Ringside news LIVE: Billy Joe Saunders blasted by Bernard Hopkins, CM Punk comeback, UFC Jorge Masvidal revelation – The Sun
UFC 251 saw Kamaru Usman beat Jorge Masvidal in the biggest fight of the night – but the fallout continues.
Billy Joe Saunders has been blasted by Bernard Hopkins for not fighting Canelo Alvarez.
While, Tyson Fury was spotted running along Bournemouth beach during training and WWE’s Charlotte Flair has revealed she has been suffering the ill effects of a botched boob job.
Follow all the latest fighting talk from the world of boxing and MMA below…
MORNING FIGHT FANS
CM Punk's possible comeback, Jorge Masvidal's BBQ preparation for UFC 251 and a Bernard Hopkins blast for Billy Joe Saunders.
Welcome to the dramatic world of UFC and boxing post lockdown!
WWE legend Punk has held talks with rivals AEW amid reports he wants an “astronomical sum”.
And AEW executive vice president and performer Cody Rhodes readily accepts the 41-year-old is “worth a great deal of money”.
Meanwhile, the full extent of Masvidal's sudden call-up for Fight Island has been revealed.
He was at a barbecue in Florida when his manager called him about facing Kamaru Usman as a late replacement for Gilbert Burns
Eight days later and 20lbs lighter – with those two facts surely influential – Masvidal was well beaten..
In the boxing world, legend Hopkins has accused Britain's ex-world champion of rejecting the type of opportunity he might never get again – a fight with Canelo Alvarez.
Sauners decided he would not be ready for September but Hopkins said: “You should always be prepared.
“Billy Joe Saunders is not a rookie… he had a taste of the high level.
“He missed out and there's no guarantee, especially in the world of boxing, that Saunders will get a call from anybody, pertaining a world champion, the biggest spotlight you can get – pandemic or not – opportunity.”
SERGIY BUGS JERM FOR TITLE CRUNCH
A dream world middleweight title fight has virtually been sealed for September or October.
The Athletic say America’s WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo andUkrainian two-time title challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko have agreed all but he finer points of a deal.
Charlo's 30-0 record mainly comes through his dominance at super-welterweight before stepping up.
And doubts remain over his credentials at 160lbs.
Indeed, he was only promoted to his title when Canelo Alvarez was made ‘franchise’ champion.
Derevyanchenko has lost two of his 15 fights – but both in thrilling, close, world-crown bids after surviving early knockdowns.
Daniel Jacobs bat him on a split decision and Gennady Golovkin edged a unanimous verdict.
JOE CRIES NO
Joe Rogan told the UFC as Petr Yan was outclassed by Jose Aldo: “It’s over! He just can’t take it anymore. He’s basically just hanging on here.
“That was a big elbow, look at all the blood. F***. Oh my god, look at his face.
“Dude, Yan is no joke, look at him hammering.
“Stop the fight! Stop this fight! Stop the fight! The fight is over!
“Come on man, stop the fight. He’s not doing nothing. He’s not defending himself.
“They would have stopped this fight in so many other circumstances.
“Oh god, stop the fight already, he’s done.”
NO WAY JOSE CAN CARRY ON
Joe Rogan urged UFC to “stop the fight” between Petr Yan and Jose Aldo – as he watched alongside comedian Joey Diaz.
The pair collided on Fight Island at UFC 251 for the vacant bantamweight world title.
But it proved to be an extremely one-sided affair as Yan dished out a beating in the octagon.
Indeed, it became hard to watch as Aldo failed to defend himself from a number of hard-hitting blows.
But referee Leon Edwards did not intervene and only ended the fight in the final round.
At one point, former UFC fighter-turned-podcast guru Rogan yelled for Edwards to assert himself and protect Aldo from more punishment.
PUNK SHOCKER
Cody Rhodes, 35, said: “As far as the CM Punk negotiations go, everyone heard the famous ‘he got a text from us’.
“Yeah, of course there were negotiations and he did ask for a great amount of money and Punk is worth a great deal of money.
“But you also have to – and this isn’t speaking to Punk specifically, this is speaking to recruitment and what we’ve learned in wrestling in general – a lot of people think ‘these wrestlers are running this wrestling company’.
“These wrestlers are doing everything they can to run the creative, the brand and the marketing and things, but there are some very smart and fiscally conservative people who surround us and flank us because this isn’t my money. At all.
“This is a business. And we have to turn a profit.”
HIGH VALUE OF THE PUNK POUND
WWE legend CM Punk has held talks with rivals AEW over a mega-money deal to join the organisation.
And despite reports that the 41-year-old is asking for “astronomical” figures, executive vice president and performer Cody Rhodes says Punk “is worth a great deal of money”.
Punk is still signed to UFC but could be set for a return to the wrestling ring.
Former WWE star Konnan told the Keepin' It 100 podcast that the reason the deal hasn't been done yet is because Punk “was asking for an astronomical amount of money”.
Now, in an interview with talkSPORT, Rhodes, who defends his TNT title against Sonny Kiss at Fight for the Fallen, admitted it could well be a costly deal.”
HIGH STEAKS
JORGE MASVIDAL was at a barbecue in Florida when he took the phone off his manager and talked his way into UFC 251 – at eight days' notice.
The circumstances around the 35-year-old's sudden meeting with Kamaru Usman have been revealed with Masvidal having to undergo a serious weight cut.
Having originally been tipped to fight the MMA welterweight king, the Miami native's representatives failed to agree terms for a contest.
That opened the door for Gilbert Burns – but his positive coronavirus test less than a fortnight before UFC 251 threw the whole fight into doubt.
Usman even visited his parents and began to end his pre-fight diet, according to ESPN.
Their report on how the eventual meeting came to be shines a light on an Independence Day barbecue in southern Florida hosted by Masvidal's manager, Malki Kawa.
BERNARD SURE BILLY GOT IT WRONG
Bernard Hopkins told Sky Sports of Britain's ex-world champ: “You should always be prepared.
“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 Saunders will get a call from anybody, pertaining a world champion, the biggest spotlight you can get – pandemic or not – opportunity.”
Saunders’ boxing licence is also currently suspended while the board tries to arrange a hearing over the idiotic ‘joke’ video he made in March, instructing would-be domestic abusers how to best hit their partners.
HOP SAYS SAUNDERS WRONG TO SKIP CANELO
Legend Bernard Hopkins believes Billy Joe Saunders has turned down the chance of a lifetime in dodging Canelo Alvarez.
Despite chasing the fight for years, Saunders decided not to accept a September showdown, insisting he needed a longer fight camp.
He also insinuated that the money on offer wasn't as attractive as it should have been.
Saunders is the WBO super-middleweight world champion, but Hopkins thinks he has made a mistake in turning down Canelo.
WRESTLING WITH THE LAW
WWE Hall of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch, known as professional wrestling’s first diva, has reportedly been arrested for multiple offenses – including hiding from police officers.
Sytch, who later found fame as a porn star, was arrested by the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office and booked into the county’s correctional institution in New Jersey on Monday, according to Fox News.
She was charged with eluding a police officer, two counts of contempt or violating a domestic violence restraining order, and “operating motor vehicle during second license suspension,” the sheriff’s office records show.
Her name appeared as Tamara Sytch, 47, and no bond was posted.
As of Tuesday morning, there were no further details on how Sytch was arrested.
The sheriff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Sun on Tuesday.
I ONLY ZANT IT TO YOU
PAIGE VANZANT is continuing to cultivate her stardom away from the Octagon by selling personalised messages for fans.
Having not fought since January 2019, the UFC contender actually makes more cash through Instagram than MMA.
With 2.6million followers, VanZant, 26, is looking to make the most of her online empire.
In April, she posted news that fans can now pay her to read out personalised messages to friends and colleagues.
She told her Instagram followers: “I know the world is kind of going through a rough time right now.
“So if you want to send somebody some words of encouragement, a birthday shoutout, anniversary shoutout, anything like that… You can actually hire me to do so.”
MAKE THE RIGHT COLL
UFC referee John McCarthy revealed Dana White has the right to “remove” a judge from Fight Island if their “performance is not acceptable”.
It comes after Mark Collett handed in three suspect scorecards at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi.
Legendary official McCarthy tweeted: “The @ufc hired, transported, tested & paid for Mark Collet to be part of 251 and they will be paying him to be a part of the other shows on Fight Island.
“When your performance is not acceptable, your employer has the right to remove you from their employ.
“Let’s see if they do it.”
'WE'D BEAT 'EM UP'
Explaining why be believes his era was better, Larry Holmes insists that is not the case and that he would have made mincemeat of today's big hitters.
He said: “We'd beat these guys up, we'd beat them up.
“They don't have the abilities that we have but they would've given us a pretty good fight.
“But, when you got guys like Kenny Norton, Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, Ron Lyle, we get a lot of good fighters out there when I was fighting.”
HOLMES PUTS MODERN
GENERATION UNDER THE HAMMER
Larry Holmes reckons his generation of heavyweights would have battered today's stars such as Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
Holmes, who beat Muhammad Ali in a career that spanned from 1973 to 2002, is adamant his peers would hammer today's heroes.
BT Sport recently ran a poll asking who would win between Joshua and Holmes in a fantasy fight.
Just over half said current WBO, WBA and IBF champ Joshua would beat Holmes, who was WBC champ from 1978 to 1983.
PAIGE CUT LIKE BLADES
UFC president Dana White has compared Paige VanZant to Curtis Blaydes, after she was “smoked” early on by Amanda Ribas over the weekend.
White said: “I like Paige. It’s like Blaydes, when Blaydes fought last.
“When you talk all that stuff, ‘I’m not being paid enough,’ and fighting inconsistently, one time in the last year, injuries, and then got smoked in the first round of the fight, she should definitely test free agency.”
CAL-ING IN THE BIG GUNS
Tomorrow night's main event between Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige is official!
Let's take a look at how both men weighed in ahead of the fight.
CRUISING FOR A BRUISING
Anthony Joshua could be set to deck Kubrat Pulev below deck after Eddie Hearn revealed the heavyweight bout could take place on a boat.
The Matchroom boss also listed a castle as another alternative venue – with just 1,000 people in attendance.
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 flexible.
“These are all things thinking outside of the box — it just depends what’s allowed.”
READY FOR MORE
Victorious strawweight Amanda Ribas has admitted that she didn't expect to defeat Paige VanZant so quickly at UFC 251 on Saturday night.
She told Combate: “I was ready for three rounds and to finish it in the end of the first or in the second. I did not expect to finish it early into the first and I did not expect an armbar, too.
“I was drilling rear-naked chokes and arm-triangles, because I watched one of her fights where she was caught in an armbar, she let her arm break, but did not tap.
” I thought that if I had her in an armbar, she would not tap. But I believed so much in that armbar, it was so tight, that my technique ended up working.”
JOR DROPPING
Jorge Masvidal has taken to Twitter to thank fans for their support, after it emerged that an astonishing 1.3million people paid to watch the fight on ESPN+ in the US.
He wrote: “The overwhelming amount of support I have received before, during, and after this journey has been humbling. Still got a lot of goals to meet.
“All of you that tuned in to see me win, thank you. Those that tuned in to see me lose, thank you.”
A'MMA'ZING
Dereck Chisora has confirmed he will debut in MMA but only after facing Oleksandr Usyk in the ring.
The 33-year-old told iFL TV: “With Bellator and my fight with Usyk, a hundred percent it’s happening, it’s gonna happen.
“I’m definitely going into Bellator, this year.
“I don’t even know who’s in Bellator, I can’t really say much.
“I’m not going to let it fizz-out, I’m on it a hundred percent.”
OCTA-GONE
The UFC have cut ties with newly-signed German fighter Timo Feucht due to his alleged neo-nazi hooligan past.
According to MMA Fighting, the 24-year-old's offer to face Kenneth Bergh on the July 15 at “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi was rescinded after the promotion informed about his alledged past Neo-Nazi ties.
German outlet Bell Tower News reported the light-heavyweight was involved in an attack in Leipzig, in January 2016. Feucht was one of 215 people arrested by the local police at the time.
Months after, Runter von der Matte say he was again arrested in Gera after a group of 40 had apparently planned to attack the anti-racist fan curve of BSG Chemie Leipzig.
Feucht was due to feature on Dana White's Contender Series, but instead signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC.
IT'S TYME
Tyson Fury is reportedly still under investigation following his failed drugs test in 2015.
The pig farmer – who claimed he was offered £25,000 to help Fury dodge a ban – is refusing to co-operate after dropping his allegations.
Even though the farmer is not willing to help the authorities, Sportsmail claim the investigation is ongoing.
Anti-doping chiefs are determined to get to the bottom of the case after Fury tested positive for the steroid nandrolone.
The WBC heavyweight champion and cousin Hughie Fury both failed a urine test.
Both fighters denied doping – and blamed it on either their supplements or because they had eaten uncastrated wild boar meat.
BOX OFFICE
UFC 251 sold 1.3million pay-per-views – the most since Conor McGregor lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The headliner at the UFCs inaugural Fight Island event in Abu Dhabi featured the grudge match between Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman.
Promoter Dana White said before the event that it was trending towards a blockbuster and revealed only Nurmagomedov's win at UFC 229 in October 2018 was comparable.
As it turns out UFC 251 is the joint sixth highest PPV ever, matching the 1.3m buys 205 drew in 2015, the night McGregor beat Eddie Alvarez to become the first ever simultaneous two-weight champion.
KAT AND MOUSE
Calvin Kattar will headline Wednesday's UFC Fight Not on Fight Island, and had no hesitation with regards to accepting the opportunity.
He told MMA Junkie: “Main event? Fight Island? Hesitation? Hell no.
“I wanted to have a busy year this year, especially the way I finished off last year in November.
“I want to go 3-0 this year. I took a little late start. We were supposed to fight in March, then April, then it turned out May. A quick turnaround puts me right back on schedule. That’s it.
“I’m happy to have a big opportunity here – main event, Dan Ige. I got the green light from my manager and we took it. We jumped.”
WHAT THE REF?
UFC referee John McCarthy revealed Dana White has the right to “remove” a judge from Fight Island if their “performance is not acceptable”.
It comes after Mark Collett handed in three suspect scorecards at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi.
Legendary official McCarthy tweeted: “The @ufc hired, transported, tested & paid for Mark Collet to be part of 251 and they will be paying him to be a part of the other shows on Fight Island.
“When your performance is not acceptable, your employer has the right to remove you from their employ.
“Let’s see if they do it.”
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