Ringside news LIVE: Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua LATEST, UFC ace Conor McGregor called out by Tony Ferguson, WWE updates – The Sun
CONOR MCGREGOR has been called out by Tony Ferguson for a UFC clash – despite the Irishman being 'retired'.
Tyson Fury gave boxing fans an update on his two-fight agreement with rival Anthony Joshua.
While we've charted Mike Tyson's comeback from blowing the fortune he amassed as a 90s superstar.
Follow ALL of the latest updates from the world of sport here…
ROCK BOTTOM
WWE legend Undertaker admitted he feared for Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s career after his “awful” debut in 1996.
The People’s Champion is now one of the most famous men on the planet after hitting superstardom in both the ring and Hollywood.
The Great One first emerged on the scene as a smiling youngster for his wrestling bow at Survivor Series in front of a boisterous Madison Square Garden crowd.
But the lacklustre reception to his character – which was a tribute to both his wrestling icon father and grandfather’s names – led to the Dead Man believing he wouldn't be around long.
FOUR SURE
Tony Bellew is backing Anthony Joshua to beat Tyson Fury… but only if he can catch the Gypsy King out.
But the former world champ reckons his close pal AJ needs to get the job done early on or Fury will get on top.
Bellew told told The Gary Newbon Sports Show: “I think he would jump on Tyson Fury and I think he would catch him pretty quickly.
“But don’t get me wrong, if that fight was to go past four or five rounds, I think Anthony Joshua would find himself in an awful lot of trouble.
“He has to get rid of someone like Tyson Fury and solve that puzzle and enigma that is Tyson Fury quickly because the more fights go on against him the harder it becomes.”
WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY
THE FA will offer Wembley up to host any trial test events to start getting crowds back in grounds.
Matches are currently being played behind closed doors but 'Stage Five' of protocols would allow supporters to attend games.
And FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: “We would think Wembley is attractive for any trial and if that’s what the Government wants to do we’d be open to it. We would love to get the fans back as soon as possible and to have full stadiums again.
“That’s why we’re working with the Government. We have already looked at lots of options, trying to map out how we could start to let supporters in. Of course that includes whether social distancing means one metre or two metres and we’ve learned a lot.
“It’s pretty apparent that a stadium is a safe environment once you get in – everybody is facing the same way, in the open air. It’s far safer to watch a game in a stadium than in a pub but the issue is getting people in and out and the extra journeys they would be taking.”
THREESY DOES IT
Heavyweight pair Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora could settle their rivalry… in the MMA Octagon.
Whyte beat Chisora via a split decision in 2016 but KO'd him two years later and promoter Eddie Hearn – who is also considering promoting MMA – would be happy to have the heavy-hitters complete their trilogy with 4oz gloves on.
He told Sky Sports: “Why not? We should look at fights that create attention, that people want to see. Whyte vs Chisora in a cage? That's huge.
“But let's focus on boxing for now, and understand that we are working towards Whyte's world heavyweight title shot. That's what we are trying to do.”
CALL OF JERICHO
Mike Tyson has been warned: your boxing comeback would be “one of the worst things you can do” – and instead thinks he should switch to wrestling instead.
The frank assessment came from WWE legend Chris Jericho after seeing the former heavyweight champ getting back into shape in the gym.
Speaking to Wrestlezone’s Bill Pritchard, he said: “The aura and the mystique of Mike Tyson is back. He looks great, you’ve seen his sparring videos, he moves fast, he’s ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson again.
“Probably one of the worst things you could do is put him in an actual boxing match. Maybe if it’s somebody in his own era and doing kind of an exhibition and that sort of thing, but we want to keep Mike Tyson’s aura at a maximum which is why AEW is perfect for him.”
H-EARN HIS WAY
Sticking with Dillian Whyte and Eddie Hearn has vowed to do all he can to get him in the ring with Tyson Fury before the Anthony Joshua double header.
Hearn's man Whyte is the mandatory challenger for Fury's WBC belt but continues to be overlooked for a shot at the world title.
The Matchroom chief said: “We don't want the WBC to make Fury 'franchise' champion.Let him take care of his mandatory just like Joshua's taking care of his…
“We don't want to be elevated from 'interim' champ. He wants to fight the champion, he wants to fight Fury. Dillian Whyte actually has to take priority, in my opinion, over Anthony Joshua, to get that shot. We will do everything we can to deliver that.”
'NO IDEA'
Dillian Whyte is taking legal action against the WBC – but the board's president has “no idea” what he wants to achieve.
The Body Snatcher, 32, is approaching 1,000 days as the No1-ranked WBC challenger but does not look at all close to fighting Tyson Fury, who is set for a trilogy Deontay Wilder bout before two clashes with Anthony Joshua in 2021.
But WBC chief Mauricio Sulaiman thinks Whyte getting lawyers involved is pointless and said: “He’s right now with lawyers against the WBC. I’m not certain what it is about, we did not create the pandemic. We did not enforce any delays on anything, I don’t know what it is all about.
“All I know is the WBC’s position is very clear and it’s public and it’s been consistent. So I have no idea what Dillian and his management and his promotion wishes to accomplish or do. We are clear and we stand strong with our position.”
GOOD MORNING FIGHT FANS
Tyson Fury has revealed it would be an “honour” to share the ring with Mike Tyson as he claimed he has received an offer from ESPN to face the boxing legend in an exhibition bout.
Speaking to Behind the Gloves about whether he would consider a bout against the Baddest Man on the Planet, Fury said: “Yeah of course.
“I’m named after the guy, I think it’ll be ironic, I think it’ll be legendary, Tyson vs Tyson, the old vs the new and it’ll be absolutely amazing.
“We can’t change time, we can’t turn the clock back, but we can deal with what we have today, I would love to share the ring with Mike Tyson, it’ll be an absolute honour in an exhibition fight, have a move around. It’ll be amazing.”Switching to MMA, Jorge Masvidal revealed Dana White made him a last-ditch offer to headline UFC 251 on Fight Island against welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Masvidal, 35, was next in line for the belt but publicly fell out with the UFC after claiming the money he was offered to challenge Usman was only half of what he pocketed when beating Nate Diaz in November.
He wrote on Twitter: “I already explained why I signed a new deal. It’s either take it or leave it and not get paid. I would’ve signed another deal if it was done in good faith.
“He called me night before he wants to announce and tell me take or it leave it. That’s not negotiating that’s strong arming.”Elsewhere, WWE have reportedly axed the inaugural Queen of the Ring tournament due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The iconic King of the Ring event’s female counterpart was set to take place for the very first time this summer.
However it has now been scrapped due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Triple H previously revealed WWE planned to hold the Mae Young Classic tournament this year before that was also axed due.
But they had come up with an historic alternative by converting it into the first-ever Queen Of The Ring tournament.DEATHLY SILENCE
The Undertaker has revealed how a huge row led to him and Vince McMahon no longer being on speaking terms last year.
Speaking on WWE documentary the Last Ride, the Deadman explained: “I’d agreed to do an autograph signing in Las Vegas. It wasn’t pitched to me that the other company had a show that was running right parallel to this autograph signing.
“I was oblivious, I wasn’t keeping up with what was going on or anything like that. “Vince calls me like, ‘What are you doing?’ I say, ‘I’m doing a signing.’ He goes, ‘Well, yeah. But, you got all these people thinking you’re going to do this.’ That’s stupid.
“Anybody that knows anything about me, knows that I’m not going to a different company.
“I’ve been here forever, I ain’t going anywhere. I’m not going to jump ship to go to [AEW]. Why would I?”
DEV-ASTATING
Floyd Mayweather protege Devin Haney showed his blistering power by FLOORING an opponent in sparring.
The WBC lightweight champion is under the tutelage of Mayweather, who is determined to become a world class trainer.
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USYK CHANCE
Both Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury warned that Oleksandr Usyk intends to enforce his mandatory opportunity.
The Ukrainian’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk told Sky Sports: “Usyk's WBO mandatory had to happen before AJ vs Pulev.
“But we were flexible and did not put much pressure on, allowing AJ to complete his IBF mandatory while Usyk fights Chisora.
“But this was made with regards that the WBO champ (whoever he is after AJ vs Pulev) has to make his mandatory versus Usyk.
“It means that either Joshua fights Usyk first or fights Fury without the WBO belt.”
WHAT A RUSH
Dana White has named the four fighters he thinks would be worthy of gracing a UFC version of Mount Rushmore.
He told The Schmozone Podcast: “I mean if you talk about a Mount Rushmore, where their heads are carved in stone forever, you have to go Royce Gracie, no brainer, you have to do that.
“Amanda Nunes, it has to be Amanda Nunes the greatest female fighter ever.
“The other two are tough. I would have to go with Jon Jones. The guy's never been beaten.
“What is more amazing about him going undefeated, which is incredibly amazing because very few people do in this sport, is the things he’s done to himself outside the octagon and he still hasn’t been beat.
“The number four on Mount Rushmore, I guess you have to go with Chuck Liddell. At the point in time, he was the biggest star ever.
“It’s almost a coinflip between Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin.”
BABY'S BACK
Jarrell Miller has been given the green light to return to the ring after a failed drugs test led to Andy Ruiz Jr replacing him against Anthony Joshua.
‘Big Baby’, 31, is set to make his first ring appearance since 2018 on July 9 in his Top Rank debut in Las Vegas.
And the undefeated Brooklyn-born heavyweight boxer (23-0-1, 20 KOs) is likely to face Jerry Forest after being approved for a license by Nevada commission.
Former kickboxer Miller got his shot at champ AJ last summer after smashing past Tomasz Adamek and Bogdan Dinu.
But he missed out on his big night at Madison Square Garden and a £4million payday against the Brit after testing positive for banned substances GW501516, EPO and HGH.
PERFECT SON
Arn Anderson has admitted that released WWE star Curtis Axel should have been billed as Mr Perfect's son Joe Hennig from the start.
He told the Arn podcast: “Curtis Axel isn't Joe Hennig.
“That's who he should've been from day one, there are guys that have a legacy in this business. All that they would've had to do to help him from day one was let him be Joe Hennig.
“They are going to tell you they were protecting him and nobody can be what Mr. Perfect was, but I don't believe that.
“When you have a father that is renowned to find out his kid was really good, just let him be who he is. Don't call him something that's a total disconnect cause there's no reason for it.”
WHITE NOISE
Dana White has claimed he will ‘kill’ Amanda Nunes if she retires from MMA.
The UFC president told MMA Junkie: “I will kill her.
“I literally just told [UFC matchmakers] Sean [Shelby] and Mick [Maynard] in the last meeting let’s get this division built for her. Let’s build this division for her, and let’s start figuring this out. And now she’s talking about retiring?”
“You know what’s awesome about that when you think about it? Her retiring isn’t awesome; that actually drives me nuts.
“You know how I always say, ‘If you’re talking about retiring, you probably should.’ Unless if you’re where she’s at.
“In this time when I got guys crying about money, one of our female fighters, who could go on and keep doing this for a long time, is saying, ‘Maybe I retire now.’ She’s got plenty of money, and she can do it.”
WWE BAH GUM
Former England keeper Rob Green looks ready for a wrestling career judging by his drastic lockdown look.
The ex-Chelsea goalie, 40, went on TV sporting a mohawk and handlebar moustache, much to the amusement – and bemusement – of fans.
Viewers of Sky News were stunned by Green's appearance earlier today.
One viewer said: “Rob Green about to start his wrestling career.”
A fellow user wrote: “I'm sorry to inform you that Rob Green has been possessed by the spirit of Lemmy from Motorhead.”
BETTER CALL SAUL
Callum Smith's trainer has claimed that Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez's team should have made a “serious offer” if they genuinely wanted a WBA title fight.
Joe Gallagher told Sky Sports: “Canelo, he's that puzzle isn't he.
“You can't work him out in the ring and you can't work out what he's going to do outside of the ring, until it's nailed on.
“Him and Callum Smith would be a great fight. Whether they're serious about fighting Callum Smith, that's down to them. If they want to fight Callum Smith and fight the No 1, all they have to do is say, 'We want to fight you,' pay the money and the job is done.
“If they really fancy the job, they'd make an offer, a serious offer. Not like last time they made an offer, and then eventually Callum did accept an offer, but they never came back.”
RUTHLESS
Vince McMahon was reportedly planning his mass staff cut before WrestleMania 36 weekend.
The WWE chief released a huge number of superstars in mid-April amid the financial impact of the coronavirus.
A host of wrestlers and off-screen talents, including Kurt Angle, were let go or furloughed.
WWE’s CEO McMahon also released Rusev, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, No Way Jose, Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, Sarah Logan and many more due to the pandemic.
Now ESPN claim that the billionaire was plotting the lay-offs during Mania weekend, which was filmed at the end of March but aired at the start of April.
Their report stated: “McMahon was already working on plans for a series of WWE lay-offs, furloughs and other cost-cutting moves designed to stabilise the company for an extended period of lower revenues.
“They were announced April 15.”
BROCK HARD
Brock Lesnar completed a remarkable journey from weedy high-school kid to a hulkling WWE legend.
Here SunSport runs through the former UFC champion's rise from his parents' farm in Webster, South Dakota.
LOVERS' TIFF
Tyson Fury was branded an “a***hole” by his wife Paris after he quit his own Instagram workout.
The couple have been doing daily morning routines live on social media with fans tuning in from around the world.
But it proved too much for the heavyweight champ as he stormed out on Wednesday morning.
He reckoned he had done enough and was not bothered about doing any – and after almost three months, that was the end of that.
Fury, 31, will defend his WBC world title against Deontay Wilder in a trilogy fight later this year before he takes on Anthony Joshua twice in 2021 in their all-British showdowns.
And he decided to go out for a run instead of doing a home workout with Paris.
QUEEN DETHRONED
WWE have reportedly axed the inaugural Queen of the Ring tournament due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The iconic King of the Ring event’s female counterpart was set to take place for the very first time this summer.
However it has now been scrapped due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Triple H previously revealed WWE planned to hold the Mae Young Classic tournament this year before that was also axed due.
But they had come up with an historic alternative by converting it into the first-ever Queen Of The Ring tournament.
TAKE ONE ON THE CHIN
Justin Gaethje showed off a gruesome two-inch gash caused by an accidental headbutt in training as he prepares to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The American won the interim lightweight championship last month after dominating Tony Ferguson and in turn set up a unification bout against unbeaten Khabib.
Gaethje is set to face Nurmagomedov, 31, in September, but is wasting no time having already returned to the gym.
But the American suffered a nasty cut on his chin after clashing heads in training, and will now receive stitches on the injury.
Gaethje captioned a post on Instagram: “Going to need a few stitches today.
“Caught an accidental head butt during wrestling today.”
VOW OF SILENCE
The Undertaker has revealed how a huge row led to him and Vince McMahon no longer being on speaking terms last year.
The WWE legend has enjoyed three decades of success working for the billionaire and is one of the greatest to ever step into the ring.
Now 55, the Phenom is nearing retirement as he looks for the perfect final chapter of his career.
Taker remained loyal to McMahon during the mid-90s as a host of star names such as Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Bret Hart jumped ship to rival company WCW.
And that show of faith was rewarded as WWE triumphed in the Monday Night Wars leading to McMahon purchasing his competition.
NOT 'OV YET
Khabib Nurmagomedov has revealed he will release a statement on his fighting future soon – having already discussed retirement this year.
The 31-year-old Russian has been vocal about walking away from the sport at the right time.
A month before he was set to face 36-year-old Tony Ferguson in April, Nurmagomedov said: “I have to smash a couple of more guys. This is what I think.
“I know when someone stays on top for a long time people just want to see how they fall down. It’s very interesting. How are you gonna fall down, how are you gonna crash?
“But about my retirement, I don’t know because I am only 31 years old. Right now is my prime time.
“I’m young for this sport and I think right now is my prime time so I don’t think it is good to think about retirement.”
BABY GOT BACK
Jarrell Miller has been given the green light to return to the ring after a failed drugs test led to Andy Ruiz Jr replacing him against Anthony Joshua.
‘Big Baby’, 31, is set to make his first ring appearance since 2018 on July 9 in his Top Rank debut in Las Vegas.
And the undefeated Brooklyn-born heavyweight boxer (23-0-1, 20 KOs) is likely to face Jerry Forest after being approved for a license by Nevada commission.
But he missed out on his big night at Madison Square Garden and a £4million payday against the Brit after testing positive for banned substances GW501516, EPO and HGH.
The New York State Athletic Commission rejected him for a boxing license in the States with Ruiz Jr taking his place, who went on to shock the world by winning the heavyweight titles, and the World Boxing Association handed the 6’4″ Miller a six-month suspension and taking him out of their top 15 rankings.
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