Boxing

Joshua regained the WBA, IBF and WBO belts from Andy Ruiz Jr in December, while Fury is set to meet WBC champion Wilder in a rematch on February 22.

Brit Joshua has recently suggested his camp has held discussions with Wilder's management over a potential meeting this year, which would come instead of a possible third bout between the American and Fury.

Warren, though, is adamant no talks have been held.

"I spoke to [Wilder's co-manager] Shelly Finkel [on Tuesday] and he denied it," Warren told ESPN.

"There's a rematch clause in the contract and the loser has the right to invoke that not long after the fight.

"That will determine what happens, not what [promoter] Eddie Hearn or Joshua says.

"It seems every time they mention these discussions they never think about the possibility of Tyson winning the fight with Wilder."

Joshua is reportedly set to face Kubrat Pulev, who is the IBF mandatory challenger, while a bout between the Briton and Oleksandr Usyk has been also been mooted.

But Warren is hopeful of bringing Joshua and Fury together for an-all British encounter, though he cited the "ego" of Hearn as a potential stumbling block.

"I would like to see Tyson in with Joshua straight away after February 22," Warren said.

"I don't think it's a difficult negotiation – we have just seen that with two networks in the United States agreeing to work with each other for Wilder-Fury II. The only thing that stops it is all of the ego with Eddie Hearn.

"I don't see why it should be a problem at all. It's a fight for the good of the sport that everyone wants to see. As long as Tyson wins his next fight, and Joshua wins his mandatory fight next, it can happen.

"It seems like everyone is looking for reasons why it shouldn't happen. Nearly every big fight we have got over the line. 

"Fury and Joshua are at their best, nothing is stopping it from happening except Joshua's people being afraid of their cash cow being beaten."

Brook warned Crawford he would make the unbeaten American quit on his stool in the Las Vegas bubble on Saturday.

Three-division world champion Crawford let his fists do the talking, catching Brook with a big right hand to send him staggering across the ring and into the ropes.

Brook was allowed to continue, but referee Tony Weeks soon stopped the fight after Crawford pounced on the stunned former world champion with a barrage of left and right shots.

While Brook gave credit where it was due to Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs), the 34-year-old suggested he should have been allowed to continue.

He said: "I obviously got caught with a shot I didn't see and the referee waved it off.

"I always said if I'm in a fight I want to go out on my shield but the referee thought I couldn't continue.

"Never in my career, nobody has ever done that to me in sparring or anything.

"I got caught with a shot I didn't see. I'm gutted because nobody could've got me in better condition. I was bang on the limit.

"Maybe I could've been a bit more relaxed and loose and let the shots go."

The undefeated WBC champion faces his British rival and mandatory challenger at the national stadium on April 23, in what he says will be the final fight of his 31–0–1 career.

Despite having previously compared their bout as "a Ferrari racing a Vauxhall Corsa" in March, Fury was complimentary of Whyte's prowess and 28–2 record ahead of their match.

"Whyte is a fantastic opponent," he told a pre-fight news conference. "He is the guy who has been mandatory for however long, the guy everyone has been avoiding.

"Nobody wanted to fight Dillian Whyte for whatever reason. He’s a vicious puncher, great puncher to the body, very compact, solid.

"He has a fantastic record of only two losses. The fight sold out in just a few hours, so it's a fight people are excited about, and I can't wait to put on a great show."

With 94,000 tickets reportedly sold for the sell-out event, Fury and Whyte's clash is set take the record for the most-attended boxing bout on British soil in history.

Indeed, it will come close to the all-time stadium record too, likely falling only short of Adele's 2017 concert residency, and Fury is happy to mix music metaphors into his showmanship.

"I am ready to rock ’n’ roll, man," he added. "It will be a performance for the ages — 94,000 people, the biggest sporting crowd they have ever had at Wembley.

"It's going to be an absolutely fantastic event, and I'm very much looking forward to it and to putting on a great show."

Poirier became the first man to knockout McGregor in mixed martial arts with a string of punches to the head during the second round of their lightweight bout in Abu Dhabi.

It was the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion's first fight in a year and his second since being submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018.

His bout with Nurmagomedov came after he switched to boxing to take on former five-division champion Mayweather, who came out of retirement and put his 49-0 record on the line.

Mayweather triumphed over McGregor by TKO in round 10, but the Irishman has been linked with a return to the ring to face Pacquiao – an eight-division champion and the WBA welterweight title holder.

However, it has been reported Pacquiao is closing in on an agreement with Ryan Garcia and McGregor's loss to Poirier will have done his chances of facing the Filipino no good.

Mayweather likened the prospect of Pacquiao, who he defeated by unanimous decision in their long-awaited welterweight bout in 2015, taking on McGregor as "my leftovers eating leftovers".

Sharing an image of a post asking why Mayweather is hated for the way he carries himself, but McGregor is loved for acting in the same manner, he wrote: "I seen this post and my take on it is that the world knows Con Artist McLoser can steal everything from me and be loved but I'm hated. That just lets you all know that racism still exist.

"Just know, that bum will never be me or be on my level. I'm just built different, my mindset is on another planet, my skills are second to none, I'm a natural born winner and yes I talk a lot of trash, but every time I back it up! This is what they hate.

"It's sad that you can be a poor black kid from the ghetto that has dealt with racism your whole life and work extremely hard to put yourself and your family in a better position, and most of the hate comes from my own people.

"Conor cannot even win in his own sport, but talking about coming back to boxing to fight Pacquiao. Nobody wants to see that, it's like my leftovers eating leftovers."

Prior to his fight with Poirier, McGregor said he was committed to a prolonged stint in the UFC's lightweight division.

Despite his loss, the 32-year-old said he feels there are still plenty of match-ups in the Octagon that interest him.

It was confirmed on Monday that Joshua will put his IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO belts on the line against 38-year-old Bulgarian Pulev in London.

Joshua lost his unbeaten record to Andy Ruiz Jr and then regained his straps by beating the Mexican since his last fight in his homeland against Alexander Povetkin at Wembley in September 2018.

A unification bout against Tyson Fury could be next if Joshua beats Pulev and his fellow Brit comes out on top in a trilogy with Deontay Wilder.

For the time being Joshua is relishing stepping into the ring for a first fight at the home of Premier League side Tottenham.

"On June 20, I am defending my heavyweight world titles. I'm back in my home city after some time away," he said.

"A spectacular stadium has been built in north London and I'm honoured to bring the boxing community from all over the world to witness us make history with the stadium's first heavyweight world title fight.

"The belts go back up in the air and nothing will stop me from being victorious."

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn said: "I'm so excited to see Anthony Joshua return to the capital, 70,000 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is going to be very special.

"2019 was a crazy year that had everything - the only thing missing was a UK fight and, as we go into what I believe will be the biggest year of AJ's career so far, all our attention turns to Kubrat Pulev in an absolute must-win fight.

"Pulev is undefeated in six years and his team – and especially Bob Arum [Top Rank CEO] – really fancy this. I think you are going to see something special from AJ on June 20 - a destructive performance on the road to undisputed."

Brook defeated Khan in Manchester on Saturday, securing a sixth-round stoppage in a highly anticipated grudge match between the British rivals.

A sixth career loss – and third defeat in his last six fights - left 35-year-old Khan in a reflective mood.

He bravely battled on when under constant attack from a dominant Brook but was ultimately soundly beaten.

"I've had 40 fights, winning two world titles, fighting in America and around the world," Khan said to Sky Sports. 

"I need to sit down with my family. But it is more towards the end of my career.

"The love for the sport isn't there anymore and, in the ring, I didn't have excitement and that push. That's maybe a sign that I should call it a day. But let's see."

Khan added at the post-fight news conference: "The first time I felt like this was when I fought Bud [Terence] Crawford. I felt like I just can't get in the groove. I thought maybe it was just because he was that good. 

"But [against Brook] I tried and I just couldn't really get in the groove.

"It's something to think about it, definitely. I've always said I don't want boxing to retire me, I want to retire from boxing before it does that. 

"Punishment like that, sometimes in boxing - I know I showed a big heart and took some big shots - but sometimes too much of that can be harmful in the future.

"I've done more than I ever expected. Maybe I peaked too early in my career, I was at the Olympics at 17, I won the world title at 22. 

"I want to spend time with my kids and my family. I want to be there for my family, I want to take them to school and be that father.

"I'm 35 now, I've been in the game a very long time, I'm an old man now."

Brook, meanwhile, felt the Khan camp had embarked on mind games. After hitting a 49lbs catchweight imposed by Khan, he was forced to change his gloves in the ring just before the action got under way.

"I had to put different gloves on," said Brook. "He said he wasn't happy with my gloves.

"In the final moment in the ring, they said they wouldn't pay me unless I put new gloves on. We did all his demands and there were the weight issues.

"I dealt with everything. They did it all week. They tried to get in my head. To poke at me. I even had someone knock on my hotel room door at 3am this morning to disrupt my sleep!

"But I took care of business."

Ultimately, though, the rivals embraced in the ring after the fight.

"I've always had respect for him," explained Brook. "But when I didn't get it back? It's hard to like someone.

"But he took shots and tried to hold on. I respect him for that. He said we can get a coffee after!

"I've always wanted to have the fight with Amir - this grudge match is the icing on the cake for me. I can live at peace with myself, with my career now."

Usyk kept hold of his WBA, IBF and WBO belts with a 14th knockout win in 21 fights, much to the delight of the large contingent of his fellow Ukrainians who have resided in Poland since Russian’s invasion of their country last year.

Dubois was the overwhelming underdog but he had tipped the scales on Friday almost a stone heavier than Usyk’s 15st and 10lbs frame, and the British boxer did himself justice with a battling performance.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared on the giant screens before the fight to deliver a rallying cry for his country in their war with Russia.

The crowd at the Tarczynski Arena chanted ‘Usyk, Usyk, Usyk’ as the action got under way with Dubois determined not to be overawed.

The 25-year-old Londoner tried to hold the centre of the ring but Usyk’s accurate jab saw him shade the opening round.

Dubois was more adventurous at the start of the second but was briefly set back on his heels by some powerful shots.

Usyk stayed on the outside to dominate the next two rounds but Dubois was proving many pre-fight predictions wrong by remaining in the contest.

Dubois caught Usyk with a low blow in the fifth that put the Ukrainian down but was deemed accidental.

While some observers might have considered the punch to be on the belt line, Usyk was given time to recover. But Dubois sensed this was his moment and the pair traded heavy punches.

The bad feeling between the pair was evident as the bell sounded and Dubois continued to focus on the Ukrainian’s body in the sixth.

Usyk upped the pace in the seventh, forcing Dubois to take a backward step and leaving the Londoner marked for the first time.

Dubois recovered in the eighth but in the final 10 seconds he was dropped to the canvas.

He managed to get back to his feet as the bell sounded but there was to be no respite for Dubois.

Usyk charged in again and put down Dubois again for the referee Luis Pabon to wave the fight off.

Dubois told talkSPORT: “It wasn’t to be my night. But that wasn’t a low blow, it was a body shot. I’m gutted.”

This month’s proposed undisputed world heavyweight fight between Usyk and Fury in Riyadh was postponed on Friday after the British boxer suffered a “freak cut” above his right eye in sparring.

It was the latest twist in a long-awaited saga to have all the belts on the line in boxing’s blue-ribbon division, but Usyk could still ensure the card goes ahead.

Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk confirmed on Saturday morning during an Instagram live that he is working on finding the Ukrainian a new opponent, with Filip Hrgovic being lined up due to the Croatian boxer being the mandatory challenger for Usyk’s IBF belt.

“Will Usyk be fighting on the 17th? We are working on that and in the next couple of days a final decision will be taken,” Krassyuk said.

“There is only one option because the IBF has sanctioned the undisputed fight on the condition that after this fight the champion has to fight the mandatory, which is Hrgovic. That means if the champion fights someone else, he will be stripped of his belt by the IBF.

“With Hrgovic, there is a slight chance.”

Fury apologised on Friday night after confirmation that his highly anticipated bout for all four major world heavyweight titles with Usyk had to be postponed.

The facial cut suffered by the ‘Gypsy King’ required medical attention and “significant stitching”, which rules out the possibility of a new date being quickly found.

Krassyuk added: “If we speak about undisputed, it is still a question whether it will happen some day at all?

“We have tried so many times to make it and the more people doubt it will ever take place.

“Let’s hope, let’s pray. Of course we wish Tyson a soonest recovery and hopefully next time nothing will stop him taking punishment from Usyk.”

The 26-year-old, who continued his unbeaten start to his professional career with a stylish victory over Khalid Graidia in February, returns to action on the undercard of Fabio Wardley v Frazer Clarke at the O2 on Sunday.

Ahead of his seventh professional bout, Olympic silver medallist Whittaker revealed some of the difficult choices he has had to make in his life away from the spotlight.

“Not many people have seen the sacrifices I’ve made,” Whittaker told the PA news agency.

“The little things like when I ran before school, my dad would wake me up in the morning for swimming.

“Even more recently leading up to the Olympics I had to miss my grandmother’s funeral and not a lot of people see that. It’s a sacrifice and it’s paying off.”

Whittaker has amassed over 1 million Instagram followers after his showboating antics last time out gained the attention of supporters.

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He reiterated that despite wanting to entertain, he is looking to “win by any means” this weekend.

“I’m professional so I know when and when not to do it and at the end of the day a win is all that matters,” Whittaker added.

“If I start hopping on one leg, doing flips and I lose, the fans will be entertained. You’ve got to win and that’s what I’ll do. Anything else is a bonus.

“I predict a win. A win by any means.”

The undefeated Whittaker faces Widnes fighter Willings, who has a 7-1 career record, in what will be his second fight of 2024.

The Midlands man believes his ability will be too much for his opponent in London.

“I’m as confident as ever,” he said.

“He’s young and hungry and he’s got a winning mentality but I believe I’m just levels above and that will show on Sunday.

“If you don’t have confidence in this game there’s no point being in it because it’s a dangerous sport. I get my confidence from the work I put in and I make it look so easy because I train two to three times a day and cut no corners.

“I’m better than him in all compartments.”

It was 30 years ago that the American powerhouse suffered a shock defeat to James 'Buster' Douglas, his perfect record ruined in stunning fashion.

The bout assumed top spot on the list of the greatest upsets in boxing history.

Here, Omnisport looks back on some of the sport's biggest surprises.

February 15, 1978: 'The Greatest' loses Spinks epic

Muhammad Ali was a 1-10 favourite when he first faced Leon Spinks, a man fighting professionally for only the eighth time, in Las Vegas.

After a titanic battle between boxing's biggest star and his unfancied opponent, Ali looked to have done just enough when the first scorecard was read out in his favour.

However, the two remaining judges decided Spinks was the winner, despite conceding almost two stones in weight to Ali. A rematch in September of that year produced the opposite result.
 

February 11, 1990: Iron Mike stopped by Buster Douglas

The Tokyo Dome played host to arguably THE biggest boxing upset in history, as Tyson lost his unbeaten record, which had read 37-0 with 33 KOs, to the unheralded Douglas.

Only one casino offered odds on Douglas winning the fight, his price a staggering 42-1. Yet that is what happened, with Tyson left to rue a lack of preparation for a contest he had presumed would prove a breeze.

'Iron Mike' was sent to the canvas in round 10, his aura of invincibility permanently shattered. In a tweet some 23 years later, Tyson, mastering the art of understatement, called it a "bad day at the office".

April 22, 2001: Rahman rocks Lewis

Hasim Rahman spent a month in South Africa, training at high altitude, ahead of his heavyweight world title fight with Lennox Lewis in Gauteng. In contrast, reigning champion Lewis was there only half as long, instead training in Las Vegas so he could film scenes for a cameo appearance in Ocean's Eleven.

Like Tyson before him, Lewis would pay a heavy price for his apparent over-confidence, as Rahman secured a spectacular knockout victory in the fifth round.

A subsequent rematch saw Rahman beaten in four, with a fiercely focused Lewis earning redemption.

March 8, 2003: Sanders dethrones Klitschko

Corrie Sanders was not expected to trouble WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko on German soil, yet the South African sensationally tore up the script.

Sanders caught the great Klitschko with a left hand late in the first round and knocked him to the canvas another three times in the brief but dramatic bout.

There were boos from an expectant crowd when Klitschko was stopped early in the second, with Sanders having only fought three rounds since being knocked out by Rahman in 2000.

June 1, 2019: Ruiz stuns Joshua

A late replacement, Ruiz shattered Anthony Joshua's American dream - and in the famous boxing venue of Madison Square Garden, too.

The portly California-born pugilist lived up to his nickname of 'The Destroyer', picked himself up off the canvas after being floored by Joshua to put the champion down twice before the end of an eventful third round.

Joshua gathered himself and kept on fighting, but Ruiz knocked him down twice early in the seventh before referee Mike Griffin stopped the fight with the Englishman back on his feet but looking shell-shocked.

Hatton, breaking from his trademark brawling style in his first fight under new trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr, was a different class against the slick but light-punching Malignaggi.

The victory took Hatton’s professional record to 45-1 (32 KOs) in the same ring he had suffered his only defeat almost a year earlier, a 10th-round stoppage by Floyd Mayweather Jr at welterweight.

This time it was Hatton, 30, bringing proceedings to an early halt as referee Kenny Bayless stepped in to record a TKO verdict when Malignaggi’s corner retired their man 28 seconds into the penultimate round.

“I think bearing in mind I’ve only done seven weeks with Floyd, I showed the changes that we’ve been working on,” Hatton said, after defeating Malignaggi.

“I don’t think you’ve seen Ricky Hatton move his head as much or jab as much. Sometimes the red mist set in and I put my foot on the gas but Rome wasn’t built in a day and I think with the changes that me and Floyd have been working on what I did tonight was quite impressive.

“So I’d like to thank Floyd for bringing back my hunger for the game.”

Hatton only fought twice more after that victory, losing to Manny Pacquiao six months later before ending his career three years later following a loss to Vyacheslav Senchenko.

Haye took victory with a majority points decision in Nuremberg, winning the fight on two judges’ scorecards, with the other scoring it even.

The then 29-year-old took the win despite being seven stone lighter than the 7ft ‘Beast from the East’, who had gained the WBA title for a second time with victory over John Ruiz a little over a year earlier.

Haye’s superior speed showed over his 36-year-old opponent and he became the first Briton to hold a world heavyweight crown since Lennox Lewis retired in 2003.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Haye, who followed Evander Holyfield to become only the second former cruiserweight king to win a portion of the heavyweight crown.

“From when I was a baby, I said I would be the heavyweight world champion.

“I’ve fought the biggest heavyweight champion and caught him with big shots.

“I made him look like an amateur. People doubted my skills, but I did enough to win.”

Remarkably, Haye managed to delight a sizeable British contingent in a 10,000 crowd at the Nuremberg Arena with a suspected broken right hand, which trainer Adam Booth said gave way in the third round.

Haye seemed to tire in the seventh round but he hurt Valuev in the eighth with a huge body shot and almost floored his opponent with yet another vicious left-right combination in the final round.

Haye, who was awarded the fight 116-112, 116-112, 114-114, became only the third Briton to win a world heavyweight title since Bob Fitzsimmons lost his crown to James J Jeffries in 1899.

He promised to “clean up the division” but, after making successful WBA title defences against John Ruiz and Audley Harrison, he lost a unanimous points decision to Wladimir Klitschko in their unification showdown in July 2011.

Bidding to take the IBF and WBO belts from Klitschko to add to his own WBA title, Haye failed to make much of an impression in what was a much-hyped fight in Hamburg and claimed he had broken a toe after the match.

The judges scored the bout 117-109, 118-108 and 116-110 all in favour of ‘Dr Steelhammer’, handing Klitschko an easy victory after 12 rounds on a rainy night at the Imtech Arena.

In the pre-match build-up, Haye called Klitschko a “fraud” and “not tough enough” and claimed the Ukrainian looked “beaten and broken” before he even stepped into the ring for “the biggest fight in boxing”.

The then 30-year-old had predicted a straightforward win inside the distance but the outcome was far from it as German-based Klitschko outboxed his opponent in a highly-professional performance.

Haye previously spoke of retiring in glory before he turned 31 but defeat ended those dreams and was a disappointment to the 10,000 Britons in the 45,000 crowd.

Haye said after the match: “I broke my toe on my right foot.

“I couldn’t push off the right foot to throw the right hand.

“I thought adrenaline would get me through it but it was tough. It’s incredibly frustrating.”

Chisora took Klitschko the distance over 12 rounds, but the bout was littered with controversy before and after.

The then-28-year-old Chisora slapped Klitschko the day before their meeting at the weigh-in and the ill-feeling continued up until the first bell with a row over the Londoner’s hand wraps.

Chisora was booed into the ring and immediately aimed to get into his opponent’s face as soon as Klitschko entered after spitting water in his brother’s direction when the introductions were made.

More unsavoury scenes followed after the fight as the evening took another ugly turn when Chisora clashed with fellow British heavyweight David Haye, sparking a brawl which left Haye’s manager Adam Booth with a facial cut.

Chisora showed aggression and punch resistance in the ring, but Klitschko remained in control throughout and dominated in the opening rounds.

The Briton landed a couple of good shots in the seventh, but the Ukrainian responded with a blow near the ear which was the first time Chisora looked hurt and he landed another powerful punch the following round to exercise his authority.

Chisora kept battling until the final bell, where a unanimous verdict was announced in Klitschko’s favour with scores of 118-110 twice and 119-111.

“First of all I’m very happy to defend my title. It was not an easy fight,” Klitschko said post-fight.

“It was a good performance from Chisora, he was very motivated, putting me under pressure throughout the 12 rounds.”

Regarding the incidents in the build-up to the fight, he added: “I have respect for Chisora as a fighter but I don’t have respect for him as a human.

“He showed a bad example for all boxing, for all fighters. He came from Great Britain but he’s not a gentleman.”

The then 33-year-old was told to think about ending his 11-year professional career after undergoing five hours of surgery in Germany in an attempt to reconstruct his right shoulder.

Haye had been due to face fellow Briton Tyson Fury in a rearranged bout in Manchester the following February, but was forced to cancel the fight for a second time, having previously pulled out of a September date due to a cut above his left eyebrow.

In a statement on Haye’s website, he said: “I genuinely believed the shoulder injury wasn’t that bad.

“But the doctor sent me for a detailed MRI scan and within 24 hours I was told the full extent of the damage. Twenty-four hours after that I was in the operating theatre.

“It’s a crushing blow for me. I had big plans for next year and the ultimate goal was to win back the world heavyweight title, something my amazing fans deserve.

“What I didn’t anticipate was that this year would be the unluckiest of my career and that a number of injuries would disrupt my plans so much.

“Perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be. The boxing Gods keep hinting that maybe enough is enough and that it’s time to finally hang up my gloves.”

Despite the medical advice, Haye returned to the ring four years later with wins over Mark de Mori and Arnold Gjergjaj in 2016.

He had become unified cruiserweight world champion by stopping fellow Briton Enzo Maccarinelli in 2008 and beat Russian Nikolay Valuev for the WBA heavyweight title in 2009.

The Bermondsey fighter finally announced his retirement in June 2018 after back-to-back losses to Tony Bellew, walking away from the sport aged 37 with 28 career wins – 26 by knockout – from 32 fights.

Froch added to his victory in the initial bout in Manchester the previous November, in which he had recovered from a first-round knockdown and terrible start to stop Groves controversially in the ninth.

This time he finished the contest with a breathtaking eighth-round punch which knocked Groves out in front of a crowd of 80,000.

Froch said afterwards: “I showed tonight why I’m a four-time champion of the world, why I’ve defended my world title 13 times on the spin.

“I am amongst the best fighters in the world – that’s who George Groves was in there with tonight.

“The finish of that (fight) showed why I’ve mixed with the elite for many years and how hard it is to get to that level.”

He added: “I am feeling unbelievably elated. This is the best moment in the history of my boxing career.”

Groves made a solid start to the contest which began cagily, with neither fighter wanting to give anything away. Froch was patient, waiting for his opening and Groves struggled to keep pace as the fight wore on.

“I knew it was only going to take a couple of big right hands to the chin and I timed it perfectly,” Froch said.

Groves said: “It’s boxing and fair play to Carl, he caught me and I went down. Obviously I felt I was doing very well in the fight, I was in my groove and I was boxing well but it’s boxing.

“I’ll come back bigger, better and stronger. Ultimately I feel like I let myself down but congratulations to Carl, fair play, he got the punch.”

It proved the last fight for Froch – aged 36 at the time – before retirement, with him hanging up his gloves with a professional record of 35 bouts, 33 wins and two defeats, 24 of the victories coming by knockout.

Fighting at the home of his beloved Toffees, the Everton fan put on a show, claiming the belt with a third-round knockout.

Makabu had entered the fight as the bookmakers’ favourite and started well, sending Bellew to the canvas in the opening round with a left-hand shot.

However, the Liverpudlian quickly recovered with a barrage of combinations in the third round to floor Makabu.

The win meant Bellew won a world title at the third time of asking after previous bouts at light-heavyweight against Nathan Cleverly and Adonis Stevenson ended in defeat.

Bellew, who played ‘Pretty’ Ricky Conlan in Sylvester Stallone’s film Creed, admitted he had “achieved a dream”.

“I am Everton, and that’s why I got up. Nothing was going to stop me tonight,” he said.

“I’ve achieved a dream tonight, all those people who said I couldn’t do it, well I’ve done it. I’m world champion, that’s what I am!

“The last time I saw something like that I was in a Hollywood movie, now it’s real. I’ve lived the dream tonight. I am the best cruiserweight in the world, I have proven it tonight.”

Returning for the first time since his victory over Wladimir Klitschko, the then 28-year-old Joshua wore down his little-known French opponent – an injury replacement for Kubrat Pulev – with his advantage in size, muscle, speed and power to retain his undefeated record.

In front of a world-record indoor fight crowd of an estimated 76,000 inside the Principality Stadium, many thought Joshua would back up his famous win over Klitschko with another routine victory, but it was far from it as he was tested in one of his toughest fights to date.

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Joshua came into the fight over a stone heavier than Takam, weighing in at a career-heaviest 18st 2lb against his 16st 11lb opponent, and made much of his significant size advantage before he appeared to suffer a broken nose in the second round.

Joshua put Takam to the canvas in the fourth round and the latter was examined by the ringside doctor in the next after a significant cut appeared to open up by his left eye, an injury that would affect Takam throughout the fight.

The wound was looked at once again in the ninth round and the expected stoppage finally arrived after one minute and 34 seconds of round 10, but there were boos from the crowd, as many thought the fight was stopped too early.

Asked about the decision, Joshua said: “It was a good fight. I have no interest with what’s going on with the officials, that’s not my job.

“Unfortunately, the ref stopped it. I think people wanted to see Takam on the floor and I was getting there.”

Joshua went on to add the WBO belt with victory over Joseph Parker and successfully defend his titles against Alexander Povetkin before a shock loss to Andy Ruiz in June 2019 at Madison Square Garden.

Though he beat Ruiz in a rematch and followed up with a knockout of Pulev, back-to-back losses against Oleksandr Usyk left Joshua needing to rebuild his career at the top level.

The then 28-year-old retained his belts after twice knocking Povetkin down to the canvas.

The British fighter earned his 22nd consecutive victory and remained unbeaten despite having his nose broken by the Russian in the first round.

Joshua fought back to win after knocking Povetkin down in the seventh round. The Russian beat the count of 10 before Joshua delivered a combination of punches to finish the bout.

After the fight, Joshua said: “Alexander Povetkin is a very tough challenger, and he proved that. But I’ve come in here to have fun, do what I’ve been working on in the gym and give it my best.

“I realised he was strong to the head, but I know that he was weak to the body, so instead of jabbing to the head, I was switching it up. He threw a good right, but let’s not worry about that, that’s out of the way.”

Nine months after his victory over Povetkin, Joshua suffered his first shock defeat after being knocked down by Andy Ruiz Jr in the seventh round before winning a rematch.

Last month, Joshua, now 33, produced a thunderous seventh-round stoppage against Robert Helenius to stay on track for a future bout with Deontay Wilder.

It was Fury’s second fight following a self-inflicted absence in the 10-round contest against the German opponent, while Wilder was sat ringside at Belfast’s Windsor Park to watch the then 30-year-old ease to victory.

Time in the ring was important for Fury as ring-rust was to blame for a few momentary lapses in concentration. He sealed his 27th success from 27 bouts, winning 100-90 on the scorecard of all three judges.

Fury had already secured a fourth-round TKO win over Sefer Seferi in his first fight in nearly three years in June 2018, but he needed more rounds in the ring before agreeing to risky contest with Wilder.

Despite winning both bouts, those were the only fights Fury had with inexperienced trainer Ben Davison before his preparation for the world’s most dangerous heavyweight at the time.

In the first round, Fury showed his skills after being hit by a combination while trapped in the corner, but he remarkably manoeuvred his way out of it before finishing that particular exchange on top.

Fury promised to take Pianeta more seriously than his bout with Seferi, but that still contributed to him switching off and occasionally getting caught by the German.

In the fourth round, Pianeta connected with a left hook which Fury acknowledged with a nod of the head before he was again caught in the sixth with a right uppercut and further left hooks.

Fury continued to break Pianeta down, but he never really looked in danger of being knocked down in the bout. His lack of power was visible in the eighth round when a left hook, his best punch of the fight, did not trouble Pianeta.

The 25,000-strong crowd recognised the lack of drama by booing at the final bell, but their boos then turned to cheers when Wilder joined Fury in the ring to confirm their future fight.