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Gervonta Davis was an established world champion but was still to emerge from Floyd Mayweather’s shadow when he flew to London to defend his IBF super-featherweight title against Liam Walsh in May 2017.

A recent investment in boxing by TNT Sport – then BT Sport – and Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions had contributed to the move to showcase not only one of the world’s most exciting young fighters but, in his mentor Mayweather – then still an active fighter – one of the world’s very biggest names.

Walsh, then 31 and in his prime, had built his reputation when, in not dissimilar circumstances, in 2011 he defeated Paul Appleby in an exciting fight to launch the often-missed BoxNation.

Walsh was badly hurt in round three

JUST IN: Martin Bakole: ‘I’m Still The Boogeyman, That Punch Came From Nowhere’

He had since continued to improve into a world-level fighter and, at a time when Davis was yet to truly be tested, was widely considered capable of either dethroning him or, in the event of defeat, proving he was the real thing.

When Davis and Mayweather first flew to London to promote the upcoming fight at the Copper Box Arena, Mayweather, inevitably, had other commitments to fulfil. One involved him charging fans £100 for photos at a speaking engagement having shown up late after prioritising extra sleep. At another date the van his team used was set alight; he was also interviewed by Rio Ferdinand for BT Sport.

Come fight week Davis cut a quiet figure while Mayweather, partly owing to a spat with the composed Walsh, continued to dominate what was unfolding. It was on fight night at the Copper Box that Davis, indifferent to the hostile atmosphere created by the Cromer-based Walsh’s fans, instead finally outshone his attention-seeking promoter by walking to the ring dressed like Michael Jackson to the strains of Beat It, and then by so clinically stopping Walsh in under three rounds.

“I’d rather have got knocked clean out,” Walsh, rescued on his feet by the referee Michael Alexander, told talkSPORT.

“I’d have felt better. [But] in hindsight, looking back, I were never gonna beat him, because my defence weren’t good enough. He hadn’t been down the stretch at that point – he’d knocked [Eusebio] Pedraza out in the seventh [round].

“I was thinking, ‘I can potentially get to him – he’s a young kid – get him frustrated where he’s swinging and getting annoyed’. He was trying to goad me and he was talking to me. He kept going, ‘You’re an amateur; you’re an amateur’.

“He needed more action – he was the star attraction. My mentality was frustrate him, get him swinging – get him a bit wild.

“He might have lost his composure quite easily, and then down the stretch, [I’d] really switch it completely and be really aggressive with him instead – so push him back and bang away at his body. Pull his head down; hit him low; do all the things you need to to try and grind him down.

“But in hindsight, looking back and looking at his career and how he’s gone and seeing his fights, that wouldn’t have happened [even if I’d survived the opening rounds]. What would have happened is I’d have tried switching it, and he’d have punched the fuck out of me. But I’d have rather that. The way it ended didn’t sit right with me for years.

“As a fighter, ‘Just let me get knocked out’. That’s a fighting mentality. At least it’s a full-stop ending. When you’re not completely done, you [still] feel like you’ve got a one per cent chance.”

Mayweather had joined Davis in the ring to give him instructions, pre-fight, even though Davis’ corner was led by his long-term trainer Calvin Ford – a fellow resident of Baltimore and the real-life inspiration for Cutty, the boxing trainer in The Wire. He was also once again the centre of attention at the post-fight press conference, where the likelihood of him fighting Conor McGregor was close to the only topic discussed.

“The first punch buzzed me,” Walsh recalls of the then-22-year-old who so impressively proved his maturity and temperament.

“The next four or five were round the back of the head. He then rushed at me, on the ropes – I’m leaning on the side, my feet are all over the place, my hands are up, punches are scuffing all around me, and Mike Alexander made probably the correct decision. I was probably gonna get absolutely hammered.”

Since that night, and partly because of it, Davis has unquestionably evolved as a fighter. If the mid-fight attempts to unnerve Walsh were something he learned from Mayweather, Davis, who after a gradual deterioration in their relationship split from his then-promoter last year, has become similarly provocative in the build-up to his fights.

“I didn’t get the sense he felt particularly bad about making Ryan [Garcia, whom he beat in 2023] wait,” said Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza of the press conference at which Davis arrived two hours late.

Though Garcia retained a professional exterior, Espinoza witnessed enough to detect that Davis had got under Garcia’s skin. “There was some gamesmanship there – a little bit of mental warfare,” he continued, to talkSPORT.

“This was the first time that these guys had been together in an official setting, so it would not be unusual or unexpected for there to be some psychological warfare, and if making someone wait for an hour was intended to get some sort of reaction…

“This was the first opportunity that either of them had to start positioning, psychologically.

“Ryan was definitely frustrated, as was his team – and rightly so. There was more frustration expressed behind the scenes than was maybe evident to the public – at the amount of time that had passed before he showed up.”

In the end Davis again showed why he is arguably boxing’s draw by dropping his opponent in the seventh round for an impressive win.

Since then he has beaten Frank Martin and will defend his WBA lightweight title against Lamont Roach in New York City on 1 March.

However, there might not be many more knockouts to look forward to given his retirement plan, with fans having hopes of seeing him share the ring with one of  Vasyl Lomachenko and Shakur Stevenson.

Davis had shocked boxing by announcing his intention to walk away from the sport in 2025. Recently, though, he has admitted to re-thinking that decision, admitting it could be more of a break than walking away for good.

Being viewed as the boogeyman of any division is an honor. In layman’s terms, it means that you are the uncrowned king, the man no one wants to face, and arguably the best fighter around.

Martin Bakole earned that moniker. He’s always been impressive throughout his career but a fifth-round stoppage win over Jared Anderson on the Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov bill last August pushed him over the edge in the minds of many.
This past weekend, however, a bit of shine may have been wiped from his name. Although he had just 48 hours and needless to say, zero time to prepare, Bakole stepped in to take on Joseph Parker for the WBO interim heavyweight title.
Martin Bakole Sums Up Joseph Parker's Power In Just 3 Words After Suffering  Devastating Knockout - Seconds Out

READ: (VIDEO) Anthony Joshua & Oleksandr Usyk’s Ringside Reaction to Joseph Parker’s Brutal Martin Bakole KO

While it wasn’t ideal, countless fans and fighters believed he could get it done. Ultimately, they were wrong.
Bakole’s night went about as bad as possible. Following a fairly even first round, the 33-year-old was brutally stopped in the second. Now, whispers of Bakole (21-2, 16 KOs) being vulnerable are running rampant. Nevertheless, for those who believe he should no longer be feared, Bakole thinks otherwise.

 

“I’m still the boogeyman,” said Bakole to Seconds Out immediately after.

 

There was some irony associated with the way things played out. Moments before he hit the canvas, Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) landed a picture-perfect right hand. Once it connected, Bakole paused, shook his head and continued moving forward. Seconds later, another shot placed him on the deck.

 

The critics that have come out the woodwork aren’t making a ton of sense to Bakole. Not only did he have no time to prepare, but also wants everyone to take a closer look at how things played out. He stopped short of calling it fluky but did reveal that it was the sort of blow that’s hard to defend against.

 

“The punch came from nowhere. This always happens to everyone,” he added.

Leaked footage of Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk reacting live to Joseph Parker’s brutal second-round knockout win over Martin Bakole has gone viral on social media.

Parker was originally supposed to fight Daniel Dubois, and the two resurgent heavyweights had generated excitement for their participation in the Riyadh Season event that took place on the 22nd of February, with Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev in the main event. Dubois, though, withdrew citing illness, which was an absence that left organizers scrambling for a late-replacement opponent. The fighter who boxing financier Turki Alalshikh drafted in, Bakole, ensured there was no hype lost as the heavyweight, in his last fight, halted the ascendance of Jared Anderson by thumping him into smithereens last summer.

Joshua, who defeated Parker in 2018, and Usyk, the unified heavyweight champion, watched with interest from ringside as Parker beat Bakole down and out for good.

Oleksndr Usyk and Anthony Joshua watch Joseph Parker vs Martin Bakole

READ: Turki Alalshikh hints at Tyson Fury return for blockbuster Anthony Joshua showdown

As Parker put his fight-finishing punches together, Usyk and Joshua — watching from ringside sitting next to each other — sensed early drama was about to unfold and reacted hilariously, like they were excitable kids watching the sport with fresh eyes, and seeing a live knockout for the very first time.

Watch the viral footage right here: 

Anthony Joshua Oleksandr Usyk

Parker, without question, scored the knockout of the night. His co-feature win over Bakole preceded an electric main event between master light heavyweight fighters Bivol and Beterbiev, with the former scoring a revenge win over the latter. Though a trilogy fight is a logical bout to make next, Bivol could be enticed should Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez pursue a lucrative rematch with him. Canelo has hinted in the past that a second Bivol fight, between 168 and 175 pounds, is a preferential option for him over fighting David Benavidez.

Earlier in the show, Vergil Ortiz scored a career-defining win with a decision over Israil Madrimov, and Carlos Adames and Hamzah Sheeraz were inseparable, with judges offering a split draw for the middleweight fight.

Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis has finally responded to the call-out made by newly-crowned lightweight champion Keyshawn Davis.

‘The Businessman’ defeated Ukrainian Denys Berinchyk on February 14 to capture the WBO lightweight world title and pick up the first belt of his promising career in just his 14th bout.

The 25-year-old from Norfolk, Virginia recently called out ‘Tank’ as he targets a unification showdown with the reigning WBA lightweight champion.

Gervonta Davis Finally Responds To Keyshawn Davis Call Out With 3 Word Promise

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Ahead of what could be one of the most exciting lightweight clashes, ‘Tank’ has now sent his response to ‘The Businessman’.

In a clip on X, ‘Tank’ was tasked with summing up his chances of defeating a number of potential opponents, including one against WBO champion Davis and promised to make it:

“Super easy work.”

‘Tank’ Davis returns to the ring on March 1 as he faces Lamont Roach Jr in a defence of his WBA lightweight title at the Barclays Center in New York City. Much to the dismay of fans around the world, the 30-year-old’s bout against Roach could be one of the last remaining ones he has in his impressive career, after revealing plans to walk away from boxing at the end of 2025.

The Baltimore native has also been persistently linked with WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, who returned to the ring himself on February 22 to stop last minute opponent Josh Padley after Floyd Schofield was forced to withdraw from the contest due to illness.

Daniel Dubois rose from his sickbed and stepped straight into mega-millions negotiations to fight Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.

Talk about landing on your feet!

When Dynamite Daniel was medically advised to withdraw from the defence of his IBF title against Joseph Parker he sustained losses in excess of £7million from Saturday’s bonanza purse plus months of expenditure on his training camp.

Oleksandr Usyk recovers to floor and knock out Daniel Dubois in unified  heavyweight title fight | 'Tyson Fury next!' | Boxing News | Sky Sports

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And the cynics started rumouring that he had ducked Parker!

The credible conversations here in the new fight capital of the world concern a shift from the plan for Usyk to fight the winner between Dubois and Parker.

Now big-time boxing’s Saudi paymasters envisage Dubois and Usyk providing the gala opening in October of the next Riyadh Season of sport, culture and entertainment.

At a stroke overnight a worry that Dubois might be derailed, temporarily at least, from his bid for greatness dissipated.

His promoter Frank Warren made this guarded observation: ‘Perversely, this setback with his illness is opening up more tremendous opportunities for Daniel.’

Robert Smith, general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control who sanction these huge promotions in Saudi Arabia and endorsed the diagnosis of swollen glands says: ‘Daniel could not be allowed to box this weekend but oddly this might make it easier for him to secure the fight with Usyk.’

So it seems. The Ukrainian maestro who became the first undisputed world heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis a quarter century ago came here expecting to watch Dubois and Parker decide which of them he would fight next.

After watching Parker burst the gigantic balloon of Martin Bakole, the last-second replacement for Dubois, Usyk made it clear he would not mind waiting a few months before restoring the IBF belt to his collection and banking another fortune. He said: ‘I am enjoying my rest with my family since beating Tyson (Fury) again (just nine weeks ago).

‘I plan for only two more fights to end my career. Yes, only two. I thought Joseph might win here but if it is to be Daniel next, okay.’

That stands to be their second meeting. Usyk stopped Dubois in the ninth round in Poland in August 2023, leaving Team Dynamite complaining that a body shot which dropped him earlier in the fight should not have been ruled a low blow.

Parker is the most aggrieved party now. When Dubois pulled out on Thursday he found himself obliged to go through another giant road block instead of fighting for a world title.

Bakole did not arrive from his Congo homeland until Saturday morning and although he would be jet-lagged and massively overweight at well over 300 lbs Parker was advised not to accept this problematic, menacing monster as the replacement.

A proud Samoan warrior in his blood-line, this renascent former world champion Kiwi and one of the most likeable boxers in the hard old game said: ‘To hell with it. I’ll deal with him.’ So he did. Landing a warning salvo from the first bell. Absorbing three or four hefty clubbings. Then bringing Bakole down in round two like King Kong from the top of the Empire State Building. With with a right-hand blow to the top of the temple reminiscent of the so-called Phantom Punch with which Muhammad Ali knocked out the fearsome Sonny Liston in their second fight.

Job brilliantly done, Parker said: ‘Right. So where’s my world title fight now?’ Not against London’s Daniel Boy it appears. But he did raise one important question. Will Usyk v Dubois be for the undisputed title or the unification of three of the four championship belts?

The WBC, WBA and IBF are in unison. But the WBO decided at the weekend that the winner of Dubois and Parker will be the mandatory challenger for their belt. If Parker is to be squeezed out of the main equation, his best recourse will be to fight someone else for what would be the vacant WBO belt.

That is the least he deserves, even it hastens the break-up of the undisputed regime.

Tyson Fury could still return to the ring for a showdown with Anthony Joshua, Turki Alalshikh has revealed.

The Gypsy King announced his retirement from the sport last month aged 36.

Fury ended his career with a professional record of 34-2-1, his final fights seeing him record back-to-back decision losses to Oleksandr Usyk.

Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua target date revealed by Turki Alalshikh -  Boxing News - SPORTbible

READ: Anthony Joshua provides cryptic update over his future in boxing – after Brit ‘was NOT considered as a late replacement for Daniel Dubois’

He’s enjoyed a stellar career however, a highly-anticipated bout against Joshua never materialised.

Alalshikh has now hinted the fight could still happen in the future despite Fury hanging up his gloves.

Speaking on Saturday at the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol event, he confirmed he remains hopeful Fury will make a comeback.

Alalshikh told The Stomping Ground, as quoted by Ring Magazine: “I want Joshua vs Tyson… I spoke with (Fury) but not about boxing. I think he maybe will return.”

The hopes are despite Fury telling fans his career was over as recently as January.

In a video shared to social media, the former heavyweight world champion said: “Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet.

“I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing. It’s been a blast.

“I’ve loved every single minute of it, and I’m going to end with this. Dick Turpin wore a mask. See you all on the other side.”

Meanwhile, Joshua has been out of the ring since suffering his fourth professional loss in September.

The Brit was knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in their IBF title bout.

Joshua, who now has a 28-4 record, remains keen to return to action, though.

Having watched ringside as Joseph Parker beat Martin Bakole on Saturday night, he admitted he had been keen to step in to replace Dubois on late notice.

Bakole was beaten on short notice after the IBF champion was forced to withdraw through illness.

Joshua’s hopes of a rematch with Parker were denied by ‘injuries’, however, the 35-year-old confirmed.

Praising Bakole, he told DAZN: “He’s a fighter, that’s what he’s supposed to do. I wanted to step in, I got my injuries.”

Parker, meanwhile, called for a bout with Usyk after his victory at the Kingdom Arena.

The Ukrainian has yet to schedule his next fight after securing a second win over Fury in their rematch in December.

Anthony Joshua gave an intriguing reply when asked about his future in the ring while attending the light heavyweight title fight between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. 

Joshua, 35, made the comments in an interview while was sitting ringside for The Last Crescendo in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.

Bivol’s victory over Beterbiev came courtesy of a majority points decision, with the judges scoring the bout 114-114, 116-112 and 115-113 in favour of Bivol.

Anthony Joshua Joseph Parker

READ: Anthony Joshua Shares Honest Reaction To Joseph Parker’s Devastating Stoppage Of Martin Bakole

His win also means he claims the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF titles as the undisputed champion in his division – avenging his loss to the same opponent back in October.

Prior to the fight, Joshua was asked about his own return to action, having not featured since his loss to Daniel Dubois in the world heavyweight title fight at Wembley last autumn.

When questioned on his future, Joshua said: ‘More fights, this is my life, this is what I do. Right now I sit outside and I watch and then I’ll make my return one day.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1893392753393893805

‘I sit back as a fan and watch the great people in the sport I love.’

His comments come after Joshua was reportedly not considered as a late replacement option for Dubois – who pulled out of his scheduled undercard fight with Joseph Parker due to illness.

While Joshua’s boxing future remains unclear, speculation has increased over his potential retirement from the sport.

This week, promoter Eddie Hearn said he believes that the heavyweight will contest ‘two fights, three fights max’.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Hearn said: ‘The plan and the goal for Anthony Joshua, always, from now to the moment he retires, is to try and win the world heavyweight championship. To try and become a three-time world heavyweight champion.

He added: ‘So, of course, the other fight, which we know at the moment is not available, is Tyson Fury, he wanted that fight.

‘But, if you said to AJ, “what do you want to do most next?” He would say, “I want to fight the winner of Dubois/Parker. I want another shot at a World Heavyweight title.”‘

As a result of the Parker vs Dubois fight not taking place due to the latter’s absence, Parker will have to wat for his chance to become a world champion again.

Joseph Parker’s Saturday fight night was plunged into uncertainty when his slated opponent, Daniel Dubois, pulled out two days before the first bell.

IBF heavyweight champion Dubois suffered an illness which sparked a last-minute scramble for Parker’s team, as well as Saudi Arabian organisers, to find a new challenger for the hotly-anticipated co-main event in Riyadh.

The man who promptly stepped up to the plate is Martin Bakole. At the drop of a hat, the 31-year-old’s week, and potentially the rest of his life, has completely transformed.

Joseph Parker flattens Martin Bakole with dynamite right hand after  short-notice step-in and 3,800-mile flight | talkSPORT

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According to The Times, Bakole was hard at work clearing a patch of farmland in his home country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo when he got the call-up to fight Parker. Not long afterwards, he was bundled on a plane and flown to the Middle East.

Bakole and his camp have long complained about being one of the most-avoided fighters in the heavyweight division. He had been preparing for a final eliminator against Efe Ajagba in May, but with the opportunity to compete in the biggest fight of his career landing in his lap, he jumped at the chance to face Parker at just 48 hours’ notice.

“This is unbelievable,” he said. “It feels like I’m dreaming. I think I will shock the world tomorrow. A boxer is like a soldier. Anytime they ask you to go to war, always be ready, no matter what.”

With his purse estimated to be in the region of £1.6million, Bakole is also on course for a bumper payday. The 6ft 6in slugger, who boasts a professional record of 21 wins and only one defeat, was born in Kananga but moved to the Scottish town of Airdrie in 2016.

His trainer, Billy Nelson, has been singing his praises ever since. “Martin is by far the best fighter I have ever trained,” said the Scot. “He is technically fantastic, naturally gifted, which makes my job a bit easier but the most important part for me is just tweaking some of the areas, fight management and guiding him through. He really is a fast learner.”

Bakole is from good fighting stock. His older brother, Ilunga Makabu, was a world champion at cruiserweight and fought the likes of Tony Bellew and Badou Jack.

Now, Bakole is ready to catapult himself into the big time. The Congolese has sparred with heavyweight big shots like Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua, while he claims to have caused serious problems for the man he replaced.

“I sparred Daniel Dubois twice and I stopped him twice,” he said. “He knows and his team knows. I would stop him in the first or second round. People are hiding away because they don’t want to fight me.”

The Riyadh Season’s iconic ‘The Last Crescendo’ card has now come and gone. And despite two unfortunate withdrawals from two of the top fights earlier in the week, there’s little debate that the card still delivered.

This was in large part due to the main event between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev, which was a rematch for the undisputed light heavyweight championship with Beterbiev’s WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring belts on the line.

In what was a fantastic and evenly-matched fight, Bivol ultimately did enough to earn the victory according to two judges, making him the new undisputed champion of the world.

Dmitry Bivol's ex-wife wildly celebrates his controversial loss to Artur  Beterbiev and shouts 'karma reached the idiot' | The Sun

JUST IN: VIDEO: Oleksandr Usyk turns down Joseph Parker straight away and agrees to another fight

After Bivol came up short during his first bout against Beterbiev in October 2024, a video of his ex-wife celebrating and relishing Bivol suffering defeat during a live stream went extremely viral on social media.

Now that Bivol has exacted revenge on Beterbiev, fans on social media are wondering what Bivol’s ex-wife might be feeling right now.

One X user posted a video of Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn saying, “Hold on, I’m not having this, I’m not having this” with the caption, “Bivol ex wife now #BeterbievBivol2”.

Another fan posted a gif of HBO‘s iconic Sopranos main character Tony Soprano smoking a cigar with the caption, “SMOKING ON THAT DMITRY BIVOL’S EX WIFE PACK”.

“has anyone checked on Dmitry Bivol’s ex wife????” wrote a third along with the initial viral video of her reaction to his first loss.

We would imagine that Bivol’s ex-wife is now like the rest of the boxing community in hoping that there will now be a Bivol vs. Beterviev trilogy fight.

Heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk dismissed Joseph Parker’s challenge as he set his sights on a different opponent.

Parker stopped Martin Bakole in Saudi Arabia within two rounds to become the mandatory challenger for Usyk’s WBO title.

The New Zealander had been lined up to fight IBF titleholder Dubois, but the British fighter dropped out last Thursday due to illness. Despite the possibility of rescheduling the bout with Dubois, Parker aimed higher after his win against Bakole, expressing his desire to face the world’s number one heavyweight.

JUST IN: Video Highlight: Dmitry Bivol gets sweet revenge over Artur Beterbiev in second classic to set up potential trilogy

“Who’s next? Can I fight for the world title next? If Usyk wants a dance partner, I’d like to fight for the world title,” he said post-fight.

However, Usyk, who was present at the Riyadh show, declared his preference for Dubois as he aims to re-unify the four major heavyweight championships. He said via Boxing King: “I want the next fight with Daniel Dubois, undisputed.”

When questioned about the potential venue for their rematch, the Ukrainian said: “London, Riyadh Season, doesn’t matter.” He even entertained the thought of fighting at Wembley Stadium, with its near 100,000 boxing capacity, adding confidently: “Yeah, yeah. I’m ready, bro.”

With Dubois currently unburdened by any mandatory defence obligations for his IBF belt, he is free to choose his next opponent, potentially setting the stage for a rematch with Usyk. Their previous encounter in Poland in 2023 ended with Usyk claiming a contentious ninth-round stoppage victory.

Meanwhile, Dubois is set to suffer a “massive financial loss” after pulling out of the Parker fight. His promoter, Frank Warren, said: “If you don’t fight, you don’t get paid; imagine the cost of a training camp, booking places, setting the camp up, bringing the sparring partners in, nutritionists, chefs, trainers, and you don’t get paid.

“It’s a massive loss, you can’t insure it, if you do it costs a fortune to insure. It was an unbelievable purse he was getting for the fight but we are where we are: if you’re not well, you can’t fight.”

“I’m always telling the fighters I don’t want to hear after the event if anything goes wrong that you had a bad hand, or a cold, or your budgie died – none of that matters, you live to fight another day.”

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