TYSON FURY MERSEY PRIDE & THE LINEAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP HUGE NIGHT APPROACHING AT ECHO ARENA MARCH 28 2019 Every week THE AWARD-WINNING WORLD’S BEST FIGHT MAGAZINE EST. 1909 WWW.BOXINGNEWSONLINE.NET WWW.BOXINGNEWSONLINE.NET JUST CHAMPION EDWARDS AND BUATSI SHINE “I grew INSIDE up inside THE the fairy tale ENGINE and then the ROOM TWO UNSUNG fairy tale HEROES TELL ended” THEIR STORIES THE OTHER SIDE OF MUHAMMAD £3.99 VOL. 75 NO. 13 ALI by Thomas Hauser Est. 1909 REPLICA OF OUR VERY FIRST ISSUE O JUST £4.99 www.boxingnewsshop.com ContentsMarch 28, 2019 BEYOND THE ROPES 10 Examining a rarely seen side of ‘The Greatest’ Photos: THE COURIER-JOURNAL/USA TODAY SPORTS & ACTION IMAGES/MATTHEW CHILDS DON’T MISS HIGHLIGHTS >> 16 STILL KING 16 >> 4 EDITOR’S LETTER The in-form Charlie Edwards retains Why the heavyweight crown is vacant his world title in his first defence >> 5 GUEST COLUMN >> 26 ‘SAVAGE’ TAMER Tommy Martin on life after boxing We catch up with Jon Pegg – the man who trains Sam Eggington >> 8 THE ROAD AHEAD Eddie Hearn provides the latest >> 30 MERSEY BEAT news on Dillian Whyte’s next move Previewing the stacked Liverpool show, featuring Liam Smith and many more >> 19 ACROSS THE GLOBE Reporting on all the action from >> 34 UNSUNG HERO America, Mexico, Spain and the UK A rare in-depth interview with British boxing stalwart Errol Johnson >> 32 FEEDING TIME One of the four light-heavyweight ‘Beasts from the East’ prepares for war DOWNLOAD OUR APP TODAY >> 42 AMATEURS For more details visit A major development in the AIBA saga WWW.BOXINGNEWSONLINE.NET/SUBSCRIPTIONS >> 46 60-SECOND INTERVIEW ‘MY BEST ATTRIBUTE IS MY DISCIPLINE. MY WORST ATTRIBUTE – I LIKE THE ODD BIT OF CAKE’ Gerard Carroll www.boxingnewsonline.net MARCH 28, 2019 O BOXING NEWS O 3 EDITOR’S LETTER Photo: ACTION IMAGES/CRAIG BROUGH PEOPLE’S Coming CHAMPION: next time But is Fury going to prove he’s the O WE’LL be heavyweight champion? ringside in Liverpool where local heroes Liam Smith, David Price, Robbie Davies Jnr and Anthony Cover photography Fowler are THE COURIER-JOURNAL/ USA TODAY SPORTS all looking to impress. OONE of the most popular fighters in history, Thomas ‘Hitman’ Hearns reflects on his brilliant career. OIN THE VACANT CHAMPIONSHIP Philadelphia, WBC light- Why Fury, Joshua nor Wilder can claim to be king heavyweight champion Oleksandr YSON FURY champion when he returned to action the world champ, the real champ, then Gvozdyk fights deserved better against Jerry Quarry in 1970 after three he should have had more respect for for the first than the draw he years out of the ring. himself and for the title and its lineage time since he received against Simply, Fury gave up his right to the than to partake in a farcical affair with defeated Adonis T WBC heavyweight championship. After news broke in 2016 such undeserving opposition. Foreman Stevenson. champion Deontay about a failed performance-enhancing – a true boxing legend – was cashing out Wilder last year. drug test, depression, alcohol and which, given he was closer to 50 than OAVAILABLE But he ultimately cocaine darkened his door. He missed 40, was just about fair enough. to download walked away from a subsequent drug test and a rematch Time will tell if Fury is doing the same. via iTunes and Los Angeles without with Klitschko was canned as he battled After all he’s been through, he’s earned Google Play a title, even though with his mental health. During that two- the right, but one would hope not after from April 2 and he became an year period of inactivity, he publicly the supreme showing against Wilder. For the print edition overnight champion announced his retirement more than now, though, there can be no denying is in stores on April 4. Matt to almost all who once. He had already relinquished his that he’s lost significant momentum Christie witnessed. A bona- WBA and WBO titles and been stripped with the announcement that Schwarz, fide inspiration, of his IBF belt. Even The Ring Magazine an unproven prospect, will be his next On the @MattCBoxingNews Fury’s astonishing (whose long-term efforts to restore opponent. website Editor fall and rise will live order amid the snowballing sanctioning This is not a call to only obey the long in history. He body chaos is to be admired) couldn’t sanctioning bodies nor am I suggesting OFOR all the might be the best heavyweight on the keep championing a man who that Wilder or Joshua is the true king. news updates, planet, too. But he hasn’t proven that was showing no sign of fighting at In short, none of the three have proven told in the yet, just like Wilder hasn’t and Anthony championship level. So, 12 months ago, they’re the best. And I’m all for the lineal right way, read Joshua hasn’t. Fury lost that belt too. title taking precedence if a champion Boxing News At Still we’re told Fury is the ‘lineal’ Back in 1996, George Foreman was – a No. 1, an undisputed leader – is in Five. Every day. champion, a championship which can – the supposed ‘lineal’ heavyweight place. In this case, it would need Joshua, OWE with some idealistic thinking – be traced champion. He had lost his WBA and Wilder and Fury to fight each other and examine the back to James J. Corbett beating John L. IBF titles due to a failure to fight the leave one standing above the rest. heavyweights Sullivan in 1892, and we’ll be reminded deserving. No one much cared for his It’s nice to be optimistic, as I have who struggled repeatedly throughout the build-up to claim to be king anymore, particularly been on this page before, and suggest to emerge from his June 15 bout with Germany’s Tom when he granted the woeful Crawford that the fighters vying for the leadership Lennox Lewis’ Schwarz in Las Vegas. Grimsley a shot at his mythical will ultimately realise they have to fight shadow. But it’s pure fantasy. Just because Fury championship and turned his back on each other. But with each getting older hasn’t lost since dethroning WBA, WBO Axel Schulz, who had been jobbed out and older, and earning mega bucks with and IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko of beating Foreman in their controversial rival broadcasters who continue to dupe in 2015 doesn’t mean he’s entitled to 1995 bout following some heinous the public by saying their man is the be the king indefinitely. Should Lennox scorecards. man, then this current mess might never Lewis announce a comeback tomorrow, If Foreman was the champ, and be resolved. for example, he would not automatically therefore the best, then what on earth Follow us and keep up to date be reinstated as champion. Even was he doing fighting someone like Muhammad Ali did not claim to be the Grimsley? If Foreman was the champ, @BoxingNewsED BoxingNewsOnline 4 O BOXING NEWS O MARCH 28, 2019 www.boxingnewsonline.net GUEST COLUMN ‘HAVING TO RETIRE NEARLY KILLED ME’ Photo: ACTION IMAGES/ANDREW COULDRIDGE THE END: Martin congratulates John Wayne Hibbert in 2016 But now I want to show others that brain injury doesn’t have to be the end FELT like I Not just for me but for all my that held my life together. It was a for helping me. They gave me the was in a win- family and friends. If it wasn’t for vicious circle, I thought everything confidence to do it, I now train win situation their support, I don’t know where was against me, when I was told I 20 to 30 kids, every Tuesday and ahead of my I’d be today. couldn’t box. Thursday. I last fight with I can remember the phone call I was drinking and taking drugs to The WBC’s Scott Welch and John Wayne like it was yesterday, and I’ll never cope with the situation. My family Dave Walker approached me about Hibbert in forget that feeling. I was in Marbella have had to pick me up after I tried becoming an ambassador after January, 2016. training, and I already knew about to kill myself by crashing my car. meeting me at a show through my It sounds crazy, the bleed on my brain but I tried But I got myself in the Tony Adams little brother, George. They took but I always to keep it a secret so I could keep clinic and went to the doctors. me to London to meet Mauricio treated boxing on fighting. I was due to fight on an I want to put a message out there Sulaiman, he gave me a blessing a bit like tennis Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn that whatever is going on in your from the Pope and the honorary as most of my rang me up to tell me the British life, it doesn’t matter if you’ve got WBC belt. family were Boxing Board of Control had told money or not, you must seek help The icing on the cake was to Tommy quite good at him about the bleed. I flew straight and allow yourself to be helped. give one of my best mates (Charlie Martin tennis. back for another scan. When the At the start I didn’t want to take Edwards) his belt on Saturday night. Former English When I results of that came back, I can the medication, I was stubborn. But It meant everything to me and to champion looked at the honestly say I was hysterical, I was I’m proof that there’s light at the Charlie.