Analysis
Anthony Joshua has everything to lose in his match with Francis Ngannou
Published
6 months agoon
By
J. Humza“This is boxing: snakes and ladders,” Anthony Joshua explained during fight week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “You win, you go up, you lose, you go down. I have to win to continue.”
And he’s right. Despite the elementary analogy to the boxing industry, Joshua is fully aware of the significance of Friday night’s heavyweight fight with former MMA star Francis Ngannou and the ramifications the outcome will have on the rest of his career.
Getting to this point feels like a fever dream. Saudi Arabia’s recent investment in the sport – in an attempt to soften its image amid its terrible human rights record – and has so far succeeded in softening it – has turbocharged the heavyweight division into what could prove to be a fascinating crescendo over the next 18 months. Joshua and Ngannou close out the season in Riyadh after Ngannou and Fury opened it last October, with AJ looking to get through the door left open by Tyson Fury.
That “open door” is a victory over a man who has never won a professional boxing match. Ngannou was as impressive as Fury was disappointing last October, when “The Gypsy King” made the decision to fight despite falling to the canvas after feeling the full force of Ngannou’s left hand. A fully fit and focused Fury would have won that fight much more convincingly, but his setbacks have given Joshua an unexpected springboard to competing at the very top of the heavyweight tree.
“It’s going to be like King Kong vs. Godzilla,” beamed a predictably cheerful Eddie Hearn earlier this week. A critic of Ngannou’s foray into boxing just six months ago, Hearn now sees the former MMA heavyweight champion as a worthwhile and effortless chance to win the 12 in the self-styled game of snakes and ladders his fighter describes.
There are no excuses at this stage of Joshua’s career. Under the guidance of Ben Davison – Joshua’s third different trainer in less than three years – the Briton has found an edge in his game that disappeared after his first professional defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019. There is a renewed viciousness to Joshua’s attack, throwing combinations with confidence, and stoppages of Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin underlined that improvement.
“This is the first time since 2017 that I’ve had three fights in a row and being consistent has paid off again,” Joshua added. “That’s why fighters do so well on their way to the top, because they fight every other week and they look amazing. As soon as you get to the top, everything slows down and the only way out is retirement. I’m trying to rebuild myself and get that activity.”
Joshua won’t be planning on ending this frenzy of activity on Friday night. This particular bracket leads to the undisputed winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, scheduled for May 18, and if a final winner is decided in just over two months, then the Saudi powers – namely Turki Alalshikh – could wave their magic wands and force the winners of the next two fights to meet early before rematches can be forced.
Ngannou has nothing to lose in Riyadh – whether that makes him any more hazardous is debatable. The 37-year-old earned more for his fight with Tyson Fury ($10 million) than he did for his entire MMA career, so if the Cameroonian fighter continues to receive the paychecks, expect him to continue to take advantage of opportunities as we try to place him somewhere in the divisional rankings.
The division has been on its heels for a decade, producing “Did They, Did They” headlines every day featuring the same heroes, but thanks to endless avalanches of money and endless obedience from boxers willing to swallow their morals, Saudi Arabia has purchased the rights to the board on which the final few rounds of heavyweight snakes and ladders will be fought.
Whether Joshua will fight again remains to be seen on Friday night. If he loses, it’s game over.
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Analysis
Ben Whittaker is open to the idea of facing Chris Eubank Jr
Published
30 minutes agoon
January 15, 2025After Chris Eubank Jr expressed potential interest in fighting airy heavyweight Ben Whitaker, Whitaker spoke to Heavenly sports about the idea and says that of course he would be ready for it if it came into force.
“If there’s money there, sign me up. I’m bigger, younger, fresher. I wouldn’t say no,” he said Heavenly sports.
“I’m bigger,” he said. “There’s a reason they organize weight classes and I think he’s coming to the end of his career. I’m starting my career, so it’s probably the right time for me to grab him.
Whitaker has gained some following for his flashy and unconventional style, but has confined professional experience, having only had eight professional fights against low-level opponents. Still, he believes his skills exceed Eubank Jr.’s experience.
Granted, Whitaker knows that if he were ever to fight Eubank Jr., it would have to be at the agreed-upon catchweight, but if it’s a fight that makes financial sense, you can bet that all parties involved will find a way to come to terms.
Whitaker is currently scheduled to face Liam Cameron on October 12, which will be a gradual step up from his previous opponent, while Eubank Jr will appear on the same card when he faces Kamil Szeremeta in Riyad.
Analysis
Brian Norman’s father says they are open to a Jaron Ennis reunion
Published
23 hours agoon
January 14, 2025Following a recent interview with Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn in which he discusses his attempts to make Jaron Ennis a unification match against Brian Norman, Norman’s father releases a video message making it clear that they are not shying away from the fight. As Norman’s father says, they are actually interested in making this fight happen, and he believes there was a miscommunication.
“This is the latest on the Boots fighting situation on our side. I try to be as see-through as possible with Boots, Bozy and his team. I contacted him after Eddie Hearn did an interview.
“We immediately contacted Matchroom’s lawyers, the ones who sent the offer, and asked what does it mean that we rejected two offers? The Matchroom lawyer replies, “Oh, we didn’t realize you sent a counteroffer, which I find demanding to believe because how can you say we rejected anything, which means you never saw the response to your offer.
“The first offer was absurd, but the second one was close and we can work on it a bit. Anyway, we asked, “What’s your final offer?” Since then there has been no response, nothing.
“It’s been seven days since the first contract was sent, so I know they work on Saturdays, I know they work on Saturdays… With all due respect to Team Ennis, everyone with him, we have nothing but love for them, I hope people don’t believe that all this nonsense was rah-rah towards them, nothing like that… We want smoke in the ring, it has nothing to do with anything personal.
“Bozy didn’t turn down this fight, let me make that clear. Boots didn’t turn down the fight. I don’t think anyone is lying. I believe this is simply misinformation circulating. But at this point, it looks like it’s bullshit – at this point, because we’ve clearly turned around and said, “What’s your final offer?” and 24 hours passed, no one said a word.”
Analysis
Eddie Hearn discusses the signing of Shakur Stevenson and his future plans
Published
2 days agoon
January 13, 2025Following the recent official news of Shakur Stevenson signing with Matchroom, his promoter Eddie Hearn discusses his plans for Stevenson while touching on his ideas regarding Jaron Ennis and others. You can check out some excerpts from Hearn below, and the full video interview is at the top.
After signing Shakur Stevenson
“I really feel like I’ve been promoting Shakur Stevenson for years because I’ve been talking about him for years… I know my boxing and I know how good this kid is. He may be unbeatable, I know he’s a star who fights non-stop, there’s something about Shakur Stevenson’s mentality that makes me confident he’ll beat everyone.
“I think he has been hugely underrated. I think he should be not only an American superstar, but also a world star. I think he’s edgy, I think he’s got balls, I think he’s incredibly talented and I’ll do everything in my power to give him the platform and promotional push his skills deserve.
“For Shakur, the plan is for Joe Cordina to have two fights, and if he wins, a fight with Zepeda. And during this period we will show him our value. We will work closely together, Gervonta Davis, everyone. I hope these two fights will decide Shakur Stevenson’s career at Matchroom.”
About Stevenson’s fight with Cordina, which was not well received by fans
“I think it’s a really, really good fight… Stylistically, it’s a great fight for Joe Cordina and it’s actually a great fight for boxing. Two truly talented fighters. I think it will be a great fight and Shakur is a huge favorite for this fight, but Joe coming off the loss to Cacace and having the extra weight at lightweight, this is the right fight.
“It’s not witty, the last guy Shakur Stevenson boxed, Joe beat him easily, and probably the guys before that. So Joe is a earnest fighter…
“For me, we go with Joe Cordina, William Zepeda and Gervonta Davis. For me, once we do our job in these six months, Gervonta Davis vs. Shakur Stevenson will be the biggest fight in boxing. But we make our own moves. We’re not chasing Tank, we’re chasing greatness, but that comes with Tank because he’s an unbelievable fighter.”
About his plans for Jaron “Boots” Ennis
“That’s why we made offers to Brian Norman, the WBO champion; Barrios, WBC champion; and Stanionis, the WBA champion. They were all rejected. The one I think has legs – and I’ve seen him and his father in the last 24 hours – is Brian Norman, the WBO champion. We have already made two offers to Top Rank for Brian Norman, both of which were rejected pleasantly – I mean, we get on very well with Top Rank.
“Yesterday he posted a post in which he wrote: ‘we made a counter-offer.’ We did not receive any counter-offer. So Brian, if you want to make a counteroffer, hurry up and do it. But I want to fight this fight and if Brian Norman has the balls and if Brian Norman is real, Brian, if you’re real, let’s go. Let’s speed it up, let’s do this fight, because these are the fights we should be fighting.
“Brian Norman says Boots isn’t the boogeyman, he’s overrated. If you believe that, let’s end this fight. It’s a great fight between two brilliant American fighters.”
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