Alex Pereira accused Ciryl Gane of landing illegal shots, including to the back of the head, during their interim UFC heavyweight title fight. Pereira believes these strikes contributed to his loss and criticized referee Herb Dean for not stopping the fight sooner.
Oleksandr Usyk retained his WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles against kickboxing icon Rico Verhoeven in a controversial technical knockout. The referee stopped the fight in the 11th round, despite Verhoeven appearing able to continue and leading on points, sparking an appeal from Verhoeven's corner.
Oleksandr Usyk retained his world heavyweight titles against boxing novice Rico Verhoeven in Egypt. The fight was controversial, with Usyk winning by an 11th-round stoppage after Verhoeven, who was the aggressor, was knocked down and then stopped.
Oleksandr Usyk (39) to defend 'Super' heavyweight title against Rico Verhoeven at Giza pyramids on May 23, with WBA title on the line under strict conditions; IBF belt status pending
Daniel Dubois fights back from two knockdowns to stop Fabio Wardley in an epic all-British WBO world heavyweight title fight.
Daniel Dubois stops Fabio Wardley in the 11th round of a brutal contest to take the WBO heavyweight title as observers ringside criticise an "uncomfortable watch".
Fabio Wardley took some significant punishment as Daniel Dubois beat him to take the WBO heavyweight title on Saturday. Should the fight have been stopped sooner?
Dubois recovers from knockdown in opening secondsWardley knocks him down again but stopped in 11th Daniel Dubois completed his latest resurgence with brutal efficiency when he became the WBO world heavyweight champion after stopping Fabio Wardley early in the 11th round of a dramatic and blood-soaked contest. Howard Foster, whose pale blue shirt had turned crimson as if he worked in an abattoir rather than in a boxing ring as a referee, jumped between the courageous fighters to rescue Wardley 28 seconds into the penultimate round.It was a merciful stoppage because the fallen champion, with his face a mask of blood pouring from his badly cut and broken nose, had been examined twice before by the ringside doctor. Both fighters emerged with enormous credit after an epic battle. Dubois was knocked down twice in the fight, and dropped for the first time 10 seconds after the opening bell, but he came back with commendable resolve. He also proved he was the superior technician as, working behind his thunderous jab, Dubois sank one brutal blow after another into the steadily sagging figure of Wardley. But the 31-year-old from Ipswich, who suffered the first loss of his career, simply refused to surrender or even go down at any point during this riveting battle. Continue reading...
Main-event ring-walks scheduled for 11pm BST Wardley v Dubois is bout of uncertainty | Mail AlexPrediction time! The only big favourite in Wardley-Dubois is that it doesn’t reach the final bell: the bookies can hardly split the pair.For what it’s worth, I reckon the 31-year-old Wardley, who has this uncanny ability to ride punches and get stronger as a fight goes on, has an edge. Dubois doesn’t have a poor chin, the 28-year-old just hasn’t always shown the incredible mental fortitude of his foe. Continue reading...
Main-event ring-walks scheduled for 11pm BST Wardley v Dubois is bout of uncertainty | Mail AlexPrediction time! The only big favourite in Wardley-Dubois is that it doesn’t reach the final bell: the bookies can hardly split the pair.For what it’s worth, I reckon the 31-year-old Wardley, who has this uncanny ability to ride punches and get stronger as a fight goes on, has an edge. Dubois doesn’t have a poor chin, the 28-year-old just hasn’t always shown the incredible mental fortitude of his foe. Continue reading...
Main-event ring-walks scheduled for 11pm BST Wardley v Dubois is bout of uncertainty | Mail AlexThe Co-op Live arena is right next door to the Etihad Stadium. I walked past Manchester City’s home ground, with the crowd roaring in the final few minutes of their game against Brentford, and it felt a relief that the boxing tonight is inside. It’s pretty cold in Manchester this evening but that didn’t stop a few of the City security guards jumping around in glee when a very late goal made it 3-0. But attention is now firmly back on the boxing and the Co-op already feels crammed with a sold-out crowd.It’s the least that Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois deserve for a fight that could be one of the most explosive and compelling heavyweight contests of the year. There is also a decent undercard and the celebs are drifting in slowly. Luke Littler has arrived but I was more interested to see Moses Itauma at ringside. I interviewed him a couple of months ago in Manchester. It was initially a bit of a challenge to get him to open up but, eventually, we got somewhere.Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley are very different characters but, in the ring, they share a knockout ratio of 95% in the combined 42 fights they have won. The unbeaten Wardley has knocked out 19 opponents in his 20 victories while Dubois has stopped 21 of 22 vanquished rivals. It’s an impressive statistic which belies the vulnerability at the heart of each man.Wardley, the WBO world heavyweight champion, comes from a white-collar boxing background with minimal experience as an amateur. The only blemish on his record is a draw in March 2024 with the Olympic medallist Frazer Clarke – whom he then knocked out with shocking brutality in the first round seven months later. Continue reading...
Briton, who defends his WBO title against Daniel Dubois, talks Fury-Joshua, doping and his punditry sideline“The only expectation I have is that it will end in a knockout,” Fabio Wardley says cheerfully as he looks ahead to his dangerous first defence of the WBO world heavyweight title against Daniel Dubois in Manchester on Saturday night. “Don’t Blink” is the promotional tagline for a battle between two powerful yet vulnerable heavyweights and, for once, this is less boxing bluster than reasonable advice for anyone watching a fight which could be the most dramatic heavyweight contest this year.Wardley and Dubois are devastating punchers who also often look at risk of losing. Dubois has been beaten three times in 25 fights while dispatching his other opponents with brutal efficiency. Two years ago, the unbeaten Wardley came close to defeat against Frazer Clarke in their first fight, which ended up being a draw after a damaging bloodbath for both men. He knocked out Clarke after two savage minutes in the rematch but then lost every round against Justis Huni before producing a chilling late stoppage of the skilful Australian last June. Continue reading...
British heavyweight contender Lawrence Okolie has returned an adverse finding in a VADA anti-doping test ahead of his scheduled bout against French fighter Tony Yoka in Paris on Saturday. Okolie, the WBC's No. 1 ranked contender whose title is held by Oleksandr Usyk, claims the positive result is due to treatment for an elbow injury sustained during camp. The event is now in doubt.
WrestleMania 42 Night 2 continues from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas with multiple championship matches. The main event features CM Punk defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns. Earlier, Oba Femi faces Brock Lesnar, while a six-man ladder match determines the Intercontinental Champion, and singles matches contested the WWE Women's and United States Championships.
