Tyson Fury has sparked backlash from boxing fans after claiming that Francis Ngannou poses a tougher test than Oleksandr Usyk. Fury will box former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on 28 October, after talks with Usyk collapsed earlier this year. A bout between WBC champion Fury and unified champion Usyk would have crowned the first undisputed heavyweight champion in more than 20 years. Instead, Usyk went on to beat mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois in August, ahead of Fury’s fight with Ngannou – in which the WBC belt is not on the line. Speaking to Fight Hub TV on Thursday, Fury said: “Has [undisputed] ever been my priority? Did I ever say I wanted undisputed? It’s always been some other b***h’s dream, hasn’t it? ‘Undisputed, road to undisputed’. “Listen, I’ve got Francis Ngannou to deal with. And should the other little sausage want to fight for undisputed, then if he takes a small percentage, we might make it happen. But if he wants a large bag, I’m gonna say: ‘No, thank you’.” Ukrainian Usyk accepted a purse split of 75-25 per cent in Fury’s favour, only for talks to fall apart due to negotiations around the purse split in the rematch clause. “I’ve not said anything, I’ve not even been out in public,” Fury said. “Have you heard anything from me at all? Since all of this, I’ve not said anything. “[The reports] are all untrue, because if you didn’t hear me say it, it’s not true. The truth of the matter was, him and his team were s***houses. They got offered the fight at Wembley, it didn’t happen, and then we moved on. That was it. “Now I’m fighting Francis Ngannou, who’s stepping up to the plate. And I think he’s gonna be a bit of a bigger, tougher challenge than these other guys. These other guys are just boxers; this guy’s more than that.” Fans took to the comment section to hit out at Fury, 35, for the latter claim. “Total joke,” wrote one user. “It’s almost like Fury is going out of his way to make boxing fans depressed. I still think Fury is an excellent boxer but I’ve also lost all respect for him now.” Another wrote, “Strip Tyson. WBC credibility almost gone,” while one said: “Fury is trying so hard to make it out like this event isn’t a complete embarrassment.” Another comment read: “What a disgrace to boxing! Usyk seeking to become undisputed while this clown is doing everything in his power to avoid him and keeping the last belt in his hands.” Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Tyson Fury claims he would beat Francis Ngannou in MMA fight Watch moment topless Tyson Fury goads Francis Ngannou into taking his shirt off during press conference Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever Chris Eubank Jr’s coach remanded in custody following airport arrest Tyson Fury urged to highlight Saudi Arabia’s ‘disturbing’ human rights record Tyson Fury claims he would beat Francis Ngannou in MMA fight Former Tyson Fury opponent backs Francis Ngannou to drop ‘Gypsy King’

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Former president Donald Trump’s attorney Timothy Parlatore is leaving the former president’s legal team, CNN reported on Wednesday. Mr Parlatore played a key role in the investigation into Mr Trump keeping classified documents at his private Mar-a-Lago estate, and Mr Parlatore even testified before the grand jury in the case. The departure comes as Special Counsel Jack Smith reaches the end of his investigation into Mr Trump’s possible mishandling of classified documents. “It’s been an incredible honor to serve and work through interesting legal issues. My departure was a personal choice and does not reflect upon the case, as I believe strongly the (Justice Department) team is engaging in misconduct to pursue an investigation of conduct that is not criminal,” Mr Palatore told CNN in a statement. Mr Parlatore also organised searches for additional classified documents at Trump Tower as well as other Trump properties, including a storage unit. He also testified before a grand jury in December when the Justice Department sought to hold Mr Trump in contempt for failing to hand over classified documents after he received a subpoena. “They repeatedly tried to ask me about my conversations with President Trump, which is totally outside the scope of what I was there for,” he said in March. Mr Parlatore also recently sent a letter to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner that asked the Justice Department to step aside and instead let the intelligence community determine what happened with the documents. The departure comes as Mr Trump faces multiple investigations on the federal and local levels. Last month, he was arraigned in Manhattan for charges related to alleged hush money payments. The Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney is also investigating Mr Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the Peach State. Similarly, along with the documents, Mr Smith is investigating Mr Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and his actions on January 6. Read More Trump news – live: John Durham’s report on Trump-Russia probe attacks FBI as Giuliani accused of sexual abuse DeSantis reacts to Trump implying Florida abortion ban is ‘too harsh’ as 2024 fight heats up

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Former attorney Corey Fleming was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges that he conspired with his longtime friend Alex Murdaugh to steal millions of dollars from trusting clients. Fleming previously pleaded guilty to the financial fraud charges that stem from Murdaugh’s alleged scheme to steal money from the estate of his dead housekeeper Gloria Satterfield. Satterfield died in a fall on the Murdaugh property in 2018. He was also involved in stealing money from the family of Hakeem Pinckney – a man whose family Murdaugh represented after he was killed in a car crash in 2009. While Fleming knew Murdaugh was asking him to do wrong, he previously said he didn’t realise the depth of his old friend’s depravity. The sentencing was handed down on the same day Fleming’s longtime friend Murdaugh appeared in court for his own hearing on financial fraud charges for the first time since he was sentenced to life in prison in the murders of of his wife Maggie and son Paul. Judge Clifton Newman set a trial date for 27 November. On 15 August, Fleming pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges and was sentenced to nearly four years (46 months) in federal prison. He is housed at the Charleston County jail awaiting a prison assignment. On 23 August, he pleaded guilty to all state charges. Judge Newman scheduled Fleming’s sentencing for today in Beaufort so that the court could hear from friends and family members, as well as victims. At the hearing on Thursday, prosecutor Creighton Waters urged the judge to not be fooled by Fleming’s claims that he was “recruited” by Murdaugh into stealing from the families of Satterfield and Pinckney. Mr Waters argued that Fleming, who was an attorney at the time, was hired to represent the families but then “behind the scenes colluded with the defendant”. “What Mr Fleming wants the court to believe is… that he was tricked and fooled by Mr Murdaugh like everyone else,” Mr Waters said. The prosecutor then pointed to the fake Forge scheme in which Murdaugh allegedly set up a firm called Forge - a fake company with the name of a real one, which was used to siphon off money from clients. Murduagh and Fleming are accused of securing payouts from insurance companies in Satterfield’s case and then sending nearly $4m in stolen money to the fake company. “It was a shakedown, plain and simple,” Mr Waters said of Fleming and Murdaugh’s treatment of the Satterfield family. At the hearing on Thursday, several people addressed the court on behalf of the victims. Tony Satterfield, the son of Gloria Satterfield, told the court, “I still forgive Mr Fleming.” Satterfield’s sister also addressed the court and said that the family forgives Fleming. “Gloria did not die in vain as her case brought out other corruption and dishonest misdeeds being done to others,” she said, adding that it brought corruption “to light”. Attorney Eric Bland, who represents the Satterfield family, spoke at the hearing and said the law profession is “stained” by Fleming’s crimes. Fleming surrendered his license to practice law in both Georgia and South Carolina, saying he dishonored the profession. “The profession we love has been stained,” he said. “Mr Fleming knew exactly what he was doing. He is a plaintiff lawyer... it is impossible.” He said the debacle involving Murdaugh, Fleming and Laffitte, has “stained our state.” Mr Bland said the judge and court will hear how Fleming is a good guy, but that “good guys can still do criminal things.” “I’ve been suing other lawyers for 30 years. Never seen a case where the lawyers took every single dollar. But that’s what Fleming and Murdaugh did. Every single dollar.” Mr Bland also went over several examples of violations and irregularities in how Fleming handled and filed the Satterfield case to show the depth of the conspiracy and the criminal behaviour. He says Fleming and Murdaugh sat on the $4.3m settlements knowing that Gloria Satterfield’s son Brian, a vulnerable adult, was being put out on the street because his mom’s trailer was being foreclosed on. Mr Bland called it “blatant thievery”. Fleming is the second Murdaugh associate ordered to prison since investigators began scrutinising every aspect of Murdaugh’s life in June 2021 after his wife and son were shot to death at their South Carolina home. Russell Laffitte, who was convicted of federal charges in November, appeared for a status conference on Thursday in his state case. One of his attorneys, South Carolina State Rep Todd Rutherford, asked the judge to delay a trial until the fall of 2024. Judge Newman said that he would make a ruling at a later date. Last month, Laffitte was sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to helping Murdaugh steal money from settlements for clients after vehicle wrecks or work injuries. Laffitte is appealing his conviction and sentence. Read More Smiling Alex Murdaugh appears in court in shackles as trial date set in financial fraud case Outrage as South Carolina lawmaker stands to shake hands with convicted killer Alex Murdaugh in court Alex Murdaugh’s friend pleads guilty to helping steal from dead maid’s family