Tag

BOXING

Browsing

By now, Simone Biles‘ ease at executing even the most difficult gymnastics skills is beyond any debate. With 7 Olympic gold medals under her belt, Biles has sealed her status among the gymnastics fraternity. Not just that, but the fact that she has five moves named after herself goes on to prove just how incredible she is at what she does. But that doesn’t mean the Texan can just turn up and shock the world with her prowess. Instead, even she needs time to perfect her skills.

Simone Biles

The revered gymnast took to Instagram to share rapper Gerald Gillum’s post taken at the latest stop of the Gold Over America Tour. At the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on October 5, Biles was lauded for her incredible impact on gymnastics along with for having so many skills named after her. When the host of the show asks Simone what is the process behind learning a new skill, the GOAT reveals it’s not an instantaneous one, like many would like to believe. “Most of the time before I compete a new skill, I train it in the gym for a year,” Biles tells the full house who fill the arena with loud applause.

The answer would only make Gillum admire Biles even more, and his emotions were captured in the IG story’s caption as well. “Forever inspired by ur greatness sis!” the music producer exclaimed, as he underscored that there should be no debate about Biles’ G.O.A.T. status. Gillum got to make his day even brighter when he got to meet Biles backstage after the incredible show.

Considering how well the GOAT tour is going, Gillum’s excitement was not misplaced either. Biles & Co. has been spreading its magic all over the country and there’s more to come.

Simone Biles

Simone Biles spreading golden joy across America

The pop-styled gymnastics show made its return after a three-year break, and fans of the sport couldn’t wait to see what the GOAT had in store for them this time around. While Olympic medalists Stephen Nedoroscik and Suni Lee opted to sit this one out to pursue their own passion for the time being, the show still had enough talent in its roster to ensure the fans were given the experience to remember. Hitting some of the most iconic venues in the USA, the Gold Over America Tour has been enticing, not only to gymnastics fans but to stars from other sports as well.

Simone Biles

Only a couple of days ago, NFL’s Cam Heyward revealed to Biles during an interview that he was waiting to catch the gymnast in action at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Performing alongside Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Joscelyn Roberson, Yul Moldauer, Brody Malone, and more stars, Biles also noted that the GOAT aims to bring more exposure to male gymnastics in general. Have you watched any of these shows yet? Or are you waiting for your turn? Tell us your most awaited star from the Gold Over America Tour with a comment.

Joaquin Buckley scored the biggest win of his MMA career in devastating fashion.

The welterweight contender extended his winning streak to five with a third-round knockout win over divisional great Stephen Thompson at UFC 307 on Saturday night.

Buckley forced Thompson onto his heels from the off as he supplied suffocating pressure.

In the third stanza, with ‘Wonderboy’ backing up, Buckley uncorked a vicious leaping right hook that left his adversary crumpled against the fence.

Mike Tyson

It was a shot even the great Mike Tyson would have been proud of – and the comparisons between the pair were rife on social media after the vicious stoppage.

One fan tweeted: “Wow Buckley kos Wonderboy with a leaping hook. Shades of Mike Tyson.”

Another wrote: “I’ve said since he fought Holland – Buckley reminds me of Mike Tyson with his boxing, love his weaving in and out.”

A third posted: “What a ko from Buckley holy s***.

“He’s like the Mike Tyson of MMA especially in this fight.

“Saw the ko maybe coming since buckley started to do better in the striking in rounds 2 and 3.”

Meanwhile, UFC welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad added: “Wow Mike Tyson Buckley.”

In the immediate aftermath of his stunning win, Buckley called out former 170lbs king Kamaru Usman.

AJ’s loss to Daniel Dubois doesn’t appear to have changed much.

Boxing fans want to see the biggest names fight the biggest names. That’s not always possible, but there was a time where that seemed to cease to be the case. In the past few years, though, fans have gotten what they always wanted. Big-time boxers have put aside differences and found a way to negotiate mega fights.

Tyson Fury can proudly throw his name into that category. He’s never been afraid, setting up fights against Wladimir KlitschkoDerek ChisoraDeontay Wilder, and most recently, Oleksandr Usyk. The Usyk fight didn’t go as he planned, with the relentless Ukrainian edging him out in a split decision. Fury will get his chance at revenge in December, but he continues to dream up a fight against Anthony Joshua with seemingly every chance he gets.

Fury won't make Joshua mistake in Ngannou fight

Tyson Fury says he will fight Anthony Joshua no matter what

He did so again while speaking to TNT Sports on Saturday, reiterating that he plans to fight Joshua at some point, and making it clear that Joshua’s loss to Daniel Dubois changes nothing in that regard.

He will never escape the Gypsy King. He will always have to fight me. I don’t care if he never wins another fight for 20 years, we will have to fight for the fans of this country… At the end of the day, it would be a travesty if we didn’t fight. No matter if he loses 20 more fights, if he doesn’t win another fight and he has 10 years away from the game, it doesn’t matter. We have to fight.

Tyson Fury says Anthony Joshua will not fight him for 'any amount of money'  and fears Brit blockbuster will NEVER happen | The Sun

Fury also says it doesn’t matter if the two are 50 years old when it happens. That may actually have to be the case if they wait much longer, though. Fury just turned 36, while Joshua will turn 35 in 10 days. AJ, in particular, appears to be on the very tail end of his career.

If the bout does come to fruition, it will be a true spectacle for the British audience. It makes too much sense not to happen, but time isn’t on their side.

Potential second bout between the British heavyweights would not be staged at Wembley

Anthony Joshua is keen to take on Daniel Dubois in a rematch which is likely to take place in Saudi Arabia, according to his promoter Eddie Hearn.

Joshua was floored four times by Dubois before being knocked out in the fifth round of their heavyweight title bout at Wembley last month.

The 34-year-old has a rematch clause in his contract with the Saudi organisers who staged the fight.

Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua

And when asked to provide an update on the situation, Hearn told FightHub: “So the big decision now really is – do we take the rematch?

“There’s a keenness from His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] to make that rematch in February, it’s part of our options within our contract.

“I think AJ will always lean towards the rematch. You saw him rematch Andy Ruiz straight away, you saw him rematch Oleksandr Usyk straight away.

“For me the other carrot that may dangle is obviously waiting for the Fury vs Usyk fight on December 21. But he said something the other day: ‘What happens if one of them gets injured?’

Anthony Joshua

“You’re gonna be out of the ring for nearly a year, and I’m not sure coming off the back of that kind of defeat you want to be out the gym for too long.

A US court has upheld the ruling that Floyd Mayweather Jr., the former world boxing champion, must pay Zinni Media Concept Limited, a Nigerian company, $2.4 million in damages for breach of contract. 

READ MORE :Why ‘I’ll hurt Floyd Mayweather’… Jon Jones explains why the boxing legend should avoid fighting in the UFC 

According to a statement from Alex Nwankwo, the company’s media executive, Zinni Media reached an agreement with Mayweather to make various appearances in Africa, including one in Nigeria, in June 2017.

Floyd Mayweather

However, the former boxer unilaterally terminated the deal without cause and refused to reimburse the company for the advance payment paid for the service.

Nwankwo claimed that Mayweather’s legal representatives implied that because the company was not based in the US, the boxer could not make any refund.

JOIN IN : Why ‘Please cancel this’ – Concerns raised for former Floyd Mayweather foe and Jake Paul trainer as he gears up to make boxing comeback at 53 years old

“After several unsuccessful attempts to recover the appearance fees from the American boxer, the company instituted a legal action against Mayweather in 2018 where it alleged breach of contract, unjust enrichment and fraud against the former champion. We are grateful that two courts have granted a prayer by Zinni Media Ltd to impose terminating sanctions against Mayweather,” the statement reads.

floyd mayweather jr Jon Jones

In October 2023, a lower court in California ruled that Mayweather should pay Zinni $1,638,542 in damages, $721,881.32 in prejudgment interest, $16,270 in sanctioned attorney fees, and $285 in costs. The total compensation amount ordered was $2,376,978.

 

The lawsuit was filed in Clark County, Nevada, and it covers all the dancers who’ve worked at the club, which Floyd Mayweather Jr. co-owns with his sister, Deltricia Howard.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is back in the headlines, this time being sued by a couple of exotic dancers from his Las Vegas strip club, Girl Collection. They’re accusing him of stiffing them on pay and even slapping one of them in front of everyone.

floyd mayweather jr Jon Jones

The lawsuit was filed in Clark County, Nevada, and it covers all the dancers who’ve worked at the club, which Mayweather co-owns with his sister, Deltricia Howard.

The dancers claim that Mayweather and Howard classified them as independent contractors instead of employees, which meant they didn’t get minimum wage for their hours.

On top of that, they say they were forced to hand over part of their tips and pay extra fees to other staff, which they argue is a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

According to the lawsuit, Mayweather called the shots on when dancers could leave and even decided how much of their tips the club kept. The dancers also allege that both Mayweather and his sister threatened and intimidated them, especially after they tried filing a federal lawsuit last year.

Floyd Mayweather

That case was dismissed, but it’s back now in state court, with an added claim that Mayweather slapped one of the dancers.

The dancer who says she got slapped claims it happened on April 23, 2023, when she asked Mayweather about her pay. She alleges that Mayweather smacked her in front of other dancers, then followed her into the locker room, saying she couldn’t “take a joke.”

 

Just a week after the WBA sanctioned the lightweight title bout between Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr., the duo have already gotten themselves into a heated discussion online. The fight is scheduled to take place on December 14 and Roach has received “special permission” by WBA to move up to the lightweight division and challenge for the title. This fight once again proves the stardom of Tank as he was once again allowed to handpick a challenger.

Fans were not happy with the announcement as Roach is quite unproven against top stars like Tank. Furthermore, he will have a disadvantage coming from a lighter-weight division. Despite being the WBA super featherweight champion, fans are not excited about the fight. But the boxer duo decided to hype up the clash when both of them got into a war of words on ‘X’ as Roach tried to troll the WBA lightweight champion just to receive a stellar response.

Gervonta Davis

Gervonta Davis’ stern advice to Roach

The argument started when heavyweight boxer Marcellus Williams asked Davis about the camp fees to spar with the champion. Williams wanted to work on his skills and had every motivation to make the situation work. However, Lamont Roach Jr. quickly responded to the tweet and stated, “He gon need to spar you bra no funny 🫠.” Davis immediately asked the meaning behind the post and Roach quoted a fan reaction who explained the tweet.

Roach quoted a fan reply who wrote, “Translation: u needa spar someone heavy cause he comin wit it,” explaining the meaning behind Roach’s tweet. According to the Reaper, the 30-0 boxer needs to spar against heavier boxers before their fight in December. And even though Davis is thinking of an easy fight, Roach will take this opportunity to make a name for himself and increase his stocks.

Tank did not let the disrespect go idly as he responded and wrote, “I advise you not to talk so much..it can be bad for you. You kno that already tho YO 😏,” stating that Roach should do the talking inside the ring and not online. He further warned Roach about the consequences of making the WBA lightweight champion angry.

Tank Davis will face Lamont Roach on December 14 in Houston, Texas.

Gervonta Davis is still excited about his victory this past June over Frank Martin. The devastating knockout in the eighth round cemented “Tank” Davis’ reputation as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters today. Motivated by his crushing victory, the lightweight champion issued a veiled warning to his next opponent, Lamont Roach.

Tank showed no mercy to Martin in their June 15 clash at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight champion dominated the fight from start to finish until he knocked out “The Ghost” at 1:29 minutes of the eighth round.

Gervonta Davis

After this victory, media and fans expected Davis to face one of the top prospects at 135 pounds, Shakur Stevensonor Vasyl Lomachenko. However, earlier this week, it was announced that his next opponent will be WBA super featherweight champion Lamont Roach.

With the fight scheduled for December 14, Tank (30-0, 28 KO’s) has not been slow to provoke his Roach (25-1, 10 KO’s). However, the response from fans has not been as positive as the champion would have hoped.

Davis’s provocations

In a recent post on his Instagram account, Tank Davis published a photo of his knockout of Martin. In the image, he can be seen celebrating the victory, with his rival lying on the canvas. The champion accompanied the image with the caption “December, Houston #TheOne #LongLiveBABYFRANK.”

The clear allusion to their next fight is the latest in the war of words that Davis and Roach have been maintaining since their fight was announced late in September.

“Houston, we got a muthaf*ckin problem” or “You must think I’m one of them regular n*ggas u fought or sum…LoL cut it out meezy,” have been some of the posts that Roach has dedicated to Davis on X (formerly Twitter). In turn, Tank has responded by saying, “I advise you not to talk so much…it can be bad for you. You know that already tho YO.”

Gervonta Davis

Despite the war of words, fans and analysts have questioned Davis’ choice of opponent. In principle, despite being the WBA super featherweight champion, Roach has not shown great punching power, something vital to face a knockout artist like Tank. Another point against him is that Roach will have to gain nine pounds from his natural weight to face this fight.

The responses to his recent post demonstrate the disappointment of fans“Can you fight somebody that’s gonna actually give you some bump,” and “Yet another [cherry] pick by Tank,” were some of the reactions to Davis’ message.

Tyson left a fan frozen in fear when all he wanted was a memorable moment

Mike Tyson is regarded as one of the most formidable personalities in boxing. With his powerful physique and fierce reputation, Tyson has always been respected, making it clear that approaching him when he’s in a bad mood could spell trouble for anyone.

In a recent incident, a daring fan approached Tyson, hoping to capture a brief moment with the heavyweight champion. However, Tyson’s unexpected reaction left the fan frozen in shock during a live TikTok broadcast. Those who witnessed the moment were left on edge, fearing what could have unfolded next.

A close call between Tyson and a fan

Thank you for watching

Speculation started to fly regarding the true cause of Tyson’s bad mood. With the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, he is just moments away from stepping into the ring against Jake Paul at one of the most iconic venues in the United States, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Tyson could either rise to legendary status by taking down the YouTuber or face a frustrating reality if he struggles to accept a victory from someone like Paul. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

Mike Tyson

What exactly triggered Tyson’s sudden mood change remains a mystery. Perhaps he caught a glimpse of the fan’s terrified expression and paused out of compassion. Or maybe he realized that his every move was being recorded live, and in today’s social media landscape, one could go viral for the wrong reasons in mere minutes. Either way, the tension in the air was palpable.

For a brief moment, it felt like the interaction could have gone sideways, but thankfully, it didn’t. Instead, it became a “legendary moment” for the fan to remember. If this TikTok user had been more insistent, one can’t help but wonder if he would have provoked Tyson’s infamous wrath. That’s a question many fans might be left pondering.

We want the steak, but it looks like we may have to settle for the fish.

It’s not the main course we were hoping for, but it shouldn’t leave a bad taste in our mouths. Not given the circumstances, at least. And it’s certainly better than going hungry.

That’s the situation with Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ next fight, which could wind up putting the WBA lightweight titleholder against WBA junior lightweight titleholder Lamont Roach Jr. Nothing is official yet, but boxing reporter Dan Rafael recently said it is possible for a December 21 pay-per-view, while Mike Coppinger of ESPN said Roach is the frontrunner for landing the fight.

It’s fair to be disappointed in that news.

It’s fair to want better opponents for Davis.

It’s unfair to blame Davis — at least not this time.

Gervonta Davis

 

Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) has become one of the biggest stars in boxing by virtue of his obvious talent and captivating performances where his skills and ring savvy and fight-changing power are on display. A video of Davis’ eighth-round win over Frank Martin on June 15, posted by Premier Boxing Champions on July 15, has racked up 5.8 million views on YouTube.

Martin was undefeated and ranked in the top 10 in the lightweight division going into that bout. There have been other respectable foes taken on and taken out by Davis in the past few years, some of which look even better in hindsight, such as Tank’s 11th-round technical knockout of Mario Barrios in June 2021 and a unanimous decision over Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in December 2021.

Barrios, a junior welterweight at the time, has since moved up to 147, defeated Yordenis Ugas, and been bestowed a world title. Cruz went up to 140 and dethroned Rolando Romero, another past Davis victim, for the WBA belt. Cruz recently lost that title to Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela. (More on Valenzuela a little later in this column.)

Yet boxing fans have wanted to see Davis go beyond the second tier and test his talent against the other top names at 135. There have been many reasons those fights haven’t happened over the years.

This time, they just weren’t available.

The other world titles belong to Vasiliy Lomachenko (IBF), Shakur Stevenson (WBC) and Denis Berinchyk (WBO). Negotiations between Davis and Lomachenko came to an end when Lomachenko’s team said he didn’t want to get back in the ring for the remainder of the year, that he didn’t feel motivated to fight and preferred to spend time with his family.

That news was disappointing though not completely surprising, given Lomachenko’s lengthy career dating back to his extended time in the amateurs, given what we’d heard from him and also what little we’d seen of him.

Gervonta Davis and Floyd Mayweather
Lomachenko fought just once in 2022, winning a decision over Jamaine Ortiz. He fought just once in 2023, challenging Devin Haney for the undisputed lightweight championship and dropping a close decision that some feel could have gone Lomachenko’s way. And he will end 2024 having fought just once, stopping George Kambosos Jr. in May for the vacant IBF belt.

 

In a post-fight interview, Lomachenko dedicated the victory to his father, who played such a significant role in his career.

“This is title for him, because after Haney I want to finish my boxing career,” Lomachenko said. “After this fight with Haney, I proved to myself in this sport and I don’t need to continue. But my father, every day he sends me news with me, and every time he send my last fights, highlights, and I feel he want to continue, he want the title again. And he tell me, ‘Hey, we need to do one more time this one. We need to do fight again for title.’ And it was hard decision for me because I’m tired. But I love my family. I love my father. I respect my father. My father built me in boxing, in life. And this is title. This is win for my father.”

Stevenson, a free agent after departing from Top Rank, ultimately signed with Matchroom and announced a fight with former junior lightweight titleholder Joe Cordina on the October 12 undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitriy Bivol. Stevenson then got hurt in training and had to pull out of the Cordina fight. He’s expected back in 2025.

Berinchyk doesn’t carry the name value or appear to have the attributes that Lomachenko and Stevenson do.

William Zepeda, who is ranked as the No. 1 contender for all four major world titles, initially turned down a fight with Stevenson, reportedly because his wife was due to give birth. But Zepeda has since signed for a November fight with former junior lightweight titleholder Tevin Farmer.

Some thought Cruz would get a rematch with Davis. Cruz was competitive with Davis in their first bout and is one of only two men to last the distance with Tank. (It should be noted here that Davis was fighting through a hand injury.)

That belief disappeared the moment Cruz lost to Valenzuela in August. Would Valenzuela not only seize Cruz’s title, but also inherit the opportunity?

Gervonta Davis

“I have a rematch clause [with Cruz] right now, so waiting on that, but if not there’s Teofimo [Lopez] and the other [140-pound] champions,” Valenzuela recently told FaceOfBoxingTV. As for rumors that he’d turned down a fight with Davis? “It wasn’t really an offer. It was more like I was just asked about Tank. I said, not at ’35, and we never really dove into it. There was no details or nothing. I don’t know if you consider that an offer, but that’s what happened.”

Valenzuela had fought in the 135-pound weight class for most of his career, and he was a lightweight as recently as last December. But he cannot be faulted if he feels junior welterweight is better for his body. Nor can Davis be faulted if he wishes to remain a lightweight right now, even though he went up to 140 before for the Barrios bout.

That leaves Davis with few options, and none particularly alluring among lightweights. Once you get past the three other titleholders and Zepeda, the rest of the rankings from The Ring magazine and the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board are mostly made up of prospects who are still developing (Raymond Muratalla, Keyshawn Davis, Andy Cruz, Zaur Abdullaev), or guys who recently fell short (Kambosos and Martin).

Edwin De Los Santos is unranked by those observers, but he’s rated by the WBA and would therefore be allowed to challenge for the belt. De Los Santos scored a knockout over Valenzuela in 2022 — though he’d also hit a downed Valenzuela one round earlier. His last fight, however, was a decision loss to Stevenson in November 2023.

With not much available at 135, that leaves room for Roach to enter from just down the road at 130. And from down the road in Washington, D.C.

That’s one more reason to make this fight.

If Tank can’t get a match made with any of the top lightweights, and if he doesn’t want to remain inactive for the remainder of 2024, then a bout with Roach is an acceptable substitute. Or it’s at least as good as we’re going to be able to get, even if it isn’t going to satisfy us the same way that the steak dinner would have.

Gervonta Davis

Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs) has won six straight since his lone loss, a decision dropped to Jamel Herring in 2019. His biggest victory came last November, when Roach topped Hector Garcia by split decision to win a world title. Garcia is another former foe of Tank’s; Davis stopped him in nine rounds in January 2023 up at lightweight, about 10 months before Garcia lost to Roach.

Roach’s improvement has been enjoyable to watch. It’s still hard to picture him giving Tank too much trouble. But the fight can be made and hosted in Davis’ native Baltimore or, more likely, in D.C. itself. While that’s Roach’s hometown, it’s also where Davis headlined for the Hector Garcia fight. The fight will do well at the box office.

Pay-per-view is another question. Davis is one of the biggest stars in the United States. Some may purchase the broadcast just to see him perform; the opponent factors less, if not at all, into their consideration. For others, the prospect of Davis vs. Roach may be intriguing enough to tune in but not enough to shell out.

Boxing fans can and should speak with their wallets. Just because a fight is on doesn’t mean you have to buy it. If you really don’t want the fish, you can choose not to eat in the restaurant until the steak is available again.

As for Davis, just because a big fight isn’t available doesn’t mean he should wait on the sidelines. I’d rather Tank get back on the battlefield, even if it’s just to blow through and roll over an outgunned foe. That’s better than sitting around and collecting rust.

Verified by MonsterInsights