Sports
Wilder open to Joshua fight, says Finkel
The mega heavyweight boxing bout brewing between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder has lost some sizzle after the pair suffered a total of five losses since 2019.
The duo once had a stronghold on the sport’s glamour division by possessing all of the heavyweight titles between them.
In March 2019, streaming service DAZN offered Wilder $100 million for a three-fight package that would include two fights against Joshua. However, Wilder declined the deal with the streaming service, citing dishonesty.
Instead, Wilder chose to take on Tyson Fury, but suffered knockout losses in back-to-back fights. Joshua, meanwhile, has had back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk, as well as a knockout defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr.
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Wilder and Joshua have to climb the ladder once again to position themselves back into the world title picture. One surefire way to get another shot at a championship fight is to first go toe-to-toe against each other to identify a bona fide contender.
Longtime Wilder manager, Shelly Finkel, is ready to reignite years long discussions to stage the fight. “If Joshua needs to take a break and take a fight as a comeback fight or if he feels the real redemption is with Deontay, we’re open to it, I’m not closed to it. I would never just walk away from it,” Finkel said.
“Joshua was gutsy to go right back into the fight, when he clearly lost the first one. But it really depends mentally on what Joshua feels he needs.”
The potential fight is gaining some traction in recent weeks, as Wilder and Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, have traded shots through the media.
But first, Wilder has business to take care of in the ring against Robert Helenius on October 15. “Right now, we have one fight on our mind, and nothing else, which is Helenius,” said Finkel. “Because, if he doesn’t do what he’s supposed to do with Helenius, the rest doesn’t matter.”
Guardian
Sports
BREAKING: Super Eagles qualify for AFCON 2025
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.
BREAKING: Super Eagles qualify for AFCON 2025
Sports
Mike Tyson back in ring to face Youtuber Paul
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.
– ‘It shouldn’t be happening’ –
“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.”
Mike Tyson back in ring to face Youtuber Paul
Sports
Alleged fraud: South Africa FA President, Danny Jordaan, arrested
Alleged fraud: South Africa FA President, Danny Jordaan, arrested
South African Football Association (SAFA) President Danny Jordaan was arrested on Wednesday amid allegations that he misused the organization’s funds for personal purposes, as reported by local media.
Jordaan, renowned for his pivotal role in securing South Africa as the host for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, sought to block his arrest on Tuesday by filing an urgent application.
However, the Johannesburg High Court is scheduled to hear his case only on Thursday, leaving him vulnerable to arrest.
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The arrest stems from a raid by police on the SAFA offices in March, after which police spokesperson Katlego Mogale said the allegations are that “between 2014 and 2018, the president of SAFA used the organisation’s resources for his personal gain, including hiring a private security company for his personal protection and a public relations company, without authorisation from the SAFA board.”
Jordaan, 73, and his reported co-accused, SAFA chief financial officer Gronie Hluyo and businessman Trevor Neethling, are due to appear in court later on Wednesday.
Neither Jordaan nor SAFA responded to a request for comment from Reuters, but in his affidavit to court seeking to block his arrest, he denies any wrongdoing.
Alleged fraud: South Africa FA President, Danny Jordaan, arrested
(Reuters)
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