First the war of words and next perhaps the Mayweather vs Pacquiao 2.0 !
Nigeria-born British boxer Anthony Joshua has insisted that he “would rather lose than be classed a drugs cheat” as the boxing champion look set to face Alexander Povetkin.
Joshua believes he would have been banned from boxing for life had he failed drugs tests like the Russian with whom he must share a ring at Wembley Stadium on September 22.
“I would rather take a loss than be done for doping; being done for doping is far worse for your legacy than taking a loss,” said Joshua.
‘Drugs don’t make you a better fighter. I prefer to work hard and stay clean and do the best I can in every fight.’
Povetkin lost big money when world title fights against Deontay Wilder and Bermaine Stiverne were called off after he failed drugs tests, one for meldonium which led to tennis suspending his fellow Russian Maria Sharapova.
Joshua says: ‘It was unfortunate for his opponents at the time but at least I know he will be fighting clean against me.’
Povetkin believes accusations are pointed at sportsmen from his country carte blanche: “I don’t think that our sportsman in Russia consume all those things [drugs] they are accused of.
As an amateur, I understood what we were taking, and I can assure you there was nothing prohibited. Never was there anything out of the ordinary either for myself or the team that was offered to us, or discussed.”
Both Joshua and Povetkin have signed up for independent testing ahead of the championship bout in September.
Former Heavyweight Champion, David Haye has decided to call it quit from boxing a month after his second defeat by Tony Bellew.
Haye, 37, was a two-weight ruler of the world after dominating both the cruiserweight and heavyweight scene at the peak of his powers.
But after failing to beat Bellew in their May 5 rematch, the lovable Londoner has finally confirmed he is walking away.
“My 16-year, 32-fight professional career was one of two halves,” he said.
“In the first eight years, everything ran smoothly. I had 25 fights and became the first ever British boxer to unify the cruiserweight division (WBA, WBC and WBO World Championships).
Haye, who enthralled fans with past rivalries against Enzo Maccarinelli, Wladimir Klitschko, and Dereck Chisora, paid tribute to his final nemesis, Bellew.
American boxer Deontay Wilder has agreed to terms offered by Anthony Joshua’s camp for their impending heavyweight showdown.
Wilder confirmed on Twitter on Tuesday (NZ time) that he had accepted an offer to fight Joshua in the UK but said a US$50million (NZ$71m) offer was still on the table for their bout to be held in the United States.
Joshua’s camp still have the option for his next fight to be against mandatory Russian challenger Alexander Povetkin, but Wilder agreeing to terms could accelerate negotiations for the unbeaten fighters to meet in a world title unification bout.
Calls have been coming in for former unified cruiserweight world champion David Haye to retire his defeat to Tony Bellew in Saturday night’s rematch in London.
Tony Bellew destroyed David Haye in the fifth round of their eagerly-awaited rematch on Saturday night.
WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has offered $50m (£35.9m) for a unification fight with WBO, IBF and WBA titles holder Anthony Joshua.
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez has been banned for six months after failing two drugs tests earlier this year.
IBF, WBA and WBO Champion, Anthony Joshua is pushing for his blockbuster unification against Deontay Wilder to be at Wembley in September.
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