Anthony Joshua has called out heavyweight rival Tyson Fury, saying if he truly wants to be boxing’s king then he must first face him.
The Brit boxers currently hold all of the division's belts, with Joshua reclaiming the IBF, WBA and WBO crowns from Andy Ruiz Jr in their rematch in Saudi Arabia in December. Fury, meanwhile, memorably defeated the previously unbeaten Deontay Wilder in their second bout in February to capture the WBC title.
Fury, still undefeated in his 31 professional fights, claims to be the best heavyweight in the world - something many with agree with - leaving boxing fans craving for a clash with Joshua to decide the undisputed champion. Until now, no one heavyweight has held all the belts at the same time.
And, speaking to Sky Sports, Joshua seemed up for the challenge.
"Yes, come fight me,” he said. “If you really want to say you're No 1, come fight me. Let's get it on. I've got the rest of the belts so it only makes sense.
“I’m unified heavyweight champion of the world; he's the WBC champion. What it will prove, me and him fighting? There will be one dominant figure in the heavyweight division that will have all of the belts and become undisputed.
"Logically to prove yourself as No 1, I have to fight Tyson Fury. He has to fight Anthony Joshua."
However, any thoughts of a potential marquee bout have been put on hold not only because of the coronavirus crisis, but considering both boxers have their next opponents already lined up.
Joshua, whose record stands at 23-1 (21 KOs), has a mandatory defence of his titles to come against Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev, which was supposed to take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London in June. Yet the fight was postponed amid the pandemic.
Also, Fury is contractually bound to a trilogy fight with Wilder, which had been pencilled in for October at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Joshua, though, believes he could meet Fury first, especially since his mandatory challenger shares his US-promoter, Top Rank, with the WBC champion.
"It would be amazing to tell Pulev 'I think it's best if you step aside for now' and to tell Wilder 'we have bigger fish to fry'," Joshua said.
"'Enjoy your Alabama chicken while we get cracking in the UK!' That fight needs to happen because there will never be another time like this again."
However, Wilder promises to be a major obstacle in that fight getting made. Speaking to the Premier Boxing Champions' podcast, the American rejected suggestions he would give up the chance to avenge his loss to Fury.
"No one should be surprised. I am who I am, Deontay 'The Bronze Bomber' Wilder,” he said. "Why wouldn't I want it? He knows that wasn't me. I know that wasn't me. That wasn't the real Deontay Wilder, something was wrong.
"There is more fuel on the fire. This is the final straw."
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
The biog
Name: Greg Heinricks
From: Alberta, western Canada
Record fish: 56kg sailfish
Member of: International Game Fish Association
Company: Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
