Sherdog Boxing: The Weekly Wrap

About f ing time spiky @spike_osullivan took u long enough to accept. We got a fight folks

— David Lemieux (@lemieuxboxing) July 31, 2018

Tyson Fury to Face Deontay Wilder?

The big rumor in the boxing world this week was that Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder are planning to fight soon. Wilder declared that he 100% believed the fight was going to happen, and that the two sides were “very, very close.” Fury stated that the deal was “99% done.” This is boxing, so who knows if this fight will fall through tomorrow, but if it happens it would be a fascinating clash of styles and eccentric personalities.

Joshua Admits He is Looking Past Povetkin, Is Training Hard Anyway

Whenever a boxer gets asked about a potential future opponent the answer is almost always the inevitable cliche about how every opponent is dangerous and they are only focused on their next fight. So, credit to Anthony Joshua for admitting that he is looking past his next opponent Alexander Povetkin, telling reporters “Me and Wilder is the best fight in the division right now, not me and Povetkin. [...] I want the big one, I am looking past Povetkin now. I want the big guns. I am going to walk through Povetkin and for Wilder the date and location is here.”

Povetkin, the former Olympic gold medalist, is 34-1 with 24 knockouts as a professional having only lost to Wladimir Klitschko. However, before we jump the gun and presume Joshua is making a big mistake, Instagram videos show the champ working really hard on his conditioning, so we can assume he’s not actually overlooking anyone.

Luis Ortiz Calls Joshua “A Punk” in Effort to Land Big Money Fight

Luis Ortiz’s brutal second round knockout of Romania’s Razvan Cojanu got the boxing world talking about him again, but Luis Ortiz must not think the performance was enough. He has resorted to trash talking and taunting the biggest names in the heavyweight division, especially Anthony Joshua who he called a “punk hiding behind his puppeteer promoter” who he would enjoy “beating the piss out of for several rounds.” While Joshua has yet to respond, another British fighter, silver medalist Joe Joyce, expressed a desire to fight Ortiz in his next fight.

David Lemieux to Fight Gilbert O’Sullivan, Possibly on GGG-Canelo Undercard

David Lemieux confirmed on twitter that he would be fighting Spike O’Sullivan, though no date has been given. There are unconfirmed rumors that the fight is being considered for the Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin undercard on Sept. 15. Another fight being rumored for that undercard is WBO junior middleweight champion Jaime Munguia’s potential match with Julian “J Rock” Williams. But, only one fight for that undercard is confirmed to be taking place, the fight between “GGG” undercard stalwart Roman “Chocalitito” Gonzales and Mexico’s Moises Fuentes.

Lomachenko to Return December 1 Against Winner of Beltran-Pedraza Clash

Vasyl Lomachenko will likely be returning from injury on December 1st, when he is expected to face the winner of the Aug. 25t fight between Raymundo Beltran and Jose Pedraza. Despite this, Lomachenko’s camp is still pushing that the fight they really want is the one with IBF and WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia. But, while everyone in the Lomachenko camp is vocally pursuing a fight with Garcia, Garcia is convinced that fight is not worth pursuing because “Bob (Arum) is not going to allow this fight, and why should I waste my time?”

Shane Mosley Thinks Garcia Should Avoid Spence Jr.

When the idea of moving up two weight classes to take on Errol Spence Jr. was brought up by Mikey Garcia, fans defended the idea by pointing out that Shane Mosley did something similar when he moved up to fight Oscar De la Hoya. But, Shane Mosley himself recently told the Daily News that although he respects Garcia’s attitude, he doesn’t think it’s the best move for Garcia to make.

Mayweather to Open Chain of Gyms

And finally, likely in response to the fact that a new person sues him every week, Floyd Mayweather has announced plans to open a franchise of boxing fitness gyms both across the country and internationally. The gyms will feature boxing, speed and agility work, and a virtual reality system. This is a great idea, because Mayweather’s other boxing gyms have been known for their caring approach to fitness and wellbeing.