Boxing
Tyson Fury calls on Makhmudov to conclude a business deal
Published
6 months agoon
There’s no bad blood, no mounting tension, and no attempt to sell it as something bigger. Fury made that clear when describing his experience on Saturday night.
“There is no rivalry between me and Arslanbek. There is no animosity. There is nothing. It was never a rivalry,” Tyson Fury told Queensberry about why he is fighting Makhmudov. “Strictly business.”
The “it’s just business” line is the best shield in boxing. When a fighter uses this phrase, he or she is essentially trying to remove the burden of entertainment value from the conversation.
Looking at it this way, Fury is trying to sidestep some specific criticisms and pressures. By calling it a “trade” he signals that he is in it for the paycheck and the activity.
It serves as a subtle defense against soft-touch storytelling. It’s his way of saying, “I know you wanted a blockbuster, but this deal was on the table and I’m here to complete it.”
“It’s just a business transaction,” Fury said.
Whether or not this is a inexpensive excuse depends on how you currently view the heavyweight landscape. Fans who feel that Fury is “avoiding” certain opponents or causing the division to stagnate will likely see this as a way to tune out the fight.
“There’s no need to call bullshit on someone who isn’t very good at English and who can’t answer,” Fury said. “All this requires a dance partner, and Arslanbek is not that kind of person.”
If former heavyweight king Fury were to shout at and belittle a man who barely speaks the language but is clearly the “B-side” of the promotion, it would look less like a promotion and more like a punch. Fury knows that bullshit requires a certain type of opponent to work. Without it he just looks mean.
“It doesn’t change. It’s just business as usual,” Fury said. “Any man that comes there to fight me tonight is a challenge,” Fury said. “I have to treat everyone exactly the same.”
For Fury, it’s a career-boosting mission. By calling it “business as usual,” he tries to create an air of control, but the numbers tell a much more desperate story.
At 37 years senior, turning 38 this year and ending a 16-month hiatus, Fury returns to the ring with a record that has deteriorated. If Makhmudov causes chaos at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night, the ‘Gypsy King’ era will officially come to an end with a whimper.
Technically, a defeat would be his third in a row after losses to Usyk in 2024. Considering Ngannou’s performance, which many fans considered a moral failure, he hasn’t looked like a world-class operator since the beginning of 2023.
Fury has always carried extra weight, but in the second fight with Usyk he looked tired and lacked the elite footwork that once allowed him to dance around giants.
The only reason this fight is on Netflix is to get a payday with Anthony Joshua. Losing to an opponent ranked 15th completely destroys this advantage.
By calling it “business as usual” and claiming he treats everyone the same, Fury tries to sound professional, but it could easily be read as denial.
There’s something sorrowful about a former undisputed tier champion fighting a “B-side” on a streaming platform just to prove he still belongs in that organization. If he fights Makhmudov, a fighter Fury himself described as “clunky” and “ponderous,” it won’t matter whether he wins or loses. The “company” will be viewed as bankrupt.
Fury tries to avoid the desperation narrative by acting like he’s just taking turns. But when an athlete with a father’s body and a losing streak starts talking about “business,” it usually means that the fire in the sport has been replaced by the need for control.
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Boxing
Roy Jones Jr Declares New KO Artist the Next Canelo: Fans Eager for Fight
Published
7 hours agoon
September 23, 2026
Roy Jones Jr has named one fighter as the “new Canelo” and, by extension, considers them to be the ‘face of boxing’.
Some might argue that Canelo Alvarez remains boxing’s biggest commercial star but, with the 36-year-old approaching retirement, the sport is surely crying out for another mainstream attraction to take his place.
It is also unusual for the four-division world champion that, by the end of this year, he will not have fought on Cinco de Mayo or Mexican Independence Day weekend.
Instead, occupying the latter date earlier this month was Ryan Garciawho retained his WBC world title with a second-round stoppage of Conor Benn, taking his record to 21 knockouts from 26 victories, with just two defeats.
In doing so, the 28-year-old has kept himself in the mix for unification matches with Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney but, until such fights materialise, he seems eager to remain active and defend his welterweight belt.
As far as a next opponent goes, Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz has been mentioned as a possible option following his emphatic sixth-round knockout of Nestor Bravo last weekendand it seems that pound-for-pound legend Jones would enjoy that clash.
That is because Jones has told All The Smoke Boxing that Garcia-Cruz is a stylistically similar matchup to Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier.
“Ryan is the new Canelo – everybody wants to see Ryan.
“[Cruz] has the style – the perfect style – that you want to see against Ryan. Ryan’s a classic boxer-puncher; Pitbull is a brawler-puncher. That’s Ali and Frazier, almost.
“Who would not, on planet Earth, want to see that fight?”
“Ryan is the new Canelo!”
Roy makes the case for Pitbull Cruz vs Ryan Garcia being one of the most exciting fights to make in boxing 🎟️👊 pic.twitter.com/PWVwO68sTj
— ALL THE SMOKE Boxing (@atsboxing) September 22, 2026
While Cruz is, indeed, a tenacious brawler-puncher, the 5ft 4in super-lightweight would be contending with a glaring size disadvantage if he moves up to 147lbs and faces Garcia.
Boxing
Heavyweight Brothers Aim to Dominate Boxing Like the Klitschkos
Published
7 hours agoon
September 23, 2026
A pair of German prospects hope to follow in the footsteps of Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, who became the first brothers to simultaneously reign as world heavyweight champions.
The two highly-decorated Ukrainians achieved this feat between 2008 and 2013, after Vitali reclaimed his WBC title by dethroning Samuel Peter with an eighth-round finish.
‘Dr. Ironfist’ would then retire from the sport and pursue his political career, while Wladimir became the longest-reigning world heavyweight champion in history before losing to Tyson Fury in 2015.
While holding all four major titles between them, though, the Klitschko brothers established themselves as a dominant force and became mainstream celebrities in Germany.
Since then, the German boxing scene has struggled to generate such widespread attention but, now, over a decade later, Ismet Ademi (24) and Endrit Ademi (21) are bidding to emulate the Klitschko duo.
With seven national titles between them, the pair turned professional earlier this year and caught the eye of several promoters in the UK and US.
It can now be revealed, however, that the Ademi brothers have inked multi-year deals with Ringside Zone, who considers itself the leading boxing promotional outfit in Germany.
With Ismet returning to action on October 10, the 1-0 (1 KO) prospect explained that he and younger brother Endrit, 2-0 (2 KOs), would rather establish themselves on home soil than chase opportunities overseas.
“My brother and I had massive offers from abroad, but Germany is our home and this is where we want to build our legacy.
“Ringside Zone has already shown they can put German fighters in world title fights, and that mattered to us. We made a promise to each other years ago that we would become world champions together – signing here is another step toward keeping it.”
With lofty plans for the future, the Ademi brothers make for intriguing additions to the heavyweight scene as they aim to eventually reach world level and reach the heights that the Klitschko brothers once did.
Boxing
Muhammad Ali Names Boxings Greatest: He Was the Greatest
Published
8 hours agoon
September 23, 2026
Muhammad Ali once revealed who he believed to be the pound-for-pound greatest fighter of all time.
Ali is arguably the biggest name to ever grace boxing, becoming a global cultural figure not just for what he accomplished inside of the ring, but also for his activism efforts outside of it.
He was a three-time world heavyweight champion, and claimed wins in a number of epic battles, including the ‘Rumble In The Jungle’ against George Foremanand the ‘Thrilla In Manila’ against Joe Frazier.
Ali finished with a record of 56 wins from his 61 professional bouts, and despite all of his success, Ali conceded that another man ranked above him as the number one fighter in boxing history, admitting that he feels Sugar Ray Robinson is deserving of that honour.
“That man was beautiful. Timing, speed, reflexes, rhythm, his body, everything was beautiful.
“I’d say I’m the greatest heavyweight of all time, but pound-for-pound, I still say Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest of all time.”
Robinson competed professionally from 1940 to 1965, having a remarkable 201 fights during that time, winning 174 of them. At his peak, Robinson once had a record of 129 wins from 132 fights, with 85 of those wins coming by knockout.
He went on a 91-fight unbeaten streak during that time, as he held the world welterweight title for five years, before becoming world middleweight champion on multiple occasions.
Ali isn’t the only boxing legend that believes Robinson is the best ever, with fellow heavyweight icon Mike Tyson also sharing the same view.
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