Deontay Wilder refuses to drop accusations that Tyson Fury cheated against him, Jake Paul has ensured he’ll be knocking around the boxing world for the foreseeable future and DAZN and Matchroom have reached a historic deal. Here are five boxing stories you might have missed this week...
Deontay Wilder Stands By Fury Cheating Accusations
Deontay Wilder has doubled down on his accusations that Tyson Fury cheated in their last fight ahead of the duo’s heavyweight trilogy fight on July 24.
The American was handily beaten when the pair met in the rematch in February 2020, following on from a controversial draw in 2018, and went on to accuse ‘the Gypsy King’ of glove tampering and implied that his own trainer, Mark Breland, who was subsequently sacked, had spiked his water.
Despite the accusations being widely laughed off by the boxing world, the American still remains adamant that he was the victim of foul play.
"Many people in boxing turned a blind eye," Wilder said on Instagram Live. "That allowed them to do keep their mouth shut - they saw no evil and heard no evil.”
"You can't not see that gloves don't bend, your wrist doesn't bend unless you're double jointed or something. It's impossible."
"They couldn't even knock me out," Wilder continued. "They couldn't even keep me down - it took a disloyal trainer to throw the towel in."
Tommy Fury Willing To Fight Wilder’s Brother On Deontay/Tyson Undercard
Whilst we’re bound to hear plenty of talk between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury in the run-up to their third fight this summer, we might also be treated to the same with their younger brothers after Tommy Fury announced that he would like to fight Deontay’s younger brother, Marsellos, on the undercard.
Marsellos, a cruiserweight, is 5-2 as a professional and was last in action in November 2019 on the undercard of his elder brother’s win over Luis Ortiz, succumbing to fourth round TKO to Dustin Long.
“That fight [with Marsellos Wilder] would make headlines," Fury, who fights this weekend, told Queensberry's The Lowdown show. "It would be a privilege to fight on Tyson’s undercard and both of us getting victories.
“I am up for that fight. I am up for anything. I am over here training, in shape so whatever comes I will be ready for.
“I’ll have a piece of him. I called him out before and he never replied.”
Jake Paul Sets Up New Promotional Company
It’s bad news for anyone who’s sick of seeing YouTubers like Jake Paul in the boxing ring after ‘the Problem Child’ announced that he has set up his very own promotional company: Most Valuable Promotions.
The American inked a deal with Showtime Sports last week and his fights will now be broadcast under MVP’s banner, starting with his fight against former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley on August 12.
DAZN And Matchroom Strike Five Year Deal
DAZN and Matchroom have struck a game-changing five-year global deal that will see at least 16 Matchroom UK fights annually available exclusively to DAZN subscribers in the UK and Ireland for the first time, from July 2021 onwards.
The deal will see DAZN deliver a nonstop schedule of Matchroom UK boxing to fans all around the world with three back-to-back weekends of the return of the Matchroom Fight Camp series.
Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn said, “We have made the monumental decision to sign a historic 5-year deal with sports streaming giant DAZN. This means that our UK events will now be broadcast live on DAZN along with all Matchroom shows across the world. Pushing the boundaries is something we will always continue to do and we needed a partner that shared our vision for boxing, and who was also willing to make the investment to make those dreams a reality.
“As we continue Matchroom's expansion worldwide, this new deal will enable us to further cement DAZN as THE unrivalled global home of boxing. Our aim, alongside DAZN, is to create the biggest and best live fight nights and deliver a viewing experience that is truly game-changing.”
Oleksandr Usyk Awaiting Anthony Joshua’s Decision
Anthony Joshua’s WBO mandatory Oleksandr Usyk is waiting to see if the Brit "is brave enough" to agree to a fight for the world heavyweight championship, according to his promoter.
The WBO had delivered a May 31 deadline to Joshua to face his challenger, which has now elapsed.
"We are waiting for King AJ's decision whether he is brave enough to get dethroned," Usyk's promoter Alexander Krassyuk told Sky Sports. Asked if he expected a deal to be struck, or if AJ might seek other fights, Krassyuk added, "I have no idea at the moment. We are expecting his decision."
Joshua’s promoter Hearn has said, "We'll either make a deal or we'll vacate."
