Daily Mirror - 05.03.2020

(^50) DAILY MIRROR THURSDAY 05.03.2020
DM1ST
warm-ups McIlroy wants
to keep his game active
resting up Tiger will
save himself for the Masters
By neil mcleman
RORy McILROy has said he
will play four tournaments
before the Masters to keep
his mind off the first Major
of the season.
The world No.1 will bid for
the sixth time to complete
his career Grand Slam at
Augusta next month.
But before that, the
Ulsterman tees up at the
Arnold Palmer Invitational
today, and then in The
Players Championship, the
WGC-Dell Technologies, and
the Valero Texas Open.
Only five men have won
all four Majors with McIlroy
recording five-top 10 finishes
in the last six years without
winning a Green Jacket.
Tiger Woods said last
year he started preparing
for the Masters six months
before the event.
But McIlroy said: “It’s
different for everyone. For
me, I can’t make things too
big in my head. So, if I
started to gear up for
Augusta in January, by the
Rory keen
to forget
Masters
boxing
AJ’s not a
real champ.
I never lost
those belts
in the ring
golf
go-ahead for £200m superfight
EDDIE HEarn has opened talks
with Tyson Fury’s team for a
£200million December
superfight against anthony
Joshua.
Hearn has spoken to Fury’s US
promoter Bob arum and believes
they can agree a deal before
both men have their next fights
in the summer.
Joshua will defend his WBa
Super, IBF and WBO heavyweight
titles against Kubrat Pulev at the
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on
June 20 and WBC king Fury
faces Deontay Wilder in their
third fight in July. “I spoke to Bob
arum yesterday and we’ve been
talking about how the deal would
work,” said the Matchroom MD.
“We’ve also said we’re willing
to do the deal and sign it now for
December, subject to aJ winning
and Fury winning.
“It’s difficult to say a deal is in
place but it kind of feels like a
framework is in place.” Hearn
(right) would like a first fight,
possibly in Saudi arabia, before
Christmas and then a rematch at
Wembley in the summer.
“There are only three options,”
he said. “Wales, Vegas or Saudi.
any deal we do is likely to be a
two-fight deal .”
By DAVID ANDERSON
fury says joshua’s a great pretender
By david anderson
T ySON FuRy has fired the opening
shot in his war of words with
Anthony Joshua by claiming AJ is
not a real champion.
The two camps have opened talks
over a £200million showdown in
December but Fury claims Joshua is a
“pretend champion”.
The unbeaten WBC heavyweight
king insists Joshua (bottom left) is not
the legitimate holder of his old WBA
Super, IBF and WBO belts because he
never lost them in the ring.
Fury, who won all three titles when
he dethroned Wladimir Klitschko in
2015, said: “I’ve already been the undis-
puted heavyweight champion of the
world. When I beat Klitschko I had all
the belts so, as far as I’m concerned,
Anthony Joshua just has my leftovers.
“I never lost those belts. I had to take
time out to deal with mental-health
issues, so they’re my belts. Until a man
is defeated in a boxing ring, how can
you pretend to be the champion?”
Fury, 31, claims he plans to retire
after a third fight with Deontay Wilder,
in July, and then the clash with Joshua
in December, because he will have
achieved all his goals by becoming the
undisputed king.
His wife Paris has repeatedly begged
him to quit and, appear-
ing with her on ITV ’s
This Morning yesterday,
he said he would finish
at the end of the year.
“I’ve got two more
fights left and then we’ll
really think about what
we’re doing and go from there,” he said.
“I’m undefeated in 31 professional
fights and this is my 12th year as a
professional.”
Fury, who stopped Wilder in seven
rounds 10 days ago to hand the
American his first professional loss, is
supremely confident he will beat him
again in July.
“I beat him the first time (the bout
ended in a draw) and I beat him the
second time and I will surely beat him
the third time,” he said. “But he’s a very
worthy opponent. He’s a very dangerous
opponent, and he has the eraser
knockout.
“You’re only one mistake away from
disaster against him, so you have to be
switched on for all 12 rounds.”
Fury (top left) self-de-
structed after his win over
Klitschko and was vilified
for his sexist and homo-
phobic comments before
battling depression.
He admits he finds the
weeks after a fight a
massive low, but says he is in a much
better place this time.
“It’s almost an anticlimax,” he said.
“You elevate yourself in mind and body
to go and box at this level and nothing
means anything apart from the fight.
“Then you win and it’s like ‘Oh well,
I’ve done that’ and slide down the other
side.
“But I feel fine. I’ve learned over the
years to deal with the mental-health
problems and to train on a daily basis
and keep a routine.”
Fury beat Wilder but
Joshua (below) has
the belts he won
from Klitschko
ON TOP OF
THE WORLD
I’ve got two more^
fights left and then^
we’ll think about^
what we’re doing
heAvyweight
CHAMPIONSHIP
time April came round, my
head would be absolutely
fried. So, I try to push it out
as late as possible.
“I’ve got four tournaments
to play between now and
then, and my biggest
concern and top priority are
those four tournaments.
“I don’t think anything
trumps execution in this
game, so it’s just getting
your game in good form.”
Pre-tournament favourite
McIlroy has come out
against the proposed new
Premier Golf League.
But he still wants smaller
fields and fewer events on
the PGA and European
Tours. “Being a golf fan can
get quite exhausting,
following so many different
tournaments, different tours,
all that stuff,” he added.
“So maybe streamlining it
a bit might be a good place
to start a conversation.”