Promoter Alexander Krassyuk expressed his bemusement at a recent declaration by influential figure Turki Alalshikh, who stated that "British fighters were the best in the world" during a press conference in Morecambe last week. This statement arises as tension builds toward the Unified Heavyweight Championship fight scheduled on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Anthony Joshua, former world heavyweight champion, has revealed what he would have done if he hadn't become a boxer. According to the star Briton, he would have become either a builder or a banker.
"There are two jobs I like. I'd like to be a builder because I've always wanted to build my own big house. Are you aware of what a banker is? It's someone who counts a person's money. So, I would control someone's savings. So, I would like to become a banker," Joshua told DAZN portal.
Recall, in his last fight, which took place on March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Joshua knocked out Francis Ngannou in the second round.
Ryan Garcia, a famous American boxer, failed the weigh-in ahead of his fight with Devin Haney, the WBC bantamweight champion of the world. Ryan showed almost 65 kg on the scales, while the upper limit of the weight class is 63.5 kg. Thus, Garcia will not claim the championship belt even if he wins.
"Ryan Garcia is indeed overweight before the fight. His weight is 143.2 pounds. He will not be able to claim the WBC title at 140 pounds. The parties are discussing what to do next. Absolute disaster and absolutely expected", - wrote on his social networks famous journalist Dan Rafael.
It's worth noting that Haney made the required weight.
Oleksandr Usyk's promoter Oleksandr Usyk, answering a question about Vasyl Lomachenko's career, wished all Ukrainian boxers to get rid of the Rocky Balboa syndrome.
"It's very difficult to talk about history in the subjunctive mood. Lomachenko had not the worst career in professional boxing. But it is eloquent that the Rocky Balboa syndrome (the American dream of our boxers and the hope that a contract with an American promoter is a ticket to the sporting and financial Olympus) should leave the heads of boxers. The example of Usik shows that the American promoter is not a mandatory reason for success," - said the functionary.
Recall, on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Oleksandr Usyk will fight for the title of absolute world champion in heavyweight with Tyson Fury.
Popular American boxer Ryan Garcia spoke about his career plans.
"I think by the time I'm 30, I'll be done with my career. But I'll still be making money. Even if I hang the gloves on the nail today, I'll still be making millions of dollars. So money really doesn't motivate me. I'm going to keep boxing because I have a big goal in boxing. I want to fight Lopez, Stevenson, have a rematch with Davis. I also want to fight Sean O'Malley under MMA rules. This fight would break the PPV record in the UFC", - said Garcia.
We will remind, on April 21, Garcia will have to fight Devin Haney, the world champion in the first welterweight under version WBC.
Steve Erceg, a fighter in the UFC's lightest division, shared his expectations for his upcoming fight with the division's champion, Alexandre Pantoja.
"Pantoja is good - he's champion for a reason. He's strongest on the ground, he has a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Plus, he's stronger than he looks. He also has a very powerful chin. He does a lot of things wrong in the standup, but he gets away with it because he holds his punches. So no, I'm not going to run him over. It's going to be a tough, tough fight. We'll see who turns out to be stronger.... I'm glad I'll be fighting against Pantoja at his house. It'll be loud, I'll be booed. But I've fought in front of unfriendly fans before. I'm looking forward to beating the Brazilian in front of his countrymen and leaving the arena holding the belt," Lowkick MMA quoted Erceg as saying.
UFC lightweightMichael Chandler shared his expectations for the upcoming fight between the organization's featherweight champion Islam Makhachev and Dustin Puryear.
"Everyone has a chance to win. Islam is good. I give respect to this guy who I want to fight. It's lefty against lefty, but Islam is a much tougher fighter. And the ease with which Dustin lets himself get knocked down scares me. But I don't know what's going to happen next week. Let alone seven weeks before the Makhachev-Porrier fight. I don't know how Dustin is going to build a defense against Islam's teikdowns. But Dustin has a very powerful punch. He also has the heart of a champion. I would say Dustin is the most trained fighter I've fought in my life," Chandler said in an interview with The MMA Hour.
Derek Chisora criticized Derrick James, the former trainer of fellow boxer Anthony Joshua. Chisora named James as ineffective due to cultural differences in training techniques. This statement was made during Chisora's talk with Crypto Casino LTD.
Eddie Hearn, Matchroom chairman, openly admitted that the rematch offer for Katie Taylor against Amanda Serrano was too significant to decline. Scheduled for July 20 in Arlington, Texas, this boxing event stands as a chief feature under the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight and will be broadcast on Netflix by MVP Promotions.
British heavyweight veteran Dereck Chisora expressed his opinion that Anthony Joshua in his current form is capable of defeating the current division leaders - Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.
"Right now I would bet on Joshua if he has a fight with Fury. His power would be too much for Tyson. Also, we should not forget that Ben Davison (Anthony Joshua's trainer - note) knows Tyson very well, so I think Anthony would win.
Besides, Joshua would have wiped the floor with Usik right now. I don't think the fight would have lasted six rounds. However, considering current records and past performances, the best heavyweight in the world right now is Usik. He has moved up to super heavyweight and conquered it. One more fight and he will be able to prove that he is the best regardless of weight," - quotes Chisora DAZN.
Recall that his last fight Joshua held on March 8, knocking out Francis Ngannou in the second round.
