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Anthony Joshua claims doping in boxing is ‘rife’

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Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua’s fight with Dillian Whyte cancelled after Whyte returned an adverse anti-doping finding; Robert Helenius has stepped in to fight Joshua with just a week’s notice; Whyte says he is “completely innocent” as he denies taking reported substance

Joshua was originally due to fight Dillian Whyte at the O2 Arena, but will now face Robert Helenius who stepped in just a week after his last fight.

Last weekend, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association said it had informed the Association of Boxing Commissions and the British Boxing Board of Control that a “random anti-doping protocol” undertaken by Whyte had returned “adverse analytical findings”.

Whyte has denied taking the reported substance and vowed to prove that he was “completely innocent”.

Joshua, who did not suggest any wrongdoing by Whyte, told Sky Sports: “Boxing is a great sport, it changes lives, it changed my life and put me on the right trajectory.

“It helped me cut out certain habits so it is a brilliant, brilliant sport for people who want to get fit and all these types of things.

“But in terms of the sport, I feel sorry for up and coming fighters, you don’t know what is going on or what type of person you are fighting.

“It is so tough anyway then you have people who might be cutting corners, who knows.

“I understood this Anti-Doping System from the amateur system because I was exposed to it when I went to the Olympic team and represented Great Britain, that there is an organisation that stops people cheating and putting things in their system that could give them enhancements.

“So I then would now hire these people when I would fight professionally and would say look, ‘I was registered under this committee, I have been drug tested by these guys since 2011’.

“I then pay extra funds to then get my opponents drug tested to make sure no one is cheating because not just in the heavyweight division, it is rife across the whole of boxing.”

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BOXING

Floyd Mayweather Wants Pound-For-Pound Star To Have “Random Blood And Urine Testing”

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floyd mayweather

Floyd Mayweather has weighed in on the pound-for-pound best in the world debate, and fired some shots at Naoya Inoue in the process.

The hard-hitting Japanese fighter recently became a four-division world champion with a dominant knockout performance over America’s Stephen Fulton, immediately adding to his case for the best fighter on the planet.

Later that week, Terence Crawford would stop Errol Spence Jr in a one-sided affair that saw him awarded that prestigious title by many.

Speaking to FightHype, Mayweather gave his opinion on the recent two-man conversation for top spot before suggesting Inoue needs to come to America for more rigorous drug testing.

“I’m not gonna sit here and say that Inoue deserves to be over Terence Crawford. I’m not gonna say that. Absolutely not. I will always, always stand behind my people first.

You know what the boxing world gonna say? ‘Inoue did this! Inoue did that!’ Okay, that’s cool. What I need Inoue to do is do like we do over here in the US. I need him to come fight in the US, random blood and urine testing.”

Inoue has competed in the States three times in his 25 fight career as well as one fight in Glasgow, Scotland. His other 21 bouts have taken place in his native Japan.

He has been enrolled in VADA testing in the past, most recently the fight with Nonito Donaire in 2022, as per the agency’s website.

‘Money’ Mayweather – who himself is considered one of the best to ever do it – does reserve some praise for ‘The Monster’, and would like to see him face Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.

“I think he’s a helluva fighter. I don’t wanna take nothing away from him. And I like him cause I see he take a lot of my stuff from my playbook. But it’s okay cause boxers, you’re supposed to. You’re supposed to take from the greats.

What I would like to see is if he could fight Gervonta at a catchweight. That would be a helluva fight.”

Inoue is all but confirmed to move into an undisputed super-bantamweight contest with Marlon Tapales next.

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BOXING

Ric Flair on smoking marijuana with Mike Tyson: ‘I thought I died…’ as legendary wrestler reveals he compared ordeal to 2017 coma

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mike tyson

Ric Flair has put himself in some pretty precarious situations in the ring, but the wrestling legend thought he was in danger when smoking marijuana one time.

Flair who has a marijuana line under the boxer’s ‘Tyson 2.0’ brand, said ‘I actually thought I died’ during the ordeal – and compared it to the medically induced coma he was placed in during 2017.

‘All of a sudden… it finally hit three o’clock in the morning and I kinda sat up in blur and went, ‘I’m back,’ the 74-year-old wrestler said on Theo Von’s ‘This Past Weekend’ podcast.’I called someone on the phone and said, ‘is this really you?’ That’s how screwed up I got.’

The wrestler said that people weren’t talking back to him when he talked to them, and remembers saying to himself, ‘I can think. And I don’t think I could think when I was in my coma.’

Flair was placed in the coma after suffering complications from bowel surgery,  including kidney failure.

In speaking to Von, the wrestling legend admitted that he went way past his usual tolerance as he tried to keep up with Iron Mike.

‘I just said, ‘I’m gonna smoke as much as you right now brother.’

The pair have been in business since August 2022, following Flair’s final WWE appearance that prior July.

Tyson 2.0 sells edibles, vapes and pre-rolls, and according to an interview with New Cannabis Ventures, the company is ‘profitable and sitting in a strong position.’

 

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BOXING

Floyd Mayweather Wants Naoya Inoue To Fight Gervonta Davis At Catchweight

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Floyd Mayweather

By Allan Fox: Floyd Mayweather Jr. says he wants newly installed#2 pound-for-pound fighter Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue to face Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis in a catchweight bout.

For Inoue to fight a guy as big as Tank, would be like Gervonta moving up to welterweight to take on Terence Crawford. The tiny 5’5″ Tank would be food for Crawford. Floyd says he wants the Japanese star, who recently moved up to 122, to come to the U.S., be randomly drug tested, and then face Tank Davis at a catchweight. There was no mention of what weight the fight would take place if Inoue agreed to it, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it were 130, meaning Naoya would have to move up eight pounds from 122, which is a lot of weight for such a small fighter to go up.
As big as Tank Davis is, he would likely rehydrate to have an enormous weight advantage over Inoue if they agreed to fight at a catchweight. Taank fights in the lightweight division and has competed at 140.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Tank had a 20+ lb weight advantage over Inoue after he rehydrated for a fight between them, and it would be a massively unfair fight. It’s unclear why Mayweather mentioned the random drug testing because Inoue gets tested for drugs like any fighter that competes. Does Floyd suspect Inoue is using PEDs to help him win fights? Mayweather sounded bitter today, going into a rant about how the Japanese star Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) has the #1 spot in the pound-for-pound list after his eighth round knockout win over previously unbeaten WBC & WBO 122-lb champion Stephen ‘Cool Boy Stef’ Fulton (21-1, 8 KOs) last month on July 25th in Tokyo, Japan.

Floyd was bent out of shape, talking about how Tank Davis isn’t on the pound-for-pound list like Inoue. “So when we look, honestly speaking, the kid from Japan, Inoue. So even though he got the ‘Cool Boy Stef’ [Stephen Fulton], he got the victory over ‘Cool Boy Stef.’ ‘Cool Boy Stef is not a heavy puncher,” said Floyd Mayweather Jr to Fighthype, discrediting Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue’s recent eighth round knockout victory over former unified WBC & WBO super bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton on July 25th.

“He’s [Fultton] a good boxer. So everything is about timing, but he went out there, and he did what he was supposed to do. I want ‘Cool Boy Stef’ to hold his head high. I’m proud of him. Any true champion can take a loss and bounce back. “But as far as Inoue, it was a Filipino fighter he had fought twice, Donaire. So Donaire was giving him fits in the first fight, and if I’m not mistaken, Donaire was somewhere close to years old when he fought him the first time.

“Whereas and he [Inoue] was in his 20s, so he should have knocked him out in the first fight, fighting a guy at that age. A lot of times, we look and find different ways to try to bash fighters and talk bad about fighters. I’m not going to do that. “What I need Inoue to do is to come to fight in the USA, random blood and urine testing,”  said Mayweather.  “I would like to see him fight Gervonta Davis at a catchweight.”

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BOXING

Floyd Mayweather Wants Naoya Inoue To Fight Gervonta Davis At Catchweight

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gervonta davis

By Allan Fox: Floyd Mayweather Jr. says he wants newly installed#2 pound-for-pound fighter Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue to face Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis in a catchweight bout.

For Inoue to fight a guy as big as Tank, would be like Gervonta moving up to welterweight to take on Terence Crawford. The tiny 5’5″ Tank would be food for Crawford. Floyd says he wants the Japanese star, who recently moved up to 122, to come to the U.S., be randomly drug tested, and then face Tank Davis at a catchweight. There was no mention of what weight the fight would take place if Inoue agreed to it, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it were 130, meaning Naoya would have to move up eight pounds from 122, which is a lot of weight for such a small fighter to go up.
As big as Tank Davis is, he would likely rehydrate to have an enormous weight advantage over Inoue if they agreed to fight at a catchweight. Taank fights in the lightweight division and has competed at 140.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Tank had a 20+ lb weight advantage over Inoue after he rehydrated for a fight between them, and it would be a massively unfair fight. It’s unclear why Mayweather mentioned the random drug testing because Inoue gets tested for drugs like any fighter that competes. Does Floyd suspect Inoue is using PEDs to help him win fights? Mayweather sounded bitter today, going into a rant about how the Japanese star Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) has the #1 spot in the pound-for-pound list after his eighth round knockout win over previously unbeaten WBC & WBO 122-lb champion Stephen ‘Cool Boy Stef’ Fulton (21-1, 8 KOs) last month on July 25th in Tokyo, Japan.

Floyd was bent out of shape, talking about how Tank Davis isn’t on the pound-for-pound list like Inoue. “So when we look, honestly speaking, the kid from Japan, Inoue. So even though he got the ‘Cool Boy Stef’ [Stephen Fulton], he got the victory over ‘Cool Boy Stef.’ ‘Cool Boy Stef is not a heavy puncher,” said Floyd Mayweather Jr to Fighthype, discrediting Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue’s recent eighth round knockout victory over former unified WBC & WBO super bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton on July 25th.

“He’s [Fultton] a good boxer. So everything is about timing, but he went out there, and he did what he was supposed to do. I want ‘Cool Boy Stef’ to hold his head high. I’m proud of him. Any true champion can take a loss and bounce back. “But as far as Inoue, it was a Filipino fighter he had fought twice, Donaire. So Donaire was giving him fits in the first fight, and if I’m not mistaken, Donaire was somewhere close to years old when he fought him the first time.

“Whereas and he [Inoue] was in his 20s, so he should have knocked him out in the first fight, fighting a guy at that age. A lot of times, we look and find different ways to try to bash fighters and talk bad about fighters. I’m not going to do that. “What I need Inoue to do is to come to fight in the USA, random blood and urine testing,”  said Mayweather.  “I would like to see him fight Gervonta Davis at a catchweight.”

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua, Robert Helenius – Face To Face at Final Presser

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Anthony Joshua and Robert Helenius

Today’s press conference in London ahead of this weekend’s heavyweight main event between Anthony Joshua and Robert Helenius at The O2 Arena Live Worldwide on DAZN. (photos by Mark Robinson)

On a night of heavyweight action in the Capital, IBF Mandatory World Title challenger Filip Hrgovic clashes with Australia’s undefeated contender Demsey McKean, Fan favourite Derek Chisora returns to the scene of so many of his famous wins to take on America’s Gerald Washington over ten rounds.

JUST IN:Anthony Joshua ‘in talks’ to fight heavyweight that Deontay Wilder destroyed in one round

And Romford sensation Johnny Fisher has the opportunity to land his first belt when he faces off with Torquay’s Harry Armstrong for the vacant Southern Area Title.

Elsewhere on the card, Hyde Super-Lightweight Campbell Hatton takes on Hitchen’s Tom Ansell over eight rounds, Billericay Middleweight prospect George Liddard goes for another knockout against Bas Oosterweghel, Wales Featherweight talent Brandon Scott (5-0, 1 KO) makes his Matchroom debut against Shepshed’s Louis Norman and Eltham Super-Flyweight Maiseyrose Courtney faces her toughest test against Bournemouth’s Gemma Ruegg.

 

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BOXING

Jake Paul’s ‘proud’ girlfriend Jutta Leerdam teases interview with Mike Tyson following Nate Diaz win

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mike tyson

‘The Problem Child’ got his boxing career back on track when he dropped and outpointed UFC icon Nate Diaz at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday night.

It was a much-needed victory for Paul who suffered a split decision defeat – the first of his boxing career – when he squared off against Tommy Fury in February.

Jutta Leerdam, who is Paul’s Dutch speed skater girlfriend, was in attendance to watch this past weekend and was one of the first people the YouTuber-turned-boxer embraced backstage after his win.

Leerdam couldn’t have been happier after her boyfriend improved to 7-1 as a professional boxer.

“I’m so so proud of you,” she wrote alongside a picture of the pair on Instagram.

“You have only been doing this sport for 3.5 years and make the biggest fights happen.

“You inspire me so much with your work ethic, the way you think big, and your crazy determination.

“You are special Jake Paul. My champion.”

The five-time world champion has been by Paul’s side since his latest win and gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at what the former Disney star is getting up to.

One particular picture shared on her Instagram story caught the attention of boxing fans, as Paul was seen sitting alongside Tyson.

It’s currently unclear when footage of his sit-down with ‘Iron Mike’ will be released but it appears to be the last interview he’ll be doing for a little while.

Leerdam followed up that post with one of the pair in the back of a car alongside a couple of airplane emojis suggesting they are jetting off on a well-deserved holiday.

When they return, Paul will look to book his next fight which could potentially come in MMA after he offered Diaz $10 million to rematch him under the PFL banner.

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BOXING

John Cena Became The Peacemaker Between Dwayne Johnson And Vin Diesel After They Put Billion Dollar Action Franchise At Risk With Their Public Rivalry?

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In showbiz, there is probably no one who doesn’t know about the very public rivalry and feud between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel. The two biggest actors in Hollywood have been in an off-and-on rivalry for years. Ever since they starred in one of the biggest franchises in the history of cinema, the two stars have been very vocal about each other, especially Johnson.

As the Rock has returned back to the franchise, despite announcing that he would never come back, fans can’t help but speculate that their Fast & Furious co-star, John Cena had something to do with it.

John Cena, despite his magnanimous presence, is a humble, down-to-earth star. Despite his killing presence in the ring, he is best known for his generosity and genuine nature and is considered among the most kind of celebrities. The wrestler-turned-actor is also good friends with his Fast & Furious co-stars Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson, despite having a rough patch with the latter.

He was also aware of their very public dispute, despite refusing to give a concrete stand on their rivalry. He rather took a middle stand and expressed how it is the two actors’ choice to resolve their issue. Despite his stand, he was once asked by the celebrity host, Josh Horowitz whether he would play the ‘Peacemaker’ between his two friends, referring to his popular series Peacemaker.

While he again dodged the question, Cena did kind of hint that he would be up for the task.

“I just want to get this right, because what I’m hearing is two gentlemen, who are incredibly well-known throughout the world, possibly in a universe, might want to share the screen together one day. And you’re asking if I could be peacemaker? Yeah, I think I could swing that.”

While we don’t know for certain, there is a slight chance that John Cena might have played the ‘peacemaker’ between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel.

While some might call it a publicity stunt, Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel‘s rivalry has actually done more damage to the billion-dollar franchise. From calling each other out on social media to publically addressing each other, Dwyane Johnson’s return seems very ironic since he was the one who vowed to never return.

However, the star posted on Instagram about how he has made amends with the Riddick star. He also hinted that it was because of the fans and his love for the franchise that he chose to return.

“Last summer Vin and I put all the past behind us. We’ll lead with brotherhood and resolve – and always take care of the franchise, characters & FANS that we love.”

While some fans claim it might have been John Cena’s involvement, other reasons can be linked to Rock’s return. Such as his failed quest in the DC universe as Black Adam and taking down the Man of Steel, and the subsequent box-office failure of his films, the Jumanji star may have realized that the only way to save his waning career is to come back to the franchise.

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BOXING

Floyd Mayweather wishes best for Errol Spence after Crawford loss

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floyd mayweather

Fight Hype gets a sit down interview with Floyd Mayweather and they touch on the the biggest recent news of the welterweight showdown between Errol Spence and Terence Crawford. With many comparing Crawford’s virtuoso performance against Spence to Mayweather’s past performance against Diego Corrales, check out what Floyd thinks of the comparison.

“My fight with Diego Corrales, it wasn’t for the undisputed title, and they fought for the undisputed title,” Mayweather said. “When me and Diego Corrales fought he was considered the bogeyman, 30-0, if I’m not mistaken, 27 knockouts. Myself, I was undefeated also in 20-something fights and that was a huge fight at that particular time.

“I don’t know how Diego Corrales training camp went, you know I always come ready to rock and roll. And as you can see from the opening bell, Diego Corrales was on my ass. So of course I had to make sure my legs were in top condition, make sure my defense was good, and I was throwing combinations all throughout the fight. And I was in my 20s and he was in his 20s, so it was totally different.

“But with these two guys fighting — I can’t really speak on it, I don’t really want to speak on that fight because I don’t want to take nothing away from Terence Crawford or Errol Spence. So I can dance around talking about the fight, but I would never badmouth these fighters. They get in there and put it all on the line to take care of their families, take care of their friends, and they got a team that’s behind them.

“So both of those guys went out there and did what they had to do and the best man won. But with Errol Spence being under the PBC banner…I want the best for Errol Spence. So if I was training him or I was in his corner, I don’t think he should be fighting at 147 at all. I don’t even think he should be fighting at 154. I think he should be fighting at 160 or 168. That’s just my honest opinion.

“But, once again, I don’t have no say so. When these guys, certain fighters, when they want to fight, our job is to line it up. And us fighters, we’re warriors, we always want to fight the best. It’s just how it is.”

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua ‘in talks’ to fight heavyweight that Deontay Wilder destroyed in one round

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anthony joshua

As Matchroom Boxing scramble to find Anthony Joshua a replacement opponent for August 12, a new contender has emerged – Robert Helenius. The Finish puncher is reportedly being considered as a viable option to stand in for Dillian Whyte after the ‘Body Snatcher’ returned “adverse analytical findings” in a pre-fight drugs test carried out by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA), which led to the cancellation of his rematch with AJ.

According to the Daily Star, Helenius has a strong possibility of landing the fight if a deal can be reached in the next few hours. Helenius just fought on Saturday in his first bout back since being knocked out in the first round by Deontay Wilder last October.

He squared off against fellow countryman Mika Mielonen in his native Finland, recording a comfortable third-round knockout win. Helenius is fit and came out of his last outing unscathed and so is thought to be among the frontrunners to face Joshua next.

Eddie Hearn is also understood to have spoken to Gerald Washington, who is scheduled to face Derek Chisora on the undercard. Washington’s trainer Malik Scott recently revealed his fighter’s willingness to take up the challenge in an interview with Sky Sports.

“This is an opportunity we would love to take full advantage of,” he said. “Myself and Gerald have been working for a year straight together, travelling to different camps, polishing up his style, teaching him different dynamics, sparring with the likes of Deontay [Wilder], [Oleksandr] Usyk, so many young undefeated heavyweights and Gerald did more than hold his own at these levels.”

Washington was reportedly in the running to face AJ for his comeback fight in April following back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk. But Joshua’s team chose to go with Jermaine Franklin instead. The American has lost five of his last seven fights with his last victory coming against the aforementioned Helenius in 2019.

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