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Oleksandr Usyk’s manager reveals his position on the fight with Fabio Wardley

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6 months ago

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Fabio Wardley stunned Joseph Parker at the O2 credit: Leigh Dawney/ Queensberry

Fabio Wardley called up Oleksandr Usyk after his victory over Joseph Parker
Fabio Wardley called up Oleksandr Usyk after his victory over Joseph Parker

Oleksandr Usyk’s manager Sergei Lapin believes Fabio Wardley should face Moses Itauma, with the winner facing his man.

Wardley lined up to fight undisputed heavyweight champion Usyk, stopping Joseph Parker on Saturday at the O2 Arena.

The WBO had already ordered Usyk to make a mandatory defense of his WBO title against then interim champion Parker, but the 38-year-old was granted an extension to the negotiations due to the injury.

Wardley won the interim belt with an 11th-round stoppage over Parker and called for a showdown after the Ukrainian’s masterful fight.

If Usyk does not face Wardley and vacates the belt, the Ipswich fighter will be elevated to the rank of full WBO champion.

Fabio Wardley amazed Joseph Parker during his performance at the O2: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry
Fabio Wardley amazed Joseph Parker during his performance at the O2: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

Lapin admits he would prefer Wardley to face number one ranked contender Itauma, with the winner getting a chance to fight the 38-year-old.

“We haven’t discussed the outcome in detail yet, but I don’t think he’ll be surprised,” the Ready to Fight CEO said proboxing-fans.com.

“This is boxing, especially heavyweight boxing – anything can happen.

“The association has certain rules [the WBO] – there is no other option.

“Either you relinquish your title or undertake a mandatory defense.

“There is nothing to make up here, everything is very clear.

“In my personal opinion, it would be great to see Fabio and Itauma fight for the world title.

“It would be a really thrilling fight and a stern test for both sides before they meet the substantial boxing boss.

“A fight like this would certainly generate a lot of interest from fans and clearly show who is truly ready for the next step.”

Itauma and Wardley are currently trained by Ben Davison, with the former dismissing a potential fight between the two.

If Usyk decides to face Wardley, Lapin believes Wembley Stadium, where his match took place July victory over Daniel Duboiswould be the perfect place for this fight to take place.

Oleksandr Usyk knocked out Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of the rematch and became the undisputed heavyweight champion at Wembley Stadium. Photo: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney
Oleksandr Usyk knocked out Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of the rematch and became the undisputed heavyweight champion at Wembley Stadium. Photo: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney

“At the moment I think it can only be London,” he added.

“Wembley is the best place for such a fight.”

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UK Boxing

Eddie Hearn responds to the announcement of the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua fight with three words

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2 hours ago

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April 28, 2026

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Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are expected to fight this year (Photo: 2026 Mark Robinson)

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Eddie Hearn has confirmed that the fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury has been “signed, sealed and settled.” The explosive announcement was made this afternoon, shortly after Joshua’s next opponent was revealed.

The former world champion and Olympic gold medalist will face Albanian boxer Kristian Prenga on July 25, before turning his attention to his fight with the Gypsy King in overdue 2026. The date of the clash between the two British heavyweights has not yet been confirmed, but it is expected to take place in the last quarter of this year.

This fight has been more than a decade in the making, especially after the 2021 undisputed heavyweight bout between the two fighters was canceled following an arbitrator’s ruling that Fury must face Deontay Wilder in a trilogy series, with the Bronze Bomber also rejecting the fee amount.

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Joshua was also scheduled to fight Oleksandr Usyk in a mandatory defense of the WBO title, which ended with the Ukrainian completely defeating him and winning the belt. Fury then defeated Wilder and Joshua met Usyk in a rematch, but again suffered defeat.

There have been discussions about a 2022 fight, but the situation became complicated when Fury repeatedly imposed his own stringent deadlines for a contract to be signed between the pair. That didn’t happen this year, as Hearn confirmed on social media.

The Matchroom boss shared a photo of himself with the chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, and a beaming Joshua. He wrote: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered! AJ v. Fury continues!”

Joshua has already begun psychological warfare with Fury, writing: “It’s no secret that I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready to get back into the ring, and this is the next step on that journey. I’m looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off. Like I said. The landlord will collect rent. That’s for sure.”

Fury has yet to respond directly, but he re-posted Alalshikh’s Instagram video confirming the news on X. Nevertheless, given the way he challenged Joshua immediately after he defeated Russian giant Arslanbek Makhmudov by unanimous decision earlier this month, Fury will be brimming with confidence.

After his triumph, he turned to Joshua and roared, “I want you, AJ, Anthony Joshua. Let’s give the fight fans what they want – the Battle of Britain. I challenge you, Anthony Joshua, to fight me, the Gypsy King, next. Do you accept my challenge?”

Of course, Joshua will first have to beat Prenga, a relatively unknown 35-year-old who has built a reputation as a formidable knockout specialist. His record is 20-1, and 20 of his victories ended by knockout. His only defeat came in February 2017, when he lost to Giovanni Auriemma in the Netherlands.

Hearn has repeatedly insisted that Joshua should have a “warm-up” fight before any fight with Fury. He most recently stepped into the ring against Jake Paul in a very lucrative bout before he survived a devastating car accident in Nigeria that tragically killed his friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.

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UK Boxing

Conah Walker vs. Sam Eggington – how to watch it

Published

6 hours ago

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April 27, 2026

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Walker knocked out McCormack in December. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

Conah Walker returns to the ring next weekend and will face Sam Eggington.

The winner of the Walker vs. Eggington fight may have a chance to win the welterweight world title.

Since the defeat in 2024, “Wolf” has been in excellent form, boasting an impressive series of four victories in the season, the last three of which ended by knockout.

The last defeat in the career of the Wolverhampton fighter came at the hands of the current IBF world champion Lewis Crocker.

He overcame “The Croc” the distance and, in many people’s eyes, was unlucky not to receive recognition on the judges’ scorecards, which showed a unanimous victory for the Irishman.

He returned just two months after this defeat and in Birmingham he faced Lewis Ritson, whom he defeated over the distance.

Walker knocked out McCormack in December. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

Walker was the underdog against Harry Scarff in Nottingham and lost most, if not all, of the rounds until the 11th round before landing a series of punches in the penultimate round that forced the referee to stop the fight.

In his last fight, “The Wolf” was once again the clear underdog, beating Olympic silver medalist Pat McCormack in Monaco.

Walker performed well throughout the fight, but fell on two judges’ scorecards before the final round.

Walker defeated Ritson. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Walker defeated Ritson. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

The Wolverhampton player took the ball out of the bag and scored a dramatic goal in the last round.

He will face Sam Eggington, a tough opponent also from the West Midlands.

Eggington’s last defeat was to former world champion Abass Baraou, who defeated him by majority vote.

Abass Baraou defeated Sam Eggington by majority decision to win the vacant European super welterweight title in Telford. Photo: Wasserman Boxing
Abass Baraou defeated Sam Eggington by majority decision to win the vacant European super welterweight title in Telford. Photo: Wasserman Boxing

Since then, he has had wins over Alan Velazquez and Lee Cutler.

“The Savage” was injured in his last fight against Cutler and the injury forced the referee to stop the fight early, so he is hopeful that the fight will not be restarted against Walker.

Walker vs Eggington – date, place, start time and ring walks
  • The fight between both fighters will take place on Saturday, May 2, live at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton
  • Broadcast will start at 7pm BST/
  • The main event will start around 10pm BST
Conah Walker returns to action this weekend. Photo credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Conah Walker returns to action this weekend. Photo credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Walker vs. Eggington – how to watch
  • The card can be watched live worldwide on DAZN
Walker vs. Eggington – last three fights

Conah Walker

  • Conah Walker vs. Pat McCormack – KO in the 12th round
  • Conah Walker vs. Liam Taylor – KO in the 7th round
  • Conah Walker vs. Harry Scarff – 11th KO
Conah Walker is in good shape. Photo credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Conah Walker is in good shape. Photo credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

Sam Eggington

  • Sam Eggington bt Lee Cutler – technical decision, 9th round
  • Sam Eggington bt Alan Sebastian Velazquez – unanimous decision
  • Sam Eggington lt Abass Baraou – majority decision
Walker vs. Eggington – Undercard
Fawaz defeated Bostan in a rematch to win the English super welterweight title Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Fawaz defeated Bostan in a rematch to win the English super welterweight title Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
  • Kieron Conway (23-4-1) vs. Mark Jeffers (20-2) – middleweight (10 rounds)
  • Shannon Ryan (10-1) vs Nicola Hopewell (8-1) – super flyweight (10 x 2 rounds)
  • Tiah Mai Ayton (5-0) vs Stevi Levy (15-4) – (8 x 2 rounds)
  • Junaid Bostan (10-1-1) vs. Mohammed Graich (12-4-1) – super welterweight (8 rounds)
Liddard detained Conway in October. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Liddard stopped Conway in October Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
  • Louie Ward (1-0) vs. Jesus Carrasco (2-3-2) – (4 rounds)
  • Harley Burrows (debut) vs. Lewis Howells (3-7) – (4 rounds)

The post Conah Walker vs. Sam Eggington – how to watch it appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.

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UK Boxing

Tyson Fury’s immediate reaction to the fight with Anthony Joshua after signing the contract

Published

10 hours ago

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April 27, 2026

By

Tyson Fury was apparently left speechless when he finally reacted to Anthony Joshua agreeing on the terms of meeting him in the ring. Joshua has signed a multi-fight deal to make his comeback, starting with a fight against little-known Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia on July 25.

If Joshua escapes unscathed, he will face Fury in November, most likely at Wembley, and the fight will be streamed on Netflix. After the announcement, Fury took to social media, posting only an eye emoji in response. The 37-year-old is currently recovering from his own fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov two weeks ago, which Fury won on points.

After the fight, the former Olympic champion urged Joshua to join him in the Tottenham ring, but his rival refused. Fury claimed he had already signed a contract to fight Joshua, with whom he had been on a collision course for a decade.

However, Joshua has yet to do the same, and his rival has made it clear that if the fight falls through, he will retire from the sport for good.

“If it’s not Anthony Joshua next time, I’m not interested in boxing,” Fury insisted. “I’ll eat a thousand Easter eggs, get to 35 stone and leave, I’m not interested. It’s either him or I’m gone again. Right now I’m only interested in AJ. It’s the most significant fight for British boxing; either it happens or it doesn’t.

“He was brought to the ring for a reason, to enter the ring, confront and end the fight,” he added. “He was very evasive and didn’t give any definitive answers.

“I know one thing, he didn’t say yes.” In my opinion, he didn’t want to smoke. He didn’t look like he wanted it, he was just shocked and didn’t know what to say.

“He came to the ring to fight. If it were me, I would jump into that ring and face him. Ten years of preparation and yet, after all this time, there is still no certainty that this fight will be next.”

“I don’t want to set any deadlines. Either he wants to do it or he doesn’t. It’s now or never.”

However, Joshua has now put pen to paper, stating: “It’s no secret that I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready to get back into the ring, and today is the next step in that journey. I’m delighted to have agreed a multi-fight contract starting on July 25 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

“I’m looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off. Like I said, the landlord will collect rent, that’s for sure.”

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