Undefeated lightweight Teofimo Lopez says that the boxing community will be stunned when he beats the man regarded by most as the world’s best boxer, Vasyl Lomachenko, on Saturday night. Pound-for-pound great Lomachenko heads into the fight against the 15-0 Lopez as a 4/1 favorite, but Lopez says that the pre-fight odds don’t reflect what he expects to unfold when the world’s consensus top two lightweight fighters collide in Las Vegas, Nevada. Also on rt.com ‘I want to improve my legacy’: Vasyl Lomachenko targets another title ahead of Teofimo Lopez showdown (VIDEO) “Man, they’re gonna use every excuse in the book,” […]
boxing
Conor McGregor’s plans of facing Manny Pacquiao in a blockbuster boxing match in the Middle East are unlikely to happen because key players in the region are loyal to UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, the Russian’s manager says. McGregor and Pacquiao are in talks to meet in the ring later this year or in early 2021, as revealed by the Irishman in a bombshell tweet on Friday. ‘The Notorious’ named the Middle East as the location for the contest, which would be his second professional boxing outing after he famously faced ring icon Floyd Mayweather Jr in a Las Vegas money-spinner in 2017. […]
Ahead of his return against Roy Jones Jr. next month, Mike Tyson’s trainer Rafael Cordeiro says that the former world heavyweight champion still has what it takes to cause trouble for Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder. Tyson, 54, is poised to fight for the first time in 15 years next month when he takes on fellow legend Jones Jr. in an exhibition bout. The impetus for Tyson’s comeback came after he posted a series of training videos to his Instagram page over the course of the summer that showed that very little of the ring icon’s trademark speed and power […]
Two returning champs had heavyweight homecomings as they set foot in Russia again for the first time since title triumphs, with footage capturing the remarkable scenes as crowds and choirs met Vadim Nemkov and Alexander Povetkin. As the doors opened to allow Povetkin out of customs at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, a Cossack choir in full uniform sang the new WBC interim champion’s praises in stirring style. Povetkin stood center stage as the singers and musicians gave him a knockout welcome by forming a circle to serenade the 40-year-old, who crushed contender Dillian Whyte with a stunning fifth-round uppercut in a back-from-the-brink upset in the UK on Saturday. […]
Mike Tyson will make his long-awaited ring return this September against former unified champion Roy Jones Jr in California, at an event provisionally-titled “Frontline Battle.” The 51-year-old, who has thrilled fans by filming himself looking sharp and powerful during intense training sessions this year, is said to have agreed to meet 54-year-old Moscow-based Jones Jr in an exhibition fight on September 12. The California State Athletic Commission is thought to have sanctioned the veterans’ scrap at the state’s Dignity Health Sports Park, with pop stars including Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Future, The Weeknd, Pitbull and Marshmello providing live musical accompaniment, according to TMZ. […]
Boxing great Roy Jones Jr has revealed that he would end his retirement from the ring if he was picked as Mike Tyson’s comeback opponent. Former five-weight boxing world champion Jones Jr admitted that he would not be able to resist an offer from the returning Tyson, who is back in training and looking for an opponent at the age of 51. Jones Jr last competed at heavyweight when he lost five titles against Antonio Tarver in 2004 and spent nine years at cruiserweight before his title-winning final fight in February 2018, but has been linked to lucrative scraps with fellow decorated veterans […]
Eddie Hall plans on cementing his position at the summit of the strongman mountain when he takes on Hafthor Bjornsson when the two meet for a boxing match next year, and says there is no love lost between the two behemoths. Both Hall and Bjornsson have duelled for strongman honors in recent years, turning what was once a friendly relationship between the two into a competitive rivalry which shows little sign of abating and ahead of rumored boxing match between the two to take place next year, Hall says that he will stop at nothing to have the last laugh when it […]
Boxing legend Roberto Duran has been hospitalized after testing positive for Covid-19 in his native Panama, the former four-weight world champion’s son announced on Instagram. Robin Duran wrote on Thursday that his 69-year-old father had received positive tests for coronavirus despite having shown “no symptoms beyond a simple cold”, but that there were “no indications of seriousness”. “My dad’s tests have just arrived and it is our duty as a family to communicate the correct information to them,” the younger Duran wrote. “For now, there are no symptoms beyond a simple cold. He is not in intensive care or on a ventilator, he […]
Muhammad Ali would have been “heartbroken” by the “pandemic of racism” that has led to mass protests in the US, but would have called for immediate change and supported peaceful activists, his wife, Lonnie, has said. Ali’s wife of 30 years at the time of his death in 2016 has suggested that “many inquiries” are required over the killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, who she named among “many others” as victims of racially-motivated police brutality following their recent deaths which have sparked protests across the US. Pointing to Ali’s own civil rights activism that dominated the headlines during […]
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has unveiled ambitious plans to get around the COVID-19 restrictions currently decimating the global sporting calendar – by holding large-scale boxing events in his back garden. Hearn has revealed plans to stage successive boxing events on the grounds of his 15-acre mansion in Brentwood, Essex. The plan is understood to be in advanced stages and will cost in the region of £1 million ($1.2 million) to get off the ground. Also on rt.com Behind-closed-doors boxing: Eddie Hearn planning ‘unique environment’ to host shutdown shows this summer No more than 90 people will be permitted on site in accordance […]