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Let's get it on': Anthony Joshua calls for undisputed heavyweight fight with Tyson Fury
13:47, Apr 17 2020

Fury: 'Not bad for an old fat guy who can't punch?'

Tyson Fury addresses the media after beating Deontay Wilder to win the WBC heavyweight title.

Anthony Joshua has urged British countryman Tyson Fury to agree to showdown to find an undisputed heavyweight champion, telling him: "Let's get it on".

Joshua reclaimed his IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO titles with a dominant points win over Andy Ruiz Jr in their December rematch in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.

Fury then captured the WBC crown with a seventh-round stoppage of Deontay Wilder two months later to become a two-time champion, leaving Britain in full control of boxing's glamour division.

And now Joshua has stepped up his quest to claim the only belt missing from his collection, issuing a challenge to Fury to meet in the ring as soon as possible.

"If you [Fury] really want to say you're No 1, come fight me. Let's get it on. I've got the rest of the belts so it only makes sense," Joshua told Sky Sports in the UK.

"I'm the unified heavyweight champion of the world, he's the WBC champion. What it will prove, me and him fighting? There will be one dominant figure in the heavyweight division that will have all of the belts and become undisputed.

Anthony Joshua holds the IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO belts – and wants to add Tyson Fury's WBC crown to his collection.
"Logically to prove yourself as No 1, I have to fight Tyson Fury. He has to fight Anthony Joshua."

However, both men have obstacles to overcome first once the sport returns from its coronavirus-enforced hiatus. Joshua is obliged to defend his IBF belt against mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev, while Fury must meet Wilder in a trilogy fight after the American exercised his right to a rematch later this year.

Both contests have been pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic that has shut down sport globally.

In the meantime, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has speculated that a unification clash with Fury might take precedence over their other obligations should boxing not return until late in the year.

Fury and Pulev share the shame US promoter, Top Rank, raising hopes that a deal could be made for Pulev and Wilder to step aside.

"It would be amazing to tell Pulev 'I think it's best if you step aside for now' and to tell Wilder 'we have bigger fish to fry'," Joshua told Sky Sports.

Tyson Fury smahed Deontay Wilder over seven rounds in February to claim the WBC belt, but must face him a third time.
"'Enjoy your Alabama chicken while we get cracking in the UK!'

"That fight [with Fury] needs to happen because there will never be another time like this again."

While sworn rivals outside the ring, Joshua was full of praise for Fury's performance against Wilder, saying he had out-fought and out-thought the hard-hitting yet one-dimensional American.

"We've seen in some of his [Wilder's] fights, it's been difficult for him and then he lands his punch and he's been victorious, but I always believe that when you go to war, you can't have one weapon in your arsenal, which was his right hand," Joshua said.

"Once that was taken away from him, which Tyson Fury did, I'm not going to go into tactics, but he was able to annihilate Deontay Wilder and expose him for some of his weaknesses.

"Tyson Fury did a great job tactically and I'm looking forward to their rematch."

Meanwhile, fallen champion Ruiz Jr has expressed interest in teaming up with Eddy Reynoso as he continues his search for a new trainer to revive his faltering career.

Reynoso is the trainer of Ruiz Jr's Mexican compatriot Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, a four-weight world champion widely considered the pound-for-pound best in the sport.

Andy Ruiz Jr is keen team up with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez's trainer Eddie Reynoso as he looks to rebuild his faltering career.
"We're talking with Canelo's team, I think that would be a good one for me to join if we go that way," Ruiz Jr said.

"Right now there hasn't been any contract signed, but I would like to go with Team Canelo."

Ruiz Jr had previously been strongly linked with veteran coach Teddy Atlas after splitting from longtime trainer Manny Robles in the wake of his one-sided loss to Joshua in December.

But their potential partnership appears to have soured after Atlas likened his eating habits to those of a drug abuser.

​Reynoso is interested in working with Ruiz Jr, telling ESPN "it would be an honour to work with the first heavyweight champion of Mexican descent".

Reynoso gym is in San Diego, California, Ruiz Jr's home state. Ruiz Jr is on friendly terms with Canelo, who travelled to Saudi Arabia to support him in his rematch with Joshua.

Stuff

Anthony Joshua takes swipe at 'bitch' Deontay Wilder's handling of first loss to Tyson Fury
10:03, Apr 20 2020

Fury: 'Not bad for an old fat guy who can't punch?'

Tyson Fury addresses the media after beating Deontay Wilder to win the WBC heavyweight title.

Unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has criticised the way that Deontay Wilder has handled his first professional loss.

Wilder relinquished his WBC title to Tyson Fury in February, with the big Brit stopping him in the seventh round of a one-sided contest in Las Vegas.

The hard-hitting American has struggled to come to terms with that devastating defeat, offering a multitude of excuses ranging from a heavy pre-fight costume to an undisclosed bicep injury.

Wilder recently told the Premier Boxing Champions podcast that he felt like a "zombie" in the ring that night and won't view Fury as a proper champion until they complete their trilogy later this year.

Those comments have prompted Joshua – who suffered his own setback against Andy Ruiz Jr in June before regaining his WBA, WBO, IBF and WBO belts in a December rematch – to weigh in on Wilder's unsportsmanlike behaviour.

Anthony Joshua has criticised the way that Deontay Wilder, right, has accepted his knockout defeat to Tyson Fury, left.
Speaking to Chris Mannix's SI Boxing podcast, Joshua said he was very tempted to take a few verbal jabs at his rival in the wake of his first loss, having been mocked by Wilder when he tasted defeat himself against Ruiz Jr in New York.

"Oh yeah, oh yeah. I went into my drawer and pulled out my long list of things to say, I've got a lot of things to say about Wilder. But you don't knock a man when he's down, also. And that was at the top of the list. I have to stand by those principles," Joshua said.

Anthony Joshua rebounded from his shock loss to Andy Ruiz Jr last June to recapture his titles in a rematch months later.
"But for sure, I think me and Wilder, as I say, are cut from a different cloth. He's what we call … it begins with a 'b' and ends with a 'h'. I'm not like that, I'm more of a man. I don't really get on the internet talking crap.

"The only times you've seen me talking recklessly is against Dillian Whyte and Jarrell Miller. Other than that I'm an ambassador of the sport. I'm trying to be clean, representing my sponsorships, represent [broadcaster] DAZN properly, I try to stay away from the typical stereotype of a heavyweight boxer. It's difficult but I have it in me to fire up and talk recklessly when needed."

Deontay Wilder hit the canvas twice during his loss to Tyson Fury in February in which he relinquished his WBC crown.
Wilder and Fury will meet for a third time later this year after the American exercised his right to an immediate rematch. However, the bout has been pushed back to due to the coronavirus pandemic and is tentatively scheduled for October 3 at an as-yet to be determined venue.

Joshua's title defence against mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev has also been put on hold indefinitely due to the current global sporting shutdown.

The pair were due to fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on June 20 but Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has earmarked July 25 as a "more realistic date".

Joshua recently expressed his desire to face British countryman Fury in a megafight to find an undisputed heavyweight champion.


He said that he hoped Wilder and Pulev would accept step aside money so the division's "dominant figure" could be found.

"If you [Fury] really want to say you're No 1, come fight me. Let's get it on. I've got the rest of the belts so it only makes sense," Joshua told Sky Sports.

"Logically to prove yourself as No 1, I have to fight Tyson Fury. He has to fight Anthony Joshua."

Stuff

Kownacki: I'm Still One Of The Best Heavyweights, We'll Prove It In My Next Fight
By Jake Donovan Published On Sat Apr 25, 2020, 01:29 PM EDT

Adam Kownacki had the honor of headlining the last primetime boxing telecast in the United States, live from his hometown of Brooklyn, New York.

The downside to that distinction, of course, is how the night turned out—along with having nothing but time to continue to reflect on the outcome.

The previously unbeaten and top-rated heavyweight contender suffered a shocking 4th round knockout loss to Robert Helenius atop the March 7 edition of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Fox live from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Kownacki was a perfect 9-0 at the venue and in control through three rounds versus Finland’s Helenius (30-3, 19KOs) before getting dropped early in round four and stopped on his feet soon thereafter.

“It’s been tough,” Kownacki (20-1, 15KOs) revealed during the most recent segment of PBC’s Time Out With Ray Flores on Instagram Live. “First of all, I was ranked top five in all the (sanctioning bodies). All of a sudden, you lose, you know. And especially to an underdog. Robert caught me with a good shot.

“It was a new situation for me, being hurt. It taught me how recuperate. Instead of taking a step backwards and trying to move around, I stepped forward trying to bang with him. That shot got me hurt, I was hurt for a little bit and he got me down. I got up but he came with a lot of shots and the referee stopped the fight. It was a lesson to be learned from.”

The event came less than a week before the first wave of boxing shows and sporting events around the world were shut down in the wake of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Kownacki has remained at home with his family, doing their part to remain healthy in a New York state which has recorded more than 250,000 positive cases for COVID-19.

The 31-year old Poland-born heavyweight is also doing his part to remain ready for whenever the sport is given a full reset.

“I ended at the last major event for boxing when all this happened,” notes Helenius. “Hopefully I’m the first one back as well, and to show everyone it was just a simple mistake. Robert Helenius is a guy I beat nine out of ten times, and that was the one night that happened.

“What happened that night was a mistake. I’m still one of the best heavyweights in the world. We’ll prove it in my next fight.”

Over confident , believed his own hype
Helenius is one of those fighters that can punish complacency due to his size and power- yes Kownacki should beat him - maybe not 9 out 10 as Kownacki isn't elite 6 times out 10 maybe.

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/700353/dillian-whyte-eddie-hearn-coward-andy-ruiz-jr/amp/

Dillian Whyte v Andy Ruiz is a fight I'd be really keen to see

I'd expect Whyte to win, but a fit(ish) and motivated Ruiz could make a great fight.

Probably won't happen though

(04-30-2020, 02:44 PM)diehard Wrote: [ -> ]https://www.boxing247.com/boxing-news/heavyweight-boxing-scheduled-to-return-in-poland-in-june-mariusz-wach-vs-kevin-johnson/148608

kevin Johnson his his head out to be hit these days

Dillian v Ruiz could be a cracker
But depends on fitness of both especially though AR
Unfortunately I feel Ruiz may be the modern Buster Douglas- never regaining the drive to train and perform at elite level.
will win few more fights but not at the highest level

Ruiz has the style to beat Whyte. He's fast, goes to the body, and throws good combos. But not anymore. He can't even keep his trainer. He made his money, coming up from poverty, and he's ready to call it a day, despite what he says. He won't fight for 4 million? He'll never see that amount again.

Whyte should have fought for a title, if not for his greed.

The pair of them...