Trainer Robert Garcia wants Anthony Joshua to have his next training camp at his gym in Oxnard, California because he feels that the former two-time heavyweight champion needs to train around other champions to help motivate him.
Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) has lost three out of his last five fights and is in a position now where he cannot afford a fourth defeat.
He lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk, a great fighter, and then was shockingly beaten by the chunky fringe contender Andy Ruiz Jr.
Joshua will be fighting next in December against a top 15 contender in what is believed to be a confidence-booster level match to remind him what it’s like to win.
With the type of opponent that AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn is expected to dig up for him to fight, it probably doesn’t matter if he trains in California or not.
Obviously, it helps Garcia if Joshua trains in Oxnard at his gym because it’s a great recruiting tool.
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“I told Anthony and his team that the best way to keep working together is if he comes to train in my gym in California eight weeks before a fight,” said Robert Garcia to Izquierdazo.
“I told Anthony: ‘I need you to be around more fighters, for competition.’”
“That is what is missing in his gym, the fighters to be competing against each other, where they don’t want the other fighter to do more than you.
“He needs a place with other world champions around. Anthony has always been alone in his camps; he didn’t have other fighters to train with. He needs to be in a cheerful environment.”
“He couldn’t have tried any harder. A 10 out of 10 for effort,” said David Haye to iFL TV on Joshua’s performance against Usyk. “He couldn’t have done any more than he was trained to do.
“When someone’s life on the line and they’re getting punched in the head for 36 minutes, and they had so many emotions going into the biggest event and doesn’t do what he dreamed of doing.
“It’s hard to judge someone on their worst moment when they just come through an ordeal. You can’t get someone irate and then stick a camera in front of his face and expect to get some poetry.”
Eagle
Super Eagles seal AFCON 2025 spot, draw 1-1 against Benin
Victor Osimhen’s late header helped the Super Eagles of Nigeria secure a 1-1 draw against Benin Republic in Abidjan, clinching their qualification for the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Benin, playing their matches in Côte d’Ivoire, took an early lead in the 16th minute when Mohammed Tijani headed in a short corner.
The goal followed a period of sustained pressure from the Beninoise side on the Nigerian defence.
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Benin nearly doubled their advantage shortly afterwards, but goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali made a crucial save to keep Nigeria in the game.
Osimhen threatened as the first half progressed, with a powerful header that narrowly missed the target.
In the second half, Benin came close again, but a shot veered inches wide of the right post, sparing the Eagles further trouble.
With nine minutes remaining, Osimhen rose to the occasion, connecting with a precise cross from Moses Simon to level the score at 1-1.
With this result, the Super Eagles top Group D with 11 points from five matches, while Benin hold second place with seven points.
BREAKING: Super Eagles qualify for AFCON 2025
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have secured their qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, following Libya’s 1-0 victory over Rwanda in Kigali.
This result leaves Rwanda with five points from five matches, rendering them unable to surpass Nigeria in the standings, even if they win their upcoming match against the Super Eagles in Uyo.
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Currently, Nigeria leads Group D with 10 points, followed by Benin with six points, Rwanda with five, and Libya at the bottom with four points.
Benin remains in contention for the second qualification spot and will face Nigeria in a crucial match tonight.
Libya is set to host Benin in the final Group D game on Monday.
Mike Tyson back in ring to face Youtuber Paul
Nearly 40 years after making his professional debut, and 19 years after being battered into retirement, a 58-year-old Mike Tyson will climb back into the ring on Friday for a Netflix-backed bout that has drawn widespread condemnation across the boxing world.
Tyson, who terrorised the heavyweight division during an imperious reign in the late 1980s, is lacing up the gloves once more to take on Youtuber Jake Paul, 27, in an officially sanctioned fight at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.
The fight, which will be comprised of eight two-minute rounds, was initially due to take place in July but was postponed in May after Tyson required medical treatment on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles after vomiting blood due to a bleeding ulcer.
That gory mid-air emergency has provided another piece of ammunition for the numerous critics who have condemned Friday’s contest as a macabre circus act that poses an unacceptable level of risk for Tyson, who last graced a professional ring in 2005, when he was beaten via a technical knockout after quitting on his stool against Irish journeyman Kevin McBride.
“Twenty years ago, Mike Tyson retired from boxing, and was shot to pieces, right? I mean, completely shot,” the prominent British fight promoter Eddie Hearn said this week.
“If anyone thinks that Mike Tyson should be in a ring at this age, you either have absolutely no emotional feelings toward the man, or you’re an idiot. It shouldn’t be happening.”
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Hearn’s rival promoter Frank Warren echoed those sentiments.
“Mike Tyson is 58 years of age and he shouldn’t be fighting,” Warren said after the bout was announced. “It’s as simple as that.
“Anyone with an ounce of brains knows that it is ridiculous. You can be on a motorway stuck in a traffic jam and you get to the end of it and all it is is people who have stopped to look at a crash — and that’s what this is.”
Tyson, who US reports say is being paid around $20 million for Friday’s contest, has brushed off the concerns for his wellbeing, insisting when critics from the boxing world are motivated by jealousy.
“I’m beautiful, that’s all I can say,” he said earlier this year. “The people who said that wish they were up here. No-one else can do this.”
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