ANTHONY JOSHUA TAPS USYK'S TEAM TO BEAT JAKE PAUL
Anthony Joshua is training with Oleksandr Usyk's team for his upcoming fight against Jake Paul. The former heavyweight champion has split from trainer Ben Davison ahead of the December 19th bout in Miami.
Anthony Joshua isn't taking any chances as he gears up for his fight against Jake Paul, the YouTuber who turned to boxing. The match is set for Miami next month.
Joshua, 36, hasn't been in the ring since his tough loss to Daniel Dubois last September. Now, he's teamed up with Oleksandr Usyk's crew to get ready for the eight-round fight on December 19. Usyk is the current world champ.
At the fight announcement in the US, Joshua said he's no longer working with his usual trainer, Ben Davison. Davison had told Boxing News Online that the fight was not good for boxing. Joshua mentioned he was invited to train with Usyk's team.
He’s one of the best, and it's not just him; it's the team around him, Joshua said. I've joined them to learn from someone who's achieved a lot. It's a great, tough experience.
Joshua, who lost to Usyk twice in 2021 and 2022, brushed off the criticism about the fight. His contract says he can't weigh more than 245 lbs. Still, he'll probably outweigh Paul by a good amount.
“I don’t worry about the people against me,” Joshua added. I focus on those who support me. I have nothing to say to the haters.
"I give credit to Jake and his team," Joshua continued. They reached out, and it was a good chance for me to fight. I wanted a year off, and then it was time to get back to work. I was planning to fight anyway, so I thought, ‘Why not? ’It’s huge news, bringing both marketability and skill together.
Paul, with 13 fights under his belt, has mostly fought former UFC fighters or older boxers. He won against 58-year-old Mike Tyson a year ago. In his last fight in June, he won against 39-year-old Julio Cesar Chavez, a former middleweight champ.
At the press conference, Paul respected Joshua's success but still thinks he can win. He said he's ready to go all out. He's one of the best, but fighting someone smaller can be tough for a heavyweight because of the speed advantage,” Paul said.
“He has power, and I need to avoid that one shot for eight rounds. I believe I can. Self-belief is strong. I know this is harder, but I know what I can do. This will be fun. I want him to hit me, even break my face. He’ll have to kill me to stop me, and I’m ready to die.
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
