There might be a crisis in the heavyweight division unless the television companies, the promoters, the chancers, the tyrants at the sanctioning bodies, the fixers and the fighters start to realise that they are part of a rich history. The heavyweight division is not a random board game, a place where a good spin can turn the world upside down and a place where all sense of perspective is lost. It is not a game, but it is being run like a crazy game of chance. Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder are circling each other with very little real indication that they will fight each other. In many ways, the crisis point was a long, long time ago. There was a bold claim about six months ago that Saudi Arabian riches would transform the heavyweight division, a claim that over $400m was on the table for the leading four men to meet on one night in two fights. A lot of so-called media were delivered to Riyadh and told the hefty Four Kings would fight, it would be in December, and the heavyweight fairy tale would be complete. The chosen insiders were quick to assure everyone that the money was real, the conviction was real and that it would happen. It fell apart; Fury walked away, Usyk kept busy, Wilder and Joshua are still, in theory, part of a crazy plan. However, even their fight in Saudi in January or February is starting to look more and more like a mirage in that fighting desert. Eddie Hearn, the promoter of Joshua, has not yet ruled the fight out. Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk, has not yet ruled out a Fury fight. Wilder’s people flew to Saudi to do a direct deal with the promotional company there, so presumably they are still part of the circus. Fury, meanwhile, will fight in Riyadh next month, but his fight with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou is being promoted by another branch of the Saudi government. It is difficult to keep up with this soap opera with blood. Ngannou, incidentally, has never had a single boxing match as an amateur or a professional; his 10 rounds with Fury have recently been given a belt by the WBC. It will not be for Fury’s actual WBC heavyweight title, which I guess is a small mercy. The new Saudi belt, complete with diamonds and gold, is still a belt and that means Ngannou, who is being trained by Mike Tyson, will fight for a WBC belt in his first ever appearance in a boxing ring. Shame on the WBC and their desperate attempt to be relevant. I have no problem with the fight, no problem with crossover events, but the WBC’s decision to award the winner a belt is pathetic. The WBC representative in Riyadh will need sharp elbows to get his face on television, because the Saudi families tend to flood the post-fight ring. Ngannou, incidentally, has been measured to possess the hardest punch in history. It is hard to invent this glorious nonsense. Fury has gone down this route because the money is there, and he is sick and tired of the relentless negotiations for a fight with either Usyk or Joshua. He is, it must be said, not entirely innocent. Although it is hard to blame Fury for going down the Ngannou route, talk of a rematch under mixed martial arts rules is slightly alarming. It is probably harmless chat, but the WBC needs to decide how long they will let their champion loose in the lawless playground of celebrity and crossover fights. There is simply no order, no strict rules, and nobody in a position to call a halt to the anarchy. In the last 12 months, Joshua has fought twice, staying busy and learning with his new coach; Fury has not fought since beating Derek Chisora for the third time last December in defence of his WBC title; Wilder has not been near a ring this year; Usyk stopped Daniel Dubois last month to retain his WBO, WBA and IBF titles. Dubois, incidentally, officially launched an appeal against the decision in that fight, claiming that the fight should have been stopped in Round 5 when he landed what he considers a legitimate body shot. Usyk was instead given nearly four minutes to recover. Krassyuk has ruled out a rematch, insisting that the punch was low and illegal. It means that in 2023, with two champions owning four recognised belts, with a lot of television backing and with a lot of quality contenders, there will be only one world heavyweight title fight. It is crazy and self-harming, and no other sport would survive such idiocy. Boxing has always been in a race against time, a race to get as much money as possible, as quickly and safely as possible, but this decaying state is so bad for business that it will hurt the business going forward. Read More Fans tear apart Tyson Fury over claim that Francis Ngannou poses tougher test than Oleksandr Usyk Watch moment topless Tyson Fury goads Francis Ngannou into taking his shirt off during press conference Sean Strickland shocks Israel Adesanya and MMA world with title win at UFC 293 Eddie Hearn outlines ‘deluded’ plan for Anthony Joshua Tyson Fury urged to highlight Saudi Arabia’s ‘disturbing’ human rights record What is an exhibition fight and how is it different to a professional bout?

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 19, 2023--

By Jennifer Rigby and Martin Coulter LONDON France's radiation watchdog has banned sales of Apple's iPhone 12 after

Clashes have broken out in Dublin city centre between police and far-right protesters after five people, including three children were stabbed in an “appalling attack” on Thursday afternoon. The suspected knife attack happened outside a primary school in the bustling Parnell Square East on the north side of the Irish capital shortly after 1.30pm. A woman in her 30s and a man in his 50s remain in hospital with serious injuries while a five-year-old girl is receiving emergency medical treatment at a children’s hospital in Temple Street. Another girl, aged six, is being treated for less serious injuries, while a six-year-old boy has been discharged. At a press conference, police confirmed that a man in his 50s, who is receiving treatment at hospital, has been identified as a “person of interest”. They are currently not searching for anyone else and confirmed they are satisfied that the attack is not terror-related. On Thursday evening, riots broke out in the city centre with a number of Garda vehicles destroyed, while a tram and bus were set alight. Public transport was suspended while shop windows were smashed, with protesters blocking a bridge with construction signs. Describing the clashes as “disgraceful scenes”, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said a “complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology” was behind the disorder. Appealing for calm, Irish justice minister Helen McEntee said: “The scenes we are witnessing this evening in our city centre cannot and will not be tolerated. “A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc.” The clashes broke out a few hours after the knife attack, which happened outside to an Irish-medium primary school, Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire. Labour Party senator Marie Sherlock saying that children had been queuing for after-school care at the time of the attack. A witness called Siobhan Kearney told Irish national broadcaster RTE that she saw a man attacking children with a “stabbing motion” before members of the public intervened and took a knife from him. Follow live updates on this breaking incident by clicking dublin-attack-parnell-square-latest-b2452500.html">here “I looked across the road and I see the man and the stabbing motion with a load of children so I flew across the road,” she said. “The man was after stabbing two children as far as I could make out, and we got the children up to the left with the women that were there, and the teachers I presume. “People were trying to attack the man so me and an American lady, we formed a ring around the man, and then about three minutes later the ambulance came for the children and then another ambulance and fire officers came for the man on the ground.” Ms McEntee described the attack as “appalling” and said her thoughts were with “the innocent children and the woman attacked”. She said: “I have been briefed by the Garda commissioner and will remain in close contact with him and senior gardaí. “This attack has shocked us all, and I have no doubt that the person responsible will be brought to justice. However, my thoughts now are with the innocent children and the woman who have been attacked, their families, and those who are caring for them at this time.” Leo Varadkar, the prime minister, said: “We are all shocked by the incident which has taken place in Parnell Square. A number of people have been injured, some of them children. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them and their families.” Speaking at the scene, Sinn Fein party president Mary-Lou McDonald said children who witnessed what happened have been traumatised. She said: “I know that the gardai acted very swiftly in this matter, but this is certainly the last thing that any of us expected on a Thursday afternoon where children should come safely from school and be collected by their parents. “I pray the injured make a full recovery. The community is stunned, stunned and horrified.” Pictures and video from the scene shared on social media show a heavy presence of emergency services. A Garda spokesperson said: “Five casualties have been taken to various hospitals in the Dublin region. The casualties include an adult male, an adult female and three young children. “One child, a girl, has sustained serious injuries, the other two children are being treated for less serious injuries. “An Garda Siochana is in contact with parents of all three injured children.” Read More Dublin bus engulfed in flames as riots break out after attack in Parnell Square Calls for calm amid ‘disgraceful scenes’ after children injured in knife attack Three young children and woman injured in knife attack outside Dublin school Dublin: Police on scene after serious attack outside school in Parnell Square Three children and woman injured in ‘appalling attack’ in Dublin city centre Three children among five in hospital after ‘serious incident’ in Dublin

Delta Air Lines said on Wednesday it is cutting some corporate jobs to better manage costs, at a

A TikTok trend has received a mixed response online for depicting unrealistic beauty standards. The 'tanning' filter is exactly that. It alters users' complexion with a sunkissed glow, and many have taken to the platform to share the noticeable difference. In one clip that racked up over 50,000 likes, one user wrote: "My biggest red flag is that I'd rather look like an oompa loompa than be pale. This. Is. Concerning." The self-recorded footage showed the woman stunned by her newfound tan achieved by the filter. One person questioned: "Why does everyone hate on their pale skin, like, what’s the issue?" Another added, "felt this heavy," to which the TikToker responded: "The hard reality of our tanning addictions." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter In a separate clip that racked up 5.6 million views, TikToker Em (@orig_faygo) compared her before and after shots. "Proof everyone looks better with tan," she wrote as the on-screen text. @orig_faygo i finally got to tan again, the filter was my before ? [NOT A FAKE TAN] #trending #audios #real #relatable #tan #fyp #fy It comes after yet another problematic filter, the Bold Glamour makeup. The TikTok filter applies an incredibly realistic full face of makeup to users, with many suggesting it's more damaging than it's worth. Generally, filters glitch and sometimes slip away from the face. In this case, it doesn't. The filter is so advanced that if TikTok didn't disclaim it was being used in videos, viewers wouldn't know any different. In a viral video viewed over 4 million times, TikToker Joanna (@joannajkenny) urges people to not use the filter. "I don't want to say this about myself but I actually look ugly when I take this filter off," she said, adding: "I've done a lot of work to unlearn that I owe prettiness to anyone." She continued: "Here's a reminder for anyone who needs it, filtered skin is not a skin type." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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