Heavyweight boxer Archives

Anthony Joshua to Undergo Surgery Later This Month

Fola Badmus5 months ago5 months ago04 mins

Anthony Joshua has revealed he is set to undergo surgery in a bit to solve an ongoing issue that has delayed his return to the ring. The Brit has been out of action since he lost against Daniel Dubois at Wembley in September 2024, with his future up in the air on the back of the devastating knockout defeat. Fans have been curious as to what his next move is, with no announcements made despite reports he could face long-time rival Tyson Fury as soon as this year. In March, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, revealed his man was ‘not ready to start camp’ and needed eight more weeks to build up his fitness on the back of a setback on an injury. Joshua had, though, been in training at the time, but it appears he has now suffered yet another setback as he now prepares to go under the knife to finally solve the issue that has been bothering him for a number of months. It remains possible that the former world champion will fight this year, but, speaking to DAZN on Saturday night, he explained why he won’t be in the ring any time soon. ‘When do you want me back, people?’ Joshua asked in the interview. ‘I’m trying to get my body right. I have got to actually have a little surgery on my elbow. ‘A small surgery sometime in May. I’m finalising the details. ‘That will see me out of the gym for maybe six to eight weeks, and then when I’m healed, I will be back.’ Reports of a bout against Fury continue to gather pace, with Fury’s former promoter Frank Warren telling Mail Sport this week: ‘It’ll be about whether Tyson wants to do it, and whether AJ wants to do it. AJ is still active and wants the fight—it’s the one that never happened. Everybody wants to see it.’ Warren had previously suggested a return for a ‘generational ‘Battle of Britain’ fight against Joshua could be on the cards. The two heavyweight stars have regularly traded verbals and been in discussions before, but nothing serious has ever materialised. Joshua, meanwhile, was keen to stay away from the subject when speaking to Mail Sport this week. ‘We’ll save that conversation for another time,’ he joked. ‘I think what we’ll do for the viewers at home is go back over the years and find the same answer for the same question. Same same, nothing changed.’

Sylvester Stallone: I Was Almost Beaten to Death by Heavyweight

Fola Badmus6 months ago6 months ago04 mins

Sylvester Stallone has been in more boxing scrapes than most actors due to his Rocky Balboa days. A sparring session with a heavyweight boxer was no different. Stallone starkly revealed that hard-hitting Earnie Shavers gave him a beatdown when the pair sparred in the 1970s. Shavers, who died in September 2022 after an illness, had one of the biggest punches in the entire sport. George Foreman famously rated Shavers as the hardest-hitting top-division operator of all time. The slugger shared the ring with multiple heavyweight champions, including a loss to Muhammad Ali in 1977. The Ali defeat came a year after Stallone played the title character in the United States smash hit Rocky. Larry Holmes was another of the world champions who beat Shavers. However, Shavers proved his power when he took out Ken Norton in the first round in a career-best victory. During a chat show appearance in New York, Hollywood legend Stallone spoke to UK journalist Jonathan Ross and guests via Zoom. He spoke of sparring with boxing legends in several preparations for his Rocky movie franchise. Those sessions often led to an injury. “I sparred with [Muhammad] Ali, and Joe Fraser gave me eleven stitches. That was in about two seconds,” Stallone told Ross. “I was thinking about using him [Frazier] instead of Mr. T in Rocky III. I said, ‘Let me use a real fighter.’ That’s not a good idea.” On sharing the ring with some of the most dangerous heavyweights that ever laced up gloves, Stallone added: “They don’t know how to stop pulling their punches. That’s the whole point. They think I’ll follow through. “Earnie Shavers literally almost beat me to death without trying. [He was] wearing 20-ounce gloves. Imagine if he was angry!” It’s a well-known fact that Stallone walked away from the latest instalment of the Rocky spin-off franchise “Creed.” – Michael B. Jordan directed for the first time, and Stallone wanted the actor to be the sole focus of production. Fans of the beloved series may never see Rocky Balboa on the silver screen again, as Stallone has sworn the character off the screen.