Boxing
Fury, Joshua and Wilder return; what’s next for the glamor division?
Published
2 months agoon
On Saturday in London, Tyson Fury retired once again and defeated Arslanbek Makhmudov by unanimous decision. Fury was so slippery, lively and agile that Makhmudov got stuck in the mud for long stretches of the fight.
Fury looked much better than expected considering his time away from the ring. Makhmudov, however, was not in the same class as Oleksandr Usyk, the only fighter to beat Fury. After Fury’s win, former champion Deontay Wilder’s entertaining if sloppy decision over Derek Chisora on April 4, and former unification champion Anthony Joshua’s potential return from his car crash in December, it’s starting to look like these three could collide.
Fury and Wilder fought each other three times in an epic trilogy that set the heavyweight division on fire. But that’s all we got from these three players in top form. And now, many years later, there is a glimmer of hope that another one of these hypothetical fights will happen.
The question is which one.
After his victory over Makhmudov, Fury called on Joshua to finally meet him later this year.
“Then I want to give [the fans] the fight you’ve all been waiting for. I want you, AJ, Anthony Joshua,” Fury said during his post-fight interview, pointing to Joshua at ringside. “Let’s give the fight fans what they want. The Battle of Britain. And here’s my challenge: I challenge you, Anthony Joshua, to fight me, the Gypsy King. Do you accept my challenge?”
Joshua decided to block Fury.
“I sat at that table with him many times,” Joshua said in his post-match interview. “Deep in my heart I will fight Tyson Fury tomorrow, especially after watching it [this fight]. It’s okay that I fight. This is what I do.
“I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘Yes, I’m going to fight him’. I’m not here to gain strength. I’m here to fight. The contracts will be sent. We’ll go through the smallest details and probably, more than that, you’ll probably see us in the ring next. But I’m not here to start getting in the ring and screaming in someone’s face. If you look at my track record, I’ve never done that. I’m not here to have influence.”
Fury and Joshua have held negotiations numerous times over the years and came close to an agreement in 2021, but the fight never materialized. Joshua is well aware of Fury’s games and refused to agree to the former champion’s demands in the name of entertainment.
“Look, he’s the one who retired,” Joshua said. “I was in the game. I never retired. I’ve been forceful for the last 13 years. It’s his fault, right? He disappears, he comes back, he disappears, he comes back. I’m forceful.”
While a fight between the two seems more likely than ever, there is still a distinct possibility that Joshua goes in a different direction and brings in another heavyweight he was once rumored to fight: Wilder.
A week ago, Wilder didn’t seem to be at Fury’s level, and his clock is ticking much faster than Fury’s. If Joshua is looking at a high-profile adjustment fight, Wilder makes a lot of sense. However, Wilder remains risky enough to raise the level of intrigue in the highly anticipated fight.
But Joshua (36) holds all the cards here. Both Wilder, 40, and Fury, 37, will have to wait their turn in what can now be called the “older” level of the heavyweight division.
The best option for the trio of former world champions is to finally face each other while the rest of the division moves on. It is unlikely that any of these three will fight juvenile, rising fighters Moses Itauma, Richard Torrez Jr. or Fabio Wardley. All three would love a piece of division king Oleksandr Usyk, but the unified champion has beaten Fury and Joshua twice each.
At this point, there is no reason for these three to fight anyone but each other. They are still the biggest names in the league and stand to make the most money. This is their best chance to win fights instead of taking risks against younger, powerful but less popular heavyweights. Any combination of fights – brief of Fury vs. Wilder – would be massive in Britain, where Fury and Joshua are from, and could fill a football stadium. All three of them know this, but rest assured, hubris is at play and may ruin your plans… again.
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Boxing
Former footballers’ boxing event, supported by Tony Bellew and David Price, raised £73,500 for charity
Published
2 hours agoon
June 3, 2026
A commendable sum of £73,500 was raised for charity as Tony Bellew and David Price gathered for a boxing night in Liverpool.
The gala took place on April 17 and former professional footballers clashed at the event, which was endorsed by sporting icons such as Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.
The event, billed as “A Night To Remember II”, followed Pro Project Promotions’ first charity boxing event in October with the aim of giving retired athletes the opportunity to rekindle their competitive spirit.
Similarly, Pro Project Promotions founder Graham Stack, a former Arsenal goalkeeper, hopes to raise a total of £500,000 in the organization’s debut year.
He’s already close to halfway there, having raised a total of £201,000 for charities including Children’s Charity Merseyside and Autism Merseyside.
Stack made it clear that this was just the beginning.
“I am very proud to see Pro Project Promotions grow from strength to strength. These events give retired players a purpose, structure and a way to continue to compete for something that truly matters.
“To raise £73,500 [in April] and moving our total for six months over £201,000 is fantastic. We are closing in on £500,000 raised for the charity and I want to thank everyone who has supported us so far.”
Pro Project Promotions will return to Liverpool’s Grosvenor House Hotel on October 22, with ambassadors such as Natasha Jonas and Liam Smith expected to continue to provide support.
As for April’s performance, it was ultimately Swansea City cult hero Lee Trundle who won the main event against former Scotland striker Chris Iwelumo.
Participants, artists and charities for Pro Project Promotions’ next boxing event will be announced in the coming weeks.
The response was immediate.
One fan accused Stevenson of talking about major fights without taking steps to make them happen.
“The fuck is when are you??? You ran to Zuffa to avoid Shock??? You didn’t want to smoke with Devin, if you’re waiting for the right moment it makes sense if you fight, now you’re trying so tough to keep it 0,” the critic wrote.
Shakur either really doesn’t get it yet or is trying to masterfully do public relations damage control to keep his name among the division’s elite.
If Dana White runs Zuffa Boxing by the UFC playbook, the league format completely changes the game. In this world, you don’t call on top-level players or Matchroom players because you’re locked in a closed ecosystem. The UFC does not partner with Bellator or PFL to stage superfights, and they have no intention of sending their prized fighters to fight on a rival network under a different promotional banner.
If Shakur really thinks he can just pocket a huge salary at Zuffa and still easily land Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, or Teofimo Lopez, he’s in for a rude awakening. The promotional walls are bulky, and Dana White is not known for playing well with classic boxing promoters.
At this point, Shakur still speaks like an independent performer who can dictate his own path. But if Zuffa is building a league, it has simply traded that independence for a corporate structure. He may find himself trapped in a gilded cage completely isolated from the struggles that he claims define the legacy.
If the UFC model is the plan, it guarantees financial security but risks complete isolation from the wider boxing world. By the time he finishes his tour of duty and realizes that mass promotion fights will be off the table forever, the physical attributes that made him a four-division champion may already be gone.
Boxing
Trainer Buddy McGirt Picks Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2 Winner Based on One ‘Plain Fact’
Published
6 hours agoon
June 2, 2026
Former two-division world champion and top trainer Buddy McGirt has suggested that one fighter, between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, will likely go into the fight with one clear advantage.
According to reports, both pound-for-pound legends will face each other in a professional rematch scheduled for September 26.
It was originally proposed to take place at the Sphere in Las Vegas on September 19 just for those dealing with the Netflix event to choose a different date and location.
However, despite the uncertainty, it appears that both fighters have agreed to collide in a fully sanctioned fight, with Mayweather graciously putting his 50-0 record on the line.
The 49-year-old hasn’t fought professionally since a 10th-round knockout of Conor McGregor in 2017, which came just over two years after he edged ‘Pac Man’ by unanimous decision.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, has competed in eight professional fights since their first meeting, most recently drawing to a 12-round draw with then-WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios last July.
McGirt said that because of this increased activity in recent years ESNEWS that it favors the 47-year-old Filipino, even if neither player can realistically claim to be a role model of activism.
“I am [going to] follow Pacquiao for the straightforward fact that Floyd didn’t fight – e.g [in] fight-fight – for how long?
“These exhibition fights, you can’t really count them. Then again, I’ll go with Pacquiao, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Floyd manages to do it.”
Although Pacquiao has fought more recently than Mayweather, his draw with Barrios ended a nearly four-year hiatus that followed his unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas.
Former footballers’ boxing event, supported by Tony Bellew and David Price, raised £73,500 for charity
Shakur Stevenson may not be seeing the real problem
Peter Fury FIRST WORDS after Oleksandr Usyk defeated Rico Verhoeven
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