.... uh, thanks for the advice??? lol @50cent @FloydMayweather #SOHHNews pic.twitter.com/eHawtLz0sh
— SOHH (@sohh) March 28, 2019
Tyson Fury to Fight Tom Schwarz June 15 in Las Vegas
Tyson Fury’s next opponent will be Tom Schwarz, a 24-0, 6-foot-5, 24-year-old German. Although he is undefeated, Schwarz hasn’t fought any notable opponents and has never fought outside of Europe, having fought only in Germany and Prague. He is likely best known for a post-fight brawl he had with Senad Gashi, who wouldn’t accept he was being disqualified for headbutts and tried to make Schwarz continue fighting him. This is a hugely disappointing matchup, does nothing but disappoint fans, and it’s insane that Frank Warren isn’t ruling out the idea of putting it on PPV.
Russian Official Offers to Pay IBA’s $16 Million Debts to Keep Boxing in Olympics
With boxing’s status in the 2020 Olympic games still in doubt, Umar Kremlev, the secretary general of the Russian Boxing Federation offered to pay off the International Boxing Association’s sixteen-million-dollar debt if the IOC promises to keep boxing in the 2020 Olympics. However, while that may help it does nothing to address the main issue the IOC has -- that the AIBA’s president, Gafur Rakhimov is believed to be an international heroin trafficker whom the U.S. Treasury department has barred American companies from doing business with. Last week, Rakhimov stepped down from the presidency, but did not resign which means he could return in a few months.
Kremlev is an interesting character. He was apparently a prominent member in “The Night Wolves,” a Russian motorcycle gang and made his money as the former owner of a security company using the Night Wolves brand and a jewelry firm. The point being, while it’s great that he’s willing to pay off the AIBA’s debts to help Olympic boxing, he is likely not the squeaky-clean character the IOC would like to see helping.
Pulev Claims Journalist He Kissed Was Friend of His; She Disagrees Strongly
After taking a ton of heat on social media for kissing Jenny Sushe, a reporter from Vegas Sports Daily, at the end of an interview following his knockout win over Bogdan Dinu, Pulev took to social media to explain the incident. He claims Sushe is a good friend of his and it was a fun moment, tweeting in part “The reporter, Jenny is actually a friend of mine and after the interview I was so elated, I gave her a kiss. Later that night, she joined me and my friends at my post-fight celebration. On the video, after our kiss, we both laughed about it and thanked each other. There really is nothing more to this.”
There is so much more to this. See, Sushe has hired famed feminist lawyer Gloria Allred to push for Pulev’s license to be revoked, and held a press conference where she said in part, “I did not encourage or consent to Mr. Pulev grabbing my face, kissing me, or grabbing my backside” as well as disputing the idea that she and Pulev are close friends. This situation is a nightmare for Pulev seeing how this incident is garnering far more mainstream media attention than anything he has done in the ring.
A less serious issue for Pulev is that, although the fight was good and Pulev’s finish was impressive, apparently nobody was watching his fight against Bogdan Dinu. The fight did the lowest ratings in the short history of the ESPN-Top Rank deal.
Billy Joe Saunders-Shfat Isufi Moved to May 18, Now For Interim Title
Billy Joe Saunders’ move to 168 pounds has been moved to May 18, and he will now be fighting for the interim WBO super middleweight title. Initially, it was believed Saunders would be fighting for the WBO belt, as it was expected that Gilberto Ramirez would be abandoning the belt as he moved to 175. However, Ramirez decided he wasn’t going to abandon the belt, so now, with a victory Saunders would have to decide whether to move back to 160 or to fight Ramirez for the real WBO title.
Shannon Briggs Looking to Return in the UK, Sergio Martinez and Erik Morales Looking to Hold Exhibition
This week, a handful of old fighters announced they were looking to return to the ring. Shannon Briggs, the 47-year old heavyweight turned inspirational figure whose entire schtick collapsed when he was found to have taken PEDs is looking to return to boxing by getting a license in the UK, where he claims Tyson Fury has already promised he would put him on his July 15 undercard.
Sergio Martinez and Erik Morales are also looking to return to the ring against each other in an exhibition bout. Morales is already fighting Orlando Salido on April 12 in a bout to benefit a foundation that fights childhood cancer.
Floyd Mayweather Accused of Stealing $3 Million in Jewelry from Ex-Girlfriend
Floyd “Money” Mayweather is being accused by ex-girlfriend Shantel Jackson of stealing around $3 million worth of jewelry from her. Floyd is countersuing Jackson, claiming she used his credit cards without permission and illegally recorded him without his consent.
Never one to miss an opportunity to mock Floyd, 50 Cent took to Instagram and wrote “Champ you not gonna win, she got Gloria Allred, give her a mill or two and let her go before shit get crazy.” Fiddy did not reach out to Pulev.