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WWW.BOXINGNEWSONLINE.NET10 lBOXING NEWSlJANUARY 11, 2018 http://www.boxingnewsonline.netNEWS
But Tyson
Fury’s
comeback
is still off for
now, despite
social media
bluster
ANTHONY JOSHUA will defend his
IBF and WBA heavyweight titles against
WBO champion Joseph Parker in a
unification showdown on March 31 at
Cardiff ’s Principality Stadium, Boxing
News understands. But Tyson Fury, despite
public promises of a return, is still stalling
on re-applying for his licence with the
British Boxing Board of Control.
At the time of going to press, Parker’s
manager, David Higgins, was in the UK
alongside his fighter thrashing out the
final details of the deal with Matchroom’s
Eddie Hearn. It is expected that the bout
will be formally announced by all parties
on Friday ( January 12) at a London hotel.
The event will be broadcast on Sky
Sports Box Office, and will mark 28-year-old Joshua’s sixth world title fight, the
most recent coming in the same Cardiff
stadium, an October stoppage of the
tough Carlos Takam. There were two
key benefits for a Joshua contest being
staged in that venue during colder
climates in the UK: a roof, and – most
importantly – the 80,000 capacity.
Should Joshua emerge victorious,
Hearn told Boxing News the next
assignment could be on foreign soil,
before the heavyweight’s year culminates
with a bumper clash with WBC boss
Deontay Wilder.
“The aim is to fight three times this
year,” said Hearn. “We must get that fight
away in March, the first one, because it
gives you the opportunity to go again inAugust and then December,” Hearn said.
“One in America, and then Wilder. Or
Wilder next and then [Tyson] Fury, maybe.
If he [Fury] gets his licence that could be a
big fight, but he needs a couple of fights
first.
“We want all the belts by the end of
the year.”
Fury, inactive since 2015, is widely
expected to make his return this year
after UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) stated he
would be allowed to fight again following
a backdated two-year ban for testing
positive for the steroid nandrolone.
But the 29-year-old, who has claimed
he will be back in the ring by April, is yet
to apply for the suspension of his boxing
licence to be lifted, despite an invitation
from the BBBofC to do so.
“I have not had any contact with
Tyson since the UKAD decision,” the
Board’s General Secretary, Robert
Smith, told Boxing News. “I spoke to
[Fury’s promoter] Mick Hennessy before
Christmas because I wanted to get the
situation resolved before then, but I’ve
heard nothing since.
“It is disappointing, and I don’t
understand the logic of not coming into
the office to resolve the situation.”
Fury lost his licence in 2016 after he
tested positive for cocaine, a drug he
claimed he was taking for recreational
purposes after struggling with depression.
Smith, who confirmed Fury “might” be
subjected to random testing if and when
he approaches them to fight again, said:
“Before he gets his suspension lifted and
fights again, we need to talk to the man.
We need to assess his mental health, we
need to see what he’s like and after that,
we can advise him on what is required
before he is permitted to fight again
under a British licence.”HAPPY TO TRAVEL:
Parker, pictured
here with his trainer
Kevin Barry, is set
for a second
consecutive fight
in the UK
Photo: ACTION IMAGES/
ANDREW COULDRIDGEJOSHUA-PARKER IS ON
THE featherweight clash between
former multi-weight world
champions Carl Frampton
and Nonito Donaire has been
confirmed for April 21 at the
SSE Arena, Belfast. BT Sport and
BoxNation will televise in the UK.
Donaire, “The Filipino Flash”, has
won world titles in four different
weight divisions – flyweight,
bantamweight, super-bantam
and featherweight – and, on his
day, is considered one of the most
exciting and explosive punchers
on the planet. He boasts a variety
of star-making performances, and
for a time was considered Manny
Pacquiao’s heir apparent.
Now 35 years old, and slightly
removed from his prime, Donaire
picked up the WBC Silver feather
belt in September with a 10-round
drubbing of Ruben Garcia
Hernandez, in what was his firstouting since losing the WBO super-
bantam strap to Jessie Magdaleno
in November 2016.
Thirty-year-old Frampton,
meanwhile, is also on the comeback
trail having lost his world title – the
WBA featherweight crown – to Leo
Santa Cruz in January 2017. The
Belfast man, since that defeat, has
rebounded with a thrilling points
win over Horacio Garcia, but
presumably needs a test against a
big name like Donaire in order to
well and truly get back to his best.FRAMPTON-DONAIRE CONFIRMED
Belfast star gets a home date
against decorated Filipino hero
Photo: CHRIS FARINA/TOP RANKSTAR POWER:
Donaire is a big name within the sport