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I’ve sparred Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury but scary prospect was toughest at just

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Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua

I’ve sparred Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury but scary prospect was toughest at just 15-years-old in ‘school uniform’

Lawrence Okolie has sparred Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, but was given his toughest examination by another frightening prospect.

Okolie is a two-weight world champion who has shared the ring with some of the best fighters in the sport, including some of the heaviest-handed heavyweights.

‘The Sauce’ has touched gloves with the likes of long-term friend Joshua regularly as well as former two-time champion Fury, who he sparred in 2023 while competing at cruiserweight.

After moving up to the blue-riband division himself with a big first round KO win, some of these names could become his future opponents.

But despite sparring some formidable profiles, the new British heavyweight was most threatened by prospect Moses Itauma in a tough sparring session.

He recalled the rounds during an interview on talkSPORT’s White & Jordan, revealing they were his toughest despite Itauma being just 15-years-old.

He said: “Funnily enough, I don’t know if it was because I was making cruiserweight or not.

“But the young up and comer, Moses Itauma that I remember sparring when he was 15 when I was preparing for a world title shot.

“I don’t know what it was about him, he was so fast and explosive and also very skillful.

“To be fair that’s the toughest spar I had. I was 27 and geared up for a world title shot and in my best shape.

“This boy came in his school uniform, taking off his tie and blazer and coming in to give some great work.

“That’s why I’m rooting for him, as I want someone with that much talent actually go and accomplish great things.”

Itauma has earned rave reviews from a number of big names, having even faced lofty comparisons to heavyweight legend Mike Tyson.

The 19-year-old has had 10 fights already in his professional career, and is yet to be beaten winning eight of them by KO.

Fury has already tipped Itauma as a future star of the division, given he has already risen to a superb standard.

The ‘Gypsy King’ even himself admitted that he would avoid a showdown with Itauma, who clearly carries formidable punching power.

Itauma will even help Fury spar for his upcoming rematch with Oleksandr Usyk on December 21, a sign that he is considered a real force moving forward.

The Briton will face experienced Australian Demsey McKean on the undercard of the sequel, as he looks to continue to expand his profile.

Anthony Joshua 

And his trainer Ben Davison, who is also the cornerman for Joshua, believes he is the best prospect in the heavyweight scene currently.

“He’s a very smart, intelligent fighter. He’s a thinking fighter,” he said.

“At his age a lot of it is instinct. Our job is to make it very conscious so when he comes across another fighter with a high IQ, he’s able to process, he’s able to have answers for whatever questions they’re asking back of him.

“He’s able to recognise traps that better opponents are trying to set on him. I feel like his progress is quick.

“I know sometimes he plays it down but he really loves the sport. He’s got a lot of passion for it and he’s really exciting.”

Okolie and Itauma could be pit against each other in the future, given he too plans to join Itauma at the pinnacle of the division.

The former Olympian is already ranked fifth in the WBC rankings, and is hoping to make a quick push towards world glory.

It could easily see the pair pit in a future all-British clash, which would certainly light up the squared circle.

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Tyson Fury Names The Best Fighter He’s Ever Faced And…

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Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury Names The Best Fighter He’s Ever Faced And It’s ‘Nowhere Near’ Oleksandr Usyk

Tyson Fury has lost to only one man in his professional career, but that is not the man he claims is the best he has ever faced.

Fury was a long unbeaten heavyweight star who knocked out the likes of Dillian Whyte, won all three fights in a trilogy with Derek Chisora, won a world title on away soil against a previously dominant champion in Wladimir Klitschko and of course entertained the world with an epic trilogy against American puncher Deontay Wilder.

It was back in May that he first tasted defeat, and the man in the opposite corner was the former Olympic gold medalist and undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Their close 12-round battle for undisputed honours in the heavyweight division was narrowly handed to the Ukrainian on points, and now they will do it all again in December, though only for three of the four titles as Daniel Dubois is now in possession of the IBF strap.

Speaking to Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, ‘The Gypsy King’ was asked if Usyk was the best he had ever faced but instead went with the ever-dangerous puncher, ‘The Bronze Bomber.’

“He’s a good boxer but no, nowhere near. I think the fights with Wilder when you’re bounced off the canvas two or three times, 10 knockdowns, and at any given moment can be taken out, is much more dangerous than having a boxing match with this guy.”

Wilder has won just once since losing twice to Fury, and that was a quick knockout of Robert Helenius before he then lost on points to Joseph Parker and was stopped by Zhilei Zhang in June, though he has vowed to fight on.

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Deontay Wilder Makes Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury 2 Prediction…

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Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder and Oleksandr Usyk

One of only two men to share the ring with Tyson Fury on three occasions, Deontay Wilder knows ‘The Gypsy King’ better than most. The pair battled in a trilogy of absorbing encounters between 2018 and 2021. The first fight was a controversial draw, before the Brit confirmed his dominance in bouts two and three with knockout wins.

Fury’s three fights with Wilder were some of the most entertaining in heavyweight boxing history and were significantly more entertaining than his one-sided trilogy with Derek Chisora, which saw the Morecambe man win every bout. However, in his last outing back in May, Tyson lost for the first time in his career after dropping a split decision to Oleksandr Usyk on the judges’ scorecards.

The 36-year-old will get his chance at redemption when he faces Usyk in a rematch on the 21st of December in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For one of the only times in his professional career, Fury will enter the contest as a clear underdog, needing to deal with the pressure of bouncing back from his first defeat.

Deontay Wilder Picks Definitive Winner for Usyk vs Fury 2

‘The Bronze Bomber’ is backing Usyk to come out on top again

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury

Wilder knows all too well how tough that is to do. Before he faced Fury in their second fight in February 2020, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ was unbeaten in 43 fights. Since being knocked out by Tyson in the seventh round of that clash, he has gone on to lose three of his next four bouts. Most recently, he was brutally knocked out by Chinese powerhouse Zhilei Zhang in a fight that many predicted at the time would spell the end of his career.

While his time at the top of the heavyweight division looks to be over, Wilder is still in a unique position when it comes to providing an insight on how Fury might fare in his upcoming clash with Usyk. Asked by Boxing News to share his prediction for the fight, Wilder gave the edge to the reigning WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight champion as he reasoned:

“The rematch, who knows, it’s all about what person brings what dog to the fight. Many times, we have good days, and we have bad days, you just never know. If I had to pick, I would say Usyk, but let’s see what happens!”

If Fury can prove Wilder wrong and even the score with Usyk, then a trilogy fight would almost certainly be inevitable to determine who is the better man once and for all. As for Wilder’s own career, his trainer Malik Scott has confirmed that he doesn’t expect the 39-year-old to retire – and even went as far as to confirm a three-man wish-list for his return fight.

That currently doesn’t include Fury or Usyk. However, if the Tuscaloosa native does successfully make a return to the ring and put together a string of wins, expect him to do be calling for a chance to once again face the very best in the division.

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Lennox lewis on Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson FUry 2: “I think…

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Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury

Lennox lewis on Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson FUry 2: “I think we’re going to get a different Tyson for this fight.”

If anyone knows a thing or two about high level championship boxing, it’s one Lennox Lewis, the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, as well as an all time great. Now long retired, Lewis’ opinion carries weight when he speaks about the contemporary boxing scene. Needless to say, the man has interesting things to say about the upcoming rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, which will go down in Saudi Arabia on December 21t.

On a recent interview with Fight News, Lewis weighed in on the fact that Fury, who lost a squeaker to Usyk on the cards their first fight, claimed he won’t change much about his approach for the second fight. All he needs, he argues, is to do more of the same, just at a higher volume. Lewis isn’t buying it.

“No, it’s not as simple as that,” said Lewis. “He (Fury) does need to make some adjustments. If he didn’t make any adjustments, then he would lose the fight again. He would have to make some adjustments to win the fight, so he definitely has to go in there with a focused attitude and being able to throw a lot more punches.” The truth, however, is that Lewis isn’t sold on the argument that Fury is simply going to do more of the same in his rematch with Usyk.

“I don’t think he wants to give too much away,” Lewis admitted, “and I think we’re going to get a different Tyson for this fight. I think he realizes what he did wrong in the first fight.” With an ability to fight expertly as both a defensive and an offensive fighter, Fury is indeed a man with numerous tools in his toolbox. Will they be enough to best Usyk, though?

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury

Although smaller than the towering Fury, Usyk is a profoundly skilled fighter. What’s more, he has a history of doing well against bigger men. Not only has he bested Fury in the ring, Usyk has also handily defeated former world titlist Anthony Joshua on not one, but two occasions. When asked how Usyk would do well in Lewis’ time, Lewis made it clear the undefeated Usyk would fit in well. “He would have got on good,” Lewis said of Usyk. “Just look at how Evander Holyfield got on.” Holyfield, like Usyk, successfully made the jump from cruiserweight to heavyweight during his career.

Suffice to say, Lewis defeated Holyfield in November of 1999 after fighting the popular titlist to an extremely controversial draw the previous March.

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Fury ‘feels sorry’ for Joshua in shock admission

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Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua

British boxer Tyson Fury, in a shocking admission, said he felt sorry for former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua following his surprise knockout defeat to IBF world heavyweight boxing champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley in September, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Joshua was the favourite going into the fight only to be overpowered by Dubois, who earned a knockout victory in the fifth round to hand the 32-year-old his fourth professional career loss.

Joshua’s bid to become a three-time world champion and return to the division’s top table ended dramatically and unexpectedly, with Dubois dropping him several times at Wembley Stadium in front of 98,000 fans before he landed the final blow, a crunching right-hand, in Round 5 that left Joshua sprawling on the canvas.

Promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed that Joshua’s next contest will be a rematch with Dubois or a clash with Fury.

First, Fury, who has long been linked with a super fight with Joshua, will face unified champion Oleksandr Usyk on December 21 after losing to the Ukrainian in May.

The Gipsy King, while looking forward to a clash between the two, said he felt sorry for his rival.

“I feel sorry for him at the minute, being cleaned out in the last fight in five rounds, so he’ll have to do that again—or not—and then decide his future,” Fury told Sky News.

Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua 

“When an adversary loses, and it’s not to you, you do feel down and depressed about it. I felt sad for him. It was heartbreaking to see a worthy opponent lose his crown.

“I’d still fight him whether he’s got five losses, 10 losses, or 20. It’s not important because, at this stage of our careers, it’s about having good fights.

“I think it would still be an entertaining and interesting fight for the paying pundit.”

However, Fury says his immediate goal is for a third fight with Usyk, after previous trilogies versus Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora.

“I would like to have a trilogy with Usyk. It would be 1-1, and then we would have to do a rubber match, and I’d be the only heavyweight in history to have three trilogy. That would be quite impressive.”

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Anthony Joshua ‘could be forced’ into Tyson Fury fight amid injury concern

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Anthony Joshua’s potential rematch with Daniel Dubois in February has been cast into doubt due to minor injuries and timing issues.

Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, told BBC Sport that whilst AJ “desperately wants revenge”, there are concerns about the tight turnaround.

“For the rematch to happen in February, training camp will have to start in a couple of weeks,” Hearn explained.

“There are always niggles and he had a few so physically it’s just a case of whether AJ is ready to do that.”

The uncertainty comes just months after Dubois shocked Joshua with a fifth-round knockout at Wembley Stadium in September.

Hearn further elaborated on the timing concerns in an interview with Sky Sports. “Ideally we’d like to return around May time,” he said.

“It does feel as though it’s coming on quite quickly.”

Anthony Joshua 

The promoter emphasised that Joshua has categorically expressed his desire for the rematch.

However, the decision on whether he will be ready for February is yet to be made.

“From a body perspective we could probably do with a little bit more time ideally,” Hearn added.

“Sometimes it’s not ideal and you just go for it. But we just need to decide are we going to be ready.”

Daniel Dubois, the IBF heavyweight champion, is set to defend his title in February regardless of Joshua’s decision.

With the Dubois rematch uncertain, Joshua may instead set his sights on a potential bout with Tyson Fury.

Hearn told BBC Sport: “It would be frustrating if we made the Dubois rematch and Fury won [vs Oleksandr Usyk]. Then we’re sitting there going ‘hang on a minute, we’re fighting Dubois but we could have fought Fury in May for the biggest fight in boxing.'”

The promoter added: “Win or lose, we can fight Fury next summer. But if he wins, AJ fights him for the world title.”

Frank Warren, Dubois’ promoter, told Sky Sports: “Daniel will defend his title in February and if it’s not Joshua then it’ll be against somebody who is ranked in the top five.”

Warren added that Dubois would take the rematch “in a heartbeat” but questioned whether Joshua’s team would advise him to do so.

The IBF rules allow Dubois a nine-month window for a voluntary defence, which opened the possibility for the Joshua rematch.

However, after this period, Dubois must fulfil a mandatory title defence.

Fury is set to face Usyk on 21 December, with the outcome potentially influencing Joshua’s next move.

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