UK Boxing
Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk – results and post-fight report
Published
8 months agoon
By
J. HumzaOleksandr Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era with a split decision against Tyson Fury at the Kingdom Arena in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.
This match had been a while in the making, with Fury (34-1-1, KO24) winning the WBC title in a knockout rematch with Deontay Wilder in 2020 and Usyk (22-0, KO14) winning the remaining three main-fight belts, defeating Anthony Joshua twice in both London and Saudi Arabia. Usyk defended following a ninth-round stoppage of Daniel Dubois last August, while Fury’s last outing was a contested split decision victory over UFC champion Francis Ngannou last October.
Fury was forced to withdraw from his proposed December meeting with Usyk due to his grueling fight with Ngannou, and the February clash was scuppered due to an injury suffered in sparring by the “Gypsy King”.
The pair got off to a balanced start in the opening round, with Fury posturing and posing and Usyk aiming for his opponent’s body. Usyk immediately landed a left hook to the club to start the second period, and Fury began to become comfortable with his task, landing acute shots towards the end of the session. Usyk continued to land punches to the body, Fury worked his jabs and on the fourth occasion Fury opened up but was met with more educated pressure from the Ukrainian, but the Englishman had his best spell of the competition.
Fury was pleased with his work, troubling Usyk with a body shot in round five, a right hand in round six and an uppercut as the WBC champion gained momentum. Fury now took the fight at his preferred pace, although Usyk had success with a left hand in the seventh period and was beginning to turn the tide in his favor when he upped the ante in round eight by connecting with a gigantic left hand, causing Fury to bleed profusely from his nose.
The nose was troubling Fury and the ninth saw it unravel as Usyk landed a powerful left that drove him into his boots and as Fury staggered only the ropes kept him on his feet and after the count only the bell saved him from a broken defeat . Usyk remained composed and measured and Fury finished the tenth round to clear his head and in the penultimate frame Usyk maintained control of the fight with Fury clearly needing a huge final round to secure victory.
I TOOK IT 😳
pic.twitter.com/kglid4QSdP#Box #FuryUsyk
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) May 19, 2024
Fury gave his all, Usyk was bothered by his right hand, but the fight went on until the last bell, and the winner was chosen by three judges.
One judge scored Fury 114-113, but was rejected on scores of 115-112 and 114-113 and deemed Usyk a worthy winner.
“Daddy, I love you, you told me I CAN!” 💬
Oleksandr Usyk pays tribute to his deceased father 💙#FuryUsyk pic.twitter.com/64QWRVQeh9
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) May 19, 2024
Opetaia defeats Briedis to regain the IBF belt
The main boost was that Jai Opetaia regained the IBF cruiserweight title, winning the vacant belt with a points victory over Mairis Briedis.
They met in 2022 in a thriller that Opetaia (25-0, 19 KO) won on the cards, with the Australian dominating the first half of the sequel, but as with their original meeting, Briedis (28-3, 20 KO) saved his energy for later rounds.
Twenty-four rounds between them.
Respect fully deserved 🤝 #FuryUsyk PPV | LIVE NOW | https://t.co/spISUpN7zN pic.twitter.com/QhqBaEOAqP
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 18, 2024
Opetaia caused trouble for the 39-year-old in the tenth over, only for the Latvian to return the southpaw punch in the same round, which helped him gain confidence by connecting with forceful shots in the penultimate over.
Ultimately, Briedis ran out of time and Opetaia rang the final bell, winning by two scores of 116-112 and the third by 117-111.
Cacace stops Cordina from becoming World Champion
Anthony Cacace sensationally became the recent IBF super featherweight champion, adding it to his IBO title by defeating Joe Cordina in an eight-round thriller.
Cacace (22-1, 8 KO) gave up his hands in the third round, and the Welshman staggered and finally fell after being hit with an uppercut.
Recent Pas is looking for 🔥 Anthony Cacace
To buy #FuryUsyk LIVE at the TNT Sports box office https://t.co/FXWiFF98Ej pic.twitter.com/X2uGuKEye2
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) May 18, 2024
Cordina recovered sufficiently and returned to the fight, but the Northern Irishman had a forceful finish in the sixth set, defeating Cordina (17-1, 9 KO) once again with vicious shots.
The end came two rounds later, with a right hook landing the 32-year-old and the referee spared further punishment by jumping on the champion under weighty fire.
Kabayel stops Sanchez
The final eliminator of the WBC heavyweight title was Agit Kabayel, who dominated Frank Sanchez (24-1, 17 KO) in the seventh round by knockout.
It was an unambitious performance by the Cuban, and Kabayel (25-0, 17 KO) scored a knockout with a body shot in the seventh round, and when the fight was resumed, he knocked him down again straight into Sanchez’s midsection. and I went full number.
Thanks to the victory, the German won the WBC Continental Americas and WBO NABO belts.
Chamberlain destroys Wahab
Mark Chamberlain (16-0, 12 KO) showed his weighty hands and won the vacant WBC Silver lightweight title, defeating Joshua Wahab within a round.
A powerful, straight left hand knocked Wahab (23-2, 16 KO) to the canvas early on, and a two-fisted attack on the pounding left wing ended the game shortly after the restart.
Itauma boat Mezenceva
Moses Itauma also enjoyed the evening, defeating Ilja Mezencev in the second round of their fight to capture the vacant WBO Intercontinental title.
Itauma (9-0, 7 KO) hit the German high in the head with a gigantic right hand, and Mezencev (25-4, 21 KO) fell heavily, getting up on unsteady legs, which forced the referee to stop the fight.
Kovalev stunned by Safar
Former unified delicate heavyweight king Sergei Kovalev returned after a long break, and “Krusher”, currently fighting in the cruiserweight division, lost a ten-round decision to Robin Safar (17-0, KO12).
The Swede took the initiative after an thrilling first half, and in the final round a few seconds before the end he strongly defeated Kovalev (35-5-1, 29 KO) and secured victory 99-90, 97-92 and 95-94.
Undercard remaining
Two-time Commonwealth Games amateur champion and Olympic bronze medalist David Nyika won the vacant IBF International cruiserweight title by defeating Michael Seitz (12-1, 10 KO) and earning a fourth-round stoppage.
Nyika (9-0, 8 KO) landed a head and body kick in the fourth round, and a combination of shots knocked the German down, with the referee wisely waving his hand to end the fight mid-count.
Elevated and slim Ukrainian Daniel Lapin wasted no time, he needed just over 90 seconds to defeat Octavio Pudivitir and win the WBA Continental delicate heavyweight title.
Pudivitir (9-2, 4 KO) took a jab and a slashing left hand from Lapin (10-0, 4 KO) before turning around before falling to the canvas, and Lapin finished his work with the Portuguese failing to beat the referee’s count .
The gala was opened by Isaac Lowe (25-2-3, 8 KO), and Fury’s cousin defeated Hasibullah Ahmadi (16-2, 5 KO) and won 97-92 after ten rounds in the featherweight division.
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UK Boxing
Anthony Taylor collapsed minutes after Darren Till KO and viewers were left terrified
Published
5 hours agoon
January 19, 2025There were disturbing scenes during the last Misfits Boxing gala in Manchester on Saturday evening when Anthony Taylor collapsed after being stopped by fellow MMA fighter Darren Till.
The American took up the fight shortly after Tommy Fury withdrew, but he was no match for Till, who dominated from the very beginning.
In his first boxing fight, the Liverpudlian looked outstanding from the bell, displaying impressive hand speed and having no trouble countering Taylor’s aggressive approach.
Threatening to KO from the start, Till secured a stoppage in the sixth round.
But what happened next shocked those who watched the event. Taylor, who entered the fight with a 7-4 boxing record, broke down in post-fight interviews. He was later taken away from the Co-Op Arena in a wheelchair.
Many assumed that Taylor was then taken to the hospital for tests. However, according to Ariel Helwani, after being given oxygen and found to be stable, he was allowed to return to his accommodation.
Misfits co-founder Mams Taylor later confirmed that Taylor had regained consciousness. He also said Taylor did not need a hospital visit because he was “conscious and well” when he entered the locker room.
He later posted a video on social media in which he spoke clearly and promised to bounce back from the shocking defeat. “It’s OK, I took the L (loss) like a motherfucker,” he said.
“I’ll be back. I’m fine. Thank you all for your love and support, thank you to everyone who makes fun of me too. I don’t give a damn. I deserve it. But at the end of the day, I’ll fucking come back.”
“Pretty Boy,” who has a professional MMA record of 7-5 but has not fought since August 2019, also took aim at Fury. WX wrote, “Now we know why Tommy Fury backed out,” along with two laughing emojis.
The Misfits Boxing 20 main event was only organized after the Manchester fighter withdrew. The younger brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson stated that he was not content with Till’s claim that he would resort to “MMA tactics” if he lost the fight.
Do later denied that he wasn’t stern when giving the warning, saying it was simply a marketing tactic. It wasn’t until December 29 that it was confirmed that Taylor had stepped in as a replacement.
UK Boxing
Darren Till’s Mystery Woman Tattoo Explained in Response to Paige VanZant’s Claims
Published
17 hours agoon
January 18, 2025Former UFC welterweight title challenger Darren Till covered up a tattoo of a girl, sparking debate among fight fans.
The Liverpudlian is set to make his Misfits Boxing debut tonight against Anthony Taylor, almost two years after his departure from the UFC. Till left the MMA promotion to explore other opportunities. He was scheduled to make his professional boxing debut against former Mexican WBC middleweight boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr last July, but the fight was ultimately canceled.
Instead, he faced Palestinian mixed martial arts champion Mohammad Mutie in an exhibition boxing match at Social Knockout 3 in Dubai the same month. Despite a blow to the back of Muti’s head, Till was declared the winner by technical knockout in the second round.
He is currently expected to move to Manchester but faces a tough opponent in Taylor, who has extensive experience in the Misfits world. Fans noticed that Till covered up a tattoo of his girlfriend’s face with a gorilla. He previously stated that he got the tattoo so that the woman, the mother of his two children, would always be close to him, even during fights.
Many fans wrongly believed that Till’s tattoo resembled former UFC star Paige VanZant, but the Liverpool MMA fighter rejected such suggestions. “That’s my girl,” Till explained about the ink. “It was a surprise for her on her birthday. I thought, ‘Yes, I’ll do something different. I’ll put a tattoo on her face.”
The topic of tattoos continued, but Till insisted: “It’s not Paige VanZant, I don’t even know who she is. As I said about my girlfriend, she is second to none. So every time I fight, she fights too. And she gets beat up by me, so if she pisses me off, I just go to the gym and let some guys beat me up.”
The combat sports world has also been abuzz with news of Till’s potential fight with Tommy Fury, which has now fallen apart. Fury explained his decision to withdraw in a statement on social media: “I can’t believe I’m writing this but now I’m not fighting Darren Till on January 18. For one straightforward reason: Darren has repeatedly stated that he does not want to follow the rules of professional boxing and that if he loses a fight, he will resort to kicks and other stupid MMA tactics.”
Fury continued to explain, emphasizing his dedication to boxing and lamenting the wasted preparation. “I’m a professional boxer, I’ve been out of the ring for over a year and I wanted it to be a great boxing match for the fans. I wasted weeks in training camps. We are working demanding to find a fresh opponent and I promise that I will find a better opponent and a better fight for you. Good news just around the corner.”
UK Boxing
The former Chelsea footballer joined the KSI boxing fight amid a major career change
Published
21 hours agoon
January 18, 2025Former Chelsea footballer Wayne Bridge is reportedly set for a surprise career change after being lined up as KSI’s next boxing opponent.
The former Chelsea and Manchester City star won the Premier League playing under Jose Mourinho in 2004-05 and added the FA Cup and EFL Cup in 2006-07.
In 2009, he moved to Manchester City, where he spent three years before spending time on loan at West Ham, Brighton and Sunderland.
The former England international retired from football in 2014 after leaving Reading. However, he has remained in the spotlight because he is married to singer Frankie Bridge (née Sandford), former lead singer of girl band The Saturdays.
Now he is ready for an unexpected career change from football to boxing after being selected as one of KSI’s potential opponents.
According to Daily mailBridge is “one of the names mentioned” to fight the famed YouTuber and social media personality, with the fight scheduled for March 29.
KSI – whose real name is Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji and also goes by the nickname “JJ” – got into boxing alongside fellow YouTubers Logan and Jake Paul.
The London-born star is a household name in the celebrity world, having released her own rap album and enjoying success in various ventures, including The Sidemen and launching a drink called PRIME.
The 31-year-old recently expressed his desire to fight former UFC champion Conor McGregor in an exhibition fight. However, it looks like he will face a completely different opponent in Brydra.
Bridge, now 44, was plagued by injuries later in his career but is now said to be in “top form”. He has also entered the ring once, so he is no stranger to fighting with ropes.
Seven years ago, he faced Spencer Matthews, who previously appeared on the reality show Made in Chelsea, in a charity fight for Sport Relief and emerged victorious.
In the meantime, KSI fought Logan Paul twice and his record in six fights in the ring is 4-2.
His only defeat was against Tommy Fury in September 2023, when Fury, the younger brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson, won the fight by majority vote.
He has previously touched on the topic of fighting bridge when the topic was broached by another former footballer, Peter Crouch, on his podcast in October 2023.
He said, “You know, if you ever need someone to step in, I know someone who trains all the time. So if you need someone last minute, Wayne Bridge.”
KSI replied, “If he really cares about it, it would definitely be great to have him on Misfits.”
Anthony Taylor collapsed minutes after Darren Till KO and viewers were left terrified
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