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LAST week it was promoters Bob Arum and Dana White, this time itโs Carl Froch and Joe Calzaghe exchanging barbs over the airwaves while the rest of us can only imagine what it would look like if they actually fought.
Speaking on his Froch on Fighting podcast, Carl revealed that heโd been approached by his former promoter Eddie Hearn about taking part in a โvirtual press conferenceโ, potentially with Calzaghe.
Iโm assuming these virtual press conferences would be another form of content to keep fans happy while actual boxing remains at a standstill, and in all honesty I can see the appeal. Froch-Calzaghe, Hatton-Witter, Benn-Eubank (seniors). OK, there wouldnโt be any actual fights to discuss, but imagine the verbal warfare. I live for that kind of drama.
However, Froch would like to take things a step further with his fellow retiree Calzaghe: โI said to him [Hearn], โForget the virtual one, weโll do the press conference, but if we can get him out of retirement, I fancy a bit of that.โ
โIโve always said Iโll come out of retirement for the right dance partner. Obviously Iโm not gonna jump in there with a current world champion whoโs been active, but someone like Joe Calzaghe, I mean, Iโm not being funny. Iโd definitely fancy a bit of thatโฆ But he ainโt gonna wanna come out because he knows heโd get absolutely flattened, because Iโm in good shape.โ
Calzaghe, speaking to talkSPORTโs Fight Night show, is far less invested in the idea.
โItโs mad, Iโm still living in his head after all these years,โ he said.
โIโve done everything you can achieve in boxing. I know what would have happened and I donโt take much notice of what he says.
โIโm 48 and Iโve been retired 10 years, Iโm happy with my career. When I was at my peak Iโd have been too fast and too sharp for him.โ
At 42 and 48 respectively, and with legendary careers defined, there is absolutely no need for Froch or Calzaghe to lace up the gloves again, though I suspect most of this isnโt said in much earnest.
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A slight deviation from boxing here, but worth exploring; UFC president Dana White told TMZ Sports that he had secured a โprivate islandโ on which to host fight cards during the coronavirus lockdown, starting this weekend. The location wasnโt revealed to the media – or any of the competing fighters – but it all seemed to be going ahead until ESPN, the UFCโs broadcast partner, and Disney, ESPNโs parent company, stepped in and put a stop to the whole thing.
Obviously this is a different sport, but Whiteโs and the UFCโs actions before Disney and ESPN halted them were setting a dangerous precedent. Even if you ignore the potential risks in spreading Covid-19 by staging these cards, what sort of medical provisions would there have been? Was there a fully functioning hospital on this island? If not, would they have built one? Plus, the medical staff they would have used could be better placed fighting the pandemic.
Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed but in boxing, we have fewer of those. If rogue promoters get some ideas from this, can we trust that there are enough structures in place to stop them? For example, former super-lightweight champion Regis Prograis was urging Hearn to stage a card on a private island so he could face fellow American Maurice Hooker.
Kubrat Pulev, who is scheduled to challenge unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on an unspecified date, told BILD that he will donate 50 per cent of his purse for that fight to help medical staff in the battle against coronavirus. If he follows through, thatโs a fantastic gesture, and might go some way to improving his public image after the โkissing scandalโ last year.
Tyson Fury spoke to talkSPORT about his planned third fight with Deontay Wilder, and doubled down on his comments that their rematch – which he won in emphatic style – would be his โeasiest fight.โ
He also gave his view on why Wilder, despite the thrashing he received, has elected to take up a third fight: โI don’t think it’s too tempting to get an absolute beating, but he would be tempted by the money. I think that’s the reason he’s taking the fight, for the money.”
However, when it comes to money, there might never be a fighter better than Floyd Mayweather. Even in retirement, heโs still finding ways to get fans to part with hard-earned cash. In a statement, he confirmed that heโs teamed up with the owner of the fuboTV streaming service, FaceBank Group – and ONE Entertainment Group to manage his digital likeness, โVirtual Mayweather.โ
Floyd, in this virtual form, will be pitted against former legends in โreal-time simulationsโ based off an algorithm that takes into account โactual performance, velocity of punches, speed of reaction, strategy and stamina.โ
And yes, you guessed it, itโs pay-per-view. I canโt imagine who would pay to watch something you could just have more fun recreating on a Fight Night game, but then KSI vs Logan Paul was a roaring success, so who really knows anymore.
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In a lengthy interview with Yahoo Sports, Mike Tyson further proved how much heโs grown as a person since his troubled fighting years. He was asked about the mooted trilogy fight between Fury and Wilder, and offered some advice to the recently defeated American.
โWilder’s stuff’s a lot of energy I once had,โ he said.
โWe have to be able to stand up and say, ‘The best man won.’ We can’t be consumed with our egos. We always look for excusesโฆ He’s not gonna stand a chance with Fury if he doesn’t beat himself.โ
That seems spot on to me. If youโre looking for some light relief – and letโs face it, who isnโt – then search out a clip from a Ukrainian channel which streamed an online fitness class for children, featuring none other than Oleksandr Usyk. Heโs basically just performing some of his madly hypnotising dance moves while inexplicably wearing mismatched trainers and a baby blue tracksuit. Itโs like a fever dream.