Olympic champion Anthony Joshua on Saturday defeated former kickboxer Dillian Whyte to take the British heavyweight boxing title with a bruising seventh-round knockout and to edge closer to a possible shot at the world crown.
The 26-year-old took his record to 15 knockouts in 15 fights since turning professional after winning 2012 Olympic gold in London.
Joshua’s latest win raises the prospect of a clash with WBO and WBA heavyweight champion Tyson Fury if his fellow British fighter beats Wladimir Klitschko in their world title rematch.
Photo: Reuters
“Yes I enjoyed it, more because it was about bragging rights,” said Joshua, who had lost to Whyte in 2009 during their amateur careers.
“There had been a lot of talking, all the way back since 2009. We’d been patiently waiting for this moment and I enjoy being victorious and showing that talk is cheap, you have to back it up when you’re in the ring,” he said.
“He was tough, there were times when I hurt him in the first round and he hurt me in the second. It was a matter of who had that little more grit, determination and skill,” Joshua added.
Saturday’s fight was the first time Joshua had been taken beyond three rounds in his professional career.
“I took myself past three rounds and felt that I carried the right engine through the fight,” Joshua said.
“Even when I had been loading up and doing silly things, I still had enough power to knock him out in the seventh,” he added.
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS