It’s not often that Tyson Fury withdraws from a fight, but there is one name he has no interest in stepping into the ring with. The self-proclaimed “Gypsy King” has faced all claimants to his throne, but the rising Moses Itauma is an enemy he would rather not face.

And it’s demanding to blame boxing superstar Fury for avoiding this dynamo, especially considering the speed at which he’s rising in the heavyweight division. Itauma, 19, made his professional debut in January 2023, but already has a perfect 10-0 record.

Eight of those wins have been by knockout, including the last six in a row. Four of them ended in the first round, most recently Itauma defeated former Unified title challenger Mariusz Wach in May.

Some boxers may claim that they are open to any fight at any time. But Fury knows better after taking a closer look at Itauma, especially with his retirement date now in sight.

“No, definitely not!” Fury told TNT Sports when asked if he would consider facing Itauma in one of his farewell fights. “Do you think I’m stupid? No, no, no…”

The comment is related to Fury’s earlier praise of another boxer whom he predicted would have a great future. After a July sparring session with the teenager, the Gypsy King called Itauma “the future of the heavyweight division.”

Itauma’s finishing power has even compared him to a certain boxing icon, earning him the nickname “Britain’s Mike Tyson.” And the teenage man has set his sights high, as he says Mirror intends to break Iron Mike’s record as the youngest heavyweight champion, winning his first belt at the age of 20 years and four months.

Itauma said after calling training with Fury “an honor and a privilege.” talkSPORT the former champion was “very Marmite in sparring”. He added: “Sometimes he did well, but sometimes he was unreliable.”

Fury was at the M&S Bank Arena on Saturday to watch cousin Walter Fury defeat Dale Arrowsmith to move to 2-0 in the super welterweight division. The Gypsy King was supposed to meet Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch this month, but the second fight was postponed to December.

The 36-year-old is unlikely to look beyond that date when planning his future, with Fury desperate to settle the score after losing his WBC title to Usyk in May. Revenge against the Ukrainian would make Fury the undisputed king of the heavyweight division, but he had a lot of demanding work ahead of him, which resulted in Usyk’s first defeat in his career.

In front of a home crowd at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, Nick Ball defended his WBA featherweight title for the first time, defeating Ronny Rios and winning in the tenth round.

After knocking King Vargas Losing twice and only drawing for his efforts in a shot at the WBC belt in March, Ball then turned in a brilliant performance to dethrone Ray Ford by split decision and capture the WBA crown in June. Rios had suffered defeat in his two previous attempts to win the super bantamweight world title and was last seen at featherweight in April, defeating Nicholas Polanco in five rounds.

Ball (21-0-1, 12 KO) started as usual, fierce, and after a solid first round, the home favorite raised the stakes in the second round, changing positions and landing sturdy shots.

The champion simply couldn’t miss, and the beginning of the third set saw the Californian hit the canvas after a volley of punches, and although he beat the count, after the restart, he fell into another Ball hurricane, somehow anticipating the round.

Rios (34-5, 17 KO) was constantly under siege but fought bravely, and Ball’s nose was badly bloody at the end of the fifth round.

The 27-year-old had a visitor again in the seventh set, although it looked like a controversial knockdown.

His courageous challenge came to an end in the tenth period when a two-fisted attack forced the 34-year-old out of the ring and, as he struggled to get back to his feet, his corner mercifully threw in the towel, signaling the end of the fight. fight.

Ball will likely have to face mandatory challenger Stephen Fulton Jr next, but he has called for a rematch and now a unification fight with Vargas.

“I have one of four [belts]”, he said TNT Sports after the fight.

– There are three more there.

“I’m going to get those belts.

NICK BALL IS WORLD CLASS! 🥊🏆 #BallRios pic.twitter.com/zhSmTWQyne

— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) October 5, 2024

“The green one [WBC title] It’ll be nice to get it because it should be mine anyway.

“So let’s hope we get this one.”

Rafferty refutes Turner

Jack Rafferty (24-0, KO15) added the vacant British super lightweight title and WBC International silver belt to his Commonwealth crown with a stunning victory over Henry Turner, whose corner pulled him out of the fight at the end of the ninth second of the round.

Turner (13-1, 5 KO) was looking far ahead, but the tables turned in the ninth when he was dropped following a body attack and after taking bulky fire throughout the session, Turner’s corner wisely saved his man for another day.

Cain stops Casseres

Andrew Cain (13-1, 12 KO) won the vacant WBC International Silver super bantamweight title with a ruthless second-round stoppage victory over Lazaro Casseres.

A tough right uppercut knocked the guy to the deck in the second quarter, and although he broke the count, a tough left hook sent Casseres (11-2, 4 KO) staggering backward towards the ropes and referee Victor Loughlin stopped the fight.

Herrera stops Flores

Talented Cuban Jadier Herrera (16-0, 14 KO) impressed when he defeated Oliver Flores in the third round to win the WBA Continental lightweight title.

A well-timed body shot passed Flores (31-6-2, 20 KO) and the referee decided not to count.

Undercard remaining

Lightweight James McGivern (10-0, 3 KO) won all eight rounds against Argentinian Reuquen Cona Facundo Arce (17-17-2, 7 KO).

Super bantamweight Brad Strand (12-1, 4 KO) bounced back from his last fight loss in the British and Commonwealth title fight to Dennis McCann by knocking out Marvin Solano (24-20, 8 KO) in the last round scheduled for eighth competition round.

In six rounds, bantamweight Jack Turner (9-0, 8 KO) defeated Gonzalo Corinaldesi (5-7-1, 1 KO) with a huge left hand that ended the matter, and Nelson Birchall (6) -0, 3 KO ) scored a third-round stoppage victory in his super featherweight bout with Mark Butler (3-13, 1 KO).

Heavyweight hopeful Boma Brown (5-0, 3 KO) scored an impressive victory, defeating top seed Amine Boucetty (8-17) in the last sixth round.

In four rounds, Walter Fury (2-0) faced the tried and tested super welterweight Dale Arrowsmith (6-115-5, 1 KO) in each session, with his cousin Tyson Fury watching from ringside.

In the middleweight division, Joe Cooper (2-0) defeated Łukasz Barabasz (4-14, 2 KO) 40-37.

Debutant Lucas Biswana (1-0, KO0) started his professional career by fighting all four rounds in the super lightweight category against Jakub Laskowski (4-32-1, 2 KO).

Conor McGregor may be ready to return to the boxing world as he sees multi-million-dollar fights with Terrence Crawford. The UFC star has been sidelined since their trilogy defeat to Dustin Poirier in 2021, when he broke his leg.

He was scheduled to return to the Octagon against Michael Chandler in June, but was forced to withdraw from the fight due to a broken toe. The star confirmed he won’t fight in the UFC until next year during an interview with Ariel Helwani during Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight bout with Daniel Dubois last month, and it appears the former double champion is pursuing other options as he waits for his return. for mixed martial arts.

In a recent live broadcast, McGregor claimed that WBA and WBO welterweight champion Crawford turned down a $200 million multi-fight contract with him in both disciplines. The Irishman admitted: “We talked back and forth about a two-fight deal. The day after the fights, he calls Crawford before me.

“I get a call and I say, ‘Crawford, they’re talking about me and you [fighting]. A two-fight deal, first MMA, then boxing. I know you have a lot of wrestling experience and balls the size of a Bengal tiger. They are asking for a fight and hundreds of millions will be at stake. What’s going on?” I asked and he replied, “I don’t feel like starting the match Conor McGregor‘, that’s what he said. You have to respect that.”

Sam reflecting on this event Bernie BoxerCrawford explained: “I said to Conor, ‘Hell no.’ They called me and offered me the fight, and me and Conor called and started thinking of something. I told him, ‘Man, I’m not, I’m not getting in the octagon with you so you can kick me, elbow me, and fuck me.’

“He started laughing and f***ing and said, ‘Man, I respect that. You respect my sport as much as I respect your sport and you understand that if you get into the Octagon you will be at a disadvantage. It’s just that if I got into a boxing ring with you, I would be at a disadvantage.”

Despite initially rejecting McGregor’s public offer, it appears the 37-year-old heavy-hitter is now considering a deal with the MMA legend. In a recent comment on Instagram, McGregor wrote: “Much respect to @tbudcrawford! $100 million for a fight, 1 in MMA, 1 in boxing. $200 million!”

To which Crawford simply replied, “Tempted,” while tagging another player. Despite having a wrestling background that was easily transferable to the world of MMA, Crawford decided to pursue a career in professional boxing.

He made his debut against Brian Cummings in 2008, winning by knockout in the first round. Swift forward to 2024, and Crawford has compiled a flawless 41-0 record that includes 31 knockouts and ten decisions, defeating the likes of Errol Spence Jr, Kell Brook, and Amir Khan, to name a few. He most recently defeated Israil Madrimov in August to win the interim WBA and WBO welterweight titles.

Meanwhile, Mcgregor made a brilliant career in the world of mixed martial arts. He rose to fame with Cage Warriors in 2011 and 2012, winning the organization’s featherweight and lightweight titles, before making his UFC debut against Marcus Brimage in 2013, which he won via first-round TKO.

The 36-year-old won the UFC featherweight belt in 2015, defeating top-ranked Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds, and then achieved “champion” status by beating Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title a year later. He was ultimately stripped of both titles due to inactivity and has since failed to achieve champion status.

No stranger to the boxing world, the southpaw also ventured into the squared circle in 2017 to face boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr in a professional 12-round fight in August 2017 – he went ten rounds against the 50-0 fighter before being stopped by TKO.