Boxing

The 26-year-old saw his fiercely-anticipated fight cancelled following the test results but has since been cleared of any guilt.

Benn was reinstated to the WBC rankings after they concluded his failed test was unintentional and added the positive result could have been due to "highly-elevated consumption of eggs".

The welterweight has maintained his innocence throughout and has now shared that he did not think he would "see another day" after experiencing suicidal thoughts.

"I didn't think I was going to make it through this period, I didn't think I was going to make it through," he told Piers Morgan Uncensored.

"I was shamed for something I hadn't even done, it's hard because I felt like I was on death row for something I haven't even done.

"If I had done something wrong I'm human, I'd raise my hands to it 'I made a mistake', whatever it is, my personal life, I raise my hands.

"Never this, and I felt seven years of hard work and sacrifice and leaving my family and the image I maintain was just ruined at somebody else's incompetence. It's been hard for the family. I didn't think I'd see another day."

Asked if he felt suicidal, he replied: "Yeah, yeah I'd say so, and it upsets me now because I don't know how I got so bad.

"I got in a really bad way about it. You've got to remember, if you think I'm innocent or if you don't think I'm innocent, I am innocent."

Alvarez dominated Callum Smith in Texas on Saturday, beating the Brit by unanimous decision after being in control throughout.

The Mexican's win came a day after rival Gennady Golovkin beat Kamil Szeremeta to retain the IBF and IBO middleweight titles.

Alvarez drew with Golovkin in September 2017 before winning by majority decision a year later.

Asked if he wanted to face the Kazakh again, Alvarez told DAZN: "I don't run from nobody.

"I just showed that I fought against the best."

Smith was no match for Alvarez, handed a first professional defeat after struggling to impose himself as the 30-year-old produced an impressive performance.

Both fighters were in action for the first time since November last year, and Alvarez was pleased with his showing.

"I did a great job after 13 months out. Smith is a greater fighter, as you can see I did a great job," he said.

"Thanks to everybody for coming and supporting me. I'm so happy."

Alvarez added: "I'm the best in the world. In the first round I tried to see what he brings, the skills, whatever.

"Like you saw, I showed what I am."

After a controversial draw in their first match in 2018, Fury defeated Wilder by technical knockout in the seventh round in Las Vegas on February 22.

A third bout is scheduled to take place later in 2020, though the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – which has caused the postponement of sporting events across the globe – may see the fight pushed back.

Though Fury now possesses the WBC heavyweight belt, Wilder insists his opponent is no champion just yet.

"You don't go backwards, you move forwards, and that night, I wasn't myself," Wilder said in an interview on the PBC podcast.

"There's a lot of things I can't say. We can only get stronger and learn from the situation and get better.

"In my eyes, I don't see Fury as a champion. It's still going. He ain't the champion yet. We still got one more fight left.

"Everything that happened, it happened the last 15 minutes into the fight. There were a lot of things that went on.

"There are a lot of things that I don't even want to talk about at this moment in time. I'm still reflecting on certain things. And I can't believe the things that happened, happened to me at that point in time in my career.

“There's going to be a time and place when I'll come out. Looking at the fight, Fury knows that wasn't me. I know that wasn't me. Everyone in boxing knows that wasn't the real Deontay Wilder.

"I wasn't there. From the first start, my whole body and everything. I'm looking forward to giving the world the best of Deontay Wilder.

"I'm not done yet. Everything is going to be alright. Trust me. This [third fight] is the last final straw right here, as I see it."

Earlier in April, Fury questioned Wilder's motives for taking up the option of a trilogy fight.

"I don't know the man's personal circumstances, but from what I've seen of these American fighters and sportsmen, they always live a rock star's lifestyle, even though they are not rock stars," Fury told talkSPORT.

"They go through a lot of money quite quickly. Just look at Mike Tyson, he went through like a billion dollars. So, I'm sure that the money side of it is the tempting thing.

"I don't think it's too tempting to go in there and get an absolute beating like he did before, but he would be tempted by the amount of money that he would receive.

"I think that's the reason he's taking the fight, for the money."

Usyk outclassed Joshua to clinch the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles in London last year, and produced another polished performance to deal the 32-year-old a further defeat in Jeddah on Saturday.

While Joshua's improved display saw one judge surprisingly score the fight 115-113 in his favour, Usyk retained his titles after the other two adjudged him to be the victor of an absorbing bout.

Joshua responded to the defeat in bizarre fashion, throwing the Ukrainian's belts to the ground before returning to the ring to give a speech in which he discussed his background and hailed Usyk's abilities.

Joshua, who has lost three of his last five fights, subsequently declared: "When you're angry you do stupid things."

On Sunday, he moved to explain his actions.

"I wish Oleksandr Usyk continued success in your quest for greatness. You are a class act champ," he wrote on Twitter.

"Yesterday I had to mentally take myself into a dark place to compete for the championship belts! I had two fights, one with Usyk and one with my emotions and both got the better of me.

"I'll be the first to admit, I let myself down. I acted out of pure passion and emotion and when not controlled it ain't great.

"I love this sport so so much and I'll be better from this point on. Respect."

Usyk declared a desire to face Tyson Fury after sealing impressive back-to-back wins over Johsua, saying: "I'm sure he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. If I'm not fighting Tyson Fury, I'm not fighting at all."

The two Britons are set for a blockbuster heavyweight showdown at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, with Whyte earning a shot at the undefeated Fury after knocking out Alexander Povetkin.

Mandatory challenger Whyte was absent for the pre-fight news conference last month but appeared four days before the bout alongside Fury, who heaped praise on his opponent.

"We're going to treat you all to a hell of a barnstormer," Fury said on Wednesday.

"He's a good fighter. A good, strong, solid man. He has good punch with good power – he's knocked out a lot of men.

"He's definitely a man who needs a lot of respect and that's what I've given him by my training camp. I've trained as hard for Dillian as I have for [Deontay] Wilder, [Wladimir] Klitschko or anybody.

"I see the odds and laugh a bit because they're coming from people who don't know anything about boxing. This is heavyweight boxing. Anyone can win with one punch. 

"If I'm not on my A-Game, this guy will knock my head right off my shoulders."

Meanwhile, Whyte refused to explain his lack of attendance at the previous news conference, though he commented "there's two sides to every story" after Fury previously suggested his absence showed he was already "waving the white flag".

Whyte added: "You lot hear one side because they say a lot of things. Because I don't say anything, they say you're scared or hiding."

The commotion of the build-up aside, Whyte expressed his excitement for his shot at the world title in his home city of London.

"It means everything to fight in my own country, and for the world title. Wembley is not too far from where I'm from," he said.

"I'm ready to rock and roll."

Fury maintained his unbeaten record by knocking his fellow Brit out in the sixth round in front of a packed crowd of 94,000.

The 33-year-old reiterated that he was ready to quit after putting on another show in London.

Whyte, who did not feel the referee should have stopped the bout, is hungry for another shot at Fury.

He told Sky Sports: "I should have had time to recover and had time to go back to my corner. He [Fury] said he'll retire, but hopefully he doesn't retire because I want another go."

Asked what Fury had said to him after the fight: Whyte revealed: "He said 'you're a good fighter, you're a true warrior and you'll be world champion one day,' I'm not a sore loser. You win some you lose some, this is life, this is boxing.

"I showed up and I fought and I gave as many problems as he gave me. It wasn't as if it was a one-way street.

"I'm not one of those guys that want to go out on a loss or a bad performance. I'm still young enough, I've still got a lot left in me. I still feel strong, I'm still getting better. I fought the best in the world and wasn't outclassed.

"He's a bit taller than me, the range is a bit tricky obviously and with the style, it's hard for guys to prepare for him because he's awkward in the way he fights.

"Had I got beat up for four or five rounds and got completely outclassed it may have been time to call it a day, but I wasn't outclassed and it's not a long, hard road back because I showed the level I am.

"We obviously sold 90-something thousand tickets together, it's not him or me alone. I had the value going in before, I'd had loads of pay-per-view fights before and good fights. I'm still here, I'm still good enough, so one fight and I'm back."

McGregor has not competed since his TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in UFC last July, when the 33-year-old broke the tibia and fibula bones in his left leg.

The Irish fighter, who has a 22-6-0 MMA record, was tipped by UFC president Dana White in March to make his return from injury later this year.

McGregor also made his only appearance in a boxing ring to date back in 2017, losing to Floyd Mayweather Junior by virtue of TKO, but is keen to box again when fit to do so.

While attending qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, McGregor insisted boxing fans would see more of him when he reaches full fitness.

"Boxing is my first love in combat sports. I had such a great time the last time I was out there," he told Sky Sports on Saturday.

"Obviously, my return will be in the octagon for UFC – that story is from over, in fact it's just being written, it is just the beginning.

"But, boxing, for sure I will grace the squared circle again in the future.

"The body is doing good. We are going to up the training bit by bit. I have another CT scan in the coming days, and then I will be clear to kick. Once I can kick and grapple, I will be back in no time.

"Boxing training is going well, [and] strength training. I am excited to get back."

Meanwhile, McGregor suggested Anthony Joshua will struggle to regain his belts in his upcoming rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, due to the strength of the heavyweight division.

Joshua lost his WBA, WBO, and IBF titles to the Ukrainian last September, and a date and venue for the duo's next bout is expected to be fixed in the near future after Usyk began preparing for the match.

"It didn't go so well the last time. It's a tough ask," he said of Joshua's prospects.

"AJ is a good guy and I wish him well. Usyk is a great guy as well and I hope for a good bout for both men. The heavyweight division is on fire at the minute. Good things are happening."

Fury puts his WBC heavyweight belt on the line against Whyte at Wembley Stadium on April 23.

Despite the magnitude of the all-British bout, however, Whyte snubbed the chance to face the media on Tuesday.

According to reports, Whyte chose to remain at his training camp in Portugal instead.

That gave Fury free rein to speak, and he took that opportunity before capping off his appearance by facing off against Whyte's poster, in lieu of the man himself.

"I'm looking to show the people and the boxing fraternity how good I really am," said Fury, who defeated Deontay Wilder in their trilogy fight last year.

"And what better opponent to do it against than against a guy who’s been calling for it for 352 years. He finally gets his shot, on the biggest stage, against the biggest champion, on the biggest night.

"I will not fail. I'll show you how great I really am.

"I beat men like him seven days a week and 62 times on a Sunday and I'm going to prove that to you come April 23."

Whyte, who has won 28 of his 30 professional fights, comes into the clash on the back of his TKO victory over Alexander Povetkin, who defeated "The Body Snatcher" in 2020.

But Fury suggested his opponent had shown weakness by failing to attend the media gathering.

"He has definitely shown a white flag today," Fury said. "All this social media stuff, 'I'm not promoting the fight, I'm not getting involved in mind games'. He's given me that much more confidence - it's unbelievable.

"He's terrified. He's definitely showing the white flag in my estimation of this fight.

"The way he's going on about it, saying he doesn't want to go face-to-face, of course he doesn't, because he'll see that fire in my eyes and he'll think, 'I'm getting smashed to bits'.

"That's what it is, it's fear, it's terror. It's all of the above and I don't blame him for not being here today."

Fury delivered a brutal sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte at a packed Wembley Stadium to retain his WBC heavyweight title back in April.

Either side of the all-British fight, Fury repeatedly stated his desire to retire and maintained his career was over after remaining unbeaten in 33 fights.

The 33-year-old has since reiterated he is "very happy" out of the ring after the WBC stated it wanted clarity over the world heavyweight champion's future.

But Fury has backtracked on his initial standpoint, suggesting he would face the winner of Usyk and Joshua's September 21 rematch in a unification bout for the right price.

Asked on talkSPORT whether the reports were true he had offered to train Joshua before his clash with Usyk in Saudi Arabia, Fury responded: "I'd train him to beat Usyk very easy, but he doesn't want my help because I would definitely train him to win and he obviously doesn't wanna win.

"I wouldn't tell you [the game plan] because that's giving the secrets away. But probably you'll see what I'll do.

"Because when this little middleweight batters the bodybuilder again, he's gonna lose again, then they're gonna call for Achilles to come out. They will call and groan for Achilles to come back.

"And I'm gonna say, 'Get f***ed, I'm retired, I don't wanna fight'. And then, when they're begging me to come out of retirement, I will return, but it's gonna be very costly like I said.

"I'll show you how to deal with a middleweight!"

While Fury referenced a significant payday to entice him to fight Usyk, he claimed he would face Joshua on for free at Wembley should he win the bout against the Ukrainian.

"Anthony Joshua's a s***house and I'll knock him out," Fury added. "If he beats Usyk, he's gotta fight me for free in England, for the fans.

"Not for hundreds of millions abroad in a foreign country, here, in the UK. Free-to-air TV, free tickets, sell out Wembley. It'll be watched by 30 million people for free.

"No pay-per-view. No money earned. We do this one for the fans of the UK. Let's see who's the real man of the people.

"I know I am, that's why I'm willing to do it for free in the UK, but he will not wanna do that, he'll wanna travel abroad because he's a businessman and I don't give a f*** about business."

Fury's next bout is due to be another rematch with Deontay Wilder later this year, while Joshua was set to fight Kubrat Pulev on June 20 but that was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With uncertainty over when major sporting action can resume amid the COVID-19 crisis and Wilder recovering from bicep surgery, there has been increased talk of an all-British showdown between Joshua and Fury coming next.

Joshua regained the IBF, WBA and WBO titles in Diriyah last December, where he avenged his shock loss to Andy Ruiz Jr with a lopsided points triumph, and Fury says he would be willing to fight anywhere if the finances are right.

The WBC champion told ESPN: "I'll fight in Timbuktu if the money's right. I have a bag and I will travel."

Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, confirmed negotiations with Fury's representatives MTK Global have taken place.

"We're talking to MTK about where that fight would take place," he told ESPN. "At the moment, the main focus for everybody [is] the contractual situations."

He added: "The conversations between myself and MTK are that we've had an approach. We've had a number of approaches from territories to stage that fight.

"So the only discussions at the moment are where this fight takes place - and we don't even know when this fight could take place.

"We're certainly open to have discussions about the possibility of this happening this year or in the next fight.

"There's more chance at the moment that the bigger money could come next year because we don't even know if we can do live crowds in November, December."

Promoter Eddie Hearn is in the process of organising virtual press conferences between fighters who never met in the ring.

Froch and Calzaghe were both super-middleweight world champions in the previous decade, though the latter's decision to move up to light-heavyweight meant an all-British bout never materialised.

Two-weight world champion Calzaghe, now 48, retired in 2008 with an undefeated 46-0 record and the fact he never faced Froch still rankles with a man six years his junior.

Speaking on his podcast, Froch said: "Eddie Hearn sends me a message saying, 'I'm doing some virtual press conferences, I'm thinking about getting you and Calzaghe on.'

"I thought, 'He's probably not gonna get Calzaghe on, he probably won't fancy it.'

"I said to him, 'Forget the virtual one, we'll do the press conference, but if we can get him out of retirement, I fancy a bit of that.'

"I've always said I'll come out of retirement for the right dance partner. Obviously, I'm not gonna jump in there with a current world champion who's been active, but someone like Joe Calzaghe, I mean, I'm not being funny.

"I don't wanna be horrible or disrespectful in any way, but it's gonna sound like I am, even though I'm not, but have you seen the state of him?

"Have you seen the size of his head? I don't know why it's swollen up so badly. He looks like he's got high blood pressure. He looks a bit of a mess.

"So if he agreed to give me a fight, to come out of retirement, because of my cheek, and because of the way I'm speaking about him, then I'd definitely fancy a bit of that.

"But he ain't gonna wanna come out because he knows he'd get absolutely flattened, because I'm in good shape."

Froch, whose last fight was a victory over George Groves at Wembley in 2014 that left him with a 33-2 record, added: "I always give Calzaghe credit. He was a great fighter, really tough, unbeaten in 46 fights.

"He's never, ever given me any props at all. And for that I'd love to punch him in the face really hard."

Calzaghe has spoken openly about his mental struggles since retiring.

His father and former trainer, Enzo, died in 2018 and the Welshman described coping with his loss as "hell". Calzaghe's mother, Jackie, died in February.

A sixth-round TKO issued a hammer blow to Joyce's heavyweight title ambitions, relinquishing his WBO interim belt after a commanding display by 39-year-old Zhang.

Pre-fight build-up largely orientated around what lied beyond the Chinese fighter for Joyce, who was in line for a shot at Oleksandr Usyk's belts with his position as the WBO's mandatory challenger.

However, he was third for that shot due to the rotational system in place among boxing's governing bodies, and his defeat has now knocked him out of the queue entirely.

The manner of Joyce's loss will be of the most concern, as Zhang issued consistent punishment to the Brit, particularly around the left eye – which eventually forced referee Howard Foster to bring the contest to a halt.

Though expressing regret at his display, Joyce vowed to return after issuing an apology to his fans.

"I'm just disappointed with my performance, I think the right hand he kept hitting me with I couldn't get out of the way," he told BT Sport.

"Respect to Zhilei Zhang, it was a good fight but I think I could have done better, I think because I haven't fought a southpaw for so long.

"Credit to him because he was a good fighter, and I gave it my all. I think I could do better but it's just disappointing.

"I just couldn't get away from his left hand, I kept on getting hit so I was disappointed, and I'd like to apologise to all of my fans and supporters.

"But I also want to thank you for coming down here, I'll be back, my journey's not over this is just a hurdle I may have tripped over so I'll be back."

A rematch against Zhang remains a likely priority, particularly with other mandatory challengers due to get their shot at the titles first, and Joyce suggested he could take another fight before settling the score.

"We're going to discuss it," he told the BBC. "I could have one in between. I'm just going to decide. I'm going to have some time off and reflect and watch the tape back and see where I went wrong."

The British heavyweight vowed to follow the lead of the likes of brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko and Oleksandr Usyk if his homeland issues a call to arms.

WBC champion Fury said he would be "first in line" if civilians were to be conscripted.

Vitali Klitschko is mayor of Kyiv, while his brother and fellow former world heavyweight champion Wladimir has joined a territorial defense brigade. Usyk, a reigning world heavyweight champion, has also signed up, as has fellow star boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Fury said in a news conference on Tuesday: "Fantastic. I'll be the first one to join up if England get involved or America. I'll be first in line for the job.

"My dad will as well, me and all the boys will be signing up to defend. So that's what I've got to say.

"If you're from that country and living there, defend it. Love your woman and fight for your country, that's what I say."

Fury puts his WBC heavyweight belt on the line against Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium on April 23.

It remains to be seen when the likes of Usyk and Lomachenko become available to resume their sporting careers

Frank Warren, Fury's co-promoter, said: "Everybody should be absolutely pulling for Ukraine, standing up to the bully, standing up for democracy.

"Those four fighters, everybody should be behind them. It's magnificent what they're doing."

Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, this week stated the English duo could do battle in a much-anticipated unification before the end of 2020, amid talk that Deontay Wilder may pull out of a trilogy fight with Fury.

A fight with mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev is due to be WBA, WBO and IBF champion Joshua's next assignment, while Fury is contracted to face Wilder for a third time.

WBC champion Fury and Joshua verbally agreed to two fights next year during a coronavirus crisis that has caused uncertainty over scheduling.

Joshua is focused on overcoming his next hurdle in the form of Pulev, but already has in mind how he plans to defeat compatriot Fury.

He told Capital Breakfast: "I've got a winner's head on my shoulders, so I'm going in to win.

"You know, you work Tyson's body, I know certain shots that he's vulnerable to as well, so I kind of create those opportunities as well. With a winner’s head on my shoulders I'll go in there and I'll do whatever it takes by any means really."

Joshua knows both he and Fury have "banana skin fights" to get through before they can finally meet.

He added: "We've got to put them on an equal playing field because if I say 'I've got the bigger test' or 'he's got the bigger test', you never know what's going to happen.

"They're both banana skin fights. It's like 'get past this one then there's the big one next', so this one is just as important as the big one.

"When the time is right we'll fight. We're keen but I've got Kubrat Pulev first which is a mandatory defence, which I have to do. Once I get past that I'm a free agent.

"I'm going to say we'll fight next year but everything else that comes with it, I've just got to put to the back of my mind and just focus on Kubrat Pulev. Once I get past him, hopefully Fury will be the next one in line."

The light-middleweight from Liverpool was in top form in New York, largely dominating Vargas before the fight was eventually stopped in the 10th round.

The crowd were mainly in the corner of Smith, with the fight part of the undercard for Katie Taylor's victory against Amanda Serrano.

Speaking to Matchroom Boxing after the win, Smith was grateful for the support he received, though admitted he was not entirely satisfied with his performance.

"Obviously it feels good," he said. "The whole occasion, the whole set-up, the reception I got in Madison Square Garden is one I'll never forget.

"It was not the greatest of performances to be brutally honest with you… but I said I'd break him and even though as I said, I wasn't up to scratch early on, I knew I'd get to Jessie and size would play a big part in it.

"He was slower than I thought. I thought he'd be very sharp early on and he was slower, but I was just waiting too long and when I got there to throw, he was just naughty with his head, he just come straight in.

"I'm surprised I was only cut twice as there was some bad clashes of heads in that fight. I just couldn't really get off early doors until he slowed."

The 33-year-old was asked if his cuts may have given Vargas some extra motivation as he fought back later in the contest.

"Yeah it did," Smith said. "Obviously anyone sees a bit of blood and you get a second wind, but I hit him with a body shot in seven or eight that he felt that. I think towards the end of nine he was on the verge of going, to be fair to him he aimed at a body shot, it was just a weird one that hurt me, so I just had to regroup a little bit.

"Then the bell went, and then round 10 I just put it right back on him, and I heard the referee saying to him 'show me something Jessie'."

When asked about what could be next for him, Smith refused to focus on one name, but put out more of an open challenge, saying: "I've always been open to any fight. I've chased names for years so it's pointless me mentioning [Kell] Brook, mentioning [Chris] Eubank.

"My phone's always on so anyone wants to fight, I've got my gumshield in my bag, I'll fight anywhere."

Elsewhere, Shakur Stevenson took Oscar Valdez's WBC junior lightweight title by unanimous decision at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

The win was the 18th of Stevenson's undefeated career, and despite an even first few rounds, rarely looked in trouble after countering an overhand left to drop his opponent in the sixth.

Taking advantage of the moment, Stevenson chose his post-fight interview to propose to his girlfriend, rapper Young Lyric, who said yes.

The undefeated Fury delivered a brutal sixth-round knockout of Whyte at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, and either side of the fight suggested he will call it a day on his career following the all-British bout.

Fury, 33, speaking on Piers Morgan's show 'Uncensored' on Talk TV, reiterated his desire to retire from boxing, despite speculation surrounding potential clashes with Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk.

Beaten challenger Whyte, who did not feel the referee should have stopped the bout, is also hungry for another shot at Fury.

"This is the truth, the gospel truth, nothing but the truth – I'm done," Fury said.

"Every good dog has its day and like the great Roman leader said, 'there will always be somebody else to fight'.

"When is enough, enough? I'm happy, I'm healthy, I've still got my brains and I can still talk. I've got a beautiful wife, six kids, I've got umpteen belts, plenty of money, success, fame, glory – what more am I doing it for?

"Boxing is a very dangerous sport. You can be taken out with one punch as we've seen on Saturday and it's one unlucky blow and you may not get up off that canvas.

"I'm quitting while I'm ahead, I'm undefeated and only the second man in history to retire as undefeated heavyweight champion.

"I'm very, very happy, very content in my heart with what I've done and what I've achieved."

Fury, should his claims prove to be true, will join American great Rocky Marciano as the only heavyweight champions to retire with an unbeaten record.

Questions persist whether Fury will face UFC star Francis Ngannou in a boxing-mixed martial arts exhibition event or reappear in professional wrestling after his WWE appearances in 2019.

Yet even if offered the mouth-watering prospect of fighting fellow Brit Joshua or Ukrainian Usyk – who are set to face off in a rematch for the IBF, WBO and WBA-Super belts – Fury insists he will not return to professional boxing.

"It's not worth it," he said. "I've got four young kids to raise and two older ones, I've been away for the last 10 years all over the world travelling for boxing.

"When do I get time to be a father, a husband, a brother, a son? I need this personal time. The fans will always want more, they're always baying for more blood, but at the end of the day I don't have any more to give.

"I've given everything I've got, I've been a professional for 14 years and been boxing for over 20 years.

"Every good dog has its day in the sun and my time is to go out on a high. I always said I wanted to walk away on top of the sport and do it on my terms and didn't want to be the person who said I should have been retired two years ago or whatever.

"They will not forget 'The Gypsy King' in a hurry – and no amount of material assets or money will make me come back out of retirement because I'm very happy."

All eyes were on Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, where all-time great Mayweather and YouTube-star-turned-prizefighter Paul sensationally shared the ring on Sunday.

The exhibition bout featured eight three-minute rounds, with no judges and no official winner, though knockouts were legal.

In the bizarre cross-over-fight, there were concerns for Paul – who had lost his only other bout heading into a blockbuster showdown with Mayweather, who retired with a flawless 50-0 record in 2017.

Mayweather – typically patient – controlled the fight against a visibly tired Paul, who had a huge height and weight advantage and managed to unleash a flurry of punches though they barely troubled the 44-year-old.

"I'm not 21 anymore but it's good to run around with these younger guys," Mayweather said afterwards.

"He's a tough competitor, it was good action, had fun, I was surprised by him. Good work.

"... I had fun, I'm pretty sure he had fun and hopefully fans enjoyed it."

Paul, 26, added: "I don't want anyone to tell me anything is possible ever again.

"The fact that I'm in here with one of the best boxers of all times proves the odds can be beat.

"... Floyd Mayweather it was an honour, I hate being a d******** I love you guys."

Almost a quarter of a century since part of his ear was bitten off by his American rival, Holyfield said he and fellow old-stager Tyson could get into the ring again for an exhibition fight.

Both men have in recent days declared they will pull the boxing gloves on again and fight, with 57-year-old Holyfield and 53-year-old Tyson having spent years in retirement.

Four-time world heavyweight champion Holyfield has not fought since May 2011, when he knocked out Brian Nielsen in his 57th professional outing, and he quit in 2014.

He intends to return to the ring to raise funds for charity Unite 4 Our Fight, revealing Riddick Bowe would be his preferred opponent.

But when asked about the prospect of facing Tyson again, Holyfield told TMZ Sports: "It wouldn't bother me to do so. I'm always thinking that the person who takes care of themselves well, they're the ones that tend to last even though I'm four years older than him. It would be no problem.

"My manager, he had talks and all that, but the fact is with me personally I think that's for me to ask; the only person I would actually really ask is Riddick Bowe because me and him are buddies."

Bowe, like Tyson and Holyfield, is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, and the 52-year-old has not fought since 2008.

Holyfield was asked about his relationship with Tyson, more than two decades on from the shameful scenes in Las Vegas that saw Tyson disqualified from their second world title fight, and said the pair now get along.

"I would think so," he said. "Life's about two people really trusting each other and what can we do now."

And Holyfield said the ear injury that Tyson inflicted on him was a reminder less of the bite, but of the $35million he said he received for that 1997 bout at the MGM Grand.

The first fight between the two in 1996 saw Holyfield stop Tyson in the penultimate round to win the WBA heavyweight belt, with the 1997 rematch going down as one of sport's most extraordinary occasions.

A Wilder-Fury trilogy has been touted after the latter stripped the American of the WBC title in February's rematch at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas after a draw in the first fight in 2018.

Wilder (41-1-1) has the right to a third bout against British star Fury (30-0-1) but, although December 19 was suggested as a possible date, nothing has been finalised.

There have been claims Wilder no longer has a contractual clause for the rematch, which would leave Fury free to face Anthony Joshua instead, but Wilder's co-manager Shelly Finkel told Sky Sports last week: "They are wrong, we will fight in December."

Yet Fury himself claims to be frustrated by attempts from Wilder's camp to push back the date for the bout.

"I was looking forward to smashing Wilder again. A quick and easy fight," he told The Athletic.

"But Wilder and his team were messing around with the date. They don't really want to fight the lineal heavyweight champion. They know how it ends. The world knows how it will end: with Wilder on his a** again.

"They asked me if I would agree to push it to December. I agreed to December 19. Then they tried to change the date again into next year. I've been training. I'm ready. When they tried moving off December 19 and pushing to next year, enough was enough. I've moved on."

Fury is apparently prepared to let Wilder "win a few fights" before facing him again.

He added: "I am the best fighter in the world. The lineal heavyweight champion. The two-time Ring magazine heavyweight champion. The WBC heavyweight champion. And before the end of 2021, I will be the only man on this earth with a heavyweight championship belt."

A deal for two 2021 fights between Fury and Joshua, who regained the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight world titles by beating Andy Ruiz in a rematch last December, was agreed in principle in June.

UK anti-doping (UKAD) announced the ban on Monday, having informed Khan in April 2022 that tests carried out following his defeat to Kell Brook returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) for ostarine.

Khan accepted the charges, though claimed his ingestion of ostarine was unintentional, and his case was heard by an independent panel in January and February.

While Khan's statement that digestion was not intentional was accepted by the panel, they deemed he must serve a two-year ban and his result against Brook was disqualified.

The former Olympic medal winner continues to protest his innocence, while questioning why a ban is needed considering he has already hung up his gloves.

"I've never cheated. I'm a retired fighter and, at the same time, you can see by my performance against Kell Brook, it wasn't the best, I lost the fight," he told Sky Sports.

"If I went in and knocked him out, it's different. I've never cheated in my life, I'm the one who wanted the testing on the fight, and the amount that was in my system could have been from shaking people's hands.

"I don't know what drug was in my system.

"I've never cheated in my life. I'm a retired fighter anyway, so it's quite strange and funny that they've banned me for two years, I'm already retired anyway.

"I've got no comeback plans. I've never cheated and I never will, it's not something I would do."

Khan's ban commenced on April 6, 2022 and will expire on April 5, 2024.