Sport
Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight agreed for ‘early next year’, according to promoter
This is going to be epic.
The Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight has reportedly been agreed, according to the Mancunian boxer’s American promoter, with an early 2023 date set to be announced soon.
Bob Arum of Top Rank – the company that represents Fury in the US – told Sky Sports on Wednesday, 21 December that “the two fighters have agreed to fight each other next” following the 34-year-old’s most recent trilogy fight against Derek Chisora, sealing yet another victory.
Taking aim at Anthony Joshua, Arum said that “With Fury and Usyk we’re dealing with two adults, not a lot of [rubbish] back and forth”, adding that he’s “very confident” the match-up will go ahead without any interim fights
For the longest time, the hope was that The Gypsy King would face off against Joshua in the much-anticipated all-British bout. However, after lots of ‘will they won’t they’ and AJ’s second defeat to Usyk in his August rematch, the appetite seems to have dwindled. Now, this is all fight fans seem to want:
Arum went on to insist that Usyk is a ‘good friend’, describing the Ukrainian as “very intelligent and Tyson [as] Superman, both as an athlete and as an intellect.”
The promoter said that the only details left to firm up are the date and the venue, though he assured that the fight is definite and “will happen in the first four months of next year.” That’s what we like to hear.
As for where it will be held, despite numerous offers from the Middle East, he said that both camps are excited by the prospect of meeting on the world heavyweight champion’s home turf, admitting that “to go back to Wembley… before 95,000 people really stirs up the blood.”
Despite Fury previously calling out his opposite number and suggesting that, like AJ, Usyk was too scared to fight him, it would seem the 35-year-old is more than up for the task He shared this just a few days ago:
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So, it looks like we’ll be getting Fury vs Usyk early next year and, fingers crossed, on British soil. The atmosphere will no doubt be electric.
We can only hope this fight goes ahead as planned and doesn’t fall into the same trap AJ vs Fury did before fans lose patience and interest.
Can Tyson take that final step towards unification before he ‘retires’ once again or will Usyk finally be the one to finally challenge the boxing juggernaut and dish out his first loss?
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Featured Image — BT Sport/Tyson Fury/Oleksandr Usyk (via Instagram)
Sport
Bolton boss Ian Evatt charged with misconduct by FA after squaring up to Shrewsbury player
Danny Jones
Bolton Wanderers manager Ian Evatt has officially been charged with misconduct for squaring up to a Shrewsbury player following the full-time whistle.
Evatt was sent off as a result of his reaction which began with his complaining to the referee about the eight minutes of added time that were tacked on to the end of the game which ultimately ended up in a 2-2 draw.
The 42-year-old was unable to contain his frustration and although multiple players on both sides were trying to defuse the situation, the incident unfolded all too fast and the Bolton manager suddenly found himself pressing his forehead against Shrewsbury defender and captain Morgan Feeney.
You can see the moment he saw red (quite literally) here:
Following an investigation by the FA, Evatt has now been charged with “improper and/or violent” misconduct for leaning his head against Feeney’s and was given until Thursday, 10 October to respond.
Although he has yet to issue an official statement following the decision, Evatt did speak to BBC Radio Manchester shortly after the altercation, admitting: “I’m disappointed and I’m not happy with how things turned out.”
“There wasn’t an issue with the referee [Declan Bourne] at all, we were discussing the timing situation”, he clarified, going on to add: “There was context to my actions. Their player grabbed me and was saying some not-nice things and I reacted in a way I shouldn’t have done.”
Nevertheless, many fans have remained enamoured with the Coventry-born coach’s passionate albeit sometimes overzealous behaviour on the touchline even if recent results have been very up and down for the Wanderers.
Club legend Jason McAteer even went so far as to write on X: “I’m not condoning Ian Evatt’s behaviour in any way and yes did his emotions passion and aggression go too far…yes. But is that a manager I want to play for then yes it is.”
Others less so…
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It was only last season that the Greater Manchester side narrowly missed out on promotion after losing the playoff final to Oxford United, having also fallen foul in the previous season’s knockout stages.
The Trotters missed out on the next round of the EFL Trophy competition following a tense but wasteful draw against Aston Villa’s under-21s before losing 4-1 on penalties in their previous game.
As for what’s up next following Evatt and the misconduct charge, his side have the international break to gather themselves and prepare to take on Burton Albion FC back in League One on Saturday, 19 October, where a win feels all but essential given the current atmosphere of the club.
What do you reckon, Bolton fans – Evatt in or out?
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Featured Images — Sky Sports/ITV (screenshot)/Bolton Wanderers FC (via X)
Sport
Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui undergoes procedure following cardiac arrhythmia diagnosis
Danny Jones
Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui has undergone an operation following a recent cardiac arrhythmia diagnosis.
The Morrocan-born full-back who arrived at Old Trafford this summer was officially withdrawn from international duty on Monday and is now confirmed to be sidelined following surgery.
Despite early overblown and unverified reports claiming that Mazraoui would be out for several months, it is now believed that the procedure was ‘minor’ and will only be out for a few weeks.
It’s said the 26-year-old had been experiencing heart palpitations and that corrective steps were taken to prevent similar problems in the future.
Fans were understandably concerned following the early rumblings, especially given his recent issues with fitness before arriving at the club and his teammate Christian Eriksen‘s own history of cardiac problems, though it is thought Mazraoui’s procedure was merely precautionary.
Back in January 2023, Mazraoui was unable to play competitively for some time after developing inflammation of heart tissue after suffering from a bout of Covid-19.
He was unable to begin light training a month later and return to the pitch properly in March. Cut to now and he’s started every game so far in the Premier League, making 10 appearances all told.
With the Man United still depleted in defence – and without fellow fullbacks Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, in particular – while they’ll be glad to hear Mazraoui is ok, his impending absence following the operation isn’t exactly ideal timing.
The Red Devils struggled with injury and fitness problems for much of the previous campaign and look to be following a similar pattern this season. Players are also being recalled to Carrington during the international break as they often did when pressure was building under Sir Alex Ferguson.
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On the upside for United fans, centre-back Leny Yoro, who was ruled out for three months following surgery of his own following a footy injury picked up during a pre-season game, looks to be on course regarding his recovery.
The 19-year-old Frenchman shared a video of his rehabilitation on social media and though there is still no clear indication of when exactly he will be able to play his first real minutes of the club, manager Erik ten Hag recently said: “He is in the right spot, and he will return as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile, with no wins in the last five games across all competitions, the Dutchman is still very much under the cosh and could do without any more players missing from his squad.
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Featured Images — Nawfel Ajari (Wikimedia Commons)/TNT Sports (screenshot via YouTube)
