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Anthony Joshua injured during sparring session with children ahead of fight with Daniel Dubois

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Anthony Joshua suffered a petite cut while sparring at the hands of children ahead of his IBF heavyweight world title fight with fellow Briton Daniel Dubois. The two-time world champion, 34, stepped into the squared circle to jokingly spar with some of the youngsters at his amateur gym, Finchley ABC.

“Which one of you cut me? Was it you?” Joshua smiled, and the video shows a noticeable cut on his cheek. One of the children confessed and earned Joshua’s respect.

AJ will look to become a three-time world champion on September 21 at Wembley Stadium against Dubois, who received the belt after Oleksandr Usyk’s resignation. Tensions threatened to peak as AJ and Dubois came face to face, with the former threatening to throw a chair in his rival’s face, claiming he was being disrespectful.

The Brits have also been close in sparring before, with Dubois leaving his mark. Joshua revealed that his rival Dubois “smashed” him, but didn’t knock him out, in sparring a few years ago. “I knew Daniel from Team GB,” Joshua said.

“I had just turned pro but I stayed on the GB squad. I was still training there so we sparred. Good sparring. All that talk you’re trying to get at, he just blew me away with a good shot. But I was on my feet.

“I don’t know where this whole narrative came from that someone turned off my delicate. There were a ton of people at the gym that day. And they came out and said nothing happened.”

Joshua added: “Listen, people say what they say. In my case, it’s always been the inch that made the mile, but it’s all good. I’m not saying he has a chance to do it on September 21st, because sometimes what you’re talking about comes to pass, but I’m not going to let that happen and I’m going to show you how good I am, whether it’s sparring in the ring or fighting in the ring, I’m not going to let anyone manipulate me or try to take me down. No way.

Dubois will be looking to say goodbye to Joshua later this year in order to keep a close eye on Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury. Dubois was beaten by Usyk last year but had a good showing against the Ukrainian, unfortunately failing to register a knockdown as it was deemed too low. Like Joshua, Dubois isn’t drawn back to his past in previous sparring sessions.

“I don’t want to talk about not sparring or anything like that,” Dubois said. “This happened seven years ago and honestly, I don’t remember it. I’m not here to spar him, I’m here to fight him. So let’s stick to the fight.”

“I will say it was great to be there and share that experience with these guys who were at the top of their game. Another thing, speaking of sparring, people have mentioned sparring with me and it didn’t work out, so I don’t want bad luck to get to me!”

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UK Boxing

Anthony Taylor collapsed minutes after Darren Till KO and viewers were left terrified

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There were disturbing scenes during the last Misfits Boxing gala in Manchester on Saturday evening when Anthony Taylor collapsed after being stopped by fellow MMA fighter Darren Till.

The American took up the fight shortly after Tommy Fury withdrew, but he was no match for Till, who dominated from the very beginning.

In his first boxing fight, the Liverpudlian looked outstanding from the bell, displaying impressive hand speed and having no trouble countering Taylor’s aggressive approach.

Threatening to KO from the start, Till secured a stoppage in the sixth round.

But what happened next shocked those who watched the event. Taylor, who entered the fight with a 7-4 boxing record, broke down in post-fight interviews. He was later taken away from the Co-Op Arena in a wheelchair.

Many assumed that Taylor was then taken to the hospital for tests. However, according to Ariel Helwani, after being given oxygen and found to be stable, he was allowed to return to his accommodation.

Misfits co-founder Mams Taylor later confirmed that Taylor had regained consciousness. He also said Taylor did not need a hospital visit because he was “conscious and well” when he entered the locker room.

He later posted a video on social media in which he spoke clearly and promised to bounce back from the shocking defeat. “It’s OK, I took the L (loss) like a motherfucker,” he said.

“I’ll be back. I’m fine. Thank you all for your love and support, thank you to everyone who makes fun of me too. I don’t give a damn. I deserve it. But at the end of the day, I’ll fucking come back.”

“Pretty Boy,” who has a professional MMA record of 7-5 but has not fought since August 2019, also took aim at Fury. WX wrote, “Now we know why Tommy Fury backed out,” along with two laughing emojis.

The Misfits Boxing 20 main event was only organized after the Manchester fighter withdrew. The younger brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson stated that he was not content with Till’s claim that he would resort to “MMA tactics” if he lost the fight.

Do later denied that he wasn’t stern when giving the warning, saying it was simply a marketing tactic. It wasn’t until December 29 that it was confirmed that Taylor had stepped in as a replacement.

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UK Boxing

Darren Till’s Mystery Woman Tattoo Explained in Response to Paige VanZant’s Claims

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Former UFC welterweight title challenger Darren Till covered up a tattoo of a girl, sparking debate among fight fans.

The Liverpudlian is set to make his Misfits Boxing debut tonight against Anthony Taylor, almost two years after his departure from the UFC. Till left the MMA promotion to explore other opportunities. He was scheduled to make his professional boxing debut against former Mexican WBC middleweight boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr last July, but the fight was ultimately canceled.

Instead, he faced Palestinian mixed martial arts champion Mohammad Mutie in an exhibition boxing match at Social Knockout 3 in Dubai the same month. Despite a blow to the back of Muti’s head, Till was declared the winner by technical knockout in the second round.

He is currently expected to move to Manchester but faces a tough opponent in Taylor, who has extensive experience in the Misfits world. Fans noticed that Till covered up a tattoo of his girlfriend’s face with a gorilla. He previously stated that he got the tattoo so that the woman, the mother of his two children, would always be close to him, even during fights.

Many fans wrongly believed that Till’s tattoo resembled former UFC star Paige VanZant, but the Liverpool MMA fighter rejected such suggestions. “That’s my girl,” Till explained about the ink. “It was a surprise for her on her birthday. I thought, ‘Yes, I’ll do something different. I’ll put a tattoo on her face.”

The topic of tattoos continued, but Till insisted: “It’s not Paige VanZant, I don’t even know who she is. As I said about my girlfriend, she is second to none. So every time I fight, she fights too. And she gets beat up by me, so if she pisses me off, I just go to the gym and let some guys beat me up.”

The combat sports world has also been abuzz with news of Till’s potential fight with Tommy Fury, which has now fallen apart. Fury explained his decision to withdraw in a statement on social media: “I can’t believe I’m writing this but now I’m not fighting Darren Till on January 18. For one straightforward reason: Darren has repeatedly stated that he does not want to follow the rules of professional boxing and that if he loses a fight, he will resort to kicks and other stupid MMA tactics.”

Fury continued to explain, emphasizing his dedication to boxing and lamenting the wasted preparation. “I’m a professional boxer, I’ve been out of the ring for over a year and I wanted it to be a great boxing match for the fans. I wasted weeks in training camps. We are working demanding to find a fresh opponent and I promise that I will find a better opponent and a better fight for you. Good news just around the corner.”

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UK Boxing

The former Chelsea footballer joined the KSI boxing fight amid a major career change

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Former Chelsea footballer Wayne Bridge is reportedly set for a surprise career change after being lined up as KSI’s next boxing opponent.

The former Chelsea and Manchester City star won the Premier League playing under Jose Mourinho in 2004-05 and added the FA Cup and EFL Cup in 2006-07.

In 2009, he moved to Manchester City, where he spent three years before spending time on loan at West Ham, Brighton and Sunderland.

The former England international retired from football in 2014 after leaving Reading. However, he has remained in the spotlight because he is married to singer Frankie Bridge (née Sandford), former lead singer of girl band The Saturdays.

Now he is ready for an unexpected career change from football to boxing after being selected as one of KSI’s potential opponents.

According to Daily mailBridge is “one of the names mentioned” to fight the famed YouTuber and social media personality, with the fight scheduled for March 29.

KSI – whose real name is Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji and also goes by the nickname “JJ” – got into boxing alongside fellow YouTubers Logan and Jake Paul.

The London-born star is a household name in the celebrity world, having released her own rap album and enjoying success in various ventures, including The Sidemen and launching a drink called PRIME.

The 31-year-old recently expressed his desire to fight former UFC champion Conor McGregor in an exhibition fight. However, it looks like he will face a completely different opponent in Brydra.

Bridge, now 44, was plagued by injuries later in his career but is now said to be in “top form”. He has also entered the ring once, so he is no stranger to fighting with ropes.

Seven years ago, he faced Spencer Matthews, who previously appeared on the reality show Made in Chelsea, in a charity fight for Sport Relief and emerged victorious.

In the meantime, KSI fought Logan Paul twice and his record in six fights in the ring is 4-2.

His only defeat was against Tommy Fury in September 2023, when Fury, the younger brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson, won the fight by majority vote.

He has previously touched on the topic of fighting bridge when the topic was broached by another former footballer, Peter Crouch, on his podcast in October 2023.

He said, “You know, if you ever need someone to step in, I know someone who trains all the time. So if you need someone last minute, Wayne Bridge.”

KSI replied, “If he really cares about it, it would definitely be great to have him on Misfits.”

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