BOXING Archives - Page 5 of 9

Tennis fans on the internet recently recalled Venus Williams taking down her younger sister Serena Williams at Indian Wells 2018.

Venus and Serena clashed for a spot in the fourth round of the Indian Wells 2018. Notably, this was Serena’s comeback tournament after a 14-month-long pregnancy break. She welcomed her first daughter Olympia with her husband and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian on September 1, 2017.

Serena entered the match on the back of two impressive wins over Zarina Diyas and Kiki Bertens whereas Venus had downed Sorana Cirstea after receiving a bye in the opening round.

Venus Williams secured the opening set in a straightforward with a solitary break of her sister’s serve in the sixth game. The following set, however, witnessed more drama as Serena Williams fought to stay in the match.

The second set witnessed five breaks of serves with three of them clinched by the seven-time Grand Slam champion to close the set and match at 6-3, 6-4 within one and half hours.

Fans on X (formerly Twitter) recollected their memories of the match ahead of the Indian Wells 2024.

BOXING

Francis Ngannou’s ‘unquantifiable power’ will rattle Anthony Joshua more easily than Tyson Fury, says Dan Hardy

A heavyweight champion in the UFC, Ngannou made his professional boxing debut in a non-title bout against Tyson Fury, the reigning WBC champion.

Ngannou not only put Fury down in the third round but he was competitive throughout their 10 rounder and was only defeated on split decision.

That was a shock to the boxing world. Ngannou hopes to spring another surprise when he fights Anthony Joshua on Friday March 8, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Even though Joshua is a former unified WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion, former UFC fighter Dan Hardy believes it’s a fight that Ngannou can win.

BOXING

Mike Tyson hasn’t coached Francis Ngannou for Anthony Joshua showdown

Ex-UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou is currently preparing for his second boxing fight following his stunning debut against Tyson Fury last October. Ngannou recruited ‘Iron Mike’ to help him train for the Fury fight and the boxing legend’s services paid off as Ngannou put his rival down to only lose by a single point in a controversial decision.

Ngannou has been in Saudi Arabia for the past five weeks training at Tyson’s new boxing gym in Riyadh. “To be honest with this fight since my training was here [Riyadh], we didn’t get Mike Tyson here,” Ngannou told Mirror Fighting. “He came in like three times [for Fury], he was more advising. He would come and watch our training, we would be there to give advice.”

Ngannou and Tyson did reunite over the weekend as they sat next to each other whilst cageside for the PFL vs Bellator Championships event in Riyadh. The first major MMA event in Saudi Arabia cemented Ngannou’s opponent for his cage fight return as he will fa s Renan Ferreira after the Brazilian knocked out Ryan Bader in just 21-seconds.

BOXING

Claressa Shields achieves historic victory in Saudi Arabia’s first female professional MMA bout

Undisputed boxing world champion Claressa Shields secured her second triumph in MMA with a hard-fought split decision win over Kelsey De Santis in Riyadh. This historic matchup marked the inaugural professional MMA bout in Saudi Arabia featuring two women.

Shields, a three-weight world champion in boxing, displayed visible emotion upon being confirmed as the victor. Reflecting on the challenges faced during her training camp, she expressed, “There were days when I was literally in tears. I didn’t want to go back because it was so hard.”

The MMA spectacle unfolded 18 months after British fighter Ramla Ali and the Dominican Republic’s Crystal Garcia Nova made history as the first female boxers to compete in a professional fight in the kingdom.

Shields participated in the undercard of the Professional Fighters League’s champion versus champion event, a platform where Bellator’s best square off against the PFL’s finest.

Despite recent reforms, women’s rights remain a significant concern in the country. Human rights groups assert that sports, including events like this, are being employed by the Saudi government to divert attention from enduring reputation challenges, labeling it as “sportswashing” due to investments in high-profile events.

BOXING

Anthony Joshua’s nerves are ‘very important’ to Francis Ngannou ahead of fight

Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou believes that Anthony Joshua’s nerves could help him in their upcoming fight.

Ngannou is set to face Joshua, a two-time heavyweight champion, in his second professional boxing match in less than two weeks. His debut last October saw him surprise many by knocking Tyson Fury down and only losing by one point in a decision that sparked debate.

Fury had tried to rattle Ngannou before their fight by making fun of his body and calling him a “sausage” multiple times. However, Joshua has taken a different approach, saying that despite Ngannou only having one boxing match under his belt, this crossover fight is the biggest challenge he has ever faced.

“Anthony Joshua never trash talks, his personality is more serious, unlike Tyson Fury who is more like a playboy,” Ngannou told Mirror Fighting. “I think when it comes to fighting, they both know how to fight and that’s what I’m focused on.

BOXING

Gervonta Davis leaks email showing exact amount Eddie Hearn offered him for Conor Benn fight

This resulted in Benn’s promoter Hearn sending an official offer to one of Tank’s representatives.

However, a fight between them has not materialised and Hearn said he was told the offer was ‘insulting’.

This week it emerged that Davis has now agreed a deal to face Frank Martin next instead, and will be staying with Al Haymon’s PBC.

And in the early hours of Saturday morning, the American dismissed claims that he turned down $25million to fight Benn by publicly revealing Hearn’s offer.

In the email to Davis’ rep, Hearn wrote: “Gervonta asked me to contact you regarding our offer to fight Conor Benn.

“We would like to talk further regarding this fight and our plan would be to stage this fight in May in the USA.

“We would offer $10million plus an upside on the gate and PPV that I would like to discuss further with you.

“Do you have a good time to discuss this week? Kind regards, Eddie.”

BOXING

Tyson Fury’s father shuts down rumour about wife Paris ahead of Oleksandr Usyk fight – ‘Absolute rubbish’

Tyson Fury’s father, John, has shut down ‘rubbish’ claims that Paris Fury caused the boxing star’s eye injury.

Fury had been due to fight Oleksandr Usyk earlier this month but, after sustaining a deep gash to his eye, their bout has now been pushed back.

Fury has already dismissed those claims, insisting they categorically aren’t true.

And his father John, speaking to Free Bets, has now responded by dubbing the rumours ‘absolute rubbish’.

“I’m surprised that men of their experience at the top level, being around top fighters can even talk like that,” he said.

“It’s absolute rubbish, it’s silly and they are just making themselves look stupid.

When is the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight? Date, fight time, live stream & where to watch on TV | Goal.com Nigeria

“They’re embarrassing themselves with those kinds of accusations. They’re worried, they’ve always been worried. When they’ve seen the shape Tyson’s in, they’ve thought, ‘hang on, we’ve dropped a clanger here’. They thought they’d see a Tyson who hasn’t trained.

“But you know what, that’s where you can get caught out, thinking you know too much.

BOXING

The genius reason why Cristiano Ronaldo wears nail polish with Mike Tyson also using same method

On Thursday, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner shared a picture of him and 13-year-old son Cristiano Jr showing off their physiques after a gym session.

The post on Instagram accrued more than 15 million likes but not for the first time, plenty of people picked up on Ronaldo having nail polish on his toenails.

It happened previously when he shared a snap of him recovering in the sauna and there were comments such as, “Why bro got black toe nails?” and “Is no one going to talk about the black painted nails?”.

But Ronaldo does not paint his toenails black for aesthetics as there is a genuine purpose for him doing so.

Boxing: Cristiano Ronaldo and Mike Tyson enjoyed Tommy Fury vs. Jake Paul together | Marca

The polish effectively creates a protective layer and hardens the toenails, stopping them from being cracked.

It’s common in sports, particularly with track athletes and boxing and MMA fighters.

Heavyweight legend Mike Tyson is believed to have painted his nails in the peak of his boxing career.

And former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is also onboard.

BOXING

FLOYD MAYWEATHER GIFTED $150K WATCH, SINGS KARAOKE

Floyd Mayweather once again proved no one celebrates a birthday better … the legendary fighter threw a super exclusive party for his 47th trip around the sun, and was gifted an insane $150K watch!

The shindig went down Thursday night at Swan — David Grutman‘s spot in Miami — where Mayweather, who turns 47 on Saturday, hosted 150 of his closest friends, including Nicky Jam … many of whom TBE flew into town, and put up at a fancy hotel.

On the menu … everything from pizzas to wagyu steak and truffle fries. Guests also sang karaoke, as Floyd danced.

Boxing: Is Floyd Mayweather running out of money? | Marca

But, the highlight of the night was when Mayweather was presented with a $150k watch from Avi Hiaeve of Avi & Co. — jeweler to a ton of celebs — made with 18 karat gold, and over 29.3 carats of diamonds!

It’s rare to find such a human being like Champ. Giving him a gift is the least I can do to show my appreciation for having him in my life,” Avi told us about giving such an expensive gift.

BOXING

‘What’s it gonna do to AJ’s head?’ – Johnny Nelson explains why Anthony Joshua should not have taken Francis Ngannou fight

By Issa February 22, 2024

He has since signed to fight Ngannou on March 8, following the ex-UFC heavyweight king’s stunning performance against Tyson Fury in October.

However, former cruiserweight world champion Nelson is worried that defeat could ruin Joshua’s legacy by leading fans to only remember him for the upset loss.

Nelson sparked debate with his original comments on the matter, but clarified his point on White and Jordan on Thursday as he explained: “Let me just get it right – I said it’s if Joshua loses to Ngannou in his second professional fight.

“Joshua, former two-time heavyweight world champion, [despite] everything he’s done the public are gonna be left with that loss to a guy in his second professional fight, forgetting all he’s achieved.

“If I was Eddie Hearn, if I was Joshua’s promoter, I wouldn’t have taken the fight because the risk/reward doesn’t weigh up.

“If you lose to him, where are you gonna go from there?

“What’s it gonna do to AJ’s head, thinking, ‘I just lost to this guy, what’s going on here?’