Anthony Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn is hopeful a mega-fight in Saudi Arabia against Deontay Wilder will be confirmed imminently after the former two-time heavyweight world champion sealed a knockout victory over Robert Helenius in London on Saturday night.
Competing in his second fight of the year – following a lacklustre points win over Jermaine Franklin in April – Joshua was jeered by sections of the crowd inside the O2 Arena during a subdued opening six rounds, before ending the contest with a ferocious overhand right in the seventh.
The victory improves Joshua's professional record to 26 wins from 29 fights, including 23 knockouts.
Joshua had hoped to deliver a statement against Dillian Whyte but his British rival was pulled from the fight after returning an "adverse finding" from a random doping test last weekend. Finland's Helenius then stepped in at the last minute.
The aim now for Joshua and his team is to secure the long-awaited fight against American power-puncher Wilder, and Hearn expects an update soon. Representatives from Saudi Arabia, where Joshua has twice fought for the heavyweight titles, were in attendance hoping to conclude negotiations for a bout in the kingdom for early next year.
"We hope it's imminent," Hearn said. "That's why he wanted the Dillian Whyte fight, it's hard for him to get up to fights like this.
"If he hits Wilder on the chin then it's over. This is about Anthony Joshua now, it's not about pleasing others. He's given everything to British boxing."
A fight between Joshua and Wilder had been discussed in the past, most notably when both fighters collectively held all four heavyweight world titles, although several attempts at negotiations collapsed.
But as Joshua and Wilder aim to surge back into title contention and with a potentially career-leading purses up for grabs, the fight finally looks set to go ahead.
Wilder is one of the most dangerous punchers in boxing history and stopped Helenius in the first round last October. Joshua was therefore under pressure to deliver a similarly emphatic performance, and while it took time to get the stoppage, the style in which he ended the fight should increase the hype ahead of his proposed showdown with the 'Bronze Bomber'.
When asked in the ring about a potential fight with Wilder, Joshua said: "My back's gone, is there a doctor in here? I want to carry this heavyweight division to the top."
Joshua has experienced contrasting fortunes when fighting in Saudi Arabia. On his first appearance in the kingdom in December 2019, he comfortably reclaimed the IBF, WBA, and WBO world titles from Andy Ruiz following his shock stoppage defeat to the Mexican-American at New York City's Madison Square Garden six months prior.
However, he suffered an emotional split decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk in Jeddah 12 months ago having been beaten by the Ukrainian in their first fight in London in September 2021.
Former WBC belt holder Wilder, meanwhile, has not fought since his first-round knockout against Helenius. The American, 37, holds a professional record of 43 wins (42 KOs), two defeats and one draw. His only losses came against Tyson Fury in the second two fights of their epic trilogy.
Scoreline
Australia 2-1 Thailand
Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'
BABYLON
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:
Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')
Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
The specs
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UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
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Previous men's records
- 2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
- 2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
- 2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
- 2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
- 2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
- 2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
- 2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
- 2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
- 2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
- 2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin
More on animal trafficking
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
