Boxing
Eddie Hearn predicts ‘nervous’ Fury will beat Usyk in undisputed heavyweight clash
Published
8 months agoon
By
J. HumzaPromoter Eddie Hearn believes WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will come off the back foot and claim victory over IBF/WBA/WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night.
Fury’s nervous energy is a good omen
Hearn says he noticed Fury looking “nervous” and instead of seeing it as a negative, he puts it in a positive lithe by saying it’s a good thing. Of course, this could be wishful thinking as he wants/needs Fury to win to keep the great British battle alive against his fighter AJ.
Hearn was picking Fury (34-0-1, 24 KO) by knockout, but now sees him employ the weight loss to defeat Usyk (21-0, 14 KO) in their undisputed championship fight in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.
Many boxing fans would disagree with Hearn’s view, believing Fury to be too tardy, venerable and one-dimensional to beat a former amateur talent like Usyk, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, former undisputed cruiserweight champion and has a track record of two victories over Anthony Joshua.
It’s quite obvious that Fury will fight as he has for the last six years, grabbing Usyk whenever he comes into range and holding him like a giant Sea Lamprey, intent on draining his life force.
Fury has done this to every opponent he has faced since 2018 and he cannot change that. Like many older fighters, Fury has his ways, fights the same way, talks the same way and wears the same flashy clothes.
Mega fight on the line
Hearn clearly needs Fury to win this fight to turn the clash between him and Joshua into a monster mega-fight. If Fury loses on Saturday, the fight with Joshua could still happen, but it won’t be as massive of a fight.
“It’s not just about saying, ‘Just take him in and beat him up.’ This is how Usyk will pay you for it,” promoter Eddie Hearn told Charlie Parson’s Youtube page about Saturday’s Tyson Fury vs. fight Oleksandr Usyk.
“Usyk will employ that little square in the middle to turn around and take shots. His work rate is really good. Fury is coming into the spotlight which would suggest he wants to make a move in this fight and I think Fury will fight Usyk on the back foot.”
Hearn’s comment smacks of selfishness and complete wishful thinking regarding his cartoonish vision of Fury’s performance. This isn’t happening. Fury has no choice but to move forward, fire a single shot, then grab Usyk and lean on him.
The only variation we’ll see is holding and punching Fury. He does it a lot. We’ll probably also see some rabbit punches and elbows from Fury to add a little more spice to the broth of his grubby tricks.
“I think it will be a very close fight. “I think there will be a lot of swinging rounds where there may be rounds where there is a lot of fainting and a lot of movement, but not a lot of punches being thrown,” Hearn said.
Hearn’s analysis: a bit of wishful thinking
“This is not Usyk’s style. He likes to get in there and hit a lot of high-volume shots. How many Furies are left? How fresh is it? It looks great. I think he’ll be a little nervous,” Hearn said.
Fury’s legs are too tardy to stop Usyk from using the cutter in range and taking a shot. Fighting off the back foot won’t work for Fury as Usyk will quickly close the distance on the 6’9″ suit to land.
“I thought he looked a little nervous last night, which I think is really good for him because I don’t think he had that kind of nerves against Ngannou, and in other fights he hasn’t looked that good,” Hearn said.
“I think he’s at his best when he’s nervous. If you look at his fights with Wilder. I think he would be nervous about this fight and so would Klitschko. These are his best performances. Ty Mitchell said, “He’s in the best shape I’ve seen him,” and I said, “If he does, he’ll win.” Its my choice. If Tyson Fury continues to be Tyson Fury and stays in the form of his life, he will win this fight,” Hearn said.
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Boxing
Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
5 days agoon
January 13, 2025The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
The next move is Badou Jack’s.
Boxing
Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years
Published
7 days agoon
January 12, 2025Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
Boxing
Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios
Published
2 weeks agoon
January 6, 2025WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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