Terence Crawford declined to commit to fighting Errol Spence Jr but is open to it after beating David Avanesyan with a sixth-round knockout shot to defend his WBO welterweight world title on Saturday.

Crawford was far too good for Avanesyan in Omaha, further enhancing the appetite for a unification showdown with IBF, WBA and WBC claimant Spence.

The 35-year-old southpaw reportedly agreed terms with Spence in September for a November fight which never materialised, while many expected Saturday's bout with WBO number six contender Avanesyan to be lopsided.

"Listen, I'm a free agent, this was a one-fight deal," Crawford said after Saturday's win when asked about the prospect of fighting Spence.

"Hopefully we can go [back] to the drawing board and these big fights come about in the near future."

Spence was involved in a two-vehicle accident on Saturday where he was not at fault but thankfully escaped relatively unscathed.

Crawford added about his rival: "I wish him well. I hope he’s alright - mentally, physically and emotionally. This is just a sport. We're all fighting for that number one spot, so it ain’t personal."

The American knocked Avanesyan out after a strong burst in the sixth round, landing a left-handed uppercut followed by a short left uppercut-right hook combination to seal victory.

The win meant the WBO world welterweight champion made his sixth straight defence and recorded his 10th straight knockout. It also improved his overall record to 39-0.

Tyson Fury issued a warning to Cristiano Ronaldo, insisting "no matter who you are, age will get you eventually".

The Portugal captain, who entered the World Cup fresh from his acrimonious departure from Manchester United, has scored just once in four appearances in Qatar.

That goal came from the penalty spot against Ghana in his nation's opening match.

Having been criticised by head coach Fernando Santos for his reaction to being substituted during the Group H clash with South Korea, Ronaldo was then dropped for Portugal's comprehensive 6-1 victory over Switzerland in the last 16.

After being left out of the starting line-up, A Selecao have subsequently strongly denied reports the 37-year-old threatened to quit the squad during what is likely to be his swansong at the finals.

Fury - the WBC heavyweight champion and a lifelong United fan - insisted he empathises with Ronaldo, who he feels is no longer at the peak of his powers.

The undefeated boxer drew comparisons with his iconic victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. 

"At the time, beating Klitschko was the Everest," Fury told talkSPORT. 

"I was the heavy underdog, people thought I was going to get smashed to pieces, and he was the unified champion for 11 years and at some point, he thought he was unbeatable.

"But I went over to Germany and beat him. In this game, it's not about how much better somebody is than the other person.

"A lot of it has to do with natural stuff, like age, and at 38 years old, you are on the decline - whether you want to admit it or not.

"If you look at Cristiano Ronaldo, he's 37 years old, he's had the best doctors, the best physiotherapists - he's lived like an egg in Mr Kipling's cake.

"But even Ronaldo is on the slide now.

"So even someone who has looked after himself like that, it catches up to you - so, imagine a boxer who has been punched to pieces for the last 20 years!

"The age factor will not wait for anybody, no matter how you've lived. 

"Whether you've never had a drink in your life, if you've never run on any hard surfaces, no matter who you are, age will get you eventually."

Ronaldo will hope to be reinstated to the starting line-up when Portugal face Morocco in the quarter-finals on Saturday, with his team aiming to reach the semi-finals for only the third time.

Anthony Joshua's camp are in discussions regarding a bout against Otto Wallin, the Swedish fighter's promoter has said.

Joshua seen his stock in the heavyweight division take a significant dip following back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk, leaving the Brit with only two wins from his past five bouts.

However, Joshua continues to be linked with top-tier opponents, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder among them, but taking on Wallin is set to be his next challenge.

Dmitriy Salita, who represents Wallin, believes the correct approach would be for Joshua to face his client, with the winner then going on to face either Fury - who is expected to meet in Usyk in an undisputed fight.

"I had discussions with Eddie [Hearn] about Otto for a significant amount of time and as late as last week," he told the Sun.

"From what I understand it's really up to AJ. I believe he wants to place himself back in the heavyweight picture.

"Both Otto and AJ want a shot at Fury. By the numbers Otto landed more punches on Fury then anyone else ever.

"I believe the winner of that fight will have legitimate claim to challenge Fury probably after his fight with Oleksandr Usyk."

A bout with Dillian Whyte has been touted as the next test for Joshua but that proposal has been slammed by Salita.

Salita.would instead prefer the Brit to face a rematch with Jermaine Franklin after a majority decision for Whyte at Wembley last month.

"Whyte is 1-2 and in reality 1-3 in his last four fights. A fight with Joshua would be something like Roy Jones vs Mike Tyson or Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor, big names but not much behind it at this point," he added.

"Even if it's not against Jermaine, Whyte needs an impressive showing against someone credible to show that he still got the skills to pay the bills at an elite heavyweight level.

"He had four wins after that including Dominic Breazeale and Travis Kauffman, both credible at time of his victory. Otto is number three in the WBO and is a bona fide top heavyweight in the world.

"There have been lots of big names thrown around with Joshua including Tyson and Wilder. How serious that is will depend on who he fights next."

A unification bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk would come at the "perfect time" for the sport if terms are agreed soon, says WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman.

The Briton downed Derek Chisora in the pair's trilogy bout on Saturday to maintain both the WBC title and his undefeated record.

Fury squared off with Usyk, who saw off Anthony Joshua for a second time earlier this year to retain his WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts, after his victory.

Previous hopes for a unification bout over the years have often been hindered by the contradictory mandatory challengers various governing bodies have in place, but Sulaiman is keen to see the pair cross paths imminently.

"This is a perfect time to do a unification," he told Sky Sports News on Monday. "At this time we have no mandatory contenders, so this is a perfect moment for the unification.

"Hopefully it will not get to that point [that we have another mandatory challenger] and the four organisations will accept to sanction the ultimate undisputed fight.

"Mandatories are a complicated process. Each organisation has their own rules, their own agendas, but the importance of this fight is far beyond any organisation.

"We're supporting it, and we'll do everything possible to make sure it takes place."

Fury has indicated he could fight fellow Briton Joe Joyce next, and though Sulaiman acknowledges he would not prevent such a bout, his priority remains setting a match up with Usyk.

Joyce has put together a series of impressive performances to move himself to the verge of title contention, and Sulaiman would not stand in the way of an all-British matchup with Fury.

"No [issue with a Joyce fight]. At this time, as I mentioned, we don't have the mandatory contender yet," he added. "As soon as we have one, we can set timelines. Our ultimate goal is to have a unification."

Tyson Fury took the opportunity to call out Oleksandr Usyk after his TKO victory against Derek Chisora at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Victory came in front of the Ukrainian at ringside, who holds the other three heavyweight belts, and it is widely expected that a unification fight is next on the agenda.

There has not been a unified heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis at the turn of the millennium and such a bout has evaded Fury in recent years, having seen an agreement to fight Anthony Joshua fall away after the pandemic.

Fury has made it abundantly clear on the next step he wants to take in his career, going face-to-face with Usyk in front of the cameras.

"Where's Oleksandr Usyk, the rabbit? You're next, you little b****, you're getting it," he said in the ring.

"15 stone little midget beat a bodybuilder [referring to Anthony Joshua], but I'm not a bodybuilder. I've already beaten one Ukrainian in [Wladimir] Klitschko. Let's get it on. I will end you. What you going to do? You're going to do f*** all.

"I can't wait. All these big fights have been evaded for so long, but they can't run away anymore. They can run but they can't hide."

Fury and Usyk were also joined in the ring by Joe Joyce, with the Gypsy King taking the opportunity to call out his compatriot as a future opponent.

"Why don't us three do a Royal Rumble?" Fury asked. "Big Joe Joyce is here, he's a warrior. Everyone else is scared of you, so if [Usyk] doesn't want it, let's me and you do Wembley.

"I want Oleksandr Usyk next. If not you, Joe Joyce. I've got some hand problems, I've got to maybe have some surgery on my elbow, but after that, I'm open to anyone.

"I had the left done after the [Deontay] Wilder fight, it will take about six to eight weeks to heal. We'll see when we can be ready, we will see when it can be made."

Speaking earlier in the night ahead of the Fury-Chisora fight, Usyk dubbed the potential bout between him and Fury as one that is clamoured for across the globe.

"The whole of Great Britain, the whole world, especially Ukraine, everyone wants to see this fight happen," he told Sky Sports.

Tyson Fury retained his WBC heavyweight title with a TKO victory against old rival Derek Chisora at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Meeting for their trilogy bout eight years after their last fight, Fury remained in control throughout, and it was only a matter of time until the end was called.

The referee called the fight in the 10th round for, although not a stunning victory, a win that again reiterated Fury's requirement for a different calibre of opponent to be truly tested.

With Oleksandr Usyk and Joe Joyce sat ringside, that could be right around the corner in 2023.

Fury and Chisora both promised to be aggressive and push for the knockout immediately from the first bell and were true to their word in the opening round, Chisora landing body shots and more connections than Fury, who had the more powerful swings.

Those strikes from Fury became more aggressive in the second round with a dominant flurry of strong hits, Chisora taking a lot of punishment in the corner, with the onslaught continuing into the third with a series of uppercuts from the champion.

A slower tempo of rounds followed, with Chisora running out of steam, and Fury using his height and weight advantage to lean on his opponent and tire his legs, putting Chisora on the ropes in the eighth as he increased the pressure.

Chisora was showing visible signs of damage at the end of the ninth, with swelling under his right eye, and Fury remained in control as the referee observed closely, looking for one more combination to call the fight, which came in the closing stages of the 10th to complete a routine evening for the Gypsy King.

Tyson Fury says he is "terrified" of hanging up his boxing gloves ahead of a trilogy fight with Derek Chisora

The WBC heavyweight champion will take part in his final bout of the year against his fellow Brit at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, with a potential unification fight against Oleksandr Usyk to come.

Unbeaten Englishman Fury has stated on several occasions that he had retired, only to unsurprisingly resume his illustrious career.

The 34-year-old cannot even bear to think about retirement as he prepares to try and defend his title once again.

"I'm terrified of it," he stated. "Hard is an understatement. I can't think of the most complex word to describe giving this up. It's more addictive than anything on the planet.

"I think going one-on-one with another highly trained athlete, you've got all the crowd there, the electricity of everything.

"While I'm not doing that, I'm just mundane. But as soon as I know I've got a fight coming up, boom, my eyes glow up. I feel a feeling inside of me bubbling [like] a pot that's on the simmer, boiling away. I just cannot wait to fight.

"It's really the competition that's the addictive thing, it's not the training. I used to think it was the training, but it's not because I was training every day [and] I wasn't happy.

"So it's definitely the boxing side of it. I believe when God's ready for me to move on and get out of boxing, I'll be shown a way out. And whatever I do next will be double as big as what I'm doing now.

"I'm just motivated by staying alive and keeping happy and healthy. This is what makes me happy and healthy - boxing - so that's why we're here."

Tyson Fury has been urged to show he is "brave enough" to take on Oleksandr Usyk in a fight that could end all arguments over who is the greatest heavyweight of their generation.

For now, Fury's focus is on putting his WBC belt on the line against Derek Chisora on Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

However, Usyk is eager to tackle the Briton and that fight could happen in the new year, if all parties can come to an agreement.

According to the 35-year-old Ukrainian's agent, Usyk would jump at the opportunity. Usyk, himself, has expressed similar sentiment, and Fury's next step after the Chisora fight, should he win that one, will be keenly watched.

Fury has described the prospect of facing Usyk in 2023 as "unlikely", suggesting he could instead undertake a world tour of one fight per month, in what he has labelled a "bum-a-month campaign".

Yet Fury's words and his actions do not always match up, so the right proposal might still tempt him to fight Usyk, who holds the WBA, IBF and WBO titles.

Indeed, Fury's co-promoter Bob Arum this week suggested an agreement for a showdown against Usyk could be made "speedily". 

Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk told Sky Sports: "Usyk, he's the kind of person who went through some big challenges in his life. He's not afraid of anything. He's seeking challenges himself.

"He has become the undisputed at cruiserweight. Before that he became Olympic champion, that was the challenge for him. Before that he became world champion in the amateurs, European champion, so he was overcoming step by step.

"Now he is one step to becoming the undisputed in the heavyweight division. So he can't miss this chance. He's not ducking anyone. Once you know in detail his biography you would hardly believe he could duck anything in his life."

A fight between Fury and Usyk could be a defining contest in the career of both men.

Krassyuk added: "We all hope [Fury] is brave enough to take this challenge, to accept the challenge of fighting a small 'middleweight' rabbit from Ukraine who's going to take his green belt away."

Tyson Fury returns to the ring on Saturday to face-off against old rival Derek Chisora in a bout where the talk strangely orientates around who is not there rather than the Gypsy King's actual opponent.

Having seen off Dillian Whyte in April, Fury set his sights on a 'Battle of Britain' clash against Anthony Joshua or a unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk, though was unable to secure an agreement with either.

Negotiations with Joshua fell flat and Usyk made it clear that he would not fight until 2023, leaving Fury in limbo and in a situation that reflects the messy scene at the top of the heavyweight division beneath the Ukrainian and the Gypsy King.

For all the clamour for a fight between Fury and Joshua, the latter struggled in consecutive losses to Usyk, with a previous defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 resulting in three losses in the past five bouts for AJ.

Deontay Wilder lost twice in succession to Fury, while Ruiz Jr has fallen since losing his rematch to Joshua, ultimately leaving Fury treading water and forced to wait for other up-and-coming heavyweights to boost their credentials.

Of those, Joe Joyce stands as the most likely to jump to the front of the queue to face Fury but the fight against Chisora presents a massive risk, not just to Fury himself but to the heavyweight division.

A loss, though unlikely, would leave the WBC heavyweight belt tied up for a rematch and fourth bout between Fury and Chisora, potentially pushing back a unification clash with Usyk or a fiercely anticipated meeting with Joshua even further.

Chisora is the big winner in these circumstances, as in reality a fighter with 12 career defeats, including three in a row before victory over Kubrat Pulev in July, would never usually be in contention for a belt of this magnitude.

While Chisora has shown his ability to take significant hits and damage, somehow going the distance in a loss to Joseph Parker in Manchester a year ago despite being knocked down on three occasions, few would give him much of a chance against Fury.

In the heavyweight division, however, it only takes one hit to end a contest and a knockout surely stands as Chisora's only route to victory – though his last came against Artur Szpilka in 2019.

In comparison, Fury has not had a fight go the distance since a unanimous decision triumph against Otto Wallin two years ago and will fancy his chances of another quick win.

Tyson Fury's co-promoter Bob Arum is confident an agreement for a fight with Oleksandr Usyk can be made "speedily" if the Gypsy King can see off Derek Chisora.

The WBC heavyweight championship will be on the line in Saturday's meeting at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the two Brits locking horns in a trilogy bout.

Few had this fight top of their wishlist, with fans instead keen for a unification bout against Usyk or a 'Battle of Britain' clash with Anthony Joshua.

However, a meeting with Usyk remains in the pipeline, Arum has said, though he has warned Chisora has the credentials to cause Fury problems.

"I don't see any reason why the Usyk fight with Tyson Fury can't be made speedily," he said.

"That fight will happen next unless Mr Chisora lands his punch. Don't discount Chisora. Chisora's a hell of a fighter. He has a tremendous punch.

"He gave Usyk life and death. You can't in this business count your chickens before they're hatched. Chisora will answer back. It's a great, great fight. It really has a lot of interest.

"Two big heavyweights getting in the ring trying to knock each other's head off. Nothing is more exciting."

Underdog Chisora is looking to make a statement with a knockout win against Fury and made it clear he will come out of the blocks flying with an aggressive approach in the opening rounds.

"On Saturday I'm going to go to war. There's no two ways about it. I want to take what's his and make it mine. Physically and mentally," he declared.

"I can guarantee you, you are going to love the whole show we are going to put up. It's not going to be stinker, it's going to be a great fight.

"We want to give you the best first round in the heavyweight game forever. We need the first round to be electric, so the place will be buzzing. "I'm prepared to do it. We shook on it."

Lionel Messi says he did not disrespect Mexico during post-match celebrations following Argentina's World Cup victory last week after incurring the wrath of Canelo Alvarez.

Messi helped Argentina bounce back from a shock opening defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia in Qatar with a 2-0 win at Lusail Stadium on Saturday.

Video footage appeared to show Messi catching a Mexico shirt with his foot in the dressing room after that win, prompting a furious response from Canelo, though the boxing superstar later apologised for his comments.

Messi does not believe he did anything wrong and has nothing to apologise for.

"It was a misunderstanding," he stated. "Those who know me know that I don't disrespect anyone. These are things that happen in the locker room after the game.

"I don't have to ask for forgiveness because I didn't disrespect the people of Mexico or the jersey."

Argentina wrapped up their Group C campaign with a 2-0 victory over Poland, with Mexico crashing out despite a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia.

Lionel Scaloni's side will face Australia in the round of 16 on Saturday.

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez has issued an apology to Lionel Messi after he accused the Argentina forward of disrespecting the Mexico flag in the World Cup.

The boxing superstar reacted furiously after a video from the dressing room following Argentina's 2-0 victory over Mexico appeared to show Messi catching a Mexico shirt with his foot during the celebrations, which was on the floor.

Canelo declared "I ask God that I don't find him" but, having attracted criticism following his comments, has now backtracked and issued an apology to the Argentina captain.

"These last few days I got carried away by the passion and love I feel for my country and made comments that were out of place for which I want to apologise to Messi and the people of Argentina," he posted on Twitter. "Every day we learn something new and this time it was my turn.

"I wish both teams much success in their matches today and here we will continue supporting Mexico until the end."

Both sides went into the final round of matches in Group C with hopes of advancing to the knockout stage of the competition, with Argentina tackling Poland and Mexico taking on Saudi Arabia.

Tyson Fury conceded a fight with Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua in 2023 appears unlikely after detailing his plans for next year's schedule.

WBC champion Fury will defend his title at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday against Derek Chisora, who has lost twice already against the 34-year-old.

Chisora comes in as somewhat of a replacement clash for Fury after the 'Gypsy King' repeatedly declared his desire to face Usyk or Joshua.

While the unbeaten Fury still seeks an undisputed heavyweight bout with Usyk or an all-British showdown with Joshua, he conceded both fights remain a pipe dream at present.

"Probably not, because they are all bums, we will see," Fury told Sky Sports when asked about the two potential clashes.

"I am not going to count my chickens at all, but we will find out next year what will happen.

"If you see me in Antarctica doing a fight, you know I am on my bum-a-month campaign."

Instead, Fury – perhaps somewhat in jest – claimed he intends to fight around the globe in 2023 as he prepares to discuss his plans with promoter Frank Warren.

"I think I would like to do 12 fights next year, do like a bum-a-month campaign all over the world," he added.

"I am going to sit down with Frank Warren after this fight and see what we can do, see if we can do a bum-a-month campaign and go to random places and fight someone.

"Go to India, go to China, go to Australia, go to Indonesia, go to Africa, just fight local people. You have a heavyweight guy there? Yeah, let's fight him.

"Have a chance to fight for the World Championship like Rocky did in Apollo."

Canelo Alvarez has issued a warning to Lionel Messi as he accused the Argentina forward of disrespecting the Mexico flag following Saturday's World Cup clash.

Argentina kept their hopes of being crowned champions alive with a 2-0 victory over Mexico, Messi scoring the opening goal with a sublime finish from outside the penalty area.

Messi has incurred the wrath of boxing superstar Canelo after footage emerged of the Argentina captain with either a Mexico shirt in front of him on the floor in the dressing room during the post-match celebrations.

As  Messi pulled off his boot, he appeared to have caught the shirt with his foot and Canelo was not impressed.

"Did you see Messi cleaning the floor with our shirt and flag ???? I ask God that I don't find [him]!!" he posted on Twitter.

The Mexican fighter added: "Just as I respect Argentina, you have to respect Mexico!! I'm not talking about the country [Argentina] I’m talking about Messi because of the b******* he did.

Canelo wrote in another social media post: "Since the Mexico shirt is on the ground, it's already an insult. Stop b*******ing about what was or wasn't."

Argentina go into their final Group C game against leaders Poland knowing a win will put them into the round of 16, while a draw will be sufficient if Mexico draw with Saudi Arabia.

Mexico need a win to have any chance of progressing, while they also need a helping hand from Poland. 

Thirteen persons trained as boxing officials graduated from an intensive three-week course at the G.C Foster College on Tuesday and some are set to get their first jobs on a 10 fight-card to be staged this Friday under the Jamaica Boxing Board’s Gloves Over Guns initiative.

Twenty applicants had enrolled in the course that ran from October 13 to November 5. However, six men and seven women completed the course. It was the first time that this many women were being trained as boxing officials in Jamaica.

"We covered the duties and responsibilities of referees and judges.  We looked at things the referee should do before the bout, during the bout and after the bout,” said Kevin Stupart, AIBA certified instructor, who conducted the course.

“The reason we broke that down into three segments was for ease and simplicity in terms of teaching it and letting them understand the different fundamentals as it relates to boxing officiating."

Toniann Lindsay, one of the graduates expressed her satisfaction at being able to complete the intensive course.

 "I wanted to be one that passed. I didn't want to be come through and drop out because it wasn't just 13 of us that started the course but 13 of us finished strong,” she said.

“We learned a lot in this course.  We learned the roles and responsibilities of both being a judge and a referee.  It was a very interesting course and I am so elated to be here right now at this ceremony collecting my certificate.  (I) look forward to Friday as we will also be displaying what we have learnt.  I just want to thank everyone who made this possible."

Jamaica Boxing Board President Stephen 'Bomber' Jones and Chester McCarthy, Athletic Director at GC Foster College both welcomed the first cohort of trainees.

“This will first of all allow us to have more activity on the same evening or closer bouts, week to week as we are looking to have closer bouts now,” Jones remarked.

“It will open our minds, expand our thinking as we try and get into high school boxing where we could have officials at multiple venues. Now that we have 13 officials graduating, its huge.  The graduates are very excited.  They are young, enthusiastic and they are willing to work so starting from this Friday they will be in the ring.”

McCarthy, meanwhile, expressed similar sentiments.

"I am extremely elated for the primary reason that this is the first time in five or six years that we have been able to train a fresh set of officials for boxing here in Jamaica,” he said.

It’s an extremely good feeling to have partnered with the Jamaica Boxing Association to train these youngsters."

 Come Friday, there will be nine amateur fights and a professional fight between Jermaine 'Breezy' Richards and Mason 'Common Fowl' Brown.