List of All Articles with Tag 'boxing'

At last. It has taken over five years to get Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr in the same ring for their wonderful fight in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The old neon city has waited patiently for a fight like this, a fight without gimmicks, a fight with undefeated boxers and a fight that just had to happen. It might lack some of the stardust associated with the strip in Las Vegas, but it remains a fight for the ages. Spence is unbeaten in 28, he holds the IBF, WBC and WBA welterweight titles; Crawford is unbeaten in 39 and he holds the WBO version. Crawford has also held world titles at lightweight and light-welterweight. Spence is 33, Crawford is 35, and they are the most perfect rivals in an imperfect sport. Spence crashed his car, suffered injuries, had a potential career-ending eye problem and Crawford was shot in the neck and left for dead before he took boxing seriously. They have a backstory or two, don’t worry. Spence won his first welterweight title one cold, May night in Sheffield when he stopped Kell Brook in 2017; the following year, Crawford won his WBO title. A fight between the two has been discussed since the summer of 2018. It might not be the longest wait between the first talks and the first bell, but it is the longest for a fight of this importance. There are no circus attachments here, no desperate men, no lost causes – it is just two very good fighters, both still in their primes, meeting. Well, actually, they are an exceptional pair of fighters, quite brilliant in many ways. Spence has looked long and hard at moving up in weight to light-middle and has so far made six defences of his welterweight title. Some, it must be said, have not been spectacular. Crawford has also made six defences and stopped or knocked out all six men. He has appeared more focused. However, both have been guilty of holding out for the type of money that came so close to ending any chances of this fight ever happening. They have both talked about the risks they take as fighters and the need to maximise their pay, their cash, their fee for fighting. Thankfully a compromise has been found to satisfy their pockets. This is strictly a fight for money, but wealth is health in the boxing game. All the talk of pride, unification and being called the best welterweight in the world are just nice and necessary tributes. There is, by the way, nothing wrong with two boxers admitting that money has kept them apart and that money has finally brought them together. Legacy, it seems, belongs in another time and place. It is the first proper unification between two men holding all the existing welterweight belts (four now, three then) since the night in Atlantic City in 1986 when Lloyd Honeyghan ruined Donald Curry. Honeyghan was the welterweight king, the man on that long and glorious night; the winner at the T-Mobile Arena will take that fanciful crown. The Curry and Honeyghan fight was anonymous, which is often forgotten. This fight has become an event during the last few days, and at about 10pm in Las Vegas on Saturday night, we will have another welterweight king. They have, often in parallel boxing worlds, beaten the best men at their weight and have, on occasion, eyed each other up close and personal. The fight was made, mentioned, desired and collapsed several times. It was, thankfully, inevitable, and all parties finally saw sense and sat and talked – and talked – and found a deal to satisfy every single ego in their respective businesses. It is also the right time because there are now a pair of quite exceptional and dangerous contenders in Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr waiting with menace in a line. Crawford and Spence had to fight each other before either Ennis or Ortiz Jr had their crack. The wait will be worth it and all that really matters now is that it is on. Forget the money demands, the excuses, the insults, the threats and anything else that somehow stopped this fight taking place. Forget it all. It’s on, so sit back and enjoy it. Crawford has aged better during the five years and one month they have shared as champions. That should be the factor once that first bell sounds. Read More Spence vs Crawford time: When does fight start in UK and US this weekend? Errol Spence Jr lifts lid on Anthony Joshua’s training sessions in Dallas Naoya Inoue, the best boxer in the world, fights on Tuesdays

Boxing in the morning.

It isn’t so much that Liam Smith has to go through another fight night with Chris Eubank Jr; it’s more that he has to go through another fight week with him. When the Britons square off at the AO Arena in Manchester in September, it will have been eight months since Smith dropped and stopped Eubank Jr in the same building. Many in boxing labelled the result an upset. Smith certainly did not see it that way. “No one in my team thought it was an upset,” the Liverpudlian, 34, tells The Independent. “No one in my former team, who watched me spar Chris, was gonna think it was an upset. If I’d won that fight on points, people wouldn’t have been surprised. People are just like ‘wow’ because ‘Liam Smith stopped Chris Eubank with a headshot.’ That’s all it is. It got made out like it’s impossible to hurt Chris, like he can’t be hurt. That’s why it was a big surprise for people.” Backed into a corner, overcome by volume and variation, Eubank Jr first hit the canvas 45 seconds into Round 4, slinking to the mat. Barely managing to grip the ropes with his gloves, the Brighton boxer hauled himself to his feet and wobbled to referee Victor Loughlin with his hands by his sides. He almost teetered past Loughlin. Eubank Jr was given the benefit of the doubt, but within 20 seconds he was down again, tumbling into the ropes as he fell. This time, despite another quick climb from the canvas, the 33-year-old was saved by the referee. Smith was walking away, with his back to Eubank Jr and the official, when the fight was waved off. The sound of the crowd tipped off Smith to the result, before he even had a chance to turn around and see for himself. Then, the jubilation set in. “I enjoyed every bit of it,” Smith says. “My ring walk, the changing room beforehand and after. You ask anyone around me, they know I enjoy everything until the moment I need to switch on. When I get down to the bottom of the ramp, I’m business-like. I wish I could have that week back, it was a great week. “If you asked about the three brothers, people would always say, ‘Liam enjoys it the most, he enjoys a fight night the most,’” he says, referring to Stephen and Callum, the latter of whom is an ex-world champion like Liam. “I remember saying to them, ‘There’s no better feeling than making that ring walk,’ and they were like, ‘You’re mad! There’s no better feeling than walking back to the changing room, knowing you’ve won!’” Although the fight was a successful foray up to middleweight for the former super-welterweight champion, the lead-up – containing comments that crossed a line at times – was altogether less enjoyable, Smith says. However, that is not for the reasons one might expect. “A lot people used to think Chris was getting under my skin,” Smith says. “I don’t lose sleep over Chris, he doesn’t change my day. Me and Chris’s personalities... Somebody with Chris’s persona is just someone I wouldn’t get on with in any form of life. “I just don't like them type of divas, who think everything’s got to revolve around them. In the build-up to the last fight, we were waiting on him a lot with promotion stuff, head-to-heads. It was on Sky Sports Box Office and the people trying to produce the advert were asking us, ‘Can you meet in the middle of the ring and touch gloves with two hands?’ He was like: ‘No, I don’t touch gloves with two hands.’ “He was just being a nuisance, petty, spoilt, a diva. I just thought: ‘It’s nothing to me, you’re not doing my head in, but these people are trying to do a promotion. You know what you signed up for, just do it.’ He was just a nightmare – for other people really; I didn’t give a s*** about it.” The build to the pair’s rematch has begun, and Smith will hope for a smoother ride en route to what may even be his final fight. That, however, depends on the result, with the Scouser having claimed that his next loss would herald his retirement. “I shouldn’t really lose to Chris. I’m a better fighter than him, there’s not really a thought of defeat,” Smith stresses, but there are thoughts on life after boxing. “It’s tough. I’ve got two gorgeous little girls, who I’m still fighting for and trying to secure the rest of their futures, give them an easier start in life. They’ve changed my perspective on boxing and life in general. “I’ll take it as it comes,” he continues, pondering what retirement might look like. “I’ve got a good family and once I’m done with boxing, I can put my whole energy and time into my girls and giving them some memories that I’ve probably missed now. There are certain things that I can’t do now – certain holidays that I can’t go on – but once I’m done, I’ll have enough time to give them some memories for life. There’s a little bucket list with them two: things that they’ll enjoy, places where they’ll smile.” When Smith takes on Eubank Jr at the AO Arena, he will be returning to a place where he did plenty of smiling and where he did the thing he enjoys most. SMITH vs EUBANK II: REPEAT OR REVENGE? takes place on Saturday 2 September at the AO Arena in Manchester. It will be shown live exclusively on Sky Sports Box Office. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday 25 July. Fans can access tickets now at Boxxer.com. Read More Spence vs Crawford time: When does fight start in UK and US this weekend? Inoue vs Fulton live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV Another boxing robbery: Maxi Hughes deserves justice for heist that shames the sport Inoue vs Fulton LIVE: Latest boxing fight updates and results The best boxer in the world fights on Tuesdays The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings

Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford will square off in Las Vegas this weekend, in one of the biggest fights of this generation. Fans have waited for this bout for years, and finally it has materialised, with the unbeaten Americans clashing on Saturday to crown an undisputed welterweight champion. Spence, 33, is the WBC, WBA and IBF champion, while Crawford, 35, holds the WBO title. Spence will carry a professional record of 28-0 (22 knockouts) into the T-Mobile Arena, while Crawford is 39-0 (30 KOs). Spence has not fought since April 2022, when he stopped Yordenis Ugas to collect the WBA belt, while Crawford most recently competed in December, retaining his title with a knockout of David Avanesyan. Here’s all you need to know about one of the most-anticipated fights in years. When is it? Spence vs Crawford will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday 29 July. The main card is due to begin at 1am BST on Sunday 30 July (5pm PT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET on Saturday), with ring walks for the main event expected at 4am BST (8pm PT, 10pm CT, 11pm ET on Saturday). How can I watch it? In the UK, the event will air live on TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) pay-per-view, at a cost of £19.95. In the US, the card will be on Showtime pay-per-view, priced at $84.99. Odds Spence – 29/20 Crawford – 13/20 Draw – 12/1 Via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Errol Spence (WBC, WBA, IBF champion) vs Terence Crawford (WBO champion) (welterweight) Isaac Cruz vs Giovanni Cabrera (lightweight) Nonito Donaire vs Alexandro Santiago (vacant WBC bantamweight title) Yoenis Tellez vs Sergio Garcia (super-welterweight) Steven Nelson vs Rowdy Montgomery (super-middleweight) Jose Salas Reyes vs Aston Palicte (super-bantamweight) Jabin Chollet vs Michael Portales (lightweight) Justin Viloria vs Pedro Borgaro (super-featherweight) Demler Zamora vs Nikolai Buzolin (lightweight) Kevin Ventura vs DeShawn Prather (welterweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC 291 time: When does Poirier vs Gaethje start in UK and US this weekend? Another boxing robbery: Maxi Hughes deserves justice for heist that shames the sport George Kambosos reacts to ‘robbery’ claims after controversial win over Maxi Hughes How to watch Spence vs Crawford online and on TV this weekend The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings George Kambosos reacts to ‘robbery’ claims after controversial win over Maxi Hughes

Maxi Hughes was robbed of victory in a boxing ring on Saturday night in the fight of his life. Hughes is one of the most decent and honest men in the British boxing business and he deserves some justice for the heist. The robbery took place in a boxing backwater in Oklahoma when Hughes fought George Kambosos in defence of his IBO lightweight title. However, the real prize was the right to be ranked as the IBF’s No 1 contender. Hughes boxed a simple, smart, careful 12 rounds and Kambosos, once a renowned world champion and attraction, fought like a man who only had to show up. In the end, that is all he had to do. At the finish of 12 controlled rounds from Hughes, he placed a ceremonial cowboy hat on his head to take the verdict; there was a long, long delay and that is never good for justice in a boxing ring. Hughes had stopped smiling before the decision was announced. One judge went 114-114, one went with 115-113 for Kambosos and the third, a man called Josef Mason, delivered the fully outrageous score of 117-113 for Kambosos. The Mason score means that in his opinion from ringside, Hughes managed to win just three rounds. I watched the fight live and watched it again; the American commentary team are silenced by the verdict. And so was I – Hughes won as many as nine rounds in a display of old-fashioned boxing. It was a delight to watch. It was not a slugfest, nobody famous outside of boxing was in the ring, nobody ripped their top off to reveal their naked breasts and, presumably, there will be no justice for Hughes. Right now, boxing is an event sport, and this fight was not, if I’m being brutally honest, an event. In the ring at the end, Kambosos, who is a nice enough man, tried his best to hide his feelings. He knew. However, in the often-ridiculous realm of boxing conspiracies, there is a huge fight for Kambosos against a boxer called Teofimo Lopez; Kambosos shocked Lopez in 2021 to win three versions of the world title. Last month Lopez shocked Josh Taylor in New York. It is a simple storyline to follow and not pleasant to even be considering that dark forces could be at play. It still feels like incompetence, not corruption. Hughes, meanwhile, has always worn his heart out on his sleeve. “It was a bit of a kick in the b*****ks,” said Hughes. “I feel pretty silly standing here in my cowboy hat. I won that fight. I won it clearly.” Hughes has never been a mainstream boxer, never been one of the boys and men that promoters protect and develop. Hughes is from the other side of the boxing tracks. It has been a long and hard boxing road for Hughes in fights that he was often expected to lose. He lost for the sixth time in 34 fights, but this was the hardest loss to accept. He is 33 now, enjoying the career it looked like he would never have. He entered with the IBO lightweight title, a belt that can be used as a ticket to much bigger things. “I made him miss, I picked him off, I controlled the fight,” said Hughes. “I took this fight, I asked for it, I pushed for it, and I only did that because I want to earn the dollars to provide for my family. That is why I box.” At the end, the Kambosos interview was drowned by boos and Hughes had to take a break from talking to accept the applause. It was a tiny victory for the Yorkshire man on a night when the latest blatant heist took place in a boxing ring. It will continue, but it would be fair if Hughes could get some recognition for his part in a bad, bad night for officials at ringside. Read More Muhammad Ali’s ‘comedy’ fight shows why Fury vs Ngannou isn’t the joke you think it is The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings Tyson Fury: Netflix viewers in awkward mix-up after misreading title of boxer’s Netflix documentary series Anthony Joshua slammed by Carl Froch for criticising ex-coach Anthony Joshua explains key change in mentality ahead of Dillian Whyte fight Teofimo Lopez makes retirement U-turn and calls out major name

Many in the Muhammad Ali business believe that the boxer never fully recovered from his comedy fight with a wrestler in Tokyo. It was the summer of 1976; Ali was the world heavyweight champion, and some men in Japan came up with a financial package for Ali to meet renowned wrestler, Antonio Inoki. It was scheduled for 15 rounds of three minutes, and it was for the ‘heavyweight martial arts championship of the world’ belt. Sound familiar? It was, trust me, not the joke you thought it was. For a start, it was meant to be a fix, a rigged encounter with blood, comedy, action and a classic wrestling twist. Ali got wind of the fix and refused to attend rehearsals. The plan was simple: Ali would beat Inoki senseless for six or seven rounds, the wrestler was prepared to cut himself with razor blades and then, because of all the blood, it would be stopped in Ali’s favour. At that point, with Ali’s hand raised and 20,000 Japanese fans howling, Inoki was meant to jump on Ali’s back and pin him. Glorious stuff – Ali rejected it. It came at a crucial time in Ali’s career. He had just stopped Richard Dunn in Munich to retain his heavyweight title; Dunn was dropped repeatedly, and they were the last knockdowns Ali ever scored. He fought seven more times, in six world title fights, but never dropped another man. He met men like Ken Norton, Leon Spinks, Larry Holmes and Earnie Shavers in that period; everybody in the Ali business came to regret each awful fight during that time. The hidden injuries from the Inoki farce added to the decline. The Inoki circus was conceived and sold as a safe way to make $6million and not get hurt; neither thing happened. At a ‘contract-signing’ event the night before, which was available to fans at a price, they agreed it would be winner-takes-all. Ali also had four suites and 31 rooms at the best hotel in Tokyo; this was not a joke. “I can’t let boxing down,” Ali said before the fight. “He’s not used to taking hard shots to the head. The moment I go upside his head, it’s over.” Ali’s assessment is true, but the rules were not made clear. Inoki dropped to his back and chased Ali for 15 rounds from that position on the canvas. In total, Ali threw six punches and connected twice; it was repetitive and dull, with Inoki on his back kicking out at Ali. At the end, it was declared a draw. There was no grandstand wrestling moment and there had certainly not been a single quality moment of boxing. Ali’s legs were cut, bleeding and damaged from Inoki’s hard wrestling boots and the dozens of kicks he had sustained. It was the eyelets on the boots that caused the superficial damage; the real damage was hidden as ruptured blood vessels formed. Ali was told to rest the leg and get it treated before leaving Tokyo, but he had commitments in Korea and Malaysia; when he got back to America, he was hospitalised with blood clots and muscle damage. His left leg remained damaged until the end of his boxing career. Ali finished with about $2.2m dollars for the event; Inoki had been guaranteed $2m, but was paid just a fraction of that total. In Tokyo, in that ring, nobody won. It would be funny if the martial arts championship of the world belt was found and given to Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia in October. That would be cool. Incidentally, the fight was being shown all over the world on closed-circuit screens. In New York, outdoors at Shea Stadium, it was part of the night when Chuck Wepner, the inspiration for Rocky, met Andre the Giant in a wrestling ring. The Ali and Inoki fight was shown on big screens. What a time to be a fan. Anyway, back in 1976, Ali limped on, fighting from memory for too many people and for far too long, and Inoki, well, he became a genuine mixed martial arts pioneer and icon. The big lad was in front of all curves. Inoki died last year and fought for the last time in 1998 when he was close to 60. The man who busted Ali’s legs was far more than just a novelty act on the wrestling circuit. Read More Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever ‘Nonsense’: Anthony Joshua reacts to Fury vs Ngannou fight announcement Francis Ngannou to earn more in Tyson Fury fight than entire UFC career, says rep Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings Don’t be fooled by Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte’s calm reunion

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A boxing match between KSI and Tommy Fury is ‘very close’ to being agreed, per promoter Kalle Sauerland. KSI last fought in May, knocking out Joe Fournier with a controversial elbow that led the YouTube star’s win to be overturned. Meanwhile, Fury – half-brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson – most recently competed in February, outpointing Jake Paul. KSI, 30, and Fury, 24, faced off in the ring after the former’s fight with Fournier, and a bout between the Britons is edging closer. “CONFIRMED: weights agreed today for @KSI v @tommytntfury... very close now!” Sauerland wrote on Twitter on Monday (3 July). KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) has only fought once professionally, beating Logan Paul on points in 2019 after fighting the American to a draw in a 2018 amateur bout. He has fought several times in exhibition contests, however, including against businessman and ex-boxer Fournier in May. Meanwhile, Fury is 9-0 as a professional with four knockout wins. In his most recent fight, he was dropped late by Jake Paul but beat the YouTuber via split decision. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More KSI and Tommy Fury separated after heated face-off at Misfits boxing event KSI and Joe Fournier react as fight result is overturned Nate Diaz ‘looked like he was dying’ in training for Jake Paul fight, sparring partner says

Savannah Marshall became undisputed super-middleweight champion with a narrow decision win over Franchon Crews-Dezurn on Saturday. Two of the judges in Manchester scored the bout for Marshall, while the other had the main event as a draw – enough for the Briton to take all the major belts from Crews-Dezurn. Marshall entered the fight on the back of a points defeat by Claressa Shields in October – the first professional loss of the 32-year-old’s career, and a result with which Marshall lost the WBO middleweight title as her rival became undisputed in the division. But Marshall got back on track on Saturday, moving up in weight and reaping the rewards as she overcame a tough start to beat a tricky, physical opponent at the AO Arena. Crews-Dezurn, 36, had only lost once before as a professional (also to Shields, in 2016), and the American looked on course for another win as she got the better of Marshall at close range in the early rounds. Crews-Dezurn, the stronger of the two boxers, was punishing Marshall in the clinch, but the challenger began to find her timing and range as the fight progressed, ultimately doing enough to sway two of the three judges. Ultimately the scorecards read 95-95, 99-92, 97-93. Marshall then called for a rematch with Shields, who had been cheering on Crews-Dezurn from ringside, suggesting that such a bout should take place at super-middleweight – rather than at middleweight. On the undercard, Natasha Jonas became a two-weight world champion by stopping Kandi Wyatt in Round 8 to win the vacant IBF welterweight title. The Briton, 39, also holds the WBC and WBO titles at super-welterweight. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Ben Whittaker on his life-changing moment: ‘I was bleeding and crying – it flipped a switch’ Anthony Joshua removes stumbling block in Dillian Whyte negotiations Tyson Fury’s ‘game-changing’ return to be announced in ‘next week or so’, Frank Warren says Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder’s teams meet in London for talks over Saudi Arabia fight

Savannah Marshall and Franchon Crews-Dezurn go head to head in Manchester tonight, with the latter’s undisputed super-middleweight titles on the line. Marshall is aiming to bounce back from the first loss of her professional career, a points defeat by Claressa Shields in October, and to regain her status as a world champion. The Briton, 32, lost the WBO middleweight title in her clash with Shields, who became undisputed in the division by outpointing Marshall. Now, however, the Hartlepool fighter has another shot at becoming an undisputed champion herself, as she moves up a weight class. Like Marshall, Crews-Dezurn suffered the only loss of her pro career when she squared off with Shields, but that was back in 2016, in Crews-Dezurn’s pro debut. Since then, the American has won eight straight fights, most recently beating Elin Cederroos on points in April 2022. The 36-year-old, despite her sporadic bouts in recent years, took exception to Marshall’s claim this week that she is ‘lazy’, as the opponents took part in a heated press conference. Follow live updates from the main-event fight, and its undercard, below. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Savannah Marshall and Franchon Crews-Dezurn trade barbs before huge title fight Ben Whittaker on his life-changing moment: ‘I was bleeding and crying – it flipped a switch’ Anthony Joshua removes stumbling block in Dillian Whyte negotiations Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder’s teams meet in London for talks over Saudi Arabia fight

The heavyweight division is a bad pantomime now with Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, a chorus of fighters, a few promoters and some hefty backers all trying to work out what part of the dancing horse they are. Moving away from the ugly sisters, there is every chance that the gap between the last championship fight and the next will be the longest in over 50 years. This break is not common, ignore people telling you that. Fury defended his WBC title last December against his old, old friend, Dereck Chisora, and Usyk beat Anthony Joshua for the second time last August in Saudi Arabia to retain his IBF, WBA and WBO titles. Fury has no date, just social media plans, and Usyk is due to defend in Poland in late August against Daniel Dubois. It is hard to find a solitary reason for the break and even more difficult to put the blame on just one single person. There are a lot of people on the stage, and they all have a role to play. And to be honest, during the last six months they have all said too much. Sure, greed, rivalries, stupidity, lies and ego are at the very core of the problem, but boxing at the highest level has always had the same flaws, the same fluid obstacles. The standard excuses are there to overcome - that is how boxing works. Fury and Usyk for all the tarnished marbles was meant to have been signed and sealed last September. It was scheduled for April and is now a plan for December. Both boxers have insulted the other, and the theme of their mutual abuse is simple: greed. Obviously, both deny they are the greedy, money-grabbing party in the sad affair. Actually, the righteous outrage from both sides is comedy gold at times. Fury’s father, the unstoppable “Gypsy John” Fury, has demanded that Usyk apologise for his criticism. He has warned that if there is no apology, there might be a straightener in a field somewhere, man-to-man. There is honour at stake. It is endless mirth, it really is. c. Some of boxing’s wisest, richest and smartest brains have been involved in this ongoing lunacy. The men and women in the Fury camp blame Usyk, and the men and women in the Usyk camp blame Fury. The two main players in the Fury business, Bob Arum and Frank Warren, have a combined total of 98 years of promotion; they are both battling this madness. There is, according to some insiders, a one-off offer on the table from the government of Saudi Arabia for Fury and Usyk to fight there at the end of the year. Usyk has signed his deal. This offer is non-negotiable, and we know this because the media flown out to Saudi by the Saudi government have reported it as fact. As a guide to the way boxing works, there are seldom any facts involved when deals are being made, broken and made again. The real insiders are furious that Usyk and Fury, the biggest fight in boxing, is not yet across the line. The sanctioning bodies, who get paid a fee for fights, have promised to get tough with their heavyweight champions, but have not said a word or done a thing; everyone is holding out for a slice of the Saudi cash pie. ‘Hey, it’s a business,’ they will say, but that little claim is wearing very thin. Fury, meanwhile, has mentioned 10 possible opponents in his social media rants in the last few weeks, including a plan to fight two UFC icons in one night. Usyk and Dubois went to purse bids, which is one of boxing’s ancient rituals, and Usyk’s team won. The fight is scheduled for August. Looking in from the side of the crowded stage is Joshua. His fight with Fury was announced by Fury on 10 June, 2020; it would have been a fight for the ages, for all the belts and all the bragging rights. It never happened and it has come close a couple of times since then. Joshua, meanwhile, will fight in August and it might be Dillian Whyte. There is a rumour that Whyte wants too much for the fight; the flip side of that rumour is that Whyte was offered too little. In America, Deontay Wilder, twice beaten in classics by Fury, has not fought since last October. There is a plan, under the Saudi deal, for Wilder to fight Joshua in Saudi Arabia on the same night as Usyk and Fury fight. There is, so the paid publicists insist, a total purse of $400million on the table for the four boxers to split. It must be a strong table. There are bold plans right now for the deadlock to be broken soon and some concrete dates and fights to finally be announced. The traffic, as they say in the world of espionage, is heavy. Let’s hope for some fights – the old game needs the best heavyweights back in action and out of the back end of that horse suit. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Tyson Fury claims UFC has offered him ‘hybrid fight’ with Jon Jones Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones Why has Saudi Arabia become big player in world sport and what does future hold? Tyson Fury claims UFC has offered him ‘hybrid fight’ with Jon Jones Tyson Fury promises ‘imminent’ announcement of ‘big fight’ Joe Joyce on knockouts, oil painting, and teaching 60-year-olds to swim

VIDEO: Referee gets knocked out during kickboxing match.