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It’s Still Joshua’s World with Wilder and Fury Residing There

They’re certainly having fun and doing a good job of trying to kick sand on the champ with the lifeguard build cooling it on the beach ….the one basking in the sun, loving life without a foreseeable problem in the world. And when you’re at the top of the food chain in sports, politics, business, and especially boxing, you’re going to be the one on the dart board with the bullseye on your back. That comes with being the top dog in your field and it’s a lifetime better than being one of those who needs to kick sand to create interest in what you’re doing.
Since it was recently rumored and then confirmed that former heavyweight champ Tyson Fury 27-0 (19) and WBC titlist Deontay Wilder 40-0 (39) will meet later this year, they’ve owned the headlines. The pairing of Wilder and Fury is the fallout of Wilder and WBA/IBF/WBO titlist Anthony Joshua 21-0 (20) not being able to agree on the purse split if they were to meet. So the fight died and Fury, fully aware that, like Wilder, he held no leverage over Joshua, set his sight on Wilder. Now after beating two unranked fighters and because of his undefeated record and bravado, Fury will fight Wilder for the only belt he didn’t hold when he retired as the lineal champ.
The Wilder-Fury antics have been entertaining to watch and whoever wins between them — handing the other their first defeat — will clearly add to their cachet when it comes to vying for a satisfactory purse split with Joshua. However, lost in the shuffle is that, regardless of what Wilder and Fury say or do, Joshua is still the money fight for both and the fighter to beat in the division. It’s easy to see why Deontay and Tyson look to denigrate him at every turn.
When trying to think of the star fighter who Joshua’s persona most resembles, perhaps a less accomplished Sugar Ray Leonard could be the one. Leonard was subjected to the same accusations by Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler that Joshua fends off today, namely that he feared facing them and is hiding behind his advisor. In AJ’s case, it’s Eddie Hearn whereas Leonard had a land shark handling his business affairs named Mike Trainer. As history went on to prove, Leonard didn’t fear either of them, fighting Hearns during the time that Hearns was thought to be unbeatable and tangling with Hagler as a 4-1 underdog when most thought he was risking more than his health.
Joshua has the entire UK in his corner; his fans show up in droves for every fight. And like Leonard and even Muhammad Ali to a point, the opponent doesn’t matter… they just want to be there to emphatically root for him. In Leonard’s case, he was easy to root for because in his demeanor he reminded fans of the guy next door, whereas Joshua has the look of a guy from central casting who would be chosen to play the part of the heavyweight champion in a movie. AJ has the height, smile, broad shoulders, defined arms, and chest held upright by a narrow waist. Joshua goes out of his way to smile and project that he’s approachable, although unless he’s on camera that’s not quite as it seems. The point is he has the “it” factor and that’s benefited him greatly in becoming the money fighter in boxing’s flagship division.
In the ring Joshua does most everything technically correct. He fights from a conventional stance, he has terrific form and gets good leverage on his shots and is clearly the best boxer-puncher in the heavyweight division since the end of the Lewis/Klitschko era. He also looks to win by knockout. The only time he didn’t deliver on that he was given a pass because his opponent, Joseph Parker, decided after sampling AJ’s strength and power that he’d fight to survive more than to win. And Joshua, in somewhat of a surprise to many, was content to win with his powerful jab instead of putting himself at a little risk to keep his consecutive knockout streak intact.
Joshua is an easy target for Wilder and Fury to take shots at. They say he hasn’t fought anybody and is robotic and question his chin and toughness. And some of that has to do with him not carrying himself as if he were the baddest man on the planet the way that Mike Tyson carried himself. Yet Mike Tyson never got off the canvas to come back to win a fight, whereas Joshua got off the deck and rallied to stop the biggest two-handed puncher in the division in the biggest fight of his career. Too often fighters with a soft demeanor like Joshua aren’t taken as seriously as they should be, something both Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler found out when they mixed with Sugar Ray Leonard, and don’t be surprised if the winner of Wilder-Fury finds out the same thing about AJ when they finally face him.
Fury likes to say he handled Klitschko easier than Joshua did as a way of tweaking AJ while elevating himself. Well in a sense that’s true, but every heavyweight contender in the world would rather have defeated Klitschko in the manner in which Joshua did as opposed to the manner that Fury did. And if you asked Klitschko which setback bothers him more, it wouldn’t take him long to expound on how the Fury loss is more difficult to accept. And that’s because he sold Fury short before the fight and when it was over he didn’t feel as though he were defeated as in out-manned, but handcuffed by an awkward style.
Not so with Joshua. Wladimir was driven to win going into the Joshua fight and they fought and didn’t play hit, hold and move the way Fury fought him. In addition, he hit AJ with his money punch, his right cross to the chin, and dropped him. Only Joshua got up and eventually overwhelmed Wladimir with his boxing skill and power. Klitschko probably dreams in his sleep about tagging Fury with the same bomb he did AJ. The reality is Fury didn’t beat Klitschko up; he basically prevented Wlad from beating him up. And he also was dropped by the biggest shot he ever took and that was from a cruiserweight, Steve Cunningham, so he can’t boast his durability is stouter than AJ’s.
Wilder also likes to insinuate Joshua is a little chinny, yet he was dropped in his 13th bout against Harold Sconiers who retired 18-27-2 (the video has been conveniently scrubbed from the internet). In Wilder’s last bout against Luis Ortiz, he was out-boxed for six of nine rounds and was much closer to being on his way out at the end of the seventh round than Joshua has ever been during his career. And often after Wilder fights, the next day social media is flooded with videos and memes mocking his style and his poor technique. I’ve yet to see one mocking Anthony Joshua’s boxing ability or technique.
Joshua isn’t the perfect fighter, nor is he a finished product the way Wilder and Fury are. They’ve hit their ceiling but Joshua hasn’t, and even at that he’s made more money than the two of them combined and doesn’t need either to continue raking it in. Also, Joshua hasn’t ducked anybody (nor has Wilder or Fury). AJ has already stopped Dillian Whyte, considered a top five contender at this time and next month is facing Alexander Povetkin, who ranks above every heavyweight in the world excluding Joshua and Wilder, and whose only setback was to Wladimir Klitschko, that coming in the midst of Wlad’s 10-year unbeaten streak. So the thought AJ hasn’t faced stern opposition is a myth.
All due props to Wilder and Fury for agreeing to meet later this year. They’re both taking a huge risk, but that’s because they want Joshua but need an injection of credibility and marketability to aide them at the negotiation table when Team Joshua is sitting across from them…which is somewhat amazing being that both Wilder and Fury turned pro in 2008 and AJ didn’t make his debut until 2013.
Yes, the Wider and Fury theatrics have been a nice diversion from the food fight Canelo and GGG are having via the media what seems like every day. Wilder may lack form and his delivery leaves something to be desired, but he is fearless and always in great condition and maybe the best thing to say for him is he has no trepidation letting his hands go, especially with the fight teetering in the balance. And with Wladimir Klitschko retired, Wilder houses the biggest one punch equalizer in the division.
In regards to Fury, he’s done a great job getting back in shape and shedding 95 percent of the weight he put on during his 31-month exile. Tyson has a good boxing mind and is on the verge of regaining his form and speed of 2014 and he’s also calculating and difficult to contend with strategically.
As to whether or not either or both could beat Joshua, there’s only one way to find out. The only given until Joshua loses or is defeated by either Wilder or Fury is that he’s the star fighter and the one to beat if you’re a heavyweight. And if he beats the Wilder/Fury winner, he’ll clearly represent the future of the division and perhaps all of boxing. Theatrics along with the WBC or lineal title won’t close the gap. And if the winner between Wilder and Fury struggles or isn’t impressive, they’ll have gained virtually nothing by facing each other, especially if Joshua dispenses with Povetkin in an impressive way next month.
Frank Lotierzo can be reached at GlovedFist@Gmail.com
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Notes and Nuggets from Thomas Hauser

In recent years, there has been lavish praise and extensive criticism regarding Turki Alalshikh’s boxing initiative. Some of it has been warranted and some hasn’t. One issue deserves greater comment.
The judging has been pretty good.
Scoring a fight is subjective, which can open the door to bias, incompetence, and corruption.
Most people in boxing know who the good judges are. But some bad ones keep getting high-profile assignments. Why? Because they shade things toward the house fighter which is where the money lies.
When there’s a bad decision in boxing, almost always it favors the house fighter.
Overall, Turki Alalshikh’s fights have been marked by honest scoring.
Oleksandr Usyk went the distance four times against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Fury-Usyk I and Usyk-Joshua II could legitimately have been scored either way. It was in the Saudi’s financial interest (not to mention the interests of Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn) that Fury and Joshua win those fights. Yet Usyk won all four decisions.
Clearly, Turki Alalshikh wanted Hamzah Sheeraz to defeat Carlos Adames. Yet Adames retained his title when that bout was credibly scored a draw.
The list goes on.
Bad scoring trickles down from the top. Judges know that the monied interests behind a promotion want a certain fighter to win and that their receiving lucrative judging assignments in the future often depends on scoring the fight at hand a certain way.
The judging for Turki Alalshikh’s fights so far seems to have been based on the instruction, “Be fair. Get it right.”
Kudos for that.
****
Six years ago after unifying the four major cruiserweight titles, Oleksandr Usyk was honored by the Boxing Writers Association of America as its “Fighter of the Year.” That designation was repeated in 2024 in recognition of his unifying the heavyweight crown.
While in New York to accept his most recent honor, Usyk sat with former NFL MVP Boomer Esiason for an interview that will air in early-June on the nationally syndicated television show Game Time.
Oleksandr came across as thoughtful and likeable during the conversation.
He shared memories of his father: “My father was a military guy. He teach me like a street fight, to work a knife, shooting. I use jujitsu, karate, wrestling, kickboxing. I say, ‘Poppa, what we do this for?’ . . . He says, ‘We prepare’ . . . ‘For what we prepare?’ . . . ‘For life.’”
Usyk won a gold medal in the 201-pound heavyweight division at the 2012 London Olympics. But his father died before Oleksandr could return home and show the medal to him. After Usyk beat Tyson Fury to unify the heavyweight crown, he cried as he proclaimed, “Hey, poppa, we did it.”
“A lot of people in Ukraine who hear that, they cry too,” Oleksandr told Esiason. “Is normal. [Some] people, ‘Hey man! Don’t cry.’ Why not cry? I like to cry.”
Speaking of the size differential between Fury and himself, Usyk noted, “For me, is like a story. David and Goliath. I not afraid because boxing is a sport. Yeah, it’s a guy a little bigger for me. No problem.”
Asked how he would describe his fighting style,” Oleksandr answered, “It’s a wonderful style.”
“Boxing for me is a gentleman’s sport,” he added. “Just respect for my opponents. A lot of people make a show. But if you make a good show and then bad boxing – [with a wave of his hand] PFFFTHF! First in boxing is class and skill; then the show.’
He explained how his training regimen includes holding his breath underwater: “I make like a fight time. Three minutes underwater, one minute rest, twelve rounds. Is hard.”
What’s the longest that Usyk has held his breath underwater?
“My record is 4 minutes 47 seconds.”
The interview closed with Oleksandr appealing directly to the American people to support his Ukrainian homeland in its defense against Russian aggression.
“I’m not political. I’m just [a] man who lives in Ukraine who’s worried for my people.”
And he talked of having brought some Ukrainian soldiers to his fights as guests: “They’re my power, my angels.”
****
Don King has been the subject of an endless stream of anecdotes. Jody Heaps (who spent three decades as a senior creative director and executive producer at Showtime) adds one more to the mix.
“Don had just brought Mike Tyson to Showtime,” Heaps recalls. “We were doing a shoot with Don sitting in a barber chair and he was in a great mood. Toward the end, someone came over to me and said, ‘If Don has the time, could you ask him about his favorite movie scene for a promotion we’re doing.’ So I asked Don what his favorite movie scene was. He told me movies weren’t his thing and said, ‘You tell me. What’s my favorite scene?’
“I talked it over with the crew,” Heaps continues. “Then I suggested the shower scene in Psycho. I figured Don had seen it. Everybody has seen it. But Don told me, ‘I don’t know anything about it. What happens in that scene?’ So I explained that you see Janet Leigh in shower. Then you see a silhouette on the shower curtain. The shower curtain is pulled aside. You see the knife plunging in again and again. And the last thing you see is blood circling down the drain.”
“Don says, ‘Okay; I’ve got it.’ He looks right at the camera and, with incredible drama, starts recreating the scene. Five seconds in, everyone is mesmerized. He takes us through Janet Leigh in the shower, the silhouette on the shower curtain, the knife plunging in again and again, the blood circling down the drain. And at the end, he laughed that loud booming laugh of his and proclaimed, ‘It was a clean kill!’
“There was stunned silence,” Heaps says in closing. “Don made it sound like it was real and he’d been there when it happened.”
****
Like most sports fans, I watched the first round of the NFL draft on April 24. I’ll do the same when the NBA draft is held on June 25. Allow me the following thoughts.
Adam Silver seems like a basketball fan.
Roger Goodell seems like a fan of making money.
Adam Silver looks sincere when he hugs a draftee.
Roger Goodell looks like he wants to take a shower.
Adam Silver comes across as though he has a sense of humor and can laugh at himself.
Roger Goodell comes across as though he doesn’t and can’t.
Adam Silver has James Dolan to deal with and keeps him in line.
Roger Goodell can’t put a lid on Jerry Jones.
Adam Silver is booed in good-natured fashion by fans at the draft.
Roger Goodell is booed with rabid enthusiasm
****
And last; a memory of Turki Alalshikh’s May 2 fight card in Times Square . . .
Security was tight. The police had been instructed to keep pedestrians on the sidewalk moving as they passed the ring enclosure which was blocked from view by a ten-foot-tall fence. Well before the event began, a young man with a video camera planted himself on the sidewalk across the street from the enclosure. A uniformed police officer approached and the following colloquy occurred.
Cop: I’m sorry, sir. You’ll have to move.
Young man: I’m with the media.
Cop: And I’m with the New York Police Department. You’ll have to move.
Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His next book – The Most Honest Sport: Two More Years Inside Boxing – will be published this month and is available for preorder at: https://www.amazon.com/Most-Honest-Sport-Inside-Boxing/dp/1955836329
In 2019, Hauser was selected for boxing’s highest honor – induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
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Hiruta, Bohachuk, and Trinidad Win at the Commerce Casino

Hiruta, Bohachuk, and Trinidad Win at the Commerce Casino
A jam-packed fight card featuring a world champion, top contenders and knockout artists delivered the action but no knockouts on Saturday in the Los Angeles area.
You can’t have everything.
Mizuki “Mimi” Hiruta (8-0, 2 KOs), fresh with a multi-year 360 Boxing Promotion’s contract deal, once again fought and defended the WBO super fly world title and this time against Argentina’s Carla Merino (16-3, 5 KOs) at Commerce Casino.
It was expected to be her toughest test.
Hiruta, who is trained and managed by Manny Robles, showed added poise and a sharp jab that created and established an invisible barrier that Merino could never crack. It was as simple as that.
A sharp right jab from the southpaw Japanese world champion in the opening round gave Merino something to figure out. When the Argentine fighter tried to counter Hiruta was out of range. That distance was a problem that Merino could not solve.
The pink-flame-haired Hiruta looks like an anime figure incapable of violence. But whenever Merino dared unload a combination Hiruta would eagerly pounce on the opportunity. It was clear that the champion’s speed and power was a problem.
For more than a year Hiruta has been training in Southern California and has sparred with numerous styles and situations in the talent-crazy Southern California area. Each time she fights the poise and polish gained from working with a variety of talent and skill partners seems to add more layers to the Japanese fighter’s arsenal.
After six rounds of clear control by Hiruta, the Argentine fighter finally made an assertive move to change the momentum with combination punching. Both exchanged but Hiruta cornered Merino and opened up with a seven-punch barrage.
In the eighth round Merino tried again to force an exchange and again Hiruta opened up with a three-punch combo followed by a four-punch combo. Merino dived inside the attack by the Japanese champion and accidentally butted Hiruta’s head. No serious damage appeared.
Merino tried valiantly to exchange with Hiruta but the strength, speed and agility were too much to overcome in the last two rounds of the fight. Left hand blows by the champion connected solidly several times in the final round.
After 10 rounds all three judges saw Hiruta the winner by decision 98-92 twice and 99-91. The fighter from Tokyo retains the WBO super fly title for the fourth time.
Bohachuk Wins
Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk (26-2, 24 KOs) defeated Mykal Fox (24-5, 5 KOs) by unanimous decision but had problems corralling the much taller fighter after 10 rounds in a super welterweight match.
It was only the second time Bohachuk won by decision.
Fox used movement all 10 rounds that never allowed Bohachuk to plant his feet to deliver his vaunted power. But though Fox had moments, they were not enough to offset the power shots that did land. Two judges scored it 97-93 for the Ukrainian and another had it 98-92
“Good experience for me,” said Bohachuk of Fox’s movement.
King of LA
In a super featherweight match Omar “King of LA” Trinidad (19-0-1, 13 KOs) dominated Nicaragua’s Alexander Espinoza (23-7-3, 8 KOs) but never came close to knocking out the spirited fighter. But did come close to dropping him.
The fighter out of the Boyle Heights area in the boxing hotbed of East L.A. was able to exchange freely with savage uppercuts to the body and head, but Espinoza would not quit. For 10 rounds Trinidad battered away at Espinoza but a knockout win was not possible.
After 10 rounds all three judges favored Trinidad (100-90, 99-91, 98-92) who retains his regional WBC title and his place in the featherweight rankings.
“I’m living the dream,” said Trinidad.
Maywood Fighter Medina on Target
Lupe Medina (10-0, 2 KOs) proved ready for the elite in knocking down world title challenger Maria Santizo (12-6, 6 KOs) and winning by unanimous decision after eight rounds in a minimumweight match up.
Medina, a model-looking fighter out of Maywood, Calif, accepted a match against Santizo who had fought three times against world titlists including L.A. great Seniesa Estrada. She looked perfectly in her element.
Behind a ramrod jab and solid defense, Medina avoided the big swinging Santizo’s punches while countering accurately. For every home run swing by the Guatemalan fighter Medina would connect with a sharp right or left.
In the fifth round, Santizo opened up with a crisp three-punch combination and Medina opened up with her own four-punch blast that seemed to wobble the veteran fighter. Medina stepped on the gas and fired strategic blows but never left herself open for counters.
Medina didn’t waste time in the sixth round. A crisp one-two staggered Santizo who reeled backward. The referee ruled it a knockdown and Santizo was in trouble. Medina went into attack mode as Santizo pulled every trick she knew to keep from being overrun by the Maywood fighter.
In the last two rounds Medina seemed to look for the perfect shot to end the fight. Santizo kept busy with short shots and stayed away from meaningful exchanges. Medina also might have been gassed from expending so many punches in the prior round.
The two female fighters both seemed to want a knockout in the eighth round. Santizo was wary of Medina’s power and dived in close to smother Medina’s firing zone. Neither woman was able to connect with any significant shots.
After eight rounds all three judges scored in favor of Medina 77-74, 76-75 and 80-71.
It was proof Medina belongs among the top minimumweight fighters.
Other Bouts
In a super welterweight fight Michael Meyers (7-2) defeated Eduardo Diaz (9-4) by unanimous decision in a tough scrap. Mayers proved to be more accurate and was able to withstand a late rally by Diaz.
Abel Mejia (8-0) defeated Antonio Dunton El (6-4-2) by decision after six rounds in a super feather match.
Jocelyn Camarillo (4-0) won by split decision after four rounds versus Qianyue Zhao (0-2) in a light flyweight bout.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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David Allen Bursts Johnny Fisher’s Bubble at the Copper Box

The first meeting between Johnny Fisher, the Romford Bull, and David Allen, the White Rhino, was an inelegant affair that produced an unpopular decision. Allen put Fisher on the canvas in the fifth frame and dominated the second half of the fight, but two of the judges thought that Fisher nicked it, allowing the “Bull” to keep his undefeated record. That match was staged last December in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, underneath Usyk-Fury II.
The 26-year-old Fisher, who has a fervent following, was chalked a 13/5 favorite for the sequel today at London’s Copper Box Arena. At the weigh-in, Allen, who carried 265 pounds, looked as if he had been training at the neighborhood pub.
Through the first four rounds, Fisher fought cautiously, holding tight to his game plan. He worked his jab effectively and it appeared as if the match would go the full “10” with the Romford man winning a comfortable decision. However, in the waning moments of round five, he was a goner, left splattered on the canvas.
This was Fisher’s second trip to the mat. With 30 seconds remaining in the fifth, Allen put him on the deck with a clubbing right hand. Fisher got up swaying on unsteady legs, but referee Marcus McDonnell let the match continue. The coup-de-gras was a crunching left hook.
Fisher, who was 13-0 with 11 KOs heading in, went down face first with his arms extended. The towel flew in from his corner, but that was superfluous. He was out before he hit the canvas.
A high-class journeyman, the 33-year-old David Allen improved to 24-7-2 with his 16th knockout. He promised fireworks – “going toe-to-toe, that’s just the way I’m wired” – and delivered the goods.
Other Bouts of Note
Northampton middleweight Kieron Conway added the BBBofC strap to his existing Commonwealth belt with a fourth-round stoppage of Welsh southpaw Gerome Warburton. It was the third win inside the distance in his last four outings for Conway who improved to 23-3-1 (7 KOs).
Conway trapped Warburton (15-2-2) in a corner, hurt him with a body punch, and followed up with a barrage that forced the referee to intervene as Warburton’s corner tossed in the white flag of surrender. The official time was 1:26 of round four. Warburton’s previous fight was a 6-rounder vs. an opponent who was 8-72-4.
In the penultimate fight on the card, George Liddard, the so-called “Billericay Bomber,” earned a date with Kieron Conway by dismantling Bristol’s Aaron Sutton who was on the canvas three times before his corner pulled him out in the final minute of the fifth frame.
The 22-year-old Liddard (12-0, 7 KOs) was a consensus 12/1 favorite over Sutton who brought a 19-1 record but against tepid opposition. His last three opponents were a combined 16-50-5 at the time that he fought them.
Also
In a bout that wasn’t part of the ESPN slate, Johnny Fisher stablemate John Hedges, a tall cruiserweight, won a comprehensive 10-round decision over Liverpool’s Nathan Quarless. The scores were 99-92, 98-92, and 97-93.
Purportedly 40-4 as an amateur, Hedges advanced his pro ledger to 11-0 (3). It was the second loss in 15 starts for the feather-fisted Quarless, a nephew of 1980s heavyweight gatekeeper Noel Quarless.
Photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom
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