UK Boxing
Anthony Joshua costs Drake £1.2m after knocking out Jake Paul
Published
6 months agoon
Rap megastar Drake saw £150,000 ($200,000) go up in smoke after he backed Jake Paul, who pulled off a surprise upset against Anthony Joshua in their clash. The Canadian artist had a whopping £1.2 million ($1.64 million) at his disposal if Paul defeated AJ, who was ultimately victorious in the sixth round.
On Friday night in Miami, Paul suffered the second defeat of his fighting career against a British heavyweight. The actor-turned-rapper took to Instagram to show off his massive bet, flaunting the considerable sum he had wagered with the caption, “Jakeyyyyy, boy. Lock yourself in,” written below. Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Drake Graham, has a terrible sports betting history and is equally bad at dominating any team or player.
The 39-year-old’s dismal streak has even spawned a bizarre phenomenon dubbed the “Drake Curse.” This alleged curse usually involves the “One Dance” killer posing for photos with athletes or wearing team jerseys before key games, and then those individuals or teams fail.
Paul Pogba became the first victim in March 2019 after posing for a photo with the superstar, and just four days later Manchester United were eliminated from the FA Cup to Wolves. The following month, former Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha was photographed with Drake, and a few days later the Eagles lost to Manchester City 3-1.
Former UFC champion Conor McGregor also fell victim to the curse after losing his fight to Khabib Nurmagomedov following a photo shoot with Drake.
Shortly after meeting the rapper, Sergio Aguero also missed a penalty for Manchester City in the Champions League. In 2019, Joshua himself experienced a curse when he was shown a photo with Drake just days before his fight with Jarrell Miller was canceled.
The situation deteriorated further when Andy Ruiz Jr stepped in on low notice and scored a shock knockout victory over Joshua. Before the fight, Joshua even joked that he banned Drake from backstage due to superstition.
Speaking to ESPN about whether he would welcome Drake into his dressing room, Joshua said: “I know I shouldn’t. Do you know about the Drake curse? But it’s true.
“That’s what I’m saying, but what’s weird is that I took the photo with Drake. We took it before (Jarrell) Miller got banned. Then Miller took a drug test and was kicked out. The fight was canceled.”
Drake recently candidly revealed the true extent of his gambling losses. Via a screenshot on Instagram, the star revealed the staggering amount of money he has lost to gambling this year, revealing he lost £5 million ($8 million) in just one month.
Drake said, “I have to share the other side of gambling… The losses are so fried right now… I hope I can post a massive one for you soon because I’m the only one who has never seen Max, Max these guys, Max once a week.”
Earlier this year, he also revealed details of a bet he placed on an NBA game. The rapper placed £596,400 ($800,000) on two separate bets.
Still, his losing streak continues. In April this year, Drake suffered a loss of £750,000 ($1 million), which he jokingly blamed on pop icon Justin Bieber.
The music mogul supported the Toronto Maple Leafs in their victory over the Florida Panthers in the NHL in May. They were ultimately defeated 6-1, with Drake joking that Justin’s presence in the stadium put a “curse” on him.
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UK Boxing
Boxing tonight: exact start times, TV channel, live coverage and fight cards
Published
7 hours agoon
June 6, 2026
Boxing returns with a bang on Saturday night (Photo: Getty)
How to tune into every boxing match today with three huge cards at your disposal
- Starting times and place: Chris Billam-Smith will face Ryan Rozicki on Saturday evening at the Bournemouth International Center in Bournemouth, England. The undercard fights will start at 5:00 p.m. and there is no confirmed time for the main card walkouts – the broadcast starts at 7:00 p.m., so the main fight may start around 10:00 p.m.
- Josh Padley vs. Aqib Fiaz: Meanwhile, Padley will face Fiaz at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, with coverage taking place at 7pm. The expected ring walk for the first fight is scheduled for approximately 9:30 p.m.
- Aleks Petrovic vs. Chase DeMoor: The action of the hit Misfits vs. Fame Fighting event takes place at the Ostermann Arena in Leverkusen, Germany. The first fights will start at 5:00 p.m., with the main events available around 10:00 p.m.
- British TV channel: The Billam-Smith vs Rozicki fight will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Action and Sky One from 7pm. The event from Sheffield can be accessed on DAZN and the Petrovic vs DeMoor fight will be broadcast on The Sun.
- Live broadcast information: Those watching the Billam-Smith vs. Rozicki fight can watch the action on the Sky Go app, available on mobile devices and the web. DAZN subscribers will be the only ones able to access the Padley vs Fiaz match, with the pay-per-view service unavailable. It costs £25.99 for a monthly versatile pass or £119.99 for a one-off annual subscription. The Misfits vs Fame Fighting card is available exclusively through The Sun and can be accessed if you are a member of The Sun Club.
- Radio coverage in the UK: Sun Club will broadcast the audio broadcast of the Petrovic vs DeMoor match, with no scheduled radio broadcast of the Padley vs Fiaz match. TalkSPORT will broadcast the Billam-Smith vs Rozicki fight.
- How to watch in the US: American fans can watch the Billam-Smith vs. Rozicki main event on Paramount+ from 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT). The Padley vs. Fiaz fight will continue to be available on DAZN for US residents, and The Sun Club will be the only place to watch the Petrovic vs. DeMoor fight.
- Billam-Smith vs. Rozicki fight card: Alex Macmillan vs. Tyler Rivers (welterweight), Leon Hughes vs. Mario Vergiev (lithe heavyweight), Harvey Dykes vs. Ivan Dychko (heavyweight), Sam Hickey vs. Todd Tompkins (middleweight), Stephen McKenna vs. Casey Streeter (middleweight), Lee Cutler vs. Aaron Sutton (middleweight), Jack Massey vs. Cheavon Clarke (cruiserweight) and Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki (cruiserweight).
- Padley vs Fiaz fight card: Chris Mulunda vs. TBA (Middleweight), Connor Mitchell vs. TBA (Featherweight), Leo Atang vs. TBA (Heavyweight), Edward Hardy vs. TBA (Featherweight), Adam Maca vs. TBA (Junior Lightweight), Aaron Bowen vs. Troy Coleman (Middleweight), Ibrahim Nadim vs. Ibraheem Sulaimaan (Junior Lightweight) and Josh Padley vs. Aqib Fiaz (Junior Lightweight).
- Petrovic vs. DeMoor fight card: FoxTheG vs. Pully Arif (preliminary), Ty Mitchell vs. Aro Schwartz, Oliver Ginkel vs. Norbert Ruzicka, Filip Pavlovic vs. Luis Alcaraz Pineda, Ediz Tasci vs. Nathan Barnatt, Tommy Pedroni vs. Fes Batista, Slim vs. Can Kaplan, Tobias Pietrek vs. Josh Brueckner, FaZe Temperrr vs. MckyTV and Chase DeMoor vs. Aleks Petrovic.
- READ THE LATEST BOXING NEWS: Oleksandr Usyk agrees to fight again after avoiding shock defeat to Rico Verhoeven
UK Boxing
“Career End” – Johnny Nelson predicts Joshua vs Verhoeven
Published
23 hours agoon
June 5, 2026
Johnny Nelson MBE has commented on a potential clash between Rico Verhoeven and Anthony Joshua.
Nelson reflected on Verhoeven’s recent performance and the traits he saw that could cause problems for Joshua.
“AJ” and the kickboxing icon were scheduled to fight earlier this year as it looked like Verhoeven would have his first boxing fight in over 14 years.
Initial plans were scrapped after Joshua became involved in wa terrible accident in Nigeria just 10 days after beating Jake Paul.
Nelson talked to Daily mail box about how he thought the contest might have gone.
“I think he took a good turn. I think he took a turn that could have ended his career.
“Because Rico was powerful and substantial, there were shots that missed Usyk’s chin.”
Instead, the “King of Kickboxing” faced two-time undisputed heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk.
He entered the field as a much weaker player and many expected the Ukrainian to win his 25th career victory.
Verhoeven pushed the defending champion for 11 rounds, with one of the judges’ scorecards favoring him before the fight was stopped.
After Usyk released him, referee Mark Lyson stepped in and stopped the fight, even though Verhoeven wanted to continue.

“Remember, Rico is used to being kicked in the head by bigger men, so ‘AJ’ has strength and accuracy.
“If he doesn’t get rid of him first and Rico keeps holding him and twisting and using that physicality on him…
“You know what, it shouldn’t be like this, but now we know what he means. If it was “AJ”, Rico would have his number.”

After the defeat, he spoke to Verhoeven Sun boxing and revealed his disappointment at the end of the competition.
“It’s a mistake. This is a championship fight!
“They would never stop this fight [if Usyk was hurt in the 11th round]. Never! They would let him go down and keep his hands up for the rest of the round.
“That’s the only thing I’m looking for. Just say, ‘Yes, you’re right.’
“If it had been the other way around or with any other boxer, we would have done it differently.

“It goes both ways.”
A fight between the two seems unlikely in the near future considering Joshua’s return to the ring on July 25.
In Saudi Arabia, he will face Kristian Prenga, wanting to organize the long-awaited fight with Tyson Fury.
The post Career Retirement – Johnny Nelson Predicts Joshua vs. Verhoeven appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
UK Boxing
“I’m not interested in belts” – Ryan Rozicki talks about changing Zuffa Boxing
Published
1 day agoon
June 5, 2026
Ryan Rozicki is set to return to the ring tomorrow when he faces Chris Billam-Smith live from Bournemouth.
The Billam-Smith vs Rozicki fight will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Many people know “CBS” as he plans a successful homecoming run, headlining in Bournemouth for the first time since 2023.
He fights out of the Bournemouth International Center once again forced Mateusz Masternak to retire on the stool in the eighth round due to a rib injury.
Source: Boxxer
The Briton’s opponent before entering the competition remains relatively unknown, but his achievements tell the story of danger and a man who decided to tear up the script.
Rozicki boxes from Nova Scotia, Canada, and continues to train in his hometown. He spoke to professional boxing fans and revealed the biggest challenge his location poses to his boxing career.

He recently posted a video on social media highlighting one of the more unusual training methods he uses while camping in such a remote location.
“There are no sparring partners there, no. If I want to spar, I have to travel.”
The Canadian has a devastating knockout rate of over 95%, which he added in his last outing less than three months ago.

He stopped Gerardo Mellado in the second round after dropping him twice earlier.
The 31-year-old is currently ranked number one in the WBC cruiserweight rankings.
‘The Bruiser’ revealed his biggest inspiration growing up and how he emulates Jack Dempsey’s brutal and relentless style.
“Jack Dempsey. Brutal. Constant pressure. Damage.
“I have no interest in participating in a boxing match. I want to hurt my opponent.”
Despite such a high position in the WBC rankings, he surprisingly presented his goals for tomorrow night and the rest of his career.
Give me fights, give me large fights, pay me the most money and I will be there.
“I don’t focus on numbers, rankings, belts, anything.”
Rozicki had already tried to secure a fight with Billam-Smith.
The Canadian was ringside for his 2024 rematch victory over Richard Riakporhe at Selhurst Park and revealed what Ben Shalom told him about the pair’s fight two years ago.

“Ben said no one knows who you are and that you hit too demanding.”
While preparing to appear at Dana White’s first ever boxing gala in the UK, Rozicki also shared exactly how he sees the fight ending.
“One of my shots, from any angle, from any hand… he’ll go to sleep.”
The post “I’m not interested in belts” – Ryan Rozicki talks about the Zuffa Boxing switch appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
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