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Daily Mirror
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
AJ to make boxing return this year as two-fight Tyson Fury plan emerges
EXCLUSIVE: Anthony Joshua is recovering from elbow surgery but his team are plotting his ring return for late in 2025 after preferred opponent was ruled out due to being picked for Saudi fight Anthony Joshua is plotting a return late this year - with old rival Deontay Wilder on a shortlist of potential opponents. The British heavyweight star has not fought since he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in an IBF title clash last September. But now 'AJ' - who is recovering from elbow surgery - is plotting his path to a Tyson Fury double-header next year and American Wilder is one option promoter Eddie Hearn is looking at. Wilder, 39, is returning to the ring next week against Tyrrell Herndon as he looks to shake off back-to-back defeats by Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang amid retirement calls. Hearn said: 'I don't see why not. I mean, we'd take that fight in October, November, December. It's still dangerous. Like someone said to me, oh, you think he'll be in a dangerous fight? I said, they're all f***ing dangerous, mate. "We want to fight Fury. And the plan for us is to fight October, November or December, and then fight Tyson twice. Or certainly once. And I can't see that fight not happening. As long as AJ comes through at the end of the year.' Joshua and Wilder were in talks around 2018 for what would have been an undisputed heavyweight title clash between two unbeaten fights but discussions broke down. American Jared Anderson, German Agit Kabayel and Efe Ajagba are other names Hearn is considering for Joshua's return. Former foe Dillian Whyte was in contention until he was matched with highly-rated star Moses Itauma for an August showdown in Saudi Arabia. Joshua is now 35 and has four defeats on his record after earlier career losses to Andy Ruiz Jnr and Oleksandr Usyk twice. Hearn believes 2026 will be the London 2012 Olympic champion's final year in the sport but won't rule out retirement earlier if he doesn't shine in his return bout later in 2025. The Matchroom chief added: 'The proof will be this fight. Like I said the other day, 2026 will probably be his last year in the sport. 'But this next fight will tell us everything. You know what I mean? If camp doesn't go well, if the performance isn't of the same level, you have to evaluate after each fight. The moment you don't look good in camp or don't start sparring well that's when you have to think about your position. But that's not happened yet.' Chris Eubank Jr will face Conor Benn in a rematch either on September 20 or October 4 after the September 27 date was ruled out due to the Premier League fixtures. Tottenham are at home to Wolves on the original date.
Scottish Sun
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
WBO welterweight champion leaves rival unconscious with brutal ‘KO of the year' contender
Star now has his sights on a new target Thunderstruck WBO welterweight champion leaves rival unconscious with brutal 'KO of the year' contender Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BRIAN NORMAN JR scored one of the knockouts of the year during a championship fight. The 24-year-old was fighting to retain his WBO welterweight title against Jin Sasaki in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Brian Norman Jr landed the knockout of the year in a WBO welterweight title fight against Jin Sasaki Credit: X formerly Twitter / @trboxing 3 The American scored a left hook right in his opponents face Credit: X formerly Twitter / @trboxing 3 It left Sasaki flattened on the canvas for over a minute Credit: X formerly Twitter / @trboxing And during round five, The Assassin II landed a brutal left hook squarely on his opponent's face as he left his guard down. Norman Jr had managed to knock down his Japanese rival twice in the opening stages. However, his round five hit saw Sasaki left flattened on the canvas. Medical staff rushed into the ring to treat the 23-year-old as he was laid out for over a minute. READ MORE IN BOXING BRAVEHEART Tyson Fury spotted walking down high street with no top on wearing just a kilt He was then placed on a stretcher and rushed to hospital. A status update on him was not provided in the immediate aftermath of contest. Reacting to the punch on social media, one boxing fan said: "Ko of the year." A second said: "This has to be ko of the year so far right?" A third added: "Man…that is CLEAN." BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Another said: "Perfect KO punch." The win saw Norman Jr improve to 28-0 with this being his 22nd knockout. Rare footage re-emerges of 19-year-old Tyson Fury brutally knocking out rival and leaving him in crumpled heap Norman Jr became the interim WBO welterweight champion after beating Giovani Santillan last May. He was then elevated to full champion status when Terence Crawford vacated the belt to move up to super welterweight. Derrieck Cuevas challenged for the belt in March of this year but was also defeated by Norman Jr via TKO. Meanwhile, Sasaki - a relatively unknown quantity going into the bout - fell to 19-2-1, having previously been stopped in 2021 by Andy Hiraoka in a Japanese superlightweight title fight. Norman Jr now has his eyes set on unification bouts for the division. An all-American fight with IBF and WBA champion Jaron Ennis had been on the cards until Ennis declared his intention to move up to 154lbs. Speaking about a potential clash with Ennis, Norman Jr had said: "About the future, I wish I had a certain fight coming up, but they heard there was a storm coming." "And you all know what happens when a storm is coming, you grab your boots and run. "We shall see what is next for me. Hopefully October or November, we can get something, but we shall see."
The Irish Sun
21 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
WBO welterweight champion leaves rival unconscious with brutal ‘KO of the year' contender
BRIAN NORMAN JR scored one of the knockouts of the year during a championship fight. The 24-year-old was fighting to retain his WBO welterweight title against Jin Sasaki in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday. Advertisement 3 Brian Norman Jr landed the knockout of the year in a WBO welterweight title fight against Jin Sasaki Credit: X formerly Twitter / @trboxing 3 The American scored a left hook right in his opponents face Credit: X formerly Twitter / @trboxing 3 It left Sasaki flattened on the canvas for over a minute Credit: X formerly Twitter / @trboxing And during round five, The Assassin II landed a brutal left hook squarely on his opponent's face as he left his guard down. Norman Jr had managed to knock down his Japanese rival twice in the opening stages. However, his round five hit saw Sasaki left flattened on the canvas. Medical staff rushed into the ring to treat the 23-year-old as he was laid out for over a minute. Advertisement READ MORE IN BOXING He was then placed on a stretcher and rushed to hospital. A status update on him was not provided in the immediate aftermath of contest. Reacting to the punch on social media, one boxing fan said: "Ko of the year." A second said: "This has to be ko of the year so far right?" A third added: "Man…that is CLEAN." Advertisement Most read in Boxing BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Another said: "Perfect KO punch." The win saw Norman Jr improve to 28-0 with this being his 22nd knockout. Rare footage re-emerges of 19-year-old Tyson Fury brutally knocking out rival and leaving him in crumpled heap Norman Jr became the interim WBO welterweight champion after beating Giovani Santillan last May. Advertisement He was then elevated to full champion status when Derrieck Cuevas challenged for the belt in March of this year but was also defeated by Norman Jr via TKO. Meanwhile, Sasaki - a relatively unknown quantity going into the bout - fell to 19-2-1, having previously been stopped in 2021 by Andy Hiraoka in a Japanese superlightweight title fight. Norman Jr now has his eyes set on unification bouts for the division. Advertisement An all-American fight with IBF and WBA champion Jaron Ennis had been on the cards until Ennis declared his intention to move up to 154lbs. Speaking about a potential clash with Ennis, Norman Jr had said: "About the future, I wish I had a certain fight coming up, but they heard there was a storm coming." "And you all know what happens when a storm is coming, you grab your boots and run. "We shall see what is next for me. Hopefully October or November, we can get something, but we shall see." Advertisement
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'The new face of boxing': Brian Norman Jr. hell-bent on becoming more than just welterweight king
Brian Norman Jr. is the new ruler in town with a point still to prove. With reports suggesting Jaron "Boots" Ennis is vacating the IBF and WBA welterweight world championships to move to super welterweight, Norman is set to become the de facto No. 1 at 147 pounds. It's a familiar feeling for the 24-year-old — he never got to win his WBO world title in the ring, and now Ennis' welterweight exit could elevate him to the best in the division without a fight too. Advertisement The manner in which Norman has won his recent bouts, though, ensured that he long felt like the king of the weight class, regardless. And so he won't even entertain any arguments that he's not a real champion in a division that has produced modern-day greats from Felix Trinidad to Floyd Mayweather Jr. 'We all knew Terence Crawford was not going to fight at 147 ever again after he beat Errol Spence,' Norman told Uncrowned ahead of his return to the ring Thursday against 23-year-old contender Jin Sasaki in Tokyo, Japan. It's a bold move for Norman as he travels the farthest he ever has for a fight, to defend his strap against one of Japan's best boxers in the heart of enemy territory. 'It wasn't like I even had the opportunity to fight Crawford,' Norman said. 'I did beat the champion, necessarily speaking, as Giovani Santillan was the No. 1 [welterweight]. And it was in his hometown. I wasn't even supposed to win that fight. And we've seen what happened.' What Norman showed us in that May 2024 showcase was a blood-and-guts thrashing ahead of a fight-finishing 10th-round uppercut in a statement win. Though Norman had been grinding for years, the result — and performance — created an overnight sensation in boxing. 'It was a highlight knockout that got everybody buzzing. I had all his blood on me,' he said. 'It looked very spectacular. Advertisement 'And if that wasn't enough — a champion is not a real champion until they defend their belt.' Norman did just that against Derrieck Cuevas in March. 'Another spectacular knockout,' he said of his thumping, third-round knockout win that beat the spirit out of the Puerto Rican. 'I absolutely do feel like a champion.' Norman puts his WBO welterweight world title on the line once again atop an Ohashi Promotions event Thursday at the Ota-City General Gymnasium. And, though he respects his opponent's skill level, Norman expects Sasaki to fall like so many others he's fought. 'Nobody can stand up to my power,' he said. Advertisement Norman feels victory over Sasaki is a foregone conclusion as he'll 'continue catching bodies and making a name for myself' not just at welterweight, but in boxing. He envisions becoming a household name — an athlete synonymous with their sport, like Simone Biles in gymnastics, Shohei Ohtani in baseball, or Rory McIlroy in golf. 'I'm finna be the new face of boxing,' he said. 'The new 'that guy.' Like, when you think about basketball and you think of Michael Jordan — for this generation, that's exactly what I'm about to be. The king of it all.' All kings need adversaries, though. Every great fighter needs the opponents, and rivalries, that bring out the greatness in them. They need those star-making performances from the grandest of stages. And so an all-American showdown against Ennis would have been ideal. Ennis, a thunderous puncher, was considered a boogieman at the weight class until, of course, Norman came along and a new boogieman was born. Advertisement Yet while Ennis would be the legacy fight for Norman, there still remains another star-making fight at 147 pounds — a unification against the winner of July 19's controversial blockbuster between the established champion Mario Barrios and the returning legend Manny Pacquiao. It's a fight Norman covets because the WBC title is on the line, and he's always dreamed of winning the green and gold belt so he can join the pantheon of greats who have worn it before, like his idols Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran, among others. Norman wants that fight 'no matter who wins' at the MGM Grand Garden Arena when Barrios and Pacquiao come to blows. Pacquiao is 'a legend for a reason,' he said. 'So anything is possible.' A southern gent outside the ropes yet a brutal assassin within it, Norman is a throwback. He's a throwback to an age when fighters sought the best fights when they made sense, rather than after a period of over-marination. And so the fight he appears to want above all others remains Ennis, regardless of whether it takes place at 147 pounds or 154. 'Either/or is fine with me,' he said. 'I'm still right here.' Advertisement Norman added: 'I do find it funny that [Ennis' promoter] Eddie Hearn said he would send us a contract, but only if I signed a contract before this fight I got coming up.' Norman vs. Ennis 'was going to be after this one,' he said, 'but the week of this fight, they said, 'We're moving up.' 'We still could have fought after this one,' Norman finished, happy to take Ennis on later this year. 'So I don't see why we couldn't have done that. We still can right now.' First, Norman has to fight Sasaki in an event that kicks off at 1:30 a.m. ET on ESPN+. Follow live coverage of the action early Thursday morning on Uncrowned.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Hitchins calls out Haney after title defence
Richardson Hitchins called out Devin Haney after claiming a dominant win over George Kambosos Jr to retain his IBF light-welterweight 27-year-old headlined a show in his hometown New York for the first time and stopped Kambosos with a left hook to the body in the eighth was making his first defence of the title he earned by beating Liam Paro in dominated throughout at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, landing a far greater number of blows than Kambosos, a former world champion at being floored in the eighth round, the Australian rose to his feet before the count of 10 but was still grimacing in pain and was unable to meant Hitchins extended his unbeaten record to 20-0, including eight knockouts."I've been telling the boxing world I was coming and they should have listened," he said."I told his [Kambosos'] dad: 'If you love your son, you'll stop the fight.' He was tough, a true competitor, but I was just the better man tonight."Kambosos shocked Teofimo Lopez at the same venue in 2021 to become the unified lightweight the 32-year-old then lost back-to-back fights to Haney and has now lost four of his past six fights for a 22-4 added: "I knew I had to go to some unsafe places to get some good shots off. I put myself in harm's way."He caught me with a couple of good shots, but they didn't hurt me, so I just went for the [finish]."WBO champion Lopez entered the ring after the fight but Hitchins called out the unbeaten Haney, who moved up to welterweight to beat Jose Ramirez last later said on X:, external "We could get it at 147 (welterweight)."Brighton fighter Adam Maca made his professional debut on the undercard and beat Rafael Castillo via a second-round knockout.
