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Tag: Anthony Joshua

  • “Nigerian Sports Icons Secure Coveted Guinness World Records”

    “Nigerian Sports Icons Secure Coveted Guinness World Records”

    Nigerian Guinness World Records in Sports:**The Guinness World Records achieved by Nigerian athletes are nothing short of extraordinary. These records stand as testaments to their unwavering commitment, indomitable spirit, and remarkable abilities, setting them apart as beacons of pride and inspiration for their nation and the world. Let’s delve into some of these outstanding achievements:

    1. **Haruna Abdulaneezhe**: In October 2020, Haruna Abdulaneezhe astounded the world by setting the record for the most American football touches with his feet in just one minute.

    2. **Chinonso Eche Eche**: In October 2021, Chinonso Eche Eche showcased incredible talent by achieving the record for the most skilled football headers in a prone position for an entire minute.

    3. **Bose Omolayo**: December 2021 witnessed Bose Omolayo’s incredible feat, as she secured the Guinness World Record as the heaviest para powerlifter in the female category, lifting an astonishing 144 kg at 79 kg body weight.

    4. **Chukwuebuka Ezugha and Victor Richard Kipo**: This dynamic duo holds the record for the most consecutive football passes using only the soles of their feet, demonstrating their exceptional teamwork and skill.

    5. **Folashade Oluwafemiayo**: In December 2021, Folashade Oluwafemiayo made history by lifting an astounding 152.5 kg in the female powerlifting category at 86 kg body weight.

    **Top Records Held by Nigerian Sportspersons:**
    Nigeria boasts a wealth of sporting talent, some of whom have achieved remarkable records on the international stage. Here are a few notable Nigerian athletes and their extraordinary accomplishments:

    1. **Blessing Okagbare (Track and Field)**: Blessing Okagbare is a renowned track and field athlete celebrated for her long jump and sprinting prowess. She holds the Guinness World Record for the most IAAF Diamond League appearances, cementing her status as one of Nigeria’s premier track and field stars.

    2. **Olusoji Fasuba (Sprinting)**: Olusoji Fasuba, with his lightning-fast 9.85-second 100-meter dash in 2006, earned the title of the fastest Nigerian male sprinter in history, leaving an indelible mark on Nigerian athletics.

    3. **Florence Griffith-Joyner (Track & Field)**: While not wholly Nigerian, Flo-Jo’s 100m world record time of 10.49 seconds in 1988 remains unbroken and is a testament to her exceptional sprinting prowess, further strengthening Nigeria’s track and field legacy.

    4. **Anthony Joshua (Boxing)**: British-Nigerian boxer Anthony Joshua boasts multiple Guinness World Records in the heavyweight category. His unbeaten record, numerous heavyweight titles, and spectacular knockout victories have solidified his status as one of the greatest heavyweight fighters.

    5. **Israel Adesanya (Mixed Martial Arts)**: Israel Adesanya, while not holding specific sports Guinness records, has made waves in the UFC’s flyweight category with his exceptional victories, earning a reputation as one of the world’s top fighters.

    **Notable Non-Sports Guinness World Records from Nigeria:**
    Nigeria isn’t just known for its athletic achievements; it also boasts a rich tapestry of creative and diverse talents that have secured their place in the Guinness World Records:

    1. **Largest Gathering of Twins**: The Nigerian Twins Days Festival in Igboora, Oyo State, set a Guinness World Record in 2018 for hosting the greatest gathering of twins, celebrating Nigeria’s high rate of twin births.

    2. **Team with the Longest Reading Marathon**: Nigerian students from the You READ Initiative broke records in 2018 by reading aloud for an astounding 480 hours, promoting literacy and education.

    3. **Largest Footwear Lesson**: In 2018, the Aba Leather and Garment Industrial Cluster achieved a Guinness World Record by hosting the largest group of individuals learning the craft of shoemaking, involving over 1,000 participants.

    4. **Longest Dance Marathon**: Nigerian performer Pinki Debbie danced her way into history in 2017 by completing the longest dance marathon by a single person, lasting an astonishing 150 hours.

    5. **Largest Charity Walk**: In 2019, over 50,000 people participated in the biggest charity walk organized by the Nigerian Arise Walk for Life program, raising cancer awareness and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

    6. **Largest Simultaneous Parent-Teacher Meeting**: In 2019, the Nigerian Bridge International Academies hosted the largest simultaneous parent-teacher meeting, involving over 24,000 participants from their network of schools across the nation.

    **Sports Betting in Nigeria:**
    The sports betting industry in Nigeria has witnessed remarkable growth, fueled by the nation’s deep-rooted passion for sports, particularly football. With the proliferation of online and offline licensed betting platforms, millions of Nigerians now engage in sports betting as a form of entertainment and a potential source of income. While sports betting can be thrilling and profitable, it raises ethical concerns and highlights the importance of responsible gaming. The National Lottery Regulatory Commission of Nigeria oversees the sector, promoting fairness, transparency, and responsible gambling practices.

    Nigerian sports stars have not only made their mark on the world stage but have also excelled in various Guinness World Records categories, showcasing their exceptional abilities and unwavering dedication. These remarkable achievements serve as sources of national

  • Anthony Joshua Could Potentially Face Daniel Dubois Before December

    Anthony Joshua Could Potentially Face Daniel Dubois Before December

    by Daniel Edu

    British heavyweight boxer of Nigerian descent, Anthony Joshua, may step into the ring against Daniel Dubois before the close of this year, should he choose to accept the challenge.

    The two-time heavyweight champion has already fought twice this year and emerged victorious in both matches. Joshua secured a unanimous decision victory over American boxer Jermaine Franklin on April 1.

    Following that triumph, it was expected that Joshua would engage in a rematch with his childhood rival, Dillian Whyte, for the second time in their professional careers. However, the fight was canceled when Whyte failed a drug test just days before the bout.

    As a result, Robert Helenius stepped in as his replacement at the O2 Arena in London on August 12, where Joshua emerged victorious with a knockout in the 7th round.

    Reports suggest that Anthony Joshua is now waiting for one more fight in December or early 2024, which is anticipated to be the long-anticipated showdown with American boxer Deontay Wilder.

    However, Frank Warren, the agent of British boxer Tyson Fury, has proposed that the 33-year-old Nigerian-born British boxer consider facing Daniel Dubois.

    Dubois, a 26-year-old British heavyweight boxer, recently faced the current world unified heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk, and suffered a knockout loss in the ninth round.

    In an interview with IFLTV, Warren contended that a bout between Joshua and Dubois would generate considerable interest worldwide, particularly in the United Kingdom.

    “I’ll tell you a good fight if that doesn’t happen,” the boxing promoter remarked. “You know what would be a good fight in the UK, and people would buy tickets to watch it, and we’ll see who is the biggest puncher and who has the biggest heart? Him (Joshua) and Daniel Dubois.”

    “That would sell out anywhere. You can’t say it’s not going to sell. It would sell. It’s a big fight.”

  • Anthony Joshua Achieves Knockout Victory Over Robert Helenius

    Anthony Joshua Achieves Knockout Victory Over Robert Helenius

    By Daniel Edu

    Anthony Joshua showcased his dominance in a heavyweight clash as he secured a decisive knockout against Robert Helenius in the seventh round. This knockout triumph marks Joshua’s return to his knockout form, reminiscent of his victory over Kubrat Puliev in late 2020.

    Initially slated for a rematch with Whyte at London’s O2 Arena, Joshua’s plans took an unexpected turn due to Whyte’s recent drug test complications. Stepping up on short notice, Helenius, who had just fought in Finland a week prior, embraced the challenge.

    In the face of Helenius’s aggressive early strategies, Joshua remained composed, strategically employing his jabs and biding his time for the opportune moment.

    The atmosphere in London’s arena, once filled with anticipation, transformed into elation as Joshua’s seventh-round flurry of three punches left Helenius visibly staggered.

    As Helenius found himself collapsing against the ropes, the referee swiftly intervened, recognizing the conclusive impact of Joshua’s knockout performance.

    Post-victory, Joshua was captured celebrating alongside the iconic UFC figure, Conor McGregor.

    This win signifies a crucial turning point for Joshua, particularly following recent matches that left fans eager to witness his knockout prowess.

    While Deontay Wilder had previously dispatched Helenius in the opening round, Joshua’s recent commanding display reaffirms his position and stokes excitement for a potential future showdown with the former WBC heavyweight champion.

  • Anthony Joshua Knocks Out Helenius In 7th Round

    Anthony Joshua Knocks Out Helenius In 7th Round

    Former world champion Anthony Joshua needed seven rounds to stop stand-in opponent Robert Helenius in the seventh round of their heavyweight bout on Saturday.

    Helenius was only drafted in after fighting in Finland last weekend when Dillian Whyte was ruled out of what would have been an all-British clash following “adverse analytical findings” in a doping test.

    The 39-year-old Helenius, who entered the ring with 32 wins and four defeats from his 36 professional bouts, was knocked out in the first round by Deontay Wilder in October.

    He avoided a repeat of that embarrassing reverse on Saturday although, with Joshua making a cautious start, boos rang out from a capacity crowd at London’s O2 Arena during the third round.

    Joshua, however, landed with a left hook and then hit Helenius with a right to the face later in the round.

    The local hero rocked Helenius again in the fourth before the Finnish veteran caught Joshua with a jab.

    But the fifth round left Helenius with a bloodied nose and although Joshua made him stumble with a left uppercut, he survived and got through an uneventful sixth round.

    Joshua did give his fans what they came to see when he knocked out Helenius with a powerful right-hand punch in the seventh.

  • “I’m Going to ‘War’ Against Robert Helenius” – Anthony Joshua

    “I’m Going to ‘War’ Against Robert Helenius” – Anthony Joshua

    By daniel Edu

    Anthony Joshua, the Nigerian-born British heavyweight boxer, has declared his intent to engage in a “war” with Finnish heavyweight boxer Robert Helenius in their upcoming match scheduled for tonight, August 12.

    Robert Helenius stepped in to replace Dillian Whyte, who withdrew from the fight after failing a drug test and is currently under investigation.

    Despite the change in opponent, the plans for the August 12 fight at London’s O2 Arena remain unchanged, with the match set to take place at 10 p.m. local time as originally scheduled.

    Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the bout, Anthony Joshua emphasized his focus on performing well in the fight: “I block out everyone’s expectations and opinions, just do my job. That’s all that matters. We’re going to war, we’re going to fight. This is just another stepping stone to greatness.”

    Regarding his preparation for the fight, Joshua, a former two-time world heavyweight champion, stated, “I train hard, which means I can fight hard. There’s always something tempting us, but I think young athletes should focus on the task at hand. I am laser-focused on the win.”

    During the pre-fight weight check, Joshua weighed 250 pounds, the same weight he had when facing Wladimir Klitschko in 2017, while Helenius weighed 249.4 pounds.

    While Joshua has enjoyed victories over prominent opponents such as Klitschko, Joseph Parker, and Andy Ruiz, he has faced challenges against Oleksandr Usyk, losing twice in a row to him.

    Helenius, with a record of 32 wins and 4 losses, is entering the bout following a recent victory by third-round knockout.

  • Anthony Joshua ranked No 6 in new WBC Heavyweight rankings

    Anthony Joshua ranked No 6 in new WBC Heavyweight rankings

    British-Nigerian boxer, Anthony Joshua has entered the WBC heavyweight rankings ahead of his potential all-British showdown with Tyson Fury.

    The British-Nigerian was inserted at No.6 in WBC heavyweight top 15 rankings following successive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, who retained the WBA, IBF, and WBO belts by split decision in last month’s rematch in Saudi Arabia.

    As things stand, Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr take the top two spots respectively.

    This comes after Joshua’s team confirmed they had accepted the terms laid out by Fury’s team ahead of a potential all-British super-fight on December 3.

    A statement from Joshua’s management company 258 MGT on Monday read: “258 and Matchroom Boxing can confirm, on behalf of Anthony Joshua, that we accepted all terms presented to us by Tyson Fury’s team for a fight Dec 3 last Friday.

    “Due to the Queen’s passing, it was agreed to halt all communication. We are awaiting a response.”

    Fury’s promoter Frank Warren issued a quick reply. He tweeted in response: “Contract will be with you very soon.”

    See the WBC Heavyweight Rankings below.

    Champion – Tyson Fury

    1. Deontay Wilder
    2. Andy Ruiz Jr
    3. Frank Sanchez
    4. Robert Helenius
    5. Arslanbek Makhmudov
    6. Anthony Joshua
    7. Dillian Whyte
    8. Otto Wallin
    9. Martin Bakole
    10. Zhan Kossobutskiy
    11. Luis Ortiz
    12. Michael Hunter
    13. Derek Chisora
    14. Filip Hrgovic
    15. Efe Ajagba
  • Anthony Joshua Accepts ‘All Terms’ To Fight Tyson Fury

    Anthony Joshua Accepts ‘All Terms’ To Fight Tyson Fury

    Two-time heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, has finally accepted to fight Tyson Fury come December 3 in an all-English showdown. taking place in Cardiff, the Welsh capital.

    Joshua’s management disclosed this on Tuesday morning via the fighter’s Twitter handle/

    Joshua-Fury update:

    258 and @MatchroomBoxing can confirm, on behalf of @anthonyjoshua, that we accepted all terms presented to us by Fury’s team for a fight Dec 3rd last Friday.

    Due to the Queen’s passing, it was agreed to halt all communication.

    We are awaiting a response.

    — 258MGT (@258mgt) September 13, 2022

    “258 and @MatchroomBoxing can confirm, on behalf of @anthonyjoshua, that we accepted all terms presented to us by Fury’s team for a fight Dec 3rd last Friday. Due to the Queen’s passing, it was agreed to halt all communication.”

    “We are awaiting a response,” the tweet concluded.

    Fury had issued Joshua a challenge last week giving him two dates to choose for the epic showdown -November 26 at Wembley Stadium or December 3 at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. Joshua has now accepted the latter.

    Joshua, 32, suffered his second straight defeat to the Ukrainian in Saudi Arabia last month and had planned to make a relatively low-key comeback.

    Responding last week to Fury’s offer, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn expressed caution, questioning whether Fury was “serious” about the bout.

    The unbeaten Fury announced he was retiring on his 34th birthday last month, having previously performed a number of U-turns over his future in the sport.

    But in a video posted on social media last week, he appeared to confirm he had reversed his decision again as he challenged Joshua to a showdown.

    Former champion Joshua fell to 24-3 with his latest defeat to Usyk, who retained his WBO, IBF and WBA belts, but a clash with Fury would spark huge interest in Britain.

  • Anthony Joshua set for rematch against Oleksandr Usyk

    Anthony Joshua set for rematch against Oleksandr Usyk

    Britain’s Anthony Joshua has triggered his clause for a rematch against heavyweight rival Oleksandr Usyk and the fight could take place in March, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said.

    Joshua lost his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts to Ukraine’s Usyk on a unanimous points decision at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last month.

    “He (Joshua) has got his head back in the game,” Hearn told DAZN on Saturday. “He is training now and today we officially triggered the rematch for the Oleksandr Usyk fight, which we will see early next spring.

    Joshua confident he’s learnt lesson after Usyk defeat
    “We’re looking for him to become a three-time heavyweight world champion. I think realistically March is when you’re likely to see the rematch.”

    A possible world heavyweight unification fight between Joshua and compatriot Tyson Fury, the WBC champion, was thrown into uncertainty after Fury’s promoter Frank Warren said he could not see it happening.

  • Anthony Joshua activates his rematch clause to fight Oleksandr Usyk

    Anthony Joshua activates his rematch clause to fight Oleksandr Usyk

    New Unified heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter has revealed that a second fight between USyk and Anthony Joshua will ‘definitely happen’ as the British-Nigerian boxer activated his rematch clause with the Ukrainian,

    Usyk, the former cruiserweight champion, 34, silenced the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday with a boxing masterclass to claim the WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO world titles from his Joshua.

    The dominant nature of Usyk’s victory has left many fans and pundits adamant that Joshua has little chance of reclaiming his belts from the Ukrainian but that has not deterred Joshua, who has now activated the rematch clause.

    Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk said;

    ‘According to my understanding, he has already activated the rematch clause because the first thing he said when he came to our corner was ‘we will see again in the rematch” he told Boxing Social.

    ‘So he didn’t even consider it as a possibility, it was just a decision already.

    ‘I heard at the press conference Eddie Hearn and AJ himself were thinking about the rematch not just as a fact, but they were discussing the time when it is going to happen, what AJ has to change to win so I think it will happen.

    ‘Only some extraordinary circumstances can change it but as of now, it will definitely happen.’

    Should Usyk prevail once more, he will look to secure the remaining WBC belt in an undisputed showdown. The belt is currently occupied by Tyson Fury, who fights Deontay Wilder for a third time on October 9.

    ‘We can talk about the unification of all the belts only after Tyson Fury will have a boxing match again Deontay Wilder, and they determine the champion, and after our rematch with Anthony,’ Usyk said in an interview.

    ‘Of course, I would like very much to have this unification match.’

  • Anthony Joshua will fight Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch – Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn says

    Anthony Joshua will fight Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch – Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn says

    Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn has confirmed the boxer will look to take on Oleksandr Usyk again in a rematch after losing his unified titles in London.

    This comes shortly after Oleksandr Usyk emerged as the new heavyweight world champion after securing victory over Anthony Joshua in London, the United Kingdom on Saturday night, September 25.

    In the fight, the three judges scored the bout all in Usyk’s favour 117-112, 116-112, 115-113.

    Anthony Joshua will fight Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch – Joshua

    ‘He will want to go back in that rematch, and he will be the underdog in that fight but he has just been beaten by a pound-for-pound great,’ promoter Hearn said.

    ‘Joshua lives and breathes boxing, he is already talking about training again and he will be in the gym and ready to get back in again.

    ‘You can criticise Anthony Joshua, but he has just fought a great and he is fighting the very best, and tonight he came off second best.

    ‘There is a new unified heavyweight world champion, but there is no point sulking about it and he must go back to the drawing board and rebuild.

    ‘We will have enough time, the fighter in AJ says he will win the rematch but I had it close before Usyk ran away with it at the end.

    ‘But he has to make changes and impose his style to win the rematch, or he will lose again.’