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Joshua loses to Usyk by split decision

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Anthony Joshua’s bid to win back the unified heavyweight titles ended in disappointment as Oleksandr Usyk produced a terrific performance to win by split decision in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

In a clash billed as the Rage on the Red Sea, a spirited Joshua, 32, showed some aggressiveness and intent – a vast improvement from their first fight – but could not match the brilliance and ring savviness of the Ukrainian.

Two judges scored the fight 115-113 and 116-112 to Usyk, while a third judge gave it 115-113 to the challenger. While there were some close rounds, Usyk was the deserved winner.

At the end of the fight, a furious Joshua – quite bizarrely – picked up two of Usyk’s belts, dropped them on the floor and strode towards the dressing room, before turning round and getting back into the ring to give an impassioned speech.

“Usyk is one hell of a fighter. That’s just emotion,” he said. “If you knew my story, you’d understand the passion. I’m not an amateur boxer. I was going to jail and I got bail and I started training.

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“It shows the passion we put into this. For this guy to beat me tonight, it shows the levels of hard work he must have put in, so please give him a round of applause as heavyweight champion of world.

“They said that I’m not a 12-round fighter. I ain’t 14 stone, I’m 18 stone, I’m heavy. It’s hard work. This guy here is phenomenal.”

Joshua has now suffered back-to-back defeats against Usyk, with the champion retaining the WBA (Super), WBO and IBF titles he won in London last September.

Joshua had some success in the fight – and enjoyed his best round in the ninth, charging Usyk down and unloading a flurry of punches, reminiscent of the AJ of old.

But such is the brilliance of Usyk, he came back fighting in the 10th round and was landing clean blow after blow. Usyk landed a five-punch combination, and Joshua became a sitting duck.

Joshua fatigued and Usyk – who just a few months ago was defending his nation against the Russian invasion – took full advantage in the championship rounds.

See also  Anthony Joshua returns to gym for ‘mental strength therapy’

“I devote this victory to my family, my country, my team, to all the military defending this country – thank you so much,” he said, before calling out WBC champion Tyson Fury.

“I’m sure that Tyson Fury is not retired yet. I’m convinced he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. If I’m not fighting Fury, I’m not fighting at all.

“Only God knows whether I will fight him or not but all these gentlemen here around me, my team, they are going to help me.”

Fury recently announced his retirement but has until 26 August to decide on whether he will relinquish the belt.

The Gypsy King took to social media to criticise both fighters, and may not yet be done with boxing. The carrot of a clash with Usyk – one which would certainly cement the winner’s legacy as an all-time great – is dangling.

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WrestleMania 42: Nigerian wrestler Oba Femi beats 10-time WWE Champion Brock Lesnar

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Nigerian professional wrestler, Isaac Odugbesan, popularly known as Oba Femi, defeated 10-time WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar, on his WrestleMania debut on Sunday.

The clash, one of the headline matches at WrestleMania 42, ended on a dramatic note as the 27-year-old Nigerian overpowered the veteran.

Lesnar left his wrestling gear in the ring after the match — a gesture widely regarded in professional wrestling as a sign of retirement.

Oba Femi, also known as “The Ruler,” is a former NXT champion and has spent just three months on WWE’s main roster.

The contest began with both wrestlers testing each other’s strength before Lesnar briefly seized control with a series of offensive moves.

However, Femi absorbed the pressure and responded with a dominant display, shifting momentum in his favour.

Lesnar delivered an F5, but Femi quickly recovered, hitting a chokeslam before finishing the contest with his “Fall From Grace” sit-out powerbomb for the pinfall victory.

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The bout quickly became a major talking point on social media, with fans reacting to the upset win.

Femi, a former shot put athlete, is a two-time NXT Champion and a one-time NXT North American Champion.

Born in Lagos, Odugbesan competed in track and field during his school years before signing with WWE in 2021 through its NIL programme.

He went on to win the 2023 NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament and the 2024 Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge.

During the WrestleMania Sunday post-show, Femi sent a message to Roman Reigns, popularly known as the “Original Tribal Chief,” drawing a loud reaction from fans as he hinted at a possible title challenge before the end of the year.

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BREAKING: CAF overturns Afcon final result, declares Morocco winner

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The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has overturned the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals and declare MOROCCO the winner of the title.

Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in the final on 18 January in a match which was overshadowed when the Senegalese players refused to play after the hosts were awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the match goalless.

Following a delay of around 17 minutes, the players did eventually return and Brahim Diaz’s penalty was saved before Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored an extra-time winner.

However, that result has now been overturned by CAF.

A statement by the African Football’s Governing Body said that Senegal are “declared to have forfeited the final match” with the “result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.

See also  Anthony Joshua returns to gym for ‘mental strength therapy’
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FG  fulfils promises as D’Tigress receive national honours, house documents

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The Federal Government has fulfilled its outstanding promises to the senior women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, delivering National Honour certificates and title documents for houses in Abuja.

The presentation took place in Lyon, where the African Champions are currently participating  at  the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament.

The move follows a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu aimed at clearing a backlog of promises made to the team following their 2023 Afrobasket victory in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, led the delegation alongside the Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade. Speaking during the handover, Dikko characterized the prompt delivery as a “clear departure” from previous administrations, where state-promised rewards often faced multi-year delays.

“This is a prompt fulfilment of promises made by a President who leads with action,” Dikko stated. “Mr. President is giving every Nigerian athlete a renewed confidence that sports is a serious business capable of changing lives.”

See also  Anthony Joshua returns to gym for ‘mental strength therapy’

While the physical assets (housing and honours) have been delivered, the NSC Chairman confirmed that the cash rewards promised to the squad are currently in the final stages of administrative processing. He assured the players that disbursement into their respective bank accounts is imminent.

The Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade, noted that the current administration of President Tinubu  is institutionalizing a “reward system” modelled after developed sporting nations to ensure high-performance outcomes.

President of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Engr. Musa Kida, credited the Presidency for prioritizing athlete welfare, citing it as a “legacy of a lifetime” for the sports sector.

Head Coach Rena Wakama and Captain Amy Okonkwo formally accepted the documents, affirming that the timely delivery of these incentives would serve as a catalyst for the team’s upcoming international qualifiers.

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