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Oleksandr Usyk’s influence on Anthony Joshua’s training ‘unbelievable’ – Eddie Hearn

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The sight of Anthony Joshua running on the track, supported by Oleksandr Usyk, was uplifting.

Four months after the tragic car crash that killed Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, two of Joshua’s closest friends and team members, the British heavyweight has returned to get back into the gym and get back to full fitness.

Joshua is expected to be cleared to return to full training within the next two weeks, thanks in part to spending time with Usyk at his base in Spain.

The camp, which ESPN visited last year ahead of Usyk’s undisputed heavyweight fight against Daniel Dubois, is located in the still town of Gandia, just outside Valencia. It’s the perfect place to get ready away from cameras and other distractions.

When promoter Eddie Hearn visited the camp to check on Joshua, he was impressed.

“AJ had no idea about the heart rate and Usyk was like, ‘Come on, champ, push, push, push.’ I was watching and I was like, ‘This is unbelievable what I’m seeing,’” Heard told reporters this week.

“You’ve got the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. You’ve got a guy he’s beaten twice who is probably the biggest star in the sport. It’s amazing.”

Joshua joined forces with Usyk’s team ahead of last year’s fight with Jake Paul, helping him return to the ring for the first time in a year following his defeat to Dubois in September 2024.

The same crew is now helping him come back from a completely different situation, and Joshua’s support has been invaluable.

Asked by ESPN what the relationship does for Joshua, Hearn said: “Just unbelievable growth. When I was there… He was doing these circuits, sprints, tempo sprints, things like that.

“He would do sprints and then come over and do kettlebell exercises [exercise] then he would [sled push] with that massive damn fitness trainer standing on the sled.

“I think he’s very content right now.”

Usyk is also content to have Joshua. Ukrainian he told Ring magazine this week his two sons, Mikhail and Cyril, love playing with the Briton.

“They will always tell me, ‘Hey, dad, we want to play with AJ,’” Usyk said. “But I’m the one who has to say, ‘No, AJ, go and rest.’

“But Kirill will ask AJ to play basketball, and he’ll say, ‘Of course.’ I’ll say, ‘Hey, Kirill!’ but AJ will tell me not to worry, we can go and play.”

Although he claims both Tyson Fury and Joshua are his friends, Usyk is backing his novel stablemate to prevail should the British heavyweights finally meet in the ring.

“I believe. I watch Anthony train. He is a machine,” Usyk said. “Now I think Anthony needs facilitate. People who support AJ need to say, ‘Yes, we believe!'”

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Boxing

Former footballers’ boxing event, supported by Tony Bellew and David Price, raised £73,500 for charity

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Ex-footballers’ boxing event backed by Tony Bellew and David Price raises £73,500 for charity

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.

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Boxing

Shakur Stevenson may not be seeing the real problem

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Image: Shakur Stevenson May Be Missing The Real Problem

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.

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Boxing

Trainer Buddy McGirt Picks Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2 Winner Based on One ‘Plain Fact’

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Trainer Buddy McGirt picks a winner in Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2 based on one ‘simple fact’

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.

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