German Heavyweight Michael Wallisch has sensationally declared war on Hall-Of-Fame promoter Frank Warren’s stable of elite heavyweights.

Wallisch (23-0, 13KO’s) faces unbeaten Putney bruiser Joe Joyce (10-0, 9KO’s) next Saturday, live on BT Sport 1 at 7.15pm, and the Munich man fully intends to derail ‘The Juggernaut’ before moving on to Daniel Dubois in October and then an unlikely showdown with ‘Gypsy King’ TYSON FURY.

“Joe Joyce is a solid boxer. He was a good amateur, but I think Dubois is already in his head” said Wallisch, “When I win this fight, i’ll fight Dubois in October.”

“I think both fighters are strong heavyweights. Tyson Fury is the name everybody wants and he’s with Frank Warren. 

“Two wins and I’ll be fighting Fury. That’s a nice incentive.”

Wallisch makes his ring return on Saturday on the second UK behind-closed-doors show to be held post-lockdown and will share the bill with some of the brightest talents in British boxing, including Ekow Essuman, Denzel Bentley, Chris Bourke and Louis Lynn.

Despite his intentions to disrupt the British Heavyweight scene, Wallisch insists he can’t wait to fight on these shores.

“I look forward to coming to Great Britain. I love the way UK fans celebrate boxing and the respect they have for the athletes.”

Preparing for the fight in his native Germany has proved as tricky as it has for any UK fighter, because of the coronavirus restrictions over the last few months, but Wallisch doesn’t expect it to have any impact on his performance.

“I’ve been keeping in shape, of course. In Germany you couldn’t train in the gym for a long time, but now it’s fortunately possible again.

“I’m looking forward to the fight, even if the preparation time was short.”

———-

Joyce vs Wallisch is live on BT Sport 1 at 7.15pm on Saturday July 25th

15th of July 2020 – Two old friends have finally reunited: Boxing promoter Erol Ceylan from Hamburg and WBA World Champion Mahmoud Charr from Cologne. Both have now signed a long-term contract in Hamburg, with the aim that Charr will defend his WBA Heavyweight belt as soon as possible. Many unfortunate circumstances have prevented Charr from defending his title since 2017, but this should now be over: “I am sure that Erol, with his close ties to US promoters, is the right partner at my side. I would like to fight Andy Ruiz and then target Tyson Fury,” Charr states confidently.
 
Erol Ceylan from EC Boxing is also very exited about this new partnership: “Mahmoud was and always will be a part of the ECB family. We are currently restructuring our stable and looking for new strategies moving forward. After signing Ukrainian heavyweight Victor Faust, we now also have a reigning Heavyweight World Champion in Mahmoud. We are in a good position, and I am convinced that he soon will be involved in massive fights.”
 
With Charr and IBO Welterweight Champ Sebastian Formella, Ceylan is now the only promoter in Germany who has two World Champions under contract. On top of that he works with a plethora of other heavyweights. Besides Charr and Faust, proven contenders such as former Fury-foe Christian Hammer, Turkish Boxer Ali Eren Demirezen and former European Champion Erkan Teper are part of his big stable. Just like the World Champions of the team they are ready to take on all comers.
 
Mahmoud Charr and his family fled to Germany when he was still a child. In his early 20s, after a short amateur career, he entered the professional game, where he worked with legendary Sauerland coach Ulli Wegner among others. Bit by bit he climbed the rankings, before fulfilling a lifelong dream in 2012, when he faced Vitali Klitschko for the WBC World Championship in Moscow. In the end only a cut to his eye could stop Charr, who gave a courageous effort and fought his heart out. The controversial stoppage is causing heated debates to this day.
 
In the following years, the almost 6 foot 4 inches tall man entered the ring against various wellknown faces in the boxing world – often outside of Germany. Particularly in Russia, he earned himself the reputation of a fighter who never ducks a challenge. With Alexander Povetkin, Alex Leapai, Johann Duhaupas, Michael Grant, Kevin Johnson, and Mairis Briedis, Charr has faced various reigning or former World Champions or World Championship challengers. In 2017, more than a decade after the start of his career, he finally got another chance to win a World Championship belt. In the König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany, Charr outpointed Alexander Ustinov and won the WBA Title. Now with Ceylan at his side, Charr is ready to add new chapters to his extraordinary story.

By Norm Frauenheim-

The third Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder fight was supposed to happen this month.

Early in the pandemic, the July 18 date at Las Vegas MGM Grand was viewed as something of a benchmark, a hopeful sign that business – the world – would be back as we’ve known it. Lived it.

But hope, known to spring eternal in better times, is futile these days. First, Fury-Wilder 3 was postponed to Oct. 3. Now, it has moved, pushed to Dec.19 at Vegas’ new Allegiant Stadium amid promoter Bob Arum’s hopes that a live crowd of about 20,000 will be allowed to sit in seats separated by today’s social-distancing dimensions.

“That is the date that we all want,” Arum told Las Vegas’ Review Journal. “That’s the date that both sides are happy with. Whether we’ll be able to do it in the stadium with limited seating, that’s in the hands of the gods.’’

Four months ago, few would have imagined that December would be a possible target date for the resumption of business as usual.

Then again, COVID-19 sounded like science fiction in those days. Who knew that masks would become a fashion statement?

Nobody, despite the mix of fairy tales and fake news from a White House collection of Baghdad Bobs, who keep saying the virus is going to disappear like a miracle. If only that miracle would make them vanish, too.

There are no miracles. But there is some hope, albeit frayed. And there is a potential vaccine, albeit delayed.

A vaccine might be the only realistic hope. The mounting fear of COVID-19 is summed up in the rising number of infections, especially in Arizona, Florida, Texas and California.

Just a couple of months ago, Arizona was thought to be the place where baseball would make its comeback. MLB talked about an abbreviated season in the desert at the spring-training sites in Phoenix. But that was before the virus hit Arizona like a haboob. It’s spreading faster than summer temperatures are rising.

Arizona, baseball’s epicenter in February, is a very different kind of epicenter now.

What has happened in Arizona, my home state, is just another example of what still figures to happen. No telling when the rate of infections will subside. Then, there’s the possibility of a second wave in November, the month before the projected third leg in the Fury-Wilder trilogy.

There are already widespread doubts about whether there will be a college football season this fall.

The NFL, perhaps, has a better shot at some sort of season, yet even it is talking about fans and even players signing some sort of waiver, an acknowledgement that even pro football fears that the pandemic will continue.

From boxing to baseball, money is a motivation for the attempt to get back in the game. Fighters and players still want to get paid. Networks are begging for live content. But the attempted return is as expensive as it is risky.

The NBA is planning to gather in Orlando where it will go into the so-called bubble, which is where boxing has been for nearly a month with weekly Top Rank shows in Las Vegas.

The players, like the fighters, will test, train, eat, sleep and play, all away from fans.  But life in the bubble isn’t cheap. It’s expensive to maintain and sustain. Yet, it’s an investment in keeping fans interested and around for the days when social distancing is a forgotten dimension.

But it’s beginning to look as if only a vaccine can ease public fears and bring the fans back into the arena for a first bell or an opening tip. I’m still hoping to hear that bell for Fury-Wilder 3. But, mostly, I’m hoping for a lab to produce a vaccine.

A vaccine might be the best investment. Long-term, it’s the only way to bet.

HALL-OF-FAME promoter Frank Warren has responded to Tyson Fury’s sensational Lockdown Lowdown interview where he declared he’d beat “cash cow” Anthony Joshua and called WBC mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte a “stocky plodder”.

Fury also suggested, in comments picked up by the national press, that by beating AJ he would be landing a potentially fatal blow to Joshua’s promoters.

Whilst Fury’s promoter Warren was coy on the effect a huge Tyson victory over AJ would have on his business rivals, he was keen to point out Queensberry had no concerns about their own future.

“At Queensberry we couldn’t be happier with our hand” he said, “We’ve got the number one Heavyweight in World Boxing, Tyson Fury, and we’ve got the next big superstar in Daniel Dubois.”

Warren has long hailed ‘Dynamite’ as the future of the Heavyweight division and recently caused a stir when he insisted he’d happily match the youngster with Deontay Wilder right away and still be confident of a KO victory for Dubois.

“We’ve got this 22 year old kid in Daniel Dubois and he’s top ten with the organising bodies, The Ring magazine have today said he’s ‘on the cusp’ of their Top Ten.

“He’s the hottest prospect in boxing and he’s knocking on the door of the big boys already. 

“I’ve said it before, he’ll have a world title shot within a year or two.”

Stablemate Fury clearly shares Warren’s assessment of Dubois and the threat he poses to the “big boys”, telling the Lockdown Lowdown that domestic rival Dillian Whyte should be less concerned about his mandatory WBC title shot and instead focused on the growing threat of ‘Dynamite’.

He said: “When the time comes, I’ll put him (Whyte) in his place. Until then I think he’ll have plenty more to worry about with the likes of Daniel Dubois, Joe Joyce and Povetkin who he’s fighting next.”

Asked whether he’d consider Whyte as an opponent for Dubois, Warren wasted no time in saying “absolutely” but says he understands Dillian’s frustration at not getting a world title shot.

“It’s incredible what’s happened with him really. He was ranked number one with the WBO for God knows how long, ranked number one with the WBC and he’s just not got the fights. If I were him, I’d be asking the question… ‘Why hasn’t my promoter been able to get me those fights?’ 

“He’s on about suing the WBC, but they don’t seem to be the problem.

“It’s remarkable, really. I can’t think of another British fighter who’s been left out to dry as much as him. He was in the same stable as the WBO Champion and still couldn’t get a shot.

“You can see why he’s upset. He doesn’t feel he’s been looked after. At this point, Dillian must be wondering if he’s ever going to get a world title shot over there.”

Warren was clear that if Whyte was fighting under his banner, the situation would be different.

“If Dillian was with me, he would have fought for a world title by now”, he added.

Comparing Whyte’s fortunes to that of Tyson Fury, whose astonishing comeback was masterminded by Warren, he said: “I had Tyson Fury fighting for a world title within 6 months of signing with him, we kept him nice and active and then got him the Wilder fight.

“Look what’s happened since, Tyson is an absolute global superstar on the verge of the biggest contract in boxing history.”

Reverting back to his confidence in the future of Queensberry Promotions, Warren ended by saying simply: “We always look to do the best job for our fighters and give them the best chance for success at world level and to make good money for them and their families.

“That’s why we think we’re in such a good place going forward.”

By Bart Barry-

SAN ANTONIO – Saturday I went for a drive in a random direction and learned a bit more about the spread of COVID-19 in this community (though nothing science hasn’t been trying to tell us in its now-hoarse voice).  If this turns out to relate to Tyson Fury, like the rest of the column, I’ll be surprised and overjoyed, and if it doesn’t, I’ll probably revise a clumsy * break somewhere below, but follow along if for no other reason than the guy writing this hasn’t an inkling where it might go and little more of an inclination to tidy-up when he’s done.

How did randomness get achieved on a Saturday drive during the withers of a pandemic lockdown?  The mailman delivered a hand-addressed letter days ago to the wrong address, this one, and days of flagging the letter in the box did nothing to get him remove it.  Finally I put the address in Google maps and headed wherever the voice directed.  The southeast neighborhood where I landed is workingclass like this: Most everyone in the neighborhood works fulltime, and per-capita annual income is less than $23,000.

The stripmall was bursting and traffic was congested as anywhere I’ve seen it since March.  If you don’t have access to a creditcard you haven’t access to Amazon, and do your shopping locally; and if you give 50 weekly hours to work (jobs in that neighborhood ain’t virtual, and if the pandemic has taught the rest of us something about work, one hopes, it is to include, henceforth, one’s commute in hourly wage calculations) and you get paid weekly you have only Saturdays for shopping, like everyone round you.

The neighborhood was spared the first COVID-19 wave, like most of this city’s neighborhoods, but now that state government has sacrificed its citizenry to the market god – the governor last week refusing our county judge’s pleas to make masks mandatory, citing available hospital beds and freedom – this neighborhood will suffer an outbreak in wave 2 the way the rest of our city’s neighborhoods now do, and that outbreak will be exacerbated by what unmasked congestion marked Saturday’s stripmall.

Then all is hopeless?  No, no it isn’t.  The social order convulses right now, and that will bring a change that has nearly good a chance of being for the longterm better as being for the longterm worse.  Young protesters have made a calculation of their own: The chances of my catching a deadly virus while marching outside, now, are less than the chances of a loved one being killed by police.

That’s a quite extraordinary thought and perhaps a rational one.  It’s the perhaps-an-irrational part that is changed.  In bygone days a community’s elders would read the youngsters a scroll of benefits and historical sacrifices and tell them it’s their turn; sacrifice your vigor right now for improved fortunes later.  Except today’s youths can’t see a damn thing these elders sacrificed for anyone and see no coming fortunes either.  If protesting what violence might kill their peers now causes them to spread among their grandparents a deadly disease, well, sacrifices must be made, no?

God help us – get to the hopeful part!  Tyson Fury brought aficionados hope last week (you now find yourself in the middle of a transitional sentence so graceful only a bald, obese gypsy might attempt it) when he agreed to the terms of a fight series with his division’s last remaining titlist in 2021.

After Fury dispatches Deontay Wilder later this year, or doesn’t, he says he’ll make two matches with Anthony Joshua then leave our beloved sport much better than he found it, which is remarkable.  All it ever took, Fury now proves, is selfbelief – or lunacy.  Fury took an illadvised match with Wilder a couple years back because he believed in his talents, or was fully out of his mind, and did enough and made enough of it to make an enormous rematch and whalebone Wilder in February.

Three years ago the idea of Deontay Wilder being the best heavyweight in the world was absurd, sure, but the idea of Fury being the clear favorite in a rubbermatch with Wilder and a pair of matches with AJ was absurder still.  Then the Gypsy King went Lazarus on Wilder and Tysoned him, while AJ got emasculated by El Gordito and stayed that way in the rematch.

Wilder’s got about 90 seconds later this year to snatch Fury’s initiative with an overhand right, and if he doesn’t, if Fury makes it to round 2 without a concussion, what’s going to stop him?  ’Twon’t be Wilder’s newfound fragility.  Or if AJ goes robot destroyer Fury undresses him – Joshua is both less powerful and more predictable than Wilder – or if Joshua shows us that guy we saw last time Fury upstages Willie Pep by winning 12 rounds without throwing a punch.

Of course with Fury there ever be nemeses lurking, the Furies, as it were, whatever agents Fury might summon for his autodestruction next time, if there’s a next time; Fury might well undo himself, but probably neither Wilder nor Joshua will.  Fury’s selfbelief forced Top Rank to work with PBC and forced Eddie Hearn to work with an alleged Irish weapons smuggler in the Emirates, which ought be a lesson to aficionados if not their favorite fighters.

Next time Bud Crawford and Errol Spence sign opponents you must BoxRec or a middleweight titlist tells you everyone above 147 pounds is afraid of him, remember the Gypsy King and know what’s lacking actually is simple selfbelief.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

By Norm Frauenheim-

News of an agreement for two Anthony Joshua-Tyson Fury fights next year was quickly followed by bookies installing Fury as a slight favorite.

Maybe the headlines generated some business at the books. But the real odds are on whether these two fights will ever happen. Agreements are like a glass jaw. They get broken all the time.

Of course, Joshua and Fury agree that they would like to fight a couple of times.  Of course, Fury co-manager Frank Warren reportedly said Fury would be happy at a 50-50 split.

It’s easy to agree on half-a-share of nothing.

In effect, that’s what the Joshua-Fury news was this week. It was a tease, a diversion from all of the uncertainty that has boxing and virtually every other sport seeking to hit the restart button amid the ongoing pandemic.

There’s no way to predict when COVID-19 will vanish. And there’s no way to know what the world will look like after it does. If it’s business-as-usual in the post-pandemic era, then Joshua-Fury will move on to the astonishing money that appeared to be inevitable before anyone had ever heard of coronavirus.

But don’t bet on it.

The unemployment figures are too high and the lines at community food banks are too long to think there will be much pay-per-view money in anybody’s pocket for a while. The best bet is that they’ll be negotiating for a total purse that’s a lot smaller than anybody would have imagined just six months ago.

Besides, there’s a minefield full of things confronting each heavyweight before they could even re-visit their reported agreement in an effort to sign a contract, a real deal.

First, Fury, a 7-4 to 2-1 favorite over Joshua, is mandated to fight Deontay Wilder in a third bout, which has been postponed multiple times. There are reports of the second rematch going to Macao or Australia. Maybe, an option is the Raiders’ new stadium in Las Vegas with fans in seats configured by today’s social-distancing limits.

Then, there’s Joshua, who has a date with Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev. Like everything else, it’s been postponed repeatedly. Then, there’s talk of Joshua in another mandatory title defense against Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk. No idea of when or where or even if. There are no plans these days. Just quarantines and curfews.

Even if Wilder-Fury 3 happens and Joshua faces Pulev, there is only more of the uncertainty that defines a pandemic thus far known only for deadly chaos. The singular power in Wilder’s right hand could score an upset.

Meanwhile, Pulev has little to lose and is tough, which means he’s dangerous for a Joshua who just hasn’t been the same fighter he was in a dramatic stoppage of Wladimir Klitschko in April 2017.

Joshua was curiously cautious in winning a decision over Andy Ruiz Jr. last December, about six months after Ruiz stunned him, scoring a seventh-round stoppage in New York.

Now, we see Joshua on crutches, his left knee in a brace for an injury he says he suffered while running in the woods.

He looks vulnerable.

Maybe that, too, is an illusion, another wager during a time when all bets are off.  

Promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports on Wednesday that WBC/Lineal Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua have reached an agreement to fight each other twice in 2021.

“It’s fair to say [Joshua and Fury] are in agreement regarding the financial terms of the fight,” Hearn said. “We’ve been talking to [Fury’s management team] MTK, giving them the assurances from Joshua’s side that all the details on the structure of the deal is approved from our side. And it is from Fury’s side, as well.

“We’re in a good place. It’s fair to say that, in principle, both guys have agreed to that fight. Two fights.”

Hearn said that the first bout in their two-fight series could take place next summer and that there are no signed contracts at this time

Fury Tweeted, “

It’s official FURY VS JOSUAR AGREED FOR NEXT YEAR, I got to smash @bronzebomber first then I’ll annihilate @anthonyfjoshua#WEARESPARTANS“

TO SEE FURY’S COMMENTS

THE HOTTEST PROSPECT in Heavyweight boxing, Daniel Dubois, has today responded to the effusive praise poured on him by Tyson Fury’s old man, big John Fury.

“It all builds the anticipation… I just want to get on with it and finish business with Joe. Let’s get it on.”————————–

The Lockdown Lowdown is available via Queensberry Promotions social media channels.Recent guests have included Tommy Fury, Joe Joyce and Liam Williams, who sensationally asked “who gives a sh*t about Demetrius Andrade?”

For all that and more, please visit:

Youtube

Twitter

Instagram 

Facebook

FOUR-TIMES NATIONAL champion and Tyson Fury’s cousin, Josh Frankham, has turned professional with Frank Warren and will make his debut under the Queensberry Promotions banner when boxing resumes following the current restrictions.

The 20-year-old super welterweight and former England international had 37 fights as an amateur – with only six going against him – and he describes the onset of his professional adventure as like winning the lottery.

“I am over the moon and just looking forward to making my debut and getting back in there,” said Frankham, who is trained by Wayne Batten in Southampton. “Frank just said to me to train hard, live well and he will look after me. With him looking after me I can do the business and try and go to the top.

“It is like winning the lottery.”

Prior to his meeting with Frankham the Hall of Fame promoter received a message of endorsement from Fury and shortly after the new pro headed out for a five-day trip to Las Vegas that he will never forget.

“That meant a lot and I owe him everything,” added Frankham, who is also related to Paris Fury. “He sent Frank a little text to look after me.

“It was unbelievable and one of the best trips I have ever been on. The day after the fight we spent some time with Tyson and to grab hold of those belts made it some day.

“We had a good day with him, had a picture with his belts and a good chat to him. It actually got to me a bit when he won and I welled up a little.

“We’ve always been close and I have been with him since day one and haven’t just jumped on the bandwagon like a lot of people have.

“After watching him win that I couldn’t wait to get back in the gym the next week. I have been playing Patsy Cline’s Crazy for the last two weeks non-stop!

“Hopefully he will come to my debut because he said he was going to. He has had a mad schedule but hopefully he will be there.”

Promoter Frank Warren added: “Josh is another quality young prospect to add to our incredible pool of talent. As his name suggests, he comes from great fighting stock and he has been working hard for a long time down in Southampton in readiness to join the professional ranks.

“It is true that I received a text from Tyson on the morning of my meeting with Josh, so he certainly has friends in high places and I am sure the heavyweight champion of the world will be on hand to support his journey.”

(March 31, 2020) — Bob Arum started at the top, and he’s still here. A one-time practicing attorney who worked in the tax division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Arum promoted his first card on March 29, 1966. Muhammad Ali defended his heavyweight world title at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens against Canadian challenger George Chuvalo and won a 15-round unanimous decision.

Arum planned on staging Ali-Chuvalo in Chicago, but the Illinois State Athletic Commission banned Ali because of his “unpatriotic” remarks about the Vietnam War. So, Arum went north of the border, and Maple Leaf Gardens owner Harold Ballard welcomed Ali and Arum with open arms. Chuvalo accepted the fight on less than three weeks’ notice after original opponent Ernie Terrell pulled out, and the rest is boxing history.

“It was a memorable, crazy time in our country,” Arum said. “After we were kicked out of Chicago, Ballard told us we could bring the fight to Toronto, and he was a man of his word. More than 50 years later, Ali-Chuvalo in Toronto is still the most difficult promotion of my entire career.”

Arum wound up promoting 27 Ali fights and turned Top Rank (incorporated in 1973) into an international brand that has promoted 2,079 fight cards and 655 world title bouts in 42 U.S. states and 92 foreign or international cities. Many of the greatest fighters of the past half-century have fought under the Top Rank banner, including: Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Johnny Tapia, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Roberto Duran, George Foreman, Oscar De La Hoya, Timothy Bradley Jr., James Toney, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Alexis Arguello, Michael Carbajal, Miguel Cotto, Emile Griffith, Carlos Monzón, Terence Crawford, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Tyson Fury.

Said Arum: “It has been one hell of a 54-year ride. I am honored to have promoted many of history’s greatest boxers. I could have never foreseen this 54 years ago. I look forward to many more memorable nights at ringside.”

Top Rank/Bob Arum By The Numbers:

2,079: Fight cards promoted
824: Shows on ESPN family of networks
655: World title fights promoted
517: Shows promoted in Nevada
412: Shows promoted in New Jersey
219: American cities in which Top Rank has promoted
195: Shows promoted in California
154: Shows promoted in Texas
129: Shows promoted on HBO    
92: Foreign or international cities in which Top Rank has promoted
73: Shows promoted on ABC
72: Shows promoted in New York State
69: Shows promoted in Arizona
63: Shows promoted in Puerto Rico
52: Shows promoted in Mexico
49: Pay-per-view shows promoted
47: Shows promoted in Illinois
42: States in which Top Rank has promoted boxing
41: Miguel Cotto fights promoted
41: Shows promoted in Pennsylvania
38: Michael Carbajal fights promoted
38: Shows promoted in New York City
37: Oscar De La Hoya fights promoted
36: Johnny Tapia fights promoted
35: Floyd Mayweather Jr. fights promoted
33: James Toney fights promoted
32: Erik Morales fights promoted
31: Shows promoted in Florida
28: Iran Barkley fights promoted
27: Muhammad Ali fights promoted or co-promoted
26: Foreign countries in which Top Rank has promoted, plus Puerto Rico
25: Freddie Roach fights promoted
24: Shows promoted in New Mexico
23: World heavyweight title fights promoted
22: Terence Crawford fights promoted
20: Marvelous Marvin Hagler fights promoted
20: Manny Pacquiao fights promoted
19: Juan Manuel Marquez fights promoted
14: George Foreman fights promoted
14: Shows promoted in China
13: Thomas Hearns fights promoted
10: Alexis Arguello fights promoted
10: Ray Mancini fights promoted
9: Timothy Bradley Jr. fights promoted
8: Roberto Duran fights promoted
7: Sugar Ray Leonard fights promoted
7: Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. fights promoted
5: Carlos Monzón fights promoted
5: Emile Griffith fights promoted
4: Mike Tyson fights promoted
3: Tyson Fury fights promoted
2: Larry Holmes fights promoted
1: Evel Knievel Snake River Canyon jump promoted
0: Shows (so far) promoted by Top Rank in: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Kansas, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the 3rd fright between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder will most likely pushed back until to the Fall due to the Coronavirus outbreak around the world.

“Clearly not,” Fury Promoter Bob Arum said of the bout being on July 18. “We don’t even know if the MGM will even be open by then.”

“You could not guarantee the fighters that the event would take place on that date. We couldn’t convince them or ourselves,” Arum said. “Where were they going to train for it? It just made no sense. You just have to take a step back. How are you going to sell tickets? It’s absolutely ridiculous to say the fight is on when the Brits can’t even get there.”

“So everybody has to take a step back. Boxing is not isolated. It’s part of what’s happening in the world,” Arum said. “So possibly the fight will be in early October.”

“Al and his people are in touch with us all the time on this,” Arum said. “We see things the same way. We’ll be very, very cautious moving ahead and pray this will be over at a particular time and we will be able to make smart plans. Nobody has ever experienced anything like this before.”

(March 22, 2020) —ESPN will air the non-pay-per-view premier of the heavyweight rematch that captured the world’s attention last month. WBC and Lineal Heavyweight champion Tyson “The Gypsy” King” Fury’s masterpiece victory over Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder, will debut on ESPN, Monday March 23.  ESPN will air the four-fight special beginning at 8 p.m. ET, which will be preceded by a special re-air presentation of Fury and Wilder’s disputed December 2018 draw (7 p.m. ET.).  

The entire Wilder-Fury II PPV broadcast will also become available for replay to all ESPN+ subscribers beginning Monday. 

The Wilder-Fury II presentation will also feature the following bouts: former heavyweight world champion Charles Martin squaring off against former title challenger Gerald “El Gallo Negro” Washington in a scheduled 12-round IBF heavyweight world title eliminator, WBO junior featherweight world champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete, a.k.a “The Mexican Iron Man,” defending his title against Filipino contender Jeo Santisima, and super welterweight sensation Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora against 2016 Australian Olympian Daniel Lewis in a highly anticipated battle of unbeatens. 

Wilder-Fury II adds to ESPN’s week of programming, which also includes an encore presentation of the Academy-Award winning 30 for 30 documentary “O.J.: Made in America.” The documentary will now shift to air over four nights in primetime from March 24-March 26. The film originally premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016, debuted on ABC/ESPN in June 2016, and won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 89^th Academy Awards in February 2017.  

ESPN+ also features a collection of some of the greatest fights in boxing history, including dozens of legendary bouts from the Top Rank Library, available on demand. The collection includes legendary heavyweight showdowns like Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III, Ali vs. George Foreman, Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn, Mike Tyson vs. Larry Holmes, Jack Dempsey vs. Gene Tunney, Max Baer vs. James J. Braddock, Ali vs. Sonny Liston I & II, and many more.  

ESPN Boxing Schedule, Monday, March 23 (All times ET)  

(March 16, 2020) — Due to the publication of a number of misleading and misrepresentative statements and articles made by third parties relating to Tyson Fury, the following statement is made jointly by MTK Global, Top Rank and Queensberry Promotions.

Tyson Fury is the globally recognized No. 1 Heavyweight in the world and the current Lineal, WBC and Ring Magazine champion. Tyson is contracted to a third fight with former WBC world champion Deontay Wilder.

Any statement made regarding negotiations, talks, venues or any other bout should be disregarded.

Top Rank, MTK Global and Queensberry Promotions have and will continue to work in close conjunction with each other to deliver Tyson Fury the best opportunities to enhance his career and earnings. This will require each party, as well as Tyson Fury himself, to continue to work together as a team to explore and negotiate any and all future possibilities.

The collaboration has thus far seen Tyson Fury enter into one of the most lucrative contracts in boxing history, become a global phenomenon and reclaim his rightful position atop the heavyweight division.

Any updates regarding future fights will only be made through official channels, and we will continue to deliver boxing fans the biggest and best fights involving “The Gypsy King.”

Many options have presented themselves in the Middle East for such bouts. Any meetings regarding this subject will be held in Dubai with all of the necessary parties.

In light of a recent article published in the Mail On Sunday regarding Tyson Fury, hall of fame promoter Frank Warren on behalf of Queensberry Promotions has the following statement to make:
 
“The farmer making these outrageous allegations sent me a letter last October, full of errors and basically telling me he had committed perjury by signing statements under oath and lying. When I called him, he asked for money. I told him to clear off and get in contact with UKAD. He chose not to speak to UKAD but instead speak to a newspaper.
 
How anybody can take this man seriously is beyond belief. Tyson has never met this man in his life. What a load of rubbish. We’ll leave this with UKAD to look into and don’t expect it to go any further.
 
It looks like while the football season has been paused, there’s nothing to write about and silly season has instead commenced.“
 

NATHAN GORMAN believes Joe Joyce is capable of upsetting Daniel Dubois in their huge Heavyweight clash, despite what cousin Tyson Fury believes.

Gorman famously felt the power of Dubois, getting knocked out in five rounds, when they met for the vacant British championship last July.

Like the Great British public, Gorman cannot wait for Dubois (14-0, 13 KOs) and Joyce (10-0, 9 KOs) to settle their rivalry at London’s o2 Arena on Saturday April 11, live on BT Sport Box Office.

The winner of the titanic ‘Seek and Destroy’ tussle will close in on world champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, as well as banking the British, Commonwealth, European, WBC Silver and WBO International titles.

Gorman, who will return to action on the undercard of Josh Taylor’s Glasgow return on May 2nd said: “It’s an exciting fight.

I think it’s 50-50 and it is wrong that some people appear to be writing off Joyce for this fight.”

He added: “Don’t get me wrong. If Daniel hits him he is going to do some damage, but you have to remember Joyce is 19 stone plus and if he hits Daniel he hurts him.”

Nathan might have lost to Dubois when it mattered in the ring, but he has also sparred plenty of rounds with Joyce over the years.

“Joyce has been competing as a high end amateur, he is 30 plus and a man. He can fight!” said Gorman.

“I sparred with him at David Haye’s gym and also in Sheffield at the Team GB camp. He has come on leaps and bounds. We know about his size, but I was impressed with his strength and workrate for such a huge man. He is very, very fit.

“I’d imagine Joyce might be careful early on, but he is one of those fighters who can also jump all over Daniel, make it awkward and smother his space.”

Gorman has never offered any excuses for his defeat against Dubois, but believes the secret weapon is more than Daniel’s fight ending power.

The Nantwich man holds Daniel’s trainer Martin Bowers in high esteem and added: “I knew how strong Daniel was going into the fight and he does the basics very well – the jab, the 1-2, the 1-2-hook and is good with his feet.

Martin Bowers had a very good game plan and Daniel will need the same from him in this fight coming up.
Credit where it’s due, Martin is a very good trainer.”

In the chief support Ilford’s Anthony Yarde will challenge Manchester’s Commonwealth Light-Heavyweight champion Lyndon Arthur in a brilliant 50-50 clash.

Other fighters on the bill include David Adeleye, Dennis McCann, Archie Sharp and Hamzah Sheeraz. Another title fight on the bill sees a rematch between British Welterweight Champion Chris Jenkins and Johnny Garton.

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WORLD Heavyweight King Tyson Fury has edged towards Daniel Dubois winning the battle of the British big boys when he faces Joe Joyce next month.

Dubois (14-0, 13 KOs) and Joyce (10-0, 9KOs) clash at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday April 11, Live on BT Sport Box Office.The winner of the 12 round Heavyweight showdown between the London rivals will be closing in on Fury and will go home with the British, Commonwealth, European, WBC Silver and WBO International title belts.

Like most fight fans, WBC World, Lineal and Ring Magazine Champion Fury is struggling to pick a winner and admits: “I have changed my mind on this fight a few times.”

Fury, who has trained with both boxers, feels the youth of 22-year-old Dubois is likely to prove an advantage come fight night.

He explained: “I have sparred both lads and it’s a good fight. They both have qualities and they both have weaknesses.

“But, after really analysing the situation, I think Dubois gets him early. Dubois is younger, fresher, punches very hard and is on a real roll at the moment.”

Most pundits believe that Joyce’s best hope of winning comes late on and Fury agrees, telling IFL TV: “If Joe can survive the early onslaught and take him into deep waters then he could win.”

“Joe starts slow, is like a plodder and goes at one pace all the way through. If he gets into seven rounds he could do it by late stoppage.”

“But, these are lads in the gym every day. They’re not gonna get tired and gas out after five rounds.

“It’s not like he (Dubois) is a fat fella who does no training. He is ripped, he trains every day like a trojan and he is a very good prospect.”

In the chief support Ilford’s Anthony Yarde will challenge Manchester’s Commonwealth Light-Heavyweight champion Lyndon Arthur in a brilliant 50-50 clash.

Other fighters on the bill include David Adeleye, Dennis McCann, Archie Sharp and Hamzah Sheeraz. Another title fight on the bill sees a rematch between British Welterweight Champion Chris Jenkins and Johnny Garton.

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By Bart Barry-

Initiative is the word for it.

It’s what Deontay Wilder had in the first match
and lacked in the second, the first 30 seconds said.  Tyson Fury wasn’t blarneying pure when he
promised an early knockout.  He fought
the opening halfminute like a man who read the tale of the tape and wondered
what the hell his timidity’d been about 14 months prior.

Fury stepped directly in Wilder’s space and
surprised both men when he did.  There’s
a primeval intelligence in us all, most carry it much deeper than prizefighters
do, and Fury found it and employed it, and Wilder got stunned by it.

A good argument exists for why this intelligence formed
and why we retain it: survival of the species. 
One thing a species isn’t supposed to have in this unpredictable and
oft-violent world is a capacity for selfextermination; perils enough abound
without a species’ predators making prey of their brothers.  This primeval intelligence, then, is about
sensing instantly in your gut who you can dominate and to whom you must submit,
to forgo mortal conflicts.

Men the size of Fury and Wilder are wholly
unaccustomed to submission’s unmistakable electricity.  If Wilder’d ever felt it before in his life
it was only accompanied by bonedeep fatigue (that undefeated coward-maker) and
never in the opening halfminute of a confrontation.

Yet there it was. 
Wilder’s eyes bulged and his mouth opened, and the signal bounced from tower
to tower.

Wilder: What?

Fury: Aye.

Wilder: Wait, what?

Fury: Aye.

Whatever made Wilder initially weak then multiplied
itself by itself.  The retreat, the
absorption of abuse, the sudden and desperate summoning of boxing skills he
never has had.  Wilder’s feet were below
a different body a full round before his right leg went frictionlessly from
underneath him like an iceskate.

Fury’s right fist in round 3, the devastating
conclusion of a 3-2 combo whose effect shocked Fury nearly much as Wilder, drove
upon Wilder’s left ear and made it seep blood like an ear should not.  Wilder went down like he’d been
hiptossed.  And Wilder winced from the
deep pain of taking a punch from a 270-pound man in a place he was unprepared
to be punched.  Imagine, next, finding
yourself on your chest, legs unreliable, the left side of your head shrieking
pain.  And not even a quarter of the way
through your scheduled ordeal.

Wilder was unlucky to escape round 3.  Had the round been a minute younger, probably
Kenny Bayless would have stopped it with Fury’s next charge, extending Wilder’s
career and wits.

By the time Wilder got dropped by a shoving body
punch a couple rounds later the only decent reaction to his plight was
sympathy.  I felt it while reviewing the
rematch.  Wilder rose with a body and
face that strove for one thing – dignity. 
There was no bravado left, not much predatory impulse, surely no wiles;
Deontay just wanted to be dignified about lifting himself off the bluemat. 

Oddly, maybe, I thought of Bernard Hopkins and
what he said before his match with a different man from the United Kingdom: “I
would never let a white boy beat me. I would never lose to a white boy.”

I’m ignorant to the origin of Hopkins’ sentiments,
for a variety of reasons including privilege, and there’s no telling if Deontay
related to those words then or later, but wherever and however Hopkins first
heard that sentiment chances aren’t bad Deontay’s heard similar.  As if the burden of making combat with a
fellow giant weren’t enough, right?

Which isn’t a bad segue to the costume issue.  It’s not farfetched as it sounded when Wilder
spoke on it.  An enormous error in
judgement, that getup.  The weight of it
isn’t so much the thing either.  It’s the
deprivation of air, the lunacy of covering one’s face during a massive surge of
adrenaline, and the LEDs.

Not so long ago I subjected myself to a
stroboscopic experience called PandoraStar, choosing right idiotically a
30-minute “Energy” experience, and let me impart: Flashing lights on the backs
of your eyelids scramble your brain.  How
do I mean?  I was five minutes in the
experience before finding my rightmind enough to sing the ABCs; I once made a
decent living in letters, that is, and for at least 300 seconds I couldn’t
remember any.

Is that what happened to Deontay?  Hell if I know, but he wasn’t right from the
opening bell. 

Deontay has three qualities as a prizefighter: Menace,
conditioning, power.  Deprived of his
conditioning – his mouth was open 10 seconds in – Deontay had little power to dispatch,
and his countenance the entire match was more reliably worried than fearsome.

This time round, too, when Deontay launched a
righthand and missed, he got hammered, not hugged.  In the 2018 match Fury seemed so relieved when
Wilder’s right missed he embraced the man as if from joy.  This time he punished him, roughhousing and choking
him in clinches, delighting at his weakness, toying with him, putting his
weight on him, dominating him – even fellating his bloody neck.

There’s no way Wilder prepared for those
experiences after the first match. 
Almost definitely Wilder’s camp got dedicated to closing escape routes
and visiting a concussion on Fury 18 minutes earlier at least.

Which brings us to the coming rubber match.  If Wilder is to have even a puncher’s chance
he needs to change Fury’s entire calculus in less than a minute, violently
unraveling their identities before either man has time to remember their order.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

By Norm Frauenheim-

Deontay Wilder is a predictable target on sociopath media these days. Anybody, which means just about everybody, with a keyboard and an insult is piling on in the wake of his one-sided loss to Tyson Fury.

Everybody, that is, but Fury.

The fundamental goodness in Fury has been evident throughout interviews this week in the UK. Fury beat him up. Forced his corner to surrender in the seventh round. Within the ropes, he showed no mercy. Outside of them, he has shown empathy for a fellow fighter struggling to come to terms with his first defeat.

In part, perhaps, that’s because Fury has already been trashed by the virtual vigilantes, who have buried Wilder beneath their malice for blaming his loss on the collection of nuts, bolts and batteries that were part of his armored costume. The 40-pound get-up weakened him in his walk to the ring, Wilder said before video surfaced of him saying he trained while wearing a 45-pound weighted vest.

There’s been no bunker deep enough, no armored suit protective enough, to shield him from what has followed.

Fury has been there, a target of public shaming, during dark days of drinking, drugging, eating and agonizing in the aftermath of his 2015 upset of Wladimir Klitschko.

He was the heavyweight champ with heavyweight mental issues, an accident in the making and always in the headlines. He was stripped of his titles and stripped of his sanity. But he made it back, came back with a unique understanding of the kind of adversity now facing Wilder.

Fury came into the ring to Patsy Cline’s country classic, Crazy. Fury knows something about crazy.

“I can understand where he’s coming from,” Fury told ITV’s This Morning. “In every fighter’s mind, there’s got to be a reason why they’ve lost. It can never be a simple fact (of) I wasn’t good enough on the night and lost to the better guy. It’s always got to be: ‘The camp was wrong. It was the trainer’s fault. It was my suit, it was my toe.’

“With me, if I’m injured or whatever the problem is, it’s like, ‘OK, the performance wasn’t great. But I’m going to move on and crack on.’ ‘’

The question is whether Wilder will be able to move on. He’s already exercised a contract clause for a third fight, tentatively set for July 18 at Las Vegas MGM Grand, site of the last bout. With an interim fight, Wilder might be able to restore some confidence, which figures to be shaky after the beatdown he suffered on Feb. 22.

But business is business, and Fury promises to subject him to another business-like beating.

 “I beat him the first time,” said Fury, who fought Wilder to a controversial draw on Dec. 1, 2018 in their first meeting. “I beat him the second time. I’ll surely beat him the third time.’’

Hard to argue with that.

However, it’s also clear that Fury and Wilder like each other. Throughout all the trash-talking exchanges at news conferences before the rematch, there were moments when that was evident. You could see it in their eyes and their body language. After shoving each other at the final newser, there was a break. They smiled, an acknowledgement that those were friendly shoves.

Fury was also careful not to spark any racial controversy. Race has always been part of boxing. After all, it’s the sport the created The Great White Hope. Wilder dropped some racial hints. February was Black History Month. Wilder said he wanted to turn Fury into a Black History Month trivia question.

But Fury wouldn’t go there.

“This is not a racial war,’’ Fury said when asked about Wilder’s comment a couple of days before opening bell.

No, it was not.

Is not.

It simply was about two men who happen to like each other despite the war that awaited them.

And still awaits them.

“The one thing I will say about Deontay Wilder is he’s a very worthy opponent, and he’s a very dangerous opponent,” Fury said. “He has that eraser power of 43 knockouts, only the one defeat, and you can never write a guy off like that. It’s always one punch away from disaster with Deontay.

“Like he famously says, ‘They have to be correct for 36 minutes, I have to be correct for one second.’

“And that’s so true.”

Nice to hear something so genuinely true, too.Attachments area

Former Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has exercised his rematch clause with Tyson Fury and promoter Bob Arum said July 18th is the working date for the Trilogy in Las Vegas, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Now we will sit down and go through all the details for the fight,” Arum said, adding that the task would fall largely to Top Rank president Todd duBoef and Bruce Binkow of Premier Boxing Champions. Before Wilder made it official, Arum said he was open to shifting the third fight to the fall if that is what Wilder and PBC wanted. But on Sunday, he said the fight would indeed be July 18 and that it again would be a joint pay-per-view between ESPN, Top Rank’s broadcaster, and Fox, one of PBC’s broadcasters.

“We realized that date was the favorite of both ESPN and Fox because it comes at a dead time in sports, which is good for the fight,” Arum said. “It’s after the basketball playoffs, baseball is in the middle of the season and there’s no football. It’s the ideal time. The hotel, MGM Grand, also believes it to be an ideal time.”

“I figured he would do it because I have had enough experience with rematches to know that anything can happen and guys can change their strategy and want the opportunity to [avenge] the loss,” Arum said.

Shelly Finkel, Wilder’s co-manager, confirmed the decision to go forward with the third fight. “We did exercise it,” Finkel told ESPN. “We want to fight Fury next and we wanted to make sure we sent the letter and that it was done.”

Former 4 time World Heavyweight contender Jameel Big Time McCline speaks about his second retirement, the Deontay Wilder Tyson Fury Fight, the current and future state of boxing and more.

McCline also speaks to his success after boxing and is now an advocate in the Fight Game for young fighters preparing them for “What’s Next” after boxing.

“I am in a better position for the next phase of my life than those who I lost to for the heavyweight title”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will keep trainer Mark Breland after rumors that Wilder would jettison Breland for throwing in the towel in Wilder’s loss to Tyson Fury.

“I’m a warrior. I feel the same way I felt on fight night — if I have to go out, I want to go out on my shield,” Wilder told ESPN in a statement Friday night. “But I understand that my corner and my team has my best interest at heart. Mark Breland is still a part of Team Wilder and our team looks forward to preparing for the [trilogy fight].”

“For Mark to do it, I was very heartbroken,” Wilder told ESPN earlier this week. “If I say statements like I want to kill a man [in the ring], then I have to abide by those same principles in the ring of him doing the same thing to me. I’d rather die than go out with someone throwing the towel in.

“He knows these things. It’s been premeditated. I’ve said this for many years. I told all my trainers, no matter how it may look on the outside, no matter how you may love me or have that emotional feeling, don’t make an emotional decision and do not ever throw that towel in because my pride is everything. I understand what it looks like but when you have power like me I am never out of a fight, no matter what the circumstances. I’m never out of a fight.”

As the war of words heats up between domestic rivals Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce, Tyson Fury has emerged as a powerful source of inspiration for ‘The Juggernaut’.

Vowing to replicate The Gypsy King’s world-beating performance against Deontay Wilder, Joyce today laid out his game plan to expose ‘Dynamite’ on April 11th.“Tyson Fury showed what can happen when you bully a bully” he said, “and I plan to do the same to Daniel!”

The two will square off on Queensberry Promotions huge ‘Seek and Destroy’ card on April 11th at the O2 arena, in a contest that Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren has called “the biggest domestic battle in years”.

Dubois, coming off a terrifying one punch knockout of Japanese superstar Kyotaro Fujimoto, has emerged as an early favourite with the bookies but Joyce believes the hype surrounding ‘Dynamite’ is overblown.

“He has had it all his own way so far, but he knows what I’m all about.”

Joyce and Dubois famously sparred during their Team GB days, with Joe’s team claiming that they saw enough to not have to worry about the threat posed by their 22-year-old opponent.

Dubois has done some growing up since then, though, and is now 14-0 as a professional with 13 knockouts on his resume.

Joyce has proven to be no slouch in the pro game either with 10 wins, 9 KO’s and arguably the bigger scalps: fighters like Bryant Jennings, Alexander Ustinov and Bermane Stiverne have all fallen at the hands of ‘The Juggernaut’.

The upcoming fight between ‘Dynamite’ and ‘Juggernaut’ has, as such, been billed as a true ‘unstoppable force vs immovable object’ style tear-up and the build up so far has been fraught with a simmering hostility.

Both men are typically known for letting their actions in the ring do the talking but in the run-up to April 11th have been uncharacteristically vocal, fueled by what appears to be a genuine dislike for one another.

Joyce, however, doesn’t let the animosity phase him and insists he’ll conquer his heavyweight foe and claim the European, British and Commonwealth titles in crushing fashion.

“Daniel is talking about me only beating kids and downplaying my achievements. That’s up to him – no problem.” 

“I just hope he’s got good people around him when I beat him because he’s going to be a broken boy on April 11th.”

With the boxing world predicting that the winner of this huge domestic battle will go on to fight for world honours, time will only tell if Joyce can “bully a bully”, move past ‘Dynamite’ and continue to emulate Tyson Fury as a world champion.

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AN IMPRESSED Daniel Dubois has declared that Tyson Fury is “definitely the best right now” after The Gypsy King’s career best performance against Deontay Wilder on Saturday.

The 22-year-old unbeaten Heavyweight lauded Wilder v Fury 2 as a “great event” and heaped praise on the new WBC Champ Tyson.“Fury showed he’s the man and all the titles are back in Britain now. It’s great for British boxing!”

British fans allowed themselves to dream about a mouthwatering showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua after The Gypsy King’s phenomenal performance at the weekend, but ‘Dynamite’ admits he’d understand if Wilder chose to seek out a third fight.

Asked if the Bronze Bomber should trigger the immediate rematch clause in his contract, Dubois said “Yeah… it’ll be another great payday for him!”

But ‘Dynamite’ was less convinced by Wilder’s chances of reversing his fortunes in a trilogy fight: “I think the same thing happens again, but i’m sure it’ll be another great event.”

Interviewed at the Peacock Gym, where training camp is well under way for his titanic April 11 tussle with former Olympian Joe Joyce, Dubois declined to say how he’d approach a fight with The Gypsy King.

That said, the most exciting prospect in world boxing conceded that “when I get the chance I have it in mind what i’m going to do… I’ll rip the belts off of whoever has them!”

With one huge Heavyweight bonanza now out of the way, all eyes turn to Daniel’s battle with the ‘Juggernaut’ on April 11 at the O2 Arena.

The massive BT Sport Box Office event is considered a must-see scrap between the two hottest prospects in Heavyweight boxing, with most pundits predicting the winner will be knocking on the door of a world title opportunity.

Dubois agrees.

“Something really big is on the horizon for me. First, I have to deal with Joe. I’m not looking past him. This Joe fight could be for a world title!”

Promoter Frank Warren has referred to this as “the biggest domestic battle in years” and the sheer size of the event has ensured increased media attention for Dubois and his team.

Asked whether he understood why, ahead of Wilder vs Fury, many in the boxing world were questioning whether excessive media obligations could affect a fighters performance he simply said: “It’s all part of the game, you know?”

“It’s all talk, talk, talk. You’ve got to wait for the fight to see some fireworks going off!”

Level-headed Dubois has not allowed the pressure of a headline slot in one of the biggest Pay-Per-Views of the year go to his head and insists preparations for April 11 are going as well as can be expected.

“Eat, Sleep, Train, Repeat. That’s what we’re living like now. Nothing really interests me other than getting there and beating the hell out of him.”

Asked to sum up why fans should be excited for what is the biggest fight of his short career and the biggest domestic fight of 2020, ‘Dynamite’ said: “We’re on a collision course now, it’s all on the line.”

“It’s going to be a fight for the ages and I can’t wait for it!”

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According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Deontay Wilder will exercise his rematch clause against Tyson Fury. Wilder also cited that his costume he wore for his ringwalk hindered him and caused him to not have the proper leg balance in the fight.

“We’re definitely going to exercise it,” said Wilder, who fought to a disputed draw with Fury 14 months ago. “We’re looking forward to it. I’m a warrior and a true champion, and I fight like that every bit of the way. We’re definitely going on with it. That’s for sure. By the summertime.”

“There were a lot of things that went wrong leading up to the fight, in the last minutes before the fight, but I accept full responsibility,” Wilder said. “I paid a severe price because my legs were how they were because of my uniform. My uniform was way too heavy. It was 40-plus pounds. We had it on 10 or 15 minutes before we even walked out and then put the helmet on. That was extra weight, then the ring walk, then going up the stairs. It was like a real workout for my legs. When I took it off, I knew immediately that game has changed.”

“I really let the designers freelance with it. It was really their idea,” Wilder said. “By the third round, I had no legs. I was completely done. My legs were gone. I had to step into survival mode very early. But you know me — I’m going out on my shield. I’m a fighter. I’m a warrior. That’s what I do.”

“Well, I don’t know about the legs affecting his performance, but he had to be very, very negligent coming in with that head covering because that choked off his oxygen, and I’m sure that had an effect,” Top Rank and Fury co-promoter Bob Arum said. “Coach [Jon] Gruden [of the Las Vegas Raiders, who was at the fight] said that: ‘What is he, crazy?’ And it wasn’t covering him for two seconds. That was a long [ring] walk.”

Wilder also took um-bridge with referee Kenny Bayless.

“I don’t understand certain things that Bayless was doing because he came in the back room [for the final instructions], and he looked me in my eyes, and he said that he would disqualify me or take two points from me if I threw rabbit punches or punched after the break,” Wilder said. “But I guess that rule only applies to me because my opponent did it all night long. I got knots all on the back of my head down to my neck. [Fury] was elbowing. [Bayless] took a point, but it was too late. At that point, Fury didn’t care about that point being taken. I don’t know what was going on with Bayless. I’m at a loss for words. I thought he was there to protect us.”

“I congratulate Fury on his accomplishment,” Wilder said. “I’m very excited for him, and I am not bitter toward no one.”

Said Fury trainer, Javan “SugarHill” Steward, “I’ve heard a lot of crazy stuff, this doesn’t even rank, this is really nothing to me,” Steward said. “But if that’s what they really believe is true, that’s what they believe is true. Everybody has their own truth, so you start thinking about it, hearing about it and you’ll start believing certain things. That’s the power of the mind, we know that.”

Wilder was upset that co-trainer Mark Breland threw in the towel to stop the fight.

“For Mark to do it, I was very heartbroken,” Wilder said. “If I say statements like I want to kill a man [in the ring], then I have to abide by those same principles in the ring of him doing the same thing to me. I’d rather die than go out with someone throwing the towel in.

“He knows these things. It’s been premeditated. I’ve said this for many years. I told all my trainers, no matter how it may look on the outside, no matter how you may love me or have that emotional feeling, don’t make an emotional decision, and do not ever throw that towel in because my pride is everything. I understand what it looks like, but when you have power like me, I am never out of a fight, no matter what the circumstances. I’m never out of a fight.”

“I still had my thoughts in my mind. I had to lean against the ropes to get support because of my legs. It really hurt me,” Wilder said of Breland’s decision to throw in the towel.

At the postfight news conference, Wilder’s co-trainer Jay Deas said he did not agree with Breland’s decision to end the fight.

“Mark threw the towel. I didn’t think he should have,” Deas said. “Deontay is the kind of the guy that goes out on his shield. He will tell you straight-up: Don’t throw the towel in.”

“We haven’t decided yet. I’m about ready to go to Africa. Once I come home from Africa, we gonna get a group decision on what changes that should or need to be done as far as my camp is concerned,” Wilder said. “No matter what the decision is, I love Mark. The whole team loves Mark dearly. He’s been with me from the start. We haven’t made any type of decision of what we are going to do.

“I’m in great spirits, man. Things happen, and you can always correct them and move forward. I’m an optimistic person. I can correct things, be optimistic and move forward.”

“We may all decide to punt it to the fall, September or October,” Arum said, adding that the third fight would be in the United States, per their agreement, with the new stadium being built in Las Vegas for the NFL’s Raiders a possibility to host.

“We would certainly pick the right date, even if it wasn’t in the window that we have in the contract,” Arum said. “We would look for the best possible date in 2020. Even though we have the champion, we have a partner in PBC, and we would consult with them. We’ve been so collegial. I’m not going to upset the apple cart and shoot off my mouth. I want to hear what PBC has to say before I talk to you about dates and sites. We’ll sit and talk and come to an understanding just like we did when we made [Saturday’s] fight.”

Brand-new WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury wasn’t the only fighter whose stock rose dramatically with his dominant seventh-round stoppage of Deontay Wilder Saturday night.

By virtue of his strong performance against Fury last September, Sweden’s IBF #15-ranked Otto Wallin (20-1, 13 KOs) must now be considered a serious force in the big man’s division. “If anybody still doubted me, now they know,” said Wallin. “My fight with Fury was of course a much better fight and I showed that I belong as a top contender.”

Early in the fight, when the two met at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last Fall, Wallin opened two gruesome cuts around Fury’s right eye with legal blows and came within a hair of scoring the huge upset. After an extremely tense 12-round battle, Fury was forced to fight through his own blood and dig deep to rally in the later rounds and take a unanimous decision over Wallin.

Many boxing experts noted, post-fight, that less serious cuts had brought a halt to the action in other fights and Fury was extremely fortunate to have escaped with his unbeaten record. Fury required close to 50 stitches and had to have a web mesh inserted surgically into the horrific wound.

“Neither Wladimir Klitschko or Deontay Wilder, two of the greatest heavyweights of our time, could do to Tyson Fury what Otto Wallin did,” said Wallin’s promoter Dmitriy Salita. “Otto at 29 years is only going to get better in every facet of the game. He is on his way to becoming a dominant force in the heavyweight division.”

Wallin and Fury displayed mutual respect after their fight and it continued Saturday night with Wallin congratulating the new champion for his impressive showing and the former champion for his courage.

“I think Fury came in with a good game plan and showed he’s the number one heavyweight in the world,” said Wallin. “The trainer change he made worked out for him and the more-aggressive style made Wilder look bad. Fury seemed to be on another level. Everything worked in his favor. I honestly think that my fight with Fury helped him get ready for this fight. He fought Wilder in a similar way to how he fought me in the second half of our fight.

“At the same time Wilder deserves respect for not wanting to quit. He kept fighting and showed a lot of heart, even though I think his corner should’ve stopped the fight earlier.”

Team Wallin say they will continue to train hard and look for opportunities to move back into line for another shot at Fury.

“Otto didn’t get lucky in that fight,” continued Dmitriy Salita. “He has the right style to always give Tyson Fury big problems. We’re going to keep him busy and winning while we wait for Fury to decide to settle this unfinished business with a rematch.”

“I want a rematch and this time I will finish what I started,” added Wallin.

ABOUT SALITA PROMOTIONS
Salita Promotions was founded in 2010 by Dmitriy Salita, a professional boxer and world-title challenger who saw the need for a promotional entity to feature boxing’s best young prospects and established contenders in North America and around the world. Viewers watching fighters on worldwide television networks including Showtime, HBO, ESPN, Spike TV, Universal Sports Network, UFC Fight Pass, DAZN, ESPN+ and MSG have enjoyed Salita Promotions fight action in recent years. We pride ourselves on offering our fighters opportunities inside and outside the ring. Salita Promotions looks forward to continuing to grow and serve the needs of fight fans around the globe.