New WBA Super Welterweight world title holder Israil Madrimov and his promotor Eddie Hearn have called out Aussie champ Tim Tsyzu after the Uzbekistani’s fifth-round TKO of Magomed Kurbanov in Saudi Arabia.
Madrimov improved to a 11-0-1 record with the win, and Hearn believes his fighter deserves a “massive” bout later in the year.
“This is a massive win… This guy is an animal,” Hearn says.
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“Nothing less than undisputed at 154 pounds is the plan. Terence Crawford, Tim Tsyzu are some unbelievable fights.
This guy is going to go back to Uzbekistan as a hero and they should welcome him with a massive fight in the summer.
“He’s coming for all the belts in the division.”
Hearn’s comments caught the ire of Tsyzu, who posted his thoughts on X with Hearn quick to respond.
Tsyzu will next fight American Keith Thurman in Las Vegas on March 31.
AUSSIE RISING STAR GOES THE DISTANCE IN HUGE WIN
Australian heavyweight star Justis Huni has won the most important fight of his short career, surviving a 10 round epic against South African Kevin Lerena.
Fighting on the ‘Knockout Chaos’ card in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh – with Anthony Joshua to face Francis Ngannou later in the morning – Huni moved to a professional record of 9-0 with the victory.
Huni was awarded the fight by unanimous decision with the three judges scoring him 96-94, 96-94, 98-92.
Huni was in control for much of the fight, and as it went on, the Aussie looked strong and composed while his rival began to tire.
However, just as a result looked inevitable midway through the 10th round, Lerena almost turned the tables completely, connecting on a brutal left hook which caused Huni to retreat backwards and almost lose his footing.
Alas, Huni was able to survive the late attack and go the distance, with the unanimous win giving the 24-year-old the WBO Global Heavyweight championship belt.
Although not confirmed, Huni is set to attempt to continue his ascension up the rankings, likely fighting world-title challengers Joe Joyce or Daniel Dubois next.
According to reports, the event will take place on a June card headlined by Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
“I’ve told Justis ‘you win this fight, you’ll blow up’,” Huni’s manager Mick Francis said this week.
FIGHT CARD/RESULTS
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou — heavyweights
Zhilei Zhang vs. Joseph Parker for the interim WBO heavyweight title
Rey Vargas vs. Nick Ball for the WBC featherweight title
Israil Madrimov def. Magomed Kurbanov for the WBA super welterweight title
Mark Chamberlain def. Gavin Gwynne — lightweights
Justis Huni def. Kevin Lerena (UD 10) — heavyweights
Louis Greene def. Jack McGann (TKO 1/10) — super welterweights
Roman Fury def. Martin Svarc (PTS 6) — cruiserweights
Ziyad Almaayouf def. Christian Lopez Flores (PTS 6) — super lightweights
Andrii Novytskyi def. Juan Torres (KO 3/8) — heavyweights
Follow all the action in our live blog below!
STAR’S WILD RAGS-TO-RICHES STORY
Francis Ngannou once toiled in a sand mine, scavenged for food to avoid starvation and slept rough in a car park — so facing former two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on Friday is just another stop on his epic rags-to-riches journey.
“I’ve had a lot of experience in life,” the softly-spoken Cameroon-born fighter says with characteristic understatement.
“I’ve built my fighting spirit as high as anyone else.” Ngannou has crammed a lot into his 37 years.
The child of a single mother, he had to walk six miles to school and from the age of 10 he shovelled sand from open quarries, his meagre income helping to buy food and books.
“It was work meant for adults, but we didn’t have any options,” said Ngannou of his backbreaking labours which paid less than $2 a day.
“Sometimes I didn’t have a pen or a notebook. Sometimes no shoes, my uniform was torn. I looked crappy.
“I didn’t like my life, I felt like I missed my childhood.”
In 2012, at the age of 26 and fired by dreams of becoming a professional boxer, Ngannou, now boasting a towering physique carved from his brutal work in the sand pits, made a break for Europe and a better life.
Crammed with others into the back of a pick-up truck, he crossed the unforgiving Sahara, travelled through Nigeria, Niger and Algeria before reaching Morocco.
Then, after half a dozen failed attempts, he finally made it over the Mediterranean to Spain where he was promptly jailed for two months for making an illegal crossing.
Completing a trip of around 5,000km, he took a train to Paris, lived in a car park before local boxing coach Didier Carmont found him a place to live and a gym in which to train.
Despite an early fascination with Mike Tyson, Ngannou graduated towards Mixed Martial Arts and in 2021 became the UFC world heavyweight champion.
– ‘Lot of hell’ –
Many scoffed when he opted to make his boxing debut against world champion Tyson Fury in the so-called “Battle of the Baddest” in October last year.
The doubters were silenced, however, when Ngannou sent Fury to the canvas in the third round before losing only on a controversial split decision.
His reputation and bank balance soared. He was paid $10 million for his night’s work, a windfall which has helped the once shoeless Cameroonian purchase a luxurious home in Las Vegas.
On Friday, he will return to Riyadh to face 34-year-old Joshua whose career could be fatally holed if he loses.
“Of course I can knock Joshua out,” said Ngannou. “I believe if I land on anyone, I will knock them out. The question is how to land? That’s the hardest thing.”
Joshua, a former unified WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion, comes into Friday’s 10-round fight on the back of three successive wins.
Before that, however, he lost back-to-back fights with Oleksandr Usyk who will fight Fury for the undisputed heavyweight title in Saudi in May.
“This Friday it’s going to go down, so I can’t wait for the opportunity to show my skills and combat this person who thinks he can knock me out,” Joshua said of Ngannou.
“I believe I can knock him out. Definitely. I would love to knock him out and make a statement.
“He has to be ready for the shots which are coming his way because I’m a man who will be standing in front of him, bringing him a lot of hell.”
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WHAT TIME DOES THE FIGHT CARD START IN AUSTRALIA?
The preliminary card is expected to get underway at 3am (AEDT) with the main card at around 5.10am while Joshua and Ngannou are expected to make their ring walks at around 9.50am. Justis Huni is expected to fight Kevin Lerena at about 5.40am.
HOW TO WATCH
You can catch all the action from the Knockout Chaos card on Saturday morning by ordering NOW with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
FULL FIGHT CARD
Main card: 6pm UK, main event 10.50 uk
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou — heavyweights
Zhilei Zhang vs Joseph Parker — WBO interim heavyweight title
Rey Vargas vs Nick Ball — WBC featherweight title
Israil Madrimov vs. Magomed Kurbanov — vacant WBA super welterweight title
Gavin Gwynne vs. Mark Chamberlain — WBA international lightweight title
Justis Huni vs. Kevin Lerena — heavyweight
Roman Fury vs. Martin Svarc — heavyweight
Prelims: 4pm UK
Jack McGann vs. Louis Green — super welterweight
Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Christian Lopez Flores — super lightweight
Andrii Novytski vs. Juan Torres — heavyweights