expecting the former two-time world heavyweight champion to continue fighting until 2027.

Hearn had previously stated that the Watford powerhouse would hang up his gloves by the end of 2026, but the delayed comeback following Joshua’s devastating knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last September has pushed back retirement plans.

The 35-year-old has been sidelined for over a year due to a lingering elbow injury that required surgery in May. However, Joshua is now back in training with a view to returning to the ring in early 2026.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Hearn explained the change in timeline saying, “I always said that 2026 would likely be his last year in the sport. But now with the delayed comeback, probably (could go until) 2027.”

The promoter emphasised that Joshua’s future depends on his performance upon return.

“If he was to get beaten in his next fight, that would probably be it, because that’s a fight that he’s expected to win,” Hearn said.

“Then if it’s Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk, Dubois, whoever it is. Any defeat it’s going to really make you consider your position.”

The former world champion’s last appearance was in September 2024, when he was stopped in five rounds by then-IBF champion Dubois at Wembley Stadium.

Hearn revealed that Joshua’s comeback fight will be carefully selected.

“We have to choose carefully the next fight, and I think the best way to do that is to be honest and say it will be a comeback fight to have a shot next summer,” he told Sky Sports.

“We want it to be against Tyson Fury (summer 2026). If not, it will be another huge fight.”

Keep Reading
By
Uncategorized

Laila Ali vs. Claressa Shields: Where potential mega fight stands

By
Claressa Shields and Laila Ali

More than three weeks ago, Claressa Shields fired verbal shots at Laila Ali over their potential boxing match.

“Laila and her representatives have told us no,” Shields said during an interview with TMZ. “… I’m not upset. I wouldn’t fight me either. You know what I’m saying? I understand that she’s scared.”

But Amber Noble, a business partner of Ali, has responded. Noble, who said she has spoken to Shields’ representatives, disputed that Ali has declined to fight Shields.

“I can tell you with the absolute 100% certainty, Leila did not decline,” Noble told USA TODAY Sports on Sept. 4. “Laila did not reject or say she wasn’t going to fight her. What she said is, ‘I call the shots over here for myself.'”

But more than six weeks after Shields and her team said they would pay Ali $15 million if she agreed to fight Shields, Ali has yet to address the offer publicly. Which has created uncertainty about a potential matchup between Shields, the 30-year-old women’s heavyweight champion, and Ali, 47, who retired with a record of 24-0.

“Laila intends to share something further in the very near future,” Noble said. “That’s all I can say about that.”

While Ali has stayed mum on the subjection, Shields has said plenty.

Laila Ali and Claressa Shields

“She wanted $15 million,” Shields told TMZ. “I went and got the $15 million and now it’s all this backpedaling. So, you know, congrats to her and all she’s doing, but I’m moving on with my career again.”

Noble clarified that Ali had said she would “think’’ about fighting for $15 million to $20 million. And as far as Shields saying Ali declined to fight, Noble said her remarks to Shields’ representatives may have been misinterpreted.

Noble said the conversation took place after Shields’ and her team produced a video saying they had put $15 million in escrow for Ali – to be collected if she fought Shields, who on social media pushed Ali for a response.

“I said that they fumbled some things, meaning the way that they were handling some things behind the scenes,’’ Noble said. “Basically to say to her representatives, like, come on, you guys gotta chill.’ You know what I mean?”

With her comments to TMZ, Shields put a chill on talk about the potential fight.

“I’m moving on,’’ she said. “I got plenty of girls I can fight.’’

Keep Reading
By
Uncategorized

Deontay Wilder has Francis Ngannou, Anthony Joshua in his sights

By
Deontay Wilder and Francis Ngannou and Anthony Joshua

Former WBC heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder has said Francis Ngannou is in his sights, though Ngannou might not necessarily be next.

Wilder, a 39-year-old from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, improved to 44-4-1 (43 KOs) with a seventh-round stoppage of Tyrell Anthony Herndon in Wichita, Kansas, in June. He told “The Ariel Helwani Show” that he would fight again this year, possibly twice, and that he was open to fights with Ngannou and Anthony Joshua.

“It felt amazing,” he said of his return earlier this year. “It felt wonderful to get that hand raised. I’ve been dealing with a lot the last four-and-a-half years, especially when you’re dealing with betrayal.”

Wilder had been talking cryptically about people inside his camp abusing his trust, and he said that caused him to lose focus and “switch off when the bell rang” in his fights.

He suffered consecutive defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang in 2023 and 2024 and was out for a year before the Herndon fight.

“Sometimes you have to look at losses as a blessing in disguise,” said Wilder. “I have the power to change my future and the power to change what is not going right in my life. … In the time that we have in this life, you can make a stand. And I made a stand. … I had to take a wellness check, get myself right, get myself together and here I am.”

Wilder then said he had around another decade of boxing ahead of him, partly because he started at just 21.

Keep Reading
By
Uncategorized

Claressa Shields Says She ‘Can’t Wait to Get Pregant,’ Wants ‘4 Kids’

By
Claressa Shields

Claressa Shields, the undisputed middleweight champion known as “The GWOAT,” is already looking ahead to a new chapter outside the ring: motherhood.

The boxing superstar took to Twitter this weekend to reveal her excitement about starting a family, making it clear that she’s planning for more than just one child.

“I can’t wait to get pregnant, you heaux gonna be so mad. Going to be crying in the car, punching the steering wheel crying,” Shields wrote. “The magic number is 4…. I want 4 kids.”

Her candid post quickly sparked conversation among fans, with one social media user revealing that she might be too scared to give birth. Shields fired back with humor, showing her signature confidence in handling any challenge that comes her way.

“lol girl…:: i heard you just gotta breathe lol,” she replied.

At just 30 years old, Shields has already made history in combat sports, becoming the first boxer—male or female—to hold all four major world titles in two weight classes. She most recently spoke with TMZ about the status of her fight with Laila Ali. According to Shields, Ali doesn’t want to face her in the ring.

“Layla and her representatives have told us no. Like, the answer is ‘no.’ She doesn’t want to fight. And that’s fine. I have no problem with that. I’m not upset. I mean, I wouldn’t fight me either. You know what I’m saying? I understand that she’s scared. I’m moving on,” Shields said. “I thought that she was about all that talk. She wanted $15 million. I went and got the $15 million. And now it’s all this backpedaling. So, you know, congrats to her on whatever she’s doing. But I’m moving on with my career.”

Shields recewntly addressed rumors that she broke up with Papoose. “All I see is lies [laughing emojis],” she recently captioned a video of herself eating dinner at Papoose’s mother’s house.

Keep Reading
By