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Anthony Joshua’s opponent was paid just £5,000 to fight former heavyweight champion

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Anthony Joshua’s former opponent Dorian Darch has revealed he earned just £5,000 for his fight with the heavyweight powerhouse. The Aberdare-born 40-year-old faced AJ in February 2014 at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, long before Joshua had established his legacy in the boxing ring.

It was Joshua’s fourth professional fight, which he entered on the heels of three straight wins, including technical knockout wins over Emanuele Leo, Paul Butlin and Hrvoje Kisiček.

At the time, Darch was much more experienced in the ring, boasting a respectable 7-2 record and prepared for six rounds with a younger opponent. However, the fight did not go as the Welshman expected, as Joshua dominated the first round and knocked out Darch with a solid right just before the bell.

A right hook early in the second round, along with a few grazing left hooks, knocked Darch off balance before referee Terry O’Connor stopped the fight, marking AJ’s fourth consecutive TKO win.

Although AJ has since earned colossal sums from heavyweight boxing fights, the most notable being a reported £53million for his 2022 rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, Darch revealed his earnings were paltry compared to his fight with AJ a decade ago.

Darch candidly revealed: “I’m trying to remember who I was with at the time, I think I was with Sammy Simms, he was my manager at the time. He offered me the fight and, as you know, I lost to Ian Lewison, so I knew my career wasn’t going anywhere.

“So Sammy Simms called me and said, ‘I’ve been offered the AJ fight if you want it?’ I said, ‘How much?’ and he said, ‘Five grand,’ so that’s all I had for it, five grand, because it was a long time ago, or was it 2014-15 or something? So I just took the fight, the five grand paid for a nice vacation, and the rest is history.”

Reflecting on his fight, Darch mused, “I was doing pretty well in the first round, I thought. If you watch the fight, I was making him miss. When he catches you, you get caught, if you know what I mean. He caught me with a right hook at the end of the first round, in the final seconds, and then I was like a ball in the corner until the bell rang.”

“So I managed to get to the second round and then I got hit with a huge left hook and it just knocked me off balance, my legs went down, my arms went down, and luckily the referee jumped in before he could take me down or hit me again. I’m just being candid; my legs went down.”

Darch, who hasn’t stepped foot in the ring since 2020 and has a record of 12-12-1, has seen Joshua rise to prominence in the boxing world. Joshua, who is incredibly busy, secured the WBC heavyweight title just eight months after the Darch fight by defeating Denis Bakhtov.

A year later he won the Commonwealth and British heavyweight titles.

In 2016, he added the IBF heavyweight title to his collection by knocking out Charles Martin in the second round at the O2 in London. The following year, he won the WBA (Super) and IBO belts by defeating Wladimir Klitschko.

In 2018, he added the WBO title to his growing list of accomplishments by defeating Joseph Parker, but lost all of his titles to Andy Ruiz Jr. a year later.

AJ currently boasts an impressive 28-3 record with his other two losses coming to Usyk, the latest boxer to achieve undisputed heavyweight greatness with a split decision victory over Tyson Fury in May.

Now 34 and aiming for another shot at heavyweight glory, Joshua is set to face Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on September 21 for the IBF heavyweight title. Dubois, with a 21-2 record, won the vacant title in June with an eighth-round technical knockout of Filip Hrgovic and will be hoping to defend his title when the fight is over.

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UK Boxing

A boxer even older than Mike Tyson calls out to Jake Paul and threatens to knock him out

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Oliver McCall, who was 59, was defended for his decision to continue fighting, which contrasted with the criticism Mike Tyson faced during his November fight with Jake Paul because of his age.

On November 15, Tyson, 58, went head-to-head with “Problem Child” at ATandT Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

He outperformed his eight-round unanimous decision by appearing slower and less agile than his younger counterpart during the match. Considering Tyson’s age and his absence from professional boxing since 2005, fans were not shocked by Paul’s victory over the former WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight champion.

Paul, a YouTuber-turned-boxer who is 31 years Tyson’s junior, looked noticeably fresh during the fight, improving his professional record to 11-1 with the victory. However, McCall did not face the same criticism as Tyson when he entered the ring four days later at the Texas Troubadour Theater under the Country Box banner, a year Tyson’s senior, to face 54-year-old Stacy Frazier.

McCall improved his record to 60-14-2 (no contest) via second-round TKO after knocking his opponent down twice in the fight, ending the fight with a crushing right hand 25 seconds into the fight. Concerned for the well-being of older boxers, Kevin Walters of the Tennessee Athletic Commission recently commented on how fighters are cleared to fight.

He said News from the world of boxing: “By law, every veteran over the age of 35 undergoes additional neurological examinations before obtaining their first or renewed license. All applications are processed in accordance with Tennessee laws and regulations.”

Despite debates about safety, McCall seems far from retired, and he eagerly challenges Paul after his victory in the ring: “I’ll lose about 10 more pounds and I’m ready for anyone. Oh, I’m going to knock out Jake Paul.

“I want to get revenge for Nate Robinson and then Mike Tyson for what he did to Mike Tyson. “That would be awesome” – incorrectly calling out Logan Paul to fight as NBA character slayer Robinson, when the real antagonist was actually Jake.

Oliver McCall, a boxing veteran who famously defeated Lennox Lewis for the WBC heavyweight title in September 1994, is preparing for another fight despite his advanced age. With a professional debut in November 1985 and a 24-5 record before a stunning TKO victory over Lewis, McCall demonstrated remarkable longevity in the sport.

He successfully defended the title once, but lost it to Frank Bruno almost a year later. Now, at an age when many boxers have long since hung up their gloves, McCall is preparing to step into the ring against Gary Cobia on Jan. 21 in Nashville.

However, there is a twist in the story when a fight hangs in the balance; Walters revealed that Cobia has not yet applied to the Commission for a license. He explained: ‘Commission staff consider all applications for licenses and permits. Veterans who are thirty-five years of age or older undergo additional neurological examinations to obtain or renew their licenses. If the person is eligible for a permit, the Commission may approve the application.

“Gary Cobia has not yet applied for a license. If he applies for a license, Commission staff will review relevant information, documents and any suspension status.”

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UK Boxing

Eddie Hearn claims Joshua is hurting over the loss of Dubois

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Dubois destroyed Joshua in five rounds in September Photo Credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua has suffered since his devastating defeat to Daniel Dubois. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua has suffered since his devastating defeat to Daniel Dubois. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

Eddie Hearn claims Anthony Joshua has suffered the psychological impact of his brutal defeat to Daniel Dubois.

Hearn saw his man Joshua get crushed by Dubois five rounds in Septemberwhose bid to win the IBF world heavyweight title collapsed in front of a record crowd of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.

The head of Matchroom says the two-time world heavyweight champion cannot accept defeat.

“I saw the pain he felt after losing to Dubois,” Hearn said Chris Mannix.

“And he suffered it because he wanted it so bad.

In September, Dubois defeated Joshua in five rounds. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
In September, Dubois defeated Joshua in five rounds. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

“He is striving to achieve this great performance.

“He puts in all the work to make sure he performs well tonight, but he didn’t perform, and worse still, he didn’t perform well.

“He’s at rock bottom.

In my opinion, he didn’t take the defeat well and that’s a sign of someone who cares, and that’s a sign of someone who wants it, and he wants it bad, he still does.

Fury suffered his second defeat in a row against Usyk. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions
Fury suffered his second defeat in a row against Usyk. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions

Joshua, 35, is on holiday in Nigeria and told the media that he finally wants to face fierce rival Tyson Fury this year.

In December, 36-year-old Fury suffered a second straight defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, and Hearn maintains that “AJ” is only looking for fights with Fury or Dubois.

“This is the biggest commercial fight in boxing,” he added.

“It’s just a massive fight and for AJ, when you look at his resume, there’s only one thing missing: I know the fight with Wilder that we signed a contract for and he got beat, but it’s just Tyson Fury.

“Actually, AJ only has two things to do, one is to try to get a rematch with Dubois, who obviously has a tough fight against Joseph Parker, and the other is to fight Tyson Fury.

“As long as Tyson Fury wants to continue fighting and is motivated to fight, I just believe it will happen because I don’t see any other option for Fury.”

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UK Boxing

Eddie Hearn’s ‘immediate’ message to Tyson Fury that Anthony Joshua hopes he will accept

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Eddie Hearn says the road is clear for the long-awaited dream match between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury – provided the Gypsy King wants it. Both British boxing legends have suffered painful title defeats. Joshua was knocked out by Daniel Dubious at Wembley and Fury lost his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia last month.

These defeats have naturally dampened some fans’ enthusiasm for a Joshua-Fury fight, although it would still be an appetizing and lucrative prospect even without the belts on the line. Joshua has made it clear he wants this fight, while Fury considers his future after his second defeat to Usyk.

If the 36-year-old Gypsy King decides to extend his career, Joshua’s promoter Hearn insists the fight could happen “immediately”. Matchroom boss said A place of stomping on YouTube: “This is the fight everyone wants. Tell me about the bigger fight? There is not one.

“I don’t know if it will happen. There were no discussions. Fury is recovering from this defeat and will decide what he wants to do after the break. If he wants to fight AJ, the fight happens immediately. We’ll see.”

Hearn says it is too early to put pressure on Fury and his team. He said: “I don’t think this is the time to start poking Tyson Fury. Don’t forget he lost on December 21st, so give him a few weeks to relax.

“Sooner or later, in the coming weeks, we will want to develop a plan for Anthony Joshua. That’s when the conversation with Frank Warren will happen [Fury’s promoter]Spencer Brown [Fury’s manager] and His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] and say, “We want to create AJ-Fury – what do you think?” We’ll go from there.”

Warren will also not put any pressure on Fury. He writes recently in his Daily Star columnthe Queensbury boss said: “I will not pick up the phone and ask Tyson Fury to fight again.

“If there is an opportunity for him, it will be passed on. But I won’t give you any advice on whether Tyson should take it. I haven’t talked to him yet about fighting Anthony Joshua and I will only do so if he comes to me and says he wants to get in the ring with him.

“My only hope is for Tyson to be cheerful and content with his life. If that happens, I will be more proud than you can imagine. If he decides to box again, I will support him 100%. This is a decision for me. him, his wife Paris and their family.”

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