Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn hopes Tyson Fury will defeat Oleksandr Usyk in the rematch and become the undisputed heavyweight champion, so AJ can fight him in a gigantic fight.
Hearn wants Fury to win, but deep down he knows it’s unlikely. His vision for a mega-fight between Fury and Joshua doesn’t look good.
Valuation of a dud
Hearn says a fight between Joshua and Fury could happen even if the Gypsy King loses the rematch with Usyk. This would spoil the fight in the eyes of boxing fans, especially if they were pressured into buying the Fury vs. Joshua fight on PPV.
Who in their right mind would want to buy the Fury-Joshua fight after Fury lost another beating to Usyk?
In this scenario, if they put on a Fury-Joshua fight and Fury leaves after consecutive losses, they will have to price the fight to sell. Hearn and Fury’s promoter will have to price it accordingly. Making it free would work, but it’s not enough.
Fury turned 35?
It would be better if Fury (34-1-1, 24 KO) took revenge for the defeat against Usyk (22-0, 14 KO), but this may be a bit too much hope, because the 35-year-old Gysky King looked vintage, washed and he had to be saved by the referee in the ninth round.
Seeing as the referee got in Usyk’s way twice in the ninth round, it became clear that he wouldn’t be able to knock Fury out. It would be a different referee in the rematch and it’s unlikely we’ll see a situation where Fury is protected when Usyk starts to impose on him.
Hearn hedges his bets
“Still a few days to go. Accepting failure takes time. It takes time to understand your injuries and lick your wounds. So we’ll see how things go,” said promoter Eddie Hearn iFL Television about Tyson Fury.
As you can see, Hearn is already backing away, saying that Fury needs time to lick his wounds and accept the loss. This is code for Hearn being worried that Fury will be beaten by Usyk again and this will ruin his vision for the match between Tyson and AJ.
“If you’re Tyson Fury, you’re going to want to fight Oleksandr Usyk again,” Hearn continued. “It was a great fight. The rematch will be a gigantic fight. For AJ, he wants to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.
“So I think he needs to focus on who he fights next,” Hearn said of Anthony Joshua. “He would like to fight Fury next. He would love to fight Usyk. If not, Hrgovic-Dubois could be the winner next week. It is ready for all comers.
“It takes a lot of effort from both fighters, especially at their age, especially from Oleksandr Usyk,” Hearn said when asked how much the Fury vs. Usyk fight took from both fighters.
“They both gave a lot that night and probably lost a little bit of soul in the process, but they’re both great fighters and two real fighters.
The pipe dream fades away
“I do. Regardless of whether Fury loses the rematch, I think we’ll see that fight,” Hearn said when asked if he believed Fury vs. Joshua would eventually happen.
“Of course we wanted Tyson Fury to win. I really think he can win the rematch and that would be the ideal scenario,” Hearn said, hoping Fury beats Usyk in the rematch so the Fury-Joshua fight can happen.
Hearn stubbornly believes that the Fury-Joshua fight will happen regardless of what happens with the Usyk rematch. If Fury is defeated, the fight with AJ won’t be as gigantic as Hearn had hoped. It would be the equivalent of an elderly celebrity match.
In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).
The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”
Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00
“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”
Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.
“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.
Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.
Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.
The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.
Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.
The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.
“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.
“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.
“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”
Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.
“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].
Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.
“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.
Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.
“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.
One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.
WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.
“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.
“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.
“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.
He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”
Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.
Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.
Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.
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