From quirky boxing venues to contaminated boar meat, here’s your round up of five of the week’s boxing stories that you might have missed...
Eddie Hearn Says Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev Could Happen On A Boat
With the Covid-19 pandemic sending the world of sport into disarray, boxing promoters have been forced to think outside the box to ensure the biggest fights in the world can still go ahead. Anthony Joshua and Kubrat Pulev’s heavyweight world title fight had been set to go ahead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November but had to be postponed due to ongoing coronavirus concerns.
The O2 Arena now looks like the frontrunner to host the fight but Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn believes there’s still a possibility we might see Joshua and Pulev trade blows in a much more peculiar venue. Speaking to the Evening Standard, he said: “Other ideas we have are 1,000 people somewhere strange and quirky. I’ve got a few things up my sleeve. We’re talking about castles, plush hotels, maybe even on a boat.
“Croatia have offered a coliseum - and that’s beautiful - and we’re still open to options and are flexible.”
Farmer Withdraws Allegations About Tyson Fury’s UKAD Case
A Lancashire pig farmer who claimed that he’d been offered £25,000 to lie about a failed Tyson Fury drugs test has dropped the allegations.
Martin Carefoot, 70, said he agreed to accept the money in exchange for giving false statements about providing Fury with contaminated wild boar, following The Gypsy King’s positive test for the anabolic steroid nandrolone in February 2015.
Carefoot told the Times: “I've had nothing but problems right from the beginning of this, and I don't want to get involved.”
Carl Frampton Still On Course For Jamel Herring Despite Latter’s Second Positive Covid Test
Carl Frampton’s chance at becoming a world champion in a third weight class is still on track despite his future opponent Jamel Herring testing positive for Covid-19 for the second time.
Herring was due to defend his WBO super-featherweight title on Tuesday night in Las Vegas before the test but Top Rank promoter Bob Arum still believes that any potential fight between him and Frampton in the latter part of 2020 shouldn’t be scuppered.
Speaking on Twitter, he said: “We were greatly saddened when Jamel Herring tested positive for COVID-19.
“We expect not only him back in the ring in August, but also Carl Frampton. If they’re both victorious, we will attempt to match them against each other in the fourth quarter of 2020.”
Alexander Povetkin Questions Dillian Whyte’s Trainer Split Ahead Of Heavyweight Showdown
Russian heavyweight Alexander Povetkin has questioned Dillian Whyte’s split with trainer Mark Tibbs ahead of their PPV clash on August 22.
Whyte amicably split with Tibbs, whose been in the Brixton fighter’s corner for four years, last week ahead of a tricky test against Povetkin, whose only career defeats have come at the hands of Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua and a defeat for Whyte could shatter his status as the mandatory for Tyson Fury’s WBC title.
"Anything can happen in the camp," Povetkin told Sky Sports when asked about Whyte's change of trainer.
"Proof boxers should be ready for everything.
"Only the fight will demonstrate if the trainer has had an effect on his camp and preparation."
Povetkin added: "Maybe there is pressure on him. Every fight has pressure."
Billy Joe Saunders Has ‘Missed Out’ On Blockbuster Bout, Says Team Canelo
Billy Joe Saunders may never get to fight Canelo according to Bernard Hopkins, who promotes the Mexican superstar.
Saunders pulled out of a September clash with the four-division world champion, insisting he did not have enough time to prepare for the bout, an admission that stunned Hopkins, one of the most successful boxers of the modern era himself.
"You should always be prepared," Hopkins told Sky Sports.
“Billy Joe Saunders is not a rookie in the game. Billy Joe Saunders has been in some highlighted moments. He understands, he had a taste of the high level.”
"He missed out and there's no guarantee, especially in the world of boxing, that Billy [Joe] Saunders will get a call from anybody, pertaining [to] a world champion, the biggest spotlight you can get - pandemic or not - opportunity."
