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Anthony Joshua burst on to the heavyweight scene in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in 2014.

AJ is one of British boxing’s most iconic figures in the modern era, having achieved it all as an Olympic gold medallist and a two-time heavyweight world champion.

Joshua went on a superb winning streak after turning over as a professional following his success at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Anthony Joshua starts Wembley bill with first-round stoppage win | Boxing  News | Sky Sports

JUST IN: Canelo Finally Admits That There Is One Rival Better Than Him

He won his first five fights in short stoppages, and was developing a fearsome reputation as a ferocious puncher.

The biggest opportunity of his career came on the undercard of Carl Froch and George Groves’ famous 2014 rematch.

It broke records as 80,000 packed into Wembley Stadium for the event, with Joshua getting a unique chance to impress on the undercard.

And he did more than impress against journeyman Matt Legg who leapt at the opportunity to take on the sport’s latest rising star.

But it was a devastating barrage of blows that saw his name on the tip of the watching fans tongues.

He first teed off with two shots that were largely blocked by Legg’s covered card.

Although a crunching uppercut found the mark crashing into the skull of the helpless Legg.

It sent him crumpling to the former Olympian’s feet as he fell flat on his back, the latest victim of the crazy power.

The referee waved off the contest with Legg clearly out of his depth, making it the fastest KO of the champion’s career to this date.

It took him just one minute and 56 seconds to halt the contest, and it is no wonder he developed into a real fan favourite globally.

Legg described how the fight came about, being paid £8,000 for the clash with the future king.

He said: “My manager called up and said ‘Anthony Joshua’s team have offered the AJ fight, at Wembley Stadium on the Carl Froch-George Groves rematch. I went ‘100 per cent I’ll take it.’

“I would have done it for free. If they’d have said ‘the thing is you’ve got to do it for nothing’, I’d have went ‘alright’.

“Because it was an opportunity to fight on a massive show. At the time it was the biggest show in Britain, so I said ‘yeah I’ll do it’.

“I think I had about six or seven weeks to train for it. Eight grand, but the bloke before me got four.

“Eight grand but I got some sponsorship money so altogether about 11.”

Joshua continued on his KO streak becoming one of the sport’s biggest stars in the process.

He first won his world title in his 15th consecutive KO, before unifying the division in a famous clash with Wladimir Klitschko.

It was the famous uppercut that sent Klitschko into oblivion in that famous night at the same venue three years later.

Joshua’s KO rampage was eventually halted after 20 fights by Joseph Parker, and he has since faced adversity.

He has lost to Andy Ruiz Jr, Oleksandr Usyk and most recently was brutally knocked out by Daniel Dubois.

But he remains one of the most notorious profiles in the sport, and has a few years left to embark on his heavyweight journey before retirement.

The 35-year-old is still eyeing famous nights and a shot at becoming a three-time heavyweight world champion.

Canelo Alvarez has taken on some major names during his boxing career.

The Mexican superstar has been at the forefront of the sport for over a decade, becoming a four-weight world champion from super-welterweight to light heavyweight in the process.

He is set for a busy 2025, first taking on IBF super-middleweight champion William Scull in May, where a victory would see WBC, WBA and WBO champion Canelo once again become undisputed at 168lbs.

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez to face Gennady Golovkin in trilogy fight on  September 17 | Boxing News | Sky Sports

READ: Why Turki Alalshikh ‘no longer interested’ in Dmitry Bivol-David Benavidez

Alvarez is then scheduled to turn his attention to a huge clash against fellow pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford in September, with ‘Bud’ stepping up two weight divisions from 154lbs for the bout.

The planned bout in Las Vegas is the arguably the most anticipated fight of the year, and will be the latest mega fight that Canelo has been involved in.

He’s already shared the ring with elite fighters such as Floyd Mayweather, Gennady Golovkin, Dmitry Bivol, Shane Mosley, Sergey Kovalev and Miguel Cotto, and has now admitted that one of them was better than him.

Canelo has only tasted defeat twice in his career, back in 2013 early in his career when he took on Mayweather, and then again in 2022 when he stepped up to 175lbs and fought Bivol.

Speaking to DAZN Boxing, Canelo was asked to react when he heard a better fighter than him, and conceded that Mayweather fit the bill.

“In that moment, he was better than me.”

Mayweather defeated Canelo comfortably on points in their meeting, and Alvarez has recently revealed whether he thinks his upcoming bout with Crawford is an even bigger fight.

THE long-overdue Battle of Britain between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua could end up on Netflix, if The Gypsy King comes out of retirement.

Fury seemingly put the final nail in the coffin of the domestic dust-up in January when he announced his fifth retirement, which came on the back of consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk.

Saud boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh, however, is expected to dangle a gargantuan purse in front of the Wythenshawe warrior to coax him out of retirement.

Netflix 'aggressively' targeting huge fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony  Joshua after Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson success | The Sun

JUST IN: Why Turki Alalshikh ‘no longer interested’ in Dmitry Bivol-David Benavidez

And if he’s successful, Netflix will make a play to land the broadcast rights for the mammoth melee.

That’s according to Sports Illustrated, who claim the streaming platform is “aggressively moving into boxing’s big event space” and is eager to land Fury vs Joshua.

Netflix dipped their toes into the boxing world last November for Mike Tyson’s controversial comeback fight against Jake Paul.

Tyson Fury Issues Stark Warning to Anthony Joshua About Heavyweight Rival:  "Stay Away" – RingSide24

And they’ve landed the rights for the eagerly anticipated trilogy fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano on July 11.

Netflix could part-fund Alalshikh’s financial proposal to Fury in order to land the biggest fight in the history of British boxing.

It will likely take a jaw-dropping figure to convince Fury to lace up his gloves again.

The former WBC heavyweight champion is seemingly content with his latest retirement, with Andy Lee recently saying of his recent chats with his cousin: “He seems very happy.

“[He said], ‘Andy I’m not f****d.’ That’s what he said. ‘I couldn’t be f****d. with it.’ He’s very happy.”

AJ, however, refusing to give up hope of settling his decade-long score with Fury, telling IFL TV: “I feel like it’s the best fight [for me].

“People might say [Joseph] Parker, people might say – I don’t know.

“But I think Fury, commercially, is a great fight and it’s a great man’s fight as well. So I think it makes sense.

“You could say it’s been years in the making. But listen, the heavyweight division has been thriving.

“And why I say it’s probably still a great fight is as I said Parker is, for me, a great story of someone that never gives up.

“And the thing is, there is going to be one winner and one loser.

“And there’s going to be bloodshed. And it ain’t gonna be mine.”

Dmitry Bivol and David Benavidez may end up fighting next, but it won’t be on a Riyadh Season card.

Ring Magazine, which is owned by Riyadh Season head Turki Alalshikh, reported Friday that Alalshkih was “no longer interested” in the fight that was ordered by the WBC on Wednesday between undisputed champion Bivol and WBC interim champion Benavidez, stating that he will not be participating in the purse bid for that fight.

“I am no longer interested in Bivol-Benavidez and I will not bid on it,” Alalshikh said in a story on Ring’s website. “I think Bivol knows who has delivered for him and who hasn’t. My advice to Bivol: don’t be late because every day something changes.”

Golpe a David Benavidez! Turki Al-Sheikh le cierra la puerta para retar a  Bivol | MARCA México

READ: “It’s Not The Plan”: Canelo Has Sudden Change Of Mind Over Facing World Champion

The 34-year-old Bivol, 24-1 (12 KOs), has fought his last four fights in Riyadh, including his last two fights against Artur Beterbiev. Bivol avenged his majority decision loss to his Russian compatriot last month by the same verdict.

Afterwards, Alalshikh was seen raising three fingers, signaling that he intended to arrange a third fight between the two top 175-pounders.

Those plans were in contradiction with the WBC, which mandated Bivol to defend his belt against the 28-year-old Benavidez, 30-0 (24 KOs). Benavidez solidified his position as the interim champion last month when he dominated David Morrell to win a unanimous decision.

The WBC gave Bivol and Benavidez 30 days to negotiate, at which point a purse bid would be ordered on April 8. If Bivol decided to go in a different direction, the WBC would be within its rights to strip him of the belt and elevate Benavidez to full champion. That outcome would deprive Benavidez of the marquee matchup he has sought, however, having been denied in his attempts to lure Saul “Canelo” Alvarez into the ring for a fight at 168lbs.

Benavidez is represented by Sampson Lewkowicz and has built his career on Premier Boxing Champions cards, while Bivol is promoted by Matchroom Boxing.

Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing said this week that he had a “gut feeling” that a third Bivol-Beterbiev fight would come next, projecting that they would fight again towards the end of 2025.

The drama from Gervonta Davis vs Lamont Roach Jr continues to unfold.

‘Tank’ Davis retained his WBA Lightweight World Title after a majority draw with challenger Roach, who upset the betting odds by even making it the distance.

Roach exchanged with the hard hitter from Baltimore, even wobbling him, and many big names in the sport believe he did enough to win. That should have been the case had referee Steve Willis called a knockdown in the ninth round when Davis took a knee. He didn’t, however, despite starting a count on the night.

The WBA added to the drama by publishing an article on its website that stated, “from our perspective, Willis’ decision was not unreasonable or unjustifiable.” The piece also said that ‘skeptics’ were wrong to say Davis benefited from the referee’s actions and that “no knockdown should have been recorded.”

WBA Issues Statement To Lamont Roach After ‘Misleading’ Comments On Gervonta Davis Knee Incident

JUST IN: “I’m Ready For September”: The Man Oleksandr Usyk Wants For His Final Fight Agrees To Face Him

The sanctioning body’s president, Gilberto Mendoza, has since had the article removed from the website, pointing out that it was the opinion of a ‘collaborator’ who has no committee influence.

Following that, he send a direct message to Roach via X, formerly Twitter.

“Champ, as president of the WBA I must apologise on the opinion of a collaborator of the website. We believed in you since day one, we knew you would had a marvellous performance and feel proud of you as champion.”

Mendoza was also keen to reach out to Lamont’s father, who serves as his manager and trainer.

 Champ, please extend this message to your dad: I apologise for the misleading opinion of a collaborator [on the] WBA website. We believed in you since day one, we knew it was going to be a great fight and feel proud of your marvelous performance.”

Finally, Mendoza provided an update on the push for an immediate rematch, something ‘Tank’ has said he is pushing for anyway.

“I have asked the WBA committee to follow up [Lamont Roach Jr’s] direct rematch case closely. However, we believe the parties as expressed in the post fight interview will amicably agree to run it again.”

More news is expected soon on the matter, with the New York State Athletic Commission now also involved in proceedings after failing to utilise an instant replay function on the night, something a spokesperson says was due to techincal issues.

Oleksandr Usyk is figuring out how best to bid out from the sport he has dominated for so long.

Usyk has been a professional for 13 years, ever since he ended his amateur career with a gold medal at the London Olympic games.

Six years after turning over, he completed the cruiserweight division by beating every man he faced, never going down and barely being hurt. That made him the undisputed champion and he soon moved up to heavyweight.

Alex Pereira targets stunning boxing crossover fight with Oleksandr Usyk -  Mirror Online

JUST IN: “It’s Not The Plan”: Canelo Has Sudden Change Of Mind Over Facing World Champion

His time in boxing’s banner division has been just as successful. He has recorded wins over some of the best talents of his era, including twice beating former unified world champion Anthony Joshua on points. He also defended his belts against young talent Daniel Dubois in summer 2023, then went into a much anticipated undisputed fight with the unbeaten Tyson Fury. The southpaw came out after 12 rounds as the winner to complete a historic undisputed double, then beat Fury once more back in December.

As he enters his late thirties, the Ukrainian has now got only one or two fights left. The likely next opponent will be a rematch against current IBF champion Dubois. However, for his final fight he has suggested a crossover bout against UFC champion Alex Pereira.

“Maybe show fight with Alex Pereira, maybe, why not. Alex wanna [do it?]”

Pereira responded to the call out by putting forward a date of September in Saudi Arabia.

“When I saw it I jumped with joy. Who knows, in September, in Saudi Arabia.”

It would be an unlikely bout, but whoever he takes on, Usyk will likely be an overwhelming favourite.

Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez continues to be the biggest draw in the sport of boxing 66 fights into his campaign, though options for high-profile opponents are dwindling.

The Mexican superstar has recently signed a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season which will kick off on May 3 in Saudi Arabia with a unification bout against new IBF Champion William Scull, who picked up the belt when it was stripped from Canelo last year after failing to face him as a mandatory challenger.

Should he win, Canelo will then move ahead with a Las Vegas mega-fight against Terence Crawford in September. For his final two bouts in the deal, options remain up in the air.

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez suffers shock defeat to Dmitry Bivol in WBA  light-heavyweight title fight - TNT Sports

READ: Lamont Roach Jr. Alleges Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis Brought ‘Illegal Irritant’ Into Fight

The 34-year-old from Guadalajara struggles when asked what fights still add to his legacy, but recently made it clear that he wants to avenge his defeat – only the second of his long career – to undisputed light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol.

However, that appears to no longer be the case, as when asked by CBS Sports if he planned to stay in his current weight class Canelo said:

“Yeah, the plan is to stay in this weight class.”

Canelo has previously stated that a rematch with Bivol only interests him at light-heavyweight, even despite Bivol saying he would move down to fight for the Mexican’s belts.

That – paired with the fact that Bivol is more likely to consider a jump up to cruiser rather than down to super-middle – makes the fight unlikely to take place.

Another fight this decision takes off the table is the long-awaited clash with David Benavidez, who grew tired of chasing Canelo at 168, moved up to 175 and is now mandatory challenger for Bivol. Despite still wanting to face off with Alvarez, Benavidez says light-heavyweight is now the minimum weight for him and there will be no drop back down.

On March 5, news broke that Turki Alalshikh, UFC president Dana White, and TKO Group Holdings (which is the parent company of the UFC and WWE) agreed to terms on a multi-year partnership to begin a new boxing promotion.

In a statement in the wake of this massive announcement, Dana White is quoted saying of his plans for this new boxing league:

“Everybody knows the format. The best fight the best. You work your way up the rankings and once somebody breaks into the top five, there’s no question who the top five guys are in each weight class and they fight it out. And once somebody holds that belt, you don’t need three letters in front of the belt. Whoever has the belt is the best in the world in that weight class. It’s a very simple model.”

Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford timeline: Will undisputed boxing  champions fight one another in 2024? | Sporting News United Kingdom

JUST IN: Lamont Roach Jr. Alleges Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis Brought ‘Illegal Irritant’ Into Fight

When it comes to the best fighting the best this year, the expected superfight between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Terence Crawford (which Crawford asserted he’s waiting for in September) is the first bout that comes to mind. And during a March 5 episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, boxing insider Ariel Helwani conveyed not only that the Canelo vs. Crawford fight could be attached to this new fight league, but it could also be broadcast on a massive platform.

“Remember what [TKO Group Holdings COO Mark Shapiro] said on that call last week: In addition to… that league, as they’re calling it, we’re also going to be doing superfights. Two this year, two next year. Massive fights,” Helwani said.

“Don’t be surprised if the first one is Canelo Alvarez vs. Crawford. And don’t be surprised if that first one is on a platform like Netflix,” he continued.

Helwani has a track record of only making these sorts of statements publicly if he knows something others do not.

Given that Helwani reported how Canelo didn’t want his now-failed fight agreement with Jake Paul to be broadcast on Netflix, it’s fascinating to hear that this new TKO boxing league could potentially make that happen with his Crawford fight.

Despite the Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Lamont Roach Jr. fight for the WBA lightweight championship having taken place last weekend, the fight’s outcome is still embroiled in controversy.

This is due to the sudden knee that Davis took during the ninth round that came seemingly out of the blue. After taking this knee, Davis went over to his corner and requested a member of his team wipe his face with a towel before returning to the fight.

The knee could have (and most think absolutely should have) been ruled a knockdown while essentially calling timeout and accepting assistance from the corner in the middle of the round was grounds for disqualification. However, the knee wasn’t called a knockdown, Davis wasn’t disqualified, and he escaped with a majority draw.

JUST IN: Dmitry Bivol ordered to box ‘Monster’ in blow to Artur Beterbiev trilogy

Lamont Roach Jr. is furious about this outcome. And ranting on social media is not all he’s doing, as his attorney sent a letter to New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) executive director Matt Delaglio requesting that he overturn the majority draw into a decision win for Roach Jr.

Per the initial report of this letter from Dan Rafael of Fight Freaks Unite, one part of the letter writes, “Mr. Roach is confident that the Commission will agree with the millions who have seen the fight and determine that Mr. Roach is the true winner of the bout – either via TKO due to Mr. Davis removing himself from the Bout or being disqualified for carrying an illegal irritant into the ring, or via decision after scores have been adjusted to reflect the knockdown.”

The suggestion from Roach Jr.’s team that Davis get disqualified due to an “illegal irritant” (which is surely due to the hair gel/grease Davis was wearing that has prompted its own post-fight controversy) is fascinating.

While Davis did cite having grease in his hair as the excuse for his cornerman wiping his face off in that fateful ninth round, Roach Jr. would probably have a better shot at getting the fight overturned through the knockdown than by disqualification due to hair grease.

The WBC has ordered Dmitry Bivol to box David Benavidez next, in a potential blow for fans wishing to see a trilogy fight against Artur Beterbiev.

Bivol lost a majority decision to Beterbiev in October, as the latter became undisputed light-heavyweight champion and handed Bivol his first pro defeat. However, Bivol reversed the result in February, taking all the belts from his fellow part-Russian and similarly dealing Beterbiev his first pro loss.

Many fans have expressed a desire to see Bivol vs Beterbiev 3 next, but Benavidez’s recent move to light-heavyweight seemed a potential complication in the title picture. And it could prove exactly that, with the WBC – per multiple reports – now ordering Bivol to fight the American, who holds the organisation’s interim title.

Dmitry Bivol (left) outpointed Artur Beterbiev with an inspired performance in February

READ: “Let’s Roll The Dice”: Anthony Joshua In Talks For Huge Summer Fight Against Unexpected Opponent

A negotiation period will run until 8 April, so it is still possible that Bivol, 34, will fight Beterbiev, 40, next. However, Benavidez is seemingly edging closer to a shot at an official light-heavyweight title.

The unbeaten 28-year-old made his name at super-middleweight and is open to returning to that division, where unified champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has been accused of avoiding him. However, Benavidez would likely only drop back down for a bout with Canelo, who is due to box Terence Crawford in a somewhat contrived super-fight in September.

Fans have accused Canelo of ‘ducking’ David Benavidez (pictured)

In June 2024, Benavidez moved up to light-heavyweight and outpointed Oleksandr Gvozdyk to claim the WBC interim belt. Then, in February, he beat David Morrell Jr on points to retain the title.

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